Trees Are The Lungs of The Earth!

Back in the 1990’s, I worked as a sea kayaking wilderness guide on the beaches of Canada's Northwest Coast. I eventually moved to a remote area of the island and squatted (meaning lived for free) on a beach facing Alaska in an old converted school bus. It was there that I really learned to drum and to live in a way that was what would most commonly be referred to as “counter-culture.” During this time, there was a Hopi song that I learned that left a strong impression on me. The song has a few varieties, but the basic lyrics are: Earth my body Fire my spirit Air my breath And water my blood! Many years after learning this song, I realized that the meaning of these lyrics are that the earth truly is our body, the air really is our breath and so on. As most budding herbalists know, there are many healing systems around the world that work with the elements, and that the elements are directly related to the seasons. In the summer we are all breathing the air of the luscious forest and field of mother earth, yet come fall it suddenly stops. The warm air turns cold and dry. If any of you have seen a picture of the bronchioles and branches of the lungs it is easy to see that the lungs of the human body essentially follow the same pattern of nature that we see in trees and their branches. In the 5 elements system of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the lungs are associated with the element of metal and the season of fall . This means that in the fall we should strengthen and nourish the lungs and prepare for the season ahead. We all know that winter is a season of many issues with sinuses and lungs in a way that is usually distinctively different from summer allergies. If we want to stay healthy throughout the winter, we nourish the lungs in the fall. Similarly, we support the liver in the spring, the heart in the summer, the spleen in the late summer and kidneys in the deep winter. Each of these yin organs have other accompanying yang organs. For example, the lungs are a yin organ that pair with the yang organ of the large intestine. The TCM view not only has corresponding elements and seasons, but emotions as well! In other words, each organ is especially prone to accumulating certain emotions. For the liver it is generally resentment, for the kidneys it is fear, and for the lungs it is grief and sadness. As we all know, life is about balance, and the point is not to avoid more difficult emotions but to actually feel and move the emotion. Emotions are energy in motion, however if they are not in motion they can become stuck and build up, negatively affecting the health of the associated organ and the flow of chi or energy in the body. However, any excessive emotional indulgence can also damage an organ system. For example, if a person never grieves it can show up in issues with the lungs, the colon and the skin. If one chooses to live in emotional and behavioural patterns that fuel more and more grief, then these patterns build up an excess of grief. Like a stream, too much water is not good, and stuck water is also not good. Unsurprisingly, we want a natural balanced flow! One area of research that relates to this which is fascinating is organ transplants. It is often reported that when recipients of organs from donors move on with their life they are often reporting new emotional patterns and personality traits. It is thought that the organs hold memory, emotion and so on. We might also then consider that the earth holds memory as well which is something similar to the content covered in my interview with author Maya Tiwari on YouTube . This topic is broad and deep, however one thing I want to leave with you is that the lungs are responsible for our Wei Chi. Wei Chi is like a protective barrier around our entire being that acts kind of like a force field to invading hostile forces. In modern terms we might say that the Wei Chi is directly connected to the strength of our immunity. As we breathe, we might imagine that we are letting the outside world in. That is why the health of our lungs is paramount to our overall well being. Our immune system is a dynamic topic but one element of it, especially in the winter, is supporting it through the lungs. Anyone who has studied with me for some time knows that means that we need to ingest the ancient foods: roots, berries, medicinal mushrooms, and inner barks . These are all filled with what modern science calls glyco-nutrients or glyco-proteins which provide our immune system with essential support. Examples of these kinds of herbs are astragalus , licorice, elderberry, reishi mushroom, cordyceps, elecampane, andrographis, garlic, echinacea, calamus , and many others. Not only do many of these herbs provide us with essential glycoproteins to support our immune system but they also are generally antibiotic, detoxifying, antiviral and antifungal to some degree. Many of our chronic infections are due to a long standing presence of fungus or candida in the lungs, as well as our inability to grieve and let go (stagnancy). As I think we can all attest to, it is much easier to have a good laugh after a good cry. Excessive dampness of the lungs or a lack of moistness of the lungs are both important topics. We cannot separate the physicality of our human experience as human ecosystems from the reality that we are also souls in a human body. There is a lot to feel in this experience to hold space for and to process. This is partly how I have come to look at this human experience, in understanding that we are consciousness in a human body, made up of earth and all of her memories. Additionally, maybe we are here to act as alchemical bridges to help the primal ancient experience of nature remember its own timeless divine nature. As we head into the fall season, let's get our indoor living conditions filled up with plants that are producing vital oxygen and prana, as well as explore the herbs that we can take to support the immune system and lungs. One great text for us all to have on hand is Planetary Herbology by Micheal Tierra . It is a very valuable and inexpensive text to aid us in learning how to apply the eastern concepts of medical plants and healing to our western herbs and foods. I hope this has been helpful and has inspired you to learn more about the ancient art and modern science of herbalism.