A Day With Susun Weed and A Group of HIV Positive
Women on the East Coast
I have been doing a herbal correspondence course with herbalist
Susun Weed. I am focusing my studies on Immune Health, or
Living Healthy With HIV. Susun was approached by a group
of HIV positive women in her area to do a presentation on
Immune Health; Susun asked me to come to her farm, in upstate
New York, to be part of this day and share what I have been
studying and learning. She also invited me to stay at her
farm and use her library. I eagerly planned my vacation
around this invitation.
In anticipation I sent out a letter introducing myself
to this group. I enclosed back issues of the Babes Newsletter.
On October 19th at Susun's farm I met eight women from the
Albany New York area who have a similar program to Babes.
Their name is "By Women For Women." Like Babes
they meet socially and have educational outings. They do
not have the kind of funding Babes has been able to get
so there is no central employee or office space. They work
out of their homes and do some fundraising.
Susun prepared a simple agenda focusing on basic information.
The agenda was: Infusions, Vinegars and The Soup we had
for lunch! As usual in any of Susun's workshops we started
with a talking stick so each woman can ask questions, say
what they want out of the day or state any needs.
Susun sees the immune system, the nervous system and the
hormonal system as a braid. It is important for us to maintain
each of these as they are crucial to immune health. She
addressed how important it is for us to be in a positive
mind frame and to lower stress levels. Cells are made in
our body all the time, we are constantly in regeneration,
and it is vital that we express ourselves fully in a healthy
way. When we feel positive the cells are made in this healthy
vibration. This caused a lot of discussion, questions such
as, "When I'm sad is this bad for new cells being made,"
Susun's answer was if you feel good about being sad, if
you are truly in your sadness and okay with it then the
vibratory level of the cells being made is healthy. If you
are not okay with how you are feeling, whether it be sadness,
anger, or any emotion, then the cells being made pick up
this negative energy. She cited scientific studies done
by Dr.
Candace Pert who was featured on the Bill Moyers special,
Healing & Mind.
Infusions
An infusion is the easiest way of ingesting minerals. Minerals
are small rocks that sit inside cell walls, they have been
absorbed from the soil. Cell walls break down when the plant
is dried and when infused in the hot water for at least
4 hours osmosis happens; the minerals dissolve into the
water. So your body assimilates the minerals from this rich
plant water supplying your body with the minerals you need.
An infusions will last up to 2 days if you keep it in the
refrigerator, if you don't use up your infusion in a day
you can use it in cooking (in a soup base or to make rice).
How to make an infusion:
1) take one ounce of a dried herb put it into a quart jar
2) cover it with boiling water
3) let it sit for at least four hours up to overnight.
The next day you drain it and drink it throughout the day.
Examples of herbs you can do this with are: nettles leaves
-- builds energy, rebuilds adrenals, kidneys, liver, and
immune system, also rich in carotenes, oatstraw -- balances
the nervous system if it is too nervous or too slow it will
work to "rewire" your system, blue violet leaves
-- excellent for the lungs and intestines, red clover flower
and leaves -- anti cancer and a strong blood builder, raspberry
leaves -- a good hormonal herb for women.
A question came up of whether St. John's Wort or Hypericum
could be used as an infusion. In a previous article (Using
St. John's Wort as an Anti-Viral) I talked about the best
way to use St. John's wort as a medicinal plant, either
as an oil transdermally on the skin or in a tincture form.
The infusions and vinegars are nutritional building blocks
supplying our body with minerals and fortification necessary
to build up, stay strong and protect against invasions and
it could be used this way, but to get the best medicinal
properties of St. John's Wort use it as a oil or as a tincture.
Susun brought out some of her St. John's oil to pass around.
This plant acts as an anti-viral as well as a anti-depressant.
Vinegars
Next she focused on making herbal vinegars. Vinegar extracts
have high amounts of minerals and trace nutrients from fresh
herbs. For example one tablespoon of a vinegar that has
been made with a fresh wild plant is equal to 300 mg calcium
(same as a glass of milk).
How to make vinegars:
1) pack a jar full with fresh plant material (pick it yourself
or fresh from a friend's garden).
2) cover to top with pasteurized organic apple cider vinegar.
3) put a piece of plastic between the top and the lid, cover
and let sit for 6 weeks before using.
Wild foods and herbs you can use include: fresh springtime
nettles leaves, motherwort leaves, catnip or any of the
mints, dandelion (leaves and root), burdock root (a yang
tonic - diabetic, skin problems, cold sores), yellow dock
(1), goldenrod (Susun explained people are not allergic
to goldenrod despite popular opinion because it is insect
pollinated and no one is allergic to plants that are insect
pollinated), and the stalks of shaiitake mushrooms. A special
concoction can be made using daikon (a radish/vegetable
that is a tonic for immune system, a strengthener, and also
builds resistance to cancer), or burdock root, using half
vinegar and half tamari. Steam them mildly then add, in
thirds, the steaming water, nurtritional vinegar and tamari.
You can use the vinegar tamari liquid as well as eat the
marinated vegetables.
Our Lunch
Salad
The wild food salad is important in Susun's life, wild greens
supply the enzymes we need. Susun claims if we eat two fresh
dandelion leaves per day we will get all the enzymes and
vitamins we need for that day. Every day she eats a salad
of wild greens with her main meal.
The salad we had for lunch included: sheep sorrel, lamb's
quarter (rich in iron, for anemia), purslane (rich in Essential
Fatty Acid's good for immune and circulatory system), garlic
mustard, mustard greens (for immune system), mint (such
as hyssop), nasturtium leaves and flowers (an immune strengthener),
and chickweed. Many of these plants can be harvested locally,
for example chickweed is abundant locally and grows through
most of the winter season, in fact it prefers the colder
weather. It is a good wild food to add to your regular salads.
Immune Boosting Soup
Ingredients in the Immune Boosting Soup included:
Orange and lemon peel (removes
grease and is an antiseptic). Where do you get your citrus
peel? Buy organic fruit and after you eat it dry the peels
and save them. They can be dried in the oven on low, or
just sitting out, do not put in the sun or they will loose
their volatile oil which is what you want. Add the dried
peel when you cook soups and beans. They are strengthening
for kidneys and are a mild acting estrogen.
Seaweed - Kelp - bullwhip kelp - Algin
is a constituent of kelp that acts like a glue; it swells
up and draws to itself radioactivity, lead, heavy metals,
cadmium and carries them out with your bowel movement. It
has the quality of absorption. Algin is in ice cream, face
creams, and yogurt as a thickener.
Orange vegetables & dark green vegetables which are
full of carotenes. Carotenes are difficult to digest from
raw foods.
Astragulus is a Chinese herb that is a
mild nutritive, it builds stress resistance into body. Much
research has been done on this herb and its immune building
properties. It has been specifically recommended to fight
HIV. Susun put about twelve dried sliced roots into a big
pot of soup.
Shiitake mushrooms are cure all
mushrooms and have been specifically recommended to fight
HIV.
Mints have antiseptic oils that counter Opportunistic Infections
and are rich in antioxidants. Examples: thyme and rosemary.
Go here for the
Immune A-Go-Go Soup Recipe
http://www.susunweed.com/A_Recipe_ImmuneSoup.htm
(1) Dandelion, burdock root and yellow
dock root have starch so the vinegar will turn milky, this
starch is good for you and you should mix it into the vinegar
you use on your food.
Disclaimer: Please be advised this is a sharing of information
that is not meant to be used to replace medical treatment
and your own intuitive sense of your body and what it needs.
Please see your medical provider (Dr., Naturopath, Acupuncturist,
etc.) to follow up on suggestions.
About the author:
Julene Tripp Weaver has her BA in Creative
Writing, with an emphasis on Poetry, and Women‚s Studies
from City University of New York (CUNY). She studied with
Audre Lorde, Louise DeSalvo and Joan Larkin. She graduated
in1986 and was awarded Honorable Mention of the 1986 Mary
M. Fay Award in poetry at Hunter College. She received her
Masters from The Leadership Institute of Seattle (LIOS)
in 1992.
An AIDS Case Manager, Julene has body of
work titled "Case Walking: An AIDS Case Manager Wails
her Blues" that is dedicated to her over 100 clients
and friends who have died from AIDS. On July 26, 2003 she
performed her first performance poetry piece based on this
work combined with movement, it was titled "The Wailing
Wall."
Julene is a "lay" herbalist who
has done independent study with herbalists Susun Weed, EagleSong
and Ryan Drum. She has been studying herbs since the 1980's.
For four years she wrote the monthly column,
Herbal Corner
for the Babes Network Newsletter
http://www.babesnetwork.org/newsletter.html
a peer support network for women living with HIV and AIDS.
Julene currently studies Dangerous Writing
with Tom Spanbauer and his circle of writers, in Portland,
OR. She runs
"Muse to Write"
http://www.drizzle.com/~newroots/JuleneMTW.html
circles that focus on movement to evoke body-centered writing
and grew out of Continuum Movement, which she has practiced
since 1988.