The Spirit of the Plants: Herbal Medicines

In this sharing we welcome you into our home, as we record some medicinal cooking blends and a relaxing tincture.  This is a home that we have constructed ourselves and it reflects the forest around us, and as can be seen, the window reflects our admiration and love for Mother Earth and the Plants, and the power of the Sun and Moon.

Traditionally, of course, Bohitus and/ or Paleros, were adept at the use of many herbs and trees for medicinal purposes, and let us not forget that many of our Great Grandmothers, Grandfathers, Aunts and Uncles were also adept at using herbs and trees for healing.   Modern day Paleros and Bohitus/ or "Beikes" also use various herbs and palos in their work, however the deep relationship of the healer with the plants has been undermined and in some cases that relationship is nonexistent.  A Palero may simply go the botanica and request certain herbs with no knowledge of how the plant looks, the taste of it, the healing qualities of it, or how and where it grows.  Many of these Paleros and Tainos turn not to the tradition of herbal wisdom, but to chemicals or to highly processed materials when they or their loved ones become sick.  This is a sad statement as to the successful miseducation of our people.  However at any given moment we can begin once again to renew our direct relationship with the plants that surround us, the plants that our Ancestors have traditionally used, and the plants that have become available due to the unprecedented ability we have to easily acquire "exotic" plants from virtually anywhere on this Earth. 

We have been engaging this process of renewal for many years, and now, with our children growing rapidly in wisdom, it becomes even more essential to pursue the plant wisdom.  We do not just make the herbal preparations by following herbal "recipes" but also grow many of the herbs we use ourselves, and we approach the whole process in ceremonial and respectful ways.  Our relationship with our healing plant relatives has been compromised by the widespread exploitation and destruction of so many places upon the Earth, especially certain very sacred plant paradises, such as the Amazon Rain Forest, which of course is very significant within the Taino Ancestral Story.  We also have a situation where we have many plants that now grow wild around us, which have been brought in from places all over the world.  It is a complex situation, but the simple fact of it is that we need to heal the relationship we have to the plants and we need the plants to help us be strong and wise, and we have to consider that perhaps our children will need the  plants even more than we may think that we do.  We know that the plants are essential to our thriving.  We also know that working with the plants is beautiful and nourishing.

Here we share two blends of culinary herbs which are also medicinal.  One is savory, one sweet, and both can be used in a wide variety of dishes.  For us it is very important to incorporate herbs into our cooking.  Not only do the herbs give the food wonderful flavors, but they also strengthen us with their high level of nutrients and minerals, and they strengthen our immune system.

The first blend consists of toasted sesame seeds, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, dulse seaweed, and parsley in roughly equal amounts.  All these herbs have high levels of anti-oxidants and give us a wide variety of nutrients.  This blend can be sprinkled on anything or added to soups, stews, stir-fries, salads, and much more.  

We toast the raw sesame seeds ourselves in a cast iron skillet.  

The variety of herbs in the bowl are a beautiful blend of colors and textures, and of course smells.  All herbs are either ground or crushed.  

The herbs are blended, and then placed in glass jars.  We try to use glass as much as possible due to the concerns we have with compounds in plastic leeching into the herbs.  (We are especially concerned with not putting any medicinal liquids in plastics).  

Our daughter is always enthusiastic about working with the herbs.  She is learning at a young age, which is the best age to learn.  The children are able to have that natural relationship to the plants in ways that adults are often unable, because adults tend to take a very theoretical/ intellectual approach.  In this way we can often learn from our children, even while we are teaching them.  

We use 100% organic herbs in our blends.  In this blend we grew the rosemary, sage, and oregano ourselves, and purchased high quality thyme, dulse, sesame and parsley from the bulk bins in our local organic food co-op.  None of these ingredients have been "irradiated" and they are vibrant.  The more we can grow our own herbs or buy them from people who approach growing the herbs with love and spirituality, the more powerful those herbs will be for us, and the more our bodies will be receptive to the healing properties of the herbs.  There is a big difference in taking the whole herb, be that the root, leaf, flower or all three, rather than a compound that has been extracted from the herb.  There is also a difference, although more subtle, in taking a herb that we have grown in our garden where we live rather than a herb that has been grown in a completely different environment.  The herb in our garden is being exposed to the same water, weather, air pressures, and even toxins that we are, and therefore has a special place in our medicine!

Our second blend has cinnamon, ginger, and cardamon added to hawthorn berry powder (which is very good for heart health) and also has toasted coconut for flavor and texture.  All the spices are warming.  This is a blend that is great for oatmeal (and any hot grain cereal), great for deserts, especially anything with apple, and for warm winter drinks.  Not only is it highly medicinal but it is also delicious.  

The herbs are dominated by the hawthorn berry powder (which does have a nice flavor) and the cardamon is the smallest component, as cardamon is very dominating.  We have a hawthorn berry tree and have plans to plant many more.  Our little hawthorn tree is quite old and must be a dwarf variety as it is small.  It has thorns all over its branches that are at least 1" long.  The berries ripen in the fall and are about the size of marbles.  For us this is a very spiritual tree, and one that we continue to deepen our relationship with.  By incorporating this plant into our regular diets we are bringing something into our bodies that cannot be found in supermarket spice blends (which rely heavily on salt and pepper for flavor).  

Again we toast the coconut ourselves in an iron skillet.  As Paleros we are well aware of the significance of working with iron.  These iron skillets are awesome and safe cookware which lasts lifetimes.  Our concerns with other "non-stick" cookware have led us to acquire an array of cast iron cooking pots.  These are naturally nonstick once they are correctly seasoned.  These pots become more than just tools.  We appreciate the fact that we can work with the iron and that the iron absorbs the energies of the many meals we cook, all the various ingredients and spices.  We also use these iron pots on the outdoor grill and so they have also absorbed the energy of the wood fire, the many different palos that have been burned in the fire, plus the sages, tobaccos and other aromatic herbs that we place in the fire.  All this magic and spiritual energy goes into these medicinal blends.

Again our daughter eagerly helps in this process.  We all took the time to taste every individual herb we used and discus the various properties of the herb, how it made us feel, where in our body we felt it move to.  In this way not only do we enjoy the benefit of the herbs but we also re-educate our minds to be more alert and sensitive to the most amazing tool that we have in relating to the plants, which is our own body.  Our own body can teach us so much about the plants as it responds to the various herbs.  As Paleros and Tainos, this ability to utilize our own senses to learn about a plant, is of vital importance, and of course is the way our Ancestors developed their profound knowledge of plants in the first place.  We also know that our Ancestors used ceremony to deepen their knowledge of plants, so we also emphasize the ceremonial approach to making herbal medicine.

Again we use glass to store the blend and clearly label it.  We have many herbal remedies that we have made so labeling them is very important.  We also place the Koki Medicine Symbol on them.  This is significant for us since it is the Spirit of the Koki Medicine that has lead us on this trail of reconciliation and renewal of the plant knowledge.  

All the elements that allow the plants to thrive are sacred, and we know that as the Earth Changes that we are witnessing continue to increase in severity, these elements are becoming more unpredictable.  Not only are these changes having an impact on agriculture and the food supply but also these changes effect our physical body, and we need to continue to strengthen our physical bodies to be able to adapt to the Earth Changes.  Herbs are vital in this process of strengthening as many of these herbs thrive in adverse conditions.  For example the sage that we have utilized in this blend grows in a very rocky area of the Land where we really never added manure or any other form of fertility.  This sage has flourished and embodies a spirit of being able to thrive in conditions that many other plants cannot handle.    Another plant that thrives right next to the sage in this rocky soil is lavender.  Lavender is an essential ingredient in the next medicine- a relaxing tincture...

Below several jars on the left side have the herbs that we have grown and dried (rosemary, oregano and sage- all with their labels).

The deeply relaxing tincture we share below is made from Valerian Root, Lavender Flowers and Hops Flowers.  This tincture is for relaxing and sleeping deeply, especially when under stress, overly stimulated or anxious.  All three herbs are deeply relaxing, and most of us are familiar with lavender and its immediately relaxing aroma.  Valerian root is a popular herb for aiding sleep.  Hops are of course key ingredients in beer, but are in and of themselves deeply medicinal and deeply relaxing.  While we can share the photos of this process, we cannot share the aromas that are so enjoyable and therapeutic.  Making these medicines is not only important for its end product but it is also important in the richness of the process itself.  Aromas themselves have powerful effects on our physical bodies, and on our minds.  We also know that aromas have powerful actions on the Misterios and the Ancestors.  Aromas are powerful attractors and can also be powerful repulsers.  All the aromas we are using here are very attractive.  

First we layer in the valerian root, then the hops flowers....

and finally the lavender flowers.  We look for bright colors in the dried herbs, which indicate that the dried plant has retained its vitality and therefore its medicinal properties.  We the add the alcohol, in this case we used 80 proof organic vodka for the tincture.  We will leave this for 6 weeks, shaking it regularly, then strain and rebottle it.  

Over the 6 week period the alcohol will extract (jala) the medicinal compounds from the herbs.  From the perspective of a Palero the alcohol is pulling the Spirit from the Herb into the alcohol.  

Again we clearly label it, with details such as date, type of alcohol, and herbs.  Below are the medicines we made on this particular day. 

Below all the bottles of medicines are ones that we made this year, some are also culinary, all are powerful healers that assist us to stay healthy and mentally strong.  As Paleros and Tainos we continue to empower our Ancestral traditions and continue to honor the many Curanderas and Curanderos of our Ancestral Tree. We also continue to honor and bring forward the legacy of those herbalists who delighted in the growing of the many herbal plants and flowers.  Many of our brothers and sisters today have become distracted by the many power struggles that have arisen out of the curse of colonialism within our traditions.  It is our wholehearted understanding that we must, as a whole, return to our ROOTS and our ROOTS are deeply intertwined with the Roots, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds of the many Plants of Mother Earth.  

Bohio

View from the Bohio looking out Entrance to Batey towards Ceremonial Field

Before the New Year we also cleaned out the Bohio, raked all the leaves, dusted spiderwebs, swept the floor, clearing out the old energy and debris so that the energy can be in a positive flow for the New Year.  As we approach the Spirit in a holistic way, it is important to periodically or seasonally "clean house" especially the Munanso and Bohios as those are the houses of the Spirit.  Cemis and Nkisi should always be kept in a clean orderly space, even if they live in a very small space.  To keep the Cemis and Nkisi in chaos is to invite chaos into our lives.  In a holistic approach to the Mystery the vital energy is in the every day approach and it is not a matter of getting "dressed up" for public appearances.  The juice for the Brujo or Bohitu is in what is private, not what is public.

Opiel and Guatauba Maquetaurie look out from the patio of the Bohio

Within the Bohio the space is heavily smudged with Sage, Tobacco and Tabanuco (copal) incense.  The earth floor is swept and shelves cleaned and ordered.    We are fortunate to be able to place our Cemis, Medicines, Nkisi directly on the Earth as they can then absorb the Earth's energy, and this grounds the Medicines more powerfully as well as energizes the Medicines.  Opiel and Guatauba are outside, but protected from the ice and snow by the patio roof, this way they also benefit from the Energies of direct Sunlight, Moonlight and Starlight as well as the energies of the Winds.    

For us it is very important that our Cemis are as close to the Earth as possible as they are emanations of Mother Earth and her Universal Energies and belong in a 'natural setting'.  Many Paleros and Bohitus are restricted in their access to natural settings and are unable or restricted in their opportunity to place their Medicines (Cemis, Nkisi) on Mother Earth to absorb Sunlight, Moonlight, Rain and Wind.  This is a sad result of the urbanization of the Taino and Palero.

The Bohio is made from many Palos (sticks), many of which came from the Land itself, even the roof is wood (cedar shingles).  It is built in a very precise location and oriented in a precise direction.  Underneath the Bohio is a Natural Spring that comes into the daylight slightly down hill from the Bohio.  Regardless of the time of year (summer drought, spring floods) this Spring is at the very least slowly seeping water out of the Earth.  In the heat of Summer, the Bohio is the coolest place on the Land.  While it has shutters for the windows, various animals do find their way inside when the windows are open, such as Bats, Snakes and of course the inevitable mice.  When we need to bury a certain Cemis we are able to do so right inside the Bohio. 

Below is a very Sacred Bundle with a Long Story and immense Significance.  This is a bundle that has witnessed and been in the Energy of many, many Ceremonies, it is a bundle that has traveled hundreds of miles for various Ceremonies, and has brought great healing to many. It is a bundle that responds to the thirst of the Spirit!

The Koki Medicine Clan

The Koki Medicine Clan is a Medicine Clan dedicated to the Ancestors and Misterios, rooted in the understanding that our lives today emanate from the lives of the Ancestors and are a continuation of the lives of the Ancestors, who understood and understand the thriving and abundance that comes from a profound relationship with the powerful Misterios of Life.  We love and honor all the Misterios, from the powerful phenomenon of the Hurakan, the Misterios of Sun, Moon, Floods, Death, Agriculture, to the many Spirits of all the trees, herbs, plants, soils, minerals, and animals.  

Our Taino Ancestors understood the profound spiritual "juice" that allowed them to see beyond the material reality and to be able to "pull" profound Misterios into Cemis that create a spiritual-material meeting point where life and death stand on the cross roads and we are able to speak inside both worlds!  Our Ancestors were able to bring into the material world the intelligence of Misterio into a form that would communicate wisdom to them.  In the Koki Medicine Clan we follow this camino of profound spiritual understanding and expression, and in the here and now we, to our capacity in this world,  also pull these Misterios who bless us with their manifestation.  This spiritual juice cannot be bought and to sell it is to prostitute it, it comes from the depth of the Ancestral Trail of this Koki Medicine.  Koki Medicine is about Truth, in full understanding of the many agendas and distortions that are all too common among our people and traditions (globally) today.

Koki is the tree frog, who calls to its mother Atabey for the nourishing rains to allow the trees, plants, crops and ALL life to flourish.  Koki is also the calling of the children of our Ancestors who long for the Spiritual Vibrancy of the Ancestral Past, who call out to those Misterios who had retreated due to the corruption of this world, who call forth the abundance of Indigenous Traditions, and the Reconciliation with Mother Earth in all her manifestations, who call forth for a re-emergence of the Sacred Medicine!  

The Koki Medicine Clan follows the direction of the Ancestors and Misterios and follows the Internal Calling for Reconciliation with Mother Earth so that we all (globally) may once again have abundance and thriving in our lives, which comes naturally from a holistic and loving relationship with our Mother Earth.  Our Cemis are born from many elements and through many processes which allows us to understand their Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Vibrancy which is much greater than individualism or materialism.  We have our ways of communicating with our Cemis, and they speak profoundly always.    

Koki Medicine is rooted firmly in Ancestors and Misterios, and Ancestors and Misterios have lead us clearly to grow Gardens, to plant Trees, to plant Medicinal Herbs, to create Bateys and Spiritual Points upon the Land of the Sacred Heart of Life that has been trusted unto us to caretake and whose healing process is also ours!  Ancestors and Misterios have led us to be where we are, not in our Island Homelands but on a vast continent whose profound Indigenous Traditions of Agriculture and Gardening continue to vibrate today where this beautiful land is honored and respected.  It is an expansion of a Cemis, (or Fundamento) which creates a space which vibrates and surges with Spirit, in contrast with the largely depleted and suffocated areas which reside on all sides, poisoned by decades of chemical poisoning.  

Koki Medicine has been on a long trail, and not an easy trail, to come to the point of its present manifestation.  Many obstacles have arrived and have been overcome in this journey of manifestation, and sadly there have been many voices of animosity and derision.  The Ancestors have always provided a way to overcome obstacles and to protect from the arrows of animosity and envy.  We are very blessed and grateful to be on this Koki Medicine Trail of Abundance and Reconciliation! 

The Ancestors have lead us to bring a strong emphasis on growing our food and medicine, and bringing a diversity of plants and trees to the Land.  We grow many things, some of which sustain us during the winter as well as the summer.  Our heat and much cooking fuel comes primarily from fallen trees from the Land, and every year we plant hundreds more trees to more than compensate for what we use.  We make many herbal medicines from our plants that build up the immune system and help to bring harmony to imbalances in the body.  We make spiritual baths from our plants for spiritual healing and balance and we make herbal teas from our plants to bring nutrition and balance to that aspect of the spirit that is physical.  We grow our food with our hands, using no fossil fuel to cultivate, but respecting our Mother Earth by getting our hands "dirty" with that most precious resource- good organic garden soil!  As we evolve spiritually we evolve in this material world bringing the spiritual intelligence to resonate in holistic choices within life, which includes the choice to Earth School. 

The Ancestors understood clearly that the education of the Children must be with the Families, Communities to allow the children to develop a healthy relationship with the Misterios of Life.  They understood and we understand that education is not to ram disconnected information formulated by people and groups who have ulterior motives and conflicts of interests down the throats of the chidren.  Education is to allow the intelligence and Spirits of the Children to interrelate with a healthy environment and to be guided by the Elders to understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy.  Earth Schooling is our term for the schooling that our daughter is engaging directly with our Mother Earth, and with the manifestations of the Misterios (the Medicines, Cemis, Nkisis) and with our wisdom and experience gained through our lives.  Earth Schooling is a holistic approach to education that is absolutely INDIGENOUS in ESSENCE!  

Koki Medicine is rooted in the Ancestors and Misterios and extends its vibration and love and concern into all dimensions of our lives and those who come into its realms.  Koki Medicine is transformative, and continues to transform our lives and the manifestation of the Land of the Sacred Heart of Life, including all the Bateys, Bohio, Munansos, and Sacred Gardens and Forests!  Koki Medicine Calls forth Justice and Truth, and the respect for Indigenous Traditions and Indigenous Spirituality.  Koki Medicine is not fooled by pretenders, and those with negative agendas, or those who seek to manipulate and distort, Koki Medicine is not fooled by "power over" or the superficiality of appearance.  Koki Medicine is about the beauty of living with love and humility close to Atabey our Earth Mother, is about the abundance of healthy food, natural medicines, holistic education, and natural resources to thrive.  Koki Medicine is about bringing a voice and action of healing and living in a respectful way upon Atabey.  Koki Medicine is about the Profound Love of the Ancestors who continue to stand rooted in the Profound Love of the Misterios of Life and the Great Mystery of Life, which is the Root of this whole manifestation that we call Universe.   

Cholita at Work! (Click on photos)

As Taino and Paleros we are always mixing up elements, plants, bones, soils and more for many different purposes.  Last year Anani got this Pilon for her Birthday, she is very adept at using it, so when we needed some black walnuts ground up to make a brown stain we asked Anani to do it.  She gathered the green walnuts that had fallen from the trees herself and smashed them up removing the nut from the center.  She continued to grind up the walnuts.  

These green walnuts will turn brown overnight and make a very strong stain which does not easily "washout", the drops that she got on her will take at least a week or so to wash off.  

What is exciting about this is that she has been raised to be involved and competent with these things from the earliest age, and now we can ask her to do something and she does not need any help to do it.

Several years ago when Anani was still a toddler I was holding her and speaking to a Taino who was trying to tell me that women could not be "Medicine People" within the Taino Tradition, that the women could only make Casava and tend the Fire.  I confronted his ignorance with the account of the "myth" of Guabonita, the original Medicine Woman who taught the Caskike Guahayona how to work with the Medicines.  I also told him that I was not going to exclude my daughter who I was holding from working with the Medicines.    This was especially true because her whole birth process was Spiritual.  Before she was born there was a Ceremony I did for her while she was still in her Mother's womb using multiple soils from different Caminos of Boriken (the Land where I was born) and Sacred Symbols.  3 days later she was born with Drumming, Rattling and Sacred Chants.  Her placenta was buried in a Sacred location on the Land.  It would be a crime to tell her she cannot work with the Medicine or be a active Taino Bohitu and Palera!