Herbal Medicine

A practice of cultivating relationships between all the aspects of you, body, mind and spirit, the natural world, your environment and the healing plants everyday with the goal of consciously enhancing your quality of life.You are intrinsically encoded to Nature through her rhythms – cycles, seasons and the dance of the elements. We live in relationship to plants without whose presence we would not be able to survive. When we bring together the magical and medicinal powers of plants and the inherent healing power of the human body these innate intelligences amplify whether you are in recovery, actively countering an imbalance, seeking to maintain health or reaching for a greater quality of health. Feeling good creates an upward spiral which cultivates resilience and manifests as radiant wellbeing. A vibrant, radiant you is waiting for you to step up and take charge of your health and wellbeing.

Some may call the absence of disease health, yet the World Health Organization and herbal traditions view health in a broader scope including our physical, mental and social aspects. Your being is made up of the rich complexity of layers which must be in harmony to be healthy. We look to shift the definition of medicine from that which just gets rid of disease or the undesirable to that which nourishes and floods our being with sunlight, moonlight, Ojas, groundedness and vitality. In so doing we actively pursue radiant health. We achieve this through conscious care of the body as a vehicle to access the subtle aspects of our being.

Herbalism can be the everyday self care, nourishment, relaxation, and rest and it can be targeted at the issues of extreme imbalance otherwise known as dis-ease. Ideally, we use plants everyday as a sacred acknowledgement of interconnectedness which fosters well being on all levels of our being – mind, body, emotion and spirit. Our lifestyles and choices create who we are and how well we are. When we invite our medicine into our everyday, our overall wellbeing can be sustained for long periods of time allowing us the grace to live in joy and fulfillment to get on with what we are here to do.

The plants are also complex beings whose many constituents synergize within a plant, with other plants and with humans. This medicine goes beyond the isolated molecular structure of our physical body into the interconnected relationship with our thoughts, beliefs, emotions. Plant medicine is alive, because it is full of life force, Qi, Prana, which is vital to our survival. Every breath we take is given to us by plants. They are living, sentient beings and the medicine they offer is biocompatible with humans. We are connected to everything – the web of light/life. Working with plant medicine brings us closer to this connectedness and being in this space affords the opportunity to heal on levels you may not even have been aware you needed healing. As everything is connected, why not address your health from the perspective of a whole intertwined connectivity of emotional, mental activity, physical actions, and soul work. You can not separate your mental, emotion, intuitive or spiritual being from the others, in fact when you do, they become out of harmony, this is where dis-ease- being out of balance -manifests in poor health.

Herbal medicine involves your active participation in your wellness- at whatever pace you wish- there is no time line, but there is deep work that must be done through nourishment, rest, rejuvenation and digesting all your experiences to gain clarity of mind. Intention with focused attention facilitates healing. Herbalism meets you where you are, stopping to see how you arrived here and who you wish to become. It teaches you a way to take care of yourself through conscious awareness, choices and practices to maintain wellness. Plant medicine can be everywhere in your life from personal hygiene, to cleaning products in our homes, to how we prepare food, to our medicine, to assist our spiritual practices and so much more. People do ask if they will need to be on herbs for the rest of their lives. My answer is, I certainly hope so. If your wellness goals include; beautiful skin, bright mind, nourished and rejuvenated body, restorative sleep or a sense of purpose then herbs integrated into daily life is essential. Simple remedies and practices have powerful benefits.

The art of knowing the plants, how to use them and to match them to people is what herbalism is all about. When we speak of plants we mean-roots, bark, rhizomes, flowers, leaves, stems, fruits, seeds, nuts and resins prepared in various ways. We use the medicine from the kitchen to the clinic which strives to regain our balance back to wellness when we find ourselves in dis-ease from either minor or major health concerns as well as taking preventative measures to remain well. It addresses a plethora of health concerns, many of which herbal medicine is your best choice. It works in co-operation beautifully with other practices of wellness and western medicine and when it is not the primary modality it plays an efficacious supporting role to potentiate wellness.

Tapping into the deep wisdom of our bodies giving it the nutrients, building blocks it needs to heal, clearing the channels subtle and physical, allows one to lessen the tension/stress to accept the nurturing, build resiliency and make room for joy. The plants are made of the constituents the body needs to perform its physiological functions. The accumulative healing benefits of being comfortable through out your day, having clarity of mind, vitality, strength and longevity creates an ever replenishing stream of joy! Transformation happens with alignment, attunement, digestion and integration on all levels of your being.

Modern life often depletes us which has a cascading effect upon total health and well-being, the subtle especially. As humans we are unique beings having a multitude of experiences and incoming stimuli constantly. We tend to loose our balance and our harmonic tone. The practice of herbal medicine brings us to a place of self awareness. This opens possibilities and allows us to consciously participate in our own well being. Empowerment drives the quality of your daily experience. You are understanding yourself more deeply and completely by knowing your medicine, how it tastes and smells and how you feel as a result of following a protocol designed for you specifically.

We carry issues in our tissues, this is known as dis-ease. We strive to discover by which channel these issues arrived- the root cause-, where they have settled, and how best to witness them, accept, digest and eliminate what is not necessary to integrate. This is where you are empowered to heal yourself. Self healing is not simply about learning what herb is good for this or that, substituting an herb for a pharmaceutical or purchasing an herb that a friend suggested; this is not herbal medicine or healing. It is about working from the root cause of your imbalance and giving your body the essentials it requires to operate in its innate intelligent healing process. Herbs are not substitutes for pharmaceuticals. Herbs are effective medicine on their own through an holistic way of thinking following nature’s rhythms and cycles, and ways of looking at the body, not a system of reductionist thinking that targets one specific molecule with one isolated constituent. Your part is the hard work, the lifestyle shifts, the adjustments of patterns. This is self healing.The herbs align with you, synergize with you to accomplish this. But It is essential to know the correct herb or formula of herbs to use for a particular person in a particular situation, in the correct delivery form, dosage and duration for herbs to be effective and safe. And when you do not have this knowledge fortunately there is the herbalist! It is about using herbs effectively and safely by understanding and having experience with their actions upon tissues states, affinities to organs or systems, energetics, your constitution, the qualities, tastes of the materia medica – the herbs in your tool box.

There is no one answer to our wellbeing and health. Herbalism rounds out our care as humans; self care and medical care. It is not an either or decision. Each way you address your health is serving a purpose or ticking some boxes of your overall health. We do not wish to abandon modern medicine’s vast knowledge base and skill sets; they are life saving. I so appreciate modern medicine when I need immediate attention or any of the many other medical triumphs. The traditions of herbal medicine have tools, practices and ideologies that emphasize another way of addressing your health by the direct medicinal effects of the herbs themselves on an innately intelligent body.

We can look at patterns, lifestyle choices, medical options you have embraced, beliefs, thoughts, the aspects of your constitution that may be in excess or deficiency to decide how the accumulation of experiences has formed you. From here we can begin to re- weave a harmonious balance through the synergy of plants, humans in their glorious complexity and spirit. There is a continuous thread leading to your health and joy. Holistic means to gather all the treads that we may have lost track of and bring us back to balance in our wholeness. Plants in their subtlest form can initiate rebalancing. You needn’t wait to have a diagnosed named disease before you take notice and promote your health. When we feel better we move fluidity, our thoughts and action align. We are more relaxed in a state of ease and peace and from here our bodies can take over and heal. Fear and negativity create tension, stress and constriction which hinder movement of Prana as well as bodily fluids and air which hinders our wellbeing. You are a unique complex composition of thoughts, beliefs, experiences, physical body tissues, emotions, consciousness as well as a blend of the elements of our natural environment. Interconnectedness gifts us the opportunity to see a broader picture learning from more than one view point which allows for graceful movement moment to moment to preserve our balance and perpetuate forward progression in your personal evolution.

These may be taken in bite sized pieces; meditation, exercise, diet, daily routine and practices of self care, rejuvenate sleep and breathing practices all play to the outcome of joy and resilient wellbeing. It is a process of becoming and once you are in balance you can more easily check yourself when falling again out of balance. We are human. This is our dance – the balance- to do it comfortably, with joy and gratitude a little day by day is how our radiance will explode out our eyelashes and fingertips to ripple into the lives of others and healing is perpetuated from the work you do on yourself into your family, your lineage, your community, your town, and beyond.

Consciousness flows everywhere waiting for you to follow it. Herbalism presents the beauty of allowing engagement on so many levels each with benefits for those who engage. The plants will start their relationship with you wherever you’d like, but they do wish you to begin. Allow the door to open. Invite them into your life. Every moment holds the possibilities we can heal in tiny accumulated steps. Perhaps this is what grace is. And it can all start with a cup of tea.