We are most certainly in the thick of summer with thunderstorms rumbling through every other day, the humidity levels reaching to seriously sticky levels, and the temperatures hovering in the 80s and 90s.
With the heat and humidity showing their strength, a person needs a few tactics to cool down. Read on for a variety of ways to keep cool AND keep your cool.
The frequent rains have nourished our gardens as well as bred a million mosquitoes. If the mosquitoes have feasted on your blood, you'll need to investigate the indispensable bug-bite remedy.
Violets are featured in the Wild Edible of the Month, so check out what they can do for you.
I'll be teaching three great classes this fall, so you'll want to mark your calenders and bring a friend or two for an earful of health promoting strategies. Plus you may find a pot of gold waiting for you at the end of this e-newsletter. . .
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Be Cool
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 All foods possess their own energetics or healing properties as you've been learning from the selections included in the Recipes of the Month. Minnesota weather in July and August requires the coolest of the cool to keep us feeling our best. Cucumber and watermelon hold the honor of having the coldest energetics of all foods. In fact, I don't recommend eating either of them once the temperature drops below 70 degrees.
Watermelon is recognized as an herb in Chinese medicine. It is called xi gua, and is included in the category of "Herbs that Clear and Relieve Summerheat." Summerheat is a disorder characterized by thirst, irritability, diarrhea, fever and sweating.
Of course, we tend to think of watermelon as pure picnic pleasure. There's nothing like the sound of that cold crack when cutting into a chilled, juicy watermelon. Enjoy its juicy coolness on a hot swampy day.
 Cucumbers can be enjoyed many ways during the summer months. Lay back and relax with a slice of cucumber on your eyes after a day out in the sun and wind or after a long drive home. I like to serve a slice of cucumber (cut lengthwise) in a big glass of Switchel to really quench my thirst. Cucumber salads abound and are a classic ingredient in Tzatziki (a Cucumber-Yogurt Dip) that is great with grilled meats and vegetables.
Acupuncture is another way to keep cool - physically and mentally. It can clear the heat and irritability associated with long hot days, and can get you feeling "like yourself again."
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Bug Bite Remedy
| Plantain (Plantago major)
 I am ever so thankful to have learned about the power contained in the leaves of plantain. Plantain (Plantago major) is a local plant, and it is not related to the banana-like fruit that is eaten as a vegetable.
Close-up of
Plantain leaf  |
Plantain is an invaluable bug bite remedy. It's also known as White Man's Footprint, because one can easily find plantain along side of most sidewalks or paths. If you've been bitten by a mosquito or other bug, grab a healthy-looking plantain leaf and either mush it up a bit in your hand or score it with your teeth to break the leaf's membrane and let the medicine come through. Apply the leaf directly to the bite. The leaf may stick to your skin or you can tape it in place with surgical tape. You'll be able to feel the relief immediately. I also make a plantain ointment that I carry with me for the times when a plantain leaf isn't handy.
Plantain has a special ability to draw out things like slivers, the sting of an insect bite and the pain of plantar fascitis. For plantar fascitis, simply harvest a healthy leaf and place it between your heel and your sock then put your shoes on. If possible, replace the plantain leaf several times a day. Once the pain of the fascitis has been relieved, discontinue the leaf therapy.
Plantain is also considered a wild edible when its leaves are young and tender in the spring.
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Violets. . .Wild Edible of the Month
| (Viola spp.)
 Violets are pretty wild edibles that just invite you to eat their goodness. I find violets scattered throughout my garden plus I keep a "harvest" patch to use for when I'm making a salad for lunch. I harvest both the leaves and flowers. Interestingly, the flowers are not for reproductive purpose, but simply an energetic expression of happiness as Lise Wolff points out. You'll want to stick with the younger, more tender violet leaves. The older leaves are tougher and not so tasty, but are great for making an herbal tincture.
Violets are mild in flavor but hefty in their vitamin content. They are very high in both Vitamin A and C.
I am also drawn to violet leaves for their positive effect on breast health. If you're a woman and you have violet leaves growing in your yard (and you don't use pesticides), they are there for you to eat to support your breast health. Herbs go where they are needed.
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Save the Dates
| Upcoming Classes
 My fall class line-up is in place. I'll be teaching three classes starting at the end of September. First up is Choosing Breast Health Over Breast Cancer. I was pleased to be invited by my herb teacher, Lise Wolff, to teach this class at the 5th Annual Holistic Health and Herbal Education Festival on Sunday, September 26th in Cannon Falls, MN. Registration info TBD through Lise Wolff and Erin Piorier.
In October I'll be back at the lovely classroom in the Seward Co-op to teach Everyday Toxins: They're Everywhere on Wednesday the 13th and Vitali-tea: Steeping for the Health of It on Wednesday the 27th. Please pre-register at Seward's Customer Service Desk by phone or in person because space is limited. Each class is $20 and runs from 6:30-8:30 pm. Pre-payment of each class is required to reserve your spot.
Seward Co-op is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily | 612-338-2465 |
2823 East Franklin Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55406
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Recipe of the Month
| Summer Cooler
 Often times in the summer we reach for ice cold drinks to cool us down, but drinking cold drinks will cool us off psychologically, and then heat us up physically. This is because the body has to heat up the cold drink in order to digest it, and when the body has to work the byproduct is heat.
This Summer Cooler features a hot tasty tea with Peppermint and Rosehips to cool you down. When you drink hot peppermint tea it causes you to sweat just a little bit, and your sweat will evaporate and cool you down.
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Money Boomerang
| Your 'Missing' Money Awaits You by AARP
 Our clinic receives the AARP Bulletin that recently featured a very intriguing article entitled "Your 'Missing' Money Awaits You."
The article states that. . .
At least $33 billion sits in state treasuries and other agencies waiting to be returned to its rightful owners. . .This "unclaimed property" is from some 117 million accounts that are inactive or whose owners or their heirs cannot be located - including money from forgotten bank accounts and insurance policies as well as uncashed paychecks and dividends. . .By law, financial institutions and other companies are supposed to try to reunite the owners with their lapsed loot. When they can't, the money is turned over to the government of the state in which the account owner last resided. . .The best way to get any payoff you're entitled to is to check www.missingmoney.com or www.unclaimed.org. If you don't have a computer, call the state treasurer's office. Search every state where you've lived, and check maiden names and those of deceased family members. Avoid private services that want upfront fees to search or stake a claim on your behalf. - Sid Kirchheimer
It's certainly worth checking out. I've been waiting to see a rainbow this year with all of the rain we've had. I haven't glimpsed the wonder of a rainbow yet, but by checking out Missing Money I may discover my pot of gold.
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 So there you have it:
several ways to keep cool and possibly get some cool hard cash, an invaluable method to tend to your bug bites, and a few classes to look forward to this fall.
Sincerely yours,
Katherine Krumwiede, L.Ac.
Diamond Stone Oriental Medicine, Inc.
612 872 9133
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Quote of
the Month
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| To study and
at times practice what one has learned,
is that not a pleasure?
Confucius
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Newsletter Archive
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There's a wealth of health-inducing information contained in past issues of my newsletter.
Newsletter Archive
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Gift Certificates Are Available
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Give the gift of good health to your friends and family.
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The Benefits
of Acupuncture
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De-stress
Alleviate pain
Improve concentration levels
Lift the cloud
of depression
Get a better night's sleep
Improve digestion
Boost energy levels
Insure success with smoking cessation
Excellent preventative medicine
And many more. . .
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