Moving into spring: Cleanse and Vitalize

1. Now as the snow is leaving and the plants will soon emerge is the perfect time to clean house otherwise known as detoxification. herbs are a great supportive adjunct or primary tool for any degree of detox program.

In chinese medicine this is the season of the liver so herbs like Dandelion Root, Burdock Root and Yellow Dock root make a wonderful trio to add to your daily routine. Any of them are good and I love them together to move bile, open the bowels with laxatives, and lighten the burden of heavy winter eating on the liver.

If rather than stuck or heavy you just feel tired or played out from illness or hard winter work, with the snow and woodstove maintenace,you might want to recharge the body and mind with vitality soup.
Get some marrow bones and a crock pot and add some Astragalus, eleuthero, medicinal mushrooms like Reishi or Maitake, Burdock, Codonopsis, etc. (see the premixed herb packet offered from Blue Crow Botanicals)
Add water and cook for 3 days. then you can freeze some and have 1/2 vup to 1 cup warmed up every day like a vitalizing soup. Gently and firmly boosts the immunity and energy.

This is a great time to also include warm lemonade, or turmeric drinks to move the liver energy and lighten things up. A freshsqueezed vegetable or some fruit juice or a green drink will help us adjust and expand into the emergent energy of spring. Also, including some sprouts in a salad! Beets are my favorite way to get things moving, grated raw on a salad or boiled plain or with a dressing, or roasted. Beets definitely get sluggish bowels to move.

If allergies arise for you in the springtime, support the immune system with the vitality soup or use Reishi in particular. Reishi is quite woody and bitter so it does not make lovely tea but as an extract it is reliable and also has a calming effect on the spirit. Extra Vitamin C and using some supplements like quercitin and freeze dried nettles also support our ability to stem the histamine response that substances we are allergic to create.

spring is a great time for a tune -up, short fast, a cleanse, a lighter diet, herbal support, get more exercise out doors and let the rising energy of spring enter and fill you up. Pretty soon, the nettles will be up to eat along with the dandelion greens, Keep your eyes out for them. next post will talk about how to cook and eat them.