Herbal Medicine in the East and West

Many people think of herbal supplements and immediately think of Chinese or other Eastern medical traditions. But herbs have been used in the western world for centuries too. John Gerard, English botanist and superintendent of the gardens of William Cecil (Queen Elizabeth I's most trusted court member), published Herball for the first time in 1597. Though this edition contained many errors, later editions were considered standard reading for generations of English students of plants and herbs.

Staying Healthy in the Autumn According to Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we observe nature and seasonal changes to learn proper ways of staying in harmony.  When we live in harmony with the season, we are also ensuring harmony within ourselves. From the foods we eat to the amount of sleep we get, all of these are reflected from observing nature. Autumn is considered the season of the Lung organ. Using this Traditional Chinese Medicine approach, here are some tips to staying healthy through the Autumn:

Eat seasonally. The Autumn is also the time to eat warm, cooked foods. It's time to reduce the amount of salads, smoothies, iced drinks, and foods cold straight from the refrigerator. Eat a variety of seasonal foods.

Fermented foods contain beneficial bacteria to keep your immune system strong. Introduce probiotic-rich foods into your diet: including sauerkraut, kim chi, miso, kombucha, rejuvelac, fermented soda, yogurt, kefir, and other fermented foods. Although food sources are best, you can also take a probiotic supplement- choose one that contains acidophilus and bifidus.

Pears are considered very helpful for the Lungs. Pears eliminate heat and phlegm, soothe dryness, and strengthen the Lungs. They are delicious to eat through the Autumn and are very soothing for coughs and sore throats.

Make sure to drink enough fluids. Stay hydrated with water, teas, soup stocks, and fermented drinks.

Make sure to get enough sleep. Sleep is very regenerative and keeps the immune system strong.

Exercise is helpful to keep the lungs strong. For those prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder, exercise is very helpful to keep moods stable. If you exercise outdoors, please wear appropriate clothing. Avoid wearing shorts in the cold weather. Instead, keep the body protected and wear layers.

Green tea (contains caffeine) and rooibos tea (herbal, contains no caffeine) are excellent sources of antioxidants to help you stay healthy.

Wash hands regularly, but do not use conventional "antibacterial" hand soap containing triclosan. Triclosan is a pesticide that has shown to decrease healthy flora on the skin, increasing our chances of infection! Instead use gentle organic soaps. If you wish for something a little stronger, you can use organic soaps with natural antibacterial essential oils such as tea tree and lavender.

Find ways to decrease stress. Stress depletes our immune system. The following are just a few ideas, but come up with your own: exercise, a daily meditation practice, exploring your creativity with art or music, laughter, taking up a hobby, enjoying time with friends and family, and gardening. Taking time to focus on things we are "grateful for" can really help with our sense of happiness and can ease anxiety.

Full-spectrum light bulbs are helpful to people who are emotionally affected by the darker days of winter. These bulbs produce light the same spectrum of sun light.

In Chinese Medicine, we make an effort to avoid "catching a cold or wind." This translates to wearing a scarf to protect the neck from being cold and wearing appropriate clothing. It's not recommended to go outdoors with wet hair.

At the first sign of a cold or flu, rest and get extra sleep. Try not to "push through" your illness. Listen to your body's need for rest. Drink teas, sip soup broths, and eat nutritious whole foods. Decrease processed sugar, and if you have phlegm, avoid dairy products (especially unfermented dairy). Honey soothes sore throats and helps with coughs. Perhaps take a soothing hot bath. Mild exercise is okay; intense exercise will only deplete your immune system further.

Regular acupuncture treatments are helpful to keep the immune system strong. Acupuncture treatments can also be really helpful to alleviate symptoms if you do catch a cold. When working with a trained herbalist, herbs are also helpful to stay healthy, prevent and treat colds and flu.

Beat Cold and Flu with Chinese Medicine

Autumn.......Yang turning into Yin; time to remain calm and peaceful, gather one's spirit and energy, remain focused and keep the Lung energy full, clean and quiet... - The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine

Yes, it's that time of the year here in North America. Autumn is now complete, colder weather is seeping in, we are on the verge of the rainy, snowy and all around colder season, and with that, comes increased vulnerability to respiratory ailments. During this change of season, cold and flu are the most common ailments that we get hit with, resulting in a compromised immune system, a system out of balance and impaired functioning.

But there is hope in the battle against cold and flu. No, I'm not talking about the flu shot. I am however an active proponent of maintenance and taking care of your body and immune system so as to avoid attracting the pathogens that cause cold and flu. However, if you succumb to the cold and flu bug this season, there are a number of pro-active steps you can take by utilizing Traditional Chinese Medicine.

First, TCM views the common cold as an invasion, not being invaded by a "bug" but the body being invaded by wind, one of the five main external elements in our climate. TCM describes wind as the "spearhead of 100 diseases" as it is the main element that we get affected with most often, and drives all other elements. Think of the last time you had a cold--probably one of the first symptoms that you noticed was that you felt achy, probably had a sore neck or stuffy head, along with sniffles and sneezing that followed thereafter.

When wind invades the body, it hits the exterior portion first: stiff neck and back, arms, chills all over, headache at the back of the head, coughing in the upper chest; then as it progresses further into the body, we feel deeper symptoms such as sore throat, headache with irritability, cough with yellow mucous and fever. TCM calls these patterns wind cold and wind heat respectively.

In order to be pro-active at not only maintaining our health, it is important to take steps to nourish our Qi, or vital energy and working at balancing these elements. The TCM approach to cold and flu comprises of several approaches: acupuncture, herbal treatment, moxabustion (rolled mugwort) as well as dietary modifications. These also can be used not just after you are plagued with cold, but also as preventative medicine to strengthen the immune system and prevent the wind element from invading the body. Acupuncture and moxabustion in particular are important in strengthening Qi and expelling the wind from the body. Specific herbal formulas are often used at different stages of cold and flu to prevent deeper penetration of wind, and ultimately infection. Cordyceps and astragalus are good herbs to take to strengthen the lungs, which are our primary source of defense against cold and flu.

Chinese Medicine also recommends that dietary changes be made during this time: for example, no dairy, meat, sugary or starchy food. A plain diet of vegetables, lots of fluids, miso soup with onions, garlic, ginger and tofu are recommended as the main protein and carbohydrate sources. Getting enough rest, keeping your neck and head warm is also important. Remember, the wind invades from the back first - so especially keep the back and of the body and neck covered.

So ultimately, you can do something to ward off cold and flu. It is preventable and the battle can indeed be won. Boosting immunity and keeping your body in balance is key.

Here's to your health!