Botanica WestHolistic Healing & Therapy from a Master Herbalist

There is a medicine cabinet right in your kitchen that you can use in a pinch.

Try some of these herbs for yourself and you can be your own spice doctor.

Allspice

Great at relieving flatulence and dyspeptic pain, helps with nervous exhaustion, gas, and diarrhea.  It may be applied as a compress in cases of rheumatism and neuralgia

Anise

Excellent for improving memory, colds, flu, cough, bronchitis, sinusitis, gas, colic, tension, lactation (not pregnancy!), eye brightener, fresh breath.  Anise is very useful for breaking up mucus and is used for hard, dry coughs where expectoration is difficult.  A tea is made by adding a cup of boiled water to three teaspoons of crushed seeds, steeping for 20-minutes.  This may be used to stimulate the productions of mother’s milk.  The seeds may be smoked or added to a cough syrup formula.  It is also used as a stimulant and carminative to treat flatulence and colic, taken as a tea.  Added to laxative formulas, it will reduce cramping of the bowels.

For hacking coughs add 7 teaspoons of Anise Seeds to 1 quart of boiling water and then simmer down to 1 1/2 pints.  Strain and add 4 teaspoons each of honey and glycerin.  Take 2 tsp. of this syrup every few hours to relieve the cough.

To improve memory, take 2 tablespoons, 3 times a day.

Basil

A basil tea is good for lowering blood sugar levels and blood pressure, relieves colds, fever, congestion, joint pain, analgesic, anti-inflammatory. Externally applied to insect bites, skin infections.  A Basil tea is good to use for indigestion, fevers, colds, flu, kidney and bladder troubles, headaches, cramps, nausea, vomiting, constipation and nervous conditions.  A tea made of one heaping tablespoon to one pint of water simmered for 20-minutes with 3 crushed black peppercorns per cup will be effective for most fevers.

Traditional uses: coughs, colds, fevers, headaches, lung problems, abdominal distention, absorption, arthritis, memory, nasal congestion, nerve tissue strengthening,  clears the lungs, heart tonic, oxygenates the body, cleanses and clears the brain and nerves, relieves depression and the effects of poisons, difficult urination, prevents the accumulation of fat in the body (especialy for women after menopause), obstinate skin diseases, arthritis, rheumatism, first stages of many cancers, builds the immune system.

Basil contains the trace mineral copper (organic form), needed to absorb iron.

Bay Leaf

Internally good to stimulate appetite, promote digestion, relieve colic and flatulence.  Externally good for dandruff, boosting hair growth, rheumatism, sprains, scabies, and bruises. Also externally, can be applied as a poultice on the chest with a cloth covering to relieve bronchitis and coughs. An oil infused with Bay Leaves can be applied with great benefit to rheumatic and arthritic aches and pains as well as to swellings and sprains.

Pepper (black)

Pepper is an excellent remedy one can take at the first sign of most diseases.  Yogis consider Pepper to be one of nature’s most perfect foods and useful not only to cure disease but also as a preventive, taking a dose of seven peppercorns, ground, and mixed with honey each morning.  The mixture of pepper and honey is useful to overcome cold mucous diseases and sore throats.  When treating acute diseases, it may be used three to four times a day.  Useful for asthma, boils, colic, cough, diarrhea, fever, gas, hemorrhoids, indigestion, chronic rheumatism, obesity, phlegm, sinus congestion, skin diseases, sore throat, and worms.

Cardomom

Cardamom is often used to treat indigestion and gas.  It warms the body and is good for darrhea, colic and headaches.  It is an important ingredient in Chai tea, an Indian spice valued for its warm, stimulating effects.  To make this tea, mix one teaspoon of ginger, add seven peppercorns, a cinnamon stick, five cloves, and 15 cardamom seeds and heat in one pint of water, simmering for 10-minutes.  Then add one-half cup of milk and simmer for another 10-minutes.  Add a sprinkle of nutmeg and a few drops of vanilla extract.  Drink one cup of the tea, sweetened with honey, twice per day or as needed for warmth.

Cayenne (red) Pepper

Considered a superior crisis herb, useful as a first aid remedy for most conditions.  Taken as a daily tonic, one-quarter teaspoon three times daily, it is beneficial for the heart and circulation, preventing heart attack, strokes, colds, flu, dimished vitality, headaches, indidgestion, depression, and arthritis.  Cayenne is hot, but it not harmful. It may be difficult to swallow for a beginning user.  Cayenne powder can be rubbed on toothaches, swellings, and inflammations.  A remedy for arthritis is to rub a little Cayenne over the inflamed joint and wrap a red flannel around it to remain throughout the night.  The pain is usually relieved by morning.  A little Cayenne on a banana skin placed on the skin with a bandage will remarkably draw out any foreign object (splinters, etc) embedded in the flesh.

Cilantro

Used traditionally for digestive and gastric complaints as well as for coughs, chest pains, bladder complaints, leprosy rash, fever, dysentery, externally for headaches, oral and pharyngeal disorders, halitosis, and post-partal complications.  Can be applied externally for rheumatism and painful joints.  It improves the flavor of other medicinal preparations.  Once thought to be an aphrodisiac.  Chinese herbalists use Cilantro to remove unpleasant odors occurring in the genital areas of men and women, as well as bad breath.

Cinnamon

Very helpful for digestive problems especially when accompanied by gas and cramping, diarrhea, vomiting.  Also used to treat colds, flu, arthritis and rheumatism. Medicinally it is used to warm the organs to treat chronic diarrhea, cramps, heart and abdominal pain.  It is effectively used as a tincture given every fifteen minutes or so to stop bleeding from the uterus.  Simmered in milk and taken with a little honey, Cinnamon is very effective for indigestion and gas, diarrhea, and dysentery.  Not for the pregnant.

Traditional uses: backaches, bronchitis, colds, congestion, diarrhea, dysentery, edema, flu, gas, headaches, hiccup, indigestion, liver problems, menorrhagia, menstrual pain, melancholy, muscle tension, nausea, pain of the waist and knees, palpitations, toothache, vomiting.

Cloves

Internally good for pain relief, nausea, vomiting, digestive problems, antifungal, antibacterial, hiccups.  Cloves will kill intestinal parasites and act as an antimicrobial agent against fungi and bacteria.  Externally good for insect bites, myalgia, and rheumatism. May be chewed for toothaches.  Eating cloves is said to be an aphrodisiac.

To make an infusion, use 1 teaspoon of powdered herb per cup of boiling water, steep 10-20 minutes and drink up to 3 cups a day.

Coriander Seed

Coriander Seeds are added to hot stimulating foods to impart a balanced coolness.  Steeped in tea, it is useful to relieve fevers (a small amount of black pepper may be added to stimulate its action).  Use 2 teaspoons of crushed seeds in a cup of boiled water and steep for 20-minutes.  Before the invention of toothpaste, coriander seeds were chewed as a breath sweetener.  Coriander is added to laxative formulas to help prevent cramping.

Curry

A blend of ginger, turmeric, cardamom and other spices that have been shown to increase metabolism, help breathing, and reduce cholesterol.

Garlic

Useful for asthma, bronchitis, circulation, colitis, coughs, gas, high blood pressure, intestinal infections, lungs, parasitic diarrhea, warts, worms, anti-fungal, arthritis, blood purifier, cancer, cold, fever, flu, infections, detox liver, mucus, prostate, toothache, tumors, whooping cough, and yeast infections.

Ginger

Good for bronchitis, colds, muscle and menstrual cramps, energy, sore throat, circulation, cough, digestion, flu.  Externally, Ginger is applied as a fomentation for the treatment of pain, inflammation, and stiff joints. Simmer one ounce of dried Ginger Root in two quarts of water for ten minutes. Strain and soak a cloth in the water and apply to the affected area.  Keep changing the cloth to keep a constant warm temperature on the skin.  The skin should become red as the circulation increased.

For children and adults with bronchial coughs: mix Ginger Root powder with a non-petroleum jelly and rub on their chest to help loosen coughs and expel mucous.  Works great!

Lemongrass

Useful for menstruation disorders, congestive and neuralgic forms of dysmenorrhea, vomiting, diarrhea, colic, flatulence, muscle spasms, fever, catarrh. For fevers, combine with ginger, sugar, and cinnamon.  Good for children’s digestive system. Externally, great for lumbago, chronic rheumatism, neuralgia, ringworm, lice, athletes foot, scabies, and sprains.  Mix with pure coconut oil to apply as a liniment.

Marjoram

A tea made from Marjoram is used for an upset stomach, headache, colic, and a variety of nervous complaints.  It can be used for cramps and nausea associated with menstruation and for severe cases of abdominal cramps.  It is also considered helpful for seasickness.  It can be added to the bath to promote a calming effect and to relieve insomnia.  Marjoram is applied as a fomentation to painful swellings and rheumatic joints and in salves to stimulate the circulation.

Mustard

Internally, a teaspoon full of crushed seeds in warm water acts as a mild laxative and blood purifier.  Externally, a Mustard infused oil is used to stimulate local circulation.  A Mustard plaster is used for aches, sprains, spasms, and cold areas needing ciruculation.  It should not be used on tender, sensitive areas and if it seems to strong, the Mustard may be diluted with a little rye flour.

Nutmeg

A small amount of Nutmeg, about the size of a pea, can be taken once daily over a long period to relieve chronic nervous disorders and heart problems.  Internally good for diarrhea, dysentery, gastroenteritis, vomiting, bloating, indigestion, colic.  Externally good for eczema, rheumatic and abdominal pain.

Oregano

Oregano helps to settle flatulence and stimulates the flow of bile, useful promoter of menstruation. Great for headaches.  It is often used in the treatment of colds and flu also, the infusion is used in coughs and whooping cough. Use as a mouthwash for inflammations of the mouth and throat. It may also be used externally for infected cuts and wounds and may be applied as a hot fomentation to relieve painful swellings and rheumatism, as well as for colic.  A lotion may be made which will soothe stings and bites.  As with basil, it has been suggested that eating a lot of oregano can help repel mosquitoes.  Oregano has many of the medicinal attributes of the other marjorams, but it also contains further essential oils which make it much more antiseptic in action, both internally and externally.

Paprika

Good source of Vitamin C. Acts as antioxidant. Mild form of cayenne pepper which serves as a carrier for other nutrients.

Parsley

Internally used as a diuretic, to relax spasms, reduce inflammation, clear toxins in the body, inhibit tumor growth, menstrual complaints, urinary tract problems, gas, dyspepsia, rheumatism, arthritis, anemia, anorexia, colic, indigestion, lactation.  Externally relieves itching.

Rosemary

Commonly used as an aspirin substitute for headaches. Internally good for improving digestion, gas, rheumatism, circulatory problems, headaches, nervous complaints, antifungal, antioxidant, antibacterial. Good as a mouthwash for gums and sore throat.  Externally use in baldness shampoos, increases circulation, scalp stimulation, and dandruff.

Sage

Internally good for indigestion, gas, reduce excessive lactation, night sweats-especially menopausal, excessive salivation, profuse perspiration, anxiety, depression, female sterility, and menopausal problems.  It should not be used for more than a week, but during this period, the tea may be taken up to 3 times per day.  Externally good for insect bites, throat mouth and gum infections, vaginal discharge, combats greasy and oily hair and scalp and helpful with acne.

Thyme

A tea made with thyme is commonly used for bronchial problems such as acute bronchitis, whooping cough and laryngitis.  It is aso beneficail for the treatment of diarrhea, chronic gastritis, and lack of appetite.  Uses: alcoholism, headache, mucus, stomach, worms, parasites, hangover, infection, respiratory, stomach cramps.  Externally, its antiseptic properties make it a useful mouthwash and cleansing wash for the skin.  It will destroy fungal infections such as athlete’s foot and skin parasites such as scabies, crabs and lice.  For those purposes, a tincture made from 4 ounces of Thyme to a pint of alcohol is used.  It is said that Thyme is to the trachea and bronchitis what peppermint is to the intestines and stomach. It contains an aromatic oil called thymol that is responsible for many of its excellent properties.

Turmeric

Makes an excellent arthritis tea! Strong anti-inflammatory, blood purifier, hepatitis, inflammatory bowel diseases, bruises, colic, ulcers, hemorrhages, yeast infections, antiseptic. It can be used internally and externally to heal wounds, relieve pains in the limbs, break up congestion and as a restorative after the loss of blood from childbirth.

Turmeric Arthritis Tea Recipe: 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric, 3 cardamom pods (optional), 1/4 cup water. Simmer 5 to 7 minutes, then add 1 cup of milk, 2 tablespoons almond oil (cold pressed). Bring just to the boiling point (but do not boil). Add honey or Agave Nectar to taste. Sip slowly as a hot tea.

I am proud and honored to have Acupuncturist Robert Luna join my practice. He is a perfect complement to my healing modalities and for one so newly knowledgeable  he is highly intuitive, creative , competent and a wonderful loving healer. He is also my personal healing practitioner and because of him I am now well enough to continue my practice full time. And for that I owe him a dept of gratitude

He recently moved up to the San Bernadine mountains and our mountain Community from  Los Angeles area and we have been working together in Holistic Wellness Center in Calimesa for awhile now. I am so blessed to work side by side with this witty kind soul. I look forward to his smile and his creative energy every day. My clients will have no trouble entrusting him with their health as I trust him with mine.

He is a master herbalist in Chinese Medicine and designs his own healing remedies. Such as

Moon Gate- for inner peace and calming

Graceful branches- for joint and muscle pain

Calm Dragon – for PMS symptoms

and soon will be launching many more.

We are partnering together and have reopened my beloved Heal Thyself Herb Pharm again in Running Springs California with twice as many herbs than before. We are now in the middle of renovation to build Robert his personal healing space.

About Blue Deer Healing & Robert Luna

I’m Robert and my vision is to create an environment conducive to natural healing and natural states. Within this carefully planned space, clients will let go of their external worries and enter into a state of inner calmness, relaxation, peacefulness and mindfulness. Without cultivating this inner-state of awareness, full participation in their own healing is not possible. The practice of natural healing techniques serves to remove people from modernization and facilitates the transformation to a more primitive and meaningful state of our true human and individual nature, restoring natural energy, circulation and vibration in harmony not with machines but with the Cosmos of which we are all a part. To obtain this state, I harmoniously blend Etheric Energy (Acupuncture), Physical Energy(Herbs) and other techniques to bring patients to a place of deep healing and rejuvenation and to experience the simple joys of what it means to be human in a simple movement or breath, and to open them up to states of health and feeling previously believed impossible.

Robert Luna completed his Masters Degree in Traditional Asian Medicine in 2006 from Emperor’s College of Traditional Oriental Medicine in Santa Monica, CA. Until then, he had been studying Biology at University of California, Los Angeles and world arts and culture at the University of California, Santa Barbara, seeking out his career, educational and spiritual purpose.

On an a visit to Joshua Tree National Park in the sacred California desert, Rob witnessed the miracle of the desert night sky under a full moon and received confirmation to move forward with his plan to study “the ancient healing arts & sciences.” Four years later he became a Board Certified Acupuncturist and Herbalist.

Living a vegetarian lifestyle is an important part of Rob’s life, as an individual and as a healer. He believes the animal foods industry is unsustainable, being a huge source of global pollution, personal disease, as well as being tainted with pain, misery, and sickness – none of which is a part of good health and healing. Because of this he has deliberately excluded animal products, which are common in this field of medicine, from his practice.
Rob combines Acupuncture, herbal medicine, energy work, stone therapy, aromatherapy, and a variety of other modalities. He considers these stems from the same branch of metaphysics, and he synergistically combines them all to provide a deeply restorative experience for his clients. His ultimate goal is to show his clients that there is a healthier and higher way of living, living in harmony with our own natural rhythm and the natural rhythm of our planet, and that this natural harmony is innate and can be attained by anyone.

Healing arts and services Provided by Robert Luna

Acupuncture medicine has evolved over thousands of years and is highly effective and safe. Only traditional medicines have undergone such rigorous “clinical trials”. Acupuncture theory uses a “holistic” approach, meaning it treats any primary complaint by treating the body’s entire energetic system at the same time. This makes patients treatment a unique and specialized experience.

The personalized treatments I provide are customized to each client, based upon a differential diagnosis made by objective analysis of the tongue and pulse qualities, and physical examination of meridians, followed with detailed questioning of the client’s history, environment and emotions.

Depending on the needs of the client, I blend therapies from many ancient world cultures, using Aryuvedic, Chinese and local medicinal herbs, acupressure, body work, Reiki, reflexology, heat therapy, magnetic field therapy, Taoist dietary advice, essential oils, and Reiki. The result is a strong treatment with a powerful focus on the client’s needs.

Standard Treatments Offered:

Acupuncture:
The need for health and healing goes beyond time and space. Every indigenous culture relied on the world around them for their wellness. In the Orient, Acupuncture was the main modality to heal and remain healthy. Acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine needles into very specific points on the body.  Points are selected using a variety of medical philosophies that range from the more esoteric 4-needle technique to Taoist based theories, to theories developed with modern neuro-anatomy.

Herbs:
Herbal therapy involves the use of traditional herbals from not only the orient, but from all over the world including Aryuvedic herbs and Western herbs.  These herbs are extremely safe, extremely effective and have over 5,000 years of practical experience and testing. Today in China, millions of people combine modern pharmaceuticals and traditional herbals to achieve a level of healing found nowhere else in the world. In my practice, Herbals are dispensed either by pill/tablet form, or by liquid alcohol extracts to ensure ease of use.

Bodywork:
Very often hands on bodywork is combined with my acupuncture treatments as a way to further stimulate certain acupoints, and muscle groups making treatments dramatically more effective.

Cupping:
Cupping is a therapy that is gaining popularity in the western world. It involves using a glass or plastic spherical cup over certain acupoints on the body. A vacuum is created inside the cup, which lifts the skin in a way that allows the pores to become open- drawing toxins out and creating a rush of circulation. This technique is ideal for aches and pains, minor colds and flues and detoxification.

Moxa:
Moxa is a technique which involves burning certain herbs, usually mugwort, over different parts of the body. Moxa can be burned in a variety of ways, but is usually used in a cigar like roll. Moxa is extremely effective for treating menstrual cramping, minor aches and pains, or cold from exposure.

Exercise/Lifestyle:
Exercise and lifestyle counseling are the heart of preventing disease. Once patients have attained a level of balance, they are given at home instructions to continue their treatments and minimize the chance reoccurrence. Changing posture, breathing a little differently, or thinking from a different point of view is often all that is necessary to create significant shift in ones health.

Diet:
Diet therapy is similar to herbal therapy. It is a very powerful way to change the course of your health. Being a vegetarian, I encourage all my patients to minimize or eliminate all dairy and meat based foods from their diet. This may sound extreme to some, but every patient who commits to this during their course of treatment experiences a rush of renewal and regeneration as all the toxins and impurities from animal foods, not to mention the emotional imprints of misery and fear, leave the body and are replaced with foods of greater healing value.