Prickles and Tickles
Posted by Jessica Morgan
on May 22, 2013
in Herbal Blog
Jessica Morgan
Jessica Morgan is a community herbalist and environmental horticulture and crop science graduate, a certified ...
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Many of the prickly rose family plants are tenacious. And frank. They’re beautiful and wild and thorny and tangled, they produce suckers and spread and scratch and stretch out their arms and fingers and claws. They’re complex. They’re a little teasing. They're protective. And withholding. They’re stubborn...but fair. They’re tempered and resilient. They're honest. They’re giving and sharing....asking nothing in return but equal respect. Nothing different than what we want. We know anything really worth doing or wanting takes persistence, perseverance, and stubborn determination too. And maybe a Please and Thank You. We get what we give. And many in the rose family are just that. These plants are self assured and magnificent, respectful and well respected. They don’t let just anybody in or around....unharmed. You can't just get all grabby and steal. No. They're romantic and expect such. And if chosen, and you tickle through their claws, they have the sweetest fruits and the puckeryist leaves...it's something of a magical, tactile sensation.
Can't sleep? Bitters....get some bitters! Or eat the bitters. Remember: the liver likes it when we’re asleep from 1-3, so make it happy! According to TCM, the liver filters all our blood through the night, especially between 1-3 am (when we're asleep) and it's working hard. A weak or congested liver means that it has to struggle through the night often producing hot flashes during this time and effecting our sleep. Poor quality sleep, difficulty falling asleep, tossing and turning, waking up easily, can't sleep at all, waking unrested; these are often the result of a sluggish liver. You see, the body’s qi and blood pass through and nurtures each organ system throughout the day and night. During the day when the body is active, blood flows to the tendons and muscles and then returns to the organs at night. Different times of night have a greater impact on different organs, like the liver between 1-3 am, and blood and qi are strongest in the liver organ and its meridians at this time when a significant portion of detoxification, regulation and nourishment is happening. If a person wakes or has some unusual symptoms at the same time every day, it is probable that there is an imbalance in the organ system that is highlighted at that particular time of day. Like waking up every night between 1-3 am. We know that sleeping during this time is critical for the liver to be able to function normally. And a good functioning liver is a lover of the bitters. They really like the bitters. So make friends with those dandelions, chicory and mustard greens or any other bitter greens and the thistles and docks, because they will help you and your liver stop looking at the clocks!
Our thoughts, our emotions, intentions, choices, actions... they are all made up of energy, and that energy contributes to our vibrational state. To our health and to our well-being. To how we feel inside and outside. It is said that we humans are able to consciously control these vibrations within ourselves by cultivating habits that contribute to our emotional health and strength, and by doing so, our vibration is raised. You know, everything in the universe, from the teeniest molecules to the most complex living beings has an optimal rate of vibration to keep it healthy, and our modern lifestyles are really good at throwing us through the ringers and squeezing our vibrations right out of us. Like juice, our life force gets sucked dry. Leaving us in emotional conflict. But, we can change this with constructive, creative, and expansive thoughts and affirmative activities that leave us feeling joyous, appreciative, loving, and peaceful. These emotions help balance and raise these good vibrations. We know that we’ve reached a high vibrational state when we feel good and when we feel aligned with everything around us. And when we reach a high vibrational level, we are whole. We are brilliant. We are healthy, and we are able, then, to pass this vibration on. 
You know, sometimes the hardest part about being a herbalist; a healer: is watching people poison themselves with food, swallow sickly emotion, feed off the negatives of life, complain without action, cling to ridiculous habits, be a prisoner of their own small thoughts and live in such fear of change. Change is hard. But it's only hard because we say it's hard. It's not hard. What's hard is to say it's their path not mine... and watch them live in their burdens. That's the hardest part.
Our storm took down half a juniper at the old church on the corner, so needless to say, I've been busy dragging sweet juniper boughs home across the snow this beautiful Sunday morning. I give thanks to the church, the Juniperus gods and the mighty storm..... shake off snow, kiss the sky and drag.... I'm always grateful when my old friend calls to me. Seems like a good pristine day for making juniper hydrosol. And probably juniper some-of-this and juniper some-of-that!
I like to wander through the juniper like the deer, quietly nibbling and scenting myself. And I like the way the deer watch me.... You know, we can learn so much from the land if we just learn to watch and listen. We know juniper smells good and is yummy, but it’s also a well known folk remedy for arthritis, rashes, and skin ailments. It’s great for inflammation and lymph congestion and it’s perfect for mental exhaustion too. I think it makes a nice stimulating body oil right out of the shower as well. I like to make it with wild-gathered juniper infused apricot, extra virgin olive and grapeseed oils and EO’s of cypress, juniper and lemon.
I’m a big fan of dry brushing and a big fan of salt scrubbing! These kinds of rubdowns really stimulate the body’s circulation and lymphatic systems which is not only invigorating and makes for smoother skin, but it can also help improve digestion, liver function and gets toxins moving out of the body. This stimulating scrub is also great for mental exhaustion, minor muscle aches, soreness, stiffness, inflammation and lymph congestion. Always lovemade with all kinds of salts, hempseed and grapeseed oils, wild-gathered juniper berries and rose petals, poppy seeds, allspice and EO’s of juniper, balsam fir and clary sage. 
Soaking in water is precious. And soaking in herb infused water is a bath for the soul. It can wash away debris and wash away hurt and it can fill up our heart and fill up our soul. Who doesn't like to take long steamy mystic ceremony soaks and have their soul filled up with the smells of the wilderness. And what is better than a dark candle lit steamy aromatic bath, a long soak and deep breaths to revitalize and release our chattered mind. A bath to help us relax and let our senses go back to the wild. Rewild is a handmade blend of rosemary leaf, eucalyptus leaf, horsetail herb, juniper leaf & berry, yarrow leaf and flower, pine, prairie sage, chrysanthemum & calendula flowers.
The humble juniper is said to encourage a sense of balance and calm. I simply have to agree as i tend to crave their company when I need solace and peace of mind. But we’ve known for millennia that burning incense is good for the soul and it certainly means alot of different things to alot of different people. So it is my hope that you find your inner harmony and a sense of balance in the burning of humble little juniper cones. 
Morgan Botanicals Summer Herbal CSA memberships are now open for registration! Enjoy 3 months of homegrown and wildgathered handmade herbals such as teas, tinctures, syrups, oils, creams, oxymels, incense, flower essences, hydrosols, essential oil blends and other herbal miscellany. Monthly payments and international shipping is available, please inquire.
I was recently invited to be interviewed by the sweet folks over at Poppy Swap! Thought I'd post it so you can read it here.
