Even though it still seems like summer, fall's cool air is just around the corner. Many of us have a propensity to claim that fall just "snuck up" on us. Herbs that smooth the transition between the warmer and cooler months can be useful because weather patterns can occasionally be surprising. The transition from summer to fall will feel more gradual the more supporting herbs we use while these changes take hold. Discover some of the ways that herbs can ease the change from summer to fall in the following paragraphs.
The only season in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that is split into "early" and "late," each with its own associated element, is summer. The fire element is associated with early summer, the earth element with late summer, and the metal element with fall.
In this essay, we won't delve further into the symbolism of these elements, but keeping them in mind might help us distinguish between seasonal shifts energetically. The early summer's scorching and flaming days give way to the late summer's slow-moving and earthy days and the crisp, "metal" days of October.
You can stay grounded through all of the changes that can happen throughout seasonal transitions by maintaining a regular, daily herbal regimen. Such routines do not need to be intricate or protracted. These can actually be as easy as making a herbal tea or purposefully taking a herbal tincture every day. Following a straightforward herbal routine like this one will help you remain stable during all of the changes that seasonal changes may bring.
1. Oats (Avena sativa) (Avena sativa)
Using herbs that support and regulate the nervous system is essential to easing the transition from the warmer days of summer to the cooler days of fall. The herb oats, which includes milky oats as well as oatstraw, is excellent for restoring frazzled nerves and reducing anxiety (Holmes, 1989).
Consider the times in your life when transitions were the simplest: even if everything was changing at once, you felt in control and met each obstacle head-on with elegance. When we function out of our parasympathetic nervous system ("rest and digest") instead of our sympathetic nervous system ("fight or flight"), we may respond to large changes instead of reacting.
By letting our parasympathetic nervous system take over, using nervine herbs like oats everyday can help you move from summer to fall gently. When the cold fronts of fall arrive this year, you can feel that feeling of grace and ease because oats work as a nervous system trophorestorative, or a herb that helps fortify and repair the nervous system (Holmes, 1989).
Two excellent herbal rituals to use during times of seasonal transition are fresh milky oats tincture and an overnight infusion of oatstraw.
Hawthorne 2. (Crataegus spp.)
Emotions frequently run high with any type of seasonal shift, and the energy surrounding the heart may feel more strained than usual. Hawthorn is a beneficial plant that can assist you in making the transition from summer to fall by enhancing the cardiovascular system as a whole and establishing safeguards for the emotional energies of the heart (Bergner, 2012).
Being a direct stressor, the arrival of colder weather causes our bodies to react by tightening and constricting the body's muscles in an effort to stay warm. Blood pressure and blood clotting can both rise in colder weather. Hawthorn can improve blood flow to the heart and strengthen the cardiac muscles itself without raising blood pressure (Holmes, 1989).
Hawthorn leaf, flower, or berry can be used to make a daily tincture or tea that tones the heart. Hawthorn berries can also be used to make a wonderful herbal honey.
Ginger 3. (Zingiber officinale)
After the long, sunny days of summer, our bodies may experience shock when the first cold days of fall arrive. Our bodies' muscles may "tighten up" in response, causing unintentional congestion in the circulatory system. The best circulatory stimulant, ginger, is frequently used to get blood flowing efficiently throughout the body and avoid stagnation (Holmes, 1989).
Ginger is regarded as a warm to hot herb energetically (fresh ginger is more on the warming end and dried ginger is hotter). Ginger, a diaphoretic plant, clears the common signs of an environmental cold while also warming the body's surface (Holmes, 1989).
Feeling under the weather is a typical symptom connected with the transition from summer to fall because abrupt temperature changes force us to spend more time indoors and encourage the spread of common cold viruses. Ginger supports this by boosting the immune system and generally warding off illnesses (Holmes, 1989).
During the transition to cooler days, you can add both ginger tea and ginger-infused syrup as lovely daily herbal rituals.
4. Burdock (Arctium lappa)
Although the beginning of spring is frequently recommended as the finest time of year to invigorate the body and cleanse stagnant energy utilizing liver cleansing herbs, we can actually benefit from these herbs at any time of year, including the transition from summer to fall.
Burdock is regarded as an adaptogenic plant that supports the health of the liver and skin in particular (Hoffmann, 2003). Burdock root's bitter taste encourages the flow of digestive juices, which helps to promote easy digestion and bowel motions.
By restoring the body to a state of balanced health, the herb burdock root can assist you in making the transition from summer to fall (Hoffmann, 2003). As the skin starts to clear up after using burdock consistently for a while, you are probably heading in the direction of more balance because skin problems are among the key markers of systemic imbalance.
Burdock root can be used regularly to help seasonal transitions by including it in your herbal bitters recipe. Burdock root can also be cooked and eaten raw since it is best picked in the fall.
5. Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum)
Using moderate adaptogens like tulsi can be quite beneficial because colder temperatures can cause our body's stress response to intensify. Via regulating several bodily systems, adaptogenic herbs aid in the support of a balanced stress response.
When faced with problems brought on by seasonal changes, tulsi works in tandem with nervine restorative herbs like oats to keep us in our "rest and digest" condition. For those who experience guardedness or cloudiness during seasonal transitions, tulsi is traditionally used to expand the heart and mind to enable clarity and receptivity into the body (Lad & Frawley, 1986).
The last few sweltering days of summer can be made easier by tulsi's gentle cooling effect, which is especially effective when consumed with ice. You can take advantage of tulsi's energizing vital stimulating effects by using a tincture of it.
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