Each of these amazing 15 herbs could have their own thesis paper, book or blog!
This blog is not that! ;D
This blog focuses on naming the 15 herbs that can be used in large, food-like quantities to create dramatic health benefits AND how to prepare them at the most beneficial dosage.
Shamanic Herbalism is not a simple, “take ‘this’ for ‘that’ and call me in the morning” kind of
solution… it is NOT the practice of replacing a pharmaceutical drug or over the counter (OTC)
medication with an herbal remedy and then calling it good. That sort of Western-minded,
quick-draw, fast and easy approach to our health and healing doesn’t always work, nor is it always beneficial! My herbal certification program (from which this blog is extracted) is designed to focus on the whole person while digging into the root causes of our common modern health issues.
These 15 herbs with their proper preparation have generated dramatic health benefits over time with consistent use.
What is Shamanic Herbalism?
“Shamanic Herbalism is a creative blend of enduring ancestral wisdom & skill combined with Spirit, intuition & delight aimed at naturally and effectively healing today’s body, mind, heart
and soul.”
– Theresa A. Gutierrez
Written accounts of herbal materia medica appeared from India’s Ayurveda about 5,000 years
ago. China’s written accounts of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) dates back to 2800 B.C.
Arabic: 1500 B.C. Greek Hippocrates: 460-377 B.C. We also have 12th century findings all the
way up through the years to meet us here today… my point is… people have been using plants
as food and medicine for as long as people have existed.
“It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease
than to know what sort of disease a person has.”
– Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.)
Between religions, superstitions, governments, politics, the industrial age and corporations…
most people have completely lost their ancestral, indigenous plant wisdom and skills, as well as
a deep inner peace with the natural cycles of life.
Now, we have reached an era in time where “antibiotic resistance” is the #1 threat to public
health that we face (according to the World Health Organization) and we, the people, will have
no choice but to learn how to use plants for prevention and “cure” once again… returning us to
our ancestors’ wise roots dating back to the origins of humanity.
Combining knowledge of herbs with shamanic bodywork yields effective application and
results! Many herbal solutions exist for every problem we face, but intuitive bodywork can
reveal which herbal remedy is best for the person. This blog (and free downloadable mini e-book), however, is simply focused on the basic energetics of these large-dose, nourishing herbs found below and how to prepare them for daily use; it’s a companion to my other publications, such as my blogs, and my personalized work with clients. I encourage you to contact me if you need a consultation to work with me or have questions!
Teas… what is a tea?
There are a couple ways to look at this topic:
Tea vs Infusion, species…
When I say, “tea,” I am usually referring to steeping medicinal plants of varying species like
Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) or Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) for examples; I am NOT usually referring to the tea plants such as black tea, oolong tea, white tea, or green tea of the shrub Camellia sinensis in the family of Theaceae.
When we steep medicinal herbs in water (hot or cold), we are in fact infusing the water (or menstruum) with much of the nutritive and medicinal properties of the plants. That’s one reason why we call it an “infusion,” but most people say, “tea” even if they are referring to a medicinal herb
infusion and not the tea plant, Camellia sinensis.
This distinction is particularly important ,actually, because there are some religions in the world that admonish their church members to avoid drinking tea. This religious rule is specifically aimed at the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), not medicinal herbs.
Using tea plant leaves is a long-standing tradition made by steeping tea leaves in hot water, iced water, or simply out in the sun and letting them steep which infuses the water with the
tea plant’s properties. This could accurately be called a “tea infusion” but most people just call it “tea.”
When making a “Peppermint infusion,” for example, we follow the same process as when making tea (Camellia sinensis) by steeping the Peppermint leaves in hot water, thus infusing the water with the medicinal properties of the Peppermint plant’s leaves… but people just call it “Peppermint tea,” not “Peppermint infusion.” You with me so far? I want to make this point exceedingly clear for any of our students, family, or friends that might feel afraid of breaking an important rule in their religious practice.
To reiterate, from here onout in this blog, when I use the term “tea” I will usually be referring to
various medicinal plants, NOT the tea plant.
Red Raspberry Leaves (as seen above) are highly medicinal and an excellent nourishing herb!
When making an herbal tea, we use a very small amount of an herb in a teacup or mug and pour just-boiled water over the top of the herb to fill the cup. By small amount, I mean a tea bag or teaspoon of dried plant material (about 1/100thof an ounce). Usually, herbal teas are steeped for a very short amount of time, between 1-10 minutes. Then the herbs are removed, sometimes raw honey is added, or fresh lemon juice and… ba-BAM! It’s done!
When we use nutritive or aromatic herbs such as Rose Hips or Peppermint, we cover the teacup to keep the volatile oils from escaping. Herbalist, Susun Weed, even suggests only steeping tea herbs for just 1-2 minutes! I usually steep for 10 minutes, but really…it’s up to you!
*Some tea herbs cannot be taken daily or for extended periods of time, so remember to study each herb before using it. When making an herbal tea, we canuse fresh or dried herbs.
Also, when making herbal teas, the parts used are leaves and flowers (and roots high in volatile oils such as Valerian or Sassafras).
Using 1tsp to 1Tbs of dried herb for every 1C of water is the traditional daily dosage, 3-4 cups of tea per day. If you are using fresh herbs, then 2-6Tbs per 1C water is about equivalent to the
1tsp-1Tbs of dried herb.
Later we will cover “decoctions” for the roots, barks, and berries (the more hard, woody or tenacious parts of the plants).
When making a nourishing herbal infusion, however, we use a LOT more plant material than a little teaspoon or teabag, and it is always dried herb, never fresh! Typically, an ounce of dried herb is used for every 1 quart of water. Herbalist, Susun Weed, is given props for coming up with this deeply nourishing herbal infusion practice.
The dried nourishing herb is weighed to 1 ounce and placed in a glass quart/canning jar.
Then we pour just-boiled water into the quart jar to the top and stir the herb gently with the handle of a wooden spoon or butter knife (no plastic!). Use a wide-mouthfunnel so we don’t make a mess! Screw the two-part-lid on tight and let it steep for a minimum of 4 hours (I usually steep it for 10 hours or so because it’s steeping overnight). We use a two-part lid because when placing a lid on the hot infusion, it can really “vacuum-seal” that lid down tight!
After the herbs have steeped 4-8 hours, they are then strained.
An alternative way I make this nourishing herbal infusion is by adding the herbs directly into my pot of just-boiled water, stirring, covering letting it steep in the pot overnight. This is best done in a glass pot so as not to leach metals into your infusions.
You can drink your nourishing herbal infusion immediately or refrigerate it. If you want, you can even re-heat it and add raw honey or fresh lemon juice.
Nourishing herbal infusions are very rich in protein so they don't last a very long time; they will keep in the refrigerator for one or two days at the most. Remember, nourishing herbal infusions are like food in that we can (and should) drink them every single day throughout our lifetime. I have even used a quart of Nettle infusion in the morning and then aquart of Oatstraw infusion for the second half of my day, as well as water to equal 3-4 quarts of liquid per day! If we drink just one cup of liquid every hour (be it water or nourishing herbal infusion) we will easily drink 12-16 cups/day! Well done!
Get in the Groove
I schedule Nourishing Herbal Infusions into my daily routine in two different ways:
1) I make them at night, before bed. The herbs steep overnight, and I strain themin the morning. We drink all day (or as in the case of my son… he chugs it all at once!)
2) I make them in the morning. They steep for 4-8 hours-ish. I strain around lunch or dinner time and we drink it then.
*While I wait for the water to boil, I weigh out my daily herbs, do dishes, brush my teeth… you get the idea. It’s quick!
That’s it. Super simple. Super nutritious. Super delicious.
***NOTE: Capsules are an ineffective, less reliable way to get nourishment from our herbs. They are also the most expensive way to use plants as medicine with the least effectiveness compared to infusions, decoctions, and tinctures.
Tinctures, glycerites, oxymels and syrups are very effective, excellent plant medicines such as Motherwort, Skullcap, Elderberry and Echinacea Root. It’s important to realize, though, that tinctures are not where we get our deepest daily nourishment; that comes from our food and nourishing herbal infusions.
1C tea = 1 dropper of tincture = 2 “00” capsules.
“0” = single lot = 300mg
“00” double lot = 650mg = ½ tsp, 40-50 caps = 1oz
If you, or the people you care for, won’'t drink teas or infusions and the only way to get herbs into them is through tinctures, capsules, syrups, etc… then start there! It’s SO important to play with their opening mind and awakening soul to herbal solutions and meet them right where they are… “not a tea-drinker.” 😉
The 15 Medicinal Plants for Nourishing Herbal Infusions
1. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
2. Burdock root (Arctium lappa)
3, Calendula flowers (Calendula officinalis)
4. Comfrey leaf (Symphytum officinale)
5. Cornsilk (Zea mays)
6. Hawthorn leaf & flower (Crataegus spp.)
7. Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa)
8. Linden flowers leaf & flower (Tilia spp.)
9. Mullein leaf (Verbascum thaspus)
10. Nettle leaf (Urtica dioica)
11. Oatstraw (Avena sativa)
12. Plantain (Plantago major)
13. Red Clover blossoms (Trifolium pratense)
14. Red Raspberry leaf (Rubus idaeus)
15. Violet leaf & flower (Viola odorata)
*Nourishing Herbal Infusions are for daily, preventative, large-dose use of 1oz dried leaves, roots or blossoms steeped in 4C water for 4-12 hours, strained and sipped all day or added to smoothies, oatmeal, or for making rice. Props given to Susun Weed for her nourishing, innovative contribution to living herbalism! <3
*Studies prove the safety and benefit of the following nourishing herbs even while pregnant and nursing:
Alfalfa, Burdock root, Calendula, Hawthorn, Hibiscus, Linden, Mullein, Nettle, Oatstraw, Plantain, Red Raspberry leaves, Violet (for some people too much Violet can cause nausea, vomiting or diarrhea).
*Some people have an allergic reaction to some members of the Asteraceae (Aster) family such as Chamomile, Calendula, and Burdock. Treat these with caution when sampling new-to-you herbs.
I created a complimentary downloadable pdf of this blog PLUS an even more comprehensive organized table of these 15 herbs where they've been not only listed alphabetically, but also categorized by their herbal taste/s and energetics.
Herbal "tastes" are an important part of how traditional and shamanic herbalists understand and categorize medicinal plants just as our early human ancestors had to before modern scientists developed ways to study plants' isolated constituents.
I believe scientific studies on constituents are interesting and validating to the millennia of human experience, but I don't believe we NEED microscopes and computers to heal. Understanding the tastes and energetics of herbs will always be available to us even if scientific technology does not progress to understand the full symbiotic need we have for the whole plant, not just one constituent of the whole.
The pdf you can download by clicking that blue button below is my gift to you to help your brain (and mine ;D to see a clear table of the herbs and how they can help you based on their tastes and energetic properties.
TCM utilizes the taste of herbs in 5 distinct categories: bitter, pungent, salty, sour and sweet.
Ayurvedic medicine adds the taste of "astringent" to TCM's taste list, however, it could benefit to note that many "sour" herbs of TCM are often also astringent! :D
Out of these 15 herbs for nourishing herbal infusions, only Calendula has a taste of pungent (and also bitter). Pungent herbs are typically low-dose herbs, most of which we'll find in our commonly used culinary herbs.
I'll share a couple ways to look at these herbal tastes and energetics, but if you start to feel overwhelmed or worried, just go back to knowing these herbs are highly effective and safe even if the tastes and energetics are a bit much to take in right now!
Shamanic herbalism has a depth and breadth that cannot be fully learned in one lifetime! Haha! The information is simply to support a balancing of your energetics with the plants' energetics.
For example, If you tend to feel hot and damp, then you'll first lean into balancing those energetics with herbs that have the energetics of cooling and drying that also have the taste that benefits you most.
As the herbal saying goes, if you're in doubt, use Nettle. Haha!
And of coure, you can always reach out to work with me!
Bitter herbs stimulate digestion, are often important for liver health and some, like Calendula and Plantain for examples, heal the gut lining over time as the nourishing herbal infusions bathe the intestinal lining in their healing properties. You have bitter taste receptors throughout your body, not just your tongue, including your digestive tract and lungs! The benefits of bitters are a LONG list!
In TCM, Bitter herbs bring harmony to the governing emotions of Joy/Hate within the Heart, which I think it's no accident the small intestines are also in this meridian!
When I work with clients and find their small intestines are sensitive in reflexology, they always reveal to me the ways they're also having trouble digesting the emotions of their lives... hatred for circumstances or people are tough to release all alone. Consistency with these herbs, thought/belief work and shamanic bodywork are excellent healing supports for those who want to feel Joy again!
Pungent herbs are typically warming and vitalizing, great for the cold, damp or stagnant energies! Most culinary herbs are in the pungent category, though the spectrum of heat varies quite a bit! What I've also noticed is that most culinary herbs are antimicrobial in one way or many, for example anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, etc. Besides Calendula, most pungent herbs are taken in small doses throughout the day or with meals.
In TCM, we find Pungent herbs support the organs of Lungs & Large Intestines and bring movement and harmony to the governing emotions of Courage/Grief within this meridian. It takes courage to digest grief and not let it get stuffed down, made stagnant or enmeshed with not-grief types of pain and suffering such as blame, hate, anger, worry, fear, guilt, judgment, etc. Just like these organs, we must extract what's needed from the experience and expel the not-useful waste that would become toxic if it remained in the body!
Salty herbs don't actually taste like salt! They taste "green" or like minerals because they're extremely nutritious with high mineral content! I studied nutrition in college and again with Dr. Christopher and the phrase "nutrient dense" is a key component of food choices because it means low in calories but HIGH in nutrients! That phrase is applicable here with Salty herbs like Alfalfa, Comfrey leaf, Mullein, Nettle, Oatstraw, Plantain, Red Clover blossoms, Red Raspberry leaves and Violet. These nutrient dense herbs are super-foods that we drink! They also tend to support harmony with our "water energy" manifested in our urine and lymphatic fluid flow ;D
In TCM, Salty herbs support the Kidney/Bladder Meridian while bringing harmony to the governing emotions of Fear/Wisdom.
Sour herbs don't all taste like lemons! Most astringent herbs and fruits are classified as "sour." An astringent action is noted to tighten and tone the tissues in a beneficial way. They tend to reduce inflammation and be high in antioxidants. Again, the whole plant is used to make food or infusions rather than scientifically extracting or manufacturing just one antioxidant constituent out of the whole, nature-designed ratios of constituents! The sour or astringent taste can stimulate digestion, building strength in the tissues.
For example, Red Raspberry leaves are categorized as both Salty and Sour and is renowned for their ability to support the building up of a strong, healthy, properly tightened and toned uterus typically resulting in quick and safe births! What Red Raspberry leaf is less often known for is it's powerful ability to tighten and tone the colon to stop diarrhea and eradicate the cause as well. Red Raspberry leaves could have their own book as I mentioned at the start for it's long list of healing uses.
*Note: Blackberry leaves are known to be strong enough to stop dysentery!
In TCM, Sour herbs support the organs of Liver & Gallbladder while bringing harmony to the governing emotions of Creativity/Anger within this meridian.
Sweet herbs don't taste like cotton candy! Haha! Nor do they all taste as intensely sweet as raw honey and Licorice root. 9 of the 15 nourishing herbs listed here are categorized as sweet in the herbal world. This means they are known to restore our natural energy levels and modulate our immune systems in beneficial ways! All herbs nourish our bodies, and Sweet herbs are no different! They nourish us and help us build up our strength where there was once weakness due to deficiency. Sweet herbs help us better adapt and cope with stress, altering our response to stress to be more adaptive and less agitated or thrown off center. People report less inflammation, better sleep, improved altertness and energy during daylight hours, fewer illnesses, and in some herbal studies benefits in preventing or reversing cancers.
In TCM, Sweet herbs support the Stomach/Spleen meridian while bringing harmony to the governing emotions of Empathy/Worry.
I created a complimentary downloadable pdf of this blog PLUS an even more comprehensive organized table of these 15 herbs where they've been not only listed alphabetically, but also categorized by their herbal taste/s and energetic properties. Just click this blue button below and it's all yours!
Enjoy to your peace and healing delight!
*These herbs are typically safe for all ages, but they ARE effective, so if you're on drugs or pharmaceuticals then most certainly work with your doctor closely as you'll likely need to adjust medications regularly until you wean off them as you make your herbal, diet and lifestyle changes! I have a disclaimer on my website for this reason!