Thursday, September 17, 2020

Class Notes from Lesson 7-1 Constitutional

 Lesson 7-1: Adaptogens 1

Aralia. Includes "Devil's Walking Stick". "American sarsaparilla"... not true sarsaparilla, but relative of spikenard - looks like ginseng. These arelias grow all over the place where I live. All aralias are adaptogens. Used as alterative to build up weak people. Stimulate diminished stress between brain, hypothalamus, limbic system and pituitary. Minimizes limbic system stress. Not as strong as ginseng or dong quai, but good long term. Aralia Californica /California Spikenard grows near the coast, due to fog. California Spikenard is more expectorant. Slows autolysis and adrenergic stress. Basically, it quiets non-specific stress so that the body doesn't react. Helps modulate blood sugar spikes. Basically adrenaline spikes blood sugar, but insulin as well. Adaptogens can lessen/mellow the adrenalin response somewhat. Aralia Californica berries elevate mood and stimulate GI tract, also good for respiratory stress.

Hmm, we get fog nearly every morning in the southern Appalachians... I wonder if Californica would grow here? If not, I'm sure we have something similar. He says spikenard is good for those who smoke tobacco to open the lungs.


Here is the link to the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine Course

https://www.swsbm.com/school/

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