If you are fascinated with apothecaries, this post explores a brief history of the profession followed by my evolutionary involvement with herbalism. We dive into a summary of the local Indigenous tribes’ influence and conclude with five easy ways to build your apothecary.

Apothecary Facts and History

The word apothecary is enjoyable to speak aloud, and the definition is quite simple — a person who prepared and sold medicines and drugs. Before we had modern-day pharmacies and pharmacists, we had apothecaries. Apothecary shops sold medication and herbal remedies derived from natural compounds.

The role of an Apothecary evolved over the centuries, and according to the blog site Petticoats and Pistols:

By the mid-sixteenth century, apothecaries in England had become the equivalent of today’s pharmacists, measuring and dispensing medicine. Some apothecaries had formal college training in medicine, some learned as apprentices. Whatever the case, folks considered them a godsend.

The apothecary created and sold unregulated medicine based on trial and error from experimenting with compounds from the natural world with the human body. The system changed during the industrial revolution and the dawn of the 20th century creating the rise of pharmaceutical companies producing mass medicine for the local pharmacies to sell and pharmacists to dispense medication to customers.

Personal Evolutionary Interest

As a child, I recall fond long walks with my Mom; collecting rose petals and sumac fruits. We often returned from our stroll and made fresh herbal tea from our discoveries, with Mom passing down her knowledge of the many health benefits to me. Growing up, I had a fascination with old apothecary jars and grew a substantial collection, which I still possess today.

In my twenties and thirties, I became self-absorbed with dating, corporate life, and became far removed from my original roots. A disconnection occurred with the natural world; the absence existed in the foreground and subconsciously. When in my early forties, I moved to New York City solo without having a social circle; what became evident was a lack of hobbies in my life.

When the pandemic started, I moved from downtown Toronto to the south shore of Rice Lake, southern Ontario, returning to the wilderness. Now, my mom, Sheila, and I are reunited under the same roof where I have the luxury of rediscovering the old passion of building an apothecary combined with the time to research and converse. Sheila, by now, has amassed a large body of knowledge in the field of herbalism. We continue our woods walk, select plants, discuss, dry, and store our wares in a combined effort.

Indigenous Influences

Our family is fortunate to live close to the Alderville Indigenous reservation for the Ojibway people. Britannica.com describes the people as:

Algonquian-speaking North American Indian tribe who lived in what are now Ontario and Manitoba, Canada, and Minnesota and North Dakota, U.S., from Lake Huron westward onto the Plains.

Wikipedia.com portrays the Ojibway tribe to be known for their:

birch bark canoes, birch bark scrolls, mining and trade in copper, as well as their cultivation of wild rice and maple syrup.

With their deep connection to the land and rich oral and documented history, an incredible amount of knowledge about herbalism and natural health remedies is preserved within the Ojibway tribe and continues to flourish today. My Mom, a naturally curious woman, spends a wealth of her time connected in the local indigenous community and continues to learn from the Ojibway traditions, passing the knowledge to me.

5 Easy Steps to Build an Apothecary

1. Start small. Focus your attention on what vegetation is naturally grown in your area. Research plants via Google. Consult your local Indigenous Elders and request resources.
2. Beware of pesticides. You do not want to pick plants or bark beside a field sprayed with Round-Up or any other poisonous substance; the long term repercussions may be harmful to your health.
3. Hang plants upside down to dry in a cool location. Before hanging, shake out any bugs or loose content.
4. To make a powder out of dried herbs and vegetation, consider using a coffee grinder for fast and efficient results.
5. Store your contents in glass sealable jars or non-BPA plastic containers to ensure freshness and longevity. Keep your wares in a cool, dry space such as a pantry or basement.

To Conclude

Coupled with my passion for coaching and psychotherapy, I am fascinated with the power of plants as a means to transform our physical and mental health. North American society is, for the most part, focused on the “quick fix”, turning too often to pharmaceuticals to remove physical and emotional pain as opposed to ‘doing the work’ and discovering the real underlying root causes. When we combine the benefits of plants for our health and well being, there are opportunities to reduce pre-existing medical conditions and shift the perspective to long term prevention of humanity’s most common ailments.

Resources

• Niagara-On-The-Lake Apothocary
• Petticoats & Pistols: Apothecaries: Drugstores of the 1800s

Credit to my Mom, Sheila Beasley, who continues to teach me the wonders and bounties of our natural world, a life long learner of the incredible health benefits sitting outside our doorstep.

The post How To Build An Apothocary appeared first on Medika Life.

Behind our family property at Rice Lake, Southern Ontario, lies a magical coniferous forest with trails to walk or cross country ski. And growing along the path is the aromatic Canadian cedar tree, majestic and teaming with life. Over the last season, my Mom and I have come to learn, the cedar we pass every day on our woods walks possesses health benefits and is ‘steeped’ in the local traditions of our Indigenous neighbors.

How to correctly identify Canadian Cedar Trees

Cedar, in Canada, refers to evergreen conifers (genus Thuja) of the cypress family (Cupressaceae). They are also called arbor vitae [Latin, “tree of life”]. Arborvitae is any of the five species of the genus Thuja, resinous, evergreen ornamental, and timber conifers of the cypress family, native to North America and eastern Asia. The tree under discussion is therefore botanically classified as a cypress, but commonly referred to (mistakenly) as a White Cedar. This article therefore ONLY refers to Thuja occidentalis

Traditionally the genus Cupressus is used medicinally in rheumatism, whooping cough, and styptic problem (Kuiate et al., 2006). It eliminates fluid retention and is used to promote venous circulation to the kidney and bladder area, to improve bladder tone (Thukral et al., 2014).

True cedars belong to the coniferous genus Cedrus (pine family) and are found from the Mediterranean to the Himalayas. Six species of Thuja are recognized: 2 in North America; 4 in eastern Asia. Western red cedar (T. plicata), found along the BC coast and western slopes of the Rocky Mountains, may attain 60 m in height, and 3 m in diameter. Eastern white cedar (T. occidentalis), growing to 25 m, occurs in the Great Lakes-St Lawrence forest region. The Asiatic species, T. orientalis, is often planted as an ornamental.

The Indigenous History of Canadian Cedar

In the book The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, authors Sean Sherman and Beth Dooley discuss the historical context of cedar from an Indigenous point of view:

Cedar is a sacred tree and, like sweetgrass and tobacco, is part of many ceremonies. It’s used to purify homes, in sweat-lodge ceremonies, and as a medicine.

Our home is close to the Indigenous reservation of the Ojibwa people. Cedar plays a central role in history, and current-day lives with the Ojibwa way of life and holds provenance within the cultures of other North American tribes.

According to the KBIC Health System, Cedar is considered one of the four sacred medicines with many practical uses in Indigenous life:

Like sage and sweetgrass, cedar is used to purify the home. It also has many therapeutic medicinal purposes. Cedar baths are healing. When cedar is put in the fire with tobacco, it crackles. When it does this, it is calling the attention of the spirits to the offering that is being made. Cedar is used in fasting and sweat lodge ceremonies as a form of protection: cedar branches cover the floor of the sweat lodge, and a circle of cedar surrounds the faster’s lodge.

What Traditional Health Benefits are ascribed to Canadian Cedar

Joseph Pitawanakwat, a resident of the Wikwemikong First Nation, teaches about hundreds of medicinal plants in 200 Indigenous communities and institutions. On his YouTube Channel, Creators Garden, Joseph recently spoke of the many health benefits traditionally ascribed to cedar:

• The tree holds a significant purpose in detoxification, stimulating the lymphatic system.
• It plays a vital role in fat absorption and transportation and therefore utilization. Great as an accompaniment for ketogenesis, and keto diets, fasting protocol, and cardiovascular exercise.
• The tea can lower chronic low-grade inflammation, the aging process’s primary drivers, and nearly every chronic disease.

Continuing with Indigenous traditions, Kim Wheatley, an Anishinaabe Ojibway Grandmother from the Shawanaga First Nation Reserve, prepares a hot cup of giishik or cedar Tea and shares the different benefits in the following Everyday Wellness video.

Other commonly ascribed health benefits include:

• An aid for respiratory conditions and clear phlegm and other breathing difficulties accompany colds and flu.
• The prevention of scurvy.
• Considered a natural diuretic and includes the active compounds cedrol, beta-cedrene, and thujopene.

Does Modern Science support these claims?

To address this, let’s examine the major components of T. occidentalis Essential Oil (EO), namely monoterpenoid ketones α‐thujone (69.8%), β‐thujone (9.5%), and fenchone (7.8%). The monoterpenoid alcohols terpinene‐4‐ol and p‐cymene‐8‐ol, and the diterpenoid beyerene are only present in low amounts (<3.0%).

We can address fenchone first. It has recognized and clinically validated medicinal value, promoting the healing of wounds, According to the study, performed on rats, researchers found;

The anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities of fenchone and limonene oil increased collagen synthesis and decreased the number of inflammatory cells during wound healing and may be useful for treating skin wounds.

Fenchone has proven anti-fungal properties and shown in clinical trials to reduce tumor volume, mass, and total viable cancer cells (in rats). Research showed the following;

EOM (100 or 150 mg/kg) and fenchone (60 mg/kg) reduced all analyzed parameters (tumor volume and mass, and total viable cancer cells). Survival also increased for the treated animals with EOM and fenchone. For EOM 150 mg/kg and 5-FU treatment, most cells were arrested in the G0/G1 phase, whereas for fenchone, cells arrested in the S phase, which represents a blockage in cell cycle progression.

It should be noted that results obtained with

It should be noted in terms of toxicology from the above clinical trial that fenchone induced decrease of AST and ALT, suggesting liver damage in the the test subjects.

Studies are ongoing on the effects of the main active compound. thujone, which is a compound used in absinth and has purported hallucinogenic properties. In veterinary science, the application of a topical cream for horses has been shown to produce anti-carcinogenic effects on cancer tumors and the plant is widely used in the treatment of animals.

There may as yet be additional undiscovered actions, as the White Cedar and its oil has only been assessed for its safe use as an anitmicrobial and as an insect repellant. It is utilized in these two fields because as an airborne agent or topical application, it has a demonstrated safety profile for humans.

Thujone is classified as a terpenoid, a natural toxin produced by many plant species e.g. Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), Western red cedar (Thuja plicata), Sage (Salvia officinalis), and more. Its inclusion in food as a flavoring and preservative is heavily regulated in the West and in Europe.

Thujone interacts with the GABA receptors and is thus important in the regulation of stimuli in our neural system. This mechanism is most known for Absinth where thujone is the active compound suspected for causing hallucinations and great inspiration for the artists around 1900 in Europe.

Western Red Cedar needles contain the most Thujone among the plant species known to contain this compound. According to a report published in Springer;

Based primarily on in vitro experiments, genotoxicity and carcinogenic properties of thujones have also been detected in parallel with antimutagenic and immune-modulatory effects. Some of the controversial effects seem to be strongly dose-dependent. Data on antidiabetic and antimicrobial activities of thujones may show new ways to use them.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11101-020-09671-y

Our Conclusion

There is definite scientific evidence of the impact of the White Cedar’s active compounds on many of the body’s systems traditional healers claim it affects. Further study is required to validate initial findings and to establish safe dosage.

Brewing Instructions

Initially, Shiela cut small sprigs of cedar and placed them inside a tea ball to steep in boiled water. The results were subpar, and the tea was weak in flavor. We have since changed our preparation to mimic the following easy instructions;

1. Collect 2 cups of fresh cedar leaves — do not use the bark.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of fresh filtered water to a boil. Add the cedar leaves to the water and allow to simmer.
3. After 10 to 15 minutes, strain the cedar leaves out of the water, which will now be a beautiful gold shade.

Drink and enjoy!

Small doses are best and consider drinking the tea when required. We do not recommend exceeding a cup a day!

Personal Testimonial

After discovering the broad spectrum of reported health benefits from our Indigenous neighbors, our family started 1 cup of cedar tea daily from the fall of 2020 onward.

From the first moment I touched my lips to the mug and drank in the rich aroma of cedar, I fell in love. If you prefer the cedar scent in your washroom and are reminded of the Pine-sol cleaning brand, you may struggle with the taste. And if you find the flavor overpowering, consider sweetening the tea with wild, local honey or maple syrup.

Resources

• The Splendid Table, Cedar Tea
• Blissful Vitality, Healing Cedar Tea
• Indigenous Sport & Wellness Ontario, The Benefits of Cedar Tea
• nomiforager.com, The Magic of Cedar
• Sherman, Sean. Dooley, Beth. The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, Ghost Dancer, LLC. University of Minnesota Press. 2017

Credit to my Mom, Sheila Beasley, who continues to teach me the wonders and bounties of our natural world, a life long learner of the incredible health benefits sitting outside our doorstep.

The post Brew Sacred Canadian Cedar Tea And Reap the Traditional Benefits appeared first on Medika Life.

Eggs are nature’s perfect food. However, most people think nothing of throwing out eggshells, not realizing the full health benefits found within the hard casing. When dried and ground into a powder, eggshells are an excellent source of natural calcium, around 40% according to Healthline, and deliver cost savings to your wallet.

Eggshell composition

In addition to calcium and protein, eggshells also contain small amounts of other minerals, including strontium, fluoride, magnesium, and selenium. Just like calcium, these minerals play a role in bone health.

Directions for eggshell powder

Before diving into the instructions, ensure you are using farm eggs — direct from an actual farm. Why? Factory farmed eggs have been processed using a sterilized solution and may be harmful to ingest the residue.

1. Wash the farm eggs before cracking (otherwise, you will have chicken poop in your food)
2. Throw eggshells onto a baking sheet.
3. Place in a preheated oven at 250-degree Celsius or 482 Fahrenheit.
4. Bake eggshells for 20 minutes to kill the potential for salmonella.
5. Remove eggshells from the oven and cool.
6. Use a mort and pedestal or an electronic grinder until eggshells are a fine powder.
7. Store powder in a secure container in a cool, dry place.

The eggshell powder has a long shelf life, and you can continue to use it within six months and beyond.

Personal Testimonial

I’m in my mid-forties. Gasp! Middle age! As a woman, I must consume ample calcium to ensure I maintain bone density in this critical time of life. How much is enough? Harvard Medical School explains:

Like many women, you may have memorized the minimum daily calcium requirement — 1,000 milligrams (mg) a day for women ages 50 and younger and 1,200 mg for women over 50 — and followed it faithfully in an effort to preserve your bones.

Three to five times a week, I consume a nutrient-dense deep green smoothie and place a level teaspoon of eggshell powder inside. The powder is flavorless. Given I have incorporated the practice of eating eggshell powder for the last four months, my nails and hair are visibly healthier. I also feel peace of mind knowing my body is receiving essential nutrients allowing me to remain durable — well into my golden years. Over the last two months, I sprinkle a 1/4 teaspoon into my dog’s food once a day. Astor’s nails are healthy and growing at a rapid rate!

Egg facts

Did you know that eggs direct from a farm do not need to be refrigerated? Farm eggs have a built-in natural protective coating and are nature’s way of preserving the eggs. The opposite is true of sterilized factory-farmed eggs, and the protective layer removed, requiring refrigeration.

Resources

• Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/eggshells-benefits-and-risks
• Dr. Axe: https://draxe.com/nutrition/eggshell/
• Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs: https://www.peteandgerrys.com/blog/diy-eggshell-calcium-powder
• National Library of Medicine: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15018022/

Credit to my Mom, Sheila Beasley, who continues to teach me the wonders and bounties of our natural world, a life long learner of the incredible health benefits sitting outside our doorstep.

The post DIY Calcium Powder From Eggshells appeared first on Medika Life.