Over the past year I've upleveled my herbalist knowledge - for 30 years I've been a dabbling amateur when it comes to natural health; finding solutions for myself and making a few things here and there like my "Green Cream" comfrey salve and facial toner that I share and sell. I've grown my own herbs and foraged herbs. I've interned on an Intentional Community in Oregon that track on herbalism, studied with under 3 herbalists in Colorado, and worked next to an apothecary in Scotland (visiting it and gleaning knowledge almost daily).
It felt like a long time coming, to do a 12-month intensive certification in herbalism to deep dive into the plant knowledge that fuels my fire. 2024 was that year.
So when my 80-year old mother locked in a total knee replacement this past December and asked me to come down and help her and my dad navigate through the surgery and and her first week of recovery, I jumped at the chance to do some research, bring some medicine, and support her healing process. These are the resources I used, and I hope they're of use to you or someone you love!
TOP 5 RESOURCES
Arnica homeopathic pellets - as soon as she was out of surgery, (and even, ideally before) we started her on the oral Arnica. Widely known and used for inflammation and pain reduction, circulation and healing recovery, Arnica Montana is a universal plant that grows globally. Homeopathy is a harmless, no-conflict/no-contraindications delivery of plant medicine, that is one of my primary go-tos for ease, safety, and efficacy. Taken every 15minutes after an injury or surgery for the first few hours, then 3x/day for a week, Arnica was our primary recovery ally and is one I use often and recommend to everyone.
Organic Castor Oil - recovery pain medication is often an opioid or similar, which can cause constipation, and issue my mother never really has - so she didn't have tools for this, but we anticipated she might need them. It wasn't until day 3 that it became a concern, and at which point we enlisted this historically, commonly used remedy. The solution is simple, rub the castor oil on the lower belly in a circular motion, gently, but with pressure, round and round until it's absorbed into the skin. An added bonus is to add a few drops of essential oil, my top 3 are chamomile, ginger, orange. Mom had a nice solid bm that evening!
Nutrition - in the simplest statement possible: flood your body with phytonutrients both pre- and post-surgery. My favorite solution is a whole food concentrate that my family has been using for nearly two decades now; it keeps our immune systems strong, aids our bodies in flushing toxins, reduces inflammation and improves circulation, and is simple, easy, and effective.
Additionally, I love the power of the breakfast smoothie - packed full of greens, wild blueberries, seaweed, frozen fruits like banana and mango, and the vegan protein powder of my choice.
Last, I prepped a few meals for them to eat during recovery. I like veggie-packed soups, and especially love the power of beets, so I made a big pot of Borscht with bone broth for her to eat when she got home.
If you're not a lover of beets (or bone broth) like many aren't, you can try a medicinal broth such as nettle, lovage and rosemary broth with onion, potato and garlic, or other veg OR a mushroom immune boost broth with shitake, reishi, cremini or other allies.
Three herbs I have found most beneficial for surgery prep and recovery are:
- Nettle (Urtica Dioica): inflammation reducing, cellular rebuilding, circulation and toning
- St Johnswort (Hypericum Perforatum): inflammation, nerve pain, mood, and bleeding
- Lemon Balm (Melissa Officionalis): pain, digestion, mood, nerve and wound repair
Solfeggios: Also known as sound frequency healing, you just need to web search "healing solfeggios" or sleep, recovery, pain, etc; to get a video on these to fall asleep to, nap to, or chill out to. They can always be playing in the background, and in addition to using these for mom's recovery, I played these for our cat Stella when she was recovering from a severe fox attack. All beings respond to sound, and it's a great, non-invasive way to add some subtle healing for the body, mind and soul. Mom is a big fan of her Oura Ring, so when I found an article on Solfeggios by Oura she was all in.
BONUS:
Fire Cider: Oft revered for its immune-boosting power, Fire Cider is an herbal remedy combining kitchen herbs and apple cider vinegar to make a fiery drink you may get addicted to, or you may have to plug your nose to drink. But for surgery, this remedy has a hidden super power in Preventing Blood Clots. See my blog post on this to follow soon, but in short: combine garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, turmeric, rosemary, and thyme (tinker with amounts, but I like 1-3 tsp each per 16oz jar), add onion, orange, peppers (I omit because they don't agree with me), lemon, leek, or other veg that calls to you, filling the jar with slices of these, and then fill the jar with apple cider vinegar. You can drink this as soon as 3 days later if in a pinch, but the longer it sits the stronger it gets (up to 3 weeks).
OTHER:
A few other recommendations I have for healing across the board include:
- The Medical Medium's Celery Juice protocol and 3:6:9 Cleanse in his Cleanse to Heal book
- Essential oils of peppermint, rose, eucalyptus, lavender, bergamot, geranium, and helichrysum for pain, swelling, and sleep
- Homeopathy pellets of Ruta Graveolens for connective tissue pain
- Cats Claw Tincture for inflammation, pain and immune support
See our posts to come on Herbs for Sleeping like a Champ, Fire Cider, Tincturing Basics, and more as I start to encapsulate the knowledge I've acquired into bite size chunks, for remedies for what life throws your way.
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**Andy makes a commission on the links shared above, but all are tried and tested and recommended first hand!
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