A journey with death 08/01/2011
 my Grandmother as a little girl When my Grandmother was diagnosed with cancer 2 years ago, it hit the family hard. She pushed through chemo in the hopes to see a cure to a progressive rapid growing cancer, before she died July 15, 2011 at 6:20pm. When the Dr.'s quoted us 6 month's [for her to live] back in December of 2008 our hearts broke. However we joined together to celebrate her, when she survived past the 6 month mark into another year, as a hopeful cancer survivor. Being able to treasure more time with her has been a godsend. My dearest Grandmother has taught me so many amazing things about how to live and be in this world. In the final moments of her life we had some of the most potent and frank dialogs. She let me in, in a way that showed me her vulnerability, her strength and the fragile majesty of death. How sacred this life is and how temporary our time is on this planet. Being with her every month and then every day, it was in those moments that something awoke in me. Something that had been in deep slumber. She said, "Tatiana, you are stronger then you think you are!" Mostly she lipped it, because her voice was gone, but I could certainly hear her. Those words strung together, as a necklace of pearls, pearls of wisdom. Now when I look in the mirror, to look for the part of me that is her, I find my self lip syncing those exact words to myself and now to you dear reader. She gave me an incredible gift, because of her pearls of wisdom I am able to push through the grief and hold up high her standard of being inclusive to a family being tested, by their loss of a great Matriarch. I listen more keenly. I am fierce with my love, but unconditional - every member in my family knows I LOVE them, each and everyone of them. Too keep this a useful Florentina Craft (Craft being my Matriarical family name, from my Grandmother who just passed) I will share with you a few herbs that helped with the grief and loss of my Grandmother. During Hospice, I lived with my Grandmother, it was a 24/7 ordeal. In order to sleep I made a sleep formula, for her caregivers and myself.
My dear friends the Community Cup, a group of herbalist got together with me a day after her passing. We hiked up into the Bay Area wilderness, sat and honored my Grandmothers passing. Marina Storm put together a grief herbal smoke blend, to honor the release of my Grandmother:
Marina and Robin of the Village Farm offered a bushel of Rabbit Tobacco for me to take home. So, I have been sleeping with and smoking this herb often. This lovely plant has been a great companion during my release, through my grieving process. I couldn't have asked for a better plant ally A death of a loved one is a deep experience, so many layers are still being uncovered. Thank you for sharing in this experience with me. 1 Comment nettle (Urtica dioica) 02/07/2011
 dried whole plant Nettle from my friends at the local Herb Garden WellnessPlaceco.com go local ! The Community Cup (a collection of certified western herbalist) decided to intentionally experience Nettle Urtica dioica for an entire moon cycle, full to new. This is what I experienced: What I had was lovely bunch of fresh baby nettles from the Wellness Place, root and all. First I planted a few with gloves on of course because those baby nettles bite. I then dried a few whole baby plants, needle and string right through the root and then hung those sweet little plants up to dry. First fresh nettle tea, hot water infusion. I drank all day and peed a lot. Not only did I pee a lot, but I had this dried out feeling. OK, I reached what it feels like to have too much nettles. Sure the next day I didn't feel swollen or puffy but I continued to pee more then usual for a couple days afterward, even though I only drank the tea for one day. Dry nettle tea, hot water infusion, proved to be a bit less intense. However the green flavor was also less prominent. The flavor overall of this particular nettle is a bit like a green bell pepper, well at least to me. I still peed more and experienced again that dried out feeling especially in my mouth. There was an overall clean feeling from drinking both dry and fresh nettle, which I appreciated. What I found is all I need is a cup and a half of this tea every few days to maintain a cleansed bladder and reduced inflammation of what felt like my overall system. But if I drink this tea every day I feel as if my thirst can not be quenched. The spirit of the plant is tenacious, bend in the wind kind of energy. I felt so clear in my mind, so easy to focus. Definitely grounding, in my body with a super cleansing effect. For me a little goes a long way. Very useful in doing an internal green spring clean. Next on my to do list, only drink the nettle roots... antiviral soup recipe 11/07/2010
have you noticed folks getting a 2 week flu aka influenza? i have! resulting in antibiotics. well, i have decided to make soup - for my family. i aim for health wealth and merriment! the holidays are coming and no one wants to be sick with pumpkin pie in their line of sight (yes, with real whipped cream). looking into my apothecary i notice turkey tails, no not the thanksgiving kind - the fungus among us! that's right turkey tail fungi (Trametes versicolor), harvested right here in california, yes by me.  turkey tail (Trametes versicolor) chicken mushroom soupwhat i am going to need:
simmer the chicken (organic free range wings, the ones i stashed away in the freezer) and turkey tail fungi (Trametes versicolor) for about an hour and a half (sometimes i pick out a good movie to watch during this time), making sure the water doesn't boil away - adding a bit more water if necessary. after the hour and a half has passed i strain out the chicken and mushrooms. in the empty pot a drizzle of olive oil and i add chopped onion, carrots, celery and crushed garlic cloves and i saute for 5 minutes or so. pour over the strained broth and simmer that for a half an hour. during that time i shred the chicken and add it back to the simmering pot. when the onion is cooked turn off the heat. taste it and then add the braggs, pepper, turmeric, lemon juice and sprigs of thyme, let it sit covered - for 15 more minutes. serve with crusty bread drenched in garlic oil. fyi i don't eat the tough turkey tails, i strain them out, their medicinal value has been transferred to the broth. mushrooms in general need hot water to extract their healing constituents, that's why soup is the way to go, yum. happy eating your way to health! ps turkey tail mushrooms are anti-tumor, anti-microbial (is anti-viral), and overall immune stimulating. elderberry 11/17/2009
   elderberry brandy elderberry decoction elderberry cloth filter why elderberry? another cold and flu herb ally. elderberries strengthen cell walls, helping to prevent virus' injecting their selves into your cells which multiply and cause illness. elderberry cordial and brandy are tasty elixirs to help in the prevention of illness. elderberry brandy 1 cup fresh elderberry 1 cups brandy 1 cup honey or 1 cup fresh elderberry 2 cups brandy add all ingredients together in a jar, let sit for a month, drink a tablespoon every day all winter long. elderberry cordial 1 cup fresh elderberry 3 cups water 1 tblsp dry cinnamon powder 1 tblsp ginger (i used dry powder but you could use an inch or 2 of fresh) 1/2 tsp cloves (whole dry) 1/2 tsp star anise 1 cup honey 2 cups brandy add fresh elderberries and water to a pot (pictured above i used my clay pot) bring to boil, then turn heat down to simmer for 20 minutes after 20 minutes add cinnamon, cloves and star anise to pot simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, creating a *decoction after 30 minutes add honey simmer for 5 minutes, stirring thoroughly to incorporate the honey remove from heat strain through cloth (pictured above i used my v sieve/colander and an old sheet) add brandy jar and enjoy 1tblsp every day all winter long. this is a wellness warming elixir, best warmed up. *decoction: (herbs boiled down, reducing the liquid to make a strong tea/elixir) what you will have is about 40% decotion 40% brandy 20% honey strengthen your cells all winter long with elderberries, delicious. a tip to stay well through the cold 11/09/2009
 yes, garlic. powerful fragrant potent ally, garlic. i could google the history of garlic, but you can do that for yourself. instead i'll share my personal story. i found the medicinal use of garlic when i worked at a hardware store. i worked with a mexican mom of two, who had deep old roots in mexican herbalism. she was kind and generous with her knowledge of old ways, as she called it. we would talk a lot about herbs between the nuts and bolts of our job. this is an ode to her remedios (remedies). when you are warm to the touch with a hot ear a clove of garlic slightly warmed up just enough to loosen the oils wrapped in a cotton ball and stuck in the bothered ear may help. the idea is to keep it in until you taste garlic, which is about 2 hours. i do this a couple times for three days. my experience is, garlic smell with much, improvement. the garlic odor is the magic behind the herb. i like to eat garlic too. especially during the first signs of sickness. it is important not to cook the medicinal properties out of your garlic. the idea is to preserve all of the garlic's healing properties. these powerful actions include antimicrobial, antibiotic and antiviral. here are easy ways to enjoy garlic:  honey has natural healing qualities! not only is it soothing but it is also antibacterial.   garlic; crushed, minced, sliced or chopped. honey plus garlic equals a tasty spoonful, taken when there are signs of a cold. i make a big jar of honey garlic and let it infuse and meld together. i eat it straight, add it to raw sauces, just off the heat veggies, on corn bread, rice, quinoa and whatever else might taste good.  garlic olive oil is also pretty useful too. chop up some garlic, add it to some of your favorite olive oil and voila you've got another tasty way to support your immune system. cancer moon 10/11/2009
side stepping cancer, be mindful with your side stepping emotions. looking at folks from the corner of your eye. soft self protected by your hard shell and pinching claw. cancer is ruled by the moon. the depths of emotion, the tide pool reflection, the ebb and flow - you know. the key with this moon is release, let these emotions flow through you like rain - cleansing you. find peace in your release, it's a powerful part of the cycle of things. call upon your allies, mine is skullcap (scutellaria lateriflora) this plant puts my head back on. when the nerves/emotions of everyone are spilling into em-path, i take a few drops of this plant and like magic i'm centered in my own experience. i love plants.  scutellaria lateriflora | tatiana
up to fun creative expression, trusting in the flow of things. ArchivesMarch 2012 CategoriesAll |
RSS Feed