Tag Archives: doctrine of signatures

Herbal Doctrine of Signatures

In herbal medicine, this is called The Doctrine of Signatures. Looking at a plant will often give clues as to the medicinal uses it offers us.  A good example is Hawthorne (Crataegus oxyacanthoides).

The berry looks very like our heart  and Hawthorne is a “thinking herb” for our heart – if the heart beat is too fast, it will calm it down; if it is too weak, it will strengthen and speed up the muscle. As a cardio-tonic it will help regulate both low and high blood pressure. 

Another example is Milk Thistle (Silibum marianum) – the spiky spines protect the plant, just as Milk Thistle protects our liver.

Colours, shapes and smells are all clues that ancient humans used to understand the active benefits of God’s pharmacy.  Herbs are concentrated powerhouses of nutrition, and common fruits and vegetables are actually first degree herbs that can be and should be consumed daily for our better health.

Chapters 6 and 7 of Lorene Benoit’s book, The Paw Paw Program – A “Christopher Columbus SApproach To Cancer…The World IS Round and Cancer CAN Be Treated Naturally” includes extensive dietary recommendations critical to optimum health and prevention of chronic conditions. Here are some pictures to help you remember why these are so good for our health!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye… and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums.  Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.
Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% calcium. If you don’t have enough calcium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.
Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female – they look just like these organs. Today’s research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this?  It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (mo dern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).
Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility. 
Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries
Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.
Onions look like the body’s cells. Research shows onions clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. Garlic also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Manataka American Indian Council

Herbal Intensive July 6th – 9th, 2012

Herbal Intensive: What, Why and How?

 

The Cowichan Valley supports a lush growth of plants that have been traditionally used for medicinal purposes, as well as for food. We will study indigenous, wild, and some cultivated botanicals with a Master Herbalist who has 30 years experience.

 

 

In this 3 1/2   day Intensive you will learn:

Ø       introduction to botanical terms

Ø       plant families and identification

Ø       medicine wheel & plant energy

Ø       drying and storage

Ø       doctrine of signatures

Ø       harvesting

You will also learn how to prepare and apply herbs in a practical and fun “hands on” setting:

Ø       Poultices, fomentations and compresses

Ø       Infusions,  decoctions and juices

Ø       Sweat baths, inhalations

Ø       Herbal oils and salves

Ø       Enemas and douches

Ø       Tinctures, herbal vinegars

Ø       Preparations for eyes, teeth, sinus and nose

Ø       Glycerites, syrups and more…

Someone might get a poultice applied; another a compress. Faces often contort as we taste the various decoctions!

We learn how to prepare and apply herbs in a practical and fun “hands on” setting.

Plus: 1/2 day Medicine Wheel Workshop, July 6th, 1-4 pm

Ø     Understand the 4 element model that has endured from ancient cultures around the world,

Ø     Learn to apply this to 4 pillars of health:

  • physical,
  • spiritual,
  • mental and
  • emotional.

Ø      Learn to understand  herbs and conditions

People can take Medicine Wheel Workshop  on its own, (Contact the office) and those attending the Intensive are encouraged to arrive early and participate in the Medicine Wheel workshop.

One trained practitioner from Calgary, Alberta wrote this in her evaluation:
I learned to identify herbs out in the field, herbs which I have used with people for many years but never knew what they looked like.  It was great to see them in their natural habitat.  It helped me get to know them better as living beings! ”
Monica H.  Calgary, AB.

More testimonials:

I was one of the lucky participants, and it was so worth the time and cost. The setting was lovely, the other participants were generous in sharing their own experiences, the food was delicious, and the learning was boundless! Lorene is a born teacher, and the breadth of her expertise is amazing to me. This was just the workshop I needed to get me started in my own learning about herbs. Thank you!                                                                                                                       Miriam S. Duncan, BC

I can only encourage everyone to attend this inspiring & educational event. Once you embark on this opportunity to identify, smell, and work with a wide variety of herbs you will gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the healing powers herbs have to offer. The medicine wheel and other teachings on all pillars of health will bring you closer to nature and discovering your true inner self – reminding you the importance of incorporating all aspects of life into your daily living to achieve well-being. Take advantage of this event held in a beautiful paradise – only a walk away from a crystal clear river, taught by a very knowledgeable and successful instructor & provided with delicious meals fresh from the garden!            

Monica F, Annapolis Valley, NS                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Join us to experience the healing powers we have been provided with by getting in touch with herbs. Feel the peace of nature seep into your cells, guided by one of Canada’s leading herbal experts,  Master Herbalist and Healer of over 30 years.

On beautiful Vancouver Island, British Columbia – build a holiday of your lifetime around this event! Please contact our office for posters with details.

You will keep a minimum of three herbal products you help make.

 

Date: Friday-Monday, July 6th– 9th, 2012 

Investment: $475 includes: ½ day Medicine Wheel Workshop Fri, plus 3 full days Sat, Sun, Mon, all supplies, samples, and organic lunches.

Early Bird Discount for payment received by June 15th:  save $100!

Registration closes July 2nd        $50 of registration fee is a non-refundable deposit

About the Instructor: Lorene Benoit is a Health Educator with a Bachelor of Education in Biology and Physical Education. She has a Masters of Holistic Health; Certifications as Herbal Consultant, Iridologist, Contact Reflex Analyst and several Body-Mind Healing modalities.  She has engendered nutrition, lifestyle management and natural therapies for more than 30 years. Her passion is empowering people through down to earth education of   their own bodies, herbs and health on all levels.  In her vision to help people move towards optimum health, she offers consultations in her Vancouver Island office, writes and travels extensively to lecture and teach, and promote her book: The Paw Paw Program, a natural approach to cancer and health optimization.  This annual intensive is a favourite, where all the connections of healing come together in nature!  

These courses are being taught on 5 wild and cultivated acres within the temperate rain forest, and riparian habitat of the Cowichan River, Vancouver Island.

5175 Bills Road, Duncan, British Columbia, V9L 6S7, Canada

Payment:   Money order can be mailed to Lorene Benoit at above address.

A list of local accommodations, B&Bs, or camping options & other activities available to help you stay and enjoy the Cowichan Valley paradise!

Register: Health Education, 250-748-6802 ;

email: TakeTheNaturalPath@gmail.com

In one of the herb gardens…

Over 300 species of plants out there!
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
 

 


Herbal Intensive Course: Come, Learn, And Enjoy

The Cowichan Valley supports a lush growth of plants that have been traditionally used for medicinal purposes, as well as for food.

Each summer for the past 12 years people of North America have gathered here to take part in a Herbal Intensive of 3 to 4 days to really get in touch with these gifts from nature.

We study:

  • indigenous, wild, and some cultivated botanicals
  • the Doctrine of Signatures 
  • plant identification
  • harvesting ethically
  • storing and preparing the plants 
  • using  them for medicinal purposes.

Someone might get a poultice applied; another a compress. Faces often contort as we taste the various decoctions!

We learn how to prepare and apply herbs in a practical and fun “hands on” setting. 

One trained practitioner from Calgary, Alberta wrote this in her evaluation:      
I learned to identify herbs out in the field, herbs which I have used with people for many years but never knew what they looked like.  It was great to see them in their natural habitat.  It helped me get to know them better as living beings! ”
Monica H.  Calgary, AB.

The Medicine Wheel, which is part of what is shared in the Annual Herbal Intensive, integrates four pillars of health:

  • physical,
  • spiritual,
  • mental and
  • emotional.

Tied into this are the active principles and actions of herbs, seasons, directions, animal guides, and tastes.

This year, we will be offering a special workshop just on the Medicine Wheel the afternoon before, July 9th, 2010 from  1 – 4 pm.

People are welcome to take this on its own, and those attending the Intensive are encouraged to arrive early and participate in the Medicine Wheel workshop.

Join us to experience the healing powers we have been provided with by getting in touch with herbs.

Come to learn and to feel the peace of nature seep into your cells, guided by one of Canada’s leading herbal experts,  Master Herbalist and Healer of over 30 years.

On beautiful Vancouver Island, British Columbia – build a holiday of your lifetime around this event! Please contact our office for posters with details.
 
Many traditional lifestyles embrace the significance of four……

The four directions, north, east, south and west,
Balance between these offers life at its best.
The four seasons and winter, spring, summer and fall,
The four elements, air, fire, water and earth, represents all.
The four races of man, represented in the colours red, yellow, black and white,
The four changes in a day, sunrise, noon, sunset and night.

Blended within these are the spirits of creation, life, love and light.
Follow a pathway of the heart to truth, peace and harmony.
 
Lorene Benoit         BEd, MHH, CHC, CRA, CI, Benoit and Associates Health Education 5175 Bills Road, Duncan, BC, V9L 6S7