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Medicinal Gummies

Maca Cinnamon Gummies

During the last few months, when you came for your appointment, you have probably sampled some of my latest nutritive experiments – GUMMIES.  What was my path to making gummies you might be asking yourself? Well, it all started with learning about the benefits of beef gelatin as a recovery and strengthening food. Beef gelatin (collagen) heals gut lining, strengthens bones, protects tissues/muscles, decreases joint pain, improves blood sugar levels, sleep, hair, skin and nails. Those health benefits are just too compelling not to make something of it so when one of my clients gave me a silicon gummy mold after sharing about this rich protein source, I became a gummy maker and connoisseur. There are many other ways to incorporate beef gelatin into diets but gummies are a particularly unique, adorable and stealth way (especially for children) to micro dose nutrients that come in powder form.

As a creative medium, the making of gummies is open for infinite experimentation and variation. Initially, I had some mushroom powders that I bought at Grocery Outlet and was eager incorporate them as a supplement in my diet. That led to other ideas and experiments. For the liquid portion in the recipe using fruit juices as your liquid gives a colorful presentation and medicinal teas can offer complex flavors. Mountain Rose Herb Company has an enticing selection of herb powders which might open your mind to the possibilities.  For example, after doing your research, you can make sleep gummies by adding valerian root powder or digestive gummies by adding aloe vera powder. Also consider converting your daily peppermint tea with added ingredients like greens superfoods into a gummy for a cheerful and stimulating mid-day snack or mini dessert! I don’t feel nearly as giddy when I take my multi-vitamin pill as I do when I pop a gummy in my mouth. There is a large selection of silicon gummy molds that you can find online. I am waiting for more iconic or groovy silicon molds to hit the market but for now I am settling for hearts, cute animals and patterned flowers.

Here is the basic recipe but experiment according to your tastes and ingredients.

1 cup liquid (juice, tea, water, milk – plant based or dairy)

2 tablespoons of sweetener (honey, maple syrup, agave)

4 tablespoons of Beef Gelatin (I use Vital Proteins)

1 tablespoon of supplement powders- medicinal mushroom (reishi, shitake, maitake), maca root, ashwagandha , greens superfoods, seaweeds, turmeric, beet root, hibiscus, magnesium, Vitamin C, etc 

½ – 1 teaspoon spices or flavors – ginger, cinnamon, lemon, lime, cacao, etc.

Here are some of my gummy recipes.

Pomegranate Reishi Ginger Gummy

1 cup Pomegranate juice

2 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons beef gelatin

1 tablespoon Reishi Mushroom powder

½ teaspoon ginger powder

Maca Cinnamon Gummy

1 cup water

2 tablespoons maple syrup

4 tablespoons beef gelatin

1 tablespoon Maca powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Matcha Green Tea Lime Gummy

1 cup water

2 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons beef gelatin

1 tablespoon Matcha green tea

1 teaspoon lime

Instructions

  1. In saucepan, combine liquid and sweetener and heat over medium heat until steaming hot but not quite boiling.
  2. Lower the heat to the lowest setting and stir in powders, spices or flavors.
  3. Whisk in gelatin one tablespoon at a time until fully dissolved.
  4. Remove from heat and use a dropper to fill gummy molds. A larger dropper makes filling molds quick and easy.
  5. Put molds in refrigerator to firm up – 15 minutes to ½ hour.
  6. When firm, pop gummies out of mold and store in sealed container in refrigerator.
Filling silicon mold

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Sprout Bombing

Lately, at the Acushack, I have been doing a show and tell on sprouting basics because now that it’s spring and new buds are pushing their way through the soil towards the sun, that same rising yang energy is also happening in our own bodies as well. The energy of the liver in Traditional Chinese Medicine is associated with Spring and it regulates the smooth flow of Qi. Sometimes we emerge from winter after consuming a lot of heavier foods, fats and intoxicants with low, blocked or overheated energy. This can manifest as sluggishness and tension in the body (headaches, neck and shoulder pain) or irritability and inflammation, especially allergy symptoms. Acupuncture helps with moving stagnation and clearing heat and seasonal dietary changes, which include eating fresh raw young greens – especially sprouts, can support and cleanse our liver and gallbladder.

Sprouts, with that uprising yang energy, have a lot of life force and nutrition. At this stage of growth, they are highly digestible and have greater concentrations of proteins, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and bio-flavonoids than at any other point in a plants life. 

There are many different sprouting and microgreens growing systems on the market and it is worthwhile to research ease of use, price points and materials that will work for your household. I use the Easy Sprout Sprouter because it is, in fact, easy and quick and inexpensive. When you rinse the sprouts twice a day, the water drains from the bottom of the inside container so the sprouts never mold. In the past, I tried using glass canning jars with stainless steel screens in the jar lid but sprouts tended to mold with that system. I have two sprouters going at one time. I am usually sprouting a salad mix with alfalfa, radish, broccoli and clover in one sprouter and mung beans in the other. I buy my beans for sprouting at bulk bins found at the local food co-op. I keep sprouting until May when harvesting young greens from my outside garden begins. If you don’t have outdoor garden space, sprouting is an ideal way to grow abundant nutritious plants on your kitchen counter. A pound of sprouting seeds, nuts or grains produces A LOT of fresh food.

Nearly every meal is sprout bombed now.  Sprouts are in every sandwich, salad, stir fry and miso soup. I put sprouts on my eggs and then sprinkle nut parmesan on top. I use mung bean sprouts in Okonomiyaki -Japanese Vegetable Pancakes as a primary ingredient. Sprouted bean burgers are a winner: https://sproutpeople.org/sprout-recipes/sprouted-bean-burgers-1. An online search on recipes using sprouts yields enticing results.

As the light increases and days lengthen, it is a seasonal directive to eat less and lighten up. Get on it – start sprouting!

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Lemongrass Tea

Growing lemongrass this past summer was one of my most successful experiments for both its medicinal benefits and culinary uses. I always enjoy the growing part of starting a plant by seed and watching its gradual development throughout the season but in October when a frost is imminent, I find myself hustling to figure out how to preserve my harvest and put it to work in my daily life. Even though lemongrass seems so exotic, it was easy to grow from seed, it was pest free and its long arching blades gave a full tropical look to the garden so I recommend growing and using its leaves in tea and roots in Thai soup.

When the season shifts to colder temperatures, I often find myself not drinking enough water in that transition. The symptoms of dehydration can show up as fatigue, dizziness or lightheadedness, dry eyes and mouth, wrinkly skin and reduced urination. This Fall, lemongrass is coming to my rescue with its subtle refreshing lemony taste. I refer to it as the universal taste donor because it blends beautifully with other herbs and roots. I especially like adding ginger, fennel seeds and honey to my tea and drinking it in a bowl so my nose has full access to all the aromas. 

As a compulsive maker, I spent many hours making little wreaths from the leaves which felt very satisfying. While the health benefits of lemongrass are numerous from both a Western and Eastern perspective, the aesthetics of having a wreath of lemongrass, a sprig of fennel and a chunk of ginger floating in a handmade tea bowl makes this cleansing calming cold chasing brew a keeper.

To make tea simply boil water and put a wreath or 1 tsp of dried lemongrass herb in a tea ball and let it steep. Add other herbs and honey, if desired. You can use the wreath multiple times.

You can buy dried lemongrass here.

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Oil Pulling

When Delores, my utterly kind and professional dental hygienist, asks during my regular teeth cleaning appointments how often I’ve been flossing my teeth, I cannot lie.  It’s not that I’m incapable of lying, it’s that Delores is my across-the-street neighbor so she is privy to seeing debris stuck between my teeth on a regular basis.  She never shames me, but ever conscientious, she always, at every appointment, educates and reminds me to floss. To be totally honest, I’ve never been much of a flosser (except on the night before my teeth cleaning appointment) in spite of Delores’ very real concern about the inflammation under my 27th cusped and food trapping pockets between my back molars.

My teeth started getting the attention they deserved when my trusted friend and advisor on all things Ayurvedic, Maurine, gave me the scoop on oil pulling for oral care. I incorporated it into my morning routine after Delores gave me the thumbs up. She personally had tried it with sesame oil and liked it, and saw good results in her patients.

One of my favorite features of this method is that it is hands-free.  On an empty stomach in the morning, I dissolve one teaspoon of solid coconut oil in my mouth and then just swish it through my teeth for 10 -20 minutes while cleaning up the kitchen.  Grinding the coffee, swish, swish, swish; emptying the dishwasher, swish, swish, swish; sweeping the floor, swish, swish, swish.  Sometimes I have to remind myself to swish, which is kinda amazing since my mouth is bulging from the ever-increasing volume of saliva mixed with oil.  When that I’m done moment comes, I spit the pathogenic mixture into the trash, avoiding a solid mass of coconut oil from clogging up my pipes, then rinse and brush my teeth.  Smooth and glossy, my choppers feel very clean.

High quality sesame, sunflower and olive oil can be used for oil pulling, however I prefer organic coconut oil.  A known anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and inhibitor of Streptococcus bacteria, coconut oil is an inexpensive gentle warrior against gum disease and tooth decay. It acts as a cleanser and detoxifier and has the added benefit of whitening teeth.  Systemic health issues related to inflammation like sinusitis, allergies, infections, arthritis, skin problems and pain can improve from oil pulling.  Since our mouths house billions of bacteria, germs, parasites and toxins, I love the notion of pulling and expelling these potentially harmful buggers.

Desperately wanting my dental hygienist’s approval, I waited expectantly at my last dental cleaning appointment for Delores’ appraisal of my teeth and gums.  At last, after taking a very close look, she gave me kudos: a total lack of plaque on my teeth and reduced inflammation on my 27th cusped.  However, she reminded me that flossing is still beneficial for gum stimulation.

All right. All right.

 

 

 

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Seed Swap

 

It’s the little things, the things that come in small packages, which often give me the most joy.

IMG_0998Today, Upper Rainier Beach residents, Iris and Dave, organized the first Seed Swap, an informal neighborhood event. Located in their dining room, it was perfectly little. As I browsed the table filled with thoughtfully categorized vegetable varieties, I was smitten; it wasn’t just the seed varieties that got my attention, it was how they were packaged.  Iris and Dave with typed labels on small plastic bags, gave clear growing instructions; Kim brought seeds in small paper origami packages, complete with a numerical key on a separate piece of paper; others, including myself, simply put the name of the variety on a label and called it done.  Kristen and Don brought their seeds in little plastic tubes. I took a sampling of their Purple Driveway, an otherwise unidentified purple lettuce that, you guessed it, grew alongside their driveway.

While some attendees perused the table making their selections, others exchanged gardening tips, lessons learned, and plans for their upcoming garden.  This kind of free exchange of information and resources, a little thing, an underground thing, has the potential, like in every seed, to nourish our whole community.

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Laugh Medicine

Tita2 Tita1jpegA few weeks ago, when I returned to work as an on-call interfaith chaplain at Harborview Medical Center, Tita, at the front information desk, exuberantly welcomed me back.  It had been three years since I last saw Tita yet her spirit shined as bright as ever. Some staff at Harborview practice medicine.  Tita is medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine understands a person’s shen or spirit as integral to health; when shen is strong, eyes are bright, radiating spiritual and emotional well-being. Tita, stationed at Harborview’s ground floor entrance, not only shares information and directions, she, a practitioner and leader of laugh yoga, also shares joy, love and compassion.  And, of course, laughter is thrown in for free.

Tita described her daily self-cure practices to me: When I wake at 4:45 in the morning, I spend five minutes expressing my gratitude.  I say, “Thank you God for this new day, bless my day; it’s going to be a great day.”  I look at the sky and say, “Thank you for the beautiful day.”  When I take a shower, I laugh.  When I drive, I laugh.  When I am at work, I laugh. When I am in the bathroom, I laugh. You don’t have to have stress.  You don’t have to have other emotions.  You just have to celebrate life everyday.

I can attest from personal experience, Tita’s methods work.  During my chaplain residency, I often joined Tita at Harborview’s weekly laughter club.  At first, I felt awkward and silly, forced even, as I participated in the goofy group exercises. Soon enough the awkward silly me was cutting loose, my goofball self laughed like the most practiced in the room.  Not hard, really. At the time, those weekly laugh-ins became a self-care practice; an antidote to daily grief and trauma exposure.

We know laughter is an upper but beyond enhancing mood, there is also research showing laughter offers pain relief, immune cell activation, stress reduction, blood sugar regulation and blood pressure reduction. When I’m at Harborview, I inevitably gravitate towards the information desk and get in line for my daily dose of Tita.

Join Tita at Harborview’s Laughter Club on Fridays at noon in the resource center.

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Switching It Up

This weekend, I did the unimaginable:  I switched sides of the bed with my husband. Traditionally, I sleep on the right side of the bed, he, on the left.  Every two years or so, it becomes evident, when neck, shoulder or arm pain arises, we’re both ready to make the switch.   It’s baffling why my sleep position can become as static as some books in my nightstand, especially since sleeping in the same position, night after night, year after year, will obviously impede blood circulation and compress nerves. Waking up to my habitual sleep patterns is so difficult because getting into bed grants me permission to drop all conscious self-monitoring, letting the unconscious autonomic nervous system do the work of restoration.   Yet sleep, that delicious still yin time, can be a silent minefield of somatic bombs waiting to detonate if I don’t pay attention to my body’s signals.  That slight tightness in my neck and that insistent ache in my elbow and upper arm, all on the right side, are the signals telling me it’s time to unpin myself from the bed.

After changing sides of the bed, cleaning up every other part of our passive nocturnal den became an active imperative.  The dust under the bed: gone. The pillows that make us sniffle: gone. The previously read books and journals with no entries on my nightstand: gone.

Last night, while comfortably left lying on the left side of the bed, I resisted yearnings to turn back to my old right sided ways.  I reflected on how the yin-yang symbol isn’t a mere philosophical abstraction, it is a how-to diagram from one of the most ancient instruction manuals, giving direction for turning the knob on our life experiences.  If we are stuck in chronic self-harming patterns, in pain or polarized – switch it up, be flexible, and make changes.

This morning, waking up on the wrong side of the bed never felt so right (or, do I mean left?).

 

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Scream Therapy

Haunted House 10At KUBE 93fm’s Haunted House, we three not-so-brave souls, Margaret, Machelle and myself clung to each other as we made our way through the Georgetown Morgue, a wicked chamber of calculated terror.   When the first mutilated woman jumped out at me with no forewarning, I smacked her in the nose, which only made her rear up again like a ghastly living nightmare.  Continuing to walk through dark corridors, we found floors collapsing under our feet and threat at every turn. We took turns being in the lead, pushing through dead bodies bundled and hanging in plastic body bags only to have to squeeze through rubber cots with bloody body parts splayed everywhere.  We recoiled from blood–smeared morticians, crazy clowns and tragic characters like scary mothers with dead babies, sick people in wheelchairs and disgruntled crime victims.  The whole time, we screamed our lungs out – so much so that my sides hurt. The continuous raising and lowering of my diaphragm, the unchecked shrieking and laughing, the clutching to the friend in front of me–all of it felt wicked good.  At the end of our tour, when a zombie goon chased us with a running chainsaw into the November chill air, we had to catch our breath. For the next few minutes, we laughed, coughed, spluttered and spit.  Our lungs had a real workout. Who knew terror was such an excellent expectorant?

 

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Collage Cure

IMG_0844I hadn’t made collage art in many moons, but when I saw a stack of LIFE Nature Library encyclopedias and a star chart on my neighbor’s curb, I snatched them up for the quiet weekend ahead.  Sorting through images and delving into non-verbalized waters was just the kind of immersion I needed.

On Sunday morning, I found myself surrounded with books and magazines, flipping through pages, reading here and there, and searching for images; I was casual, comfortable with the mess, until I would see something and then out came the scissors.  The open-ended process would suddenly turn into a narrowed down chase. Cutting pictures out, sometimes requiring the X-Acto knife for precision, became my sole pursuit.

I continued to roam randomly through my materials; savagely tearing whole pages out of books and with four snips of the scissors out came graphic images of words too. My hands were busy, and my piles of pictures grew, but nothing was coming together, not in my mind, or on the page.    I threw my Man and Space encyclopedia down.  Useless! Outdated!  A half hour before, collage making felt so purposeful, so easy and relaxed, but with nothing showing for my efforts, doubts started arising. Was I creating meaning or just wasting my time?

Then it happened. The self-doubt gave me access to stronger feelings. With some force, I tore the star chart off its cardboard background; a layer that I had felt inexplicably bound to.  After having thrown off that constraint, my collage quickly came together:  A muscular old lady in a standing pose, carrying a candle on a backdrop of a seasonal star chart.  It clearly expressed my recent reflections on my own aging, and the necessity to keep working my body through all the seasons of my life, and at the same time, carry my own flame, my spark, to keep me moving.

Making art is always revealing.  And unpredicatable.  It is a reliable remedy, bringing to the surface what we are ready to see.

 

 

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Social Climbers

photoFriends and neighbors, Claudia and Jackie, joined me today for stair climbing on this fine, and increasingly rare, sunny morning at the concrete stairs tucked in at intersection of S. Cooper St. and Waters Ave. S. in Upper Rainier Beach. There’s nothing better, in between breaths, than talking about books, gardening and local beautification efforts to take my attention off this demanding, sweaty form of exercise.  All of us carried backpacks with varying poundage (5lbs – 20lbs) of rice or other bulk foods to make it more of a load bearing exercise.  As middle-aged women, we need to keep building lean muscle mass since women tend to lose 5 -7 pounds of muscle a year if not doing weight-bearing exercise.  And besides building strong bones, weight-bearing exercise keeps your metabolism fired up because having more muscle generates more metabolic activity, which burns fat.  At fifty-four years old, I’m all for it.

I would have never imagined that I would voluntarily walk up and down stairs carrying weight, but after my backpacking trip to the Sierra Nevada Mountains this past summer, I can’t think of a better way to stay in shape and partake in my local landscape.  While descending the stairs, one is treated to wide screen views of Lake Washington, a performance stage for precipitation and light.  Mist, rain and fog can seem so miserable when exercising indoors but can actually be the very elements to invigorate the senses when experiencing them outdoors.

Finally, what gets me out of bed so I can climb the stairs, three mornings a week at 8AM, is I feel stronger and better for the effort. If I feel stronger, I feel more self-confident.  If I feel more self-confident then I doubt myself less.  If I doubt myself less, I feel better about my life.  If I accomplish nothing else than climbing stairs in a day then I have indeed done a good amount of cardiovascular work.

All the work, all the sweat, is so worth it, and so much more bearable if I have company.  There’s no denying it – I am a social climber.

Please join me on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8AM at the intersection of S. Cooper St. and Waters Ave. S.  If you want to do load-bearing exercise, use a backpack with a waist belt so the weight is well distributed.  Increase load gradually.