Traditional Chinese Medicine calls night sweats and hot flashes empty fire because there is little to no earth to support the blaze of those menopausal experiences. It’s kind of like the whole foundation has just fallen out of your world, but your belly is going to burn on anyway. Personally, I think that’s an apt description of the perimenopausal experience, don’t you?
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Part of the power in perimenopause is the change it brings. Although it can feel darn draining and disorienting, all that transformative energy can move you to new spiritual, emotional, and psychological planes. I’m thankful for these practices can make that transition more comfortable and deeply fulfilling.
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Flooding can feel like adding insult to injury. Between Hot Flashes and Night Sweats, Spontaneous...
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Let’s face it, menopause is every bit as big a change as was our first periods. Just like we needed time alone back then to sort out all the new emotions and ideas that arose when we first started to bleed, we who are at the other end of the fertility ride need time and space to make sense of ourselves all over again. Finding a Room of One’s Own shouldn’t be a fantasy, nor should it be the first step toward oblivion…
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Perimenopausal anxiety and panic attacks are a normal part of the menopausal journey. For some us, they’ll be more frequent or intense than for others. Although a detour around Anxiety Town may not be in the cards, the trip doesn’t have to dominate our experience. These natural remedies are a terrific way to ease the ride.
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The key, as far as modern science is concerned, may lay within a chemical structure known as Withanolides. Ashwagandha roots and berries are filled with withanolides.. Traditionally, both have been used as daily tonics, but Ashwagandha roots have always been considered the primary source for good Ashwagandha medicine. Modern researchers have backed this wisdom by showing that Ashwagandha roots, as opposed to the berries or any other part of the plant, contain a very high percentage of withanolides.
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There is one that I truly believe encompasses the word balance. Allow me to introduce you to Ashwagandha. Hailing from the rich healing cultures of India and Africa, Ashwagandha has been used for thousands, literally thousands of years. This gorgeous perennial shrub grows deep roots and fuzzy little leaves. The entirety of the plant can be used for magic and medicine. From root to flower, Ashwagandha is packed with healing.
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In my home, we celebrate Dinner with the Dead each Halloween. Our feast includes Ancestors from...
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Meadowsweet, aka Filipendula ulmaria, has a long history among those who doctor or assist in healing, including Mom’s through the ages. Part of the beauty this stately shrub brings to the stage is an ability to help the body detoxify and alkalize, soothe and tone, and perhaps most especially relieve pain.
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Meadowsweet is a gorgeous flowering shrub that grows in damp areas like swamps and the woods. It grows tiny toothy leaves and happy colorful flowers. It was used by our European and east Asian ancestors as a painkiller and gut soother. So it should not surprise you to learn it’s the base of our modern analgesic aspirin! In the early to mid-1800s scientists and medicine-men were seeking a remedy for anything from the common flu to the plague ,and that’s when they found our friend Meadowsweet to be effective.
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The wonderful thing about using plants for both magic and medicine is the more you work with an herb or a flower, the more in-tune you get with its energy. Perhaps you’ve only heard of rose geranium or noticed its name on the ingredients list of your favorite all-natural facial product–but as you intentionally get to know the plant, your friendly spirit is met by powerful magic.
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Rose Geranium, Pelargonium spp,, is one of herbalism’s sweetest home remedies in large part because it does smell so sweet. Historically, rose geranium has been used for health, beauty, cooking, gardening, and housekeeping. The core piece all uses share is the uplifting and relaxing aspects Rose Geranium offers…
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I love working with Geranium essential oil, although I am sensitive. For me, Geranium can...
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Umckaloabo sounds like a wonderfully silly remedy you might find in a child's apothecary, right...
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Mycellium pack a ton of nutrition and medicine into their fruiting bodies or Mushrooms. Most of us are used to and absolutely comfortable with a few mushrooms on or pizza or added to stir-fry, but we don’t often think of those as particularly medicinal. The real medicine comes from the stuff that tastes bitter and earthy, like Reishi or Turkey Tail, right?
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