This week we will be meditating on an unknown herb of traditional Western herbalism. The reveal date on your pouch should match the date on the post—10/10 (a Thursday!).  Meditate and share your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual observations in the comments.  A summary will appear here when I reveal the herb. If you would like to join in, we'd love to have you. Check it out here.  Some areas of observation during your meditation and the day/days thereafter: -bodily changes (physical) -energetic shifts -mood/attitude changes -thoughts that arise that aren’t things you normally would think about (like you might normally be thinking about cooking dinner (so skip sharing that), but after taking the plant, you are also thinking about an old relationship and felt remorse, or forgiveness, or new awareness—share that) -images that come to mind -songs that come to mind -messages and/or phrases and their meaning to you if not the same for everyone

Gégēn, also known as kudzu and arrowroot, is a widely available herb that has been traditionally used to help with alcohol abuse, overeating, and some of their physical impacts. It can be helpful for many conditions with deep underlying emotional reasons for the behavior. This plant has many other uses including for other health issues, as well as crafting and cooking.  Read more about Gégēn here on the plant meditation blog post.

This week we meditated with bitter root, kū shēn, 苦参, Sopharae Flavesentis, an herb of Chinese Classical Medicine. Pre Meditation Bitter!!!! I am guessing this herb is high in alkaloids. It tastes a little milder than Calea Zacatechichi (to give both a little perspective). It is very intense.  Meditation 1 Me: I feel activated on the left side of my brain. The question is, "If you are having trouble with this side of your brain, what happens with the other side?" The other side becomes enhanced and functions better.  My daughter: I had a vision, there were some sticks, like the kind for stirring paint. They were wrapped in wool and people were pouring gasoline on them and burning them. I was seeing a lot of smoke and flames.  Meditation 2 Me: I felt a lot of stimulation in my head/brain. It started on the left side, moved across the bridge of my nose (but also within but in the area), and continued to move. It was very stimulating and motivating. My daughter: There was looked like a leaf. From the stem to the tip, a bunch of black, rotting decay was growing up it. Somebody lit the top of the leave on fire, the tip, and it was burning. I was upset about it. I then fell asleep.  Summary and Traditional Use Kū shēn is commonly used topically to heal a wide variety of skin conditions. The image above shows kū shēn (top central with peas in pods to the left) with a variety of other cosmetic herbs. It usually treats damp, hot, itchy (wind), sometimes drainging sores, which includes eczema, boils, scabies, fungal infections, some sexually transmitted infections, and more skin issues that are hot, damp, and itchy. The images of fire, give a feeling for the energy that kū shēn helps pacify. Topically it is typically prepared as an infusion or used in vinegar.  The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica (Wilms, 2017, p184) lists this herb as non-toxic. One source noted this was a toxic herb and to be used externally. Other bitter herbs (such as blue vervain) are also catergorized in this way, however due to how bitter kū shēn and blue vervain are (not the only two examples) it is unlikely anyone could stomach drinking enough to have problems with toxicity. That said, use with caution. It can cool the body/clear heat through urination. Internally it is also used for jaundice, dysentary (perhaps Alyssa's experience with the stomach ache, was showing this presentation), and cystitis (cooling through urination). The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica, also indicates this herb is good for stopping lingering dripping after urination and stops tearing. It also brightens the eyes. The eyes (in Chinese medicine) and jaundice and related to the liver and wind. Wind is related to neurological functioning. So that may explain the healing that I felt in my head/brain. I am also having some dripping issues which may be related. At any rate, this herb is a strong medicine that should be used with care for conditions that do have a strong heat component. It is contraindicated when there is a cold spleen or deficient stomach.  Invitation Have you worked with ku shen before? If so please share below. If you haven't used it yet, consider trying it for your next damp, hot, oozing skin condition (lol, hopefully that will never happen, but just in case!), and let us know what happens.

In this video, I talk about the herbs in Clear Mind herbal smoking blend and how they can support your mental health. Spearmint, gotu kola, linden, and mullein work together to give, what users report as, a greater sense of peace, mental clarity, and relief from anxiety and ADHD symptoms. To me it has post-yoga class vibes. Try Clear Mind when you want to get zen, do creative work, or for greater ease do not-so-creative, but necessary, mental work. 

We offer our smokes in classic (with little messages on our color-coded crutches), filtered, and roll your own (great for pipe and tea too). I like them all for different situations:  A classic sampler pack is my favorite for meeting up with friends:       Whether you are trying to quit tobacco, or looking for a safer leisure, social, or ceremonial smoke, Brown Bear Herbs is here for you. We have several smoking blends that contain no additives, no CBD, no THC, no nicotine, no tobacco--indeed, nothing but organic and/or safely wildcrafted herbs. Find our Classic and Filtered packs here: https://brownbearherbs.com/collections/herbal-smoking-blends Find our Roll Your Own pouches for rollies, pipe smoking, and tea here:  https://brownbearherbs.com/collections/roll-your-own-smoking-blends

Take it Easy herbal smoking blend that I formulated to support folx during the early stages of tobacco withdrawal. The herbs in this blend are organic mullein, lobelia, skullcap, catnip, and rose. This blend is also good for work breaks and work frustration, and can be helpful for headaches related to neck issues.