Herbs for Fire Season Support

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Breathing Easily through Fire Season

My mountains are on fire. I watch the hungry flames lick at my familiar skyline. Fire trucks zip up and down our canyon road as helicopters wheel overhead. I smell smoke, and know what comes next: weeks of gray skies raining ash, then months to years of barren blackened slopes and tree stumps where yesterday I petted my favorite sages and lingered under expansive old oaks. 

This is California now, as it has always been: a landscape shaped in constant conversation with fire. Where fires used to roam freely, waking serotinous seeds that wait for the fiery heat to burst open their seed cases and rejuvenate the landscape, now humans, houses, and other anthropocentric technologies seek to dominate. Fires still burn. We suffer the repercussions of what and how we’ve created and destroyed. 

As we experience earlier, longer, more unpredictable– and oftentimes more devastating– fire seasons, we collect stories, smoke, and sorrow in our chests, lungs, and bodies. Perhaps we or someone we know has lost a home– or even a loved one. Perhaps we inadvertently inhale smoke and ash that create a short-term burden on our system, that may spark long-term damages. 

How do we prepare and adjust to our planet’s rapidly shifting climate, manifest here in California and other fire-prone areas, as life-giving destruction? 

Prepare A Run-Bag

If you live in a fire-prone area, then prepare a run-bag of important items before the drier and hotter weather heralds fire season. Include: 

• Important documents 

• N95 face masks

• Food and water

• First aid kit (including necessary medications and herbal allies)

• For a longer evacuation: Warm clothing, basic toiletries, and other necessities 

Also consider: 

• Communication system(s)/ plan 

• Transportation 

• Evacuation plan

• Shelter 

If you have an indoor place to stay, then keep doors and windows closed. Maintain good air circulation with an air filter, and keep your spirits up with fresh food, supportive herbs, and gentle music. Breath-focused meditations, drawing, writing, and other calming strategies can be helpful in maintaining internal equilibrium. 

Common Symptoms of Wildfire Smoke Inhalation 

Proximity to a wildfire emergency can create fear, confusion, and other psychological manifestations of stress. Exposure to wildfire smoke can also cause a number of physiological symptoms impacting the nervous, respiratory, integumentary and other body systems. Symptoms may include:

• Coughing 

• Headaches

• Dry skin 

• Difficulty breathing 

• Sinus irritation 

Eat well

Remember to hydrate extra! Drink more water, tea, and soup to help flush and rehydrate your body. Include antioxidant-rich foods like citrus and berries. Enjoy cooling and clearing fresh fruits and vegetables like cucumbers and watermelon. Savor colorful salads and ferments, and add just a little extra salt and healthy fats. Include moistening foods like mushrooms and seaweeds in your soups, and remember to sit down and slowly enjoy your meals, even amidst potential chaos and confusion.

Herbs to support Fire Response and Recovery 

Focus on herbs specific to what you are experiencing, and/ or body systems typically impacted for you.

Many mint family plants (Lamiaceae) are aromatic and adaptive to various purposes, such as easing tension, opening stuck nasal passages, and soothing inflamed respiration. 

Mint family expectorants to help move gunk out of the throat:

•  Rosemary leaves (Rosmarinus officinalis) 

• Sage leaves (Salvia spp.) 

• Horehound leaves (Marrubium vulgare) 

Mint family nervines for soothing stress: 

• Tulsi leaves (Ocimum sanctum)

• Skullcap leaves (Scutellaria spp.)

• Lemon balm leaves (Melissa officinalis) 

• Lavender flowers (Lavandula spp.) 

Some other nervines to reduce stress during what can be an unpredictable time include:

• Oat tops (Avena sativa, Poaceae)

• Chamomile flowers (Matricaria chamomilla, Asteraceae)

• Rose petals/ buds (Rosa spp., Rosaceae)

• Passionflower leaves (Passiflora spp., Passifloraceae)

Mallow family (Malvaceae) demulcents can help soothe parched mucous membranes like dry skin, throat, or nose. Prepare as a cold infusion, perhaps with a little squeeze of lemon or other citrus, and some honey or maple syrup.

• Marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis, Malvaceae)

• Linden leaves (Tilia spp., Malvaceae)

• Hibiscus flowers (Hibiscus spp., Malvaceae)

Some corrigent demulcents that can help unify and flavor formulas: 

• Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra, Fabaceae)

• Cinnamon bark  (Cinnamomum spp., Lauraceae)

Respiratory and immune system tonics: 

• Mullein leaf (Verbascum spp., Scrophulariaceae)

• Usnea lichen (Usnea spp., Parmeliaceae) 

• Elderberries (Sambucus nigra, Adoxaceae)

• Echinacea root (Echinacea spp., Asteraceae) 

Adaptogens to help support innate immunity and respond to adversity with grace: 

• Astragalus root (Astragalus membranaceus, Fabaceae)

• Cordyceps fungus (Cordyceps militaris, Cordycipitaceae) 

• Codonopsis root (Codonopsis pilosula, Campanulaceae) 

Lymphatics:

• Red clover blossoms (Trifolium pratense, Fabaceae) 

• Calendula flowers (Calendula officinalis, Asteraceae) 

• Nettles leaves (Urtica spp., Urticaceae) 

Cardiac support:

• Hawthorn berries (Crataegus spp., Rosaceae) 

• Schisandra berries (Schisandra chinensis, Schisandraceae) 

Herbal Preparations 

Consider both internal and external applications of herbs to support your fire response and recovery process. 

Internal preparations

You can take the herbs above as teas, cold infusions, tinctures, or honeys. Tinctures are easy to keep on hand for first aid, and in your run-bag. Teas are particularly helpful during fire season to increase hydration, and maintain small grounding rituals. You can also pack teas into your run bag, if you will have access to hot water. If preparing teas ahead of time for storage, then keep in a sealed container in a cool place. Honeys are lovely for a taste of medicinally infused sweetness during likely harrowing times.

Oils

Applying herbally infused oils topically not only soothes dry skin, but is also a grounding ritual to help maintain a sense of normalcy when the world is on fire. Consider calming herbs like lavender and vulnerary skin-repair herbs like calendula (Calendula officinalis, Asteraceae). 

• Complete your day with an herbally-infused oil massage before or after bathing, to let the oils soak in overnight. 

• Gently applying oil to the inside of your nose with a clean pinky finger or cotton swab before bed can be extra soothing to lubricate dry or smoky nasal passages.

Water

• Keep rose, mint, and other hydrosols in your fridge for misting on your body throughout the day. Keep some in your run-bag as well, for some medicinal botanical decadence during potential evacuations. 

• A neti pot or nasal rinse can help clear smoky accumulations from nasal passages. Follow with oil! 

• Take a bath with decongesting and calming herbs like lavender, eucalyptus, or chamomile. Soak in an infusion of the tea, or add a few drops of essential oils. If you don’t have access to a bathtub, then a foot soak can also be a lovely way to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of water during fiery times. Include herbs, and perhaps epsom salts too!

As climate change wreaks increasingly intense havoc, we must not only prepare for more and worse disasters, but also come together as an ecocentric human family to rectify our individual and collective actions to support a flourishing planet, and the health and well-being of all beings. May you continue breathing deeply and fully through both current and upcoming changes. May you share these botanical skills and strategies with your communities in heart-centered stewardship, mutual care, and radical compassion. May you breathe easily through fire season, and beyond.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. For educational purposes only.

Jiling Lin, L.Ac.

Jiling Lin is a Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac), herbalist, yoga teacher, multidisciplinary artist, and adventurer. Jiling’s integrative medical practice in Ventura, CA reconnects humans with the wild beauty of their inner and outer landscapes through nature, art, movement and ritual. She is faculty for the Esalen Institute, Balanced Rock Foundation’s Yoga Teacher training, and Artemisia Academy’s Herbal Apprenticeship Program. Find Jiling backpacking the Sespe, surfing at C-Street, and on JilingLin.com, Instagram @LinJiling, and Facebook @JilingLAc. Link up with more fire resources on her website at JilingLin.com/links.

Traveling Teas

Mountain Rose Herbs Journal, Summer 2022 edition

See JilingLin.com/articles and JilingLin.com/podcasts for more great content! Sign up for Jiling's monthly newsletters here. 

Fruiting Beauty

 

Enjoy the inaugural issue of the Mountain Rose Herbs Journal! 

Here's my recorded story on "Fruiting Beauty," in celebration of foraging urban fruits. 

For more podcasts, visit https://www.jilinglin.com/podcasts

Happy foraging! 

Herbal Medicine Making Overview

Click on the above so you can see my class handout in more detail. It's a broad overview of herbal medicine-making techniques. 

Then, click on these links for further information and directions to work with the menstruums delineated above: 

- Water menstrua 

- Sweet menstrua 

- Alcohol menstrua 

- Oil menstrua 

Explore making other things, too: 

- Herbalism Learning Models

- Incense, Flower Essences

- Lube

Energetic/ Ritualistic Plant Medicine

Energetic/ Ritualistic Plant Medicine

Jiling Lin - www.LinJiling.blogspot.com - 2015

Different types of Incense

- Loose leaf                        - Smudge bundles

- Powder                             - Kyphi/ incense cakes

- Incense cones/ sticks     - Smoking blends

Making Kyphi

Proportions

- Berries 1 (powder)               - Resin 1 (powder)

- Leaves/ flowers 3 (chopped fine)

- Roots/ bark 1/2 (chopped fine)

- Beeswax 1/2                         - Honey/ wine

Directions

- Mix dry ingredients (first powdered, then chopped)

- Slowly add honey/ wine until it binds, (but isn’t wet)

- Coat parchment paper with 1-2 inches of mix

- Warm until it all coagulates

- Press flat to dry for up to a week

- Cut into small pieces to store

- Burn on charcoal

Making Flower Essences

It’s best to make flower essences when the flower is at the peak of its blossoming, or right before the peak. Go out in the morning with pruners, undistilled spring water, and a glass bowl or jar. Approach the flower or plant that you wish to make an essence of. Ask for permission to extract its essence, in whatever way feels the best to you. I like to make a prayer of gratitude, and sit with the plant for a while, before doing anything. Maybe I’ll observe the plant, draw it, photograph it, or just meditate with it. Do whatever feels the best for you, but it’s integral to establish a healthy relationship with the plant, before you try and make medicine with it. And, do not physically touch the plant that you are planning to make medicine with.

Once you are both ready for the next step, you can fill your glass bowl with water. Once again, make sure that you do not touch the plant with your hands, through this entire process. If you do touch the plant, your own energy may affect the flower essence. You can either clip the flower directly into the water, or you can just place the flower head into the water. I like to move around the flowers with tweezers. The traditional method is to clip the flowers directly into water, and cover the surface of the water with the flowers. Do what feels the best for you, in the moment. You can even experiment with both methods, and see how the different medicines feel.

Let the flowers sit in the water, in the sunlight, uncovered in a safe and lovely spot, for 4-6 hours. This amount of time depends upon your personal preferences, belief system, and the plant itself. Herbalist Mimi Kamp suggests leaving the flower in the water until the energetic feeling of the flower essence is stronger than the energetic feeling of the plant itself. She tests this by placing her hand over the plant and feeling its energy, then placing her hand over the essence and feeling that energy. Sometimes, people can be energetically sensitive and feel these subtle differences. Sometimes, this is difficult to experience. Do what feels best for you. The one rule with making flower essences is that there is no real rule. It’s an energetic medicine, and an intuitive art.

Once your essence is ready, carefully remove the flowers from the essence. Return them back to the Earth, giving thanks for their gifts. Dilute the water essence 1:1 with brandy, or 40% alcohol. (This can be substituted with vinegar too, but alcohol lasts longer.) Now, you have your mother essence!

Bottle and label your mother essence. Preserved in alcohol, she should last for a long time, if not indefinitely. Make sure you share! We tend to make too much flower essences, for a little goes a long way.

When you are ready to use your flower essence, fill a 1 ounce tincture bottle with 1:1 spring water to brandy. Add 10-30 drops of the mother essence to your bottle. Now, you have your stock essence. This is what is usually sold in the store.

Do the same thing again to make your dosage bottle. Fill a 1 ounce tincture bottle with 1:1 spring water to brandy. This time, just add 1 drop of the stock essence into this bottle. This is the final product. This is what you will carry around in your pocket, and take 4 drops 4 times a day, or as needed.

To effect long-lasting subtle change, take 4 drops of your dosage bottle flower essence, 4 times a day. It is like a constant subtle reminder to your self, to effect long-lasting change. Flower essences can also just be taken one drop at a time, for an experience, or to help relieve acute symptoms.

Some local CT “Dreaming Herbs”

- Mugwort               - Mullein              - Monarda

- Motherwort          - Mints                  - Horehound

- Coltsfoot               - Catnip               - Nettles

- Raspberry lf         - Juniper             - Pine

Plant Connection exercises

- Plant meditation               - Draw

- Botanize                            - Breath exercise

- Sense exploration

- Plant spirit journeying (see Eliot Cowan)

- Inner child work (see Julie McIntyre)

- Oneness exercise (see Tamarack Song)

- Experiment: sleep/ dream with, ingest in all forms...

~

Resources

The amazing Kiva Rose, on kyphi: 

http://bearmedicineherbals.com/incense.html

A previous post, on dreamwork: 

http://linjiling.blogspot.com/2014/05/dreams.html

A previous post, on different forms of meditation: 

http://linjiling.blogspot.com/2015/05/meditation.html

Howie Brounstein, on herbal smokes: 

http://botanicalstudies.net/herbalism/smoking.php

Sweet Medicine (class handout)

Sweet Medicine (Class handout)

Jiling Lin 2015 - LinJiling@gmail.com - www.LinJiling.blogspot.com

How to Use

- Direct ingestion (a few drops, to 2 T)

- Blended with other menstruua (ie. Vinegar, alcohol, cooking, etc)

- Topically (ie. Facial scrubs, baths, etc)

Why to Use

- Pleasure (ie. Desserts, aphrodisiacs, general joy, etc)

- Medicine (ie. Herbal honeys, glycerites, syrups, etc)

- Pleasure medicine

Sweet Menstruums

- Honey (can last indefinitely)

- Glycerine (use within 3-4 years)

- Sugar (Syrup= use within a year)

- Anything sweet (ie. Molasses, maple syrup, etc)

Note: make sure that your equipment is sterilized. Micro-organisms love sugars; sweet medicine preparations, if not kept clean, can mold or ferment.

Methods

Honey Infusion

1. Fill jar with fresh/ dried finely chopped plant material.

2. Warm honey (via double boiler method) to 130-140 F (hot but not boiling), to liquefy.

3. Pour liquified honey over plant material, covering at least an inch over the top.

4. Infusion options:

- Slow infusion: Let sit for 2-4 weeks, or indefinitely. Useful for flowers, leaves, and other delicate plant material.

- Hot infusion via sun: Place jar in the sunlight to heat, over 2-4 weeks.

- Hot infusion via double-boiler: Place jar in a double-boiler bath (stovetop, crockpot, or other). Let heat slowly for 6-8 hours (overnight in a crockpot on low, works well.) Useful for roots and thicker plant material.

5. To strain or not to strain?

- Strain, to separate the marc from the menstruum. Retain marc in another airtight glass jar for other uses. Strained honey is clear of plant material, easy to pour and use, for formulation, cooking, etc.

- No strain: plants can remain in honey. The honey is chunky and more difficult to pour, but this is helpful if you like having plant bits in your honey, or will use the marc and menstruum together.

Honey infusion marc possibilities:

- Tea

- Cook into pastries or other desserts

- Add to incense blends

- Add into elixirs or shrubs for subtle effect

- Kombucha

- Just eat it

Glycerite

Made like a tincture, but with glycerine as the menstruum, instead of alcohol. Better with dried plant material, and undiluted glycerine. Glycerite can go bad easily with excess water. Useful for folks with blood sugar imbalances/ sensitivities, or to extract tannins. I prefer honey, otherwise.

Electuaries (honey paste)

4 fl. Oz honey: 3 T powdered herb

(1 C honey: 6 T powdered herb)

Add liquified honey to powdered herbs. Stir until evenly coated.

Pastilles

Electuaries with more powders, to form an even thicker paste-like consistency that remains in a ball, when rolled. Roll balls, let dry, then store.

Other options:

- Add powdered demulcent herbs as solidifying agents (ie. Elm, mallow root, licorice, etc.)

- Coat/ roll with other powders on the surface, to further solidify, and prevent sticking.

Syrups

1. Simmer (2 oz herb: 32 oz water) on low, down to half the original amount of water: 16 oz of strong tea.

2. Strain the herbs.

3. Add sweetener to decoction at 2:1 ratio. (32 oz honey: 16 oz strong tea) The 2:1 ratio doesn’t need refrigeration. Use less sugar, if you have access to refrigeration.

4. Keep heating, until the sweetener dissolves. Can keep cooking, to make more concentrated.

5. Optional:

- Add 3-4 T brandy (or other alcohol) per cup of syrup, as a preservative.

- Add 1-5 drops of essential oil, for a stronger flavor/ medicinal effect.

Sugar

1. Layer sugar and fresh plant material (light, such as flowers and leaves). Fill to top of jar. Cap it.

2. Options:

- Let sit. The plant marc will release their moisture into the sugar, causing a syrup to form.

- Shake twice daily. The sugar will attach onto the plant material and crystallize, creating candy-like sugarized plants. Mmm.

Considerations:

- Experiment with different types of sugar. I prefer brown sugar, which is more likely to make a syrup. White sugar is more likely to crystallize, if you shake it.

- A few floral ideas: rose petals, violets

Finishing Salt

1 part fresh herb : 1 part salt

1. Finely chop plant material, or blenderize into a powder, with salt.

2. Mix with salt.

3. Let sit in a flat pan, to dry. Drying times depends on your environmental conditions (anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks). Move the mixture around daily, to expose more surfaces to air, to dry. The salt extracts moisture, flavor, and phytochemicals from the plants, until...

4. The whole thing is dessicated, delicious, and ready to bottle.

5. Yum!

Considerations:

- Add powderized plants into the mix after finishing salts are ready, to create a salt blend. Some ideas: nettles gomasio (nettles, black sesame, cayenne, ginger), black pepper, etc.

- Aromatic herbs and spices work well, here.

With Vinegar

Oxymels/ Shrubs

1 part vinegar: 2-4 parts honey

(Can initially infuse plants with combined vinegar and honey, or combine honey infusion and vinegar infusion(s) afterwards.)

With Alcohol

Cordials

1 C drinking alcohol (ie. Brandy): 1 C sweet syrup/ concentrate (can do 1 tincture: 3 sweet menstruum)

Let sit for a long time. Can be years!

Infused Wine

Infusing herbs into a drinking wine, with the tincture. May be more tasty than a straight tincture. Can add berries and other sweet fruits, to sweeten the medicine

Elixirs

1 part honey: 2-4 parts alcohol

Make with the same technique as making tinctures. Can strain after 2-4 weeks.

Pleasure Elixirs

Add 3 tsp of pre-formulated elixir(s) to 60 oz sparkling water, for a refreshing drink.

With Chocolate

Making Chocolate from Scratch

¼ C cocoa butter                4 T cocoa powder

2 T sweetener                      ¼ tsp vanilla extract

1. Melt cocoa butter in double boiler on low heat.

2. Stir in cocoa powder.

3. Add sweetener/ vanilla.

4. Add herbs/ nuts/ seeds/ fruits/ etc. (Optional)

5. Pour into molds.

6. When solid, release from molds… and enjoy!

Using Existing Chocolate

1. Melt the chocolate.

2. Add in what you want. Here’s options:

- Add in nuts, berries, solid/ powdered herbs/ tinctures/ sweet preparations, let resolidify.

- Layer herbs (infused into sweet menstruua) onto melted chocolate that has solidified a bit. The herbs can be swirled in lightly, or completely mixed in.

- Use marc from coconut oil infusion to make chocolate. 1 Coconut oil marc : 1 Chocolate. Melt together, and mix. (ex: rose petal marc). Can also use herbally infused coconut oil.

3. Mix thoroughly, and let resolidify. (Optional: If you have molds, such as ice cube trays, then you can pour into them, and skip the next step.)

4. Score or cut in desired shapes, once chocolate is hard enough to hold its shape.

5. Let dry slowly and completely. Do not refrigerate, as elements of the chocolate may separate.

6. Enjoy.

Recipes: a few possibilities

(All plants listed in parts. Refer to directions/ proportions above, using the parts listed.)

Arabic Honey Electuary

Black pepper 1: Ginger 1: Tumeric 6-8

4 oz. Honey: 3 T herb powder blend

Sore Throat Pastilles (from Rosemary Gladstar)

- 1 licorice root powder                             - 1 comfrey root powder

- 1 elm powder                                           - 12 echinacea powder

- 1/8 goldenseal powder

Cough and Sore Throat Syrup (from Rosemary Gladstar)

- 2 elm bark                              - 2 valerian

- 2 comfrey root                        - 1 wild cherry bark

- 2 licorice root                         - 1 ginger root

- 1 cinnamon bark                    - 4 fennel seeds

- 1/8 orange peel

Some Sweet Medicine Plant Suggestions

(Loosely organized by primary plant actions. Most plants straddle multiple categories)

Anti-bacterial

- Garlic (Allium sativum)

- Onion (Allium sepa, and other Allium spp.)

- Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

Anti-inflammatory

- Black birch (Betula lenta)

- Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

- Tumeric (Curcuma longa)

Antioxidant

- Pine needles (Pinus spp.)

- Rose hips (Rosa spp.)

Circulatory stimulant

- Black pepper (Piper nigrum)

- Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum)- Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

- Sage (Salvia spp.)

Digestive

- Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

- Mints (Mentha spp.)

Nervine (relaxing)

- Anise star (Illicium verum)
- Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
- Lavender (Lavandula officinalis)
- Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
- Lemon verbena (Aloysia citriodora)

- Rose petals (Rosa spp.)
- Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum)

- Violets (Viola spp.)

Respiratory

- Elm (Ulmus spp.)

- Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa)
- Monarda (Monarda spp.)
- Osha (Ligusticum porterii)

Measurements

1 C= 8 oz

1 pint= 16 oz

1 quart= 32 oz

1 oz= 30 mL

Web Resources

Sweet medicine basics

http://bearmedicineherbals.com/sweet-medicine-an-overview-of-honeyed-healing-and-sensory-delight.html

http://theida.com/how-to-make-anisefennel-honey/

Cordial recipes

http://wigardenexpo.com/grids/679.pdf

https://theherbarium.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/cordials/

General mixology

http://www.farmtojar.com/recipes/mixology-basics-using-shrub-syrups/

Finishing salts

http://chestnutherbs.com/herbal-finishing-salts-and-white-sage/

~

(Pictured: Out-on-a-Whim Farm (Bethany, CT) maypole, bedecked with all the sweetness of spring, and new beginnings. A floral centerpiece to a grand community celebration. And this, this is what "Sweet Medicine" truly is!)