Table of Contents
By Kat Maier
Every season has its medicine—joyful moments that stir our emotions and spirit. There is nothing more exhilarating than watching the first bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) offer its leaves furled like praying hands rising through newly thawed soil.
Perhaps you relish those long sultry days of summer when even after the workday ends, you have many daylight hours left to garden, play, or relax outdoors.
As day length shortens in the fall, deciduous leaves lose their chlorophyll, and the brilliant colors of yellow flavonoids and orange carotenoids become the alchemical magic that makes autumn so comforting. Leaves and daylight hours fall further still, as we enter the winter season with its cold nights. Time to stargaze and incubate our winter dreams while closing in for the season’s hibernation.
By living with these forces, we begin to find our way again to a place so familiar it can startle us with its beauty. The expression of the seasons is another way in which we understand patterns. It was out of necessity that our ancestors learned to read the skies, note changes in the winds, and smell the coming rains. Their lives were inextricably bound to the seasons. Shelter, food, and being in concert with the rhythm of the world around them were a matter of survival.
Today, many of us spend most of our lives in a one-size-fits-all indoor environment. And yet, we suffer more from allergies and asthma than ever before. One exciting and effective way to restore our relationship to the natural environment is through the medicine of seasonal plants.
Seasonal Plants: Summer
The seeds sown in the spring welcome the warmth and light of summer as they become the fruit that is to be harvested. The Nei Ching states: “The three months of summer are called the period of luxurious growth. The breaths of Heaven and Earth intermingle and are beneficial. Everything is in bloom and begins to bear fruit.”
Sunshine and warmth bring about the growth and maturation of what was seeded in the spring, whether in our gardens, bodies, thoughts, or emotions. This season of ripening is the time to bring visions and plans to fruition and is the time to gather with friends and families, nourishing the Heart’s joy.
(Corresponding Organs: Heart/Small Intestine)
Heart
The Heart is the supreme ruler, the emperor, the Organ responsible for seeing clearly and compassionately. The Heart, like the emperor, links Heaven (spirit) with Earth (body) and is said to house the Shen.
Shen is the form of spirit that resides in the Heart that sources joy and enthusiasm. It also governs the mind’s capacity for comprehension, thinking clearly, and remembering. Often when Shen is disturbed it can affect our memories, as well as our sleep and dream state. Disturbed Shen is seen as agitation, fright, and mania, so you can see why this Organ deserves protection.
Small Intestine
The Small Intestine’s main function is to sort pure from impure. Through its transformative capabilities, this yang Organ receives food from the Stomach, sorts the pure and nutritive fluids, and transports them throughout the body. The impure fluids are sent on to the Large Intestine to be cleared from the body.
Energetically, the Small Intestine works out indigestible events, thoughts, and emotions that we absorb daily and transforms what is useful through digestive fire. Tending this Organ also supports the Gallbladder in its decision-making role. Without discernment, it is hard to make a clear choice. I had a dear friend who was generous, warm, beautiful inside and out, yet her choices for partners were always disastrous. A Five Element practitioner treated her Heart/Small Intestine and within three to four months it was as if the veil of discernment lifted.
ENERGETIC MEDICINE
Enjoy Cooling Foods
Cooling foods tend to increase yin or fluids in our bodies, and this is effective to counteract the drying nature of summer heat. Watermelons are one of the best foods for cleansing as well as clearing heat from the system. One time when I had a case of food poisoning following a meal at a barbeque, a friend gave me watermelon to clear toxic heat. I was amazed at how quickly I returned to the land of the living. Coconut water and the meat of coconuts are very cooling.
Harvest as many berries as possible and freeze them for the coming months. Avocados are a cooling addition to recipes because they have the highest monounsaturated fat content of all fruits, and this helps to increase moisture. Spicy peppers can actually cool our bodies by stimulating perspiration and releasing surface heat.
Savor Cooling Herbs
Plants that clear heat and relieve thirst are called refrigerants. Hibiscus flower and leaf (Hibiscus spp) is one of the best. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is so refreshing and a great pairing with some of the more bitter or astringing cooling herbs such as chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla). Most members of the rose family, including apples, lady’s mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris), agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria), and hawthorn (leaf, flower, and berry) (Crataegus spp), are cooling and astringing, and rose petals (Rosa spp) are so beautiful in a summer brew. Mints (Mentha spp) are cooling—think spearmint (M spicata), peppermint (M × piperita) apple mint (M suaveolens), and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis).
Include Digestive Herbs or Enzymes
To support Small Intestine function, look to carminative herbs or digestive tonics such as ginger (Zingiber officinale), rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus), and chamomile. Digestive enzymes stimulate the breakdown of foods in the Small Intestine.
Engage in Social Gatherings
Get together with friends and family to nourish and deepen the joy that keeps all functions of Heart in balance.
Enjoy Time Near the Water
Fire is the summer element, but the Water element experienced from a lake or beach can be meditative and calming—a good antidote for the tendency to be too busy during the summer.
Seasonal Plants: Late Summer
Come late summer, there is a subtle yet palpable shift that occurs at this time of year. In the beginning of August, we sense that the peak of summer is nearing its end. Even though the temperatures haven’t yet begun to cool off, folks may start making comments about how quickly summer flew by or start feeling back-to-school blues.
(Corresponding Organs: Spleen/Stomach)
Spleen
In Western medicine, the spleen is defined as the organ responsible for the removal of old red blood cells and aids in the production of white blood cells. It is like a large lymph node in that it focuses on cleansing the blood and building immunity. In Chinese medicine, the Spleen plays a central role, as it oversees transportation and transformation of nutrients throughout the whole body.
This Organ is a key player in metabolism as it moves vitality, fluids, nutrients, and wastes to where they need to be. It is more akin to the functions of the pancreas in Western medicine, as the pancreas produces and releases digestive enzymes so food can be broken down and assimilated properly.
Healthy Spleen manifests as good appetite, strong digestion, and strong vitality. When the Spleen is not functioning well, there will be bloating, reflux, lack of appetite, poor digestion, obsession, worry, and fatigue.
Warming Bitters Tincture
This formula is specific for warming a damp Spleen condition.
Take 20 to 30 drops of the combined tincture before eating.
Stomach
Aside from the digestion of food, the Stomach helps digest emotions, experiences, and all facets of life. This puts new light on the expression, “I can’t stomach that.” This is important body wisdom that we need to listen to when we are watching a movie or experiencing an event and we get the gut reaction that the event is too much to digest. Repeating this offense over time will have repercussions for the Stomach. This is especially true when media outlets are supplying global news twenty-four hours a day.
The Stomach is concerned with our ability to take things in, to nurture ourselves, to feel full and satisfied with the fruits of our harvest. When we hear of global catastrophes and areas of great need, we feel conflicted about how to reach out and offer support and nourishment. What a challenge today as we strive to alleviate so much suffering while tending ourselves. The balance point is different for each person but tending our Organs can often serve more than we realize.
ENERGETIC MEDICINE
Support Your Local Farmer
Shop at a farmer’s market if one is available nearby. The nutrients that are available through organic produce are well worth the extra money you might spend. Not only is organic produce often free from pesticides and fungicides, but many organic farmers focus on restoring vital nutrients to depleted soils, which in turn results in food that is more nutrient dense.
Begin Eating Lightly Cooked Foods
The summer diet emphasizes cooling, raw foods, but late summer is the time to shift. Cooked foods are much easier for these Organs, as they avoid adding cold damp to digestion. Including warming spices such as ginger can really help remove dampness. Try some warming bitters.
Connect With Nature
Spend more time in a natural area. Nature nourishes us year-round, but the Stomach and Spleen especially benefit from contact with the sweetness of the Earth. The new term for the age-old practice of simply laying on the earth to relax and rejuvenate is grounding or earthing. This technique is based on the idea that the Earth has a very specific electrical charge.
When we ground electrical appliances, we are ensuring the system is safe and stable by connecting it with the energy of the Earth. The body’s electrical system needs the same kind of connection, and contact with the Earth provides centering, stability, and a greater sense of peace. Multiple studies show the beneficial effects of this technique on stress hormones and our endocrine system.
Add Protein to Your Diet
Eat protein in small amounts throughout the day if there is Spleen deficiency; protein strengthens and regenerates this organ. If you are a vegetarian, you can add more legumes, sea vegetables, or nettles to your diet.
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Kat Maier RH, (AHG) is the founder and director of Sacred Plant Traditions, a center for herbal studies in Charlottesville, Virginia. In clinical practice for over 30 years, Kat teaches internationally at universities, conferences, and herbal schools. She is the author of Energetic Herbalism (Chelsea Green, Nov 2021).
Well Being Journal adapted this excerpt from Energetic Herbalism: A Guide to Sacred Plant Traditions Integrating Elements of Vitalism, Ayurveda, and Chinese Medicine copyright 2021 by Kat Maier, and is printed here with permission of Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction, Vermont, 802-295-6300; www.chelseagreen.com. Referenced and indexed.
