Maiden, Mother & Crone. The three stages of a woman's life. Our modern society, unfortunately, places a large emphasis on the Maiden stage. A somewhat smaller emphasis on the Mother stage, and by the time we hit the Crone stage we are all but ignored and written off as dead--- or at least psycho!
(Not that I mind...I've always pictured my older years much like the crazy old lady who grows tomatoes in her yard... or like the character Shirley MacLaine played in Steel Magnolias.)
If fact, not long ago someone tried using menopause as a defense in court. It reminded me of the Twinkies Defense or the PMS defense. Menopause is NOT a disease! It's a perfectly natural, normal stage of a woman's life. It is when women come into to their power, and our society seems to not like women of power at all. Personally, I think it scares all the men! LOL
Many of the "witches" burned in Europe then later in America were older women (Crones) who were often the village healer, midwife, see-er, and psychotherapist. She was independent and often had property of her own, which many of the men hated. In that time, women coming into their own power scared the men so badly they put them to death! (Of course, it wasn't just the men that were responsible for the deaths, but they were the ones in power who let it happen. Encouraged it even, especially when one of them was going to grab the land.)
There was a time, not that long ago, when elder females were respected. Honored. When their wisdom was sought out in council, for example in the Iroquois Nation historically the women had veto power over the men when it came to war. If the women did not agree, it didn't happen. I think it's time that women take back that power, as well as the many others we've lost over the years. It's all part of us recovering the Divine Feminine part of the godhead and restoring her to her rightful place.
As part of taking back my own power and birthing my own Crone self, I've been reading some interesting material lately. For instance, did you know that the more hot flashes a woman has during her change years the healthier she is? Or that those hot flashes are actually recognized by some as kundalini energy? The very same kundalani energy that Men spend years trying to unleash in themselves? If those are new revelations to you, then I highly recommend reading New Menopausal Years: the Wise Woman Way by Susun Weed. She's been an herbalist for years and has trained with many traditional American Indian teachers. (She's in upstate NY.)
Just those first two revelations alone can change your entire outlook on this major change in which the transition period may last for years if it occurs naturally or it may come all at once if it's happened surgically or for other medical reasons (chemo).
My own change started when I was 35 with night sweats. It would be many, many years before an official diagnosis of severe endometriosis would be made to explain those night sweats and other symptoms, like why I needed to have two different kinds of pain killers (ibuprofen & acetaminophen in staggered dosages) in my system to alleviate cramping. That condition arises from too much estrogen circulating, and too much of a specific kind of estrogen. Interestingly, they have been able to reproduce in lab rats by exposing them to dioxin---a highly toxic chemical and a byproduct of burning plastic.
Remember where I grew up: out in the country where many burned their own trash... Some reports also link PCBs to endo; I spent a year in a commercial chem lab that did EPA testing on water, air, soil, or whatever was brought in for contamination, including PCB testing. That lab's hoods didn't always work as well as they should have... I left after a year for many reasons, including this stat: Chemists have the 2nd highest cancer rate in the nation---right behind farmers. (Crop farmers use a lot of chemicals (pesticide, herbicides, fertilizers, etc.) unless they're organic.)
Whatever the reason, it is what it is. And in the last couple of years the night sweats grow worse, it seems I'm bleeding all the time, and my emotions are on some kind of wicked roller coaster ride --- I weep at the drop of hat, and you can just as easily rouse my anger! Susun's book would say something like "Welcome, baby crone." ;>
So, many of my friends are having similar issues and wondering what is available naturally to help. I did try a supplement last year that claimed to be all natural--but it had MSG as the delivery system, and it only made me twitch! I'm twitchy enough already, thank you! So in the meantime I've been doing a lot of meditating and energy healing work on myself to help smooth things out (and to keep from biting everyone's head off, including my bosses).
What is below is how to make a basic herbal infusion (infusions are made from the dried herb w/ water and soaked from 4 hrs to overnight to extract all the goodies). Infusions are stronger than teas and extract more of the nutrients, and at our ages making certain we have enough nutrients starts becoming an issue. In fact, I have my own Stinging Nettle and Oat Straw infusions sitting on the stove now.... and had a liberal supply of Black Cohosh (hormonal effect; helps w/ hot flashes, including night sweats), Chamomile Flower (light sedative), and Skullcap (stronger sedative) tinctures delivered earlier this week. (Tinctures are stronger than infusions and contain the extract from the herbs in an alcohol base.) Susun's book also tells you how to make those as well as flavored vinegars.
Yes, I also have red clover tea and have 10 lbs of red clover seed being delivered this week. :> It's also a good backyard ground cover that will stand up to little furry feet better than normal lawn grass.
Anyway, the Stinging Nettle and Oat Straw infusions will be ingested on a regular basis starting today, and I thought I'd share below how to make them. Enjoy!
Herbal Infusions
These instructions are from one of Susun Weed's websites: http://www.menopause-metamorphosis.com/An_Article-healthy.htm
You can also find it from her main menopause website. They are the easiest instructions I've run across for making infusions, and believe me I have a ton of herbal books on my shelves!
To make a nourishing Herbal Infusion:
- Buy (or gather and dry) at least 1 oz (1 oz = 1 full Cup dried herb) of Stinging Nettle Leaf or Oat Straw or Red Clover Blossoms or Comfrey Leaf (make sure it's the Comfrey leaf and not the root; the root can be toxic).
- Place the 1 oz of dried herb in a single Quart jar. Old honey jars are great for this if you can't find mason jars.
- Fill the jar to the top with boiling water.
(Using a 2 cup Pyrex measure in the microwave it takes about 4 min to boil at my high altitude outside Denver.) - Cap tightly and shake once or twice to fully wet the herb.
- Allow to brew for at least 4 hours to as long as overnight.
- Strain and drink 2 to 4 cups a day.
Most menopausal women prefer their infusion iced, but you can drink it hot or at room temperature. Add a little mint, sage, or honey to change the flavor.
- Stinging Nettle Leaf (Urtica Dioica)
- Builds energy, strengthens the adrenals, and is said to restore youthful flexibility to blood vessels. A cup of nettle infusion contains 500 mg Calcium and generous amounts of bone-building magnesium, potassium, silicon, boron, and zinc. It's also an excellent source of vitamins A, D, E, and K. For flexible bones, a healthy heart, thick hair, beautiful skin, and lots of energy, make friends with sister stinging nettle. It may make you feel so good you'll jump up and exercise!
- Oat Straw (Avena Sativa)
- Reduces high cholesterol, increases libido, and strengthens the nerves. A cup of oat straw infusion contains more than 300 mg Calcium plus generous amounts of many other minerals. Its steroidal saponins nourish the pancreas and liver, improving digestion and stabilizing moods. Oat Straw is best known, however, for its ability to enhance libido and mellow the mood. Do be careful who you share it with, or you may find yourself sowing some wild oats! In Auryuvedic medicine, oat straw is considered the finest of all longevity tonics.
- Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense)
- It's better in every way than its cousin, soy. It contains 4 phytoestrogens; soy has one one (isoflavone). Red Clover infusion has 10 times more phytoestrogens than soy milk, fewer calories, more calcium, and no added sugars. Red Clover is the world's leading anti-cancer herb; soy isoflavone encourages the growth of breast cancer cells in the lab. Red Clover improves the memory; Japanese men who ate tofu twice a week doubled their risk of Alzheimer's disease. Soy beverage can contain up to 1000 times more aluminum than milk, according to Sally Fallon a lipid researcher and fat specialist. She believes that "the highly processed soy foods of today are perpetuating...nutrient deficiencies..." [Melodie's note: She's not the only one: see the book, The Whole Soy Story: the dark side of America's favorite health food published in 2005.]
- Comfrey Leaf (Symphytum Officinale)
- Comfrey Leaf is free of the compounds (PAs) found in the root that can damage the liver. I have used Comfrey Leaf Infusion regularly for decades with no liver problems, ditto for the group of people at the Henry Doubleday Research Foundation who have eaten cooked Comfrey Leaves as a vegetable for 4 generations. Comfrey Leaf is also known as "knit-bone" and no better ally for the woman with thin bones can be found. And don't forget, Comfrey Leaf contains special proteins used in the formation of short-term memory cells. Its soothing mucilage adds flexibility to joints, eyes, vagina, and lungs.
