West Meets East©

By Caroline Patrick

I Need Help! Feng Shui and the Plant World

This is the perfect question for a summer column. I hope you enjoy the article

QUESTION:

The only herbs I know about are the kind I cook with, not the medicinal ones. Can you direct me somewhere on the internet for some info? I'm interested in what I could take that would be like a natural estrogen.

I’ve been to a couple of the local health/herb places, but I’m more confused now than when I started. Do you have any suggestions? I’m hot all the time and meaner than a junk yard dog, well, at least very irritable!

How are things going in your life?

ANSWER:

Hi,

One of the best herbalists on women’s health is Susan Weed. I sent you a couple of pages from her website (look at book Menopausal Years, she also has the best books on childbearing years, which is a must for young women wanting to get pregnant, and other books). Rosemary Gladstar is in the same category. Rosemary is now in Vermont or New York state. I took her classes in Auburn, California from Shatoya, one of her certified students, for over six years. Shatoya has since moved but probably still teaches back East with Rosemary. Rosemary was one of the first woman herbalists in the 60s from northern California. Her original shop is still open, I think, forgot the town, but seems it was Sebastopol. Read her bio, it is very empowering. I also studied Ayrvadic herbs with Candice Candin in Placerville and Western Medicine and Western Herbs in Santa Rosa with Dr. Lois Johnson.

I use to grown Vitex trees, which can be small or large depending how you want it to grow. The trees are beautiful large or contained in pots. It bears little berries which get black and hard in the autumn. Pick them off and grind them in a pepper mill. They taste the same as pepper when sprinkled on food. They are also referred to as Chaste Berries. You can also go to the health food store and ask for Vitex. This is a unique friendly herb which regulate women’s hormones, whether they are high or low! I take one or more a day. Another big favorite of mine for life changes is a Chinese formulation called Woman’s Treasure. Many of my friends rave about its benefits.

Many of the formulas found on the market have too many combinations, which are heating or cooling in excess. The general public can’t take these mixtures, as every body is different. This is why I began studying herbs and taking classes, so I could formulate my own remedies, as my system couldn’t tolerate the general mixtures on the shelves, especially before or after menopause.

During an Ireland trip you could see them growing in the wild along with the Hawthorn bush/tree. The Hawthorne is also one of my very favorites, as it “heals” the heart medicinally and spiritually. Women and men can benefit from Hawthorne. Many wonderful formulas come down from European women dedicated to healing and midwifery who were killed for their miracles in ancient times, but were studied by the some of the teachers I mentioned. They have done the hard work of putting together and saving many of these formulas in their books.

Oatstraw is a gift from nature and helps men’s and women’s nerves, but for women is a blessing, as it calms the nerves, smoothes the skin and helps “cranky Chi.” That reminds me, I must order some more. Eyebright is a must for aging eyes, but also a preventive for younger people. It contains bilberry. Blueberries are a good source and they were given to the night pilots during the second World War for improving night vision. These are two more of my plant friends which I use daily.

Christine Northrup is our “new woman guru” and she now has many best sellers on the market. Christine was mentioned by a wonderful doctor I had the privilege of knowing in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. Gladys McGarey is a very well-known physician and author who is a member of the Edgar Cayce foundation. Gladys introduced Christine to Phoenix early in her career. Christine is on PBS and is a Hay House author. Her office contacted me recently about my Feng Shui writings on the “Mystical Body.” This is in reference to the ancient theory of the house or shelter being the “shell” of our being. When doing a consultation, I draw the body over the floor plan, which allows me to see how the body is affected by the shape of the building. For example, if your floor plan is an L shape, you would have a “missing piece” or one side doesn’t have walls. Each section of the eight-sided octagon is given a body part or parts. For example, the Wealth area of your house or the back left corner may be lacking because a patio fills that corner instead of walls, so it is determined “missing.” A light or fountain is placed outside to “complete” that area. This brings relief to a money situation, but also brings relief to mainly the right hip, but also the right foot and leg. If your left hip, foot and leg are bothering you, then check the right far back corner of the house for clutter in any form, such as a love relationship problem, because this is the zone for Partnership!

I love to grown my own medicinal herbs or harvest them in the wild, such as dandelion root and leaf for liver, used for clearing the liver. When the liver is congested, all illnesses have a happy hunting ground! From HIV to anger, dandelion is a friend at curbing the urge to kill someone; and in the interest of your body, many irritations will clear up, from skin problems to regulating the bowels.

I will be teaching an herbal class in July on how to make your own remedies. I will collect wild “weeds” such as horsetail for silica and more, dandelion for vitamins A, B, plantain for calcium and direct use for insect stings, lambs ears for band aids in the wild, poke and dock to cook with greens, and stinging nettles which can be cooked into the greens when young or tinctured as a cure all, as it contains almost every vitamin for survival. Tincturing is putting the plant into a vinegar, alcohol or glycerin solution to preserve and use as needed. Making a woman’s calcium vinegar is also fun and healthy. Use it daily on salads, etc.

This weekend my little grandsons went on an herbal hike with me to learn about many of these plants. They are still young enough to think grandma is smart! We looked over our blackberry patches to see how they were coming along and learned something about each miracle weed in our path. Summer is harvest time in the wild, and I love to spend time teaching the boys how to cook, harvest and use nature’s offerings. The dandelion is given a bad rap, but this lowly plant could help keep you alive in a pinch. When getting accustomed to the plant’s abilities, only a couple of leaves chopped finely should be mixed with a large salad. As your body adjusts to this herb which stimulates the bile, enjoy the bitter flavor, while adding a few more leaves slowly, knowing it is healing your digestive system. The bright yellow flowers of this summer weed offer an abundance of vitamin A and B when added to pancake batter, muffins or salads. Make sure you only harvest in areas which have not been sprayed with pesticides, near roadways or other polluted areas.

For others who are having strange illnesses, Feng Shui offers many healing ideas. I want to give thanks to His Holiness Grandmaster Lin Yun, for enlightening me on the relationship of the body and the home, and using Feng Shui to “cure” many clients by aligning their home floor plan with the Bagua or template used when correcting a house. You only meet this kind of destiny once in a lifetime when searching for a teacher. I continue to bless my teachers as they have guided and blessed my journey. Who would have known that my art lessons starting at six years old, herbal studies over a fifteen-year phase, teaching art and herbs and Feng Shui classes over twenty years would blend together and become my life.

Have fun with your investigation, I hope this will give you someplace to start.

Caroline lives in the Northwest Region of the US, called The Puget Sound in Washington State. She is a Feng Shui Practitioner, writer, author and artist. She gives workshops in Feng Shui, Elements of Art, private mentoring for serious students, lectures and writes for newspapers. She combines teaching and traveling to other locations, here and abroad. Her 2007 schedule includes workshop and classes in the Northwest, Southwest, Midwest and Alaska. She is available speaking, teaching and consultations.

Please consult your physician for physical problems as this article only gives ideas and suggestions. Caroline is not responsible for anyone using these suggested plants or advice for cures or healing any problem either medical or Feng Shui claims. This column and article is for entertainment only. Please seek help from a qualified physician, naturopath, herbalist or other certified person for treatment.

Caroline Patrick Caroline's Feng Shui Concepts Mt. Vernon, WA 360-424-1501

caroline@fengshuiartistry.com www.fengshuiartistry.com www.moongateschool.com