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

Outdoor Community Acupuncture

• Outdoor Community Acupuncture on Saturday, September 26. 11 AM- 12 noon, at The Pharm (1899 E Main. Ventura, CA)
• $25. Limited space. SIGN UP here!
• More information at JilingLin.com

Mount Giraud & Motivation

I free-fall 40 feet, fracturing the crisp Sierra Nevada air. Bouncing and rolling down another 400 feet over rock and ice, I mar the tranquil alpine tundra with bones and blood. Somehow, I live. “What will you do with your one wild precious life?” whispers the landscape.

I quit my job and travel across the US and Asia, discovering myself through the world around me. I experience deep pain, wonder, confusion, and clarity. I guide wilderness trips, gaining grace and confidence. “I’m doing this for you,” I smile, “and me.”

I return to Mount Giraud three times, finally summiting its austere 12,608 foot beauty. I sit atop what transformed my life, gazing down, grateful. Again, “What will you do with your one wild precious life?”

I return to my roots and practice Chinese medicine, providing quality holistic healthcare with the same curiosity and respect as I’d approached Giraud. Wilderness experiences invigorate my embodied understanding of life, and the body. Nature bolsters classical Chinese medical theory, strengthens my clinical logic and intuition, and enlivens profound metaphors for explaining complex concepts and crafting well-rounded treatment plans.

I ground my busy professional life by digging in my garden, and exploring wild places inaccessible by car. On longer adventures, I challenge both constructed and actual physical and mental limitations, gracefully honoring what’s unchangeable, and gently transforming more malleable boundaries. Through experience, I ask my patients, students, and community, “What will you do with your one wild precious life?”

JilingLin.com

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.

June backpacking poem

travel far

feet bare

heart open

reach out

arms wide

reach in

smiling

breathing

simply

walking

north or south?

listen

observe

the wind

moves me

in the right direction

i notice

and

respond

blistering heels

peeling skin

dry lips

water far,

but coming.

internal map,

I've been here before

shady Oaks

Sagebrush

sand.

Sycamores and Cottonwoods ahead

river sounds follow

leaping heart

running feet

gratitude

simple ways

beautiful life

i gather

gifts

to take home

for my

clinic, patients, friends, family, community,

self

Outdoor Adventures

Reaching for a right crimp while shaking and sweating, I slip on the cold smooth wall, and whip out over the triangular crag. Unseen and unheard, my climbing partner belays from above. Fingers scrabbling on uncompromising rock, I dangle under the overhang, swinging back and forth over the ocean. As the sun rapidly sets, I focus, clamber back onto the crux, zone in and, one deliberate move at a time, send it home.

Surfing the next day, the swell fills the horizon. I paddle into position, anticipating the surging wave. As I power through the pinkening pre-dawn water, I feel it push. I pop up, merging with the wave. I gaze down the line with single-focused present moment intent, body graceful, actions aligned, brilliantly alive.

I share this crystalline clarity and vibrant aliveness with the athletes, artists, and healthcare practitioners who I support through pain, trauma, and complex chronic conditions in my Earth-centered acupuncture and Chinese medicine practice. They know that my adventures hiking, backpacking, surfing, climbing, and traveling inspire my dedicated clinical focus, and their positive treatment results. The joys and challenges of wilderness adventures creates internal resilience in both me and my patients, inspiring love and understanding for our Earth, while empowering personal and environmental stewardship.

JilingLin.com

Health Resources

Here's a list of FREE online health resources that I often recommend:

Movement

Online Yoga

• Balanced Rock

• Ventura Fitness Collective

For Spinal Health

• Foundation Training (free videos here and here)

• Foam rolling

Fun

• Interplay

• Dance

• Facial guasha

Meditation

Podcasts

• Joseph Goldstein

• Tara Brach

Apps

• 10% Happier (free for essential workers)

• Headspace (free for unemployed workers)

Herbs

Learn more about Western Herbs

• my mentor 7song

• Mountain Rose Herbs

• Herb Rally

Purchase

• Organic seeds from Strictly Medicinals

• Herbal products from Mountain Rose Herbs

Music

• Relaxing Cafe Music

• Nature sounds with Lang Elliot's app

• Customize your listening experience with the noise- cancelling myNoise app

Celestial

• Sync your calendar with the solar system with Canton Becker or the New York Times

• Moon Calendar app

Happy summer!

Jiling

Jiling Lin, L.Ac. 林基玲

acupuncture . herbs . yoga

​JilingLin.com | 575.342.1050

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Yoga for Grounded Stability

Here's some of my favorite grounding yoga asanas... on the ground!

Legs up the Wall

- feel supported

- relax

- legs straight up, feet flexed or relaxed

- legs extended wide to the side, to open hips

- feet together, for wall- Butterfly: open hips

- surrender spine to the Earth

- arms to the sides, on belly, or overhead

- close eyes. Find ease.

Standing Forward Fold

- inhaling, lengthen your spine to actively draw yourself deeper into the stretch

- exhaling, release efforting, and welcome what arises: organic movement, a deepening

- feet together, or hip width distance apart

- release head, neck, and spine

- knees slightly bent, or bending and straightening one at a time

- hands to elbow creases (rag doll), shins, or under feet

- cascade forward, shifting weight between all edges of feet

- close eyes. Welcome.

Seated Forward Fold

- inhaling, lengthen forward

- exhaling, cascade down

- closing eyes, observe your inner landscape, and each full gift of breath and body

- feet flexed or pointed

- arms reaching forward, placed onto ground, or anywhere on legs, perhaps using a strap around the feet

- long spine, deep breath, surrender

Mountain

- root down through under the feet to the belly of the Earth

- root up through the crown of the head to the umbilicus of the Sky

- feel your humanity lengthening yet stable, holding yet free, sacred and special yet tiny and insignificant, suspended and supported, supporting and integral, between (and part of) Earth and Sky

- solid as a Mountain

- feet together or hip- width distance apart

- hands at heart center, or to the sides, palms facing forward

- eyes closed, or gently open, expansive panoramic vision

- rooted yet relaxed

Child’s Pose

- arms forward, or folded by your sides

- knees together, or apart

- surrender everything to the Earth

- inhaling, thank you

- exhaling, release

Tree

- one leg the trunk, the other leg the branch

- root your supporting foot down through three points of contact: heel, ball of pinky toe and big toe

- hips and shoulders square

- aligned integrity: root up, relax elsewhere: relax toes, face, breath, mind

- root down, to rise up

- center

Warrior 2

- directed energy, rooted, centered

- intentional breath, aligned actions, powerful

- front foot points forward, back foot parallels back of mat

- heel to heel, or heel to arch feet alignment

- stack front knee over ankle

- arms parallel Earth, shoulders externally rotating, palms down

- eyes gaze powerfully over front fingertips

JilingLin.com