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Questions & Answers
6 April, 2008 ce
Question: Is there any treatment for Restless Leg Syndrome?
Answer: Restless legs syndrome is defined in Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary [18th Edition] as “A condition of unknown etiology marked by an intolerable creeping and internal itching sensation… SYN: Ekbom’s syndrome.” Karl A. Ekbom was a Swedish neurologist born in 1907. He coined the phrase Restless Leg Syndrome in 1944 after studying a number of cases. The earliest documented cases were recorded by Thomas Willis, a 17th century doctor, indicating that this is clearly not a new disorder.
The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine describes “Restless legs [as] a syndrome that features unpleasant tickling, burning, prickling, or aching sensation sin the muscles of the legs. … Restless legs affects as many as 15 percent of the population, although many cases are very mild. It tends to run in families and is most common to middle-aged women, in particular people who consume a lot of caffeine, in smokers, and during pregnancy. The disorder often develops in people with rheumatoid arthritis.
Taber’s describes the symptoms as “marked by an intolerable creeping and internal itching sensation occurring in the lower extremities and causing an almost irresistible urge to move the legs. The symptoms are worse at the end of the day when the patient is either seated or in bed and may produce insomnia.” and the American Medical Association says this: “Symptoms rend to come on at night in bed, although prolonged sitting sometimes triggers the discomfort; relief may be obtained only by movement, such as walking.”
While there are many who believe this is just another fictionalized or exaggerated condition being advertised in order to sell pharmaceutical products, I learned otherwise. I have been on medications (the same two) which keep the HIV in my body in check. Possible side effects include neuropathy but, in fact, what began as neuropathy evolved into RLS.
The symptoms for Restless Leg Syndrome [RLS] vary from person to person. In my own case I find that they are reminiscent of the many years (from 1974 into the late 1990s) during which I had prolonged bouts of sciatica caused by a herniated disc. Although the incidences of sciatica were but very infrequent during the 1990s (compared with the 1980s during which I once spent most of several months dependent upon a wheel chair for mobility and even when performing with The Unicorn Ensemble, my chamber music quartet.
Experience taught me the ability to perceive the ‘early warning signs’ of sciatica when it was an odd tingling moving into the sciatic nerve in advance of any significant pain and well before my leg would be seized by a complete and severe cramp, allowing me to avoid the worst of it.
It is similar for me with RLS. I am able to detect early discomfort. I often delay taking my herbal formula until I can determine whether it is a passing sensation (infrequently) or becoming stronger in sensation (most often). It is then that I take the formula described below.
It is interesting to be placing an affliction into the MHP which has so little information to be found in our research library. However, it was in 2006 that the neurological side-effects of one of the pharmaceuticals I take essential for managing the HIV in my system began manifesting as restless leg syndrome. I can assure you that it is definitely a very real condition. Having the ability to understand the symptoms from direct experience, I chose to explore a combination of two herbs: black cohosh and valerian. While a water extraction is workable, the nature of the syndrome is that it is unpredictable. In my own situation it may occur once or twice a week or not at all. And when it does, it’s a little late to stay up the additional thirty minutes to an hour in which to make a water extraction, allow it to steep, cool, filter it and then take it as well as waiting for it to be distributed to the neural network via the circulatory system.
I have used my procedure and formula on more than fifty occasions, taking it as soon as I can identify that the restless leg syndrome is beginning to occur. As the syndrome typically begins later in the evening, I am able to simply drink the dosage of 2-4 oz (which I can adjust to match the variable intensity of the RLS) with an occasional dose of 6 oz. Having this herbal medicine on hand I take it as needed. Perhaps 90% of the time it takes effect within 15-20 minutes and at the other times within 30-40 minutes. It has worked 100% of the time.
required:
one half gallon container with a large mouth which can be sealed tightly (a two quart, wide-mouthed canning jar is ideal)
1500 ml (two bottles of the more common size) of a bland wind (I prefer white zinfandel) which will not create a conflicting flavor
4 ounces of cut (not powdered) black cohosh root [Cimicifuga racemosa]
4 ounces of cut (not powdered) valerian root [Valeriana officinalis]
Place the herbs into the 1/2 gallon container, add the wine and seal. Place where it will get as little light as possible. On a daily basis, tip, swirl or shake the jar to losses the herbs which have settled to the bottom. This process should take place for at least two weeks.
To prepare for use, separate the herbs from the liquid using a large (in diameter) strainer. Highly recommended is stainless steel and a fine mesh. Extract as much liquid as possible (a tincture press can be quite helpful although that equipment is not inexpensive).
Ideally, you would next be able to filter the liquid through paper coffee filters to remove fine sediment which passed through the screen.
Store your liquid medicine in closed bottles at a cooler room temperature. Mine keeps fine at room temperatures for two or three months. I start the next quantity when I see that I may be running low. If the two quart jar with wine and herbs steeps longer than two weeks (waiting until I run out of the existing batch), there are no difficulties. This way I guarantee always having it on hand.
Paul
25 January, 2006 ce
Question: I seem to be bogging down somewhat and I am not sure why. Maybe it is because it is winter and everything outside is asleep. It may be a spiritual block. I am not sure, but it is like I keep reaching to understand/know/feel the spiritual properties of these herbs and it is not happening. I can describe how they taste and how they smell and how they affect me, but there is something missing. It is not like going out in the river valley and seeing where the red clover is growing and what is around it and gathering it and taking it home and making a tea and then looking up in books about what it is supposed to do for you. Then see if that happens. I think I am missing how to find the aliveness of the herb in the dried herbs that I buy or its magical essence. Sitting with a pot of tea is very different that wandering over a meadow filled with artemesia. Does this make any sense to you? Is this a stage of learning? Then, I think I am just being lazy and should buck up. It is not so much that I want to be a healer or help others as I just want to know these plants. To tell you the truth, I really don't care what chemicals they have or if science proves their usefulness or not. I want to know the Devas and how to reach them.
Answer: I believe your second sentence was the answer. I do not believe we can truly experience the Deva of a plant from the dried herb unless...
The Deva, being the life spirit, can readily be found where the plant is growing... Well, with some exceptions. I believe that plants growing in very poor conditions may have very weak spirits....
On the other hand, if I already know the Deva of, for example, lavender, then when I inhale that distinctive aroma of dried lavender it can bring that energy clearly to mind. This is not unlike the memory of a loved one who has passed over. The scent of a favorite cologne or soap or his/her hair will bring them to mind as if they were still living. In the same sense the image, the flavor, etc. can do this as well.
The energy of the plant is there but, in the context of old shamanism, you must know its 'secret name.' And my theory about that is this: The secret name of any being is "me." I learned this many, many years ago from working with my beloved familiar, Elanor. She, in true cat form, did respond to my name but I learned that she thought of herself as 'me,' just as we do. I also conducted past life regressions for two decades and the same held true there. So many people wanted to find the names of those other personages but we truly think of ourselves as "me." The more you know about a plant species, including how it grows, how it takes form, how it produces the molecular combinations we consider medicine, how it tastes, etc. the more you can touch that inner being, the more you can, in this sense, "be" lavender.
I hope this helps you touch the Devas...
Paul
27 May, 2003 ce
QUESTION: I was wondering if you could answer a question for me about wormwood. I decided to try it for some "intestinal problems" I suffer with from time to time. I attempted to make a tea using a teaspoon of wormwood steeped for 10 minutes. The taste is intolerable. I thought I was going to actually vomit for about ten minutes after trying the drink. I was wondering if anything can be done to help the taste or is just that bitter?
ANSWER: Wormwood is a very strong bitter. Some prefer using gentian which is also very bitter but has a different flavor. If you are taking the herb for its bitter property you could get by with even half the amount but it will still be extremely strong. I don't know of anything which would change the flavor. To answer your question, it is just that bitter!!! Having worked as an herbalist for 30 years, I no longer mind it - but I expect it to taste the way it does and use it quite sparingly.
QUESTION: Can you get aconite?
ANSWER: Aconite is not available as a dried herb although... It is easy to obtain as a live plant for growing in one's garden. We got our medicinal aconite from Richter's in Canada. (The address was in the March issue of The Hermit's Lantern or a link can be found in our web site). Ornamental species of monkshood are pretty easy to find through many garden catalogs as it's a gorgeous species. It may be too warm during the summer in Texas were you live, however. I'm not sure where Whitesboro is but I did live in Dallas for a year and a half. If I were there I'd probably try it and be certain to provide it with an abundance of water during the hot, dry season. The plant thrives here in our climate. We have both the ornamental and medicinal species.
QUESTION: What solid can I mix with wild yam to make a salve for bruises and sore muscles? Can I use solid coconut oil or an unscented cream? And how much wild yam do I mix in?
ANSWER: You can use a wide variety of bases when making a salve. You could use petroleum jelly, lard, or vegetable shortening. Lard is one of the best substances as far as being able to extract a majority of constituents from the herbs. Lard turns rancid, however, and does not keep well. Some object to the manner of its origin. All three of these are greasy.
One substance which is definitely nicer for the skin is lanolin, obtained from sheared wool without harming the sheep. It's expensive if you purchase it in a small tube but we go to a discount drug store and purchase a five pound 'tub' of it in bulk and it's very affordable that way.
Coconut cream is fine as well. Anything which is oil-based will extract enough of the volatile oils from the wild yam. How much of the wild yam? A lot. When making an ointment people generally put in quite a bit of herb, much more than would be done with an infusion. There are no set rules so write down your first 'recipe' so the second time you can make any adjustments.
10 February, 2000 ce
QUESTION: For the last few months I have been experimenting with practice of preparing and smoking a variety of herbs in a hand rolled form. This is a hobby that is inexpensive and a lot of fun. I blend a variety of things such as mints and chamomile with a base of raspberry leaf etc. I do not believe this practice to be particularly "bad" for me for a number of reasons; non-addictive, non-chemical, nontobacco etc. and because my intake is very low 4 to 6 hand rolled cigarettes per week is average for me. I have a few questions:
- Have there been any studies on the effects (+/-) of herbal cigarettes?
- Are there any practical positive effects of consuming the smoke of certain herbs?
- Assuming some things are harmful and some things are not what should I absolutely stay away from?
Just a side note I do not smoke tobacco cigarettes in any way shape or form. I believe the tobacco industry operates on lies and suffering and are inherantly evil.
Karlo
ANSWER: There have been studies done regarding the smoking of herbal cigarettes although I do not have reference to them as I respond to your inquiry. Having read about the occasional practice in Europe (generally prior to the last century) of various ways of smoking herbs, in my early years as an herbalist, I also experimented with smoking herbs, trying both rolling them in cigarette papers and also stuffing them into a pipe.
It was with disappointment that I found the studies indicated that there are, actually, few positive effects from smoking herbs and the practice is discouraged because there are actually harmful effects. The majority of the very chemical constituents which a particular herb offers through usual use (e.g. water and/or alcohol extraction) are destroyed during combustion. The smoke is, at the least, frequently an irritant to the lungs and may, from many herbs, contain gases which are toxic in varying degrees.
Paul Beyerl
16 August, 1999 ce
QUESTION: I need help in cleansing my new space of any bad energy left
by frustrated workers or possibly bad energy from the North Star Blanket sweat
shop that use to be there many years ago. Any suggestions? All of your books (along
with everything else I own) is in storage! Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Mary M., MN
Do you have a house cleansing ritual that I could get? We are moving into a new house and the guy that lived there before was not a very nice guy... We want to cleanse the house before moving in.
Pam I., CA
ANSWER: These two requests came within a couple of days of each other so it appears that I should provide a good response!
In my first ten years of magickal studies and practice I moved several times. I went through five houses and apartments before settling into the Blaisdell House where I lived for a number of years before beginning the journey that would bring me here to what we now call The Hermit's Grove. I became quite good at blessing a new home and dispelling undesirable energy from any previous tenants or even from the neighborhood.
Despite the enjoyment I take in creating rituals, the Universe somehow kept me from creating a specific home blessing ritual. I've thought about it and it would not be difficult but, somehow, it seems to me that each household, each house, each neighborhood and each of the individuals involved are so different that the idea of a generic ritual never quite moved me to inspiration.
The ritual I would recommend is whatever is most comfortable and familiar. When I use a ritual form with which to prepare a home for residence, it is inevitably a variation upon The Ritual of Lothloriën, which is my personal favorite. It has been worked in a more serious fashion, with strong elemental guardians invoked in the four directions to stand watch throughout my habitation. And is has been done in a very playful manner, with a procession including a few close friends and students. What a sight we must have been, were any neighbors watching, as we came out one door, paraded around the house aspurging and ringing bells and censing and singing a cheerful little round calling for a blessed home, wound through the gardens-to-be and headed back in another door, having completed a deosil, circuitous route!
In working with herbes (this spelling to denote herbs with their magickal devas) you have numerous choices. One of my favorites is to add a good, magickal herbe such as basil to one's cleaning water. Since you are cleaning, the best method is to make a strong infusion using perhaps a half ounce of sweet basil [Ocymum Basilium] to a pint or two of near-boiling water. After letting this steep for 15-30 minutes you can simply add it (or a portion of it) to your cleaning water.
Countermagick Herbes are those which have a traditional history of providing protection by returning energy to its own source. They 'counter' whatever magick might still be present from previous tenants or events. Among the Countermagick Herbes the ones I would tend to select would include angelica, centaury, holly, motherwort, rowan, rue and vervain. Angelica, centaury and vervain have long histories and, in addition, bring in really wonderful energies.
Smudging with 'sage' (the popular smudging sage is an Artemisia family, not a true Salvia) is a method used by many. But should you wish to create a more personal form of incense with which to cleanse your space there are many herbes. Frankincense and pine are two with which we are more familiar as incense scents but other Herbes of Purification such as cinnamon, hyssop, mullein, rosemary, rue or vervain work equally well. The easiest method is to take a mixture of the dried herbes you have selected, grind them in a mortar and pestle and then you can spoon the mixture onto a burning charcoal, the concave type designed for burning incense.
When it is necessary to clear out old, undesirable energy there are a number of herbs one might use. I particularly love the scent of star anise. It not only has a history of bringing sacred to a chosen site but it has been used to remove undesirable energy as well.
When blessing and/or cleansing your home, you may aspurge (using an infusion or tea to fill a chalice or vessel of liquid, sprinkling it upon all desired places), cense, clean with herbal water or do anything your imagination creates with which to use herbal magick to consecrate, protect and cleanse your new residence. And when using herbal magick to bless your home, don't forget such items as the electrical system, the plumbing, the smoke detector and other 'devices' which are in need of protection. Gem and mineral magick may be used as well. A small piece of aquamarine attached to a key point in the plumbing (e.g. the pipe leading from the water meter) is a great way to enhance your protection. Pay special attention to the windows, as well. You might 'seal' the protection by using an essential oil and a cotton swab, tracing around the mechanical workings of your windows, the hinges of the doors and other 'portal hardware.'
Do you have a parking space? Place a fresh bay leaf where it might be above your vehicle(s). Fresh bay is best. Grove members and Lantern subscribers can get one by sending us a request. We'll pick one from our bay, a vigorous shrub I grow in our greenhouse (which is a shrine to herbal fertility) and send it by mail.
I like to create a 'household amulet.' This is a project best done after one has moved in, unpacked and is feeling settled. Because this project requires time and having your books and tools at hand, I'll not include instruction but refer you to the amulet making section in the Usage Guide in A Compendium of Herbal Magick.
There are many other workings available. Lighting the hearth fire has a long history as a very powerful action, one which allows the resident(s) to claim the energy of the home for their own. Good times are any of the seasonal holidays such as Midsummer, Autumn, Yule or Spring; or the cross-quarter holidays which fall as August Eve, Hallows Eve, Candlemas Eve or Beltane Eve although these are preferable when worked during the actual day, on the 1st. Take a magnifying glass, a candle and a full-sized wooden kitchen match our into the sunlight. Working within a sacred framework of space, time and energy, focus the sunlight upon the match and, when it lights, 'save' the flame by lighting the candle.
In our contemporary society we no longer keep a hearth-fire burning as was once done but fifteen years ago I learned a nifty trick: the flame can be saved in a pilot light although today, even those are become less common.
Bringing the fire from a sacred source (the sun - or from someone else's hearth) is an excellent way to create a source of domestic energy which is positive and radiant, permeating your household and keeping negative energies away through its own, positive radiance.
To both of you, I wish you a very wonderful house blessing.
Please feel free to
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