Sabitlenmiş Tweet
An Intro to Energetic Herbalism 🧵
When we first approach the world of ‘herbalism’, or more generally, any “holistic” healing modality, we’re naturally prone to look at it in a comparative light- viewing it in contrast to the allopathic, biomedical paradigm of which were used to- a paradigm which has fallen far short of the mark for many of us- if not downright caused us actual damage.
So when we start getting exposed to anything under the umbrella of ‘alternative medicine’ the part of us that was left without a solid ground to stand on after our initial eye opening experience is quick to grab hold of the new and shout ‘This!’ this must be the way’!.
However; the Daoists we’re quite on the mark when they said, four or five thousand years ago “The Dao that can be named is not the Dao.’. Translated in up to date language, what this means is that ‘the way’ has no fixed form- Thus, ‘Herbalism” is in itself not ‘the way’- which is to say that ‘herbs’ in themselves arenot holistic, but rather, it isthe wayin which they are used which determines whether the healing method is holistic or not.
Without really understanding that there is a difference between the modality we’re working in and thebelief/world view lenses we’re using, we’re apt to confuse the one for the other. Mistaken assumptions lead to mistaken conclusions- and, in this case, the mistaken assumption that the ‘holism’ vs ‘ reductionism’ question essentially comes down to whether one chooses a pill or an herb to cure a health issue- When, the real issue is not what type of substance is used but what type of mindset informs the application.
Just because we choose to let go of (/trash/reject/deny) ‘western medicine’ does not automatically mean we’re then looking at the world through a holistic lens.
The type of ‘vision’, and it is a vision, a way of seeing- that underlies holistic healing modalities is vastly different than what we’re used to- and, in order to actually practice holistic medicine, it takes time to develop the ability to see the world this way.
I’ve seen how easy it is to fall into the trap of thinking that ‘herbs’ are somehow holistic in themselves- and that, taking herbs = good. Which, when stated this way, of course seems ridiculous (it does, doesn’t it?- it should anyway). Of course, no action can be beneficial all the time: life is situational. context dependent. Water is life, most of the time- until your sailboat starts sinking and you forgot to bring a lifejacket. Herbs are exactly the same. IN GENERAL, yes, herbs are less toxic than the pharmaceutical drugs most of us grew up with and yes, IN GENERAL, they have less side effects- but that does not at all mean that herbalism=totally positive- or that there are no side effects from herbs, or that a course of herbal treatment can’t actually be harmful to someone.
The subtly of this point needs underlining; as, even when an herb is taken for a specific symptom and it appears to be helping- if it’s not prescribed properly, it can actually be causing more harm than good. If a substance has the ability to heal, it also has the ability to harm. Potency is a double edged sword.
Consider this example- Allison has had chronic fatigue for a while, and decides to do some research, and finds out that ginseng is an adaptogen and helps boost energy levels- but her understanding of the body/energetic patterns doesn’t go farther than this- and she starts taking ginseng, and notices her energy levels improve. Woohoo for herbalism right? Only, the thing is, that the symptoms we experience arethere for a reason- these are our bodies’ way of telling us ‘Hey! Listen! Something is going on!” So, if our response to this is to immediately set out in attempt to do whatever possible to silence this communication- by treating the symptom- What we’re actually doing is suppressing the problem.
The above example is played out millions of times a day for people all over the world, in their attempts to self medicate- Whether this is by “symptom shooting’ through buying tinctures off the shelf at the coop, or even more common, by buying a latte to stave of low energy in the habitual zoom- crash cycle.
This point bears underlining: The VAST majority of self-medication is done with the intent to suppress/eliminate/attack/remove the symptom- with zero understanding of any underlying energetics involved: and this is the exact mindset which Western medicine is based upon: the same mindset which has ultimately caused so many of us so many problems
When I first started getting into herbs- it was with the idea that herbs can help me be a better, more healthy me. So I started taking chaga because it was supposedly a superfood and lions mane because it was supposed to help my nervous system….with the hope that they would somehow magically help me be more healthy….
But ‘Healthier’ is not an abstract concept- It’s a real, actual, physical state with distinct coordinates. And, if we learn those what those coordinates are, and where we currently exist in relation to those coordinates. We can plan a route which will help us reach where we want to go.
Traditional, Energetic Herbalism gives us the tools to do this.
If I were asked to name the biggest problem we currently face as a species, I wouldn’t need to any time at all to think of a reply. It’s quite clear to me that the biggest obstacle we face is our collective dissociation from nature.
There’s two sides to that coin- One, nature with a ‘Capitol N’- that is, Nature as in the external environment at large ,and then nature with a lowercase n- as in our individual natures as human beings experiencing life in bodies.
While our problem is one that we share collectively, and has impacts which can be seen on a world-wide scale- We also experience these same impacts on a personal level- on the intimate scale of our own bodies.
What do I mean by dissociate? Let’s let the dictionary answer.
Dissociation: 1. To remove from association; separate
And, of course, because the dictionary does this ‘circular definition thing’ wherein we must then seek to uncover the meaning in the next word, we turn to ‘A’ and look up associate:
Associate: To join as a partner/ally/friend.
So, putting the two together: dissociation: To remove from being joined as a partner/ally/friend.
Thus, when I say ‘It is the ‘norm’ in the world today to to be completely dissociated from both the nature of the environment we live in, as well as the nature of own bodies. What I’m actually saying is It’s the norm to no longer be joined as allies/partners and friends with our external and internal environments/natures.
The implication here is that, if we’re not joined as partners/allies or friends, then that means the reverse must be true- that is we’re either totally unacquainted; complete strangers- or we’re enemies.
It doesn’t take much meditation to see this is the case; Nature is ‘red in tooth and claw’, or something to be tamed or conquered…..
And, we treat our own bodies in the same way- forcing harsh chemical-cocktails down in order to suppress the symptoms that the body is trying to use to let us know ‘hey! Something’s not right!’
Most of us grew up either in apartment buildings in the city, surrounded by skyscrapers and concrete; Nature being confined to city parks and dandelions growing in the cracks in the sidewalk- Or we grew up in suburbia; perhaps a bit more ‘nature’- but our immediate ‘environment’ that we grew up in was grass lawns manicured according to the regulations of the neighborhood association- where ‘weeds’ were seen as a sign of disorder and to be eliminated with roundup and lawnmowers…. In either case, Food came from the grocery store-
By the age of 6, we know more brand names and logos by heart than we do the names of the tree’s and plants we walk past everyday.
Look at where our attention gravitates towards while driving on the highway- Most immediately, it’s towards the writing on whatever signs we happen to be basing by- This is the knee-jerk default. The point is, Our attention is habituated to focus on ‘CULTURE’/the works of man, to the (denial) of the natural.
This habituation is not only external however; the very same process is at work within our own body-minds. The default-state for all of us is one wherein we pay far more attention to the constant lingusitic internal chatter- then we do to the actual body itself, and all of its senses.
And, the default state as far as ‘healing’ goes is – ‘Get sick- Go to Doctor’…. Forgetting about treatment for a minute- Even our diagnostic ability is at the very most basic- ‘I’m sick’. Flu / Sore Throat / Cold. That’s the extent of our ability to point our finger at what’s wrong…..
So. We’re dissociated. Point made. How does herbalism fit into the picture?
That the practice of ‘herbalism’ – ie ‘in general’- would serve to connect us to our external environment seems obvious- To practice herbalism, we need a working knowledge of herbs.… herb - alism. To state it in the language of the definitions I gave above; herbalism, by its nature, ‘associates’ us with the plant’s growing in our immediate environment, as partners, allies and friends.
Less obvious is how herbalism re-establishes a connection to our own bodies. This is where the line between ‘action oriented herbalism’ and ‘energetic herbalism’ begins to emerge. The former is rooted in the ‘magic-bullet, one drug for each symptom’ modality- I have a cough, I take a ‘cough herb’, I have a migraine, I take a ‘migraine herb’ etc. This type of herbalism requires no input from us but looking up whatever symptom in a materia medica, and the taking it. Nothing further needed. Google search “What’s a good herb for a cough”
Energetic herbalism, on the other hand, encourages and inspires- and sometimes outright demands our visceral, animal, body-level participation through invocation of our 5+ senses….
‘Energetic’ herbalism refuses to acknowledge the question’ Whats a good herb for X’…, because it recognizes that X is a symptom, experienced by You, a unique person- with a unique body - It attempts to qualitatively understand the symptom, as part of a larger pattern of energetics operating in that body- such that, when asked ‘Whats a good herb for a cough?” An energetic herbalist replies ‘What kind of cough?” What kind of body has this cough? how are you feeling…. Etc etc … and asks questions to understand the underlying pattern….
And if you think about this, you know from experience how true this is. A hot, dry cough is totally different than one where you have a ton of mucus deep in your lungs that you can’t get up. Or consider a fever- You could have a reading of 99 on the thermometer- but you could be shivering your bed frigid cold even though you’re under five blankets OR you could burning up naked on top of them! Action oriented herbalism, rooted in the western-mindset says theres no difference between them. Energetic Herbalism claims the opposite.
While the term ‘Energetic Herbalism’ is a rather recent addition to our language; the type of herbalism it describes is that practiced traditionally by every culture around the world.
To define, let’s again turn to the dictionary:
‘Energetics: 1. The study of the flow and transformation of energy.” And, 2. The flow and transformation of energy within a particular system.
This is a fitting definition, because the energy we’re concerned with is concrete enough to study and observe. Which is to say, not wishy-washy and occupying the realm of the esoteric or the imagination.
And it’s through observation that the sage-physicians of the past made their diagnoses. (Traditional Chinese Medicine is filled with such stories)
The energetic states that Energetic Medicine is concerned with are visceral; we experience them through our senses, whether we are sick ourselves, or if we’re attempting to diagnosis someone else. Symptoms show up with specific presentations which are sometimes very easy to see, smell, touch, hear…
When taken out of context, these symptoms may not tell us very much- but when looked at as inter-related pieces of a greater whole, it becomes much easier to determine what the larger energetic pattern of the body is trying to express- and thus what must be done to bring it back into a state of alignment.
Thus, in learning Energetic Herbalism, we begin to rely on our senses more- and in so doing, we develop a confidence in own bodies and their capabilities once again.
Another difference between the two ways of approaching herbalism can be explored by looking at the difference between Holism and Reductionism.
Energetic Herbalism falling into the Holistic camp, while Western, Action Oriented Herbalism, is pure reductionism.
Holistic: Emphasizing the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts.
Pulling the two definitions together, ‘Holsitic Energetics” gets us closer to the mark
“2. The flow and transformation of energy within a system wherein the wholes and interdependence of the parts are more important than the individual parts alone.
Reductionism, on the other hand, literally, reduces the complexity of the plant down to a single, isolated, ‘active’ compound, which is then given in a one-drug to one-disease framework. Or it reduces a disease down to a single genetic or cellular defect.
Looking at how ubiquitous this mentality is, can help us to understand how the form of ‘herbalism’ that we see everyday - trending exotic superherbs that are the next big thing- Adaptogen mushrooms promising to fix whatever problems you have – is really just an extension of the same mindset that the Western Medical model is based on.
‘Action/symptom oriented herbalism’ is the way in which the vast majority of us are introduced to herbalism- and conceive of it - and access for the most part. This herb does THAT / solves this symptom….. And, it does so because reductionism says so: This herb does THAT…. Because this scientific research study documented that this isolated component, extracted in some super arcane way with expensive lab equipment has this effect.
What is actually going on here is that we’re buying into the marketing hype of some herb; and we place our faith in it because at the end of the day researchers in a lab somewhere published their results- And some hip marketing executive did a fabulous job with the ad campaign.
This, is a clear ‘type’/kind’/style’ of herbalism, one which, though yes it uses herbs, is in fact serving to further our dissociation from our bodies and our environments- because it requires nothing from us other than that we believe what the ‘research studies’ are saying.
Furthermore, because its based in a reductionist, parts oriented materialist worldview; it means that there’s no inherent connection between the ‘parts’ beyond the effects that those various shapes/arrangements of chemical compounds have in the body; thus, there’s no underlying logic, no language to learn- only disconnected facts to memorize.
So, all of that, quite clearly NOT Energetic or holistic.
And Yet, this is the ‘kind’ of herbalism that most of us immediately think of when we hear the word. ‘herbalism’
Energetic herbalism is holistic in the true sense of the word-not only in how it considers all ‘levels’ of the human- physical emotional mental spiritual etc-; not only in taking into account ‘all’ of the pieces- but also in the underlying understanding that we are microcosms of the earth itself- and climatic forces play out the same inside us just as they do outside…… The ‘whole’ being composed of every sign and symptom- both internal and external- these are the ‘pieces’ that form the energetic patterns of the body; and no ‘piece’ is left out, or separated, or ignored, or looked at as ‘random’ or ‘coincidence’.
Certainly, the ability to correctly interpret what each seemingly unconnected piece is trying to communicate takes years of practice- but the foundation upon which this ability rests is the understanding that no piece is less valuable than another. And that ‘randomness’ doesnt enter the equation at all.
In a follow up thread, I’ll delve into the various energetic ‘states’ we experience, and how certain symptoms associate with each.
In the meantime, as a thought exercise; think about any recent or ongoing illnesses or symptoms you have. If you were to describe them in terms of weather patterns or elements- what terms would you use? Feel free to post your answers in the comments.
#Herbalism #HolisticHealth
English
