Wise Woman Weed(s)

Red Clover (Photo by Tony Wills) 

In Susun Weed's October 2, 2012 ezine article "Herbal medicine is people's medicine," she describes the following three health-care

traditions:  Scientific (linear) in which "we fix the broken machine," Heroic (circular) in which "we cleanse the filthy temple," and Wise Woman (spiralic) in which "we nourish the unique wholeness of each individual."

Nourishment within the Wise Woman tradition not only pertains to what we eat, but also to what we absorb from our surroundings.  Weed explains that "everything we take in – sights, sounds, thoughts, stories, smells, everything – becomes part of us."  She avoids television for that reason.

Because the Wise Woman tradition believes that "we are created in perfection," it defines "healing" as "wholing."  Wise Woman healing

therefore involves "accepting ourselves exactly as we are, with love and compassion."  It entails nourishing "what we want to be, rather than rejecting what we don't want" and trusting "our bodies… the earth… [and] our gut feelings."

Wise Woman nourishment often comes from the herbs that other traditions call "weeds."  These include dandelion greens, burdock, plantain seeds, yellow dock, nettle and red clover.  Weed herself regularly drinks

"nourishing herbal infusions" – which consist of "a large amount of [usually dried] herb brewed for a long time."  Two to four cups per day is her usual allotment of these herbal drinks.    

         

Resources

http://wisewomanherbalezine.com/october2-2012/index.html

http://www.nourishingherbalinfusions.com/

Copyright October 5, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved