Herb of the Month: Chrysanthemum By: Carla Vargas

Cooling Chrysanthemum is perfect for the long dog days of summer. A part of the Asteraceae family, which famously includes sunflower and Calendula among many others, Chrysanthemum flowers are both pungent and bitter tasting. The bitter characteristic in herbs often helps to clear heat and inflammation from the body. Its cooling properties also make it helpful in the relief of some fevers which is why it can often be found in traditional Chinese formulas for cold and flu.

In addition to its overall cooling action, Chrysanthemum has an affinity for the eyes - said to relieve painful redness and even improve blurriness and spots in the field of vision.

During summers in Tucson, we can benefit simply from enjoying the flower of Chrysanthemum as a sun tea - alone or in combination with other herbs that cool the body and support the heart like hawthorn, rose (the organ associated with this time of year, according to Chinese healing traditions).

Try the recipe below with a squeeze of lime and a touch of local honey for a refreshing respite from the triple digit month of July - OR  - try its variation as a herbal bitters to embellish your summer cocktails or mocktails with a flowery finish.

Summer Soother Sun Tea  

6 grams Chrysanthemum Flowers

3 g Hawthorn flower/leaf

4 grams Lemon Verbena

5 g Damiana flower/leaf

5 g Lavender Blossoms

5 g Chamomile Blossoms

Cover with a gallon of water and set in

direct sun for 2-4 hours. Strain and enjoy!

Refreshing Floral Bitters

* Use the same herbal ratios as above, but instead cover with 5 oz of your favorite vodka. Store in a cool dark place and strain after 3-6 weeks. You can add a touch of sweetness to your bitters if you choose.

This Month's Herb of the Month- Reishi Mushroom by: Megan Blum

Reishi, called "The mushroom of immortality," by the Chinese is and has been the most revered and treasured herbal substance in Asia.  It has maintained that position for at least 2000 years.  The ancient Taoist considered it to be the elixir of life, believing that with its use, one could attain both a long and healthy life and spiritual "immortality" (an enlightened state).  It is believed to help calm the mind, ease tension, strengthen the nerves, strengthen memory, sharpen concentration, improve focus, build will power and as a result, helps build wisdom.  People that use Reishi regularly notices a peacefulness that seems to accompany its us.  It is a cumulative effect; gradually strengthening the nerves and actually changing how we perceive life.  It is non-toxic and safe to take on a daily basis by most everyone and any time of the year

 Preparation:

Take a handful of reishi slices and add to 2 quarts of water.  Simmer on low heat for at least 60 minutes.  

Another method is using a crockpot.  Take two handfuls of reishi slices, add 4 quarts of water.  Simmer on low for up to 72 hours.  Use the tea instead of water for making your coffee every morning!  Use the tea also as a base for any soup broth. 

Bradford's Herb of the Month- BRAHMI

A traditional, therapeutic herb native to India, Brahmi (also known as Bacopa or water hyssop) is commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine as a memory enhancer, aphrodisiac, and general tonic. It promotes comfort, stress reduction, liver detoxification, is a memory enhancer, strong antioxidant,  and protects against toxic compounds.  It is also particularly great for concentration and is well suited for meditation practice since it balances the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

TEA RECIPE TO BALANCE EMF

(toxic electromagnetic fields disrupt the body's emf and natural healing processes. Toxic emfs are caused by the rampant use of cell phones, computers, and wireless technologies. This tea is a great blend for our modern world!)

• ¼ teaspoon coriander seed
• ¼ tsp organic rose petals
• 1 pinch Brahmi
• 1 quart spring or purified water

Directions:
Boil the water then add the spices. Cover, turn off heat, and let the spices and herbs steep.for 5-10 minutes.

Drink at room temperature by sipping slowly throughout the day.

Herb of the Month- CLOVE

CLOVE   Eugenia caryophyllum

Clove is an evergreen tree native to Indonesia and the southern Philippines. It has been used for centuries as a valuable spice in cooking and medicine by many cultures. Cloves are sweet, spicy, heating, & stimulating. Their strong aromatic volatile oils have powerful immune enhancing properties. When we drink or eat cloves, as our body digests them, the oils exit through the liver, lungs, kidneys & skin. Through this process it stimulates circulation, raises body temp, increases digestion & assimilation, and boosts immunological actions in our body.

~As a Carminative (digestive stimulate)- nausea, gas, bloating, diarrhea, & poor digestion. Chinese Medicine recommends Clove used in a rice Congee for Hernias.

~Analgesic, Anti-inflammatory, and Antispasmodic- it can improve blood flow, lessen pain, lessen spasms and cramps in the GI tract and smooth muscles

            -Clove Oil- (Used in very small doses) is great for its numbing effect-commonly used in dentistry for alleviating tooth pain

~ Antibacterial/microbial- supports our immune system to deal with: athletes foot, colds, Candida, bad breath, commonly used with parasites

~Opens up the Nasal Pathways & clears the orifices of the head

~An Expectorant- to loosen and thin Lung congestion as well as combat any Respiratory infection

~An Aphrodisiac- low sex drive, impotence

Recipes:

            -2p Cardamom, 2p Ginger, & 1p Clove tea for digestion & nausea

            -5p Ashwagandha, 5p Shatavari, 1p nutmeg & 1p Clove- for low sex drive           

           

-Holiday Clove & Orange Pomander- A little history: Pomanders became popular during the Middle Ages when the black death and other ailments ran rampant. Sanitation during the era was lamentably lacking. The streets and even some homes were strewn with filth, bodily fluids and the discarded remnants of past meals. People thought that the cause of their problems lay in the resulting stench lingering about the city. The belief went that the pleasant scent of a pomander could repel the disease in the air. Directions: Poke small holes in your fresh orange in the design you would like. Press the smaller end of your clove into the hole. Tie up with a ribbon or place in a bowl and enjoy the wonderful aromatics. I found that here in the desert my pomanders will often dry out and preserve as a lovely decoration.

Cloves are Contra indicated in untreated Hypertension, and acute hot inflammatory conditions (chronic low grade inflammation is ok as clove has an ultimate effect of reducing inflammation)

Jack's Herb of the Month... Elderberry

Elderberry is an excellent source of vitamins C  – it also contains notable amounts of vitamin A and B6. It is one of the most important immune tonic and immune enhancing herbs. Elderberry is a fantastic cold and flu remedy for all ages and can be taken throughout the year to ward off illness. Taken as a preventive or during the outbreak of an influenza it is an essential addition to your herbal first aid kit. The following recipe was taste-tested-approved by many young, HIGHLY discerning fans - it's a fun project for the whole family! 


This syrup can be used as medicine and/or as a culinary treat! Experiment with putting it on ice cream and cobblers, or in your decadent cocktails! 

You will need:

1 cup dried elderberries (2 cups fresh)

½ cup rosehips

1 cinnamon stick

3 tbsp fresh grated ginger

2 Asian pears (chopped into small cubes)

½ cup honey or to preferred taste

½ cup brandy (optional)

water

cheesecloth

* Yields around 32 ounces

 I begin the process by making an infusion. In a half gallon jar combine the elderberries, rosehips, cinnamon stick, ginger, and pears. Cover with boiling water (filling the jar) and let sit for at least one hour (preferably 2-4 hours). Once your plant material has infused transfer it all to a stainless steel pot. Bring your infusion to a boil and then decoct on a low simmer until it has reduced to half the original amount. Once your decoction has cooled enough use the cheesecloth and a sieve to separate the extraction from the remaining plant material. This could take some time and you should totally play around with different ways of straining to allow for the largest yielding of medicine. Once you have made it through the straining process you can return your decoction to the stove and add your honey allowing it to dissolve but not cook. Lastly, add your brandy! If you have chosen not to add brandy just know that your syrup will have a shorter shelf life and should most definitely be refrigerated. With the brandy this syrup can last up to 3 months refrigerated but good luck keeping it around for that long – it truly is DELICIOUS!!!

* If pregnant or nursing please consult a knowledgeable and trained herbalist.

Allergy Products and Tips

Just wanted to remind everyone... it's Allergy season and we do carry some wonderful remedies for this. We have both an Allergy Tea and an Allergy Extract. Both are aimed at bringing relief to sneezing, itchy and water eyes, and excessive mucus production. They are loaded with local plants too.

One special tip I have is to make the tea in a big pot first thing in the morning. Before you strain out the herbs to drink the tea- do a steam. This entails sitting over the pot with a towel over your head and inhaling the warm vapors. This has a wonderfully soothing affect. Then drink the tea of course!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia

Most of us can remember the popular Chia Pet fad of the 80’s. Spread the goopy seeds over your pet and watch its hair magically grow. What is less well known is that Chia seeds are a kind of magical gift from the desert. The Chia plant (Salvia hispanica) is a small annual sage that can be bountiful in our Sonoran Desert after the spring rains. It is a native to Mexico and was cultivated by the Aztecs in pre-Columbian times  where it was considered a sacred plant. Aztec warriors carried small bags tied to their belts full of Chia seeds to sustain them along their warpath. American Indians of the Southwest included Chia as a staple in their diets and was essential in their long journeys to the Pacific coast where they traded goods.

So why is Chia such a special plant for us right now here in the desert? Well its really hot and dry. You always hear, "drink plenty of water"- but that doesn’t always cut it. If we think of the desert floor when it gets a good monsoon rain we watch tremendous amounts of water run off the surface like it was cement. It is not entirely inappropriate to see the internal tissue (mucous membranes) of our bodies in a similar fashion. When the mucous membranes become dried out and rough over a period of time in our dry climate they can have trouble rehydrating to their full capacity.  Hydration is necessary for the proper electrolyte balance within the body as well as providing an environment for our cells to flourish. Chia seeds provide a medium for water to move more slowly through the digestive tract and allow water to penetrate into the walls of the mucous membrane. When mixed with water Chia seeds can absorb up to 12 X’s their weight in water! In herbal medicine this is called mucilaginous. Mucilaginous herbs are internally moistening to the body.

Chia is also a power food that contains many nourishing things like: Omega 3 Fatty Acids, protein, & calcium. It is also a good source of soluble fiber. It has been shown to help digestion by creating a barrier between our digestive acids and carbohydrates. This can help create a more steady release of energy as well as balance out high and low blood sugar. One of the obvious benefits of this would be for those with diabetes.

Well the lesson is that the desert that we live in provides this amazing plant to help us create health within our body. We should honor Chia and get to know it as more than just a Chia Pet. Come by and get some Chia seeds to help get you through our long hot dry summer.

 

Yarrow Experiences

Yarrow is an amazing plant that I have had a few recent wonderful experiences with. It is definitely a plant to carry around with you as first aid medicine. The latin name for Yarrow is Achillea millefolium and is associated with Achilles the great Greek warrior. By some accounts Yarrow was used to stop the bleeding of Achilles one vulnerable area... his heal. I can attest to this. A few months ago I cut my finger very deeply on broken glass. It was bleeding badly and debatably needed stitches. Right away after washing it well I packed on some Yarrow. I chewed up a small handful. This helps to break up the cell structure of the plant to make it more readily able to do its thing on the broken tissue. I placed it onto the deep cut and applied pressure and within moments it completely stopped bleeding. I continued to dress it with freshly chewed up Yarrow through out the next several days and the wound healed up very nicely. 

The really interesting thing about Yarrow is that although it is well known for its ability to stop bleeding it can also induce bleeding when needed. Its one of the first herbs I think about when a woman has had trouble starting her menstrual cycle. In the same vein it has the power to curb bleeding when ones cycle has gone on too long. In this way it has a very balancing effect on the blood.

Some of Yarrow's characteristics are that it is a bitter and it is also a diaphoretic. Bitter plants have the effect of draining heat trapped with in our core and diaphoretic move our vital energy out to the periphery of our body. This explains its use as a fever reducer. A fever is the body's way of flushing out an infection from the body. Yarrow helps to facilitate this process. Yarrow also contains powerful aromatic oils that are anti-microbial.

One other important experience I recently had with Yarrow was with my wisdom teeth removal. Boy was that no fun at all. I did have a wonderful moment with Yarrow in the midst of this unpleasant experience. After returning home from the surgery my mouth was bleeding badly. I was also suffering from complete inability to control my mouth from a heavy dose of Novocain. The Novocain was helpful in nullifying the pain of the surgery but as its effects lingered on become very uncomfortable. The pain killers did not seem to be doing there job and I was just terribly uncomfortable. Initially I had been packing gauze on the area to control the bleeding. I then decided to give old Yarrow a try. I opened up a tea bag and replaced its contents with Yarrow that I had soaked in warm water. It did a great job of dramatically lessening the bleeding  but it also seemed to remove the unpleasant effects of the Novocain. Yarrow root and to some degree the leaf and flower have an analgesiac effect (pain reliever). So not only was my pain lessened but to my surprise the numbing effect was swiftly eradicated. For the first time in several hours I was suddenly no longer in terrible pain. I was finally able to give into the effect of my pain killers and drift off into a good sleep. Thank you Yarrow!

Gifts for the Holiday Season

Here are some herbal gift ideas for the holiday season. The first recipe is an old Christmas tradition, it involves sticking cloves in oranges. This makes a wonderful smelling gift that can be hung anywhere or placed in a bowl as an air fresher. Start with a handful of whole cloves and several oranges or tangerines, (some stores, like the local Food Conspiracy Coop, have a lovely variety of different tangerines and oranges) then stick the pointed end of the clove into the surface of the tangerine or orange. Create a pattern of your choice.

Next, is a desert favorite: Creosote (aka Chaparrel) Salve. This one involves a blender and a bit of a mess but it is well worth the it! Creosote is a great antimicrobial plant making it good for warts and athletes foot. It can also be used as a first aide treatment for such things as cuts and sunburn. This recipe will create roughly 8 one ounce salves. Here is what you need:

~1 cup olive oil

~1 ounce creosote leaves (dried best)

~1 ounce beeswax

~a blender

~jars

~muslin or an old tee shirt

1. Place olive oil and creosote in a blender. Blend for a few minutes.

2. Strain through muslin or tee shirt into a thick glass jar. (We use canning jars or a glass Pyrex measuring cup is best for pouring)

3. Create a double boil system- We use the ring from a canning jar lid placed at the bottom of a pot of water. Then place the jar or measuring cup on top of this. This is to lift the glass off of the direct heat. Have just enough water in the pot so that your jar filled with oil does not float. Make sure to place the glass in before you begin to heat the mixture as not to crack the glass.

4. Next turn the heat onto medium and add your beeswax. Continue to heat until beeswax melts.

5. Pour into jars

Our last holiday gift idea is a lavender and oats bath soak. All of these ingredients are blended into a fine powder to be bath tub friendly. You can keep it simple with just lavender and oats or add a few things to make it even more therapeutic. The recipe is as follows:

~1 cup lavender flowers

~4 cups oats

~1/2 cup roses

~1/2 cup chamomile flower

~30 drops lavender essential oil

After blending these ingredients well add to a jar, then add the essential oil and shake well.

This always looks great when you label it nice.

Have fun!

Product Update

This is just a little update on some of the new products available this month. We have some really beautiful soaps. Our pumpkin Pie soap that we make every fall is shown in the middle with Star Anise. There is also a moisturizing Seaweed soap & a Green tea Antioxidant bar.

Fire Cider is back. A lot of people were asking for it even through the hot summer months. Fire Cider is a tasty treat which also happens to be really good for your health. One of its main attributes is that it's warming to our insides. It helps to build the fire inside of you other wise known as your metabolism. It is great for those of us with poor circulation to the hands and feet, as well as improving the quality of our immune system. Also the apple cider vinegar that it contains is balancing to the pH of the body. People with acidity problems and even candida can benefit.

Skin Health from the inside out

Skin Health from the inside out

The complexion of our skin is one of our body's ways of communicating our inner health to us. When you are experiencing acne often it is a sign that there is inner heat being experienced by your digestive tract and liver due difficulties metabolizing fats and oils. Inner heat basically means your body is working overtime to get the job done and it's getting a little agitated and crabby about it. Herbs such as Yellow Dock, Red Clover, Dandelion, Oregon Grape root, & Burdock can help to assist cool this heat and aide in our digestion. Sarsaparilla can be added if this heat is connected with a feeling of inner frustration or anger. Sarsaparilla helps to create a sense of balance emotionally as well as hormonally to assist in the release of inner heat.
Another common complaint of the skin is that of rashes. Again it is important to value the message of a rash as a voice from our insides. One of the first things that often surfaces with a rash is a sense of panic that goes something like: "what is this, make it go away." In truth one should say," a rash, what can I do to help you?" Rashes are again a sign of inner heat, often stemming from the liver having trouble releasing and detoxifying. In this case it is sometimes also connected more intimately with our central nervous system as well. Rashes can often correlate with stressful times in our life or even upsetting events. When this is the case.. Soothe. Soothe with adrenal tonics such as Wild Oats that softens the fight or flight response. Also nourish and replenish the nerves with plants like: Lemon Balm, Passion Flower, Skullcap, and Lavender. When rashes are more clearly associated with an allergic reaction stronger herbs which are anti-inflammatory can be used such as Yerba Mansa both topically and internally.
Here is a recipe to make your on Acne Relief tea:
( Drink 2-3 cups daily after meals)
3 parts Red Clover
1 part Yellow Dock
2 parts Dandelion Root
1 part Oregon Grape Root
2 parts Burdock
2 parts Sarsaparilla