Spring is upon us and the energy in the air is electric. You can just feel the awakening of nature before your eyes, flowers blooming, animals birthing, couples glowing! I love spring, it’s a time of spiritual renewal and cleansing. And, having a partner who is a scorpio, it’s very much a time of “rebirth”.
In chinese medicine each season represents an organ of the body. Not so suprising then that each season nature also gifts us wild herbs and medicinal plants that offer up cleansing properties to align with these seasons. You may even find you have some of these plants in your own backyard.
Spring is liver season, the liver is responsible for an array of functions including processing excess hormones, filtering all of the bodys blood 20 times per day, breaking down fats, and Vitamin storage. Liver cleansing herbs and plants are springing up everywhere. The other day Caleb and I went on a magical nettle picking adventure with our new friend Yarrow from HarmonicArts.ca which he and his wife built and run together. We hiked the forest, climbed a waterfall, and finished our quest by greeting and picking fresh wild nettles that spoke to us as we were exiting the forest trail at dusk.
It’s possible that you’ve had an encounter or two with nettles in the past, and you might have even done your best up until now to avoid them for fear of the sting! But did you know that wild stinging nettles are safe to eat? Containing a myriad of nutrients, they serve as an excellent spring tonic and gently stimulate the lymphatic system and flush excess waste from the kidneys. They can be eaten raw, juiced or used in raw food recipes, but you can also enhance their healing and cleansing properties by lightly steaming them first.
Here are a few Nettle nutrient facts:
1. Rich in Iron, nettles are a wonderful blood builder
2. Nettles are high in Vitamin C which aids the bodys ability to absorb the Iron
3. They’re high in Vitamin K which can be used to help ease labour pains and even increase milk production in lactating mothers.
4. Stinging nettle can also be used for PMS symptoms because they rid toxins from the body and help cleanse the liver. When the liver is tired, it processes estrogen slower resulting in higher estrogen levels in the body that can cause and aggravate PMS.
5. Nettles cleanse the body of metabolic waste, revitalizing and restoring your energy and preparing you for the spring season.
6. Nettles act as a natural anti-histamine, decongestant and have anti-rheumatic properties.
Liver Cleansing Nettle Tea Recipe
2 tablespoons of Stinging Nettle Leaves
2 tablespoons of Dandelion Leaves
1 tablespoon of Spearmint
1 tablespoon of Burdock Root
Directions: Steep in hot water and enjoy up to 3 times
per day while you’re cleansing.
Nettle Miso Soup Recipe:
4-5 cups of water
4-5 tbsp. sprouted chickpea miso
1/2 cup mixed mushrooms (shitake, maitake,
trumpets etc.)
1-2 cups fresh nettles.
Directions: Wash your mushrooms, set aside.
Bring your water to a gentle boil, add in mushrooms
and miso, stir. At the very end, sprinkle
in your nettles and let stand for 1-2 minutes
and enjoy.
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