#35: Eyren Powell
"Everyone is part of the great mystery. Anything that triggers you in others points to a wound within yourself."
#35: Eyren Powell
Welcome to Health Gossip. Today’s guest is Eyren Powell, a lymphatic drainage practitioner and student of herbalism at
. This feature contains some extras — scroll all the way down for some lymph love :)Location: New York
Astrology: Cancer/Taurus/Sagittarius
What does health, or being healthy, mean to you?
The etymology of health derives from hælth or hale, which means “whole.” To me, this means to be in the world sound and in accordance with mind-body-spirit. True to you. Indivisible.
How would you describe your current lifestyle?
My life is very full. I work in the city as a lymphatic drainage practitioner, go to herbalism school upstate, and am very social when I have any time off. For years I was running around and partying hard. That’s all come to a halt as I have given myself the gift of the proper education I always longed for. It’s a very blessed full life, brimming with self-leniency and compassion.
How do you start and end your days?
I wake up at 6 every morning to walk my dog and watch the sunrise while wearing a HigherDOSE red light cap. Make myself ceremonial cacao with reishi decoction I have simmering in my slow cooker and add Perfect Supplements bovine gelatin (I like the consistency, as it is thicker than collagen). I light Tibetan rope incense and speak aloud what I am grateful for while sipping my cacao. I give myself a face massage with topical transdermal vitamin C, coenzyme Q10, carnosine+DMAE.
I then make four pasture-raised eggs with za’atar and cultured ghee from Pure Indian Foods. I take justthrive Joot, which is a probiotic with bifidobacterium longum, a specific strain to reduce stress, anxiety and depression (wink to the gut-brain axis). I take Thorne Vitamin D + K2, and tinctured herbs that I blend, currently: schisandra, dong quai, white peony, rose petal, skullcap, and prickly ash.
I do lymphatic work from 8:00-2:30 and then go home. Once home, I take a long walk with my dog then get back to do homework (which consists of doing herbal consultations) and read. I make wild-caught salmon and sauerkraut to eat while doing this, then I take my dog and meet up with friends to embrace and belly-laugh, maybe we eat dinner out. Once in for the night I turn on all my red light lamps to help wind down. I make myself tea which currently consists of meadowsweet, plantain, lemon balm, cleavers, and tulsi. I throw on my silk bonnet, massage my face with topical transdermal glutathione, cycloastragenol, and resveratrol, then slide on my silk eye mask and sink into bed to listen to a book on tape (most likely something alchemy-related). I am asleep by 9:30.
Was there a specific moment in life that made you change your approach to health, or become more conscious generally?
I was raised extremely alternatively. When I was seven, a makeshift mother figure of mine was a holistic nurse. I’d accompany her to see clients and watch as she asked to look at someone’s tongue and knew exactly what was going on internally. The first time I watched her do this, I knew this was my vocation. I was to learn the secrets of the earth, be able to see, and speak with the veritas veritatis.
What’s your relationship to self-healing?
A lot of my job as an herbalist is to experiment on myself and see what works. I do a lot of this. I rarely go to the doctor ever really, partially because I think the American healthcare system is sick......but there is a place for both. I do see the value of modern medicine for immediate surgery, a broken arm, a gunshot wound, etc. I get excited when I see medicine becoming magic. Like with Foundation One or the Dr. Robert Nagourney lab, testing for targeted immunotherapy drug information, for example. I hope one day this is what everyone has access to if they chose to use immunotherapy drugs for cancer, instead of the blind blanket of chemo radiation that is standardized.
“For years I was running around and partying hard. That’s all come to a halt as I have given myself the gift of the proper education I always longed for.”
Where do you look to for information or advice?
I am privileged to have teachers — all of my responses are due to my revered teachers. I love you Claudia, Richard, Sam. My herbalism classmates/family.
I also look to my dreams, and gnosis. Of course I study texts, materia medicas, but I rely on the former the most.
Here are a few texts to look at:
Holistic Cancer Care by Chanchal Cabrera
Creating Your Herbal Profile by Dorthy Hall
Know Your Type by Ralph Metzner
Ethnomedicinal Plants with Therapeutic Properties edited by A. Doss, V. R. Mohan, P. S. Tresina
American materia medica, therapeutics and pharmacognosy by Finley Ellingwood
The Web That Has No Weaver by Ted Kaptchuk
Herbal Constituents by Lisa Ganora
The Silver Branch and the Other World by Sean O’Donoghue
Do you have any guiding principles?
Naturasophia = wisdom of nature. I do believe that the plants have knowledge that predates ours (considering they’ve been here longer). I believe we take in the teachings of the plants and, through these teachings, help us on the planet.
What are some interventions that you’ve made that have changed your health for the better or worse?
Live the life you dream: Dinacharya.
What’s your perfect meal?
Smoked fish, pickled things, shiitake, yuzu kosho, Meyer lemon and dark chocolate. My favorite flavors are sour, smoked, and spicy. Always and forever. (And I mean SPICY🥵!)
What advice would you give to your past self?
I would kiss my past self on the forehead and gently show my baby self to me — this is you, and you are loved. Protect this inner child. Remember, everyone is part of the great mystery. Anything that triggers you in others points to a wound within yourself. Look at them, with Chiron on your rising in the first house — it's part of your task to bear witness to these wounds.
What advice would you give to the person reading this?
There is a puritanical view that I see in our society with healing. DETOX DETOX DETOX until pure! I have watched people get colonics weekly, fast and do parasite cleanses and wonder why they still feel off. I pray that we stop the attack consciousness and turn back to tonics and nurturing ourselves. This is where healing lives. Remember that health means whole. We are not solely pure. We are nuanced creatures who desire a place, as we are, all parts, whole. The current state of the planet is a macrocosmic reflection of a spiritual sickness of the human consciousness, so let’s cultivate harmonious relationships within ourselves. (Stop the self flagellation) Sleeping, laughing, soup, breathing, and love are all you really need. Do all of them MORE.
“I pray that we stop the attack consciousness and turn back to tonics and nurturing ourselves. This is where healing lives.”
What would you like to see or create more of in the world?
I’d like to see more understanding and holding of one another. I’d like for people to stop taking things personally. I’d like for everyone to see that we could make this thing called life easier on one another if we looked at how the system isn’t serving us. I’d like to see hierarchy as it stands dismantled, I’d like to see the earth recognized as sentient.
Some bonus notes on lymph…
I've had a long-standing fascination with lymph, and since 2019, I've been working at Ricari Studios, performing lymphatic drainage. However, my focus extends beyond lymph itself. I address the extracellular matrix, fascia, interstitial fluid, and the parasympathetic nervous system and more. I found myself working with lymph and it makes sense as a Cancerian. In medical astrology, the entrance of the thoracic duct into the subclavian vein (where lymph returns to the bloodstream) is ruled by Cancer. Perhaps destiny played a role.
Over the years, my coworkers and I have shared several books on the subject, including:
Architecture of Human Living Fascia: Cells and Extracellular Matrix as Revealed by Endoscopy by Jean-Claude Guimberteau and Colin Armstrong
The Book of Lymph by Lisa Levitt Gainsley
Lymph and Longevity: The Untapped Secret to Health by Dr. Gerald M. Lemole
While reading about the theory is exciting and I avidly consume scientific literature, my most beloved aspect of lymphatic drainage is its accessibility.
#1: Breathing
Our breath facilitates flow of lymph. During my six years of working with lymph, I've witnessed numerous clients experience profound emotional releases on my treatment table. I believe that moving lymph aids in releasing stagnant emotions, allowing us to live a tad lighter. It's no wonder that our breath, when utilized effectively, promotes lymphatic movement. Haven't you ever experienced a loved one urging you to "breathe" during a breakdown? Our breath is an expression of our life force, enabling us to release what no longer serves us. Diaphragmatic movement, thoracic duct stimulation, and improved circulation all contribute to this pumping action.
#2: Hydration
Adequate water intake is essential for maintaining lymph fluid volume and flow. I like creating lymphatic teas by infusing herbs like calendula, cleavers, and violet leaf into hot spring water.
Immersion in water, like baths or swimming, also enhances lymph flow. This resonates deeply with me. I always feel rejuvenated after a dip in the ocean, probably because it feels like a return to the primordial soup mother.
#3: Humming
I was raised doing things like group chanting and always adored the sensation of the vibration in my body. As I grew, I continued to hum solo to recapture that sensation. While the stress reduction associated with humming may contribute to improved lymph flow, it's also possible that the vibrations themselves have a positive impact on the glymphatic system (the lymphatic system in the brain that helps remove amyloid plaques during REM sleep). Regardless of the precise mechanism, I will continue to hum and encourage you to do the same.
