A Crazy Season in the Life of an Herbalist!

Well, it's been a long time since I sat down at my computer and put any energy into this neglected child. Since April 2nd to be exact! I've contemplated it a few times, but the truth is that it has been such an incredibly busy seven months there hasn't been any time for it. Harvesting season begins in early to mid April, depending on how quickly things thaw, and ends some time in November or December when the ground freezes and I can't dig any more. This has always been a busy time for me. During the most intensive periods of harvesting, which are mid May to the end of July and late October to mid November, it is often necessary for me to devote the better part of three days per week to harvesting herbs and preparing tinctures - and that is on top of everything else that I need to do. There has always been a bit of travelling that was necessary during this time as well. Mostly to teach workshops but hopefully there is time for a holiday at some point. However, in the last few years my work has expanded into some new realms that require me to travel a lot more than I am used to. This year my travelling began on April 28th and ended on November 5th. During that time I was away three weeks in May, two weeks in July, one week in August, two weeks in September, two weeks in October, and the first bit of November. All of it was work related except for a week holiday in early September. We actually had to cancel a planned road trip to Nova Scotia in mid August because it would have been too much on top of everything else.

The interesting thing is that I'm not particularly into travelling, so it's surprising that my life has taken a turn of this nature. I'd rather just stay put and deepen my relationship with the land where I live from season to season, year to year. Nevertheless, the work that I am doing that requires me to travel is amazing and expansive, and I know in my heart that it is an important part of my path. It was a busy half year but it was all amazing. The challenge has been finding time to harvest all of the herbs that I need and fit in all of my clients on the few weeks that I am here. As it was, there were a few herbs that I wasn't able to get. In my world, that means that I have to use them less to stretch the stock that I have. When I eventually run out I won't have those herbs available until three months after I harvest them next year (three months is the minimum amount of time that I macerate tinctures).

It was a busy workshop season: Discussing black elder (Sambucus nigra) at an Herbal Field Studies workshop in early July.

This year things were even more challenging because of the weather that we had. After a record breaking, bitter cold winter and late thaw, we had a very strange spring and summer. It was much cooler than normal but not in the usual way. We do typically get a cool summer about once per decade. But those summers are usually very cloudy and wet, with very little sunshine. This year it was cloudy and wet a lot of the time, but we didn't get the days (sometimes weeks) of constant rain that we usually get during this kind of summer. On the rainy days the rain was more intermittent. We also had very few thunder storms. On the positive side, most weeks we still got at least a few sunny days. This was very important from an herbalists perspective because during years when it is almost constantly cloudy and rainy, although herbs that like that kind of weather such as stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) and coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) do very well, herbs that don't like it such as red clover (Trifolium pratense) and common St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum) do very poorly. For many herbs in the latter category it just isn't worth harvesting them as the quality of their medicine is very low. Fortunately, many plants can tolerate a range of habitats that get different amounts of sunlight. Therefore, it is possible to partially compensate for unusual weather conditions by harvesting them in different locations. During hot, dry years it is often possible to find healthy populations in the part of their range where they get less direct sunlight. In these areas they will experience less heat stress and the soil will be more moist. In cooler, wetter years we harvest them in the part of their range where they get the most sunlight. Here they will get as much sun as possible and the soil will be less wet. However, during extreme years even this doesn't work for some herbs and I have to pass on harvesting them and make up for it by using more of some of the other herbs that can be used as a substitute in various contexts. This is one of the reasons why it is necessary to work with a rich and diverse group of herbs. I also usually try to harvest enough herb to make a two year supply of tincture for herbs that this is manageable, meaning the ones that I use in small to moderate quantities. This is partly so that I don't have to harvest every herb every year, but also to build some resilience into my supply of tinctures. If for some reason I am not able to get some of the herbs that I need in a particular year, there will be more choices if I have to use substitutes.

Common St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum) doesn't like cool, cloudy, wet years.

In our area, from mid June to mid September we can usually count on at least a few weeks of hot, humid weather with temperatures of 30+ °C (86+ °F). This year we only got a couple of days of temperatures in the 30s in June and then another couple in July. As a result, although plants that like a fair bit of sun, such as wild mint (Mentha arvensis) and wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), and flower earlier in the season did fairly well with the amount of sun that we had in spite of lots of rain and cooler temperatures, some of the plants that need more heat and flower later, such as peppermint (Mentha x piperita) and spearmint (Mentha spicata), really suffered from the cumulative affects of the weather. In our area they didn't flower until early September and the quality was too poor to harvest.

Wild mint (Mentha arvensis) got enough sun and produced some good medicine this year.

Another thing that stood out this summer was the continuing decline of the local honey bee (Apis mellifera) population. Around my home there are many species of clover. They all came into flower in June: first red clover; then alsike clover (T. hybridum); then white clover (T. repens); then yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis); then white sweet clover (M. alba). Honey bees love many flowers, but the clovers are among their favorites. Yet, during their peak flowering in June and July I didn't see a single honey bee. A few years ago these flowers were covered in them! There is a wild hive in the woods about 400 m from my house. This year it didn't become active until early July. As their numbers increased they gradually expanded their range, but I didn't see any within 100 m of my house until the Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) was well into flower in mid July. Recent evidence suggests that a major factor in the collapse of the honey bee population in much of North America is the use of a group of pesticides that are nicotine derivatives called neonicotinoids. It's typical for us to look for simple, unidimensional solutions, but as with everything in life the cause is a lot more complicated than that and due to a combination of factors. In all likelihood the bees are being killed or weakened by the combined effects of neonicotinoids and other pesticides and, as a result, the weakened individuals are also becoming less resistant to various parasites. There are probably other environmental factors involved as well, but something needs to be done about it quickly and reducing the use of neonicotinoids is a good place to start.

The population of this colony of honey bees living in a crack in an old white pine (Pinus strobus) near my home

has been significantly reduced in the last few years

Needless to say, between the travelling and the weather conditions it was very difficult for me to get all of my harvesting done this year. There were a few plants I didn't have time to harvest and a few more that weren't good enough to harvest. This has continued up to the present. Unlike the spring and summer, September and October were warmer than usual. This had it's own challenges. For instance, I had to be away from October 24th to November 5th. I needed to harvest maidenhair tree leaves (Ginkgo biloba) before I left. I have found that the best time to harvest the leaves is in the fall when they are about midway between their transition from green to gold. In the region where I live this is usually around the third week of October. However, because of the warm weather, when I went to harvest them on October 21st they were only just beginning to turn. I knew I couldn't wait until I came back because by then they would have fallen, so I harvested them that day. They weren't perfect but they were good enough.

The maidenhair tree leaves (Ginkgo biloba) started turning gold late this year because of the warm fall.

Note the contrasting yellow and orange of the sugar maple trees (Acer saccharum) in the background.

When we returned from Mexico on November 5th the warm weather was still with us. Right away I had to get to work because the aerial parts of most of the herbaceous plants had already died back and it was time to start harvesting roots and rhizomes. We need to get them done before the ground freezes and we can't dig any more. There are also a few fruits that I need to harvest at this time of year, but they have to be harvested after a couple of good frosts, so they weren't ready yet. Things started out OK. We were getting highs of around 8-12 °C (46-54 °F) and lows of 4-7 °C (39-45 °F) and not too much rain. Perfect root harvesting weather! We got to work right away.

Here's Monika harvesting stinging nettle rhizome (Urtica dioica).

Then on November 11th the temperature went up to 18 °C (64 °F) and the next day it dropped below freezing! For a few days it wasn't so bad because the the daytime temperatures were staying above freezing. But by the end of the week temperatures had dropped to January levels. I still needed to harvest several herbs and was worried that the ground might freeze before I could do them all. The unseasonably cold temperatures weren't just a stress for us. Everybody was feeling it! On Sunday morning in my peripheral vision I caught a movement outside my kitchen window. I knew it wasn't a bird that should still be hanging around here at this time of year and sure enough there was a yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata) shivering in a tree just outside the window. That was November 16th. I have never seen any species of warbler around here later than mid October. He was probably migrating through from somewhere much further north. With the lingering warm weather he must have been taking his time. That choice could turn out to be fatal!

This is a yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata), but not the yellow-rumped warbler.

As if the cold temperatures weren't enough of a challenge, last Sunday night and all day Monday it snowed. Fortunately, we didn't get that much. I can't imagine what it must have been like a little south of us in Buffalo, New York where they got completely buried! That would have definitely been the end of the harvesting season for us.

It was incredibly beautiful in the woods on Monday afternoon. The first snow. It was perfectly still and silent, and everything was covered in a blanket of white. Monika and I would have preferred to have just gone for a nice walk. But, still racing against winter, instead we went out and harvested wild sarsaparilla rhizome (Aralia nudicaulis). This herb is a colonial species with a network of rhizomes that does not leave a recognizable stalk standing after it dies back. Below the snow and fallen leaves, the only way to identify it is by the crowns with the buds of next years growth that usually sit a bit higher than the surface of the soil. Finding them is easy, but only if you know exactly where they are growing! It's simply a matter of clearing away the snow and leaves, finding the buds, and following the rhizome from that point.

Harvesting wild sarsaparilla rhizome (Aralia nudicaulis) last weekend. Note the bud in the centre foreground.

Since Monday it has been even colder. The ground is starting to freeze, but fortunately hasn't yet completely because we got just enough snow to insulate the ground a bit. Yesterday I was able to get out and harvest high bush cranberry fruit (Viburnum opulus), which are ready now that the temperature has gone below freezing. There are a few good sized colonies of these shrubs on the property where I live. But for some reason none of them produced fruit this year. They all flowered. I can only assume that there was something about the conditions when they flowered that affected their ability to produce fruit. As a result, I had to hike a couple of kilometers into the back fields in order to find an area where there was a good supply of fruit.

High bush cranberry fruit (Viburnum opulus) can't be chopped on a cutting board because they are too juicy.

They need to be ground for a few seconds with a bit of menstruum. Great colour!

Starting today the temperature is going up again and we are supposed to get rain with the temperature peaking at around 13 °C (55 °F) by Monday before it starts dropping again. That will melt the snow and warm up the soil a bit and it looks like I will be able to harvest the last two herbs that I need to get: marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis) and wild ginger rhizome (Asarum canadense). After that harvesting season will be over for this year and I'll be using the time that I have been devoting to harvesting to converting classroom courses to online courses. This is something I don't have much time for during harvesting season. I'll also have more time to put up some more stuff on this blog. It won't be another six months until the next one!

Until next spring I can spend more of my time in nature just being with a lot less doing. I'm looking forward to that. I'm also putting out some good energy for my little winged friend and others like him that lingered too long. I hope they are able to make it to the warmer regions down south!

Healing Bone Fractures, Part 5 of 5

This is the fifth in a series of posts in which I am documenting the process of treating a serious fracture of my right leg. In Part 1 I discussed the details behind the injury and the initial protocols that I used with the remedies I had available while I was still away. In Part 2 I provided a detailed account of the protocols that I implemented when I returned home. In the remainder of the posts I am providing an update on how things are progressing and any modifications that I have made to the protocols that I am using.

At this time I have to report that my leg is healing amazingly well. Since my last post I gradually increased the amount of weight I was carrying with my injured leg while still walking with crutches. On April 7th, about nine and a half weeks after my surgery, I walked without crutches for the first time! It kind of happened spontaneously while we were sitting around a fire. After that I increased the amount that I was walking without crutches each day. On April 10th I drove for the first time. I purchased a cane that day because I had to drive into Toronto on the evenings of the 11th and 12th and I knew I would be walking quite a bit. I thought I might need to use it for awhile, but except for those two evenings, I haven't used it since. On those two days I didn't use my crutches at all during the day except when I took my dogs for a walk in the woods. On the 13th I walked them for the first time without crutches and I have been crutch free ever since! This is pretty amazing given that the original prognosis was that I wouldn't be able to even begin to put weight on my leg until the middle to end of May. My healing process is about eight weeks ahead of schedule. Thank you plant people!

The "complications" that I discussed in my last post are pretty much resolved. I got rid of the remaining infection underneath one of the scabs on my incision. The astringed skin still isn't completely back to normal. It takes quite awhile for the skin to completely heal when the deeper dermal tissues get astringed, so am still applying things to this area at a minimum.

I had another x-ray this past week and the slightly darker area in my lower tibia below the bottom portion of the metal plate is still there, but not as dark as before. The surgeon can't explain it, but it isn't as noticeable as last time and, based on everything else, an infection in my bone has been pretty much ruled out. There is still a moderate amount of swelling around my ankle, although it is improving, but this is not due to infection. It turns out I have a pretty badly sprained ankle. This is typical with the kind of injury that I have. At this point my bone is doing fine and it is the sprain that is giving me the most difficulty. I still can only stretch my ankle about 80% of its normal range. It's a bit painful when I walk and it causes me to walk with a slight limp. However, I still refused the anti-inflammatories and ankle brace that the surgeon suggested. I've been doing some additional kinds of stretches with my ankle and in the last two days it has improved a fair bit. Today I had almost no limp even when I was walking my dogs. Tomorrow I have to teach a six and a half hour field workshop out in the woods. We'll see how well I hold up with that one! On Wednesday I'm off to Mexico for a week and a half, then I'm back for a day and off to Lake Superior for another week. This is part of my work, not a holiday. I am very grateful to be able to go as it was looking unlikely right after my injury. It will probably be awhile before I can run or carry a heavy pack, but otherwise my life is pretty much back to normal!

So here are the changes to the protocols that I have been using:

Systemic Herbal Formulation: In Part 4 of this series I provided the details of the third and fourth systemic formulations that I used. At about the nine week point the fourth formula ran out. The fifth version of the formulation contained wild bergamot herb (Monarda fistulosa) 20%, boneset herb (Eupatorium perfoliatum) 20%, common comfrey herb (Symphytum officinale) 18%, wood nettle herb (Laportea canadensis) 15%, maidenhair tree leaf (Ginkgo biloba) 15%, turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa) 10%, and white pine leaf/twig (Pinus strobus) 2%. I added the wild bergamot because of the risk of infection in my tibia. It is an excellent herb for circulation and inflammation, but it is also an amazing antimicrobial. Yesterday I ran out of my fifth formulation and once more I made a slight change, substituting common burdock herb (Arctium minus) for boneset, and reintroducing stinging nettle herb (Urtica dioica) instead of wood nettle. Otherwise the formulation is the same. These changes were primarily implemented to prevent my body from getting too used to the formulation. I am continuing to take 6 ml three times per day on an empty stomach, 5-10 minutes before each meal.

Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), my dear friend and colleague!

Herbal Sleep Formulation: I have been sleeping great, but probably not enough because most nights I have been working late. To support my healing process by making sure that I continue to get good sleep, I am still taking 0.75 mg of melatonin and an herbal sleep formulation when I go to bed. I have made additional adjustments to my sleep formulation so that my body doesn't get used to it and it continues to be somewhat coordinated (overlapping) with my daytime formulation. I have made two additional sleep formulations since my last post coinciding with the two most recent systemic formulations for my leg. The first one contained English lavender flowering spike (Lavandula angustifolia) 20%, wood nettle herb (Laportea canadensis) 20%, St. Johnswort herb (Hypericum perforatum) 20%, common comfrey herb (Symphytum officinale) 15%, hop strobilus (Humulus lupulus) 15%, wild bergamot herb (Monarda fistulosa) 9%, white pine leaf/twig (Pinus strobus) 1%. The most recent one that I prepared a couple of days ago contains English lavender 20%, stinging nettle 20%, St. Johnswort 20%, hop 20%, common comfrey 10%, wild bergamot 9%, white pine 1%. I am continuing to take 6 ml immediately before bed. Very rarely I've needed to take an additional 3 ml dose when I've woken up at the crack of dawn and had difficulty falling back asleep.

Homeopathic Remedies: I am continuing to take the same homeopathic remedies that I indicated I was using in Part 3.

Supplements: I am continuing to take the same supplements that I indicated in Part 2 except, as I mentioned in Part 4, I no longer need to take probiotics.

Topical Herbal Preparations: As I mentioned above, the infection underneath a scab that I discussed in Part 4 is gone, but the skin around my incision is still a bit astringed from doing too many poultices. As a result, I've had to cut back further on the topical preparations compared to what I was doing before. In spite of this, I have hardly any scar! Here's what I am currently doing:

• When I wake up I apply the liniment I am using (see Part 2) to my whole lower leg up to and including my knee, but not to the area of the incisions themselves. I actually ran out of the liniment and made a new batch. It has the same essential oils in roughly the same proportions, but I increased the potency to 3 drops per ml of base oil and the base oil is now 2/3 the infused oil I have been using and 1/3 castor bean oil (Ricinus communis). I made these changes because I was concerned about the possibility of an infection in my lower tibia. This has now been ruled out, but I am continuing to use the higher potency liniment to help address my sprained ankle. I do not apply anything to the area of my skin around the scar that is still somewhat astringed.
• In the evening before I go to bed I reapply the liniment as in the morning, but this time I apply castor oil to the astringed areas of my skin. This has been an interesting experiment because I haven't really used castor oil before. Nevertheless, I know a couple of people who have had great success treating bone fractures almost exclusively with castor oil packs. The castor oil is very drawing and it is accelerating the exfoliation of the dry scaly skin. However, it is also slightly astringent. Initially I tried applying it twice per day and it actually aggravated the astringed skin a bit. I've found once per day to be working much better. Once the astringed skin heals, I will go back to applying Monika's scar ointment to the area of the incision (see Part 4).

Castor bean oil (Ricinus communis) has many healing properties.
It can also help reduce infections deep in the tissues.

So there you have it! Needless to say, I'm very happy with how things are going. No matter how much we think we know, healing is still a very powerful and mysterious thing. It never ceases to amaze me, whether I'm experiencing it first hand or supporting other people with their healing process.

I'm going to be out of commission for the next few weeks as I will be off working in Mexico and then near Lake Superior. I will report on how my leg holds out when I get back ... and then maybe it will be time to write about something else. Enjoy the spring (or fall if you live in the deep south)!

Healing Bone Fractures, Part 4 of 5

This is the fourth in a series of posts in which I am documenting the process of treating a serious fracture of my right leg. In Part 1 I discussed the details behind the injury and the initial protocols that I used with the remedies I had available while I was still away. In Part 2 I provided a detailed account of the protocols that I implemented when I returned home. In the remainder of the posts I am providing an update on how things are progressing and any modifications that I have made to the protocols that I am using.

Overall, things have been going well, specifically with regard to the healing of my fractures. My leg is strong and I am well ahead of schedule. However, there have been a couple of unexpected complications relating to other aspects of my healing process which I will document below. I will begin with adjustments to the remedies and protocols that I am using.

Systemic Herbal Formulation: In Part 3 of this series I provided the details of the second systemic formulation that I began using about 3 weeks after my surgery. At about the 5 week point the second formulation ran out and once more I decided to make a slight change to the formula. While maintaining the focus on healing my bone fractures, I wanted to increase the emphasis on improving circulation to help further compensate for my lack of movement which was still resulting in a fair amount of blood pooling in my foot. At that time I only made a slight change, substituting rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) for wild ginger (Asarum canadense). I made additional changes at the 7 week point when I prepared my fourth formulation, replacing American plantain (Plantago rugelii) with maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba) and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) with wood nettle (Laportea canadensis). The fourth version of the formulation contains wood nettle herb (Laportea canadensis) 20%, boneset herb (Eupatorium perfoliatum) 20%, common comfrey herb (Symphytum officinale) 20%, maidenhair tree leaf (Ginkgo biloba) 18%, turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa) 10%, rosemary herb (Rosmarinus officinalis) 10%, and white pine leaf/twig (Pinus strobus) 2%. I am continuing to take 6 ml three times per day on an empty stomach, 5-10 minutes before each meal.

Wood nettle (Laportea canadensis) is rarely mentioned in the herbal literature.

Its properties are similar to stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) but a bit more diverse.

Herbal Sleep Formulation: My sleep has been very good since my last post four weeks ago. Beginning a few days after I posted Part 3, I was able to gradually start shifting slightly onto my right side, which made it easier for me to sleep. For the last two weeks I have been able to sleep completely on my right side without any discomfort. However, I still can't lie on my left side for more than 10-15 minutes before my leg starts to get uncomfortable as there is pressure directly on the plate and screws in my leg. It doesn't hurt, it just doesn't feel good. At this point I am sleeping mostly on my right side and shifting onto my back or left side for short periods a few times per night when my body starts to stiffen up. Because of the importance of getting good sleep to facilitate my healing process, I am still taking 0.75 mg of melatonin and an herbal sleep formulation when I go to bed. Due to the additional changes to my primary systemic formulation, once more I made a slight adjustment to the sleep formulation as well so that the two formulations remain well coordinated. It now contains English lavender flowering spike (Lavandula angustifolia) 20%, wood nettle herb (Laportea canadensis) 20%, St. Johnswort herb (Hypericum perforatum) 15%, German chamomile flowering top (Matricaria recutita) 15%, common comfrey herb (Symphytum officinale) 10%, hop strobilus (Humulus lupulus) 10%, turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa) 9%, white pine leaf/twig (Pinus strobus) 1%. Once more this formula overlaps with and carries over some of the properties of my daytime formula while still maintaining its effectiveness as a sleep formula. Among other things, wood nettle is an excellent tranquilizer. I am continuing to take 6 ml immediately before bed and additional 3 ml doses through the night, as required. However, in the last three weeks I haven't had to take an additional dose more than once or twice per week.

Homeopathic Remedies: I am continuing to take the same homeopathic remedies that I indicated in Part 3.

Supplements: I am continuing to take the same supplements that I indicated in  Part 2 except that I no longer need to take the probiotics.

Topical Herbal Preparations: It is with regard to the application of topical preparations that I have had to make a couple of adjustments, partly because of some unforeseen complications.

The first change to the protocols that I implemented was at the suggestion of Monika Ghent. She recommended that I use a scar formulation instead of a generic ointment on my incisions. Since Monika has a lot more experience than I do working with topical herbal preparations for healing and cosmetic uses, as this is one of her areas of specialization, I had her make up the formulation for me (see below). About two weeks ago I started using it on the scars from my incisions twice per day.

About a week and a half ago (7.5 weeks since my surgery) is when things got a bit complicated. Firstly, I started to get a rash on my leg around the area of my incisions. At first I wasn't sure what was causing it. Since I hadn't been using the scar ointment for very long and it contains a number of ingredients that I have never used before, I considered the possibility that I was allergic to one of the ingredients in that formulation. I stopped using it for a few days but the rash got worse. That's when I realized what was going on. I had over-astringed my leg from poulticing too much!

Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) is a very potent healing and antimicrobial herb. It is also very astringent.

I increased the proportion of this herb to boost the antimicrobial element of my poultice formulation

which may have contributed to the more rapid astringing of my skin.

Contrary to what you are likely to read in the herbal literature, all herbs are astringent. This is because the most common astringent constituents, such as organic acids and polyphenols, are found in all plants. Whenever we apply herbs in concentration to a localized area there is a danger of astringing the tissues too deeply so that the affect penetrates down into the deeper living tissue layers. It is even more of a concern for mucus membranes, but it can happen to our skin as well. This is one of several reasons why it is very important that a poultice is very mucilaginous, because this reduces the affect somewhat. I had been applying a poultice to my leg for about 5 weeks at that point, twice per day for 30 minutes to an hour. I knew that the astringency would be a concern eventually. However, my poultices were very mucilaginous. I was applying oil-based preparations such as liniments and ointments to my leg twice per day as well. The moisturizing action of the oil also helps to counteract the affects of the astringency to some degree. In addition, because my fractures were healing well and also to reduce the potential for excessive astringency, in the last two weeks that I was applying poultices I only did the afternoon poultice a couple of times per week. So, I was taken off guard when I got the rash. I didn't expect it to happen that quickly given everything that I was doing. That being said, once I realized what was going on I stopped applying the poultices.

The second complication was that there were two spots, one at the top of each incision, where very thick scabs had formed. Scabs have an important protective function and are often an important element of the healing process. However, scabs can actually interfere with healing and lead to the formation of more scar tissue if they persist for too long. If they are relatively thick, they also interfere with the ability of the herbal constituents to penetrate to the underlying tissues where they are needed. Finally, by trapping too much moisture, they can also lead to infection. That's what happened in my case. I got a mild infection under the scabs. As a result, I stopped using the ointments on the scabs because the oil base can also contribute to trapping moisture under the scabs. Instead, I began applying essential oils directly to the scabs. I am using marjoram (Origanum majorana) because it is very antimicrobial. I combine it 50/50 with English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil. Although the lavender is not as antimicrobial as the marjoram, it is a good combination because lavender essential oil is very healing and not as harsh. It is one of the few essential oils that can be used neat (undiluted). Combining them reduces the harshness of the marjoram essential oil. Essential oils are appropriate for this application because they are very penetrating and they don't contain any water or fixed oil (lipid), so they won't add to or trap moisture under the scab. I have been using them for a bit more than a week now and the infection is gone from one of the spots and almost gone from the other.

English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) has been part of many of my systemic and local formulations.

Now that I've explained the complications I've had to deal with, here is what the topical protocols I am using currently look like:

• When I wake up I apply the liniment I am using (see Part 2) to my whole lower leg up to and including my knee, but not to the area of the incisions themselves. I apply a 50/50 mixture of neat lavender and marjoram essential oils to the two areas where there was a bit of infection under the scabs. Then I apply Monika's scar ointment to the rest of the area of the incisions, and any remaining areas immediately adjacent where there is still a bit of the astringency rash to help heal and moisturize those tissues. Monika was kind enough to provide the ingredients of her scar formulation. It contains cocoa butter (Theobroma cacao), shea butter (Vitellaria paradoxa), castor oil (Ricinus communis), camellia oil (Camellia sinensis), argan oil (Argania spinosa), rosehip oil (Rosa rubiginosa), infused oil [St. Johnswort herb (Hypericum perforatum), pot marigold flower (Calendula officinalis), purple loosestrife herb (Lythrum salicaria), yarrow herb (Achillea millefolium) and American plantain herb (Plantago rugelii) in a base of olive oil (Olea europaea) and coconut oil (Cocos nucifera)], vitamin E (mixed tocopherols), vitamin D, English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil, patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) essential oil, carrot (Daucus carota) essential oil, and Bach flower remedies [cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera), clematis (Clematis vitalba), impatiens (Impatiens glandulifera), rock rose (Helianthemum nummularium), star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), crab apple (Malus sylvestris) and walnut (Juglans regia)].
• In the evening before I go to bed I more or less repeat the morning protocol except that I use the comfrey ointment instead of the liniment.

On March 20, which was one day short of 7 weeks since my surgery, I had an appointment to have the first x-rays done since they were last taken immediately after my surgery. My leg felt strong and, as I suspected, the healing of my fractures looked very good. I also didn't have any pain when the surgeon put pressure on my leg from various angles. As a result, I was given the OK to begin carrying some weight with my leg. The original prognosis was that I wouldn't be able to do so for 12-16 weeks. So, this is in about half the time originally expected.

Fortunately I have been working hard to maintain as much strength and flexibility in my leg by doing various exercises and stretches. Stretching the tendons and ligaments, especially in my foot, ankle and knee, is actually the most difficult part of the rehabilitation process. At that time I had managed to get about 80% of the movement in my knee and 60-70% in my ankle. It has been steadily improving since.

During the first week I put about half of my weight on my leg when standing still (therefore 1/4 of my total body weight) and 10-20% of my weight on my leg while walking. I have also spent much more time walking around. For instance over the last 2 weeks I have been walking my dogs in the back field and woods where I live every day.

During the second week, which is ending today, I have been standing normally (therefore carrying 1/2 of my full body weight) and have worked up to carrying about 40-50% of weight while walking. I don't want to put too much stress on my bones too fast, so I will continue to increase the weight gradually and work towards being off the crutches in another 2-3 weeks.

As you can see, much of the scar looks like it is many months or even years old. The scabs near the top

of each incision are the areas that got infected. The dry areas from the astringency

of the poultices are slightly visible, especially below the lower incision.

Except for a couple of minor issues that I mentioned above, my fracture is healing very well. However, when I saw the surgeon a couple of weeks ago, there was some potentially bad news as well. There was a shadow in the x-ray at the bottom of my tibia below the lowest part of the plate that could be an indication of an infection in my bone. The surgeon wasn't completely sure, especially since there were no other indicators: no pain, no abscessing. He will reassess it when I see him in 2 weeks for another x-ray. In the mean time, I am focusing my treatment on my bone fractures and incisions. At this point I don't know to what degree I should be concerned about the possibility of infection. It is still inconclusive. So far all I've done is ramp up the essential oil content of my liniment when I apply it around my ankle by adding a couple of drops of marjoram essential oil to the liniment that I apply to that area. My current systemic formulation is going to run out in a couple of days and I will probably add an antimicrobial herb to the next version. I hope that it was just an anomaly in my x-ray because infections in bone are difficult to treat, even with a combination of herbs and antibiotics. If there is an infection, it would have been introduced during the surgery, possibly when the screws were put into my bone in that area. According to standard procedure, all of the materials they used would have been disinfected and I was given intravenous antibiotics during the remaining time (about 16 hours) that I was in the hospital following my surgery. Unfortunately, there is always a risk of acquiring an infection when in a hospital and the risks are greater when we must undergo surgery. Infections acquired in hospitals are often the multiple antibiotic resistant kind. In truth, I held out until the last minute on approving the surgery, partly for this reason. However, it was clear that my fracture was too severe and the likelihood of it healing properly with just a cast was very low.

If it turns out that there is an infection, this will require another aggressive protocol. I'll know in a couple of weeks. In the mean time, my fractures are healing amazingly well and I hope to be walking without crutches very soon. For this I am very grateful! I will continue the updates in Part 5.

More Support for Exercise!

OK, so I've been an absent parent for awhile and this child of mine is feeling somewhat neglected. The last few months have been really busy and it's easy for me to forget about this blog. It's not something that comes naturally to me.

Things haven't changed that much. I'm still really busy. In the last couple of days I harvested and prepared the following macerations: 2 litres of fresh common burdock root (Arctium x nothum); 6 litres of fresh marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis); 7 litres of fresh maidenhair tree leaf (Ginkgo biloba); 9 litres of fresh rosemary leaf (Rosmarinus officinalis). Welcome to the life of an herbalist!

Common burdock (Arctium x nothum).

So now lets get to the point of this posting. Here's some information on an interesting study that was recently published:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=exercise-lengthens-life-regardless-12-11-06

This is another study that on some level is verifying the benefits of exercise. Unfortunately, the focus of the study was on life expectancy rather on quality of life indicators. Nevertheless, life expectancy is potentially an indirect indicator of other things. For instance, presumably a big part of the reason that the people in the study who got more exercise lived longer was because they were experiencing a lower incidence or later onset of the kinds of things that can kill us. Those kinds of illnesses also reduce our quality of life. So, some level of increase in quality of life can possibly be inferred. It is, however, possible that some of the subjects got sick with the same illnesses, but they developed more slowly to a level that produced mortality. So it is still possible that some of these people were chronically sick. This wasn't covered in the study but would have been a good parallel line of enquiry that they could have pursued. It is also possible that they did collect this kind of data but haven't analyzed and/or published it yet.

There's a lot of research on the benefits of exercise and these results are to be expected. However, there was one very interesting finding that resulted from this study. The researchers found that people who are obese who exercise regularly live longer than people whose body weight is in the normal range but don't exercise. This is a very important result because it means that for many people inactivity potentially has a greater negative impact on their overall level of health and well-being than obesity. Of course, in the real world the situation is far more complex than that. For instance, inactivity is one of the major causes of obesity. But there are many people who are overweight that exercise regularly and still have difficulty losing weight. There are a lot of reasons why that might be the case, but the important thing here is that they will receive health benefits whether they lose weight or not. It is so easy to get discouraged when we don't see the visible benefits of exercise. The results of this study are an encouragement to keep at it because the benefits are real even if they aren't visible.

Although in the last few decades there has been a growing number of people in our society who are taking positive steps to implement a healthier diet and/or lifestyle into their lives, we still have a growing segment of the population that are overweight or obese. This is primarily due to diet and lifestyle issues, although we can't ignore the deeper psychological, social and spiritual reasons why people make the kinds of choices that they do. On the surface it is obvious that the typical modern lifestyle is way too sedentary. Our bodies are designed to be on the move most of the time. Things that are misused usually break down. Unfortunately, even among the more health conscious members of our society, there tends to be two distinctive camps: those who try to eat good quality natural food but rarely exercise, and those who get lots of exercise, play sports and eat crap. Diet and exercise are two sides of the same coin. Living a healthy life means eating well and being active. That is why the Harvard Medical School Healthy Eating Pyramid has daily exercise and weight control at the base of the pyramid [See: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/files/Healthy-Eating-Pyramid-handout.pdf]. This pyramid represents the best dietary and lifestyle choices that can be recommended based on the research that is out there.

The bottom line is that the modern Western lifestyle is far too sedentary. We need to spend less time sitting at a desk, in front of a computer, watching television, playing video games and driving around in our cars and SUVs; and a lot more time walking, hiking, playing sports and working out. As always, the difficult part is changing the old unhealthy patterns and replacing them with healthy patterns. Once the new patterns are established it gets a lot easier. Most people don't realize how bad they feel until they start doing things that are good for them and feel the difference.

It is also important to keep in mind that we aren't going to be able to maintain a healthy activity and lifestyle regimen if we don't enjoy it. We need to experiment a bit until we find the kind of exercise that we like if we want to be able to sustain it in the long run. Being in nature is always healthy and healing. We spend most of our lives cut off from the real world. So if getting out in a natural environment is an option I highly recommend it.

Sasha doesn't need to be convinced that exercise is good for her!

Before I sign off on this one I'm going to rant a bit on another issue that this study has brought up for me. I do take issue to some degree with the fact that the primary parameter that they are looking at is life expectancy. Our society is obsessed with wanting more of everything without any consideration of quality or consequences. Life expectancy is no exception. Most of us are so afraid of death that we will do anything to extend our life at almost any cost. I don't see any point in living an extra 10 years if we are going to spend it in a nursing home pumped full of drugs. What kind of quality of life can we expect when we force our body to continue functioning beyond it's expiry date? Of course, it is likely that we will live longer and be healthier if we live according to healthy principles. Extending our life naturally by living and eating in a way that promotes greater health and well-being is not the what I'm addressing. It's amazing how much money is pumped into "longevity" research, seeking ways to extend life at any cost. This has got to be one of the most absurd and selfish things that I can imagine. We are already over-populated and a large (and growing number) of us are significantly over-consuming. The goal of our economic pundits and the multinational corporations that they serve is to produce endless amounts of junk as cheaply as possible and make sure that everyone is consuming as much as possible. It doesn't take very much intelligence to realize that this is unsustainable. We are quickly eliminating all of the resources that our children and grandchildren will need in order to survive, not to mention all of the other beings that we share this beautiful planet with. If we find unnatural ways (drugs, stem cells, genetic manipulation, etc.) to increase average life expectancy by 10 or 20 years we will be taking even more from future generations. How about we just learn to be satisfied with what we have and live our life to the fullest? In our society we need to learn to embrace our death; to learn from it instead of pretend that it isn't going to happen. Our lives will be so much fuller and more rewarding if we learn how to live and die with dignity. To live a healthy, well-balanced life, we need to integrate the bigger picture rather than to live our life as if we are the centre of the universe. Of course, whether we intend it or not, our last act of generosity will be to nourish the fungi and bacteria that create the soil for the future benefit of all living beings!

Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor) is a medicinal mushroom that eats wood, not human remains.

But who knows what the tree was eating?