Dear Yogis,

A holiday today, and the weather is fabulous – no holiday for me… I have had enough of lock-downs and days-away so now we are going back to “normal” you can have my holiday, I don’t want it.  It is a great time in the garden, and i can barely keep up with the harvest.

I have been making things with walnuts and sliced, dried Rieshi for the last month.  I have made NOCELLO which is walnut cured Vodka, Chinese medicinal wine using dried sliced reishi, VIN DE NOIX  – walnut cured wine and now walnut INK.  I have a recipe from the diaries of Isaac Newton, and the ink is almost black.  Walnut stains because of the iodine, content, and it is not a big step to imagine (and make ink).  I am going to make a powder, so I can use the ink when I need it.

I have been searching for a herb we can use to combat radiation poisoning – walnut is one.  During the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the areas in the fallout zone ran out of potassium iodide and seaweed sources of iodine. They used black walnut tincture as an iodine supplement by painting people’s knee skin with it. It was effective in preventing radiation poisoning of the thyroid in those treated with it. (That’s iodine on the glove – it stains, that’s why it makes good ink). Walnut hulls are also a good source of vitamin C, which helps your body release toxins.

Black walnut hulls are antifungal and anti-parasitic, especially for intestinal parasites. They are also an antimicrobial, blood cleansing, detoxifying tonic. They also have some sedative properties.

However, they are not an herbal supplement that should be taken daily, although a teaspoon of the Walnut Wine seems to be safe.  The Chinese use medicinal wine in this way..   Black walnut hulls can be used externally to help with warts and herpes.  To use it as an iodine supplement paint the tincture on the skin of the knees, rather than taking it internally. It has been banned “over-the-counter” for years in Australia because of possible overdosing.

I have planted some walnut husks in the garden – to determine which, I put a number in a bowl of water and I planted three of the husks that sank.  I put them in a pot with compost and straw.  They need the chill of winter, so, I am planting out at the right time.  I doubt that I will ever see a walnut from my own tree, but, we can hope.

HANGING ROCK.

As you are aware, I live in Woodend, and part of our landscape, geological and cultural is HANGING ROCK.  In the middle of the 19th century, the traditional occupants of the place – Dja Dja Warrung, Woi Wurrung, and Taungurung tribes  were forced from it.  They had been its occupants for thousands of years and, colonisation notwithstanding, have continued to maintain cultural and spiritual connections with the place.

To the settler colonialist society, Hanging Rock became a place for recreation and tourism. It came alternately under private, government, and mixed public-private control.  It used to be the setting of the News Years Day races, and in the late 20th century, the area became very widely known as the setting of Joan Lindsay‘s novel Picnic at Hanging Rock.  More recently under the leadership of the Late Michael Gudinski it has been the background to the work many famous performers – the Late Leonard Cohen, Rick Springfield, The Rolling Stones and The Eagles – to name a few notable performers.  

We can’t undo the past, but we can learn from it, acknowledge it,  reconcile and hopefully move on.  I just wish that the group that is “looking after the Rock” would stop.  Hanging Rock needs to be left alone.  We don’t need a footpath up and over it, we don’t need hand rails, tree guards, signposts and arrows…  The fee to enter should be used for an educational centre, not a new way of stopping people exploring the space. “Picnic at Hanging Rock” was a fiction, there are no spacemen, or black holes – we don’t need personal guides.  It is a special geological feature, with traditional owners – and they should determine its use. 

SCHEDULE
ZOOM: Monday Gita 6.30, Tuesday 7.30 Herbalist Workshop, Friday 6.45 FREE TAROT.
Plus you could make a time for a zoom appointment with me.. last week I did Past Life Readings via zoom.  Not as deep as a personal in the studio reading, these zoom readings can help you get “unstuck”.  You could also join me on a forage walk, and the kitchen afterwards.

STUDIO YOGA: Monday 1pm, Wednesday and Friday 5.30. Personal, one-on-one sessions available by appointment if you are just getting back into a yoga regime after our covid disruptions.

SEE YOU ON THE MAT.

NAMASTE. JAHNE

Dear Yogis,

ZOOM TAROT TONITE 6.45.  Free class.  Email for your ID
STUDIO: Mon 1pm, Wed. and Fri. 5.30
ZOOM: Mon 6.30 Gita, Tuesday 7.30, Friday 6.45pm Free Tarot – Coming soon PAST LIFE TAROT COURSE.

To enquire or book for any of the above: yogafirst2@bigpond.com

With winter on the way, these are MY TOP FOURTEEN HERBS TO GROW IN YOUR GARDEN (or in pots on your deck).  Once you have these you can schoosh up any meal or salad, plus you have a medicine chest ready to help in case of upset.   Yarrow, Basil, Plantain, Lavender, Dill, Thai Mint, Catmint, Herb Robert, Greek Basil, Mugwort, Artemesia, Coriander, Parsley, Chives.

MEDICINAL HERBS TO GROW AND FORAGE.

If you keep bees,  PLANTAGO is a herb you should encourage in your garden.  If you get stung, find a plantain leaf nearby (they are always there).  Mush it up in her fingers (or chew it to a pulp, a poultice) and put it on your sting, and in just a few minutes you will have relief.

Plantago — “Medicine Leaf”.  Plantago is soothing; it’s used to draw poison out of a wound – scrapes, scratches, bites, rashes, and deep wounds.  But it can also be used to soothe a stomach ache, and reduce swelling in a sore joint.   Plantago/Plantain was once called “Medicine Leaf”.  It can be used to stop bleeding, and to promote the healing of wounds and injuries. It can also relieve pain and inflammation internally, healing from the inside out.  Both the leaves and the seeds are used in herbal medicine.  The seeds are laxative and add fiber to the diet.  The leaves have the drawing, soothing actions.  Young plantain leaves can even be used as a pot herb or salad green.  The older leaves get quite stringy, so if you want to eat them choose the young spring leaves, and of course, make a positive identification before you cook them.

Yarrow — “Wound Wort”

Another useful herb to know is yarrow which grows fabulously well in our climate. An opportunistic plant, you’ll see it growing on the roadside in many places and in areas where the soil is poor.  Yarrow flowers and leaves are used to stop bleeding, use it for cuts, scrapes, nose bleeds and deep bruises – the kind you get on your shin when you meet the corner of the desk in the dark.

A YARROW FLOWER tea can make you sweat, opening capillaries and speeding up healing from viruses and fevers. It aids digestion and supports circulation and normalizes blood pressure. It is antimicrobial and helps in persistent bladder infections.  Yarrow is also antiviral and eases menstrual discomfort.  If there is stagnation or congestion somewhere in the body, yarrow helps to move it along.

Yarrow has fine, lacy leaves and many flowers on one flower head.  It smells pungent and medicinal.  When you are picking it, your fingers can go numb because of the active analgesic in the plant.  It relieves pain quickly.  You can use the flowers, the leaves or both when using it for herbal remedies.  Straight dried yarrow stem were “thrown” by fortunetellers before consulting the I-Ching (Book of Changes) and ancient guide to oracular wisdom.

(Note: if you are allergic to yarrow or plantain, these may not be your herbs.  If you are pregnant, yarrow may be too strong an herb for you to use internally.  You can still use yarrow in a salve though. Speak to your midwife for specific recommendations)

SUGAR
I am sure you know that William Wilberforce (1759-1833) is a hero of mine – for those who haven’t heard me speak of him, he was the catalyst for the abolition of the slave trade.  The hymn “Amazing Grace” was written during his lifetime by a friend of his who used to be a slave owner.    Britain and “The New World” needed slaves for one reason –  to farm sugar.  William came in front of the British Parliament (a number of times) in this cause,  and early on was defeated by Lord Dundas who argued that the trade should be curtailed GRADUALLY.  It took Wilberforce 18 years to overcome that one word, and that one word cost the lives of 600,000 human beings.  The role of women in this abolition is rarely acknowledged, but was considerable. They were activists and withheld their (considerable) donations to The Anti-Slavery Society until the world ‘GRADUALLY” was removed from the bill.  It is rarely acknowledged that seventy-three womens’ organisations were formed at the time to put their weight alongside the anti-slavery bill. You can read about the Quakers, and “Female Society for Birmingham” to learn more.

How many products that we consume cost lives? Avocados farmed out side of Australia is just one example (there are many) – they take lots of water to grow to an “acceptable” size for Western Supermarkets and this water is diverted from families and subsistence farmers even in Mexico and California.

Next time you smash an avocado, or put sugar in your tea, think of the lives that have been lost in order for you to have these luxuries.

DIFFICULT DAYS
No-one would argue that these are troubled times.  “There is only one true heroism in the world: “To see the world as it is and to love it” (Romaine Rolland).  We are yogis (although a few of us forget) and if we are to move away from REACTIVITY and engage with the world with compassion and awareness, we need to cultivate the breath, accept our feelings with equanimity, and embrace the moment in which we find ourselves – after all, it is our karma. We ask for our moment by how we react to the moment.  

We have the Sangha, we can open our heart, breathe, and remember that correct action absorbs anxiety.

I will see you on the mat.

Namaste – Jahne

Dear Yogis,

Whatever we think, here in Woodend, winter has certainly arrived.  I was stunned when (keeping in mind the temperature was about 9C) my student turned up this morning in cotton trousers, t-shirt and so on, whilst this little bunny was decked out for winter.  I did feel older – but I like to be warm.  Our family came to the Macedon Ranges because mum came here on a Sunday outing and fell in love with it, although she always said she would retire to Queensland for the warmth!  For her it was like going back to England, same vegetation, same weather.

A NEW BOTANICAL HERB DRAWING ZOOM COURSE  ($65.50 for 5 zoom sessions.  Every Saturday 1.30 to 3pm starting Saturday 26th March)

Are you ready to add a whimsical, personal touch to your skills?   Imagine your own vivid illustrations, such as have captured the hearts and imaginations of foragers, cooks and herbalists for centuries, illustrating your newsletters, cards, booklets….and so on.

I am a trained Scientific Illustrator, but you don’t need to be – you don’t have to able to draw for anyone else, just for you.  By the end of the Botanical Drawing for Herbalists (zoom) Course, you will have completed numerous botanical illustrations from start to finish using the many techniques.  You’ll also be equipped with inspiring exercises and ideas for adding your newfound drawing skills into your forays into foraging or in cookery – maybe to illustrate recipes, or build a course around your kitchen adventures   This could be anything from creating your own illustrated flash cards to adding frame-worthy new pages to your materia medica, or posters for your yoga studio or kitchen. 

I have attached an example of fungi drawings I made for a poster.  Just black and white – but very effective.  You could do this too.

SCHEDULE:  
ZOOM: Monday 6.30 Gita, Tuesday 7.30 Herbalists Course, Friday 6.45 FREE TAROT SESSION.
                ZOOM HERBAL DRAWING COURSE: Starts Saturday 26th March at 1.30pm
STUDIO YOGA: Monday 1pm, Wednesday, Friday 5.30
                 STUDIO Ion-Ki Spa Cleanse.  If you feel too tired, stressed, “stuck” to do anything new, try a cleanse and change.

HERBS ON HAND (New Shipments have arrived)

Turkey Tail Powder –  25g $30 including postage
Reishi Powder – 25g $30 including postage
Reishi Dried Herb Slices 25g $30 including postage (I put mine in a little red wine, honey, spices and ashwagandha to make a tonic wine).

*Herb tea for IBS and Bloating tummy (who doesn’t know that feeling?)
*Herb tea that has a reputation for helping with anaemia.
*Herb tea for sleeplessness.
and *Herbs for HEART HEALTH  (I use Hawthorn, and this is in the Herb tea).

HERB TEAS $53.50 a pack  of 6 including postage.  This will last about 10 days to 2 weeks depending on how often you dip them into your own teas, or water bottle. You can add honey or lemon to taste as you want to.  The little pouches as you can see I make and tag myself, as well as growing, drying and packing the herbs.  They are not like regular teas, you don’t jiggle them to make the water dark – these are herbal teas to have you feel better… one tea bag will last at least one day, with me two, jiggled into any tea or water you are drinking.  After they are finished, I drop them into my drinking water jug…I might have 4 or five in the jug at any one time.  No chemicals are water or lost.

Reishi’s alcohol-soluble triterpenes go a step further.  Scientists have discovered that alcohol extracts from Reishi mushrooms are “the only known source of a particular group of triterpenes, also known as ganodermic acids, which have been found to have direct cancer cell cytotoxicity on a wide variety of cancer cell lines”.

I WILL SEE YOU ON THE MAT

NAMASTE – JAHNE

Reminder: I’ve written this article based on my own research and experience, but I am not a medical professional.  Please do your own research and/or consult a healthcare professional to be sure a reishi tincture/herb/remedy is right for you. Be especially careful when working with wild mushrooms. Every year people are poisoned by eating wild mushrooms that closely resemble edible species.      I am not a mushroom expert, nor do I claim to be.  I’ve written this based on my own research because I enjoy sharing the fruits of my own mycological journey with others.  Do not rely solely on my writings to identify mushroom types, and be sure to cross-reference anything mushroom-related with at least two (preferably more) credible sources.