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Archive for January, 2007

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When I was at the ChopraCenter, Ashwagandha was used for its tonic and rejuvenative effects. With its beneficial influence on the nervous system it was commonly prescribed for people who complained of fatigue, difficulty concentrating or a general sense un-groundedness.

Mixed with warm milk and taken before bed Ashwagandha is useful for people with insomnia and anxiety. Ashwagandha has a reputation in Ayurveda as a rejuvenative in conditions of nerve and muscle weakness. It is also used for men and women who are having trouble with fertility.

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Life:family,friends,humor

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GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:

1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.

2) Wrinkles don’t hurt.

3) Families are like fudge….mostly sweet, with a few
nuts.

4) Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that held its
ground.

5) Laughing is good exercise. It’s like jogging on the
inside.

6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber,
not the toy.

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WHAT EXACTLY IS MACA ROOT?

Maca Nature's Herb is a root that grows in the high mountains of Peru.

Rich in nutritional content (potassium, and higher levels of calcium than in milk), maca is a natural hormonal balancer which provides great health benefits for both, men and women.

Due to its high nutritional value, maca is not only popular as a sexual libido enhancer and menopause symptoms savior, but also greatly affects energy, stamina, depression, memory, and more[….]

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The Well of Youthful Living

a cool well beside a monk’s house, a clear spring feeds the well
and the water has great powers, emerald green leaves grow on the wall,
the deep red berries shine like copper, the flourishing branch like a walking stick,
the old root in a dog’s shape signals good fortune, the goji nourishes
body and spirit, drink of the well and enjoy a long life.


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How do we find a way to wage war against the aging process? Many have sought the answers in exotic places, filled with magic and mystery.

In China, during the T’ang Dynasty, about eight centuries ago, near a remote Buddhist temple, a garden of Goji vines grew near a well . The poet Liu Yuxi, wrote a peom to this well, which he called, “The Well of Youthful Living.”

Liu, observed travelers who came back and forth from the well, after sampling its clear water and feasting on the fresh Goji berries, there was a sense of regeneration and youth in the very old pilgrims over eighty. They retained therir black and shining hair and a mouthful of healthy teeth.


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Banisteriopsis caapi

Feminine Energy Spirit

It is a natural part of spiritual development to have periods of activity and growth followed by periods of relative quiet. Sometimes I need to rest in order to integrate a new vision of the world, or of myself, taking time to assimilate new realizations and to let old patterns and habits fall away. The purpose of times like these are to stabilize my new growth. While it may appear that nothing is happening, these can be necessary periods of rest and integration..

Ingestion of Ayahuasca usually induces altered states of awareness that have assisted me with my spiritual development. Ayahuasca “vine of the soul,” refers to this freeing of the spirit.
There is a Zen expression: Practice as if your hair were on fire. What this is meant to inspire is the sense that there is no good time not to be on one’s spiritual path.

The plants involved with the brew are called plants of the gods, for their power is claimed to have supernatural forces residing in their tissues, and they have been divine gifts to the earliest of Indigenous cultures.

The shaman may use Ayahuasca as a tool to diagnose illness or to ward off impending disaster even to tell prophesies of the future, but it is more than a shaman’s tool. Entering into almost all aspects of indigenous life, the people who use it and to that extent it can hardly be called a drug, it’s more of a blessing from the natural world.

I challenge myself to always be awake in my life, and to keep showing up in the moment. If a need to rest arises, I rest in the moment. But when I start stagnating-numbing out, escaping, or being unconscious-it is up to me to acknowledge it for myself. Ayahuasca has been a divine channel to keep me awake and in the moment. Fully alive and embracing life to its fullest.

This is not to say I have not experienced stagnation settling in just before an important breakthrough. It may be a symptom of my fear, one last wall thrown up by my small self in order to protect me from a life-changing realization. Sometimes when I explore the stagnation, I find I can move beyond it. I have compassion for myself as I work to remove the obstacles that block my progress.

The Ayahuasca tea is employed for prophecy, divination, sorcery, and medicinal purposes, it is deeply rooted in native mythology and philosophy and there can be no doubt of its great age as a part of a sustainable village belief system for connecting with Spirit. I have had profound interaction while under the guidance of this teacher plant.

Jungle brews are magic intoxicants that the Indians of South America believe can free the soul from corporeal confinement, allowing it to wander free and return to the body at will. The soul, thus uninhibited, liberates its owner from the realities of everyday life and introduces her to wonderous realms of what she considers reality and permits her to communicate with her ancestors or angels in this dreamtime. I have at times felt blessed to be so aware of Spirit while being held with unconditional love.

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A week or so of cleansing during the winter months will give you a boost of energy and may eliminate any potential illness you have stored away, either by flushing out excesses or by improving organ functions. Sorry guys, not that one!

During cleansing, you must make sure to bathe daily and brush your skin with a loofa or skin brush to remove dead cells and to stimulate the clearing of toxins. At the end of a bath or shower, turn the water temperature to “cold”, this will close the skin pores and prevent heat loss and vulnerability to colds and flu, also it stimulates skin circulation.

Colon irrigation,also called Intestinal
hydrotherapy has many benefits, and until we consume less processed foods it will be necessary and helpful by relieving gas and spasms in the bowel, and assisting digestive problems to heal. Colon cleansing relieves many back and musculoskeletal pains that are often associated with pressure from the intestines.

Its greatest importance, however, is in eliminating toxins from the colon, reducing stress on the liver, and in improving lymphatic and capillary function. Once I was hospitilized and underwent surgery for a twisted colon, Ouchie!

Due to my previous efforts to cleanse the intestinal track, I avoided a colostomy bag from being attached to my side for 3 months! Sounds kinda funny now but at the time I was very grateful to have a clean colon.

When you begin to improve your diet with more natural and pesticide free foods and to eliminate toxins by cleansing the colon and skin, you will become younger, stronger and more beautiful. The body continually renews itself , the oldest cells in the body are supposedly no more than 7 years old.

So, no matter how old you seem, you can be no older than seven!

Isn’t that a nice optimistic note?

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Part of the allure of ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi) is its power to put the user in direct contact with the spirit world.

For most tribal people, the risk was not so much one of dying but of not living properly. It was the quality of your time on Earth, not the quantity, that was important to them. As a modern culture we have forgotten this part of the dream. Our relationship to the natural world and the natural world’s to us.

An objective, if you will, is to change your dream, your way of thinking about this reality. Not just through talking about it like we are doing here, but to feel it deep inside ourselves with such intensity that it will forever change our relationship with reality. Being aware of our unity with all living things; animals, plants, minerals, mountains, air,fire, water.
Through that reality shift, combined with the concept of “we are all one” a new possibility becomes undenyingly clear to the rational mind.

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Parts used and where it growns

Plantain is native to Europe and Asia, but now grow practically anywhere in the world where there is sufficient water. Plantain should not be confused with the banana-like vegetable of the same name.

The leaves of plantain are primarily used as medicine. The seeds of plantain can also be used medicinally, having mild laxative effects similar to the seeds of psyllium, a close relative of plantain.

1. Bruised or crushed leaves have been applied topically to treat insect bites and stings, eczema, and small wounds or cuts.
To make a first aide poultice on the spot; first gather and rinse the leaf. Chew the leaf for a few minutes in your mouth to break down the plant tissues.
Then place the masceration ( the chewed leaf ) on the site of the sting or bite. The pain will cease and the venom will be drawn our of the injury site.

Historical or traditional use

Plantain has long been considered by herbalists to be a useful remedy for cough, wounds, inflamed skin or dermatitis, and insect bites.
It was considered by herbalists to be a gentle, soothing expectorant, and additionally to have a mild astringent effect

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