Top 5 Herbs For Spring Self-Care

NETTLE

My favorite herb to start with is NETTLE.

Nettle is at the top of the list of spring herbs for 2 reasons: it makes a great antihistamine for spring allergies and it starts growing in the wild or in cultivated gardens in the early spring.

I like to think of nettle as a daily tonic that can replace a multi vitamin for most people. Especially because the minerals and vitamins are bioavailable, meaning they aren’t just going to pass through the system and come out in your urine.

Nettle is known for it's mineral content, specifically iron, phosoporus, copper, magnesium, and calcium.

It is a diurectiv, tonic, alterative, astringent, and nutritive herb.

There are a handful of ways that someone might take herbs including: teas, tinctures, glycerties, powders, capsules, etc. However, for nettle the antihistamine properties are best extracted through alcohol so an alcohol tincture 

As an alcohol tincture, it can help to relieve symptoms of hay fever and seasonal allergies like sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes

Nettle also makes a great spring edible! It is easily grown or wildcrafted. The fresh aerial leaves are tender and can be eaten raw in pestos, they can be sauteed in soups and smoothies, and add an extra boost of fiber and antioxidants to any meal.

DANDELION 

Our next herb for spring is DANDELION: Taxacum Officinale 

Dandelion is an alternative, a diuretic, a slight laxative, bitter, and a hepatic, meaning it has an affinity for the liver. It is a common weed that starts to sprout up in the spring and is the roots are a classic liver tonic

The spring medicine of dandelion comes in it's leafy greens and they are an example of how food can be medicine. Dandelion greens are very bitter. They are best eaten when they are fresh and young, at the beginning of spring as they start growing 

The older dandelion greens get, the more bitter they will become. If you are adverse to the bitter taste and are concerned about eating them raw, you can sauté them down and that will help them taste a bit more mild, but the bitter flavor is such an important flavor AND a valuable type of phyto-compound, so I suggest you try them out before doing that!

The bitter flavor in general, stimulates digestion, stimulates the production of bile in the liver, and the release of bile from the gallbladder into the small intestine so that when you digest fatty food, these strong chemicals break down fat so that it can then be digested further and absorbed.

Bitter flavors also stimulate the release of hormones in the gut that help you feel full and help you make more saliva which has enzymes in it that help you start breaking down your food in the mouth.

If you are having digestive issues, eating bitter foods and increasing your exposure to bitter tastes are are a pretty good place to start

PLANTAIN

Plantago major is the Latin name and this plant is a great example of why you want to know the Latin names of your remedies.

In western Materia Medica, we use the leaves and seeds and it’s herbal actions are demulcent, astringent, antimicrobial, and nutritive.

Plantain is a cooling and moistening herb that has a wide variety of uses. It's a great remedy internally for coughs and inflammation in the stomach and digestive tract. Topically it's used for for stings, insect bites, small wounds, and cuts

Along with dandelion, plantain is another example of food as medicine. It even has some mild bitter properties making it another great spring medicine that meets our spring herbalist needs to connect us to the earth, the seasons, get the body moving, supporting the liver, and reconnecting us to lighter, seasonal foods

Add it to your salads, especially if you are having some digestive tummy upset as it is a gentle demulcent with nutritive properties that can help soothe that inflamed tissue. It also has tissue regenerative properties that can help to support the integrity of the gut by rebuilding irritated tissue.

CHICKWEED

Our next Spring friend is another special spring herb called chickweed! Stellaria media It’s a cooling, moistening, herb that is a tonic for the lymphatic system, a demulcent, an alterative, and a nutritive.

It's one of those spring medicines that is really easy to find because it is one of the first green plants to pop up in the spring and it has the special little, very tiny white flowers.

Chickweed is a classic sign that spring has arrived and is another edible spring medicine. Rather than being bitter like our plantain and dandelion greens, it has a sweeter taste and can help us balance out the bitter greens.

I would take my favorite salad base, usually a basic spring mix, and add in a little chickweed, a little plantain, and a little chopped dandelion greens, you don’t need a ton to get the bitter medicine and than add whatever toppings you like! 

According to Kat Maier’s in her book Energetic Herbalism, chickweed is an indicator of rich moist soil so if you are wondering where you should put your new garden, let the chickweed tell you.

OATSTRAW

The last medicine that we are chatting about is OATSTRAW: Avena sativa.

This is a wild card spring medicine that is not often suggested in spring self care herb lists but I wanted to include for 2 reasons:

1. Because I want you to start growing a tray or pot of oat straw like now or on the next new moon whatever is best!

1. It is a good herb to helped you feel less frazzled and overwhelmed. 

In my excitement about spring, which I’ve already mentioned I love, I specifically enjoy the rise of the wood element which is that bursting forth of energy and creative ideas that mimics the sprouting and blossoming on the plants at this time of year. In my excitement about spring it did NOT occur to me that someone might DISLIKE spring for this reason. That this quality of spring might actually be why someone hates spring. 

If you dislike spring specifically because of the overstimulation, the oatstraw is for you!

Avena sativa, also called CAT GRASS or milky oats, is the same plant that produces oatmeal. It's an a amazing nervine, and a trophorestrotative for the nervous system. It is another herb with a high mineral content and is very soothing and supportive for conditions like burnout, stress, and exhaustion.

It relaxes and calms the nervous system making it a good tea for people with anxiety. It's the tonic herb to drink every day if you want to feel less stressed and overwhelmed 

Kristen Prosen