Healthy Breakfast Recipes

 Read about Healthy Breakfast Recipes on the Mountain Rose Herbs blog

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Herbs for Fire Season Support

 Learn about Herbs for Fire Season Support on the Mountain Rose Herbs blog

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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. 

Free & Easy Wanderer Incense Recipe

Learn how to make Free & Easy Wanderer Incense (逍遙散香) on my Mountain Rose Herbs blog, YouTube video, and/ or podcast. Enjoy!     

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How to use TCM Herbs for Nourishing Soups

Make nourishing soups with Chinese medicine herbs, with my article on the Mountain Rose Herbs blog!

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Trauma Liniment 跌打酒

Make your own East Asian Herbal Liniment & Poultice with my recipe on the Mountain Rose Herbs blog!

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Supporting the Heart and Spleen Meridians Through TCM

Learn about Supporting the Heart and Spleen Meridians through TCM on the Mountain Rose Herbs blog!

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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! 

Welcome Spring by Moving Liver Qi

Learn about qualities of the Wood Element of Chinese medicine, including movement practices for spring, the Chinese herbal formula Xiao Yao San 逍遙散, and some western herbs too!

(Scroll below for the article, or visit https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/spring-tcm-formula-for-moving-liver-qi )

Visit JilingLin.com for clinic info and upcoming events!

Meet the Herbalist with Bevin Clare | Featuring Jiling Lin

Enjoy this Mountain Rose Herbs interview! Bevin asks me about my clinical practice, herbal work, and more. I hope you find some golden jewels in here. Podcast coming soon. I'd love to hear what you find most interesting, and/ or wish to hear more about. Contact me anytime! Find acupuncture/ herbs clinic info on JilingLin.com, along with upcoming events. 

Tea (Camellia sinensis, Theaceae)

Learn about Tea's cultivation, preparation, uses, and more with my podcast and herbal monograph article at https://www.herbrally.com/monographs/tea

 

Chinese Medicine Herbs for Winter Welless

Learn about Chinese Medicine Herbs for Winter Wellness on the Mountain Rose Herbs blog

Chinese medicine formula for Autumn Wellness

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Formula for Autumn Wellness

Jiling Lin, L.Ac. is an Earth-centered acupuncturist, herbalist, and yoga teacher in Ventura, CA. She cultivates thriving health for fellow healthcare practitioners, artists, and athletes through holistically accessible clinical and educational support, specializing in managing pain, chronic illness, and psycho-spiritual wellness. Jiling connects wilderness, creativity, and Spirit through both internal and external environmental stewardship.

Sage monograph

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A post shared by Jiling Lin, L.Ac. 林基玲 (@linjiling) on Sep 14, 2020 at 8:01am PDT

Read, listen, and learn about edible/ medicinal uses for Sages (Salvia spp.) on my Sage monograph + podcast on HerbRally.com! 

https://www.herbrally.com/monographs/sage

Sage Monograph - HerbRally

I reach out to pet various aromatic sages as I walk up and down our southern California trails, where we are blessed with an abundance of sages, or plants of the genus . The most commonly seen species among our myriad local natives in my Ventura County backyard include Salvia apiana (white sage), S.

For more, visit JilingLin.com

Herbs for Smokey Lungs

Choking on wildfire smoke? Here's some helpful herbs for smokey lungs, from my mentor 7song. 

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Herbs for Smoke Inhalation part 1 I cannot express how terrible I feel about the devastating western wildfires. I hope everyone is safe in body and property, though I know this is not always the case. The main primary consideration is wearing a mask to avoid breathing in small particulate matter, which is in the smoke. The current masks that most people are wearing due to Covid work well as does wearing a doubly folded bandana over one’s mouth and nose. Since this is not always possible, there are some herbs that can offer some assistance in loosening and bringing up these small smoke particles. Consider plants that are mucilaginous, that is, having a thick consistency. The reason they are helpful is that they can increase mucous production in the respiratory tree. Mucous is the main way that the body expels small particles from the bronchi. By increasing this with good moist mucous (rather than thin and sticky), it can be very helpful in moving the particulate matter up and out. There are 3 common plants for this: Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza uralensis and G. glabra), Marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis) and Slippery elm inner bark (Ulmus rubra). The best way to take these is to mix 1 teaspoon or so of the powdered root or inner bark in a glass of water (or other liquid) and drink it down. This provides a lot more of the mucilage than taking a preparation such as a tincture. The second best way is to make a strong tea of these plants. You can also take 2-3 capsules a few times a day. I suggest doing this with any of these preparations 3-4 times a day if possible depending on how much smoke you are inhaling. Licorice root as it also an antiinflammatory. Respiratory inflammation can be a consequence of breathing in smoke. Do not use this plant if you have high blood pressure (or if you hate the taste of Licorice). If you choose to use Slippery elm, please try to get it from a reliable sustainable source. Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) can also be very mucilaginous, with the inner bark being the most ‘slippery’. And this plant is non-native and commonly planted in cities.

A post shared by 7Song (@7songsevensong) on Sep 14, 2020 at 7:09pm PDT

Gan Mai Da Zao Tang 甘麥大棗湯

New blog on Mountain Rose Herbs, about the Chinese formula Gan Mai Da Zao Tang 甘麥大棗湯 !

https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/tcm-for-summer

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Formula for Summer Wellness

Jiling Lin, L.Ac. is an Earth-centered acupuncturist, herbalist, and yoga teacher in Ventura, CA. She cultivates thriving health for fellow healthcare practitioners, artists, and athletes through holistically accessible clinical and educational support, specializing in managing pain, chronic illness, and psycho-spiritual wellness. Jiling connects wilderness, creativity, and Spirit through both internal and external environmental stewardship.

Basic Plant Family ID

look at the FLOWER & note:

- # of sepals, petals, stamen, pistils (K/ calyx, C/ corolla, A/ androecium, G/ gynoecium)

- COMPLETE (all KCAG present) or INCOMPLETE (missing KCAG)

- PERFECT (bisexual), or IMPERFECT (unisexual- monoecious/ dioecious)

- REGULAR (actinomorphic, w/ radial symmetry) or IRREGULAR (zygomorphic, w/ bilateral symmetry)

- OVARY: INFERIOR (epigynous) or SUPERIOR (hypogynous/ perigynous)

- INFLORESCENCE (solitary, head, spike, raceme, panicle, umbel, corymb, cyme)

look at the LEAVES & note:

- leaf ARRANGMENT (opposite, alternate, whorled, basal)

- leaf TYPE (simple/ compound pinnate/ palmate/ ternate)

- leaf VEINATION (arcuate, palmate, parallel, pinnate, reticulate)

- leaf MARGIN (entire, toothed, incised, lobed)

- leaf tip, base, stem, surface

Aster family (Asteraceae)

.

many individual florets packed together tightly makes a COMPOSITE FLOWERHEAD:

- DISC FLOWERS forms a pitted central disc

- RAY FLOWERS ring the edge, usually with showy petals

.

2^nd most common flowering plant family in the world

(1rst place goes to the Orchid family, due to their prevalance in the tropics)

.

IE. Dandelion, Artemisias, Yarrow, Lettuce

Mint family (Lamiaceae)

.

- square stalks

- alternating opposite leaves

- aromatic

- irregular flowers

- common useful kitchen herbs!

.

IE. Sages, Rosemary, Basil

Mustard family (Brassicaceae)

.

- 4 petals

- 4 sepals

- 6 stamen (4 tall, 2 short)

- pungent

- seedpod staircase (fat silicles, or long siliques)

.

IE. Kale, Cabbage, Broccoli

Rose family (Rosaceae)

.

- 5 separate petals

- 5 sepals

- numerous stamen

- numerous pistils (creates a fuzzy-looking center)

- serrated compound leaves

.

IE. Strawberries, Apples, Almonds

Nightshade family (Solanaceae)

.

- 5 united petals

- 5 united sepals

- 5 stamen

- superior ovary with 2 chambers

- alternating leaves (often sticky, Earthy-smelling)

- alkaloid- rich

.

IE. Peppers, Datura, Eggplant, Tomato

Mallow family (Malvaceae)

.

- alternate, palmately lobed leaves

- numerous fused stamen form a column around the pistil

- 5 separate petals

- 3-5 partially united sepals

- mucilaginous (slimy)

- funnel- shaped regular flowers

- superior ovary with united carpels that creates “cheeses”

.

IE. Okra, Cotton, Hollyhocks, Cacao, Linden

JilingLin.com