Filed under: Life
Doing some really cool things…
Check out the fallen fruit project.
Urban Edibles. A cooperative network of urban food foragers.
Portland Fruit Tree Project. Gathering fruit before it falls…
Filed under: Life
…Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars.
I am a [hu]man. This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before!
I do not surrender my treasures, nor do I share them. The fortune of my spirit is not to be blown into coins of brass and flung to the winds as alms for the poor of the spirit. I guard my treasures: my thought, my will, my freedom. And the greatest of these is freedom.
Ayn Rand
Filed under: Life
Need a break? Try one of these…
Honeysuckle or passionflower tea
These are local (NW Arkansas) herbs that grow in the wild and can be harvested from almost any park-like area.
Place an ounce of the dried herb in a tea strainer or at the bottom of the cup. Pour heated water over and let seep from 5-8 mins. then strain.
It takes approx. 10-15 mins to feel the effects, unless you also enjoy the aroma of the brew. The aroma acts quickly and has a very relaxing effect.
update on dandelion decoction:
Basically, the same results as the dandelion and red clover infusion. I had a few bursts of energy the last few days and I feel a bit better physically.
Filed under: healing, health, herbs | Tags: dandelion, healing, herbs, natural medicine
Creating the dandelion decoction:
Using dried leaf and stem of the herb. I don’t have dry weight scales so I used dry measure spoons with two tablespoons of dried material packed, put at the bottom of the pan and poured a pint (16 oz.) of water over it, stirring once and then leaving it alone until it came to a light boil.
I then reduced the heat (gas stove) to low and let it cook down until it was approx. a quarter of the original fluid amount.
After straining and letting it cool the color looks slightly greenish and the taste was not too bitter, as I mixed with a bit of lemon juice and sweetner.
I’ll be using this as a blood and lymph cleaner for a few days and see how well it works. Not sure what noticeable effects will be, but i’ll update.
Regarding my last post: I was experimenting with the dandelion and red clover and found that when I drink dandelion tea or use the dried root as coffee my hot flashes disappear. I’ve also noticed small bursts of energy during the day.
In one of my books, I read that dandelion is also used as a light astringent, so I tried splashing a little of the infusion on my face after washing. It works!
So I’m a definite fan of this herb…
Anyway, I’ve been tweaking my anxiety program (see pages) a little and will add an update when I know better how well the changes are working.
–Carla
Recently I’ve identified and used quite a few of the local herbs. So far, in the Lowell area I’ve found wild honeysuckle, passionflower, red clover, dandelion, golden seal, marigold (wild), hedge woundwort and wild celery.
I’ve been experimenting with the dandelion and the red clover and found that when the clover heads are steeped in water for approx 10 minutes, they take on a nutty taste. The tea is bitter so it’s best to mix with lemon and some kind of sweetner.
In Dorothy Hall’s, The Herb Tea Book, the author recommends using one teaspoon of dried material per cup of tea.
Also, according to the literature I’ve been reading, (Jim Duke’s Green Pharmacy and the New Age Herbalist) Red Clover has many medicinal uses and most notable is the use in Europe as a cancer preventative.
This herb has not been approved by the FDA so no one in the states can make any medicinal claims, but if it’s good enough for hundreds of years to several thousands of people who have used it effectively…well, it’s good enough for me.
I’m also experimenting with dandelion, but so far the tests haven’t resulted in anything notable. I’ve made a combination of dandelion and red clover tea and have bottled it for the rest of this week. I’ll write about any results from that.
I’ve been working with a few herbs lately and a few days ago harvested some of the local honeysuckle and made it into a tea. The affects are probably different for everyone, but for me and my two grandaughters, the tea had a calming effect. The two girls (6 and 4 yrs.) became a bit mellow and I felt most of the tension I normally have just melt away.
Looking through some of my herbal books I also came across a few other cool herbs.
St. John’s Wort is used for depression, but if you’re already taking anti-depressants it’s not a good choice. There are drug interactions that could cause problems, so it’s best to consult with a physician or the local pharmacist first.
Also, scullcap is used for several nervous disorders and includes tension headaches and irritability.
Personally, I prefer teas over capsules when taking herbals, because I want to see immediate effect and want to know what the herb is going to do for me. The teas tend to go through the system faster.
Anyway, I’m looking toward a more holistic approach at healing and attempting to find more natural remedies to what ails me. The anti-depressant research shows that besides the obvious benefits there are an awful lot of side-effects to deal with. The thing that jumps out at me the most is how meds affect emotional states. It seems with prolonged use, patients have a bit of a problem forming emotional bonds.
With half the population of the U.S. on anti-depressants doesn’t take a genius to figure out why relationships fail so often.
Disclaimer: I made that statistic up. I have no idea what the percentage of population is currently taking anti-depressants.
Oh, there it is.
Movement into nothingness,
Shattered by acknowledgement.
Like the atom that knows you see it.
Descension into
buzzing, light of the world,
Minus a lifetime of intended taunts.
Brighter than an ever-burning
Strobe.
Like Alice’s rabbit,
I’m late.
Hoping, working,
To be nothing.
I feel inadequate in my ability to meditate. I attempt to ride the wave of breath and for a moment I ride it and think, ‘Aha!’ then it’s gone. The ‘Aha’ did it.
There should be a gentle flow into this with natural pauses and a slight nudge back into that awareness. Instead, I revert to something else that I don’t want to name. I sigh, then convince myself to come back. Try again. A little at a time. You’ll get it. Be gentle.
Last week I purchased the book, Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabbat-Zinn and started the meditation program Zinn uses in the stress clinics.
The meditation is difficult at times, but I can see improvement in the way I deal with stressful situations and in thought processes.
For those interested in meditation for stress reduction, Zinn suggests starting out with a simple breath meditation in a sitting or laying position for fifteen minutes a day.
At the beginning I watched the breath through the rise and fall of my tummy area, but some will prefer the chest area or to watch the intake and outake through the nose and mouth. Whichever you choose is fine as long as you can keep your concentration. When you find your mind wandering gently nudge it back to the breath.
Here’s a new link to a Jon Kabat-Zinn video.
I’m not sure why it won’t imbed at this time, but I’ve placed the link on the video page where it will remain.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been looking at neuroplasticity and how meditation works for emotional and mental damage. One of the primary tools used in this process is mindfulness exercises and this is where I ran across Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Google video has some great programs featuring this teacher, so it’s a good place to start. He also has a few books available and there are more resources online. I’ll post them as I find them.
