A Personal Tribute to
Jim McDonald by Jesse Wolf Hardin On the 23rd of May, herbalist teacher and columnist Jim McDonald suffered a critical heart attack. In the ensuing weeks, he has had a successful operation to repair a valve, and while we cannot know for sure how he will fare as of this writing, the doctors have been amazed at how well he has done, and one factor could be the voluminous outpourings of love and support sent his way. While we value obituaries whenever we lose someone important to us and our missions, it feels all the more important to acknowledge and praise people while they are still here with us. And so, these few inadequate words are not a remembering of who and what is lost, but a timely tribute to him – and to what – is (and in some ways will always be) alive for us.
Jim was my partner Kiva Rose’s closest confidante back in the day, when she was just beginning to be known and valued as an herbalist and plant bard. Their tons of emailed correspondence was very helpful to her as they tested each other’ hypothesis and assumption. When we first thought to help instigate a folk herbal resurgence, it was McDonald, Bergner, and 7Song who were most supportive, and who then wrote columns for every issue of this magazine for nearly a decade, and who taught at all the annual Plant Healer events until this year. He was sad not to be able to make it to the 2018 Confluence, though excited to be hosted to teach in the United Kingdom. It was while overseas that he suffered the unexpected attack.
Another friend of ours, the ever kind Thomas Easley, stayed at Jim’s side, setting aside work at his school for around a month already to assist the family with assessments and all the ensuing red tape. All of the Plant Healer community has been incredible, in together raising substantial funds to assist Jim’s family through this GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/jim-mcdonald039s-recovery
The joke making, absinthe sipping, ferret hugging Jim has been the epitome of the folk herbalist: largely self taught, adaptable and ever improving, testing and challenging so called known truths, teaching in an accessible, nonacademic vernacular that makes the concepts of herbal healing understandable by all. It is nothing short of brilliant, to be able to explain complex plant energetics using lyrics from the 80s band The Eagles. It has felt great to spread work about his gifts, and to publish his work as a resource to the community. And we will forever continue doing so, publishing him here whether he will be able to write more for you or not. We have been trying to mine lessons and reminders from this, as some small counterbalance to what has been our worrying and grieving – about how scarily our mortal health can be challenged at any time, no matter how young we are or robust we seem... reminders to live every precious moment wholly awake, aware, feeling, caring and purposed... and perhaps most urgently, to never wait even a single day to communicate our admiration and affection to all those that we treasure and honor! On that note, thank you again, Jim, for all you have so freely and sweetly given... ...and for being you. And thank you to you all, our ever-so-caring Plant Healer family. Jim’s family request that you do not email him, but rather, that you snail mail letters and cards to him that he will hopefully be able to come home to and read, and that will be a comfort to his wife Stephanie. Jim McDonald & Family 4535 jozwik drive. White lake MI 48383 Community matters. Your love matters.
Thank You JIM
Introduction & Announcements
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Foundational Herbcraft !
A Tribute to Jim McDonald! !
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Jesse Wolf Hardin
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Jesse Wolf Hardin!
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Kenneth Proefrock!
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Phyllis Light! !
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Jereme Zimmerman 64
The Healing Journey: Explorations & Meanders! ! !
Communis: Options For Community ! ! ! Psyche & Substance: In The Bush of Ghosts!! !
Magical Cacti & The Doors of Perception
Mountain Medicine: Healing Folkways! !
A Natural Health Education
Fermentation, Fun & Folklore! ! ! !
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Introduction to The New Column Making Alehoof Simple Ale
Heart & Hearth: Radical Family Herbalism !
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Dara Saville!!
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Angela Willard! Sarah Baldwin!
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Using Materia Medica to its Fullest Potential
Of Wilderness & Gardens ! !
Juliette Carr!!
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Signature Species of The Southwest – Part II
Materia Medica ! !
Therapeutic Bioactives in Seaweeds! Herbs For Heartache! ! ! !
Botanica !
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Marija Helt!!
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Ericacea
Fungi & Friends !
Shana Lipner Grover!
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Lion’s Mane
Plant Healer Art! !
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The Herbarium !
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Katherine MacKinnon!
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Seeing Folks! !
Patterns of Discontent! !
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Intersections & Crossroads !
Kristin Henningsen!
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Sean Donahue!
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Matthew Wood! !
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Susun S Weed!
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Astrid Grove!
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Animist Herbalism
The Practice of Western Herbalism ! !
Iodine: Part II
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Wise Woman Ways! !
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Plants vs Drugs: Part I
Birthroot
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Herbs to Have on Hand Part II
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Running a Medicinal Nursery
From the Ground Up: Cultivation & Propagation Jade Alicandro Mace!
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Jenny Solidago Mansell Lisa Valantine! !
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Delicious: Foods For Health & Pleasure ! !
We Three Greens ! Water Kefir Soda:!
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From Poacher to Steward!
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The Gathering Basket: A Basketful Of Meaningful Miscellany Plant Healer Interviews !
Laurie Quesinberry!
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Jesse Wolf Hardin!!
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Amber Magnolia Hill
Contributor Bios & Contact Info
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Immune boosting: Branched polysaccharides in seaweeds have a similar function on the immune system as medicinal mushrooms. Fucoidan, for example, is immuno-modulating and can help both an underactive and overactive immune system, making it a great choice for autoimmune disorders. Seaweeds are highly antimicrobial and are great preventative medicine for a number of pathogens. A diet that includes regular consumption of seaweeds has been shown to minimize illness. Cancer protective: All natural pigments are chemoprotective, and seaweeds offer a rainbow of colour therapy within it’s three colour groups, including carotenoids, and not to mention blue phycobilin pigments! Studies have shown that the consumption of seaweeds does not negatively interact with conventional chemotherapy treatments, and in fact helps to counter the detrimental effects chemo can have on the body. The anti cancer properties of Fucoidan and Ulvans have an immense amount of research to back them up as a hopeful choice as a cancer therapy. Environmental toxicity: Iodine helps to eliminate xenoestrogens from estrogen receptors in the body, while the alginates can remove them from the digestive tract once the liver has processed them out of the bloodstream. Iodine also helps to protect the thyroid from absorbing the radioactive form of iodine. Alginates act as a drawing agent to remove heavy metal and radioactive toxicity from the GI tract. Allergies: Fucoidan shows to inhibit the allergy response, making brown seaweeds a good choice for people with allergies to consume, and especially if one cannot prevent being in the presence of offending matter. Diabetes: Fucoidan shows strong inhibitory effects against certain carbohydrate-hydrolysing enzymes, which affects blood glucose levels and helps to keep them from spiking. STI’s: The antiviral properties in seaweeds have been used in conventional contraceptive gels and
liquids based on their effectiveness at both preventing viral penetration to the cells and fighting off viral or bacterial infections present in the body. Deficiency: The dense nutritive qualities of seaweeds enhance the nutritious aspects of any meal. It is recommended that they can be enjoyed at around a 5% portion with each mealwith a balanced mix of reds, greens, and browns. Eating seaweeds in different forms of raw, cooked, and fermented will ensure that you are accessing the various beneficial bioactives uniquely available in it’s different states. Raw/Vegan diets: Raw brassica foods, generally high in a raw food diet, are goitrogenic to the body- meaning they require more iodine for the body to process. Iodine levels in seaweeds balance this effect. The high mineral and protein values nourish the body, being especially useful when animal products are not included in the diet. Nori, for example, in its dried form contains up to 50% protein. High Stress and Exhaustion: The highly nutritive properties of seaweeds helps to renew and restore depleted vitamins and minerals used up from states of high stress and overwork. Iodine helps to re energize the thyroid, therefore helps give an overall boost in energy. The purpose of this Plant Healer article is to introduce you to the depth and breadth in which seaweeds have the potential to be applied for therapeutic use in your healing practice. It really only scratches the surface of the numerous ways seaweeds can not only be beneficial to good health, but bring the body back to a state of wellness from a state of dis~ease. If you or your clients find the flavor of seaweed to be unappealing, simply feed your food (both plants and animals) with seaweed and you can enjoy the enhanced nutrition they pass on to that which it nourishes. Let this introduction of seaweeds for health inspire you to go deeper into your explorations of working with these water wonders, and may it benefit the wellness of all beings on their paths of good health!
Herbs for Heartache Comfort & Healing When Love is Lost
by Sarah Baldwin The following heart-touching article is the companion essay to Sarah’s excellent class at the annual Good Medicine Confluence. She views herbalism as not just a clinical practice, but a spiritual one. Read about her Herbal Healing Deck and other offerings at www.herbalhealingdeck.com. “Losing love is like a window in your heart, everybody sees you’re blown apart, everybody sees the wind blow.” –Paul Simon, “Graceland” Throughout the ages, romantic love has been a bearer of soaring joy and bottomless sorrow, exquisite pleasure and excruciating pain. It’s the kind of love that inspires fairy tales, poetry, and songs. So many human dramas are played out in the pursuit of partnership, or in its loss. When the sweetness of Eros turns sour or is cut short, we often experience heartache, heartbreak, grief, sadness, anger, and perhaps even a dark night of the soul. The context of an intimate relationship creates its own world, its own private language of shared experiences, dreams, fears, and promises. It’s difficult to lose a lover, no matter how you cut it. Even when you’ve chosen to leave. Even when you think you’re prepared, when you’ve accepted the ending, when you’ve seen it coming from miles off. Even when you’ve survived the experience of loss before. Even when you were never married or bore no children together. Even when society never recognized your relationship to begin with.
Now, I don’t mean to downplay the experience of losing someone you’ve been with for a lifetime, or breaking up a family, or going through a painful divorce. In Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert shares the sentiment that divorce is like “having a really bad car accident every single day for about two years.” Heartbreak is a form of trauma, no doubt, and one that is often accompanied by a forced reassessment of one’s life plan. Questions ranging the gamut from practical considerations like, “Where do I live now?” to the more bare-boned, “Who am I?” circle our minds like vultures, waiting to descend upon the remains of what once was. Meanwhile, we must decide what will be, how we’d like to rise from the ashes and shape our new life. Experiences that level our life to the ground are also the best opportunities we get for reinventing ourselves. Yet often such decisions must be made in the very midst of despair, for life’s practicalities wait for no one. There is no exact formula for healing from a loss, no set order of events, no way to predict and mark on your calendar the day you will wake up and realize your heart feels lighter. Everyone is different, and every love is different, so what we need for the process of healing changes over time.
Stages of grief may recur periodically, even after you think you’ve healed long ago. You’ve done the work, you’ve pulled yourself back together, and you’re happily skipping along the path of life, when you suddenly trip over some invisible trigger that was lying in wait for you like a land mine, and before you even register what’s happening, you find yourself tumbling headfirst into the proverbial pit of despair once again. In what seems like an ironic, almost humorous twist of fate, this often happens at the very moment that we attempt to open our hearts to love again.
I have always been a big proponent of crying. Holding in tears is not only painful in the moment, but it can also cause a backlog of emotions to build up so that our feelings become muddy, dulled, even repressed. But lately my viewpoint has begun to shift. Serious bouts of sobbing leave me puffy, congested, and downright exhausted. As I age, I find that crying becomes more draining; it takes longer to recover and makes me feel about a thousand years old. I have burst capillaries on my face that seem to have become permanent features, like new roads on a map.
The path of love is a tricky one, winding and irregular, parts of it completely grown over as to render it invisible, complete with booby traps and thorny snares, but also full of beautiful flowers, stunning vistas, and new discoveries. Shared moments with another soul are something that nothing can take away from us, not time, betrayal, or even death. Your experiences will always be yours to keep. For me, the hopeless romantic, the path of love is always worth the trouble. As the Persian proverb puts it, “He who wants a Rose must respect the thorn.” There is no way around pain and loss in this earthly life, and certainly not in the realms of love. Even the most healthy, enduring loves eventually come to an end along with life itself. Unfortunately, there is no cure for a broken heart, but there are some remedies that can soften the blow and promote healing, self-love, and strength throughout the process.
Vanity aside, crying is sometimes a luxury we simply can’t afford. I’ve often wished that I could press pause when I needed a break from the demands of life, but no magical remote control has been forthcoming. There are many instances when weeping is inadvisable, even when it would feel good, or at any rate, better than holding it in. Other times, even when you have a safe space, crying simply becomes too much, like having a demanding fitness instructor who commands you to keep running on a broken ankle. Sometimes in the midst of trauma, you just need rest, plan and simple.
Surviving the Trauma
Kava (Piper methysticum) is a wonderful plant in such circumstances. Well-known as a tension taming, muscle-relaxing, stress-relieving brew, Kava eases the pain of body, mind, and spirit. Grief does strange things to the body, causing physical tension and pain to manifest in places like the back, head, and chest. I find that Kava brings relief in times of extreme upset, working
something like a mix between Rescue Remedy, Tylenol, and brandy. However, Kava doesn’t shut the emotional heart down like excessive alcohol consumption can. Instead, it encourages space and distance to open up around the issues of the heart, making them more manageable. I have imbibed Kava in anticipation of moments that I know will be difficult, like saying final goodbyes or coming home to an empty apartment for the first time. When I’m tempted to feel quite sorry for myself and drown in my emotions like the soft-bellied, Cancer-rising sign that I am, Kava helps me find my way back to solid ground. As C.S. Lewis once observed, “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid.” In Ayurveda, grief and heartbreak throw vata out of balance, resulting in anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, and dehydration (Ullian, 2017). Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) paints a similar picture, envisioning the heart as a vessel that stores Shen, the spirit of our consciousness, emotional wellbeing, mental health, and vitality. As Sean Donahue (2013, “Nourishing” section, para. 1) writes, “When the vessel is shaken, the Shen becomes scattered and disturbed -- which is marked by insomnia, restlessness, irritability, emotional upheaval, and decreased attention span.” For the tensed-up, nail-biting, vata-deranged stage of grief, Kava provides welcome relaxation and allows for rest. It can help you get to sleep during times of overwhelm, insomnia, and cyclical thinking. Kava also enhances the appetite, which is welcome relief for those who have difficulty eating during times of stress. Thus, Kava can help us get through some of the toughest moments of shock and turmoil that come with the end of a valued relationship, helping us get back to our most basic needs like eating and sleeping. However, as a diuretic, Kava can contribute to dehydration, so be sure to drink plenty of water with this plant. Conversely, I find that Kava can also help bring buried, stagnant grief to the surface, allowing unshed tears to fall and old wounds to heal. This makes it a nice choice when you want to sit
down and process something intentionally through journaling, contemplation, talking, etc. As a muscle relaxer, Kava is always a nice companion during a yoga practice, and I find that the plant encourages the release of traumatic memories and experiences that have become stuck in tight muscles. Traditionally drunk as a means of conflict resolution, Kava also dampens anger and bitterness and is especially helpful during difficult discussions with a partner involving possessions, money, and other resources. It encourages open-hearted compassion, making it easier to let go of nonessential arguments and focus on the important issues. Of course, this may throw things out of balance if only one half of a couple is imbibing Kava, especially if that person is the peace-making type who gives up important things to avoid conflict. In that case, maybe offer a cup of Kava to both parties?
Confronting the Darkness Speaking of conflict and power struggles, if a relationship is testing your ability to stand up for yourself, speak up for yourself, and/or leave an abusive or unhealthy situation, one helpful herbal ally to keep in mind is Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa). Herbalists use this plant for trauma of all kinds, as well as the deep, dark depression than can follow abusive or traumatic experiences. The flower essence is indicated for morbid or vengeful thoughts, addictive tendencies, and codependency with toxic people (Kaminski & Katz, 1996). It helps us find the courage to face the truth of a situation and
confront what must be confronted. Matthew Wood (1997) speaks of Black Cohosh as a remedy for snakebite and whiplash – it’s the kind of plant that can remove the venom from your heart and put things back in order after severe trauma. I find Black Cohosh helpful not only for gaining the strength to recognize and leave an unhealthy relationship, but also for cleaning up the internal mess that follows. When you’ve internalized somebody else’s negative talk so that you’ve begun to believe things like, “I’m nothing without him” or “She was right that no one else could love me,” working with Black Cohosh can help you sort out truth from illusions that have been insidiously seeded by abusive comments. For this process, I like to take a drop dose and sit quietly to see what bubbles up from the darkest depths of the psyche.
Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus) is another ally for reclaiming personal power that has been inadvertently given to another person. It seems especially helpful for kind souls who tend to be too nice and too giving to the wrong people. Like Black Cohosh, Devil’s Club can help us find the courage to stand up for ourselves and challenge bad behavior. I visualize this plant spirit like the Baba Yaga of Slavic folklore, the wizened witchcrone who decorates with fiery skulls and isn’t afraid to bring death upon situations that no longer serve us. To be clear, I feel compelled to add that plant allies alone may not be enough to help safely and successfully disentangle folks from toxic
relationships. If abuse is involved or if depression is severe, you may need to enlist the help of a professional therapist, shaman, and/or a whole team of loving family members and friends. Abusive relationships are infamous for making the victim blame him or herself and feel isolated from loved ones. Yet there is no shame in reaching out for help, no weakness in admitting that you’re in over your head. Many strong, vibrant people have been victims of abuse at some point in their lives. Finally, let’s look at one more plant to reach for during those deep, dark nights of the soul: moonflower. This name means different things to different people, but here I refer to members of the Datura genus. The species that grows near me is Datura stramonium, Jimson Weed. First, a word of warning: because of the plant’s
poisonous and hallucinogenic nature, it should only be employed in material doses by those who really know what they’re doing. The effects of this psychoactive plant are especially dangerous because one tends to forget that one is having a psychedelic experience (i.e., you have a waking dream that you don’t realize is a dream), and because the physical side effects can involve coma or seizures. There are plenty of safer plants to have an entheogenic experience with, so I leave material doses of Datura well enough alone. But taken as a flower essence, Moonflower is a lovely remedy for those undergoing deep
transformational experiences like the loss of a loved one. It’s great for shape-shifting moments, those times when transformation is so allencompassing that you scarcely recognize yourself in the mirror. Datura flower essence is especially indicated for times when you want to do drastic things like completely alter your appearance or take a new name. For some divorced women, the act of changing one’s last name, whether back to their family name or to a brand new name, can be an empowering experience, a reclaiming of what was lost and a re-imagining of what can be. Letting in the Light When the height of trauma subsides but you’re still left with low-grade, residual feelings of stress, anxiety, loneliness, or general lackluster vibes, St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) can help to bring the light back into life. Its bright yellow, sunny blooms practically glow with the energy of sunshine, and the perforated leaves contain tiny holes that literally let light through when held up to the sun -- a fitting signature for a plant used for depression, anxiety, and stress. But the sunny blooms quickly turn blood-red when bruised or extracted, which is a nice reminder of the plant’s wound-healing abilities -- not just external wounds, but the hidden wounds of the heart as well.
St. John’s Wort is closely connected with the sun, blooming around the summer solstice and often employed during the winter for seasonal affective disorder and wintertime blues. I find it interesting that we use light-related metaphors
to describe love: we might say, “You light up my life” or “You are my sunshine.” We feel our loved ones as lights in our lives, as beams of positive energy that radiate toward us, providing warmth, comfort, and nourishment. When love is lost, we can feel cut off from light’s very source, hence the old song’s beseeching line, “Please don’t take my sunshine away.” I find that St. John’s Wort helps us to connect with our own inner source of light, reminding us that we don’t need another person to be our sunshine, that light is available to all of us as individuals. This herb brings a glow of health and vitality back to the eyes and skin, and any lackluster feelings about oneself and one’s life are gently and gradually replaced by more pleasant notions. St. John’s wort has a long history of use as a plant of protection, and it encourages us to become strong enough to feel safe in our own skin. It helps us regain a sense of solid footing when it feels as though the rug has been pulled from under our feet. As a grounding and calming nervine, St. John’s Wort can help iron out frazzled nerves after a shock so that we are less prone to irritation, insomnia, and anxiety. If St. John’s wort is my go-to remedy for when the light is lost, then Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin) is where I turn when the magic is gone. For those times when you feel out of synch with the rhythms of life, as though you just can’t manage to be in the right place at the right time, Albizia brings the magic back. Mimosa makes a nice ally, then, when a breakup feels especially unlucky or coincides with a streak of bad luck. Some may argue that losing love always feels unlucky; for just as we associate love with light, we also recognize it as a source of magic. So let me explain what I mean: Sometimes, the experience of losing love is coupled with new opportunities, synchronicity, and a feeling of invisible hands guiding us through unknown territory to better places, even in the midst of tears. Unlucky breakups feel very different: they might force you to move, leaving a job after you’ve just received a big promotion, or perhaps your partner instantly finds another lover while