Lesley’s Blog

When recently exploring the incredible plants of Costa Rica, we stayed at the magical retreat center Amatierra. It’s a hidden ...
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Simply put, Costa Rica is a plant paradise. Michael and I were lucky enough to travel there a couple of ...
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Celery often sits in our refrigerators for many different uses – making stocks, preparing soups, or filling with peanut butter ...
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Finally, to close this series on herbs for Summer-Heat and for summer conditions in general, is the humble mung bean, ...
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In my last blog, I explained the Traditional Chinese Medicine disease pattern called “Summer-Heat,” largely parallel to what most Westerners ...
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Summers seem to be getting hotter and hotter so staying cool – and keeping your cool – can be more ...
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We are very excited to announce that the East West School of Planetary Herbology now offers a Home Herbalist Course! ...
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As we enter the summer traveling season, many of you may be going on holiday adventures in the next few ...
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Oregon grape root is the Pacific Northwest variety of barberry (Berberis vulgaris). It was used by the indigenous mountain folk ...
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Stressed? Exhausted? Winter blues? When it comes to adaptogens for treating these conditions, rhodiola (aerial portion and dried root shown ...
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During this season of love, as well as tending to your loved ones, care for your heart, too! Here are ...
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The flu is now widely in circulation and quickly going into people’s lungs. This is not only inconvenient and uncomfortable ...
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Most people have heard of the herb astragalus. Usually it’s the first Chinese herb learned after ginseng, and maybe dang ...
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With the expert aid of a wonderful support team, we have been updating, revising and reformatting our East West Herb ...
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Not only do I love making medicines from my own garden but I also appreciate clients being able to obtain ...
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In summer we often graze through the garden, feast on fruit, or skip meals altogether because we’re too involved with ...
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This spring, plant an herb that is not only an ornamental but also a powerful medicinal: ophiopogon. Known as Japanese ...
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I always love to make gifts when I can and especially love to receive handmade ones, too, as do many ...
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There is one kitchen spice most of us could use more of in our lives: cardamom. While there are different ...
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Gao Jelly is a black, jelly-like substance made from Chinese herbs. Sometimes called Gui Ling Gao Herbal Jelly, it was ...
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How to use moxa: If using purchased moxa, remove its commercial paper wrapper first (but not the white inner paper) ...
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On our recent trip to China we went to Mr. Wei’s clinic in Hong Kong. There we learned of a new ...
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A group of 24 East West students, graduates, teachers, and a few of their companions traveled to study herbs in ...
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This year after one of our best seminars ever (per many students and teachers), a large group of East West ...
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Thursday evening, March 10, 2016, Michael was given the Mark Blumenthal Community Builder Award by the American Botanical Council (ABC) ...
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It's that season when many pin a bouquet of mistletoe in their doorway for that magical ritual of kissing underneath ...
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CLOVE (Eugenia caryophyllata, E. aromaticum, Syzygium aromaticum) Family: Myrtaceae Also called: caryophylli or ding xian (Chinese) Parts used: flower bud ...
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When most people hear of the herb feverfew, they think migraines. While feverfew became popular in Great Britain in the ...
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See Part 1 here. Black cohosh has long been used throughout the world, but today its many uses have been ...
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When you hear of the herb black cohosh, what do you think it treats? Today most people say, "Menopause," as ...
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Sweet flag (Acorus calamus; A. americanus) has been one of those on-again/off-again herbs where it’s safe to use it, then ...
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There’s another great Western substitute for a Chinese herb: Calendula officinalis can stand in for safflower (hong hua, Carthamus tinctorius) ...
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After writing about the various types of citrus and their uses I thought about using other fruits as medicine. My ...
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Most of us love some form of citrus – oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemons, limes and more – yet did you ...
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Too often we find Western herbs pigeon-holed into convenient commercialized boxes. While this expands people’s interest in natural healing, it ...
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It’s that season of the year again and so time to share some of my favorite herbs and therapies. The ...
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Continuing the discussion of berberine-containing plants as Chinese-Western substitutes for each other, we first looked at using goldenseal in place ...
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In my investigation of finding western substitutes for Chinese herbs, I now turn to herbs that contain the alkaloid berberine, ...
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For quite a while, I’ve been curious about Western alternatives to Chinese herbs. I’m particularly interested in creating effective alternative ...
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In my search for western substitutions for Chinese herbs, it’s hard to ignore the easy ones. Since we’re at the ...
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Many people in the West eschew herbs from other countries because they only want to use western herbs. While local ...
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Recently, Michael and I taught in England, and as we generally do when teaching there we also traveled to other ...
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Along with its typical purposes in Western herbalism, the Chinese use dandelion as a cold, anti-toxic herb to drain downward ...
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I first learned about dandelion by reading Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury many decades ago, a book not really about dandelions but ...
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So many of us are removed from our herbs these days since we generally choose faster methods of consumption such ...
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In the late 1980s, I attended the first International Congress of Healing in India and met Sai Baba. He spoke ...
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There's a fabulous kidney tonic that I want to tell you about if you don't already know it – shilajit ...
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There are many herbal approaches to supporting Shen depending on the imbalance affecting it:

• Nourish the Shen through Heart ...
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Do you love life? Do you enjoy people? Are you enthusiastic about what you do? Do you wake up excited ...
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HERBS – FOUR FAVORITES! While I’ve had many favorite herbs over the years with which I’ve experienced many wonderful ...
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The holidays are fast approaching and before you know it, you might need to start cooking up a storm. But ...
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When I first learned about herbs in the late '70s, they were usually taken as capsules, with food, or smoked! ...
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We are at the end of the Spleen/Stomach "time of year" - actually the Spleen/Spleen time - meaning that digestive ...
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In my last blog post we explored patterns of disharmony for the Spleen, which are so prevalent at this time of ...
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In Part I of this series I began the discussion about using of herbs to care for the caregiver. As ...
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Now that you know how to be and find a hospital advocate, what about the advocate herself? How does she ...
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In Part I we discussed the essential need for having or being an advocate when you or a loved one ...
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I hope this never happens to you, but it’s usually inevitable that one day either you or a loved one ...
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In Part I we learned about the many signs and symptoms of Food Stagnation. In this segment we’ll cover how ...
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We made it! We got through Qi, Blood, Cold and Damp stagnations, and now we are on the fifth and ...
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In Part I we learned about the many signs and symptoms of Damp Stagnation and its far reaching affects on health ...
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Whether you've had April showers or are experiencing May ones, rain is a great metaphor for Dampness in the body ...
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In Part I we learned about the many signs and symptoms of Cold Stagnation and its effects on physical and mental ...
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Years ago when I worked in Cleveland, I’d stare out the office window at a sunny spring day. Ecstatic to ...
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In Part 1 we learned about the many signs and symptoms of Blood Stasis and its effects on health. Now, ...
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After briefly covering the five stagnations in January (Parts and ) and Qi stagnation in February (Parts and ), it ...
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Last month we discussed the five stagnations in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) along with two formulas to treat all five ...
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In Part I of this blog, I discussed the Five Stagnations in general along with some non-herbal treatments. Here are ...
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Usually this time of year I write about resting more, doing less and in general, relaxing to replenish your vital ...
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I don’t know what it is about the holidays and me, but when this time of year comes around I ...
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Why would one ever want to thank an illness? After all, illness is often distracting, discouraging, depressing, even painful. What ...
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"What is the difference between a tonic in eastern versus western herbalism?" This question, launched at me during our last ...
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You’ve just made an herbal formula for a new client. She took it for several days, but then began to ...
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Recently I read an article in Acupuncture Today titled "The Devil is in the Details" written by acupuncturist Douglas Briggs, ...
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Healing means "to make whole." This is frequently forgotten by western medicine as it typically approaches the body like a ...
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Turmeric has become increasingly popular over the last decade, first for blood purification and then for joint pain. As it’s ...
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Mitochondrial DNA is big on the alternative scene these days. Brain research and the role mitochondria play has given rise ...
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Weight has never particularly been a problem for me. Yes, I've weighed more than I "should" at various times in ...
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Yes, you read that right! I wish you a do-be-do-be-do-be year! Now what in the heck is that? In today's ...
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When people study herbs and natural medicine they tend to focus solely on physical health. And yet the health of ...
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Ever since I learned Barefoot Doctor techniques I have been most thankful, as they often heal conditions where nothing else ...
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As many of you know, our past AHG president, Aviva Romm (shown here), stepped down this past year. While there ...
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While most people dream of their projects and ideas going viral, there is one area in which we definitely want ...
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Summer's end can be a tricky time of year health-wise. It is the completion of Spleen/Stomach time, the season of ...
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I first learned about Wan Hua Oil over 20 years ago when my seven-year old son ran into a doorpost ...
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have treated a LOT of people for low back pain this past month -- far more than usual. Even people ...
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Recently I had an experience with someone that reminded me again about the major tenet of TCM 'treat the person ...
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In honor of the near end of Liver/Gallbladder time of year, here's another favorite formula of mine: Wen Dan Tang ...
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Michael has just done a great blog on hypertension, so I decided to supplement that with further information that I ...
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I've already addressed strengthening Kidney Yang with Two Immortals in an earlier blog post. Now that we've shifted from Kidney ...
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Our emotions, attitudes and self-perceptions are often physiologically rather than emotionally based. This is a very powerful concept. It means ...
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We are in the depth of Kidney time now and will be for about another three weeks. This is when ...
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Instead of making traditional resolutions this year, lose weight, save money, change jobs, shed light on your life and make ...
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Spice up your holidays this year with three of the season's best medicinal spices: cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. Because ...
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We have definitely entered the most crucial time of year '" winter.  Whether you live in tropical Hawaii or frosty ...
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Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is an amazing herb. It is probably under-utilized and under-appreciated, so I'm going to give it its ...
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The energy of fall is cool and dry. You can feel it in the air and your lungs regardless of rain ...
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I have to admit I've been a bit irregular with my blogs lately. But there's a good reason. I've been ...
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We have reached the joint of the seasons, late Summer into Fall. This is the most vulnerable time of year ...
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Digestive issues are up now for many people this is the time of year people often gain weight and can't ...
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As we are well into the season of late Summer, more cases are presenting at my clinic with Spleen and ...
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I find it extremely annoying that the west has gone sweet, that is, sickly sweet. This ...
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Summer kicharee is not only great for detoxification, but it is also a light summer soup perfect for the hot ...
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Now that I'm on to ginseng-like herbs, here's another one that can be taken during the summer. Its real name is Panax ...
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Although not a ginseng at all, codonopsis has similar tastes, energies and tonifying properties as ginseng. As well, both herbs ...
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We have now moved into the "Heart time" of the year. It runs from about mid-April through June ...
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There is so much focus on what one should do in order to stay well that I sometimes find switching ...
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Horsetail photo by Lesley Tierra Horsetail Equisetum spp. Energies and flavors: Cool, astringent Uses: Hemostatic, astringent, vulnerary With the advent ...
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No matter where you live '" snowy Michigan or sunny Florida '" Spring is upon us. In nature, this energy is represented ...
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Students and clients often ask me, "When the best time is to take my herbs?" This is a very good ...
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The cold and flu season is still upon us. Michael wrote about treating flu last fall, especially the swine flu, ...
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The cold and flu season is still upon us. While Michael wrote about treating flu last fall, especially the swine ...
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A libido as unwavering as the Himalayas? With the help of shilajit, perhaps! Let's face it, when people think about ...
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At the recent American Herbalists Guild conference, I met various people who felt inadequate about their herbal knowledge -- that ...
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Start the new year by cleansing old energies! One of the best ways I know to release the past is ...
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In Fall we harvest the fruits and labors of Spring's planting and planning. Shorter days and cooler nights send the ...
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I recently stated using a macro lens on my camera and it has changed my world -- not just in ...
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We've got two fig trees: one a black mission and one a green fig. The black mission we call, "Walking ...
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No matter what name you give it (or what animal you name it after), we're now full swing into the ...
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Recently I was sitting in my garden one late afternoon trying to pull myself together after a very scattering day ...
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Our Mulberry Tree! Early this morning I trudged out under the foggy sky and picked all I could from our ...
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Many climates throughout the world have five seasons; late summer, or Indian Summer, is usually the fifth. Associated with the ...
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Recently I reviewed some of the wonderful DVDs that David LaLuzerne of Green Earth Herbs' HerbTV made of several ...
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The Chinese drink chrysanthemum as a summer beverage for its refreshing taste and cooling properties. It clears heat from the ...
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Summer is the essence of life, growth, heat and activity. With the sun at its zenith, nights are short ...
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Call it a woman's prerogative if you like, but I have a new favorite herb! Now, I'm not fickle with my ...
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Spring is the beginning of the year, when the earth awakens and new life bursts forth. It's a time of ...
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Ophiopogon is a true blessing to those with Yin deficiency.

Sweet, cooling and moistening, it nourishes Yin and ...
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I've always used Li Fei Pian, or "Benefit Lung Pills," for Lung Yin-deficient cough (a dry, nonproductive cough with other ...
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I have loved Mary Oliver's poems ever since Michael introduced me to them. Provocative, sensual and rich in nature, they ...
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With the big hype surrounding St. Valentine's Day already in full swing, many of us turn our thoughts to romance ...
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I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear Of falling or catching fire. I choose ...
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Caught your attention with that one, didn't I?

Why give yourself permission to do nothing these days, especially ...
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I once had to introduce myself as a teacher at an American Herbalists Guild conference by identifying my favorite herb ...
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A couple of weeks ago I had an idea for a new blog post: a gift-giving list of some of ...
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How wonderful it is that our country has one day a year dedicated to giving thanks! Do other cultures have ...
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Anyone know this wonderful little song, great for both healing and when you feel like celebrating? It's great to have ...
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When I think of bones I think of animal parts or anatomy or even the state of my on bones, ...
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Radiance Energy Medicine for a healthy body, mind and soul In the past I separated out my sessions of ...
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