Spiritual practices in religions around the world include some form of focused prayer or mindfulness. Whether it is meditation, yoga, centering prayer or simple awareness, spiritual depth occurs when there is focus and singularity. The number of possessions we have, the amount of material goods that fill our lives, the clutter that seems to gather all around our living areas crowd out attention and focus. Our minds, thoughts, energies are dispersed in myriad directions, and in the cacophony of competing claims on us, we cannot seem to find our center, our sense of clarity, our touch with the sacred, our experience of God. One way to reclaim that holy core that exists within us is to create a sacred space, altar or sanctuary where what is divine may be remembered.

Myth 6
Echinacea reduces immune function after prolonged use.
This seems logical, but it's a fear that stems from a drug-oriented mindset. No evidence exists to show that this herb blunts immune response. Traditional practitioners administered echinacea to patients for months at a time with no ill effect to the immune system. As one of the most widely used herbs of the nineteenth century, echinacea was prescribed extensively by physicians of that day. They made no mention of time limits in their journals. Neither did European physicians, who used and studied the herb extensively from the 1930s through the 1990s.

While it's true that the German Commission E monographs mention dosage limitation and contraindications for licorice, several scientists (including German echinacea experts Bauer and Wagner, who helped create the monographs) question this. They argue that there's no scientific reason for the dose limitation, and point out that no notations exist to help explain the reasoning or processes behind the Commission's conclusions. In light of this, we can safely place this "truth" about echinacea in the myth category.

Common buckwheat is a fruit seed of a member of the "knot weed" plant family of which rhubarb is a relative. Despite the common name and the grain-like use of the crop, buckwheats are not grasses and are not related to wheat. As such, Buckwheat contains no gluten, and can thus be eaten by people with coeliac disease or gluten allergies. According the Ayurveda, buckwheat is a hot, light and dry grain. For this reason it is ideal for Kapha. Having some non-grass grains in one's diet increases diversification which builds a healthier body.