 |
 |
| |
| Departments |
Home
Columns, Special
Topics & Features:
The Columns:
Angels, Guides, &
Loving Spirits:
Angel Blessings:
with Dr. Doreen Virtue
Ask Valerie Morrison,
Internationally
Acclaimed Psychic
Trust Your Vibes
By Dr. Sonia Choquette, PhD.
Internationally Acclaimed Psychic Healer & Author
Astrologer's Notes:
Carin Martin,
Astrologer
Donna Cunningham, MSW, Astrologer
Basil Fearrington,
Astrologer
Diana Stone,
Astrologer &
Huna Shaman
Jeff Jawer
Astrologer
Glenn Perry,
Astrologer
Ray Merriman,
Financial Astrology:
MMA Market Week
Noel Tyl,
Astrologer
Daily Aspect Calendar
by Care
MoonWatching with Dana Gerhardt and Friends
Creating Bridges:
The Spiritual &
Philosophical
Act of Power
Discovering the Key to Living Your Sacred Dream
by Lynn Andrews
Avant-Gardening:
Insights
by Frank & Vicky
Giannangelo
From The Heart:
Alan Cohen
Teachings from the Western Mystery Traditions: The Esoteric "Paths of Return"
by Jacquelyn Small, Eupsychia
Spirituality in Daily Life: by Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron
The Conscious Column
by David Ault
Spiritual Mastery
for the 21st Century
Dr. Gwen MacGregor
Pearls of Wisdom:
with Care & Aeon
Encounters on the
Shaman's Path with
Dr. Hank Wesselman, PhD.
Anthropologist, Zoologist, Author, Shamanic Healer & Teacher
The Divine Human
by Ornesha De Paoli
Awakenings
by Karen Johnson
Worshipping by Wondering with
Sankara Saranam, MA Founder of the Pranayama Institute
A Woman's Beauty
by Robin Rice,
Shaman & Author
Wisdom Walks
In Circles
Margaret Lewis,
Shamanic Practitioner
The Awakening Generation
by Ann Marie Judge
Divination Systems:
Be Your Own Oracle
By James Wanless, Ph.D.
Creator of the Voyager Tarot Deck
Feng Shui & Chinese Metaphysics:
Inside Chinese Metaphysics
by Barbara Finch,
Feng Shui &
Chinese Astrology
In Practice:
Juliet's Marketing Wisdom
by Juliet Austin, MA Marketing Coach, Author & Consultant
Kabbalah:
Kabbalah Revealed:
Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, Kabbalalist
"Letters from Heaven:" Spiritual Guidance from
the Hebrew Alphabet
by Avigayil Landsman
Pet Care:
Dr. Carson's Holistic Animal Care
by Dr. Kathleen Carson, D.V.M.
Tarot:
Moment to Moment
by Gigi Miner
Author, Tarot Consultant, & Teacher
Reviews:
Tarot, Cartomancy,
Oracle Decks,
Books, & Software.
by Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master
Humor:
Wake Up Laughing.Com:
Swami Beyondananda
Features:
Blessings & Messages
Event Calendar
Historical Notes & Data
The MetaPersonals
Opinion-Editorial
News Briefs
Symbols, Seals,
Amulets & Talismans
The What in the
World Department
Trivia & Life's Other
Novel Moments
Interviews:
Watch for Upcoming Announcements
Healing & Alternative
Health:
Living in Harmony-Astrology, Yoga & Ayurveda:
Venkat & Christine Machiraju
"Spirit and Practice
of the Wise Woman
Tradition"
By Susun Weed
Tai Chi & Qigong
by Bill Douglas
The Holistic Mystic,
by Lonny Brown
Medical Intuition: Tune
in to Your Body and Improve Your Health
by Caroline Sutherland, Sutherland Communications
Transformational Healing through the Violet Flame!
by Eva Kettles
Herbs for Health
with Kami McBride
Lose Weight Permanently: Stop the Endless Cycle of Dieting
Rena Greenberg,
Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming & Hypnotherapist
The Directory
The Book Nook
Archives:
Past Issues
|
|
|
|
|
|
Healing & Alternative Health
Poison oak and Poison Ivy!
|
|
|
by Kami McBride |
|
|
t is a lush poison oak/ivy year and sometimes those wonderful hikes in the woods can turn into an itching nightmare!
If you live on the west coast, poison oak grows in many forms ranging from a small creeping vine on the ground to a 20 foot high towering shrub. Each season it has a different look. It goes from being a light brown bear stem with white berries to a very lush bush with big green leaves. Learn to identify poison oak in all of its seasonal disguises because you can contract it any time of the year. It is a misconception to think that you can’t get poison oak from the bare stem in the winter.
For folks on the east coast you have poison ivy which has different growing characteristics that I am not as familiar with. Learning how to properly identify the plant is the best way to keep from getting it.
Poison oak and ivy manifest in similar ways and can be treated with the same herbs. I will continue to talk about poison oak, but if its poison ivy that you have, you can treat it in the same manner. If you think you have touched some poison oak, the best thing is to wash right away and get your clothes off. Wash your skin with a strong soap and then use either plain alcohol, apple cider vinegar or some of the poison oak ease herbal formulas listed in this article. The alcohol helps to get the oil residue off of the skin.
Many years ago I was taught to call poison oak by the name of power oak, because it has the power to keep humans out of an area! It is one of the first plants that will grow in a place that has been disturbed by fire, development or clear cutting. It comes into an area as a plant that helps to let that part of the ground be left alone so the earth can regenerate. It is definitely a powerful plant that asks for our respect.
If you do happen to get a case of poison oak, the more you do for yourself at the onset, the better. First of all, simplify your diet, so your body can spend its energy on healing instead of digesting heavy foods. Cut out dairy and sugar, stay away from hot spicy foods and just have soups and steamed vegetables for a few days. Treat yourself like you have a cold, take extra time off and rest more.
Make a strong tea of Echinacea, yellow dock and red root to help move the poison oak through your system faster. Put two tablespoons of Echinacea root, one tablespoon of red root and one tablespoon of yellow dock root into a quart jar and pour boiling water over the herbs. Let the herbs steep in the water for four hours and then strain the herbs out. Make a fresh quart each day and drink three to four cups a day for several days. Also make sure you drink lots of plain water. If you feel like the poison oak is affecting your nervous system and you are having more difficulty relaxing or sleeping, you can add two teaspoons of chamomile to this tea.
Topically you want to try and dry everything up. There are several herbal tinctures that work very well for that. Apply one of the poison oak ease, oak away or poison oak wash tinctures every hour or two to the affected area until it dries out.
Once everything has dried up and the infection is gone, make sure you moisturize the areas where you scratched so you don’t scar. St. John’s Wort oil or a comfrey salve applied four to five times a day will help with this. You can also take a bath with four cups of steel cut rolled oats put into a sock or wrapped in some cotton fabric. Put the sack of oats directly into the bathtub. Oat baths are a great remedy for soothing irritated skin. If it is summertime and your skin still feels hot, you can add one half a cup of dried or fresh peppermint leaf to the bath to help cool yourself down.
Poison Oak Ease-Topical use only
1 ounce yerba santa tincture
1 ounce oak leaf tincture
1 ounce mugwort tincture
Mix all tinctures together and store in a dark jar in a cool dark place. Put the tinctures together into a spray bottle and spray directly onto the poison oak as needed
Oak Away-Topical use only
1 ounce witch hazel tincture
1 ounce myrrh tincture
1 ounce yerba santa tincture
Mix all tinctures together and store in a dark jar in a cool dark place. Put the tinctures together into a spray bottle and spray directly onto the poison oak as needed
Poison Oak Wash-Topical use only
Manzanita, echinacea and mugwort tincture
If you would like to make this tincture yourself, here are the directions: In a sterilized mason jar put two cups of 100 proof Smirnoff Vodka and two tablespoons manzanita leaf, two tablespoons echinacea root and two tablespoons mugwort leaf. Let the herbs sit in the vodka for three weeks and strain them out with a clean piece of cotton muslin. Throw the herbs away and the strained liquid is your tincture. Store in a cool dry place for up to two years. Pour the tincture onto poison oak sores up to eight times a day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kami McBride,
Teacher of Herbal Medicine
& Women's Health
|
 |
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
|
 |
You'll find it in
The
Directory! |
|
|
|
|
