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Northeast School of Botanical Medicine

Northeast School of Botanical Medicine

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No Widgets

"Secondary" needs some widgets.

A follow up to my previous post about traveling. A

A follow up to my previous post about traveling. A number of people pointed out the risks of traveling, and I agree completely. And, of course, the risks are not just about me, but about everyone I come into contact with. I appreciate your thoughtful concerns.
And there is a good chance I will not travel at all this winter. I adore being at home. But, I wanted to get some ideas of where I might travel, if not this year (improbably), then sometime in the future.
I take all of what people have said about Covid risks seriously and will likely not travel this winter, but I enjoy the daydream (similar to looking at seed catalogs in January).

A Travel Question Almost every winter I travel to

A Travel Question
Almost every winter I travel to someplace warmer, generally for about 3-4 weeks around February and March.
Obviously this year is very different due to Covid-19. I plan on getting tested before I leave, but still, I want to stay safe for myself and others I may meet.

I don’t want to fly. I have a van with a bed set up in it and will bring camping and cooking gear with me. I am quite good at being on my own.

Places I have really enjoyed in the past include Big Bend, TX, many places in the Sonoran desert, Everglades NF and Anza Borrego SP. I am a botanist and naturalist, and like meeting new animals and plants. And the occasional human mammal.

Given the pandemic and any other factors, where do you suggest?

One thing I feel I cannot complain about this year

One thing I feel I cannot complain about this year has been the weather. For finter (fall/winter) it has been mild with many days in the 40s, and even a few in the 50s and 60s. And even with all this snow, it still only in the low 30s. I did want to get one more load of manure down, but perhaps we will have a few dry, not terribly cold days yet.
How are you all faring, weather-wise?

About Bleeding A good post-Thanksgiving day to you

About Bleeding
A good post-Thanksgiving day to you all. Today’s post may be a teensy bit controversial (don’t worry, it ain’t political) and perhaps a tad defensive. Also, it seems as if my word modifier is on full.

As foreshadowed, this is about bleeding. While working at first aid stations, I see bleeding fairly often. It is rarely serious and more commonly a symptom to be stopped than the main health issue. For instance, if there is a dog bite or deep puncture wound, stopping the bleeding is the preliminary step before tending to the puncture or bite.
For this post, I am referring to external (rather than internal) bleeding.
I often hear about herbal styptics (medicines that stop bleeding, a type of hemostatic agent). The main ones are usually Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and Cayenne (Capsicum species) along with a few others.
When I am asked about herbs that staunch the flow of blood I often say that I have not found the herbs that effective for this task. But on reflection (the cool gray weather is good for this), I realize what I should probably be saying is that I find I rarely have the need for herbal styptics for external bleeding.
Meaning that when someone comes in with profuse bleeding, we put on gloves, get clean gauze and start applying direct pressure over the wound site. If it continues to bleed, we pile on more gauze and continue to apply pressure until hopefully a clot starts forming and the bleeding slows down. The tricky part is eventually removing the gauze as this may cause the bleeding to resume. But hopefully it has slowed down enough to examine and tend to the wound.
I realize now that I have not tried the herbs enough to get a strong feeling for how well they work because pressure alone often gets the job done. Also, adding any foreign material into a wound site (i.e., herbs) can complicate the cleaning process.
There are exceptions to the above along with herbs for internal bleeding that will need to wait for another time. ~7Song, November 27, 2020

A Day of Reflection This Thanksgiving gives pause

A Day of Reflection
This Thanksgiving gives pause for reflection
There has been so much said and unsaid about
2020
My mother’s death sits at the paramount of all that
has occurred to/with me this year
a loss that will be held forever

While my school’s main program was canceled
along with almost all travel
This gave rise to having more time to work in my garden
something I have not done in many years
and fed my body and my mind

There have been many people who reached out
during this searing pandemic
And we had time to communicate by phone
and in person
this too was a treasure
to catch up on each other’s lives

I feel cautious to bring in the political
but knowing the Reign of Trump
will soon be over
Brings me some cautious calm

To whomever you are
and whatever you believe
I hope that whatever changes happen over the next
days, weeks, months, and years
feed you in the most satiating of ways

While it is trite to say
We are all in this together
Please let me know if there is any way
I can be supportive

In the hope of better times
~7Song

Will the Herbs Help? Walk Like A Clinician I was

Will the Herbs Help?
Walk Like A Clinician
I was recently working with a person, who has had long-term insomnia. It started when they were very young and has been consistent for most of their 39 years. They have tried many medications and a few herbs, but none have helped significantly. They take 1 benzodiazepine and 1 non-benzodiazepine to help fall them asleep, but they still do not sleep well. While discussing this situation with an individual it could be easy to think that since they are taking strong medications, and few have ever helped, will herbal remedies really be useful?

One answer is, I'm not sure, but let's give it a try (with the patient's permission and knowledge about possible risks). We spoke recently after they were taking the tincture for about 2 weeks, and they said it was very helpful and they are sleeping better. And this translated into having less daytime fatigue. I felt glad for them and hope the formula continues to be beneficial.

It is a tincture with these ingredients in equal parts: Hops (Humulus lupulus), Valerian (Valeriana officinalis), and Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora).

Before we get too congratulatory, I want to discuss this a bit further.
First, I have given this preparation to quite a few people over the years. There have been numerous times where the results were not nearly as satisfactory. Why so helpful for this person? This is a question that is difficult to answer. Perhaps it was an add-on effect of the 2 medications she continues to take? Or maybe it the unique chemistry of the individual with the constituents of these particular herbs?

One of the main reasons I am writing this to say that sometimes it seems that the herbal remedies are weaker than the medications they are taking. Which leads to the question of whether they will be effective. Here is an instance where they were. So I hope this encourages you, person reading this, to sometimes push through this mental barrier and try some herbal medicines where pharmaceuticals were not at all or only partially helpful. And while we must be cautious about herbs altering a pharmaceutical's intended purpose, sometimes there may be positive additive effect.

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