Plants that Heal

Here in Vermont, we are ecstatic over the arrival of spring. It’s mid-May and the trees have only just burst forth in their green beauty, the robins are singing and the bulbs blooming! Spring is an intense transition energetically, physically and mentally for many people making it an excellent time to renew oneself through detox! Detox can consist of fasting, herbal supplementation and seasonal dietary changes.

For me, I try to do intermittent fasting and lots of herbal teas to help flush toxins and stagnant energy from winter. Some of my favorite herbal allies for spring detoxing are listed below. I try to make a quart of tea with one to three of these herbs and drink it throughout the day. I try to do this for a 2-4 weeks, depending on how my body feels. It’s also very important to make sure toxins are leaving your body so taking bentonite clay, activated charcoal, exercising and getting in a sauna are great ways to assist the detox process. Make sure to always check with your doctor and herbalist before taking any herbal supplements as they can be contraindicated with certain prescription medications.

Here are my top 3 favorite spring medicinal plant allies!

Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale)

A wonderful herbal ally when it comes to detoxing. The entirety of the plant is medicinal, from roots to flowers. Eating the fresh leaves in salad is also a great cleansing remedy and is a gentle liver and digestive stimulant. An infusion of leaves or a tincture of the root is an excellent cleansing tonic for toxic conditions such as gout, acne and eczema. The flowers can be eaten in salads as well or made in to wine. They contain Vitamins A, B, C and D while the leaves contain many minerals including calcium, iron, potassium, zinc and magnesium.

Nettles (Urtica dioica)

By far my favorite herbal ally. They get a bad rap sometimes for their stinging ways but as medicine, they are truly phenomenal. They are astringent, a circulatory stimulant, diuretic and nutritive. Just a few of its key components include Vitamins A, B, C and K as well as calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc. Take the fresh shoots and wilt them as you would spinach or steep them in hot water to make an infusion. The infusions help with arthritic conditions, eczema, circulatory ailments and helps increase milk flow in new mothers. It can also ease heavy menstrual bleeding and helps to flush the kidneys. I try to use the young shoots as much as possible but no matter what stage of growth, this plant packs a powerful punch of spring wellness.

Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea syn. Nepeta glechoma)

This is a common ground plant, considered by some to be a weed much as dandelion and nettles are. Bet you didn’t know it was medicinal did you? You want to use the aerial parts of this plant as a digestive aid, diuretic, decongestant and it’s also a great overall anti-inflammatory. Make a tea to help treat headaches, sinusitis, asthma and coughs. One of the most interesting uses of ground ivy is that it can help you detox heavy metals, something we need to assist the body with throughout the year. After having lead poisoning, I can say from experience that you don’t want to wait for heavy metals to create major health issues and drinking ground ivy tea can be an incredible ally in this process.