Boundary-marker, boundary-breaker: Hawthorn

Hawthorn from botanical.com

Hawthorn Craetagus monogyna gets its name from the Anglo-Saxon word “haw” meaning hedge or enclosure and is used as such in parts of the world like the UK to mark the boundaries of fields.  Known simply at times as “thorn,” Hawthorn is one of the sacred trees of Celtic folklore that along with Oak and  Ash, help mortals to see the Good Folk.  Hawthorn is both a charm of fertility and chastity (quite a permeable boundary there) – place it in a bouquet for a fertile union and beneath the bed to make it less so. The Hawthorn hedge is a sacred plant of May, used to decorate May Poles, though is must be carefully harvested so as not to anger the Gods to whom it is so sacred.  Witches were sometimes called “hedgeriders” invoking their ability to ride the hedge from the fields of humankind to the fields of faery.

For times when someone feels misplaced and disconnected because their heart has squeezed shut, aching from the pain of disappointment, grief and change.  For those who have lost touch with the desire of the heart when life challenges us with unexpected outcomes. They fidget, are anxious, have trouble sleeping, and may even experience heart palpitations as they close off from the pain rather than engage in the process of transformation.  It's as if they’ve been thrown up in the air and can’t seem to find their way back down, left only to fall, feeling disoriented and so they close up to try and protect themselves from the impact.  Hawthorn might be the green ally to help them fall in love, not fear.

Hawthorn is used extensively in both Chinese and Western herbal traditions.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hawthorn is primarily used as a digestive tonic, whereas in the Western tradition of herbalism it is generally used as a heart tonic.  As a heart tonic, Hawthorn tonifies the heart through normalizing blood pressure, dilating blood vessels, improving the heart’s muscle contractions, promotes circulation, lowers blood pressure, and strengthens the endothelial lining of the heart, blood and lymphatic vessels.  Hawthorn also helps to prevent future heart complications, including atherosclerosis.

Hawthorn flowers from wikipedia.org

Herbalist David Winston uses Hawthorn with clients with ADHD for its centering abilities that address disturbed and unsettled energy.  Hawthorn restores calm and is also very nutritive, full of vitamins and minerals such as C, B1, B2, and calcium.  Topically the leaves and flowers can be used as a gargle for sore throats and the berries can be eaten raw or as a jelly.  In Germany, the leaves are even used as an alternative to black and green tea.

Since Hawthorn is a slow-acting adaptogenic herb, it is important to take it for at least three months for its medicinal qualities to truly take hold.  Hawthorn is not only a tonic for the physical manifestation of our heart, but our emotional and spiritual heartache, too.  Just as Hawthorn acted as the enchanted boundary between the worlds of humans and faeries, so will Hawthorn help those who are struggling with change, usually stemming from a source of deep grief, open their hearts to compassion and acceptance.  It not only strengthens a person’s connection with their own heart, but the heart and beat of the earth who many of us call Mother.

Add Hawthorn berries into your diet, either in tea, tincture or raw, as a good source of vitamin C.  I add Hawthorn berries, leaves, and flowers into iced tea blends for its naturally cooling qualities, especially when I'm feeling irritated in the hot heat.  I especially incorporate Hawthorn into my daily Fall practice as part of my cold preventative routine.

Quicken the Mind: Peppermint

The crisp and recognizable scent of Peppermint Mentha Piperita brings money to those who carry its leaves and protection to the traveler.  Use Peppermint as an incense or floorwash to purify and energize a space. Tuck the leaves beneath your pillow to enhance dreams and visions or wear them about your neck to increase focus and drive.  Peppermint in the garden brings success to all endeavors.  The genus name of Peppermint, Mentha, is after that of a Greek nymph named Minthe, who after an affair with Pluto was turned to the Peppermint plant we know today by a jealous Persephone.  Or at least that is one version of the story…

For those that feel they are walking in a haze, worried about that which lies beyond the fog, but unable to direct focused attention towards it.  They might be too worried to know more, prone to upset stomachs, too hot then too cold, and a bit exhausted by it all.  Peppermint might be the wise green ally who helps bring them back to focus through gentleness and loving perception of the body’s needs.

Peppermint from iloveherbs.net

Peppermint loves to soothe the body.  Use as a tea or tincture to settle the stomach, ease abdominal pain, menstrual cramps, and for flatulence (especially if taken after meals).  Peppermint is also antiparasitic.  As a tea Peppermint eases flu and cold symptoms, helps to break fevers by encouraging a sweat, expels phlegm, and clears the head.  Peppermint helps treat sinusitis, laryngitis, bronchitis, and is good for inflamed lung conditions, asthma, heart palpitations, lung infection and congestion. Eases insomnia, general tension, and is good for dizziness and fainting, fatigue, and headaches

Yerba Buena

Use the oil or a tea externally to soothe sore muscles, inflammation, rough skin, hives, and rashes. Also use in cool washes for chicken pox and measles.  Peppermint can be used as a gargle for mouth and throat and to prevent gingivitis.  The crushed leaves can be applied to forehead for headaches and directly on bee stings or insect bites.  Preventatively, Peppermint can be used as a repellent for most biting bugs.

Try rubbing the fresh, crushed leaves on your skin as a natural bug repellant and for its calming properties.  I love mixing the fresh mint leaves with apple juice and ice for a cooling drink – especially important in our new Austin home!  Peppermint tea on its own is a wonderful digestive remedy, but also try mixing it with a bit of fresh grated Ginger, some Cinnamon, and a bit of Fennel seed.  Delicious!

Remembering Wholeness: Rosemary

botanical.com

Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis is known for remembrance and to keep the spirit youthful. Keep it under your bed to protect against bad dreams, hang it above doors and porches to deter thieves. Rosemary planted by the front door shows that the women run the home as well as their fortune. Clears spaces of harmful energies through its purifying vibrations and happy song. Watch closely the Rosemary bush, for you might just spot the Good Folk hidden amongst its branches.

Rosemary is the herb for those who look as though they need the dry, hot heat of the Mediterranean to restore their vitality and bring a healthy color to the skin. For those who feel stuck, might have poor circulation, and a general lack of energy and enthusiasm – life seems a bit grey, a bit bitter. The glow of Rosemary relieves the chilliness of body and spirit, bringing warmth and movement to the heart and mind.

Rosemary has many uses because it is, quite frankly, so useful! Rosemary is good for aiding the memory and improving concentration, as well as relieving tension headaches and “brain fog.” It also helps atop our head by promoting hair growth and providing relief for itchy scalps and dandruff. Rosemary has also been used in treatments of depression, Alzheimer’s disease, vertigo, stress, and anxiety.

After a bought of sickness or a round of the blues, drink Rosemary tea to restore your body’s inner warmth and fire for life. Rosemary is very restorative to all of our blood organs such as the liver, heart, spleen, and kidneys, which need some helpful cleansing after a period of fatigue. Use Rosemary to bring on menses and reduce menstrual cramps.

Rosemary bush from wikipedia.org

Rosemary stimulates liver function and improves circulation by raising blood pressure. Our green friend also treats excessive blood sugar by enhancing the burning off of and consumption of blood sugars and fats by the metabolism. Therefore, Rosemary is used in the treatment of diabetes. Rosemary can also be used as a cancer preventative for its abilities to prevent carcinogenic chemicals from binding to DNA and causing mutations.

Topically, Rosemary can be used to relieve the itch of eczema, soothe sore muscles, sprains, and rheumatism. The oil can be rubbed into the skin to improve circulation. A poultice of Rosemary placed on the forehead and back of the neck can be employed when treating headaches and migraines. Make a medicinal strength brew of Rosemary tea to use as a hair rinse to treat dandruff and scalp itchiness.

Holy Herb of the West: Yerba Santa

flowersociety.org

The sweet tasting Yerba Santa is said to enhance beauty and be useful in spells of glamoury and illusion. In addition to its ability to magickally alter the appearance of clever sorcerers, Yerba Santa is said to protect the wearer from illness and disease when worn around the neck.  Place it on your altar as a sacred offering.  Call them Bear's Weed, Holy Herb, Mountain Balm or Tar Weed there are many more ways than wearing our purple-flowered friend about our neck to improve our health.

Yerba Santa is an excellent herbal ally for the cold parts of the year when stuffed-up noses and congested chests are passed around like holiday gifts.  'Tis the season for giving (along with all other three seasons, but that's a bit beyond the point)!  Yerba Santa is an excellent remedy for a wet cold - one that is mucousy, sniffling, and has a cough.  As an astringent and decongestant, Yerba Santa dries up excess mucous by normalizing excess mucous secretion.  Normalizing mucous secretion means that you won't have to go back and forth between too much and too little secretion leading to being too dried out and equally uncomfortable.  In addition to its powers of mucous normalization, Yerba Santa is antimicrobial and antiseptic.

In addition to colds and because Yerba Santa strengthens capillaries and stimulates the cilia of the lungs, is appropriate for treating other respiratory conditions such as asmtha, hayfever, and sinus congestion.  It is also useful for digestive complaints because it normalizes mucous secretions in the gut.  The leaves can also be chewed to quench thirst.

flowersociety.org

Topically Yerba Santa can be used in poultices for broken bones, bruises, fever, insect bites, poison oak and ivy, rash, acne, sprains and sores.  Pretty darn useful.

I keep a small bottle of Yerba Santa tincture on me most days to help prevent asthma attacks brought on by environmental pollutants.  During a series of extensive fires outside L.A. a few summers ago the city became covered in a thick sky of ash.  I took Yerba Santa daily to help strengthen my lungs against the added environmental pollutant stress being put on my body.  It worked wonderfully and has been a well-loved herbal ally in my traveling apothecary ever since.  You can also use the leaves in a steam for clearing up congestion and opening the lung passageways.

Tree of Medicine: Elder

Lady Ellhorn, give me of thy wood,

And I will give thee of mine,

When I become a tree.

So goes the chant to be said when cutting a branch from the sacred Elder tree. Inhabited with the spirits of Witches and Dryads, the chant warns them off so no harm comes to them. Magic surrounds the legends of Elder. There is a Sicilian tradition of placing elder in the home to protect against theft and a newlwed couple in Serbia would be given elder for good luck and a happy future. Protecting against all forms of evil and dark magick, Elder is generous in bestowing good fortune. But always remember to give honor to the Hylde-Moer as the the Elder tree mother is known in Denmark. In addition to guarding the doorways between this world and the next, Elder has many practical uses for the health of the living.

Elder flower by author

Elder is probably best known for its marvelous ability to treat colds, flus, and upper respiratory infections. Elder berry is effective against at least 10 strains of the flu virus and generally reduces flu symptoms by 3-4 days. One of the reasons Elder berries are so effective against the flu is because they strengthen cell membrane by preventing virus penetration. Elder binds and disarms hemagglutinins which are viral spikes that punch through cell membranes to deliver the virus. The flowers and berries of Elder also help remove toxins from the body by inducing sweating as diaphoretics. The purple color of the berries are from anthocyanins which have fierce free-radical scavenging capabilities and the berries also enhance immune function.

Elder Berries from wikipedia.org

Even after all that work, Elder still finds time to help reduce stress, treat rheumatism, neuralgia, headaches, sore throats, hayfever, sinusitis, ear infection, and improve athletic recovery time. Topically, the flowers are anti-inflammatory, soothing to the eyes, and they also help capillaries. The leaf can be used topically for bruises, sprains, wounds, chilblains, and acne.

Elder Berry syrup and tea is my favorite way to enjoy the healing powers of Elder. You can also get Elder Berry powder, which is still a bit grainy, and mix that into your breakfast cereal and oatmeal. I also use Elder Flowers topically in a facial toner - you can easily make an herbal steam with them!  Boil a few cups of water and pour into a bowl, adding about a tablespoon or two of Elder flowers. Sit over the bowl, covering your head and bowl with a towel so you are completely immersed in the steam. Relax and enjoy for the next 5-10 minutes. Elder flowers will help to reduce inflammation and gently soothe irritated skin that is prone to acne.