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Browse published articles attributed to Susun Weed, with full-archive search.
“Herbal remedies for trichomonas are among the least impressive home remedies. None are more than 50 percent effective.” (1) Trich is short for trichomonas: a single-celled, four-tailed, protozoan parasite. About five million new cases of trich are diagnosed yearly in the USA.
Most herbalists, throughout history, have been fascinated with poisonous plants. This fascination, along with careful study, experimentation, and observation, has given rise to pharmacy - the use of concentrated poisons - on one hand, and to homeopathy - the use of diluted poisons - on the other.
Even a single family member who is senile or afflicted with Alzheimer's is enough to make anyone dread the possibility. Since women have always lived longer than men, the Ancient Grandmothers have a thing or two to tell us about how to keep our memory sharp until the day we die (at 100+). These remedies are taken from my book New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way. They are arranged in order of safety, with the safest first and the most dangerous last.
Using infused herbal oils is an easy and pleasurable way to keep your breasts healthy, prevent and reverse cysts, dissolve troublesome lumps, and repair abnormal cells. Breast skin is thin and absorbent, and breast tissue contains a great deal of fat, which readily absorbs infused herbal oils. The healing and cancer-preventing actions of herbs easily migrate into olive oil creating a simple, effective product for maintaining breast health.
I aspire to be a joyous human being. As with most aspirations: It is easier said than done. Easier imagined than put into practice. Easier to search for than to have. I want joy to roll like thunder across the hills and valleys of my life; I want surging winds of joy to carry me through loss and disappointment; I want joy to be an electrical rush that lights up my entire body when I succeed. What does it take to create a joyous existence? Is it possible to experience joy daily, not just in special circumstances?
Hormonal changes, emotional changes, physical changes, and all the attendant stresses of pregnancy may cause extreme fatigue and emotional swings, especially during the last trimester. One midwife advises: "This is the perfect opportunity to touch your own deep emotional truths … to acknowledge and resolve your inner disharmonies, and to recreate your life as you create another life. The emotional changes experienced during pregnancy are not to be avoided, but valued; they are cathartic and valid."
Your garden. What fun - and frustration - await you there! The best mentor you can choose, as far as I'm conce ed, is Nature herself. Nature likes life everywhere. Have an open field and plants magically appear! This is the way plants grow when left to themselves. We don't have to struggle so much.
WISE WOMAN WAYS: PRE-MENOPAUSAL YEARS The actual age at which menopausal Change begins varies considerably from woman to woman; the norm is 45, with a normal range of 35 to 55. During these pre-menopausal years, menstrual periods may become noticeably different (closer together, farther apart, scantier, more profuse). Night sweats or hot flashes come, if at all, only occasionally and are usually blamed on too many blankets or a rich meal.
Most herbalists, throughout history, have been fascinated with poisonous plants. This fascination, along with careful study, experimentation, and observation, has given rise to pharmacy - the use of concentrated poisons - on one hand, and to homeopathy - the use of diluted poisons - on the other.
Plants feed us, clothe us, house us, heal us, and kill us. There’s no way around it, when you use herbs, you need to be alert and aware. Here are some ways to be sure you’re using herbs safely. - Identify all plants you intend to use by botanical name (e.g., Leonurus cardiaca). Only buy herbs that are labeled with the botanical name. The botanical name is specific to only one plant, while common names overlap and vary. “Sage” refers to at least five plants in at least two different families, but Salvia officinalis only means garden sage.
We are adapted to survive mild exposures to radiation. After all, the sun is a kind of controlled nuclear bomb and it releases a lot of radiation. Of course, this radiation, and man-made radiation, can also cause cancer and a host of short- and long-term health problems.
Snowdrops and crocus flowers herald the spring. And if you look in between them, with luck, you'll see a bright green creeping plant low to the ground with little white starry flowers: chickweed, a good friend of mine.
Here Comes the Flu Season Protect Yourself the Wise Woman Way © 2004 Susun S Weed Time to get out my long underwear and my warm wooly socks. Time to nourish my immune systems so cold days won't be days of colds -- and flu.
Mad Ophelia tells us: "There's Rosemary, that's for remembrance". In Shakespeare's day it was common knowledge that rosemary helped one remember. Today, as then, herbalists agree: "For weyknesse of ye brayne, sethe rosemaria in wyne and keep ye heed warme". The leaves of this tough, evergreen shrub, are valued for both medicinal and culinary uses. And, the powerful antioxidant vitamins found therein do help the brain work better.
In the wake of the terrorist attacks (9-11), many women find that they are fearful, anxious, nervous, or depressed. In this series of articles adapted from her best-selling book New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way (available through www.ashtreepublishing.com, herbalist Susun S Weed shares her favorite herbs and home remedies for dealing with fear, anxiety, nervousness, grief, depression, rage, fatigue, and sleeplessness. Her Wise Woman remedies are simple and safe to use, easy to find and buy, and amazingly effective.
Natural Health and Healing in the Wise Woman Tradition c. 2002 Susun S Weed
Ease Those Bug Bites with Easy Herbs c. 2000, Susun S Weed
Cervical Cancer by Susun S Weed “How many ways of being are there, sweet friend?” asks Grandmother Growth in her warm way. You sense this is a serious question, and you fear you don’t know the right answer.
Herbal Adventures with Susun S Weed The Polygonaceae family - knotweed, buckwheat, or smartweed family
Message from Susun - Garlic Honey - December 13th, 2011 http://wisewomanherbalezine.com/wordpress/2011/12/12/december-12-2011/ Dear friends of the green, One of my favorite remedies to have on hand for the winter is garlic honey. It is super easy to make and ready almost immediately to counter sore throats, colds, the flu, lung congestion, and sinus problems.
Herbal medicine is people’s medicine. Herbal medicine is the primary medicine of most people on this planet, right now. It’s not something old and dusty. It’s not a bunch of doctors and chemists figuring out how to use herbs like drugs. Herbal medicine is a 3-year-old picking plantain and putting it on a skinned knee or an insect bite. Herbal medicine is the medicine of women and children. It is the medicine of the earth. It’s medicine that’s free. It’s not something that must be studied before it can help you. Start with one plant.
"Corn rigs, an' barley rigs, An corn rigs are bonnie; I'll ne'er forget that happy night, Amang the rigs wi' Annie." It Was Upon A Lammas Night by Robert Burns The least known of the eight major Pagan holy days is Lammas, celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere on the first of August. (The other primary holy days are the Summer and Winter Solstices, the Spring and Fall Equinoxes, and the Cross Quarter Days of Beltane, May Day, and Halloween.)
FIRST AID FOR BACKACHE - Heat - a warm bath, a hot shower, a hydroculator, a hot water bottle, a towel dipped in boiling water - will provide temporary relief for most backaches. - Tiger Balm, Olbas, Zheng Gu Shui, Wintergreen oil and other homemade or purchased herbal liniments and rubs can penetrate into deep muscle tissue to relieve tension and pain. They work best if followed by moist heat.
OPTIMUM NUTRITION: Cooked or Raw? c. 2004 Susun S Weed
If you live in any of the temperate regions of the world, whether at sea level or high in the mountains, some pine tree is likely to be growing very near you. If you live in the desert, you may have to get to the mountains before you find a pine. But wherever you live, north or south, east or west, so long as it isn't the tropics, you will find pine trees. And since they are evergreen, you can find them easily right now, in the deep of winter, when deciduous trees are bare of leaves. So the next time you take a walk or go for a drive, be on the look out for pines.
Heart Healthy Excerpt from: New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way, Alte ative Approaches for Women 30-90 by Susun S. Weed
“Pay attention now,” Grandmother Growth says, taking your hand and holding your gaze. “The Change known as menopause deserves your full attention.” “Pay attention now, and relax. Focus, allow, observe, surrender. Your egg basket empties; your memory basket grows heavier.”
Herbal medicine is the medicine of the people. It is simple, safe, effective, and free. Our ancestors knew how to use an enormous variety of plants for health and well-being. Our neighbors around the world continue to use local plants for healing and health maintenance, and you can too. In your first lesson, you learned how to "listen" to the messages of plant's tastes. And you discovered that using plants in water bases (teas, infusions, vinegars, soups) - and as simples - allows you to experiment with and explore herbal medicine safely.
The dark months are a time of rest and renewal, not a time of high energy. The fairies return to their underground homes at Halloween and return aboveground on May Day. Give in to the slower pace of the winter. Expect less of yourself; enjoy more time in bed. Stop fighting the dark. Let it be deep and nourishing. Before electric lights, humans slept twelve hours a day during the winter. Recognize the softer energy of contemplation and enjoy it, just as you do the active energy of summer.
Winter is coming. So are colds and the flu. Here are some tips for preventing these viral illnesses. And for getting well fast if you do get sick. Preventing colds and the flu can be summed up in three words: Wash your hands. The viruses that cause colds and the flu most readily enter our bodies by means of our hands. Wash your hands after shopping. Remind your children to wash their hands as soon as they come home from school. A little "hysterical hygiene" goes a long way to keeping colds at bay.
ENERGY & STAMINA THE WISE WOMAN WAY ~2002, Susun S Weed If having enough energy to earn your daily bread and to get all your chores done is a struggle for you. If you go to bed tired, but wake up even more tired. If you can't get up and go without coffee, or can't slow down and relax without alcohol. If your fatigue is ruining your mood and your friendships. Then it's time to build energy and stamina the Wise Woman Way.
Herbal Smoking Mixtures c. 2012, Susun Weed See Part One Let's expand our range of plants activated by fire. Some sources say that more than a hundred different herbs were utilized in Native American smoking mixes. What would your smoking mix be? Would you have several, for different tasks?
Hawtho is the tree of May. Its many common names include whitethorn, hagthorn, ladies' meat, quickthorn, maytree, and mayblossom. Its magic and medicine are ancient and memorable. From the earliest records, hawtho is one of the sacred trees. Hawtho is the sixth tree of the Ogam cycle, Hath. Hath precedes Quer, the oak, center tree of the cycle of thirteen. Hawtho is said to guard the hinges and to oversee crafts. A branch of flowering hawtho placed in studio or workshop is believed to make the craftsperson skilled and successful. Hath shuts what is open and opens what is shut.
INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS by Susun Weed ©2007 Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a chronic inflammation of the space between lining of the urinary bladder and its muscle.
Spirit and Practice of the Wise Woman Tradition c. 2001 by Susun S. Weed
Bladder Infections Excerpt from: New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way, Alte ative Approaches for Women 30-90 by Susun S. Weed
To read the entire Wise Woman Herbal Ezine visit: http://wisewomanherbalezine.com/wordpress/2012/01/31/january-31-2012/ Greetings from Susun~ Dear friends of the green, Last week we began making herbal smokes and smudges using mints and mullein. Let’s expand our range of plants activated by fire. Some sources say that more than a hundred different herbs were utilized in Native American smoking mixes. What would your smoking mix be? Would you have several, for different tasks?
To read the entire Wise Woman Herbal Ezine, filled with color photas and recipes, visit: http://wisewomanherbalezine.com/july24-2012/index.html Weed Walk July 24, 2012 The Berries of Summer Yum! Yum! It’s time to harvest the berries of summer. There are so many to choose from, I would have to be a bear to eat them all. (Our local bear had three cubs this summer, so we know who will get most of the berries in the mountains.)
To read the entire Ezine including color photos and recipes, visit: http://wisewomanherbalezine.com/june19-2012/index.html Joyous Solstice Greetings to All. The energies of the plants are throbbing as the longest day of the year floods us all with warmth and sunshine. It’s a good thing the days are long, there is so much to do.
WILD FOODS FOR WISE WOMEN: The Missing Pat of your Diet may be in Your Own Back Yard PART ONE © Susun S Weed Part one of a two-part article.
NATURAL REMEDIES FOR PROBLEMS IN BREASTFEEDING PART 1 ~Susun S Weed
Questions -- And Answers -- About Nourishing Herbal Infusions by Susun S Weed c. 2002 click here to learn how to make infusion
How Safe Is Soy? by Susun S Weed Condensation of an article in NewLife Mag, May '96, by Sally Fallon, M.A. and Mary Enig, Ph.D.
To read the entire Wise Woman Herbal Ezine, including color photos and recipes visit: http://wisewomanherbalezine.com/june5-2012/index.html Weed Walk Green greetings to you all. Thanks so much for your feedback. Sounds as if we are all having lots of fun with these virtual weed walks and enjoying real weed walks too. Yes! It is wonderful how the children thrive when we take them out and munch wild greens with them. Herbal medicine is people’s medicine. And it starts with the kids.
STEP 1. COLLECT INFORMATION Birth control, never simple or easy, is complicated incredibly by the erratic ovulations and unpatte ed menses of the premenopausal and menopausal years. Remember your high school chums who unexpectedly had a little baby brother or sister? The biological imperative to reproduce doesn't die without a struggle. This article is for those who don't want to have a(nother) child. STEP 2. ENGAGE THE ENERGY
Herbal Adventures with Susun S Weed The Artemisia genus as seen printed in www.sagewoman.com
EYE-OPENING INFORMATION FOR MENOPAUSAL WOMEN from NEW Menopausal Years The Wise Woman Way, Alte ative Approaches for Women 30-90 Susun S. Weed
To read the entire Wise Woman Ezine, visit: http://wisewomanherbalezine.com/wordpress/2012/05/08/may-8-2012/ The Green Report by Susun Weed – May 8th, 2012 Greetings to all! Here is the second installment of your Green Report for this month, featuring wildflowers of the fields. (Check out last week’s report for wildflowers of the forest.)