The Covid Diaries - a naturopaths experience of Covid with kids in Perth

Monday 7 March 

Day 1

We were finishing up the long-weekend down south. I sat on the beach in Yallingup as the kids played with their cousins in water the colour of a fluorite crystal.

John John had been sniffling with itchy eyes and had a few sneezing fits but otherwise we were all fine. 

Tuesday 8 March

Day 2

On Monday night Evie had a sniffle and when she came to me with a sore throat Tuesday morning I thought we'd better do a RAT test before sending her off to school. 

It was the day I was going to be moving into my own healing space, a goal that had been years in the making. I just had a feeling though that the planets weren't quite aligned. 

So with this perceived blockage smothering all that lay ahead of me that day, I was both surprised and not surprised at all when Evie returned a positive Covid test.

Hmm, Andy did one which came up negative. We did Evie again just in case it was a false positive, as an acquaintance of mine had experienced several weeks earlier. Another positive. I was feeling a bit foggy with hints of a cold myself. 

Lining up for a covid test in the car, in the heat, the air con and radio blasting. My throat sore ,my head getting heavier.  

I was grateful I'd already been taking licorice and korean ginseng in my herbal tincture for their anti-viral and immune enhancing properties. Making up a medicine tea for this situation I look longingly at my yarrow jar which is completely empty. How wonderful some yarrow would be right now for dispersing the heat I feel in the back of my throat. I blend together rosemary, sage, licorice root, eyebright and elderflower. 

Wednesday 9 March

Day 3

Receiving my positive result via text message as I lay propped in bed the next morning, scrolling my phone. 

I made up an acute coronavirus blend personalised for my needs. Licorice, baical skullcap, nigella, kudzu, korean ginseng, wild yam. All of these herbs are active against coronavirus infection but Wild Yam, for the aches and pains.

A friend drops off some fresh ginger so I can grate it into my herbal tea. 

WE also had a zinc and c powder every four hours. We topped up our vitamin d. Lactobacillus rhamnosis also seems to show some benefit so we took our probiotic as well.

We’d been staying with the kids Grandmother over the weekend, she's in her 80's. The kids played with their cousins extensively.  The cousins were sniffling. Who else have we infected with this thing. Feelings of guilt. Evies' and Andys' positive result came a few hours later. John John, my 5 year old tornado, was negative. He was doing flips off my bedhead as I lay there feeling disgusting. A mountain of groceries were delivered and I had to organise the fridge and put everything away as well as make dinner and all the regualar clean up that goes with parenting and living in general. It was hard. 

Day 4

Thursday 10 March

I had a nasty cold. There was lots of heat and mucous in the back of my throat and sinuses. There were aches all over my body.  I wasn't coughing but I was in and out of fever. 

On thursday morning the pain was so bad I had some panadol which gave me immense relief. But there was a new kind of pain, the familiar pain of shingles in my side, a feeling I recognised instantly from several years earlier. Please no,  I made a telehealth appointment immediately. Had the doctor prescribe the shingles anti-viral and the 'good' codrals. Had a friend pick it up.

The kids were in perfect health, tearing up the place. “Mummy you’re too hot 🥵!” Said my little one when he cuddled me.  I needed to cook and clean and parent and mother of course. The codral helped me through the evening and have a restful sleep at night. 

Friday 11 March.

Day 5

Wow, I felt so much better. I'd been taking my herbs. I'd started the anti-viral, the aches were gone, as was any trace of that shingles feeling. No need for a panadol today or even a codral. My sniffles had dried up considerably. I was on the mend. Andy spends a lot of the day working from home in the back studio. The kids watch tv, fight, play. scream. play. fight, and have lots and lots of cuddles. Evie loses a front tooth and now has a big gaping gap. She is immensely excited about it and keeps asking how much the tooth fairy pays for front teeth. 

I order some flowers to brighten up our space, impatient for them to be delivered the next day. 

Saturday 12 March

Day 6

I open my eyes to the swing of our iron gate and a light knock on the door as I lay in bed still. The flowers had arrived. They were magnificent.

I'm still taking it easy But feeling 100 % more energetic. This was so much better. I become acutely aware that we have way too much stuff as I seem to be spending a lot of time straightening everything up and trying to coerce the kids to help me. We need to find a rental property as our renovation plans are finally approved and it's looking like we'll be moving out in a month. A friend goes and checks out a property on our behalf, face-timing a walk through for us. 

I bake peanut butter cookies with the kids. The keto plans will have to wait. 

Sunday 13 March

Day 7

IT's interesting how the universe has given me all this time off. First with the tear in my calf muscle and now this. I feel like I can get back to business. I'm ready to move forward. Hanging to get my health back. The flowers sit on the kitchen table softening  and uplifting the space and my mood each time I catch a glimpse of them.

This concentrated time of family feels really nice. I don't mind being with my kids and my husband 24/7. They are so loved and cared for.  It feels solid and safe, everyone being together. The children are being  affectionate and sweet and Andy seems well rested.  We have lots of play fights and tickles and laughs. "Mummy I love you more than anything" says my little 5 year old so sincerely and he really is the sweetest thing. 

We decide the peanut butter cookies would be better with dark chocolate smothered all over them. We melt some down and pour it over. 

Monday 14 March

Day 8

Trying to limit television for the kids while getting some work done and also keeping my sanity  means sometimes ignoring my kids arguing and trouble, just letting them work it out by themselves.  Evie goes through the drawers of our tv cabinet and pulls out an ancient DVD of Barbie Fairytopia obtained at a garage sale years ago. The dvd wasn't actually in the case but she turns on the tv and manages to find the exact program on one of the streaming platforms. John John hears the tv is on and comes running. He disintegrates into tantrum however when he sees it's barbie fairies and begs to watch something 'we both like'. He comes to me and puts his chubby hands on my face and pleads for me to change the program. I tell him to let Evie watch the fairies and he can choose something next. He's upset about this though and continues his tantrums. I go back to whatever I was doing on my computer. Next thing John John has picked up the dvd case, lying on the lounge room floor and throws it at Evie. It misses and hits the TV screen, creating a spider web like crack. The TV was messed up. That's the third broken tv in about 4 years.  A dark vapour falls over the house. Andy tells the kids he's not buying another tv. 

I was upset for a few hours. Not only at the expense of replacing the TV yet again in this time of renovations when every dollar counts, and not only because I would miss TV personally, which I would, but because this incident shows how quickly things can go wrong. How accidents can cause irreparable damage that can't ever be reversed. How impulsive behaviour can be fatal. how precious and fragile life is. 

Today it was a TV he broke but what if next time he breaks himself? I went over the moments before the incident and asked myself what ifs. what if I'd responded differently when he held my face in his little hands and begged to watch something else, this was his way of telling me he wasn't coping with the situation. Now it was too late. 

One of the more prominent roses from the arrangement looks at me with her petals creating an almost perfect spiral, reminding me of the nature of life. 

Tuesday 15 March

Day 9

It's the last 'official' day of isolation but I'm feeling a bit deflated today as we still have symptoms of covid. My sore throat has returned. Tomorrow we are supposed to be free but not if this residual slight snotty nose and sore throat remain. It feels like this virus is like four colds in one. I introduce thyme into my blend. I gargle my tea with lots ginger. The tea seems to be helping the most.  Evie picks some yellow roses from the garden and places them next to the flowers from the florist, our floral installation is growing. 

Wednesday 16 March

Day 10

We decide to stay in isolation as we are not yet completely better but my spirits are up because today many exciting things may happen. We may get the final set of house plans for our reno, we may get an offer of a rental we're hoping to secure. The kids are really getting over it now and are begging to go back to school. My sore throat is gone but I'm still blowing my nose when I get up in the morning. By the evening we decide we're probably good enough to emerge from isolation into the world again. 

Thursday 17 March

Day 11

That's better. i go outside and check my car which had been parked around the corner and out of view for the whole week. It was ok. The kids put on their school uniforms and help make their lunches. They're ready for school half an hour early. Andy and I still want to take it easy. We head to the beach and I move my furniture - still in boxes - into my herbal healing clinic to be assembled the next day. I order an A-Frame sign for the street and some business cards. We're offered the rental property we applied for. The kids spend the afternoon playing with friends at the park. Freedom. 

Telehealth consults are available for anyone who needs some herbal support through Covid, and all mail orders are delivered express. 20 minute immune appointments are available for acute illnesses (like Covid). Please book through this link.

Herbs that can help when you're feeling grumpy

Some days are much harder than others. When things go wrong, or a spanner is thrown in the works  emotions bubble up and you find yourself being a little bit snappy. Wouldn't you know it though, there's a herb for that. 

I practise herbalism on an energetic basis. We all have our different personality's, dispositions, and energetics. What's right for you will be different to what's right for me, and I love finding the right plant medicine for the right person. 

I mixed up the below formula for myself last week when I was a grumpy mcgrump pants, and it worked a treat.

Korean Ginseng 

This one is powerful. So powerful that I find many herbalists shy away from it. it's quite stimulating, so wonderful if you're feeling tired and havn;t had enough sleep. Which was me last week, a combination of staying up a bit too late and my kids needing me in the middle of the night. It's indicated for loss of physical stamina, exhaustion and tiredness, and diminished concentration and memory Just what I needed. I find a few drops of korean ginseng prior to a long drive is excellent for helping concentration. 

Sage

Sage is one of my personal herbal allies and finds it's way into many of my personal blends. It contains rosmarinic acid which is an antioxidant and really good for your brain. Matthew Wood lists one of sages traditional uses (of which there are many) as indicated for 'withered dry skin and withered tendons.' Yes exactly how I feel after not getting enough sleep for a week. Also has traditionally been indicated for mental lethargy, depression, melancholy and poor concentration. There are many other uses - this plant is complex and full of magic as far as I'm concerned - the uses I've listed above seem the most apt here. 

St Mary's Thistle

A powerful liver healer, this herb prevents and reverses damage to the liver induced by alcohol and life in general. Wonderful for strengthening the liver to process all those nasty toxins you don't need. In traditional chinese medicine the liver is associated with the emotion of anger, so by nurturing the liver you nurture your anger. 

Zizyphus

Has a mild tranquilising effect - perhaps downplaying all those irritable emotions. It's indicated for anxiety, nervous exhaustion, restlessness, irritibility and insomnia. Perfect. I always expected this herb to be quite sedative but have found when taking it, it actually has more of a calm your nerves type vibe. It helps you get off to sleep because it calms your irritability and anxiety allowing you to destress. I’ve found it doesn’t make you drowsy if you want to stay awake.

Ginger

Another herbal ally for me that I consider a master healer. just so much awesomeness in one little root. Full of anti-inflammatory, calming goodness, and a little bit of ginger tincture added to a herbal blend improves the taste an awful lot. 

This is by no means an exhaustive list of herbs that can help your mood - there are many more. This mix was exactly what I needed at the time. After taking this blend all noises and mess and annoyance dulled and faded. I managed my tiredness for the rest of the day, and of course, made sure I got into bed early for a goods night sleep. 

If you'd like to experience the gorgeous support offered to us through our herbal allies, please book in for herbal medicine appointment. Appointments are available online or in person in South Fremantle. 

Herbal tincture

Quercetin - The essential anti-viral supplement you never heard of

There’s been some good evidence for hydroxychloriquine lessening the impact of Covid-19. After some initial badly designed studies (and some bad press) it’s been found hydroxychloroquine improves outcomes and lowers fatality rates when administered early enough in the infection lifecycle.

Hydroxychloroquine works as an ionophore - that is - it helps zinc pass through cell membranes into virally infected cells and stop the virus replicating. It’s the zinc that stops the virus once inside the cell. Hydroxycholoriquine  is like a gate opener that allows the zinc the pass through. 

The thing is - hydroxychloroquine isn’t for everyone and has some serious side effects. 

You know what else works as a zinc ionophore? Quercetin - a flavanoid found in onions, apples, grapes, berries, and citrus fruits. It’s also found in herbs such as St johns wort, Gingko and Cranberry. Quercetin is also great for soothing allergies, protecting your heart and improves reproductive health in men. It's an all round good thing to have in your body.

Quercetin is also available in supplement form and I recommend taking with vitamin C and zinc to get maximum anti-viral effects in the case of respiratory infection. 

If you want to add some immune enhancing supplements and herbs to your medicine cupboard, I have some naturopathic appointments available where you get a health plan and prescription of quality herbs and/or supplements tailored to your individual needs. You can book your appointment here.

What Covid-19 does to you and herbs that can help

I was feeling rather calm about the Coronavirus Covid-19 until about two days ago, when I read the tweet of a doctor in Italy describing the scenes of overstuffed hospital wards and not enough supplies to go round. Their resources are being rationed out to only the most high-risk patients, that is patients over 65 years of age. 

Witnessing the pandemic conditions and overextension of medical staff overseas, I feel we all have a responsibility to minimise risk of spreading the disease further. For me that means lots of hand washing and laying low. I’m also going to make sure my loved ones have their own bottles of herbal tincture, to boost immunity and reduce anxiety in these rather strange times. 

 I see a lot of “don’t worry, it only affects older and immune compromised people” being thrown around on social media, as if older and immune compromised people aren’t among us, important or loved. These members of our society can benefit most from herbal support through this epidemic. 

 I love herbs because they come in whole package of phytonutrients and medicine all compete with the co-factors that help absorption and function in the body. I’ve come to think of them as super concentrated forms of nutrition and healing. They are taken directly from nature, and their unique make up interacts with our make-up perfectly.  

 So what does Covid-19 actually do to you and what herbal support is out there to look after your immune system?

 Most people get a mild case of the illness, a dry cough, a runny nose, fever and feel generally run down. Some have no symptoms and all, this is thought to be because they have particularly strong immune systems.  For some though, they’ll be sicker than others, their lungs will be affected and they’ll have difficulty breathing, and in the very worst cases, there will be organ failure and death. 

 This is an overly simplified explanation of what Covid-19 actually does: 

 When first entering the body, Covid-19 likes to invade the cilia in your lungs. The cilia are like little hair like structures that move in synergistic waves. Their job is to coax debris and unwanted substances out of your lungs, - like phlegm and mucous. Their little wave actions of the cilia gradually move unwanted mucous and debris up out of your airways, where you are stimulated to cough and get rid of it altogether.  

If the virus is beating your immune system it will kill your cilia, and you will lose the ability to expel mucous from your lungs. Instead of coughing up, phlegm sits in your lungs impacting your ability to breathe (pneumonia). You can support the health and resilience of your cilia with herbs such as Licorice, Elder, and Astragalus. 

 The virus enters your cells by attaching to angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE-2) receptors on the cell surface. When they infect your cells ACE-2 is down regulated, and all the functions that ACE-2 performs - of which there are several important ones- downregulate (aka reduce) as a result . One of the functions of ACE-2 is protecting the lungs from a build up of mucous. Protection of the lungs is compromised and then mucous and unwanted substances are able to build up in the lungs.  ACE-2 tends to be lower in older people and this is likely one of the reasons they succumb to the virus more than fitter, younger people. Gingko, Licorice, Baical Skullcap, and Dan Shen can support ACE-2. Hawthorn and olive leaf may help protect your lungs and other organs from injury. 

Gingko is a tonic for older age so I particularly like this herb to use as a preventative in our older relatives. Astragalus is wonderful for chronically depleted immunity and another great one for the immune compromised to take preventatively. 

 Though you may recover from the virus after a few weeks, scarring on the lungs has been observed in recovered patients. Damage to the lungs can take months to repair, and doctors studying the effect of Coronavirus on lungs in Wuhan aren’t convinced the scarring will ever repair. So supporting your lungs as much as possible before and through infection is crucial. 

When the virus overtakes enough cells, your immune system can go into overdrive and release a cytokine cascade. This is where key organs can shut down, such as your lungs and kidneys. There are a number of biological chemical interactions that happen at this point that may lead to total shut down and death. Again, this is only in a very small percentage of the population, and observed in the aged and immune compromised. 

 Cordyceps, olive oil and leaf and Japanese knotweed are great for protection of Cilia and endothelial cells against scarring and damage. Astragalus, Baical skullcap, Cinnamon and Elder support your body systems in protection against cytokine cascade. 

 Cinnamon, ginger and cayenne are warming and circulatory stimulating, to promote action in your immune system. These spices are easy to add to food and can be taken as tinctures or in teas as well. 

The high antioxidant content of Olive leaf and Japanese knotweed has been shown to protect against ischaemic damage - that is damage to cells when oxygen supply has been reduced. With this herbal support your cells may manage to withstand the hostile conditions of viral attack just a bit longer. 

Vitamin C in doses between 6000 and 12000 mg is being administered to patients in China, as it seems to be helping. Doctors on the front line in China are also recommending Vitamin C as a preventative measure, so make sure you get lots of fresh, raw fruit and vegetables to maximise your Vit C intake. Great sources include blackcurrants, broccoli, citrus fruits, guavas, pineapples, rosehips, strawberries and tomatoes. It’s also available quite cheaply in supplemental form,aim for 3000mg per day. Be sure to make a good cold pressed olive oil dressing for your salads as well. 

Zinc has wonderful evidence behind it for reducing the duration of symptoms in respiratory viral infections. In fact, scientific literature has found zinc inhibits the virus from replicating by inhibiting Coronavirus RNA polymerise activity. The trouble is you need to get enough zinc inside the infected cell, which is tricky.  In China and South Korea, Coronavirus patients are being administered with a pharmaceutical drug called Chloroquine Phosphate which is an anti-malarial drug that opens the gates of the infected cell and allows the zinc to pass through. Once inside the cell, zinc stops the virus replicating. That specific medication is available by prescription only through a doctor and it comes with side effects. I, by no means, recommend that you go out and request a prescription from your doctor. Making sure your zinc intake is good, balancing with a diet rich in a variety of fresh foods, and supplementing with zinc if you’re low will help. Although I don’t have the scientific papers, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the anti-viral herbs here help the passage of zinc into an infected cell in the same way.

Foods high in zinc include pumpkin seeds, red meat, bilberry, brewers yeast, capsicum (also a great source of vitamin C), egg yolks, ginger, milk, seafood and wholegrain. 

Not all herbal supplements are created equal. To access high quality herbal tinctures you can book in for an online acute immune consult. It’s very affordable, it takes 15 minutes and the consult fee includes a custom-made liquid herbal blend for your unique circumstances. It’s easy to book in through this link. We’re blessed to have these herbal plant allies, robust with health-supporting phytochemicals, at our fingertips. It would be a shame not to use them. 

References

https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/videos/coronavirus-epidemic-update-34-us-cases-surge-chloroquine-and-zinc-treatment-combo-and-the-lockdown-331935

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jmv.25722

Kerry Bones, Simon Mills Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy 2nd Ed (2013) Churchill Livingstone Elsevier

Henry Osieki, The Nutrient Bible 7th ed, Bio Concepts Publishing

Steven Harrod Buhner, Herbal Treatment for Coronavirus Infections, 2020  

BPA affects your fertility - here's what you can do about it

Th story of how BPA (bisphenol A)was discovered to contribute to infertility is an interesting one. It was August 1998 and a research group at Case Western Reserve University were studying egg development in mice. Suddenly, seemingly overnight, there was a dramatic increase in chromosomally abnormal eggs - that is eggs that won’t produce a healthy, living baby. Until this point 1-2% of the mouse eggs where chromosomally abnormal, but that jumped to 40% all of a sudden. After a thorough investigation the researchers discovered that BPA had been leaching out of the plastic cages and water bottles after being washed in detergent. Once all the damaged plastic cages and water bottles where replaced, the rate of eggs with chromosomal errors returned to normal. 

It’s difficult to avoid all BPA as it’s present in many everyday items such as packaging and paper receipts from the store. The good news is minimising your exposure will go a long way to reducing the risk of BPA affecting your fertility. In several studies on women undergoing IVF it was found that those with the highest levels of measurable BPA in their blood had more abnormal eggs, and less eggs that successfully fertilised and developed than women with lower levels of BPA. Women with higher levels of BPA also suffered more miscarriages.

However it was found that eating 400mg of natural folate from your diet daily - from foods such as leafy greens, brassica vegetables and lentils pretty much cancelled out any negative impact of BPA. 

The point is don’t stress about being exposed to BPA, but make moves to reduce it. Don’t drink out of plastic water bottles. Don’t eat out of plastic containers and especially don’t heat food in plastic containers. A lot of tinned foods are largelyly BPA free however many companies are replacing BPA with similar chemicals such as BPS and BPF. 

Womb-Calming Berry Cacao Smoothie with Granola (for that time of the month)

The second day of my cycle and my womb was angry this morning. Usually my period greets me with a hardly bothersome twinge in my womb space that lasts about an hour and then is gone.  

BUT with christmas, two plane trips alone with two kids under 3.5. And then ALL the dysfunction of my family in between. The past cycle has been particularly stressful. My health habits were wanting, a side effect of being back amongst my bloodline amidst the festive season.  More grog, more crappy foods, less exercise.

Experience has told me that ALL OF THIS leads to a crampy sad uterus come the  dark moon.

The craving for chocolate, or Cacao in its raw form, is more than just pleasurable desire at this time of the month. Cacao is a good source of magnesium, a mineral that helps muscles relax as well as about 160 other actions in your body. Therefore it’s wonderful for helping your uterus calm the fuck down. I love the berries for boosting my energy and my insides as well.

Anyway

1 cup of raspberries

1 cup of mixed berries

2 cups of water

1 banana

2 tsp of cacao

1 tablespoon of hazelnut cacao butter

2 tsp of maple syrup/honey or to taste

Blend Blend Blend, sprinkle granola on top. Those granola carbs at bleeding time are delicious.

Other tricks that helped tame the angry womb this morning: Laying in a hip opening yoga pose while I listened to a guided meditation by Dannielle Laporte that placed me deep, deep, deep in a green rainforest of creation. I nodded off towards the end and woke cured.

Pre-conception Care Works

If you knew you could enhance the health of your future children wouldn’t you do it?  

You can. There’s good solid evidence that suggests the health of you and you partner at the time you conceive, while you carry and in the early life of your child has a profound outcome on their lifetime health.

At the age of 30 I wanted to conceive a child but I’d literally spent the past 12 years partying almost every weekend, because, well, I like a good time. My party days were over however and I was willing to do ANYTHING to ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby.

I’ve always been into healthy food, and I was a regular exerciser for years. but I also loved good healthy (read robust) drink on the weekends.

I wanted to undo this damage as much as possible before conceiving. I completed a preconception care program, you can read about it here through this link, and I have now have two gorgeous healthy children to show for it.

Your eggs lay dormant in your ovaries your entire life until it’s their time to ovulate.

It’s only in the three months prior to ovulation that the eggs start to mature. It’s during this critical window that your egg determines whether it’s going to have,  say, 23 pairs of chromosomes for example (the ideal number) instead of an anomaly. Sperm are produced in the two months prior to conception and are easily affected by environmental stressors and toxins. Good levels of nutrition and avoidance of toxins - such as those found in plastics and household chemicals, and oxidative stress from both the mother and the father reduce the risk of miscarriage, and support a full term healthy pregnancy.  This is backed by research.

But there’s more. What if your preconception behaviour helped switch on all the healthy genes? The intelligence genes? The creative genius? The athletic prowess? We don’t know for sure what’s possible, and this stuff is hard to prove. But if you’re as healthy as possible wouldn’t it make sense that the healthiest possible DNA is passed on to your offspring and allowed to thrive?

We know that nutritional deficit or absence of health affects the unborn negatively, so couldn’t the opposite be true to?

What we do know for sure is that preconception care DOES impact the success of conception and supports an uncomplicated full term pregnancy. The nutritional status of the mother, her weight, and the population of her micro biome (her gut bacteria) impact whether the child eventually develops allergies, asthma, obesity, autoimmune disease and autism spectrum disorders. Emerging science associates the fathers age, diet, stress levels and alcohol consumption to the health of their offspring.

Pre-conception care really is the ultimate in preventative medicine. And it’s easy. I show you how in my upcoming online course Make the healthiest baby possible: A four month journey preparing your body to conceive. Sign up for my emails to stay in the loop.  In the meantime keep an eye out on my blog and Facebook live vids for tips on a healthy preconception care lifestyle.

The secret to excellent health

When 'The Secret' came out 10 years or so ago my colleagues at my office job used to make fun of it. “Oh yeah, I want that diamond ring…look, theres one on the floor”

This documentary, now available on Netflix, sensationalised the concept of The law of attraction, and focused on material objects as the focus.

This is a tricky subject to approach. In many respects it sounds too good to be true. The law of attraction sounds impossible in a universe built on randomness and chance.

However I don’t believe this is a universe built on randomness and chance.   I’m sharing this today because in my experience, the law of attraction works. As a health practitioner, I feel I’d be doing a disservice not to talk about this.

The law of attraction isn’t just about dreaming up a perfect house and a flush bank account, it encompasses everything. Your relationships, your health, your experiences, the people you meet.

What we focus on becomes our reality. 

The trick is learning how to focus on what we want, not on what we don’t want. A practice much harder then it sounds.

This practice of deliberate focus and gratitude are interwoven components of the good life. The life you want to live.

No matter how much effort you go to, how many long walks and special diets.  if in your head you are battling with bad health, bad health is what you’ll have.

Instead embrace the good health you have. You have a bad hip, concentrate on the feeling in your good one, or in your pain free toes.

 In debilitating conditions this takes a masterful amount of self control. I’m not there (yet), we’re all learning, we’re all on the path. This is something that takes practice.

 When sick we focus on the feeling of the symptoms. It hard not to when it’s right there in your face. The pain, the discomfort, the disability. Instead try and focus on what’s going right for you right now.

The other night I had a tickle in my throat, my son has been coughing for a couple of weeks. Maybe I’d caught his bug. Instead of concentrating on the tickle and slight cough that was developing, I tried hard to focus on the times in between, where my breathing was easy, my nose was clear. Where I felt healthy, normal and comfortable.

The next morning I was better. My cough didn’t return the following night, though I had a slight sore throat in the evening again. .I’ve healed. I’ve had to blow my nose a couple of times, but of much and I’m not uncomfortable at all.

Over the two days I also chomped down a couple of doses of a herbal immune support supplement including echinacea, withania, andrographis and mushrooms to boost my immune system. And took a load of vitamin C and zinc. You have to take action if you want your desires to manifest. 

According to the book Money and the Law of Attraction by Jerry and Esther Hicks,  the best way to practice positive thinking is to upgrade your thoughts.

So if you have a thought that makes you feel bad or defeated, try for another thought that makes you feel slightly better, and then another thought that makes you feel slightly better again.

This was me the other night:  Oh no my throat hurts and I’m coughing. I hope this doesn’t develop and hang around for weeks.

To:  I’m not coughing right now this is good

To: I feel so relaxed, comfortable and well.

Do you see how being very much being in the moment makes these thought upgrades possible. In the above scenario - the one I lived the other night. I would cough a few moments later, but I brought my thoughts back to how well I feel in the moments I wasn’t coughing, and kept this up until I fell asleep.

This is not always easy, but all you can do is your best.

So what do you want to attract into your life?

Focus on feeling connected with your partner, your children. Focus on the love and respect you have for them. Focus on how well you feel, and all the things your body does right. Focus on the abundance you have available to you, the pay deposited in your bank account, the savings accumulating, the extreme comfort you live in.

And what you focus on will multiply. Not necessarily in a physical sense, but through your perception.You will perceive more of the good stuff.  

I highly recommend some further reading, such as the books by Esther and Jerry Hicks.

Marianne Williamson The Law of Divine Compensation.

Author Pam Grout has written a couple of books setting up experiments using the Law of Attraction. I haven’t read these but they’ve been sell outs so they might be fun play with.

Watch 'The Secret' on Netflix, there’s also a book of the same name.

Have you had a good experience with the law of attraction? Please share your story in the comments below.

Blessings

Healing Constipation in Children + Bliss Ball recipe

Constipation is quite common in children. Up to 28% of children experience constipation at some stage.

If the staining and difficulty with passing bowel movements continues past two weeks and causes considerable stress to the child please seek help from a medical professional.

In the meantime try these simple remedies to see if you can get things moving along.

Bulk laxatives are ideal for treating childhood constipation. Linseeds, slippery elm, psyllium and chia seeds attract and hold onto water, moistening and adding bulk to the stool for easy elimination.

Linseeds and slippery elm are gentler and are better suited for younger children

Slippery Elm dosages

Slippery elm is to be stirred into water or you can use juice to make the remedy more appetising for the child

In children

infants: 1/4 tsp in breastmilk or formula up to three times per day

10 - 20kg 1/2 tsp three times per day with meals

20 - 40kg 3/4 tsp three times per day with meals

40 kg + 1 tsp three times per day with meals

Psyllium is more abrasive and not recommend for smaller children. in older children it an be dosed similarly to slippery elm above.

Chia or flaxseed can be added sprinkled on breakfast cereal, stirred into yoghurt or added to smoothies.

Prunes and Figs are wonderful natural laxatives. Be sure to include them in the diet.

Eat: lots of high fibre food such as fresh fruits, raw green leafy vegetables, whole grain oatmeal and brown rice. Asparagus, mussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, garlic, kale, okra, peas sweet potatoes and whole grains.

Include foods that contain high levels of soluble fibre such as adzuki beans, barley, dried beans, oats, and some fruits especially apples, apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, figs.

Eat Insoluble fibre: Fruit and vegetable peel is a excellent source of insoluble fibre as are grapes,peaches and prunes. Other insoluble fibre foods include cereals, seeds, wheatbran, and wholegrains.

Drink more water: Children ages 1- 3 need 1.3 litres - about 5 glasses of water a day. Older children should be drinking more.

Consume foods high in pectin: apples, carrots, beets, bananas, cabbage, citrus fruits, dried peas.

Minimise soft drinks,meat, white flour, highly processed foods, salt and sugar These things typically have little fibre and stagnate. + Nutritional healing Phyllis A Balch

Lets Get Moving Bliss Balls.

There is no easy or appealing way to use the words ‘constipation’ or ‘balls’ in the same sentence. However these energy snacks are intended to appeal to your child and help their bowel motions along. They also packed with minerals have some extra goodness for brain health with the hemp and walnuts.

Of course they work for adults too.

To make a nut free version swap out the walnuts for pepitas or more sunflower seeds and swap out the almonds for another 1/2 cup of hemp seeds.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup walnuts, chopped

2/3 cup sunflower seeds, chopped

1/2 cup almonds, chopped

1/2 cup hemp seeds

1/2 cup porridge oats

2/3 cup chopped dried apricots or try other dried fruit*

2/3 cup of figs

1/3 cup dates

2/3 cup chopped pitted prunes

2 tablespoons chia seeds

2 tablespoons cacao powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup (90g) desiccated coconut for rolling the balls at the end

Add all ingredients except the coconut to a food processor and process until there are no large pieces and the mixture is sticking together nicely.

Scoop the mixture out with a teaspoon and roll into balls. Coat in the desiccated coconut by tipping the coconut onto a plate and rolling the balls in it.

these should ideally be consumed with a big glass of water.

*Ideally you would use sulphite free/and organic dried fruit with no added vegetable oils. The sulphites are a preservative also found in wine. They stop the dried fruit from going brown. Dark raisins or prunes don’t usually have sulphites, nor do dates. Sulphites commonly irritate little bellies. The vegetable oils are added to stop the fruit from sticking together, however they can become rancid and are an unnecessary and inflammatory addition to your child’s diet. Check your local health food store to see what’s available.

If the best you can do is the regular supermarket variety of dried fruit, and your child doesn’t seem to react to dried fruit usually then please go ahead with what you have available.

Do you have fever phobia?

If you child has a temperature and you'd like guidance click here

All parents can relate to the primal fear felt upon discovering a small child has a fever. Your heart drops and there’s lead in your belly. Fevers are frightening for all parents. Your child is ill and it’s terrifying

Fever may be indicative of a sinister illness, and especially in a young baby needs a medical diagnosis by a doctor. All babies under 3 months old with fever need to see a doctor for a professional diagnosis.

Most likely though, the fever is not sinister, and after the infection has run it’s course, maybe a day or two later, all will be well again.

It’s very common to treat fever with paracetamol or ibuprofen. However fever is your bodies way of fighting off infection. A higher body temperature activates immune cells and provides an inhospitable environment for invading pathogens. Treating your child’s fever may prolong the infection and even lead to chronic and recurring symptoms.

The majority of feverish illnesses do not present a serious threat however treating all fevers with paracetamol may be aborting important natural healing processes.

Modern studies are correlating paracetamol use with high incidences of chronic sinus problems, phlegm,  swollen glands, ear infection and allergic eczema, especially in children.

Could the use of paracetamol to bring down fever result in infections that don’t clear up completely leading to ongoing problems?

Evie was about three or four weeks old when she had her first fever. I think just on 38 deg C was as bad as it got, so it was only slight, but enough that I was highly concerned. We went off to the doctor. Andy came with me. I believed the fever was fighting the infection, my husband was unsure and concerned. I asked the GP  if we should let the fever to fight the illness rather then give panadol to bring the fever down. He told me that it’s better to make the child comfortable and not proven that giving panadol prolongs the illness.

His comment was misleading.

There’s plenty of data  that indicates fever is beneficial for illness. 

I understand the popularity of panadol. Giving panadol makes you feel like you’re doing something.

It’s such a relief to see the temp come back down again. It makes you feel like they’re getting better. That the nightmare is over. But it’s not true, it’s an illusion. The panadol was making everyone feel better, but it wasn’t fixing the illness. It was a bandaid.

My 10 month old son woke up with his second fever  in the space of a week .The Tuesday before he’s had an overnight fever that seemed to be ok in the morning. Some slight gastro issues but otherwise good.

Now it was Sunday morning and his temp was up at 39.5 again. He was miserable. As is the advice if your child is miserable give panadol I gave him some panadol. Every 4 - 6 hours thereafter his temp would shoot back up. My husband and I were, of course, concerned.

Although he wasn’t always miserable we continued to give panadol. Under the pain relief John John would charge around the floor playing, cooing and exploring like he was invincible. Like he wasn’t sick. Then the panadol would ware off and his fever would climb back up again. He needed rest, rest he wasn’t getting under the influence of the paracetamol. After 24 hours I decided to let the fever run. He wasn’t getting better, we needed to try something else.

I sat there with him in my arms, he was breastfeeding, uncomfortable but coping. Lying still. He was healing.  I was checking his temp every minute or so. 39.5  39.7 39.4 My husband couldn’t bare it however and fearful that the fever itself was somehow damaging insisted on another dose of panadol. And so on. Andy was ringing around talking to family members. They were all deadset that the fever MUST COME DOWN. They had fever phobia.

"Fever phobia is the name given by medical experts to parents' misconceptions about fever in their children. Among them, many parents incorrectly believe that fever is a disease rather than a medical sign, that even low fevers are harmful, and that any temperature even briefly or slightly above the oversimplified "normal" number marked on a thermometer is a clinically significant fever (1). They are also afraid of harmless side effects like febrile convulsions and dramatically overestimate the likelihood of permanent damage from typical fevers.

The underlying problem, according to professor of pediatrics Barton D. Schmitt, is "as parents we tend to suspect that our children’s brains may melt.”

Febrile convulsions are fits that occur in about 1 in 30 children with a high temp. In nearly all cases these convulsions aren’t damaging and have no long-term effects. The convulsions are usually over within two minutes. If the fits continue for over five minutes there is some cause for concern. A child’s temperature needs to reach 42 before the heat becomes damaging.

Here are some of the findings indicating fever is beneficial for illness.

The higher the temp on admittance to hospital with bacterial infection the lower the death rate.

This indicates that by bringing the temperature down the immune system is compromised in doing it’s job.

And this further information explained by Dr Paul Young, fever researcher

Treating a Fever

• increases death rates from infections in animals

• worsens nasal symptoms in children with colds

• prolongs blisters in children with chickenpox

• blunts the immune response triggered in children in response to vaccinations.”

Most feverish illnesses are not dangerous however it's common to treat all fever with paracetamol. 

By bringing down the fever we could be halting our natural healing processes.

Modern studies are correlating paracetamol use with high incidences of chronic sinus problems, phlegm,  swollen glands, ear infection and allergic eczema, especially in children.

Could the use of paracetamol to bring down fever result in infections that don’t clear up 100% and lead to these long-term problems?

By letting the fever run it’s course you’re giving the immune system the best chance at a quick resolution.

What to do when your child has a temperature?

First of all we need to rule out a dangerous infection such as Meningitis or Pneumonia. See a doctor and get a diagnosis. All children under 3 months old must see a doctor if they have a fever. - Anything above 37.3.

After a medical diagnosis has ruled out a serious infection the fever can be managed or even nurtured.

For the fever itself to do any damage the childs temperature needs to reach 42 deg celsius. This is very rare.

Some background info:

At the beginning of a fever blood is directed away from peripheral organs and to the centre of the body and muscles begin to shiver in order to raise heat. The patient feels cold and seeks out warmth, further enabling the fever to rise.

When the temperature is rising the patient feels cold

When the body temp rises to a new level of stability, the symptoms of chill lesson. The circulation to the periphery opens up, the patient begins to sweat, clothing and coverings are thrown off. The patient feels hot as the temperature falls

The fever has broken

In a baby under 6 months old plenty of breastfeeding and cuddles are all they need.

For older children.

Bedrest. Cuddles. nurturing.

Plenty of fluids.

A diaphoretic tea may help the child feel more comfortable once the fever has broken.

Any or all of these herbs can be prepared into a tea at home

Peppermint leaves

Elder flower

Yarrow

Chamomile

For a baby a tsp of each in a tea strainer and pour hot water over the top into a cup. Allow to cool and then allow the child to sip. For an older child the tea can be steeped for a bit longer.

The peppermint and chamomile can be found in the supermarket. Elderflower and Yarrow can be sourced from a dried herb supplier.

Theres one in the Fremantle markets.

Just use peppermint and chamomile if the yarrow and elderflower are unavailable.

Create and infuse with healing intention.

For John John I made a weak tea of peppermint by pouring hot water through a tea strainer filled with peppermint leaves. He seemed to like it.

Another Consideration: Raising a Fever 

 It may be beneficial to help the body raise a fever to fight off infection. So in the onset of illness, certain heat raising immune stimulating herbs may be called for to aid in recovery. Ginger, garlic and cinnamon, a tsp of each stirred into a tea and allowed to sit for 5 or 10 minutes, and then sipped by the patient.

Prepare them by popping them into bed, a minimal fresh diet and plenty of fluids.

Helpful Links and Resources:

http://www.health.vic.gov.au/edfactsheets/downloads/fever-in-children.pdf

http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghealth/factbuster/stories/2012/07/31/3557498.htm

Crocetti M, Moghbeli N, Serwint J; Moghbeli; Serwint (June 2001). "Fever phobia revisited: have parental misconceptions about fever changed in 20 years?". Pediatrics. 107 (6): 1241–6. doi:10.1542/peds.107.6.1241. PMID 11389237.

Klass, Perri (10 January 2011). "Lifting a Veil of Fear to See a Few Benefits of Fever". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015.

http://www.health.vic.gov.au/edfactsheets/downloads/fever-in-children.pdf

Tea: Chill out and stop worrying / sleep peacefully

When worry and anxiety takes a hold this soothing concoction will calm your nerves. It's also wonderful for aiding the onset of sleep. A good pinch of lavender

A good pinch of chamomile flowers

A good pinch of lemon balm (I used fresh but dry is also available)

Steep for 5 - 10 minutes in hot but not boiling water. Strain and stir with the intention of calm. Inhale the aroma, sip gently.

Frankincense comes in herbal form too!

Anyone who is into essential oils loves their frankincense. Did you know frankincense is derived from the Boswellia tree and is also available to take as a herbal tincture or in dried tablet form?

Boswellia serrata  is a wonderful anti-inflammatory treatment for arthritis, improved asthma symptoms in 70% of trial participants and is beneficial in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Several trials also show promising results for enhancing brain function after significant brain injury  and reducing swelling on the brain after radiotherapy treatment for tumors.

The beneficial effect of Boswellia in treating brain inflammation suggests another possible benefit in conditions such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, impulse control disorders, autism, Alzheimers disease and schizophrenia. More research is required in this area.

The wonderful Boswellia is available in herbal tincture and in dried tablet form from a accredited naturopath/herbalist near you.

Follow your heart and everything gets better

  If you told me two weeks ago my life would take this twist I wouldn't have believed you.

A couple of weeks ago I was reflecting on the spring equinox as a time for releasing the old and letting go of what no longer serves you. I didn’t expect the old to release quite so quickly and in such an unintentional manner.

Through a sequence of happenings that began on the day of the spring equinox, the celebration of new life,  it became obvious a position I thought I needed didn’t truly reflect how I wanted to feel or the lifestyle I wanted to lead.

Nature shifted, the planets aligned, the stormy weather began.

I realised, after several days of deliberation and meditating with a monkey mind, that I wasn’t being true to myself or what I truly wanted.

So, with my soul purpose to help our community heal close to my heart,

I chose to take a leap into spaciousness.

My gut was telling me go, to follow the beat of my own drum and practice Shiatsu and Naturopathy in a way that truly serves my clients and makes my heart sing.

To write that I wasn’t bummed out would be a lie. I was completely bummed out that the path I'd been walking had come to somewhat of a stand still. But this didn't last long, and the beautiful, gentle sunshine weather this week helps affirm my intuition that I've course corrected in the right direction. My happy heart leaves me secure in knowing I’ve definitely made the right choice. The support and encouragement from my friends and family have been outstanding.

Change is necessary for improvement.

On the other side of my amicable resignation meeting is freedom, and the knowledge that my practice is once again entirely in my hands. This is both daunting and exhilarating.

Divine timing reaches a graceful and loving hand,

and I find, like always, the universe provides. The week when things were looking chaotic and totalled, not one but two amazing opportunities present them selves. Yes the universe definitely has my back.

My wind chimes sing under the olive tree. My garden grows green, my clients show up, and I go about being my own boss once more.

It’s scary leaving a comfortable position into the unknown. At the age of 24 I first received guidance through my meditation practice to leave an office job and practise shiatsu full time.

I ignored my gut and stayed with the job. I was fearful, and studying, and things felt uncertain.

Eventually I did follow that guidance, albeit 5 years later, and took the leap into self employment. Since then my life has been a sequence of miracles and self-discovery. Everything career wise, heck everything life-wise is WAY better, even if the pay is yet to catch up.

I often wonder what would have happened, where I’d be now, if I’d taken that leap at 24 rather then at 29.

Time is our most precious commodity and we can’t afford to waste it on unsatisfactory living.

So yes, I’m a seasoned job leaver, love seeker. Sharing my story, and hoping you too will follow your heart.

What's causing your Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

I want  to talk about some of my least favorite things. Stomach pain, flatulence, bloating, the runs, and constipation. Does this sound like you?

Irritable bowel syndrome is a really common, in fact it's the most common condition I see as a naturopath. However there's no simple solution. Everyone is different and what’s causing your trouble may not be the same as your friend.

Numerous theories abound as to what may be causing your digestive upset. I’m going to cover the most researched hypotheses right here.

Excessive Stress

Your brain is in communication with your digestive system via a few different pathways in your nervous system.

The parasympathetic nervous system is known as ‘the rest and digest’ nervous system. This is switched on when you feel relaxed and there is no danger. Conversely the sympathetic nervous system is your ‘fight and fright.’ When you’re feeling stressed this will be switched on.

When you’re in stress mode, your body switches on your brain and muscles and turns off your digestive system. This is because digesting the food you just ate is the last thing you need to be doing when you’re in danger. No you need to be running away and figuring out how to outsmart the threat.

If you’re chronically stressed, this has an ongoing negative impact on your gut, where food in not digested properly causing pain and discomfort. You’ll also be missing out on the nutrients in your food because you won’t be absorbing them properly.

Altered Serotonin Signalling

You may have heard of this neurotransmitter that often has feelings such as happiness and joy attributed to its actions. Did you know much of your bodies serotonin is actually manufactured in the gut? 95% of body stores are found in the digestive system. Serotonin has a major action on your gut motility – that is how well your digestive system passes food from one end to the other.

Researchers have found an excessive level of serotonin is likely to cause diarrhoea whereas too little tends to cause constipation.

Visceral Hypersensitivity

Do you have an awareness of your digestive function? People with IBS tend to have a painful awareness of the stomach, small intestines and large intestines. Increased hypersensitivity has been associated with lower levels of serotonin.

Infection

After a severe bout of gastroenteritis the upset to your happy commune of gut bacteria may be enough to completely through the balance out of whack and IBS symptoms ensue. The harsher the infection, the more likely you will develop post-infection IBS. Other risk factors include depression, being female, longer duration of illness and fever.

Alterations in Gut Flora

Gut flora is commonly altered in incidences of IBS. This can be caused by antibiotic use, poor diet, the contraceptive pill, stress, and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Alterations in gut flora can eventually lead to overgrowth of the wrong kinds of gut bugs leading to poor immune defence and less production of short chain fatty acids. These short chain acids help water absorption and also feed the good bacteria. They are crucial to good gut health.

Bacteria who are good in one place can be bad in another. Sometimes they start colonising in places they shouldn’t, such as your small intestine. Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is found in 50% of IBS cases.

Possible causes for SIBO include gastrointestinal surgery, proton pump inhibitors (medications for indigestion such as Omneprazole), immune insufficiency and malnutrition.

SIBO has been associated with medical conditions such as depression, acromegaly, diverticulitis and interstitial cystitis, cystic fibrosis and fibromyalgia.

Food Hypersensitivity and Intolerance

Do your symptoms get worse after you eat certain foods? Some food intolerances may be because you lack an enzyme required to break the food down. For example you may lack lactase required to break down lactose, a milk sugar found in dairy. Others might be because your body can’t transport that kind of food molecule effectively. Basically in some way shape or form, your body is just not equipped to deal with that food.

When you do eat one of these foods you can’t handle, your intestinal wall becomes inflamed. This inflammation causes further sensitivity and creates even more intolerance.  Food you were able to eat as a teenager is suddenly making you feel very under the weather.

The good news is, you may be able to recover from most of your intolerances once the daddy of all intolerances (milk, fruit, wheat, soy whatever it is for you) is removed from your diet).

If you regularly suffer digestive discomfort I’m sure you might have an idea or two about what might be contributing to your symptoms, especially after reading the above. Once we figure out the source of your discomfort we can go about treating you as quickly and as effectively as possible.

Naturopaths are great at treating gut problems. We have an arsenal of gut soothing herbs, intestinal wall repairing nutrients, and can offer support and direction in your dietary choices. You don’t have to live your life afraid to go out in case you suffer a flare up/make a lot of smelly gas/feel bloated and disgusting.

If you’re a Perth local  please make an appointment here I’d love to help you.

I wish you peaceful meals

References

Sheppach W, 1994, GUT an International Journal of Gastroentology and Hepatology Effects of Short Chain Fatty Acids on Gut Morphology and Function.

Hectman L 2012, Clinical Naturopathic Medicine, Churchill Livingstone Elsevier

Gorgeous photo credit to artist Camila Carlow, isn't it amazing? A floral digestive system. I love x

Wild edible plants in your garden. The Sow Thistle.

I love the term wildcrafting, don't you? It's so earthy and free. It means to harvest produce that grows wild, be it for food, medicine, or beauty. Wildcrafting is going into the wild and taking what is naturally available. There’s something so gorgeously real, primitive and abundant about getting what you need from the earth. There’s no exchange of paper money, or disconnectedly swiping a piece of plastic card through a machine.

What you need is just there waiting for you in the sun, freely available and ready for the taking.

Last year I planted some mustard lettuce in my vegie bed. It fed me well and eventually it’s life circle completed, I let it go to seed, it seeded. Everywhere. And then it died.

This year I have mustard lettuce growing up through the lawn and in cracks of my brick paving, It’s adorable and tasty and full natural goodness. And so so convenient too. I love pulling lettuce out of my lawn, giving it a wash and putting it in my lunch.

I have another weed growing ambitiously all over, and I had a sneaking suspicion was the medicinal dandelion species we use in herbal medicine as a liver cleanser and digestive tonic, but couldn’t be sure.

I looked it up and although my weed and the medicinal dandelion had very similar leaves and flowers, their sizes varied hugely. This was definitely a different plant.

The Taraxacum officinalis (botanical speak for Dandelion) seems to hang out low to the ground, whereas my ‘dandelions’ were towering up to over a meter high.

I had get to the bottom of this.

I pulled off a baby leaf of my mystery weed and gave it a little chew. Hmmm, a little spiky around the edges, slightly bitter but definatley palatable. Tastes like healthy greens, not poison. This was a good start.

So here comes the part where most would get on google, but I decided to meditate on my weeds first, to see what my intuition could tell me. I had a guided meditation waiting on my computer specifically for connecting with nature and this was the perfect time to use it.

 I asked the plant what it could do for me.

Sitting in the garden, sun flowing over my face, headphones in my ear’s and computer by my side. I clear my chakras under the guidance of the beautiful Karina Ladet. I put my hands around a particular healthy specimen of this mystery ‘dandelion’ and felt a cleansing tingling feeling throughout my body. My blood felt clean flowing and light filled. My mouth moved towards a leaf and made a chewing motion, my bodies way of showing me it’s ok to eat this plant, and if fact I should eat it. I sat with my hands on the leaf for a little longer, I then decided to chew off a bit of leaf as if were an ape in the jungle, tearing the end of the leaf with my teeth, straight from the plant. It was a wild moment of connection with my inner animal, followed by a self-directed laugh at my gorilla-like behavior.

Giggly and amused, my guided meditation ends leaving me with a giant warm and open heart. I got the message that this plant is super healthy and definitely edible but the scientist in me wants some solid proof.  Inside I identified my mystery weed as the Sow Thistle aka Sochus oleraceus, thanks to the wonderful guide to Edible Weeds and Foraging in Perth by Charles Otway (see reference below). Some sources report that this baby has a whopping 1500mg of calcium per 100g and 45mg of iron.  It’s also high in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and a good source of vitamin C. Not to mention the phytochemicals the flavones, stilbenes, polyphenols and glycosides that exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour and all round good stuff properties.

Charles Otway thinks Sow Thistle tastes better when it’s still quite young, before it shoots up and flowers. I tried a mature flowered sow thistle though and I thought it was still good.

It’s very name ‘oleraceus’ is latin for good eating.

In short, you can safely pick (wildcraft) the leaves from these plants and nutritiously mix them through your salad, through your scrambled eggs, put on your pizza, use absolutely anywhere you use greens FOR FREE!

Traditionally more mature plants are boiled or steamed, but young leaves are good raw. I do recommend mixing the leaves up with other greens, rather then eating a bowl of sow thistle all by itself, simply because like all things, you can have too much.

Wild Plant Medicine

A New Zealender by the name of Mawalagedera (2009) wrote a thesis about the antioxidant value of this plant, and makes a point that the a particular New Zealand Maori population has less incidence of colorectal cancer dispite being in a very high risk group for the disease. She writes that sow thistle is a staple in the diet along with sweet potatoes, silverbeet and watercress. Perhaps these foods are offering the protective factor?

She also writes the more mature plants have a higher antioxidant value.

A 2013 study reports sow thistle is may be an effective option for treating Diabetes because the high antioxidant value protects the liver, kidneys and blood plasma from damage caused by high blood sugar.

Wildcraft away. I know what’s going in my salad.

SENSIBLE SALLY SAYS: Make sure you wildcraft from places that you know havn’t been sprayed or wee’d on. And always wash wash wash. 

References:

Mofor Teugwa^1*, Pascaline Chouadeu Mejiato¹, Denis Zofou³, Bruno Tugnoua Tchinda¹ and Fabrice Fekam Boyom²  BMC Complimentary and Alternative Medicine 2013,Antioxidant and antidiabetic profiles of two African medicinal plants: Picralima nitida (Apocynaceae) and Sonchus oleraceus (Asteraceae) 2013, 13:175  doi:10.1186/1472-6882-13-175

Sundara Mudiyanselage Maheshini Rangika Mawalagedera 2014, Antioxidant Activities of Sonchus oleraceus L.

Otway, Charles (undated) Edible Weeds, Common Plants and Foraging Around Perth, www.terraperma.com.au

Karina Ladet www.karinaladet.com