RASPBERRY LEAF

(Rubus striqosus or Rubus idaeus)

The former is found mostly in North America and has prickles, the latter is native to Europe and has few or no prickles. Both grow wild in the field and forests. Ah, but isn’t half the challenge avoiding the spiky bits as you gather the fruit and leaves?

Herbalists throughout the ages have given pregnant ladies a cup of Raspberry Leaf tea a day, for its many health giving benefits.

Its a good idea to start with this one three months before you try for a baby. It has an excellent reputation for aiding conception.

Raspberry Leaf is high in Iron, Copper, Vitamin A and Vitamin C, all needed by the growing baby. It is the highest food source of Folic Acid, a deficiency of which will cause spina bifida, so if you prefer your supplements natural (i.e. absorbable), take a cup of Raspberry Leaf tea a day in the first trimester.

In the second and third trimesters continue with a cup a day as it helps the placanta and also strengthens your uterine muscles so you get good strong contractions to more easily push out your baby during labour.

Keep it afterwards to get your uterus back in shape and to help milk production.

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Breasts are full of lymphatic tissue and are designed to move around. Bras prevent your breasts from doing this and so stop this all important self cleansing mechanism.

This is why it feels good to take off your bra at the end of the day – it should be the first thing you do when you walk in that door – let your breasts breathe. Those push up bras make our boobs look fabulous, there is no doubt about it, but save them for special occasions. Around the house, go braless.

Especially, never wear a bra to bed. And avoid bras with underwire – they cut off the circulation of blood and lymph – if you don’t believe me have a look at the big red mark under your breasts after you take off an underwire bra.

Go to the lingerie section and have your bras fitted – most department stores have staff trained in this and its free – a well fitting bra does much less damage than an ill fitting one. Most women are wearing badly fitting bras – that’s why it feels so good when you take it off. You need to be resized for a bra when you are pregnant, breastfeeding, weaning or when you have gained or lost 5kg or more of weight. Breasts are fatty deposits and when you gain or lose weight you’ll notice it on your breasts almost immediately.

Many fibrocystic lumps disappear altogether if you don’t wear a bra for six months.

An effective, free way to assist with breast health is to lightly stroke your fingers from sternum (breastbone) to armpit for several minutes a day. This helps by promote lymphatic drainage of your breasts.

Fenugreek Tea has traditionally been used to help cleanse the lymphatics also.

Bush Iris from Australian Bush Flower Essences energetically balances the lymphatics. Much more information on Bush Iris is shared during the Level 1 Australian Bush Flower Essences Workshop.

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One of our common native trees, the humble Bottlebrush, has strong healing qualities when taken as an Australian Bush Flower Essence.

On an emotional level it is very good for helping us with the process of letting go. Letting go of old outdated habits, addictions, emotions, people and things. Look around your home – are you a hoarder? If you are having difficulty releasing anything at all, try taking some Bottlebrush as a flower essence.

On a physical level, difficulty with letting go can translate into sluggish bowels. If you regularly suffer with constipation (or even from time to time), ask yourself whether there is something your are not letting go of emotionally.

The doctrine of signatures (clues to the healing qualities of a plant from its appearance and habitat) is very strong with this plant. The red colour of the flower indicates a lot of energy and the ability to stimulate movement. As the name suggests, the shape of the flower strongly resembles a bottle brush and so is perfect for cleaning the tube-like structure of the large intestine. Fortunately this doesn’t have to be in a literal sense! Taking 7 drops of the essence under your tongue twice a day for a fortnight will achieve the same result.

Faeces left sitting in the bowel too long can start to break down the mucosal lining and lead to leaky gut, where toxins begin to be reabsorbed into the body rather than being eliminated as intended. In women, an early sign that this may be happening can be the appearance of fibrocystic lumps in the breast. Many of these lumps spontaneously resolve when Bottlebrush is taken.

Another application of this essence is with breastfeeding. If a baby is having trouble attaching to the breast or with suckling in any way, Bottlebrush is of enormous help in establishing a strong suck reflex, allowing the baby to go on to successfully breastfeed.

Further, if a baby doesn’t go on the breast within 6 hours of birth, the bonding process with its mother can be disrupted. Many mothers and children who have experienced this describe a sense of distance within their relationship.

The children often do not feel as close to their mother compared to their peers. Their mothers feel they should be more connected to these children, and notice a distinct difference between the bond they share with the child they were unable to breastfeed immediately and the children they did breastfeed within six hours of birth.

Both mother and child will express their strong love for each other but also a feeling of distance. This pattern can continue into adulthood. There are many case histories on file of Bottlebrush helping to heal this mother-child bond (even many years later), bringing a sense and strength of connection and a feeling of ‘rightness’ that has previously been lacking.

Bottlebrush is also very good for helping clingy children or smothering mothers let go and relax into a more healthy dynamic. For anything to do with the mother-child relationship, Bottlebrush is the first remedy I would think of.

I often think motherhood is a constant process of slowly letting go – starting with birth when we have to let them go from our womb. Weaning is probably the next big physical letting go and can be an emotionally difficult time for mother, baby or both. The first day of school, sleepovers, school camps, leaving home, overseas, trips, marriage – Bottlebrush is wonderful for smoothing the way as mothers progressively let go of their children (and vica versa).

Bottlebrush is one of about thirty flower essences discussed in Level One of The International Workshops Series by Australian Bush Flower Essences. The major themes of this workshop include healthy digestion, a well balanced hormonal system, connecting with your creativity, dealing with major life issues, protecting yourself energetically, releasing family patterns that no longer serve you, and healing issues with your parents – all the basic things we need to function well in
life.

This workshop is taught worldwide. For details of when there will be one held near you soon click here.

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