Herbal Tea for Grief, Love and Letting Go
Learn from Clinical Herbalist Laura Rubin about how our organs are intricately tied to emotions and amazing herbs that promote healing!
A Nurturing Winter Remedy
Winter often envelops us in its cold embrace, a season that can feel harsh and overwhelming. Now is the time to embrace your softer moments! As nature slows down, we are reminded to pause and reflect.
What can you shed? Where can you lean into? How can you be more easeful and attracting positive energy rather than grasping or burning out to create energy?
In this time of introspection, herbalism offers a gentle, nurturing path toward emotional healing. As a trained clinical herbalist and gut health coach, I believe that the soothing power of herbal tea can be a profound ally in our journey of grief, love, and letting go.
How Your Organs are mapped to Your Emotions
Herbal remedies have been used for thousands of years to promote healing and support our emotions. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) demonstrates a deep understanding of the body's emotional landscapes. According to TCM, our organs are intricately linked to feelins: the lungs are tied to grief, the liver to anger, and the heart to love and jealousy. By nurturing these organs through herbal remedies, we can foster emotional balance and healing.
A Simple Herbal Tea Blend for your Lungs, Heart and Soul
When crafting a tea for grief and love, consider a blend of ingredients that resonate with the lungs, liver and heart. Here's a special formula, which you can learn about in the video above - and more detail below!
Dandelion Root (Taraxacum officinale)
This is a supreme liver cleanser, and an excellent herb to support proper flow of digestion and immunity. Dandelions often grow in gravel and rocks, being a very hardy herb. The word comes from the french term “dents de lion” meaning lion’s teeth. It helps us process anger, have courage and let go!
Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
Mullein is an incredible herb for lung health. The broad, soft fuzzy leaves of this plant represent the softness when feeling inflammation or a deep cough. The branching patterns in the leaf almost look like bronchial tubes.
Mullein supports grief and letting go. It brings more expansiveness to the breath. Its beautiful yellow flowers can be thought of as sunshine, or light amid darkness!
Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)
The botanical name for Motherwort means “lion-hearted” and this is indeed an herb that promotes courage. It’s often indicated for the caregiver or person who is very nurturing, for example a young mother. It’s great if you feel like you give and give from your well and you need someone to nurture you, to help mother you.
Some herbalists (including myself) find that when you take a motherwort tincture, it can instantly promote a sense of giddy joy or even laughter and warmth.
Motherwort is excellent for cardiovascular health, soothing the nervous system and promoting a sense of brightness.
Cacao (Theobroma cacao)
Growing abundantly in Central and South America, cacao is a goddess plant that opens the heart chakra, promotes self-love and love in relationships. As an aphordesiac, it allows us to soften when we feel tension and transform that into pleasure.
The green leaves on the cacao tree will turn pink - a doctrine of signature (or sign) that this is a remedy for the heart. It also allevaites pain and is powerful for circulation!
Lavender (Lavandula spp)
Lavender is one of the most universally adored herbs, enjoyed for thousands of years across the globe. It can be enjoyed as a tea, essential oil, powder, in skin and haircare products, and even cleaning products.
Its antimicrobial actions are also beneficial for cleansing. In fact, the word derives from the latin verb “lavare” meaning to wash.
Lavender is heavenly for stress and nervous tension. One of the many active constituents, linalool, helps decrease anxiety and has antinociceptive actions, meaning it’s protective against toxic stimuli, like chemicals, mechanical injury and extreme changes in temperature. It is also great as aromatherapy as an essential oil, added into bath salts, as a hydrosol, tea, tincture, or flower essence.
How to Make an Herbal Tea for Grief, Love and Letting Go
Brewing Instructions: Combine equal parts of all of these herbs (about 1 tsp), except for lavender where you add in just a pinch because it has a very strong flavor profile and it can overpower the taste if you mix in equl parts.
Steep the herbal tea blend in 8 oz hot water for 7-10 minutes. Strain and enjoy this hug in a glass, allowing its essence to nurture your heart and soul.
Embracing Your Softer Moments
Engaging with herbalism can help us navigate these feelings with grace.
While sipping your calming tea, take a moment to reflect and indulge in your senses around you. You might spot small joys around you: the stillness of freshly fallen snow, light a candle and feel its warm glow, or put on music and flow with sweet tunes. These softer moments can provide light amidst darkness.
Herbalism as a Loving Reminder
As we traverse the winter months, we must remember to honor our emotions. Grief, love, and letting go are interconnected experiences that shape our journey through life. With the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the healing power of herbal tea, we can find balance and embrace the seasonal shift.
Let this winter be a time of nurturing your heart and soul through herbalism. Pour yourself a comforting cup of tea, breathe deeply, and allow the essence of the plants to guide you on your path toward healing and renewal.