Be still a moment….take a long, slow deep breath in….roll your shoulders gently back…..breathe out again. The act of simply breathing is so inherent and automatic that many of us don’t even think about it, but with all these wildfires surrounding us creating so much smoke in the air, it’s important that we take care of our precious respiratory system!
We hope this finds you all well and safe. These are strange days, to be sure. We hope we can share some healing or at least a bit of useful info for you right now. In this week’s #herbalwisdomwednesday we’re sharing a few of our favorite herbal blends to keep those lungs in top shape!
Out here on the North Coast, we would encourage folks to gently strengthen their immune systems and soothe and protect the mucous membranes as they are working hard right now. The Immune Blend tea is a nice option that provides both in the form of Elderberry, Marshmallow root, Licorice root, Rosehips, Ginger root and Cinnamon.
If you are feeling a bit dry or inflamed or if you tend to run hot but would like to try a nice demulcent (moistening) blend, our Acid Ease tea may be of help. It contains Marshmallow root, Meadowsweet, Fennel seed and Licorice root. Formulated with acid reflux in mind, it can still be quite effective for promoting mucosal health.
For those closer to the source of the fires, we would recommend our Lung Blend tea. Formerly called Forest Blend, this combination of organically grown Echinacea Purpurea root, Elecampane root, Ginger root, Licorice root, Pleurisy Root, White Oak Bark, Cinnamon Bark, Orange peel, Fennel seed works to gently boost your immune response, tone lung tissues, reduce inflammation and pain and act as an expectorant for mucus trapped in the lungs. Works beautifully on dry coughs.
Wishgarden Herbs Deep Lung is a superb formula offering a similar combination to the Lung Blend. Here we see Elecampane root, Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Yerba Mansa root, Yerba Santa leaf, Mullein leaf, Garlic bulb, Hawthorn berry, Osha root, Angelica root. This formula has the expectorants (Elecampane, Mullein, Yerba Santa, etc) anti-viral/anti-septic properties (Osha/Garlic), anti-inflammatory (Yerba Manza) and cardiac tonic (Hawthorn Berry) to effectively restore and support healthy lung function.
Breathe Free Blend – Especially effective for you poor folks who generally suffer from weepy allergy conditions! This formula combines Osha root, Eyebright, Lemon Verbena, Mormon Tea, Lemon Thyme, Propolis and Cayenne pepper to relax spasms, irritation and particularly inflammation associated with some respiratory infections, allergies and asthma while improving immune response. We have gotten great feedback from our customers on the effectiveness with which this combo improves breathing during respiratory distress. This formula is intentionally quite drying so may wish to balance that by taking demulcent herbs like Marshmallow root, Licorice root or Slippery Elm.
If that sounds a bit too intensive, our AllerEase tea blend was designed for those drippy, sneezy symptoms that often accompany allergies but it also work nicely for those experiencing those symptoms due to irritation from smoke, etc. This blend contains Stinging nettle leaf, Eyebright leaf, Dandelion leaf, Peppermint, Goldenrod and Ginger.
Feel like creating your own respiratory blend? You can find many of the herbs mentioned above here: https://store.moonriseherbs.com/collections/herbs-single-herbs
**We hope you are all well and safe at this time. While the above herbs act on the physical body, we encourage you to tend to your mental and emotional well being which is just as important.
You that washes the world. You that falls through all that sky to nourish growth.
You that paints the night with reflected mysteries and the day with shimmering contemplation.
I call to you.
I call on the rain.
Fall lightly on my face and heavy on the fields and forests.
Add, drop by drop, to rivers, lakes and oceans.
Cleanse my eyes and heart.
May your rhythm against the roof set my imagination dancing and your puddles on the path draw forth the child in my soul.
Come again with your ancient promise so that all may grow towards the light.