​It's fall in Vermont!!!   As I look around at what needs to be done to prepare for the winter season it would be easy to become overwhelmed.  Food to be put up, herbs to be dried, tinctures to make, gardens to be put to bed.  As I grab my favorite cup of adaptogenic herbal tea, I will make an attempt to prioritize.  Just in case old man winter decides to show up early, I will have the most important things done.

I set my dryer for herbs on my kitchen counter where I can keep my eye on it while I'm chopping, peeling, boiling and jarring my jams, relishes and pickles.  As the kitchen seems to be the place where all the inhouse activity is right now, I set up a temporary table to hold it all and chose the most ripe fruits & veggies to deal with first.  I can check my dryer every hour or so to make sure herbs are dried to right "doneness", color still good and just the right crispness.  That's my indoor harvesting style.

Outside on good days, I pull all the residual vines and stems to put in the brush pile, chop my comfrey for the last time and add it to my compost for nitrogen fixation, and clean up any signs of rotten tomatoes or potatoes so that spores will not infect the soil for next year.  I might even scrape up the top half inch of soil there in order to better guarantee a sporeless start for next year.  In addition, I will rotate the plantings so that those two vegetables will be in another location next season.  Tools need to be washed and oiled, fencing and supports put away, shrubs wrapped, and hoses emptied of residual water so they won't freeze, coiled and hug up.  We'll run the rototiller one last time to loosen up the soil and spread the winter rye crop.  If we have leaves to rake from the trees shedding, we will spread those around as they break down well and continue to add good organic matter to the soil.  Sweep the potting shed and lock the door and we are done outside.

Meanwhile back in the kitchen, there are piles everywhere. It's a sight to see, but it's also a sign of the provision we have received from the earth's bounty.   As I dry my herbs, I will put them in clean glass jars and into the apothecary closet where they will be ready to tincture and otherwise process later during the winter months when I have more time.  I will make sure we have enough elderberry syrup and echinacea to start the winter cold season.  There's nothing else to be done, but to begin with the biggest pile of vegetables and start the freezing and canning process.  Should anyone come to visit they will automatically be invited into this maze of bounty with a paring knife and a bowl.  You wanna talk with me these days, you'll have to indulge in kitchen work.  The gift is, you'll be able to take a few things home with you. 

After dinner, I sit down and try not to nod off too early.  The days are full and I am tired but satisfied that I have participated in stewarding a most precious gift.  My dreams are full of eating fresh vegetables and raspberry cobbler in the middle of winter as the snow flies.​

Webster's definition of resilient reads like this: 
1: The capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress. 2 : an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change
When people are aware of situations, their own emotional reactions and the behavior of those around them. In order to manage feelings, it is essential to understand what is causing them and why. By remaining aware, resilient people can maintain control of a situation and think of new ways to tackle problems. 
Resilient health is all of the above.  In the myriad of health solutions that we teach about, we can't underestimate the strength we have when we know ourselves; how we react to certain events, people and circumstances.  Knowing ourselves in this way, and taking the time to learn how to humbly consider our own shortcomings actually prepares us for those life crises that are sure to arise.  It can prepare us to call on friends or family for assistance, let offense go so we can deal with the real issues or know how we need to communicate and to whom in an emergency.  It causes us to have the ability, as in #2 above,  to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.
Although change is not always easy, we live more and more in a world of change and unknown futures.   That's why learning opportunities are always beneficial and the more we are open to learning new things, the better ability to adjust we will have.  Throwing off fear which leads to stress is a big roadblock to many.  Take time to spend with friends who will pray with you, considering what God says about you, spending time in natural surroundings, reading inspiring words of wisdom, finding fun and laughter in the things you love, even celebrating the many successes you have whether large or small.  Remember "Laughter is good medicine".
Resilient health means that when we find ourselves sick or rundown, we have learned what to put into action to recover and adjust.  That can apply to a winter cold virus or a battle with a chronic disease or condition.  Our battles for health can be real warfare to think positively, know the resources to get the answers you need for each situation, and adjust to the circumstances.  Knowing what to do before it happens is part of winning each health battle and finding times of joy and celebration even in the midst of a cancer diagnosis can make the difference between life and death.


Please join us on September 17th as we hear from a Parkinson's patient who is recovering and adjusting in the midst of her health crisis.  Whether you have a chronic problem or just want to learn, all are welcome.   Call Cathy at 802-683-1785 or email thrushsong60@gmail.com

August has arrived in the Northeast.  It's the hot days of summer, before the harbingers of fall begin to show when the leaves change their colors.  It's a time to harvest as much as possible for the winter months that will eventually come. It may be hard to think of cold weather when it's hot but the hardiest of rural families knows to "consider the ants". 
The fields and forests are still lush with green and the gardens are showing their finest.  Here, at Healing Leaves Center we are harvesting as much cultivated and wildcrafted material, drying and storing it for a later date when we will process it.  We do that over fall and winter when time presents itself.
As I was examining the gardens and what needed to be harvested next, the beautiful blue flowers of the scutellarias caught my eyes.  Scutellaria is the latin name for the skullcaps.  We have two here at the Center; Lateriflora, or common and Biacalensis, or Chinese.  In our stressful, fast-paced lifestyles, the skullcaps are good additions to our medicine cupboards.
Scutellaria Lateriflora grows well in our region as a perennial.  It is easily harvested and dried and makes a beautiful addition to cultivated garden areas.  In the wild it is found in sunny but damp, wet areas.  It is part of the mint family, so can be identified by its square stem.
The leaves of blue skullcap have a history of use in herbal medicines as a sedative and tranquilizer and for treatment of a variety of conditions including stress, nervous tension, headaches, insomnia, anxiety, convulsions and certain neurological disorders.  It is used in formulas with other herbs to support the above functions.  It is very safe to use with little side effects.  (Please note, any one individual can have a reaction to almost anything, including food.  Use all herbs in small doses until you are sure you do not personally have any negative reactions). 
Scutellaria Biacalensis, or Biacal Skullcap can be grown in the northeast to zone 4.  After that it will need to be potted and put under cover or grown in a greenhouse and mulched in for winter.  It likes sunny locations but, unlike Lateriflora, it does not like damp soil but needs soil that drains well.  The extra time and care needed to grow it are not only rewarded by its medicinal uses but also by its larger, darker blue and showier flowers.  Unfortunately it is the root of the plant that is needed medicinally so if you are using for that purpose, you will need a number of plants to continue to proliferate as you take some for processing.
Biacalensis has been used for many years in Chinese medicine and is just beginning to show itself more popular in Western herbal medicne.  Common uses are for inflammation, insomnia, hepatitis, epilepsy, atherosclerosis and cancer. 
Skullcap Tea for Headaches and Nervous Stress (made with common skullcap)
2 parts scutellaria lateriflora
2 parts lemon balm
1/2 part feverfew
4 parts chamomile
Directions:  Use 1 tsp per cup of boiling water, cover and and let steep 15 minutes

​Sorry to have missed blogging in the month of May & June.  It has been unseasonably cold here in the northeast and getting cleaned up and prepared to plant for spring has been exceptionally difficult.  Not to mention that many of you have had to deal with flooding. 

My husband and I took our usual spring break to camp and hike in the Adirondacks of New York.   It is a lovely, wild place that has it's challenges, like the black fly season.  Despite their itching and swelling, black flies carry no diseases that complicate their existence; but the intentional application of herbal repellent reminds me that tick season will soon be upon us.  That, is a bug of a different color.

 Lyme disease has increased multi-dimensionally over the last few years.  Lyme disease, itself, can be difficult to treat if attention is not taken immediately after being bitten.  The problem is complicated by the fact that ticks can carry any of six other bacterial infections as well; and a tick bite can mean any combination of lyme and one or more of those co-infections.

Wisdom and care is important; but I absolutely refuse to be so fear driven that I will no longer walk the woods and fields of God's creation and ignore the abundance of food, medicine and spiritual awareness that comes with that activity.

We, at Healing Leaves Center, have now developed a Tick Kit that can be carried with you, along with your insect repellent, so that you can be prepared for the unexpected and not have to fear walking the woods.  The "kit" contains the items for immediate treatment of a suspected tick bite, whether in the woods or at home after your walk.  Whether you decide to purchase our tick kit or not, here are some specific ways to keep ticks off your body and out of your home.

Have a good insect repellent that you use whenever you go into fields and woods whether it is bug season or not.  A good herbal, non-deet repellent, made with herbs and aromatherapy oils can work well and smell reasonably good.  Re applications may be required as aromatherapy oils evaporate, but they are not toxic and re-applications are not dangerous.  We use the herb Andrographis as a tick repellent and it can be added to whatever insect repellent you might purchase.  Some insect repellents advertise that they are good for ticks also; but we know that Andrographis is the most repulsive to the ticks and can also be taken orally if an imbedded tick is found.  We, therefore, always have a tincture of this herb in our "kit" at all times.  Spraying your repellants on any areas of bare skin and even on clothes or hats and brims works well.

If you find an unembedded tick on yourself or those you are with, remove it and destroy it by burning or slicing with a knife or sharp instrument.  In the event you cannot dispose of this way, put into a zip lock bag and destroy when you get home.  DO NOT just toss them aside.  Destroying them is one more way to keep them from proliferating.  Care should be taken after every outdoor activity to find a "buddy" who can observe bare skin for you (in areas that you cannot see, like your back) to check for ticks.  Best practice:  After walking in the woods and fields, shake off your clothes outside and then throw them into the laundry.  Ticks can hide in folds of clothing and end up on furniture and other household furnishings and surprise you later.  You want to keep them out of your house.

If you find a tick embedded in your skin, DO NOT SQUEEZE IT.  Remove it with a tick removal tool that has a notch cut into it.  These can be purchased online or in pet stores.  Spray the tick with repellent or soapy water and gently slide the notch under the tick so that the forked portion contacts the head area.  Pry it out.  Then dispose of it.  Treat the area with an antibacterial.  We like to use Kloss's Linament.  This kills any bacteria or Lyme micro-organisms.  In addition, a dropper full of Andrographis tincture orally is recommended.  This has a very bitter taste and you may want to dilute it with water or chase it with something immediately afterward.  These items are contained in our "kits".

If you develop redness, rash, swelling or fever within 24 hours to a week of removal, see your health care provider immediately.  A bullseye rash does not always develop.  Lyme disease is not usually contracted if the tick is removed within 24 hours (this would be the average time that it takes the tick to burrow deep enough to reach blood vessels)  If there is any question that you might be infected, you should see your health care provider as soon as possible.  Other symptoms would be flu like symptoms, lethargy, fatigue, joint pain.  The sooner you receive care, the less risk of contracting long-term Lyme or any of the multiple bacterial affections associated with it.  Often a prescription of Doxycycline is prescribed for 21 days as the antibiotic of choice.

There is incidence of people being bitten and the tick not being found.  Again, the same protocol as above would be advised.  If it lies dormant and appears a number of months later, you may have contracted lyme and need more intense treatment.  Be sure to find a practitioner with experience treating lyme.  It often has to be diagnosed by ruling out other autoimmune problems.  The most common symptom of lyme is joint pain that comes and goes and occurs sometimes in one joint and other times in another one.  For more information and protocol recommendations for treatment see www.buhnerhealinglyme.com  Dr. Steve Buhner has treated hundreds of lyme patients as a naturopathic physician, has done extensive research on lyme disease, and written a number of books on the subject.

​

It's April.  If you haven't thought about the organization and planning of your garden, it's time!  If you have and spring is beginning to brighten your door, and better yet, your environment; you may want to take some daily walks and find out what's beginning to pop it's head up through the soil to bask in the sun.  Not only is it good therapy for our winter weary bones that will bring a smile to our face and a spring to our step; there are wild plants to be discovered.  These wild things, not only have minds of their own when it comes to where they will grow, but they have medicinal grace for you.  The trick is to find out where they are growing so that when you need them, they won't be lost to you amongst the other growing things that might hide them.
​
Let me give you an example.  Coltsfoot is one of the first flowers to come up in our northeastern climate even before dandelions.  They are often mistaken for dandelions but they grow in gravelly places, along roadsides with no initial leaf growth, only a segmented stalk and a yellow flower similar to a dandelion but half it's size.  A harbinger of spring, they let you know where to look for their very distinct leaves a month or two later when you are looking for them to make tea or tincture, as that is the part of the plant you need.  Their low growing habit makes them obscure unless you remember where to look.
​

When you go back later you can look under spruce and roadside growth to find the unique shape of the coltsfoot leaves growing en mass underneath.  These are what you will pick to  make your medicinals good for colds and congestion and one of the ingredients for a good cough syrup.

Probably the most common spring plant is the dandelion.  As often as people treat their lawns so that this "weed" doesn't grow, both the toxicity of the chemicals to our health as well as the loss of an extremely good and easy to pick medicinal is lost.  A cleansing herb for liver and kidneys, the small early leaves can be sauteed with butter, ghee or coconut oil or even a few onions.  The new small leaves can be eaten raw in salads.  Root and leaf can be dried and used in liver tea formulas.  If you don't treat your lawn, you will have an abundance of early bitter greens for your salads.  But it doesn't stop there.  You will also notice other lawn edibles such as violas, also called "Johnny Jump Ups".  Their leaves and flowers are edibles and great to add nutrients as well as color to your spring salads.  A little green called sorel, that looks like a shamrock, has a slight sour taste to add to salads.
Spring foraging can always be fun if you have a patch of wild onions (or ramps) on your property.  They appear shortly after the snow melts and leaves can be used in salads or pesto as well as the underground bulb.  Be sure to bring a sturdy digger as these guys are tenacious to pull up. 
In a forested area are yellow trout lilies with spiked, mottled leaves.  These too make a nice spring green and good for the kidneys.  White flowers with pink striping show off the spring beauties this time of year.  Very striking against the leafless trees of spring.
And if you like the slight taste of sorel in your salads, a cultivated form called French Sorel will adapt very well in perennial beds or vegetable gardens and will raise their heads year after year in the early spring.
There are others, but learn the ones that grow near you so that you can get to them for your dinner or step out onto your lawn to pick fresh greens for salad.  It will be an adventure in learning.

In the midst of the Coffee revolution, there are those that are avid tea drinkers.  I happen to be one of them.  Perhaps it is because I became extremely acidic in my early coffee drinking days or because, as an herbalist, I began drinking tea formulations for health reasons.  Either way I have had the opportunity to explore the many faces of tea and would like to put in a plug for those ancient pathways.
 According to legend, in 2732 B.C. Emperor Shen Nung discovered tea when leaves from a wild tree blew into his pot of boiling water. He was immediately interested in the pleasant scent of the resulting brew, and drank some.  It became popular there in the 16th century and was discovered by the English in the 17th century.   When black and green teas were gaining popularity in England, sage was being imported in large amounts into China as their most popular tea.   I have made beverage tea with my own herbs using sage as the base and it is a most unique flavor. 
As far as caffeinated varieties or beverage teas go there are black, green and white in almost as many flavors and roasting varieties as you can imagine.  Black teas have the greatest amount of caffeine and the strongest tannins.  Green teas are lighter with moderate amounts of caffeine and a wide range of health benefits including anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, energizing and DNA protecting polyphenols.  White teas are the lightest, least caffeinated and are good carriers for flavor and medicinal herbs.
Then there are the herbs!  There are so many ways that you can get medicinal tonics by sipping the wide variety of medicinal herbs instead of taking vitamins, pharmaceuticals or supplements.   "That is where herbs are strongest; their potency most revealed; their healing most profound; in the everyday using to them as food, as beverage tea, and as 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' type of medicine"  Rosemary Gladstar.
There are flowers, roots, leaves in innumerable flavors, scents and combinations.  For me, it is to start my day with a cup of personally formulated combination of dried leaves and flowers, with a light, sweet flavor that gives me a wide variety of minerals and micro-nutrients, balances my hormones and warms me up.  With my devotional book and mug of tea, I am able to stabilize my thoughts as well as my cortisol levels and begin my day without hurry as I consider what is before me.  As I look at the jars of dried herbs in my pantry, I have all the tools I need to create a blend and flavor that appeals to my differing senses on any given day.   And when the garden is giving up her herbal splendor, I have the opportunity to go out and pick something fresh for a whole other variety of choices.  One example is the common chamomile that we associate with evening and sleep.  Picked fresh it has an amazing citrus flavor that can help you arise to any occasion.

Do you have a creative, beauty-loving side? Don't underestimate the power of tea!

As you expand your herbal pantry, keep these points in mind:
. Know the flavors & properties of each one
. Start with an idea of what flavor you are trying to obtain
. Combine for looks, blending of flavor and aroma
. Taste test and adjust
. Flowers for color, herbs for scent, texture, taste
. Remember to write down the recipe
. They make great gifts

Cup of tea anyone?

​The days are getting longer and the temperatures are beginning to mellow into the 20s & 30s here in the mountains of Vermont.  Sunshine is beginning to intensify and these clear blue sky days with bright sun reflecting on "corn" snow begin to give me spring fever.  Though true spring is a couple more months away and we still have our share of "messy" weather, on indoor days I find myself curled up on the couch with my hot cocoa and seed catalogs, dreaming of green seedlings sprouting thought dark earth and new tree leaves uncurling.  


I have over time realized that planning & preparation for new projects is a good way for me to get a handle on what it will take to get the job done and pace myself so I am not doing too many things in a last minute rush.  I can take stock of seed stocks, what I need to purchase, what plant starts I will need and what new plant I may want to experiment with this year.  There are soil amenities to consider, what worked last year and what didn't, what repairs I need to make to tools and fencing, and how I want to rotate the garden crops from last year for optimal growth. 


There are so many ways to garden these days even for those of you with minimal space.  Whether you are doing a porch garden in containers only or a full half acre, you have many choices.  I encourage you to look for suppliers that are careful about developing new species and not messing with genetic modifications.  For container gardeners, there have been some amazing "miniatures" that have been developed in the vegetable varieties that have high yields and are great for a one or two person household.   Time and experience have caused me to include aromatic herbs mixed among my rows of ground crops to keep insect pests at bay.    It works on the same principle as companion planting to neutralize fungus development and increase soil health without commercial fertilizers.  Herbs like comfrey which can get invasive if you don't cut them back before flowers begin to disperse, can be added to compost piles to increase nitrogen.  One plant can produce 3 cuttings and give you enough nitrogen for the whole summer.  Aromatics like rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, lemon balm and even catnip can repel insects while adding herbal medicinals and culinary stock to your household.


Some seed companies to consider would be High Mowing Seeds, Johnny's, Fedco, Peaceful Valley and of course, Richters in Canada for herbs.  Don’t forget to support your local seed saving groups as heirloom seeds are important to the continued ability for all of us to plant crops that are capable of reproducing themselves.   Having to rely on the modified species that have to be purchased on a yearly basis because they cannot reproduce themselves, sets us up for control by outside sources of our own food supply.


The sky is the limit!  It's easy to overdue purchasing new varieties, so planning, again, is key.  Just make sure that whatever you do, do it well and your garden will support and sustain you from one summer season to the next.

JustHaving trouble with cold fingers and toes when you're out these cold winter days; or do you simply experience those moments when a chill from drafts in the house cause you to shiver and turn the thermostat up a degree?  Do you know that there are some spices that you can add to your food that will help your body maintain it's core temperature?

All the incredible and tasty Eastern spices like cinnamon, cloves, tumeric, ginger, fennugreek and others actually increase body temperature naturally and are great to have around the house any time, but especially during cold winter months. 

Many of these spices are able to expand capillaries (small blood vessels) in the body to allow oxygen and thus energy, producing heat.  These "warmer" spices can be taken in tea, capsule or tincture form or just added to meals for seasonings.  Just remember to buy fresh, good quality spices.  They also have great immune building properties of their own and are just another example of how your food can be your sustaining medicine.   I encourage you to taste and explore the many flavors and uses of these wonderful spices.  Many recipes can be found online. 
 
I love to do things like sprinkle my morning yogurt with cloves or cinnamon or even my morning coffee.  There is a drink that can be made with tumeric and ginger called golden milk that is simple delightful and non-caffeinated.  Try adding a sprinkle of cayenne to your favorite dark hot chocolate.

When we go skiing here in Vermont on cold days, we have some tricks to keep us going. Drinking a shot of an eighth of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a small glass of water a few minutes before you go out will establish a nice warming sensation as it opens up the capillaries in your extremities.  As your body is active, the warmth circulates through your blood stream and increases your body's warming capacity.  Try it some day before you go out for a walk in the snow.  You'll be pleasantly surprised.

New Year's greetings!!  There are exciting times ahead of us and plenty of opportunities to use our creative juices to help folks get well and stay well.   As teachers and students at Healing Leaves Center come together to brainstorm in the next few weeks, there will be more ideas and projects that we can choose from than we will be able to accomplish.   At the same time in the synergy of working together, we will be able to come up with the best we have to offer.   As the Director, that is exciting for me.  As part of our online community, I want to remind you that you are part of who we are and what we become.  So feel free to offer any observations or ideas for consideration in this next year.  Just because we haven't done it yet, doesn't mean it's beyond the realm of our accomplishing it.

A few things that I can say will continue to take place are the Intermittent Fasting and Fat Burning Protocol coaching; mini video series on "The New Millennial Diet" and other herbally centered topics both in video format and hands on in person.  We will have more topics and information in the next month's blog as we meet together.

Meantime, the plant and seed catalogs are already coming in.  Here in Vermont it's in the single digits and very snowy.  This is a good time to plan ahead for garden space, tools, supplies, layout, soil, and most importantly, the seeds or plants you want to establish.  Vegetables gardens are always fun and the old Victory Garden of WWII fame may just be an important part of your yard, whether formal veggie space or small raised beds.  As the threat to our food sources becomes more questionable and expensive; it may be more beneficial to grow, preserve and provide the freshest, nutritionally viable foods right in your back yard.  Grow and preserve the things you use the most throughout the year and you won't have to wonder where you might find them come the next winter season.

Growing culinary and medicinal herbs in your backyard can be just as satisfying and secure.  There are many that are easy to grow in good average soil and can provide your "go to" in emergencies.  Plants like Echinacea (purple cone flower), lemon balm, oregano, sage, thyme, parsley, rosemary, valerian, scullcap, nettle, comfrey, peppermint, raspberry, horseradish can be used in small spaces, integrated into perennial beds, as well as your garden plot.  The first goal, if you're just starting out is finding the ones that address some of your family's general health issues and start growing those.   You will be relieved to have them on hand when a health issue comes up and not have to run to the local pharmacy or health food store.  It's fun, it's easy and it saves time and money.  We at Healing Leaves Center are all about teaching lay people to help themselves.  If there are specific herbs you are interested in learning about, whether growing or preparation, we are interested in hearing from you so that we can provide the information you need to become self sufficient.

So here's a hearty cheers to the New Year and all that can be accomplished together!

Blessings,
Cathy Dodge

Here at Healing Leaves Center we are taking December off from all our busyness to spend time with family and friends.  It is always a time for reflection; yet also a time for resting from our labor and intentionally making time with those we love to put arms and legs to our words and demonstrate how much each one means to us.  It's not just a matter of gift giving, sometimes the greatest gift we can give is the gift of time together.  That is the essence of relationships and God's words to "love our neighbors as ourselves".  

It is our prayer for you this Christmas season that wherever you may find yourselves may the peace of Christ and the love of God bless your hearts and souls; and may the brightness of His light heal and make you whole.
​
Cathy