Herbs for Mother's Day

Because Mother’s Day always falls during the beautiful, fertile time of spring when we can cultivate our gardens, herbs make a perfect gift. Even if your mother is not a gardener, there are sure to be herbal products just right for her. Consider first what herbs your mother’s garden already has and try to find something new to add. Understand what the plant needs to mature and make sure whatever you give her, she has room for. A perennial herb like sage, thyme, lavender or even rose will be used and admired for years to come. Mom will think of you every time she is near it. Herbs do not usually require a lot of maintenance. If your mother does not have a patch of earth she tends, give her potted herbs for the deck or windowsill. You or your nursery can create a planter in an attractive pot. 

If fresh, potted herbs are not quite your mom’s things buy new herbs and spices to replace the old, expired containers in her cupboard. Include some she might not buy for herself like a vanilla bean, saffron, Hungarian paprika, colorful peppercorns or a selection of curries. Many such collections are available, beautifully packaged from a gourmet kitchen store. 

Teas always make a nice gift that mom can use year-round. Gourmet tea shops have unique blends to choose from and a staff to educate you on the possibilities so you can be sure to pick what she likes. Going the less expensive route, regular grocery and health food stores now carry a wide selection of various teas in boxes or tins of 20 bags ready for easy use. Try fruit flavored blends, Rooibos tea (an antioxidant) or the now popular white tea. 

There are endless selections for the home and bath. Try fragranced potpourri, dried herb arrangements, wreaths for doors and walls, essential oils and diffusers or stainless steel strainers for teas, graters for nutmeg (with a jar of whole nutmegs) and citrus and garlic peelers and presses. These are the little things that one never seems to have when needed. For the bath, handmade soaps that contain herbs and the fragrance of only pure essential oils feel luxurious. Soaps from European countries can be interesting — olive oil bars from Italy, lavender from France. Naturally scented soy candles do not release toxic smoke or an unpleasant paraffin smell. Herbal body and salt scrubs, loofa sponges and moisturizing herb-scented oils are good choices. Inexpensive, small muslin drawstring bags can be purchased from the health food store, to fill with loose herbs like lavender, lemongrass and mint and toss into the bath to fragrance the steam. 

For health, make a gift basket which includes the most useful preparations like echinacea and St. Johnswort tinctures, arnica salve for sore muscles, calendula oil to nourish the skin, an herb book and a gift certificate for an herb class or a consultation with an herbal practitioner. 

Books on every conceivable herbal topic are available and some very pretty ones are tied with a satin ribbon or fragranced. My book, 'Herbs For All: Herbal Knowledge for Home, Kitchen, Garden and Healthcare' makes a great gift. 

Moms sometimes need help (and always like company), so offer to plant the garden herbs you give her or clean out the spice cabinet with her. You may be surprised at the memories and chuckles that come when you find antique containers and long-expired bottles. When you are done, cook a meal together, or better yet, cook one for her with the new spices you brought using a recipe from the new herb cookbook you gave her. Afterwards enjoy a cup of tea together. Let herbs help create a memorable Mother’s Day you both can enjoy.

M.D.s and Herbalists

When people learn I am an herbalist, they often share their frustration and dismay that their “regular doctor” does not sanction the inclusion of herbs and supplements in their diet and health care. Discouraging comments or disagreeable advice from their very important primary healthcare providers perplexes many people. Doctors’ responses range from “I don’t know anything about it” to “Where is the data? It has not been clinically proven.”

OK, fair enough. Doctors are reluctant to offer anything that has not been clinically proven because it is a risk. Should anything go wrong—side effects, allergic reaction or negative results from the inadvisable mixing of herbs and pharmaceuticals—they could get sued.

Curious about just exactly what data physicians require to recommend herbs and supplements and also what new information they look to for positive assurance, I attended the conference, “Natural Supplements: An Evidence-Based Update,” sponsored by the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine in San Diego. The lineup of 27 speakers from around the country and Canada was impressive, with all but two being MDs or PhDs. The topics were indeed mostly about supplements, but some presentations included herbs, and there were workshops on medicinal spices; one on coffee, chocolate and tea brought herbs to the fore.

Mary Hardy, MD, reported on her review of herb and supplement clinical trials, listing significant results: Increased intake of Vitamin D improves bone health; folic acid was proven to improve cognitive function over a three-year period. Black cohosh is associated with reduced incidence of breast cancer. Red yeast rice has applications for coronary heart disease and diabetes and it lowered cholesterol. Genistein, an active agent from soy, benefits heart and bone health. Essential oil of lavender did not promote gynecomastia (breast growth in boys). Gargling with tea catechins reduced the risk of flu in elders. Smooth Move® tea was effective for constipation. Taking cranberry for four months significantly reduced the incidence of urinary tract infections in women who had been prone to have at least six per year. Hardy suggested that broader acceptance and use of herbs in healthcare would probably come with the introduction of “simples”—preparations using a single herb. Perhaps some day hospitals will offer chamomile tea for poor digestion and warming, or arnica oil might be used topically to relieve arthritis pain.

Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council and editor and publisher of HerbalGram magazine, was the voice of herbalism in his presentation, “The Role of the Herbalist: A Global Perspective and Future Trends.” He pointed out that herbs often offer a gentler, safer approach to medicine that may be more in line with the patient’s philosophy. He predicted wider consumer acceptance and demand as more research verifies the benefits of herbs.

A final presenter was Tierona Low Dog, who was an herbalist before she became an MD. She directs the education program in integrative medicine and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Arizona School of Medicine. Hearing her talk in the realms of more familiar territory about the sensual, physical and therapeutic qualities of herbs and even explaining how to prepare them put me at ease. Noting that abdominal fat and insulin resistance can contribute to polycystic ovary disease, she listed the herbs cinnamon, fenugreek and bitter melon to inhibit the condition, including directions for how to prepare the melon and a description of how real cinnamon can be identified (“The bark rolls in the same direction and is very breakable”). She went on to talk about the benefits and applications of licorice, peony, chaste tree berry and sawpalmetto for hirsutism (hair growth). She proclaimed, “I do not worship at the feet of evidence-based medicine!” It was all I could do not to jump up and yell “Bravo!”

The busiest vendor booth sold fish oil capsules, the substance most frequently mentioned in presentations. Turmeric was another hot seller, recommended to reduce inflammation which many professionals now regard as the root of almost all disease.

To many at this conference, this was breaking news; I have heard this same information at herb conferences for 15 years.

Many clinical studies of herbs validate what herbalists already know. Besides showing whether a therapy works, clinical trials often explain its physiological mechanism. The documentation presents the information in a format that physicians can assimilate into their medical knowledge.

On the plane ride home, I browsed through a peer-reviewed journal, Journal of Alternative Therapies, that had been distributed for free at the conference. The Brief Report inside was on the use of nettle stings for pain by Les Alford, MSc. The author researched the age-old use of gently slapping skin with nettle leaves to relieve pain after a patient reported he had gotten significant relief of lower back pain by doing so. Alford investigated a study of such therapy that had shown similar, positive results. At the end of the article, he rhetorically asks “Is it time to add nettle leaf sting to heat and ice as home physical therapies for short-term pain relief?” I say, “why not?”

One glaring omission— the report never mentions that only fresh nettle triggers the pain-relieving action. Confusion and doubt about an herb’s healing potential can develop when essential details are not included about its proper use. This is precisely where I see the role of the herbalist as a necessary affiliate of any integrative health-care team. Herbalists base much of their practice on old healing wisdom handed down to become home remedies and practical therapies. Attending the conference did not assuage my perplexity at the disconnect between botanical medicine and the widely accepted practice of western medicine, but a quote in Krista Tippett’s book, Speaking of Faith, offered me an interesting insight. Substituting the contrast between western medicine and herbalism for that between science and religion in the following quote describes my view of this quandary.

“Beyond our culture’s entrenched debates, a parallel universe of dialogue is unfolding.... It’s not so much true that science [medicine] and religion [herbalism] reach different answers on the same questions, which is how our cultural debate has defined the rift between them. Far more often, they simply ask different kinds of questions altogether, and the responses they generate together illuminate human life more completely than either could do alone.”

This article was previously published in Catalyst Magazine and has been reprinted with permission.

Managing Stress

Question: I work full time as a teacher, parent twin toddlers and my elderly father has just moved in with us. I drink a lot of coffee but I feel tired all the time.  I am concerned that I might be more susceptible to getting sick. Do you have any herbs that can give me more energy and keep me healthy?

It is understandable you feel tired with all the stress and demands of your life because you are tired. Prolonged stress can take a toll on our health. We were made to handle extreme stress just long enough to escape from a saber tooth tiger but not chronic, ongoing stress lasting years. Coffee only ramps up our nervous system which depletes our energy even further. And when our energy reserves get spent, we seem more susceptible to illness.

There is a category of herbs called “adaptogens” which may be helpful. Usually we think, to get more energy we need to stimulate our bodies with caffeine or herbs like Ephedra. This just isn’t so. Adaptogens actually minimize the sympathetic stress response in our bodies. This is the innate, uncontrollable, physical response we have to stress. An example is that blood rushes to our vital organs and away from our extremities when we suffer a fright. Everyone does stress differently. Some people eat more, some less. Some want to sleep all the time, and others can’t hold still. Whatever your personal response is to stress, adaptogens can be useful to diminish it, and that is what allows us to feel like we have better energy.

Some of the most frequently used adaptogens are the ginsengs (Panax spp.). There are several species and to confuse matters, some are cured which changes how they affect our bodies. To simplify things let’s just consider Chinese (Panax ginseng) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium). There are many types of preparations available but the most important thing (as always with herbs) is good quality. Because ginseng is one of the most expensive herbs on the market, it is also, unfortunately, one of the most adulterated. The reason it is so expensive is that it takes years to grow the useful root, and it is in high demand.

There is fascinating history about this plant. One tidbit is that only men were allowed to use it in China where it has been revered for thousands of years. Also, early European settlers in America had a thriving trade in American ginseng which they harvested from the hardwood forests and shipped to China. It apparently helped with the libido among other things.

Years ago when I was on a layover in the T‘aipei airport I saw beautiful, red velvet lined boxes holding single, large, anthropomorphic, ginseng roots that owners displayed in their homes or gave as gifts. The price on some was $500! The more humanoid features the root has, the more desirable it is especially if there is a resemblance of genitalia.

I cannot tell whether you are a man or woman, but another adaptogen I like for men and especially women is Eleutherococcus, formerly known as Siberian ginseng. I think the name got changed so the two plants would not get confused in the market place. This is a root from Russia that acts similarly to the other ginsengs by supporting proper function of the adrenal glands that can be adversely affected by long term stress. Siberian ginseng is being overharvested, but it is still very affordable.

One of the beauties of ginseng is that by preventing your body from running itself into the ground, it allows you to stay healthier. James Green explains in his wonderful book, The Male Herbal, “This adaptogen action appears to work through hormonal regulation of the stress response which in turn has a modulating effect on human immunity.”

When you use ginseng, you may find your outlook on life is brighter, and you feel you have more energy for daily living. Be warned though, this sense of well-being may help shift you into new directions in your life or give you the ease to look squarely at something that you have wanted to avoid.

PTSD Treatments: When Pharmaceuticals Fail, Herbal Medicine May Be Something to Consider

NPR recently broadcast a lengthy segment detailing the ongoing struggles of veterans and active service members with PTSD. It highlighted how frequently the negative side effects of the pharmaceutical medications they take for PTSD symptoms make their ongoing suffering harder to cope with. The patients describe slogging through their days and nights in a mental and physical fog induced by sleep aids, pain relievers, anti-anxiety and antidepressants. In personal recorded interviews, the veterans describe how the sedative and suppressive qualities of the medicines make them feel zoned out which prevents them from experiencing their genuine, authentic selves. Their utter exasperation and desperation lead some to stop all medication cold turkey for they would rather feel the raw fears, recurring memories, sleepless nights and cold sweats than the alternative haze and disorientation the medications cause. One still active service member told how, while he remains in the service, he is required to take many medications for his PTSD and gets blood tested monthly to make sure he is in compliance. Because he is so adverse to the prescription drugs, he quits them right after testing and then starts them all over again a week before he is to be tested. They make him very sick and he sounded utterly discouraged, but he would rather live this way than to always be under the influence.

Listening to this program gave me such a strong urge to fly through the radio waves to these men and women to thank them for their service and somehow share with them some of what I know about the gentle, nudging, nourishing, therapeutics medicinal herbs offer for stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, panic attacks, hyper-reactivity, low mood, etc. Let me be clear that I am not suggesting that herbs should be used for clinically diagnosed illnesses, but even doctors would have to agree that if the patient is not getting relief and is unwilling to take the medication and is still suffering, certainly it is time to at least allow some willing individuals the opportunity to choose different therapies that might bring relief.

I know this time has come because just last Saturday when I was in my Millcreek Herbs booth at the Downtown Farmer’s Market in Salt Lake City, I was visited by someone from the integrative health program at the VA hospital. She took great interest in my Thrive Tonic and even said it belonged in their study. I could not agree more. She said so far they are working with nutrition and some essential oils. I asked if she knew anything about herbs and she replied she did not. She took my card. I have not heard from her.

My teacher, Michael Moore said, “Herbs help shift us in ways we cannot shift ourselves.”I have learned in my 17 years in herbal practice that when a person does not feel good, often the last thing they need is to be given harsh, strong treatments. Sometimes when faced with a client who is in physical and/or emotional pain, and who is well armored against that pain and anguish, the best approach is to introduce just a whisper of just the right herb. When done properly and successfully, and it does take a trained professional here, it is a beautiful thing to see that shift take place. Once work can begin, it usually goes in stages. I try to address the most immediate concern first if I can. The client and I and the herbs work together through layers. It is complicated, but this challenge is my favorite part of my job as an herbalist. With so many herbs to choose from, it is something of an art to fit the right ones in the right combinations to the person. I believe that herbal medicine holds great potential for some people who suffer from PTSD.

Among all the herbs in my pharmacy, these are among those I would consider for some of the disorders listed in this article:

Anemone   Ashwaganda   Aveena   Calamus   Chamomile   Elephant Head  

Hawthorn   Kava Kava   Lavender   Lemon Balm   Lobelia   Motherwort(for women)

Passionflower   Rhodiola   Rose   St. John’s Wort

(Update to post 8/15/2014)
Interestingly, moments after this blog post went up, information about an organization called Save A Warrior began to appear in several media channels.
CNN reporter Soledad O'Brien delivered an hour long broadcast about Post Traumatic Stress and the Save A Warrior organization that revealed the excruciatingly painful circumstances the veterans and their families endure while they suffer from PTSD. Save a Warrior is a non profit that offers these most needy soldiers five days respite with peaceful coping techniques like meditation, rhythmic breathing and other trust-building exercises like rope courses; servicemen and women can once again find a pathway to better balance in their day-to-day lives. 

Knowing these alternative therapies are being used to overcome PTSD by veterans and their families is heartening and fills me with hope that herbal medicine will be added to current integrative mental and emotional health treatment methods.

What Do Herbal Tonics, Arianna Huffington's and Sheryl Sandberg's New Books Have In Common?

Herbal tonics are the perfect complement to the message Arianna Huffington sends in her popular new book, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-being, Wisdom, and Wonder.  
In it she describes her journey to the discovery that accumulation of power and money can no longer be the only definition of success, insisting that wellbeing, innate wisdom, wonder, and empathy are also essential to a healthy, creative, rewarding, and congruent life. Sandberg’s, Lean In, Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, invites women to pursue their career and personal goals with gusto and ambition, suggesting that women can overcome the tendency to shrink from opportunity when demands of home and child rearing give them pause about taking on promotions. Both authors encourage women to step into their careers with a greater sense of inclusion of all the aspects that make a person’s life whole because it is only by the inclusion of these human qualities that any of us can make the most of what we have and want to offer. 
These books herald what Huffington calls “the third women’s revolution”.

In Huffington’s commencement address to the 2013 class of Smith College she recounts her own experience of how stress overload and sleep deprivation caused her to faint, and she broke her cheek in the fall. She wisely understood that this was her wake up call to reassess how she was living and working. She realized too much stress and not enough sleep lead to burnout and that we look after our financial capital but not our human capital. She set out to rework the patterns of her life to include time to unplug from technology and even installed nap rooms at the Huffington Post so other reporters and editors could recharge themselves.

Herbal tonics align beautifully with these messages and are a great addition for anyone to consider who is trying to recalibrate their lives and careers in the ways these popular authors suggest. Tonics are a gentle, convenient and important addition to include in daily, health-promoting regimens. Why? Because they help us maintain the good health and energy that are essential to sustaining the balance that the authors remind us are essential to success.

How do tonics work? First of all, tonic herbs act gently and are safe to take long term to subtly heal, balance and restore body systems to optimum function. As an example, if you have been stressed out for a long period of time because of a trying family and/or employment matter, herbs like ginseng, Ashwaganda and Eleutherococcus can calm the nervous system and help quiet reactivity to all kinds of stress. We call these adaptogenic herbs because they help us adapt whether the source of stress is emotional or physical. Stress can deplete the body of vital nutrients, impair digestion, disrupt sleep and make one more susceptible to illness. When herbs are combined properly in a tonic formulation, its benefits can address all these concerns. Thrive Tonic is just such a formulation of 16 herbs that addresses all of the above simultaneously. The convenience of just one, sweet daily spoonful is the perfect complement for those trying to restore and maintain energy and vitality for better living.

My herb teacher, Michael Moore, once commented that, “Herbs help shift us in ways we cannot shift ourselves.” As we struggle to find healthy work/life balance, let the gentle benefits of herbs assist your efforts to shift to feel better and you will enjoy doing better. That will feel good.

WHAT IS THE BEST HERB?

 The other day, when an old acquaintance found out that I was an herbalist, she asked excitedly, “So, Merry, what is the best herb?” She clearly expected me to have a ready answer, which I never do to this question. The reason is that there is no “best” herb. The part of the question that was missing was, “the best herb for what?" Even that question is a little hard to answer because if someone asked me what the best herb was for sleeping, I would still be hard pressed to answer because I have 30 herbs to help people sleep. As a practitioner, I need to know what you mean when you say you cannot sleep. Can you not go to sleep? Can you not stay asleep? Do you wake up at 3 a.m. with a worried mind? People don’t sleep for a lot of different reasons, and I make sleep formulas based on what the person needs. This is the beauty of herbal medicine. My job as a practitioner is to help a person feel better. I do that by fitting the right herbs to the person for their condition.

Here is another example. Say you ask me what herb to take for a cough. I need more information about it. Is it a spastic cough? Are you congested? Is it from asthma or allergies? People can usually answer these questions about themselves. Often the herbal remedy is a combination of herbs that can assist in relieving a variety of contributing factors.

There is no “best herb” in Thrive Tonic liquid, herbal extract. It works because the  formulation of nourishing, detoxifying, tonifying and adaptogenic herbs work in harmony to strengthen the body to withstand the negative effects of stress and improve vitality. I have enjoyed seeing the looks on customers’ faces when they realize how much better they feel when they take it consistently, once a day. They report better energy, sleep, mood, digestion, and even stronger hair and nails. People are learning that it is the specific combination of these herbs that make this tonic so beneficial. How do the herbs work so well together? Only the herbs know that.