I use my intensive training, intuition, and relationship with the natural world to formulate personalized herbal blends for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Health is a journey and I serve as an intermediary between the healing properties of the natural world and the needs of my client to allow the path to begin.


Contact me at UnderRootHealing@gmail.com or 617-733-6872. I am available for one on one consultations in person or on the phone.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Super Teas for Every Day!

A number of people have asked me what are some good herbs that I would recommend for nurturing general health and vitality. There are so many that it is hard to choose! However, there are a few herbs that are just so nourishing and beneficial, that they are perfect for a daily tonic.


Nettles. I have a hard time not jumping up and down when talking about nettles. It's such a wonderful herb! When I drink a cup of nettle tea I feel as though every cell in my body is being deeply nourished. Nettles are definitely one of the most over looked superfoods...perhaps because they are viewed as such a common weed! Nettles are PACKED with vitamins, minerals,chlorophyll, and proteins which nourish the body and empower all the functions of the body. Nettles have loads of iron, calcium, phosphorous, potassium, silicon, copper, sulphur, Vitamins C, D, and K. Nettles benefit the kidneys, help with any bone issues such as arthritis, alleviate allergies, discourage anemia, and encourage healthy skin and hair. Nettles also help nourish burnt out adrenals. In our high paced lives we certainly need to give our adrenals a little help. Nettles are a wonderful way to heal that feeling of being burnt out and frayed. And they are so delicious! And when I drink a cup of nettles I feel so full of energy and totally ready for the day! Although, a little warning, they are a diuretic so you may be visiting the restroom more often! Be sure to drink some extra water when you have nettle tea. With so many healing affects, and the ability to nourish our adrenals, it is clear why nettles would make a great daily tonic.

Red Clover. This is a wonderfully nourishing tea full of vitamins and minerals. It is very powerfully anti-cancer, particularly in preventing breast cancer and prostate cancer. Red clover helps alleviate any issues with swollen lymph nodes, mysterious lumps, tumors, etc. It is most well known as a great tonic for women, particularly for those going through menopause since it balances hormones and alleviates hot flashes like no other herb. However, red clover is beneficial to everyone. Part of the power of red clover is attributed to the fact that it blocks damaging estrogen-like endocrine disruptors that we encounter throughout our food, water, plastics, chemicals, and other toxins in our environment. As a blood cleanser, it is also a wonderful detoxifying herb, having a nice gentle cleansing affect on the liver. Living in a world with so many endocrine disruptors and toxins it is easy to see how such a wonderful cleansing herb would be a perfect daily tonic.

Milky Oats (aka Oat Seed, Oat Tops). We live in a world where we are constantly inundated with images, noise, demands, and information. We are always on the move. All of this takes a huge toll on the nervous system. Milky Oats is a great herb for totally nourishing the nervous system. It is perhaps the best food for the nervous system. It is very calming and tastes wonderful! An awesome daily tonic!

Some other good herbs! Add Oatsraw and/or Horsetail to a blend with any of the above herbs. Oatstraw is a rich source of calcium and horsetail is full of silicon. If you're a nail biter, be sure to add horsetail! Biting nails and frequent hangnails are signs of silicon deficiency. Raspberry leaf is another great tonic tea. It is fill of vitamins and minerals, and is a great women's herb which nourishes the entire reproductive area.

Feel free to blend all the above herbs together! Making a tea of 1 part Nettles, 1 part Red Clover, and 1 part Milky Oats would be a delicious and super nourishing tea!


Thursday, July 21, 2011

Speaking Your Truth: Thyroid and Throat Chakra Balancing

Our world is quite hard on the thyroid. Food and water that are full of pesticides and hormones. Radiation from microwaves, . Heavy metal exposure. Cleaning products, beauty products, and sunscreen. Birth control pills and other hormone regulators or enhancers. Excess soy products. Caffeine. Continual high stress levels. Low fat diets. All of these things drain and tax the thyroid. All of these are also a huge part of our current daily culture. The thyroid governs so many functions in the body, so having an imbalanced thyroid has lots of implications. It regulates blood sugar, bone health, energy level, metabolism, menstrual cycle, cholesterol, heart rate, organ function, and stress hormone response. It is definitely a vital part of balancing the entire body.

The thyroid is located in the part of our body that corresponds to the throat chakra. The throat chakra is the center of energy in the body that is about speaking and hearing your inner truth and the truths of others. It is the center of communication, listening, and creativity. The thyroid will mirror an imbalance in this chakra and vice versa. Throat chakra imbalances are evidenced through lying, gossip, criticism, and verbal abuse. More subtle energetic imbalances are apparent through misalignment of thought and action, not opening to the communications from others, and inability to speak from your true inner self. We all encounter moments where it is difficult to speak your truth. It's hard to say “no” when you know it would be best for you. It's hard to speak your thoughts when they are contrary to what others are saying. Quieting all the outside noise to find time to really listen to yourself and speak from that place can be a very difficult task. It also can be a struggle to really open up to others wherever they might be on their journey and be open to listening to their inner truths. All of these struggles correspond to the throat chakra as well as to an imbalanced thyroid. Therefore if we nourish our thyroids we will also be nourishing our throat chakras. There are multiple ways to work on balancing both the throat chakra/thyroid. Interestingly enough, many of the herbs and practices that are beneficial to the thyroid will energetically also nourish and re-balance the throat chakra.

As a queer, trans person I often struggle in listening to and speaking my inner truth. I think this is true of many people in the LGBTQIA community. The process of coming out to myself to family, friends, and people I meet everyday is not just a one time thing but often an ongoing process. Knowing who I am and advocating for that in a world that assumes heteronormativity and a gender binary is a continual process. It has been somewhat unsurprising to also notice symptoms of thyroid imbalance. In the last number of months I have been working on nourishing my thyroid and rebalancing my throat chakra through herbs, food, yoga, and meditation. I am happy to say that my work has been paying off! The symptoms of thyroid issues have calmed down and I feel as though my throat chakra is becoming more balanced.

It is possible to have thyroid function that tests normally in a blood test, but is still very slightly imbalanced and thus will have some of the physical manifestations of that imbalance. Herbs can help if your thyroid is strongly out of balance (diagnosed with hyper or hypothyroidism) or if you simply have a subtle imbalance.

If you have a slightly over-active thyroid you might find you are overly hyper (ADHD), have an unusually high metabolism, have high blood pressure, have a hard time sitting still, and have an ongoing sense of anxiety that heightens if you are not constantly on the move. If you have a slightly under-active thyroid you might find you feel somewhat fatigued, have low metabolism, after having a stressful moment have a hard time shaking it off, have bone issues (bone spurs, bones that easily break, etc.), and have low blood pressure.

There are many herbs that are helpful for the thyroid. If you know that you struggle with hyperthyroidism, then you need herbs that will tone down the over activity of the thyroid and provide relaxation. The following herbs are helpful:

Lemon balm is relaxing and will encourage an uplifting mood. Motherwort will help relieve heart palpitations and high blood pressure. Bugleweed is a wonderful herb for hyperthyroidism and is often combined with lemon balm with lots of success.

However, if you struggle with hypothyroidism, then there are several herbs that can raise thyroid functioning:

Ashwagandha helps regulate sex hormones, balances sleep cycles, and nourishes the adrenals. Reishi feeds the heart/mind connection on an energetic level, builds immunity, and nourishes the adrenals. Maca powder helps balance hormones. Burdock aids in the digestion of fats, thus providing the thyroid with the fats needed in order to produce hormones. Nettles is a deeply nourishing tonic to the whole body, especially the kidneys. Queen anne's lace balances hormones and aids in weight loss. Black walnut is rich in iodine which nourishes the thyroid and will also treat candida, leaky gut, and parasites.

Eating a healthy diet is essential to thyroid health. In particular it is important to avoid sugar and caffeine. Eating an alkaline diet (rich in vegetables with moderate amounts of sugar, dairy, red meats, and grains) is healing to the thyroid as well as to your system as a whole. Certain foods help nourish the thyroid. Sea salt, which is rich in iodine, supports thyroid function. A diet with good, healthy fats is very important so your thyroid can produce the hormones which signal so many of the body's functions and processes. Coconut oil is especially healing. Seaweeds are a wonderful source of iodine. Snacking on dulse and other seaweeds (dulse is probably the most palatable and makes excellent chips when baked!), taking kelp capsules, and incorporating kelp and other seaweeds into soup stocks and other dishes are wonderful ways to increase intake of this mineral rich, detoxing, and nourishing food.

Herbs and nutrition will aid in healing obvious physical manifestations of an imbalanced thyroid and thus will also help balance the throat chakra. There are other more energetic means of balancing the throat chakra/thyroid. Since the throat chakra houses the voice, any sort of work that incorporates the throat or voice will benefit the throat chakra. Singing, chanting, mantras, prayer, and breath work will all have strong benefits on the throat chakra. I am someone that when in a spiritual space I have a hard time accessing language. I naturally gravitate more to images. However, I have found that using a simple mantra while meditating is extremely powerful. Just saying in my mind the mantra “love” while breathing in and again while breathing out has felt very deeply transformative, especially when I repeat this practice daily. I also do daily breathing exercises daily which feels very purifying. These practices not only benefit the throat chakra, but also your entire body, mind, and spirit.

A few yoga poses are beneficial to opening the throat chakra by compressing and opening the throat area, thus squeezing out toxins and letting them be released and open up to receiving new energy. Some poses that compress the throat chakra are bridge pose, shoulder stand, and plough. Poses that open up the throat chakra are camel and fish pose. Lion's pose is another great pose for activating the throat chakra.

Finally anther practice that can benefit the throat chakra is to do a healing meditation focusing on your throat chakra. Sit comfortably with good contact with the ground. Notice your breath. Feel the nourishing and releasing that happens with each breath. Then begin to focus that breath to your throat chakra. Think about this energy space that circles throughout the entire throat area, emanating from the front and back of your body. Allow your breath to sink into your throat chakra. Feel the nourishing and releasing, as if your throat chakra is breathing, and not your lungs. Notice if you feel any warmth or sense any light. Meditate like this for at least 5 minutes a few times a week. You will notice a distinct shift in your energy.

There is a lot of ideas here about how to approach throat chakra/thyroid healing. Feel free to just take one idea and put in into practice for one week. Everyday drink nettle tea, or do fish pose, or spend 10 minutes meditating with a mantra. See what happens. Notice any shifts? Perhaps you'll notice an ease in speaking. You might find you are listening more sincerely to others. Perhaps you will even listen to the gentle voice of your own spirit...

Namaste


Monday, July 18, 2011

Upcoming Workshop: Soothe Your Mood!

Come participate in a workshop!

Soothe Your Mood:
Overcome Stress, Anxiety, and Depression with Herbal Healing

Herbal healing can help us create an inner space for relaxation and peace in our lives. We will discuss how stress, anxiety, and depression become lodged in our body and how we can release that negativity. We will talk about healing herbs that will balance your mood, nourish a sense of peace and calm, strengthen your abilities to deal with stress, and increase joy in your life.

Relaxing herbal teas will be available!

Let's gather, unwind, and begin a natural and connected path towards peace.

Friday, July 29th
6:30pm - 8pm
509 Forest Avenue
Portland, ME
$10 - $20 sliding scale

http://www.secure-booker.com/AwakeCollective/ClassSchedule/Workshops.aspx
Or pay the day of


Thursday, July 14, 2011

"St. John's Wort Doth Charm All Witches Away..."


"St. John's wort doth charm all witches away

If gathered at midnight on the saint’s holy day.

Any devils and witches have no power to harm

Those that gather the plant for a charm:

Rub the lintels and post with that red juicy flower

No thunder nor tempest will then have the power

To hurt or hinder your houses: and bind

Round your neck a charm of similar kind."

- excerpt from a poem in a manuscript from 1400


Today has been a gorgeous Thursday! This morning I headed to one of the parks near my house for a moment I have been anticipating for weeks now! I have been watching this one particular beautiful plant begin growing, sending up green shoots and leafing as the spring grew into summer. And now, it has finally bloomed into beautiful flowers: St. John's Wort!

St. John's Wort is a very popular herb. It is very easy to find this herb in capsule form lining the shelves of drug stores and grocery stores. Many people think if this herb as the “depression herb.” It has been become a very popular remedy when feeling down and overwhelmed. It is a wonderful herb for uplifting the mood, however, the wonderful complexity and bounty of this herb has been lost in its popularity. There is so much St. John's Wort has to offer!

St. John's Wort is a fantastic herb for wounds or injuries of any sort. Today, I harvested dozens and dozens of the fresh flowering tops to make into a topical oil. When the flowers are squeezed they let out this beautiful red c

olored juice which is where the power of this plant lies! When the fresh flowers are used to make an oil, the oil takes on that beautiful red color. This oil can be applied to any injury: a wound, strained muscle, torn ligament, sprain, bruise, varicose veins, etc. St. John's Wort is almost magical in it's ability to repair da

maged nerve tissue. It has anti-inflammatory action and is a mild circulatory stimulant which is very helpful in reducing pain and speeding healing for any injury.

St. John's Wort is also very powerful when taken internally as a tea or tincture. It has a wonderful detoxifying and healing effect on the liver and digestive system. It is an incredibly powerful detoxifier for the liver, so much so that it is not safe to combine with prescription medications. It is also a bitter, so it has beneficial effects on the entire digestive system, but seems to have an affinity for to stomach/spleen area. St. John's Wort is also healing to injuries or after surgery taken internally as well as externally.

Taken as a tea or tincture or capsule, St. John's Wort does also help alleviate depression. It is a wonderful herb combined with lemon balm for SAD. St. John's Wort helps with the kind of depression known as bilious depression, or depression caused by liver stagnation and levels of toxicity in your life. This sort of depression is characterized by anger, frustration, impatience, restlessness, and discontentment. St. John's Wort can alleviate and calm those feelings.

If you plan on taking St. John's Wort as a tea, tincture, or capsule it is important to exercise some caution. Because St. John's Wort is so detoxing it will clean out any medication out of your system. It is helpful if you have discontinued a medication and want to detox. But, if you are on a needed medication, you will wipe out all the possible needed effects which could be potentially dangerous. Also, taking St. John's Wort internally can make you very sensitive to the sun and can increase the likelihood of sunburn. Interestingly, if you use St. John's Wort topically it actually works as a natural sunblock.

Today I also prepared a flower essence of St. John's Wort, which was a wonderful experience!

A flower essence is a way of capturing the energetic footprint or vibration of a plant. Each plant has it's own particular energy which provides it's own sort of healing or spiritual insight. In doing a plant spirit journey, anyone can sit with a plant and experience the message that plant's energy brings to the universe.

Today, when I sat with St. John's Wort I had an experience in which she shared some of her healing powers on a more energetic level. It seemed apparent that St. John's Wort as a flower essence is a very protective plant. I felt my own personal energy and inner light become brighter and more focused in around me. I felt that there was a subtle protective shield around me which allowed my personal energy to not be affected by other energies around me. During the experience I felt deeply relaxed and at ease. I felt a warmth in my belly and saw the color yellow. The solar plexis region and the color yellow correspond to the third chakra which is where the sense of self resides. When this chakra is balanced you feel in touch with your own personal power. Focusing on balancing this chakra means developing your self esteem and stepping into your own power. We can also limit the power that things in the physical world have over us by strengthening our inner spirit.

The St. John's Wort flower essence has a strong balancing effect on the third chakra, helps us maintain energetic boundaries, and enhances one's own sense of self power. I am excited to have this flower essence available in my apothecary and also excited to start taking this magical flower essence for my own healing process!


Thursday, July 7, 2011

Surviving Holiday Belly: Nourishing the Digestive System


The Fourth of July has come and gone! And what a wonderful holiday I had! Complete with family time, canoeing, walks in the woods, pool time, fireworks, and lots and lots of food. Food can be a tough thing for me with family gatherings. My day to day diet is a bit different than
the usual person's and I have a rather sensitive stomach. It is not unusual for me to feel rather sick after eating out or eating at someone else's home. I just can't eat all the processed foods and non-organic foods anymore. I eat too many delicious, organic, healing foods and I can't go back (I'm rather happy to report!). I also can't tolerate a number of foods and there are a fair number of foods I avoid due to other health reasons, such as canola oil and many processed oils. But, I am so happy to say that I ate lots of holiday food (ribs, sausage, tortilla chips with cheese) and still felt ok!I have struggled for a number of months with some tummy trouble. Nothing too serious, but I have known I have some digestive imbalances. I cut out wheat and dairy and have felt much, much better! I also have been taking in a few wonderful digestive herbs that have made a huge difference in my digestive health!

In America, pretty nearly everyone could use some digestive healing. It is the nature of the diet that we follow in this country to cause a number of imbalances. We eat so much wheat, dairy, meat, and very few vegetables. All of this causes so much acidity in our systems, and in the end, inflammation, which can develop into serious conditions over time. I have certainly followed a standard American diet for much of my young life. It hasn't been until the last two - three years that I have begun to eat more foods that are full of nourishment and healing. I have found diet changes very helpful, but I have to say I have found the most powerful healing in herbs. I feel I have been able to revitalize my digestive system.

Here are just a small handful of the herbs I have found helpful in my healing process. These are herbs are quite versatile, helpful for slight imbalances such a nausea or also more serious conditions such as diverticulitis, colitis, IBS, Crohn's, gallstones, etc.:

Yellow Dock is wonderful at improving bile flow, detoxifying, and boosting the liver. Ithelps stimulate digestive juices, tone the intestines, and stimulate healthy bowel movements. It is a wonderful source of iron for those struggling with anemia. Yellow Dock reduces inflammation in the digestive system. Overall, a wonderful herb that has been incredibly helpful to me throughout my journey healing my digestion.

Dandelion stimulates bile flow and digestive juices, helps the liver, and is detoxifying. In particular it is helpful for any gallbladder imbalance, including gallstones. I used to experience some cramping in my gallbladder region, but after taking dandelion I no longer experience this.

Slippery Elm is the most soothing herb I have experienced. Something about it feels almost luxurious. Any sort of inflammation or irritation in the digestive system (or anywhere, really!) feels instantly soothed by this wonderful herb. Slippery Elm nourishes, soothes, and deeply relaxes the entire system, particularly in the stomach and intestinal area. It is wonderful for the nervous and irritated belly. As someone whose anxiety directly affects my digestion, slippery elm is definitely a favorite of mine!

Meadowsweet is a great herb for balancing the upper digestive process. It helps encourage digestive juices and enzymes as well as helps alkalize the system. It feels as though meadowsweet gently revitalizes the entire stomach region.

Gentian is deeply healing to the digestive system. Like other bitters, gentian is helpful to the liver, stimulates the flow of digestive juices and bile, and detoxifies the body. Gentian is among the bitterest of the bitter, so it is quite potent medicine. Its taste certainly makes it one that I like to combine with other tastier herbs! However, I find its taste brings my consciousness to my gut. I have found it helps bring my attention to what needs healing in my gut, as well as brings my attention to my gut instincts.

Chamomile is simply a fantastic herb! It is calming, soothing to the digestive system, and has some liver supporting action. It is beneficial in controlling diabetes and hyperglycemia. It is anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic, making it a great herb for many digestive imbalances. It has a very complex and wonderful taste which I love! In general, a great herb.

Healing digestion is not only important for the sake of a comfortable belly. Your digestive process if how you rid your body of toxins. If you can't get rid of toxins, then everything backs up and causes trouble for the rest of the body. Also, digestion has more meanings than the obvious physical process. We digest a good conversation, a great book, and important questions in our lives. If we can't digest our food, then we will struggle digesting these other things in life. Digestion allows us to take what nourishes us and put it to use and get rid of everything else. It is a very humble, everyday act of nurturing and purifying.