Just a quick post to let you know that come February, I am going to start a monthly series of blog posts called, "Disease of the Month."
This series will go in depth on what exactly the disease is, how it presents, symptoms, etc and then detail how I would move forward with herbs to assist your body during that time. It will detail whether or not herbs have the power to cure that disease or if they can just help ones body deal with it in the most optimal way possible. I will be starting off the series with the disorders and diseases that mainly plague women, as that is who I specialize in treating. Once those have been exhausted, then we will move onto other disorders and diseases. I am excited to share this series and my knowledge about herbs and how they can best be used for each disease. I will also detail how other holistic therapies can be a good complement to herbs and help as well. I really hope you will join me for this series and learn all you can and more about the wonderful, marvelous power or Nature and Herbs. Blessed Be, Shannon
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The name of this Herb might get your mind thinking about sowing wild oats and you would be correct! Traditionally used as an aphrodisiac over the centuries, it perhaps got people out there doing just that! What exactly is this herb about and what do we use it for? Read on, to find out.
The common name of this herb is Wild Oats. It can also be found under the common names of Oat straw and Common Oat. This herb is found in temperate and sub-tropical climates. It is believed to have originated in the Near East and Europe. The Latin name is Avena sativa. The oat tops, also known as the aerial parts, are what is used in this plant. Traditionally, it has been used for supporting women's health and gained quite a reputation for being an aphrodisiac in both men and women. The saying "Sowing your wild oats," was thought to have originated from that particular use of this herb. It has also been used in baths in Europe for treating rheumatism, sore muscles, and even kidney problems. It has also been used for treating epilepsy, anxiety, migraines, shingles, and fatigue. It is a very powerful nervous trophorestorative. This means it helps the nervous system recover from being exhausted. Long term anxiety, depression, fatigue, tension, insomnia really take a toll on your nervous system and working properly. As such, long term use of Wild Oats can help get the nervous system back into line and help it regain its health. The active constituents (the chemical found in the herb that lend to its actions in the body) found in Wild Oats are saponins, polyphenols, sterols, nutrients (it is very high in minerals and vitamin B), monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, flavonoids, and proteins. The therapeutic actions that Wild Oats impart on the body and that we prize its use for are it being a nervous system trophorestorative, nervine, anti-depressant, sedative, antispasmodic, nutritive, demulcent and vulnerary. As explained above a trophorestorative is a herb that works on one particular body system and helps it regain optimal function. The anti-depressant activity is for mild to moderate depression. Severe depression should always be treated by a medical doctor with herbs coming on board as complimentary to whatever pharmaceuticals the doctor was prescribed. The sedative action makes it good to help treat insomnia. Anti-spasmodic means it helps with spasms throughout the body. A demulcent coats the intestines and helps reduce inflammation and a vulnerary means it is useful in healing wounds. WOW! As you can see, this one herb has many different uses throughout the body. It is prized for its ability to calm the nervous system and help with anxiety and depression, but as you see, it has many different uses as well. So, how do I usually use this herb in my practice and for my clients? Good question. I tend to lean towards its nervous system actions the most as it is top notch at helping with anxiety, insomnia, and restoring a depleted nervous system to health. I typically give this to individuals who have suffered with anxiety that leads to panic attacks as well as generalized anxiety disorders that have them feeling "on edge" constantly and not able to ever truly relax. I have also used it in blends to help restore those suffering from insomnia to an optimal sleep schedule and restoring their restful nights. I also tend to use it when someone informs me that they have a very stressful period coming up in their lives. It can help the body deal with the stress and not become too depleted. Other ways it can be used, especially in women, is as a hormone regulator. It helps regulate estrogen levels in the body. Now this can work for men as well, as men do also make estrogen, just at lower levels than women. This is probably where its use as an aphrodisiac came from. Proper levels of hormones, especially estrogen, increase ones sexual drive. Fuck yeah! It is used as a way to get extra nutrients in as well for someone suffering from a poor appetite, perhaps caused by stress, anxiety, or other reasons. Due to its nutritive content, it is also used many times to help stabilize blood sugar levels as well in diabetics. Of course, I recommend only taking any herb under the guidance of a Master Herbalist and with any medical doctors on your team being aware as well. If you think wild oats might help you, please contact me for a consult and we will work together on how to use them properly and safely for you. So you might be wondering, "How in the hell do I take these wild oats?" Usually, they are given 1 of 2 ways. The best way to dose them is through a water extraction. Which is a fancy way of saying, "tea." You would take 1-2 teaspoons of the dried wild oats and place in a cup. Pour 8 ounces (240 ml) of boiling water over them and let them steep for 10 minutes. Strain and drink 2-3 times a day. The other common way to dose them is through a tincture format, or an alcohol based extraction. In this way, you would take 3-5 ml/cc of the 1:5 tincture up to 3 times a day. (If you purchase a pre-made tincture from another distributor, the tincture should be labeled with its herb to alcohol ratio ie the 1:5. If it is a lower number after the 1 then it is stronger and as such will need to be dosed at a smaller amount. Please consult me before dosing a stronger tincture on your own.) The only caution with this particular herb is to proceed with caution if taking morphine as it can increase the effects of morphine and as such send you into respiratory failure. Yikes! If taking any kind of narcotic pain medications, please consult myself or your medical doctor, before taking this long term or not under the close watch of a Master Herbalist. So, in conclusion, this is a very versatile herb and can help an individual in many different ways. Go try some Wild Oats today and then go sow some wild oats after! Then come back here and let me know all about how well it worked for you. (but not with all the details. I don't need to hear that. HA) Blessed Be, Shannon So you might be wondering? Just who is the Nomad at the Nomad Apothecary and how did that business name come into being? Well, lets find out shall we?
The Nomad in the Apothecary is Shannon. That's me folkx! I am a bisexual mother, wife, herbalist, nurse, and intuitive healer. Oh and on top of all that, I also have ADHD, which I wasn't diagnosed with till I was 35! Whew. When I write that all out, it sounds like I never have time to sleep! (Slight spoiler alert: I don't!) The biggest chunk of my life is taken up with my children. I am the biological mother to one amazing daughter and the lucky bonus mom to 3 awesome bonus kids (2 boys and a girl). I adore the life I have with them, even if it does get crazy sometimes. All my children are neurodiverse (like me!) so I use many of the treatments I would recommend to you for them and myself and see in action every day just how much they can help and how much good they do. If you saw my disclaimer HERE about being a safe spot for LGBTQ+ individuals and POC, you are probably no longer wondering why. I am a very out and open bisexual woman. My biological daughter is Black and my bonus daughter is, in her words, Gay as Fuck! I strive to make sure everyone is treated with equity here and I do not discriminate against anyone for any reason. The next biggest chunk of my life is my husband. You can find a picture of him and I from our wedding on the About page. I was a single mom basically from the time my daughter was born due to some crazy circumstances. Domestic violence is a very real thing here in the US and it is awful how many individuals suffer from it. I was lucky in my being able to get away safely. (If you need to leave a bad situation please reach out to the Domestic Violence Hotline: 800.799.SAFE (7233)). What is an elderberry? An elderberry comes from the Sambucus nigra plant which belongs to the Adoxaceae family. These bushes are found throughout temperate to subtropical regions across the world. They tend to be found near sources rich with nitrogen. While the uncooked elderberries are toxic to eat, cooked berries are just fine and are very safe. Elderberries have been used for hundreds of centuries for helping the body fight off colds and flu and other viral illnesses. These dark berries are also used for natural coloring in foods and to dye fabrics. Through studies they have found that the anthocyanins in the berries are the active constituent that helps support the body during viral illnesses. The therapeutic benefits that have been observed in elderberries are its diaphoretic, antiviral, antimicrobial, cardioprotective, and antioxidant abilities. So how exactly do these therapeutic actions help during a cold or flu? A diaphoretic is anything taken that causes the body to sweat and help break a fever. So it can help bring a fever down by this action. An antiviral and antimicrobial are helpful in supporting the immune system in building its defenses up and fighting off whatever is causing trouble. A cardioprotective helps protect the heart muscle and an antioxidant helps inhibit the process of oxidation. Due to these therapeutic actions, elderberry is typically used during colds and flu season as a maintenance dose to help guard against coming down with the above. If you already have gotten a cold or flu you can take a higher dose to help your body fight off the infection. The berries also help manage a fever and soothe the membranes of an inflamed respiratory system. They also help decongest the system. A lesser known use for elderberries is helping to fight off digestive system infections as well. And taken daily to help strengthen and protect the cardiovascular system. All in all, elderberries are a very versatile and good herb to keep in stock during the winter in your house. Elderberry syrup is the most common way to take them and its sweetness and nice purple color make it appealing for children as well, making it easy to dose them as needed. A normal dose is 1 tbsp every day for maintenance and 1 tbsp every hour when acute illness has occurred. The dose is the same for children and adults. You can buy elderberry syrup here from The Nomad Apothecary and keep all your winter blues away and the family healthy. Have you used elderberries with good results for your family? Share your experiences in the comments below. I love hearing how herbs and plants have helped others in their journey to their best health.
Blessed Be, Shannon |
AuthorShannon, master herbalist, shares her thoughts, educational information, and more. Archives
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