God marked objects with a sign, or “signature”,  for their purpose.^[2] For instance, a plant bearing parts that resembled human body parts, animals, or other objects had useful relevance to those parts, animals or objects. The “signature” may also be identified in the environments or specific sites in which plants grew.

In other more modern words, plants may resemble the parts of the body which they supposedly heal. In many ways, I love the idea of the plants speaking, teaching and guiding us. Is that plant shaped like our kidney? Is the natural world built for our interpretation and created through our image?

I like to consider these and other questions. It  may be interesting to look at it from another perspective, can the plant that looks like it has scales, cure the snake?

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Learn more about the Doctrine of Signatures

Now, I struggle with knowing how much to sacrifice to keep myself healthy and stress-free. Ideally I would do yoga once a day, meditation twice a day and also some aerobic activity to keep the blood flowing. Is this self-indulgent? What am I willing to trade to  keep this routine up?

I feel there were so many things we put ahead of our own health when I was young. And I’m not talking about with food — my mom was a health nut. I’m am talking about cultivating inner peace, reducing and dealing with the stress of being alive. Finally after 30 years, my mom is taking time for herself by jumping on the trampoline for 15 min every day. It inspires me to see her take time to care for her body and spirit.

I have to believe that if you put your health first, that it only benefits the people around you. I want to believe that it’s possible for everyone, regardless of background or work load can find time to breathe. Women especially seem to have a hard time, and I think that stems from the guilt we feel when not caring for others around us. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard my mom say — I just don’t have time to do that, I have to do something for so and so….

My mom has another spin on it all, she contends that you don’t need all of that to keep yourself healthy, that you do what you have to do and you keep on pushing. That peace in your heart and a smile on your face, can bring more happiness and health than any yoga pose. And you know what, maybe she’s right, but I sure hope she keeps jumping anyways.

My grandma always used to say that the road to beauty is paved with ugly — ok maybe she didn’t say that, but today it feels true. Honestly though, in this world of editing, brand management, airbrushing and frantically untagging unflattering facebook pictures of ourselvs, it’s sometimes nice to just post an image we’re not 100% comfortable with. I’ve shown you mine, now send me yours

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If you absolutely must have my  look, here are the ingredients
for the mask…

mix together french green clay, honey, and neroli essential oil,
add water until it is a creamy paste

When I started wildcrafting, I decided it would be important to understand Botany. Then I read that some wild plants are being threatened into extinction, so began my deep dive into organic and heriloom gardening.

Bear with me I’m going somewhere with this…

When more people came to me with their health questions, I felt it was extremely important to learn as much as I could about how the body works — this brought me into the realm of nutrition, naturopathy, dermatology, and body work.

Are you still here?

When I started getting interested in herbs, I had no idea the rabbit hole it would throw me down. I have heard really similar stories from other people — there is this pressure to do everything now and everything “right”. For example, some people believe that unless you grind and rinse your Milk Thistle (a strong liver tonic) again and again, the tincture won’t be effective because none of the flavonoids will be in it.

So what is my point with all of this? You can be the most well researched, experienced herbalist on the planet and you are still going to miss something. Also, it’s easy to go infinitely down the path of things being connected. Who knows, if you traced it back, bungee jumping might somehow be connected to growing lavender. Everything is informing everything else.

I don’t believe the remedy for this is to go out and learn everything you can, because trust me, you’ll never get out into the sunshine that way.

Instead I am taking the community approach. That is, I’ve made a little mind map for the concepts I think will inform my central passion and am surrounding myself with people who have my outlier interests as their main passion — this method is so much easier and more enjoyable than scouring the internets and hunkering down in a dark corner of the library.

Here is the very start of my mind map, if you want to check it out }
http://www.mindmeister.com/30795573/herbalism

Most importantly though, I’m giving myself a break and keeping it simple. Let’s say you give someone a Milk Thistle tincture that has no active constituents and is by all clinical standards, completely “useless”. Impossible! The energy and intent you put into something gets transmitted into the person who receives it. (Here’s a great book called The Gift by Lewis Hyde, on this concept — )

And there has been a lot of evidence that affirms the power of thought — if someone believes something to be true, it often becomes so. As my mentor Tonja says, “Imagination is more real than real.”

Honestly, does it get any better than this I ask you?

pictures from the heirloom gardens site http://heirloomgardens.blogspot.com/

My renewed interest in health is not born out of a fear of aging or of an illness, but instead  coincides with my desire to lead a holistic life.  Even in the world of alternative health, I find herbalists and naturopaths who are tempted to treat the symptoms instead of the system. And I really don’t blame them, it’s natural to break down an issue this way!

When someone wants to know how they can get rid of their headache, instead of asking them a million questions about stress, diet, lifestyle and even emotional history, I am inclined to tell them that white willow bark might do the trick — and I just plumb forget that sometimes the “simplest” symptom may be the result of a deeper truth.

The more I study and experience, the more I realize how mysterious the body is, how we may know how its individual parts work, but it would take forever and a day to truly understand how they are working in concert with each other. The good news is that we know they do work together and that basic concept is incredibly important.

My goal is to have a sort of trigger for myself, so when people ask me health related questions, I can remember to treat them as the complex beings that they truly are. It’s an issue of respect, but also of humility. Who am I to believe that I have the answers? I can only ask the questions that may help someone else facilitate a whole-body healing within themselves.

There are many doctors who have had these same thoughts and articulated them much better than me. Currently, I am reading Jon Barron’s Lessons from the Miracle Doctors. It is a whole-body approach to healing, and I haven’t found anything better yet.

I would love to hear the books that are currently inspiring your mind and body!

I made my own simple version, using one flower and a small note describing the meaning. Now that I know, I’m going to do my best to learn the secrets that peek behind each petal, that way I don’t send someone Dragonswort. You’ll have to look that one up to find out why. 

Want to know more about the language of flowers? Here is a wonderful online resource — Here’s a longer article and a book to help lift the veil.

I am an apartment dweller for me that means small spaces and maybe one good window for growing. I’m taking baby steps, my first one being the lettuce seeds I bought from Urban Harvest. I love You Grow Girl’s blog and followed her simple instructions on growing microgreens on a windowsill…and Va Va Voom, 4 days after planting the garden is knocking at my door with suitcase in hand!

My next adventure is shoots and sprouts. I’ll have an update soon! I’d love to hear all your indoor growing stories and secrets.

So how do they make this happen — on a plant based diet and 8 times as much tofu. But it’s not just what they’re eating, it is how they eat it — no family style serving. Instead it’s small plates for everyone and a the little saying Hara Hachi Bu before they sit down to eat. It’s a quote coined by Confucious and it means, stop eating when you feel 80% full. Apparently it takes 1/2 half hour for the news that you’re full to get to your brain.

According to a recent study, if you want to live to be over 100, it’s also about your social network and your philosophy of life. If you want to find out more about the people with the longest lifespans in the world and the common denominators between them, check out this wonderful TED talk here.

Right now, I am going to practice my Hara Hachi Bu by eating a few bites of this mini vanilla Haagen-Dazs.

For all you out there going solo, just enjoy the day and do something special for yourself…I recommend the bath salt recipe that I have below.

Ambiance
In the dinning room, I’m going to string some white Christmas lights, light some candles, put the music on low (any recommendations?), and have some homemade potpourri on the stove.

Simmerin Down
Before dinner, I am going to mix up a Kava Kava cordial that will help us both relax and light the fires.

Kava Kava Honey Cordial Recipe
12 oz of water
14 0z can of coconut milk
2 oz of Kava Kava root
1Tbsp/1inch ginger
2Tbsp Cinnamon
1Tbsp Cardamom
1 Tbsp Vanilla extract
1tsp Clove
Honey to taste

Add all the dried herbs to the water and let simmer for 10-20 minutes. Strain out herbs. Return to heat and add coconut milk until warm. Add honey and vanilla. Serve warm.I am just going to serve in little espresso glasses because too much of this and you’ll be too relaxed to move

The Menu
I haven’t fully decided on the dinner menu yet. But I will be sure to include one or several of these sensuous foods known for their aphrodisiaciscal (is that a word?) qualities.

Fennel soup, Moroccan Chicken, orange nut butter on bread, asparagus, oysters, truffles, figs, edible flowers, honey and I would never leave out chocolate dipped crystalized ginger for dessert.

Chocolate Dipped Crystalized Ginger
1-2 bars of dark chocolate of choice
30-50 pieces of crystalized ginger (easy to get!)
powdered cinnamon and/or cayenne
double boiler

Pour water into base of a double boiler. Heat water as you roughly chop the bars of chocolate. Place chocolate into the upper portion of double boiler. Once water is boiling, set the smaller pot onto the base. Stir chocolate consistently. Don’t allow chocolate to boil! Once fully melted, sprinkle a little cinnamon and/or cayenne power into chocolate. Then dip ginger pieces into chocolate as desired. Rest chocolate covered ginger on the wax paper to cool and harden.

The Bath
For this step, I’m going to light another candle and mix up some healing and luxurious bath salts.

Bath Salt Recipe
1 cup Epsom salts
3 drops of Sandalwood Essential Oil
10 drops of Rose Essential Oil
1/4 cup dried Rose petals (or a handful of fresh)

Mix everything together and throw a handful in your bath! Also, if you know these aren’t your partner’s favorite scents, you can just replace them. I just read that vanilla is a favorite scent for men, and jasmine for women.

The Bedroom
I am going to lay down a piece of red silk (or cloth) on the table top and put a tray of delights on it } figs, chocolate, almonds berries. I’ll also pour us both some red wine or champagne spritzers (just mix champagne with italian soda). I have also mixed up a sensual massage oil…

Sensual Massage Oil Recipe
10 drops Vanilla Essential Oil
7 drops orange Essential Oil
3-4 drops Ylang Ylang
1 oz Apricot Kernal Oil

Mix all ingredients together and store in amber jar (this is good for 1 yr)

Don’t worry, I will won’t go into any more detail, but I hope you found something you can use.

And, if you need more ideas please go run out and by this book –
Botanica Erotica by Diana De Luca. Sexiest herbal book ever.