Lately I have been operating on the principle of using medicinal plants at the time they are in flower, on the theory that humans evolved in tandem with the plants.
Our forebears would’ve been attracted to flowering plants, so our bodies would have adapted to consuming those plants at specific seasons. We dry and tincture herbs so we may use them at any time of the year, as needed, but some plants are ideally consumed in season as general tonics for the purpose of helping the body adapt to climate changes.
Thus, in mid-spring, the body needs to throw off the heat stored in winter as protection against the cold. The blood has to thin, and mucus has to change consistency. Speedwell, a plant with opposite, mint-like leaves, oval stems, and pretty little four-petalled blue flowers, was historically used as an alterative, an herb that helps the body adapt to seasonal changes. It is not commonly used today, but last year, I tinctured the plant in flower, since it is too bitter to eat or use for tea. This year, I took the tincture around the time the plant was flowering.
Could that be why I didn’t get my usual spring cold? Of course, there were many plants flowering in spring, but I picked an alterative that I was particularly drawn to.
Summer is a good time to work with yarrow, an especial love of mine, known for its cooling and decongesting properties, which seem appropriate for hot weather.
In fall, when the body needs to make a transition toward cold weather, I try to eat burdock root. Although the plant flowers in summer, our ancestors, perhaps observing the root-digging bears, would have discovered that burdock is sweetest in fall, when its alterative properties are also strongest.
Tea made of pine needles or hemlock needles is ideal in winter, when the antiseptic properties of evergreen oils help to ward off colds.
Using plants seasonally to enhance overall health is not only beneficial to the body but connects us more deeply to the cycle of the seasons and the wisdom of nature.
