Sassafras Spring

Sassafras leaves, blossoms and branches reach upward each spring, promising all that is uplifting.  These young leaves are edible (delicate and lemony in flavor).  They are dried and used as the thickener called file, used in cajun gumbo dishes, and when eaten fresh, they are a demulcent, which soothes and heals our digestive tracts.  As they mature, they develop into 3 distinct shapes:  an oval, a mitten and a 3 lobed hand.

It is the reddish root & root bark however, which we use most often for that most delicious root beer and sassafras tea.  Traditionally it has been used as a spring tonic in the Appalachians and Ozarks where it is native and abundant.  It improves circulation, deters infections, destroys pathogens, and stimulates the release of toxins through diaphoresis (sweating).

Sassafras was one of the first exports from Colonial America to England as a marketable crop, and was included in the US Pharmacopoeia from 1820-1926.  It is used in the treatment of acne, arthritis, boils, carbuncles, catarrh, colds, digestive issues, eczema, fevers, flu, gout, herpes, hypertension, measles, menstrual cramps, nephritis, psoriasis, rheumatism, shingles, skin and stomach problems, and STD's of all types.

Topically it is applied as a poultice to relief inflamed eyes, or as a liniment to treat bruises, sciatica, sore muscles, and swellings.  As a skin wash, it is used to relieve poison ivy/oak and nettles skin rashes.  The essential oil is used for toothaches and to rid surface parasites, such as head lice.

Sassafras is not recommended for use during pregnancy and lactation, however.  It serves to decrease lactation.  However, it is quite safe for children, so no worries there!

The Super Sassafras Tea that is available from Geo's Joy is made with children in mind.  It is sweetened with licorice root (which prevents cavities while being a healing agent) and is "spiked" with nourishing nettles, a flavorless green plant rich in minerals and vitamins.  It makes a root beer flavored tea that can be frozen into popsicles.  This is a sweet but sugarless treat that will sneak a "vegetable product" into the most finicky eaters.

This season brings the promise of an abundant sassafras crop and a blessing from the Appalachian spring.  Enjoy it's great flavor and good health!

Garden Meditation: A Poem

Garden Meditation

by Rev. Max Coots

Let us give thanks for a bounty of people.                                              For children who are our second planting, and though they grow like weeds and the wind too soon blows them away, may they forgive us our cultivation and fondly remember where their roots are.                                              Let us give thanks;                                              For generous friends...with hearts...and smiles as bright as their blossoms;                                              For feisty friends, as tart as apples;                                              For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers, keep reminding us that we've had them;                                              For crotchety friends, sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;                                              For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants and as elegant as a row of corn, and the others, as plain as potatoes and so good for you;                                              For funny friends, who are as silly as Brussels sprouts and as amusing as Jerusalem artichokes;                                              And serious friends as unpretentious as cabbages, as subtle as summer squash, as persistent as parsley, as delightful as dill, as endless as zucchini and who, like parsnips, can be counted on to see you through the winter;                                              For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time, and young friends coming on as fast as radishes;                                              For loving friends, who wind around us like tendrils and hold us, despite our blights, wilts and witherings;                                              And finally, for those friends now gone, like gardens past that have been harvested, but who fed us in their times that we might have life thereafter.                                              For all these we give thanks. In honor of my dear gardening friend Jen, now in the spirit world.  She pretty much covered the variety of friendship crops, depending on the season.

Top 10 Immune Boosting Foods

Ripe Juicy Elderberries....

What you eat has a huge impact on how well your immune system is able to function. Eating whole, nutrient-dense foods offers your body the building blocks it needs for optimal immunity—and optimal health—in any season.

. Garlic—antimicrobial and stimulates the immune system

. Fish oil—omega-3’s increase phagocytic activity and strengthen cell membranes

. Leafy greens—high in B vitamins, minerals, and beta-carotene

. Berries—packed with antioxidants to deal with the aftermath of immune battles

. Citrus—high in vitamin C and other bioflavonoids

. Chicken Soup—delicious, digestible, and familiar; it’s also nutrient-rich

. Ginger—antioxidant, antimicrobial, and warming to fend off colds

. Elderberry—loaded with antioxidants and helps your cells hide from viruses

. Carrots, winter squash, sweet potatoes—packed with beta-carotene and other phytonutrients

. Mushrooms—high in immune-boosting polysaccharides

Besides keeping yourself well-nourished, get outside for sunshine and a walk every day, allow for plenty of rest, and spend some time in good company—all activities that will support excellent immunity.

Simple Solutions for Good Health

Seek balance.

Revere all Life.

Breathe fresh air.

Drink clean water.

Eat natural colors. Mostly green, mostly leaves.

Walk often.

Give thanks.

Meditate

Laugh.

Love.

Honey: Sweet Cough Relief

If you want to quiet a nighttime cough, honey has been found to work more effectively than over the counter cough syrups and suppressants. A Pennsylvania study of more than 100 children authored by Ian Paul, M.D. confirmed that it is also effective for older adults coughing when associated with a cold.

It coats and soothes an irritated throat to interrupt and calm repeated coughing, It is generally safe and can be used as often as needed. When using raw honey, you can also enjoy its anti-microbial effects to help fight infections. A recommended dose is 2 tsp for an adult per dose; 1 tsp for children. It is not recommended for children under 15 months, due to potential botulism spores introduced to an immature immune system. If you are diabetic, it may be too high in sugar for your use...sorry! Try some licorice root and wild cherry tea or syrup instead!

If a cough is persistent or severe, and is accompanied by breathing difficulty, increased breathing rate, blueness of skin, blood in mucous, loss of weight, or has lasted longer than 2 weeks, seek prompt medical attention.

Otherwise, enjoy the sweet relief!

The Perfect Partner for the Holiday Feast: Digestive Bitters

I never dreamed I would hear these words, and especially from teenagers. As an herbalist, it is music to my ears.

“These bitters are awesome.” “Your bitters have changed my life!” “Can you please pass the bitters?” Say what?

All over the world, people recognize the value of bitter substances to enhance digestive function and general health. In America, we have given up most bitters (with the exception of coffee and dark chocolate) in exchange for salt and sweet flavors. In correlation, we lead the world in diabetes, heart disease, and chronic illnesses.

In Holland, older people enjoy “the bitter hour” or cocktail hour as we call it. They partake of bitter foods and drinks to stimulate their waning digestive powers. Vermouth is made from Wormwood, which is what Vermouth translates as in German. In Africa, the medicinal value of bitter herbs is commonly recognized. In India, they say that those with liver problems commonly seek bitter tasting substances.

Scientific research has shown that bitters applied to the tongue before a meal have a priming effect on upper digestive function, likely mediated by the vagus nerve reflex. We know that vagal stimulation causes an increase in gastric acid secretion (necessary to digest our foods); and rise in gastrin, an increase in pepsin secretion, a slight increase in gallbladder motility and a priming of the pancreas. It is also known that the reflex involves contraction of the digestive sphincters and downward peristalsis of the intestines. So bitters are now known to strengthen the esophageal and duodenal sphincters, which helps normalize Gastric Reflux or GERD.

When we dine on a smorgasboard of foods, the volume and mixture of food types causes our digestion to halt. For example, when eating fruits and starches together, the enzymes secreted to digest each, actually nullify each other’s actions, and our foods just sit still in our stomachs, making us feel bloated and gassy. Bitters jump start that halted digestion and alleviate that congested feeling by moving the food on its way.

Traditionally bitters have been used to keep poisons from snake & scorpion bites moving through and out of our system quickly, they are that powerful. And as a medicine they have been effective for relieving migraines, hiccups, depression and vision problems associated with liver toxicity. In 1698, a Treatise on Asthma written by Floyer noted that digestive bitters mitigated the cause of Asthma. Modern research has found that allergic asthma was associated with a reduction in histamine-stimulated peak acid output from the gastric mucosa. There is a known depression of gastric H2-histamine receptor function in asthma.

This is likely too much information, but suffice it to say that digestive bitters can change a persons life, when digestive malfunction leads to chronic problems, including allergies, arthritis and some auto-immune disorders.

After many years of trial and error, I have made a formula that only requires 3-5 drops on the tongue (rather than a teaspoon at a time) to be effective, that has a complex flavor that is somewhat pleasant, and that both warms and cools digestive function due the variety of herbs involved. If you would like to try a little bottle, just send me an e-mail. They are listed on my blog spot under herbs and products. It is one thing we were all grateful for this Thanksgiving Day. Some of us won’t leave home without it!

Of Stink Bugs and Dandelions

Blog Interruption: Of Stink Bugs and Dandelions

Last entry began the weeklong stink bug invasion, that diverts countless waking hours to soapy water drownings and the vacuuming of thousands of these curious creatures. It is both sad and satisfying, managing the hoards of shelter seeking bugs. I find myself pondering if they might hold the cure for cancer or some other miracle we’ve been seeking.

Like the much maligned dandelion that we just cant’ get rid of, try as we might, the stink bugs seem to multiply after each attempt to clear them from our lives.

We have devised various poisons for dandelion extinction, chemicals which have proven to be carcinogens. And current research now shows that the dandelion is, in fact anti-tumorigenic, as well as a blood sugar regulator, a digestive aid, support for the upper respiratory system, and a potassium enhancing diuretic useful for hypertension. It was considered blood medicine by native peoples, and is used in treating obstructions of the gall bladder, liver, kidneys, pancreas and spleen. It is used for literally dozens of disorders. Most of the plant is edible, and it is considered to be one of the 5 most nourishing vegetables ! We would do well to harvest this free and prolific plant for its gifts. I use dandelion root as a foundation for nearly every medicinal tea I make, including my soon to be famous Super Sassafras Tea. It lives up to it’s Greek name Taraxacum: Taraxos “disorder” and akos “remedy”, a remedy for disorders.

As we now scramble to decimate the stinkbug population, we might consider searching for their usefulness and begin harvesting them for something good, rather than introducing new poisons to get rid of them. Doesn’t everything that lives on earth have an inherent value? Perhaps someone will commit research to discovering what special qualities and possibilities may come from the autumn stinkbug gatherings. When something is as prolific and persistent in getting our attention as the stinkbug and the dandelion, perhaps we would do well to listen.