Category Archives: Natural Healing

September 11, 2019 · 6:44 am

Making Herbal Preparations 101 Mini-Course from Herbal Academy

Enroll now in the Making Herbal Preparations 101 Mini Course

Every time I treat myself to an herbal course at Herbal Academy I find myself rubbing my hands in glee. My latest experience, Making Herbal Preparations 101 Mini-Course, was no exception. I signed up during the free enrollment period in July. This course is scheduled to be re-released next year, so don’t despair if the link above takes you to another page.

I have to admit that herbalism in Mexico is challenging. I can’t just order herbs willy nilly from organic herb stores and have it delivered to my doorstop to brew, decoct or tincture in endless delight. Oh, no. That would be too easy. Instead, I have to painstakingly gather information and positively identify plants, flowers, and trees that I didn’t learn about growing up in the Eastern United States.

So, this drawn-out process in my adopted land has undermined some of my herbal concoction confidence. This is where I appreciated the Herbal Academy’s most recent course.

The course was divided into seven lessons. Each lesson had informative readings, printouts and easy to follow videos making this an excellent course for beginners.

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LESSON 1: EVERYDAY HERBAL PREPARATIONS

This lesson differentiated the different types of herbal preparations. There are water-based, sweet-based, oil-based and alcohol-based preparations. The type of solvent you use depends on the application and plant property needed to treat whatever it is you are going to treat with herbs.

LESSON 2: EVERYDAY HERBS

Lesson two stressed the importance of treating herbs as medicine. This means knowing how to prepare the herbs, potential side effects, and the duration an herb can be safely administered. You should also know the health issues and life stage of the person taking the herb and any possible herb-drug interactions. Of course, you should also be cognizant of plants that could become toxic with extended use or those that resemble beneficial herbs.

I was delighted to learn that Western herbalism has a similar categorization process to the Mexican culture which sometimes confounds me. Energetics in herbs is based on temperature (cool or hot), moisture (wet or dry) and tension (relaxed or constricted) which in many ways is identical to the indigenous belief system found where I live. So a person with a dry cough would be given a moistening herb to aid the body in achieving balance.

LESSON 3: WATER-BASED HERBAL PREPARATIONS

Water-based herbal preparation is one that combines herbs and water. It could be tea, a wash, an enema, an infusion or a decoction. A cup of chamomile tea prescribed as a sleep aid is an example of a water-based herbal preparation.

LESSON 4: SWEET-BASED HERBAL PREPARATIONS

Using honey as a base for creating an herbal preparation was the topic of lesson four. After all, a spoonful of sugar (in this case organic honey) helps the medicine go down.

LESSON 5: ALCOHOL-BASED HERBAL PREPARATIONS

Lesson 5 demonstrated the use of alcohol such as vodka, brandy, and gin to create herbal rubs, washes, and tinctures.

LESSON 6: OIL-BASED HERBAL PREPARATIONS

Oils can be used to create herbal infusions meant to be used externally or in cooking. Doesn’t rosemary-infused virgin olive oil sound simply delicious?

LESSON 7: EVERYDAY RECIPES

Lesson 7 provided basic preparation instructions for each of the methods presented in the course plus some delightful recipes including how to make a chickweed poultice, violet honey lemonade, fire cider and more. What a fabulous way to end the class.

Having gone through Herbal Academy’s Making Herbal Preparations 101 Mini-Course, I’ve gathered enough confidence to start decocting my own herbal medicine cabinet from locally harvested herbs.

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August 21, 2019 · 7:16 am

Herbs for ADHD, Cognition, and Focus Intensive by the Herbal Academy with Maria Noël Groves

Herbs for ADHD, Cognition, and Focus Intensive

Last week I finished Herbal Academy’s Herbs for ADHD, Cognition, and Focus Intensive with Maria Noël Groves. This course was part of the amazing Herbs and Essential Oils Ultimate Bundle that yours truly was also included in a few months back.

So here’s what I thought about this course. As expected, Herbal Academy did not disappoint! The lessons were presented by Maria Noël Groves who is a knowledgeable herbalist. The information was well-referenced and easy to understand, even for those of us that are not herbalists by profession.

The course was divided into three sections.

INTRODUCTION TO ADHD AND COGNITIVE HERBS
In lesson one, the focus was on ascertaining what ADHD is including causes, symptoms, brain function, and common medications. But that wasn’t all. The text and video component (which have downloadable PDFs and transcripts) highlight non-herbal lifestyle changes that have been shown to help those with concentration deficiency as well as an introduction to herbs used for cognitive support.

This was a fascinating section. While the focus was on ADHD, the material presented was also useful for brain fog, focus issues, memory and dementia prevention. Epigenetics was briefly mentioned which, coincidentally enough, is the subject of the book I’m currently reading The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton.

The herbs that have been found to be useful in treating cognitive issues were broken down into:

  • Nootropics, which are herbs that support cognition, memory, and the brain’s nervous system like rosemary.
  • Adaptogens that help the body adapt to stress such as Gotu Kola.
  • Nervine herbs support and nourish a healthy nervous system like lemon balm.
  • Circulation Enhancers support circulation to the brain such as Ginkgo.
  • Stimulants which increase brain and dopamine activity including coffee, chocolate and cacao, and green tea.
  • Calming Herbs that promote a calm-alert state like chamomile.

HERBAL MATERIA MEDICA FOR ADHD AND COGNITIVE WELLBEING
The second session was the meat and potatoes of the course. Here Maria discussed a number of herbs that can be used to shore up cognitive wellbeing, even with children. While many of these herbs are unavailable in Mexico, there were some that are already used in traditional herbal remedies here.

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is limoncillo. This herb is used for coraje (emotional upset, anger) and the resulting gastrointestinal and hepatic problems. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is romero. In addition to treating gastrointestinal issues, rosemary is an excellent addition to any diet to prevent Alzheimer’s. Spearmint (Mentha spp.) otherwise known as yerba buena has been in use as a medicinal herb in Mexico since its introduction by the Spanish friars. Who can argue that any tea made from the mint family doesn’t make you more alert?

PUTTING IT TOGETHER – PROTOCOLS AND CASE STUDIES
The third lesson was a review of the material and included a chart with the uses and actions of herbs covered in the course. This lesson was designed more for herbalists or those looking to help people with tinctures, teas, and infusions made from the herbs discussed. There were even several case studies and Maria’s recommendations for each.

If you or someone you love has issues such as the lack of cognitive focus found in those diagnosed with ADHD or suffer from brain fog like I do at times with hypothyroidism, this is an excellent class for you to take.

Herbal Academy Back to School Sale

Right now, Herbal Academy is having their Back to School sale and all courses, including this one, are up to 25% off until September 16th making NOW an excellent time to enroll.

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July 29, 2019 · 7:26 am

Natural Healing –Granada

grananda The granada (punica granatum) or pomegranate is yet another import from Spain. The tree that we planted about 8 years ago is finally starting to produce fruit. It does well in drought conditions typical to La Yacata. I don’t know about you, but getting at those juicy seeds can be troublesome so I really appreciated this little video. Granada is the require garnish for Chiles en Nogadas often served during the patriotic month of September. Naturally, this delicious fruit has medicinal applications. The bark and root of the granada have antifungal properties. They have traditionally been used against intestinal parasites and to treat, dysentery, and diarrhea. To rid a body of tapeworms, 60 grams of granada root is boiled in a liter of water. Half is drunk before bed, the other half when you wake up. This is followed up with a 45-gram dose of castor oil. If the tapeworm is not expelled, the treatment can be repeated in a week. A second herbal remedy for tapeworm is similar. One part root bark for each 10 parts water is soaked overnight. In the morning, boil it down 2 /3. Then, strain. Drink the concoction first thing in the morning before breakfast then 3 ½ cup doses at half-hour intervals. Repeat the process for 3 days. On the third day, take a good dose of castor oil. A word of caution: Excessive amounts of the bark and root cause nausea and vomiting. Never fear, other parts of the granada, including the fruit, will not cause such an adverse reaction. Some of it is quite tasty! The rind of the granada contains three times as much polyphenols as the fruit, including condensed tannins, catechins, gallocatechins and prodelphinidins. It shows promise in treating diabetic nephropathy. The rind is anti-inflammatory and suitable for treating and preventing inflammations of the gastric tract and malaria. A tea for stomach ailments is made by boiling a handful of the rind, jamaica (hibuscus flower), canela (cinnamon) and membrillo (quince)  in a liter of water for ten minutes. Cool and strain. Divide the dose into three glasses and drink at intervals throughout the day. Traditional Mexican medicinal use also includes a gargle or mouthwash to treat swollen tonsils, canker sores and inflamed gums that is made from the boiled rind. A piece of raw rind placed directly on a sore will help dry it up too. The fruit is anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antioxidant. This bright red delicious edible has also been shown to be antidiabetic. A glass of pomegranate juice daily lowers hypertension and reduces atherosclerosis. It has properties that protect the kidney as well. The juice is also effective in treating diarrhea. In Mexico, a mixture of juice and sugar is boiled and given to children a tablespoon at a time for treatment. Oil extracted from the seeds have inhibitory effects on skin and breast cancers. Pomegranate seed oil has phytoestrogenic compounds and contains punicic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid. The leaves are also antibacterial and can be used to make a poultice to treat wounds. Leaf extract contains compounds that protect the brain from injury. The flower has been used medicinally to improve insulin resistance in diabetics and is anti-inflammatory. The flowers are antimicrobial, antioxidant, analgesic and used in the treatment of mouth and stomach ulcers. Now you have just a little something to think about next time you are nibbling some pomegranate!

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Interested in natural remedies? Uncover herbal remedies from traditional Mexican sources for healing and wellness in the Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico series.

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