Therapeutic Attributes of Herbs for Winter

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Thymely Thoughts:

The Theraputic Attributes of Herbs for Winter

by Barbara Tanner Douglass

 

There is great activity in the areas of herbal cleansing and

rebuilding of various organs during autumn, so the winter quarter of

the year seems more quiet and restful. It may be time to simply

snuggle up in front of the fire with a good book and a mug of

steaming chamomile tea on a cold wintry evening.

 

Seasonal Notes

Here is an array of holiday seasonal notes from our ancestors, who

used these helpful herbs. Stress relief was found in chamomile tea,

botanical name Matricaria recutita, as it has tryptophan in it.

Chamomile in bath herb mixes may soothe away stress (see recipe at

end). Valerian, Valeriana officinalis, has calcium that is supplied

directly to the nerves, so valerian may help calm the season. Those

who find sleep elusive often place a few drops of valerian extract

under the tongue about an hour before bed. For daytime calm, some

like capsules. Some hold their breath or nose to avoid the odd aroma

while opening the bottle to pop a capsule in their mouths.

 

Thyme, Thymus vulgaris, is a great herb to use, fresh or dried, in

all holiday soups, stews, vegetables, salads or dressings, just

about everything except chocolate chip cookies. Thyme has

antibacterial properties to assist the body's immune system fight

off whatever critters might invade.

 

Water is most important now as many dry cakes and cookies are

holiday fare. Lots of water, an ounce for each two pounds of body

weight to drink during the day, helps to move all critters and

bacteria out and helps the kidneys as well.

 

Sugar connoisseurs might like to know that each time sugar is eaten,

the mineral chromium leaves the body. An important trace mineral,

chromium is not easily found in foods. Mineral rich herbs that

contain chromium, such as hibiscus flowers, Hibiscus sabdariffa,

(see recipe below) are helpful to take with each sugar orgy as

studies have been conducted that show those with secondary diabetes

have no chromium in their systems. As aromas are important during

the holiday season, a recipe for Scrumptious Stovetop Potpourri is

included. The aroma reminds everyone of good times and predisposes

guests to a happy occasion.

 

Water Energy Season: Kidney and Bladder

During the last quarter of the solar year, the body finds itself

leaving the Earth and Metal energies of the autumn and on December

19 it moves into the Water Energy Season. Through mid-March the body

focuses on water energy. This is a soothing thought, as most of us

in the north need water at this time of the year. Shut inside our

homes now, many of us have less water in the air, due in part to the

heating systems we use - our skin and hair can easily become dry. We

may be less likely to take a shower or bath since the air is nippy

as we jump in and out of the tub. People may tend to drink less

water now than in the warmer seasons as they do not need to replace

body fluids lost through sweat. All of these possible habits are

reasons to focus on water energy now.

 

If we could observe our bodies internally at the winter solstice as

Capricorn begins, (21 December - 19 January), we would find our

water energy organs currently enacting their annual ritual of

cleansing and rebuilding. The kidneys and bladder continue cleansing

and restoring now. It is helpful to assist these organs, especially

for those who increase alcohol consumption during the holidays.

Kidney cleansing is deep cleansing. Some cultures believe the

kidneys store the energy of the ancestors and so thoughts of parents

and grandparents might surface now. We also may experience strange

thoughts, as if from another time. These thoughts might never have

been our personal thoughts, simply thoughts stored in the cellular

memory of our kidneys from generations past.

 

Metaphysicians feel the kidneys store our fears, so unusual fears

may surface now. It may become easier to release the thoughts and

fears as they surface, rather than being caught in them, when we

know they are related to the kidney cleansing itself. While

releasing old, negative ideas, fears or thoughts, it is wise to stay

open to important ideas and helpful concepts from the ancestors that

may come floating past as the ideas and fears release. Thus, this

time can be one of reflection, releasing and opening, a good time to

carry a small notebook to catch the brilliance as it passes by.

 

To aid the kidneys, people often drink a glass of water with an

ounce or less of liquid chlorophyll mixed in it between dinner and

bedtime. Chlorophyll is equivalent to the blood of plants and

usually it is taken from alfalfa, Medicago sativa, a plant rich in

minerals and vitamins due to the roots, which may pierce the earth

to a depth of 40 feet or more. Chlorophyll may assist the body to

build healthy blood, become more alkaline and, taken before bedtime,

alleviate the uric acid crystals that tend to accumulate in the

kidneys during the night.

 

During this water energy season, the element for Capricorn is earth.

Earth and water produce mud, the very uric acid sludge we seek to

release now from the kidneys and bladder. Liquid chlorophyll is

available at health food stores. Good varieties usually have mint

added for flavor.

 

Herbs such as watercress, Nasturtium officinale, cranberries and

parsley, Petroselinum crispum, are also helpful for the kidneys,

eaten as foods or taken in capsule form. Parsley is another high

mineral content herb and its nourishment of the body and kidneys can

create a diuretic action, allowing the body to release excess water

and toxins as the parsley nourishes the kidneys. I never plan a long

car trip the day I begin to use parsley in earnest.

 

Kidneys also connect to the bones, sometimes excreting needed

calcium from the body. Women moving through Change of Life find that

adding horsetail, Equisetum arvense, or oatstraw tea or capsules to

their diet assists the body retain needed calcium. Many Change of

Life bladders also have found benefit and strength from the addition

of extra silica, a mineral found in herbs that assists us to absorb

calcium. Some women notice their ability to control their bladders

increases within a few days after beginning to ingest oatstraw or

horsetail. An added virtue of silica is that usually hair and nails

grow more easily and have more strength. Another herb helpful to the

cleansing and rebuilding of the bladder is uva ursi, Arctostaphylos

uva-ursi, available in capsules or extract form. Many herbal

combinations for the urinary system have all of these herbs

included.

 

Water Energy Season: Adrenal glands

During the water season, the adrenal glands are also busy cleansing

and recharging. Parsley again plays a role as it also nourishes the

adrenals. So, while people focus in Capricorn on kidney and bladder

cleansing and rebuilding, the parsley taken for the urinary system

assists the adrenals as well. Usually people wait until Aquarius (20

January to 18 February) to nourish the adrenals during the post

holiday season after the stress is reduced. In this water energy

season, Aquarius is an air sign and air and water produce rain, or

tears, something we often shed after the panic of an adrenaline rush

subsides.

 

An interesting tea to support the adrenals is one I make by placing

a few sprigs of fresh parsley in a mug and pouring boiling water

over them, covering and steeping for about five minutes before

discarding the herb and drinking. Parsley won't win the Tea Taste of

the Year award, but it is pleasant tasting and yields great

nutrients. Usually people drink a cup or two a day.

 

Parsley stays green all winter, even in northern gardens. I put

sticks in the soil to mark the spot and clear the snow over it so

the parsley stays green, rich with minerals. Others plant parsley in

a pot inside or buy fresh bunches at the grocery store. Fresh

organic parsley is best due to the higher mineral content.

Licorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra, also benefits the adrenals and is

available in many forms. It has high sugar content and those with

blood sugar concerns would be wise to discuss it with someone

knowledgeable about herbs or research it thoroughly. Licorice lovers

should seek a balance with potassium rich herbs, as licorice may

help potassium leave the body.

 

Potassium/sodium and calcium/ magnesium are electrolytes and must be

in balance in the body. The typical American diet has more sodium

than potassium so most health conscious people make sure they take

potassium rich herbs, such as celery, parsley, lemongrass, dulse or

peppermint (see tea recipe).

 

Many women move into Change of Life with exhausted adrenals.

Adrenals take over estrogen production when the ovaries complete

their life work, so frequent nourishing of the adrenals with parsley

or licorice may be helpful in providing food to the adrenals. I

always have some on hand and occasionally take it just to keep

adrenal exhaustion at bay, especially in stressful times. Had I to

do it over, I would have spent my forties nourishing the adrenals

once or twice a year for a month or so.

 

Water Energy Season: Reproductive Organs

The last system of the water energy season is the reproductive

system, usually focused on in Pisces (itself a water sign),

beginning right after Saint Valentine's Day (19 February to 20

March). Nourishing the body in watery Pisces assists the body to

keep itself moist inside. Moistening and silica-rich red raspberry

leaf, Rubus ideaus, is an herb women can take from the day they

become a woman through their last day on earth, even during

pregnancy. It assists the reproductive organs rebuild and balance.

It is a fine herb for men as well, as they also need silica.

 

Today a man called to thank me so much for educating him about

silica, calcium and magnesium. His concern was a sluggish colon and

within a week of starting those herbs, his moving experiences were

much grander, much easier and he felt lighter and more clear. A

miracle thought he. A mineral deficiency thought I. We are so

overfed and undernourished. Herb nourishment preventing problems

once again.

 

When men reach 25 or so, some target Pisces every year to add saw

palmetto berries and pygeum to their diets, usually in extract or

capsule form. The herbs assist the reproductive system, the prostate

in particular, to stay in balance. The entire reproductive system

for both men and women is in close proximity to the colon so that

colon cleansing can also be helpful for the reproductive system.

Various blood cleansers also assist the reproductive system. Yellow

dock seems most helpful in the lower torso area, so people cleansing

the reproductive system or any of these water season lower torso

area organs choose yellow dock in capsules. Yarrow, Achillea

millefolium, may also be helpful in blood and internal cleansing.

 

Since so many women are nearing or are in the Change of Life cycle,

wild yam, Dioscorea villosa, is important to mention as it is a

source of phyto-progesterone. No plants produce hormones; however,

they produce substances that act as hormones do in our systems,

without negative side effects. Wild yam produces a substance that

acts the way progesterone does in the body. The cream of wild yam is

helpful for easing many concerns during this cycle, including heat

and bloating. It is critical to use wild yam as a cream, as research

has revealed that the nutrients in needed by women are ruined during

the digestion process of wild yam. Absorbed directly into the

bloodstream through the skin, the substances in wild yam assist the

body well.

 

Timing

A few questions I received in response to the last article regarded

timing. Thank you so much for your inquiries. Surely it is possible

to cleanse any organ or system at any time of the year. However,

this more harmonious path to cleansing and restoring works with the

organs when they are naturally cleansing, easing the body stress of

cleansing. Information presented this way seeks to assist people to

move away from the allopathic disease-and-cure mindset to a health

oriented preventative build-and-cleanse mindset.

 

I trust these herbal ideas, many from my grandmother, add pleasing

and stress-free notes and aromas to this winter quarter and water

season of the year. Blessings on your path.

 

Herbal Recipes

Stress Free Herbal Bath Sachet

1/3 c. German chamomile flowers

1/2 c. lavender florets

1/2c. thyme leaves

1/2c. lemon grass leaves

1/4c. peppermint or pennyroyal leaves

Mix all dried herb leaves and flowers. Store in tightly

sealed glass container. For bath, take about a half cup

herb mix, place in muslin bag or one of grandmother's

handkerchiefs, which may stain a bit blue. Hang under

tap or place in tub, run hot water first, adding cold when

needed. Remove before soap is added and dry to use

twice more. I hang it on the sink faucet to dry.

 

Scrumptious Stovetop Potpourri

1/4 c. whole cloves

1/4c. cinnamon chips

1/4c. allspice berries

1/4c. whole rosehips

1/4c. orange peel

1/4c. balsam leaves

handful bay laurel leaves

1 TBS. or so cardamom seeds

Store dried herbs in tightly sealed glass container.

Take 1 TBS or more and put into nearly full teakettle

(top off) or pan and bring to boil on stove. Reduce

heat and simmer at least 20 minutes to fragrance the

home. I put on an oven mitt and walk the steaming

kettle through the house for faster fragrance. Put on

a timer so the pot does not boil dry.

 

Elizabeth's SereniTea

1 c. German chamomile

1/2 c. lemongrass leaves

1/4c. peppermint leaves

1/4c. hibiscus flowers

2 TBS. Mixed orange/lemon peel

Swizzle with a cinnamon stick

Steep in a covered mug or pot for 5-10 minutes.

 

 

© 2003 Barbara ET Douglass

 

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