These are beautiful blooms and a classic herb. This particular St John’s Wort is considered a Texas Native. It’s scientific name is Hypericum frondosum. The name hypericum is derived from hyper meaning above and eikon meaning picture, in reference to the traditional use of the plant to ward off evil, by hanging plants over a religious icon in the house during Saint John’s day. H. perforatum is the plant known for relieving depression. This is a good example of how much confusion there is in the herbal world. The depression medicine is only in the perforatum genus and is only in the flower. The depression medicine in the flower is oil soluble and will not be released in water based teas. The flower needs an oil or fatty medium like factionated coconut oil to release its medicine. Capsules with leaves and flowers will not help depression. The oil turns red when the flower’s release their medicine and this lets you know that you truly have anti-depressive medicine. The St. John’s Wort that grows here in the Gritman garden does not produce this medicine, but it does produce fat soluble medicine that is antispasmodic. It other words it reduces tension or spasm.  It is also inflammatory and can be used for red damaged skin or inflamed insect bites.

We make St. John’s Wort right in the garden. We bring our jars with a bottom layer of salt to absorb water. pick the flowers, and add fractionated coconut oil. This jar stays in the garden for a month and the sun and heat of the day gently warm the oil and pull the medicinal properties from the flowers. The oil takes on a light yellow color which tells you that flavonoids or anti-oxidants are present. This maceration of St. John’s Wort has a light delicate scent.  Once the oil is strained, it can be used for many things.

A drop or two applied to temples and back of the neck will relieve headaches. Use the oil in massage for painful joints or muscles. It can also be used with lower back pain especially when the muscles are in spasm. Add peppermint, lavender, and/or geranium to help prevent or treat sunburn. For varicose veins add cypress to the St, John’s Wort’s Maceration and apply to legs massaging toward the heart.

Now what about the St. John’s Wort essential oil? Does it help depression? No, it does not. It is made from the plant that produces Hypericin, the anti-depression medicine, but this molecule is too large to come across the distillation tube and stays behind with the gross plant material. St. John’s Wort essential oil is very helpful for headaches caused by Menopause. It is the kind of headache that feels like a band is wrapped around your head and it is squeezes tighter and tighter. It relieves the tension and allows the headache to dissipate. St John’s Wort essential oil is used to balance the physical and the spiritual and relieve any tension from the  imbalance.

Here is a picture of the St. John’s Wort shrub. It grows to 3 feet tall here but I have heard it growing larger. It likes partial shade and blooms only in the Spring for us. Right now we pick the flowers every morning. This will last until June and then we have to wait until next year.

This is the entrance to the garden. On the left you can see some of the card broad that we use to recycle into the paths.  This section of the garden has partial shade and all the gingers live here. The shrub in the immediate foreground is pittsporum and it makes the Japanese Neroli blooms which have just ended.

We are moving into the garden. Elder tree is in the immediate foreground front on left and on right a hint of ginger.

Bloodroot covers the ground with pineaplle salvia and bamboo reaching to the sky

This is FoTi an important Medicinal Chinese Vine. We got a start of it a few years ago and now it wants to take over the garden. The root contains the medicine that is suppose to reduce or reverse aging. The preparation of the root is very extensive and I have as yet not tempted it, so it grows and grows. It will provide little white flowers soon.

Looking from the middle of the garden into the play area with benches, tables, and playhouse with sandbox. Roses are blooming. The Foti is on the left leading into the Lanyana or African Artemisia. This makes marvelous essential oil to boost the immune system. The silvery plant is Wormwood.

This is in the middle of the garden and it gets complete sun. Native grasses, chives, thyme all kinds, purple salvia that we use for smudge sticks, and an Atlas Cedarwood grow here.

The plant in the middle is oregano. On the right is a pot of lavender. The leaves look silvery. On the left is lemongrass and a hibiscus tree. Towards the back is a Chaste Tree. Lion’s Tail is located here too but difficult to see. Once it starts blooming with its gorgeous orange blooms, you will not miss it.

This path leads to the back of the garden and then down to the Creek.  Work shed is on the left.

Most of the plants come from seed because we cannot afford to buy plants. The quantity and variety that we need can become incredibly expensive. These racks have basils (ten different varities), tansy, orange thyme, and hyssop. We get our seeds from Hudson Seedsman and Horizon Herbs.

This is the far side of the garden. You can see a portion of the water garden, wedelia ground cover, and strawberry pot on the table. The strawberries were good this year. Green house frame is in the background.

This is one of the large herb pots in the garden. It has rosemary and licorice at the top with oregano, mints, and sweet aztec around its side. On the ground is angelica, mint, Atlas Cedarwood, and rose geranium. Plants often find themselves in pots especially those new to the garden. We can move them if the location is not ideal for them and sometimes the summer heat becomes too much and we can move them into the shade.

This is the vegetable garden. The only raised beds are here. The winter garden is fading and the new spring garden is coming forward. The garden did not want raised beds because it was important to work with the dirt that was here. The soil was a very gumbo difficult to work. Now you can put a spade into the ground easily and the soil is light and fluffy. The fire ants love the raised beds and the pots in the garden. We find that it is important to give the ants some earth mounds so that they can be happy. Right now there are none in the garden and this will be one of our next projects, mounds for the ants.

To begin this process, we obtained a list of countries for the entire planet. We moved into a period of reflection and thinking of ourselves as more than just me but WE. We called out each name of the country and thought about where it was. Some of the countries were foreign to us and we had to look them up for further knowledge. When the roll call was over, we reflected on balance, harmony, and unity. We recognized that balance and harmony do not mean agreement. We recognized that conflict could and should be part of balance and harmony. The old idea of of being silent and humming OM was not our vision of balance. Our vision had to do with a complex web of systems and individuals on this planet with every person having the right to live and be. We recognized that we could not hold this balance point for long and that soon the circle moves out of balance and that out of balance is a norm for this planet. On the equinox we had an opportunity to come together as one within all this complexity and diversity.

Personally it gives us a moment to reflect on our own state of harmony and balance. There is much conflict within ourselves. Autoimmune issues are a growing part of our world and represent a battle of self against self. We have a moment to take a deep breath and just accept who and what we are without judgment. A moment to give ourselves a break and just be silent. Allow the earth, Gaia, at the equinox to flood our bodies with her love and acceptance. It is a moment to join with the earth in awakening to our potential and make anew whatever we wish. The Earth is moving forwards and will we move with her or against her? You have a moment to choose and set the course of the next six months.

To help in the preparation for our clearing, healing, growth, balancing, and decision, we have created a very special blend. We will offer it for only a few days and only a few bottles will be made. Once they are gone, no more will be made. This blend can be used in the bath, in the shower, in massage, as perfume, as spray, in energy work, and/or annointing. This blend is made from essential oils and oil charged with minerals. Use carrier as needed as some of the oils in the blend are considered hot and could cause skin irritation. These include:

Calamus Root – clears shame

Clove Bud – clears negative unwanted attachments

Eucalyptus True – heals the physical as well as energetic fields

Guaiacwood – even though there is reason to love less, it allows the heart to open more

Lemon Green – releases pain and addictive patterning

Lemon Petitgrain – recognizes that you have suffered in this world but allows you to release and remain vulnerable

Tumeric Oleoresin – removes controlling and manipulating thought forms

Fancy Jasper – Grounding leading to discipline and perseverance

Variscite – Alignment of the physical and light bodies, clarity, and inner peace, harmony, and compassion

Clear Topaz – Allows you to stayed focused on what you want to manifest even though you may not see immediate results

What is the right color for Spikenard? Blue to a blue green in color  is considered ideal. It often is green when it reaches most and that is the most common color associated with Spikenard. Since it starts as blue the green that it turns into should be of a blue quality. The oil that was sent to us was a yellow green that will turn into an orange and then a red or amber. Go out onto the web and see how many vendors do not know the difference. Many are selling Spikenard as amber or red colored oil. Vendors trusting their sources do not know the difference, and they honestly pass it on to their customers. Consumers will buy it not knowing the difference. There is so much misguided information on the web that it is often hard to know what is the truth.

If this yellow green oil is not Spikenard, then what is it? This oil is made from patchouli. Spikenard has patchouol in it naturally which is also found in patchouli. Those that want to stretch Spikenard will use patchouli. It goes undetected and even makes the oil smell stronger, but the color is changed.  Many of the properties in Spikenard are also found in Patchouli. Some suppliers will not use real spikenard and start with patchouli and go from there to attempt to match the Spikenard profile. This is called a reconstituted oil. It should not be sold as  real Spikenard but it sometimes is. Why use Spikenard if Patchouli is so similar?

Spikenard is special. It is one of the most important Biblical oils. Spikenard is consider Nard in the Bible, although some believe that this could have been lavender. In John, 12:1–10, six days before the passover Jesus arrives in Bethany. In Bethany, a woman called Mary perhaps the sister of Lazarus uses a pound of pure nard to rub onto Jesus’ feet.  Patchouli cannot replace Spikenard no matter how similar they may be. Many Biblical blenders love to use Spikenard especially when there is need to purify and elevate. This is probably why it was used with Jesus. On an emotional level it is used to help people find themselves. It will help them answer the question, “Why was I born?” We all have a mission or divine purpose in life and Spikenard helps you to identity yourself. Spikenard speaks to “I was lost and now I am found.”

In Aromatherapy Spikenard is used much like Patchouli in the treatment of allergic skin reactions, rashes, and infections to disinfect, calm, heal, and soothe. Like patchouli it is used to sedate and help cases of  insomnia. Because it is so soothing it is used to treat tension headaches and stress.  Spikenard is particularly helpful in hospice or end of life care. It allows the person to relax and let go. It will soothe out the breathe and allow a person to make an easy transition. Valerian is also used this way. Spikenard is in the Valerian family. Spikenard may also be used with dogs and horses as they transition.

In perfume, Spikenard is used for its deep rich, mellow, spicy aroma that is woody, earthy and at the same time sweet. Being a complex and heavy scent it is primarily used as a fixative. In Meditative blends, it can take on a high proportion of the blend. Spikenard can also be found in purity blends especially for those dispelling dark or negative energy.

Spikenard is a very special oil. It tends to be costly. It is important to be informed so that you can make the best choice.

This Thai style Fried Rice is a great one pot meal for your family. The pineapple gives it a sweetiness to the sour/saltiness of the fish and soy sauce. If you like it spicy add more of the chili paste. I used the Galangal as part of the cooking process and at the end for more flavoring.

1/2 lb. extra-large shrimp (26 to 30 per lb.), peeled and deveined
Kosher salt
2 Tbs. coconut oil or another nut or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise (about 2 cups)
1 large scallion, thinly sliced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. fish sauce; more as needed
5 drops of Galangal Essential Oil
1 tsp. chili-garlic sauce
1/2 cup of carrots, diced
1/2 cup of green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups day-old unsalted cooked jasmine rice
1-1/2 cups medium-diced fresh pineapple (about half a large pineapple)
1/2 cup whole cashews
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari; more as needed
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro; more for garnish

Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a 12-inch skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the shrimp and cook, flipping once, until pink and opaque, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a plate.

Heat the remaining 1 Tbs. oil in the skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently with a spatula, until browned on the edges but not completely soft, about 2 minutes. Add the scallion and cook, stirring, until browned and wilted, about 30 seconds. Combine 3 drops of the Galangal with the fish sauce. Add the garlic, galangal infused-fish sauce, and chili-garlic sauce and cook, stirring, until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and cook, stirring to break up any clumps, until the mixture is well combined and heated through, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the shrimp and any accumulated juices, the pineapple and cashews. If you want to add more galangal at the end add 2 more drops to the soy sauce. Add it the rice dish. Season to taste with more soy sauce or fish sauce.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Serve garnished with additional cilantro.

Next week I will use Ginger Essential Oil in Mixed Herb Salad with Honey Lime Dressing.

Happy Cooking!

1.  Define the issue

2.  List the oils that seem relevant, if working with a person focus on their particular needs or create a general blend

3. Decide how much you will make and the container needed.

4. Determine the ratio of the blend or how many drops essential oils. 1-20%

5. Decide upon a carrier.

1. What is gingivitis?

Nutmeg comes from a slow-growing, big ever-green tree. Every 8 years, flowers form and the produce a husk with a seed in it. The seed when dried becomes nutmeg and the outer husk when dried is mace. It was considered a luxury item and traded as a precious commodity by Arab traders. Even today it only grows well in a few places in the world.

Nutmeg tends to be main flavoring for sweets: cookies, cakes, puddings, sprinkled over hot drinks in the winter especially around the holidays here in the states. However it can be the secret ingredient in many savory dishes. Italians are famous for this. It can be an excellent pairing with chicken and ham.

The essential oil of Nutmeg is a wonderful complement for your spice cabinet and will keep for years. I used the essential oil in the icing of the cake. It was a big hit with the class we had in December. The “surprise” in the cake are beets and keep the cake moist. Your family and friends will never guess.

For the Cake
2 medium beets, trimmed
1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil
6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened; more for the pans
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pans
2 oz. (2/3 cup) natural cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 drops of Nutmeg Essential Oil

For the Frosting
5 oz. (10 Tbs.) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2-1/4 oz. (3/4 cup) natural cocoa powder
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
28-30 blackberries (a pint and half optional for garnish)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. Put the beets on a piece of foil large enough to wrap them. Drizzle with the vegetable oil and turn to coat well. Enclose the beets in the foil and roast until tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 1 hour. Let cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans generously with softened butter. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment and coat the parchment with butter. Dust the pans with flour, tapping out any excess.
Peel and finely grate enough of the beets to yield 3/4 cup. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-low speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the grated beets and the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and carefully add half of the flour mixture; mix until fully incorporated. Add 1-1/4 cups hot water and the remaining flour mixture, return to medium-low speed and mix until smooth, about 2 minutes. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, smoothing the tops.

Bake the cakes, rotating halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool the cakes in their pans on a rack for 10 minutes and then turn them out onto racks and peel off the parchment. Let the cakes cool completely.

Make the Frosting
Melt the butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and cocoa powder and mix until combined. Stir in the cream, espresso powder, vanilla, and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cool slightly. Refrigerate, stirring every 10 minutes, until soft peaks form. After 30 minutes add the Nutmeg Essential Oil. Continue with stirring every 10 minutes until frosting is completely cool, about 1 hour.

Assemble the Cake
Place one of the cakes on a cake plate and spread a generous 1/2 cup frosting evenly over the top. Top with the second cake and spread a generous 1/2 cup frosting over it. Frost the sides with the remaining frosting. Add blackberries to the circumference of the cake.

Happy Baking!
Next week I will go back to the alphabet and continue with a recipe using  Ginger Essential Oil.

1.  Define the issue

2.  List the oils that seem relevant, if working with a person focus on their particular needs or create a general blend

3. Decide how much you will make and the container needed.

4. Determine the ratio of the blend or how many drops essential oils. 1-20%

5. Decide upon a carrier.

1. Define – What is Acne?

Inflammatory disorder of the sebaceous glands of the skin. Blackheads, whiteheads, and pustules result. Acne is found on the face, neck, chest, and back. Most common in teenagers especially boys as male hormones are implicated, but can be found in any age group. Thought to be the product of hormonal imbalance (puberty, before menstruation, during pregnancy, and menopause), digestive issues as intolerance or allergies to certain foods primarily milk and wheat, hereditary factors,  stress, and reaction to certain drugs taken internally such as tranquilizers, antidepressants, antibiotics, oral contraceptives, and anabolic steroids .

2. The oils effective against acne (There are many more oils effective against acne at the Gritman Store. These are just a few.),:

Tea Tree – anti-infection and especially good with treating pus related skin issues, mild inflammatory

Patchouli – strong astringent so good with oily skin, skin regenerator which helps minimize scarring, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and counters stress

Geranium – hormone balancer,  good skin regenerator, astringent so tightens pores, and stimulates lymphatic  system to remove toxins

Clary Sage – hormone balancer especially in women, anti-inflammatory, astringent, skin regenerator

Blue Chamomile – excellent inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and counters stress

Texas Cedarwood -astringent so good with oily skin, antibacterial, and counters stress

Juniper Berry – astringent, mild inflammatory, antiseptic, refreshing

Lavender – superior skin regenerator. mild inflammatory, antistress

3-4. Is this blend going to be used with men and women or are we going to be gender specific? This is important because men will not like the sweet scents on their face nor will women want to smell like men. This blend is to be used for both genders then the scent needs to be neutral. This blend will be neutral so that both genders can use it comfortably.

Blue Chamomile has a very neutral scent. It is not sweet nor manly and since it is one of the best anti-inflammatories, we will use it. Tea Tree also has a good medicinal scent and it is particularly good with pus producing infections.  Juniper has a reviving, refreshing scent to it and is also an astringent with healing properties. Patchouli because it decreases scarring and helps produce new skin cells and its scent while strong and deep is gender freely. Lavender will add some sweetness but not enough to be offensive to men. The Albanian lavender will be nice here. All these oils will be good at reducing stress.

Let’s make a 1 oz bottle. This gives us 750 drops. A 1% dilution  is 7-8 drops. At 5% this is 35-40 drops. We will go with a 5% dilution. We would make this higher if the acne was severe or less if it was a very mild case. Do we want one oil to dominant?  No, I want blue chamomile and tea tree to dominant with 20 drops because acne is primarily an anti-inflammatory and infected skin issue. We can do 10 drops of each. If I was making this for a woman, I would use more geranium and clary sage. I do want to use geranium because it does balance hormonally, so we will use 5 drops Egyptian Geranium. Patchouli because it has such great anti-scarring properties. Let’s use 7 drops. Lavender for its scent value, counters stress, and balances skin with 5 drops.

Add Blue Chamomile, Tea Tree, Geranium, Patchouli, and Lavender to a 1 oz bottle with dropper. We could also use a roll-on, but since acne is highly infectious, a dropper is better.

5. What carrier will we use? Since the skin tends to be oily with Acne, we will not want to use an oil. We might use Jojoba because it works with the skin’s sebum and is a wax.  Witch Hazel is a good astringent and Alcohol is drying. I prefer witch hazel. Add 1/3 oz jojoba to the 1oz bottle. Shake. Fill the bottle with witch hazel and shake. Cap.

On the Label give instructions on how to use. Shake before use. Clean face with warm water and a mild natural soap like Lou’s Lavender Soap.  Apply to skin upon waking and before bed. Takes several days before results will be noticed. Continue to use for three weeks. If condition does not clear, consult a physician.

Certification in Skin Science
Jill is starting a Skin Science Certifying program. She will be creating protocol sheets for different skin conditions. This will make it easier for you to look up different conditions and know how to treat them. The seminar will end with everyone getting a facial that is always great fun, and you leave beautiful. This class is the first of three. Once you finish the three classes, you will become certified in skin science and get a lovely diploma with a binder full of protocol sheets.

Our Adorable Ava
Ava entered Preschool this last fall. The art projects line our walls and we had an Indian princess at Thanksgiving complete with macaroni necklace. The Christmas program was wonderful seeing her with all the other kids. The hand motions and dancing were adorable. This holiday season was full of merriment and joy. Bless the children.

This class will follow the curriculum for Certification for Spiritual Aromatherapy Level 1 plus an extra day to develop advanced skills. There will be individual as well as group work opportunities. There will also be emphasis on working with minerals and crystals, so participants are encouraged to bring their favor healing stones.

Focus will also be on developing and working with your intuition. The essential oils, the frequency, the minerals, the individual, and the intent of healing are woven together in a magical yet logical tapestry. Who we are as earth, solar, galactic, and universal beings is explored with many opportunities to heal and connect.

Prepare to have new insights into:

The World Tree and who we are within the 7 directions

Natural world of microorganisms, elementals, minerals as a cooperative healing team

Expanding underlying thought forms around punishment and the ego/Self

How negative energy works and how it can be released and transformed

Creating a new healing protocol so that the healer facilitates consciously within the 9 dimensions

This work is very exciting and on the cutting edge of the Earth Shift. This will be the first time that this work is presented outside of the GritmanFacilities. For those of you in the Northwest wanting to take a Gritman class but unable to travel, this is your opportunity.

For more information comment on this blog

or

Contact River Arborvitae 253- 514-7422 RootsofLight@gmail.com