Emerging From Winter With Herbs

This post is part of an herbal blog party hosted by Karen at Acupuncture Brooklyn.

Tucson winters are very mild, so I haven’t really had to spend much energy emerging from them in the past seven years. This in contrast to Wisconsin winters that seem to never end. However, one of my farmers told me a week ago that the horned larks have returned to their prairie haunts, which is one of the first harbingers of spring. I guess it is coming after all! Some say that six weeks after the horned larks return, the winter weather will break. It wouldn’t be a week too soon. And though I do not yet know when the sap normally rises in the trees, I’m definitely keeping an eye out.

Winter runs pretty late in Wisconsin. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. A farmer I met told me that it used to warm up in April, but for the past couple of years, it then freezes again and doesn’t really warm up until May. Having a real winter–the kind where you’re chilled to the bone–is still a bit of a foreign concept to me after spending so much time living in a bioregion where you can garden year round. And the thought of false warm spurts makes me a bit nervous. So the herbs I choose to use at this time of year are not so much liver cleansing ones, but adaptogens. I will also continue cooking with great root vegetables like burdock which are also very healing, while slowly adding more raw salads, fruit and chicken into my diet and eating less beef and warming, starchy soups.

My top three adaptogens for this time are as follows.

• Tulsi, or Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum)

This is very different from basil used in pesto (Ocimum basilicum), and is revered in India for its many healing properties. Tulsi is a great adaptogen, acting as an immunomodulator and reducing the intensity of stress. It is also rich in antioxidants. But none of this information does the magical plant justice. It just takes the edge off a frantic mindest. Sitting down to a cup of tulsi tea reminds me that everything’s going to be okay.

• Maca (Lepidium meyenii)

Maca root is an awesome adaptogen, rebuilding a weak immune system and helping nourish the body. It does increase energy and stamina, but not in a destabilizing way like rhodiola. I find maca particularly grounding when I’m feeling spacey. The powdered root can be blended into a smoothie.

• Ashwaganda (Withania somnifera)

I like this plant in very small doses–just a bit of powder in some milk is enough for me. It is strengthening, but also calming, and very useful for countering fatigue that often accompanies the restlessness that comes with the turn of the seasons from winter to spring. (I also use homeopathic cocculus for the same reason).

Other than adaptogens, most herbs that I use at this time are for staving off colds brought on by the changing of the seasons. Vitamin C (in the form of powdered mineral ascorbates) is always useful, and I usually buy unsweetened packets of emergen-C, adding my own honey to the mix. But goji berries are also high in vitamin C, as is Draksha, an Ayurvedic medicinal wine. Draksha helps strengthen the digestive system and gently detoxify the intestines while improving digestive fire. Amla is also a great rasayana (jam) high in vitamin C, and it helps with immunity and balancing the body’s equilibrium.

There are numerous homeopathic remedies for colds., but ferrum phos is one of my go-to ones because it is indicated for the first stage of any inflammatory process. I like using the tissue salts in a 6x potency.

Nasal irrigation is always helpful for colds, but I’ve only had bad experiences with a neti pot and stick to a Nasaline syringe, which makes it easy to control the pressure of the warm salt water. I’ve posted a video for reference.

What do you do to emerge from winter and transition into spring? Feel free to share in the comments.