Jamika asks:

Dear Sean- Can you advise an herb for really really really bad menstrual cramps?

Yes I can.
In the herbal world cramping is considered spasms. What you want to control cramping is naturally an anti-spasmodic. This would be similar to formulas that one would use for nervousness, shock, as well as cramping.

To name 1 herb for this condition I would definitely go with one that is anti-spasmodic and has affinity for the Female Reproductive System.
Black Haw is the most powerful single herb for this. A possible substitution is Cramp Bark (for cost, availability, etc…)
A tincture would work best here. Take about 20 drops 2-3 times daily or as needed.

General herbs many may have around or easier availability would be Skullcap, Lobelia, and Valerian.

Jamika, hope things go well for you. Should you get me more info we can come up with a bit better of a formula for you next time.

Perhaps to make it easy you can just buy a formula straight from online that can help very much in this! Try these PMS & Cramps forumlas from Dimmak Herbs

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Lets talk a little about your lungs. Your lungs are much bigger than one thinks at least as far as surface area is concerned. I have seen it quoted that your lungs total surface area is about as big as a tennis court. The area that creates the largest part of the surface area gets down to 1 cell thick so that Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide can pass between them freely. This makes for a delicate area, and a possibility for easy disruption. The lungs must maintain a moist environment and be free of foreign matter.

Now lets turn our attention to 2 common problems had with the lungs and the 2 that I want to talk about. First, the most common problem is congestion. In this huge surface area that I spoke about there is a bottle neck where the trachea branches out into the lungs, called the bronchis. So we have a few weak spots here. So a few common problems happen to clog up the system here. First is that we can get a runny nose and do a little to much snorting and it ends up in your respiratory tract. Second a post nasal drip can drip right back into the respiratory tract. Lastly that natural moisture throughout your lungs can get heated and ‘cook’ that fluid down, or decoct it, and it makes a much thicker fluid- phlegm or mucous.

Next problem I want to discuss is overworking the lungs. Believe it or not you can overwork your lungs. What is happening here is that you are breathing very heavily and the air is not able to gather moisture and equalize in air temperature. If you would like to see this in action just set the computer down and go for a sprint outside and continue running while you are breathing very heavily. You will eventually stop and your lungs will feel quite uncomfortable. I actually got this problem researched and herbal help from it from horses. Racing horses take lung supplements as they overwork their lungs and usually bleed after races.

So lets talk about some herbs for your lungs.
Thyme- yes, good old household thyme in your kitchen is a great lung herb and you probably have it already.
Mullein- a very common lung herb here. Mullein is often smoked to lung and cough relief, but we are gonna make a tea instead. Mullein is great because it cools and disperses. As you see the most common problems with the lungs are overworking, heat, and inflammation (bronchitis).
Elecampane / Xuan Fu Hua- Elecampane is not an herb that may be in your collection, but is essential to strengthen the lungs. This is really our main tonifying herb here in the mix. Ayurveda tags Elecampane as promoting the longevity of lung tissue. What we need to do with this herb to tonify, strengthen, and for prevention is to increase this properties through honey frying. Basically heat up a pan and throw your herb in there and slowly add little bits of honey to coat the herb and ’sear’ it on there.
Lobelia / Ban Ban Lian- You will find Lobelia in alot of herbal formulas. This is because Lobelia is an Antispasmodic which means it relaxes muscles and allows the body to accept your formula. Well, that is great but it just so happens that Lobelia has an affinity for the lungs and helps relax the upper respiratory tract. Great Success!
Lastly, we want to throw in some dried Ginger. This will help with our lung ailments and harmonize the formula.
Lastly I would like to mention that Ma Huang or Ephedra would make a great addition assuming that you were not on MAO inhibitors or heart problems. Unfortunately Ephedra was misused as a weight loss herb (which it is NOT used for by ANY herbalist) and it is quite difficult to get now. If you got it, this is a great herb for this formula and can actually increase your breathing ability. While im on this subject Ma Huang is not to be used for a long period of time. So If you are using preventative measures with this herb use low doses.

Throw your combo here in a pot and make some nice tea. Also feel free to ground this all down and make some pills.
If you are really interested in this, but want a professionally done make up of this formula visit Dimmak Herbs and buy the Breath E -Decongestant Pills.

Hope this helps some athletes as well as those with those with lung problems!

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Vanessa, 31 from Garner, NC asks me “what is a good herbal expectorant for phlegm? I am having allergic reactions to ?? I am not sure of. However, i seem to have alot of phlegm collecting in my lungs.”

Well Vanessa lets look at this. Phlegm is also called sputum and mucous. In Chinese Medicine phlegm does not really need to be a physical form coughed up from your lungs, but that is another discussion. Typically here is how phlegm develops. Phlegm starts as a form of dampness and then is decocted down into a much thicker substance. Your lungs are naturally a damp place and if that place is heated up and that fluid is cooked you have created some phlegm in there. This is a generalization, but a very common source of getting this phlegm. Now, typically phlegm will be a dark color from the heat. The lighter the color the more heat you have there. Usually you will end up with a more clear runny phlegm, a yellowish is more ‘cool’ but I will go over herbs to cover both of these.

Vanessa wasn’t very descriptive with her condition. So lets cover a nice general condition. Let’s add in a cough that will usually accompany the phlegm, which is your bodies natural instinctive way to expel the phlegm. What we want to do here is get rid of the phlegm by breaking it down and expelling it. We also want to soothe your throat, tonify your lungs and quiet your cough.
I like to use syrups here since we can soothe the throat at the same time and give an application that will coat the area leaving the medicine on the area. An alternative is a smoking mixture where you can use mullien, but lets move on to the syrup.

We want to use an expectorant, in other words something that expels the phlegm out. Comfrey and/or Playcodon are the good herbs here. To quiet the cough we will use the ultra powerful Kuan Dong Hua or Coltsfoot. This herb can be a little pricey but it works very well and tastes/smells wonderful. To compliment and soothe we will use Wild Cherry Bark that will also add some good flavor. I personally would use Lobelia here to open the system up to the treatment.

Gather these herbs and throw them in a stainless steel pot. You want 4oz of herb and add water to the pot to match the height or 500ml would be good. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low heat for over an hour. Keep decocting and cooking down to get a think substance but make sure not to burn anything. You can remove the herbs and throw the water back in and a add a bit of Slippery Elm pre-mixed with a little water and add it in there. This will thicken the decoction, but don’t add too much it will get slimy. After this add honey and or glycerin to the decoction to thicken.

1-3 teaspoons of this mixture as needed should do a great job to our condition here. Should you rather buy this ready to take, Dimmak Herbs Cough Herbal Remedies also sells a cough syrup that is similar to the formula I talked about and works great (go under products and its under ’syrups’). I feel a nice tingle in my throat and fast relief. On a final note your concoction should be kept refrigerated. This should now last you about 3-6 months.

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A first degree burn is basically a sun burn or any other irritation of the skin. Skin will appear red and will be sensitive to heat. A second degree burn is more severe and deals with blistering and puss in the area. The body at this point is trying to cool itself by sending liquid to the area (pus) to cool and protect the area. Third degree burns are even more sever and relate to a loss of skin at the area. I would like to touch only briefly on the first two and talk about using herbs and household goods to heal 3rd degree burns.

First degree burns are most commonly had from sunburns or from some hot water. The skin gets red and is very sensitive to heat. At this point the skin is very irritated and either gonna die and peel or make it through. Honestly the best remedy here is Aloe Vera Gel. Nothing magic here that you may not have already known. Aloe is a very soothing and since its a gel you are able to run it over the area and instantly feel a nice cool feeling on the area. Keep the area from heat and exposure and you’ll be fine in no time.

Second degree burns are a furthering of a first degree where the body is trying to cool and pad the area. This leads to blistering and a whitening of the area. Second degree burns are common in fair skinned people and for those of you who are not may never see this type of burn. This can be a much more painful experience and its a little trickier because you have open wounds basically. Our main herb here is going to be calendula. For the absolute quickest and most effective use of calendula simply saute it on low heat with Olive Oil in a 1 part calendula to 4 part Olive Oil. After about an hour just strain out the herb and use the oil. If you have access or want to make a better oil take 2 parts calendula, 2 parts comfrey leaves, 1 part lobelia. If there is pain the area add 1 part Kava Kava. Kava acts as a local anesthetic and will help a great deal. You will want to powder these down and combine with olive oil to make a thick paste. You could also add all of these in 1 part to 4 parts water with a little slippery elm and cook down to a really thick paste. You will want to apply this and cover with gauze very lightly and wash often to avoid infection. These formulas should provide a good deal of relief and quick healing!

Third degree burns are the most serious burns although you don’t have to be a in a ‘burn victim ward’ to have them. You can burn smaller areas or limbs of your body quite easily. Fire is the most direct cause of third degree burns and they are not fun. In reality the worst part of the burn is that it is an open wound with complete burn off of skin. So you have infection to worry about and the scar that will be left there as you body tries to heal this area. If you have a serious burn, I recommend a hospital trip. If you choose not to or whatever, I am not responsible :). What we want to do here is apply a soothing paste to the area that will also help our bodies regenerate skin in the area! Well, there happens to be such an herb and its called comfrey. Here is the recipe you need. 3 parts comfrey root, 1 part lobelia, 1 part calendula, 1/2 part honey, some garlic juice, 1/2 part wheat germ oil, and some olive oil. Notice the similarities to the second degree burn formula, although there are some differences. We are using comfrey root instead of leaves, we are using honey, we aren’t using anything additional for pain, the ratios are a bit different, and you need to make this a certain way.
You need to fine powder the herbs and throw the honey in a stainless steel pot. Heat the honey to where it is liquified. At this point put your wheat germ oil in there and then turn off the heat. Now put all of your herb into the pot and mix up while adding olive oil to get a very thick paste. You can throw your garlic juice in there now and make sure your paste is thick like cake frosting. At this point you will know if you over did the honey cause the paste will harden. If you did this right you are ready to apply. Apply directly and thickly over the wound and bandage over. You will leave this on for 3-4 days and then remove without disturbing anything. Make sure you THUROUGHLY CLEAN THE WOUND prior to applying this!
Now let me explain what we have here. You washed the wound and now you have a clean third degree burn. Calendula is a very soothing herb and treats burn very well. Lobelia helps other work by relaxing the area and helping with pain. Garlic is one of the best disinfectants on the planet and will help with a clean healing process. Comfrey root is a very strong flesh regeneration herb. It also has drawing power and is soothing and anti-inflammatory. Wheat germ is protecting the area and soothing, a very important part of this formula and should not be left out. The olive oil helps with the binder and is much less expensive than wheat germ oil although you can use only wheat germ oil if you want. Finally the honey will act as a barrier on the wound and keep infection out for the 3-4 day period you will have this on.

A few things I would like to point out. You can buy a formula ready to go for burns called Burn Paste from www.dimmakherbs.com. Calendula is a weed and grows abundantly. You should learn to recognize the herb as it could help you tremendously if you were out in the wild. Fresh calendula works the same as dried.

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