Hi folks,
As we are getting close to spring I wanted to talk a little about how to deal with the allergies that many people suffer from. There are many medications out there that deal with mild to severe reactions, yet they can often have undesirable side effects. Some people prefer to try more natural forms of medicine that will not have the side effects of conventional drug therapy.
There are several formulas of Chinese herbs that are great for dealing with allergies. The best thing to do is to consult an herbalist so you can get the appropriate formula for your situation. Some common ones include bi yan pian and jade windscreen. Yin qiao can sometimes also help relieve symptoms. Many natural food stores or natural medicine/ apothecaries (herb shops) will have a variety of herbal formulas in tea or pill form that can help relieve allergic symptoms such as hay fever (dry/ itchy eyes, runny nose, asthmatic breathing/ wheezing, itchy or red skin).
In terms of common kitchen items, I find strong mint tea to be one of the best. Use a large amount of mint and let it steep covered for 10 minutes. If you have chrysanthemum flowers to add, these are also good. Remember not to boil the leaves/ flowers. See my earlier post on making medicinal tea for more details about how to properly prepare medicinal tea. Improper preparation can harm the potency and effect of your medicine.
From a Chinese medicine perspective, allergies often involve an invasion of wind or wind-heat in the body, so we try to release it. Other foods that help clear (foods with a bitter flavor) are celery, radish, chrysanthemum flowers, and to a lesser extent apples, pears, and most leafy green vegetables. Depending on what type of allergy you have, many people find that local honey or bee pollen helps reduce allergic reactions. A little bit of lemon juice or high quality vinegar may also help the situation, and high quality olive oil is another good spring tonic. Sweating can be beneficial if you do not have a weak constitution, and if spicy food agrees with you it can help promote the elimination of mucus clogging up the respiratory system and promote sweating.
Acupuncture is also a great form of treatment for those suffering from allergies.
best of luck to you,
Keith
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Medicinal Tea Remedies for a Cold
A couple nice teas to help you fight a northwest cold:
If you have a cold with clear mucus and no sore throat:
Make a strong tea with honey, cinnamon, ginger, and some pepper or chili. Drink 3-4 cups/ day for a few days. This will work best if you can start it when you first feel your body fighting with the cold, but it will also help after it has taken hold.
If you have a cold with yellowish mucus and a sore throat, rather use this recipe:
Make a strong tea with honey, mint (lots of mint), chrysanthemum (optional), ginger (a little), and pepper or chili (a little). Drink 3-4 cups/ day.
If you have a cold with clear mucus and no sore throat:
Make a strong tea with honey, cinnamon, ginger, and some pepper or chili. Drink 3-4 cups/ day for a few days. This will work best if you can start it when you first feel your body fighting with the cold, but it will also help after it has taken hold.
If you have a cold with yellowish mucus and a sore throat, rather use this recipe:
Make a strong tea with honey, mint (lots of mint), chrysanthemum (optional), ginger (a little), and pepper or chili (a little). Drink 3-4 cups/ day.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
The Art of Living: Principles for Maintaining Health Through the Seasons according to a Taoist/ Chinese Medicine perspective
When crafting a seasonal lifestyle from a Taoist (i.e. Chinese medicine) perspective, we need to understand the energetic aspects of each season. This is the same as understanding the energetics of what are known as the Five Elements or Five Phases. This is the foundation. This understanding will allow us to discern guiding principles for each season. Once we have established these principles, we can translate them into the realms of diet and activity to give us the specific ways we should adapt to each season. If we explore the energetic nature of our constitutional health issues, we can also use these principles to support our health in this more macro scale, but this is beyond the scope of this post, so we will focus on application to the seasons. This post is more concerned with the energetics of seasonal living. For more specific dietary suggestions, see
this post
Note: Because we are speaking in English we translate these Chinese characters/ concepts into English, but we must be careful not to impose our English mind's understanding of these words and concepts onto the Taoist understanding of them. Let the paradigms and their respective concepts and ways of thinking dwell in their respective spheres. This will help us avert some of the confusion that surrounds these ideas and allow us to grasp them more fully.
As I see it, our general task is to nourish yin and preserve yang. Yang is the vitality of life, and without yang there is no life. Yin is what feeds and supports yang. When our yin is depleted, we have no foundation for our vitality and it disperses. In general, cooked foods are much easier for us to digest and their nutrients are easier to assimilate.
Winter is the expression of the predominance of shui, the water phase/ element. It has a yin, cold, consolidating, still nature. Life is still on the surface and potent on the interior, hibernating and waiting for the rise of yang to manifest its potential. Our principles are:
1) Nourish the yin. (Rest. Eat nourishing whole foods. Warm, cooked foods including soups and stews are best. Take time for quiet sitting and activities like reading and the arts.)
2) Preserve the yang. (Refrain from excessive vigorous activities that deplete our reserves. Eat warming foods. Protect ourselves from the harsh weather.)
3) Activate the yang to balance the abundance of yin. (Use gentle activities such as walking, qi gong, tai chi, and yoga to keep our energy circulating, build warmth in our body, and counter the accumulation of stagnation that can build up from too much stillness and cold. The yang of movement generates heat that counteracts the cold of yin.)
Spring reflects the bursting forth of yang from the depths of yin. It is a young yang full of vitality and vigor. It expresses the nature of mu, the wood phase/ element. It has a pointed outward nature. The buds and shoots appear. Our principles are:
1) Incite the yang. (Get outside, be active. It is a time for vigorous activity within reason. We must awaken ourselves from the hibernation of winter. A little bit of sour food such as vinegar or lemon can be beneficial.)
2) Move the stagnation/ accumulation from winter. (Be active. Eat lighter foods that will help clear and activate, such as fresh greens. Bitter foods such as radishes can help us clear out accumulation. Steaming and light saute are appropriate methods of cooking for spring.)
3) Regulate the yang. (We want to tap into this upsurge of yang, but we don't want to let it get out of control or become chaotic. Be purposeful in action and don't go beyond a healthy limit. Spring initiates what will be the year's growth. We should make sure our actions and decisions are in line with the growth we want to cultivate.)
Summer expresses the predominance of huo, the fire phase/ element. It is the culmination of yang, heat, expansive, free flowing, open. Life is in the exterior. The flowers open and blossom, revealing what was hidden. The potential is manifest. Our principles are:
1) Nourish the yin to balance the yang. (Eat some foods of a yin, cooling nature such as fresh fruits and vegetables and eat less warming foods. Bitter foods such as radishes, celery, apples, and pears can also help us to clear excess heat. In summer we can eat a little more raw foods if our digestion is able to handle them. Refrain from activity that is too yang during the extreme yang weather- try not to perform vigorous activity under the full heat of the sun. Too much yang depletes the yin.)
2) Nourish the yang. (It is a time to be outside enjoying the weather and our social life. Whereas winter is a time to rest and be inside, summer is a time to be active and outside. The yang is abundant, and we should soak it up.)
Late Summer illustrates the nature of tu, the earth phase/ element. This is the shift that comes after the dry heat of July and August and turns into the more humid, damp heat of September. It is still warm, but the dew collects on the grass in the morning and the nights are a little cooler. The harvest comes in. Life is abundant, still, full. The yang has reached its zenith and has not quite turned inward on itself. Our principles are:
1) Harvest the abundance of qi. (Eat well of the fresh harvest. We are building up the reserves that must last the winter. It is a time to begin building the winter coat as the cold will soon approach. We should be active, but not necessarily vigorous. It is good to be outside, getting those last rays of sunshine before the yin seasons dominate.)
Fall is the manifestation of a predominance of jin, the metal phase/ element. It is the time when the yang begins to recede back into the interior. The yin is growing and dominating. It is has an inward movement, refinement, contraction, a letting go of what is unnecessary. Life is moving back inside towards the roots. The leaves are shed and the vitality is returning into the roots. Our principles are:
1) Support the yin. (We should mirror this inward movement with gentle activities such as quiet sitting, meditation, soft qi gong, and other quiet reflective activities. It is a good time for taking some solitary space to reconnect with what is essential in us. Just as nature is returning to its roots, we too can come down for the summer heights back into our roots. It is a time of refinement, shedding the excesses of the past year's growth.)
2) Guard the yang. (As yin begins to dominate, we must protect our yang. We should spend more time inside and not expose ourselves to the harsh wind and rain and cold that comes in with the fall. We should remove the clearing, cooling, yin foods from our diet and eat more building foods such as root vegetables, legumes, squash, whole grains.)
3) Nourish the yin. (Foods rich in nutrients and micro-nutrients will help us nourish the yin. These include animal foods such as meat, fish, dairy etc, legumes, and micro-algae among many others. Stews, soups, congee, and other warming cooking methods are more beneficial.)
this post
Note: Because we are speaking in English we translate these Chinese characters/ concepts into English, but we must be careful not to impose our English mind's understanding of these words and concepts onto the Taoist understanding of them. Let the paradigms and their respective concepts and ways of thinking dwell in their respective spheres. This will help us avert some of the confusion that surrounds these ideas and allow us to grasp them more fully.
As I see it, our general task is to nourish yin and preserve yang. Yang is the vitality of life, and without yang there is no life. Yin is what feeds and supports yang. When our yin is depleted, we have no foundation for our vitality and it disperses. In general, cooked foods are much easier for us to digest and their nutrients are easier to assimilate.
Winter is the expression of the predominance of shui, the water phase/ element. It has a yin, cold, consolidating, still nature. Life is still on the surface and potent on the interior, hibernating and waiting for the rise of yang to manifest its potential. Our principles are:
1) Nourish the yin. (Rest. Eat nourishing whole foods. Warm, cooked foods including soups and stews are best. Take time for quiet sitting and activities like reading and the arts.)
2) Preserve the yang. (Refrain from excessive vigorous activities that deplete our reserves. Eat warming foods. Protect ourselves from the harsh weather.)
3) Activate the yang to balance the abundance of yin. (Use gentle activities such as walking, qi gong, tai chi, and yoga to keep our energy circulating, build warmth in our body, and counter the accumulation of stagnation that can build up from too much stillness and cold. The yang of movement generates heat that counteracts the cold of yin.)
Spring reflects the bursting forth of yang from the depths of yin. It is a young yang full of vitality and vigor. It expresses the nature of mu, the wood phase/ element. It has a pointed outward nature. The buds and shoots appear. Our principles are:
1) Incite the yang. (Get outside, be active. It is a time for vigorous activity within reason. We must awaken ourselves from the hibernation of winter. A little bit of sour food such as vinegar or lemon can be beneficial.)
2) Move the stagnation/ accumulation from winter. (Be active. Eat lighter foods that will help clear and activate, such as fresh greens. Bitter foods such as radishes can help us clear out accumulation. Steaming and light saute are appropriate methods of cooking for spring.)
3) Regulate the yang. (We want to tap into this upsurge of yang, but we don't want to let it get out of control or become chaotic. Be purposeful in action and don't go beyond a healthy limit. Spring initiates what will be the year's growth. We should make sure our actions and decisions are in line with the growth we want to cultivate.)
Summer expresses the predominance of huo, the fire phase/ element. It is the culmination of yang, heat, expansive, free flowing, open. Life is in the exterior. The flowers open and blossom, revealing what was hidden. The potential is manifest. Our principles are:
1) Nourish the yin to balance the yang. (Eat some foods of a yin, cooling nature such as fresh fruits and vegetables and eat less warming foods. Bitter foods such as radishes, celery, apples, and pears can also help us to clear excess heat. In summer we can eat a little more raw foods if our digestion is able to handle them. Refrain from activity that is too yang during the extreme yang weather- try not to perform vigorous activity under the full heat of the sun. Too much yang depletes the yin.)
2) Nourish the yang. (It is a time to be outside enjoying the weather and our social life. Whereas winter is a time to rest and be inside, summer is a time to be active and outside. The yang is abundant, and we should soak it up.)
Late Summer illustrates the nature of tu, the earth phase/ element. This is the shift that comes after the dry heat of July and August and turns into the more humid, damp heat of September. It is still warm, but the dew collects on the grass in the morning and the nights are a little cooler. The harvest comes in. Life is abundant, still, full. The yang has reached its zenith and has not quite turned inward on itself. Our principles are:
1) Harvest the abundance of qi. (Eat well of the fresh harvest. We are building up the reserves that must last the winter. It is a time to begin building the winter coat as the cold will soon approach. We should be active, but not necessarily vigorous. It is good to be outside, getting those last rays of sunshine before the yin seasons dominate.)
Fall is the manifestation of a predominance of jin, the metal phase/ element. It is the time when the yang begins to recede back into the interior. The yin is growing and dominating. It is has an inward movement, refinement, contraction, a letting go of what is unnecessary. Life is moving back inside towards the roots. The leaves are shed and the vitality is returning into the roots. Our principles are:
1) Support the yin. (We should mirror this inward movement with gentle activities such as quiet sitting, meditation, soft qi gong, and other quiet reflective activities. It is a good time for taking some solitary space to reconnect with what is essential in us. Just as nature is returning to its roots, we too can come down for the summer heights back into our roots. It is a time of refinement, shedding the excesses of the past year's growth.)
2) Guard the yang. (As yin begins to dominate, we must protect our yang. We should spend more time inside and not expose ourselves to the harsh wind and rain and cold that comes in with the fall. We should remove the clearing, cooling, yin foods from our diet and eat more building foods such as root vegetables, legumes, squash, whole grains.)
3) Nourish the yin. (Foods rich in nutrients and micro-nutrients will help us nourish the yin. These include animal foods such as meat, fish, dairy etc, legumes, and micro-algae among many others. Stews, soups, congee, and other warming cooking methods are more beneficial.)
Monday, November 22, 2010
Nature is my teacher- Evergreens in winter- Preserving essence and following our natural way
As fall makes way for winter here in the NW (our first snow arrived yesterday), I was out walking and observed the various states of the plants, the trees in particular. In our region, we are blessed to be surrounded by so many beautiful evergreens, though we have many deciduous trees as well.
The natural way of life when the cold (yin) seasons begin to dominate is to recede into the interior. Vitality retreats into the roots so that it may survive the harshness of fall storms and winter cold. Then, as the yang begins to ascend in spring, vitality moves outward and new growth resumes.
The deciduous trees teach us a lesson about how to live in harmony with the natural changes in the rhythm of life. When the conditions are favorable, they burst forth with life and grow. As the conditions become unfavorable, they retreat into the roots and wait. For us as people to live in this manner, following the nature of the universe, is a deep thing, perhaps the deepest thing in the world.
Yet the evergreens teach us a different lesson. They are able to preserve their vitality in an expressed state even through the harshest of winters. We see this reflected in the foliage that remains through the yin seasons. They maintain their vibrant color all year long. How is it that they can achieve this? By preserving their essence and following their own nature. Even in the dead stillness and frozen grip of winter the evergreens shine forth like it was a summer day. If we as people can learn to preserve our essence and not let our quiet be disturbed by the noise that surrounds us, maintain our center amidst the constant transformations that surround us, discover our true nature and not stray from it, this is an even deeper thing, beyond this world...
The natural way of life when the cold (yin) seasons begin to dominate is to recede into the interior. Vitality retreats into the roots so that it may survive the harshness of fall storms and winter cold. Then, as the yang begins to ascend in spring, vitality moves outward and new growth resumes.
The deciduous trees teach us a lesson about how to live in harmony with the natural changes in the rhythm of life. When the conditions are favorable, they burst forth with life and grow. As the conditions become unfavorable, they retreat into the roots and wait. For us as people to live in this manner, following the nature of the universe, is a deep thing, perhaps the deepest thing in the world.
Yet the evergreens teach us a different lesson. They are able to preserve their vitality in an expressed state even through the harshest of winters. We see this reflected in the foliage that remains through the yin seasons. They maintain their vibrant color all year long. How is it that they can achieve this? By preserving their essence and following their own nature. Even in the dead stillness and frozen grip of winter the evergreens shine forth like it was a summer day. If we as people can learn to preserve our essence and not let our quiet be disturbed by the noise that surrounds us, maintain our center amidst the constant transformations that surround us, discover our true nature and not stray from it, this is an even deeper thing, beyond this world...
Acupuncture as preventive/ long term medicine: How do I know when its time for an acupuncture treatment?
Greetings folks,
In this post, I would like to address an issue that I feel those of us who are recipients of acupuncture should investigate. When using acupuncture as a form of preventative medicine-or perhaps the phrase "for maintenance of wellness" is a better way of putting it- how do we know when to come in for a treatment?
One of the challenges that we face is that we have become out of touch with our body and with our self. We live in a fast paced, high stress society that is becoming more and more cerebral and increasingly wired to electronics. We must learn to reconnect to our body, re-learn how to listen to its messages. Regarding a few simple practices that may help us to this end, please see my post about quiet sitting and/ or write me an email and ask for a copy of my free article "10 Easy Ways to Improve your Health" where this is given more in depth attention. For now, I just want to share a few obvious indicators that we can watch for. So...
I know it is time for me to get an acupuncture treatment because: something has changed!
- I had several headaches in the last week or two (it wasn't just a random headache), and that is not normal for me.
- I didn't sleep well last night, and come to think of it, I haven't been sleeping that well lately.
- My digestion/ elimination feels off, and it's not because I ate something bad. If it was from something I ate, I would probably know right away, and it would have cleared up within a couple days.
- I've been feeling really tired lately for no apparent reason. Or, I've been feeling really wired and energetic lately: I can't calm down.
- Come to think of it, I think I've been feeling stuck lately. This one particular emotion seems to keep coming up, even when there's no real reason that it should.
- I've been getting angry easily lately. I've been feeling anxious lately. I've been feeling tense/ wound up for no reason lately. I feel like I can't get over this emotion and it is starting to consume me.
- I keep getting sick lately. It's like I can't get over this bug or my immune system is down.
- I just feel a little off, I'm not sure exactly what it is. I just don't feel like myself.
- Everything is great. I noticed that the season changed and figured it's probably about time for my seasonal treatment.
When everything is going smoothly, I usually recommend people come in once every 1-3 months for a tune-up. This helps to ensure that things continue to flow smoothly, and when something comes up we may increase the frequency until it is cleared up. Often we will find that some seasons present us with no trouble, while others are more difficult.
Though we are accustomed to only seek medical care when something is wrong, we must learn to see and take note of the bigger picture of our lives when we make decisions that concern our health. We are used to taking in our cars for their tune-up and oil change every 3 months. How much more so should we care for our body, the one machine that we can't do without- the one that is irreplaceable if we run it in to the ground.
If we come to our practitioner for treatment of a specific issue, we will most likely set up some sort of schedule such as weekly treatment for 4-6 weeks (or maybe 10 sessions) and then re-evaluate. Though we may come in for shoulder pain (or anything else) we often notice that there are many beneficial subtle effects from the acupuncture- we feel more at ease, things that used to stress us out no longer do, other aches and pains seem to clear up, our system begins to function better. We feel more like ourself... These are good things.
Don't just live, live well
Keith Judelman, EAMP
www.HillsideAcupuncture.com
In this post, I would like to address an issue that I feel those of us who are recipients of acupuncture should investigate. When using acupuncture as a form of preventative medicine-or perhaps the phrase "for maintenance of wellness" is a better way of putting it- how do we know when to come in for a treatment?
One of the challenges that we face is that we have become out of touch with our body and with our self. We live in a fast paced, high stress society that is becoming more and more cerebral and increasingly wired to electronics. We must learn to reconnect to our body, re-learn how to listen to its messages. Regarding a few simple practices that may help us to this end, please see my post about quiet sitting and/ or write me an email and ask for a copy of my free article "10 Easy Ways to Improve your Health" where this is given more in depth attention. For now, I just want to share a few obvious indicators that we can watch for. So...
I know it is time for me to get an acupuncture treatment because: something has changed!
- I had several headaches in the last week or two (it wasn't just a random headache), and that is not normal for me.
- I didn't sleep well last night, and come to think of it, I haven't been sleeping that well lately.
- My digestion/ elimination feels off, and it's not because I ate something bad. If it was from something I ate, I would probably know right away, and it would have cleared up within a couple days.
- I've been feeling really tired lately for no apparent reason. Or, I've been feeling really wired and energetic lately: I can't calm down.
- Come to think of it, I think I've been feeling stuck lately. This one particular emotion seems to keep coming up, even when there's no real reason that it should.
- I've been getting angry easily lately. I've been feeling anxious lately. I've been feeling tense/ wound up for no reason lately. I feel like I can't get over this emotion and it is starting to consume me.
- I keep getting sick lately. It's like I can't get over this bug or my immune system is down.
- I just feel a little off, I'm not sure exactly what it is. I just don't feel like myself.
- Everything is great. I noticed that the season changed and figured it's probably about time for my seasonal treatment.
When everything is going smoothly, I usually recommend people come in once every 1-3 months for a tune-up. This helps to ensure that things continue to flow smoothly, and when something comes up we may increase the frequency until it is cleared up. Often we will find that some seasons present us with no trouble, while others are more difficult.
Though we are accustomed to only seek medical care when something is wrong, we must learn to see and take note of the bigger picture of our lives when we make decisions that concern our health. We are used to taking in our cars for their tune-up and oil change every 3 months. How much more so should we care for our body, the one machine that we can't do without- the one that is irreplaceable if we run it in to the ground.
If we come to our practitioner for treatment of a specific issue, we will most likely set up some sort of schedule such as weekly treatment for 4-6 weeks (or maybe 10 sessions) and then re-evaluate. Though we may come in for shoulder pain (or anything else) we often notice that there are many beneficial subtle effects from the acupuncture- we feel more at ease, things that used to stress us out no longer do, other aches and pains seem to clear up, our system begins to function better. We feel more like ourself... These are good things.
Don't just live, live well
Keith Judelman, EAMP
www.HillsideAcupuncture.com
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
quiet sitting: restoring our center, returning to our root- thoughts on meditation and self expression
I would like to share a few thoughts on quiet sitting. I usually try to keep these posts concise, but I'm going to let this one go, so please humor me. I am intentionally not using the word meditation because I think sometimes we put ourselves on the wrong track by deciding that "now we will meditate." That being said, we can call it meditation, contemplation, relaxing, resting, kicking back, practicing awareness- the name or word that we use isn't important.
The impetus for this post is an ongoing discussion that I have shared with many people in many forms over the years, and that I expect will continue as long as there is life. I think the essence of this discussion, the seed of all this commotion and despair is: How would I like to express my self in this life I'm living? and its shadow- how do I express myself in this life? (are they one and the same?)
It is a question of what we do with ourselves in our short time in this world- what do I do for fun, for work, for artistic expression, where do I shop, what clothes do I wear, which scenes do I fit into, who's advice do I follow, what foods do I eat? which crowds do I run with...which all boil down to: WHO AM I?
I think its good to check in with ourselves every so often to evaluate: Does my life give me fulfillment or leave me feeling empty? Do I like what I do? Am I spending most of my time doing things that I don't like to do so that I can have a few minutes of pleasure once or twice a week? If any of these questions bring up negative feelings, maybe we can put some creative energy into finding a more positive alternative. It may not be easy, but with hard work over time, we all have the capacity to build the life that we want to live, the life that expresses who we really are, not the compromised version that we settle for when we feel discouraged.
OK, enough rambling- let's get back to sitting. What's the connection here? If we want to build something, we need to know what we are building. Try sketching out a plan for building an ejkir. Hard to do, because ejkir is a random group of letters that doesn't represent anything in reality (that I'm aware of). Without a clear vision of what we want to build we are in the dark. If we want to build a house, we at least have a picture in our mind of what a house is, and if we really want to make life easier, we can get hold of some blueprints with materials and measurements to guide our building process.
So quiet sitting- how do we know who we are, who we want to be? I think it is not by thinking, analyzing, nor by beating our head against the wall trying to decide. If we can restore our center, reconnect with our deeper being, tap into our root; then the branches- the things we do (for work, for exercise, for fun)- these are all expressions of our self- they will be grounded in our root, and will become more clear. We can decide from a place of peace, a place of strength, which branches to trim and which to cultivate. Sometimes there is no way to know until we put some time and energy into growing a branch. But come next fall the leaves drop and life recedes into the roots. And the following spring life's energy will come back into some branches and others will fall dead- abandoned because they no longer serve the greater vision of the life-being that is this plant.
so take a little time every day (maybe 20 minutes?) to sit quietly, by yourself with no music, and feel your body. feel the breath coming in, listen to the sound of the air moving through your nostrils. feel all the parts that make up the whole. sit quietly, but you don't have to be still. move if your legs need to stretch, sit in any position you like, on the ground, in a chair, on a couch- stand if you like. there's no way to get it wrong- if you get distracted just return to listening to your breath. give yourself this quiet space every day for a week and see how it goes. maybe you'll like it and continue doing it, maybe just sometimes, maybe you'll think its a waste of time. but what's 20 minutes- that's all it is, just 20 minutes.
may we all find a way that brings us peace and fulfillment
The impetus for this post is an ongoing discussion that I have shared with many people in many forms over the years, and that I expect will continue as long as there is life. I think the essence of this discussion, the seed of all this commotion and despair is: How would I like to express my self in this life I'm living? and its shadow- how do I express myself in this life? (are they one and the same?)
It is a question of what we do with ourselves in our short time in this world- what do I do for fun, for work, for artistic expression, where do I shop, what clothes do I wear, which scenes do I fit into, who's advice do I follow, what foods do I eat? which crowds do I run with...which all boil down to: WHO AM I?
I think its good to check in with ourselves every so often to evaluate: Does my life give me fulfillment or leave me feeling empty? Do I like what I do? Am I spending most of my time doing things that I don't like to do so that I can have a few minutes of pleasure once or twice a week? If any of these questions bring up negative feelings, maybe we can put some creative energy into finding a more positive alternative. It may not be easy, but with hard work over time, we all have the capacity to build the life that we want to live, the life that expresses who we really are, not the compromised version that we settle for when we feel discouraged.
OK, enough rambling- let's get back to sitting. What's the connection here? If we want to build something, we need to know what we are building. Try sketching out a plan for building an ejkir. Hard to do, because ejkir is a random group of letters that doesn't represent anything in reality (that I'm aware of). Without a clear vision of what we want to build we are in the dark. If we want to build a house, we at least have a picture in our mind of what a house is, and if we really want to make life easier, we can get hold of some blueprints with materials and measurements to guide our building process.
So quiet sitting- how do we know who we are, who we want to be? I think it is not by thinking, analyzing, nor by beating our head against the wall trying to decide. If we can restore our center, reconnect with our deeper being, tap into our root; then the branches- the things we do (for work, for exercise, for fun)- these are all expressions of our self- they will be grounded in our root, and will become more clear. We can decide from a place of peace, a place of strength, which branches to trim and which to cultivate. Sometimes there is no way to know until we put some time and energy into growing a branch. But come next fall the leaves drop and life recedes into the roots. And the following spring life's energy will come back into some branches and others will fall dead- abandoned because they no longer serve the greater vision of the life-being that is this plant.
so take a little time every day (maybe 20 minutes?) to sit quietly, by yourself with no music, and feel your body. feel the breath coming in, listen to the sound of the air moving through your nostrils. feel all the parts that make up the whole. sit quietly, but you don't have to be still. move if your legs need to stretch, sit in any position you like, on the ground, in a chair, on a couch- stand if you like. there's no way to get it wrong- if you get distracted just return to listening to your breath. give yourself this quiet space every day for a week and see how it goes. maybe you'll like it and continue doing it, maybe just sometimes, maybe you'll think its a waste of time. but what's 20 minutes- that's all it is, just 20 minutes.
may we all find a way that brings us peace and fulfillment
Sunday, October 17, 2010
How to make a medicinal herbal tea- tips to making your natural home remedies more effective.
Hi folks,
I'd like to share a few thoughts on making medicinal teas from various types of plants. These are a few simple tips to make your home remedies more effective.
We should keep in mind that when making a medicinal tea, this is not the same thing as making a beverage tea. A medicinal tea must be much stronger, and at times may taste bad (add a little honey to sweeten the taste if necessary). Use a larger portion of herbs, and give them more time to steep/ decoct. The liquid should have a strong color and taste when it is ready. Sometimes we need a little bitter medicine to help us feel better in the long run.
1) Leaves and flowers: Many herbs and plants have flowers and leaves with medicinal properties that can benefit us. When we make a tea or decoction from these parts of the plant, we must remember that there are beneficial essential oils that are lost when we boil them. For this reason it is better to use water that is 30 seconds off (below) boiling point. For a tea, take the water off of the heat and pour into your pot over the flowers and leaves, cover the lid, and let steep for 10 minutes. If you are adding leaves or flowers to a decoction, add them at the end for not more than a few minutes and keep the lid on.
2) Roots and bark: These parts of the plant should be boiled (decocted). Depending on if they are fresh or dried, you may want to decoct these medicinals anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. If they are dried herbs, a longer decoction time is appropriate. For example, when I make ginger tea from fresh ginger root, I will often boil the root for 15-20 minutes. If I am making a decoction of dried Chinese herbs, I usually cook them for 45-60 minutes.
3) Quantity- Not only should you make your herbal teas strong, you should ingest them frequently- 2-5 times a day depending on what the herbs are and what you are using them for. A single cup of weak tea is usually not enough to be effective. Have a strong cup at least 2 or 3 times a day (morning, afternoon, evening). Depending on the situation, some general guidelines are to take your herbs 5 days in a row and then take 2 days off. Or a week on, a week off. Or a month on, then 2 weeks off. These variations depend on which herbs you are taking, if it is for an acute or chronic condition, and how you respond to the specific herbs.
Consult an experienced herbal medicine practitioner before embarking on a self- prescribed herbal program.
There are many books and teachers out there that deal with plant/ food medicine. The two books that I find myself consulting the most right now are "The Way of Herbs" by Michael Tierra, and "Healing with Whole Foods" by Paul Pitchford.
stay well,
Keith Judelman, EAMP
I'd like to share a few thoughts on making medicinal teas from various types of plants. These are a few simple tips to make your home remedies more effective.
We should keep in mind that when making a medicinal tea, this is not the same thing as making a beverage tea. A medicinal tea must be much stronger, and at times may taste bad (add a little honey to sweeten the taste if necessary). Use a larger portion of herbs, and give them more time to steep/ decoct. The liquid should have a strong color and taste when it is ready. Sometimes we need a little bitter medicine to help us feel better in the long run.
1) Leaves and flowers: Many herbs and plants have flowers and leaves with medicinal properties that can benefit us. When we make a tea or decoction from these parts of the plant, we must remember that there are beneficial essential oils that are lost when we boil them. For this reason it is better to use water that is 30 seconds off (below) boiling point. For a tea, take the water off of the heat and pour into your pot over the flowers and leaves, cover the lid, and let steep for 10 minutes. If you are adding leaves or flowers to a decoction, add them at the end for not more than a few minutes and keep the lid on.
2) Roots and bark: These parts of the plant should be boiled (decocted). Depending on if they are fresh or dried, you may want to decoct these medicinals anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. If they are dried herbs, a longer decoction time is appropriate. For example, when I make ginger tea from fresh ginger root, I will often boil the root for 15-20 minutes. If I am making a decoction of dried Chinese herbs, I usually cook them for 45-60 minutes.
3) Quantity- Not only should you make your herbal teas strong, you should ingest them frequently- 2-5 times a day depending on what the herbs are and what you are using them for. A single cup of weak tea is usually not enough to be effective. Have a strong cup at least 2 or 3 times a day (morning, afternoon, evening). Depending on the situation, some general guidelines are to take your herbs 5 days in a row and then take 2 days off. Or a week on, a week off. Or a month on, then 2 weeks off. These variations depend on which herbs you are taking, if it is for an acute or chronic condition, and how you respond to the specific herbs.
Consult an experienced herbal medicine practitioner before embarking on a self- prescribed herbal program.
There are many books and teachers out there that deal with plant/ food medicine. The two books that I find myself consulting the most right now are "The Way of Herbs" by Michael Tierra, and "Healing with Whole Foods" by Paul Pitchford.
stay well,
Keith Judelman, EAMP
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