Holistic Hands Alaska

07/06/2026

I grow this in my medicinal garden and infuse the mature leaves in oil each fall, applying it to breaks, sprains, strains, and achy joints. I make more than my family needs, and always have it on hand to share 😁

The monks called it knitbone.

The Romans called it confervere. To grow together.

Both names said the same thing: this plant knits what has come apart.

It still grows in damp corners across Britain. Riverbanks, neglected gardens, old field margins.

We, however, became afraid of it.

In randomised clinical trials, a comfrey root cream outperformed diclofenac gel (a standard pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory) for ankle sprains.

Not marginally. Measurably. In controlled conditions. With over two hundred patients.

A herb whose name means "to grow together" beating a pharmaceutical in a controlled trial.

So why did we become uncertain about it?

Comfrey contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Certain forms, at certain concentrations, are hepatotoxic. The concern is real. Nobody is dismissing it.

But here's what got lost in the headline version:

Not all pyrrolizidine alkaloids are equal. True comfrey: Symphytum officinale contains forms categorised as mild to moderate toxicity. Considerably less concerning than Russian comfrey, a common hybrid frequently sold without clear species identification.

Alkaloid concentration also varies dramatically. Root contains the highest levels. Young leaves more than mature leaves. Mature leaves: large, fully developed, harvested mid-season contain the lowest levels in the plant.

The internal use concern is real for root preparations, long-term use, and people with compromised liver function. For short courses of mature leaf in healthy individuals, the clinical evidence for toxicity is limited primarily to case reports where species, dosage, and patient health are frequently unknown.

Here's the elegant part.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are not soluble in oil.

A comfrey-infused oil extracts the allantoin, tannins, mucilage, and anti-inflammatory compounds. It leaves the alkaloids entirely behind.

Everything the plant offers medicinally. Without alkaloid absorption.

The plant that seemed complicated turns out, properly understood, to be straightforward.

One caution worth keeping: never apply comfrey to deep puncture wounds or open lacerations. Allantoin heals surface tissue so efficiently it will close the surface before underlying tissue has healed. For bruises, sprains, closed fractures, sore muscles, it's the most capable external vulnerary in the British materia medica.

The monks tended it carefully. Harvested at the right time. Applied it with knowledge.

Not fear. Knowing.

That's still the right approach.

https://greenguild.co.uk/knitbone-the-most-capable-healer-in-the-british-hedgerow-and-why-we-became-afraid-of-it/

06/27/2026

Sharing some sacred pearl symbolism described poetically:

“It covered the wound in layers until pain became radiance…
Grief made beautiful…
A wound transformed into something sacred.”

Often healing language focuses on letting go, cutting cords, releasing. And leaning in, feeling it, walking through it. Avoiding avoidance.

All appropriate, all part of the healing journey and process, and…this feels more yin. More the feminine experience of working with trauma. (Whether male or female, we’re talking energy here not sex/gender)

This is about the transmutation of pain and suffering, the taking what is already within us and making it meaningful. It feels more empowering to me. More of a “it happened for you not to you” vibe.

Pearl magic. So glad I have my grandmothers pearls, I’m feeling more to connected to them now after reading this.

In mythology and old symbolism, pearls carried a strange kind of power.

They were not forged in fire like gold. They were not dug from mountains like gems. They came from the hidden body of the sea, formed slowly inside a shell, created through irritation, protection, and transformation.

That is why pearls became more than decoration.

They were linked to the moon, water, feminine mystery, purity, grief, wealth, tears, birth, and divine beauty. Across old stories, they often belonged to sea goddesses, queens, brides, priestesses, mermaids, and women whose power was quiet but impossible to ignore.

In some traditions, pearls were imagined as tears of gods, spirits, or the moon falling into the ocean. In others, they were connected to Aphrodite rising from the sea, to lunar magic, to Venus, to sacred femininity, and to the hidden treasures guarded beneath waves.

A pearl is beautiful because something entered the shell that did not belong there.

The creature did not break.

It covered the wound in layers until pain became radiance.

That is the deeper mythic meaning.

Pearls remind us that softness does not mean weakness. Water does not mean fragility. Beauty does not mean ease. Some things become luminous only after they have survived what tried to disturb them.

This is why pearls feel so powerful in feminine symbolism.

They carry the energy of the hidden woman. The ocean woman. The moon woman. The one who protects her inner world. The one who turns pressure into presence. The one who does not need to be loud to be valuable.

Pearls are not empty luxury.

They are small moons from the deep.

They are grief made beautiful.
Wisdom sealed in water.
A wound transformed into something sacred.
A reminder that what forms slowly beneath the surface can become priceless.

Perhaps that is why pearls have always belonged to myth.

They teach that some beauty is not found.

It is survived into being.

06/25/2026

This word is new to me. It is exactly what I’ve been enjoying this year; and it feels so restorative, nurturing, and kind to my soul. Like a soothing balm 💕

The sacred wisdom of stepping away.

Not from life.

Not from love.

Not from responsibility.

But from the noise.

From the endless demands.

From the unconscious pull to always be available, productive, responsive, and present for everyone except yourself.

Eremition is the conscious choice to withdraw—not as an act of rejection, but as an act of remembrance.

A return to the quiet places where your spirit can finally hear itself again.

In a world that glorifies constant engagement, Eremition is a quiet rebellion.

A refusal to confuse busyness with purpose.

Noise with connection.

Exhaustion with worth.

It is the understanding that not every season is meant for giving.

Some seasons are meant for gathering.

Gathering strength.

Gathering clarity.

Gathering pieces of yourself that became scattered while tending to everything and everyone else.

The ego often fears solitude.

It worries about being forgotten.

Misunderstood.

Left behind.

It seeks reassurance through activity, attention, and external validation.

But the soul knows something deeper.

That there are truths which only reveal themselves in silence.

That there are wounds which only heal in stillness.

And that there are parts of yourself waiting patiently beneath the noise, hoping one day you will return.

Eremition is not disappearance.

It is realignment.

It is the sacred pause between chapters.

The space where the dust settles.

Where emotions soften.

Where the nervous system remembers safety.

Where the mind stops racing long enough for wisdom to catch up.

There is no drama here.

No slammed doors.

No grand announcements.

No need to make others wrong in order to choose yourself.

Only a gentle stepping back.

A graceful bowing inward.

A quiet honoring of your limits, your energy, and your humanity.

Because not everything needs to be solved immediately.

Not every message requires an instant response.

Not every invitation deserves your presence.

Not every season calls for participation.

Sometimes growth looks like movement.

Sometimes growth looks like rest.

Eremition understands both.

It recognizes that solitude is not the absence of connection.

It is often the restoration of it.

For when you spend enough time away from the noise, something beautiful begins to happen.

You remember your own rhythm.

Your own thoughts.

Your own desires.

Your own truth.

You stop hearing who the world thinks you should be.

And begin hearing who you actually are.

And when the time comes to return, you do not return depleted.

You do not return resentful.

You do not return carrying the weight of neglecting yourself.

You return fuller.

Clearer.

Softer.

Stronger.

More rooted in your own presence.

Because Eremition is not about leaving the world behind.

It is about finding yourself within it again.

A sacred withdrawal.

A conscious restoration.

A quiet return to the self.
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What part of your soul has been waiting for silence—not because it wants to escape life, but because it longs to finally hear itself again?

06/07/2026

Thrilled to announce I am now offering Holistic Facial Massage with products from this small-farm, organic, EWG-verified Bambu Earth skincare line. Book as an add-on, or as its own 30-minute or 45-minute session. Their company is aligned with my values and these products smell and feel incredible on my skin.

All-Natural Skincare — Gentle, effective, and ethically sourced. Powered by plants, not synthetics. Nourishes without irritation for healthy, balanced skin.

06/04/2026

Made me cry. Be kind to yourself 💕

06/04/2026

Healing hands. Open doors. Inclusive spaces. More love. Happy Pride Month to the massage and bodywork community. ABMP is proud to be in your corner. 💖🌈

06/01/2026

Clients have asked how often I myself receive bodywork and who from. We are all unique in our self-care needs. Lifestyle, career, activity level, resources of time and money, current health, and more all play a factor.

For me: lately I receive a 2-hour or 90-minute bodywork session 1-2 times a month. I prefer the longer sessions because it allows ample time for my practitioner to address the chronic trouble spots and acute areas of tension, and still get in a full-body session, at a deeper gentler pace, which allows my nervous system to fully relax.

My go-to trusted bodywork therapists are:

Jessi Dullinger

Heather Gabelman

Beth Alta Fletcher

Kimberly Greef at Evolve Yoga

Katie Stiefel at Stiefel Sports Therapy

✨🌿✨💕✨🌿✨

05/22/2026

The healing journey isn’t usually a straight line, it sometimes feels more like a cha-cha, a rollercoaster, or a Déjà vu spiral. Let’s slow down, enjoy the ride, take in the view, and soak in the sweet lessons along the way when we can. Please be kind and gentle with yourselves wellness seekers 💕

To Write Love On Her Arms.