Lung Health

As wildfires increase every year in California, which is where I’m from, I feel more need to speak out about this devastating reality. Yes, this has been hitting home more than ever and is effecting my friends & family more than ever before! Arson has always been an issue, even carelessness with fire in my opinion is arson behavior. Winds are winds, they have come & go forever, but are they changing? Is it getting more windy, are the winds blowing stronger than ever?? Signs from nature are fucking real!!
The bottom line is we have less water, because there is less rainfall and more humans.

Now when this not so Happy New Year for Los Angeles began after the first week of 2025 ended, who knew WTF was happening..was it just the winds again, those darn Santa Ana winds? Blended with the dryness of the climate, no rain for 8 months straight! Or could it be…something else, like an attack from arsonists, a real act of terrorist with fires, instead of bombs?? Maybe it’s a combination of windy conditions mixed with very dry lands, which is ready to catch fire by whomever wants to light it up…

All I know & sadly feel is that we all know that we live in a beautiful world with too many majorly damaged souls that are giving up on life & ready to fuck shit up more, because they don’t care anymore, they have been mistreated & have lost any hope. On the larger scale of the powers that be with more money then the 97% of the rest of Us, there is still denial of climate change happening all around us & so we must protect ourselves if we want to live a healthy happy life & breathe clean air. So, I’m going to discuss ways we can strengthen our lungs, heal damage that’s already there, and prevention, which is still always best.

This is only the beginning of the “new year” & we all know by now that we are facing more fires & that means breathing more smoke! Not just smoke from trees anymore, but in the last 5 years, the smoke we are breathing is now filled with dozens of synthetic chemicals from all the hundreds of structures & milliions of products that are being burned up! It’s like we are living in a different world of burning whatever without regulations to protect us. We are at the mercy of whatever fire suddenly breaks out of control as we unconciously breathe to stay alive.

We all came here with different strengths & weaknesses. Some of us arrived without the strongest of lungs. All three of my children came into this world with their dad’s lung genes, let’s say, as they all have suffered asthma, which their dad also did. Asthma seems to get better as you age. I always thought I had amazing lungs, especially coming from a home where my dad chain smoked around me without a care. I actually think he thought it was good for me..I used to smoke as a teenager, tobacco, then clove cigarettes, then quit when I got pregnant. I also quit or let’s say hardly ever smoke cannabis anymore, since I became aware of having a lung condition about 10 years ago, called pleurisy. Pleurisy is a condition that causes inflammation & swelling around the lining of the lungs when irritated by things like mold & smoke.

The first time I felt my lungs hurt from smoke was during the Sonoma/Napa County fires around 2017-18. I had felt this pain, more like an ache, before in Maui due to black mold exposure and then again in 2018, in homes w/black mold toxicity. It’s not a great feeling when you can’t even breathe normally and have pain in your chest. I remember all too vividly my own children having trouble breathing deeply when their little lungs would become inflamed by any toxic or foreign matter. I would always be massaging topical herbal chest rubs over the lungs & between the scapulas on upper back, making medicinal lung opening teas w/mullien, elecampane, horehound & osha(extremely bitters), as well as using essential oils of eucalyptus & thyme to help them breathe better in vaporizers & baths. Lobelia was & is a life saver for asthma, use w/caution.

I’m sure so many folks out there are feeling not just the emotional devastation of their homes & community buring to the ground, but also struggling with physical pain from involuntarily breathing in toxic dust particles. Here I’m going to go over a few products that hopefully you can order online, herb shop or find at a local natural foods store.

I have found Wish Garden makes a wonderful tincture for healing my pleurisy called Deep Lung, used for Bronchial Support. It contains Elecampane, Angelica, Yerba Santa, Yarrow, Mullien, Hawthorne, Yerba mansa, Garlic, & OSHA

My favorite herbs in this formula are:

Mullien, widely used to help treat respiratory conditions, like asthma and bronchitis, acts as an anti-inflammatory and expectorant properties. Respected for relieving colds & flu(viral & bacterial), coughs, bronchitis, and ear infections. Absolute amazing healing herb for repiratory illness & for supporting the health of respiratory tract.

Elecampane, used traditionally for expectoration and soothing the respiratory tract after repeated irritation. It is considered a lung remedy by some Native American users and was used similarly by ancient Greeks and Romans. In Traditional Chinese medicine it is a tonic for the entire chest.

Yarrow, is an amazing herb for environmental protection from pollution. I used for my children mixed with elder flowers & peppermint as a tonic for prevention in cold & flu season whenever something was coming on, even adding tea to baths works great. Best know herb for breaking a fever. Also, great for reducing heavy bleeding and skin irritations.

Yerba Santa, is a distinctive shrub native to the chaparral and woodlands of California, Oregon, and Arizona. Known for its aromatic leaves and resilience. Known for Lung support, helping to open the lungs and clear mucus, easing congestion, Mucus membrane health, Flavonoids in the plant help soothe and strengthen irritated mucus membranes.

Plantain, Plantain herb, on the other hand, has been used throughout Europe and North America to support a healthy immune response, strong lungs, and a clear respiratory system. Naturally it contains mucilage and has moist cooling properties, it has an inherent ability to support mucous membrane health by soothing irritated tissues.

Marshmallow, very helpful for respiratory ailments, including throat irritation & swelling of the lymph nodes. Studies have shown that herbal cough syrups containing marshmallow root may relieve respiratory conditions associated with mucus formation & dryness. This is another herb w/mucilage, coating the surface of the esophagus and provides a soothing effect. Marshmallow root most definitely would significantly reduce inflammation of the airways, because of it’s remarkable soothing mucilaginous properties.

Yerba mansa, native to the Southwest & known for centuries as the secret weapon of Native American tribes like the Zuni and Navajo. It's one of only two Native American plants to catch the attention of modern researchers for its medicinal potential. Traditionally, it was hailed for its ability to tackle "stagnation"—when your body's systems slow down. Promotes healthy lung function and clear airways! This one will help with much needed relief by soothing inflammation throughout the body. The magic lies in its tannins and flavonoids, which work to soothe inflamed tissues. Yerba mansa is a detox queen, soaking up harmful contaminants while nurturing healthy, vibrant soil. By supporting this species and wetland conservation, we help protect this vital plant and the biodiversity it champions. Let's keep yerba mansa thriving, and the planet will thank us for it!

If you or someone you know in particular has trouble breathing, I’m linking more information here on foods to avoid and why.