The Atlantean Apothecary

An Hebalist's Guide

Greetings herb lovers, I am Lugh Khan. I am here to pass on to you the knowledge I have accumulated over the many years I have been a practicing Herbologist. Hopefully, my notes, recipes and little stories will bring some enlightenment to you on the many uses of herbs.

I have thought long and hard on how I want to do this column and have decided the best format would be to devote each month to two areas. I will break the body down to the basic systems (ie: digestive, respritory, ect.)
and focus on one system at a time. Every month I will tackle a condition of the system I am featuring, giving you insight as to what symptoms to look for, the best recipes for that condition, the doses to use and any red flags to look for (ie: diabetics should never be given Angelica due to the high glucose content).

The second area I will focus on each month is for those who use herbs for magical purposes. Here I will go over the herbs required for certain ceremonies and what they are used for (ie: as incense, in a bath, etc.).

Aside from the main body of my article, I will also end each month with a little story of my experiences with herbs to show the light and serious side of being an Herbologist.

I truly hope you enjoy perusing these words.

Since this is my first column, I have decided to start with a few ineresting insights into the history of herbal use and the close conection to the pharmacuticals sold over drug store counters.

Herbs have been used since before the documentation of civilized history. No one really knows who it was that first noticed that certain plants aided the body in recovering from the ailments that disrupts normal everday life. What we do know, from knowledge passed on from generation to generation, is that Mother Nature (Danuih <dan-oo-ee> on Atlantis) has provided us with all we need to battle the diseases we face. All we need to do is discover what herbs to use, how much to use and what works and does not work together. The rest is up to our body's remarkable regenative properties and our own mind set (if one chooses to give up, all the help in the universe will not do a thing).

Herbs work by kicking certain systems and glands into high gear. The chemical components within the herbs are recognized by the body as triggers that set our body into a yellow to red alert stage. Some of these components trigger our immune system to focus on whatever is causing the imbalance, others inform glands to produce (and even over produce) the enzymes and flora needed to battle certain conditions and others are seen as a poison that the body immediately starts to purge; along with the impurities in the body. All of this, along with unaddictive properties, what more does a body need! Even the Western Medical profession has known of the wonderful qualities of herbs since it was first inducted. Every prescription drug a doctor prescribes you has a base from one or more herbs (they just refuse to acknowledge this so the pharmacutical companies; which pay a lot of the hospitals costs; will not go out of business). Let's face it, who would pay the high prices for chemically tainted medicine when herbs are so cheap and work just as well, if not better!

Now that we have finished our little bit of a history lesson, let's get down to the fun! Since this IS my first column, I feel the best place to start is where all Herbalists should start; cleansing the blood.

No matter what the problem in a body is, the first thing you should do is clear out the blood of any foriegn impurities. This is done by a cleansing of the blood. This will ensure that the circulation of the blood will be clean, thus making it easier to diagnose what the real problem is. It will also make the patient feel a little better while the process of discovery goes on.

There are many different recipes for herbal infusions (teas) for cleansing the body. There are some for each of the body's systems, however I will focus on a simple cleansing of the blood (this also strengthens and cleans the liver and kidneys).

Blood Cleansing Tea

2 parts: Echinacia
1 part : Cleavers
1 part : Golden Seal
1 part : Dandilion Root

This tea should be taken 3 times per day for 4 days. (for 1 tea: 1 tsp. of combined herbs)

** Do not over use this recipe. If matters do not improve after the 4 days, consult a physician.
** Be prepared for your bladder and bowels to kick into overtime as this is the way your body eliminates
the impurities causing the discomfort.

Magical Uses of Herbs

Anyone who practices magic (any style) knows how valuable herbs are to your ceremony. Every ceremony uses herbs as incense, in bathes, as ground sprinkles or in teas. With the many uses in magical ceremonies, I am glad this is a monthly column as I could write a full length book on this topic. For this month let's have some fun!

Meditation is the base to all magic proceedures and threfore any help to maintain a state of meditation would be extremely valuable. While there are many recipes for meditational teas, each one is used for a specific purpose. The recipe for this month is a visionary tea to be used in conjunction with whatever divination tool you prefer (ie: Tarot Cards, Crystal Balls, Runes, etc.). This tea could also be used for straight vision-seeking meditations.

Visionary Tea

3 parts: Damiana
1 part : Angelica
1 part : Mugwort

This tea can be used anytime you work in meditation looking for answers.

To finish this month, I will relate a little story on how herbs have helped in my life.

The tale takes place in a secluded valley in Northern British Columbia; Bella Coola Valley. My wife and I spent a winter down in this beautiful, but very secluded valley (1 road in and out) and a bunch of kids rounded up some kittens out of the woods. We ended up taking a lovely orange and white, long haired kitten who we named Mouse (his meow was just a squeak). Shortly after we took him into our family, one day he was completely lethargic; he couldn't stand or walk, he wasn't eating and he had us very worried. My wife, who is a Vet Tech (animal nurse), came to the conclusion that Mouse was extremely dehydrated due to his long hair and the lack of moisture in the hotel we were staying in. After several tension filled hours trying to find a solution to our problem (there is no Vet in the valley and only comes in once per month), we decided the only thing we could do was take care of the situation ourselves. Our treatment was this: we fed him cooled Chamomile tea mixed with thawed Pedialite freezies. It took a few hours, but our little guy is still here and could tell you the story himself (if you understand Cat-ese).

This story just shows you that herbs are not only great for humans, but for animals as well!

May Peace and Harmony Constanly Surround You

***

author bio:

Lugh Khan

I am a 47 year old Atlantean Mage who has been a practicing Herbologist for over 15 years and am in the process of becoming a Master Herbalogist from Wild Rose College. My wife, myself and our 4 cats (3 black and 1 orange and white) reside in Alberta, Canada and are both seeking to start our own businesses (my wife is a Vet Tech and I am a certified Natural Health Consultant).

Aside from my studies and herbs, I also read tarot cards, I Ching readings and am a certified Astrologer and Parapsychologist, so you can see I spend a lot of my time delving into the mysteries.

Since I love to exchange ideas and energies with like minded positive people, feel free to drop me a line at [email protected]. Ask any question you have on herbs or just drop a note with your views on life in general and I will answer you as soon as I can.

 

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