This week we meditated on Yuǎn zhì, 遠志, Chinese snakeroot, Polygala tenuifolia.  Pre-Meditation This herb tastes a little like celery. We found it to be earthy and slightly spicy. It felt warming inthe throat and chest and hydrating.    Meditation 1  Energy: refreshing, revitalizing like "splashing water in the face", stable/grounding. The plant scanned from chest down to left foot, stayed at first chakra, which eventually started to spin.  Physical: cleared some congestion, dried out the chest Prompts: energy to mouth, urging to get thoughts out verbally Elements that came to mind: water, earth Meditation 2 Energy: The plant scanned down my right leg this time (as if to say it was not imbalanced or incomplete!). Said my knees were doing good and I should be grateful (because many have trouble with them). More calming and quiet this time. Feels practical and pleasant. Physical: Energy came to head, I got a headache--when this happens, it told me to put my energy in the first chakra to feel better. Released more congestion, having no coughing. "I was coughing beforehand and not since taking the tea."  Summary and Traditional Use Snakeroot is used for respiratory conditions, in particular, coughs (TWH and TCM). In Traditional Western herbalism this refers to croup and violent colds (M Wood, Earthwise Herbal: New World, Polygala senega), in TCM P. tenuifolia for counterflow coughs and lung deficiency. This herb removes phlegm from the lungs and the heart orifices. Phlegm in the heart is related to mental health disturbances in TCM. This can be caused by long term spleen deficiency. This herb calms the spirit, or heart shen--this can improve anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, and emotional outburts. The mouth is related to the spleen in Chinese medicine, which is exacerbated by worry (excessive forethought is one definition) and speach is related to the heart. Expressing one's joy (emotion of the heart) supports/generates the spleen. If we are overly restrained, suppressing the heart it could damage the spleen. Yuǎn zhì is also used to improve cognitive functioning, usually in the elderly. The way that it worked for the headache reminded me of the use of tamasic herbs in Ayurvedic medicine to bring energy out of the head and to the lower energy centers to address injury to the head.  In Native medicine (Seneca, Cherokee, Iroquois, and presumably more) the root of Polygala senega was chewed and applied to rattle snake bites. I am working on a book and am exploring snake medicines and the connection with the spleen. During this plant meditation the connection between this plant, snake, spleen (practical, earthy, mouth) came up. It discussed its ability to ground and using energetic grounding techniques. While these are related more towards my exploration of grounding the kundalini, the association with managing snake bites feels very relavant. I am not finding much information on the efficacy of snakeroot for bites, but apparently settlers did not see Indigenous people dying of snake bites.  Invitation Do you have any experience with this herb? Please share in the comments below. If not, would you like to try it and get back to us? If so contact us. 

Gem and Flower essences can help channel energy for your emotional, creative, and physical healing goals. Learn more in the video with herbalist Lily Michaud. Gem and flower essences are energetic medicines that do not contain any material substances, only water imprinted with the flower or gem and a preservative. I usually use the traditional preservative which is brandy. If you would like another option please comment below, or reach out. Shop our essence here:  https://brownbearherbs.com/collections/energetic-medicine

This week we meditated with Anaphalis margaritacea, of the Pacific Northwest coast. We took the tea of the flowers. Pre-Meditation, Taste, etc This is a mild tea, it has a neutral pleasant flavor. This is a little bit of a pungent or spicy undertone that is similar to yarrow.  It felt warming, a little dry.  We felt happier than normal after have a litte of the tea. It has a cheerful, uplifting vibe.  Meditation 1 I am just listing things as people described them.   -I harvested this by the Washington coast during an artist residency. The plant spoke a lot about its medicine in that context. I struggled with the mold there, it was very moldy in the lodgings. It said to take (as medicine) next time I went. It also said that seasoned visiters just leave the doors open for ventilation. It reminded me of how the medicine we need is often close at hand.  -The flowers are like alveolis (air sacs in the lungs).   -Energy moving in through the crown, out through the mouth. Face like a moon. Strong clear energy throughout my face. -Overall warming, slightly calming -Cheerful, feels like springtime -Had been feeling drained but now feeling more positive. I think I can be more centered in class/at work. -I fell asleep and dreamed I was spinning out of control, I jolted awake.  -I had a vision of the Disney intro with Tinkerbell and the shooting star. The fairie was doing the arc. A bomb dropped on the castle and it blew up the entire thing. Disney music was still playing.  -I saw a whistling Mickey Mouse but the image kept catching on fire. Meditation 2 -A couple people felt the taste was more bitter this time, especially on the side of the tongue.  -I saw nothing, and counldn't keep my eyes closed. -I feel a pattern of emotional stress in my brain, pinging back and forth. I understand the underlying cause now. It is from outside myself. It is not mine. The herb lets me know I can be calm now. The kind of calm I wanted to be as a child, but, now in my home, it will be better. I will set the tone. I feel healed and like I don't have to worry about that pattern that felt outside my control. It also said my sound sensitivity I have been experiencing is not mine either. I can let it go. I can be a calm stable person and it will help those in my house. The person the symptoms are coming from will understand things are safe in my house. Then I felt my skull filled with clear white light.  -The first cup was uplifting, a little bit better mood. The second calmed me down, smoothing frayed edges. It was nice and restorative. Summary and Traditional Use This was a really pleasant plant meditation, we were definitely in good spirits, the energy was light! This plant has a few other names, these are from Matthew Wood's Earthwise Herbal; A Complete Guide to New World Medicinal Plants: Rabbit tobacco--rabbits are said to hang out near it and use it to commune with their creator Owl's crown--this plant has a relationship with the dead, owl is messenger to the underworld--"this herb is used when the dead need to get a message to the living and cannot get through." Sweet everlasting--its scent lasts a long time even when the life has gone out of the flowers Physically it is primarily known as a lung remedy for flus, asthma, and sinusitis. Based on this meditation, use in mold situations is also indicated Used for congenital weakness including celiac disease and other autoimmune disorders. Excessive bleeding. Migraines. This is considered a lucky herb. In past work with it, issues around homes came up. It says "honor both the good and bad that has gone before" in spaces. I feel that gratitude is an aspect of its luck. After meditation this time, I was feeling into the things around homes that came up again. I thought of how both the lungs (commonly used for lung issues) and brain (specific for migraine) are inside house-like bone structures. Even though the lungs breath in everything, they are also protected from object interactions in their rib cage. The brain is very protected in its skull. This also relates to spaces where it is difficult to make a connection. I feel this herb has an affiinity towards homes and home-like spaces. Things can become stagnant in enclosed spaces and this herb gets things flowing properly.  The lungs are associated with grief. So its work with the beyond--communicating and clearing relationship entanglements makes sense. Congenital problems relate to ancestral bodies...that can be another area where releasing past entanglements (for better and for worse) can alter health. I have definitely seen long term health problems resolve with a change in consciousness.  I had the feeling that it was bringing awareness and a sense of space around areas of tension. Maybe also appreciation. There seemed to be a better sense of boundaries and "self-ness" around frustrating situations. For example, if you felt suffocated, or overwhelmed by a situation, but then you realize that your lungs are safe in their home, or your brain is safe in its space, it is a different feeling. It is a feeling of being in your own space even if you are interacting with others. How does this herb change luck? I find magical herbs can be illusive. In this case, the herb helped us have more awareness of the problems and, thereby. releasing us into a centered space. I think it has something to do with witnessing what needed to be seen, but the herb was also seemed to be doing other work to shift things. Like a ghost, the underworld, or just stuff being stuffed down, these things want to be seen, they want to come to light. So often with past life memories becoming conscious, a dis-ease can be released. I feel this herb works in a similar way, but previous meditations have taught me it is not always necessary to understand the process--it is important to honor the past or the validity of other energies at play.  I am not sure what to say about the Disney stuff--the innoncent entertainment of childhood being blown up or set on fire. It feels like something a sociopath would do, taking pleaures in hurting someone innocent. It definitly could have some ties to the underworld energies. Whatever it is, it helps for that energy to be shared or seen, because there are those that hurt children for pleasure in this world. They won't go away by ignoring them. Invitation This is such a curious herb to me. I find it effective but mysterious. Have you worked with this plant medicine? If so please share in the comments below.

In this video I discuss all our herbal smoking blends and their many uses! All herbs are organic or wildcrafted. Our five currently available smoking blends--Take it Easy, Gentle & Protective, Sexy Smokes, Clear Mind, and Astral in Body--are in our sampler pack:    

This videos discusses Brown Bear Herbs' gem and flower essence Addiction Recovery Support. It contains the energies of flowers and gemstones to promote a consciousness-shift approach to releasing addictions.    

Let this video on darkness, shadow, and healthy sexuality be a reminder to please freaking vote for Kamala, and vote blue in general. Our sanity cannot afford to lose reproductive choice. Let's clear our trauma (with the help of Sexy Smokes), do our emotional work (plenty more herbal allies will help), and walk forward into a more equal, progressive future. F-off to geriatric hypocrites who accost women and benefit from sex work while trying to control our bodies and diminish our human rights. With passion, Lily