Skip the first 6 paragraphs if you just want to learn how and why to use our herbal grain cleanser…
In 2001 I had left a salesgirl job with a “natural” skin care line at the mall and accepted a job in the South of France, which then led to four months of living on an island there learning the art of essential oil/hydrosol distillation. While there, I was introduced to a unique method of face massage (Dien Chan) which led me on a journey that got me my aesthetician license in NYC and an amazing position at a well-established Chinese Medicine-based spa. The long, packed hours and high expectations of me were exactly what I needed to get ample experience to set out on my own and I am grateful for this every day, but I was completely depleted and struggling to feel well.
One of my Wise Women mentors introduced me to Oat. She had me take one ounce of the grass and the milky tops of the oats and steep it overnight in a quart of water and drink it everyday for three weeks. She taught me to cook my oatmeal before bedtime, adding a handful or raisins or some cut up prunes or figs and bringing it to a boil for a couple minutes before taking it off the flame, sprinkling in some spices (salt, pepper, turmeric and cinnamon) and then adding a dollop of full fat yogurt or even butter before letting it sit out overnight. It was basically against everything I had ever been taught about what was healthy and I was fearful I would die of botulism, heart disease and calories, but I was ready to give up these ideas to work towards nourishment and real healing from within.
By the end of the month, the arthritis that I didn’t know that I wasn’t supposed to have had left me and my IBS symptoms had seriously subsided. I had energy and my brain fog was starting to clear. I was slowly introduced to some other herbs: Blue Violet, Plantain, Red Clover Blossoms! The wise women in my life gently helped me rediscover that self-care is about nourishment and getting the basic needs met first, before superfoods and cleansing. They reminded me that hedonistic “pampering” just feels empty in the long run, while boring old heuristic self-care fills every cell with an authentic feeling of wellness that can’t be bought or sold.
In June of 2006, after almost a decade of studying herbalism and facial reflexology, working in skincare, and practicing the fine art of holistic self-care, I was met with a problem. I was ready to create a private practice that included providing my clients with herbal-based skin care products that did not interrupt the skin’s barrier, integrity or biome and had no artificial chemicals or preservatives, but actually provided the results I was looking for in a supportive (non-controlling) manner. Of course, such a thing either didn’t exist or (at the very least) wasn’t available to me.
Recognizing where my western background had failed me, but not prepared to go into a TCM or Aryruvedic career (and not feeling comfortable considering myself a “practitioner” in either modality despite the fact that I had worked in the field for many years) I had to accept my calling to yolk the teachings of my elders together with the resources I have available to me at this particular time and place, for the benefit of the people who are in need of it today!
Sow Your Wild Oats was the first product that I developed with all of my theories and philosophies close at hand. And, after 2 years of sending samples and directions home with my clients (who, thankfully, trusted me!) I came to this balanced formulation: powerful, yet gentle. Active, without too many contradicting, confusing messages. A good mix of what healthy skin needs to stay vibrant and what disordered skin needs in order to start heading towards health.
Molly–I never told you, but for the last few nights I have given The Little Man his own bag of oats to scrub with in the bathtub. He thinks it’s a trip and carries the bag around with him! Better for him in so many ways than the baby washes that you find at the drugstore!
Delightful! Excellent reminders about the value of oats. Thanks for your insights.