Keeping the Balance - March Newsletter
Spring Equinox is here! Irritants, big and small, seem to pile up in this season of quick change. On the Colorado Plateau we experience dramatic spring temperature swings and ever-present winds. When our environment is shifting and we find ourselves hunkering down to avoid the onslaught of both environmental and political winds, it’s time to shore up our inner strength.
I’ve been musing about the beginning of the Virgo-Pisces eclipse season. The March 14 lunar eclipse in Virgo kicked off this eclipse cycle, reminding us that details matter. Keep practices that work, and let go of those that are wearing you down. Virgo rules assimilation through digestion, and the every day discernment that we get from this archetype helps us to thrive. In our digestive system, in our immune system, there is a high level of intelligent discernment happening. When aspects of those systems get stagnant, physical and emotional tension arises.
Feelings of frustration and defeat might seem like situational problems or isolated emotional states, but they are also related to Liver* qi and liver functionality. This harmonizes well with the idea of ‘irritants’ in the air causing allergic symptoms in the spring. When liver function has the responsiveness it needs, we are more likely to weather the winds without irritation. Liver tonics and immune system regulators like nettle and goldenrod are a part of the picture. Liver qi regulates the tension-relaxation axis, and bitter nervines like skullcap and vervain can work beautifully to smooth the flow of Liver qi, supporting the responsiveness needed to keep elimination channels flowing.
SKULLCAP, a bitter nervine and nerve restorative, is one of the most helpful herbs for overwhelm. The nervous system is overwhelmed when we are chronically activated without enough downregulation time. Noises feel intrusive, lights are too bright, and adding something to the to-do list instigates the need to retreat. First of all, I would say, do retreat. Build into your daily practice something that reverses the flow of output and calms the nervous system. And also, take some skullcap. Skullcap can restore the proper function of the nervous system following chronic anxiety or physical injury. It can also support good sleep and a sense of safety.
VERVAIN (popping up in real time, see image) has an important ancient history, and there is a legacy of it being used for strong-willed individuals. Vervain soothes the nervous system when we have been pushing ourselves too hard— striving energy echoing in tension throughout the body, especially the neck and shoulders. This old and special herb reminds us that perfectionism can damage our ability to relish the present moment. When energy finally flows through an area previously blocked by tension, the results can be nothing short of miraculous. Qi and blood must flow.
NETTLE (pictured in the header from my garden patch) is a renowned spring tonic, being a highly nutritious herb (even a bit proteinaceous), and also one of the first greens to pop up in the spring landscape or garden. Those nutrients are gold for the liver, which works best when it is filled with everything it needs. A systemic nutrient boon, the support given by nettle go beyond that of the liver and extend into the urinary tract, immune system, respiratory tract, and nervous system. It is indicated with itchiness and damp conditions with excess mucus.
GOLDENROD has a multitude of properties that center around filtration. It supports digestion, the liver, the kidneys, the sinuses, and the histamine response. Around our desert area, I find Goldenrod in riparian areas and I like to think of its action in the body mirroring its action in the landscape, as many riparian plants act as purifiers for the streams running through them. By supporting the liver with bitter compounds, helping the kidneys filter, and calming the histamine response, goldenrod can be an essential spring ally.
IF YOU NEED…
We have the tinctures of these and other herbs available at the apothecary, if you’d like to explore them singularly.
They are also featured in some of our tincture formulas: Sinus Rescue, Liver Tonic, Grounding Elixir, Rest Easy, and Smooth Cycles.
In tea blends, skullcap is featured in Easy Dreams, Ground Down, Rest and Digest, and Nightly Delight. Nettle is a base in the Witch’s Brew, Gut Repair and Mineral Bliss formulas.
(Email us for tincture orders if you’d like them shipped! sundialmedicinals@gmail.com)
AT THE APOTHECARY
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Go to www.sundialmedicinals.com/services for the scheduling link.
*The capital L in Liver references the Traditional Chinese Medicine organ, which encompasses the larger scope of the physiology of the organ system, the organ itself, and qi. Lowercase liver refers to the organ only.