Botanicals of the Month: June

Lisa Story on June 14, 2022

Herb of the Month:  Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) 

Doterra Essential Oil of the Month: Lavender 

Rishi Tea of the Month:  Earl Grey Lavender 

Our healing herb for the month of June is a star!  It is meant to be enjoyed.  Familiar with its unmistakable fragrance, lavender has been used through the ages to enhance the scent of linens, laundry, baths, beauty products, lotions, and candles.  The fresh fragrance has come to be associated with purity and cleanliness.  The name lavender actually comes from the Latin word “lavare,” which means “to wash,” as the Romans used it for centuries in their famous public baths.  It’s the #1 most popular essential oil on the market today and known worldwide for its aromatherapeutic ability to calm and soothe a troubled mind. 

In the language of flowers, Lavender signifies devotion, faithfulness, and love.  It’s regarded as a good present for your loved ones to express your commitment and loyalty and is a popular addition to bridal bouquets.  People also give sprigs of lavender to newlyweds to bring them good luck.  In fact, when it comes to lavender and love, there is no shortage of folklore.  For starters, single people take notes, it is thought that wearing clothes, or writing a note on paper, scented with lavender will attract love.  When tucked under pillows of young men, lavender was thought to encourage them to ask for a lady’s hand in marriage.  Newlyweds stuffed lavender into their mattresses to help encourage marital bliss.  And, maybe a little further down the timeline, lavender was used by wives to ensure their “husband’s marital passion.”  Beyond the realm of love, it is also thought to provide protection from the evil eye and/or evil spirits.  It can be found hanging above a door or fashioned into a cross in some Christian households.   

When life stirs up stress and turmoil, lavender allows us to keep the peace.  Scattering Lavendula Angustifolia flowers around the home is recommended to induce peacefulness.  The essential oil is a go-to for calming distress, managing depression, quelling anxiety, promoting a sense of well-being and uplifting one’s mood.  A couple drops massaged into the temples can ease a tension headache.  Lavender tea, made from fresh or dried flower buds, can help induce sleep, reduce stress and calm digestive problems.  Sachets of dried flowerheads under a pillow can help facilitate a good night’s rest.  Topically, lavender oil can also help treat burns, insect bites, wounds and various skin inflammations.   

Lavender’s blessings do not stop with the olfactory senses!  Culinary uses range from adding floral notes to meats, seafood and baked goods, to infusing drinks (like lavender lemonade) and flavoring jellies.  It’s a favorite of farmers because it attracts bumblebees, which will then pollinate their crops.  And the colors vary by intensity through all of the different varieties, from pale violet to sapphire blue.  (Think about those classic photos of French lavender fields ablaze in rows of purple.)  If you haven’t experienced lavender yet, I can personally recommend bringing this calming and supportive plant into your life, in any way you can.  When dealing with stress, of any kind, it’s one of the best plant friends to have on your side.  

Botanicals of the Month: May

Lisa Story on May 12, 2022

Flower of the Month: Chinese Magnolia a.k.a. Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana) 

Doterra Essential oil of the Month: Magnolia Touch 

Rishi Tea of the Month: Four Seasons Spring Oolong 

          

Every spring, I eagerly await the blooming of the saucer magnolias. When it comes to flowering trees, this is a showstopper.  I know where all the saucer magnolias are in my immediate neighborhood and try and visit them every spring.  The large, unmistakable flowers, pink and purplish on the outside, unfolding to lily-white on the inside, start shedding their winter fur coats (bud scales) at the end of March.  The tree is usually covered in blooms by mid-April, providing a welcome herald of spring.  What an entrance!                            

The saucer magnolia flower stands for “love of nature,” symbolizing the harmony and co-existence of all-natural life.  I don’t know how one couldn’t love nature when looking at one of these trees in full bloom.  A saucer magnolia flower would serve as a perfect emblem for any naturalist.  Bearing shades of both purple and pink, the flowers can also stand for love and romance (pink) and royalty, dignity, spirituality, good luck, and health (purple), depending on how they are used. If I were a young wizard in a wand shop out of Harry Potter, I would hope to go home with a saucer magnolia wand.  It has been said that a magic wand made from the wood of a saucer magnolia will bring the magician closer to working with the core magic and spirits of ancient earth.  And for anyone concerned about infidelity, put a saucer magnolia flower underneath the bed to endure faithfulness. 

According to Feng Shui, planting a magnolia in the front of the house promotes tranquility inside, whereas planting one in the back of the house promotes slow, but sure, financial gain.  In Chinese culture, the magnolia signifies purity and nobility.  In Japanese culture, it stands for nobility, perseverance, and dignity.  Recognized as a symbol of Yin energy, a magnolia flower is considered representative of feminine beauty and gentleness.  Often used as a corsage flower, when given as a gift from a man to a woman, the message is “You are worthy of a beautiful magnolia.”  And, in the Victorian era, magnolias were actually sent secretly as a sign of undying love and perseverance between those in a socially unacceptable love, like an aristocrat and a commoner. 

Magnolias have also truly earned their right to stand as a symbol of endurance and longevity.  Fossil remains have shown us that they have been around for at least 100 million years and were one of the first flowering plants to evolve on earth.  While countless species have gone extinct in the past 100 million years, magnolias are true survivors, possessing remarkable adaptability to major environmental change.  This could be one of the factors behind the phrase “steel magnolia,” which describes a southern woman who possesses all the attributes of beauty and feminine grace alongside great strength of character and independence of will.             

Given that they evolved long before bees and butterflies, magnolias are pollinated by beetles, who feed on their protein-rich pollen.  Botanically, the petals of a magnolia flower are actually a cross between petals and sepals, called “tepals.”  Magnolia flowers are tinged with a heavenly fragrance and the essential oil can be used to cultivate self-love and calm anxiety or emotional turmoil.  Traditional Chinese medicine uses magnolias to help with headaches, lung problems, digestive problems, and insomnia.  Teas are made from both the flower buds (with fur coats still on) and the bark.  Hope Grows’ three saucer magnolias all bloomed beautifully this year.  The photos included here are from the one in the Garden of Rest.  If, by chance, you find yourself admiring a magnolia tree in bloom one day, remember you are looking at a genuine survivor of the ages, reminding us all to stop and appreciate the ever-evolving beauty and harmony of the natural world. 

Botanicals of the Month: April

Lisa Story on April 18, 2022

Plant of the Month: Roman Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis or Chamaemelum nobile), German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)

doTERRA Essential Oil of the Month: Roman Chamomile

Rishi Tea of the Month: Golden Chamomile Blossoms

The healing herb for April is one of my all-time favorites for stress relief: chamomile.  You will always find chamomile in my tea cupboard.  Whenever I’m feeling anxious or stressed, that’s what I reach for. Apparently, I’m not the only one either. The Herbal Research Foundation estimates that over 1 million cups of chamomile are consumed worldwide every day! In the language of flowers, chamomile can symbolize renewal and carries with it both the meanings “patience” and “energy in adversity.” I can see why. Chamomile is known to have a quieting, calming effect on an anxious mind and body. After a cup of soothing chamomile tea, I always feel better. My energy feels renewed and my reserves of patience restored. It’s truly one of nature’s golden cups of comfort.

Medicinal Value

Medicinally, this plant is quite a healer, known for its anti-allergenic, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmatic and analgesic benefits. It’s been used to relieve indigestion and menstrual cramps, ease teething and colic in babies, and is added to salves for soothing skin irritations. The essential oil, also known for its calming effects, is often diffused for relaxation. It can also be inhaled for allergy relief. While I was researching this plant, I found one claim that diffusing the oil “calms noisy children and angry partners.” That’s enough to increase anyone’s patience immediately. 

Symbolism of the Plant

The chamomile flowers resemble miniature daisies. The flower is where the plant houses most of its beneficial compounds. The dried flowers are what the tea is made from. Both the German and Roman varieties are used to make chamomile tea. The fragrance of the small daisy-like flowers is very similar to that of apple blossoms, hence the root words in the name chamomile translate to “earth apple,” or “ground apple.” When you walk on the flower, the essential oil sacs in the flower releases their apple-like fragrance into the air. Then, true to its meaning, as a symbol of resilience and renewal, chamomile is known for its ability to pop back up readily after being stepped on. Its flowers will bloom continuously until frost.

History of Chamomile

This plant has quite a bit of folklore associated with it. In South America, it is traditionally made into garlands to wear around your hair; this is done to attract love. It is also carried in the pocket for good fortune. It is known as a “lucky” flower. Some gamblers wash their hands in a chamomile infusion in the hopes it will bring them winning luck. Sprinkling chamomile infusion around the perimeter of one’s property is believed to have the power to remove curses and spells cast upon the residents who live there.

Tips for Sharing

I’m not sure how much of this is actually true, but, the next time someone you hold near and dear is going through a hard time, consider sending a supportive message of patience, renewal and resilient energy in adversity by handing them a bouquet of fresh chamomile flowers. Then make them a cup of tea, and allow patience to overflow.

Phyllis’s Story: Self-Care is Key

Lisa Story on March 7, 2022

It was one day as she walked out the door on her way to work, trash bag in hand, and checking items off several mental lists she carried in her mind, that the thought fully formed into words. “I am a primary caregiver.”

Phyllis has experienced caregiving twice in her life, first for her father, and now continues to do so for her close friend and roommate, Ruthie. Phyllis and Ruthie had always shared household expenses and tasks throughout the more than two decades they’d known each other and Ruthie’s quick humor, a pension for telling a good story, and easy manner had been a helpful balance to Phyllis’ more serious nature.

Why Having Someone Who Understands You Is So Important

Self-Care is Key

But it wasn’t until that moment that the diagnosis of Parkinson’s reared its head and shifted the balance of their lives so that the word caregiver took on its most personal meaning. Phyllis encountered Hope Grows when founder Lisa Story visited the Parkinson’s Foundation. It was at the South Hills Movers & Shaker’s support meeting that the term, “Caregiver” came up again. Lisa Story presented Hope Grows’ mission, services, and a therapeutic activity at that Parkinson’s Foundation of Western Pennsylvania sponsored group. It was during that presentation that a window of hope opened, and a much-needed balance seemed possible again.

Her emphasis on mindfulness resonated with Phyllis, who when the opportunity came again, immersed herself with Hope Grows. The focus on self-care helped Phyllis to recognize that she must care for herself in order to care for her care receiver to the best of her ability. She believes that the most important thing Hope Grows teaches is self-care and is key in supporting and ministering to caregivers.

Positive Affirmations for Caregivers

Hope Grows Respite Care

With the balance of the relationship changing, their mutually caring relationship again emerged through the Hope Grows respite care, training programs including Powerful Tools for Caregivers, and consistent support and the understanding of friends and family.

Phyllis loves the purpose of caregiving because in caregiving you are truly making a difference in someone’s life. She believes that by caring for someone, you are “honoring your commitment to them and their relationship.” Despite the way the relationship has evolved and interactions differ from the past, there is great love and subtle satisfaction in doing what you can for your loved one.

Hope Grows helps Phyllis to feel better and be at peace through the environment and people, who foster rest and support. She likens Hope Grows to your favorite cozy chair – relaxing yet supportive. Phyllis enjoys the respite activities that Hope Grows conducts because of the wonderful perspective they provide and programming where Ruthie can participate. She loves to visit the Hope Grows property and walk through the gardens which remind her to pause in order to incorporate mindfulness and practicality into life. Phyllis cannot decide which garden is her favorite because of their uniquely beautiful properties, but she does enjoy the seasonally rotating potted plants at the Iris Respite House entrance because they remind her to recognize the beauty in the change.

How We Support Caregivers

Creating a Sense of Belonging

Phyllis recounts some of her favorite experiences with Hope Grows to be the teas and the Powerful Tools for Caregivers workshop. The Powerful Tools for Caregivers program moved Phyllis significantly and she describes it as light but useful and serious, in addition to one of the best experiences of her caregiving life. The teas are special times with peers who understand the caregiving journey and allow each unique story to be heard and recognized. These events give perspective and create a sense of belonging within the community.

Upcoming Caregiver Events

The best advice Phyllis has for other caregivers stems from the thought caregivers encounter all to often: I’ll just do this one more thing that will help my care receiver.” It is often that “one more thing” done as exhaustion sets in that creates havoc with our own health and well-being. She recommends holding back the urge to do so and taking those few minutes to care for yourself. Making intentional moments of self-care allows a caregiver to remove tension and stress, benefitting themselves and their care receivers.