Herb Spotlight: Hawthorn

What is your daily tea ritual looking like as we move through March? For me, I love including specific herbs to my tea rituals. I select them based on the season as well as what I feel needs support in my life. Even though it’s still cold out, the lengthening days signal to me that it’s time to start a slow shift from the warming herbs to ones that support me as spring approaches.

This herb is a favorite of mine and ties in with last month’s Valentine’s Day since it’s a heart herb. It’s in the rose family and once you start to explore Hawthorn, you can see so many similarities with the rose and why it’s such a great herb to include when supporting your heart, physically or energetically.

Image by jhenning from Pixabay 

Hawthorn is a tree or shrub with many sharp thorns along its branches. In May, delicate white to pinkish flower clusters bloom. This descriptor sounds so much like the rose! Embodying the opposites: strong yet delicate. Resilient. Protective.

You’ll find red berries in the fall. In ancient lore and legend, the hawthorn was seen as the embodiment of the triple goddess: maiden, mother, and crone. The flowers are seen as the maiden aspect and popular in May Day/Beltane festivals. The berries are the mother aspect. The crone is seen in the thorns.

The hawthorn is one of the first trees to repopulate an area as well as will grow and thrive in a multitude of environments. I love that adaptability aspect of hawthorn and feel it is one of its energetic qualities that it imparts when we use it.

Part of the lore around hawthorn concerning the crone aspect is the challenges it presents. Think quests, hero/heroine journeys and the like. Challenging us to bring forth inner power in times when we struggle to do so. (Sounds so very needed now!) It’s about being more fully yourself, strengthening who you are, locating that self deep within and connecting to who you are. The thorns on the tree are both protective and about setting boundaries.

Hawthorn is a calming nervine. It soothes the nervous system while nourishing it. Hawthorn is recommended usually when someone is feeling sadness, grief, loss, or vulnerable. Hawthorn allows us to soften in a way that supports us through these emotions. It will not remove them, rather hawthorn creates a safe space to feel and release them.

You may be familiar with Hawthorn as a heart herb. As in, physically supporting your heart and its functions. This use of hawthorn is very common as it provides great support to the cardiac system of the body. The German Commission E (the German equivalent to our FDA) has approved use the of hawthorn leaf and flower for decreased cardiac output. Hawthorn’s physical effects on the body are seen in the dilation of the arteries and veins to help blood flow by inhibiting the enzymes that cause constriction. It also strengthens the heart muscle creating an environment that improves mechanics.

Image by glacika56 from Pixabay 

The physical and energetic benefits of hawthorn are what I love about the herb and why I included it in two of my teas. You can find the leaf and flower in Serenity Meadows along with tulsi and fennel seeds. The combination creates this refreshing tisane that helps to increase circulation, providing a caffeine-free pick-me-up. The berries (which are not sweet like strawberries or raspberries) are included in Goddess Wisdom Tea. The earthy, slightly bitter white tea blend is inspired by the Mnemosyne and includes herbal allies for memory and brain function.

Herb Spotlight: Rose

It’s Valentine’s Day and I hope you made some time to share the love with your loved ones and with yourself. When thinking about what I wanted to write about, I totally ended up going down a rabbit hole. 😊

I researched the history of the day wanting to see how we can tie our herbs into the celebrations. I realized it has come a long way from its early celebrations to what it is now. The evolution from Roman fertility festivals to 5th century Catholic saints day to the 17th-18th century English practice of exchanging small tokens of affection and cards to the present day celebrations. It was really fascinating to read about the changes and how older mythologies, practices, and observations have shaped the day as we know it.

From the roses to chocolates given, herbs play a role in our celebrations. The day has become a celebration of love and February is American Heart Month and I thought in tonight’s email it would be fitting to bring you an herb synonymous to the day that is also great for the heart. Steep a gentle cup of tea and enjoy.

Image by pasja1000 from Pixabay 

Rose

A “tender hug from a friend.” * I love how that describes rose so well. Perhaps that is why the rose is such a popular flower to gift. Roses embody love, longing, innocence as well as sexual allure. They can be chaste or wanton. Delicate yet protective. Brave. It often symbolizes romance, love, and femininity in story, song, and gifting.

Often called the “Queen of Flowers,” they are delicate in their blooms and their vulnerabilities to pests and disease. Yet try to trim one and you realize it’s not time to daydream! Their protective thorns remind you to be in the present, to take care.

As herbal medicine, the rose is medicine for the heart. It is a gentle nervine, meaning it supports your nervous system. Often used in situations like fatigue, anxiety, menstrual flow concerns, heartache, and grief.

In terms of fatigue, heartache and grief, it is used to release stuck energy. It allows us to soften and feel into things. This means that emotions will come up, yet the flow rose creates allows us to see things with clarity. This flow and softening is how it helps the heart.

I feel like as it softens us, it asks us to take care of ourselves at the deep level where no one else sees. Rose calls us to protect that core of self while also being open to the world. We can be like the rose, vulnerable and delicate yet resilient and adaptable.

You can use rose buds, flower petals, leaves, twigs, and the hips. Each part of the rose has many vitamins and nutrients. Most notably, vitamin C and that’s what is so appealing about the rose hips. Whether it is in tea, honey, jams, or other preparations, a more fragrant variety will be more enjoyable.

When reading about the benefits of rose, know that wild roses are being referenced, but non-sprayed cultivated roses have the same benefits too!

Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay 

The rose family is so large that you may be enjoying one of its cousins without even realizing it! Are you a part of my Sunday Evening Ritual email list? This is just a sample of what I write twice a month. Be sure to sign up and be a part of this twice monthly ritual (there will be an occasional promotional email in between but I try to focus mainly on these twice monthly emails).

---

* “tender hug from a friend” quoted from The Herbal Academy’s article- https://theherbalacademy.com/heart-happy-herbs-for-valentines-day/