As we move into August up here in the UP, it’s my busiest time of the year. It seems EVERYTHING is ready for harvest at the same time! Infused oils and tinctures need AT LEAST 6-8 weeks to process, so all of my products for cold and flu season need to be started right now. Also, any herbs I want to dry for use in the coming winter or freeze for cooking until next season, need to be processed this month.
Thinking about all of that, I realized that every year there are basic tenants of herbalism that get my husband Michael and me through the season without a second thought. We’ve been doing them for so long that they are basically intuitive to us. The reason is: number one, we know WHO we are. Number two, we know which herbs are the best for us. Admittedly, this comes from years of tweaking remedies and experimenting on ourselves during the season to find out what works best. But there is an herbalist secret that I’m going to share with all of you in the next two months. It’s called energetics, and it is the key to understanding how we herbalists work with unique individuals to help them on their wellness paths.
The first thing you all need to STOP doing is being Google Herbalists. These are the folks who look up things like “What herbs are good for a cough”. This sends you down a winding road that gets more confusing as you go.
So now you have a list of 10 herbs. Which one should you use? All of them? How much should you use? How should you prepare them? You get the picture. But wait, there’s more! One site tells you that you must be a vegan to properly address your cough, while another says you need to be on a low carb diet and eat plenty of meat. We’re not done. The next site in the list tells you that the number one herb on your list might kill you, while the last site you look at, before wanting to jump out the window, ensures they can fix the problem for you and it will only cost you $189 per month, for 4 months to get you through the season. It makes me feel like that crazy bald lady from the 80’s – STOP THE INSANITY!
You are unique. I know, DUH! But the mainstream medical community doesn’t look at you that way. They prefer a “one size fits all” approach and unfortunately, what works for me, may not work for you at all. Also, even many “health practitioners” will give the same detox program to every customer, WITHOUT KNOWING ANYTHING ABOUT THEM! This is what makes me different.
Hippocrates said, It is better to know who has the disease rather than what disease a person has. Enter Herbal Energetics. The concept of energetics is derived from many different systems like Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda from India and various forms of western Herbalism. I’ve done all the hard work for you, and we’re going to focus on the most basic concepts to give you a foundational understanding.
At the core of many of these systems is the notion that everything is made up of the four qualities of hot, cold, damp and dry. As an herbalist, I am always looking to bring you to a state of homeostasis, or balance. If you’re too hot, I’m going to give you cooling herbs. Too dry? Moistening herbs, etc.
So our first step is to find out which qualities make up who YOU are. To do this, I’m going to run you through some quizzes that will help you, at a very simple level, to determine your constitution. This will help you decide which foods and herbs are best for you personally. It’s going to be an exciting journey and I can’t wait to start it with you. So check in next week when we will figure out if you are Hot or Cold! Until then, enjoy this last month of summer, don't forget to pick up a Back to School Survival Pak for each of your kiddos, and Let’s Get Better!
To take a deeper dive into this, schedule a personal consultation with me today.
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