February 2018 newsletter

Late Winter Viruses
"The present period of unprecedented ecological change and the growing economic and social crises that are driving vast movements of hosts are together contributing to the resurgence of old pests and the appearance of new ones. Important components in this rapid evolution are the vulnerabilities of ecosystems and the instabilities in climate."
     -Paul Epstein - Emerging Diseases and Ecosystem Instability: New Threats to Public Health

We are seeing unprecedented climate change and environmental degradation as the corporate industrial economic model ramps up natural resource extraction and ignores associated waste pollution. Ask anyone age 60 and older about the environmental changes they have seen just in their lifetime. The pristine streams and oceans I played in as a child are now toxic and to be avoided. On the surface it appears the same as before, nothing looks different but the changes are on a micro and macro scale. This is not just about species extinction, which does occur naturally, but about short-term irreversible pollution of our Mother Earth. 

Couple those massive changes with degradation of our food and drinking water, wholesale ingestion of pharmaceutical drugs, mass human migration across large geographic areas,and human caused climate change and we are presented with serious day to day health challenges. We can look no further than this winter's influenza outbreak that has resulted in numerous deaths and weaknesses. ​​

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January/February 2018 Newsletter View this email in your browser 1500 5th Street Unit #6, Santa Fe, NM (505) 820-6321 Medicine Circle Newsletter Late Winter - Early Spring January/February 2018 Late Winter Viruses "The present period of unprecedented ecological change and the growing economic and social crises that are driving vast movements of hosts are together contributing to the resurgence of old pests and the appearance of new ones. Important components in this rapid evolution are the vulnerabilities of ecosystems and the instabilities in climate."      -Paul Epstein - Emerging Diseases and Ecosystem Instability: New Threats to Public Health We are seeing unprecedented climate change and environmental degradation as the corporate industrial economic model ramps up natural resource extraction and ignores associated waste pollution. Ask anyone age 60 and older about the environmental changes they have seen just in their lifetime. The pristine streams and oceans I played in as a child are now toxic and to be avoided. On the surface it appears the same as before, nothing looks different but the changes are on a micro and macro scale. This is not just about species extinction, which does occur naturally, but about short-term irreversible pollution of our Mother Earth.  Couple those massive changes with degradation of our food and drinking water, wholesale ingestion of pharmaceutical drugs, mass human migration across large geographic areas,and human caused climate change and we are presented with serious day to day health challenges. We can look no further than this winter's influenza outbreak that has resulted in numerous deaths and weaknesses.  One of the interesting processes that we experience in running a herb store is the ongoing interaction with the public regarding health imbalances and outbreaks. About 5 years ago I noticed that winter flu symptoms increased in intensity and the manifestations of the flu/colds changed rapidly. Outdoor temperatures began to fluctuate quickly from warm to cold, humidity levels decreased dramatically in winter while people became "hyperinteractive"; like, who stays home if they feel sick, who is there to nurture the sick ones, who knows what foods, herbs, and calming remedies to administer at the right time. More and more people have come into the herb store while actively sick with the flu, asking for help and yet unable to calm down enough to stay home and heal.  This year has been no different. Numerous people have experienced a double dose of flu and increasing amounts of pneumonia. My goal for next cold season is to prepare herb kits that people can have at home before flu season.  But for now I have compiled a short list of essential herbs to combat the ongoing flu and late winter colds: 1. Lomatium - Also called desert parsley, lomatium is a relative botanically of Osha, another important remedy. Best taken in tincture form, highly active against upper respiratory viral infections, works well if combined with red root, echinacea, osha root, and licorice root. 2. Osha root - Our well-known antiviral from the Rocky Mountains, treats respiratory infections and also is a must for prevention.  The aromatic compounds are released when ingested, the breathe releases viral agents out from the lungs and prevents their attachment to the lungs. My favorite effective treatment is to chew on a small piece of the root during the winter and especially when in contact with large numbers of sick people (movie theatres and airplanes). 3. Elephant Tree - A relative of Myrrh, it is our desert variety which is high in resinous compounds that are anti-inflammatory, disperse mucous buildup, and expectorate. Also best taken in tincture form. 4. Pleurisy Root - abundant and related to Inmortal root, Pleurisy root or butterfly weed helps to expectorate mucous and infections from the lung walls and heal the pleura or lung lining when in the hot, active stage of infection. 5. Cayenne - Capsicum in its many forms, is warming, dispersing, important in maximizing blood circulation throughout the body, especially the lungs and heart areas. Chile releases infections through the breathe and through the skin through sweating (diaphoresis). It is always best to sweat then stay wrapped up as perspiration is cooling and we want to keep the internal heat active while not creating a chill.  Herbs that I find particularly helpful at the flu's onset are Yarrow and Pennyroyal (not in pregnancy).  They help push the infection through the skin and release toxins from the liver/gallbladder. Sweating and staying home to rest are a must. CLASSES AT MILAGRO HERBS Herbs for Healthy Brain Function (Tuesday February 13, 2018, 6-7:30PM) A look at plants that support mental acuity, memory, creativity, motivation and perhaps provide an important key to fend off cognitive or motor function difficulties, attributed to disorders such as Alzheimer's and ADHD.     Cost:  $15 + tax Class limited to 12 people Healing Emotions with Essential Oils (Tuesday February 20, 12-2pm) Highly effective with very little, we will explore common emotional ailments and the oils to use, how to use, and for how long. A very interactive and lively subject! Cost: $20 + tax Class limited to 12 people Foundations of Western Herbalism (Wednesdays 6-8:30pm, Feb 21 - March 28, 2018 and Saturday March 31 10am-4:00PMpm) This classroom and field experience combination will introduce and broaden students' knowledge and understanding of using plants for creating balance and wellness in their life. Throughout these six classroom sessions and one field experience, we will explore plant medicines through folkloric traditions as well as contemporary medical herbalism. The classroom format includes: hands on medicine making labs, lectures, handouts and discussion. Topics covered are: roots of herbal medicine, terminology, how to use herbs, plant identification, plant actions and energetics, medicine making (water extracts, alcohol tinctures, oils, honeys, salves), formulations, ethical wild-crafting/collection, plant processing and care. Cost: Foundations class:  $225.00 + tax (Limited to 10 participants) Herbs in the Field Camping Experience (April 19-22, 2018) Join us for this plant medicine pilgrimage as we explore spring in the upper Chihuahuan Desert. For four days and three nights we will carpool/caravan and camp spending time at various locations with each night offering hot spring soaking opportunities. Besides plant identification and their medicinal uses we will also explore: ethical wild-crafting, herbal first aid, collecting, plant care and processing as well as medicine making in the field. Students should have a basic understanding of herbalism and be comfortable and self-sufficient camping with minimal amenities. A "what to bring list" and ride sharing will be available upon registration. Cost: Herbs in the Field Experience:  $335.00 + tax (Limited to 10 participants) Cost: Combined with Foundations Course:   $515.00  + tax PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL CLASSES For more information or to register, contact Milagro Herbs at (505) 820-6321 or www.milagroschoolofherbalmedicine.com Also in the planning for this Spring are classes on: Making Spring Tonics, Building Raised Garden Beds for Herbs, Intuition and Plant Medicine.  One of our goals is to continue to build a herbal community in New Mexico and that includes native food potlucks and herb walks!  NEW! NEW! NEW! DoTERRA ESSENTIAL OILS We now carry over twenty (and counting) DoTerra essential oils, including several of the oil blends DoTerra has made famous. These include: Balance (for calming and grounding), Breathe (for respiratory health), Aromatouch (soothing and relaxing), Citrus Bless (Uplifting), Serenity (great for relaxing massage), Digest Zen (soothes the tummy), and Serenity (Peace and Well-Being). Please visit our retail store to purchase DoTerra or you may order directly from our website (which includes a much larger selection of oils as well as many other body care products and gifts). Go to www.mydoterra.com/MilagroHerbs. Select join and save, then join DoTerra. Select "wholesale customer" or "wellness advocate" (advocate is for those who wish to sell DoTerra themselves). Then enter their information and payment info.  If you would like to know more about DoTerra or essential oils in general please join us for An ESSENTIAL OIL class on Tuesday, February 20th, 12-2 pm at Milagro Store, located at 1500 Fifth Street, Santa Fe, NM. Class limited to 12  people ($5 cost).  For more information or to register contact Milagro Herbs at 505-820-6321 or www.milagroschoolofherbalmedicine.com Foundation of Herbal Medicine Program for 2018 Herbal Certification Course Starts April 17, 2018. We are re-designing our upcoming Foundations of Herbal Medicine Program to include ongoing intensives and laboratory studies in medicine making, therapeutics, diagnostics, field botany, and more. Contact Tomas at 505-820-6321 for more information and applications or get more details at www.milagroschoolofherbalmedicine.com. Our focus has always been hands-on, practical, informative, bioregional, multicultural, and holistic. 250 hours of pure herb learning you take anywhere in the world. We need more herbalists and community health workers as our modern medical system continues to become unaffordable, erratic, and irresponsible. Become a herbalist, a skill you can use for a lifetime. Level II - Foundations of Herbalism! Starting in May we will offer more intensive classes for students who have graduated from Level I classes. Including clinical work, in-store herb training herbal skin care formulating, conservation biology/herbology, field trips, and first aid.  Limit to 12 people. Call us at 505-820-6321 or email us at info@milagroherbs.com for the details including dates, times, and how to enroll. The Ethnobotanist Beat Propolis There are a number of products that come from beehives which have been studied, including propolis, the resinous substance the insects use to glue the materials of their hives together by combining beeswax and other secretions with resins from the buds of poplar and conifer trees. This substance has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for healing wounds and relieving a host of ailments ranging from itching and acne to tuberculosis, osteoporosis and even cancer. Recent findings have confirmed its powerful abilities against many harmful pathogens as well as multiple healing benefits, thanks to its proven antiseptic and antibiotic effects, along with potent anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. The propolis we sell at Milagro Herbs is locally harvested in an area with juniper, pinon pine, and cottonwood trees.  These resins are ideal for combating seasonal allergies, viral infections like flu, colds, infections, candida overgrowth, mouth inflammations and sore, eczema, and psoriasis.  We find it most digestible in tincture form due to the resin content that needs to be broken down for our stomachs. As a maintenance dose 20-30 drops twice per day is ideal. Propolis can be used as a mouthwash after brushing. As juniper allergies accelerate this spring, starting in early February, consider taking Propolis to boost your body's immune system. It is actively anti-histamine, which reduces nasal congestion and throat soreness.   Extracting propolis from beehives is labor intensive as it is sticky and also contains ingredients that are in the hive such as pollen and honey. It must be scraped from the corners with a tool and then dried and separated from unwanted material. This material protects bees from infections and protects the hive from outside invaders (immune system). Resins have been proven to be strongly antiviral and immunoprotective. In particular propolis assists the lungs in preventing infecting agents from adhering to the sensitive pleura lining the respiratory tract.  Many traditional cultures around the world chewed the propolis gum to protect the mouth from infection and tighten the associated tissue of the respiratory tract. 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