Twilight

I have been reading this and-not finished yet- but thought others might also be interested.

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/herbs_for_the_mind

Herbal Remedies for Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia, and Psychosis

In China, before the twentieth century, all mental illnesses were treated exclusively with herbal medicine. Since Chinese doctors have been keeping records for thousands of years, there is historical evidence suggesting that such treatments were sometimes successful. One example is the famous Fog Tea of Tianmu Mountain, a blend of herbs which helped free millions of people from opium and morphine addiction. Whereas the best Western approach to addictive opiates at that time was to substitute a newly invented and presumed less addictive drug, heroin. Live and learn; which is exactly what Chinese herbologists have been doing for several thousand years.

I contend that Chinese herbal drugs of the19th century were at least as effective as whatever European or American doctors were inventing and prescribing at that time.

This may still be true. Obviously Western psychiatric drugs, have advanced in a hundred years. We don't administer potassium bromide, chloral hydrate, and morphine to the mentally ill anymore. Today's tranquilizers are clearly safer and more effective. However, no mental health worker would say that these drugs could actually cure mental illness. I am suggesting that Chinese herbal drugs can offer more than relief to the mentally ill. Properly administered, in some cases, I believe these herbs can cure.

Whether or not they actually cure the patient, at the very least, herbs can complement any modern day prescription or therapy. I can assure you that the herbs recommended in this article are safe, and like a food, won't react negatively with any drug.

Visit any city in China, and despite the deluge of Western ideas and money, you'll find very few mental health facilities. Though It's estimated that China has over 100 million mentally ill people, China has only 17,000 certified psychologists, which on a per capita basis is only ten percent of what you'd find in most developed countries.

A history of poverty and an attitude that mental illness should be stoically endured are two reasons for this. Also, Asian cultures have traditionally downplayed individuality, so spending money on personal improvement has been frowned upon. But there's another important reason that psychology never took root in the East. It simply wasn't needed as much. Chinese doctors, with the benefit of several thousand years of trial and error, had access to a full pharmacy of effective herbal medicines. Perhaps this made lobotomies, electroshock, and psychiatry less necessary.

Chinese herbal medicines, despite their effectiveness, should not be considered a substitute for modern drugs or counseling, however they can be a valuable resource for today's medical professionals or mental health workers. You don't have to be Chinese or an herbalist to use them, however a little basic knowledge of Oriental medicine theory can help. This article will help you get started. I have used common names for herbs that are known in the West, botanical names for Herbs without common Western names, and Chinese pin yin names to distinguish herbs that may be of the same species but differ in other ways.

It's the qi, stupid.
'Qi' means the flow of our bodily energies. Practitioners of Chinese medicine believe that health is linked with these invisible flows, and that when our qi flows improperly we get sick.

Besides the flow of qi, health is also about harmony or balance, or the lack of it. The terms yin and yang help to describe this. When life is out of balance, we say that yin and yang become unbalanced in our body, causing physical or mental distress and disease.

The discipline of Ching-Zhi-Bing concerns disorders of the emotions and will, and is closely related to the treatment of mental diseases. To practitioners of most forms of TCM, any mental disease is, first of all, a sign of poor flow or bad balance or both. Phobia, paranoia, schizophrenia, depression, insomnia, etc. are symptoms of disharmony or congestion, not separate diseases in themselves. Healing these symptoms requires normalizing flow or restoring balance in the life and body of those afflicted. Herbal medicine can help immensely.

Chinese herbal medicine is easily the most highly evolved medical system in the world. Its scale of experience spans countless trillions of administrations over thousands of years. Its methods, to a great degree, are systematic and based on written observation, experiment and commentary. It's pharmacopoeia includes over 10,000 natural substances; vegetable, animal, and mineral.

Some of these substances may be strange to Western sensibilities, however this article will recommend only safe ordinary substances which can be easily obtained. Though sour dates, hare's ear root, and mimosa bark may not be as available as coffee, tea, or marijuana, you can easily find these potentially mind bending substances on the web or in Chinese communities throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

Mind bending doesn't imply that these herbs are stimulants or psychedelics. Though there exist Chinese herbal stimulants such as ephedra (ma huang) and psychedelics such as morning glory seeds (qian niu zi). The herbs recommended in this article, when properly combined, effect the mind in different and perhaps less understood ways.

The term 'mind' is seen differently through the lens of TCM. We view mind and body as inseparable expressions of a single being, and must be assessed together for a useful diagnosis. In the West, the human being is divided into separate fields of study - spiritual, mental and somatic. Recently the Western point of view has begun to blur the distinction between mind and body. The 1996 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV, 1996, Introduction, p.xxi) acknowledges:

“ A compelling literature documents that there is much ‘physical’ in ‘mental’ disorders and much ‘mental’ in ‘physical’ disorders.’

In this article the term mind means: consciousness, emotion, imagination, remembrance, thought, memory, and intelligence. We don't include spirit as an aspect of mind, because TCM reserves a special place for spirit, known as the Shen. The Shen means you, the actual being that is not your mind. The Shen resides in the heart, not in the brain. Mental disharmonies often indicate that the Shen is unsettled or troubled. We call this Disturbed Shen.

Anxiety, insomnia, and psychosis all originate with Disturbed Shen.. We consider them diseases of the chest rather than the brain, because the Shen resides in the heart, not in the head. Though sufferers may exhibit deviant brain chemistry, these are not brain diseases

The Troubled Spirit
For most people, Disturbed Shen won't lead to 'heart disease' or any physical problem. Nevertheless, it is considered a physical condition and will respond to therapies other than counseling. Exercise, massage, acupuncture, and herbal medicines are examples of highly physical modalities that can relieve this condition. A cure requires a deeper understanding of the root causes.

Shen can be disturbed by events in our life or in our memory, by stagnation, heat, drugs, diet, loss of sleep, or loss of blood. Often, the Shen is unsettled by constraint of emotion, or by excess emotions. Chinese medicine believes that strong emotions can also effect our organs. Excessive or lack of joy can stress the heart, worry eats at the gut, grief endangers the lungs, fear taxes the kidneys, and anger assaults the liver.

Shen is disturbed by tension in the chest. Thinking about loss, not being able to express oneself, and feeling guilty or under stress, cause the chest qi to tighten. In this protective state we feel fewer feelings and show less emotion. Modern clinicians call this condition 'depression'. We call it stagnation of the chest qi, or Liver Qi Stagnation (LQS), and we consider it to be the origin of many mental health problems. To us, clinical depression is not so much a definable disease, but a sign that the qi of the chest is stuck, constrained, or oppressed. In time, this chest constraint can effect the underlying organs, generating anger by inflaming the liver, or anxiety by heating up the heart.

Treatment With Herbs
The resulting symptoms of LQS are usually diagnosed as depression, anxiety, insomnia, tachycardia, or panic disorder. Even some heart arrhythmias, and forms of psychosis originate with liver qi stagnation.

Herbs can also be used to promote the circulation of qi in the chest and to clear heat from the heart. Taken alone, these herbs may have only a mild effect. However in certain combinations, the results can be quite powerful.

Hare's ear root (bupleurum chai hu), perhaps the best known of these herbs, is a good example. This bitter root is known to move the qi of the chest, however its ability to do this is greatly enhanced by combining it with a small amount of ordinary mint (bo he).

Other herbs that move the liver qi include immature tangerine peel qing pi , cyprus xiang fu, chinese rose mei gui hua, white peony root bai shao, caltrop fruit bai ji li, and bitter orange zhi shi.

Heartening Herbs
Besides relieving constraint, the herbologist can effect the mind by administering herbs that Nourish the Heart. These substances have a markedly calming effect and help to create a comfortable environment for the Shen. You'll find herbs that nourish the heart in many formulas used to combat insomnia. Some of these substances are sour date seed (suan zao ren ), longan fruit (long yan rou), arbor vitae seeds (bai zi ren), and wheat berries (fu xiao mai)

Mimosa tree bark (he huan pi) is one of the most useful of this group. Though classified as a heart nourishing herb, when combined with salvia miltorrhiza (dan shen), it also strongly moves the qi of the chest. Thus it can relieve stress in the chest and nourish the heart simultaneously.

Herbs that Settle the Spirit
are used when emotions run high. Many of these substances are rich in calcium and other heavy minerals. There's a long history of using these stabilizing herbs in formulas to treat psychosis. There's nothing in the old texts about schizophrenia, but there are many references to delusional behavior, including muttering to oneself, and hearing voices. To practitioners of TCM, delusional behavior indicates that the spirit, under extreme duress, has indeed taken flight. Anchoring herbs are then required to settle the agitated spirit.

Oyster shell mu li, pearl zhen zhu, fossil bone long gu, amber hu po, and loadstone ci shi are some of the heavy stabilizing agents that settle the rising spirit They are given for short periods of time, as they are hard to digest, and long term use could damage the qi.

Fire and Phlegm
When used to treat psychosis, anchoring herbs are often combined with herbs that Dissolve Phlegm, because in many of these cases, phlegm has become an additional disease factor.

Now phlegm is a concept that is a little hard to grasp, but worth the effort, because it is phlegm that can turn a mild depression into a full blown psychotic episode. Actually, it's pretty simple. We already understand phlegm as a synonym for mucous, a thick viscous bodily fluid. According to TCM, heat causes normally free flowing fluids and vapors to thicken and become phegm. Phlegm impedes flow.

Psychosis happens when heat thickened vapor (hot phlegm) has obstructed the portals of consciousness, clouding and obscuring the Shen, and causing the mind to lose contact with its spiritual connection. Phlegm-Fire in the Heart, as this psychotic condition is known, requires herbs to Extinguish Fire and Dissolve Phlegm.

Sweetflag rhizome (chang pu) is the chief herb used to dissolve phlegm blocking the portals of consciousness. You'll find it in formulas for psychotic conditions as well as for ADD, mania, compulsive disorders, and other conditions hinting of clouded consciousness.

Common herbs that put out fires in the heart and liver include gardenia seed (zhi zi), rush pith (deng xin cao), tree peony root bark (mu dan pi), and lotus plumule (lian xin). Not so common is rhinoceros horn (xi jiao), endangered and banned and never the legendary sex tonic of folklore, but really just an herb used to treat heat induced convulsions, mania, and delirium. Water buffalo horn (shui niu jiao) is usually substituted in larger amounts. Raw foxglove root (sheng di huang) is a good substitute for vegetarians.

Herbs Don't Work, Formulas Work.
Before going any further, you must understand the limited value of these single herbs. Used alone, none of these herbs has very much therapeutic value, and used alone any of them could present problems. That's why TCM is all about using herbs together. Call them formulas or recipes or mixtures or combinations; by combining herbs, synergies have been discovered that vastly increase the medicinal effects. Blending herbs in this way also allows us to neutralize unwanted side-effects. Herbs such as licorice, poria, codonopsis, and ginger are often added to increase digestibility and absorption. Since stagnation and deficiencies underly many of these conditions, formulas will also contain herbs that increase the quantity and stimulate the flow of qi and blood. The famous 'women's herb' herb Dang Gui is often used because it both builds and invigorates the blood simultaneously. This effect is magnified when combined with red or white peony root.

Formulas usually consist of principal herbs, assisting herbs, directional herbs, and herbs that reduce the side effects or aid the digestion of a particular herb. Herbs can be ingested as boiled teas called decoctions (tang), milled or granulated powders (san), pills (pian), tablets (wan), or tinctured extracts (gin).

The following table shows mental diseases, likely TCM diagnoses, a possible formula used to treat the condition, and the herbs contained in each formula. Most are available in prepared form.

Disease/ Condition: Depression, PMS
TCM Diagnosis: Liver Qi Stagnation
Formula Name:Free and Easy aka Hsiao Yao San
Ingredients: White peony root, Poria, Atractylodes, Bupleurum, Mint, Dang Gui, Ginger, Licorice,

Depression with Irritability, PMS
Liver Qi Stagnation with Heart Fire
Augmented Free Free & Easy
White peony, Poria, Atractylodes, Bupleurum, Mint, Dang Gui, Ginger, Licorice, Tree peony root bark, Gardenia,

Depression with Mania, Delirious speech, Heart Palpitations,
Fright,
Liver Qi Stagnation with Liver Yang Rising
Bupleurum, Dragon Bone, and Oyster Shell
Bupleurum, Pinellia, Poria, Cinnamon Branch, Scullcap, Sour Date, Codonopsis, Fossilized Bone, Oyster Shell, Ginger, Rhubarb

Anxiety, Irritability, Restlessness, or Insomnia
Disturbed Shen caused by Heart Fire
Good Sleep and Worry Free
Sour Date Seed, Zhi Mu, Salvia, Polygala, Biota, Atractylodes, Licorice, Ginseng, Ophiopogon, Schisandra, Mulberries, Poria

Anxiety, Weepiness, PMS
Disturbed Shen from Deficient Yin or Blood
Calm Spirit
Polygonum, Weatberries, Sour Date, Poria, Lily, Mimosa bark, Licorice

Insomnia, Poor Concentration, Vivid Dreaming
Disturbed Shen caused by deficient heart qi
Stabilize the Heart
Biota, Ophiopogon, Dang Gui, Poria, Polygala, Sour Date Seed, Scullcap, Codonopsis, Amber
Insomnia, Poor Memory or Concentration, Nocturnal Emission

Disturbed Shen and Heart Fire cause by deficient Kidney Yin
Heavenly Emperor Tonify Heart
Raw Foxglove, Dang Gui, Schisandra,, Sour Date Seed, Biota, Asparagus, Ophiopogon, Scrophularia, Salvia, Codonopsis, Poria, Platycodon, Polygala
Psychosis, chest or rib pain, hiccup,. Mood swings

Blood stasis in the chest with Liver Qi Stagnation
Drive out Stasis in the Mansion of Blood
Safflowers, Dang Gui, Sechuan Lovage, Red Peony root, Niu Xi, Bupleurum, Platycodi, Bitter Orange, Raw Rehmannia, Licorice

Psychosis, Compulsive disorders, ADD, ADHD
Heart Blood Deficiency, Clouded Consciousness
Healthy Brain
Sweetflag, Sour Date Seed, Go ji berry, Salvia, Schisandra, Sechuan Lovage, Fleece Flower Branch, Polygala, Reishi Mushroom

© copyright Joel Harvey Schreck 2008

Yes Philbe that is the way they do it at the food pantries here.

Everything is pre bagged and though the recipients may be waiting a long time,

they come when when the doors open to get their bag. If they want to trade,

it is done outside, but everyone one gets basically the same thing and there

is no grabbing, pushing or shoving.

May you grow more joyful without aging!

Have a wonderful day and year!

I was extremely allergic to soy. I have no idea it my poisoning by chemicals had anything to do with it but...

To get the chemicals out of my system I had to do a liver cleanse 3 of them as a matter of fact back to back.

After I got through with the cleanses, I was no longer allergic to poison ivy, could tolerate some soy-(such as

was in foods I missed seeing in the ingredients)- it is also in everything, including soft drinks (No I do not drink them) cheese, etc.)

But I still stay away from soy and will not eat it willing.

Just touch animal feed products with soy will eat my hands , I will have huge sores that ooze.

Sigh I have heard that is common for those that work in feed mills... and people willing put it in their body.

I believe England only allows it to be used in mechanical areas..

Today is a beautiful day to hang clothes outside. But in the wet cloudy days

we have had , since I have to keep heat in my 1/2 bath , I take advantage of the heat to dry my

clothes. Clothes are put on hangers in there and they usually dry over night.

So what is in the oatmeal to make it taste like sausage?

Oatmeal would be better for a body than sausage any way-- and I like sausage.!

As far as the tins go... I do not drink mocha anymore- it is hard/impossible to find

creamer that is not soy based and soy and I do NOT get along.

I got this in the mail this morning

Does anyone have use for a dozen or more mocha coffee cans- the little ones about 2x2x4 inches? With their lids.

Will send them to anyone plus postage

I have three hog heads coming in Tuesday. I want to make headcheese or souse. The local butcher said that not many people want hog heads. Hopefully the jowl will be left on as well.

If you have a place near by that butchers, ask about lard or hog heads.....

My DD says her BF mother uses sourdough in everything- cakes , cookies, pies?? I really like the first sourdough biscuits I made . I think it may be used for flavor but you can use it anyway you want. You can use the starter as the sole way of bread rising which may take hours or you can mix it an a prepackaged yeast mix.

I do like that little oven- not sure about the mud availability everywhere though.

Might have to cut bricks of sod or something - whatever is available where you are.

It has been a long time since have made "plain" bread. I want my bread to be nutritious

so it will have may oat flour, amaranth, , brown rice, sunflower seeds, or some other "goodness"

and it was made with the wild yeast, or rather the wild yeast was incorporated into my "good" sponge.

So now we have our yeast the you tube shows how to bake it in your own homemade oven!!

I don't think it was all that warm when I started mine. I just waited until it was bubbling good. Mine was very mild and my DD really liked it- she does not like sourdough- can't say I do either.

But no - on one of the penny pinching sites it said to put 1/4 t of yeast in your sponge. Set it in the laundry room or a warm room out of the way until doubled in bulk.

I have not done that- but I think , it may taste a little more yeasty. But my home grown yeast was not sour....

Be interesting to have a yeast exchange....................

I contacted the people about the barrel of 20% vinegar, this is what she(Sarah) told me.

There is a minimum order of 4 55 gal drums, each drum is around $250. It would ship from California and shipping would be probably be around $600.

I think if I had a truck I could get it cheaper, the shipping was to my zip code

I paid either $3 or$4 for the 10% vinegar from the poultry supply, a case may have been cheaper but I did not check the price.

You can put your bowl of dough outdoors and it will collect yeast. Some people put a small amount of yeast- say 1/4t in the dough to start with and some do not. I left mine out about 30 hours.I then had a mix that I shared. The longer you leave it out the sharper it will get. This will be the beginning of sourdough bread.

My yeast will not taste like yours most likely. But each area, maybe even property depending on what is growing near your dough will flavor it.

One thing for sure , the yeast is out there and buying from the store is not necessary.

Congratulations, lovinit! It is great to be debt free on your land!!!

I am learning to have an ever cooler house. Was running on 67 dropped it to 62.

Now I turn off the heat at night and awake to 52-55.

I should be heating my water o the stove and shut the WH off. It is far more economical

to heat the needed water for dishes and light bathing on the stove. The Wh can be turned

on for showers or heavier use.

commercial poultry supplies may have the 10% vinegar by the case. The Amish here can get vinegar by the barrel. They do not sell it for much less than you pay for a gallon.

I buy the Bicarb (50 lbs $16-22 )at the feed store for a fraction of what the 1 lb boxes cost-$1.25

I am not sure it is only the Kindle. I ordered a gift from Amazon for my daughter last year. She has the same last name as me and now her address and cc info come up if I go to order anything. If I can see her CC info she can see mine. Yesterday I had the opportunity to delete her account off of mine. I do not think they have any right to show such info.

Google knows a lot about us. I do not know if Bing is as nosy or not I am liking google less all the time.

At least he recanted or tried to before he died.

Turned stove to pilot, put on 4 layers (of clothes). It is not really that

cool- but it is windy. canning the harvest, gizzards and chickens.

I too wonder about moving- if it breaks a contract. I am guessing no if where you move to has the same company.

Y'all southerners are my cup of tea! So nice for you to join us Pearl. There is a little bit of most everything here and you may add something new.

I love the sugar sweetness of the south, been away too long

20% chance for snow here tonight and tomorrow. I have seen that 20% chance turn in a near blizzard and 18 inches in the past.....

We are having wind gusts right now of 15-25mph

I would love to see a picture! I can rather imagine it but it does sound so much like a male's room.

But you do know orange is a color that makes you hungry? Have your grocery bills gone up?

Does this go beyond the beard and hair cutting then that has caused problems recently. Amish and mennonites do believe differently!

Twilight