Magnolia Magic: A Spring-Blooming Tree May Be Your Medicine
Magnolia bark (Magnolia officinalis, hou po) is a bit of a magical herb because it not only comes from a ...
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Welcome to Spring: Honeysuckle
I know spring is here to stay when our honeysuckle blooms. I remember in my early childhood plucking the flowers ...
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Citrus Peel and Hawthorn Fruit for Food Stagnation
The other day I saw a woman with complaints of burping and belching all day long that was worse when ...
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Dosing: A Key to Herbal Effectiveness
How do you know if you’re taking enough of your herbs or herbal formula? Or what if you’re taking the ...
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Not Your Usual Herbal Gift Ideas
In addition to the usual herbal gifts of herbal wreaths, vinegars, soaps, candles, spices, potted plants, flowers, beauty products and ...
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The Wonders of Teasel
Teasel is a beautiful herb with a tall bristly head that grows in many places around the world. I once ...
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Turmeric: For Best Results, Use It Properly
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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Herbs that Clear Heat, Part 6 of 6
In the West we tend to think of heat as inflammation; yet, it can take many other forms as we’ve ...
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Herbs that Clear Heat 5 of 6: Cucumber, Hibiscus and Watermelon
September is the time of year that “Summer Heat” often arises because it’s either extra hot this time of year ...
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Herbs that Clear Heat 4 of 6: Goldenseal/Coptis and Oregon Grape/Barberry
Continuing our discussion about herbs that clear heat, the next category is a very commonly seen one: herbs that clear ...
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Herbs that Clear Heat 3 of 6: Tree Peony, Chinese Figwort, and Marshmallow Root
The herbal category, Herbs that Cool the Blood, is not known in Western herbalism but is one of the five ...
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Herbs that Clear Heat 2 of 6: Echinacea and Red Clover
This blog series that began last month considers how Western herbalism treats heat as inflammation with little differentiation in herbal ...
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Herbs that Clear Heat 1 of 6: Sweet Violet and Pansy
Like Western medicine, Western herbalism today considers heat as inflammation with little differentiation in herbal treatment. Yet, heat is not ...
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The Salty Flavor: Seaweed
To finish up the flavors for the year, we have one left – salty. Most herbs that are salty are ...
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Delicious Herbal Holiday Recipes for Kids and Adults
I often receive letters from children about my Kids Herb Book expressing their joy in making things and learning about ...
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2020 – What a Year for East West!
Finally, we’re reaching the end of 2020! I can’t tell you how many people have yearned to see this year ...
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Spicy Flavor and Digestive Trikatu
The spicy flavor has many understandings and an interesting function. When most people think of “spicy,” they think of spicy ...
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Watermelon Medicine: Fruit, Seed and Rind
Sweet is the flavor of the Spleen time of year, including this month of August. In July, I discussed the ...
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Jujube Dates to Usher in the Earth Time of Year
From July through about mid-September, we are in the “Earth time of year” with its organs, the Spleen and Stomach ...
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Chamomile: Gentle Yet Powerful
Since we are in the “season” of the Heart, we’ve been covering bitter herbs. The bitter flavor cleanses the blood ...
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California Poppy: Gentle Sedative and Pain Reliever
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we are in the Heart “time of year,” early summer, meaning that the heart’s ...
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The Bitter Flavor in Herbs
The flavor of an herb is different than its taste. Taste is subjective while flavor is a major indicator of ...
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Symptom-Specific Herbal Protection from Viruses
We are in cold and flu season, which especially hits during the summer-to-fall and winter-to-spring months. How do you prevent ...
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Colds and Flu: Common-Sense Prevention Tactics
Anyone who’s heard tales from grandparents or great-grandparents who lived during the 1918 flu pandemic will understand the world’s great ...
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Staying Healthy This Winter
Whether you live in balmy, tropical Hawaii, or sub-zero, frosty Minnesota, the energy of winter is the same: storage. At ...
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Give Books about Herbs for the Holiday Season
I love to read – so much so, that I always have several books going at once. I still love ...
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Which Ginseng Should I Take?
When I began to study herbs, my first class discussed the difference between the many ginsengs. It was information overload ...
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How to Stay Well from Summer into Fall
We are fast approaching the joint of the seasons – summer into fall – and of all times of the ...
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Feeling Damp, Bloated, Heavy? Care for your SPLEEN!
Many climates throughout the world have five seasons - late summer, or Indian Summer, is usually the fifth, lasting from ...
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Jimson Weed: Dangerous Magic
Old time herbalists and the Eclectics didn’t focus on common herbs – they mainly used “heroic” medicines instead. These are ...
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Finding Renewal in Costa Rica
Our second trip to lush Costa Rica proved just as magical as our first in September 2018. This time a ...
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Book Review: Recipes for Self Healing by Daverick Leggett
Choosing the right herb is essential to achieving healing results. But, if you continue eating to feed your disease, even ...
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Wild Cherry Bark and Sweet Cherry Stems as Medicine
Recently Michael and I witnessed the incredible scene of cherry blossom season in Japan. It is truly a remarkable sight ...
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Ashwagandha: Horsepower for Your Body
The Ayurvedic herb ashwagandha has become quite well known in recent years and it is no wonder, for it has ...
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Be Picky When Planting Privet Shrubs
Privet is often used to plant hedges for privacy instead of fences. I used to watch the birds flit in ...
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I Yam What I Yam: Medicinal and Culinary Yams
Although yams have been around for eons, there are so many species (over 600), it can get very confusing at ...
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Winter Wonder Walnuts
In the cold of winter, a great herb to consider is the walnut. It is a rich source of fat ...
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Herbal Gifts for the Holidays
Stumped about what to give for the holidays? Here are some herbal treats you can easily make and share that ...
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Costa Rica: Plant Paradise
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 Stalk: A Powerful Anti-Inflammatory
Celery often sits in our refrigerators for many different uses – making stocks, preparing soups, or filling with peanut butter ...
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Mung Bean for Summer Illness
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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Hibiscus and Jewelweed: More Summertime Herbs
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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Two Foods to Help You Keep Cool This Summer
Summers seem to be getting hotter and hotter so staying cool – and keeping your cool – can be more ...
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Announcing: The East West Home Herbalist Course
We are very excited to announce that the East West School of Planetary Herbology now offers a Home Herbalist Course! ...
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Three Essential First Aid Herbs for Travel
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: A Versatile Herb
Oregon grape root is the Pacific Northwest variety of barberry (Berberis vulgaris). It was used by the indigenous mountain folk ...
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Care for Your Heart This Valentine Season
During this season of love, as well as tending to your loved ones, care for your heart, too! Here are ...
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Astragalus for immunity
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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Bigger, Better, More: The Brand New East West Herb Course Is Here!
With the expert aid of a wonderful support team, we have been updating, revising and reformatting our East West Herb ...
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Fall Power: Loquat Leaves
Not only do I love making medicines from my own garden but I also appreciate clients being able to obtain ...
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Why the “Energy” of Herbs is Critical to Their Success in Treatment
Have you ever talked with someone who thought that herbs didn’t work because they did little for them despite all ...
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How to Drain Your Essence
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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Ophiopogon: A Common Garden Ornamental with Superpowers
This spring, plant an herb that is not only an ornamental but also a powerful medicinal: ophiopogon. Known as Japanese ...
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Sweet Herbal Holiday Treats
I always love to make gifts when I can and especially love to receive handmade ones, too, as do many ...
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Cardamom: Your Best Friend
There is one kitchen spice most of us could use more of in our lives: cardamom. While there are different ...
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What is “Gao Jelly”?
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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The Wonders of Moxa, Part 2
How to use moxa: If using purchased moxa, remove its commercial paper wrapper first (but not the white inner paper) ...
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The Wonders of Moxa, Part 1
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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How Is Herbal Medicine Practiced in Modern-Day China?
A group of 24 East West students, graduates, teachers, and a few of their companions traveled to study herbs in ...
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East West Goes to China!
This year after one of our best seminars ever (per many students and teachers), a large group of East West ...
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American Botanical Council Honors Michael Tierra with Community Builder Award
Thursday evening, March 10, 2016, Michael was given the Mark Blumenthal Community Builder Award by the American Botanical Council (ABC) ...
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Merry Mistletoe
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: The Old “New” Spice?
CLOVE (Eugenia caryophyllata, E. aromaticum, Syzygium aromaticum) Family: Myrtaceae Also called: caryophylli or ding xian (Chinese) Parts used: flower bud ...
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Feverfew and Chrysanthemum
When most people hear of the herb feverfew, they think migraines. While feverfew became popular in Great Britain in the ...
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Black Cohosh, East and West: Part 2
See Part 1 here. Black cohosh has long been used throughout the world, but today its many uses have been ...
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Black Cohosh: East and West Part 1
When you hear of the herb black cohosh, what do you think it treats? Today most people say, "Menopause," as ...
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Acorus calamus (Sweet flag)
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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Calendula, the Western Safflower
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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What About Quince? Medicinal Uses
After writing about the various types of citrus and their uses I thought about using other fruits as medicine. My ...
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Citrus: Fruit or Peel?
Most of us love some form of citrus – oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemons, limes and more – yet did you ...
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Making the Most of One Herb: Elecampane
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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Some of My Favorite Herbs and Therapies
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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Berberine Buddies, Part 2
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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Berberine Buddies, Part 1
In my investigation of finding western substitutes for Chinese herbs, I now turn to herbs that contain the alkaloid berberine, ...
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Finding Western Substitutes for Chinese Herbs: Accept the Challenge!
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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Hawthorn: Teaching an Old Herb New Tricks
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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Are Herbs from the West Really the Best?
Many people in the West eschew herbs from other countries because they only want to use western herbs. While local ...
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The Oldest Herb Shop in Barcelona
Recently, Michael and I taught in England, and as we generally do when teaching there we also traveled to other ...
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Formulas Using Dandelion to Clear Heat and Toxins
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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Dandelion: My Favorite Spring Herb
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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Back to Basics: Making Herbal Teas with Brigitte Mars
So many of us are removed from our herbs these days since we generally choose faster methods of consumption such ...
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Clinician-Client Connection (or, The Ritual of Medicine)
In the late 1980s, I attended the first International Congress of Healing in India and met Sai Baba. He spoke ...
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Shilajit (Moomiyo), the Monarch of Tonics
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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Got Shen? Part 2
There are many herbal approaches to supporting Shen depending on the imbalance affecting it:
- Nourish the Shen through Heart ...
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Got Shen? Part 1
Do you love life? Do you enjoy people? Are you enthusiastic about what you do? Do you wake up excited ...
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These Are a Few of My Favorite Things Part 2
HERBS – FOUR FAVORITES! While I’ve had many favorite herbs over the years with which I’ve experienced many wonderful ...
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These Are a Few of My Favorite Things Part 1
I decided it was high time again to introduce you to a few of my favorite things (I can’t believe ...
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Cooking with Herbs for the Holidays
The holidays are fast approaching and before you know it, you might need to start cooking up a storm. But ...
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What Is the Best Herbal Preparation for Your Condition?
When I first learned about herbs in the late '70s, they were usually taken as capsules, with food, or smoked! ...
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Snap Your Spleen Back in Shape! Part 1
We are at the end of the Spleen/Stomach "time of year" - actually the Spleen/Spleen time - meaning that digestive ...
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Snap Your Spleen Back into Shape! Part 2
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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Care for the Caregiver, Part 2
In Part I of this series I began the discussion about using of herbs to care for the caregiver. As ...
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Care for the Caregiver, Part 1
Now that you know how to be and find a hospital advocate, what about the advocate herself? How does she ...
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Find Your Hospital Advocate: Part 1
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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The Fourth Stagnation: Damp Stagnation, Part 1
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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The Third Stagnation: Cold Stagnation, Part 1
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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The Second Stagnation: Blood Stasis, Part 1
After briefly covering the five stagnations in January (Parts and ) and Qi stagnation in February (Parts and ), it ...
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The First Stagnation: Qi Stagnation, Part 1
Last month we discussed the five stagnations in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) along with two formulas to treat all five ...
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The Mother of All Diseases: Stagnation (Part Two)
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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The Mother of All Diseases: Stagnation (Part One)
Usually this time of year I write about resting more, doing less and in general, relaxing to replenish your vital ...
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Spice Up Your Holiday with Healing Culinary Herbs
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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Give Thanks to Your Illness with “Metaphor-phosis”
Why would one ever want to thank an illness? After all, illness is often distracting, discouraging, depressing, even painful. What ...
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Herbal Tonics: East and West
"What is the difference between a tonic in eastern versus western herbalism?" First, let’s take a look at the meaning ...
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Healing Crisis, or Wrong Formula?
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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Notation Tips for Herbalists and other Complementary Health Practitioners
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 the Whole Person
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: Pros, Cons, and Contraindications
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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Mitochondria and Brain Supplements
Mitochondrial DNA is big on the alternative scene these days. Brain research and the role mitochondria play has given rise ...
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Confessions of a Weight Gainer — and Loser
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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Wishing You a Do-Be New Year
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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Nourishing Your Body, Heart and Spirit During the Holiday Season
When people study herbs and natural medicine they tend to focus solely on physical health. And yet the health of ...
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In Thanksgiving to Barefoot Doctors
Ever since I learned Barefoot Doctor techniques I have been most thankful, as they often heal conditions where nothing else ...
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A Tribute to Aviva Romm
As many of you know, our past AHG president, Aviva Romm (shown here), stepped down this past year. While there ...
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When “Going Viral” Isn’t a Good Thing
While most people dream of their projects and ideas going viral, there is one area in which we definitely want ...
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Agastache for Summer’s End
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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The Wonders of Wan Hua Oil
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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Summer’s Back: Is It Supporting You?
have treated a LOT of people for low back pain this past month -- far more than usual. Even people ...
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Treat the Person, Not the Disease
Recently I had an experience with someone that reminded me again about the major tenet of TCM 'treat the person ...
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Wen Dan Tang
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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Hypertension II (Too!): A TCM look at types of high blood pressure
Michael has just done a great blog on hypertension, so I decided to supplement that with further information that I ...
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Nourish Your Yin with Yi Guan Jian
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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Cultivate Your Virtues this Valentine’s Season
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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Two Immortals
We are in the depth of Kidney time now and will be for about another three weeks. This is when ...
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Shed Light on Your Life this New Year
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
Spice up your holidays this year with three of the season's best medicinal spices: cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. Because ...
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Winter: Time to Rest, Rest, Rest!
We have definitely entered the most crucial time of year '" winter. Whether you live in tropical Hawaii or frosty ...
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Giving Thanks for Calendula
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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Herbs for Fall Dry Coughs
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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Confession
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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Joint of the Seasons: Fall
We have reached the joint of the seasons, late Summer into Fall. This is the most vulnerable time of year ...
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End of Summer Tummy Woes
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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Treating GERD with Chinese Medicine
As we are well into the season of late Summer, more cases are presenting at my clinic with Spleen and ...
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Throwing Down the Gauntlet on Sugar!
I find it extremely annoying that the west has gone sweet, that is, sickly sweet. This ...
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Summer Soup (Kicharee)
Summer kicharee is not only great for detoxification, but it is also a light summer soup perfect for the hot ...
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Late Summer: Season of Earth
We have just moved into time of year that corresponds to the Spleen and Stomach according to Traditional Chinese Medicine ...
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San Qi or Tienqi Ginseng: A Premier Herb to Stop Bleeding
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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Codonopsis: The “Other” Ginseng
Although not a ginseng at all, codonopsis has similar tastes, energies and tonifying properties as ginseng. As well, both herbs ...
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Summertime: The Heart Time of Year
We have now moved into the "Heart time" of the year. It runs from about mid-April through June ...
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How to Get Sick
There is so much focus on what one should do in order to stay well that I sometimes find switching ...
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Diet and Herb Tips for Spring Health
No matter where you live '" snowy Michigan or sunny Florida '" Spring is upon us. In nature, this energy is represented ...
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When Should I Take My Herbal Formula?
Students and clients often ask me, "When the best time is to take my herbs?" This is a very good ...
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Wind-Chill Colds and Flu: What They Are and How to Treat Them
The cold and flu season is still upon us. Michael wrote about treating flu last fall, especially the swine flu, ...
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Quickly Clearing those Wind-Chill Colds and Flu
The cold and flu season is still upon us. While Michael wrote about treating flu last fall, especially the swine ...
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Nourish Yourself with Shilajit for Valentine’s Day
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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Herbalists, Keep Learning: You Know More than You Know
At the recent American Herbalists Guild conference, I met various people who felt inadequate about their herbal knowledge -- that ...
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Release the Past with Ho’Oponopono
Start the new year by cleansing old energies! One of the best ways I know to release the past is ...
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Winter diet, herb and lifestyle reminders for a healthy year ahead
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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Appreciate the Little Things
I recently stated using a macro lens on my camera and it has changed my world -- not just in ...
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In Search of Figgy Treats
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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That Other Flu Rose: Garlic
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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Comfrey Comfort
Recently I was sitting in my garden one late afternoon trying to pull myself together after a very scattering day ...
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Mulberry Dreams
Our Mulberry Tree! Early this morning I trudged out under the foggy sky and picked all I could from our ...
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Herbs for Late Summer
Many climates throughout the world have five seasons; late summer, or Indian Summer, is usually the fifth. Associated with the ...
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Watch Yourself! A great tool for self-diagnosis
Recently I reviewed some of the wonderful DVDs that David LaLuzerne of Green Earth Herbs' HerbTV made of several ...
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A Great Summer Sip: Cooling Chrysanthemum
The Chinese drink chrysanthemum as a summer beverage for its refreshing taste and cooling properties. It clears heat from the ...
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Make a summer herbal salve for bites, stings and scrapes
While summer is one of my favorite times of year, I could do without mosquito bites, scraped shins and bee ...
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The Fire Without and the Fire Within: Herbal and Health Tips for Summer
Summer is the essence of life, growth, heat and activity. With the sun at its zenith, nights are short ...
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Cordyceps, the strange ‘herb’
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 Tips for a Happy Liver
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 – Another Favorite Herb
Ophiopogon is a true blessing to those with Yin deficiency.
Sweet, cooling and moistening, it nourishes Yin and ...
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Sweet, cooling and moistening, it nourishes Yin and ...
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The Additional Wonders of “Benefit Lung Pills”
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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Stillness in Action
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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Have a REALLY Happy Valentine’s Day!
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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A Beautiful Poem to Live by . . .
I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear Of falling or catching fire. I choose ...
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Start Your New Year off Right – Do Nothing!
Caught your attention with that one, didn't I?
Why give yourself permission to do nothing these days, especially ...
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Why give yourself permission to do nothing these days, especially ...
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Salvia, Our Saving Grace
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 Few of My Favorite Herbal Things
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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Make Every Day Thanks-giving
How wonderful it is that our country has one day a year dedicated to giving thanks! Do other cultures have ...
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Wonderful Celebration and Healing Song
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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On Ghosts and Bones and Dragon Bone . . .
When I think of bones I think of animal parts or anatomy or even the state of my on bones, ...
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Welcome to Lesley’s New Practice!
Radiance Energy Medicine for a healthy body, mind and soul In the past I separated out my sessions of ...
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