Hi First name / herb angel,
Happy Taurus season! This week I'd like to offer a few ways herbs can support us in renewing our spirit & psyches. I find it integral to my own livelihood as a Black femme waking up every day to Amerikkka's astrocities. Ghosts of burn out, hopelessness, feeling stuck & terrified to leave home, grief, & sorrow pay visits & haunt the spirit. Embodying these emotions are beyond valid & reasonable responses, I remind myself. My hope is that we honor what comes up for us & consider offering our psyche & spirit a sense of renewal however possible. A breath of fresh air, some medicine.
The element Water washes over us, softens hard edges, holds us as we float, hydrates our tissues from the inside out, restores memory, & wakes our nervous system with it's temperature changes.
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Hydrate
So first things first, is drinking a large glass of water. Speak love into your water & hydrate my friend. You deserve it. Go grab a glass before finishing this newsletter.
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Tea Infusion
Water is also a beautiful medium for herbs. Infusing our water with herbs is a way to deliver the medicine of plants to our bodies & whole selves while we hydrate. When I need to be held, I choose herbs that are nutrient & mineral rich. I choose herbs that are food-like & tonic in nature. These are herbs that are often cooked with &/or can be safely taken regularly, over time. These are herbs that have a nourishing & a building effect over time. Oat straw for example, the dried straw of Avena sativa, delivers an abundance of minerals & nutrients to the body. It's commonly used in pregnancy blends (herbal prenatal!), mental health management, & it's seed, oatmeal, is a staple food source. Just about anyone can benefit from the Oat plant & standing in a far stretching field of it in summer time is a reminder of it's plenitude & far reaching nourishment.
To make an oat straw infusion, add a few pinches to the bottom of a glass jar. Then fill the jar with hot water & cover with a lid. Intuitive measurements are best here & you can't really go wrong with this herb! Allow your infusion to steep for at least thirty minutes. The longer you steep, the richer your infusion. I let my oat straw infusions go overnight & allow myself to sink into a rush free pace before sipping begins. When you decide it's ready, strain & enjoy. You can sweeten with honey, agave, or maple syrup if you'd like.
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Herbal Bath
My love, it's a great time to get your spiritual bath on. Allow water to hold you as it draws the properties of plants into itself & transports them to your spirit as you submerge. Mm, what a gift of time travel & memory restoration. Much like preparing an infusion of oat straw for tea, you can prepare a larger pot of an infused herb to bathe in. I currently have a pot full of water & some intuitive handfuls of Lemon Balm & Motherwort on my stove. They've been steeping over night & I'll strain the liquid into my bath this evening. Lemon Balm has an affinity for the nervous system. It is slightly cooling, relaxing, & soothing, while also uplifting to one's mood. I think the uplifting action has a lot to do with it's aromatic properties. Have you smelled her recently? Divine! Not to mention, it's latin name, Melissa, translates to honey cause the bees love it (*insert the bottom lip bite everyone is doing on tik tok here). Motherwort has a calming & stabilizing affect on the circulatory system. It's used for panic, nervousness, & heart palpitations. It really centers me in the Mint Condition blend & feels like a nurturing heart hug. It's latin name, Leonurus cardiaca, means lion-heart which speaks to the fierce love offered by this plant. Enjoy your full body plant soak love.
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Infused Oil
Sometimes we need a little more lubrication & a thicker barrier when working with herbs. To deeply moisturize, protect, & feed we need a thicker medium. Here's where oils come into the picture. You can infuse an oil with herbs, much like you would water for tea or a bath. The oil you choose to infuse with is your carrier oil, because it delivers the plant properties to your system via your skin. My favorite oil for herbal infusions is olive oil. It's such a rich food source & our skin readily absorbs it. You could also use almond, avocado, or jojoba oil.
For a skin & deep tissue renewal, fill a jar with some dried Comfrey leaf & cover with olive oil. Close the jar with a lid & place in a warm, sunny spot. The warmth from the sun will help to extract the Comfrey into the oil. You may want to drape a piece of fabric over the entire jar to prevent damage from direct sunlight. Shake every few days & after a month or so, you can strain the oil with cheesecloth or a strainer. You can use this oil in massage or as a base to go on and make a salve. Comfrey speeds healing & has an affinity for the skin. Be sure not to use internally or on open wounds.
"Rest & replenish so your experiences can take root."
-Latisha Guthrie from the Herbcrafter's Tarot re Comfrey, 10 of Fire
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