Ask An Herbalist: The trauma of sexual assault and seizures

"S" asks

Hi April..
My 18 year old daughter was the victim of a sexual assault last September..She subsequently suffered seizures, was put on TONS of medication.. Clearly over medicated. After numerous tests, meds etc.. There are no answers. My Motherly instincts lead me to believe this is a stress/trauma reaction. I am hoping you can recommend some of your healing herbs, tinctures etc for her. ( Btw.. I am a firm believer in Marijuana. I have a " not curable yet" - I refuse to use the word "incurable" nerve disease. Marijuana (med in NY) has given me my life back after 10 years.. No more pain meds.. I also currently use a few of your products, which have truly aided in my healing journey). She is currently using Marijuana and NOT 1 seizure in months. Thank you for your help... Always️

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Hello dear,

Let me start off by saying how angry I am for your daughter. I know most people say sorry but I am not sorry I am angry and I will hold some of that anger she is likely going through that is manifesting itself in this way.

Trauma is no fucking joke on how it rewires our bodies, we even know now that it rewires our DNA and passes on in ways to many generations to come. That is what blood line trauma is in a nut shell. If her DRs are not making the connection between her trauma and her seizures then it's time to find new ones!

The first thing i want to say is if she is on a benzo medication for her seizures (very common) to please look into the dangers of even short term use and check out the Ashton manual where you can read all about how these drugs basically kill us slowly and they prevent us from healing from our traumas. As well as how to very slowly and safely come off of them But i do hope i am wrong and that they did not throw her on benzoz (think xanax,Klonopin,valium etc) like they so commonly do.

There are some herbals that can help us with our traumas and anxieties. Out of all of them right now I would feel drawn to Motherwort tincture she is like a warm hug in our mothers lap. A safe calm space. She is gentle nervine herbal. Yet does not knock us out. The idea here is to move through our healing calmly versus numbing the feeling. That's how they explode and our bodies react in all sorts of ways seizures for sure being one of them. 

But at the same time she needs to allow herself to act out her anger in a constructive manner. She may say that she is not angry but depressed, however most depression in woman is just repressed anger for fucked up situations that made us feel helpless and fall into disparity when we feel unable to act upon our initial anger. There are so many ways she can get this out of her. From taking any sort of fighting classes to feel empowered to writing or just flat out breaking shit. Think office space when the guy smashes the computer with a bat. Break some shit! Yell as loudly as you can, scream and rage. I know as a society women are told to be calm and meek in these situation and to seek quiet counseling but quite frankly this is just for their comfort. Fuck that be angry. Be heard. Let it out so healing can come in.

Also consider supporting the body with super dense optimal nutrition. When we are living with trauma and in a hyper aware state of stress even if we don't realize it our body requires so much more it's mind blowing. I would right away start drinking herbal infusions daily, especially nettle as she greatly supports our adrenals which take a heavy hit from trauma. Then Oat straw as she is gentle at calming our fears, then red clover as she will nourish our sacred ares that have been violated because even if the trauma is a year old we hold much of it in our womb space. You can find an easy video of how to make these on my YouTube channel.

Then add in some healthy animals fats to the diet. Bone broths and grass fed butters. Good fatty grass fed meats and whole milk yogurt. Whole milks and so many cheeses. Lot's of veggies that are cooked very well avoid raw.

If herb is helping her no longer have seizures then it is clearly an important tool here, however in this case be mindful that it may be being used just the same as a benzo or any other drug that helps us withdraw from facing our trauma. Because of this i would suggest making sure she is mainly using high CBD strains if not just pure CBD, it is after all the CBD that prevents seizures. But and i'm just throwing out thoughts as they come. I would not be surprised if the CBD did not keep the seizures away if she is using the THC to mask her trauma and it's the trauma causing the seizures.

Has she joined any kind of in person support groups? They can be really helpful for some to get this anger out and make us feel not so alone.

I really hope some of this is helpful for her on her way through this chapter of life that far to many women have undergone. 

Kindest Regards,

April G.

Ask An Herbalist: Natural Deodorant

Karen Ask's:

Hi April,
I have been using a homemade deodorant spray with a base of Grain Alcohol. I'm concerned about using alcohol in such a sensitive area with high absorption and perfusion! Do you have ideas or suggestions that would not only help with keeping us fresh but also be beneficial for our lymphatic system?

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Hello Karen!

I'll touch on a few things here. The alcohol itself is not a huge concern if you are making sure to dilute it. I use a 100 proof vodka base in my own blend but 100 proof vodka is already 50% water 50% alcohol. I then dilute this by 50% with colloidal silver just for added bacterial killing bennifits. But plain ol water would work well too and this gets you to about a 25% alcohol base that's not to harsh on the skin at all and there is still just enough alcohol to keep it preserved. 

My main concern would be what you are adding to your spray at the moment. I am worried you're likely using essential oils. Not trying to assume and i sure hope i am wrong but sadly eo's are in rampant use these days. Anyhow eo's are really bad for many reasons that i won't drone on about here (read why I avoid eo's here) but out of all of the places they are dangerous to apply I believe under our arms and around our breasts are just about the most dangerous places!

So what would be some better options? Well you can make any tincture into a diluted under arm spray! I love to use yarrow, white pine, cedar, lavender. Basically anything with a good antibacterial action as is. But if we want to get our lymphatic systems flowing we sure could made a blend one herbal for the sake of smell and antibacterial and another to aid our lymphs cleavers would be my first choice here but chickweed or violet leaf/blooms would be great too! You could toss in a vanilla bean and some lavender or any of the aromatic herbs you prefer (aside from spicy ones like cinnamon those could cause some irritation).

I really like this method for keeping my arms fresh, granted in the summer you have to spray and wipe down a time or two cause it's ya know a billion degrees out(I carry a few washable clothes in a baggie I use to freshen up with) and we are sweating like pigs, but using oil based products just puts us in a perpetual cycle of bacterial growth because oil + moisture = bacteria no matter what we are adding to the oil.

I sure hope some of this was helpful!

Kindest Regards,

April G.

Ask An Herbalist: Seasonal Allergies

Carolyn asks:

Good morning! I'm hoping to hear some of your suggestions for dealing with seasonal allergies. I live in Vermont, so I'm not sure how New England allergens compare to those on the west coast, but my primary issues seem to be "weeds" (like ragweed, etc), tree pollen, and grasses. Any input/advice is much appreciated!

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Hello Carolyn!

Oh man they can be down right brutal over here especially with the ton of micro climates we have in play on the west coast! But no worries there are quite a few safe simple herbal allies than can give us a hand out of our misery!

The first one I would be doing even if I didn't have seasonal allergies would be to dive head first into drinking a few cups of stinging nettle infusion every single day. It's not only amazing at helping our bodies deal with the onslaught of symptoms from seasonal allergies it builds optimum nutrition and gives real long lasting energy. You can watch a super easy how to video i made for herbal infusions here.

The next thing i'd consider is getting my hands on a golden rod tincture made with fresh plant matter. Tinctures made with dry plant matter are basically half the strength if not entirely useless. Many think this lovely ally is who is causing their allergies in late summer/early fall. This just is not the case at all and the irony is she is amazing at helping us battle our allergy foes! You see her pollen is sticky and does not blow into the wind. Ragweed does though and she blooms at the same time!

On top of all of this i would hunt down some truly local to you 100% raw honey and work a bit of that daily into my diet. I's also see if I could get my hands on some local bee pollen! Bees make honey out of the pollen of basically any blooming plant they can find, when we eat this partially digested (for all intensive purposes) it's kinda like giving ourselves a vaccine against the pollen's we are sure will be the death of us in just one more sneeze or rib breaking cough! Our body learns to deal with it better when we take it internally on a daily basis. But i would be sure my honey did not come from commercial orchard bees like the ones we have here. They can fly for miles and miles and miles and still really only find round up laced fruit trees to feed on and their honey is basically built off of those blooms and pure corn syrup. Which is bad for all sorts of reason bu unless you are allergic to like apple blooms or the like it's not going to help you build up any sort of immunity.

Another ally i like to use especially in spring in Blue Elderberry tea/tincture but any variety will do. She is a star at reliving allergy symptoms when used steadily. I like to give her to my kids especially as spring colds are going around this time of year anyhow so it's a two birds with one stone situation.

One last thing that I have seen work pretty darn well is making a tincture out of the thing we are allergic to (this for sure DOES NOT APPLY to life threatening allergies people!) if the plant itself is SAFE to ingest on a somewhat regular basis. This is the same principle as the local honey. We are essentially vaccinating (for lack of a better term) ourselves against the thing that's making us miserable!

Well I hope this gave you a bit of insight on some herbal options or allergy relief!

Kindest Regards,

April G.

Ask An Herbalist: Birth control withdrawal symptoms.

Gavi asks:

Hi there!
 
I am 18 and recently stopped taking birth control (combination pill) after 2 years because It made all of my symptoms much worse and I didn't like the idea of messing with my natural cycle! I've done a lot of research and heard about people breaking out with bad acne or having other withdrawal symptoms and that certain herbs can help. So I am taking DIM, Maca and Evening Primrose to balance hormones and also Wild Yam which should be effective as partial birth control after a few months. I was wondering if there is anything I should be worried about with taking these supplements together? I also take allergy herbs and vitamin C for my seasonal allergies and am on Lexapro. Thank you so much!!!!

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Hello Gavi!

I am so happy to hear you have taken the journey into having a real menstrual cycle again! Many women don't know that when they bleed while on birth control that they are not actually having their period. Anyhow this is what I would do if I was in your shoes. I'd stop taking all of the reactive herbs you've mentioned here and give my body a break from the crazy forced up's and downs of hormones and dive deeply into optimum nutrition by drinking nourishing herbal infusions daily and making sure i ate a well varied diet with good levels of healthy grass fed animal fats.

First I would begin drinking a few cups of stinging nettle infusion daily shoot in hot months i can drink up to a cold quart a day! Nettle is a powerhouse of nutrition she even blows blue green algae out of the water! She not only quickly rebuilds true lasting energy she supports healthy adrenals which in turn helps our hormones regulate. Also she will do more for your seasonal allergies in the long run than allergy meds(I see that you actually say allergy herbs not meds in either case Nettle is great for seasonal allergies I'd also suggest Golden Rod tincture.) or vitamin C pills. Which both can do damage when taken long term. 

After drinking a nettle infusion for 3-4 days in a row i would switch to red clover infusion, she is an amazing healing ally to women. She will help regulate hormones very gently, nourish our womb, prevent cancer also if you use her during your cycle your cramps will be much less and the spotting/light flow that can sometimes come from use of birth control can be quickened and if you find your flow now is violent she will calm it, a beautiful gentle regulator that tastes amazing warm with some sweet cream! But as she is a natural blood thinner (just like any pain med you've used for cramps) you don't want to drink her for more than 3-4 days in a row. Which is fine because after 3-4 days I would switch to my next healing ally.

Comfrey(hybrid/garden variety not wild) this ally does not mess around at healing us from the inside out. Lovingly known as knit bone for her ability to quicken the healing of broken bones and her crazy high levels of calcium. But in your case she will heal your skin and prevent the acne you are concerned about. My teenage son uses an infusion daily as a face wash and has almost no acne after just a month of daily use. She is also an amazing healer of gut and vaginal health just from drinking a humble cup once for a few days. She is the main ally I use in all of my tallow based face creams that many love.

When you get to the end just start all over again with the Nettle! I promise in a matter of a few months with daily use of herbal infusions your mind will be blown with how much better you feel and i'd be pretty shocked if you weren't back on a steady cycle. When you find yourself on a normal to you cycle I would start tracking my ovulation week, which would in reality be more reliable as a partial birth control than wild yam especially since many women use wild yam with success I might add to increase their fertility!

One last thing I'd like to talk on a bit again. Healthy animal fats. Healthy fats from ethically raised grass fed animals are so vital in a woman's body especially when it comes to hormone regulation and general reproductive area health, shoot health in general. Even if you are a vegan consider adding in just a cup or bone broth and a cup of plain whole milk yogurt daily like a supplement. Your body will thank you for it! 

No need to be intimidated on making herbal infusions here's a short simple video that shows just how easy they are!

Kindest Regards,

April G.

Ask An Herbalist: Red Blotches On Skin

Anissa asks,

Hello! I have two blotches on my sternum...sort of on the edge of my right breast. I first noticed this in 2009 and my dr had no diagnosis and told me not to worry. I just realized that the second blotch is growing quite rapidly and I am not sure which herbs might help. The blotches do not itch, the skin is not raised and they aren't always red... sometimes they just look like a more tanned area. I'd be very grateful for your guidance but also respect your need to set boundaries and not answer every question as well! Many thanks for keeping this tradition of Plant Magic alive.

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Hello Anissa!

Well first I'd just like to say that if the Dr you saw was not a dermatologist I'd be really happy if you made an appointment with one. Not meaning to put fear into you or anything hun, it's just that any time skin discoloration spreads it's vital to get it checked out as certain types of skin cancer spread like wild fire so catching it early is vital. If it was a dermatologist please get back in touch to let them know it is suddenly spreading.

Okay all of that aside here are some things you can try that are simple and safe.

Make/find yourself some violet leaf/bloom oil! It is fantastic at healing skin ailments especially rashes and growths on the skin. If you do make some i'd love for you to use avocado oil to infuse it in as it's just full of super fatty acids that are going to help feed your skin and pull the healing properties down further as your skin drinks it in.

The next would be plantain (the weed not the banana haha) she is such a gentle yet powerful healer of the people and is quietly waiting to be seen in almost every patch of grass in the world. There are several kinds but no worries all are safe all are equal in their ability to heal. A simple oil or plantain salve can calm basically any rash you can think of.

Next I would consider a Comfrey leaf salve. Her ability to stimulate skin cell regeneration would likely really shine here! 

Also maybe consider if perhaps your bra (assuming you wear one) may be causing an allergic reaction or at the very least is adding to the irritation. Now i know we can't (well I mean we can if we feel comfortable enough) go without a bra to work and such but maybe look into investing in a bra made out of organic materials and even forgo the underwire if possible. Now I don't think this would be a fix for the situation but may help stop some possible irritation.

So i'd say to jump into learning a bit about the herbs discussed and choose to work with whichever calls to you the most!

I sure hope this gives you a bit of info to work with! 

Kindest Regards,

April G.

Ask An Herbalist: What are some essential oil free tick repelent options?

Summer asks,

This Oklahoma spring has us crawling with ticks! I've only seen one mosquito, but I'm sure they'll be swarming soon as well. I usually try to stick with citronella for insect repellent, but I have an open mind to your view opposing essential oils. What safe simple herbal suggestions could you make for repelling insects? I already eat plenty of garlic :) 

Thank you so much for sharing so much of your life with the world. You're an inspiration <3

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Hello Summer!

Oh how I feel you on this! One word Yarrow! She is amazing at repelling not only ticks but mosquitoes too. In fact the US army preformed tests using yarrow and found it to be more effective than even DEET. However you will have to spray it on every hour or so versus every 12 hours with DEET.

You can make a yarrow tincture by placing fresh yarrow leaf (should be out in abundance if the ticks are, nature is awesome at being in tune like that!) cut up into a jar till at the very least half full then just dump 100 proof vodka to the brim cap and let set 3-6 weeks (8 weeks for medicinal use) then strain.

After straining I will cut the whole thing 50/50 with water again. This makes it go much further as well as makes the alcohol content only about 25%. So you wont smell like you've been doing some drinking back in the cuts haha!

But there's more you can do, I like to actually make an oil infusion out of yarrow as the scent will stick around for a few hours. Shoot on bad seasons I do both! An oil infusion is made in a similar manner with a few twists. Gather up you yarrow and let it set out a few days to wilt. This will help prevent your oils from going rancid. Chop it up put it in a jar. Cover with oil of your choice, regular olive oil is good or sunflower. Cap and set in a cool dark place for 3-6 weeks. No you can strain this and apply it as in with like a roller or squirt bottle or make it a bit more shelf stable by melting some bees wax into it to make a full on yarrow salve.

I've also had good results with using cedar in this way (even straight up cedar wood chips will work sold in the pet bedding section and such) making a tincture or infused oil.

Rosemary is another good option, I actually use infused rosemary oil to keep my kids from getting lice. They hate the smell.

Even mint will work great and comes in handy for keeping spiders and roaches at bay too!

Now I know you are currently under siege so hearing it will take weeks to be able to use something is likely well a put down. No worries! There are lots of options for scent that are essential oil free that you can use in the meantime. Did you know those lovely true cooking extracts in your local store are great for scent and are made from simple cold press methods?!

I just add about one tsp per cup of water in one of those little travel sized spray bottles and I'm good to go! I usually use the mint kind for this and may toss in a bit of citrus peel/extract for good measure.

Anyhow I sure hope you are enjoying spring and some stuff jabbered about here was of some help!

Kindest Regards,

April G.

Ask An Herbalist: Today I reply to a question about prepping our bodies for surgery

Lisa Asks,

I am about to undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk and bone spur in my neck that is causing unbelievable pain. Are there things I can do now to help my body to heal better/faster once I have the surgery?

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Hello Lisa!

There sure are some things you can start doing now to help your body to deal with the trauma of breaking and entering (surgery) and these things can be safely continued afterwards to further healing along with building good levels of nutrition in the body.

Safe simple herbal infusions! When our body has all of its nutritional needs met is has an easier time focusing on healing. It also has the spare energy to do so. Right off the bat i'm going to say start drinking a few cups daily even up to a quart of chilled stringing nettle (Urtica dioica) infusion this is going to help quickly restore depleted mineral/vitamin reserves in your body as well as rebuild depleted adrenaline levels (nods at coffee drinkers) to return natural energy levels.

The reason I say chilled Nettle infusion is the warm Nettle infusion can make us feel nauseated as it gives us a lot of energy at once, drinking it cold slows digestion so we don't get that rush.

Also Nettle has good vitamin K levels which helps control blood loss and that's a good thing to have on our side during any surgery.

Next I'd jump onto Comfrey infusions as they don't call her knit bone for no reason! Her ability to heal wounds internally and externally is down right astounding! Although there are a million conflicting opinions out there about ingesting Comfrey internally I will never hesitate to use garden Comfrey (  Symphytum uplandica x. ) internally, of course excluding the roots. In fact almost anywhere you buy Comfrey in bulk is likely selling this regardless of what they have it labeled as.

Here is some further reading on that subject from Susun Weed http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/June08/wisewoman.htm

Anyhow she is amazing at speeding up the healing process of any wound. So starting to drink her now would only put you even further ahead in the game.

The next thing i'm going to suggest is upping your healthy animal fats. This will give your body the kind of energy it needs to burn. It is as simple as adding grass fed butter, whole milk plain yogurt (amazing for your gut health), grass fed meats the fattier cut the better(excluding bacon unless it's uncured as in isn't soaking in nitrates), bone broth,grass fed whole milk, grass fed ghee, grass fed cheeses of any kind(good for your bones).

Having bone broth on hand would be great for after surgery when your digestive track needs you to go gentle. As this (on top of infusions) is an easily digestible instantly available source of nutrition, fats, proteins.

I know many are intimidated by making bone broth but it is so easy no need to over complicate. Ever made chicken/beef soup? Where you add whatever veggies/herbs you prefer? Okay now just toss the chicken/beef/or any other bones in the pot (crock pot is a great tool here) and let it cook on med-low for 48 hours(two days) strain out the broth and tada bone broth! You can can it (pressure cooker only people or your gana die of botulism) to make it shelf stable, freeze it in canning jars (leave ample room for the "ice" to expand or the jars will break) it can store in the fridge for up to three days (like any cooked meat) or in any other freezer safe container you choose (if using food grade plastic let the broth cool all the way before pouring.)

You can do this same concept with infusions. I like to make Nettle infusion ice cubes and add them to my water or the like. I also use them(bone broth too!) to cool down food for my kids/self. Any way we get this into our diets is going to improve our health and when our health improves healing comes quickly.

I hope this was of some help to you and I hope the surgery brings you much needed relief!

Kindest Regards,

April G.

Oh! Here is a quick and easy video of how to make herbal infusions! 

Ask An Herbalist: Today I reply with a video to a parent who is trying to stop her daughters body from developing.

This is passionate folks...But I really need people to hear this.