Shield of protection
Astragalus root has been studied extensively for its effect on the immune system. It has been shown to reduce the occurrence of common respiratory illnesses, inhibit tumor growth and bolster immune system activity in general.
It is frequently being used alongside chemotherapy to alleviate the side effects of the chemotherapy treatments.
This root can also be used for people with seasonal allergies. As an immunomodulator it helps to straighten up the immune system, lessening the frequency and severity of allergies.
There is a lot of research on astragalus fighting cancer published online for those interested to find out more.
It is of use for people who are completely run down. If they are getting frequent colds and flus, that is a sure sign this herb will be of benefit! It combines well with ashwaganda root for burn-out.
It is an adaptogenic herb, helping to handle stress. The best way to summarise Astragalus would be to say it is a tonic, meaning it nourishes and supports the body in its own self-healing process. This is no small thing in chronic illness where our ability to self-repair has fallen short of being able to get us well.
In Chinese medical terms, astragalus builds up the protective chi. Imagine that there is a protective shield around your body, just below the surface of the skin, that keep out cold and other external influences. It vitalizes the non-specific immune defenses and wards off infections. This is the protective chi, and astragalus is the premier herb in Chinese herbalism to strengthen it. -Paul Bergner
Take 7- up to 25 drops 1-2 times a day dierctly on the tongue or in a little water when in need.
Astragalus is a safe herb , but it can be a little warming for some. Start with a lower dose and feel for yourself.
Astragalusroot on the shelf in Alchemillas Apotek.
“Most of the dandelions had changed from suns into moons” – Vladimir Nabokov
The root of dandelion is cooling, strengthening for the liver and strengthening in general. Promoting the production of bile, strengthening the lymphatic system, cleansing for the blood and good for digestion.
Dandelion is one of the most important herbs for expelling toxins from the tissues of the body and is good to use in all cases of chronic inflammations for example inflammations of the skin and joints as well as rheumatism. Dandelion is excellent for a weak or overworked liver. It is good to use Dandelion to strengthen oneself after an illness or as a general spring cleaning tonic.
According to Ayurveda, anger accumulates in the liver and gall-bladder. Dandelion is a powerful plant in helping to let go of this anger so we don´t carry it inside us. It is a detoxifier that works on the emotional and mental being, as well as the physical. It is especially good for clearing out old anger that has not been processed, especially if the pattern was established in childhood.
The liver is the organ of transformation and inner alchemy.
Dandelion works on the solar plexus. The energy is dynamic and promotes body consciousness and freedom. It gives us the capacity to understand and express pain that seems beyond understanding. Dandelion helps us reclaim our innocence and to take responsibility for how we feel and act.
I believe that nature puts the medicines humans need in abundance right in their gardens, even growing through concrete, for a reason.
“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.” – Shakespeare
Warming circulatory stimulant, most notably for the head and the brain including circulation to the eyes, therefore good in case of glaucoma. Brings blood to the heart, liver and gallbladder hence also good for digestion. Nervine, helpful in Alzheimers, nootropic, enhancing cognitive function, short and long-term memory. Good for type II diabetes.
Good for persons lacking confidence to give clarity around who we are, why we are here and what we do with our time here. Rudolph Steiner taught that Rosemary increase the sense of selfhood, which he related to the solar properties or the warmth of the body, to support selfconciousness, especially to be used in the morning to stimulate awareness.
Rosemary helps us in remembering who we are, to be strong in who we are, to embrace our pasts and presents without regrets. Through remembering via the heart more than through the mind we can reconnect and find support from in our ancestry.
Balsam for the soul
Cooling, stimulating, relaxing. Good for cramps and tension both mentally and physically, muscle aches, migraines. Lavender has the action of concentrating the blood and blood sugar for the liver to nourish and strengthen it. Good for motion sickness, dizziness, fainting. Good for people who are so tired that they can not keep their head up. Migraine after a long week or a long day and for working with details.
It is good to take in the evening to wind down when the mind is overly active. The prabhava (special potency) of lavender is that it works just as well the other way, it wakes up the sleepy minds.
Lavender is good for the people who have high demands on themselves and others. This type is often very driven, overworked and tense, resulting in fatigue, aches and tension in the neck, shoulders and headaches. (use together with vervain)
Good for people who get stuck in the details, finicky.
Good for the type of depression and anxiety that often combines with Irritable bowel syndrome.
Rudolf Steiner writes that Lavender is indicated for spiritual states where the astral body is holding on to the physical body and keeps it in a too tight grip which results in cramping and straining on the nerves. Another explanation is that the autonomic nervous system takes over when the unconscious is not able to handle or process experiences. In any case, lavender works as a balm for the soul. It opens the mind so that some of it can take off and fly out. If the mind is holding on to an excessive content, to vast to understand, this creates tension. It is good in OCD, obsessive thoughts and behaviors. (Even better in combination with passion flower)
The Alchemist distills the Gold of a Thousand Mornings.
Lady´s Mantle has a time honored traditional use as a woman's healing herb. Lady´s Mantle has astringent and styptic properties, on account of the tannins it contains. It is a very healing herb for the womb and can be helpful for painful menstruations. It is a fertility herb, also good to use during and after pregnancy.
As a heart-tonic Alchemilla can be combined with prescribed medications. Strengthens the arteries. Good for swollen feet and legs.
The botanical name, Alchemilla, or “little alchemist” speaks of the uses of Lady’s Mantle which have the ability to transform. Matthew Woods writes an account of this in The Book of Herbal Wisdom.
The alchemists found interest in the fact that the morning dew gathers like a translucent pearl in the center of the fan-like leaves, well into almost mid-day, when other plants are all dried off.
“Something within it is distilling the essence and simultaneously helping to preserve it. In a material sense Alchemila must correspond to processes which encourage cohesion on the surface of the droplet and prevent vaporization, while at the same time (and plants seem to work in two opposite directions) it must possess the ability to refine and distill fluids into their most subtle expression or essence.”
In the same way in which the subtle, invisible membrane preserving the cohesion and integrity if the droplet is maintained, we can imagine Alchemilla making a subtle, invisible membrane around a person. It is encouraging integrity and cohesion. It works uplifting and empowering. It is about a kind of inner circulation and distillation.
It is healing to the emotional waters of the body and supports healing from sexual trauma.
Hindus regard Sacred Basil as an earthly manifestation of the goddess Tulsi, offering divine protection.
Sacred Basil or Tulsi as it is also called, is strengthening for the immune system. It is a diaphoretic, meaning that it helps to gently raise the body temperature in order to effectively break a fever. Being that, it is also potently anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory, it is highly useful in a wide range of coughs, colds, flues, and general feelings of being “unwell.”
It is commonly being used today for its effects on blood sugar regulation and Type II diabetes- this likely being in conjunction with its tonifying effects on the adrenal glands, lowering stress, and strengthening digestion.
Tulsi is an excellent adaptogen to strengthen the adrenal glands, lower cortisol and stress and to calm the mind.
In Plant Spirit Healing, Sacred Basil is used for the soul. The soul, as being distinct from the spirit, is the aspect of our being that is constantly connected with the divine source of creation. It is our true nature and holds within it the blueprint for our life purpose.
By strengthening our connection with the soul, Sacred Basil helps us to reclaim our connection with nature, direct connection to the divine, and walking the path that we are meant to walk.
CHAGA – king of medicinal mushrooms
Chaga grows on birchtrees in the northern hemisphere. It goes under the name of “The King of Medicinal Mushrooms”. It is filled with antioxiadants. It strengthens the immunesystem.
It is also a powerful adaptogene, which means that it helps the body to handle stress and improve physical and mental work capacity.
Stress and disease are closely connected. Chaga helps us to meet the challenges of a stressful world with couarage and dedication.
Chaga helps us in gather our strength to meet the unknown and to transform all that seems challenging into valuble lessons and opportunities for growth.
As above – So below
Angelica is bitter, warming and aromatic.
It can be useful in treatment of swellings, inflammations and glandular indurations, particularly of the head and neck region. Good for circulation, for cold hands and feet. Used for fever.
It is good for anguish, spasms, nervous excitation and fatigue; calms excess in both the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system. It is good for PMS and excessive bleeding while menstruating.
Can be used for for arthritis and gout. Good for the liver, increases digestion and metabolism of oil and production of bile, hence increases digestion and nutrition. It relaxes the throat and makes it easier to take long deep breaths. It simultaneously opens the imagination and the mind when prana (life force through breath) can flow.
Angelica is an important Shamanic plant among the Saami people of the North.
In Native American herbalism it is referred to as a “Bear Medicine”. Just as the bear goes into hibernation through the winter, bear medicine usually relax the mind, open the imagination and bring people into dreamtime. Angelica certainly has this capacity.
Bears eats these roots upon awakening in spring to wake up, clear their throat and start rebuilding their mass.
I see Angelica as an embodiment of the Alchemical device “As above so below”.
The deep aromatic root and the umbrella-like flower full of starlike seeds are connected through a hollow stem, a channel connecting the heaven and the earth. This is one of the effects the Spagyric Tincture may have upon you – making you feel like this channel.
Angelica connects you with your guardian angel, or if you prefer to call it your higher self.
“The sky was a midnight-blue, like warm, deep, blue water, and the moon seemed to lie on it like a water-lily, floating forward with an invisible current.” – Willa Cather
The Sacred Blue Egyptian Water Lily is deeply relaxing for the body and mind, it is hypnotic and sedative. It is also a cardio-tonic – strengthening the heart. It is also an aphrodisiac.
An aid for yogis as it is a plant for meditation. It is also a helpful herb for dreamwork. The blue-violet color of this flower is a signature of the affinities with the third eye and the crown chakra.
From the murky dark mud it rises up bestowing magnificent blossoms. It shows us our experience in human evolution, as it blooms – so can we. It is a metaphor for our reunion with oneness. I connect this flower to the divine feminine creative power, Shakti.
Shakti is both responsible for creation and the agent of all change. Shakti is cosmic existence as well as liberation, its most significant form being the Kundalini Shakti, a mysterious psychospiritual force.
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