Kat Lindquist Wise Woman Ways ~ Healing through Shamanic Herbalism December 14th, 2012 Synthesis of Learning Objective

#2: Nourishment and Healing with Whole Foods The second out of four learning objectives for fall quarters contract was To deepen my understanding of nourishment and healing with whole foods. I accomplished this both through hands-on work during the apprenticeship on Whidbey, by independently cooking with whole, organic, local, sustainable foods, and completing a food journal/dietary analysis throughout the quarter. I worked alongside Sally Fallons Nourishing Traditions to broaden my knowledge of nutrition and food preparation, with Healing Wise by Susun Weed as well as Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Hitchford and A New Encyclopedia of Whole Foods by Rebecca Wood as additional reference guides. Throughout my studies and teachings with Julie, I came to understand that plants are nourishment - and, if and wherever possible, they should be used firstly as food and as nourishing agents rather than immediately used for their medicinal properties. Plants serve to strengthen, tonify, and energize. For this reason, studies between Shamanic Herbalism and nourishment blend - because plants serve firstly as nourishment rather than medicine. This way, they are able to heal before there is even a problem.

For example, there were three plants that we worked with primarily on Whidbey Island- Rose Hip, Stinging Nettle, and Burdock Root. I then continued my research extensively in an independent setting working with the texts Healing Wise by Susun Weed, and through various online searches and articles, and use of them for myself. I by prepared and consumed teas, oil infusions, and learned to cook with these plants, for nourishment purposes primarily, rather than as medicine. Burdock root, among other things, works hard to nourish the kidneys, liver, and digestive system with its high levels of inulin. While I do not have particular sicknesses or illness in these areas, I used Burdock over the course of the quarter to tonify and strengthen these organs. Here is an exerpt from Susun Weeds Healing Wise: Burdock Root is a nourishing tonic. Even occasional use of burdock root, or any part of the plant, will help provide optimum nutrition to the glandular and immune systems, liver, kidneys, blood, lungs, and nerves, as well as providing overall power and emotional stability to the whole being. Burdock nourishes the most extreme, buried, and far-reaching aspects of ourselves. Burdock breaks the ground for deep transformation. (pg 96) Also in Healing Wise, Susun Weed outlines all the nourishing properties of a plant like Burdock: it is very high in chromium, iron, and magnesium, it has 10.6 grams of protein in a serving, Vitamin A, and fiber, among many other trace minerals. I can go

into the nourishing properties of each plant to a great extent; however, this essay would not be the proper place to do so, nor do I have enough space. Sally Fallons Nourishing Traditions, served as a guiding force for my dietary alterations this quarter. I studied the value of fats, and began replacing vegetable oils with animal butters and cold-pressed oils. I began cherishing meat and animal products as a good thing, so long as they are grass-fed, which provides more vitamins and minerals in a natural form. Nourishing Traditions advises, for example from page 69-71 describes simple alterations towards making healthier dietary choices that align with our ancestors, are more natural, and keep the body in optimal nourishment. A few include: Eat grains that are in their whole, natural form. Animal fats and proteins are essential. Keep sweets to a minimum, even natural sweets. Grow your own herbs and use them fresh. Lacto-fermented foods are essential to a human diet. If I wanted to know more specifically about the nutritional aspects of a particular food, or to get inspired for additional nourishment, I used Healing with Whole Foods and The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia as resources. By conducting a dietary analysis, writing down each meal, the times I ate and where the food was sourced from, I became much more aware of patterns and unhealthy habits. For example, I cut down drastically on caffeine and sweets and made sure not to skip meals, eating small amounts throughout the day between meals. I saw correlations between energy levels and the foods I ate (or meals I skipped) and made

changes accordingly. This was a part of synthesizing what I learned from Julie, what I read in books, and putting it to use in my own life to truly experience the effects before transferring knowledge onto other people without proper practice. This is an ongoing process and I look forward to refining it throughout next quarter.

Works Cited Fallon, Sally and Mary G. Enig. Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. Washington, DC: New Trends Publishing Inc, 2001. Weed, Susun. Wise Woman Herbal: Healing Wise. Woodstock: Ash Tree Publishing, 1989.

REFERENCE GUIDES USED Pitchford, Paul. Healing with Whole Foods. Berkely: North Atlantic Books, 1993. Wood, Rebecca. The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia. New York: Penguin Group, 2010.