Smudging
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- biogardener
- Tina_Coruth
- biogardener
- bindweed
- mastiffs2005
- biogardener
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» biogardener - Smudge soothing to the lungs
The new millennium started badly for me. I came down with the worst case of the flu I had ever had in my life, the same flu which claimed victims around the world. It confined me to the house for almost a month, and after that time, I was still experiencing severe respiratory problems. When I was finally able to attend a women's drumming event again, and we started with smudging, using wild sage. I had been doing a lot of coughing all day, but as soon as I inhaled the smoke of the sage, the coughing stopped. It felt soothing rather than irritating as people might suspect.I had previously noticed that artemesia relieves congestion, even though that property is not described in any of the herbals I have checked, but this is the first time that I experienced the benefit from its smoke.
-- posted by biogardener
» Tina_Coruth - I'm glad you're feeling better.
I'm glad you're feeling better.This is very interesting. One wouldn't expect to get relief from smoke. I wonder if anyone else has had this experience or knows how this can be. I am very interested because some members of my family have lung problems that result in a lot of coughing. This is very curious and very interesting.
Again, I'm glad you are feeling better :-)
Christina
-- posted by Tina_Coruth
» biogardener - I heard about it before
I heard about the benefits of smudging in the GardenWeb Herbalism Forum where someone asked if it was true. The questions was followed by several postings pro and con, but all of them merely expressed uninformed opinions. You cannot judge this type of remedy until you have experienced it.-- posted by biogardener
» bindweed - Smudging
I can only post my own experience about smudging.On healing, I do believe that smudging can help a person with congested lungs. I tend to develop an alder allergy every spring and find that burning a wormwood such as Artemesia absinthium 'lambrook Silver' on my wood stove does help. Salvia (sage)also has a good effect on me.
As with all things this might work for some and be downright dangerous for others. I would hate to give 'medical' suggestions in such a litigational society.
As for spiritual healing (or the dispersing of spirits -- I will wait until Darlene jumps in -- involves hypnosis.) I have always used medicinal tobacco or Sweetgrass. I have had no reactions to either, but obviously Traute has.
On a humorous note -- I will mention one more use of smudgeing. It involves visualizations and spirit searches:
Enlightened Dad that I be ... Before Blechnem (my daughter #3) left to return to L.A., she wanted to find an Eagle feather.
So the two of us prepared to visit my special beach. We performed a purification ceremony, visualized what we were asking for ... and proceeded to find! Within fifteen minutes, Blechnem found a majestic tail feather. I had to slink empty handed behind her, while she proudly carried her gift given from the gods.
I ended up finding a Ravens feather! Trickster that I often am, it was appropriate! She needed to find that feather, I merely wanted to! Worse yet she wouldn't trade it with me!
Herbert Senft
Visit the friendly Pacific Northwest
-- posted by bindweed
» mastiffs2005 - Hi Y'all *smile*
I love smudging myself and as a Sagittarius prefer sage, frankencense and myrrh. I often use smudging in conjunction with crystal healing. I also use tobacco as a gift back to the earth, but I use the dried tobacco leaves, unburnt, digging a small hole in the ground, placing the leaves, and covering them back up.I have found that with hypnotic trance of any type, clients with tobacco allergies can almost die (or possibly actually die) if even the traces of cigarette smoke are in the air. Of course, this could be because of the chemicals used on cigarette tobacco. If you have natural tobacco leaves, it "may" not have this effect, but it's not worth the risk, imho *smile*
The most important thing with smudging is to be very aware of the herbs, etc, that you are using... and I would say a good suggestion would be to have an experienced healer perform the first "smudging" if you are new at this type healing. Of course that's a true statement for any type of treatment.
Traute, I loved this article, and will be sure to come back for the next in the series! I practice quite a few of the Native American healing techniques being half Cherokee myself. Thanks for the series!
Darlene
-- posted by mastiffs2005
» biogardener - nightshade is poisonous
Strictly speaking, an allergen is an adverse reaction to a harmless substance. According to medical evidence, nightshade plants are poisonous, and an adverse reaction to it is the body's defence against poison. A reaction against tobacco therefore strictly speaking is not an allergy. The body of a sensitive person will have stronger reactions to poisons as well as allergens. Listening to your body is a good way to avoid getting sick. Since my childhood, I have stayed away from any type of nicotiana plants in people's gardens. They are simply tobacco plants with smaller leaves. I have had breathing problems with tobacco, not just from smoke, but even from an ashtray not being properly washed out or a package of cigarettes left lying near me. And I didn't even know that they were there until I started searching for the cause of y breathing problem.Poisons like nicotene act as stimulants to our system, giving us a high. Allergists tell us that it is this high which causes addictions. When the body craves this high, we become addicted to the poison. That is how the poison like nicotine becomes classified as a drug.
-- posted by biogardener
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