As someone who has been living with chronic pain for years, I’m slowly learning that nature has all the answers. We just need to ask the right questions and be willing to listen—listen to our bodies, to our minds, and to our souls. In our lifetime, we all go through physical and mental pain—not to mention heartache. And nature has everything that we need to heal, ready and waiting.
We all get angry from time to time. Memes abound on social media, pushing the idea that we should always be happy and avoid negativity at all costs. This is cr*p. A balanced emotional life entails experiencing a range of feelings. Frankly, it’s not healthy to think that life is supposed to be all unicorns and rainbows.
Mushrooms seem to do just about everything, medicinally-speaking, and I’ve written previously about mushrooms for the liver, heart and immune system. This time, let’s take a look at what mushrooms can do for the
Most folks deal with the blues at some point—some of us more persistently than others. Working one’s way out of a funk requires a broader plan beyond simply taking an herb. That said, herbs can be a helpful part of the approach. Here are 5 herbs that have traditionally been used for depression…try one out and see if it helps you!
In the northern hemisphere, we’re coming into the darker time of year when the subconscious likes to make more of an appearance. Sometimes, this manifests as nightmares. And, while nightmares can be informative in terms of issues we may need to examine, especially if they’re recurring, sometimes they’re just plain problematic…causing distress and sleep disturbances.
For the uninitiated, the name chaga immediately pokes at one’s curiosity—as does its nickname, “black gold.” The chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) resembles a chunk of rough coal blooming from the side of a birch, stark in contrast to the tree’s white bark. Whether the name is just a bit of clever branding or finds its roots in its ancient medicinal context, it is, undoubtedly, correct.
If you have ever been in the backseat of a car on a winding road and started to feel nauseated, dizzy, and just plain awful, you have experienced motion sickness. We often feel symptoms of motion sickness when we are on a boat, a train, and even when flying on a plane. Children can sometimes get motion sick when playing on swings at the playground or when on rides at the fair, such as a spinning ride, or one that has you hanging upside down.
Fir is one of the quintessential scents of the season, known for its foresty, fresh, and somewhat sweet notes. For those of us who live and hike in the mountains, or for anyone who’s had a Christmas tree, the scent of fir is unmistakable. There are over 50 types of delightfully scented fir in the northern hemisphere, and the leaves, twigs, and cones are all rich in aromatics.
I’ll start by stating the obvious. When struggling with panic attacks, the approach necessarily has to be a broad one encompassing a whole network of support: A good therapist is helpful, nutrient-dense foods, mindfulness practice, physical activity, reaching out to loved ones and such. Speaking from experience. Anxiety has been a life-long companion of sorts, but full-on panic attacks didn’t start until my early 30s. This was pre-herbalism for me so I went through a whole slew of “azepams,” each losing effect after a few weeks.
Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotis) and others are both a delicious edible mushroom and a great medicinal as well. The wild ones are the tastiest, if you’re lucky enough to find them, though you can often find them at the grocery store or even grow your own with one of the many commercial growing kits available. I found a small cluster this summer during what was an otherwise dismal mushroom season here in the Southern Rockies. They smelled like aniseed…something