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Wei Qi and Immune Health

2/11/2021

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It has been a year full of shifts for all of us. The human body and spirit is SO resilient yet even the best of us are getting tired. And when we are mentally and physically tired, it is hard to make the best decisions and keep our health at the forefront. We all need a little support and I want to remind everyone that I am here for your emotional, mental, and physical needs!

Today I'd like to share a bit about Wei Qi. What is it and why is it important? Wei Qi is a Chinese concept. It is the energy of our body that includes our immune system. It regulates how our bodies interact with the world, what we let in and what we don't let in. It opens our pores to help let toxins cleanse out as well as closes our energy field to keep illness and toxic energy out.  We can strengthen it with healthy living, food, herbs, and Qi Gong, as some examples.

What happens when your Wei Qi has been compromised? 

When Wei Qi is weak or compromised we are more prone to all kinds of illness to include COVID. For some people COVID seems to pass with minimal issues. For others they are developing long-term health issues related to the inflammation that the disease caused. My clients who would fall into this category have experienced inflammation of the heart creating increased heart rate and difficulty breathing. They have developed thyroid conditions. They have chronic fatigue and nerve pains. In general, Western medicine has yet to wrap itself around how to deal with these conditions. Luckily, in the herbal world we aren't limited to a 'one drug for one condition' mindset.  We look at the body and where support would be beneficial and what is at the root needing to be resolved.  As scary as COVID long term effects are for some, I want to reach out and remind people that WE DO have options. Please reach out!

If you would like to support your Wei Qi follow the suggestions below and consider ordering my Pro-active herbal blend!
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*REMINDER: In herbal medicine we can not claim to treat or cure a disease.  But working to have your body be its healthiest is one thing we all DO have control over!
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Energetically how do we nourish our Wei Qi?

2/11/2021

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1. Eat well! Eat foods that are healthy but also foods that nourish your spirit and feed you visually.

2. Get quality sleep! Ideally we should go to sleep before 11:00 when our Liver and Gallbladder begin their work of detoxing for the night.

3. Take nourishing herbs! Adaptogens, Nervines, Nourishing herbs! We ALL need to be on a regular regimin to support our mind, body, spirit. Include herbs like Astragalus that are to be taken over the long term to deeply nourish and rebuild the immune reservoirs. 

4. Deep breathing! When we are stressed we tend to breath shallowly. Breathe like you are filling up a swim tube around your belly! Deep breathing supports detoxification by our lungs and it can calm down our overtaxed vagus nerve!
 
5. Keep your spirit and energy up! Think of what you are taking in through media. Is it lifting you or dragging you down?


All of these things are important for prevention and good health.

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Herbal Products to Support the Immune System

3/27/2020

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Herbal preparations - I have been reading SO many articles about ideas on how this disease progresses. What we feel we know is that the virus damages the cilia of the lungs to the point that they can no longer cleanse and clear the mucus.  The heat of the fever has also congealed the phlegm in the body. So we have the delicate job of balancing; again of providing enough moisture to thin the mucus but not overdampening it, while supporting the lungs ability to expectorate. This recent pubmed article, "Can Chinese Medicine Be Used for Prevention of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)? A Review of Historical Classics, Research Evidence and Current Prevention Programs" nicely summarizes the approach they are taking.  "The main principles of CM (Chinese Medicine) use were to tonify qi to protect from external pathogens, disperse wind and discharge heat, and resolve dampness." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32065348 

Hopefully you are considering what you might do to take care of your body now. What do you have at home? And consider what you might need to stock your home with to feel prepared. 
Below I am sharing the herbal formulas that I recommend you consider for your home.
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Herbal formulations to use now and have on hand
None of these things should be considered treatment for COVID-19. The are immune and wellness support to support the body the best that we can.

Land of Milk and Honey Active support tincture $40 - The "active" stock formula that I have created for people to use includes diaphoretic herbs to clear excess heat, herbs that thin mucus and encourage expectoration, and immune modulating herbs. Same idea as shared above but in Western herbalism terms.  I am looking at herbs from both traditions, Western Herbalism and Chinese herbalism; herbs like Chinese Skullcap (Huang Qin) and Andrographis. No single herb is the answer as they need to balance each other. Our herbs that are strong lung antiseptics happen to be warming so they must be balanced with cooling herbs. Drying herbs must be balanced with moistening herbs. Each herb is chosen for multiple reasons and while I would love to share my thinking in choosing each one, it crosses the line in terms of making medical claims for herbs. Unfortunately only when I teach do I feel that I can completely share all that each herb can truly do. But know that a lot of thought has gone into this and I already have people using formulas to support their body.  Because information is every evolving I have already made several different stock formulas of this with different herbs varying slightly so I am not listing ingredients here. I will say that for some formulas I have included elderflower and if that is of concern to you just let me know and I will make a formula without it for you. For current clients I am also willing to create a custom formulation, provided that I am still able to work at that time.

Herbalist and Alchemist Herbal Relief Throat Spray $12 - Spray this directly in the throat to reduce sore throat and germs in the throat. Echinacea angustifolia, Collinsonia (Collinsonia canadensis), Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Sage (Salvia officinalis), Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), Myrrh ( Commiphora molmol),Osha (Ligusticum porteri), Propolis and essential oils

Herbalist and Alchemist Compound Mullein Oil (aka ear oil) $11 -  Certified Organic Olive Oil, Mullein flowers (Verbascum thapsus), St. John's wort fresh flowers (Hypericum perforatum), Garlic fresh bulb (Allium sativum), Tea Tree essential oil, White Sage herb, Vitamin E

Essential Oils  (limited quantities, varying prices) - Pine, Silver Fir, Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Cedar, Breathe, Tea Tree, Orange, Lemon, Ginger, Mandarin

Feeling well but still wanting to do the best you can right now?

Hopefully for many of you, you are not quite "there" yet in terms of needing that level of active support and there is still time to build up the body's immune system now.  Please re-read the 1st newsletter I sent called Supporting Your Body in Difficult Times.  Beyond active self-care these are the things that I recommend.

Land of Milk and Honey Herbs Proactive support tincture $40 - For those who would like to be more proactive I have made a "proactive" support blend. That blend includes immune building herbs to strengthen the weiqi of the body and moderate the immune response. Again I am pulling on herbs that have historically been used for this such as Astragalus (Huang Qi) and Elder, Cat's claw, Huang Qin (Chinese Skullcap), Reishi, Bupleurum, and Licorice.

Elderberry  $8, $15, $27 - There has been much debate about elder which I shared previously.  Most of the herbal community feels very comfortable with their understanding of it as an immune modulator. The information regarding cytokine storms is extrapolated from a study that was in vitro and not in vivo and we all know that herbs work differently in the body to activate immune response that can no be replicated in a petri dish. And honestly, every year the cytokine storm fear  raises its head when influenza season comes around and we have not seen cytokine storms happening to the thousands of people who take elderberry for influenza.  As I mentioned though I feel elderberry alone is an option in prevention and early stages, I DO NOT think it is enough and appropriate to be using solely should you be become ill. A bit in a formula when ill I do think is a good idea though as in the past it has been associated with deceasing viruses' ability to replicate.

Jade Wind Screen teapills $18 limited quantity- Traditional Chinese remedy to build Wei Qi - Yu Ping Feng San Wan (also known as Jade Wind Screen Formula) is traditionally used to strengthen the body's overall defenses. The formula replenishes qi/energy and helps consolidate the body's defense system.  Astragalus membranaceus root, Atractylodes macrocephala rhizome, Saposhnikovia divaricata root, Activated carbon, Botanical wax, Talcum. - Huang qi, Bai zhu, Fang feng, Activated carbon, Botanical wax, Talcum.

Herbalist and Alchemist Immune Adapt tincture $45 - Codonopsis root (Codonopsis lanceolata), Eleuthero root (Eleutherococcus senticosus), Reishi mushroom and mycelium (Ganoderma spp.), Schisandra berry (Schisandra chinensis), Astragalus root (Astragalus membranaceus), Bai-Zhu Atractylodes root (Atractylodes macrocephala), Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) , Ligustrum berry (Ligustrum lucidum)

Herbalist and Alchemist Immune Adapt Capsules $45 - Astragalus root (Astragalus membranaceus), Eleuthero root (Eleutherococcus senticosus), Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum), Schisandra berry (Schisandra chinensis), Bai Zhu Atractylodes rhizome (Atractylodes macrocephala), Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Ligustrum berry (Ligustrum lucidum) and Maitake mushroom (Grifola frondosa)

As our community continues to battle this illness I will continue to provide support as I can, unless I become quarantined myself. Please do not wait if you would like something I have mentioned or if you need a refill on your regular herbs.  
Be well my herbal family!  Remember to take care of you emotional and physical health during this time!

-Kate

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    Land of Milk and Honey Herbs

    Kate Bodmann is a Clinical Herbalist and Aromatherapist committed to sharing education, practical tips and safe usage guidance for botanical medicines.

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Kate Bodmann, RH (AHG), RA 
Clinical Herbalist of
Land of Milk and Honey Herbs

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