Cooking With Chinese Herbs

As promised, here is the recipe for the soup I made at tonight's 5-Element Nutrition workshop on Chinese Herbal Healing Broths.

THAI CABBAGE SOUP with QI BUILDING HERBS

This soup is delicious and gives a good idea of how you can play around with edible Chinese herbs.  The purpose was to give workshop participants a sample of how easy yet deeply satisfying herbal broths can be, and also how strongly you can "feel the Qi" from them!

Step 1:  either make your own broth (vegetable or meat), or use an organic pre-made broth of your choice.  I usually use 4 cups of broth and add additional water as needed.

Step 2:  Get the herbs ready to add to the broth. For this recipe I used Huang Jing, Kombu, 1 dried Maitake mushroom, Hong Zao, Ren Shen, Gou Qi Zi, & Huang Qi.  In this group, only the Huang Qi (stick-like root at the bottom) is not edible and will be removed after cooking.

HINT:  I have found it much easier to add most herbs as they are, and chop them into small pieces after they have softened from being cooked in the broth.  The Hong Zao (red dates) however are extremely soft after cooking, so I usually cut them while still dry, as below:

Step 3: Begin warming the broth in a stainless steel pot on the stove. Add the herbs, cover, bring to a gentle simmer for 30-minutes.

Step 4: Remove from heat and strain the herbs out.  You'll have a nice container of herb broth that you can now use as is - keeps for up to 7 days in the refrigerator & you can freeze it.

 

Step 5: If desired, chop the edible herbs into small pieces and add back into the broth.  They are very tasty and add a somewhat exotic quality to whatever you cook them into.

HINT:  If using both edible & non-edible herbs, be sure to place non-edible herbs in a muslin bag or cheesecloth so you can easily separate & remove them.

Here you can see how the same herbs from the 1st picture have plumped up and softened.  They will now be very easy to cut into little pieces.

Step 6:  In a food processor, shred 1 large potato, a bunch of carrots, and 1 small green cabbage.  

Step 7:  In a large soup pot, heat a spoonful of coconut oil and a dash of olive oil.  Once hot, add a healthy shake of "Panch Phora" Indian seeds.  This is a great combination of fenugreek, brown mustard seed, nigella, cumin, and fennel. If you're in Anchorage, I get mine at Summit Spice & Tea.  I also added about 1 Tbsp fresh chopped ginger root.

Step 8: Once the seeds release their scent and begin to lightly pop, add all of the shredded veggies.  Then add the herbal broth.  Add additional water if needed to make a nice soup consistency.

Step 9: Cover and simmer for about 30-minutes, until veggies are cooked well.  If desired, add a small amount of curry and salt to taste.

HINT: When cooking with Chinese herbs, it's best to keep additional spices to a minimum.  In this soup, I added about 1/4 the amount of Panch Phora and Curry that I would normally use.

Step 10: Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.  Then add 1 can Coconut Milk, stir well, and it's ready to serve.  Enjoy!!  (Makes about 8-10 servings)

Natural Help for Bladder Infection

Making a Semi-Homeopathic Dose of Essential Oils
can be a safe way to ingest them in many cases.

This is an extremely quick & effective way to treat Damp Heat in the Lower Burner, or mild symptoms such as:  

• frequent and urgent need to urinate with little to no urine coming out (frequent usually means multiple times per hour)
• mild burning sensation when urinating
• mild pain in the lower abdominal / bladder area

If symptoms are severe or a high fever is present please consult your doctor.

I only recommend using organic quality essential oils internally.  If you do not have organic quality or are not sure about what you have, best to err on the side of caution and do something else.

For adults:

1 drop of organic quality Tea Tree essential oil in an 8 oz glass of water.  Ok to add 1-2 drops Stevia herbal sweetener to the water if you don't like the taste.

Drink this once per hour until symptoms are gone.  Many times just one dose will alleviate all symptoms, and usually about 4 doses at 1 per hour is the most someone would need.  This works very fast.

For children 4-12 years old:

Make an adult size dose as above.  

Then add 1 tsp of that water to another glass of water to dilute it down further, and have the child drink this milder dosage.  Ok to add a drop of Stevia herbal sweetener to the water if the child doesn't like the taste.

Again, drink once per hour until symptoms are gone, up to 6 times/day.

Semi-Homeopathic Variation:

For elderly, children, someone taking multiple medications, or someone who is weak from being ill

Need:

• Two 1-oz dropper top glass bottles (available at many health food stores)
• brandy, vodka, or vegetable glycerin (about 1 Tbsp)
• Stevia herbal sweetener (optional)

Fill the 1st bottle with filtered water.

Add 6 drops of organic quality Tea Tree essential oil.

Shake well.

Label the bottle "Mother Bladder Infections" with today's date

This bottle will need to be stored in the refrigerator.  It will keep for up to 1 year so you can make re-fills as needed.

Fill the 2nd bottle with 10% brandy, vodka, or vegetable glycerin (about 1 Tbsp).  This acts as a preservative and also helps the essential oil to mix better.

Fill the remaining 90% with filtered water.

Add 10 drops of the "Mother" blend to this, and 2 drops Stevia herbal sweetener if using.  Shake well.

Label the 2nd bottle "Dose Bladder Infections" with today's date.  This is the one you will actually use to take.

This bottle does not need to be refrigerated, but can be if you want.  Using the Dose Bladder Infections bottle, shake, and add 3 drops to a glass of water.  Drink this dosage every hour until symptoms are gone, up to 6 times/day.

If you make the semi-homeopathic dosage you may be very surprised to see how amazingly effective this natural remedy is - even at the extremely diluted dose!

If symptoms of bladder infections are a chronic issue, there may be other health issues that need to be addressed to get to the underlying nature of why this happening so often. Please consult a qualified health care practitioner.

Learn tons of great information from my On-Line Essential Oils Course series. You can study here at our school in Alaska from anywhere in the world!

Cooking With Essential Oils

Today was the 5th of 12 workshops in our Essential Oil Certification Course.  The topic was "Ingesting Essential Oils Safely".  Since cooking with essential oils is a fun way to use them, we tried some delicious food!

IMPORTANT: If you do this, make sure your essential oils are organic ingestable quality.  Look for "pure & genuine" or "100% pure".  If you're not sure, better to play it safe and not ingest them.

Pictured below is a fresh veggie platter with a choice of:

• Fresh salsa with Lemon & Lime essential oils
• Creamy dipping sauce made from sour cream, plain yogurt, and poblano peppers, with essential oils of Dill, Black Pepper and Lemon.

One woman said she adds a drop of Ginger essential oil to coconut cooking oil and bastes fresh salmon in this to cook - sounds scrumptious!

Here's one of my favorite easy recipes:

Amazing Edible Oil
In a 4 oz glass bottle or a small 4 oz glass jar, combine the following:

• 2-3 heart healthy oils, such as hemp, olive, and avacado (www.mountainroseherbs.com has a really nice variety)

Essential oils of:

• Dill - 6 drops
• Lemon - 4 drops
• Black Pepper - 3 drops
• Oregano - 1 drop

Shake well and store in a cool, dark area.  Use like flax seed oil - pour about 1 spoonful over veggies or stir into a bowl of soup or stew.  Don't cook with it, just use it on your food.

Variations:  I play around and use a variety of base oils - sometimes flax or pumpkin, and I also change the essential oils.  Just use 10-14 drops total of essential oils in a 4oz size of base oil.  Some other essential oils I like are cumin, marjoram, coriander, lemon & lime combo .

Other ideas:

Add 1 drop each Nutmeg and Clove Bud to fresh whipped cream.

Add 1 drop of Black Pepper to stir fried veggies over rice. (add at the end after it's off the heat, and toss to stir it in)

Add 1 drop each lemon, dill and tarragon to an oil & vinegar salad dressing

For some really delicious ideas I love the book "Weigh Less Eat Like Royalty" by Menkit Prince (formerly titled The Essential Oil Cookbook).

Do you cook with essential  oils?
 Please comment and post your favorite ideas to share with others - thanks!!

Learn tons of great information in my On-Line Essential Oils Course series. You can study here at our school in Alaska from anywhere in the world!

Massage for Lupus!

Lupus

What is Lupus?

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease, which means the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy body cells and tissues without the presence of antigens.

Symptoms:• Chest pain when taking a deep breath
• Fatigue
• Fever
• General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling
• Hair loss
• Mouth sores
• Sensitivity to sunlight
• Skin rash "butterfly rash"
• Swollen lymph nodes

Types of Lupus:

• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
• Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
• Drug-induced Lupus Erythematosus
• Neonatal Lupus

Tests:

• Complete blood count
• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
• Kidney and liver assessment
• Urinalysis
• Antinuclear antibody (ANA) test
• Chest X-ray
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Syphilis test

Lifestyle:

• Rest

• Smart Sun Sense
• Get Your Workout On
• No Smoking
• Eat Healthy

Benefits of Massage Therapy for Lupus:

• Reduces Inflammation and Soreness

• Increases Energy and Alertness

• Releases Endorphins

Medicinal Mushroom Risotto

 

This recipe is from my 5-Element Nutrition workshop on Medicinal Mushrooms. It wonderfully boosts your immune system, is anti-viral, increases circulation, and makes your Spirit happy. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Tbs Olive oil

2 Tbs Butter

1 shallot, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tbs fresh lemon zest, chopped (about ½ lemon)

8 Shiitake mushrooms, de-stemmed and chopped (ok to use fresh or re-constitute dry ones)

1 Maitake mushroom, chopped (ok to use fresh or re-constitute dry one)

4 cups Arborio rice (rinsed, uncooked)

1 cup dry white wine (optional - if you leave out increase water by 1 cup)

2 cups mushroom broth (OR chicken or vegetable)

5 cups water

dash of salt

fresh juice of ½ lemon

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

black pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a pressure cooker.

2. Sautee the shallot and garlic. When browned, add the fresh lemon zest and stir around until you smell the lemon.

3. Add all of the mushrooms and sauté until starting to brown.

4. Add rice and stir.

5. Add all of the liquids (white wine, broth, water) and stir. Add a dash of high quality sea salt and lemon juice.

6. Close the pressure cooker. When ready, pressure cook for 7 minutes. (NOTE: I really like to make risotto in a pressure cooker, but if you don’t have one it’s fine to make it in a large pot – you just have to stir about 1 cup of liquid in at a time and keep stirring for about 35-40 minutes.)

7. When done, open the pressure cooker and add the parsley and nuts.

8. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste. For an added bonus, serve with a glass of water containing 8-10 drops of Reishi (Ling Zhi) Mushroom Tincture.

Case Studies and Meridians

Everyone's body is different, and every body has different complaints, aches and pains. In our [massage therapy] class at the Oriental Healing Arts School of Massage we were able to take our personal complaints and were able to help treat them or subside the issue.

Over a period of time, we were taking massage, acupressure, tai chi and qi gong, as well as our own personal home care such as dieting, exercising, and essential oils to change the complaints that we had.

There were many different types of case studies that were covered, from fatigue to joint pain, previous bone injuries, tiredness, skin problems, and insomnia. All case studies were treated differently according to what acupressure points were right for that person, as well as different types of qi gong for every individual.

The five elements played a big role in defining what a person had a deficiency in or where stagnation was in the body. The five elements all compliment each other, and every organ is is linked to an element. 


What is the 5 element theory?The Five Element theory is based on the observation of the natural cycles and interrelationships in both our environment and within ourselves. The foundation of the theory rests in the correspondences of each element to a variety of phenomena.

Depending on the complaint that the individual had, we were given specific acupressure points to trigger in the one hour relaxation massage. All meridians were covered during the massage yet specific points helped subside the complaint the person had.

Some major meridians are the Bladder meridian, Spleen and Gallbladder meridians, Stomach, and Triple Burner meridians.  Qi gong exercises were also given to the person. In most cases the qi gong exercises that were given were moves that the person felt comfortable with. If your body feels like it needs that type of movement, in many cases it means it is effective. For example a type of Qi Gong for the water element is listed below. 


* Reaching for Heaven and Earth
* Pumping the kidney qi 
* Drawing the bow

Some of the individuals in the case studies were given different kinds of essential oils to use, as well as following a healthier diet that included foods that were beneficial to the complaint. When using multiple tools to help the issue you were able to tell the difference in a short period of time.


The result:
At the end of the treatment sessions you were able to tell dramatic differences right away. Problems that the individuals had were either gone or were mild. The change was fascinating because it not only made you feel better but also look at the issue differently.

Massage is such a great and effective way to help treat many problems someone may have, and with multiple types of massage you are able to subside many problems. 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder & Massage Therapy

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the after effects of stress from a traumatic event, situation or accident. Massage is beneficial to people with PTSD for several reasons.

Firstly, lets have a look at a client with PTSD. A middle aged woman is in a moderately severe car accident and comes in for massage due to neck and back pain. The scalenes, trapezius and latisimus dorsi are all very tense and it feels like there are two iron cables running down either side of the client’s spine. This is the physical trauma left from the accident. Trapped within the physical trauma is part of the emotional trauma. The reason for this is that emotions are, in the Western medicine tradition, nothing more than chemical reactions. What happened in the accident was that the rush of adrenaline and fear activating chemicals got trapped in the muscles when the muscles tensed. The muscles never released enough for the adrenaline and other chemicals to move on, so they got stuck there.

It is important to understand this because when you start working on releasing the muscles, you are releasing the pent up chemicals and allowing them to at last start to move and flow. Depending on the situation, this may elicit an emotional or physical response from the client. This is perfectly normal, and it is important to let the client know that, as they may not be certain of what’s going on or why they are experiencing certain emotions. Sometimes, the reaction may not come until later that day or within the next few days, and may leave the client a little shaken. This is also normal and varies case by case. In the case of the middle aged woman, if the car accident had been more recent, the faster the chemicals will be released from her muscles, therefore the quicker the reaction. If she had been in a car accident several year ago, the reaction may be slower and it may take more work to undo the physical trauma.

The other half of the PTSD is mental and emotional. Depending on the situation, the client may have a habit or unconscious reaction when either remembering or being faced with a similar situation. The woman may find that after the accident, she is extra cautious while turning left, or may not drive on icy roads. The muscles which are the most likely to hold tension at the end of the day are the ones that she tensed in the accident, or those in relationship to the muscle.

PTSD is not always related to an event that happened to the person physically. It could have been an emotionally or mentally traumatic experience, such as watching a pet or family member die, grade school trauma, or verbal abuse. While nothing physically happened to the body, it can still affect the body and by working on the affected areas, you can assist the client. In grief, the body folds in on itself, chest caved in, head bowed, hunched shoulders. Awkwardness may be shown in side effects from trying to fit in, such as sore feet and ankles from poor footwear, or anorexia or overweight problems. Anger shows itself by puffing out the chest, sharp and/or glaring eyes, firm jaw set, tight muscles or a rigid stance. These are very important signs for a massage therapist to read as you work on the client.

The client may start talking to the therapist about their trauma either before the session, while on the table, or after. It is often best at these times to just listen to what the client is telling you, and to watch what their body is doing while they talk, because often times that will tell you if they have other traumatized areas or how they feel about something, and either aren’t telling you or don’t know how to say. [It is appropriate for a massage therapist to listen, but not to try and resolve these issues. Many massage therapists are able to refer a client to a qualified counselor if needed.]

PTSD can have a wide range of levels, from minimal (general physical tension and subconscious actions, like flinching or tensing) to severe (outcomes vary from client to client). Some clients with PTSD may be on medication, in which case, precautions should be taken. It is highly important to know which medication it is, why they are taking it, and do research on what the drug is physiologically meant to do and its side effects [so that a massage may be safely modified]. Other clients may be using tools such as exercise, breathing techniques, meditation, or other recreational activities such as drugs or alcohol to deal with their trauma. It is important to watch for signs of such tools due to health precautions, which will change depending on the client.

Massage can offer safe, professional physical reassurance and pain relief for those suffering from PTSD, as well as coping techniques, and a safe, welcoming place for the client to release the trauma from their tissues without fear of embarrassment or pressuring.

By Tonia Curry-Ohlsen
Massage Therapy Student