How to Reduce Inflammation

Inflammation is the root of many disease processes, but it is an important part of our healing mechanism. How we keep it within healthy limits is what we will examine here.

An antiinflammatory Lifestyle

 

Start With the Basics

• Moderate Exercise
• Clean water
• Clean air
• Organic, fresh food
• Sunshine
• Restful sleep
• Reflection/Prayer/Meditation

An Antiinflammatory Diet

Morning hydration is important to start the day off right since you become dehydrated at night. Consider a glass of water, waiting for you beside your bed. Most people start off with a cup of coffee which dehydrates them even more. A 16 oz glass of water first thing is a better choice for your first morning beverage.

A healthy diet has lots of dark green leafy vegetables as well as other colorful vegetables and fruits. Eating vibrantly colored food means you are eating a diet high in polyphenols. Polyphenols provide antioxidants to help decrease inflammation. Polyphenols have been shown to decrease a variety of inflammatory disease processes.  I would stress that fresh, raw food should also be eaten at every meal. So make sure you include salads and fresh uncooked fruit as often as possible. They provide nutrients you do not always get in a cooked meal.  Don't forget to include a healthy source of protein which means grass fed animals with room to roam, healthy seafood (getting harder to find) or a mix of complex carbohydrates and legumes.

The Gastrointestinal Chapter of my book "Herbal ABCs book" has a review of a general healthy diet that will help decrease inflammation. A low carbohydrate diet is often useful for "O" blood types and sometimes for other people who are having gastrointestinal inflammation. Carbohydrates in the diet should be complex carbohydrates. These can be healthy for many people, but simple sugars are generally inflammatory.

What we don't eat is as important as what we eat. Remove any food sensitivities, allergens and unhealthy foods from the diet. Elimination diets are a good method to find offending foods. Reducing your intake of fried fatty foods is also helpful.

Supplementing Key Nutrients

Additionally, supplementing basic nutrients may be necessary  to support the diet. Supplements to lower inflammation might include omega 3 fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin D,  vitamin C, and magnesium. Additionally, supplements that support the bodies biotransformational (detox) system can be key in keeping inflammation under control. Glutathione is an important factor in making sure this detoxification system is well oiled. Supplements that either replace glutathione such as acetyl glutathione or those that help support healthy glutathione levels such as cysteine or alpha lipoic acid can also be beneficial. (More to come on glutathione.)

Healing the Gut

Heal the gut with gut healing herbs such as Calendula, Marshmallow, Turmeric and Chamomile. You can also see the digestive System chapter of "Herbal ABC's" for more ideas on herbs to heal the gut. 

Calendula officinalis

Matricaria chamomilla

Eradicate Infections

Bacteria can increase or decrease inflammation depending on who you feed in your large intestine. Think about increasing biodiversity of good gut bacteria. Support healthy gut bacteria with  water soluble fiber and use fermented foods or if you can't make or get fermented foods, add a variety of probiotics to the diet. The idea is to enhance biodiversity in the large intestine. (There are times when probiotics and prebiotics or certain types of probiotics can be contraindicated such as in d-lactic acidosis and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth - also called SIBO.)

Infections outside of the gastrointestinal tract also increase general body inflammation. This can be acute or chronic infections, and include examples such as herpes, cytomegalovirus, various parasites or smoldering dental bacterial disease. These have to be addressed to regain health.

Remove Environmental Toxins

Make sure your toxic load is low. Remove yourself from water-damaged environments that have toxins such as mycotoxins, bacterial inflammagens, volatile organic compounds or other hazards. These substances will use up all your antioxidants, stress out the biotransformational system and leave you inflamed. Examine your environment for possible sources of these and other toxins such as a water-damage in a building, off-gassing from flooring materials, off-gassing furniture , paints, propane or natural gas appliances, tainted water from natural or human additives, tainted food (from growing, processing, packaging or shipping), lead/mercury/aluminum (in paint, water pipes, mercury amalgams, cookware, jewelry, tableware, toys), food packaging/containers, dry cleaning, cleaning products, toxins brought into the home on your shoes (leave them at the door), flame-retardant products, etc. Please go to the Environmental Working Group for more ideas on where you will find toxins in your environment.

Enhance The Biotransformational (detox) System

Enhance biotransformational (detox) capacities to remove toxins from the body. This can be done by supporting the liver in general and by specifically supporting any biotransformational enzyme system that is not working up to par. Enhancing glutathione is one of the more important aspects of supporting the detoxification capacity of the body. Turmeric and Milk thistle both assist in healthy glutathione levels and removal of toxins.  Saunas are helpful for removing toxins if they are traditional saunas or infrared saunas with low electric and magnetic fields that do not use toxic glues and/or chemically treated wood to make the sauna.

Support the Parasympathetic System (The Rest and Digest part of the Nervous System)

Enhancing the parasympathetic nervous system helps decrease inflammation. It has been shown that stimulating the vagus nerve and enhancing acetylcholine cools down inflammatory cytokines and decreases inflammation in the body. One of the simplest ways to do this is to breathe deeply and slowly. Meditation, prayer, Qi gong, breathing exercises and anything that creates a joyful sense of peace and relaxation will enhance parasympathetic tone in the body.

Specific Antiinflammatory Herbs

I thought you might like to have some ideas of herbs to use as acute antiinflammatories for areas of the body where we most often have acute reactions. Most of the ideas I have given you are for long term use to lower over-all inflammation in the body.

Skin: For the skin, I think of oatmeal as a wonderful topical herb and almost everyone has it in their kitchen. Look for the directions on how to use it as an oatmeal bath in my book, Herbal ABC's.

Respiratory Tract: In the mouth, throat and nasal passages, I would have to say that warm salt water is my first go-to treatment to reduce inflammation and edema. This inexpensive and easy to use treatment is often neglected and I can't stress how useful it is. For acute inflammation from infection, irritation or allergies, I always use salt water first to decrease the inflammation, edema and pain. An herb that I like to use for acute respiratory situations is Yarrow. This astringing herb acts as a wonderful antiinflammatory, diaphoretic, and antimicrobial. It should not be used long term or I would use it for chronic cases also. Both the salt water and a tea of Yarrow can be either gargled, swished around the mouth or snorted up the nostrils. They will both decrease the redness swelling and pain associated with inflammation. Add some salt to the Yarrow tea and you can use both treatments at one time.

Digestive Tract: For acute inflammation I would suggest Peppermint, Chamomile, or Licorice. Peppermint and Chamomile also help remove gas and decrease the pain associated with gas. I will often use either Peppermint or Chamomile and add some licorice to the tea also. Make sure you read about the side effects associated with Licorice. Not everyone can use this wonderful herb.


Some general antiinflammatory herbs, supplements that I like to use in my own life as part of my food, as a tea or supplement is as follows: 

Green tea (great antioxidant and a nice change of pace rather than coffee), Licorice (especially helps people who have low blood pressure, thirsty, static shocks and pee a lot.) Turmeric (I add this to a lot of my food as it makes a great flavor in many foods, but not so great as a tea.), Milk thistle (An amazing herb that benefits almost everyone and supports mitochondria.) These are all some power-hitters when it comes to lowering inflammation. Licorice has side effects and should not be used by everyone. Read up on Licorice before using it.

These are just a few ideas. There are many antiinflammatory foods and herbs. I have 39 different herbs listed as antiinflammatories in "Herbal ABCs". Each has their own special properties and actions to give them their own unique abilities.    
 

A Word Of Wisdom

Living a non-inflammatory life can sometimes be difficult to maintain or even costly in our current world. However, the cost of not living this way also needs to be examined.  It is helpful to set up our schedules and prioritize our lives in a way that allows for us to rest, eat well, live well and support ourselves.  The other option is to find ourselves spiraling into one of the many inflammatory diseases.  Ultimately, health and a radiant mind can be had by keeping inflammation under control.    
 

Learn More About Herbs

I currently have a super-duper holiday sale on these wonderful books, as they make great gifts for friends and family with an interest in herbs and health. One book is 15% off and two or more are 25% off until December 15th, 2018 - Only at my website and only available in the U.S.A. 

For additional information on Biotransformation (detoxification) And Inflammation:

Broccoli and Biotransformational Detox

Inflammation as The Root of Much Evil

Causes of Inflammation

 

 

Herb Class March 4th, 2012

Recap of March “Becoming An Herbalist” class at Wise Acres Farm

We were all here this time and what a lovely and diverse group of folks.

We continued looking at  roots and barks. It started with a discussion of astringent plants and tannins in general.

Highlights form the morning discussion on tannins.

We noted that astringent herbs bind with protein and cause contraction of tissues. When we taste them, they contract our mucous membranes and dry out the mouth. This astringing action is due to tannins. We talked about the two groups of tannin containing plants of interest to us called hydrolyzable and condensed (proanthocyanidins). Astringent plants with tannins are used for diarrhea. Tannins precipitate proteins on the gut wall and numb the sensory nerves and decrease stimuli that causes peristaltic activity. They also decrease secretions and inflammatory proteins as well as inhibiting microorganisms that may be causing the diarrhea. Astringent plants with tannins are used for passive bleeding. They act as a hemostatic or stypic by causing local vasoconstriction as well as creating artificial blood clots which are probably due to tannins precipitating proteins. These astringent herbs are used for internal and external beleeding, diarrhea, incontinence or other excessive secretions. They are also used for hemochromotosis (a condition causing excess iron in body) as tannins will bind with minerals. They bind with and decrease iron. It has been shown that one cup of strong coffee taken within two hours of consuming a meal will impair 60% of iron absorption (Coffee contains tannins). 

Old Gall on Small Oak Tree in Winter

We talked about tannins being soluble in water and alcohol so we could make a tea or tincture. They will precipitate alkaloids (proteins) so if both are in a tincture they will precipitate and settle out. 5% glycerin added to the tincture can help stop this from happening.

Young Gall Collected in Summer

We looked at galls on oak trees and discussed they are very high in tannins. They can contain 50-70% tannin known as gallotannic acid.

We noted the effect tannins have on animals that eat them and how those with proline rich proteins  (PRP) are able to eat more tannic plants than those with low levels of this protein in their saliva as the tannins bind to this protein. Humans have about 40% PRP in their saliva. Research shows that the more tannins a ruminant animal eats, the more PRP their body makes.

Lastly we talked about the concern of using too much tannic plants or using them over time and how they might cause problems. I pointed out they are used to tan hides and can cause problems precipitating out proteins in our gastrointestinal tract if use in high amounts or for a long time. They can cause an anti-nutritional effect as they will bind with minerals, carbohydrates and of course proteins in our meals and decrease their absorption. Although, there is controversy about how much tannins are actually absorbed in the GI tract, we know they are absorbed to some lesser or greater degree and can be problematic in large quantities. Toxic doses of them can be fatal. This is why they are generally no longer used in emergency rooms to bind alkaloids after alkaloid poisonings although this use to be a standard protocol.

Poplar Bud Collection & Tincture Making

Group Collecting Poplar Buds in March

Poplar Bud

Poplar Bud Tincture

After our morning discussion it was warming up outside. It was our first really warm day of 2012 and I sure enjoyed it. We were lucky enough to have a perfect day to collect Poplar buds at our altitude of 500 feet. We made a folk tincture of the fresh buds using 95 percent organic alcohol. We reviewed these wonderful resinous poplar leaf buds. They are used as an antimicrobial in the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract and urinary tract. They are a wonderful stimulating (irritating) expectorant and taste good in cough elixirs. They also have a numbing quality so it helps to decrease pain if used in a cough elixir or throat spray. Their anti-inflammatory property is also helpful in a throat spray. (Special notes: Resins do not dissolve in water and it is best to make a tincture out of them with 95% alcohol to preserve them. The resin can clog spray bottles if you put too much in a formula.) I meant to get out and collect some more buds and dry them for a second addition to our tincture but I did not get them in time. If anyone finds some at the bud stage to add, bring us a dried cup of them please. I plan for us to make a cough elixir later with this.

Digging Up Comfrey Root

Comfrey Root Digging and Making Slurry
We also had fun digging up comfrey root and making a slurry out of it. Everyone got to put their hands into the gooey concoction and see how soothing and healing comfrey root is. I have used the slurry for healing chapped hands of gardeners and contractors as well as for beat up feet. It is also wonderful for soaking wounds on the hands and feet as long as the wound is completely free of debris. Comfrey heals so fast, that a wound with debris can get healed over with the debris still there and cause an infection. The constituent in comfrey that lends it to being a vulnerary (wound healing) is called allantoin. This same constituent is in Aloe and is also produced by maggots used to clean and heal wounds. We discussed the problems with identifying comfrey and disagreements among some folks.


Some Comfrey Species Information

The creamy yellow-flowered form is stated by Hooker to be Symphytum officinale proper, and the dark purple flowered he considered a variety and named it S. officinale, var patens. The botanist Sibthorpe makes a definite species of it under the name patens.

"Symphytum grandiflorum "Hidcote Blue" Large Flowered Comfrey" – pink/red buds and blue flowers.

Symphytym uplandicum or Bocking is the one most folks have – light purple color and sterile. Many people call this officinale species even though it is uplandicum.

There has been controversy about which comfrey species contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which alkaloids are harmful and if they are really mutagenic (cancer causing) and cause veno-occlusive disease in people or not. So we discussed this until I almost put people to sleep. Most herbalists do not use comfrey internally any more and just use it externally to be safe. We discussed when to use it and when not to use it.  The recent research I have seen shows that they all contain a wide variety of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in differing amounts. Although some herbalists still use comfrey internally, the research shows that they all contain some amount of pyrrolizidine alkaloids that are harmful. This amount changes depending the part of the plant studied,  the time of year collected and how they are grown.

 

The Scoop on Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids…

Everyone has heard about Comfrey and the concern about the pyrrolizidine alkaloids in Comfrey causing hepato veno-occlusive disease (HVOD). The liver changes the pyrrolizidines into potent alkylating agents that react rapidly with cell constituents resulting in cellular destruction or abnormal cell growth patterns. This is a rare form of liver disease that results in blockage of the small veins of the liver and causes necrosis of liver tissue. It is diagnosed by liver biopsy. Clinically it appears to be hepatitis or cirrhosis without liver biopsy. They herbs that usually protect against liver damage would be no help here. Liver function tests may not pick this problem up until the veins are occluded and the necrosis is taking place which is too late. Even giving harmful pyrrolizidine alkaloid plants to people with healthy livers can be problematic.

Reseaerch needs to be completed with comfrey and the prevelence of HVOD. The cases that exist are sketchy and few but are reason for us to act cautiously. What most people don’t seem to realize is there are other medicinal herbs that also contain toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. The FDA has made it illegal to sell any of them for internal consumption. These herbs are Alkanna tinctoria (Alkanet), Anchusa officinalis (bugloss), Borago officinalis (borage), Crotalaria spp., Cynoglossum spp., Erechtites heiraciifolia, Eupatorium cannabium (hemp agrimony), Eupatorium purpureum (gravel root), Heliotropium spp., Lithospermum officinale (European gromwell), Packera candidissima, Petasites spp., (e.g., butterbur), Pulmonaria spp., (e.g. lungwort), Senecio jacobea (European ragwort), Senecio vulgaris (groundsel herb), Symphytum spp., (comfrey), and Tussilago farfara (coltsfoot).

AHPA requires the following labeling for products with pyrrolizidine alkaloids: For external use only. Do not apply to broken or abraded skin. Do not use when nursing.

Some manufacturers  remove pyrrolizidines from Comfrey to use it internally. The best route will be for growers to select for and provide a comfrey plant free from the harmful pyrrolizidines. Some species of comfrey are known to contain more harmful pyrrolizidine alkaloids than others. Symphytum officinalis has been thought to contain less than Symphytum uplandicum. However, Symphytum uplandicum has been sold as Symphytum officinalis in the past and the purchasers have not been aware they were buying the incorrect species. Most people think they are growing officinalis when it is really uplandicum. The  Comfrey leaves contain less alkaloid than the root generally and plants that do not go through the full winter season are thought to contain more of the alkaloid than comfrey that that lives in regions with a winter.

Comfrey is said to have been used to feed anmals in the past. It is said that animals have been fed comfrey to improve their health and to increase their productivity. I have read that chickens fed comfrey have been known to lay more eggs while comfrey fed cows gave more milk. However, this is not common practice. I would love to hear peoples stories of consumption of comfrey. Susan Weed says she eats it all the time.

Marshmallow Root in Bowl

Marshmallow
We made marshmallow lozenges with the marshmallow that had been collected in February and dried. We also made some slippery elm lozenges. We will have to take a look at the slippery elm tree here next time we have class. We discussed how they could both be made into slurries and drank or added straight to hot cereals. The important thing to remember when using water soluble fibers such as these is to be sure to drink a glass of water after taking them as a slurry, in a capsule etc. They will soak up fluid in your gut other wise and can make you constipated or even worse case scenario cause a bowel obstruction (Unlikely but to be sure, drink plenty of water when you consume water soluble fibers.) We also noted that while poplar buds are a stimulating (irritating) expectorant that marshmallow is a soothing expectorant.

Fresh Cut Bark

Oregon Grape and Berberine

Mahonia aquifolium - Oregon Grape Flowering

 We collected bark from Oregon grape and tasted it. We all noticed it was very bitter due to the isoquinoline alkaloid called berberine. Berberine can also be found in other Mahonia spp plants as well as goldenseal (Hydrastis Canadensis), gold thread aka yellow root (Coptis chinensis), and cork tree (Phellodendron amurense). We talked about how these plants with the berberine alkaloid have all been used similarly historically. They are all bitter (the alkaloid berberine is bitter) so they are used to support normal digestive processes, as well as choleretics and cholagogues; meaning they stimulate production of bile in the liver and flow of bile from the gallbladder. This also gives them a slight laxative effect. This herb and the others have commonly been used as antimicrobials and antiparasitics. They are helpful lowering fevers and decreasing inflammation when used in infectious conditions. Externally they are also used to decrease inflammation and infection in wounds. One of the practitioners in our group said she has used the tincture of Oregon grape mixed with sodium bentonite clay to apply topically for MRSA. I mentioned some research I had collected on the use of berberine for MRSA and yes, I will be getting a pdf of that and all the other research emailed to you all very soon. I don’t think we mentioned it is an anti-oxidant. We also discussed the use of the alkaloid berberine in research and in clinical practice for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. The amount being used by most practitioners is 500 mg three times per day of berberine. Research has shown it to be as effective as the common antidiabetic drug metformin. I would point out this is not an herb being used. Berberine is a plant constituent and a “neutraceutical”. Some western herbalists have noted the hypoglycemic action of plants with berberine in them in the past but have not used the plant for diabetes as it is a strong plant. There was concern by some of us that it would be irritating used long term. There are of course other herbs used for diabetes as well as dietary/lifestyle measures that work well. The side effects noted in research with berberine has been digestive in nature. Here is some data regarding side effects. This is from one example of research  giving berberine 500 mg tid (These adverse events included diarrhea in 10 percent, constipation in 7 percent, flatulence in 19 percent, and abdominal pain in 3.4 percent. The side effects were observed only in the first four weeks in most patients. In 24 percent, berberine dosage was decreased from 500 to 300 milligrams thrice daily because of gastrointestinal adverse events, and all of these side effects disappeared within one week. Dewick, P. (2009). Medicinal Natural Products: A Biosynthetic Approach (3rd ed.). West Sussex, England: Wiley. p. 358. ISBN 0471496413.) The most notable side effect I have found with giving high doses of berberine containing herbs is a headache.

Processing Tinctures

We also pressed the Echinacea tincture, dug up more Echinacea and added it to the tincture. We will press it next time for the final time.

We additionally pressed out the elecampane and it is settling for filtering.

Tidbits

Chickweed-Stellaria media

English Daisy - Bellis perennis

We looked at hellebore, English daisy and chickweed. Hellebore is not used usually anymore. It was used by the eclectic physicians, but it is a strong purgative and although it has been used in the past for congestive heart failure we discussed other herbs used that are not so harsh and that do not have the drastic reaction of hellebore root. Hellebore is a low dose botanical and toxic, so I suggested not to use it. We also munched on some chickweed which is used in salads and noted it is also a diuretic and used as a vulnerary (wound healing). English daisy is used similarly to Arnica but is specific for internal bruising.

Indian Plum Blooming

I forgot to show you the Indian Plum flowering. Here is a couple photos of it at least. Remind me to show you the bush next time.

Close Up of Indian Plum Flowers

Herb Class Series February 5th, 2012

This Sunday was our first class of 2012 and we spent the day digging up roots and collecting some bark.  I can’t go through all 7 hours of the day and the uses of the plants in detail, but here are some highlights as well as the photos that Peggy was so kind to take for us. For more details on these plants go to http://www.herbaltransitions.com/MateriaMedica.html where there is a free materia medica on my website. You can get the updated materia medica in the latest printing of “Herbal Medicine From the Heart of the Earth."

Digging Echinacea purpurea

The roots we dug up were Echinacea, Valerian, Elecampane and Marshmallow.

Echinacea purpurea root

Echinacea purpurea root

We dug up quite a bit of Echinacea. Many folks took some of the root home for personal use or to grow in their garden. We started a fresh Echinacea tincture. We learned that Echinacea purpurea grows best in our local Willamette Valley soil and wet winters, while Echinacea angustifolia does not do well here. We also learned how to use clay and Echinacea poultices for brown recluse spider bites and use Echinacea leaves as spit poultices for stings. Internally we learned to use the root and seed for wounds and all manner of infectious disease. (I will post the directions to make Echinacea tincture in the next blog.)

Digging Elecampane

Additionally, we pressed out some Elecampane tincture that had been started previously this winter and added additional fresh elecampane root to the menstruum. It is now macerating in a dark area along with the Echinacea where both of them get shook once each day for the next month before we will press it out again. We discussed the use of elecampane as a lung and digestive tonic. It is good for all manner of lung complaints.

Washing Elecampane

Especially think of it with chronic infectious disease in debilitated individuals. It has antibacterial properties, is an expectorant, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulating herb which all help assist in a variety of infectious respiratory tract conditions. Some of these same actions along with its antiparasitic action, bitter tonic, and carminative activity make it helpful in a variety of digestive tract complaints. Definitely a handy herb to have around and such an easy herb to grow. It has so many different uses.

Elecampane root

Cari took home the marc (spent herb from tincture) from the elecampane tincture to make a tea out of it and put it in her bath. We look forward to hearing how her bathing experience turns out.

Washing Valerian root

Valeriana officinalis

We dug up some fresh Valerian also and tasted it. Students took some home to preserve it or to put in their garden.We discussed the use of Valerian in anxiety, sleep disorders, angina, and hypertension as well as other situations.

Marshmallow root

Marshmallow

 Marshmallow was cut up into strips to dry by the wood stove for use during our next class. We will learn how to use this plant to make a tea, slurry and how to ingest the powder without putting it into a capsule. Additionally, if we have time and enough marshmallow, we may make the original marshmallow candies. If I have time, I may dig up some more to dry so we have plenty. We learned that marshmallow is a wonderful vulnerary (promotes healing of wounds or irritated tissue). It is anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic. It is beneficial for external use as well as internally in the digestive tract, respiratory tract and the urinary tract. Check out a past blog link on marshmallow flowers here.

We also tasted some Popular buds which were almost ready to harvest but not quite. Everyone learned that they contain resin and that resin is very sticky and will adhere to your teeth. Resins do not dissolve in water and it is best to make a tincture out of them with 95% alcohol to preserve them. We discussed various uses for Popular buds and I explained that my favorite use was as a stimulating expectorant in cough elixirs where besides acting as an expectorant it also adds a nice flavor and is antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory.

The pussy willows had started to put out their furry little catkins and the Witch Hazel was attempting to bloom. Both had been slightly stifled by the cold, lingering frosty nights we have been experiencing. We sampled some bark, and they taught us how to identify astringent (causes contraction of tissues) plants.

Echinacea purpurea in winter

 

I am including the skeletal remains of the plants we dug up here So you can learn how to ID them. It is good to learn how to identify the plants by their winter skeletons so you can know where to dig up the roots.

Elecampane in winter

Close up of Echinacea purpurea in winter

Marshmallow in winter

Close up of Marshmallow in winter

Reminder: I asked you to consider the plants we learned about on Sunday. Use them before the next class or read up on them, talk to them, write poems about them and bring back some words of wisdom, a haiku, a personal story of your experience of the plant, fun historical data on the plant etc to share with the others next class. It can be anything that moves you.

I am so excited about our next class as many things will be starting to poke their heads out of the ground. Yesterday I saw the first crocus up here at our farm.   There are so many more herbs to discuss and we have more things to make next time. No tinctures in March but if you have questions about those we made, let me know. We will probably finish the elecampane tincture and there will be more tincture making in our future classes.

 

Regarding the photos, I did not get any releases from folks to put their smiling faces on the website, so I am not posting photos with faces in them even if they are a great herb shot. I am unsure if you all want to be incognito or no one remembered that needed to be done to include photos with you in them.

Thank you to Peggy, Susan, Pam and Glenna who stayed and helped clean up that incredible mess we made!

Until next class, may you walk in beauty!