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Healing & Alternative Health
Oh Christmas Tree
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by Kami McBride |
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Decorating the Christmas tree is an ancient tradition from a time when various trees and plants were honored at different times of the year. In northern Europe the evergreen tree was celebrated at around the time of winter solstice. The festivities of decorating and dancing around the evergreen tree were held in the deep of winter when there was very little plant life and the ground seemed like it would never thaw out. The everlasting green of the evergreen trees instilled hope that the warmth and life of spring would come again. These beautiful trees remind us of the never ending life cycle of regeneration and renewal. The ritual of honoring these trees has been with us for thousands of years. We currently are taking things to an extreme by having a decorated tree in every household.
The evergreen trees that we bring into our homes at Christmas time are primarily cedar and pine trees These trees not only heal us as their color and scent fill our homes, but they all have very valuable medicinal qualities that we can thank them for.
Cedar
The medicine of the cedar tree has been used for thousands of years and has many applications. Cedar helps to cleanse the energy field of your house. Having a cedar tree in your home is like doing a big spring cleaning. The strong aromatic smell of cedar is anti-bacterial and helps keep the winter flu at bay. Dried cedar needles can be gathered up and crunched into twigs. Put these twigs in the blender and powder them into a fine dust. We make enough cedar dust to last for the year. Put a pinch of this dust in a shell or non-combustible bowl and light it as incense. We sprinkle our cedar powder onto the wood stove and let the sweet scent fill the house. Cedar incense purifies and cleanses. Burn it in your home or work space and clean out old, unwanted energies. Use the cedar to help you release what you are ready to let go of and set your intention for what you would like to create in the coming year.
The fresh and dried green cedar needles are made into a tea and used to ward off colds, flu and bronchial infections. Cedar is very anti-fungal and cedar tea or tincture can be applied topically to any fungal infection such as athlete’s foot. Cedar syrup is an ancient remedy for coughs and chest colds.
Pine
The medicine of the pine tree has long been associated with longevity. Pine needle tea is high in vitamin C and is a great remedy for winter colds. It also helps to reduce phlegm from a runny nose or head cold. Pine needle tea is a diuretic so only drink it for a couple days at a time. Inhaling the vapor of the warm pine needle tea helps with bronchial congestion. Taking a bath with several quarts of warm pine needle tea poured into the bathtub helps cold and sore joints. You can also just put bunches of dried or fresh pine needles into your bathtub. After the holidays, cut some of the boughs of the tree off. Let them dry completely. Crumble the needles off and store them in a bag. They keep well for several months for making tea and pine needle baths.
Pine Needle Tea
Two cups water
Two tablespoons fresh or dried chopped pine needles
Put water and pine needles in a pot with the lid on. Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat and let the mixture sit for one hour. Strain out the pine needles, re-heat the tea and add honey and lemon to taste. Drink one cup three times a day for the onset of a cold for two or three days.
Cedar Needle Syrup
Four cups water
Four tablespoons fresh or dried cedar needles
One half cup brandy
1/2 cup honey
Put cedar and water into a pot with a lid on. Bring to a boil and then immediately turn the heat down to lowest temperature possible. Let the water and cedar simmer on a very low heat until the four cups of liquid is cooked down to two cups. Strain the cedar from the water which is now a cedar tea. Let the cedar tea cool and add the brandy and honey. Store in the refrigerator. Take one tablespoon up to four times a day for coughs. The shelf life of this syrup is about four months.
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Kami McBride,
Teacher of Herbal Medicine
& Women's Health
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Kami McBride has taught herbal medicine and women’s health since 1988. She has studied medicinal plants for almost 20 years and has taught Herbology at the University of California School of Nursing and Stanford Hospital. Her popular course, Cultivating the Herbal Medicine Woman Within is an experiential earth awareness and herbal studies program that is taught at her beautiful school and herb gardens in Vacaville, California.
An intuitive and inspiring teacher, Kami has helped thousands of people learn to use healing plants in their daily lives in ways that are healthy, safe and fun. Her extensive knowledge of herbal medicine along with a focus on teaching herbology as a relationship with the Earth and a way of life, help to fulfill her mission of reviving the cultural art of home herbal care.
Kami is an herbal consultant and an expert in the field of holistic health specializing in women’s issues. Her herbal consultations empower women to discover sacredness and pleasure in their healing process. Her educational courses provide a sanctuary for women to transform their relationship with their body and reclaim their heritage as healers and herbalists.
Kami is the author of 105 Ways to Celebrate Menstruation, available at www.amazon.com.
Visit Kami’s website at:
www.livingawareness.
com
Sign up for her free quarterly herbal e-newsletter.
kami@livingawarness.
com
For Classes, Books & Consultations:
Phone: 707-446-1290
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