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WEED WANDERINGS
~ Herbal Medicine with Susun Weed ~

WINTER 2003 ~ Volume 3 Number 1

Legal Disclaimer

What's Inside Weed Wanderings this Month...

~Welcome ~

Calendar of Events

Wise Woman Center -- Workshops for Women
Join us this year for spirit healing and herbal medicine workshops, intensives, and apprenticeships with Susun Weed and other Wise Woman teachers. The Wise Woman Center in Woodstock NY exists to re-weave the healing cloak of the Ancients. This land, this sacred sanctuary for women is a place for the teachings of the Wise Woman way. The Goddess lives here, as do goats, fairies, green witches, and elders. Located between Woodstock and Saugerties, 5 miles from the NYS Thruway, the Wise Woman Center is easily accessible while private enough for nude swimming. You'll receive a map and directions when you register. Nourishing wild-food vegetarian meals are included with all workshops.

See the Calendar of Events & Workshop schedule (and to register) for this year, click here.

~ Give a gift certificate to someone you love -- or yourself --
for a one day class
Register at www.wisewomanbookshop.com

Join Our Moonlodge Gatherings...

 

~ FEATURE ARTICLE ~

DEPRESSED?

WISE WOMAN WAYS OFFER A HELPING HAND

2002, Susun S. Weed

 

Winter time is depression time for many women. Perhaps it is harder to look at the bright side when days are short, perhaps the holidays and family demands take their toll on us. Of course, depression can also be triggered by lack of thyroid hormone and by use of steroids, high blood pressure drugs, and ERT/HRT.

But most often the cause of depression is the belief (valid or not) that nothing you do makes any difference. Victimization and poverty lock women into depression. More than one-third of all American women have been victims of sexual or physical abuse; and women make up more than two-thirds of all Americans who live below poverty level. Yet our culture frowns on women who express their anger. No wonder depression is a woman's issue.

“Look here,” Grandmother Growth motions to you as she spreads her story blanket at your feet. “See how depression is deeply woven with anger and grief. When our need for reliable, joyous intimacy is frustrated, and expression of our frustration would endanger us, depression comes and protects us. When there is no way to deal effectively with situations that enrage us, depression comes and helps us quiet our violent impulses.

“Depression is not an easy companion on your journey, but she knows much about life. In her bundle, she carries the anger you have carefully frozen with frigid blasts of fear and kept nourished with your pain. She carries your wholeness. She carries your ability to go beyond the pain, your ability to allow your rage to move you into health. She carries your wholeness. Will you let her teach you?"

Wise Woman remedies don’t seek to eliminate our feelings, or turn “negative” ones into “positive” ones, but to help us incorporate all of our feelings into our wholeness/health/holiness.

Welcome the dark. Cherish the deepness. Give yourself over to a day or two of doing nothing. Then, get up, no matter how bad you feel. Set a goal for the day and meet it. Smile - it releases brain chemicals that make you feel good. Smile no matter what. Do it as an exercise. Hate it while you do it. But SMILE!

Homeopathic remedies include Arum metallicum, for women with frequent thoughts of suicide who feel cut off from love and joy; and Sepia, for women who are disinterested in everything, angry at family and friends, and just want to be left alone.

It’s more than idle chatter that depression comes with gray skies and happiness with sunny ones. For emotional health (and strong bones) get 15 minutes of sunlight on your uncovered eyelids (outside, no glasses, no contacts) daily. If you can’t get out (or if the sun doesn’t cooperate), wake up 1-2 hours earlier than usual. (You can stay in bed, but keep those eyes open.)

Sing the blues; dance ‘em too. Women have depended on songs and dances to carry them out of depression for centuries. Dance therapy is more effective than talk therapy for reaching and healing traumatic experiences. Even a single session may have a dramatic effect.

Find your rage and write it down. Get a massage and let the anger move out of the muscles. Volunteer to help change something you are upset about, even a small thing.

St. Joan’s/John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) lives in very sunny locations and blooms at summer solstice. I call it bottled sunshine. A dropperful of the bright red tincture taken 1-3 times daily has helped many women relieve SAD (seasonal affective disorder), move through grief, ease the physical pain of depression, and walk on the sunny side! CAUTION: Hypericum in capsules is not as effective and can cause unwanted side effects.

Oatstraw infusion (not tea, tincture, or capsules) has been an ally for depressed women since earliest times. Gentle Avena nourishes the nerves and helps you remember why life is worth living. To make an infusion: Brew one ounce by weight of dried herb (that's a cup by volume) in a quart jar filled to the top with boiling water. Steep for at least four hours, then strain and refrigerate your infusion. Drink as many cups a day as you wish. Or make an oatstraw bath by adding two quarts of infusion to your bath water.

Garden sage (Salvia) is an ancient ally for emotionally-distressed women. In some societies, only crones were allowed to drink the brew made from the nubbly leaves (at least partly because it delays menses and dries up breast milk). Make an infusion (see oatstraw); drink by mixing a few spoonfuls of the dense brew into hot water or warm milk; add honey to taste. The undiluted infusion keeps for weeks refrigerated.

Behavioral and interpersonal therapies are as effective as drugs in relieving depression. Not only that, two-thirds of those who simply read about therapy improve significantly.

Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise, especially soon after awakening, has been shown to help women whose depression is resistant to all treatments, including drugs.

Sleep less. If you are a woman who overproduces a normal depression-causing substance which accompanies sleep you will feel depressed and often find it difficult to wake up. Sleeping more will only compound the problem. Instead, stay up all night once a week. If you can’t cope with no sleep, even mild sleep deprivation (such as sleeping five hours or less for two nights in a row) dramatically decreases depressive symptoms in some people.

Low levels of calcium, zinc, and B vitamins are associated with depression. Get more by eating more cheese and yogurt, more garlic and mushrooms, more whole grains and beans.

Lack of vitamin B12 doubles the risk of severe depression for older women. This critical nutrient, found only in animal products, is destroyed by tofu and soy beverage. Drink real milk, eat real cheese, eat meat at least occasionally and watch your mood improve :)

1600 mg of SAM-e (A-adenosylmethionine) relieved the symptoms of moderate depression as well as imipramine, but no better than Hypericum (St. J's wort). CAUTION: Of the brands tested by Consumer Reports, only Natrol, Nature Made, TwinLab, and GNC passed all tests.

Avoid hormone replacement - ERT/HRT - if you're depressed; it's strongly associated with an increase in suicide attempts.

Women who used to take lithium say they have gradually switched over to skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora). A dose of infusion is one cup/250 ml or more per day; of fresh plant tincture is 5-8 drops twice a day; of the dried plant tincture is a dropperful/1 ml several times a day. CAUTION: Skullcap can make you sleepy.

For women whose depression resists all other therapies, electro-convulsive treatments (ECT), previously known as shock treatments, have been updated with special care taken to minimize harm. The women I spoke with who were using ECT told me it was incredibly effective, and the side-effects, including severe memory loss, acceptable to them.

From doing nothing, to ECT, the range of remedies available to depressed women is enormous. To help you choose wisely, these effective, simple Wise Woman remedies are in order of safety: the safest remedies first, and the most dangerous ones last. This Excerpt is a shortened version of the depression section in New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way, available at www.wisewomanbookshop.com or through your favorite bookseller.

If you liked this article you will want to visit Susun Weed online at www.susunweed.com
For permission to reprint this article, contact us at: susunweed@herbshealing.com

Hi Susun, Great to learn that you have a newsletter. I've really appreciated your shared wisdom in the books that I've read by you. Look forward to hearing more.

A close friend directed me to the recipes in your Breast Cancer? Breast Health! book for the slippery elm lozenges - this has literally saved me from taking thousands of $ of drugs and has given me a new lease on life. Bless you.

Celeste C.
www.spinstersloft.com/

Hi Justine, You are certainly welcome to use my very strong recommendations for Susun's books! This has literally saved my life. I don't know if you know Buffy, but she was an apprentice of Susun's a while back. She happened to come to visit me just when I got out of the hospital. The lozenges were the only thing that gave me grace. All the drugs were awful, and I quit taking them in order to swallow slippery elm instead. The lozenges helped me avoid at least 2 more surgeries! They're the best thing!!!

Bye for now,
Celeste
www.spinstersloft.com

 

Wise Woman Feature...


HERBALISM

by Susun S. Weed

Herbalism, the use of plants for health and healing, is as old as humanity, if not older. In hunting/gathering societies, women are naturally the herbalists. This connection between women and herbs continues today. At the turn of the Century, herbalism in America is undergoing a renaissance. Throughout most of the rest of the world, especially in countries where women's wisdom has traditionally been honored, herbalism remains, as ever, the treatment of choice for many acute and most chronic health problems. Herbal medicine is a complex and daunting study; yet it is the medicine of the people and so simple that children safely apply it.

THE WISE WOMAN TRADITION

The earliest known herbalism is the Wise Woman Way: the way of our foremothers out of Africa, our ancient female ancestors. Herbalism is still used and respected in many places, especially the Orient, the mid-East, and India.

Wise women view herbs as spiritual allies and intrinsically important foodstuffs as well as medicines. Psychoactive plants are both teachers and healers, and are used, under the guidance of the herbalist/shaman, by all members of the community. Compassion, connection, community, and honor for the Earth characterize Wise Woman herbalism. The nourishing herbal infusions, mineral-rich vinegars, and edible herbs favored by wise women are generally considered safe, even in quantity, for all women, including those pregnant and lactating.

Favorite herbs include nourishing tonics such as nettle, red clover, oatstraw, comfrey leaf, linden, dandelion, seaweed, and burdock.

THE HEROIC TRADITION

In Europe, and then in the Americas, the Inquisition targeted Wise Woman herbalists/midwives and (often through torture and murder) replaced them with male Heroes, who used herbs to drive out the devils of illness from the hated body. Herbs that caused catharsis and purging were elevated, as was blood-letting.

The Heroic tradition, despising all things female, licensed only men as healers. Anyone who practiced without a license (women) was persecuted. Some escaped to the Americas, learned Native American herbal medicine, and served their communities - only to be vilified and replaced by school-trained male physicians from England several generations later. The Heroic tradition is still popular in Europe and in Latin and Black communities throughout the Americas. Domination, mentation, isolation, and distrust of the Earth (who is female and therefore considered sinful and dirty) characterize Heroic medicine.

Favorite herbs include powerful stimulants and sedatives such as cayenne, lobelia, valerian, ephedra, golden seal, cascara sagrada, turkey rhubarb, and aloes. Most Heroic herbs are dangerous to women, especially if pregnant or lactating.

THE SCIENTIFIC TRADITION

Where the practice of medicine becomes dominated by linear, either/or thinking, the Scientific tradition replaces the Heroic. Women and their connection to herbs are again vilified, as quacks, rather than as witches. The quest for powerful drugs brings plants to the laboratory, where active ingredients are extracted, concentrated, isolated, standardized, sanitized, and ultimately synthesized. Plants are raw materials, crude, inexact, and unpredictable.

Approximately 85 percent of the hundreds of thousands of drugs currently used are directly or indirectly derived from plants; eg foxglove (digitalis compounds), Pacific yew (cancer drug), wild yam (cortisone, birth control pills), and chinchona (quinine). Drugs and drug-like herbs cause severe side effects and should not be self-administered by pregnant and lactating women.

EXPLORING HERBAL MEDICINE: RESOURCES

Achterberg, Jeanne. Woman As Healer: A panoramic survey of the healing activities of women from prehistoric times to the present. Shambala (Boston), 1990.

Benedetti, Maria Dolores. Earth and Spirit: Medicinal Plants and Healing Lore from Puerto Rico. Verde Luz (Orocovis, Puerto Rico), 1998.

Bennett, Jennifer. Lilies of the Hearth: The Historical Relationship Between Women & Plants. Firefly (Willowdale, Ontario, Canada), 1991.

Brooke, Elisabeth. Medicine Women: A Pictorial History of Women Healers. Quest Books (Wheaton, Illinois & Madras, India), 1997.

Women Healers: Portraits of Herbalists, Physicians, and Midwives. Healing Arts Press (Rochester, Vermont), 1995.

Chamberlain, Mary. Old Wives Tales: Their History, Remedies and Spells. Virago (London), 1981

Christopher, Dr. John R. School of Natural Healing: The Reference Volume on Heroic Herbal Therapy for the Teacher, Student, or Practitioner. Christopher Publications, 1976.

Griggs, Barbara. Green Pharmacy: The History and Evolution of Western Medicine. Healing Arts Press (Rochester, Vermont), 1997.

McClain, Carol Shepherd. Women As Healers: Cross Cultural Perspectives. Rutgers University Press (New Brunswick and London), 1989.

Vogel, Virgil J. American Indian Medicine. University of Oklahoma Press (Norman & London), 1970.

Weed, Susun S. Healing Wise: The Second Wise Woman Herbal. Ash Tree Publishing (Woodstock, New York), 1989.

Wichtl, Max (edited and translated from the German by Norman Grainger Bisset). Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals: A handbook for practice on a scientific basis. Medpharm Verlag (Stuttgart) & CRC Press (Boca Raton, Ann Arbor, London, Tokyo), 1994

Note: These resources are but a fraction of what is available. My emphasis is on the history of herbalism and the Wise Woman tradition, but I have included one Heroic (Christopher) and one Scientific (Wichtl) reference.

Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081

Visit Susun Weed at: www.susunweed.com and www.wisewomanbookshop.com
For permission to reprint this article, contact us at: susunweed@herbshealing.com

Greetings Susun!

I adore your books, and would love to receive Green Wanderings!

I enjoy and appreciate your nuturing, uplifting, and calming advice, and green blessings!

With kindest regards and appreciation,
Marina

 

 

Goddess Art & Artists

The Change - In the series "Feminine Energy"

Comfrey Flowers (Symphytum officinale)

Comfrey Leaf (Symphytum officinale)

---

 

"THE CHANGE"

By Suzanne Cheryl Gardner
In the series "Feminine Energy"

Discarding her past
In the inbetween time
Where it is murky and grey
though golden hues hint
of the magic she has acquired.

She recreates herself
From once a beautiful butterfly
Comes a soul deepening
Growing a new kind of wings
Wings with wisdom and vision

The Change of Life is a physical transformation. It is a time for
self-reflection, but most importantly the pause of menses. It is known
that blood holds deep wisdom. From the primordial ooze to the glories
of everlasting life she carries her wisdom within. Her gaze towards
even more enlightenment holds promise that she will create a new life
free from the past, full of the essence of Goddess—unconditional love
and service to others.

View more of and order prints of her art at suzannesart.com

---

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) - supports healing on all levels; heals the etheric body when there has been an injury in this or another lifetime; promotes the embodiment of higher spiritual energies and the expression of our Divine potential.

Comfrey photo by Steve Johnson of Alaskan Essences,
Alaskan Flower Essence Project
Research and Education Office:
PO Box 1369, Homer, Alaska 99603
http://www.alaskanessences.com

---

Reprinted Courtesy of Alan McKnight, Thank you Alan!

~ BOOK REVIEWS ~

Heartland Review - Wise Woman Herbal Series
NEW Menopausal Years - Christina Francine

 
NEW MENOPAUSAL YEARS Book Review Christina Francine

Justine, here is a copy of the review I wrote for your Mom's book, 'The Menopausal Years.' It was delightful reading and I certainly found it informative as well as a pleasure. Best, Chris

New Menopausal Years (The Wise Woman Way)
By: Susun S. Weed
Ash Tree Publishing 2002
Soft Cover $19.95
Review by Christina Francine
http://www.CFrancine.bizland.com

Susun Weed has done it again. Is there no limit to her knowledge of aiding the body naturally? In this new revised and expanded edition readers will find an abundance of information to guide them through the second major change in their life. The first being when they went from a girl to a fertile woman and the second from a fertile woman to a wise crone. Weed’s book is not only memorable; it will change the way women think every day about aging. ‘New Menopausal Years’ is written in third person, but offers first person questions a woman might ask and answers from ‘Grandmother Growth’s’ point of view. This creates a personable read.

One of many positive traits about Weed is how she looks at life. Her attitude is upbeat, optimistic, inspiring, and “A-La-Natural.” She helps women feel good about themselves, gain insight, to accentuate this second step in their life as one to look forward to and as a position of respect and wisdom. Weed tells women their body will change and this doesn’t have to anger or frighten them. It’s their body’s way of preparing to care for itself and store proper nutrients for seasoned years. As if this isn’t enough, Weed also provides recipes, first-aide, herbs to use, places to order herbs, vitamins and minerals, tips, things to avoid, resources, and much more - all this in an effort to aid readers before, during, and after menopause.

Weed’s guide book provides information and remedies for the pre-menopausal years such as sore breasts, hot flashes, emotional uproar (depression), sleep disturbances, migraines, flooding and fibroids and later in the book post-menopausal anxiety over a healthy heart, memory loss, osteoporosis, broken bones, aching joints, and more.

Table of Contents

At the end of each abundant and thorough chapter Weed provides References & Resources, Herbal Allies for Women Beginning Menopause, and Ritual Interlude.

·Introduction
·What are The Menopausal Years?
·Using This Book
·Using Herbs Safely
·Foreword
·Author’s Preface
·Chapter One – Is This Menopause? Preparing for the Journey
·Chapter Two – Post Menopause: She-Who-Holds-the-Wise-Blood-Inside
·Appendix 1 – Herbal Sources of Vitamins and Minerals for the Menopausal Years
·Appendix 2 – Recipes and Pharmacy for the Menopausal Years
·Appendix 3 – Minerals in Selected Herbs
·Glossary (love books with these)
·Endnotes
·Index (love books with these)

What are others saying?

-“It is further flattery, but true! Susun Weed is a gifted writer. Her Crone passages, in which the old woman is giving advice and encouragement often possesses poetical beauty.”
---Juliette de Bairacli Levy

-“Such an important book. Women come into our library seeking this material all the time.”
---Maggy Brown
Center for Medical Consumers

Quotes From The Book:

-“The frequency, intensity, and duration of hot flashes is unique to each woman, but in general, healthier women have more hot flashes.”

-“Great Granddaughter, it is time to prepare for your journey. I am Grandmother Growth. I, my plant friends, and my stories have come to guide you on your menopausal journey, your metamorphosis to Crone, woman of wholeness.”

Susun Weed began studying herbal medicine in 1965 and wrote her first book, ‘Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year’ (1985). Her other books include: ‘Healing Wise’ (1989), ‘Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way’ (1996) and she stars in a video called ‘Menopause Metamorphosis.” Weed appears on many television and radio shows, and in herbal magazines such as ‘The Herb Quarterly.’ She teaches workshops at her Woman Center in Woodstock, New York too.

This book exceeds because of Susun’s relaxed approach, gentle teaching, and offer to hold your hand through the second biggest body change in a woman’s life.

As a woman in her early forties, Weed’s book soothed my apprehensions and demons. Her words enlightened, empowered, and calmed. It was like having a conversation with a wise, loving, old friend. I know what to expect when my menopausal years start now and there is comfort in that. She reminded me to embrace and accept them as a natural part of life.

I recommend any woman looking for enlightenment empowerment, and peace about their menopausal years to read New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way by Susun Weed. Every woman in the world would benefit.

New Menopausal Years (The Wise Woman Way)
By: Susun S. Weed
Ash Tree Publishing 2002
Soft Cover $19.95
Review by Christina Francine
http://www.CFrancine.bizland.com

Visit www.menopause-metamorphosis.com to learn more!

---

 
HEARTLAND REVIEW - WISE WOMAN HERBAL SERIES

Susun, Your review is enclosed below. You may use this in any way you want. It will appear in our January/February 03 issue. Many authors and publishers are posting our reviews to their websites and linking to us. Our link to you will be at your review in our online newsletter. Thanks so much!

Bob Spear
Publisher and Chief Reviewer
Heartland Reviews
410 Delaware
Leavenworth, KS 66048

bobspear@lvnworth.com
http://www.heartlandreviews.com


Title: Wise Woman Herbal Series:
Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year; Healing Wise; Breast Cancer? Breast Health!; New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way.
Author: Susun S. Weed

Illustrator: Various
Publisher and/or Distributor: Ash Tree Publishing

Publisher Website: www.wisewomanbookshop.com
Price: $39.95

Reader: Bob Spear
http://www.heartlandreviews.com

Rating: 5 Hearts

Every now and then we get a whole series of books from a publisher. Rather than write individual reviews on each one, we write a review on a series–especially if the books are closely related in subject matter and quality. The Wise Woman Way series is just one of these. Written by a woman for women, it focuses on women’s health issues using time-tested herbal remedies. Each book addresses a specific area of female concern and provides common sense solutions based upon folk medicine ways kept alive for centuries by women who stepped forward to take responsibility for the knowledge base.

Childbearing Year focuses on the various medical conditions brought on by pregnancy and how to deal with them the natural way.

Healing Wise is a good general-purpose herbal healing book for women.

Breast Health! Includes both preventive measures and supportive natural medicine techniques to lessen the side effects of cancer treatments.

Menopausal Years provides natural solutions to hormonal imbalances and many other areas of concern for woman reaching the menopausal years.

All in all, this series provides a veritable pharmacopoeia of natural medicine and time-proven folk techniques to provide women with better health. We rated the series five hearts.

ORDER NOW at wisewomanbookshop.com

NEW LINKS to check out...

http://www.touchdrawing.com/ The Center for Touch Drawing - See the SoulCards and learn about the simple yet profound process of Touch Drawing through which they were created. Deborah Koff-Chapin shares stories and images from her own experiences, as well as inspiring examples of how Touch Drawing is working in the lives of others. We provide all the resources you need to start Touch Drawing on your own, including books, video, guided audio and materials kits. Deborah offers slide talks and experiential workshops to introduce Touch Drawing. With her live music, she creates a safe and sacred space for you to delve into your soul through Touch Drawing. Free SoulCard E-cards at www.touchdrawing.com

http://www.mothergoddess.com/ This site is dedicated to the female aspect of Creator and Creation – She whose back we walk on and whose food we eat. Mother Earth. The last remnants of Goddess worship were all but wiped out by the massacre of millions of women as witches, during the Middle Ages. And it was all done in the name of a loving God. But the Goddess is reasserting Herself. She is telling us it is time to clean up our acts. The survival of life as we know it, depends upon our willingness to listen to Her and honor Her. To worship the Goddess is to honor the Earth and all the creatures with whom we share this divine place.

 

http://www.spiritofmaat.com/ Spirit of Maat - online community and webzine presented by Drunvalo Melchizedek. We seek the truth and integrity of spiritual wisdom and human potential to co-create a healthy and peaceful world.

http://www.greenwitch.co.uk/ The Green Witch is an independent service based in the ancient Celtic village of Aberdour, on the shores of the Forth River in Fife, Scotland. The village has always had its healing waters and local Wisewoman to help those who needed help and in the past, the people of Edinburgh came to Aberdour to be healed, take in the waters and the air, and generally get away from the problems of city life. The Green Witch is committed to helping and healing all those who find her, using pure and natural products from the bounty of Mother Nature, just as it was and will continue to be.

Christina Francine Whitcher writes fantasy novels, information about herbs, public-awareness, interview pieces and book-reviews. She also enjoys being a mother, horseback riding, and running a small herbal business with her mother. Her work is published in a wide variety of publications. She works in a public school and has over 25 years working with horses. Christina’s motto: “Pursue Your Dreams and Live!”

Web Site: http://www.CFrancine.bizland.com
Need Help for Migraines? http://www.cfrancine.bizland.com/page18.html
Sneak preview of Novel, 'Dream Keeper.' http://www.cfrancine.bizland.com/page7.html
Column at: http://www.botanical.com/site/column_christina/christina_index.html
Latest Book Reviews: http://www.yetanotherbookreview.com
http://www.forewordreviews.com/SearchReviews.asp

http://www.holisticplants.com/ All plants are holistic (healing). They are sacred in themselves and any interaction is a union with life. Through this site horticultural and herbalist details are recorded for a range of health giving remedy plants and medicinal herbs; those used for common ailments and natural remedies, aromatherapy, flower essences and vibrational medicine, as well as eco-friendly houseplants and trees, and also for plants embraced as spiritual guides. It is hoped this site will encourage holistic gardening: gardening for health with environmental consciousness and spiritual intent.

http://curezone.com/ The CureZone.com web site is Educational Foundation, a non-profit operating website dedicated to Health & Education. With over 100 Discussion boards, over 1000 articles on health, over 500 herbal cures and over 80 000 web pages, CureZone is ranked Top 10 Natural-Health web site by Alexa.com. There, you'll find one of the largest "Best Natural-Health Book" catalogs on the web. CureZone.com - Educating instead of Medicating.

http://www.committment.com/ The #1 Woman’s Magazine on the internet! For women who are committed to their work, their world, their soul mate, their children, their friends, themselves...

The site http://www.theGlobalStore.com was set up in response to the frustration of trying to find a product or service in search engines and having tens, hundreds or even thousands of potential sites listed, most being irrelevant. Another obstacle was finding the site offering the product or service in another part of the world with shipping impossible. So, the aims of the site are to provide fast loading pages with product and service details, plus location and shipping information. Plenty of relative topical articles and links are included. The listed sites are chosen for quality, plus a touch of the unusual.

 

http://www.tartsg.com/ Television And Radio Talk Show Guests - Experts, Authors and Spokespersons: Available to interview on your Talk Radio, Television or News Program. FREE PUBLICITY! If you are a book publisher, author, or speaker looking to be a guest on talk shows, take just two minutes to complete our online SUBMISSION FORM.

 

http://www.holisticnetwork.co.uk/ The Edinburgh Holistic Network - your online guide to alternative health and holistic services in and around Edinburgh. The Holistic Network is here to help you live a more balanced, healthy and positive life. You'll find a complete listing of alternative therapies, holistic health care practitioners, mind-body-spirit retailers, vegetarian and organic food providers, holistic centres, classes, events and more...

http://www.wemoon.ws/ We’Moon is an astrological moon calendar, an ecofeminist appointment book, a daily guide to natural rhythms, and a lunar perspective through the 13 moons of the year. It also provides access to an international web of fabulous, creative womyn. We'Moon is a moon calendar for we'moon. As we'moon, we seek to be whole in ourselves, rather than dividing ourselves in half and hoping that some "other half" will complete the picture. We see the whole range of life's potential embodied by we'moon, and do not divide the universe into sex-role stereotypes according to the heterosexual model. Instead, We'Moon is a sacred space in which to explore and celebrate the diversity of she-ness on earth. The calendar is we'moons' space. We see the goddess equally in the sun and the moon, in the earth and the sky.

http://www.ghorganics.com An online store for all your gardening needs. Includes information on companion planting, ways to keep animals away from your gardens, remedies for plant diseases, garden tips, and weed info. Heaps of links.

 

http://www.synergy-health.co.uk/ Health Directory also containing information on courses and events, health business opportunities, and articles.

http://www.honeri.org/index.html The Herbology & Optimal Nutrition Research Institute - The Research Institute promotes natural health substances and health restorative protocols, as well as facilitating up-to-date, scientific, evidence-based training for persons who desire a vocation as Traditional Western Herbalists. Whether you are a medical doctor, pharmacist, natural health practitioner, health product purveyor, consumer, or regulator, the H.O.N.E.R.I will bring you up to speed with regional and international developments in natural health. This site contains information on accreditation, the law, the H.O.N.E.R.I constitution and objectives and code of ethics.

http://mystickblue.homestead.com/mystickblue.html
Mystickblue - New Age and Old Ways. Where we believe in miracles and magic, we offer color, music, beauty, energy and words, to touch your Soul, heart and mind. Offerings include Spiritual Consulting, Visualization and Energy Therapy, healing and Readings. Readings are not what you may find elsewhere, we include love, spend genuine time with you and help you learn new patterns for your life. We may use cards for direction, but mainly intuitiveness, sensing and help from guides and Spirit. Having guidance to help us find our own answers within ourselves is what Mystickblue is all about. We are here to help you heal the complete person with Reiki and Spiritual Consulting.

http://www.luver.com/ Love Underground Visionary Revolution (LUVeR) LUVeR is a totally new communication media which combines live streaming, on-demand libraries of programming, audio, and video. LUVeR is an anti-corporate, anti-capitalist revolution! LUVeR is and will remain a non-corporate, d.i.y., totally uncensored, noncommercial, nonprofit internet-only communal collective with 24-hour "live" programming (by amazing people) with "no-limits" content. In short, LUVeR is what THEY told us only a few years ago how the internet would be.

Know of a good site to recommend?

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Herbal Medicine Chest

MEETING THE PLANTS

WITH Susun S Weed

Herbal Pharmacy

In your herbal pharmacy you transform fresh and dried plants into herbal medicines. Learning to identify and use the common plants around you is easy and exciting, beneficial and safe. Making your own medicines saves you money if you follow the Wise Woman tradition of using local herbs, free for the taking. Even one day's work in field, forest, and kitchen can provide you with many years' worth of medicines. When you make your own, you know for sure what's in it, where it came from, when and how it was harvested, and how fresh and potent it is.

Dried herbs are best for the infusions recommended in this book. Stock your herbal pharmacy with your own foraged or cultivated dried herbs; expand your resources and experiment with new herbs by buying dried herbs from reputable sources.

Fresh herbs are best for the tinctures and oils recommended in this book. If you can't make your own, buy from sources who wildcraft or grow their own herbs to use fresh in preparations.
whether you buy or make your own medicines, remember, herbal remedies may not work or may work incorrectly if they aren't prepared correctly. Read this chapter carefully; it contains easy to follow instructions for every remedy and preparation mentioned in this book.

Meeting the Plants

Start by noticing the plants that live with you, along your driveway or sidewalk. Don't assume that medicinal plants are hard to find. Fennel, Pepper Grass, Dandelion, Plantain, and Mugwort (to name a few) are as common in cities and suburbs as in the country.

Learn more about the weeds around you directly from the plants, from a personal guide, and from field guides and herbals.

When we open all our senses, including the psychic ones, to the green world, we learn to hear and understand plant language. Through shape, color, location, scent, texture, taste, and energy, plants tell us how they will affect our bodies, which plant parts we can use, and how we prepare them. Some Wise Women converse with the plant fairies and the devas. Some hear the song that each plant sings. Some feel the dances of the leaves, breezes, and insects. All are means of learning the ways of herbs. Though the scientific tradition scoffs at such knowledge, the Wise Woman tradition honors the plant as the ultimate authority on its uses.

A personal guide into the plant world will show you plant features which ensure positive identification, such as the hairs on Wild Carrot which safely distinguish it from Poison Hemlock. A personal guide will introduce you to the foods, medicines, dyes, fibers, decorations, and delights hidden in common plants, and instruct you in wise harvesting and preparation. Check local garden clubs, botanical gardens, and nature centers for contacts with personal guides.

Field guides are indispensable references once your taste for herbal identification is whetted. I find the line drawings in the Petersen guides more helpful than color photographs when I have to distinguish between similar looking plants.

Herbals concentrate on the specifics of using plants as medicines and are rarely illustrated well enough to serve as a guide to identification. Field guides hardly ever include information on medicinal value. The link between your field guide and your herbal is the botanical binomial, or Latin name, of each plant. The binomial is (usually) consistent in all references, unlike common names which overlap and vary from region to region. Once you have identified a new plant, you can look it up by finding the binomial in herbals and other references. This can increase your confidence and ability to find and use safe herbal medicines.

My years of leading Weed Walks and helping people identify wild plants have shown me that learning to recognize herbs in the field is far easier, and much less fraught with danger, than most people realize. As Euell Gibbons is quoted as saying: "You don't learn all the plants at once; you learn them one at a time."
Even if you never pick your own herbs, knowing how the live plants look will be a great asset when you go out to buy them.

Green Blessings,

Susun Weed
www.susunweed.com
www.wisewomanbookshop.com
R eprint this article - write to: susunweed@herbshealing.com

If you enjoyed learning about these herbs, you may enjoy the
Wise Woman Herbal Series:

Susun,

I am delighted to be included, your books have been a Goddess send for me
and my clients for years. I teach Ortho-Bionomy in Canada and in the US and
several of my neighbors and friends have studied with you at Hollyhock.

I recommend your book to every woman I talk to about womens health issues.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your awesome work and fierce
belief in a natural way.

Baeleay C.

Legal Disclaimer: This content is not intended to replace conventional western medical treatment. Any suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to diagnose, treat,cure or prevent any disease, condition or symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner with a specific formula for you. All material on this website/email is provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health and healthcare.

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Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year
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