Healing Wise

Fermented Foods Nourish Us!

Hello, I am recently changing my diet. I have a question about apple cider vinager if you do not mind. I asked some other nutritionist and here is how he responded to me, but there are also a flip side to his coin where a lot of people tout the benefits of it. What are your thoughts. I would love to hear. Thanks again

 

"Hi,

"Vinegar is a rotten food. Better to eat a fresh, ripe and raw apple than to drink the poisonous vinegar. I have that book as well, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that if you drank a whole bottle of Bragg’s at once you would most likely die. You could eat an equal amount of apples and not die.
 
"Raw apple cider vinegar or any vinegar produces, alcohol, gas and acetic acid. Acetic acid is poison and that is why you have to dilute it to only 5% potency. If it were higher it would burn a hole through the stomach. Next problem, raw vinegar or any plays major havoc with the thyroid. So if you want to risk thyroid problems keep on drinking the vinegar.
 
"We don’t need vinegar anymore, we can get fresh fruits all year round, we don’t need to preserve through fermentation. There are no health benefits from fermenting or rotting your food.
 
"Hope that helps, 

Roger"

Hello, thank you for writing.  I understand your confusion.  Those are very strong claims made by the person you wrote.  I do not know the truthfulness or not about some of it, but strongly feel differently about fermented food.  I think it is incredibly healthful and necessary.  I do not believe it was used simply to preserve food, but to make its nutrients more available for us to assimilate.  As well, raw fermented foods contain life that we need in our gut to help with our digestive processes.  

With that said, I personally use vinegar in small amounts.  I have heard the arguments both ways and have found for myself a tablespoon a day or similar amount feels uncomfortable.  

This is a very personal thing only you can decide for yourself.  However, I do eat great amounts of raw fermented vegetables.  And I think vinegar has helped me as I have used it to draw minerals out of herbs to ingest, in the forms of herbal vinegars, and put on cooked greens to make them more digestible for me.

 

If you are wishing to hear Susun Weed's opinion, here are some excerpts from articles she has written (she does not have internet in her home so is not able to correspond in this way):

 

http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/August04/healingwise.htm

Apple cider vinegar has been used as a health-giving agent for centuries. Hippocrates, father of medicine, is said to have used only two remedies: honey and apple cider vinegar. Some of the many benefits of apple cider vinegar include: better digestion, reduction of cholesterol, improvements in blood pressure, prevention/care of osteoporosis, normalization of thyroid/metabolic functioning, possible reduction of cancer risk, and lessening of wrinkles and grey hair.

 

http://www.susunweed.com/Article_Herbal_Vinegar.htm

Vinegar has many powers: it lowers cholesterol, improves skin tone, moderates high blood pressure, prevents/counters osteoporosis, and improves metabolic functioning. Herbal vinegars are an unstoppable combination: the healing and nutritional properties of vinegar married to the aromatic and health-protective effects of green herbs (and a few wild roots).

 

 

Blessings,

Karen Joy

wisewoman@herbshealing.com

www.wisewomanweb.com

A Few Short Questions Regarding Herbal Infusions

Q: ...in your article under "Green Blessings" in yr mid-month March

newsletter:

 

I want to take ALL four: Comfrey, Red Clover, Nettles and Oatstraw.

You suggest brewing each separately.

 

Are they just as efficacious brewed together?

 

Or at least imbibed together by pouring  together after brewing

separately?

 

Is a sun-tea infusion just as good for these particular herbs?  Is

four hours enough?

 

(I already know root herbs need gentle simmering, and these  are all

above-ground plant parts.)

 

In advance, my thanks for your response.  Keep up your great work !

 

Thanks and blessings,

Jean-A Warner

Pearl Arrow

 

 

A:  Jean-A, I think you will find your answers in these two articles.

Yes please do brew them separately, and it is best to drink them

separately, for the reasons mentioned in the first article.  A sun

tea is not the same as the water does not get hot enough.  Four hours

is enough, overnight is great.

http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/September04/healingwise.htm

http://www.herbshealing.com/Weed_letter_June02.htm#surprise

Do let me know if I can help further.

Blessings,

Karen Joy

The Wise Woman's Essiac

Q: I have had no pain, in the bladder, except one day bleeding from the bladder for one week. Now they want to do all the usual cancer treatments. It is the transitional cell type and 60% chance of return in the bladder. I agreed to biopsy but nothing else. I was taking the herbs for Osteoporosis your book suggested.  Now taking the herbs in the Essiac Tea.  Also tincture of Blood Root and Green Tea.  Should I stop all vitamins?   I drink organic cranberry juice very dilute and  also green juices as well as chlorophyll.   I feel overwhelmed with info.

Please set me on the right path.

Many blessings to you

 

A: Hello, thank you for writing.  I can understand why you feel overwhelmed.  There is a lot of information out there!!  If you wish to speak with Susun Weed, you are invited to call her FREE herbal/health hotline at 845-246-8081 on Tuesday evenings, 7:30-9:30PM, April 10th through October 23rd of this year.

Here is a bit Susun has written on Essiacfrom page 302 of Breast Cancer? Breast Health! --

Wessiac
The Wise Woman version of Essiac

1 ounce/30 grams dried Arctium lappa (burdock) roots, cut
1/2 ounce/15 grams dried Rumex crispus (yellow dock) roots, cut
1/8 ounce/3.5 grams Ulmus fulva (slippery elm) bark, powdered

Infuse all three herbs in a 1 quart/liter boiling water for 8 hours.
Strain; refrigerate liquid.  Daily dose is 1/2 cup/125 ml, hot or cold.

Easily available, reasonably priced yellow dock replaces her difficult sisters: sheep sorrel and turkey rhubarb.  Using my standard infusion technique to make enough brew to last for a few days eliminates the need to sterilize jars, and allows you to try Wessiac without buying pounds of herbs.  (You will want to buy herbs by the pound if your're going to use Essiac or Wessiac consistently.)  Because it's gentler on the intestines,  Wessiac can be used daily for months.  For this deep down dirty brew I give  thanks to the deep roots.  Dirt is Earth; the Earth is sacred; dirty is sacred, too.

Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com

Balsam Leaf Salve and Root Tincture

Q: Hello,

could you tell me please if i can make a tincture to take in from balsam root, i just got the flower and i did dry them ,i understand that natives eat the roots but what about the flower ? or shold i try to make a salve ? is that good for bruises to apply on the skin like arnica ?

thanks a million and god bless

A: I understand Balsam Root as Balsamorhiza sagittata.  Before you use this as medicine please be sure this is the plant you have.  Too often there is more than one, completely unrelated, plant with the same common name. 

If this is the plant you are speaking of, I understand the leaves and roots to be used.  The leaves harvested spring to midsummer and dried then used as a poultice or, yes, prepared as a salve.  And the roots, preferably dug in spring, used fresh or dried as a tincture or decoction at times.  The poultice or salve of the leaves can be wonderful for skin ailments, though I am not sure of its use for bruises.

Please let me know if I can help further.

Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com

Gotu Kola and Mental Stamina

Q: Hi Karen

I have ordered all of Susun's books and look forward to reading them all. I haven't been able to find anything on Gotu Kola and was wondering what Susun thinks about this and whether she would recommend it as an infusion.

In addition to trying to get pregnant, I'm also trying to give birth to a dissertation and am finding I'm low on concentration and mental and physical stamina to get significant amounts of writing done. I read that Gotu Kola is helpful in this regard.

Any advice would be appreciated. I continue to make the red clover and nettle infusions daily.

thanks

 

A: In my years of study with Susun I have not heard of her teach about Gotu Kola (though I have heard of the herb). Though she does occasionally recommend an herb from abroad, she focuses on those which
grow locally, usually weeds. Perhaps this article on improving memory will have a few ideas to help.

I feel inclined to suggest Oatstraw infusions drunk regularly, of course in addition to being sure to take regular breaks, walks, fresh air, and get sound night sleeps and solid meals. I have heard that rosemary is good for memory. Although this is not your problem I link this with mental focus. I also find low blood sugar levels can effect this. This is a stressful endeavor, and takes its extra toll on us. This can be remedied simply with frequent small meals consisting of slow carbs and proteins.

Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com

 

Q: hi Karen,

thanks so much for all the good advice. I didn't realize that Gotu Kola is a foreign herb. Unfortunately, I didn't react well to Oatstraw when I tried this, probably because I'm sensitive to grains, but I will try the other things you suggest.

with best wishes

 

A: Yes, I would love to hear how you are doing as you try ideas, if you wish to share. Gotu Kola is native to "Australia, Pacific Islands, New Guinea, Melanesia, Malesia and Asia" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotu_Kola

lots of love,
Karen Joy

The Wise Woman Center

Q: Hi,
I am interested in finding out more about what your org. is offering.

Thanks and blessed be

 

A: Thank you for your inquiry. I assume the group you refer to is the Wise Woman Center. The Wise Woman Center was founded by Susun Weed, and resides in the Woodstock, NY area. Susun and many other teachers there offer moonlodges, work exchange days, correspondence courses, workshops, intensives and apprenticeships, to women and men (though the women-specific classes and those requiring overnight stay are usually women only). The teachings center around the Wise Woman Tradition and are primarily about herb knowledge - identifying, harvesting, preparing, and allying with - and nourishing women's health and spirituality. Susun travels the globe teaching these things as well.

Here are some links to our websites which will offer more information:

About the Wise Woman Tradition
About Susun Weed and her offerings at home and abroad, including her four books
About the Wise Woman Center and its offerings

The following websites are sponsored by Susun Weed and offer over 800 pages of free information, articles, and book excerpts. This is in addition to the wealth of information you can find shared at our very acitve international online forum. You will also see below Ash Tree Publishing, the publishing company also founded by Susun Weed that provides her four best-selling books, as well as many other treasures, including music and medicine bags.

Ash Tree Publishing Herbal Medicine Resources for women’s health and well being. Find information on menopause, fertility, pregnancy, breast care, and more. Plus books you’ll treasure & information you can trust.

Wise Woman Forum Susun Weed’s Wise Woman Forum - an open space for discussion. Make yourself at home, post a message or start a discussion. This place is for you to share your questions, concerns, and comments with other wise women and men like you. Take a moment to register and become part of the community. Enjoy!

Menopause Metamorphosis Gentle solutions for body, mind, and spirit: alternative approaches, herbal remedies, wise woman support. Your body knows more about menopause than your doctor does!

Breast Health, Cancer Prevention For women who want to maintain breast health and for women diagnosed with breast cancer. This site is designed with the purpose of empowering women in their health care choices.

Wise Woman Center Herbal Medicine and Spirit Healing Workshops, Intensives, Apprenticeship, and Correspondence Courses. Susun Weed founded the Wise Woman Center over twenty years ago with the purpose of offering a safe space for women to rediscover the Wise Woman Way. Studies include plant identification, herbal medicine, cancer prevention, women and chanting, goddess belly dancing, and feeding the creative spirit.

Healing Wise Q & A with Susun Weed

Let me know if I can explain any further!

Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com

"Homemade" Tinctures

Q: I want to make a tincture at home. The plants are rich in alkaloids and phytosteroids. Rhaponticum Carthamoides- Maral root. I want to use everclear (95% grain alcohol). What's a good way to do it? What's a good way to make a good tincture or extract period? Thank you for your time.

 

A: There are different schools of thought on how to make a good tincture. Since you wrote through Susun's website, I can tell you she advocates using 100 proof vodka - asking why would we tincture using a medium we ourselves would not consume directly. Some however vary the percentage of tincture and water depending on the plants, whether they are dried or fresh, and what constituents you wish to draw from them. For some plants too it helps to add a bit of acetum in there, so some vinegar. Some grind herbs up and some shake it up. I, for the most part, do as I learned from Susun, which is chop up the herb coarsely, smaller when dense like the root in this case, fill up a jar with it if fresh and pour 100 proof vodka over it to cover, cap, label, and let steep at least 6 weeks in a cool dark place. If dried material, I use one part dried to 5 parts liquid. The more dense the material the longer I let it sit. My echinacea roots I let sit 6 months at least before decanting- that is, straining the liquid off and squeezing as much as possible out of the "marc" - spent herb.

I am unfamiliar with this herb, other than as an adaptagen, for which I might use other herbs easier to grow and harvest and more familiar to me. I see David Winston speaks of this herb in his book "Adaptagens." Perhaps he can elaborate on its specific preparation.

Please let me know if I can help further.

Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com

 

Q: Thank you for your reply, its the most informative one i've received. When is it recommended that vinegar be used? And what is the best vinegar to use in conjunction with high percentage alcohol? The reason I want to use everclear is that it will make a better extract/tincture- is this true? (by the way I intend to thin the extract with distilled water at least 25% after it is complete) Thank You again.
Best Regards

 

A: I can share my thoughts but they are ever evolving, and what you find is "true" will vary from person to person, moment to moment. And as I said depends on the particular herb. I find apple cider vinegar to be the best vinegar to use, as do most herbalists to my knowledge, since even by itself it can be health promoting. Remember it is usually only about 5% acetic acid and the rest is water, when figuring the ratios of all the different menstruums in your tincture. Different menstruums draw out different qualities of herbs, which is why we choose different methods depending on the particular plant. In a tincture, vinegar is best used to combine with some alkaloids (which one I can not tell you in this case) to form alkaloidal salts, which then makes these alkaloids more readily accessible to the remaining alcohol solution. Vinegars too are great for accessing the minerals in substances; in this case used alone, without the alcohol. There are some aspects of plants we want to access that are best done so with water like saponins and tannins. If an herb contains several constituents we want to access, we need to consider carefully what to use as our menstruum/s, for example some things, like mucilage and polysaccharides, are precipitated out by the addition of alcohol, therefore unusable. So unless you are extracting a resin, I imagine the menstruum ought to contain some water to start. If you just use straight grain alcohol then you may miss out on anything that is water soluble. However if you mix the alcohol and vinegar you have your water. I hope I didn't make things more complicated. When working with an herb new to me I rely on those herbalists before me who have had experience with this herb, and on my natural curiosity that leads me to experiment!! I simply am unfamiliar with your choice and do not find anything written to help me say more definitively on how best to access it.

Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com

 

Q: Hello Again,
Thank You again for you reply it is very much appreciated the extent you go to and time put into your mail. The herb i wish to extract is Rhaponticum Carthamoides- Leuzea or Maral root. What I'm after :
" is a mixture of compounds called, "levseins". Levseins represents a complex of more than 10 ecdysterones including 20-beta-ecdysterone, makisterone C, 24-dehydromakisterone A, carthamosterone, polypodyne B and ajugasterone C." - Dr. Zakir Ramazanov
and to extract these phytosteroids what do I use? You said Saponins and Tannins are water soluble, are these substances Saponin-like? Thank You again for your time and knowlege.
Best Regards

 

A: My inclination with phytosteroids is to extract them from a water preparation of the dried plant. Not knowing anything about this herb, this is where I would start. Wanting to know more, though, I would trust and search the herbal wisdom of the people local to where it grows - asking how is it prepared and what is it used for.

Being scientific in nature I love taking plants apart into constituents to then manipulate with different menstruums. At the same time I often feel a need to surrender to the chaos of a complete plant, where the whole is more than the sum of its parts, and where all our scientific knowledge just does not hold firm. A constituent that should not, by all our tests, be extraced by a particular method, sometimes is. And all we do at that point is admit there may be more to the plant than we know, and infinitely more to the action all its "parts" have on each other than we can yet comprehend.

Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com

 

Q: Hello Karen,
Thank you again for your advice. You've been of great help. So far I have 3 Batches one w/ vinegar(5%, so water too) + everclear, one with just everclear and one with everclear + distilled water. I will let you know which one works best if you'd like to know .... Also, if you'd like more info on the plant (Rhaponticum)please let me know (i will actually be growing it soon along with Rhodiola Rosea). Once again thank you for all the time you have given me, it really made a difference, I really appreciate it.
Best Regards,

Sore Breasts

Q: Hi.. I was reading your entry about cystic breasts and that you have many remedies..

I have had horrible cystic breasts all my life.. Now 42..
Over the past months.. Instead of being swollen and cystic just a week or 10 days BEFORE my period.
They are now incredibly swollen and painful for 3 weeks of the month.
????

I can not figure out why... I am hypothyroid and take T3 & T4 for it and have for years.

I have tried edgar casey’s castor oil packs in the past.. As well as homeopathic remedies.. Which have seemed the best to rid of them..
But now that they are over a size larger just from the swelling, I am in so much discomfort I am looking for more help.

Can you recommend anything that you have found to be helpful..
I don’t drink coffee.. I do eat chocolate(oops)

Many thanks!

 

A: Have you tried any of the ideas in this article on PMS, specifically relieving sore breasts:

~20-30 drops of the tincture of cleavers, another common weed, works wonders. This plant, also called "goose grass" was used as a black tea substitute by the colonists. The dose may be repeated every hour or up to 6 times a day.

~ Women who get a lot of calcium and magnesium from their diet (leafy greens, yogurt, and many herbs are rich in these minerals) have less breast tenderness. Increase the minerals in your diet with a cup or more of red clover/mint infusion daily.

~ Large cabbage leaves, steamed whole until soft, and applied as warm as tolerable, can be used as a soothing compress on breasts which are sore and swollen.

And please let me know if I can help further as you explore your options. I am always available through email.

Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com

 

Q: Karen
Thanks so much for your email, and helpful ideas..

My acupuncturist mentioned something about cabbage leaves which is why I was searching your site.. Thanks for the how too.
Does this reduce the water retension, or just ease the pain, do you know?

Also.. The link to being magnesium or calcium is very interesting.. I was told I was magnesium deficient in the fall.. So I’ll get right on that red clover/mint infusion. I am not quite sure of “infusion”.. If I get red clover tea and mint tea and steep it, is that what you mean?

Thanks so much karen.. And happy fourth!

Best.

 

A: I do believe the cabbage actually reduces some of the water retention as it is not a pain killer. Yes it is amazing how many women benefit simply for increased magnesium. An infusion differs from a tea in how much herb is used and how long it is steeped. You may use tea bags, but will have to use enough to equal on ounce of herb per quart jar you are filling. I use an ounce of Red Clover blossoms (I do not use tea bags though since I can not see the quality of the herb), and complement this with a nice pinch (or perhaps a tea bag) of dried mint. I pour boiling water over to the top of the quart jar, cover and let sit on my counter for at least 4 hours, sometimes overnight, then strain and drink.

Write any time!! I am happy to answer questions, and always enjoy hearing how you are doing, what is working or not...

love and blessings,
Karen Joy

 

Q: Karen.
Thanks SO much.. It is so wonderful for finally get some help for this.. My western docs seem so unable to me. Actually I have been trying to find a doctor who will actually work with my alternative approaches but this seems so hard to find. Upsetting, as my acupuncturist and homeopath have helped me with so much, it is upsetting to not be able to find a doc to work with them. ( note I am in boston, so if you have heard or know of a great doctor, I would love to know his/her name)

Ok.. Back to breasts! Hahah
I was introduced to a woman named Joanne Larsen, who teaches at the Bancroft School in Worcester MA. She has written a book on Self Breast Massage.. she called me on Friday and was just so fascinating all her knowledge. She told me that like the foot/reflexology, that the breast also represents every part of the body, and the nipple specifically to the glands. And to try doing the self breast massages.

With regard to the magnesium.. I am thrilled that that is so helpful. And when you say to take the Red Clover blossoms in an infusion, is that because that is stocked with magnesium? Or should I be or also be taking magnesium pills.

Thanks so much.. I can’t tell you how helpful it is to have someone who is not only able to listen.. But also have so much great help, advice and support! Perhaps that is the best medicine in itself.

Thanks so much karen.

Best..

 

A: I so much agree with you!

I can’t tell you how helpful it is to have someone who is not only able to listen.. But also have so much great help, advice and support! Perhaps that is the best medicine in itself.

This medicine can not be overlooked!! Have you ever read Susun Weed's Seven Medicines? You may enjoy it :)

Red Clover and Mint are mineral rich, specifically calcium and magnesium. I personally prefer food sources of minerals and vitamins. Some other mineral rich herbs and foods are:

Foods - leafy greens, seaweeds, nuts, whole grains, yogurt, cheese, potatoes, corn, peas, squash, beans, figs

Herbs - Oatstraw, licorice, kelp, nettle, dulse, burdock root, chickweed, althea root, horsetail, sage, saspberry leaf, red clover, valerian, yellow dock, dandelion greens, carrot tops, pastley leaf, evening primrose

These I get from Susun's New Menopausal Years book. Susun also mentions that some things that deplete magnesium are - hot flashes, night sweats, crying jags, alcohol, chemical diuretics, enemas, antibiotics, "soft" water, excessive fat intake.

Breast self massage - so lovely! I think all women should learn it, perhaps even a part of health classes for teenage girls.

lots of love,
as always write any time,
Karen Joy

sadness

Q: Hi,

My son is now 8months and my partner and I have been feeling pretty depressed and tired for while. We are new in this relationship (we got pregnant after four months together) so we have a lot of kinks to work out but we haven't been doing a good job of this because we are so tired and blah. Our friend has been taking antidepressants because she feels like life should be about joy and she is accepting to bend her prejudice against conventional medicine. I am thinking about this... I do not want to expose my baby to yelling any more and if this can give us the energy and cloud-clearing we need to get our lives in order well maybe we should take them... They seem like they would give us relief sooner than the herbs which could take months or longer. We want to feel better.

We want to be good parents... But we are afraid of side-effects and feeling drugged. Is there anything on the forum about this kind of thing?

Have you any resources or counsel for me?

Thank you infinitely.

Peace, R.

PS: I know meditation helps but have you ever felt like you don't even have the mind room/motivation for things that you know are good for you and would feel good?...

 

A: Hello R., I DO know what you mean about having so much going on it seems overwhelming to do something that another moment may seem simple and obvious. I support you in doing whatever right now feels possible and pleasurable. So many of us have gone through, or are going through, times where we may "know" we could just do this and this and this, but we want relief and change now! I hear you want peace and you want the best for your child. This is beautiful. I hear you know that nourishing choices take time, and a pill may be faster, though bring other possibly unwanted affects.

I do think the forum can be of help, in many ways - emotional/mental support, alternative ideas and knowledge for and against the pills.

Whatever you do! please also, as soon as you feel able, start doing those things you know can help you. Even if you choose pills, choosing too one thing, no matter how simple, like an infusion one day a week, a ten minute walk one day a week. Make it small and easy and just do it. These littlest things help us towards other steps.

I am happy to talk with your more. I will keep an eye for your email so I can respond sooner...

lots of love, Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com

Herbal Allies for those with Ovarian Cysts and Endometriosis

Q: Dear Susun and Justine,

Thank you for your dedicated and loving work. Would you please direct me to information in your writings about treatments for ovarian cysts and endometriosis. I am seeking information to help my beautiful daughter with her pain.

Thank you, M.

 

A: Hello M., here are some resources for you. On our websites are these question and answers with Susun:
Chickweed and Castor Oil Packs
Comfrey Leaf Poultices 

More raves about chickweed ...

and of Poke

.... and Seaweeds:
An Ally for Women's Mysteries
Seaweeds and Nettle

Violet leaves

Red Clover

Plaintain

... and Calendula.

Also, I encourage you to explore the past threads, and post one of your own if you would like, on our online forum. It is a great resource!

I would imagine much of what we do for a woman dealing with endometriosis, and even ovarian cysts, would be similar to what we would do for one dealing with fibroids or infertility.

I hear and understand your concern for your daughter. If you do choose to post at the forum, it might help to elaborate a bit - does she have other health concerns, how long has she had the cysts or endo, how do they manifest, how old is she, what is her diet like, etc?

I understand good fats to be important for people to produce healthy needed hormones. Same with good exercise. There are many theories on the causes of endometriosis, as you may already know. You can read more here. One of the theories is that it is a result of a poorly functioning immune system. In case this is true for your daughter, either of you may appreciate reading this article on strengthening our immune system.

The advantages of working with nourishing - nourishing our immune, endocrine/hormonal, and reproductive systems - is that harm is rarely a concern. The worst that could happen is still having the cysts and/or endo but also having a stronger healthier body. If it were me, I would be focusing on this - nourishment. Nourishing my immune system, mostly with the foods and life habits in the article above; nourishing my hormonal systems with healthy fats in my diet; and nourishing my reproductive system with herbal infusions like Red Clover blossom, perhaps Violet leaf (as a food too). I may even extend to work with one of the herbs listed above - though just one so it has my focus.

If I can help you any more M., please let me know. If you choose too, we would love to hear what you and your daughter feel is the right thing/s for her, and how she is faring. We wish you and your daughter the best!

Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com

Finding an Herb through Common Names

Q: Dear Sir or Madam:

I ran across an article of old fashioned remedies and medicines that called for a tea made from the herb called "hope." But I cannot find any information about this herb, try as I might. Could you shed some light on this?

Thanks.
G.

 

A: Hello G., this is an interesting question; and one that furthers the argument for listing with scientific names instead of common. I have not heard of an herb called hope. We have an online forum with people from around the world. Once registered you can post your search, perhaps in the "Healing Wise and Plant Allies" or "Herbal Medicine Chest" section. I think it would help others, and myself, if you would post the whole recipe, what it's used for, and where you found it (title, author, publisher locale, and date), to help narrow down the mystery. Perhaps it's as simple as a mispell, like instead of "hops" or something. I frequent the forum, and look forward to you posting there to see if others can figure it out!

Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com

 

Q: Thanks for writing me back.

I will try to do some more research. It wasn't for a recipe...just mix with a small amount of whiskey, put into a small cloth bag and put under the patient's pillow for a sound sleep. Who knows where these old fashioned remedies came from???  I'll keep looking.

Sincerely,
G.

 

A: Well, good luck, G.!! Again, I wonder about a mistype, especially now that you write out the rest. Hops (Humulus lupulis) is traditionally used for sound sleep, both as a tea (very bitter) and put into herb pillows!

Blessings,
Karen Joy

Books for Nourishing Herbal Infusions...

Q: Hi Karen Joy,

I was browsing through Susun's website, which I am doing every chance I get as it is so wonderful.

I went into Ash Tree, and want to get a few starter books on herbal infusions.

One of the one's that I am going to order is Nature's Children. The one I'm looking for is a book on infusions and what each herb does and when to use and when not to etc.. Can you please advise?

Lots of love
A.

 

A: Hello A.,

We're so happy to hear you are enjoying the websites.

Nature's Children is a wonderful book! One of my favorites. A few books that might be what you are looking for are:

New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way by Susun Weed 
I have found this book useful for any stage in life! It is incredibly rich with a myriad of healthful herbs, their uses, and preferrred preparations. It talks the most about infusions.

Common Herbs for Natural Health by Juliette Bairacli Levy
More than 200 herbs, uses, doses, praparations, and drawings for many of them

Healing Wise by Susun Weed
More in-depth focus on seven herbs, including the common infusion herbs Nettle and Oatstraw.

An option you may like is buying one of our collections, specifically the Herbal Medicine Starter Collection. This includes four herbals: A City Herbal by Maida Silverman, Healing Wise by Susun S. Weed, Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs by Gail Edwards, and Common Herbs for Natural Health by Juliette de Bairacli Levy.

The two here that I didn't mention above are also great books!

Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com

Raw cheese and the China Study on Milk

Q: Dear Susan,

I totally love your website and articles. I am going to the health food store tomorrow so I can make some nettle, oatstraw and dandelion tea!

I do have a very important question that I hope you can answer. You say that yogurt and raw cheese are good sources of calcium but I am so hesitant to eat them as I read in so many places that dairy causes the formation of mucous which results in so many health problems and that dairy consumption is so bad in general. The China Study and many other works have me terrified at the thought of consuming any dairy at all. Can you shed some light on this? Thanks ever so much!

Sincerely, P.

 

A: Hi P., I do understand your concern... there is so much out there that says that milk is bad for us. First, I encourage you to trust your feeling on it. As I have heard from Susun the whole idea about milk and mucous came from a man who had, well to me, strange ways of determining this. I am sorry I do not remember all the details. As a consumer of organic free ranging meat and dairy and egg products from local farmers, I myself have to wonder if any of the studies are not differentiating between the quality of the product and its effects. Now I can barely bring myself to consume standard store-bought milk or meat or eggs, now that I have this available. I am not saying though that even those are bad for you, but if they bring any harm I wonder if it is not the product but the way the animal was raised, and what was injected into it later, and the homogenization and pasteurization of the milk.

I did recently read about the China Study in Wise Traditions. Here are two excerpts, perhaps showing a different light on it:

http://www.westonaprice.org/bookreviews/chinastudy.html http://www.westonaprice.org/traditional_diets/food_in_china.html

As someone who has had a hard time with dairy all my life, with stomach gas, I sware by raw dairy milk and cheeses now. Not only the taste but the feel in my body I trust.

Please let me know if I can help further.

Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com

Perfect Health

Q: Hi madam

I am in my teens. I want to have a perfect health. Can you advice me with some recipes, and food items which I should eat to maintain my health.

Thank you / Take care -- K.

 

A: Hello K., I hear your interest in perfect health. I am not sure there is such thing to exist as a single static place to be, but nourishing oneself deeply is a start. Susun Weed writes that health is flexibility. So whatever means you take to be flexible in body and attitude will be an aid. So will seeing health in and around you. There are many ideas on what brings deep nourishment. I can share with you some articles Susun has written on this, and then will trust you to find what is most true for you. As well you are welcome to write any time and I am happy to discuss with my own personal opinions on the topic. But really we are all unique and what supports health for one may not for another.

Bone Health
Energy and Stamina
Immune Health
Heart Health
Herbal Vinegars, Part One and Part Two
Minerals
Herbal Infusions
Nutrition the Wise Woman Way
Optimum Nutrition
Phytoestrogens
Seaweed

Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com

Tooth Abscess

Q: Do you know of any cures for a tooth abscess as an alternative to root canal or extraction?

Thanks, S.

 

A: Hello again S., here is some of what I found on our websites:

http://www.susunweed.com/Weed_letter_July02.htm#plantain
Plantain is "Excellent for all skin ailments, wounds, sores, ulcers, skin rashes, eczema, erysipelas, boils, abscesses, scalds and burns, the crushed leaves being applied direct. For application to piles, aching teeth, inflamed eyes (using the root or leaves). Plantain is also used very successfully as a poultice herb."

http://www.susunweed.com/weedforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4338
Marshmallow "leaves help in cystitis, urethritis and urinary gravel as well as bronchitis, respiratory catarrh, irritating coughs. Externally the herb is often used in drawing ointments for abscesses and boils or as an emollient for varicose veins and ulcers. Marsh-mallow helps soothe and cure inflammation, ulceration of the stomach, soreness of throat, and pain from cystitis. An infusion of leaves or flowers serves as a soothing gargle, an infusion of the root can be used for cough, diarrhea and insomnia. By pulverizing the root it then can be used as a healing and drawing poultice, which should be applied warm."

You are always welcome to post at the forum this question... some may know options, if there are any. And you can now call Susun if you would like during her free Tuesday night phone consultations, from 7:30pm-9:30pm Eastern time, 845-246-8081. I wish I could offer you more. I do hope some of these resources help!

Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com