Do You Know About Herbalism? Chinese Medicine Saved Liv Zambito’s Life So She Became a Practitioner

Hot Seat. I'm the creator of Healing Is Possible. Every week at 10am Mountain, we go live where I interview healers or coach brave volunteers into breakthrough. And the mission of the Healing Is Possible Hot Seat is to let people know that, yes, healing is possible. We can't promise healing, but we can promise the possibility of healing for you. And our focus is on holistic, emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual healing here in the Hot Seat. The Hot Seat is brought to you by my gorgeous team@rebeccasilence.com visit us for more on products and services there. And today I am really excited to talk Chinese medicine. As many of you know, I am a cancer survivor and a big part of my healing journey was incorporating basically throwing the kitchen sink at cancer. So I had some traditional medical model healing ways and methodologies that I utilized, but also a lot of holistic healing. Today we have a gorgeous guest, Liv Zambido, who owns Herb House, here to talk to us about how herbalism and Chinese medicine saved her life. And talking to us about kind of finding her own path to. To her life purpose work through an experience of being sick. And she says that her life was literally saved by Chinese medicine. So, Liv, welcome to the Healing Is Possible Hot Seat, it is such an honor to have you here.

Hi. Thank you. Thank you so much. I am so excited.

Well, I am so excited to have you. So what on earth? Tell us about who you are and what healing means to you and then teach us, please, about Chinese medicine and herbs. All the things we don't even know, we don't know.

Okay, where to start? There's so many things I want to share and say. So I'm Liv, and I moved out here right before the pandemic and I was studying herbalism and I decided to start my own practice called Herb House, where I either work with clients privately one on one, or I just have my regular retail products that are formulated and based on the theories of traditional Chinese medicine. And the reason I really got into that is because, like you said, I was really, really sick back in my early 20s, and I tried everything under the sun and no doctors had answers for me. And I kind of just stumbled upon acupuncture, and that led me to traditional Chinese medicine. And the more that I was healing and the more I felt better, the more I wanted to learn. So I kind of just became a student to my teacher, my traditional Chinese medicine teacher. She was kind of like my mentor, and that kind of just led me here. So, yeah, I have a very close. It's very close to my heart, what I'm doing, because I was once someone who was very sick, so getting to help other people who are sick is. That's what it's about for me.

Yeah. And how would you define healing? What does healing mean to you?

I think balance probably is the best word that comes to mind. I think that we're all like, no one is ever really healed, in my opinion. Everyone's always healing or learning or growing from something. So I just think finding balance and grace for yourself within that is really. That's kind of the difference between just, I guess, fixing your symptoms or your actual problem. But really, I guess, connecting with yourself and giving yourself grace and finding that balance during the process, I think that's really the key. Healing. So, yeah.

And one of the things that I really love about you and your work is you're not cookie cutter. That's one of the things that I think is unique about the work I do as an emotional healing coach. I think that people have access to their own internal guidance system, and healing looks different for everyone. And I love what you're saying about the healing is never really done, but you're. You're more healed just being in a commitment to living into more healing, and that's what you're up to, and that's what you're about. You are based in Colorado, but tell us about Herb House and what people don't know about herbalism and Chinese medicine.

Okay. So I think that I know starting Herb House during the pandemic. So I was primarily online, so I got a lot of different feedback of misconceptions or confusion about herbalism. And I think herbalism is underlooked or overlooked. I think most people just think it's kind of this voodoo idea, crackery idea, and it's just drinking tea, and it doesn't really do anything. And honestly, before I got sick, that's. I really didn't think too much into it either. I didn't know that herbs could really be medicinal. I just thought it was just something that, you know, herbs are just herbs. But my whole point with Herb House is to get to the root cause of where are your symptoms coming from. I could have a client come to me and tell me that they have chronic migraines. Two clients come to me and say they have chronic migraines, but the reason that they're having them are totally different. I think today, a lot of times, we get treated for our symptoms and not the cause. That's why there's so much. There's a lack of healing. So with Herb House, I evaluate and I don't diagnose as an herbalist, but I do evaluate and use traditional Chinese medicine principles to find where your root imbalance is. And the products that I make target the root imbalance. So we're not going after your migraine per se, but why are you having those migraines? Is it a liver imbalance? Is it a digestive issue? Is it stress? Is it emotional trauma? Is there something that's kind of buried that we need to get to? So I think that that's kind of hard to portray, you know, to someone who's new and learning about herbalism or Chinese medicine. But it's not just a quick fix type of business that I'm running. It's kind of working together long term and seeing how we can really get you on the healing path, if that makes sense.

Yeah. And you actually make your own products. You're not working with people and then giving them someone else's products or a mass produced company's products.

Right. So most of my products, the main three products that I have are tinctures, teas, and then I have a call them super powders. They're superfood and herb powder mixes that you can put in smoothies or make lattes with or drink with water, however you want to consume them. And then tinctures are liquid herbal extracts. And then I have medicinal teas. So depending on what you're suffering from and how your evaluation goes, I give you specially formulated products for you.

Yeah. And what had you decide that you were going to make your own products versus using someone else's maybe tried and true product.

What made me decide that?

Yeah, it's really awesome and incredible to go from literally like sick and feeling like you're dying to finding a solution and actually having the dots connect to then learning and becoming your own practitioner and then making your own products. It's a cool trajectory.

Thank you. I think I just wanted to really be as hands on as I could with whoever I help. Right. So if I'm going to talk with you and evaluate you and get to know you and build this relationship with you, I want to be the one that's making like, I want to know what's going into your body. I want to know like, I. I don't want to give you someone else's product. It's just a part of my passion. It's a part of what I want to do. So, yeah, traditional Chinese medicine, my. I think my doctor, I was very fortunate to have a Very, very loving and just willing to teach. Dr. And I think the way that she cared for me really kind of set the example of how I wanted to be as a healer, as a practitioner. It's not just an office visit, it's not just a prescription. Like we're going to have a relationship and I'm going to, we're going to be very close to one another. So that's why I want to just be all hands in as much as I can.

Yeah. And what else do you think people need to know about Chinese medicine and herbalism? That maybe they have no idea about?

A big thing that I find myself telling clients because the idea of Chinese medicine is very foreign to most people. I think, as far, at least in my experience, as far as most people get, is acupuncture. But to actually learn the principles and kind of foundations of Chinese medicine, most people aren't familiar with. But the main thing that I'm always explaining is when you think of, like most people, when they think of Chinese medicine, you think yin and yang and that whole balance system that I referred to before and often when you're, I think sos, it's just because of the way we live in society and we just all get so caught up. We have one symptom or one issue or one imbalance and we just try to max that or avoid that or, you know, deal with it as long as we can. And then the next thing we know, we have these other symptoms going on and most of the time we won't relate them in our heads. And most of the time they are related because the whole idea of Chinese medicine is everything is a balancing act. So if you leave something imbalanced for too long, it's going to imbalance something else. And then that's when things really start to get out of hand. And illness really is a hard thing to tackle. But when you're more in tune and you pay more attention, you're more mindful to your body. Not that you need to take everything that you feel so seriously, but when you become more mindful, I think that you can avoid a lot of long term illness. Because most of the times people come to me and there's so many imbalances going on. And that was just like me when I, when I got sick. If I had just known a little before, if I had the knowledge, if somebody told me that a little earlier on, I think I would have avoided becoming so sick. So that's what I, that's really the message I want to tell people is you know, take care of your health now before, you know, while you can, while you want to. Well, it's not so hard for. You have to. And it's really difficult, you know, because everything is connected and we tend to forget that. We tend to separate our body in so many ways, but everything is connected.

Yeah. I've heard a lot of different spiritual teachers talking about emotional breakdown starts at the whisper level. And if you ignore it, it can become a problem. And if you ignore it, it can become a crisis. And I'm hearing you say something similar like, we don't want to. We kind of don't have to let the plane get too far off course. We can course correct quicker than maybe we realize.

Yes. Yes.

Yeah. So when you talk about Yin and yang, just for those that maybe are making assumptions or aren't sure what you're talking about, give us even the basics about that, like balance, yin and Yang. Is there anything we can do on our own?

I mean, so yin and Yang really is. It just talks about all of the, I guess, opposites in the world within the human body, within nature, light, sound, colors, tastes, feelings. Everything in the world has an equal and an opposite. Right. Like, there cannot be light without dark. There can't be good without bad. So within the body, I'm going to get a little off of Yin and Yang for a second. But within Chinese medicine, there's different elements, and there's five elements, and there's kind of a yin and Yang within those elements. So, for example, your liver. Your liver and your gallbladder are like this element. There's a yin and a yang to that, and there are positive emotions associated with that, and then there's negative emotions associated with that. There's a different season for that liver is a time of spring. It's the feelings of frustration and anger and jealousy and being unsettled, which is. I always use this as an example. Often when we consume too much alcohol, we know that that affects our liver. And you see, when you have one too many drinks, a lot of people tend to get angry and a lot of emotions pour out of them. And that's a good. That's a really good indicator that you have an imbalance going on. Your Yin and Yang are not happy right now in your liver. So, you know, it goes with emotions, it goes with your thoughts, it goes with the season. It goes with what you're eating. It goes with your daily routines, your habits, your sleep schedule, your stress, like your diet, your exercise, everything that you're doing day to day. Really affects each of those elements. So, I mean, there's a list of things that I could say to help someone get back in balance, but really it's just about finding, like, your inner peace and stillness and just treating your body with more kindness, more grace. I think we just tend to operate like we're machines all the time, and we don't realize that there's such a delicate yin and yang balancing system within us that, like, within us and within our environment. And if you. You can only ignore that for so long, I think. And I think once you learn it, you can't unlearn it. Like, that's what happened to me. I learned it, and I was like, wow, I can't unsee this now. I have to tell more people about this. Yeah, but does that kind of answer your question? I mean, Chinese medicine can get really confusing. So I try not to, like, go too much into detail because I don't like to overwhelm anyone. But, yeah, just kind of the five different elements, they kind of all work within and around one another. So like I said earlier, if one area is imbalanced for too long, eventually it's going to fall over to one of those other elements, and then everything is imbalanced.

This is, I think, brilliant, what you're sharing and really important. And I love what you said about, once you learn it, you can't really unlearn it. I always say to my clients, disclaimer. You're not going to be able to go back to sleep to a lot of what the coaching is going to wake you up to. But what are the five elements? Can you give us a little bit on each of those?

Sure. So I'll start with the one that I mentioned, the wood element. So I actually wish I had some of my products in front of me, because I have the five different lines in herb house are the five different elements of Chinese medicine. Okay, so there's the wood element, which is the springtime. That's like the color of green. Your liver, your gallbladder, feelings of anger, frustration. And then it goes into summer, which is the fire element, red, reds, and purples. And that focuses on your heart, your small intestines, your triple pericardium, kind of like your nervous system, your circulatory system, your stress and feelings of love, joy, happiness, or the opposite of those. And then you go into actually late summer. There's two summers of Chinese medicine. So late summer is the element of earth. So that's the color of yellow. And that focuses on your digestive system, your Stomach and your spleen, primarily. And feelings of worry, overthinking, stress. That's a really, really common one that I work with clients with a lot. You know, we always hear that saying, your health is in your gut, and everything stems to your gut. It's really, really true. Especially in today's time with so much stress. That's a really big one. And then we go into fall, which is the element of metal. And those are more like whites, grays. And feelings of. That's the large intestines and the lungs and your respiratory system. And feelings of grief or sadness or feeling stuck or stagnant. Typically, nine out of ten times, someone who, especially during COVID Anyone with respiratory issues usually have feelings of loss or grief kind of stuck in them. And it quite literally, like, can make it hard to breathe. So that's a very interesting one for me too. And then the last one is the water element, and that's the season of winter. So blues, purples. I always think berries. When I think about elderberries, dark blackberries. And that is. That focuses on your bladder and feelings of. I guess. What's the best word? Kind of. I guess guilt. Guilt and sadness, I guess. I don't want to use my sadness too much, but. Yeah, just kind of feeling drained and worried and insecure, I guess, is a good word. Yeah. So I remember kind of one of my first classes with my Chinese medicine doctor. I would go to her a few times a week for my own sessions, and then I would sit with her after and ask her, okay, what did you. What did you just do to me? And what did that mean? And I remember her giving me examples. Kind of like the one I just gave with alcohol in your liver. Except with. She gave me one for each. And, like, for your heart, for example, that's like love and joy and overexcitement or being really nervous. So our hearts tend to really pound when we're feeling like that. And we get flushed and red, and that element is the color of red. And it's about your heart, and it's about those feelings. So it goes. You can keep going and going with these elements on just things that we kind of just say in society, like a cliche thing. But really there is actual connection and meaning with it. So that's what really fascinates me is like, you know, when you're worried or you're stressed, you tend to not lose your appetite or you gain your appetite. Like, you stress eat or you don't eat, or you feel nauseous or you have stomach Pain and stress and over worry has to do with your stomach and your spleen. So I think just the principles of it just. It just makes so much sense. It needs me. Yeah.

Liv, are you going to write a book about what you.

That's a long term. Long term goal, yes. But I really would like to get my message out there only because I know I'm not the only one who's suffered and just has not had answers. And I know how frustrating that is. So I just really think everyone needs Chinese medicine.

I hope you will write a book, and I'm gonna be your gentle nudge in that direction. You've got a gift. You found your gift and you're giving it away. And I just. I love that for you and for everyone that gets to work with you. I think we all have gifts and sometimes we don't know what they are, but when we find it and have the courage to take that gift and run with it and give it away, what better. What better thing is there in the world to do with our lives? I am just so proud of you. I am so honored to know you.

We.

What assignment. What homework would you give our audience for their next step in exploring herbalism and Chinese medicine and balance for themselves.

Assignment? Geez, that's tough. I mean, I really just think everyone. I'm not a traditional trans practitioner have a long way to go from that. But I always. Whether you're a client of mine or not, I always advise everyone to seek out a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner near them. There is a very big difference between seeing an acupuncturist, maybe, and this is not to say anything negative, or to take any credentials away from just acupuncturist. Or maybe they're specialized in sports medicine or chiropractic or anything like that. Sometimes different doctors, practitioners offer acupuncture, which is great, especially for pain management. But seeing a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner is very different. Just the way that they are taught is very different than just seeing acupuncture. If you're looking to learn more and experience traditional Chinese medicine and healing and acupuncture, seek out someone who is actually certified in traditional Chinese medicine. Don't just see an acupuncturist. And you can always see me as an herbalist, but I would never. You know, I don't. I'm not that. So I wish I was right now, but I'm not. So I, um. But that's always my advice because that really. That's really what changed my life, really saved me. Um, Just to kind of like, give you a little, I guess, talk about my experience. I remember the first day I went to see my traditional Chinese medicine doctor, and I kind of was hopeless at that point. I didn't really expect, honestly, it to do anything because I'd seen so many doctors and got so many tests, blood work. I mean, I was tested for Lyme disease, lupus, all sorts of allergies, deficiencies, every autoimmune disease. And I got all different answers. And I was just kind of like, you know what? Why not try this? And I will never forget. I. My doctor asked me very odd questions, like, how was your childhood growing up? What is your relationship with your parents? You know, like, did you have any traumas? Did you have any accidents? Did you have any eating disorders? Did you have, like, just so many things, like, just really went in depth with me about my past, and I was very taken back, and I thought that was kind of odd. But after, like, one week of seeing her, I saw improvements for the first time in two years of being sick and in bed. And I was like, whatever this is, it's working. And that's what really triggered me. But I think sometimes that makes us uncomfortable and skeptical when a practitioner will ask you things that are not in the norm. Like, why would you ask me that? Like, that's irrelevant, but it is relevant. So I think if you find someone, if you find a traditional Chinese medicine doctor and they're going in depth with you like that, that's a good sign. Just. Just let them help. That's my good surrender. Just lay your guard down a little bit, because that's my advice, because that's what I needed to do and really was the changing to the turning point for me. So I love it.

Thank you, Liv. So how do people get in touch with you?

You can go to my website. It's www.com. there is definitely a contact on there. There is also a free quiz on there that you can take. It's pretty quick. It would probably only take someone five minutes. And that can kind of guide you on where to start in terms of where your root imbalance most likely is. So, for example, you could take the quiz and it will kind of give you a breakdown of percentages of where your highest imbalance is, what element, what house. And let's say you get the firehouse. My suggestion would be to start with one of the products in the firehouse because you have some issues going on there. So that's like a really quick way if you're kind of confused and you don't know where to start. You can take that quiz or you can just contact me. Yeah, contact me directly through my website.

And do you work virtually?

I do, yes. Yes, I love to meet in person, but I started during the pandemic, so it's primarily online. But yeah, if you're local in Colorado, I would love to work in person. Great.

Okay. Well, Liv, this has been super enlightening, super awesome to just hear you share yourself, your gifts and this way of healing that maybe people hadn't really heard about or didn't know much about. So again, thank you so much for being here. It's an honor to know you and to support you in your work with with Herb House. Please know that this podcast is not meant to be therapeutic or to replace any traditional therapy that you're already undergoing. And the mission of the Hot Seat again is to just take you on a journey of hope and healing and light if you have taken away anything that feels significant and life changing. Comment, Share subscribe to the Rebecca Stylens healing is possible YouTube channel and share with your friends. Healing is possible and the cure is always self responsibility. And connecting to what healing means for you and to what healing does for you is giving all of us an example of hope and possibility. So thank you for tuning in. We will see you very, very soon. Thanks again Liv Zambido, for all of your just insight around herbalism and Chinese medicine today. Bye everyone. We'll see.