Since a few weeks, we have entered a new season, what we sometimes define as Late Summer in Chinese Medicine. This corresponds to our theory of the 5 Elements/ Phases; hence, the 5 seasons. It is of the Earth element.
 
As the extreme heat of summer begins to climax, moisture seeps into the air, making it not only hot but humid. The summer heat transforms into clouds which produce rain, often in the form of a summer storm. This in turn triggers the ripening of the crops. It is the power of Earth, the power of transformation. Not only in the Late Summer but also in between seasons, which I will explain further on. The seeds from Spring have transformed to plants and trees, which are now bearing fruit that are ready to be harvested. The Earth is the initiator and the binder of change.
 
The 5-Element theory explains to us that there are different ways in which the 5 Phases interact with one another; the Sheng (Generating) Cycle and the Ke (Controlling) Cycle, both of which I wrote of in my first post a while back. But there is a third Cycle, the Seasonal Cycle. Often this cycle displays the 5 Phases together with its correspondences together with the cardinal directions of the Earth. The Earth is the centre of all the Elements. It links all Phases together as seen in the Seasonal Cycle diagram. An Element manifests and returns its energy to the centre, to the Earth. It is the transition-maker; the one that transforms one to the other, the one that links everything together, the one that smoothens the change. Sounds like someone we know - the Mother.

In the Lei Jing (Classic of Categories) written in 1624 by Zhang Jie Bing, it states, "The Spleen belongs to Earth which pertains to the Centre, its influence manifests for 18 days at the end of each of the four seasons and it does not pertain to any season on its own." One of our Chinese Medical scholars of the present, Giovanni Maciocia puts it very accurately by stating that the Earth corresponds to "Late Summer," "Late Autumn," "Late Winter" and "Late Spring." It is the season of Transition, the Fifth Season. 
 
We can observe this now, by the concurrent warming and cooling. Thus, creating stormy weather. It is not just here but all around the globe, August-September is a time of storms; the countless hurricanes and typhoons often peak around this time. In fact, due to the global overheating, we are experiencing the transitions and changes stronger. These "18 days" that was indicated by Zhang Jie Bing almost 400 years ago was almost 30 days this past April. What we knew of April showers in the past, is no longer true, it came in May. But that is the nature of life, change. 
 
Most of us find change and transitions challenging. But it is simple. The Elements show us, we need to come back to our centre. Begin by finding centre in your body, through movement and stillness. Somewhere between these two points is the middle but you have to find it for yourself. No one can feel it for you but yourself. How does that work? Go walking, dancing, do Qi Gong, Tai Ji Quan or Yoga. Then find the stillness in these practices. This is one of the reasons that drew me to my practice of Tai Ji Quan and Yoga, the incorporation of both movement and stillness meditation. Find breath, this links us to our inner rhythms and the environment. It also gives us a way to deal with things better when we are stressed; we breathe deeply to calm our minds, we feel more connected to our bodies and suddenly, what we perceived as a stressful situation is no longer one. Eat seasonal-ripening foods and eat in moderation. When we overeat, it is harder to feel/ find our physical centre and, thus our emotional and spiritual centres are impeded. 

​This time of transition is like a bridge into the next phase of the year and of life. If we accept that change is inevitable and move along this bridge with awareness, the journey becomes easier.


​
​Image by Mustang Joe on Pixabay 
Diagrams by Elaine
​

I remember my first meeting with Echinacea in the late 1990s. I was at the end of my Bachelor's degree in the US. I recall being totally stressed out, as many students (and other people) are, having exams, papers due, part-time job and just worrying about life. I was also involved in dance and one of my dance professors/ choreographers, who I was working closely with on a performance, introduced me to Echinacea. She gave me her bottle of almost-finished Echinacea tincture to try, when she heard that I was having another bout of sore-throat which would progress to a cough, that I often had when I was stressed out. But that didn't help my throat and I went on to have a cough.
 
Fast forward 10 years later and I had finished studying Chinese Medicine, became a practitioner, moved to Switzerland and my children have already been born. I wasn't so prone to getting sick but when it came, it would begin with the throat. I knew how to treat it with Chinese herbal formulae but I somehow felt that I needed something simpler, a single herb. I am often aware of my throat, how it feels and the subtle changes that occur before I actually get a cold or flu. I started to experiment on myself, I tried Echinacea tincture on myself, which isn't in the Chinese Materia Medica, by the way. It is now over 10 years that I faithfully carry my Echinacea tincture in my medicine bag when I travel or have it always in my home. My kids have grown up taking the Echinacea tablets when they had a runny nose or when we got on planes, as an immune system strengthener and instead of candy to relieve ear pressure. I have grown Echinacea now in my garden for a few years and finally this year, she is thriving in a pot at my front door, grown from seed. She hasn't been simple to grow since the slugs and snails have feasted on her in my garden every year and she never could survive.
 
Echinacea purpurea or Purple Coneflower is a native of the Great Plains of North America and is a member of the Asteraceae or Sunflower family. The name Echinacea is Greek, meaning "Spiny One," referring to spiny sea urchins and purpurea to the reddish-purple color. There are a few other species of Echinacea some have yellow or white petals, E. purpurea, E. augustifolia and E. pallida are the ones used in medicine. She, I experience her as female, is a hardy plant, with a beautiful orange-yellow-green spikey cone-shaped head in the center and a skirt of light-purple petals. Amazingly beautiful! Sometimes when I stare into the cones from above, I get a trip, observing the formation of the spikes that form the cone - spiraling clockwise, anti-clockwise in never-ending complexity inward and outward. She attracts bees and butterflies (and slugs too!). Like many perennials, she blossoms only from the second year on, if planted from seed, from July to September.   
 
The part of the plant that is often used for medicine is the root but all parts are used. As I stated before in other posts, Chinese Medicine categorizes food and medicine by temperature, tastes, organs it affects and functions. Echinacea has a cool temperature, with spicy, bitter and slightly sweet tastes. She affects the Lungs but I have found some sources that also state that she affects the Liver, Urinary Bladder and Stomach. She helps to clear Wind-Heat (TCM diagnosis for some colds and flus) and Lung Heat, where the heat has passed deeper into the Lung manifesting bronchitis symptoms like fever and yellowish nasal secretions or cough with yellow-green phlegm. I have never tried her for Bladder themes or insect/snake-bites but she has been documented to be used by the Native Americans of the Great Plains, like the Cheyenne, Kiowa and Lakota Sioux, for various ailments for over hundreds of years. 
 
It is my experience that Echinacea should be used as an individual herb only in acute situations for a short period of time, about 3 but no more than 10 days, at least 3 times a day. I have heard experiences of patients, who used Echinacea daily for over 2 years and found that it wasn't effective anymore. I can understand this; it's like overusing any substance over an extended period of time will reduce its effectiveness for acute issues. Use of Echinacea over a longer period of time should be in combination with other herbs, such as with other Wei Qi (Defensive Qi) tonics, in order to strengthen the immune system.
 
Echinacea has been my doorway-opener into Western herbs. Literally, she helps me protect my body's doorways, my throat and Lungs from invasion from bacteria and viruses. Lots of scientific research is being done on Echinacea in this field. As with all herbs and with nature, use with respect and honor them. They will respond to us as we to them.   

​Images by Elaine  

Summer is in its full manifestation. If you go outside right now, you will feel the scorching heat of Summer, that warms the earth, ripens the fruit and unseals our pores to liberate our cooling sweat. People are out on the street, laughing, singing with a feeling of openness. 
 
In Chinese Medicine our 5-element theory associates each season with an element, emotion, organs, life phase...a whole list of other classifications. Summer belongs to the Fire element, with the color red, the emotion of joy, the organs of Heart and Small Intestines, and the growth phase of life. When we say "the spark of life," we are referring to Fire giving life to something or someone. Imagine humans in ancient times, when they saw the first flame of an erupting volcano or the spark of lightning. I imagine they saw great power, a god even. If you grew up like me in the 1970s-80s, watching Disney cartoons, you might remember the movie, The Jungle Book, where Mowgli is kidnapped by the apes and Louis the Orang Utan sings the song, "I Wanna Be Like You." He sings, "What I desire is man's red Fire, to make my dream come true...Give me the power of man's red flower, so I can be like you." It is a very joyful, playful, jazzy number, where Mowgli, Louis, the other apes and Mowgli's friends are all dancing and singing. It embodies the Fire element perfectly, even the themes surrounding the scene; there is joy but there is also greed for more. Fire in balance is a joyful celebration of life, but a Fire out of balance is a forest fire that burns out of control, destroying everything. 
 
One of the things that separates/d humans from animals is fire, which archeologists estimate humans learned to use around 1.7 million years ago. When humans tamed fire, they learned to control light, heat, cook their food and protect themselves from dangerous animals. Through this discovery, came the changes in development of the human body and brain. Amazing, isn't it? The things we take for granted, which are so present in our lives, or is in us and we never really realize how essential it is to our survival or our development. Of course, we humans did not stop at discovering fire, we went further and further, seeking out electricity, oil and natural gas in the earth, which are all manifestations of the sacred Fire. I watched a very good documentary, "Crude: The Incredible Journey of Oil," describing the roots of crude oil, from its development in the time of the dinosaurs quite a few millions of years ago to its use/ abuse in our current times. Our human quest for power and dominance over all life on earth and beyond for the last thousand years has become insatiable. We have begun a forest fire that we are no longer able to control, and it is burning everything in its path.
 
Is there something we can do to stop this? Yes! This is where the laws of the 5-Elements come into play. The elements are about balance, when one moves in the direction of excess, there is another one before it that will control it to recreate the balance. A Fire out of balance can be stopped by a greater force of Water, to extinguish its inferno. The forces of nature have already begun this, we observe the oceans rise and the rains cascade down on earth, creating floods. These are not coincidences, these are nature's clear intention to recreate the balance that has been disturbed. We can be part of this clear intention for balance, beginning within ourselves. Slow down, listen and become aware of what nature is saying to us. Then act! This can be that we are consciously passive, shutting down our multi-media or not playing along with the consumer game or giving hope where it may seem bleak. Reconnect to nature and to ourselves. This is where we will find the answers. After all, the Fire out there is also within us. If we learn to balance that which is within us, maybe we will learn to balance that which surrounds us too.




​Image Fire by Monsterkoi on Pixabay
Diagram 5-Element Control Cycle by Elaine
​

As we had more time together during Lockdown, my family and I have been watching more movies together, often ones that we pick for specific meaningful reasons. Some of our favorites are the Kung Fu Panda movies, which we have re-watched. Not so long ago, I mentioned in a previous blogpost the one about the Secrets of the Furious Five and its mention of the meaning of Kung Fu as the "Excellence of Self." I find that even though it an animation film from Hollywood, they can still have such profound messages for us in our lives.
 
Gong Fu is the Han Yu Pin Yin romanization of Mandarin of what we know as Kung Fu, which is in Wade-Giles romanization. It literally means "skill" or "work" (Gong), "attained over a period of time" (Fu). So technically Gong Fu is actually not referring to the Chinese martial arts that we have come to associate with Bruce Lee or the Panda in the West. It is referring to any disciplined skill that we develop over a period of time. The actual word in Mandarin for martial art is Wu Shu.
 
The word Gong Fu can be used to describe other activities, such as the classical art of drinking tea, Gong Fu Cha. This art, a little like the Japanese Tea Ceremony, is a meditative art of smelling, tasting and drinking tea while contemplating life and nature around us, often in the company of like-minded individuals. This was/ is the way many scholars used to connect and discourse in the Chinese world. There is a very scholarly post on Gong Fu and Gong Fu Cha, which explains how French missionaries approximately 200 years ago, who met Daoists in China practicing Qi Gong, who when asked what they were practicing described their art as "Gong Fu." Hence, the misrepresentation in the West of the word Gong Fu as martial arts.
 
Maybe the Chinese really hit on something with the word Gong Fu to describe merit, achievement or skill development.  They imply that we find excellence is our practice of something, such as playing sports or doing everyday activities such as cleaning, cooking, drinking tea or moving our bodies. After all is it not all these daily activities that we perform that form us and the reality around us? Many of us underestimate the power of the everyday, like eating regular homecooked meals or having regular movement practice everyday. As the quote by Ovid goes, "Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence." Gong Fu is the art of constancy and perseverance.


Images by ICM

If you go on a walk right now, you will observe that the Peony is in or coming to blossom.  In German, we call them Pfingstrosen, I imagine due to the fact that they flower around the time of Pentecost. As a child, I recall having experienced the flower Peony in the form of soap from China; a very strong, sweet scented soap, which was almost too sweet for me. We also used to get duvets from China that were Peony brand. When I went with my mother to the market, I would ask her about the flowers, whose blossoms were wrapped in white tissue and she would tell me that they were Peonies imported from China. So, I had an impression that Peonies were Chinese, as they don't grow in the tropical climate in Malaysia.
 
Since my studies in Chinese Medicine began, I have come to know of how the Chinese honor the Peony. It was referred to by Confucius (551-479 BCE), was often the subject of art in the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE) and even declared the national flower of China during the Qing dynasty, the last imperial government of China till 1912. In Chinese it is called Fu Gui Hua, "flower of riches and honor." Peonies are naturally occurring in temperate and cold areas of the northern hemisphere, from Morocco to Japan to North America. There is a Greek myth of Peony, where the God of Medicine, Aesclepius, got jealous of his student, Paeon, and he was saved from Aesclepius' attack by Zeus who transformed him into a flower - the Peony. 
 
There are tree Peonies, herbaceous Peonies and hybrids that have leaves like the tree but are herbaceous.  In the Chinese Medicine itself, we use 3 different species of Peony: Paeonia suffriticosa, Paeonia lactiflora and Paeonia veitchii. Interestingly, the part of the plant that it used as medicine is not the flower. The part of Paeonia suffriticosa, which is the tree, that is used is the cortex or bark of the tree, Mu Dan Pi. It is used to cool the blood and clear heat, as in the case of fevers. It also moves blood when there has been trauma, lowers blood pressure and inflammation. Paeonia lactiflora, the herbaceous Peony, provides its radix or root as medicine in the form of Chi Shao or Bai Shao. Chi Shao is the root that is still red, which helps move blood and relieve pain from trauma or menses. Bai Shao is the white root, which tonifies the blood, calms the liver, relieves tension and adjusts Ying Qi (Nutritive Qi) as well as Wei Qi (Defensive Qi). One of my Chinese herbal teachers called Bai Shao the "White Fairy Mother."
 
I grow Peonies in my garden, both the tree and herbaceous ones. They are special plants that don't like to be moved, they find a spot and they root there till they die. I observe them throughout the year. After they flower in Spring (April to early June), the tree has already flowered now and the herbaceous form is flowering soon, the energy of the plants goes inward and dies back its external manifestation in autumn. This does not mean the plant is not working, the power of the Yin (autumn and winter being Yin times of the year) is being generated in the root of the plant. This I believe is why the root of Bai Shao are so powerful to nourish the Yin and Blood in our bodies. Right now, those who react to the seasonal pollen that is currently in full emission, that includes myself, will be thankful to Mu Dan Pi for providing the cooling and calming of the mucous membranes in the eyes and nasal passages. The bark of the Peony tree is hardy yet gentle, providing the soothing coolness and protection of autumn-winter in the searing heat from growth of spring-summer. It is an herb of balance; sinking when there is strong rising action, calming when there is over-excitement. 
 
Chinese Herbal Medicine uses herbs mostly as formulae, almost never one herb alone, as the synergy of the combined herbs counteract the overexertion of another. One could say they operate as a team, supporting one another and balancing the forces of the other. Each herbal formula is prepared specially for each individual person, paying attention to causes of the imbalance and not just on symptoms. If you are interested in using Herbal Medicine, discuss it with your practitioner so that s/he can help you understand your imbalances and how these amazing plants can aid you in your health.  


Images: Peony by Elaine

As the whole virus crisis began in the Western world, there was a rush for toilet paper. Many people I know and myself included were a little stunned by the stockpiling of this otherwise rather mundane article of modern life. Of course, it is interesting to observe what people were hoarding, food and toilet paper, both items that we utilize on both ends of the digestive tract.
 
I personally don't find toilet paper such an essential. But it got me thinking of the things we take for granted in our everyday. I turn on the tap and CLEAN water flows, I press a switch and the light comes on. When I was growing up in Malaysia in the 1970-80s, we had power outages, sometimes for days and then the water pumps wouldn't work, so when the tap got turned, nothing flowed. I lived in Petaling Jaya, close to the capital city, so if we didn't have water, a lot of other places in Malaysia would have it worse. I learned very early on not to take these very basic things for granted. I learned then that toilet paper isn't such an essential, especially if you can't flush the toilet, where do you put the toilet paper?
 
I walk into a grocery store here and I see possibly 10 different brands of toilet paper; from 3-ply to 5-ply, super soft to silky soft, with Chamomile to Gold Melissa extract, or FSC-certified to recycled paper. It's crazy the choices we are faced with at just the toilet paper shelf. I started to look closer at the labels on the packaging. I personally am interested in environmentally-friendly products so I pay attention to recycling information. They are very deceiving. Some have a recycled-sign on the packet but when you look closer, it states that it's the packaging that is recycled not the paper.
 
I looked a little further on where our toilet paper comes from and I was horrified. I watched a documentary on FSC, Forest Stewardship Council, about how their certification of paper and wood products functions and who runs it. FSC was a council of environmental groups, like Greenpeace, Indigenous people from around the world and the timber companies, who wanted to do sustainable managing of the forests of the world. Turns out, this WAS the case but not anymore. Watch the documentary to find out more. I found out where our toilet paper is coming from. If it is recycled paper, then it is locally or European produced. If not, it is coming from trees, like Eucalyptus, which were grown in place of primeval forest because they grow faster and can be cut down faster. When we refer to primeval forests, we are talking about forest with trees and a whole ecosystem, of over a couple of hundred years old, of which we do not have any more of in Switzerland and most of Western Europe. We, consumers of these products and beings of the earth, have been deceived. If you did not pay attention to the fine-printed details, it is time you did. Too many things have been done in the name of "recycling," "caring for Mother Earth and the environment" etc. but, they are nothing more than ways to sell more products, to help us consumers have a better conscience so we buy more and fill the pockets of these companies. Greenwashing for more profit!
 
It is time to act. Use less, buy less, recycle and reuse. It is only a small step but a choice we make. We don't need the newest smartphone, which by the way requires the use of rare earth, or new clothes. These are/will be relics of a time when we consumed without thought of where or what or whom we were affecting. The next time you rip that toilet paper, remember that we are all connected. That piece of toilet paper may have come from a Eucalyptus tree, grown in place of a clear-cut rainforest, which housed thousands of species of plants, insects, animals and indigenous people, who now are extinct or on the verge of extinction. Maybe many of us were revolted by the hoarding of toilet paper because it displayed to us this ugly side of humanity, this irreverent part of us that consumes without regard for those around us. Become aware and awake of what you can do. There is a saying in Malay, "Sedikit-sedikit, lama-lama menjadi bukit," which translates as "little by little over time creates a hill" - Our small actions over time will create change.  


Image by katharinakanns from Pixabay 

So far the year 2020 has brought a lot of changes. Spring is already happening outside and pretty impressive. The 21st of March, Spring Equinox, where equal time of day and night occur, just passed. The birds are chirping heralding Spring. The Narcissus, Tulips, Forsythia and Cherry are blossoming. Soon the Elder blossoms will manifest. What an amazing time of year! Life is returning!
 
Yet here in Switzerland, and many places around the world, we are faced with the whole theme of a virulent virus. Many are reacting in fear and panic. Why? 
We are constantly in contact with viruses and bacteria all the time since we began our life's journey on earth. Over 5 years ago, I remember watching a documentary about life on earth, called "Home" by Yann Arthus-Betrand, a photographer very well known for his aerial images of the earth before the age of drones. (Yes, a time not so long ago when you needed to fly in a plane/helicopter to capture aerial images). Do watch it, it's really well-made and educational! There was a description of cyanobacteria, the first lifeform on earth. That sparked a curiosity in me about bacteria, which we are taught so early in life to fear. Over the last few years, there has been other views in regard to "good" bacteria in our digestive system that aid in our digestion and even in our brain.  
 
Since the start of the year, due to conditions in China, I was more interested in viruses, what they are, how they affect us and maybe that they are not always "enemies" to humans. Unlike bacteria, they are not classified as living beings by some scientists, as they need a host to survive. I read an article in Cosmos Magazine asking the question, "What came first, cells or viruses?" I finally found a different view of viruses, that it may be that without them, life wouldn't be here on earth as we know it. It speculates that a primitive mammal form that existed 100 million years ago, was aided by a viral infection to help the evolution of the placenta to be fused to the uterus, what was not present before, allowing the fetus to be nourished by its mother. Thus, mammals, such as humans, evolved till this day with this trait. I also found another article about bacteriophages being used in the treatment against drug-resistant bacteria.
 
So often I find that it is simply too easy to just blame a bacterium or a virus for an illness. Maybe they are much more than just parasites that want to infect us, living beings, to gain from us. Maybe they are beings far more evolved than we are and are aiding us in our growth, physically, emotionally and spiritually. How often is it that we make choices to work more or do more than our energy capacity can hold. Then comes the flu symptoms and we are in bed with a fever, resting, not able to do anything else except to sleep and drink the fluids we should have drunk so we wouldn't become sick in the first place.
 
About 6 years ago, my mother passed away. I travelled to Malaysia, to be present with her and my family before she passed. After the funeral, I returned home to Switzerland, back to my own family, to work and life here. I knew then that I would need some time to grieve but my vacation was planned for a couple of months later due to my kids' school schedule. About 2 months after her death, I had a fever, which I hadn't had in years. I could do nothing but lay, drink fluids and sleep. I took herbs to aid healing and then just laid. I got better within 2 days but became aware that I just needed to have time and space for my own healing process. A week later, I was on my vacation by the sea and the space I needed to have in grieving became present. I learned something more at that point too, I learned that death is part of life. The moment we are born, we are destined in this lifetime to die. The sooner we accept that and live this life on the path we are meant to be on, instead of avoiding death, the easier it gets.  
 
I recall a story I heard of as a teenager, as I sat on a Sunday morning in church, that really touched me and has stayed with me since then. It is called the "Appointment in Samarkand," a story on the Silk Road often orally passed on, in which sometimes the cities are different. It goes like this:
 
"A man is in the market in Burkhara to buy some things, when he sees Death waving at him. He is extremely shocked and scared for his life, runs back home to get on his horse. He flees on it but not before he tells his boss that he saw Death and he needs to flee to Samarkand. Later that day, his boss goes to the market and sees Death. His boss decides to ask Death why he waved at his employee. Death tells him, 'I waved at him as I was so surprised to see him here in Burkhara this morning. I have an appointment with him in Samarkand this evening.'"
 
I recall having these images: colorful market, camels, horses and big, black Death with his/her black cloak and scythe. These intrigued me then and I have had a few more opportunities to hear this tale again over the years. I realized that it is a reminder to us, that destiny's path is the path we are on no matter how much we try to run away from it and in fact, running away brings us ever nearer to it. Human and all living beings on earth are mortal beings. The only thing that is certain in this lifetime as soon as we are born is that we will die at some point, whether we want to accept it or not.
 
What I have learned throughout my life so far is to live now, be brave and be free. A virus may be out there at the moment but so is the sun, the trees and much more.

​Image Cherry Blossom by Elaine