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.

Mystery or Chemistry?: The Craft of Herbalism and the Role of the Herbalist

A number of people have asked me what exactly is herbalism? What does it mean to be an herbalist? If you say something about herbal tea, most people think of chamomile (and rightfully so, chamomile is a wonderful herb!) and maybe think of the Celestial Seasonings shelf in the grocery store. Luckily for all of us, there is so much more to herbalism!

In the most basic sense, herbalism is about the connection of humans to plants. In one sense it

is utilizing the chemical and physical properties of plants to remedy and support the health of humans. There are herbs that can help nearly any condition or disease. There are herbs for gallstones, sinus infection, viral illness, panic attacks, seasonal depression, painful menstruation, diarrhea, seasonal allergies, bruises, high blood pressure, AIDs, cancer, stroke, etc, etc, etc! There are billions of plants that offer healing to us in a very physical and palpable way. They do so in a way that is natural and do not burden the liver or have side effects the way so many medications do. There are a few herbs that it is very good to exercise caution with, but most herbs are perfectly safe.

Plants offer something else to us beyond their physical properties. For whatever magical reason yarrow seems to offer help to the person that has some sort of bleeding or circulatory imbalance, but it also offers aid to those that seem to be bleeding or wounded spiritually. Mugwort not only helps bring on and balance menstruation, but also brings on dreams and a somewhat mystical state. Elder stimulates circulation and fights viruses, while also bringing healing to those who seem spiritually empty inside or unfulfilled. Agrimony is helpful for a large array of digestive imbalances, but is also helpful for the person who smiles through their emotional pain. Reishi mushroom not only boosters the immune system and nourishes the adrenals, but also nourishes the heart/mind connection. Many of the bitters such as gentian, dandelion, and burdock not only aid digestive imbalances but also put one in touch with their gut instincts. These are only a small sampling. Every medicinal herb offers something beyond the physical side to healing. There is a non-physical aspect to plant healing that can be difficult to name or describe. For me, it is a spiritual experience that leaves me deeply grateful to the earth and the plants she has given us for our healing paths.

The fact that plants provide so much to one's healing path also means that there are specific herbs for each specific person. This is where it is so handy to have an herbalist! For one, it is

helpful to have someone with knowledge of the hundreds of medicinal herbs available to us. However, there is so much more than considering medicinal action that happens in true healing. As an herbalist when I sit with someone I am thinking about herbal actions, the energetics and disposition of the person, how the ailment of the client is connected to other organ systems or factors, the complete bodily and non-bodily journey of the person sitting with me, their psychological and spiritual health and how that is mirrored in their body. I use my knowledge, but I also open my intuition and heart. For me being an herbalist is part spiritual practice.

I spend a lot of time gathering herbs, researching medicinal actions of herbs, learning about the systems of the body, and crafting tinctures and other herbal products. But, I also spend a lot of time building a relationship with plants in a spiritual way. I honor and thank the earth through ceremony and ritual and in return the earth seems to just keep giving. I aim to be the conduit between the plants and the person who is seeking to be healed. It is simply a matter of listening to which herbs speak to the needs of a particular person and being able to relay that message. Sure, it's a little whacky and “woo woo,” but so are many of the things in life that are worthwhile and meaningful.

So, I struggle to answer questions about what herbalism is or what does it mean to be an herbalist. I can feel my two feet straddling two very different worlds. On the one hand there is the very practical and physical side of herbalism. A summary of chemical constituents and plant actions. But then there is the other more mysterious side. The story of the particular powers of a plant for which there is no obvious explanation. The empirical and the magical inhabiting one space.