Tag Archives: Achillea millefolium

That Aha moment or better yet ~ No Shit!

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Ever had one of those “Aha” moments, which is quickly followed by “no shit, of course!?” Well, I just had one of them while caring for my 86 year old mother, whose health is declining and getting more complicated by the day. Luckily, I have a great team who are investing a lot of time and effort into my Mom’s quality of life during these challenging times.

I am an herbalist but I have always said that I have a deep respect for allopathic medicine and it has an important place in health care. I enjoy working with a diverse set of modalities (more tools available), but sometimes more allopathic or heroic methods are necessary. It is especially rewarding when I can use multiple modalities in concert, but sometimes it is just not possible. Herbs tend to utilize the body’s own abilities and allopathic medicine or procedures more often puts the brakes on them or in some instances remove them all together.

Recently, my Mother had her Aortic valve replaced, as it was no longer opening enough for her body to receive adequate blood supply. Blood carries oxygen throughout the body and when it is severely limited, it leads to a host of complications. Blood flow is very important for our bodies to live and thrive. After a valve is replaced, a major concern is blood clots forming around the new valve, which can lead to stroke; not good. Therefore, she was put on medicine that prevents her body from clotting as well as thins the blood. At this point, I am sure you are thinking, clotting is good or a person will simply bleed out, and that is a bad thing. Well, when a person is in their final stages, there is a balancing act ~ do nothing, palliative care or try something that may be a game changer. My Mom decided to try the new valve as it had lots of potential and she was only going to take the antiplatelet and blood thinners for 6 months.

To complicate matters, my Mom has been avoiding the dermatologist for quite a long time, as she knew her skin was in bad shape and was scared to find out the truth. We decided to see one recently, only to see how bad things were. We thought we were only going for a consultation but before we knew it, even after I told the doctor that my Mom was on antiplatelet and blood thinners, she took a couple biopsies. We were told that it was just the top layer and we shouldn’t worry. WRONG! My Mother continued to ooze (thank goodness, no gushers) for over a day. I tried my two favorite hemostatic remedies ~ Goldenrod (Solidago, spp.) and Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) in a tincture form and applied pressure. The wounds stopped oozing for just an hour or so. I was confused and frustrated. Now here is the Aha moment. The herbs work in concert with my Mom’s ability to clot and enhance it. Well, she was on medicines that blocked her ability to clot ~ ergo nothing to enhance. I called the dermatologist and she kindly came to our house since we were just coming out of a major snowstorm and I really couldn’t take my Mom anywhere. She applied a medicine that forms its own scab and stopped the bleeding ~ WoundSeal. It is specific for people that were on antiplatelet and blood thinners.

Understanding our bodies and how they function is a critical step in supporting our health and helping others. We have a diverse set of tools available and it is so important to learn to work with them all. In addition to the different modalities ~ alternative and allopathic, learning from experience may be the most valuable tool.

Have you had any Aha moments? Please share and I will continue to share.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 

Adapt and Thrive

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As I look back over 2017, it was without a doubt an atypical year for our world, our country, and our home. The saying, “adapt or die,” comes to mind but it makes more sense to me if I reword it “adapt and thrive.” It tends to resonate better for me, although I do indeed respect the original saying.

There is no way I can digest and respond to what has been going on in our world right now, it is too over whelming to tackle but I can focus on a small piece of our lives. This year, I’ve had very little time to focus on the natural world and harvesting herbs except for a couple of moments I stole here and there. With that said, Mike created a wonderful little nursery at our new home for some of my plant allies to move into.  Although, they had a very late start, they do appear to be adapting to their new home and thriving beyond my expectations. Some are even to starting to flower in mid-October!

After I transplanted Arnica (Arnica spp.), it appeared to wither, so I decided to cut off the tops, hoping it would help it concentrate on establishing its roots. For a month, it looked dead, except for a little leaf here or there emerging from the soil. Now it appears that it has settled in and enjoys its new home. It is leafing out nicely, I would be surprised if it flowers this year, but I’m looking forward to it spreading out in 2018.

Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) seemed to make itself at home instantaneously. I didn’t have to provide much support except water during our dry periods.

Three years ago, I transplanted St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatumin) to my old garden. It didn’t come back until this spring, and it did robustly. I collected flowers daily until I moved some of it to our new nursery. It continued to send out flowers but I did not harvest any, allowing it to get acclimated to its new home. Well, it must like its new home, because it is now sending out fresh new aerial parts. I am mentally prepared to wait a couple of seasons before it revisits the nursery but hopeful that it will return next year.

When I moved to a little cottage in the woods in 1998, I became enamored with Spearmint (Mentha spicata). It was growing right outside my front door. After a summer of adding it to my water, sun tea and random dishes, I couldn’t imagine life without it. It really brightens up the day and I have been planting a little stem at each new home since. Spearmint is a rather vigorous plant, and you really don’t need much for it to get established. Perhaps it was not prudent to put it into our nursery as our little plant is really thriving, but we can always find it a new home on the land next year.

A dear friend gifted me Calendula (Calendula officinalis) seeds and although they had a very slow start, they are now sending out lots of lovely orange blossoms. I am hoping they self-seed next year.

Although the new house’s gardens had Echinacea (Echinacea spp.) already, I needed to bring some with me. I cut the aerial parts so it could concentrate on establishing roots. I am overwhelmed that it is already sending out flowers.

Mike was planting Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) seeds for his orchard garden, so I took a couple seedlings for the nursery. Besides its medicinal qualities, it’s a great asset to any garden, as its root secretions will activate the disease resistance of nearby plants; and it intensifies the medicinal actions of other herbs.

Mike also planted some Tulsi, a.k.a Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) seedlings that I transplanted into the garden, which has started to flower. I love how the bees’ pollen sacs are bright red from visiting the Tulsi.

Although, I didn’t have much time to spend with herbs this year, I am overwhelmed with their ability to thrive in our little nursery. I cannot wait to spend more time with them in 2018.