Oh those Allergies!

Spring is here and that means misery to those who suffer from seasonal allergies. With the pollen counts at the highest levels since 1990 many people are finding their allergies especially bad this year. Some people develop sinus infections and even bronchitis from their allergies. There are several ways to avoid the antihistamines and other allergy medications and still alleviate allergy symptoms such as runny or stuffy nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing symptoms.

A Neti pot is a small ceramic or metal pot resembling an Aladdin’s Lamp, with a short narrow spout, designed to hold eight to sixteen ounces of fluid. The Neti pot is filled with warm salt water and used to irrigate the nasal passages and sinus cavities.  First time users can be intimidated, but the method is easily learned and even small children can be taught to use this useful tool. Filled with warm salt water, one inserts the spout into the opening of one nostril and, bending over a sink, water is slowly poured into the nostril where it passes through the nasal cavities and out the other nostril.

This serves several purposes. First the warm water softens and loosens thick or sticky mucus, allowing it to be flushed out. Additionally any pollen or other irritant is flushed out, lessening the body’s histamine reaction to the allergen. Nasal passages are lubricated and irritation lessened. Used twice daily for a period of two weeks can resolve many peoples’ issues. Daily use is recommended long term for anyone with sinus or middle ear problems.

Neti pots are available from many stores, including local Herb stores, and online. The price runs around fifteen dollars. It is important to use a good quality sea salt, and never table salt, as it contains agents to prevent caking that are sinus irritants. Pots come with instructions for use.

Simply washing the face with cool water when returning from high pollen areas can have a moderate benefit, as this removes pollen before the histamine reaction can begin. Remember to wash hands more frequently and avoid touching the face after handling plant material or gardening. Consider wearing a respirator mask, like doctors use, when cutting grass or doing yard work to prevent pollen from being inhaled.

Raw local honey is excellent for allergies. Honey made within fifty miles of your location is considered local. It contains tiny bits of pollen and when used daily it helps the body become less sensitive to the allergens. Pasteurized honey is useless for this purpose. Use honey to sweeten tea or other drinks or just swallow a teaspoon daily. It takes some months to have an effect, so is best started several months before allergy season. However, starting now can help lessen allergies that are associated with pollens that come out later in the summer and early fall, and continued use through the winter months should help improve allergies next spring.

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), a local herb, is excellent for helping the body overcome allergies. Nettles works on the adrenals, and seems to have the benefit of “resetting” the body’s allergic response. This herb can be taken several ways. It is delicious when lightly sautéed and served as a green. Add fresh or dried leaves to soups and stews when cooking. Freeze dried nettle is available in capsules and should be taken daily for several months for best effect. Dried nettle can also be taken as an infusion. Place a half cup of dried nettle leaf into a jar, cover with boiling water and cap tightly. Allow it to steep on the counter for four to eight hours, strain, and drink at least a cup daily. I like to make mine at bedtime, so it is ready by morning. Nettle seeds are also effective and can be taken in tiny doses. Just a pinch taken daily for several months can have a significant effect on allergy symptoms.

I recommend several local herbs as tinctures as well. A few drops of Plantain (Plantago major or P. lanceolata) tincture in the Neti pot helps increase the moistening effect. Red Clover tincture tonifies mucus tissues and can be added as well. Both herbs are mildly astringent and can be used to help control that drippy nose. Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) tincture, taken in small doses, just three or four drops, can help speed healing of those irritated membranes. Echinacea tincture is helpful in sinus infections, and for a more severe infection Goldenseal may be used.

Many of our common culinary herbs are excellent choices for sinus issues. Adding fresh or dried basil, sage, or oregano to a pot of boiling water releases essential oils to the steam. Cover the pot and set it on a table. Cover your head with a towel and bend over the pot, remove the lid carefully to avoid getting burned, and inhale the steam. Do this for several minutes for best effect. Sinus passages often open right up for relief. This is a good time to follow up with the Neti pot, to flush out mucus.

Consuming garlic is a well known method of addressing allergies, as are fish oil capsules. The high Omega 3 fatty acid content of fish oil is a natural anti-inflammatory. Drinking lots of water helps the body flush the sinuses and keeps mucus thin, as does avoiding air conditioning or low humidity areas

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Unlike over the counter and prescription medications, herbs work slowly and gently, addressing the cause rather than simply stopping symptoms. However, consistent use of herbs can result in a significant decrease of symptoms and even in some cases resolve allergies altogether.

Emerging from Winter in the Appalachians

Spring in the southern Appalachians is still some distance away. As I write this I am in my office with my shawl wrapped around my shoulders, my feet propped on a hot pad, and a cup of hot tea by my side. It’s been the story of my life this winter, which has been the coldest and longest anyone around here remembers for many years. It’s difficult to write about spring when the ground is still frozen and snow lingers on the shady dark northern slopes.

In spite of the cold and dark I feel the stirrings of my body and mind to emerge from my comfortable cocoon and get myself ready for Spring. The longings for comfort foods and sleeping late and long naps on the couch are beginning to fade, and my body needs to be outside more. I bundle up and head out with the dogs more frequently now and walk our favorite trails. My eyes automatically seek the first violets, toothwort, and bloodroot even as my brain knows it is much too soon. These plants still sleep under their blanket of snow and last years leaves in the still cold ground.

I see the occasional Mint sprig or baby Motherwort sprouting from the half barrel on my southern deck, peeking out from the snow, and then freezing and dying back once again as they learn the hard way that hibernation is still a necessity. Even herbs seem to get spring fever. The Akitas are blowing their coats, shedding clumps of dense winter fur that I scatter outside so that the birds and squirrels can have warm linings for their nests. The local raccoons become bolder, and try to raid my bird feeders, to the delight of my dogs who enjoy the chase and occasional capture.

I begin to make more energizing teas on the wood stove daily. Instead of the warming and comforting oat straw with ginger root and elderberries, pine needle, or Goldenrod and honey I find myself using more nettles, Holy Basil, and other green and energizing herbs. I start wanting my smoothies made with berries and coconut milk instead of hot eggs and bacon daily.

The difficult part for me as an herbalist is feeling those cravings for spring greens and herbs when there are still none to be had. I don’t want to use dried herbs. I want to forage and pick new tender shoots instead, but the only thing available is Chickweed, and I gorge on her whenever I find a patch under the snow. I have to satisfy that craving with frozen turnip and collard greens, fresh asparagus from who knows where, and citrus fruits that are expensive now due to the freezes even Florida endured. I find myself eating less meat and root vegetables and leaning more towards lighter nourishing soups filled with chopped greens and broths instead. I want salads and Balsamic vinegar. I eat an orange or a grapefruit daily now, after having no desire thru the long winter months for anything more than apples and an occasional banana.

Spring cleaning begins, not so much in my home as in my body. I mix myself a tonic of tinctures, using those from whole dandelion plants, cleavers, yellow dock, and nettle seed, and take small doses daily. My liver wants to clear out the sludge of winter indulgences from too many carbohydrates, and my sinuses, dried and irritated from months of cold temperatures and low humidity, wood heat and smoke, benefit from frequent use of my Neti pot with a drop or three of plantain and red clover tinctures, to tonify and lubricate mucus membranes.

I feel the energy of those plants working, clearing accumulated toxins gently and slowly, far different from the harsh cleanses and purges recommended by so many. There’s no need to insult my body with such. Spring awakenings should be slow, like the body from a long sleep; a gentle stretching and yawning and foraging rather than a rude awakening.

I long for my gardens to awaken, along with this mountain and all the green and furred and feathered inhabitants, but like those tiny Mints and Motherworts, I have learned to be patient; to give myself time to awaken slowly, to adjust to this new time, and to enjoy the time that is between winter and spring, just as I cherish dusk and dawn.

Soon enough I will be walking more daily, gardening and harvesting the spring herbs. Soon enough I will be too busy doing my spring and summer work helping others with their gardens and teaching my classes. But for now, this in between time is for me, a time to nourish my body and mind and prepare myself for the work to come.

An Interesting Experience with Lobelia

A few weeks ago one of my dachshunds injured his neck. Rusty has a history of cervical spine problems and he’ll do something, play too hard, get swatted by a large Akita paw, or something else that will trigger severe muscle spasms and pain. Historically this pain/spasm ordeal has lasted weeks, and I’ve had to resort to using a prescription muscle relaxer, Methocarbamol, and a strong anti-inflammatory, Deramaxx (COX-II), along with chiropractic adjustments to resolve the discomfort. When Rusty was badly injured by one of my Akitas several years ago and developed gangrene he lost much of the muscle in one shoulder, and on the opposite side of his neck. This makes his musculature unbalanced at best, and when his neck problem flares up it’s even worse.

I immediately put him on the usual drugs and called my vet for an appointment for chiropractic adjustments. Then I started thinking; Rusty hates Dr Iain now. When he had gangrene it was Iain who saved his life, several times. Dr Iain did multiple surgeries and had to go in daily to debride dead tissue. Rusty was in a great deal of pain despite drugs for pain management and as a result Dr Iain became “the bad guy”. I was pretty sure Rusty would not relax for chiropractic adjustments, so that Dr Iain wouldn’t be able to help him. I called and cancelled the appointment.

What to do? Rusty was on the highest dose of Methocarbamol and Deramaxx and it wasn’t enough. My little buddy was still having severe spasms in his neck and shoulder that radiated down one leg. I could see his muscles spasm from across the room. He would awaken in the middle of the night and scream sometimes. I had to do something.

I posted a query on Facebook to my network of herbal friends and got a reply from Karen Vaughn suggesting Lobelia.  I had plenty of the tincture, having made a batch last year. Also, I’d noticed on walks through my yard and along trails that Lobelia was everywhere this year, far more than in years before. My instincts tell me that when an herb starts to grow profusely around me it’s telling me to “look at me, study me, use me!”

I was hesitant. I’d only used this powerful herb in tiny doses before, for migraines a friend suffers. Michael Moore had recommended it to me last summer as an ally for the terrible pain of passing kidney stones, but I didn’t use it as I managed to pass my stones remarkably easy without having to use pain meds or strong herbs at all. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to calculate a dose for a fifteen pound dog without causing him harm or at least some vomiting, which would only make his problem worse.

But I had to do something. My little friend was suffering, and the drugs weren’t helping. We had nowhere else to go. So I dosed him with one drop of tincture in a bit of water and watched. I thought I saw a small improvement. I dosed him again, this time three drops, and sure enough, could see it was working. I made a formula for him using one part Lobelia, two parts Solomon’s Seal (for helping to realign muscles and connective tissues), and four parts Skullcap (nervine) tinctures and gave it to him every three hours. By nightfall I had him completely off the Methocarbamol and the next day I discontinued the Deramaxx.

Rusty’s spasms stopped. He’d come to me and ask for his herbs if I was late. He typically does this, has always been very aware and involved with his treatments, and so is one of my best teachers. I kept him on the formula for a week, gradually decreasing the frequency, always making sure he got it first thing in the morning and at bedtime, with other doses when he asked for it.

Within a week he was completely back to normal. I was amazed, and thankful. Once again Rusty forced me to take a chance and learn something. He now has a new ally, and won’t have to have drugs for his chronic problem.

A Fall Poem

Alban Elfed

the air is different today

the wind sings with a new tone

sighing of changes

coming

the harvest gathered

a flower, a nut

some mead, and bread

a candle and a prayer

returning the fruits

in thanksgiving

to the grove

and receiving

it's blessing

again

A Student's Tribute to Frank Cook

The passing of Frank Cook has been on my mind very much these last few days. When you meet someone like Frank, so vital, strong, and wise, it is difficult to accept that they too are mortal and can succumb to disease or accident.

I remember meeting him for the first time in May of 2007, up at Soulflower, Ceara Foley’s magic home and Herb Sanctuary, where we, as students of Appalachia School of Holistic Herbalism would meet for long Saturdays filled with herbal lessons and fun.

Such a presence! He was there that weekend to talk to us about fermentation, and the values of fermented foods as both food and medicine. Highly educated, well spoken, and earthy at the same time, Frank was unique among men. I remember sitting in a circle in the back yard, talking about dreds and plant spirits and the Five Tibetans. To me he was the Green Man personified.

I remember taking copious notes, trying to get onto the pages of my notebook the very important things he had to share that could change my life, make me healthier, and in turn enrich the lives of my future students and clients. So very many things I wrote down in quotes, feeling they would be important to me as I looked through and organized my notes later. As I went through these notes the past few days I clearly heard that wonderful deep voice as if hearing him that day two years ago.

Together with Joshua Reeves he taught me how to make my first batches of Kombucha and Mead. Together we, students, Ceara, Frank, and Joshua sampled and tasted many different Kombuchas. That was my first introduction to fermentation and the magic of it. Of course I went right out and purchased Sandor Katz’ “Wild Fermentation” and Sally Fallon’s “Nourishing Traditions” and explored what was a whole new world for me. I learned new habits I use today and I wonder how I managed without those skills.

Later that month Frank taught us on his Materia Medica for the Urinary System, something I paid close attention to, as I, being a typical Libra, have some kidney issues. I remember Frank saying “”Kidneys have consciousness, are sensitive beings prone to fears, stress, worry, doubt, loneliness, and fear of rejection.” If that didn’t hit the nail on the head I’ll hush.

One thing about Frank, he didn’t limit himself to teaching us about plants; he focused on the Spiritual as well. He taught us that every organ, every system of the body, was part of the whole and had individual personalities that blended and became the whole of us. One way to heal kidney issues he recommended was to “Have conversations with people who make you angry, even if they are dead or unapproachable. Talk to their higher self.” I’ve had several rather meaningful conversations with my own grandmother since then, and I have to say they have been profound. “We must honor our kidneys, become better at expression, as our kidneys hold all this if we don’t”. And “Do not burden them”, “Become creative with the stress in your life”.

When I had a frightening experience with kidney stones last year Frank was one of the teachers I turned to for wisdom. He was generous with his help, emailing me with advice and helping to calm my fears. As a result I managed to pass on my own a very large and “unpassable” (ha!) stone with a minimum of discomfort, largely due to remaining calm and somewhat fearless. Between the advice of Frank and Michael Moore (another great loss to the world) I accomplished the almost impossible, and am healthy today because of their teachings.

Frank encouraged us most of all to “Know your plant families”. I admit this is a weakness for me.  For so many years I’d turn to my guidebooks and look in the section with the yellow flowers in order to identify some plant with yellow flowers, bypassing altogether the family.  Still today I realize that I don’t focus on the family, but am still stuck on individual identification. If I can do one thing, take one action to honor Frank as my teacher I believe learning my families to be that thing. After all, here was a man who resolved to learn all the plant families of the WORLD. Surely I can focus on my beloved Appalachian plants and learn those! So, that is my resolution, to honor Frank and to improve my own knowledge and understanding of the plant world.

Yesterday on a walk with neighbors on their land hunting for Elderberries and Boneset my friend Deborah pointed out a plant and asked me what it was. Unknown to me, but I touched it, found opposite leaves and square stem and knew it to belong to the mint family.  Frank’s face appeared before me, smiling. I smiled back inside and thanked him for his wisdom.

And finally, as I turn through the pages of my notebook, I find these last quotes from Frank;

“Our greatest healer is the wise and ancient being inside our core. Gain confidence to face the fears that come with illness.”

“Remember....everybody dies.”

Mullein; a Versatile Healer

Blog Party!! This month's party is hosted by Darcey Blue over at http://desertmedicinewoman.blogspot.com Check out her blog for links to all participating blogs. Enjoy!

I was driving up my road the other day and spotted the largest stand of Mullein I’ve ever seen, along the previously Roundup’d banks of a neighbor’s home. “This guy has some problems” I thought to myself, as I am a believer that what we need most grows profusely around us. This home was literally surrounded by Mullein, most of it second year and made even more spectacular by the multitude of yellow-flowered stalks rising from the poisoned ground. The vision of that bank stayed with me and prompted me to research and write this.

Not native to North America, the seed of the plant were likely brought over on early settlers’ footwear or ships’ ballast, much as Plantain was. Mullein, or Verbascum thapsus, is a biennial herb, with a rosette of leaves the first year, and shooting up a tall stalk with flowers the second. It is easily recognized by the large fuzzy leaves and the tall stalk with yellow flowers. Growing almost everywhere, Mullein prefers the sun and poor soils where the land has been abused, so it is frequently seen along roadsides and semi-bare construction areas. Other names for it are Wooly Mullein, Flannel Plant, Candle Wick, and Quaker Rouge.

Mullein has been used to treat a multitude of ailments, and the history is well documented; One well known use is for lung issues, namely colds, coughs, asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis and Flu. Some evidence exists that the seeds were once used as a fish poison; crushing them and scattering them in water created a layer of saponins on the surface, which caused the fish to rise to the surface to be easily caught. Quaker women liked to rub the fuzzy leaves on their cheeks to impart a nice glow when being courted. The stalk, dried, can be dipped in tallow or wax and used as a torch. The leaves can even be used as emergency toilet paper, but use caution, as some folks itch terribly when the leaf comes into direct contact with skin. Hikers and folks caught out in cold weather can use the leaves to line socks and shoes for added insulation against cold.

Modern day scientists have proven its effectiveness against colds and Flu, Staph a, Staph e, and E coli, and have identified components that act directly against the viruses Herpes simplex and Influenza.

All parts of the plant have uses in medicine, except the seed, which should not be used. The root can be dug from either a first year or second year plant before it shoots up a stalk. One can make tea or tincture. It is effective for back pain and bone breaks, causing the muscles and tendons to realign the spine or breaks. It also tightens the trigone muscle at the base of the bladder to help remedy incontinence. Try it along with Kegel exercises for stress incontinence. Some Herbalists have reported it effective against Bell’s Palsy when combined with St John’s Wort.

The fuzzy leaves can be harvested at any time and used. The plant is even green over the winter here in the Appalachians. Use the leaves to poultice broken bones, make tea, tincture, or syrup (Always strain Mullein products through a coffee filter before use, as the tiny hairs can be quite irritating to the throat!) and take for colds, Flu, bronchitis, and asthma. To make a tea select about one cup of leaves with no mold spots, either dried or fresh, and simmer in a quart of water for thirty minutes, strain carefully through a coffee filter, sweeten with honey, and serve warm. A syrup can be prepared by simmering for thirty minutes and decocting until reduced by two thirds volume, then add two parts honey, glycerin, or even molasses. For a tincture I use fresh leaves, 1:1 in 100 proof alcohol. A salve can be prepared from Mullein oil, either from leaves or flowers, and used for skin infections and minor wounds, burns, herpes lesions, and bruises.

Mullein is expectorant, demulcent, and antispasmodic, so really helps with chronic cough. Some Herbalists use the leaves for back issues as well. The leaves have been smoked to relieve lung ailments, ease asthma, and quiet coughs, and it has some sedative properties that can promote sleep, making it valuable in treatment of endless coughing fits that drain the energy and keep one from rest. Use care in drying the leaves, as the thick center vein dries slowly and many a batch of dried herb has been ruined due to the still moist veins molding. I like to separate the center vein before drying, making it easier to rub the leaves to a fluffy consistency for smoking.

The flowers make the very best ear oil ever. Pick flowers from several stalks as they open, preferably in the morning after dew has dried. Drop them into a small jar and fill with olive oil. Let sit in a cool dark place for two to six weeks, strain and use. Children who are prone to earaches due to wax buildup especially benefit. Place a few drops in a child’s ear and watch as the pain goes away almost instantly. Leave the ears unplugged and allow the oil and wax to drain naturally overnight. Adding a second pillowcase or soft towel to the pillow is useful here. For infections and swimmer’s ear, try crushing a clove of garlic and adding that to your oil. It is my treatment of choice for ear mites and ear infections in my dogs too.

Watchouts and contraindications;
NEVER use the oil in ears that may have a perforated ear drum or in childrens’ ears with tubes!!!

Do not use Mullein flower oil and garlic combo on cats. Use the flower oil only and sparingly.

Avoid using Mullein if taking the drug Lithium, as it can intensify the effects.

Avoid using Mullein with muscle relaxing drugs for the same reason.
Some evidence exists that mullein is diuretic (although I have not found it to be so) and use should be avoided if taking prescription diuretics.

First Egg!!

I got my first egg today! Wooo hooo! OK, stop laughing, this is a milestone for me, so let me revel.

The chickens are settling in well. Both mini-chicken houses were used last night, all the food was gone, and the whole flock met me at the gate this morning clamoring for food. Rocky had competition eating from the bowl I held.

Rocky looks different, acts different. He's standing much taller, almost completely erect, and strolls around like a lord among his ladies. I've noticed he stands around a lot watching them scratch and eat, like he's protecting them, as he gives a soft alarm call they all heed when one of the dogs gets nosey.

I kept hearing a chicken squawking earlier and ran out to see what was wrong. One hen (they don't have names yet) was standing outside the newest chicken house just squalling at the top of her lungs. She ran to me when I came in and I swear it was just like a kid coming to complain to mama. I understood immediately. (Yeah, that's weird, but apparently I speak chicken as well as I speak dog) Another hen was in that house, all settled down in one of the nesting boxes, and THIS hen was upset because SHE wanted that box! Too funny. I picked her up and talked to her and the other hen came back out. I set hen number one down and she immediately ran into the house and took over the box.

Those two hens are both claiming the house, although hen number two doesn't make a clatter when hen number one is in there. I just checked and number two was in there, with an egg. So I took it and she refused to leave the house, so she may be going broody, and the other one may be too, or they're just establishing territories and ranking order.

This promises to be a fun and interesting project, with the added bonuses of food and compost for my gardens. Neighbors were already asking me at breakfast this morning what I'll be selling eggs for! Cool!

That's all for now, I'm going to go eat my egg.