The Truth About Herbal Remedies

Hello all and welcome to the first in a series of guest blogs. Today we feature Melissa Scianna. Melissa is an herbalist, intuitive healer and energy worker who practices in Bridger, Billings and Bozeman, Montana. She owns Vintage Apothecary, a full-service herb shop located in Bridger. Without further adieu heeeeeeeeere's Melissa.

Can herbs enhance our wellness? Absolutely! Are herbs designed to be a Band-Aid cure-all? Nope. Our society is so accustomed to popping a pill to cure a problem - a head cold, sore muscles, back pain, depression, etc. Sometimes, herbs work this way but as a general rule, a good herbalist looks at the whole person, not just the symptom and looks for a holistic approach to a cure, not a long-term need for medicine. In order to understand this holistic approach, we need to have an understanding of the Body-Mind-Spirit connection.

If you come to me with depression, I can absolutely find some herbs that may make you feel better. However, I will want to know about your diet, your exercise, your lifestyle, your family and much more. If you are stuffing yourself with artificial food and sitting on the couch all day, a few herbs may not make a long-term impact on your mental health. If you choose to make some lifestyle changes, I can recommend some herbs that will augment and assist you in that journey.

It’s exactly the same if you come to me with a torn muscle. I absolutely have wonderful things that will reduce the inflammation and enhance healing. But I will still ask about your lifestyle, how the injury happened, your diet, and your emotional issues.

Do you get it? Are you starting to understand that it is all connected? Our bodies, our minds, our spirits are inseparable. Each one affects the other. Here are some examples - have you ever had a broken heart? Your heart literally hurts - that is why they call it a broken heart! Some people get a rash a specific area when they have high anxiety (mine always shows up on the back of my right hand). These are examples of the physical body being affected by emotions - or what we have going on in our mind. For those of you that are weight lifters - do you ever notice how your emotional state affects your workout? OR how having a workout gets your energy moving and can actually benefit your emotional state. It is all connected.

My goal, as an herbalist, is to make you well. We want to help you make the changes in your life, with the help of herbs, to go forward and be successful. A philosophy that is much less lucrative than that of a doctor - since I don’t necessarily want to see you again - I want to help your body cure itself.

Herbal medicine is the very first medicine and has been a valuable part of all cultures since the dawn of humanity. There is honestly a multitude of herbs out there for every ailment or issue. Herbal medicine works, it has been working for millennia. I see it work everyday. Herbs also have far less side effects than pharmaceuticals - just something to think about. Pharmaceuticals may have their place in the treatments of certain diseases, but I believe that herbs are also a valid option.

Let’s talk about the energy of the things we put into our bodies - herbs included. I believe every living thing - and some inanimate things as well - have an energy. For instance, if you buy chicken for your dinner that was raised in a dark, crowded, dirty coop and and fed manufactured food, it has a different energy than a chicken that was raised outdoors in the light, roaming around eating natural food. It tastes different, smells different, it has a different chemistry, and it just “feels” different. Herbs are exactly the same way.

It is so important to buy your herbs from a reliable and responsible source. It matters if the communities where the herbs are grown and the people who grow them are well-taken care of and living good lives. It matters if the land is taken care of (sustainable agriculture). It matters if they are grown organically - without pesticides and other chemicals. All these things contribute to the quality and energy of the plant. Some herbs are gathered in the wild - and some of these are endangered. Ingesting a plant that was not harvested with respect to the earth and the proliferation of the specifies would be irresponsible and even unhealthy. The earth is giving us all these millions of plants for our use. We must take care of this gift and of the earth. All of these things contribute the the energy of the plant.

Let’s take it a step farther. You can choose between a tea that has been mechanically harvested, put in synthetic tea bags and stored in a warehouse for 6-12 months OR one that has been lovingly blended with the freshest of herbs and the intention that this tea will make you, specifically you, well. Which would you choose? The tea blended just for you is full of positive energy and loving intention specifically for you - I hope that’s the one you would choose!

What if you take that tea that was lovingly made just for you - and someone you love brews it for you? What if that person lets you relax and makes you a cup of this tea. They just added a whole lot of positive love energy - and probably significantly more healing as well. Remember, the body, mind and spirit are connected. If we enhance the mind and spirit, we enhance the body as well. That is how the flow of energy and love works.

The point here, is to know who you are buying your herbs from - and your food as well. Ask the merchant where their product comes from, how it was grown, how it was packaged. Shopping local is great for our economy, but it’s also essential for our wellness.

So, next time you think about taking a pill, entertain the possibility that there could be another way. Maybe, in some cases, a better way. And remember, the things you think, the things you believe and the way you feel are all connected to your physical health.

Thank you so much Melissa for taking the time out of your busy day to give us this education. If you want to know more Melissa can be found at www.vintageapothecaryshop.com, melissasapothecary@gmail.com or 406-850-3287

facebook.com/vintageapothecary

inst: melissascianna_vintageapothecary

OK fam that's a wrap for this week. I hope you enjoyed what Melissa had to say and found it to be informational. Please don’t be shy about asking questions or making comments. Let me know what topics you would like discussed or how I could make this blog my Facebook Page Dropping The F Bomb and my IG page of the same name more suited to your needs. If you missed last weeks blog on "An Expert Opinion About Why Grass Fed Beef Is What's For Dinner" you can find it here. Stay healthy #fitfam and see you next week. Joke of the week:

What did the stoplight say to the car? Don't look, I'm changing.

Scott

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Goodbye for now,