The Herbalist’s Approach to Liver Heat
Your liver is responsible for metabolizing every waste product that your body produces, as well as everything you put into your body, good and bad. In this way, the liver is central to the health of the entire body, for it is a nutrient storehouse and makes sure everything stays pure and clean. When its […]
Six Steps to Herbal Competence and Confidence
The two most common roadblocks an herbalist will face in their path is the fear that they lack the competence and confidence necessary to be a good practitioner. While it might feel more comfortable to read herbal books than to speak with people, the role of the herbalist isn’t to simply amass knowledge, but to […]
Clinical Patterns vs. Herbal Uses
We’ve all seen it before. You get super excited about a new herb and want to learn more about it. So you pull your herb books off the shelf and open it to the monograph on that plant. Unfortunately what you end up with is oftentimes only a few paragraphs, many of which begin with […]
The Vital Force of Nature and Holistic Herbalism (2017 Evolutionary Herbalism workshop)
One of the most important perspectives-that is, ways of seeing the world- for the true holistic herbalist, is to have an understanding of the vital intelligence found within all of nature. It is critical to learn to perceive the human body as intelligent, that everything about a plant is a communication, and that we as […]
The Key to Herbal Energetics and Constitutional Systems
One of the key distinguishing characteristics of the practice of true holistic herbalism is the understanding of herbal energetics juxtaposed with the human constitution.
Strategies for a Holistic Respiratory Formula
The art of herbal formulation is… well just that- an art!! The #1 mistake too many herbalists make when it comes to formulating is that they think about what organ system they want to work with and BAM- throw every herb they can think of that does something to that system and hope that it will work.
Therapeutics for the Respiratory System
I believe the respiratory system is of the most important organ systems to know how to treat with herbs because it’s one of the primary systems consistently and commonly afflicted in modern life- especially during this time of year; the “cough, cold and flu season.” From an allopathic perspective, a cough is typically treated with an anti-tussive, like Robitussin, the primary purpose of which is to suppress the cough. This ultimately prolongs the duration of the cough by preventing the bodies ability to cleanse the mucosal membranes (by coughing up the mucous) and enable them to lay down a fresh layer of antibody rich mucous.
Gut Health and Clinical Herbalism
When I was studying herbal medicine in university at Bastyr, my teachers taught me that in traditional western herbalism, the human organism is likened to a tree whose roots are the digestive system.
In this way, the health of the entire organism is utterly dependent on the health of the digestive apparatus- from the mouth all the way down to the colon. In our modern world of genetically modified, processed, artificial, pesticide ridden foods, along with the overuse of antibiotics, over the counter antacids and anti-inflammatories, as well as the serious impacts of food intolerances and allergies, that the state of human digestive health is to say the least, not so great.
Holistic Herbalism and the Adaptogen Myth
What’s the most common mistake most people make when they start using herbs? After years of teaching and traveling across the country, I’ve seen people over and over make the assumption that if they’re using herbs, they’re holistic. It’s actually not true! Many herbalists and naturopaths actually practice what I like to call “green allopathy” – using herbs just as replacements for drugs. Instead of thinking of herbs in a “use this for that” kind of mindset, I break down how to see herbs in a truly holistic way.
