Some suggest it’s best to stick to herbs native to your country and culture. (Something to keep in mind when considering adding herbs to any protocol.) I developed a trust in our acupuncturist, and with acupuncture in general, and therefore felt comfortable trying them.
In addition, plants tend to be alkaline, and since raising the PH of our systems is a big goal, I ventured confidently into the world of Chinese herbs.
We’ve experienced help with nosebleeds, digestion, a urinary tract infection (which came after my first acupuncture treatment and the sudden release of toxins), and energy.
As our acupuncturist explained recently, many of the formulas target a lurking or latent pathogen. A pathogen which lies dormant, appears, and then disappears again. This is a good description of chronic illness. The goal then is to feed the system from the inside, push out the pathogen, expose it, and facilitate its exit from the body.
Here is one set of herbs I recently cooked.
An example of a decocted herbal formula is as follows:
Xiau Chai Hu Tang (used in upper respiratory infections, influenzas, malaria, jaundice, headaches, dizziness, and more)
The specific herbs are as follows (the English version is italicized):
Chai Hu (bupleurum)
Ban Xia (pinellia)
Huang Qin (skullcap)
Ren Shen (ginseng)
Zhi Gan Cao (licorice)
Sheng Jiang (ginger)
The herbs are placed in a pot. Soaked for one hour. Brought to a boil and then simmered for 30 minutes. The liquid is poured into a jar and more water is added and the process is repeated.
This is our kitchen counter.
Because I learn and process much more slowly now, it has taken me months to master this process. The benefits, however, far outweigh the “work” of Chinese herbs as we continue to inch our way toward recovery.
This is an area that I too am researching, but have not as of yet begun to experiment... I had ... YEARS ago.. but my mind has all but forgotten most of the knowledge I had obtained... Have you heard of dr. zhang? I am doing some posts on him... and hope to order his book in the next day or so :) sooooo excited!
ReplyDeleteoh.. thanks again for recommending the book by Paul Pritchard, that is in the pile to be ordered in the next day or so as well! :) you can imagine my thrill that we will be ordering soon, and beginning the studying soon...
well..
I am off to tend to my Winter root soup... skimming must be done :)
you are LOVED!!!!!!!!!
great post... more details please! :)
Oh... if only you were close enough to "market" that in Georgia. I have an idea that I'm heading in that direction, but it's a hard process to jump into, and would be so much easier if someone else does the prep! :-)
ReplyDeleteWonderful!! :-) I'm so glad you're using CHinese herbs. Have you heard of astragalus root? I buy it from a local Asian grocery and it does WONDERS for my immune system. Another thought: colloidal silver - made at home with distilled water by a machine like the one Silver Bullet makes (avoid anything from a store because it doesn't keep well and particular size is important- never buy it bound to "protein"). I would not take large amounts orally since it can cause argyria, but should be fine in small amounts No pathogens are resistant to colloidal silver of the right size
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