Herbal Healer: A celebration of herbs

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Herbal Healer: A celebration of herbs

Life preoccupies us with numerous routines that vary so little within their well-worn grooves of repetition that you can set your clock by them. Not unlike Pavlov's dogs, we respond to a series of bells throughout the day to alert us when it is time to rise from a restful sleep or to take pause from midday's bustle to recharge and refresh over lunch.

We punctuate our years in much the same manner that we mark our days, our weeks and our months. The arrivals of special events — some somber (e.g. war memorials) and some joyous — are often celebrated with special activities, foods and even herbs.

The closing months of the calendar year play host to some of our most favorite gathering times. Thanksgiving is one of the most widely recognized of our secular holidays, while Christians, Muslims and Jews — the faithful adherents of the three largest religious traditions practiced in the West — are animated by Christmas, Ashura and Hanukkah, respectively.

Buddhists gather on December 8th to celebrate the day when Siddhartha Gautauma — the historic Buddha — attained enlightenment while meditating beneath a bodhi tree. Also known as the sacred fig, this tree is thought to possess nearly fifty traditional cures in herbal medicine circles.

Wiccans, pagans and other nature-oriented faiths hold sacred the mistletoe plant. Used across Europe for maintaining normal blood pressure levels, this parasitic herb shares the life force of its host, the oak tree. Oklahoma's floral emblem is the oak mistletoe.

Many Christians accept the story of several Persian astrologers visiting the infant Joshua ben Joseph (Jesus) with gifts of gold and a pair of highly prized healing herbs, namely frankincense and myrrh.

Frankincense (olibanum, in Hebrew) has been subjected to numerous scientific studies. There is mounting evidence to support the traditional uses of frankincense to attain wellness in certain areas. Crohn's disease, arthritis and even depression may be treated in the near future with preparations made from this ancient remedy. A study emerging from the University of Oklahoma identifies frankincense oil as capable of distinguishing between normal and cancerous bladder cells, with the power to suppress cancer cell viability.

Used by the ancient Egyptians to embalm their dead, myrrh is a resinous gum that has a proven track record as an effective green medicine. Myrrh acts upon both good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL) by increasing the quantity of the former while lowering the latter. An exceptionally effective antiseptic, myrrh is added to toothpastes and mouthwashes to prevent as well as to treat gum diseases.

Hanukkah and olive oil are forever joined by the miracle of the small flask of oil that kept the Temple alight for eight days. The oil pressed from the olive shines not only during the eight-day Jewish holiday of the Festival of Lights but year round. It is the "carrier oil" for many herbal concoctions in aromatherapy, the healing modality that relies not on the consumption of herbs or their essential oils but rather on the skin's capacity to absorb the medicine topically. Olive oil is a mild natural laxative and it has the capacity to lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Ongoing research points toward olive oil as a chemoprotective agent for peptic ulcers and gastric cancer.

Other seasonal herbs include both holly (useful for jaundice) and ivy (good for gout and rheumatic pain), used by the modern pagan community (wicca) during the Yule festivities. The Yule log — decorated with holly, ivy and candles — is traditionally lit close to the Winter Solstice. Many ingredients of this holiday were carried into the Christmas tradition of housing well-lit trees indoors during December's fading reign.

In our original innocent state we coexisted with the animals as vegetarians, relying upon the world of plants for food, shelter and healing. Our seasonal celebrations bring to center stage — each in their turn — the plants that banish pain and disease while summoning back the solar light that burns low in December's skies. Their continued use requires our appreciation, study and protection of their special habitats and needs. In this context, we bring assurance that the continuum of life on Earth will remain an unbroken circle, year after year.

Peace — and good health — on Earth in the New Year!

The opinions expressed are solely the writer's. NOTE: Visit herbalastrology.com to read Ted PanDeva Zagar's other articles and columns that discuss the benefits of herbs and natural foods. DISCLAIMER: The author's comments are not intended to serve as medical advice, and he urges his readers to seek qualified wellness professionals to resolve matters of health.

Source: nwitimes