The Green Man -- Volume 1, Number 1

[Sean Donahue]

THE GREEN MAN
December 17, 2007
First Quarter Moon in Pisces
Volume 1, Number 1

"If we eat the wild, it begins to work inside us, altering us, changing us. Soon, if we eat too much, we will no longer fit the suit that has been made for us. Our hair will begin to grow long and ragged. Our gait and how we hold our body will change. A wild light begins to gleam in our eyes. Our words start to sound strange, nonlinear, emotional. Unpractical. Poetic. Once we have tasted this wildness, we begin to hunger for a food long denied us, and the more we eat the more we will awaken."

-- Stephen Harrod Buhner

A strange figure appears in the architecture of old churches throughout Europe a man with leaves growing from his face and head. He represents something wild, innocent, and strong that can't be hidden or suppressed. In a world out of balance, that spirit of the Green Man offers hope for healing our bodies, our hearts, our spirits, and our planet. This newsletter and my practice are dedicated to manifesting that spirit. -- Sean Padraig Donahue
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IN THIS ISSUE:

Echinacea and Goldenseal -- Are they the right medicine for colds and flus?

Light and Darkness

Give a Gift of Healing

Poetry: Creation

Useful and Interesting Links

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Echinacea and Goldenseal -- Are they the right medicine for colds and flus?


With cold and flu season underway, many health food stores have echinacea and goldenseal tinctures available alongside the organic chocolate in their check-out lines. There is no doubt that both plants have powerful healing properties. But are they the right medicine for your situation?

One Size Doesn't Fit All

The first thing to remember when asking any question about healing herbs is that herbal medicine is based on a different understanding of health than conventional medicine.

Conventional medicine tends to assume that most peoples' bodies are roughly similar, and it works to eliminate the bacteria, virueses, or fung it holds responsible for a given infection and suppress the symptoms that the infection causes. From this perspective, it seems to make sense to say that the same chemical is almost always the appropriate response to a particular set of symptoms.

Herbal medicine, however, tends to view the body more as an ecosystem than as a machine, and seeks to identify and address the imbalances that allow an infection to take hold as well as ameliorating the symptoms and addressing the infection itself. An herbalist works with each patient to find the plants whose chemistries will work best with the patient's body. So while it is certainly possible and useful to speak about what plants are generally good for certain situations, it's best to set up a personal consultation with an experienced herbalist, especially if you are dealing with a chronic, serious, or persistent problem.

I've only recently started working with herbs, and have developed close relationships with a few plants but have a lot to learn. With those caveats, let me pass on some basic information about goldenseal and echinacea:

Goldenseal -- Overused and Misunderstood

Susun Weed writes that:

"Goldenseal is a broad spectrum antibacterial. It kills more gut flora than antibiotics. It negatively impacts kidney, liver, and gut function. In forty years as an herbalist, I have used it only once: externally. It is overused, to the detriment of people's health, and to the near extinction of the plant itself."

There are certainly situations where goldenseal can be used to great benefit. It was one key component of a very effective protocol I used against Lyme Disease this summer. In his book, Herbal Antibiotics: Natural Alternatives for Treating Drug Resistant Bacteria, , Stephen Harrod Buhner mentions an herbalist in Seattle who has used the plant very effectively to treat bacterial and fungal infections in the mucous membranes of AIDS patients, and he also notes that the plant has been used very effectively to treat dysentery, acute vaginal and eye infections, and ulcerations in the gastrointestinal tract. He writes, however that "Goldenseal is extremely expensive and is rarely indicated," and that:

"For colds and flu, goldenseal seems most effective when used in the later stages of a cold when there is an active infection of the mucous membranes. As a general tonic for colds and flu, it would be effective only in small doses if the mucous system is not functioning properly. Otherwise it is not indicated."

If you do decide to use teas and tinctures made from goldenseal root, please be sure to buy organically grown goldenseal, not wild goldenseal, as the plant is highly endangered. Avena Botanicals sells tinctures and glycerites made from goldenseal root grown sustainably in Maine.

Buhner says that the above-ground parts of the plant can be used just as effectively as the root -- and can be harvested without killing the plant. I am a strong believer in using plants grown as close to home as possible, and haven't been able to find a company selling products made from goldenseal leaf grown in New England (though I haven't looked very hard.) I know that Mountain Rose Herbs in Oregon does sell organic, sustainably grown goldenseal leaf.

Goldenseal is not generally safe for pregnant women.

As with any antibacterial medicine, make sure you replenish your gut flora with probiotics such as yogurt and kombucha if you decide to take goldenseal.

Many herbalists are now using goldthread, a close relative of goldenseal, as a substitute. Some friends have goldthread growing on their land, and I hope to harvest and tincture some next year and get to know the plant.

Echinacea and the Immune System

Echinacea is a powerful immune system stimulant that greatly increases the production of white blood cells. It also has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory qualities, Herbalists I greatly respect have somewhat different views about when and how echinacea is best used.

Susun Weed writes:

"Echinacea root is the all-American immune system strengthener. It triggers production of white blood cells, interferon, leukocytes, T-cells, and B-lymphocytes, as well as directly inhibiting the growth of most bacteria and viruses. Peter Holmes, author of Energetics of Western Herbs, cites it as being effective against anthrax. Echinacea tincture is my first choice for countering infection. (Capsules and pills of Echinacea, if used for lengthy periods, may be counter-productive.) A dose of the tincture is one drop for every pound of body weight. I take this several times a week as a preventative; several times daily when there is active infection."

In her book, Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs, Gail Faith Edwards writes:

"Studies done over the last 50 years in Germany, where echinacea has been widely used since the 1930s, suggest that it is most effective against accute illness when taken at the onset of symptoms, used frequently, and continued for several weeks."

She also notes, however, that:

"Some herbalists believe echinacea is contraindicated for those dealing with auto-immune diseases such as lupus, AIDS, or multiple sclerosis. Immunity-enhancing herbs such as burdock, dandelion, St. John's wort, hyssop, and garlic may be used instead."

Buhner takes a different view, arguing that timing is key, and that echinacea is appropriate only at the beginning of a cold or flu. He writes:

"Echinacea should be used at the very early onset of a cold or flu when you feel just the earliest hints of that tingle in the body the signals the approach of symptoms. It is at this point that echinacea is most effective, but it must be taken in large doses and frequently to be effective. When it is taken after the full onset of symptoms, I have found (in over 10 years of clinical experience) that echinacea is not effective, irrespective of its proven ability to increase white blood cell count."

He also suggests that taking echinacea can be counterproductive for people who get frequent colds:

"Echinacea is a stimulant. Continued immune stimulation in instances of immune depletion to avoid necessary rest or more healthy lifestyle choices will always result in a more severe illness than if the original colds and flus were allowed to progress."

He does suggest that echinacea is one of the most effective treatments for strep throat. He recommends taking a dropperful of tincture at least once an hour until the symptoms stop, applying it as throughly as possible to the back of the throat.

Like goldenseal, echinacea is engangered. Two Maine-based companies, Blessed Maine Herbs and Avena Botanicals offer tinctures and glycerites made from sustainably grown organic echinacea root.

Buhner also says that for most conditions where echinacea is indicated, the flowers of echinacea purpera can be used as a substitute for the root of echinacea angustifolia. I plan to experiment with e. purpera flower medicine next year

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Light and Darkness

"The forces of the brightness will have destroyed the wholeness when there is no more night."

-- South American shaman, quoted by Susun Weed


When the first atomic bomb exploded in the desert of New Mexico, all anyone could see was a blinding white light.

The heat of the explosion melted sand into glass.

Both were the product of a burning rage that sought to purge the world of darkness.

My great-uncle was a machinist on the Manhattan Project, and witnessed that terrifying brightness. Later in life, he would become an artist -- and the paintings of his that stand out for me most are the ones that show the dance of light and shadow on water. I like to think of him painting darkness back into a world he had seen bleached into a horrific unity.

In these days leading up to the Solstice, as we wait for the return of the light its worth thinking about the role of darkness in maintaining the wholeness and balance of the world.

Darkness defines the boundaries of our sight, our knowledge, and our control. It is the place of beginnings, the place from which all things emerge -- be it the first particle flashing into existence in a dance of quantum fluctuation or the dark of the womb from which a new life emerges.

The Kogi of Colombia have a single word in their language that describes the ocean of darkness from which the world emerged -- Aluna. Aluna is also the mother who was that darkness, and who conceived a son and seperated him from herself, creating the dawn. Her son spread his seed across eight worlds, but the only world where it took root was the world of black earth, where the darkness incubated the seed that would be the beginning of all life.

In order to become immersed in the world of Aluna, Kogi priests spend the years of their training living in darkness, coming outside only at night, wearing a woven mat on their heads to shield themselves from the moon. Only when they are ready to be initiated are they reintroduced to the sun.

I like to think of this time of short days and long nights as a time to turn inward, to touch that fertile place inside us, to reconnect with mystery -- just as the Kogi priests do during their years of darkness.

We live in a time when mystery is suspect. Religious, political,and economic fundamentalists seek to obliterate difference, to envelop the world in the blinding light of the absolute truth they believe they hold.

Darkness is the ally of those of us who seek to re-enchant the world, seducing us back into connection with the cycles of life, death, and rebirth. No matter how bright the light flashes, darkness always creeps back in around the edges, offering the possibility of renewal.

Let the darkness wash over you and envelop you while you wait for the hills to give birth to the sun again


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Give a Gift of Healing

Is someone you love working through some hard questions, struggling with a chronic health problem, or just feeling stressed out?

Reiki offers a gentle way of beginning to restore physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Gift certificates from Green Man Healing Arts can be redeemed for Reiki sessions at the Center for Mindful Living or in the comfort of someone's own home.

Or maybe you are feeling burned out and overwhelmed yourself? Contact Sean at 978-809-8054 or seandon...@gmail.com to schedule a Reiki session

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Creation

Born of darkness,
you made love
to the swirling stars

and became
the world.

What began as fire
cooled to stone
from which the storm
called forth water.

Always in your bones:
the memory of this beginning;

Always in your waters:
the mirror that reveals us;

Always in your breath:
spirals upon spirals
eddying energies
dance of re-creation;

And always
at your center:
the fire that rose
when you exploded
in ecstasy,
calling out
your one
true
name.


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Some interesting and useful links:

Hot Colds and Cold Colds

Great advice from Susun Weed on preventing and treating colds and flu.

United Plant Savers

An amazing organization dedicated to restoring North America's engangered medicinal herbs.

The Planet Within

Science is finally beginning to catch up with traditional knowledge, discovering that our bodies are more like ecosystems than like machines.