So much is being written these days about herbalism, much of it from folks who are not herbalists, that I thought it would be a good idea to write an article about how to easily and safely get started.  In my thirty years as an herbalist, I have found ease and simple comfort within the context of the elegant system of herbal and spiritual healing from India known as Ayurveda. In addition to being an herbalist, I am also a Quaker or Friend also known as the Religious Society of Friends. One of the testimonies of our faith is to keep it simple when teaching folks about the tender Light of God. The same applies to teaching folks about how to gently heal with the green angels known as herbs.

We all know many have made loving God so complicated and wordy that much of what passes for religion these days is arguing (or fighting) about the nature of our version of God being “right”, rather than serving the unity and Light of God. So also in the marketing of herbs today there are so many complicated theories and speculations about which plant does what that instead of simple herbal use it gets way too complicated. Herbal truth that keeps us in daily connection with the glow that is rightfully ours as children of the Light, is not and should never be confusing to any soul who wants to begin healing and get closer to the Light. What I have found to be needed is a simple foundation of knowledge based in wisdom sufficient to get folks feeling safe enough to use herbs everyday to keep the temple of their spirit vibrant, digesting well, and creating enough balanced energy to meet the demands of this life so that there is enough energy left over for matters of the holy Spirit. So let me share with you the simple foundation truths I have found in thirty years of using herbs to heal, both at Smile Herb Shop, as well as in decades of sharing clinical notes with other herbalists.

            In this article I would like to do four things: generally get you started with a simple foundation understanding of herbal healing, specifically get you started preparing herbs daily, share with you what I consider to be the three best herbs to start with as a beginning herb user, and finally bring you into the garden with me and get you started growing these same three herbs. That is a lot to do in one article, but Friends know that one name for herbalism in olde England was “the art of simpling”, so I will be keeping it as simple as possible. It is my testimony to you that the best use of herbs is simple, simpler, and still yet more simple. I figure using herbs is like prayer, some debate it endlessly, read about it for hours or days, but when all is said and done, it comes down to simply doing it with a good effort. In other words what matters once one has a foundation of approach is practice not theory. So, lets get started using herbs to heal and then teach other people how simple it is to do. So we need to know four things, a bit about theory, how to prepare herbs, which three are best to start with, and how to grow our chosen three “green angels”.

            “Understanding is the key thing, above all else seek understanding” says Solomon, to my heart the second wisest teacher/Rabbi in the Tanakh/Bible. There are three principles that I would hold as needed to build a foundation of understanding sufficient to begin healing with herbs. First, use water as the base for your herbal medicines to begin with. The way to do this is to use herbal tea as your daily ration of 64-128 ounces of water. Secondly, learn a bit of wisdom about three-element theory from India or five-element theory from China. (Did you know that Jesus, Solomon, Zarathustra, Buddha, Krishna, and Muhammad all taught three-element theory or five-element theory?)  Thirdly, use herbs that are appropriate to your body type and digestion, which you can learn is by the taste of the plant. So we have three principles to begin to allow seekers of the Light to begin healing with herbs:

1)      Use herbal teas as your 64-128 ounces of water daily

2)      Herbs work on three-element/five-element theory

3)      Digestion is the key to health and you can tell what effect an herb is going to have by its taste, so begin by choosing herbs by their effect on digestion and their taste. 

Simple principles, but a bit of commentary is in order. Even western scientists, who live in the elements of the periodic table, agree that water is a major key to health, and that we should drink a minimum of eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. One way to insure that this happens is to prepare 64-128 ounces of herbal tea daily and place it under refrigeration. This way one knows that if the tea is gone we met our daily minimum. Of course in addition, all those subtle, vibrant herbal molecules are left behind, carried perfectly by all that wonderful water to bring the body, energy, and mind/spirit back into balance.

Three-element or five-element theory is a bit more complex, and let me share briefly some of the simple stories of how the good Lord has been teaching me in the simplicity of small-scale agriculture, of the “trinity within” that Jesus and the other lovers of God taught. Friends, the trinity of the one God as taught by Jesus is in unity with what Solomon, Buddha, Krishna, Zarathustra, and Muhammad taught. The three elements of Ayurveda, the herbalism of India are Air (Vata), Fire (Pitta) and Water/Earth (Kapha), which are in order of density. These three correspond to the trinity of Jesus perfectly (the transcendent spirit of the Father, the transformative holy spirit, and the incarnation of love in the Christ), and give us a foundation for the simple spiritual use of herbs. The five elements of Chinese medicine are water, wood, fire, earth, and metal which flow in that order which is called the “sheng cycle’. So Friends, this is the understanding I believe is simple enough in deep wisdom to give us a model of how to begin with herbs.

 Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is within us, so the trinity (or three elements) must be within us too. So, I am sitting out in the gazebo in my herbal prayer garden wondering if the Lord’s prayer is balanced in three-element theory. Asking in prayer if this is so the Lord’s prayer is easily known to be divided into twelve attributes of God’s perfection. The twelve pieces of the Lord’s prayer break perfectly into four attributes to do with transcendence (air), four to do with transformation (fire) and four to do with water/earth (the kingdom of love). Friends, this is not an accident, and it gives us understanding of how to use herbs.

Then, I decided to ask of the Lord if the five elements that Muhammad taught, the “5 pillars of Islam” have parallels to five-element theory. Not only do they fit, they are in perfect order matching the five elements of Chinese medicine. The five pillars of Islam are prayer (water), belief (wood), fasting (fire), almsgiving (earth), and pilgrimage (metal). Friends, this is not an accident, and it gives us understanding of how to use herbs.

Then I decided to ask of the Lord if the wisdom that Buddha taught the “eight fold path” have parallels to the “trinity within” and not only do they fit, they are in perfect order of air, fire and water/earth. The way that Buddha framed the eight things needed to be perfect in the spirit are in perfect order of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Buddha taught that we need to perfect the following eight elements that are in perfect order of the “trinity within”. The eight elements of the Buddha are Understanding, Purpose, Speech, Effort, Conduct, Vocation, Mindfulness and Meditation. Friends, this is not an accident, and it gives us understanding of how to use herbs.

Then I decided to ask of the Lord about Solomon/Sulaiman and was shown that he taught 5-element theory. Sulaiman/Solomon is written about in both the Bible and Qur’an and he describes the sheng cycle as follows:

Fire -- The Sun also arises, and the Sun goes down, and hastens to the place where he arose.

Earth -- One generation passes away, and another generation cometh:  but the Earth abides forever. Moreover the profit of the Earth is for all: the fields serve the king himself.

Metal -- The Wind goes toward the south, and turns about into the north; it whistles about continually, and the Wind returns again according to its circuits.

Water -- All the Rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from where the rivers come, there they return again.

Wood -- The pools of water; water therewith the wood that brings forth trees and gardens and orchards, trees with all kinds of fruit.

     Ecclesiastes 1:4-8, 2:6-7, 5:9

 So how do we translate all this wisdom into using herbs? Simply put, the way that this consistent divine teaching of “trinity within” matches up in the body for the use of herbs is as follows:  air governs the respiration, fire governs digestion and water/earth governs dense structures in the body and elimination of wastes. So we can heal our respiration, digestion, elimination and form by choosing the right herbs by which element they serve. Taste of the herb is the key to putting this wisdom into practice, so I have chosen three herbs and three tastes to get you started. And guess what! These three herbs also happen to be about the easiest herbs to grow in the Baltimore/DC area. I suppose by now you are tired of me saying this is no accident and gives us an easy way to get started with herbs that also are too easy to grow…green thumb or not. Just prepare the soil, plant, water weekly, and stand back to enjoy three vibrant herbal allies!!!

Bitter taste increases and promotes air so we start with Yarrow,

Hot taste increases and promotes fire so we start with Peppermint,

Sweet taste increases and promotes earth so we start with Lemon Balm.

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium, has a special place in my heart, since Yarrow is the herb that convinced me to become an herbalist. I had a cough of three years standing that “modern medicine” had not been able to touch. When I met my first herbal teacher, Cecilia, she “learned me good” about Yarrow and I was able to heal this cough within one day by simply drinking one gallon of strong Yarrow tea. So, I then asked myself ‘Why does the University of Pennsylvania not teach this knowledge?” and decided to become an herbalist. Hence Smile Herb Shop, seeking herbal knowledge, and this career/calling as an herbalist. Yarrow is specific to respiration, which in Ayurveda governs the nervous system. Calmness of mind and spirit is specific to preparation for conscious digestion of food and events.

Peppermint: Mentha piperita, wants to spread its gospel of good news everywhere so it will spread over your entire garden if not contained. If we consider all of the ways that we use Peppermint already without being conscious we must admit that it is calling to almost every member of society. We put it in our mouths daily as toothpaste, candy, mouthwash, and if we are wise, as herbal medicine. The key to the medicinal use of Peppermint is to make it strong enough to feel the warmth in your stomach and small intestine. Peppermint is specific to full transformation in digestion of food and events.

Lemon Balm: Melissa officinalis, has become my best garden Friend in the springtime, and is specific to aiding our ability to retain joy and bliss. In Ayurveda the building block of all tissue is watery and is known as Rasa Dhatu and there is a whole class of herbs known as Rasayana herbs that build that watery substance. Lemon Balm is in my experience the best herb to build and protect Rasa, which by the way allows us to be joyful. Lemon Balm is specific to relaxation and full assimilation of nutrients and knowledge in digestion of food and events.

All three of these herbs are available as a bulk herb to make tea, tincture to beef up the strength of the tea, in capsules for convenience, and as a fresh plant ally right out of the earth. These three Friends as well as how to use them are now known to us, we have understanding in order to use them, an easy and inexpensive way to use them, and an easy way to grow them as herbal allies. You know it is coming…Friends, this is not an accident and we now have understanding about how to begin with the herbal healing of the “trinity within” of Ayurveda.