Ithaca autumn photos

natural lubricants

My herb school class project presentation was on the topic of "Natural Vaginal Lubricants." I hope that this information is helpful to you. I have not personally experimented with most of the listed recipes. These lubes are primarily for female-bodied folks, especially post-menopausal women, but are also safe to use for other forms of intercourse. Enjoy, and play safe!
~~~

BOTANICA EROTICA
Natural vaginal lubricants for pleasurable sexual health

THE MOST NATURAL LUBE OF ALL
- Vaginal secretions from sufficient arousal/ foreplay
- Spit (though not for women with vaginal sensitivities)
- General health. Consider diet, exercise, hydration… then, herbs.

YOUR LUBE OPTIONS
- Water-based lubes (safe, but may need reapplication)
- Silicone-based lubes (unsafe with silicone devices)
- Oil-based lubes (longest lasting, but deteriorates latex)

SIMPLE NATURAL LUBES
- Aloe vera gel (considered a water-based lube)
- Coconut oil (buy organic extra virgin)

INGREDIENTS TO AVOID IN COMMERCIAL LUBES
- benzene derivatives (sodium benzoate, methyl, ethyl, propylparaben, benzoate of soda, boric acid), propylene glycol, parabens, salicylates, anammic aldehyde (in “hot” lubes), synthetic fragrances, glycerine (for irritation/infection-prone folks)

TWO ALOE-BASED COMMERCIAL LUBES
- Aloe Cadabra
- Good Clean Love

FOOD AS MEDICINE
- Essential fatty acids (from fish, olive oil, hemp, flax, walnut, almonds, dark leafy greens, whole grain foods)
- Seaweed (and other iron sources)
- Healthy fats (unsaturated fats, only)
- Eat phytoestrogenic foods (ie. Soy, beans, flax, etc)

TEAS AND TINCTURES: INTERNAL LUBRICANTS
Nourishing herbal infusions
- Chickweed – Nettle - Violet – Linden - Red clover
More stimulating female tonic herbs
- Shatavari – Ashwaganda
Relaxing herbal aphrodisiacs
- damiana - roses - jasmine - tulsi
Heating/ stimulating herbal aphrodisiacs
- cardamom – maca - cocoa – galangal - ginger

DIY RECIPES: VAGINAL LUBRICANTS

Oil infusions (to use solo or in combination)
- soothing herbs (comfrey, calendula, St. Johnswort, roses, chickweed, plantain)
- demulcent herbs (also good in teas) (slippery elm root, marshmallow root, oats)
- estrogenic herbs (not for pregnancy) (wild yam, black cohosh)
- tissue- healing herbs (gotu kola, comfrey, calendula)

Basic template for vaginal lubrication salve
- ¼ C infused oil
- ½ C oil (ie. coconut, jojoba, almond, avocado, olive oil)
- ¾ oz beeswax
- 1 T Vitamin E (or grapefruit seed extract, preservative)
- (optional) essential oils (ie. Lavender, rose otto, rose geranium, chamomile, sandalwood)

Flax Seed Goo (a water-based lube by Sheri Winston)
- 1 C whole flax seeds
- 6 C water
Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 6 minutes. Turn off heat, then let sit another 6 minutes. Strain, and it’s ready to use! Can store in the fridge for 2 months.

Yoni Butter (aphrodisiac and lubricant by Aviva Romm)
- ½ C cocoa butter
- ½ C coconut oil
- 4 oz unsweetened dark chocolate
- 2 T marshmallow root powder (or slippery elm root powder)
- ¼ tsp lavender essential oil (or other essential oil)

Ride and Glide (a nourishing lubricant by Margi Flint)
- 0.8 oz grated beeswax
- ¼ C infused oil (with black cohosh, comfrey root, calendula, wild yam)
- ¼ C coconut oil
Combine and heat the above ingredients, then add:
- 1 T wheat germ oil
- 1 T vitamin E oil
- 1 tsp emulsified vitamin A
- essential oils of 30 drops lavender, 30 drops rose geranium, 10 drops rose otto
Coconut oil suppositories
Coconut oil with your choice of other oils (ie. Jojoba, vitamin E, wheat germ, evening primrose, borage, black currant seed oil). Warm and mix the oils together, then freeze in ice trays to harden. Cut each cube into 2-3 sticks. Use a stick before sex or before sleep.

Herbal ointment (esp. for post-menopausal women)
(by Rosemary Gladstar, herbalist)
Oil infusions, with:
1 part comfrey leaf and root
1 part St. Jonswort
1 part calendula
Heat the oils, then add grated beeswax (1/4 C beeswax for each cup of oil), until beeswax melts. Then let cool.
(Optional: vitamin E, cocoa butter, coconut, etc. oils)

~ by Jiling Lin, 2013 ~
Please contact me with any questions!

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
This information is not intended to diagnose or treat any conditions. All material provided on this website is provided for informational or educational purposes only. And, this information is by no means exhaustive--- there are more plants to explore! 

滿心滿星滿月滿林夢舞

啊！ 一個月又過了！ 朋友， 家人們， 你好！ 祝你滿月快樂！

滿月了。 我的鄰居野狼們在森林裡唱歌。 我剛從森林走回家， 生火。 我正在坐在火爐邊喝茶， 聽野狼的歌聲， 和享受窗外滿月的亮光。 這種日子真的太享受了！

昨晚， 下大雨。 我們每個星期四都在診所工作到很晚才回家。 我陪老師開車上山回家時， 剛好開始下大雨。 我喜歡看斜斜的雨一浪一浪的打在車窗上。 我們慢慢的開上山， 聊天。 我好喜歡聽老師的故事。 我的老師很會說笑話。 他的教課方式很特別。 他一點都不嚴肅。 他的課又零活有趣，又充滿了智慧和知識。 這個老師是我生活中最喜歡的某一個老師。 真感恩。 

昨晚回到家之後， 看到木屋裡了地板都是水。 雨下太大了， 屋頂漏水了！ 雖然住在這兒感覺又豐富又浪漫， 但也沒那麼容易！ 我需要把水從鄰居家提到木屋。 木屋裡沒電， 沒水。 我用毛巾和臉盆搓身體洗澡。 我每天晚上用蠟燭和頭燈來讀書。 早上， 如果前天沒下雨， 我就練瑜伽在木屋旁邊。 那兒的地被我天天練瑜伽都踩平了。 

今晚在滿月月光底， 我在森林散步， 感覺好滿足， 心中充滿了愛。 我對這塊土地感到好多愛。 我看了它春夏秋的神聖轉變。 現在要進入冬眠了。 

我要陪著野鴨往西邊飛了。。。 我對離開這兒感到很傷心， 但也要提醒我自己： 學期要結束了。 時間到了。 我需要把我所有所學的智慧帶出去， 繼續分享， 繼續學習， 繼續探險， 冒險， 和慢慢的創世界， 闖世界， 幫世界上的人們打開心中的窗口， 呼吸新鮮空氣， 跳出窗外， 在月光底陪著野狼和貓頭鷹朋友們野蠻美好開心又創又闖的跳舞， 跳舞， 跳舞！ 整夜整天， 身心靈， 野創靈舞蹈。 

我無法用我知道的中文解釋我心中的感覺， 唱出我心中的詩歌。 所以， 只能創造我自己的字和語法， 來至我美國人的腦袋。 希望你聽的懂！ 

除了藥草學以外， 我現在還在教瑜伽和鋼琴。 我也做陪著女人圈創舞蹈和唱歌， 表演。 從這兒的舞蹈圈， 我交了一些新朋友。 我陪新朋友開始學systema武術基本式。 下個月， 學期結束之後， 我也要開始陪又個新朋友交換音樂： 我教他鋼琴， 他教我吉塔。 我的生活充滿了學習， 人朋友， 森林朋友， 植物朋友， 和。。。 書朋友！ 太棒了。 

學校下個月就結束了！ 時間過來太快了！ 我和兩個學姐們是老師的apprentice, 要留到十二月才離開。 我很不想要離開！！！ （但時間到了。 傷心！ 但， 感恩。） 

我現在打算十二月離開之後去拜訪一些東北部的朋友， 然後飛或是搭火車回加州拜訪爸媽一兩個禮拜。 去拿車子， 然後開車去Colorado州去陪下一個老師獅子培訓（哈哈。。。獅子！師徒？）。 我打算繼續學藥草治療方式。 好，哦！！！ 

晚了。 火快滅了。 我不要加更多木頭。 明天一大早要陪我情愛的老師和學生們上山去享受秋葉， 和討論冬天的樹和植物， 藥方， 等。 現在， 我要窩進溫暖的毛毯堆去放鬆，睡覺， 做月底夢了。 明早， 再跳舞起床， 陪老師， 陪森林， 陪所有朋友們， 去學習， 冒險， 探索， 和享受人生的高高低低， 點點滴滴， 夢想呈現出來的舞蹈。 

祝你跳出你心中所夢現的舞蹈。 

敬， 基玲

--

 ~~~~~~~
  Jiling . 林基玲 

  www.JazArt.blogspot.com 

  626.344.9140 / 607.262.0302

Exhale

during yoga practice this morning 

wet leaves on the ground from 

sunrise rainfall

golden leaf showers falling 

autumn all around 

I looked up as I rose up from a forward bend 

bow down to the Earth

rising up, catching my own eyes in my little mirror 

surrounded by feathers

I caught myself 

smiling into my own eyes in the mirror and 

I caught myself

I caught someone and

something brief, glinting, rare, transient 

I paused in my practice 

to look more deeply into my own eyes 

caught by my own gaze 

these eyes 

the skin, the face that surrounds the eyes 

this body that moves, breathes, dances so fluidly 

it feels pain, joy, flow, divinity 

I feel pain, joy, flow, divinity 

and it is all passing through 

passing on by 

movement constant 

awareness fleeting

like so many geese flying south 

the crows dancing on the thermals 

responding to my caws by flying back

looping around in the sky

thus goes these eyes 

these transient shining eyes 

with skin, a face that changes moment to moment, and daily 

I am getting older

my friends and family are all getting older

this life waits for no one

I tear my eyes away from my own eyes

reflected in the mirror 

reflecting and flexing my spine 

back downwards towards the Earth

inhaling my right leg back into a forward lunge

moving through my daily morning routine of sun salutations 

every movement a prayer 

of gratitude and deepest surrender 

a wakening of the body 

a tingling of the senses

a reconnection with the Universe 

this movement

dynamic equilibrium 

running downhill on the slippery orange autumn slope 

running down into a small grove of young trees

but they are still older than I 

they seem to hold me 

as I run down into their embrace

laughing at the cold wind bumping against my chest 

this week we studied the respiratory system 

I feel my breath flowing through my body 

I can see it interlacing with the breath of the rainbow-colored trees 

at the bottom of the hill, 

I fall to my knees

naturally curling myself into child position

a supine prayer position with my body curled into a turtle shape

my heart flat against the Earth

I breathe in and out 

deeply inhaling the autumnal sweetness of the Earth

and exhaling the heat of my own breath into the damp leaves below me 

and the rain falls down 

in fat droplets that saturate my spine 

and penetrate to my core

sending leaves raining down

like all the rainbows fluttering forth 

to blanket me in natural beauty

raindrops bouncing off the rainbow leaves below me

the sound of a zillion small drums dancing 

rhythmically pulsing 

with the beating of my heart

heavy against the forest floor 

fast from running 

and faster from pure 

delight

exhale, exhale, exhale

in dance class

Teacher Wu taught us how to fly 

the secret is in the exhale 

when you leap into the air

leap on an exhale

allow the wind to grab you

spin you around

in acupuncture class 

Teacher Zeng taught us how to 

send energy while setting our own energetic boundaries 

setting needles into our patients

on the exhale 

perineum held tight

root chakra, mula bandha in yoga

exhale, exhale, exhale

Igor guides me around the trees

punching me over and over, 

in our systema martial arts practice 

exhale with each punch 

let it go 

let it fall away 

exhaling to fly

exhaling to establish boundaries

exhaling to relax into it all

do the autumn leaves also

exhale 

as they 

let go

from the trees that held them

so dear 

and 

f

a

l

l

to the

Earth? 

autumn leaf portraits

and,

t

he geese are flying south, honking across the sky!

fire in the woodstove 

soups and starches into the belly! 

autumn colors

this party is just beginning 

wrist 手腕

Here's my treatment progression for my wrist since I've been here at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine

(the back-story is that I fractured my wrist seven years ago, went through a (failed) surgery last year to take out the metal inside, got cut open again due to infection, and am now dealing with arthritic-type pain, numbing and tingling in my palm and fingers, and scar tissue. I hope that this herbal protocol will help provide useful information for anyone undergoing similar issues. besides the listed protocols, I am also practicing yoga and physical therapy exercises daily, and have maintain an active lifestyle and whole foods vegetarian diet) 

initially, i rubbed my wrist morning and night with just castor (Ricinus communis)  oil

the thickness of the oil felt good to rub into my scar tissue, but didn't do much for nerve ennervation. it was warming and nice, and probably would have helped reduce scar tissue after some time. 

after my initial consultation with 7song, I changed to treatment with horse chestnut (aesculus hippocastanum) infused olive oil, with a dash of cayenne-infused oil, and essential oils of wintergreen and clary sage. 

horse chestnut helps improve venous tone. 

7song hoped that the horse chestnut oil would help improve circulation through my wrist, arm, and hand

he wanted to focus on reducing swelling in my fingers, and restoring sensation 

well, either the horse chestnut was helpful, or it was lymph drainage therapy

I had dinner with friends, including Karianna's mama, who is an occupational therapist. 

she performed lymph drainage (her own style of it) on my wrist, hand, and arm as we sat around talking after eating

I looked down after a while, and was surprised to see my fingers and wrist reduced to half their original size (swelling had reduced dramatically) 

after going home, and all the way until now, the effects from that treatment have mostly maintained (I also perform some basic lymph drainage on myself)

7song also suggested hydrotherapy: infusing my wrist/hand in alternating hot and cold water. but, it is inconvenient for me to do this living in my camp-like environment, so i haven't been using this treatment, though I imagine it would be helpful

I rubbed on arnica (Arnica montana), St Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum), and calendula (Calendula officinalis) infused in olive oil for about a month. 

this treatment smoothed out the top and bottom of the long scar quite a bit, so that now just the center is raised up with scar tissue

during the arnica- st johnswort- calendula treatment time, Larry also performed some therapeutic massage (Swedish, chigong, etc integrated modalities) that helped reduce tension and repattern my shoulder and wrist

I just changed to using castor oil, St johnswort (Hypericum perforatum), and vitamin E oil 

primarily to reduce scar tissue 

with the weather getting colder, I am also wearing a band around my wrist to keep it warm (otherwise it gets sore from the cold) 

will probably add cayenne (Capsicum annuum) back into the oil mix, to keep circulation flowing 

some future topical experiments/ treatment protocols I will try: 

comfrey leaf (Symphytum officinale), gotu kola (Centella asiatica), helichyrsum essential oil, cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum)

St johnswort as a creme has also been nourishing and helpful 

suggestions, input, etc welcome! 

thanks for reading 

What next?

Hello! 

(A summary first, for those who don't have time to read the whole thing: 

I finish my herbal apprenticeship in December, and am considering next steps. I am currently considering two possibilities: (1) massage school (2) graduate school studies in clinical somatic-psychology. What do you think about these ideas? Do you have other ideas? I want to continue my healthcare studies, and integrate my previous studies. Do you have suggestions for good schools? Do you know someone I can talk with about these fields? Have scholarship ideas? THANKS!) 

Love, Jiling

--- 

for my Chinese friends (English folks, you can skip this part): 

(念中文的朋友， 你們好！我學期快結束了。我在考錄下一步做什麼。 我想要繼續學治療技術。 有一天， 我想要住在小城外， 森林中或山上， 做某一種治療師和老師。 我現在在考錄學按摩（便按摩師，六個月的課程）或是去研究所學心理學（2-3年）。 你有什麼想法？ 感恩) 

---

and now, for the long English version... 

---

Dear friends, 

I hope that this autumn Harvest Moon finds you happy, healthy, and thriving on all levels. Happy Moon Festival! 

It's been a while since my last email-update. I've been busy here in Ithaca studying herbal medicine with 7song (we work 6 days a week). (I am learning so much!) My apprenticeship finishes in December. I want to continue my studies. I am considering my next steps. I value your experiences and thoughts, and would love to hear your ideas and input! 

I want to continue my healthcare-related studies to help people lead healthy happy lives. And, I'm aiming toward (finally) settling down (where?) and creating a home (somewhere fitting)... which means, 

finding/creating a job/lifestyle that supports me financially/otherwise, effectively utilizes my innate/developing gifts/skills, and gives back to my community.  (Got ideas?) (Longterm Home ideas are also appreciated)

I also want to put the herbal/clinical knowledge and skills that I've learned this year into practice. I'm unsure what form that will take. 

I will continue teaching yoga and continuing running that thread as well. 

And, dancing. 

Now, the questions of where to, and what next. 

We just returned from our final fieldtrip of the year, to Equinox Botanicals in Ohio, a gorgeous herbal farm, neighboring a rare plants sanctuary. I'm super inspired right now (from this farm, and various other amazing places I've seen around the USA and Asia), to one day create a solid home somewhere on the edge of a progressive town and surrounded by forest or mountain... and cultivate longterm relationships with local plants and people. I would love to teach, and have a clinical practice too. 

Some possible next steps for me: 

- Massage school. I am currently looking into the Arizona School of Integrated Studies (ASIS) and/or the Finger Lakes School of Massage (FLSM- in Ithaca, NY). I've been inspired by all the various massage therapists I've lived/worked/played with through the years, and have been contemplating this for a while. I But, I am unsure about whether my wrist would be an impediment to this work. I wonder about the long-term implications of working as a massage practitioner, on my own body. I wonder about practicing massage in Taiwan, too. (I would love to spend at least a month each year in Taiwan.) 

- Graduate school for somatic psychology. But, I am worried about the cost of going to school, and wonder whether I can really commit to school for 2-3 solid years. I don't like the idea of taking out loans. Know any schools with clinical psychology (preferably integrative/ alternative/ somatic) programs that have teaching assistantship, research, or other work-study/scholarship options? 

- Another school for studying herbal medicine? But I wonder about the receptivity to herbal medicine here in the USA, and know that it's difficult to make a living as an herbalist. I would prefer to have something more solid/accepted as my primary form of work, and weave herbalism into that. 

- Acupuncture school? I keep going back to that idea but am primarily unsure, because I have bad memory and know that I would really struggle with memorizing all the necessary things to know for Chinese medicine. Also, I personally do not enjoy needles places into my body. But, I find it effective for other people, and am fascinated by it. 

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing your input! 

Enjoy the autumn. 

Oh, and I would love to hear your life updates as well. 

Blessings,

Jiling 

PS- And now for some freeform thoughts (aka. stream of consciousness- read or not... doesn't matter. I have too many thoughts, and here's some): 

- My climbing accident in 2006 really changed my life. I live with physical pain. It's a teacher, and indicator. After my second wrist surgery, the most helpful treatments have been herbal medicine and massage. That's partly why I studied herbal medicine this year. After experimenting with so many different healthcare modalities after my surgery, I came to realize that there is no "best" modality. What's best is for me to study and work with what works best for me, and what I personally just like best. Thus, herbs! I am considering massage as my next course of studies, partially because it was so helpful to me after my surgery. And why psychology? Because our minds are so complex and fascinating, and I want to better understand myself and others too, to know how to help best. 

- I've been exposed to a variety of clinics by now. Most colorfully coming to mind are these: the mobile clinic in the Himalayan villages with homeopathic doctor Spero sitting on the dirt floor surrounded by super tanned mountain folk with a variety of ailments; the acupuncture clinic of the old medicine woman in Kathmandu, Nepal with all tables filled with needled patients; my acupuncture teacher Zeng's backroom clinic with two tables always with patients and surrounded by students with notebooks; 7song's free clinic here in Ithaca, the little pink room with glass bottles of tinctures and plastic bags filled with dried herbs one patient at a time with our full attention; the hospitals with their white walls and stressed out staff; the big tarp shelter clinic at the Rainbow Gathering this year with dirty barefoot hurt people walking in; Teacher Wu's energy medicine chigong clinic in the middle of metropolitan Taichung with the constant drone of humming cupping pumps and people sitting around stuck full of needles and light night dancing chigong practice, energy work practitioner with arms weaving over rows of people lying on the ground; my friend and teacher Tofu's beautiful mountain clinic in the middle of his small but cute Taiwan home with his efficient herbal-needling-bodywork integrative techniques; Teacher Huang's two story Chinese medicine treatment center with clinic on the main floor and the biggest apothecary I've yet seen in the base floor... and on and on... not making a point about anything here. Just, filled with thoughts, inspiration, and gratitude. 

PPS- I haven't talked about it in this email, but you can read about it in my blog. Herb school this year has been amazing. I am learning so much about plant medicine, botany, the human body, clinical skills, etc. It's my first time in such a long focused program since college (8 years back), and I am adoring it. Thus, my desire for continued education. I will write more about herb school at some other point, but really I don't think I can sum it up. I've been trying to write weekly... now changed to monthly... in my blog, about what I am learning. Check it out, if you're interested! Pretty blog pictures, too. And now, back to autumn harvests. :) Be well! 

(photos of transition: (1) caterpillar crossing the road in Ohio (2) waxing moon, view from Ohio (3) one of my favorite mushroom friends in the forest, bursting free of the tree roots in front of my cabin door)