Be always coming home……..
“Please bring strange things.
Please come bringing new things.
Let very old things come into your hands.
Let what you do not know come into your eyes.
Let desert sand harden your feet.
Let the arch of your feet be the mountains.
Let the paths of your fingertips be your maps
And the ways you go be the lines of your palms.
Let there be deep snow in your inbreathing
And your outbreath be the shining of ice.
May your mouth contain the shapes of strange words.
May you smell food cooking you have not eaten.
May the spring of a foreign river be your navel.
May your soul be at home where there are no houses.
Walk carefully, well-loved one,
Walk mindfully, well-loved one,
Walk fearlessly, well-loved one.
Return with us, return to us,
Be always coming home.”
~Ursula K. Leguin
SHED + SHINE INTO SPRINGTIME : AN URBAN RETREAT
JOIN TREINA, MELVIN, AND ME THIS SPRING EQUINOX FOR A 2-PART WORKSHOP AT YOGALOVE IN NORTH OAKLAND, ON THE EVENING OF FRIDAY MARCH 15TH AND DAYTIME OF SATURDAY THE 16TH.
SIGN UP HERE.
CHECK OUT A RECENT ARTICLE ABOUT ONLINE DATING WITH A BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVE WITH LOADS OF INPUT BY MELVIN.
XOXOXO.
VOTE EARLY & VOTE YOUR HEART OUT! <3 <3 <3
From the Talmud:
Get out there and vote for democracy next Tuesday, our rights depend on it.
If you are voting by mail, the ballot must be received on Election Day. You can drop it off at a polling place, as long as the polls are open. Polls are open 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
And if you are in Oakland, vote for Cat Brooks as first choice, Pamela Price for second, and leave Libby out of it, not even as a third choice, she has let Oakland down time and time again. Don’t let her “I saved our community members from ICE and Trump” fool you. She let ICE work with OPD in August of 2017. to deport a Guatemalan man. Consider donating your money or time in these last few days before the election to Cat Brooks!
Also, Vote YES ON 10!!!!!!! As someone recently displaced from their home, it is important to repeal Costa Hawkins, a loophole for landlords and developers to raise rents and evict tenants.
And here are a few voter guides:
With love and solidarity, Erin
Happy Fall and First Rain!
SUMMER WELLNESS SERIES: MOVING INTO FALL
From Kirsten at Angelica and Peony, thanks for a lovely collaboration and to all of you readers for joining us this summer:
This article is the final in a special Summer Wellness Series I’ve collaborated on with my colleague Erin Wood L.Ac. Read all the installments here or follow on Instagram #tcmsummerwellness
With the Fall Equinox this week in the Northern hemisphere, we are deep in the transition moment from Late Summer in Fall. The days are perceptibly shorter, there may be a nip in the air in the morning, and even in the Bay area where there are still hot days to be had, the sidewalks are beginning to have piles of leaves, and our energy is turning inward and slowing down.
It’s an oft-noted irony that the time when the Earth is encouraging us to slow down and go inward is the time in our external calendar when things are getting busiest – back to school, the ramp up to the holiday season, and for us in the United States this year, an extra layer of work and anxiety around the mid-term elections and all that is at stake.
Your body might express this experience of cross-purposes with trouble sleeping, digestive upset, and as the Fall moves on, skin complaints, allergies, colds and sinus trouble. Seasonal self-care through the Summer (see the #tcmsummerwellness series!) can help buffer some of these, and here are a few self-supporting practices to consider incorporating this month;
- sleep more. The days are shorter, and our energy is waning. In pre-industrial times (ie most of human history), we went to sleep and woke with the sun. Even 15 minutes earlier can make a difference. Chronic sleep deprivation is one of the most serious health issues facing modern people.
- eat cooked foods. Save your raw salads and melon for next summer – save your body some energy by transitioning to cooked foods – if a salad is a must-have for a lunch on the go, try making one with cooked veggies – blanched greens, roast zucchini and peppers topped with chickpeas under a dijon vinaigrette, topped with a few toasted seeds or almonds for crunch. Very chic and easy to transport in a mason jar!
- Give your lungs extra TLC. The Fall is the season of the Lung – they are especially vulnerable to allergens and viruses at this time of year. Improve the quality of the air indoors with an air purifier, air purifying plants and give your pillows a wash to eliminate allergens. Ask your acupuncturist about allergy treatments (best started before you are sneezing!) and buy or make some natural cold remedies to keep on hand so you can take them at the first signs of illness. Try Fire cider, Ginger-Scallion tea and this go-to list from Erin on natural remedies and herbal formulas for cold. My fave essential oils to keep on hand at this time of year, especially for steam inhalation: Rosemary verbenone, balsam fir and sweet thyme (linalool).
- Going deeper: I wrote this essay on resting in sync with the earth a few falls ago. What does it mean when we don’t get enough rest? What are the personal and global consequences of our exhaustion and burnout?
May your Fall be filled with love and health, and time for darkness, rest and contemplation! For help with specific health challenges, including scheduling treatments or finding a practitioner in your area, contact Erin and me!
Herbs for the Late Summer + Earth
Welcome to the late summer!!! This season is the transition from summer to fall, the time of the spleen organ. The spleen prefers a dry, warm environment. Cold and damp climates and certain cold or raw foods can hinder its function and gunk it up. We can balance this dampness and support the spleen by sprinkling these additional herbs and spices into our food and drink:
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Cardamom
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Sichuan peppers
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Ground white pepper
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Tangerine peel, and other citrus like the Buddha’s hand
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Licorice root, sometimes fried in honey
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Dried ginger root
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Green or Jasmine Tea
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Raspberry Leaf Tea
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Nettle Leaf Tea
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Turmeric, like Kirsten’s Golden Milk recipe
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Garlic
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Parsley
The category of herbs that most support the spleen is the Tonify the Qi group, which means to boost the available energy and vitality. Two of these Tonify Qi herbs are also adaptogens: Ginseng and Astragalus. An adaptogen is a natural substance considered to help the body adapt to stress and to have a normalizing effect overall. I prefer American Ginseng over Korean Ginseng, it is actually slightly cooling, thirst-quenching, helps with diabetes and doesn’t raise blood pressure. Astragalus is a sweet and warm herb that goes to the lung and spleen channels to boost the immune system. Red Chinese dates also Tonify the Qi, they are easy to digest. Dates are delicious in well-cooked rice with carrots and some ginseng slices, a super energy booster!
For a bit of self-acupressure, there is a point just below the knee, on the outside of the leg called Stomach 36 that helps increase white blood cells and supports the spleen. Stomach 36 counteracts indigestion, diarrhea, muscle weakness, parasites, gurgling in the stomach, and soothes sore knees. You can massage it anytime or tap on it in an afternoon slump to get some endurance. See a video here!
There is evidence that various deficiencies of zinc, selenium, iron, copper, folic acid, and vitamins A, B6, C, and E can alter immune responses in animals, so it is always a good idea to eat a variety of foods and consider a mineral supplement. The Zinc Tally test and supplement can be helpful to find out if you are getting enough zinc, as well as a way to add more. You can order some here or ask me about doing a test in my clinic.
Along with zinc, here are a few more helpful supplements:
~Fiber, also known as roughage, bulk, or dietary fiber can help our health. Soluble fiber is found in plants such as nuts, beans, apples, carrots, psyllium, and blueberries and switches immune cells from pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory, which helps us to heal faster from infection.
~Resveratrol, found in red grapes, can help immune function.
~Probiotics or fermented foods like kefir, raw sauerkraut, and miso can help balance the gut flora and keep the immune system ready to respond to new infections.
~Fish oil is rich in DHA, an essential fatty acid, and has been found to enhance B cell activity, which could be promising for those with compromised immune systems.
~Vitamin D, especially in liquid form, can help immunity and mood. Research suggests that vitamin D activates T cells that can identify and attack cancer cells. Vitamin D has also been shown to reduce respiratory infections.
I am a fan of keeping things simple, so stick with these basics if you get overwhelmed or don’t want to add herbs or supplements:
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eat plenty of fruits & vegetables, all the colors of the rainbow!
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exercise, gentle movement, deep breathing
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quit smoking, acupuncture can help!
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drink alcohol only in moderation
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get enough sleep, at least 8 hours
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avoid infection through regular hand washing
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reduce stress, find ways to decompress & get out of fight-flight-freeze
As we talk about the bigger picture in regards to health, it is important to remember that part of life is suffering. It is normal to not be well or what might be considered 100%. As health care practitioners, we are not trying to prevent any illness or death. Sometimes we need to be under the weather to build our immune systems or slow down. We are trying to find tools, foods, herbs, and habits that support us to feel less pain and more energy. We are human and life is fragile and fleeting. The ebbs and flows, the yin and yang aspects, are normal. It is helpful to remember that in a capitalist society, we are rewarded for being productive and able to work as much as possible. That just isn’t realistic or compassionate. I heard on NPR this morning one of the main causes of food poisoning when eating out is caused by norovirus, brought in by a staff member, passing it onto the customer. Imagine a world where we were encouraged to stay home if we aren’t well, and even paid. Less infections would be passed, less stress would be caused, and possibly workers would recover faster as well……also, try not to eat pre-packaged salads from fast-food chains……
Related to the idea of not being well all the time, or even most of the time, here is some food for thought by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, a brilliant disabled writer and cultural worker:
https://www.self.com/story/dont-call-it-clean-eating
And some lovely lyrics to top it off from Alanis Morrisette, a song called “That I Would be Good”:
That I would be good even if I did nothing
That I would be good even if I got the thumbs down
That I would be good if I got and stayed sick
That I would be good even if I gained ten pounds
That I would be fine even if I went bankrupt
That I would be good if I lost my hair and my youth
That I would be great if I was no longer queen
Let’s support one another in a more compassionate world.
Xoxo, Erin
Healing + Tasty Recipes for Late Summer
From Kirsten at Angelica and Peony:
This article is sixth in a special Summer Wellness Series I’m collaborating on with my colleague Erin Wood L.Ac. Next week: herbs, tonics and supplements for Late Summer.
Late Summer is a season that might be unfamiliar to you. In traditional Chinese medicine we use the five element system of natural cosmology to understand the rhythms of our bodies and the earth. Even if we didn’t grow up thinking of Late Summer as a specific season, we probably know what it means – harvest, end of summer, the transition between the unbounded expansion of Summer and the contraction and endings of Fall.
Read about Late Summer and its element, Earth, in Erin’s article from last week.
Seasonal foods are one of the best ways to be in harmony with the natural world, and help us surf the energies of climate, day length, temperature and so on that might impact our health.
Since my practice and patients are in the Bay Area, I’ll talk about specifics with regards to our climate – Late Summer is a clearly delineated season for us here! However the Earth element affects all of us, wherever we live.
By eating to support our Earth element in late summer, we can ease ourselves into fall and protect ourselves from the coming cold and flu season. In Traditional Chinese Medicine we’re taught ‘phlegm is created in the Spleen (Earth) and stored in the Lung (Metal). Supporting our Spleen by eating easy to digest, anti-inflammatory and immune boosting foods is a great way to buffer our Lungs from fall allergies and cold and flu.
The Flavor of the Season: Sweet.
Sweetness is the flavor associated with Late Summer, and is a dominant flavor in much of the produce now in season. Sweetness softens and relaxes us, and naturally sweet foods are deeply nourishing to our systems and our spirits. Too much sugar with our sweetness can overload the system, and leave us craving more sweet without feeling satisfied. Sweetness helps us the transition from the long days of summer into fall.
The Color of the Season: Gold.
Yellow, gold and orange are the colors associated with the Earth element, and are found in many of the foods in farmers’ markets right now: squash, plums, peaches, pears, sweet potatoes, corn. In biomedicine terms, orange produce is rich is carotenoids (like beta-carotene) and B vitamins that are especially beneficial for the immune system, skin and eye health.
The Cuisine of the Season: Light and Warm
The Spleen is said to like warmth and hate dampness. Dumping cold, wet foods like ice cream, cold drinks and raw veggies is a good way to dampen our digestive hearth and find ourselves with kickback like bloating, belching, distention and gas, upset stomach and diarrhea. Well-cooked, high nutrient foods are like dry, fragrant wood that burns easily and doesn’t leave stinky ash.
In short, as the days shorten and table is covered with the sweet, golden fruits of the harvest, we shift our diet to eat what’s in season, simmered soup of butternut squash, roasted peaches, corn and bean salad. Here’s a few of my fave recipes for this season in-between.
This recipe from Practical Paleo is ready in a flash and the cakes are both super satisfying (pumpkin and egg) without being too heavy for warm late summer days. I like to eat them with freshly sliced peaches or a quick simmered compote. If you’ve been eating something cold for breakfast like cereal, yogurt or smoothies, give these pancakes a try.
Roast butternut squash and red onion with tahini and za’atar
This sheet pan roast vegetable dish from Yotam Ottolenghi stands up as a centerpiece, side or salad. Beta-carotene is fat soluble and significantly more available to the body when eaten with fat, like the tahini and pinenuts in this recipe. Try it with a roast chicken for a Sunday dinner knockout.
Peach Crumble with Almond Flour Topping
Fresh peaches become incredibly sweet when baked or grilled. This simple recipe uses a spoonful of maple syrup and buttery almond topping to fancy up roast peaches into something truly fantastic.
Golden milk is a traditional healing beverage from South Asia and Ayurvedic medicine. Its golden color and sweet flavor put it squarely in the Earth element, but its sweetness and richness are tempered by the addition of spicy black pepper and cardamom.
Enjoy! xo
Late Summer Energetics
Late Summer is the season of the earth element. Now is the time when the heat of summer transitions into the cool consolidation of the autumn. It is a good idea to boost our immune systems before the fall completely sets in. Earth is associated with the color yellow, which makes me think of our golden hills in California during this time. The fire of the summer generates ash, that is of the earth. We are seeing this perhaps too literally right now with the wildfires turning our hills and homes to ash.
The earth element is the center, just as our digestion is central to our health. Earth presides over the spleen and stomach organs, which help us to transform and transport our food and nutrients. The spleen and the stomach are the origin of our energy and blood. Having a condition like celiac disease can lead to absorption issues and anemia. The spleen opens into the mouth, so chew carefully, all year round. Eat cooked food if you have any issues digesting raw food. Steamed veggies or soups are already partially broken down, making it easier to absorb nutrients. Also, avoid too much sweet, dairy, or rich sauces. The spleen organs dislikes dampness, and dampness can be oily, greasy foods like an alfredo sauce or even ice cream. By supporting the spleen, we support the heart, which houses our spirit. This connection reminds us of how 95% of our serotonin, which affects our mood, is found in our bowels. Check out this article for more: GutSecondBrain.
Disharmonies of the earth element and this season include digestive issues and fluid movement problems such as poor appetite, loose stools, gas, bloating, and swollen legs. The spleen controls the muscles, so if you feel tired while you are digesting after meals, you might need a spleen boost. Bleeding issues, like early periods or hemorrhoids, can be due to spleen weakness since the spleen keeps the blood in the vessels. The spleen raises the energy up in our bodies, so be watchful for any prolapse of organs or sunken spirits. We will discuss recipes and herbs that support your earth element in the coming posts, so stay tuned.
The Earth element is the peacemaker. Earth is about home, community, comfort, family and bringing folks together. People who identify as being close to the earth element can be very practical, nurturing, and rooted. Loyalty and responsibility are additional characteristics, which can have a flip-side of people-pleasing, being overprotective, and selfish. People-pleasing or any codependent tendencies have a manipulative side to them if one is trying to get others to need them. When we help others and are of service, what is our motivation? Is there ego involved? Is there a savior complex playing a role? We need to check our intentions when it comes to needing to be needed, looking for something in return, keeping tabs, and eventually building resentments, which doesn’t build bridges.
The Earth element tends toward worry, overthinking, ruminations and obsessive thoughts. That is like when a song is stuck in your head or you are replaying a situation over and over again, even though nothing can truly be done about it now.
During this late summertime, we might be asking “What is my role?” It is about belonging. A podcast that blew my mind is called On Being by Krista Tippett. One episode about belonging features the brilliant Brené Brown:
https://onbeing.org/programs/brene-brown-strong-back-soft-front-wild-heart-feb2018/
Brené brings up the paradox that exists in speaking our truth and conforming to what you think the group might be wanting or expecting. We are wired for connection, although we sometimes might increase our loneliness by trying too hard to fit in or conform. What a bind that can be. We sometimes risk being alone in being true to ourselves, which can also bring a sense of peace and well-being. It reminds me of the difference between risky behavior, which might mean over-riding our own needs to not rock to boat and taking a true risk of being vulnerable and expressing our needs. It is all a delicate balance.
In another interview, John A. Powell, Professor of Law at UC Berkeley, discusses belonging in such a heartfelt and revolutionary way. He begins by saying: “Being human is about being in the right kind of relationships. I think being human is a process. It’s not something that we just are born with. We actually learn to celebrate our connection, learn to celebrate our love. If you suffer, it does not imply love. But if you love, it does imply suffering. To suffer with, though, compassion, not to suffer against. And if we can hold that space big enough, we also have joy and fun even as we suffer. And suffering will no longer divide us. And to me, that’s sort of the human journey.” Hear more in the full interview:
https://onbeing.org/programs/john-a-powell-opening-to-the-question-of-belonging-may2018/
Please share any thoughts, feedback, resources, inspirations during this golden, almost harvest time of year. What is your role in fostering a more vibrant and authentic you and in turn, a more grounded and centered community?
~Erin
Summer Soaks and Soothers
Check out this article from my colleague and owner of Angelica and Peony, Kirsten Cowan, L.Ac., the fourth in our special Summer Wellness series:
Essential Oils and Self-care Practices
for Summer
What is self-care? It’s a popular buzzword these days – #selfcare – but what does it mean? I think of self-care practices as not just things we can do for ourselves that promote health, but as loving time we take for ourselves. ‘Self-care’ can’t solve all our problems, but it can be an important part of our mental and physical well-being. Whether it’s dry-brushing, face masks, self-massage or herbal steaming – it’s as much about spending loving, soothing time with your body as any specific outcome. Take the opportunity of giving yourself a ‘beauty treatment’ to give yourself a love treatment – slow down, use natural and non-toxic ingredients, and send yourself some messages of love and care.
Summer Scents and Soothers: 3 essential oils and 5 self-care practices to try this summer
What are the best essential oils to enjoy in the summertime? The answer is endless, but here’s three of my faves to help you keep cool and balanced in summertime
Ylang ylang: this sweet, floral oil has an instant cooling and refreshing effect. It has a sedative quality that calms fire-type symptoms like agitation, insomnia and anxiety, and lowers blood pressure.
Lime: Lime is also a cooling oil and has an affinity with the digestive system – great if summer heat is making our digestion sluggish or our appetite is weak. Lime has an uplifting, anti-depressant effect that gives a sense of being ‘refreshed’. Like other citrus oils, lime causes photosensitivity where you can burn your skin with just a small amount of sun exposure. Don’t use lime oil containing products on exposed skin, use in appropriate dilution, and look for steam-distilled lime, which doesn’t contain the photosensitizing compounds. I like to use steam-distilled lime for topical application, and cold-pressed for inhaling, as the cold-pressed lime has a fresher, cooler scent.
Peppermint: Peppermint is VERY cooling. It’s menthol compounds are what put the ‘ice’ in icy-hot style rubs like Warming and Ginger Menthol. It benefits acute ‘wind-heat’ conditions with sore throat, headache, stuffy nose, and red, itchy eyes. It can make us feel energized by moving Liver Qi and releasing frustrated, pent-up energy. Peppermint and lavender is a great combination.
You can use these oils in some of the best body-caring practices to try in summer:
Foot soaks
Ending the day with a cool or lukewarm bath can help swollen, tired feet, as well as helping you sleep (use a warmer bath for extra help falling asleep after a hectic summer day.
Try an epsom + essential oil combo. Mix together 2 cups of epsom salts with 5 drops of essential oil blended in a tablespoon of carrier oil – try ylang ylang and lime with coconut oil, or peppermint in sunflower oil. Fill a foot tub with warm water and dissolve in the epsom salts. Chill out in the soak for 10-15 minutes (no more than 20) and dry your feet off.
Try finishing up with a soothing foot massage – I like to use Swimming Dragon oil, or Legs N All from By Nieves. Coconut or avocado oil works great too.
If sandals and hot asphalt have your feet calloused and dry, try a foot scrub during your bath – mix melted coconut oil with an equal amount of granulated sugar. Add a few herbs like lavender blossoms, mint leaves or rosepetals for added scent. Store in a glass jar and use a spoonful to scrub your feet before you take them out of the bath.
Self-massage: This is a truly luxurious way to spend quality time with yourself! I like to follow the guidelines of abhyanga from Ayurvedic medicine, which uses warmed oil and gentle strokes towards your heart to stimulate circulation, benefit the lymphatic system and cleanse and moisturize the skin. After the massage, jump in a warm shower and rinse off the oil – it’s the oil cleansing method for your body! , Here’s an in-depth how-to from Banyan Botanicals (including when to avoid abhyanga).
I hope you enjoy incorporating some of these healing and loving self-care practices into your summer!
Check in next week: the energetics of Late Summer. Subscribe to my blog to get each weekly installment or follow on Instagram #tcmsummerwellness
Summertime Herbs
Summer is the most sunny, energetic, and yang time of the year. And as we mentioned in previous posts, the season of summer is associated with the fire element, which is linked to the bitter flavor. That cooling and detoxifying bitter taste clears the heat in the summertime. Kirsten talked about foods and beverages that you can consume in the summer to balance that rising fire, like an escarole salad or cacao nibs sprinkled on diced peaches. Below are some bitter herbs that you can also use both medicinally and in your kitchen. And since heat can cause irritation, agitation and insomnia, we can also take calming herbs like valerian root or passion flower and minerals like calcium and magnesium that will help settle and anchor the spirit.
The bitter taste is pharmacologically active and stimulates digestion and our taste receptors. We even have bitter taste receptors in our sinuses and nasal passages that can protect us from bacteria and viruses!
Bitter subdues the rebellious Qi that is moving in the wrong direction, like nausea or belching. The bitter taste can also be strong and cold, which can injure the spleen system that helps our digestion absorb nutrients properly. Once again, it is finding the balance of regulating the energy without overdoing it. Always remember to chew well! This helps the spleen system begin the breakdown and absorption of all the nourishment we need for each of our cells. Also, don’t take in too much liquid during your meal, especially cool liquid or ice water, which can slow down digestion and dilute digestive enzymes. If you are going to have an iced beverage, melt it in your mouth, almost like chewing your drink, before swallowing it.
Bitter counteracts heat. Heat can invade from the exterior, causing both chills and fever as your body tries to defend you. Exterior heat can also come with headaches. Wind tends to bring heat in through the sinuses or back of the neck. Heat can be internal, only causing fever, since the heat has already reached past the skin level. Once it is internal, you might see symptoms like dark urine, dry mouth, and either constipation or diarrhea. Below are quite a few common bitter, heat-clearing herbs used in Chinese Medicine. If you have specific symptoms that aren’t resolving or you have any questions, please ask your acupuncturist for a custom formula. Western herbs are often used alone, Chinese Herbs are mainly used in formulas that can be tailored to you. There are Chinese herbs that go to certain areas of the body, like the head or the skin. Heat can also combine with other factors, like dampness, wind, or toxins and there are specific herbs for each of those situations.
Common Chinese Herbs that can be easily used in the summertime to cool down the system are mint, chrysanthemum flowers, various parts of the lotus plant, mung beans, and watermelon fruit. Barley tea is easy to find at Asian markets and makes a tasty sun tea. Note: If you are gluten sensitive or intolerant, skip the barley tea.
Getting back to the lotus plant, the leaves can be used fresh with honeysuckle flowers to ease nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, as well as nosebleeds caused by the reckless movement of heat in the summer. A beautiful aspect of Chinese Medicine is how like treats like, as in how the very center of the lotus seed, the heart of the lotus seed, treats the heart in humans, specifically clearing heart heat that may be causing confusion, delirium, insomnia, and irritability.
Little green mung beans are called Lu Dou in pinyin and these help decrease thirst, irritability, and fever. You can grind the dried beans into a powder and make a tea from that powder for skin sores. You could also take that ground powder and blend it with Da Huang, mint, and honey for eruptions on the skin. Da Huang means “big yellow” in pinyin and it is rhubarb root. Da Huang can also help with constipation and hemorrhoids. There are some great formulas that contain Da Huang that help clear out the bowels when heat invades.
Dandelion leaves can not only be cooked up with olive oil and lemon juice or added to cabbage in the process of making your own sauerkraut, but you could also steam your face with it if your have red eyes. The leaves, dried or fresh, can also be used internally for breast health. A compress can be made from the leaves and placed directly on the breast. Dandelion is related to chicory and both roots can also be roasted and used as a coffee substitute. Dandelion root has numerous digestive and liver function benefits.
Zhi Zi is gardenia fruit and looks like tiny, dried heart chambers. It is especially good at clearing heat out through the urine, like when there is a bladder infection. Zhi Zi also helps with insomnia and fever.
Long Dan Cao is Chinese gentian root and clears heat when it has blended with dampness, as with strong smelling vaginal discharge or swelling in the genital area. It can also be used for headache that comes with red eyes.
In addition to Da Huang, the “big yellow” rhubarb root, we also use the 3 Huangs or 3 yellows quite a lot. All 3 contain berberine, an alkaloid which is a potent antibiotic, astringent and anti-fungal. Huang Qin is scutellaria or skullcap root and helps with dysentery, diarrhea, and nosebleeds. Huang Lian is the Huang that goes to the Heart the most. It is the coptis rhizome and also helps dysentery and diarrhea, but also irritability due to fever, disorientation, and delirium. Huang Lian can be combined with licorice and mung beans for the overheated nausea and vomiting symptoms of summerheat. Huang Bai is phellodendron bark and similar to Long Dan Cao, Chinese gentian root, it can treat vaginal discharge, as well as red swollen knees and jaundice.
The herbs above can be really bitter and not too tasty to our palates. A more delicious way to enjoy the bitter flavor is to buy some swedish bitters or other digestive bitters at a local culinary or herb shop, like the Oaktown Spice Shop. Then mix a dropperful or splash of bitters into some coffee, bubbly water, and a bit of ice. Such a nice refreshing afternoon pick-me-up!
I also love making Hibiscus Tea or Jamaica Agua Fresca in the summer. You can buy either tea bags with Hibiscus or the dried Jamaica flowers at a Mexican market. With the tea bags, you could simply make a sun tea by adding a few bags in a glass pitcher and let in steep in the sun. If you buy the flowers, throw in a few handfuls of dried Jamaica flowers in a big pot of filtered water, bring the water to boil on the stove, then turn it down to low for about 10 mins to simmer along with cinnamon sticks, cloves, and orange peel for a bit more flavor. Although cinnamon is slightly warming, it can be comforting in the way it improves heart circulation and is also good for diabetes. Clove and orange peel improve digestion. After 10 minutes have passed, take it off the heat and you will have a very strong tea that you might want to dilute with cold water and a touch of honey. I usually skip ice since it impedes digestion. I tend to drink it at room temperature. Prepare it how you like and enjoy!
I want to finish by sharing a list of bitter herbs and foods we can all use to lower our risk of Type-2 diabetes and balance our blood sugar. Due to the poor Standard American Diet (SAD) and overuse of the sweet flavor, we might be or know someone affected by blood sugar imbalances. Diabetes is called a wasting and thirsting condition in Chinese Medicine and can be characterized by the symptoms of thirst, hunger, and excessive urination caused by a lack of yin, where “internal heat consumes fluids, thus bringing on wasting and thirsting.” Try incorporating these to help:
- Milk Thistle, a great liver detoxifier
- Barberry Root Bark, used for so many GI disorders, it also contains berberine like the 3 Huangs
- Bitter Melon, I have had it deliciously prepared with tuna and mayo
- Chicory, a roasted root in New Orleans style coffee
- 3 Huangs as mentioned above
- Small amounts of dark chocolate can lower your liver enzymes in a good way
- Some coffee, black tea, or red wine
- American Ginseng from Wisconsin is cooling and energy-boosting
- Fermented dairy, like kefir or plain yogurt
- Green leafy veggies, like endive, dandelion leaves, arugula, and kale
- Chose organic, non-GMO corn. GMO corn can raise the blood sugar 10% more than non-GMO corn, preliminary studies have shown that GMO foods can impact the immune system and speed up aging
Also, check out these resources for more info 🙂
Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson
Real Food All Year by Nishanga Bliss
Nishanga also has 2 blogs with lots of recipes and great seasonal info:
http://gastronicity.blogspot.com/
Amy Stewart has some great books: The Drunken Botanist
Erin Wood, Licensed Acupuncturist 