Turning over a new leaf...

Well, not really so new.  Herbalism has been alive and well in my world for many years.  As I continued my tasteebites.blogspot.com from my new locale in Petaluma (Sonoma County), I couldn't help but notice I was leaving a lot out (which explains why my posts have been few and far between).    I found myself wanting to write about the Red Clover I harvested from the pristine hills behind my house, and the Wild Oats that kept calling out to me, the Amole Lily sprawling amidst the grasses; and just yesterday, the first ripe Milk Thistle of the year. 

So, welcome to my new blog, a glimpse into another part of my world, a part that at times will intersect with the food and drink; as plants, medicine, food, drink are all one in the same, right?  But first, here's a little background so you realize I haven't completely turned "hippy" on you.

I started my foray into herbal medicine many years ago after graduating from U.C. Berkeley with a degree in Biology.  Western medicine had always seemed so limited and reductionistic to me: the proverbial "magic bullet" approach of treating disease and ails as if they could be conquered and destroyed, as if they weren't a symptom of a greater imbalance, but existing as separate entities from the whole of our bodies'.  Western medicine doesn't speak to pre-disease processes, constitutional imbalances that if left unnoticed, uncharted, may result in a full blown case of fill-in-the-blank.

I'm not saying there is not a place for western medicine.  We would be screwed without emergency rooms, epi-pens, bone splints and the like.  There is another world out there though, a gentler, more fragrant, and more subtle way to approach most ails.  There is room for both.

After working in restaurants for many years, commuting to the city, dealing with customers whose knowledge of herbs consists of the cleavers they are picking out of their trail running shoes, or the welts they have on their calves after biking too close to a stand of wild nettles, I am relieved to be reawakened to my original self around like-minded individuals who don't balk at the idea of using herbs to alleviate mild ails or support our stressed out bodies and minds. 

As with all writings about herbalism and herbal medicine, I caution against using my ramblings as medical advise.  Before I ingest an herb or use it in a potion or tincture, I research its uses on the internet and in herbal manuals that I own.  I use my intuition as a guide.   I am not a medical doctor, nor purport to know all the ins and outs of each herbal constituent, nor contraindications with other herbs and western medicines.  Herbal medicine is not a replacement for traditional therapies for full blown disease processes, but a gentle means to coax our bodies' into balance, mediate and provide comfort for mild illnesses that come up every now and again.

My main reference source for western herbalism comes from the incredible writings of Michael Moore in his numerous books which include:  Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West, Medicine Plants of the Mountain West, Medicine Plants of the Desert and Canyon West (all from Museum of New Mexico Press).   Mr. Moore (who I never met by the way) died in February 2009, but his teachings live on through his many proteges.  Here in the SF Bay Area, Adam Seller at the Pacific School of Herbal Medicine in Oakland is a fountain of knowledge and responsible for my plunge into the world of western herbalism back in the mid 1990's.  Having a background in science and medicine myself, these two individuals resonate with me, as their deep knowledge of physiological workings of the body gives me a corporeal foundation from which I can then explore the magic and spirituality of these wonderful plants.