Alice Langholt October, 2009

with ReikiAwakening.com’s Alice Langholt

Welcome to this month’s Reaching Reiki column. The theme for this month’s column is Being Present. This is a very important topic and it can change your life. I’ll also explain how Reiki can help, although it is not necessary to have Reiki in order to consciously incorporate mindful presence into your life.

First, what does it mean to be present? Being present is about living in this moment, now. Many of us, me included, worry a lot. We worry about what’s coming up, what’s due, what’s on the long list of things to do, what’s happened recently, and more. Even though we’re taking care of things right now, our minds are preoccupied with these other issues, ruminating on that argument or that deadline instead of focusing on what’s happening right now. What’s wrong with this picture?

Being preoccupied keeps us from enjoying what’s going on right now. It saps the joy from our lives because joy happens when we truly enjoy what we are doing in this moment. Sounds simple, but for so many of us, it is not simple. You might be thinking, what about all of these things? How do I stop thinking about them? You might also be thinking, what if I am doing something now that is just not fun, like cleaning or changing a flat tire, or grocery shopping? How am I supposed to find joy in that chore?

Eckhart Tolle teaches that there are three states of being present: Acceptance, Enjoyment, and Enthusiasm. All of them involve being present, which is important enough that it will improve your life. So let’s look at them in relation to our real life situations.

Say you’re doing that chore you hate. The one that makes you wish you could be anywhere else. Instead of grumping over it, try simply accepting that you need to do it. Focus on getting it done, and you may find that your acceptance of it makes it less reprehensible. A sense of peace can come over you as you complete the task.

Now imagine that you’re doing something that is just part of your day. You are at work, or you are caring for your child. Instead of thinking about something else, such as the argument you had this morning, or what you will make for dinner, focus on exactly what you are doing. Be in the moment. The simple focus of being present can bring enjoyment to what you are doing, as you are consciously present. You will breathe easier, and give your full attention to the task at hand.

Next, think of doing something you truly love. Do this, and be fully in the moment. You will find that your enjoyment will increase to enthusiasm as you truly feel how much you love doing what you are doing. You are in your element, and being truly present is the way to live richly and fully in the moment.

Now what if you are having an argument with someone? How do you be present in that situation? There is no enjoyment in that moment, right? Of course right. But if you can be fully present, you will find that you are aware of the way you are responding to the other person. Perhaps you will be able to react differently than you would if you let yourself respond in anger. Full awareness of yourself helps you be aware of responses that are purely defensive, or provoking. Perhaps cultivating a peaceful, quiet presence can give your argument less angry energy, and change the outcome. Try it.

What does this have to do with Reiki? I’ll tell you. As a part of my Reiki practice, I do a daily self healing meditation. During this time, I open myself up and allow the energy to flow where it is needed. I cultivate a presence, being in the moment, not letting my thoughts wander other than a quiet awareness of the sensations in myself. It sets the stage for the rest of my day, reminding me that I have the power to be present.

Here’s an exercise for helping to establish presence in your life:

Breathe. Slowly. Deeply. Focus on your breath and the spaces in between your breaths. Stop to do this several times each day. Mindful focus on breathing helps you cultivate an awareness of the here and now, appreciation for the way your body works without your conscious effort, and brings you to the present moment.

Give presence a try and see how it changes things.

With love and light

Tags: healing, reiki

• Articles

Mary DAlba October, 2009

The Witch’s Cupboard

Mint

Mint (Mentha spp) is also known as “Garden Mint”.   Other names include Menta (Spanish, Italian), Menthe (French), Minze (German), and Nahnah (Arabic).  “Mint” is a general term for herbs in the Mentha family.   There are many different types of Mint which you can research for specific qualities.  Mint is found in parts of Europe and parts of Asia.

In ancient times, Mint was considered an honored herb.  It was used as payments to the Pharisees.  It was also used by the Romans to crown themselves during celebrations and victory.   One of the Goddess myths is that Demeter turned the nymph Mintha into a Mint plant after she caught Hades’s eye in the Underworld.  Mint was also used by Solomon when creating his ritual sprinkler.

Mint can be used in amulets and spells to bring in success and protection.  The bright green mint leaves can be used to bring in prosperity by placing a few leaves in the purse or wallet.  Mint is also used in travel spells to protect the traveler.  Mint is also known to calm the nerves, clear the mind, aid with learning and knowledge.
Mint is considered a “Greene Herb” and is used in kitchen magick.  It is known to bring pleasure to all guests in the household.  Many use it when doing spells and rituals to protect the home.  Mint, along with other protection herbs as rosemary, is sprinkled within the home to keep it safe.

Mint in health is found in many common household items such as toothpaste, medicine and candy .  Mint generates heat and healing so many use it to sooth muscles and help with pain and the joints.  It is also used to battle headaches by just rubbing Mint on the head.  It helps with stomach ailments, including appetite problems, and within oils and liniments to provide healing.

Remember, this is not a substitution for medical advice so always check with a medical professional to make sure working with herbs are safe for you.

Keywords for Mint

Magickal Uses/Spells:  Healing, travel spells, provoking lust, removing evil, money and prosperity spells, success, victory, calling in good spirits, aids in magick, protection, blessing, love potions
Deities:  Pluto, Hecate
Invocatory:  Hades, Mintha
Planet:  Mercury, Venus
Gender:  Masculine
Element:  Air
Tarot Correspondence:  The Fool

Tags: healing, herbs, magic, magick, mint

• Herbal

LynSusun September, 2009

Wild Foods for Wise Women
The Missing Part of Your Diet May Be In Your Own Back Yard

Boost Your Immunity and Prevent Cancer With Dandelion, Honeysuckle, Clover

and Other Ordinary Weeds

Did you know that many of those unglamorous “weeds” that you’ve been poisoning or pulling out of your garden and lawn are some of the world’s most well-respected and powerful healing plants? If not, you aren’t alone: many people don’t realize that common ordinary weeds can build and maintain good health. Common weeds that grow by you can boost your immunity, strengthen your liver, help you build strong blood, counter colds and the flu, increase your vitality, and even prevent cancer.

Health-promoting weeds are easy to find (even in the city), easy to identify, easy to prepare, incredibly abundant, and as delicious as high-priced gourmet goodies. Go outside right now and see if you can find one or more of my seven favorites: Burdock, Dandelion, Honeysuckle, Plantain, Red Clover, Violet, or Yellow Dock.  (To the botanist: Arctium lappa, Taraxacum officinale, Plantago majus, Trifolium pratense, Viola odorata, and Rumex crispus.) You probably take them for granted. But if they could talk, they would say “Here we are! We love you! We’re waiting to change your life!”

How can they change your life? When properly prepared and used, these weeds can boost your immunity, strengthen your liver, renew your energy, and help prevent cancer. And the best part is, they’re free!
Immune System Boosters

Dandelion and Honeysuckle are particularly good builders of the immune system. (The immune system is a network of cells and cell products that defends the body against disease-causing organisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and cancer cells.) Dandelion root tincture (20 drops, 2-3 times a day) actually increases the production of interferon, a protein that inhibits viral multiplication and activates T-cells.

Can a powerful immune system prevent cancer? Put cancer into remission? Prevent the recurrence of cancer that has been treated? Stop a cancer from metastasizing? In my book Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way, I answer these questions affirmatively (and share recipes for immune-building soups, too). Building powerful immunity can help us remain cancer-free and it provides long-lasting benefits – and long life – for relatively little effort.
Liver Strengtheners

The liver is the body’s recycling center. This large organ is critical to healthy digestive functioning, utilization of hormones, and removal of chemicals from the body. Dandelion is an outstanding liver strengthener. It is known to protect, heal and tone up the liver, helping to relieve food allergies and aid digestion, as well as repairing damage done by drugs, chemicals, alcohol, and infections such as hepatitis. Burdock, Red Clover, Plantain, and Yellow Dock are also powerful liver strengtheners.

Most experienced healers that I’ve met are unanimous in their agreement that a healthy liver is the basis for a healthy and long life. Perhaps the single most important benefit to be gained from befriending the weeds is the strengthening of your liver function.

Dandelion, Yellow Dock, or Burdock roots are used in tinctures (20 drops, 2-3 times a day) or vinegars (1-2 large spoonsful on salad daily); Red Clover is best taken as an infusion; Plantain leaves are eaten in salad or infused in apple cider vinegar.
Blood Builders

Yellow Dock builds strong blood. Strong blood is rich in iron and other minerals needed for health. Strong blood is nutrient-rich – so vital organs get the nourishment they need for optimum functioning. Strong blood helps muscles work well without cramping and aching. Strong blood is low in cholesterol and moves easily through the circulatory system. Strong blood is packed with plenty of energy: for life, for work, and for sex.

Other green allies that build strong blood are Dandelion leaves, Red Clover blossoms, and Plantain leaves. (And for strong veins, Burdock root vinegar is a trusted ally.) Daily doses of Yellow Dock root – vinegar (see below) or tincture (5-20 drops once or twice a day) – often increase iron levels in the blood twice as fast as iron supplements.  If you wish to avoid alcohol, soak chopped fresh Yellow Dock roots (or any of the other plants mentioned here) in vinegar to cover for 6 weeks. I use 1-2 tablespoons a day of the resulting medicinal vinegar to build strong blood.
Counter Colds and the Flu

Throughout the orient, Honeysuckle flowers are steeped in water and the resulting strong tea – scientifically established as antiseptic, anti-microbial, and anti-infective – drunk to ward off colds and the flu.  (An injectable form of Honeysuckle is used in Chinese hospitals to counter severe infections.)  Red Clover blossoms mixed with ordinary mint and steeped in hot water for several hours is an effective “cold remedy” passed down from Colonial housewives.
Increase Vitality, Even Prevent Cancer

The leaves of Violets and the blossoms of both Honeysuckle and Red Clover are renowned as safe, life-enhancing tonics. In addition to enhancing vitality and rejuvenating fertility, they have proven effectiveness against pre-cancerous conditions. Red Clover especially is noted for its ability to reverse in situ breast cancers, cervical dysplasia, and pre-cancerous polyps of the colon. Violet, whether drunk in infusion or applied as a poultice, has a reputation as a dissolver of breast lumps and a protector of the lungs, even checking the growth of tumors.
Anti-Cancer Agents

The most amazing thing about these seven humble plants is that each of them has been associated with cancer prevention. Plantain is an important Latin-American folk remedy against cancer. Burdock as a specific cure for breast cancer dates back to at least 1887 in the Ukraine. Around the world, Red Clover is a widely used folk remedy against cancer and is known as “The herb of immortality.” Dandelion is known to stop the promotion of oncogenes. (When damaged or turned on, an oncogene initiates cancer.) Violet slows tumor growth. Honeysuckle is a popular anti-cancer agent in China. Yellow dock is one of the original plants in the Native American anti-cancer brew now known as Essiac.

As you can see, these seven plants are not useless weeds by any means. Even if you don’t reach out and pick them from your yard (or that nearby vacant lot), I know you’ll be more aware of the abundance of green blessings surrounding you.

For more information on how to prepare and use herbs consult any of my books including Healing Wise and Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way. (Available in book stores and health food stores, or by calling 1-800-356-9315)
How To Use These Amazing Plants

Burdock:

* Dig first-year roots in autumn; use mature seeds.
* Used internally, it resolves chronic skin problems; fresh root binds and removes heavy metals and chemicals.
* Use daily for six or more weeks;  it is not unusual to take burdock regularly for 2 to 3 years.
* Dried root infusion: 1 to 2 cups.
* Cooked, dried, or raw root: eaten freely.
* Fresh root vinegar: 1-4 tablespoons.
* Tincture of fresh roots or seeds: 30-250 drops.
* Infused oil of seeds: as needed on skin or scalp to encourage growth of new hair.
* Burdock is slow acting but miraculous.

Dandelion:

* Leaves are nourishing, roots are tonifying.
* Improves outlook, improves digestion and appetite, relieves food allergies.
* Can use daily for prolonged use.
* Fresh leaves and flowers: eaten freely.
* Cooked greens: ½ to 2 cups (125 to 500 ml).
* Dried root infusion (tea) 1 to 3 cups (250-750 ml).
* Tincture of fresh plant, including root: 15-120 drops.
* Wine of fresh flowers: no more than 6 oz (200 ml).
* Infused oil of fresh flowers: as needed.
* Dandelion is a superb ally for liver and breasts. Regular use – internally before meals and externally before sleep – helps keep breasts healthy, reverses cancerous changes. Digestion is settled and strengthened a few minutes after taking a dose. Results in breast tissue are slower, taking six weeks or more to become evident.

Honeysuckle:

One of the most vigorous vines known, Honeysuckle makes an excellent complementary medicine for many Western drugs, moderating or eliminating many of their damaging side-effects. The flowerbuds are harvested in May or June, dried quickly in the sun without turning or handling, infused in water overnight (one ounce dried blossoms to one quart boiling water in a tightly sealed jar steeped for 4-10 hours), and drunk freely.
Plantain:

* Use leaves, harvested any time, or ripe seeds with hulls.
* Internal use:
* Seeds: anti-microbial, against thrush;
* Leaves: promote blood clotting, increase in iron, strengthen digestion.
* Used externally: leaf poultice or oil reduces cysts, heals skin and connective tissues, stops itching and prevents scars.
* Daily use: no limit.
* Raw leaves: 3-20 chopped in salad.
* Fresh leaf vinegar: 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 ml).
* Fresh leaf oil/ointment or poultice: as needed.
* Internal response is prompt; noticeable improvement in blood iron is seen in two weeks of daily use. External response is also rapid: itching ceases, bleeding stops, pain abates, and swelling recedes in minutes. Plantain promotes quick, scarless healing from all wounds.

Red Clover:

* Use the just-opened blossoms with a few leaves clinging.
* Internally: alkalinizes, builds blood; helps prevent the recurrence of cancer, protects liver and lungs, improves appetite, relieves constipation, eases anxiety; relieves symptoms of menopause, increases fertility.
* Externally: softens and reduces breast lumps; is antifungal.
* Daily use is without limit.
* Fresh blossoms: eaten freely.
* Infusion (tea) of dried flowers: up to one quart (1 liter).
* Tincture/mother tincture of fresh blossoms: 15-100 drops.
* Fresh flower vinegar: 1-4 tablespoons (15-60 ml).
* Note: Over consumption of blood-thinning coumarins, which are present only in low amounts in red clover but found in greater amounts in other clovers such as sweet clover, can lead to the breakdown of blood cells and increase risk of hemorrhage.
* Red clover (legume family) shares with its sisters, lentil and astragalus, the ability to repair damaged DNA, turn off oncogenes, and reverse both pre-cancers and in situ cancers.  According to J. Hartwell, author of Plants Used Against Cancer, medical literature has reported and confirmed hundreds of cases of remission of cancer after consistent use of red clover. I agree.

Violet:

* Use the leaves, harvested any time, even during flowering.
* Externally: Eases pain and inflammation, heals mouth sores, softens skin, antifungal.
* Daily dose: Use without limit, non-toxic.
* Fresh leaves: in salad, as desired.
* Dried leaf infusion: up to one quart (1 liter).
* Fresh or dried leaf poultice: continuously.
* Internal and external use of violet can shrink a breast lump in a month.

Yellow Dock:

* Use roots of a plant at least two years old, dug after autumn frosts, or very early in the spring; leaves, harvested at any time, use ripe seeds.
* Internally: as root tincture or vinegar, yellow dock builds healthy blood, protects liver, and acts as a laxative. As a seed tea, it heals mouth sores and checks diarrhea.
* Externally: Poultices dissolve lumps, counter tumors and kill fungus infections.
* Can be used daily for up to 12 months.
* Tincture of fresh roots: 10-60 drops per day.
* Fresh root vinegar: 1-2 tablespoons (30 ml) per day.
* Dried seed tea: no more than one cup (250 ml) per day.
* Fresh root oil/ointment: liberally, as needed.

Tags: backyard, garden, healing, health, Herbal, herbs

• Herbal

Alice Langholt September, 2009

with ReikiAwakening.com’s Alice Langholt

This month on Reaching Reiki I’m going to talk about Psychic Protection. For anyone who works with energy, whether Reiki, or other practices, protecting one’s energy is very important. Here’s why it’s important, and some ways to do it for yourself.

When we work with energy, either via meditation, yoga, Reiki, Tai Chi, or any other practices, what’s happening is we are raising our energetic vibration. What does that mean? We are heightening our senses to be intuitively aware of our energy and that around us. Our Higher Selves, Guides, Angels, and Archangels exist at higher vibrations, and it is via raising our vibration that we connect with others and these sources. Also existing at higher vibrations are thought forms, negative energies, entities and manifestations. These are undesirable to have attaching themselves to our energy, and they are attracted to our energy when it’s vibrating at their frequency.

Sometimes a negative energy will attach itself to us accidentally – when it’s released from another person and thinks we are the Light. Sometimes we unwittingly pick up negative energy from another person who is sending it out unknowingly. You can often sense a person who has negative energy, because that person may make you uncomfortable to be around. You may feel drained or tired out simply by being near that person. Sometimes negative energy will attach itself to us purposefully, sent knowingly by another person with intent to harm. The last two examples are known as Psychic Vampires – people who knowingly or unknowingly absorb your good energy or send out their negative energy to you.

Now let’s talk about protecting yourself! It’s good to work with the Light – to help others through Reiki or energy work, and help ourselves as well. So don’t toss out the process. Just learn to protect your energy – shield yourself from harm – and all will be well. There are many ways to do this. Here are some examples:

* Intention – this is very powerful! Every day upon getting up, before going to bed, before energy work of any kind, and as needed, intend that you be shielded in a white, golden, or blue cloak of light energy. Really imagine putting it on, zipping it up, and pulling on a big hood. This is your protection. Intend that it be so, and it will be.
* Cleanse your space – There are many ways to do this. One is by smudging – burning a sage smudge stick and wafting the smoke around every room you want to protect. Another is by putting crystals around the room. Crystals have lots of energy, and give off good energy, while absorbing negative. You may need to cleanse your crystals in salt, water, or via giving them Reiki.
* Ask for help – angels are there to help you. Just ask for angelic protection before bed, and before any sort of energy work. Ask, and tune in to feel them surrounding you with loving light and shielding. You can ask that angels be stationed in each room of your house, or the corners of the room you are in, or surrounding you. Don’t underestimate the power of asking the angels for help.
* Self-heal – Be sure to run energy through yourself regularly to clear out anything you don’t need, remove blockages, and help yourself. If you have Reiki or another energy healing practice, use that. If not, visualizing energy flowing in your crown and down your body, while visualizing energy coming up from the earth into your feet, both meeting at your heart will help connect you to the cosmos and the earth, and flush what does not serve you down and out, to replace it with fresh light energy from above. This is called Grounding, and it’s beneficial several times a day.

The bottom line? Be sure you are caring for yourself as you reach out to help others, or open yourself to connecting with higher energies. While energy work is important, enlightening, and increases your intuitive development, it also makes you vulnerable to negative stuff that’s out there. Learn to protect your energy to safely grow in your intuitive abilities and potential.

With love and light,

Alice

Tags: energy, healing, reiki

• Articles

Alice Langholt August, 2009

Reaching Reiki with ReikiAwakening.com’s Alice Langholt

Hello there! I’m honored to have been asked to write the Reiki column for PaganPages.org! I’d like to use this first column to introduce myself and talk about what Reiki is and why I do it.

First, let me say that the strongest reason that I’m a huge Reiki advocate is that I am a regular person. That is to say, I did not have any special abilities growing up, and I wasn’t born with intuition or anything beyond wishing to be special. When I learned Reiki, things changed for me completely. Learning Reiki gave me access to spiritual energy, not only for myself, but for helping others heal and feel better. In fact, the most powerful part of this for me is distance healing. I now teach Reiki to people like me, average regular non-intuitive people, and watch their world open as mine did. I also teach Reiki to those who are already gifted with intuitive abilities and want to learn this method of directing these abilities for healing. But I’m ahead of myself.

You may be wondering what Reiki is. Here’s the skinny: Reiki is a Japanese-originated method for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes physical and emotional healing. Reiki treatments are given by a light hands-on touch, or remotely via distance, and follow the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what enables us to be alive. When stress and other emotional factors drain our life force energy, we are more likely to get sick or feel exhausted. With thriving life force energy, we are more capable of being emotionally balanced and healthy. Reiki works in complement to all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote healing.

The word “Reiki” is a combination of two Japanese words – Rei, meaning “Spiritually guided,” and Ki which is “life force energy”. So Reiki translates to “spiritually guided life force energy.”

Distance healing is tangibly felt by the recipient as strongly as hands-on healing is. Generally speaking, Reiki feels warm, soothing, tingly, relaxing, positive, releases emotional blocks, and relieves pain.

Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit, and brings relaxation and feelings of peace, security and comfort. Many have reported accelerated healing after Reiki treatments. Reiki is available to anyone, and can easily be learned by anyone. It does not require intense study or psychic ability. In fact, Reiki helps one get in touch with one’s intuition. Learning Reiki completely opened my intuition! Besides giving and teaching Reiki, I now do channeled readings and mentor intuitive development. This world opened to me because I had the opportunity to connect with my intuition through learning and practicing Reiki.

The ability to channel Reiki energy is transferred to a student during an “attunement” given by a Reiki master, immediately enabling the student to access the unlimited supply of “life force energy” for its many physical and emotional benefits. Reiki can be taught in person or via distance. I have learned and now teach Reiki both ways, with equal effectiveness.

Although Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. It has no commandments or requirements for worship, and Reiki works whether one believes in it or not. Reiki’s spiritual aspects and tangible results often give people a spiritual connection that their religion may not. I can certainly attest to that experience. I grew up wishing to be connected with some spiritual energy outside myself, and when I learned Reiki, it happened.

So, thank you for reading my opening column. In future posts, I plan to talk about Reiki-related topics, amazing Reiki stories, and answer questions. That reminds me, if you have any questions you would like to see answered about Reiki, or you’d like more information about how you can experience and learn Reiki healing, please email me: alice.langholt@gmail.com and/or come to my website: reikiawakening.com. Namaste.

Tags: Awakening, healing, reiki

• Articles

Mary DAlba August, 2009

Cinnamon
Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum, C. verum) also known as Sweet Wood and Ceylon cinnamon.   Its origin is Sri Lanka.   Cinnamon is pretty common in foods these days such as cinnamon rolls and cinnamon tea.  It is a bark that is ground into powder form that can be added to food and burned as incense.

In ancient times, Cinnamon was used as a religious herb, created to purify temples.   It also helped with mummification to create a sweet smell.  Throughout history, its leaves have been used in medicine.
Cinnamon can be used and substituted for Sun Magickal work such as healing, illumination, magickal power, physical energy, protection, success, and putting an end to legal matters.  Cinnamon is very powerful in Satchels and Amulets.   Mix cinnamon with frankincense, myrrh and sandalwood for a strong protection incense.   Use it to draw love to you by dressing a red candle or add it to a red mojo bag.  You can also use it for money drawing by burning it on a charcoal and casting a spell on a bill you want paid.
Cinnamon can be help as an astringent, carminative and stomachic.  It helps with flatulence, internal hemorrhaging, as a stimulant and with vomiting.  It is known to help with stomach and digestion issues.  Many times a tea is made to help with digestion issues by putting a teaspoon of Cinnamon into boiling water and drink as a tea.  (However, you may find the tea to be very strong so you may want to use less based on what you prefer for taste.)
Remember, this is not a substitution for medical advice so always check with a medical professional to make sure working with herbs are safe for you.
Keywords for Cinnamon

Magickal Uses/Spells:  Love/sex magick, health, fertility, lust, passion, protection, prosperity/money, deep healing, spirituality, scrying, power, strength and success.
Deities:  Venus, Aphrodite, Apollo
Planet:  Sun, Uranus
Gender:  Masculine

Element:  Fire
Tarot Correspondence:  The Lovers, The Sun

Tags: cinnamon, healing, herbs, magic, magick

• Herbal

LynSusun August, 2009

The Six Steps of Healing

What are the Six Steps of Healing?

These are remedies you can use for your problem in order from safest to most dangerous: Step 0 is the safest; Step 6 the most dangerous.  Use Steps 0, 1, 2 and 3 as preventive medicine. Prevention is an important, though often invisible, way of healing/wholing in the Wise Woman tradition. Deep relaxation, information exchange, energetic engagement, optimum nourishment (including touch) and exercise promote health with little or no side effects.

Examples are in parenthesis: (with a few of the modalities available at each step)
Step 0:  Do Nothing

(sleep, meditate, unplug the clock or the telephone)

A vital, invisible step.

Step 1:  Collect Information

(low-tech diagnosis, books, support groups, divination)

Step 2:  Engage the Energy

(prayer, homeopathy, ceremony, affirmations, color, laughter)

Step 3:  Nourish and Tonify

(herbal infusions and vinegars, hugs, exercise, food choices, gentle massage, yoga stretches)

Note: Healing with Steps 4, 5, and 6 always causes some harm.
Step 4:  Stimulate/Sedate

(hot or cold water, many herbal tinctures, acupuncture)

For every stimulation/sedation, there is an opposite sedation/stimulation, sooner or later. Addiction is possible if this step is overused.

Step 5a:  Use Supplements

(synthesized or concentrated vitamins, minerals, and food substances such as nutritional yeast, blue-green algae, bran, royal jelly or spirulina)

Supplements are not Step 3. There’s always a risk with synthesized concentrated substances that they’ll do more harm than good.

Step 5b:  Use Drugs

(chemotherapy, tamoxifen, hormones, high dilution homeopathics, and potentially toxic herbs)

Overdose may cause grave injury or death.

Step 6:  Break and Enter

(threatening language, surgery, colonics, radiation therapies, psychoactive drugs, invasive diagnostic tests such as mammograms and C-T scans)

Side effects are inevitable and may include permanent injury or death.

How to Use the Six Steps of Healing

If you want to remedy your problem with the least possible side effects and danger, start at Step 1. After reading Step 1, pick one remedy from Step 2 and set a time limit for working with it. If your problem is unresolved within that time, decide if the time limit needs expanding or if you are ready to go to Step 3. Continue in this manner, moving to Steps 4, 5 or 6 as needed, until your problem is solved.

Each step up increases the possibility of side effects and their severity so try at least one of the Step 2 techniques, even if they seem strange to you, before going onto the remedies of Step 3 and beyond (note also that time spent at Step 2 will help you choose appropriate remedies at Step 3 and so on). When your problem is resolved don’t stop. Go back through the steps, in reverse, before resting at Step 0.

You can continue to take remedies from a previous Step after moving on, but be cautious about the use of Step 4 remedies in combination with Step 5 remedies.

If you deem it necessary to heal through Step 5 and/or 6 (and real healing can and does take place with the aid of drugs and surgery) and have not yet tried any techniques from Steps 2 and 3, do so immediately. Engaging the energy, nourishing and tonifying will aid and abet the healing powers of the more dangerous healing ways and help prevent or moderate their side effects.

Tags: healing

• Self Help

Hally Rhiannon Nammu April, 2009

THE AFFECT OF MUSIC by Hally

From an early age we come to appreciate music as something that is always there. It is something that we use at a party, in the car to pass the time and even in cafes and stores we visit. We come to appreciate music as a catalyst to fun, sadness, opportunity and remorse. It is pivotal in our day to day dramas and yet, did you ever really wonder about music itself?

Based on numerous conversations over the years only those that consciously make music part of their lives does music and the sensitivities we have to music become apparent. What we classify the “every day person” that goes about their business rarely stops to think of music as anything more than an additive to an event.

is a powerful medium connecting our unconscious to our conscious. It has the power to move us to tears or lift us up to laughing. This is done through the choice of notes, the progression of chords and keys used to even the tone of the singer, if there is one.

Speaking first hand as a musician and someone that is more sensitive than some, music is one of the rare things in life that is like breathing to me. It can be found as the wind whistles through the trees, it can be found with a busker strumming her guitar on the sidewalk and it is something that I find lives within our very hearts. is the song of life.

Consequently when I find myself at events where the music does not complement certain aspects of my own musical chord I can become uncomfortable and it has the power to change my state of mind.  Naturally when you mention this to a friend they look at you as though you are speaking another language because they may not resonate with their own song let alone that which has been written by someone else.

When you walk into a store or a café take note of how it makes you feel. Sometimes this in itself can make you feel at ease or ready to run. Listen to what really resonates with you and ask the question why. You may be surprised to hear what the answer is.

Below is a poetic interpretation to the power of music…

A MUSICIAN’S CONNECTION TO LIFE…

To play, to sing is to live.

Tags: healing, Music Interviews & Reviews, self help

• Articles

Hearthkeeper March, 2009

Merry meet all… This month I will be focusing this article on herbalism; recipes for health and healing. medicine is the medicine of the people. It is simple, safe, effective, and free. Our ancestors used plant medicines for healing and health maintenance. It’s easy. You can do it and you don’t need a degree or any special training.

Most of us have the ability to begin the healing process already in our homes. There are some other things we may need to stock up in order to have them when we need them. Much of what we will need can be grown and dried either over the growing season or even in our homes. If you looked at last months herbal list you will have seen that many of the herbs you use for cooking can be used for healing as well as aromatherapy.

What you can do is create your own herbal medicine cabinet, either in you ritual space or better yet in your kitchen.  It’s easy to make your own Medicine Cabinet. You can customize it to fit your needs and those of your family. Ideally you should make it your own, by putting magickal symbols on it, put pictures of herbs on the door, runes, Egyptian symbols, whatever…you can decorate it any way you like. But in reality we know that having that in our kitchen could be a problem…so what you can do is use a white birthday type candle to draw any symbols you may want on the cabinet door…so that you have magickally charges and protected it but it is not visible to the mundane eye.

You don’t need a huge assortment of herbs…only the ones that you will use most often.
Keep herbs in your medicine cabinet that your family will need.

There are a few basic items that all Medicine Cabinet’s need:

Standard ingredients for making your herbal remedies:

Oil (extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, or safflower oil) for herbal
infusions and salves.
Beeswax (a good quality beeswax) for making salves
Honey or sugar to sweeten bitter herbs and syrups
Vodka or alcohol for tinctures

Petroleum jelly or a good quality skin lotion for making ointments
Essential oils

Gauze pads
Bandages
Cotton balls

Bandage tape
Scissors

The above is just a very basic list, you can add or subtract to fit your needs.

The following are some herbal remedies and how to make them, please consult your Doctor before you use these, unless you know your families allergies and herbal reactions.

WARNING: PREGNANCY (all herbs and their essential oils should be avoided unless under the supervision of a medical professional): the list is not all inclusive, but some specific herbs to avoid are: Balsam pear, barberry root bark, black cohosh, cascara sagrada, chervil, Chinese angelica, coltsfoot, comfrey, dong quai,feverfew, ginseng, goldenseal, juniper berries, ma huang , may apple , mountain mint, mugwort, pennyroyal, pokeroot, rue, senna , southernwood, tansy, wormwood, yarrow.

Ointments/Salves can be made quickly and easily if you first prepare an oil of the herb while it is in season and keep it on the shelf for later use as an ointment. Simply strain and store the oil. Besides simple oils which employ only one herb, a combination of herbs can be used to make a compound oil of your favorite ointment recipe and used later to make the ointment itself

How to Make It

Decoction:

(Used when volatile oils are not required from the plant material as these are boiled away in the process).

GENERAL:

1 oz of herb to 1 pint water; bring water to a rolling boil, then add herbs and cover; reduce heat; let mixture simmer for 20 to 30 min over low heat.

DOUBLE DECOCTION:

1. (Based on 3 cups of water reduced to 2 cups). After making the first decoction using 3 cups water reduced to 2 cups, drain off the liquid and reserve; add two more cups of water to the original herbs and simmer down to 1 cup; add the 1 cup to the first 2 cups for a total of 3 cups.

2. 1 oz plant material to 2-1/2 cups water (makes 1 pint); soak herbs in water for 10 min then boil and simmer 10 to 15 min; leave to soak another 10 min; keep covered throughout the process; strain, cool and use.

Extract, Fresh:

First find the water content of your fresh plant specimen. Weigh 2 oz of the fresh herb and then dry it using the microwave or a dehydrator. Weigh the now dried specimen. Figure the percentage of weight lost in the drying to find the percentage of water contained in the fresh herb. Count this percentage as water when figuring the water/alcohol solvent ratio in the first oz of finished product. All remaining ounces can be figured at the usual 50/50 water/alcohol rate

Infusion:

The same as making a tea, but steeped longer. Usually 10 minutes.

Juice, Herb:

When attempting to obtain juice from dry herbs, soak in twice their weight of water for 24 hours and then press out the fluid.

Lotion:

The same as making a cream only use more water.

Lotion, Quick:

Mix 2 parts herb water with one part vegetable glycerin or combine herbal infusion with glycerin.

Do NOT store any plant material in oil since botulism can occur under these conditions.

Oil, Herb:

Infuse powdered herbs in warm olive oil in double boiler for several hours. Strain through muslin and keep straining till all bits of plant material are strained out of the oil.

Oils, Medicated: Ayurvededic method:

1 part herb to 16 parts water and 4 parts of oil (ie. 1 oz herb, 2 cups water, 1/2 cup oil); decoct until all the water is evaporated then strain OR decoct the herb in water alone, then strain and add the oil and continue with the decoction until only the oil remains..

FRESH oils: Crush and mash the whole herb (ie. grated ginger, garlic, onions, etc)

and allow to stand overnight in oil; squeeze through muslin to strain.

Ointment, Quick: Add 1/2 to 1 tsp of tincture to each ounce of commercial skin lotion.

Fresh herbs: Grind and mash.

DRY herbs: Add a little water and work into a paste; may be taken as is or mixed with honey or oil. If using oil, keep refrigerated; if honey, will keep without refrigeration.

Non-petroleum Jelly: 1 oz beeswax, 1/2 cup baby or mineral oil or sweet almond or olive oil; melt together in the top of a double boiler. Pour out into suitable container and allow to set up.

Powders:

Herbs can be powdered in a coffee mill. If you’ll be be doing much work with herbs, you should have one especially for powdering herbs.

Preserving Flowers: If you are unable to process your flowers (ie. elder, rose) immediately, you can either pack them (don’t crush) into wide-mouthed canning jars and then pour glycerine over the flowers until they’re covered. Cap the jar. Or you can pack them in 1/3 of their weight of salt. This method is usually employed when preserving flowers to use in fresh sachets or potpourris.

Salves & Ointments

1. Place about 1/2″ of water in the bottom of an electric skillet to protect its finish. Add herbs and oil to a pyrex bowl or top of double boiler and place in center of skillet. Fiddle with control of skillet until oil measures a steady 95º F on a cooking thermometer. Allow to simmer gently at this heat for about 12 hours or until the herbs look “used up”. Strain herbs out of the oil and return oil to a clean bowl or double boiler pan and set back in the skillet; raise heat to 150° F and add grated beeswax. Allow beeswax to melt, stirring well. Test by dropping a small amount on a saucer and when desired texture is reached pour into wide-mouth jar suitable for ointment/salve.

2. Boil herbs in water until sufficiently extracted; strain; add oil to the decoction and continue to simmer till all the water evaporates; add sufficient beeswax until desired consistency is reached (melt about 2 oz of wax to 5 oz of oil); to preserve you can add 1 drop tincture of benzoin per each ounce of mixture or 1 drop grapefruit seed extract per ounce of mixture.

3. Beeswax, oil, fats; Vaseline can be combined with herbs or tinctures.

Place 2 oz of dried herbs into a pint of oil then heat gently for 1 hour; strain and cool for an ointment. For a salve add 1 oz beeswax or Vaseline then stir well as it thickens and store in a jar. Store in refrigerator or preserve with tincture of benzoin or grapefruit seed extract (1 drop per oz of mixture for both)

4. Grind dried herbs to powder and cover with olive oil; steep for 2 weeks shaking gently daily; strain through muslin (at this stage it is a liniment/ointment); add beeswax to thicken (now it’s a salve). Store in refrigerator

Syrup:

1. 2 lbs sugar, 1 pint water. Dissolve sugar in water over low heat. Raise the temp to the boiling point and strain the solution while it is hot. Add enough extra water through the strainer to make the syrup measure 2-1/2 pints.

2. Dissolve 3 lbs of brown sugar in a pint of boiling water and boil until thick. Add any herbs you wish to this to make a herbal syrup.

3. : Pour 1-1/4 cups of boiling water onto 3 oz of crushed herbs and leave to get cold. Strain the infusion and then heat until it is warm and then add 1/2 cup of sugar.

When the sugar has dissolved, bring the mixture to a boil and gently simmer until it is a syrup consistency. Allow to cool a bit before bottling.

A rule of thumb for making tinctures using dried herbs is a 1 to 8 ratio (ie. 1 oz powdered herbs to 8 oz of 100% proof vodka)

Tincture: Combine 1 to 4 oz of powdered or crushed herb with 8 to 12 oz of 100 proof alcohol (vodka can be obtained cheaply and works well); shake thoroughly and allow to stand in a warm place for 2 weeks; shake daily; strain and bottle in a dark container such as a dark brown dropper bottle. Take 1 to 30 drops according to the herb used.

BASIC OINTMENT

Crush fresh or dried herbs and simmer with fat of your choice (i.e. lard, olive oil, safflower oil, etc). Simmer on top of stove in top of double boiler for several hours. Or, they may be baked in the oven for several hours in the fat using a low heat. Strain and place back on heat, then melt beeswax in it. Pour into jar.

SKIN LOTION

This lotion is useful for skin inflammations and for those with possible bacterial complications.

Combine 1 tbsp each of Chamomile, Comfrey, Chickweed, and Calendula in a mason jar. Over this pour 2 cups boiling hot water; cover and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain and place in a spritzer bottle. Add 1 dropper full of Echinacea extract. Spritz as needed.

Or Comfrey, chickweed, and Calendula add   8 to 9 oz of sweet almond oil (or olive oil or combo of the two)

¼ oz (approx) of grated beeswax

800 IU vitamin E to it and make it a thick lotion.

Place all in a double boiler and melt together, pour into lotion bottle or screw top container.

CHICKWEED SALVE

Good first aid for cuts, nicks, bites and scratches, itches and rashes.

2 oz fresh chickweed

1 pint olive or sweet almond oil

½ oz beeswax

in ovenproof container combine Chickweed and oil.

Place in 150°F oven for 3 hours; strain and add ½ oz melted beeswax to oil

(Always melt waxes in top of double boiler to avoid fire); stir as mixture thickens.

COCOA BUTTER SALVE

4 oz. herbs of choice

6 oz. cocoa butter (vegetable oil can be substituted)

1 oz. beeswax

Melt cocoa butter in top of double boiler with beeswax.

Add herbs and allow to heat through in double boiler over very low heat for a minimum of 30 minutes. Strain out herbs.

EMERGENCY OINTMENT

Combine some wheat germ oil and honey and apply to sore, bruise or wound.

Tinctures of Comfrey, Calendula, St. Johnswort or Mullein can be added (between 5 and 15 drops) to the oil and honey.

EUCALYPTUS OINTMENT

Contains antiseptic and healing properties good for chapped hands, chafes, dandruff, tender feet, spots on the chest, arms, back and legs and pains in the joints and muscles, Apply a piece of clean cotton or gauzy type material to wounds after all dirt is washed away. For aches and pains rub the affected part well and then cover with cloth; repeat 2 or 3 times.

12 oz elder oil

2 oz beeswax

2 tsps eucalyptus oil

20 drops wintergreen oil

Combine elder oil and wax in top of double boiler over low heat until wax melts; remove from heat and stir in remaining 2 oils. Pour into appropriate containers.

LAVENDER OINTMENT

RECIPE #1

25 drops essential oil of lavender

10 drops essential oil of lemon

5 drops essential oil of thyme

2 tbsp oil of lavender (which is prepared by infusing flowers in olive oil)

60 g beeswax

Melt beeswax in top of double boiler, then beat in oil of lavender.

As ointment begins to cool, add the essential oils and continue to beat till cool.

Store in covered jar in refrigerator.

RECIPE #2

Good for chapped lips, skin and cold sores.

4 tbsp olive or almond oil

3 to 4 tbsp beeswax

3 tsp cocoa butter

10 drops vitamin E oil

15 drops lavender oil

15 drops sandalwood oil

Combine olive or almond oil, beeswax, cocoa butter and lanolin and heat in top of double boiler.

Remove from heat and add vitamin E (a 400 IU capsule can be opened and contents squeezed out), lavender and sandalwood oils and beat well. Pour into little jars and allow to cool before putting on lids.

.

LAVENDER-TEA TREE OINTMENT

Good antiseptic properties and soothing to skin problems.

2 oz oil

½ oz beeswax

5 drops lavender oil

3 drops tea tree oil

400 IU vitamin E

Combine oil and beeswax in top of double boiler over low heat till wax melts.

Remove from heat and add lavender and tea tree oils.

Snip vitamin E capsule open and squeeze contents into oils.

Place in ointment jar and allow to setup before capping.

SAGE and SWEET VIOLET OINTMENT

Good for chapped lips, cold sores and chapped skin.

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage leaves

2 tbsp sweet violets

4 tbsp sweet almond oil

Combine ingredients in a small stoppered bottle.

Leave in a warm place for 1 month, shaking daily.

Strain into a bowl and add 4 tbsp each of almond oil and melted beeswax which

have been melted together in the top of a double boiler.

Beat until cold.

Store in an airtight jar in a cool place.

Healing Salve 1

Recipe by Mountain Rose Herbs

This all-purpose salve recipe is perfect for minor scrapes, cuts, bug bites, or other skin irritations.  The herbs may be adapted for different skin conditions and ailments as desired, and the amount of beeswax can be easily altered.  Use less beeswax if you desire a softer balm or live in a cold climate, and use more beeswax if you prefer a harder salve or reside in a warm climate.

Healing Salve 2

Yield 4 oz

1 oz Calendula infused oil
1 oz Comfrey infused oil
1 oz St. John’s Wort infused oil
1 oz Plantain infused oil
10 drops Vitamin E Oil
20 drops Lavender Essential Oil
½ oz Beeswax (Carnauba or Candelilla Wax may be used for a Vegan salve)
Glass Jars or Tin Containers

Place Infused Oils and Beeswax over a double boiler, and gently heat until the Beeswax melts.  Remove from heat and add Lavender Essential Oil and Vitamin E Oil.  Quickly pour into prepared tins or glass jars and allow to cool completely.  The salve will last for at least a year, and is best if kept in a cool and dark area such as a cupboard or cabinet.

HEALING HERB SALVE 3
1 oz dried comfrey leaves
1 oz dried calendula flowers
2 cups olive oil
1 oz pure beeswax
4 drops tea tree
4 drops lavender essential oils
1 400 vitamin E
Heat herbs in olive oil over low heat for about 5 hours. Do not let the oil boil or bubble. A Crock-Pot or the lowest temperature setting on a range should be suitable for heating this mixture. (If the lowest setting is too hot, turn off the heat once it has warmed the oil…it should keep warm for at least and hour….then repeat the process twice.)
After cooking, strain out the herbs while oil is still warm.
Place 1 1/4 cups of the herb oil in a pan, add beeswax and heat just enough to melt the wax.
Add essential oil and stir.
Finally, pour the salve into wide mouthed jars.
Store at room temperature.
Use for minor scrapes and cuts, to protect and promote healing.

Vapor Rub

¼ teaspoon eucalyptus essential oil

1/8 teaspoon each peppermint and thyme essential oils

¼ cup olive oil (or Vaseline at which opoint you would spoon blend instead of shake together)

Combine ingredients in a glass bottle. Shake well.

Gently massage onto chest and throat.

MAKE HERBAL COUGH DROPS

You must make a syrup with sugar, not honey to make cough drops, but you can use raw sugar or brown sugar instead of white sugar and it will work just as well.

Instead of pouring your boiling hot syrup into a bottle, keep boiling it. Every minute or so, drop a bit into cold water, when it forms a hard ball in the cold water, immediately turn off the fire. Pour your very thick syrup into a buttered flat dish. Cool, and then cut into small squares.
A dusting of powdered sugar will keep them from sticking.
Store airtight in a cool place.

Cough Syrup

Cover the bottom of a Crockpot with either Wild Cherry Bark or Violet leaves and flowers|
Cover entirely with honey.
Set on low heat for two days and stir occasionally.

Hyssop Cough Syrup

Licorice flavored, soothes sore throats.
2 tbsp dried hyssop (flower tops) or 1/3 cup fresh hyssop (chopped flowers)
1/4 cup water
1 cup honey
1 tsp aniseed

In a saucepan combine honey and water. Stir until the mixture is consistency
of pancake syrup. Bring slowly to a boil (over a medium heat). Skim off any
scum that rises to the surface.

Use 1-2 tbsp water to moisten the dried hyssop. Crush the aniseed. Stir both
into the honey. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove from
heat, uncover, and allow to cool. While the mixture is still a little warm,
strain into a jar. When completely cooled, screw on the lid. Should keep for
1 week.

Wild Cherry Cough Syrup

2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar (scant)
1 tsp wild cherry bark
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tsp chopped dried marshmallow root

Make a decoction of the cherry bark and marshmallow root. (Boil in water for
about 4 minutes. Steep the mixture with the cover on the pot for a few
minutes.) Slowly stir in the sugar and cream of tartar, simmer until the
mixture becomes thick and sugar granules completely dissolve. Transfer to a
container and allow to cool before covering tightly.
-C Syrup

6 cups water

3 tablespoons elderberries

2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds or cranberries

2 tablespoons rose hips

1 tablespoon pine or cedar tree needles

1 tablespoon lemongrass

Cook this down to three cups and add:

One half cup molasses

One half cup honey

One half cup fruit concentrate

This is wonderful tasting syrup to take as a tonic during cold and flu season.

Pain Killers:
Caution: As with all herbal remedies, check to make sure they will not interfere with doctor prescribed medications. This information is to be used wisely. Do not take any herb you are allergic to, and see your doctor if problem persists.

Pain killer-
Soak 1/2 teaspoon of dried willow bark in 2 cups cold water overnight,Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
Strain, cool, and bottle.
The dosage is 1/4 cup, to be sipped slowly as needed for pain. It can be added to juices or teas if you wish.

Good Sedative –
Mix together 1 tablespoon each of bee balm, hops, peppermint, chamomile, and crushed fennel seed.
Add 1 tablespoon of the mixture to 1 cup boiling water.
Steep 10 minutes and strain. Sweeten with honey.
Drink 1/2 hour before bedtime.

Mild Sedative –
Pour 1 pint of boiling water over 1 teaspoon of dried catnip.
Cover and steep until cool. Flavor if desired. Strain and sweeten.
For children, give 1 tablespoon; adults get 2 tablespoons.

For trouble getting to sleep –
Pour 1 pint of boiling water over 1 ounce of feverfew flowers.
Cover and steep until cool.
Strain and sweeten with honey.
Drink cool.

To induce sleep –
Mix 2 tablespoons dried peppermint with 1 tablespoon each of rosemary and sage.
This really soothes the nerves and allows you to relax enough to go to sleep

Sprain and Aching Muscles Treatment -
Mix together 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup of linseed oil, and 4 tablespoons witch hazel.
Use as a massage oil.

Sedative Tincture –
Place 1-1/2 ounces of chamomile and 1-1/2 teaspoons of powdered peppermint into 1/2 quart of vodka. Allow to steep for 2 weeks, shaking daily.  Strain and bottle. Use as a sedative for adults. Dosage is 1/2 dropper full under the tongue as needed..

Well I have to say that the research for this article was amazing.. as well as adding to my recipe book of food and medications.. I certainly hope that you find it fun, usefully and tasty. Please be aware that I have shared both my own recipes and recipes borrowed from books and web pages..
Enjoy until next month.

Merry Cooking and Blessed Eating

Tags: firstaide, healing, kitchen, lotions, natural remedy, tinctures, witch

• Recipes

LynSusun March, 2009

Take Heart from Hawthorn

Its many common names include whitethorn, hagthorn, ladies’ meat, quickthorn, maytree, and mayblossom. Its magic and medicine are ancient and memorable. From the earliest records, hawthorn is one of the sacred trees. Hawthorn is the sixth tree of the Ogam cycle, Hath. Hath precedes Quer, the oak, center tree of the cycle of thirteen. Hawthorn is said to guard the hinges and to oversee crafts. A branch of flowering hawthorn placed in studio or workshop is believed to make the craftsperson skilled and successful. Hath shuts what is open and opens what is shut. Her magic, like her medicinal effect, is slow but long lasting.

The day of the fairies’ return is not a calendar date, but, according to Ellen Everet Hopman, author of Tree Medicine, Tree Magic, “the day the hawthorn blooms.” As the fairy gates open this May, open your heart to hawthorn. Let its beauty and strength imbue you with great heart, for hawthorn is the herb of healthy hearts.

Hawthorn (Cratageus) is notable for its long thorns and bright red haws (apple-like berries). The thorns may be used as needles; and hedges of thorny hawthorn grow quickly enough to keep even goats at bay. The tasty crimson haws – called cuckoo’s beads, chucky cheese, and pixie pears – are fermented into wine or baked into little cakes to celebrate the new May.

The leaves, flowers, and ripe berries of Cratageus oxyacantha taste great and are easily consumed in teas, infusions, and tinctures. Consistent, long-term use of hawthorn is especially recommended for ageing hearts, weak hearts, damaged hearts, and those with hypertension, angina, arrhythmia, heart valve disease, or Reynaud’s disease (arterial spasms).

Regular use of hawthorn can:

* Lower blood pressure
* Increase the effectiveness of the heart’s pumping action
* Strengthen the heart muscle
* Slow the heartbeat
* Dilate coronary arteries
* Prevent heart disease, heart attack, and stroke
* Help those healing from heart surgery
* Support the immune system
* Increase longevity

The German Commission E – a scientific body which determines the effectiveness of herbal medicines – recommends tea or tincture of hawthorn for:

* Cardiac insufficiency corresponding to stages I and II of the NYHA
* Feelings of pressure and tightness in the cardiac region
* The ageing heart not yet requiring digitalis
* Mild bradyarrhythmia
* Increasing coronary and myocardial circulation

There are no contraindications and no overdose of hawthorn. It is safe to take with any other medicine, including other heart medicines. (Though it is redundant to take blood pressure medicine after taking hawthorn for three months.)

Hawthorn is a member of the rose family, and thus closely related to rose hips, apples, cherries, apricots, and almonds. Hawthorn tea is typically made by steeping two teaspoonfuls of dried leaves and flowers in a cup of boiling water for twenty minutes. Hawthorn infusion is made by steeping one ounce of dried flowers and leaves or one ounce of dried haws in a quart of boiling water for at least four hours. I make hawthorn tincture by soaking dried hawthorn haws in 100 proof vodka for at least six months, or until it turns quite red.

A dose is a cup of tea, half a cup of infusion, or a dropperful of tincture, taken first thing in the morning and last thing at night. For the first three months of use, a third dose, midday, may be added. Traditional European herbalists always add a big spoon of honey to hawthorn tea or infusion. They believe that sweetness heals the heart.

Hawthorn’s ability to slowly lower blood pressure is well documented, although the mechanism of its action is unclear. Hawthorn does not block calcium channels nor is it a diuretic. In fact, it is highly regarded as a safe way to lower blood pressure when the patient is diabetic or has kidney disease. An injectable preparation of hawthorn was widely used in modern medicine prior to the introduction of blood pressure drugs and heart-valve surgery. It is still available in Germany.

The elder Rodale wrote of his heart and its response to hawthorn in Organic Gardening in the mid-50s. His editorials praising his renewed health and vigor stand as a modern-day testament to an age-old herb.

The leaves, flower buds, flowers, and berries/haws of the hawthorn are all rich in anti-oxidant flavonoids. Flavonoids benefit the heart and blood vessels in many ways. Their powerful anti-inflammatory effects relax the blood vessels. Their anti-microbial actions stop low-level infections like those associated with gum disease from harming the heart. And flavonoids support healthy functioning of the immune system and the liver. No wonder hawthorn is the herb of longevity in stories and tales!

In addition to flavonoids, hawthorn is rich in minerals, and contains a small amount of the active principle oligomeric procyanidine (1-epicatechol). Numerous scientific authors have scratched their heads in amazement that hawthorn can have any helpful effect since it has no harmful effect. Pharmacological studies of it constituents evidence “no objectively assessable results.” There just isn’t enough “active ingredient” to account for its observable actions. But herbalists understand that the magic of hawthorn is in the sum of the parts, not in one active principle.

The nutrients in hawthorn assist its active ingredient so that the heart and circulatory system are slowly and deeply healed on multiple levels. Hawthorn carries its magnesium and calcium directly to the heart muscles, enhancing their ability to contract and increasing available oxygen. This beneficial effect extends into the coronary blood vessels as well. Hawthorn is unique in its ability to strengthen the weak heart and carry the old heart into a healthy future.

Hawthorn works thoroughly, dependably, and slowly. Consistent use of the remedy is required for benefits to accrue. But, once gained, improvement persists. I take hawthorn berry tincture several times a week to keep my 60-plus-year-old heart in great shape.

There’s magic and medicine in the tree of May, hawthorn. Take some home for yourself today.

Legal Disclaimer: This content is not intended to replace conventional medical treatment. Any suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by a clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner with a specific formula for you. All material in this article is provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Contact a reputable healthcare practitioner if you are in need of medical care. Exercise self-empowerment by seeking a second opinion.

Tags: hawthorn, healing, herbs, medicine, natural medicine

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