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MOONTIME

BLAZING STAR HERBAL SCHOOL

Gail leading a class

A hand-out from one of Gail's classes
from the early '90s, as she typed it, capitalizations and all.

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OUR MOONTIMES ARE TIMES OF INTENSIFIED ENERGIES. WE CAN EXPERIENCE DEPRESSION OR ELATION, FRUSTRATION OR CREATIVITY, IMBALANCE OR A SENSE OF POWERFUL INTERGRATION... MUCH DEPENDS ON HOW THE ENERGY WITHIN US AND SURROUNDING US IS FLOWING (OR BLOCKED). OUR CULTURE TRIES TO TEACH US TO BE EMBARASSED OR SECRETIVE ABOUT OUR MOONS. WE KNOW THIS IS NONSENSE, DESIGNED TO DISCONNECT US FROM THE POWER OF NATURE AND OUR OWN CREATIVITY. IN THE TRADITION OF THE SENECA, A WOMAN IN HER BLEEDING TIME IS TO BE HONORED; HER MOONBLOOD IS ESSENTIAL IN RESTORING THE BALANCE OF AND HELPING TO HEAL THE EARTH. TWYLAH NITSCH SAYS IT IS "THE BIGGEST MEDICINE ON EARTH." TODAY WE ARE RECLAIMING THE SACRED TRADITIONS OF THE MOONTIME AND LEARNING TO TRANSFORM OUR MENSTRUAL PROBLEMS INTO MENSTRUAL POWERS.

WORKING WITH THE PLANTS, AND ON PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL & SPIRITUAL LEVELS, WE CAN DO MUCH TO STRENFTHEN OURSELVES AND RELIEVE THE PAIN AND DISCOMPORT THAT CAN COME WITH MOONTIME. OUR REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEMS ARE VERY SENSITIVE AND CAN INDICATE TROUBLES WITH OTHER STRESSED BODY SYSTEMS AND WITH OVERALL NUTRITION. THE SUPPORT OF NOURISHING TEAS AND MINERAL TONICS (RED CLOVER, RED RASPBERRY LEAVES, NETTLES, ALFALFA) WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON GETTING PLENTY OF CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM & IRON ALONG WITH DIETARY IMPROVEMENTS, PHYSICAL & EMOTIONAL STRESS REDUCTION, AND SPIRITUAL RECONNECTION WORK CAN OFTEN MAKE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN HOW WE FEEL DURING MOON TIME.

"PMS": BECAUSE WE ARE EACH UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS, LUMPING ALL OUR SYMPTOMS INTO A NEAT PACKAGE & CALLING IT "PMS" IS A CONVENIENCE TO THE MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT AND DRESSES UP OUR INDIVIDUAL SYMPTONS WITH A FANCY TERM WHILE IT DISEMPOWERS US. SOME SAY WE SHOULD TRANSFORM "PRE-MENSTRUAL SYNDROME" INTO "PRE-MENSTRUAL STRENGTH". ALLOPATHS LOVE TO MAKE UP NAMES FOR DISEASES AND DIAGNOSE US WITH THEM, CONFUSING AND OBSCURING THE REAL ISSUES. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF TREATING THE NAME OF A DISEASE INSTEAD OF AN INDIVIDUAL PERSON. ISN'T THERE SOMETHING ODD ABOUT A "SYNDROME" WHICH INCLUDES SOME 150 SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING PRACTICALLY EVERY FEELING WE HAVE, AND ITS OPPOSITE? INSTEAD OF LUMPING EVERYTHING UNDER "PMS", WE CAN FOCUS ON OUR INDIVIDUAL PROBLEMS, THEIR INTER-RELATIONSHIPS, AND EXACTLY WHAT OUR BODIES ARE TRYING TO TELL US.

PLANTS & HORMONES

OUR HORMONAL SYSTEM IS A DELICATE, DYNAMIC DANCE LITTLE UNDERSTOOD BY MEDICAL SCIENCE. WE DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HORMONES AND OUR MOON CYCLES. SOME PLANTS ARE ESPECIALLY NOURISHING TO THE ENDOCRINE GLANDS (OVARIES, ADRENALS, PITUITARY), AND PROVIDE SPECIAL NUTRIENTS NECESSARY FOR BALANCED HORMONE PRODUCTION. LACK OF THESE NUTRIENTS CAN BRING MANY MOON CYCLE TROUBLES. BECAUSE PLANTS DON'T NEED HORMONES, THEY ONLY CONTAIN PRE-CURSORS WHICH ALLOW OUR BODIES TO MANUFACTURE HORMONES FROM THEM.

RED CLOVER: HIGH IN CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM, TRACE MINERALS, PROTEIN. TRADITIONALLY USED TO NOURISH THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM: ANTI-CARCINOGENIC.

NETTLES: STRENGTHENS UTERUS, KIDNEYS, ADRENALS. HIGH IN CALCIUM, IRON, OTHER MINERALS & CHLOROPHYLL. BUILDS HEALTH OF BLOOD.

RED RASPBERRY: HIGH IN CALCIUM & IRON; WELL KNOWN UTERINE TONIC, NOURISHES THE OVARIES. COMBINES WELL WITH COMFREY. MINERAL RICH.

THESE PLANTS CAN BE PREPARED AS STANDARD INFUSIONS. DRINK ONE OR TWO CUPS PER DAY, FOR 4 OR 5 DAYS OF THE WEEK, OR AS YOUR BODY REQUESTS.

OTHER HERBS USED AS HORMONAL SYSTEM NOURISHERS:

MOTHERWORT: (Leonuris cardiaca) CALMING AND SOOTHING TONIC TO BOTH THE UTERINE & HEART MUSCLES. USEFUL FOR NOURISHING OUR SYSTEMS SO THAT OUR WISE BODIES CAN HEAL THEMSELVES. ALSO STRENGTHENS THE ADRENALS’Ä¶ AS A TONIC, TRY BETWEEN 5 TO 20 DROPS OF THE TINCTURE PER DAY ON AN INTERRUPTED SCHEDULE. SUSUN WEED CAUTIONS AGAINST BECOMING PSYCOLOGICALLY DEPENDENT ON THE CALMING EFFECT.

WILD YAM ROOT: (Dioscorea villosa) CONTAINS GLYCOSIDES FROM WHICH OUR BODIES CAN MAKE HORMONES. FOR A HORMONE BALANCING TONIC, AN EXPERIMENTAL DOSAGE MIGHT BE ONE CUP OF THE INFUSION OR ONE DROPPERFUL OF THE (LESS POWERFUL) TINCTURE PER DAY, TAKEN BETWEEN THE TIMES OF OVULATION & BLEEDING. AS ALWAYS, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY: DOSAGE IS INDIVIDUAL.

DONG QUOI (TANG KWEI): WORKS TO NORMALIZE THE BLEEDING. HERE IS SUSUN WEED'S FORMULA FOR DONG QUOI TINCTURE FROM THE WISE WOMAN HERBAL:

    "ONE OUNCE DRIED DONG QUAI ROOT
    1/2 OUNCE DRIED COMFREY ROOT
    6 INCH PIECE OF LICORICE ROOT
    1/4 OUNCE DRIED GINSENG ROOT (OPTIONAL)

DONG QUOI IS ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE UTERINE TONICS AND HORMONAL REGULATORS KNOWN. ITS ACTION IS POTENT AND IT CAN CAUSE STOMACH DISTRESS IF INGESTED AS A SIMPLE (ALONE). COMFREY ROOT PROTECTS THE STOMACH AND ENHANCES THE EFFECT OF THE DONG QUAI ON THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM BY SOOTHING AND NOURISHING THE MUCOUS SURFACES OF THE STOMACH, INTESTINES, UTERUS, AND OVARIES. LICORICE ALSO GUARDS AGAINST DIGESTIVE DISRUTION, BUT ITS ENABLEING THE BODY TO BALANCE AND ADJUST HORMONE PRODUCTION. GINSENG IS YET ANOTHER ROOT RENOWED FOR ITS ABILITY TO ENHANCE AND STABLIIZE HORMONE PRODUCTION THROUGH ITS STIMULANT EFFECT OF THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM. THE USUAL DOSE IS 5-25 DROPS A DAY, TAKEN IN A GLASS OF WATER."

SUSUN SAYS TO AVOID LICORICE & GINSENG DURING PREGNANCY, AND TO USE DONG QUAI THEN ONLY UNDER PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE, FOR SPECIFIC REASONS. DONG QUAI TAKEN DURING BLEEDING CAN ENCOURAGE HEAVIER FLOW.

REMEDIES FOR CRAMPING:

SOME USEFUL META-HERBAL REMEDIES:

  * WARM, RELAXING BATHS (TRY ADDING GINGER INFUSION)
  * BELLY MASSAGE (TRY ROSEMARY OIL, OLBAS OIL, GINGER OIL)
  * SQUATTING LIKE A FROG (OPENS AND RELAXES PELVIC AREA)
  * YOGA STRETCHING & BREATHING EXERCISES
  * 7-POINT MEDITATION IS A WONDERFUL TAI-CHI-LIKE MOVEMENT

WHICH ALSO RELAXES THE PELVIC AREA

MOTHERWORT: TO ALLEVIATE CRAMPING, TRY 10-30 DROPS OF THE TINCTURE UP TO EVERY ¬‡ HOUR AS NEEDED. IT IS A SPECIFIC FOR UTERINE CRAMPING. COMBINE WITH 5 DROPS SCULLCAP FOR STRONGER CRAMPS. MOTHERWORD COMBINED WITH GINGER TINCTURE (10 DROPS OR MORE), OR GINGER TEA WORKS VERY WELL.

GINGER: (Zingiber officinale): CAN BE ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE FOR CRAMPING BEFORE THE FLOW STARTS, SINCE IT IS WARMING, STIMULATING TO THE PELVIC AREA, AND WORKS TO BRING ON THE FLOW. TRY ONE TSP ROOT POWDER PER CUP OF TEA, OR ONE OUNCE GRATED ROOT PER PINT INFUSION. TAKE NO MORE THAN FOUR CUPS PER DAY OF GINGER. SUSUN WEED SAYS THAT IF DRINKING GINGER BEFORE THE EXPECTED FLOW BRINGS ON NAUSEA, IT CAN BE A STRONG INDICATION THAT YOU ARE PREGNANT.

CATNIP (Nepeta cataria): USE THE FRESH HERB: DRIED, IT LOSES POTENCY. SMOKING CATNIP CIGARETTS ALLIVIATES CRAMPING IN MINUTES. CATNIP IS ESPECIALLY GOOD FOR FIRST DAY CRAMPING. IT IS MILDLY STIMULATING TO THE UTERUS AND GENTLY ENCOURAGES THE FLOW. TRY 1-2 CUPS OF THE TEA, STEEPPED NO MORE THAN 30 MINS.

CHAMOMILE (Matricaria chamomilla): SOME WOMEN HAVE FOUND CHAMOMILE INFUSIONS HELP RELIEVE THEIR CRAMPING. ONE OUNCE OF FLOWERS TO ONE QUART WATER INFUSION, STEEPED FOR NO MORE THAN 30 MINUTES, IS A STRONG BREW. DRINK AS NEEDED; IT CALMS, RELAXES, INDUCES SLEEP IN HIGHER DOSES.

CRAMP BARK (Viburnum opulis) & BLACK HAW (Viburnum prunifolium)
ROOT BARKS: SPECIFICS FOR PAIN CAUSED BY UTERINE CONTRACTIONS. BEST IN INFUSION FORM; OKAY AS A TINCTURE IN 20-30 DROP DOSES.

LIFEROOT (GOLDEN RAGWORT, Senecio aureus): FOR SEVERE, CHRONIC CRAMPING PATTERNS, TRY TINCTURE OF THE FLOWERING TOPS, 10 DROPS ONCE A DAY, EACH DAY FROM OVULATION UNTIL MENSTRUATION. ESPECAILLY EFFECTIVE FOR CRAMPS ACCOMPANIED BY NAUSEA & VOMITTING. HERBALIST/MIDWIFE MIRIAM MASSARO SAYS THIS STOPPED HER SEVERE CRAMPS ACCOMPANIED BY NAUSEA & DIARRHEA IN TWO MONTHS (WITH SIGNIFICAN RELEIF IN ONE MONTH). SUSUN WEED SAYS "IT RELIEVES EVEN THE WORST MESTRUAL CRAMPING IF TAKEN DAILY FOR TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE FLOW."

*SPECIAL THANKS TO SUSUN WEED FOR MUCH OF THIS INFORMATION.