Crane Acupuncture & Holistic Medicine

SPRING MEDICINES GAME!
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What plant, pictured here, is named for an organ of the body?
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Score 1 point for guessing the organ
2 points for guessing the part of the plant that resembles the organ
and 3 points for coming up with the common name.
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(This plant has a wide variety of actions on the organ it is named after, strengthening, toning, and increasing its activity.)
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Wheel... Of... Herbal Fortune!! 🌱🌿💚

What spring medicinal is this?

Its root is used to gently stimulate the bowels. Its leaf when young can be picked and eaten in salads. It's a classic liver tonic, taken to improve detoxification, improve the skin, and stimulate the lymph. It's also one of the herbs most frequently added to herbal iron syrup recipes... yum!

First word: _ E L L _ _ 🌈
Second word: _ _ _ _ ⚓️
(any Rs, Ss, Ts, Ls, Ns, and Es have been filled in)



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We're doing a throwback to old school WHEEL OF FORTUNE with these herb hints! Like the classic Wheel of Fortune television show with Pat Sajak and Vanna White, we'll fill in any of the following letters: R, S, T, L, N, and E. You do the rest!

This plant is popping up from leaves, fields and gardens these cold spring days. The leaf is taken as a tea for a wide variety of both upper and lower respiratory conditions, from sore throats to lung issues (for which it is also sometimes smoked). The flower is picked, added to garlic and made into an oil to treat ear infections. The root lubricates the joints and soothes musculoskeletal issues. What is this herb?!

_ _ L L E _ N

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🌼 Have you seen these little soft yellow flowers popping up from the leaves, maybe on the edges of shady gravel piles, or the sides of rocky ditches? 🌼

If you were to taste one, it would taste sweet. Yum - good candied, or as a syrup, for lung conditions in Western herbalism. Its root is the part used in Chinese herbal medicine, and is categorizes as an herb that transforms phlegm and stops cough.

If you were to clear away the leaf litter, you might notice a conspicuous lack of leaves. Hey! How does this baby photosynthesize?!

This quality gives us one of the less common names of the plant, "Son-before-the-father." The first plant part to come up in the spring is the flower. Big, luxuriant and green heart-shaped leaves will follow. But you might not even recognize them as the same plant, because by then the flower will have turned to dandelion-like fluff, and blown across the landscape.

Its leaves give us another of its common names, because they resemble a body part of a four-legged baby animal.

Can you name this plant?

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🌿🌱🌿🌱HAVE YOU SEEN THIS HERB??🌿🌱🌿🌱

You probably have, because it's pretty much everywhere!

At least it is this time of year in our area - where in a little while it will become tall and make pretty little flowers that create a yellow "aura" over the fields. It was once used as a strewing herb, used to keep unwanted vermin away (But when are vermin ever wanted? Poor guys!).

This plant has a distinctive sweet smell that some compare to freshly mown hay, or vanilla due to its coumarin content. And chemistry says it should have something in common with cinnamon, being another high-coumarin containing plant. Personally, we think it smells like cumin, and kind of tastes like it, too (Nibbles of this wild plant are safe - it was used internally for various conditions including urinary tract illness and wound healing, especially in the past).

Has anyone seen this plant, and if so, can you name it? Bonus if you can name another plant of the same genus that can also be gathered in the springtime :)

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Spring medicinals series #2: It's a two-for-one special! Here we see two VERY common medicinal herbs in our mid-Hudson valley region. Can you identify them?

#1: This herb's name is French in origin, and references a fierce animal. It's commonly seen in gardens, and indeed the whole plant, root leaf and flower, is edible.

#2. This tiny emerging plant can be seen growing to adult human height on the edges of fields, parking lots, and trails in full or partial sun. Its Chinese equivalent is used in acupuncture practices around the world.

Spring has sprung! Join us for our Spring Medicines Series, as we focus on welcoming the local wild medicinal plants as they emerge from their winter slumber... 💚

Our first plant is a tree! Can you name this medicinal? Compounds found in the bark of this plant were studied and eventually inspired the synthesis of the most commonly used drug in the world, aspirin.

Corn-gratulations to all who completed our 10-day Community on a Cleanse!

Kudos to you for taking a time out from your everyday routine to try something new and highly beneficial for your health. I hope the experience was positive.

I’ve received wide ranging feedback over the years. For some it is a transformational experience and an eye opener into their relationship with food, others just dipped their toe in the water of cleansing for the first time.

A few pounds were shed, sleep deepened, skin conditions improved, anxiety levels plummeted and very stubborn digestive imbalances found some resolution.

I have personally never done the exact same cleanse twice, because I keep learning little ways to tweak and experiment. I hope you gained a few insights about what works for your body, as well as curiosity regarding things to try next time.

Individually, diet changes like this can be applied anytime, and they are particularly beneficial during times of stress, illness and positive transformation. Keep these ideas in mind for moments that require an extra boost!

The next group cleanse will be happening in the fall… I’ll keep you posted on the details.

On that note, I would love to hear more from you!

🌽 What worked well?

🌽 Where could you have used some extra support?

🌽 What might you do differently next time?

🌽 Are there any aspects of the diet you will keep as we move into the warmer months ahead?

This has been:
Community on a Cleanse
Presented by Crane Holistic
communityonacleanse.org

Join us next fall for another round!

We are so close to finishing our 10 day goal!

On Friday, we will decide where to go from here. What new habits will become part of your daily rhythm and where will you ease back?

It’s interesting that this cleanse, which has been so beneficial for each of our bodies, has also been extremely beneficial to the health of the planet. 🌎🌍🌏

The statistics on the savings in choosing a meatless meal is staggering. Research indicates that a plant-based diet is the single biggest way to reduce one’s impact on the planet. And so much can be sourced directly from our local communities. Our dietary choices have far greater impact than our flying habits, plastic straws and electric cars.

We can make a difference without being rigid. We don’t need to be perfect to help.

Looking to our elders provides helpful guidance and motivation. There has been extensive study of “blue zones," areas where the population enjoys statistically better health and longer lifespans than the rest of us.

We are talking loads of centenarians…people living with healthy bodies and sharp minds beyond 100 years. They must be doing something right!

These people are generally not strict vegetarians, but do eat far fewer fleshy meals that most of of us. They use moderation around animal resources, emphasize an abundance of simple seasonal plant foods and fresh water, include a few sweets and a little coffee, tea and wine.

That doesn’t sound too difficult. The wisdom of the middle path.

It is also heart warming to know that in the midst of such incredible turmoil around world events, including climate change, such habits are perhaps the most important action we can take as individuals to benefit others and also keep us incredibly healthy.

Win-win situations are my favorite :)

There's more on our blog!
https://www.communityonacleanse.org/blog-3-1

Community on a Cleanse
Presented by Crane Holistic
communityonacleanse.org

Today is day 8 of our 10-day cleanse! Just three days to go until we reach the finish line.

We just have one question today:

How have you bean feeling?

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Community on a Cleanse
Hosted by Crane Holistic
communityonacleanse.org

Day 7 - it's been a week of our 10 day cleanse!

Let's talk today about willpower.

First of all, kudos to YOU for having the determination to take this on! When we follow through on our word, we build trust in ourselves. This bolsters determination and strength as we move through challenges and opportunities for growth.

And those little moments when we cheat or slip? It happens to the best of us. These are important moments to forgive ourselves, to not give up and keep going with the vision :)

The truth is, there are no rules, and every tiny good thing you do for yourself is a gift. Keep doing your best everyday. You don’t have to be perfect. Integrity is built by continuing to try, and following through to the best of your ability.

Some questions for today:

🍌 How do YOU move on after a slip?
🍌 What are some things you followed through on, and feel proud of?
🍌 What are your intentions when we get to the finish line on Friday? I’ll be curious to hear what you’re most looking forward to, as well as what helpful pieces you might hold on to as part of your fall routine…

Finally, take a moment today to notice all the nice things happening in your body and life.

There's more on our blog!
https://www.communityonacleanse.org/blog-3-1

Community on a Cleanse
Presented by Crane Holistic
communityonacleanse.org

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Day 5… This is the halfway day of our whole-food cleanse, yay!

I thought Saturday morning might be a good time to have an important conversation… How's it going with p**p?

For many people switching up the diet like this will quickly improve the quality and regularity of their bowel movements. But some of us may still suffer from a sluggish gut and sticky poo.

What is a healthy BM? For most people it's waking up and having a complete evacuation right off the bat. A nice formed log that comes out easily and doesn’t leave much for the toilet paper to clean up. Minimum once a day.

💩If you’re having a less than perfect p**p, the first step is to up your water intake. I am a big fan of drinking warm water all the time during the cool months.

💩Next, give the bowels some direct attention. If you’re noticing constipation while eating the cleansing diet, chia seeds are a gentle way to get things moving. Just soak a heaping tablespoon or two of chia seeds in a pint of water and let soak for about an hour, then drink. A cleanse-friendly chia pudding also works!

💩 If you are on a fast or the chia isn’t quite doing the trick, a laxative tea can also be helpful. I like Swiss Kriss, which comes as a loose tea or capsules with gentle herbs to get things moving.

💩 Another great option is doing a water e***a. This uses body temperature drinking water to flush and clean the colon. It might sound a little daunting, but be adventurous! You’ll feel great.

What about if your daily BM is on the other side of the spectrum— loose, very frequent and perhaps with bits of undigested food?

💩 This can be a sign of weak digestion, undiagnosed food allergies or other chronic conditions. If this is you, pay atttention after the cleanse to see if reintroducing certain foods (we’re looking at you dairy and wheat!), cause loose stools to return.

💩 Eating warm well cooked foods, staying away from icy cold drinks and drinking ginger tea can be helpful.

Curious? We got into more detail on our blog: https://www.communityonacleanse.org/blog-3-1

Community on a Cleanse
Presented by Crane Holistic
communityonacleanse.org

Wasn't that fun? 💩

It's Day 3 of our 10 day whole-food cleanse!

So... would you like to kick things up a notch?

For many of us, just sticking to a whole-food diet for 10 days is a pretty big shift from our regular eating habits. If this is you, that's great and keep going!

If you're interested in diving deeper, here are some possibilities...

Add an organic green juice to your flow everyday! This is a quick way to flood your body with beneficial nutrients, boost energy and reduce inflammation. The only caveat is to carefully check the ingredient list… green juices should include mostly green things and not sweet fruits.

Simplify your recipes. Sometimes less is more - as long as you remember that 80% of what you are eating should be veggies! Adding a couple tablespoons of healthy oil or a rich dressing is a good way to add a few more calories if you are feeling unsatiated. Stick with just a few whole ingredients and simple preparations.

Another option is intermittent fasting, which means eating all your daily food within an 8 hour window. Many people do this type of practice as a lifestyle, so it's not super extreme, but has many benefits (ask google!)

You could also do a liquid fast which might include green juices, tea, and vegetable broth. This gives calories and energy but is very easy on the digestive system. You can even add soupy vegetable purees for more calories if that feels right for your body.

A more extreme option is a water fast. This is all liquid with no calories, so basically water and herbal tea. Research shows the benefits of this type of fasting are pretty incredible, ranging from cancer prevention to anti-aging. It is also a great way to build willpower and self discipline!

For liquid or water fasting, 1-3 days is a good amount of time to learn how your body responds and to reap the benefits of a little more intense cleansing. If you’re new to cleansing, start with a shorter time period. This could even be just waiting till diner for solid food.

For more ways to take it to the next level, check out the blog:
https://www.communityonacleanse.org/blog-3-1

It's DAY 2 of our Community on a Cleanse!

Today we're going to tackle a simple question: Who can benefit from a cleanse?

Our answer?
Anyone.

Especially if any of the following sound familiar….

🍒 Chronic illness
🍑 Carrying unwanted weight
🍍 Suffer from seasonal allergies
🥭 Have digestive issues
🍈 Depression
🫐 Anxiety
🍓 Irritability
🥝 Frequent headaches
🥥 Skin problems
🍍 Insomnia
🍋Post-Covid symptoms
🍊Feel stuck in some aspect of life
🍏 Just want to feel better
🍌 Life is awesome and you want to keep it that way!

This cleanse is simple, safe and effective. 10 days of delicious whole foods to gently detoxify the body, reduce inflammation and boost the immune system.

We offer a basic protocol that anyone can do, along with modifications to fit your needs. There are no kits to purchase or subscriptions to upgrade.

This cleanse can be as much or as little as you are ready to undertake. Even small shifts in daily habits can greatly improve health and well being.

It's free to join, if you haven't yet! https://www.communityonacleanse.org/join

Community on a Cleanse
Presented by Crane Holistic
Communityonacleanse.org

This concludes our spring blog. Thanks to all who joined us in welcoming back our wild medicinal plant friends as they popped up this season!

Did you identify any plants that were new to you this spring?

Greater celandine (Chelidonium majus) could have been one of our early spring plants, as it’s one of the first to appear. At this late stage in spring, it’s fully turned flowers into seedpods and is getting ready to start a new generation for next year. This plant is a member of the poppy family, and its telltale sign of this is its brightly colored sap - egg-yolk yellow, to be specific. The most well-known use of this plant involves this yellow latex, which is applied topically to warts and skin growths; it has an escharotic (chemically removing dead or diseased tissue) effect.

https://www.craneholisticmedicine.com/spring-blog/greater-celandine

Is Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) a cultivated plant or a wild one? It is a European import, and certainly acts like an uncontrollable, invasive plant in some ways, popping up on field edges, and resisting being cleaved in half by sprouting into two distinct plants when plowed. But there is also its immense usefulness. My permaculture-inclined friends “chop-and-drop” comfrey, creating nutrient-rich mulch for other garden plants. And, of course, the leaves and root are brewed into mucilaginous wound-healing concoctions for external or internal use. There are many tales of comfrey, in its exuberance, healing puncture wounds a little too quickly, causing the skin to heal over before the inner area is cleaned out. Comfrey is one of the medicinal plants which have been implicated recently in liver failure due to the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Still, many herbalists continue to take and recommend it internally, feeling that the benefits outweigh the risks.

https://www.craneholisticmedicine.com/spring-blog/comfrey

Lactuca spp, the wild lettuce, spotted outside the clinic! This is a plant used primarily for sedation and pain relief in Western herbalism. The entire above-ground parts of the plant are harvested in peak summer and blended to extract every drop of bitter sap, then concentrated by evaporating out the liquid. The resulting extract, optionally preserved with alcohol, is sedative in small doses and pain-relieving in large doses, and even reportedly hallucinogenic/toxic in very large doses. Some people smoke the leaves for a stronger effect.

https://www.craneholisticmedicine.com/spring-blog/wild-lettuce

Juniper berries are growing! Juniper (Juniperus spp.) “berries” are actually modified cones on the female plants. Multiple juniper species produce edible "berries,” but some species produce tastier ones than others, with Juniperus communis being the most commonly used. Juniper berry is a powerful diuretic. It is also a strong antimicrobial. These twin properties make it valuable in a formula for UTIs, perhaps combined with gentler herbs as taken alone over time it can be irritating to the kidneys and digestive tract. The berry is being studied for use in blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes, and also in reducing heart disease risk by interacting with cholesterol in the body. Due to its high antioxidant levels, it is sometimes seen as an ally in cancer cases as well. https://www.craneholisticmedicine.com/spring-blog/juniper

Have you seen this flower yet? We chatted about the red clover a few weeks ago before it was in bloom. Now the pink-purple-red blossom can be seen on fieldsides all over! The flower makes a mouth-moistening trail nibble or a hot day, and can be combined as stated earlier with the leaf for a nutrient-rich and hormone-balancing tea.

https://www.craneholisticmedicine.com/spring-blog/red-clover-in-flower

Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is one medicinal herb that can still be found in drugstores today. It’s also the predominant understory shrub in many of the mountainous areas in our region. The inner bark is a topical astringent used in both acute and chronic skin conditions, from bruises to hemorrhoids to poison ivy and bug bites. Witch hazel blooms in the fall, a rarity among our regional forest dwellers.
https://www.craneholisticmedicine.com/spring-blog/witch-hazel

Black or Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina) is preparing its fruits on long racemes coming down from the stems. The edible fruit is sour, bitter, and sweet at the same time, with the sweetness coming out if the fruits are dried. The inner bark contains toxins and medicine, and during peak times it releases a strong and tantalizing odor when scratched-and-sniffed. Wild cherry bark is a cough syrup ingredient that can suppress an unproductive, spasmodic irritating cough, or alternately be used as an expectorant for those with heavy mucus; it also has some calming nervine properties which are also helpful when sick.

https://www.craneholisticmedicine.com/spring-blog/black-cherry

Milkweed (Asclepias spp.) is a wild plant that furnishes food and medicine but also toxins. The young shoots of Milkweed, when first coming up from the ground, can be eaten as an asparagus-like vegetable, and its flower buds can be tasted as a trail nibble. Later in the year, its cucumber-like fruits can be picked when small and pickled, and in the early winter one can come back to a withered milkweed and collect its stalk fibers to twine into a strong cordage. The namesake of this plant, the toxic white milky latex, has been used topically on warts and other growths. The roots of some species, such as Pleurisy root (Asclepias tuberosa), have been used as a medicine for such disparate conditions as edema and inflammation of the pleura.

https://www.craneholisticmedicine.com/spring-blog/milkweed

The finely perforated leaves of St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) reveal themselves when held up to the sun for examination; this is a good way for beginners to identify the plant before its yellow flowers appear. This plant enjoyed a moment of fame in the 2000s when constituents found in the plant were deemed more useful than placebo in the treatment of depression. However, traditional use emphasizes other properties of the plant. Western herbalism teaches about St. John’s Wort as a topical medicine on areas that are injured, burned or inflamed. It is also taken internally and externally in cases or nerve pain.

https://www.craneholisticmedicine.com/spring-blog/stjohnswort

Spruce tips (Picea spp) are ready for the picking! Each year conifer trees grow by producing tender green shoots that eventually darken and harden into needles. Right now the bright green ends can be harvested for warming, vitamin C- and mineral-rich teas for cold and flu season. Spruce tips can soothe a cough or a sore throat or boost immune function ahead of an illness. Their antimicrobial and pain-relieving properties can also be put to use as a topical for bug bites and other skin conditions. Other conifer trees besides spruces can be used in this way too. https://www.craneholisticmedicine.com/spring-blog/spruce-tips

Wild rose (Rosa spp.) in our area is sometimes the multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), and sometimes other species or crosses. The wild rose is much maligned, but the flowers can be used as food and medicine! Aromatic when picked at the right time, they can be carefully dried for tea or packed in honey or salt to capture the scent, then used in culinary pursuits. The fruits, called rose hips, are Vitamin C-rich and are a sour trail nibble in the fall. The rose is said to be medicine for the heart. In Chinese medicine, mei gui hua, the Rosa rugosa or wrinkled rose, is used to benefit circulation and break stagnation.

https://www.craneholisticmedicine.com/spring-blog/wild-rose

Rubus idaeus or the red raspberry has been used as a tasty, nutritive and medicinal tea for hundreds of years. Raspberry leaf tea is somewhat of a counterpart to red clover, red clover being more supportive of the estrogen part of the cycle and raspberry leaf being more supportive of progesterone. Raspberry leaf tea contains vitamin C, E, B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. It’s tightening and astringing, good for toning the digestive tract and uterus; it’s often taken during pregnancy in preparation for childbirth. https://www.craneholisticmedicine.com/spring-blog/raspberry

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) blends into the background before it flowers, but when those blooms come on in the late summer, they are an iconic upstate New York presence! Goldenrod is said to have an affinity for the urinary tract, as is often said of yellow flowers. This plant is harvested when in flower and produces a lovely tea. A spoonful of fall goldenrod honey in such a tea is an especially delight-producing way to take a medicine for the urinary tract and kidneys. https://goby-fox-5s9e.squarespace.com/spring-blog/goldenrod

Not yet in flower, but preparing to unfold… Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is maybe the most common choice for an herbalist’s favorite plant. I’m no exception! This is an amazing first aid ally - the above-ground herb from leaf to flower is an unparalleled wound healer. The scientific name, of course, refers to Achilles, as his invincibility came from being dipped in yarrow up to his heel, which his mother held as she dipped him into the pot. Yarrow is a powerful diaphoretic when drunk warm, serving double duty as an antimicrobial / sweat-inducer, and is thus a fabulous choice for febrile illnesses. I recommend combining it with a sweeter, warmer and less bitter, such as hyssop or monarda/bee balm! If drunk cool, it’s a diuretic and combines well with goldenrod for urinary tract infections. Yarrow is seen as a symbol of strong boundaries, and its flower essence is used for this energetic purpose. https://www.craneholisticmedicine.com/spring-blog/yarrow

Those pink flowers belong to Dame’s Rocket (Hesperis matronis) - and the white-flowered varieties can be seen along the roadside at this time of year, too! Dame’s rocket flowers are one of my favorite salad garnishes. The flowers are sweet-tasting and so beautiful in a spring salad of arugula, radishes and green peas. The four-petaled bloom gives away this plant’s heritage as a Brassica relative, and as you might then guess, the young leaves can be eaten as a bitter green as in many other Brassica species. When in flower, the above-ground parts can be used as a diaphoretic, expectorant and diuretic. https://www.craneholisticmedicine.com/spring-blog/dames-rocket