Walnut Helps Us Transition Into 2012 & Beyond With Grace & Ease!

Years ago, I was living in Scotland on a remote island called Iona. My mom came for a visit and we travelled to England and Ireland together, visiting relatives and seeing the beautiful sights. An associate of my father hosted us at the Marianella Centre in Dublin, and I fondly remember a majestic and very beautiful walnut tree on the grounds. At one point, I took my journal out to the walnut tree and spent some time with it, appreciating the sense of strength it imparted and leaning against it's sturdy trunk.

Walnut is a plant that lends itself to human conditions in many ways. As a food, perceiving the actual walnut is very telling as it relates to what it's good for. When you look at a walnut, notice how it appears as though a human brain. Sure enough, walnuts are a wonderful source of omega 3 fatty acids that nourish the brain and are very antioxidant, meaning that they scavenge disease-forming agents in the body.

As an herb, black walnut fights parasites and bacterial infections and stimulates the activity of the liver, gallbladder and digestive system, improving overall digestion.

As a flower essence, walnut is widely applicable, and I'll tell you why in a moment. First, let me briefly elaborate on what flower essences are and what they do. Flower essences are highly dilute floral infusions that work on an energetic level. This means that there are no chemical constituents in a flower essence, like root, stem or leaf. Flower essences are just that: essences of the flowering tops of plants. The philosophy of flower essences states that the energy of the flowers have been captured and preserved in a bottle. This energy works upon a person's energetic body, mostly affecting mental, emotional and spiritual components of being, affecting the physical in turn. Flower essences stimulate awareness, awareness being the key to change, movement and personal growth.

Walnut: for making healthy transitions
& gaining freedom from social
expectations or values of family
or community, past experiences
or beliefs in order to follow one's
own path and destiny.

Walnut is widely applicable as a flower essence because it helps us move seamlessly through transition. As I wrote earlier today in a newsletter, transition is change, and I am often reminded by my toddler son's dislike of change just how inherently we resist it. Well, that's what walnut is for - our resistance towards change. And being that change is really the only constant, walnut, as mentioned, is widely applicable. I remember the first time I used walnut flower essence. One day during my cycle with walnut, I stood in the shower and was acutely aware of just how okay it was that everything around me seemed to be in chaos as I transitioned from one stage of life to another. Suddenly, all the beautiful lessons and personal growth were at the forefront of my mind instead of the feelings of overwhelm that often accompany change.

When it comes to using plants for healing, there is a great deal of crossover between nutrition, herbology and flower essences - something I think is very beautiful and a magnificent expression from the plants themselves. This means that a particular application for walnut in herbology, for example, often relates to it's actions as a flower essence. That being said, how amazing that walnut feeds the brain while also improving digestion. This directly translates to the fact that walnut imparts a greater capacity to process and digest change. Thank you walnut!

I am left remembering one of the more poignant things my herbology teacher, Robert Rogers, taught me: notice how walnuts have a harder shell to break and often require a nutcracker. Always think of walnut when there are difficult patterns to break.
The perfect image and so fitting for walnut's application in flower essences.

So, think of walnut as you transition from 2011 to 2012 - if you are having difficulty leaving things behind and striking out anew, walnut. If you are moving in or out of a relationship, walnut. If you are starting a new job or leaving an old one, walnut. If you are moving house, moving cities or moving countries, walnut. Or if you are working on self-improvement and looking to leave self-defeatist patterns and habits behind, walnut.

Walnut could be the key to your success as you rise up to be the person you were intended to be in 2012.

Flower essences are available at all Optimum Health locations and are taken as follows: 4 drops under the tongue 4 times per day for a 28 day period. Please contact me at Prana Holistic if you would like to set up a complete flower essences session.

Roberta Shepherd for Prana Holistic

Alfalfa the Wonder Herb!!

I've recently been doing some research on alfalfa as I have been recommending it for clients, have recently written a column about it and have been taking it in tea format myself.

Alfalfa means "the father of all foods", which, surely, is a hefty name to live up to. Considering the myriad of ways in which alfalfa lends itself therapeutically, I'm convinced that it easily lives up to its name.

Alfalfa has historically been used as a feed for horses and cows. Alfalfa is a legume, believe it or not, and currently the most cultivated legume in the whole world! Alfalfa grows very deeply in the soil, it's roots therefore able to access many nutrients which are available to us when we take alfalfa therapeutically. Alfalfa has a full spectrum of nutrients, minerals and vitamins. According to Robert Rogers' (my herbology guru), alfalfa has 3 times the calcium of milk, 5 times the magnesium and 40 times the iron!! Further, the vitamin C content is 4 times that of citrus juice (when consumed fresh), and a valuable source of vitamin K, necessary for blood clotting and essential to a healthy digestive system. Alfalfa also has an incredibly high protein content, which is the primary reason that it's fed to dairy cows. Alfalfa is a resilient plant and an excellent tonic, meaning that it tones and strengthens all the systems of the body. Alfalfa is a wonderful strengthening herb for those that are weak, underweight or recovering from an illness. Alfalfa is wonderful for the digestive system, especially considering the fact that it contains a wide range of digestive enzymes and is known to create bacterial balance in the lower digestive tract. Alfalfa is excellent for the cardiovascular system in that it dissolves cholesterol. It also inhibits fungus, reduces blood sugar levels, balances hormones and alkalizes the blood, making for a more alkaline internal environment that is so conducive to optimal health. Alfalfa also improves the flow and quality of breast milk, boosts the immune system, decreases the incidence of female cancers and binds to carcinogens in the bowel, speeding their elimination from the body. I'm pretty sure those are enough reasons to justify everyone ingesting alfalfa daily!

It is always my recommendation that when possible, herbs be taken in tincture format as there is more fresh herb readily available for the body's use and tinctures are also easier for the body to assimilate. However, alfalfa is pretty tough to find in tincture format here in Edmonton - I've tried! The second best way to ingest herbs is by drinking them as tea. I recommend Chickadee Farm, a local company that produces dried alfalfa leaves. Chickadee Farm brand is available at Planet Organic markets. Put 1-2 teaspoons of dried herb in a tea ball, allow to steep for about 10 minutes and drink! I like the taste, but some people find alfalfa to be quite grassy, so feel free to mix it with any other herbal tea such as ginger or peppermint to mask the grassy taste. Enjoy!

Alfalfa seeds, in particular, ought to be avoided by those suffering from any autoimmune condition while alfalfa supplementation in general ought to be avoided by those with lupus, specifically.

For more thorough recommendations on what herbs would be best for YOU, YOUR body and YOUR unique set of circumstances, please book an herbology consult with myself. I would be happy to recommend the perfect herb or herbs particular to you.

Roberta Shepherd for Prana Holistic