Balmuth Deborah - Herbs for long-lasting health: how to make and use herbal remedies for lifelong vitality

Master Li Ching Yuen, a Chinese herbalist, was born in 1678 in the hill country of southwest China. While still a young man of 50, he met a venerable old sage who maintained his exquisite health by drinking a soup daily made from tonic herbs. Master Li started drinking this broth. He met several more elderly sages and learned secrets of longevity from each. His efforts and commitment were well rewarded; he lived to the age of 252, was married 14 times, and lived through 11 generations of his own descendants (almost 200 in his lifetime). He died in 1930 after a banquet in his honor. Though Master Li Ching Yuens story is hard to believe, modern-day scholars have verified his age.

Adelle Dawson, another of my great friends and mentors, was a well-known and beloved herbalist who passed away at 94. She was fond of saying, So long as they think were crazy, were safe, and off she would be on another adventure. When asked, as she frequently was, what her secret was for her long life and vibrant energy, she always answered very solemnly, with a twinkle in her green and wondrous eyes, One must be very careful whom one chooses for ones parents. I would visit her often, and she would greet me at the doorway of her old farmhouse with her famous sweet anise liqueur homemade, of course and a chuckle filled with the sweet elixir of youth.

My mother, Jasmine Karr, turns 90 this year. There are few people who have retained their youthful energy and joyful enthusiasm for life as well as she has. Truly one of my greatest teachers, mentors, and friends, my mother embraces all thats good about the golden years. She made being 80 look like fun and something we should all look forward to. For the first time this year, when she visited over the summer, she said, Rosie, I feel Im getting older. I asked her what that felt like, and she said, I feel like everything in me is a bit slower....

As these extraordinary women have shown us, you really are only as old or as young as you feel.

These elders are models for wellness and longevity. Not seekers of the nebulous fountain of youth or charmed by ads for ageless skin, they embody the priceless jewels of wisdom, grace, and well-being.

When my twin daughters were young and still living at home, they had many opportunities to meet and share with some of these wise elders. These encounters affected both daughters, expanding their perception of beauty, age, and agelessness. Thanks in part to these friendships, my daughters perspective of growing older has little to do with the current notions about aging as something to be avoided; instead they embrace it as part of the remarkable journey life offers.

What is the secret of long life? While genetics can have much to do with longevity, do not underestimate the power of self-care. Herbs can be a powerful and gentle aid to the aging body, helping to regulate energy, boost vitality, and achieve homeostasis. It is also important to get plenty of rest and relaxation. After observing his elderly friends, Dr. H. C. A. Vogel, one of the worlds most beloved nature doctors, said, Their life is simple and they are moderate in their ways. They work, but do not go without time to rest and relax. They do not go short on sleep and know how to retire, in the proper sense of the word, when night falls; indeed, they are able to shut out the impressions of the day and forget whatever worries there might be. Such people have the ability to overcome the ups and downs of life with a calm and cheerful spirit and without worrying themselves sick. Born in 1902, Dr. Vogel practiced herbal medicine for nearly 70 years.