Coconut

http://blog.drsinatra.com/blog/heart-health-nutrition/coconuts-for-heart-health

Evening Primrose and Cowslip; hm.....

My Evening Primrose double.
Transplanted late last fall.


In the evening I will call you
lightly, slightly calling back
Do you see me in the darkness
Bring your good dream knack!
©Allisonians



So the Primrose and the cowslip are very similar.
Cool.....Beautiful..... THIS PHOTO IS EVEING PRIMROSE.....

Violets in March 2012

Violet Solo

Violet from my Father's home

Are all that I have left

Of a time that is in my mind

And in my heart will stead

Violet from a time gone by

To a time of new.

Do you know the day that I

Fell in love with you?

©Allisonians

These are some of the violets I will use
to make my violet syrup with bramble root vinegar.

Taheebo; Pau d' Arco

Taheebo
You grow some in Florida and some in South and Central America, but mostly known to those from the Incas, Aztecs and Indio tribes.
Your flavor is definitive.
The taste and fragrance of wood in it's dry hut otherland which places itself on the back of my tongue(and back sides of my tongue).
Your unusually sweet wood flavor is unique of the volcanic pebbled beaches that I imagine.\

My wood in winter use;
I took the tea of Taheebo for about one month every day about three time a day.
The first few days brought me to a clearing in my head. My body responded and calmed itself.
After about 3 weeks I had guests and my routine was changed. I stopped using the tea. Then I offered it to my guests one day and had some myself and realized that I had gone back to some unease I had had before I started using it. I returned to using it again about once a day.
I am most grateful for Pau d' Arco [Taheebo]
©Allisonians

reference link;
http://www.paudarco.com/

Chickweed; today I found chickweed on the island! I also found a bit of cleavers!

Chickweed
Your freshness is awakening in a dismal day.
You communicate the great sun ray.
Your kind flavor sends my self to anew.
You rejuvenate a tire hue!
Thank you Chickweed, Thank you!
©Allisonians

Greene Dean's Chickweed Id video Link;

Cleaver, Blackberry, Clover, Lemon Rind Cream adaption from Eczema Cream

Allison's Adaptation of the eczema cream;

from tea to skin cream(the best kind of abc's)

Allison's ClocleViBB~~~Skin Cream~~~Made by Hand at Home
(my accronym name is to help me remember the ingredients w/o thinking about it, if you were wondering.)

 4 tblspoon herbs
      (I used a tiny bit of violet, my fresh blackberry (I'd made tea and poured it off to heat the other herbs), 3 tablespoons of cleavers, a bit of clover, and a 1/3 of a lemon rind.)
 1 tspoon bees wax
      3 tblspoon coconut
     1 tspoon olive oil
 2 cups of water(fresh boiled)

1. Add water to herb
2. melt coconut oil and beeswax
3. Strain herb from tea
4. Whisk tea into melted oil/wax mixture until the consistency of mayonnaise.
(This is a brief variation of Sarah's Eczema cream recipe. I didn't bother to add some of the details that are the same) I will post them here at a later day, lest I forget. If so, and if you need to know, please comment here. Thank you for your time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had more fun than I can say and am reaffirmed that this is one of my 'Things' or 'callings' and very budget friendly to say the least. It's about a 1:9 ratio if not more. Since the only other cream I like escalated to $18.00 US for 1.5 ounces. It was around $7ish when I first started using the bought cream. I made this homemade cream for almost free! I am much grateful to learn this skill!! I think I am sooo blessed to have the opurtunity to learn in these times. I hope to teach/share learn with others as well. :D
Thank you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I also want to be sure to thank Karon for the warming oil information and prompt too! She told me about it on a cold day when I got a chill. The kind of tired worn out kind of chill and that oil saved me! It was amazing! I also just used it on my tension spot on my neck! Nothing compares, REallY~~~It works way better than the store bought heat creams/and ointments I've ever used, BY FAR!!! Such a blessing! I am honored for this comrade and community that is being created!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I reused my favorite/only cream jars from bert's bees. I love the container and for the price I thought I'd better keep it. For one, at first I needed to remember what it was once I could afford it again, and two, I like to recycle as best I can and these are very small and affective.
Up to this point I have only made salves. I think I've made 3 batches. I used a bit extra beeswax once and that was affective for travel use. It won't spill/melt in a purse, car(in warm weather or backpack when it's a bit firmer AND you just scoop a bit out with the top of your finger(nail) then it melts with just a little rub of the hand in a really great exfoliating and/or obsorbing way! I love it.

©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos or writing

Evening Primrose writing attempt #1 in the rough ?Could the moon do all of this?

Evening Primrose you sing to me;
Of the days before I knew you.
Evening Primrose you shine on me;
At night in my darkest hour.
Evening Primrose you're sent from beyond,
the greatest gift of ever and all.
Evening Primrose you light my way;
In the darkest of dark to the brand new day.
Evening Primrose you're my best friend,
From one that transended from beyond the bend.

With my fullest gratitude I ask for your bounty
With appreciation of our common ground!

(Now I am off to draw this, my partner and my friend)
©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos or writing

Blackberry Root and Plantain Root

My biggest roots of the day! I was amazed!

Harvest;


Blackberry Root
known for it's tannin's, astringent and tonic;
Dried root is safest.
Uses; for diareah and for sore throats and coughs
http://www.ehow.com/list_6597490_uses-blackberry-roots.html
is said to be used in whooping cough in the spasmotic stage.
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/blaber49.html#med


Plantain Root
Dried powdered root is said to ease tooth ache. (Modern Herbal)
http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/p/placom43.html#med


©Allisonians

I just found the tasks in my spam folder. I am soo glad I looked. It seems to be placing things there randomly, ahhhh the mysteries....By and by

So Theoretically;
I happen to be looking into skin and blood issues on my own, as I was born with eczema and we are dealing with some acne issues as well. We started some spiritual and are working on diet and research. Will tell as this information gathered is put into one place :D. Cheers. :D Interesting, for sure. :D

Researching Some herbs for psoriosis as well(which I believe some might help with eczema as well, I am cross referencing for my own use here) (there being severel considerations, health, diet and mental state, climate, history)
©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos or writing

Ah February~~~In my space grows cleavers, Chickweed and Nettles AND MUCH MUCH MORE~~~evening primrose, dandelion, prunella GALORE

As soon As I read them, I was instantly transcended to a time (or two) where I first discovered these greatest of God's gifts. This memory(s) it has not been of conscience consideration other than that it happened. I took my Mom for granted a bit. Her constant complete love was so constant that it felt like air, which is also easy to ignore until it smells funny. :D
My Personal History of Nettle
My Mom taught us about nettles when I was nine years old. We'd moved from the suburb to the country, my mom's mom's old farm. We went into the wonderFULL woods and picked nettle. As she showed us the known sting, she told us when we made it for dinner it would taste like spinach. We discussed the sting and how the water took the sting out as it was boiled. I remember it clearly, it was such a lively, interesting discussion. I am glad to have had it. We took our magicla nettle home and put into a pot of boiling water and wah lah! It was delicious! I haven't had that magicla nettle fresh much since, but am determined to harvest it ASAP!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MY CLEAVERS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well my cleavers was a gift of last season! It was the funny kind without words. I looked up the herbal info and it was something I needed on all levels and then I found it and it was like instant love(the kind of childhood puppy love), strong and innocent. Purity, that I was drawn to like something I cannot put into words. I hung it out like a wreath(it stuck together so well that way and in fact when wound came up very well too!) and would look at it in a kind of awe. The kind of awe of knowledge that my ally would bring. Here I am with my big bountiful bag of my friend now and I am transformed and my life has taken a turn that somehow is connected, yet I haven't had the benefit of the herbal use yet. IDK...just had to say...


I think I ran across some cleaver burrs out in the woods today, but bigger than mine from last year. I will have to keep track. I know there is more than one kind of burr plant(?)(I thinks I will just keep an eye on the spots I was in).


I trod out into this new ancient woods as I am getting over my well loved woods. Moving on and bringing some of mine with me. So I was clearing out  a spot for my transplants and ended up with little burrs. No plant. But I have photos here of some I harvested last season! And had to quick make me a cup of cleavers tonight as I read my months plans! I love cleavers if I hadn't made that clear. When I grab into my HUGE bag of bountiful cleavers, I get a little bit stung, little pricklies really; and it, oddly enough, reminds me of a nettle sting. I call them kisses, really. Natures little kisses. Nettle is a BIG kiss. :D


I just had to share because upon reading the tasks I had to jump up for my latest and greatest! I was instantly inspired. I thought, aw I've got this. It's not exactly it, but it is close enough for me.

 It speaks volumes to me when this kind of taste is acquired. The Helpful regime of little natural creatures(plant style) is something to be reckoned with


 I will get into the chickweed briefly here. I was introduced to chickweed sometime back (5 yearsish). I searched and searched and by and by I found some around the light pole when I was dropping off lunch to my daughter at high school! I grabbed some. Then the next spring it was annoying my mother-in-law, so I weeded it out of her trough planters and tired to get it to grow. I should of just ate it all, but wanted to make it grow. It didn't. not so far.  But I love it too, and will continue looking around for it.

~~~

What I, myself, am most interested in is what comes in of it's own accord! I have been looking around for years because of it. I heard a saying about 17 years ago that says, 'everything you need is in your own back yard.' Even those who might not have a back yard, something that you notice growing around where you live is what is meant.


So, I have dandelions galore, found evening primrose this year near by; red clover, self heal(prunella vulgarus), herb robert, St. John's wort, plantain broad and narrow leafed, off the top of my head. I am truly blessed.


©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos or writing. Thank you! :D

Evening Primrose; This is my herbal ally for this year, Although I am working with other HERBS;

I have chosen Evening Primrose as my herbal ally. I discovered that it is growing wild just a block away and have started cultivating it since I discovered it last fall. I will be working with other herbs that are my allies as well. I chose Dandelion, Red Clover and Cleavers for my humorous regime and will be working with them for this year and always. I have loved Dandelion since I was a child and remember a story and plan to write several stories about him! Red Clover, too, goes back to my childhood and life long love of bees. Cleavers was a hidden treasure, I've always known it was there, but only discovered its beauty and abudant loving nature this last spring. I am also working extensively with Marshmallow(Mallow) learning about her bounty and gifts is beyond words. I have just started working with elder and have several herbs that I am excited to meet and learn more about. More later! Cheers©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos or writing

Here is a link for Evening Primrose for my reference. Elder is there as well.
http://www.indianayurvedaonline.blogspot.com/2010/09/evening-primrose-oil-oenothera-biennis.html

So, if it isn't apparent in my blog which is my ally, it is, I must admit, because I have more than one. :D

SamSaRic; the cycle of life; my morning commute(yesterday); An article that wraps it up to a tee

Have a great day, and remember, when all else fails Be A duck! :D


From Lemon Lavender Polents

Lavender, Letting Go and The Liver

link; http://www.cauldronsandcrockpots.com/2012/01/lemon-lavender-polenta-cake/
"...Maybe it isn’t possible or preferable to have a clean break.Maybe the whole point isn’t to not miss places, but to experience them with every fiber of your being, and then when (if) you move on it will be without regrets. Maybe the pain doesn’t come from being away, but from trying to hold on to what is no longer there. From the tension created by trying to be everywhere at once instead of exactly where you are, wherever that might be. And with that in mind, with the nuances of my garden hanging out with the lemons from the desert, I understood: you can be somewhere and let go at the same time. Love it without holding onto it. And each time you do, you get just a little bit bigger. Maybe even a little bit wiser. And that, to me, right now, is what it’s all about. ..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All I can say is that this article touched me in several ways. Leaving things, and Lavender and of course communing with myself via my liver. I am going to go check my muchie lavender patch. We got 6-10" of snow in about 4 hours that melted within 12-16 hours. It is raining that cold chill your bone kind of rain now here in the valley, but the mountains are still interesting, or so I hear. Hybernation is the nation I want to be in.
Love you all, Allison
©Allisonians Please ask me if you would like to use my photos or writing. It's really only vanity. Hugs. I know what you're thinking. Or, can only imagine. :D

The Herbal Ally. I have not prepared my list for submission and am adding this as a note and reminder for me. I found it from Moozle who found it from another, which we also receieved as a January Task for the Apprenticeship. I also have some other notes on the subject and may publish them and/or organize them from Reference purpose. :D

When reading in moozle '
Their Friday, 30 December 2011Herbal Ally Post.

Finding a herbal ally
(taken from Kristine Brown’s blog Dancing in a Field of Tansy http://fieldoftansy.blogspot.com/2010/12/herbal-ally.html )

The idea of a herbal ally comes from Gail Faith Edwards in her book, “Opening our wild hearts to the healing herbs” She says

"Pick a new plant each year to focus on. Be sure to grow the plant, or meet it in the wild, observe it, make different medicines and foods with it, use it in many ways, consume it regularly, or use as applicable as often as possible, and constantly observe. Noting all you observe. Keeping your own notes is critically important. Learn to meditate with plants. Learn to take care of them, learn to process and use them, one by one. Fall in love with each and every plant you work with, one by one. Recognize the living being there, the spirit of the plant. Respect its power. Open your wild heart to it."

Susan Weed suggests “Choose a plant that grows very near to you ... no more than a one-minute walk from your door. You don't need to know the name of the plant, or anything about it. You will be sitting with your plant every day, so, if possible, choose one that grows in a quiet and lovely place ... in a pot on your balcony is just fine ... in a park is great ... so is an alley ... or a backyard. "

Susun offers six different green ally exercises to get to know the ally more intimately.

1. Meditate/sit and breathe with your green ally for 3-10 minutes a day

2. Make a detailed drawing of the ally as accurate as possible. Next make a soft, impressionistic drawing

3. Find out what parts of the ally are typically used. Find out if other parts are useful. Make oils, tinctures and vinegars of all the useful plant parts (separately)

4. Observe the conditions the plant chooses to grow in.

5. Write a story from the point of view of your green ally. (If you have trouble getting started, write a warm up page praising your green ally and telling him/her how much you like him/her and why.

6. Introduce a friend to your green ally. Tell them all about your ally.

You may wish to include these other exercises
· write a song about your green ally
· write poems about your green ally
· if edible, eat your green ally as often as possible
try your ally in tea form
· start some seeds of your green ally so i can watch him grow from a seedling into full life
· harvest your ally at all stages of growth
· sketch, draw, paint your ally at all stages of growth

The Mighty Columbia RIver with the majestic Mt. St. Helens in the background.

"On a Day of New Beginnings
And The same day of letting go;
I do sail with imagination to the place(s) I want to go!"
Allison :D


Roll on Columbia, Roll On!

©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos or writing

Tiny House Drafting

There are some simply stunning little homes on this site! I love the Gnome home;
Linky;
http://tinyhouseblog.com/tiny-house-concept/gnome-home/

ticking the title takes you to the site as well. I have been forgetting to say so when I publish this way. :D

Glycerine Substitute; thank you eHow

http://www.ehow.com/info_7808773_glycerine-substitutes.html

My Clover Patch in Winter! It was a beautiful day here. Standing in Kelso, WA facing South the background hills are Rainier, Oregon. :D

 

                                                                   ©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos

HERE NOW IS THE ANCIENT ELDER BUSH THAT I FOUND LAST FALL AND WAS allowed/ALOUD TO PICK THE BERRIES FROM FOR THE MOST FABULOUS JAM EVER! I HAD NOT HAD IT BEFORE~~~YUMMYYYY

I don't have a good working camera besides my phone camera. I wish I had zoom for this one. As I drove up for a closer photo of the bush/tree I noticed another enjoying this wonderful ally!

This simple action, me coming along to briefly to enjoy this most wonderful creation just happens upon another wonderful creature being as still as possible, and watching me.
                                    (I now officially know the JOY of happenstance)

I was sooo close to him. Very cool. We were kind of head to head really. This subtle feeling has stayed with me through my busy morning. I didn't even think of it again, because I had to go about my business.I just rounded the bend off to my morning job. When I got home and checked my email there was the photo and I was again ecstatic and went to work to publish it.

My intention was to share a visual identification of how Elder Bush looks in winter. I really didn't get a good look at it last fall while busily picking them beautiful berries. I was just so excited that the folks there shared the berries with me. The only others using the berries were the birds and I was sure to leave bunches for them by the home's front window because the house residents loved to watch the birds and squirls eat the berries. There were quite a lot of berries. The human women of the residence's father had been known to make wine when they were children from that same bush, so it was a part of the family and they were excited for someone to show an interest. I was quite honored. I gave them some of the jam as a thankyou. :D

Can you see him?

Here is a close up of the base of the Elder Bush. It is beautiful, isn't it?


 

                                                              ©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos or writing

Plant of the Day; marshmallow, mallow. This is the question and the answer. Here's my dried plant from this summer. I am going to work it into a cream with cleavers, or maybe in a facial mask form. I won't know until I get to start playing with it.

Have to work for a little while so I have my things ready to work on just as soon as I get home. :D


©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos or writing

PHOTO IS MINE~MY HYDRANGA TWIG TRANSPLANTS. {the parent plants are right behind them not in photo} I found this article from Kiva Rose and wanted to share it. It's About Herbal Diversity. By Rena A.D.

©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos. THANKS~~~

Design Thinking For The Creative Herbalist

   "I don’t have the answers. But answers don’t matter all that much: it’s the good questions that count. Ask yourself the powerful questions. Question your assumptions, evaluate your frameworks.
    Most of all, design who you are from your heart’s passion and values. After all, you’re the creator of your life, legacy & practice." Rena A.D.

In The Know presents. Do You Have a Wheat Belly/ i.e. processed wheat/ And A Wonderful Yummy Brownie Recipe

Mocha Walnut Brownies

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Dr. Davis

If you haven’t already signed up for the Wheat Belly newsletter, please do so (left navigation bar). This was the recipe that we sent out recently. For anyone who hasn’t yet signed up, I reproduce it here.

Richer than a cookie, heavier than a muffin, brownies are ordinarily an indulgence that leaves you ashamed of your lack of restraint. Have one . . . or two or three, and you will surely pack on a pound of belly fat.

... But these mocha walnut brownies, as with other recipes I provide, will not pack on the pounds. With no wheat to trigger appetite, nor any readily-digestible carbohydrate to generate blood sugar highs and lows, you can have a nice brownie or two or three and nothing bad happens: You don’t send blood sugar sky-high, don’t trigger formation of small LDL particles and triglycerides, you don’t trigger appetite, you don’t gain a pound of belly fat. You simply have your brownie(s) and enjoy them.

Serve these brownies plain or topped with cream cheese, natural peanut or almond butter, or dipped in coffee.

Ingredients:
8 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate (100% chocolate)
4 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, melted
2 large eggs, separated
½ cup coconut milk (or sour cream)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups ground almonds
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (or plain dried instant coffee)
Sweetener equivalent to 1 cup sugar or to taste (e.g., liquid stevia, Truvía, erythritol)
Preheat oven to 350º F.

Melt chocolate using double boiler method or in 15-second increments in microwave. Stir in melted coconut oil or butter.

In small bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Add egg whites, egg yolks, coconut milk, and vanilla extract to chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly by hand.

In separate bowl, combine ground almonds, coconut flour, walnuts, cocoa powder, espresso, and sweetener. Mix thoroughly.

Add dry mix to chocolate mix and mix together thoroughly. If dough is too stiff, add additional coconut milk, one tablespoon at a time.

Place mixture in 9-inch square baking pan and bake for 25 -30 minutes or until toothpick withdraws
dry. 3 cheers to this yummy treat! hip Hip ha-ray x3

Evening Primrose Work; Here now are my Evening Primroses

Well I just wrote a post on this and it got eaten by the mean pc'er hick-up computer nonsense that makes me go blah~~~. So, I think what I was saying is too personal. So, my thanks to our old departed friend Dave for this last wonderful gift. I found these primroses on the corner of where he lived, loved and was loved in his short beautiful life. Thank you Dave! We miss you!
I have been harvesting these little darlings since last fall. They are in abundance there on the corner of our friends now very say house. It is the shadow of our love for him now. Finding this treasure brings a new way of remembering our love for David. :D

I will post the photos of the plants I transplanted to the earth in my out-of-door garden asap. Cheers :D

©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos or writings. Thank you!

AND THE INFAMOUS DAN DE LION ROOTS FROM MY BELOVED GRANDMA MAE'S DAN DE PATCH; THE RASCLY LION :d

I DRIED THESE AS THEY ARE IN THIS PHOTO.

IN TACK

©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos

JANUARY TASKS;

PENDING;
1. PLANT LIST OF COMMON AND LATIN NAMES;
WILL DO ASAP.

2. I have made cedar oil double infussed,

 3. and I tryed the cream recipe with quite a lot of substitues. I love it, but it did not turn out together, it separates and I know why. So, I will publish my comments on that asap too.

4. Dug up dandelion roots, as they were covered and entangled in construction this fall. The earth is very wet as well, and this makes for easy digging. :D

5. I also transplanted 18 evening primroses I found BY CHANCE LAST FALL and have been weeding(tee-hee) the road side edge of them ever since. They are spectacular (my longterm goal is to distill them to make the oil of primrose myself! YUM). and I cut and planted 50 if not 100 hydranga clippings. I know it isn't the typical time of year, but the earth is really wet and easy to transplant.
Photo is of the Evening Primroses. I even have a tiny 1x1 pot with one in it. :D I'll take a photo of that one with the others that I brought inside asap.

My favorite saying of the week;
ASAP (:D)

©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE BEAUTIFUL COWLITZ RIVER AND MISTER GOLDEN SUN~~~ 3 CHEERS~~~

©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos. THANK YOU~