Module Three: Herbal Allies
In this module, you will learn about the herbs, barks, flowers, and mushrooms that support Candida balance and a healthy microbiome. Anti-fungals and supportive herbs are the next important factor in balancing Candida.
Audio Lesson: Audio Lesson: Plant Allies
TRIED AND TRUE: HERBAL ALLIES
For imbalances in Candida and yeast, the best remedies are herbal antifungals. Here are a list of recommended remedies:
Pau d’Arco: Native to South America and Tabebuia trees, Pau D’ Arco is a 125-foot tree that is resistant to decay, making it a viable option for fungal infections. Due to the beta-lapachone in Pau d’Arco, it can inhibit the growth of bacteria in your gut.
Best as a capsule. I do not recommend blending pine and pau d’arco.
Rosemary: Rosemary is a warm shrub, common to the Mediterranean.
Key constituents: Volatile oils (including borneol, camphene, camphor, cineole, limonene, and linalool); flavonoids; diterpenes; triterpenes; rosmaricine; rosmarinic acid; vitamin A (beta-carotene); vitamin C; and minerals including calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc (Hoffman, 2003; Holmes, 1997; Foster, 1993).
Rosemary is a superb tonic for memory, increasing mental function, and acuity by increasing blood flow to and stimulating the brain (Berger, 1998). Rosemary is beneficial for brain fog. It is also antifungal and anti-bacterial.
A study conducted on the antimicrobial potential of rosemary essential oil concluded, “characterization and isolation of the active compound(s) from the rosemary oil may be useful in counteracting gram-positive bacterial, fungal, and drug-resistant infections.” (Lugman et. al, 2007).
Rosemary is very valuable as well for yeast imbalances.
Best used as tea or tincture.
Pine: Pine is a common plant that can be used in the form of Pycnogenol (a supplement brand) to treat fungal infections. For example, growth of Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotium rolfsii, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. vasinfectum, Phytophthora parasitica, Alternaria solani, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was reduced on agar containing either fresh or composted pine bark powder, whereas growth of the nonparasitic fungus Penicillium citrinum was enhanced. (Effects of Pine Bark Extracts and Pine Bark Powder on Fungal Pathogens, Soil Enzyme Activity, and Microbial Populations)
Best used as a capsule (Pycnogenol).
Chaga: Chaga is a mushroom that is both anti-bacterial, anti-Candida, anti-malarial, and anti-inflammatory. It is also an adaptogen, making it great for improving immune response.
Best used as a tincture.
BIO INDIVIDUALITY: WORKING WITH YOUR ECOSYSTEM
The act of herbalism is a practice that has been integrated into human life for 60,000 years. The relationship between people and plants is undeniably a large part of what makes us human. Through this course, and the integration of these lifestyle practices, you will rekindle this ancient sacred right.
Herbal tinctures and tonic-making at home is something that with practice is a very doable lifestyle integration. Arguably, one of the easiest ways to integrate plants into your everyday life is through making loose leaf teas or night time infusions and it is the best place to begin your practice. In the Plant-Based Candida Diet protocol, you will be introduced to different herbs that can be consumed in a variety of different ways. In the Herbal Monographs, I have included the ways to take each herb. However, you may want to experiment with antifungals in cooking, as teas, infusions, in tinctures, and as supplements as you navigate your health journey.
I would love to discuss your herbal interests, the antifungals below, and other supportive herbal options to support you on your health journey. As our bodies shift, there may be uses for different herbs at different points in your health journey. A body out of balance will be holistically out of balance, which sometimes means that when healing a Candida imbalance, we may encounter other health issues and imbalances. Herbs are helpful and realistic therapy for this. As a clinical herbalist, I am here to support you not only on our calls but also for your holistic health at large. If you are interested in further 1:1 work or consultation, you can click this link to book a private 1:1 session as you see fit throughout your health journey. I am here to serve and support your bio-individual healing process through the many cycles.
Regardless of what you choose, it is important not to take too many herbs/supplements and to understand their reactions and uses they have in your body. Often, we are called to work with a herb. Our intuition is a great benchmark, just always be sure to know what you are taking, the dose, and to work with an herbalist in the process.
Bottom Line: You are your own unique ecosystem, and the herbs you work with are entirely up to you, your body’s reaction to them, and your gut instincts.
CANDIDA AND YEAST: HOW TO BALANCE THE MICROBIOME WITH HERBS AND SUPPLEMENTS
Since Candida is a fungus, the best herbs to target an imbalance would be antifungals. Herbal antifungals are commonly found in barks and resilient plants, such as rosemary and calendula. The herbs that best support balanced health are generally the ones in nature that energetically represent the same properties.In every individual, some factors will present themselves. In holistic healing, it is important to work with those factors to best support our bodies as a whole. For this reason, it is important to respect your journey when choosing herbs, easing into strong antifungals, considering how you feel when using certain herbs. and always discussing herbs and supplements with a herbalist or a health care provider.
FINDING YOUR PROTOCOL + HERBAL ALLY
In the Herbal Monographs, you will see “tried and true” herbal remedies for Candida imbalance. I will discuss with you your options as I look holistically into your unique health journey with you. However, I encourage you to look at these anti-fungals. Which ones interest you? What feels right? Let’s bring that sense of intuition to our next call.
TRUSTING YOUR INTUITION + PLANT MEDICINE
Here are some questions to consider as we continue into this section of the course: How can I trust my intuition and where do I start? How do I start working with plants?
As you may have gathered, my approach with herbs can be seen as what one could call a spiritual experience with the plants. In my training, through both holistic herbalism and earth education, we must build our relationship with the plants as we use them for healing. Our connection to plant medicine is not only our sacred right, but something that is intuitive to humankind.
In the modern world, it is easy to become so separated from nature that we lose our sense of connectedness to them. Cooking, healing, and taking herbal remedies, allows us to return to this connection and in the long run, return to nature.
I know in my healing journey, this return to nature is the very concept that led me to this program. It was through this understanding of plants, microbes, plant-based nutrition, and the connectedness to earth that brought me back to balance.
As we work with plants, it is impossible not to see our interconnectedness to nature on the macro scale, and as we work with Candida we will start to see our connectedness to nature through the wildlife of our bodies.
It is important not only for microbial diversity but for ourselves, in general, to immerse ourselves in nature. When we are out in nature, we are exposed to bacteria that possibly influence our microbiome. Getting outside and connecting to the plants in the kitchen and through our herbal remedies is a big part of this process.
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