Guest guest Posted April 4, 2001 Report Share Posted April 4, 2001 >It is however not going to be easy for a non-practitioner of TCM >herbalism to order from them as they don't deal with consumers directly. >You'll need to order your herbs through a practitioner of TCM. > >You could also perhaps contact one of these companies and tell them >you're a practitioner and want to start up an account. You'll just need >to know what you want, they won't help you figure that out. Another alternative for people with land is to grow some of your own. Many of these plants can be substituted for more common landscape shurbs and vines and for more common flowers in flower boxes. Not everything will grow equally well in all localities, but at least some of the herbs you're interested in will grow where you're at (unless you're at the North or South Pole). And sometimes there are alternatives to herbs that won't grown where you're at. I hestitate to mention the name of any businesses on here, but Horizon Herbs offers seed and cuttings of a number of TCM plants. The company's home page is at http:www.chatlink.com/~herbseed I've never ordered from this company and can't tell readers anything about it. I do have one of the company's catalogues. The TCM herbalist whom I saw and who helped me so much and got me started on this path taught and told me a lot of things. One thing that stands out for me is his saying that he wanted a domestic source of good quality Dan Shen because he was afraid that the political climate could change and he no longer could get herbs from China. Dan Shen in particular had helped a lot of his clients. Ever since then I've been moving slowly toward getting in a situation where I could start to grow more TCM herbs. I also developed a special interest in herbs that can be found in supermarkets. In an ideal world, everyone would have access to TCM herbs as well as other bulk herbs in her or his community. Or, at least within 50 miles. But this ideal situation is still a long way off in the U.S. In the meanwhile, there is learning to work with what is readily available - like in the spice section of the supermarket. There are some concerns about preserving techniques used by some companies. Like the possible use of irradiation. And, most of the items found in the spice section of supermarkets have warming energy. In other words, this route holds more help for people like me who suffer from Cold conditions than from those with Hot conditions. My two personal favorites from the supermarket are ginger and fennel seeds. A little bit of powdered ginger stirred into a cup of hot water can work wonders for people who are too Cold. I get far more out of ginger tea than other people get out of coffee - and without the side effects. I like fennel seeds because they can help so much with digestive system problems and with some cases of allergies. I chew a few each night after supper. They also can be made into a tea though I get as much help from chewing them as brewing them. For people who have nightmares due to digestive system problems, thyme tea can work very well. Stir a teaspoon of thyme into a cup of hot water and let steep for 20 to 25 minutes. Sometimes the nightmares of people who would benefit from thyme will have themes of decay and muck - mud, decaying corpses, etc. This isn't always the case, but definitely consider thyme in cases where decay and muck are recurring themes in nightmares. And thanks, Al, for a lot of very good info on a lot of subjects. Victoria _______________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2001 Report Share Posted April 5, 2001 Judy Fitzgerald wrote: > I hestitate to mention the name of any businesses on here, but Horizon Herbs > offers seed and cuttings of a number of TCM plants. The company's home page > is at > > http:www.chatlink.com/~herbseed Try this instead: http://www.chatlink.com/~herbseed Gotta get this slashes in there... : ) -- Al Stone L.Ac. <AlStone http://www.BeyondWellBeing.com Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2001 Report Share Posted April 5, 2001 >Try this instead: >http://www.chatlink.com/~herbseed > >Gotta get this slashes in there... : ) Thanks, Al. As people may have noticed my typing, spelling, and proof reading skills leave a lot to be desired. And I've actually improved a great deal over the years!<G> Victoria _______________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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