Seasonal Support
“April Showers bring May Flowers” is not just an old saying- it is actually a prediction of climatic realities. For the most part, we brave the wind of March and the rain of April for the beauty of May.
Our bodies internalize climate changes, as well.
Enrich yourself by observing your life by the seasons. Our bodies are not just “living machines consisting of interworking parts;” but are inward extensions of the climate in which we live. Don’t just float through the seasons like a butterfly trying to avoid the cold breezes, hungry birds, or heavy feet of illness. Be aware of the climate that changes within you as the seasons change. Note whenever your body responds with fatigue, malaise, temperature imbalance, sniffles, cough, digestive upset, disinterest, or depression. Do these symptoms correspond with the time of year? For many of us, symptoms of “dis-ease” happen in the same time-frame every year! For this reason, the first step toward your best health is to
be aware of the seasons and how they affect your body.
Many HERBAL Healers consider five seasons: Spring, Summer, Late Summer (or Indian Summer), Autumn, and Winter. For us, the nature of climate change is the same within the body as it is within the surrounding environment. Roughly, the five seasons (in this hemisphere) can be thought of as two to three month time frames, like this: Winter: December, January and February; Spring: March, April and May; Summer: June and July; Late Summer: August and September; and Autumn: October and November. To explain this better, we would say that “our bodies are now in the ‘climate’ of Autumn” - September and October. What most of us do not realize, is that the symptoms of illness we experience within season come from depletion of our immunities in prior seasons.
Think about supporting your body two seasons prior. For instance, in Spring, you prepare for Late Summer; in Summer, you prepare for Autumn and so on. In the heat of summer the “yang-most” state of our climatic year, it is hard to consider Autumn; however, Summer is the best time to utilize foods and HERBS that will build Autumn’s reserves. Good nourishment each season gives the upcoming seasons the most reserve (immunity from illness.)
If we think about nourishment, we will realize that the earth gives us
just what we need to prepare for season’s changes.
For the most part, nourishing foods for Spring and Summer are reaching up towards the sun.
Foods that nourish in Late Summer, Autumn, and Winter are on or beneath the earth.
Spring: is Mother Nature’s “wake-up call.” Spring bridges the cold yin of Winter and the hot yang of Summer. In Spring, the Liver which is the body’s largest internal organ is busy harmonizing, balancing, and maintaining equilibrium over all the body’s functions. Just as the flowers burst from buds, so our bodies burst forth each year. The internal and external energy demand of this resurrection is enormous! Facing the demands of Summer, it is imperative that we nourish and support the Liver and ourselves during the Spring season- both with foods and with HERBS. In Spring, the tender greens shoots sprout above ground
to announce the beginning of the growing season.
Dark greens, like dandelion, chard, collards, kale, mustard, and turnip tell our Liver that it is time to “wake from winter slumber” and “crank up the volume!” The Liver is the body’s referee –it balances over five hundred body functions! Support and stimulation of the Liver in Spring is one of the best ways
to insure good health all year long. Dark greens should be eaten in salads, soups,
or gently parboiled, then sautéed with olive or sesame oil. Delicious!
Other ‘Bitter/ Sour’ HERBS that help with this “wake up call:” Teas, such as Dandelion leaf, Chamomile, and GREEN Tea; Wild HERBS such as Cress, Chickweed, Dandelion leaf and root, Nettle, and Purslane; or Liver Support HERBS such as: Sorrel, Dandelion root, Nettles, Chamomile, Burdock, Fennel, Milk Thistle, and Turmeric. The easiest way to incorporate HERBS is to utilize them fresh in your food.
You can also take them in tincture, syrup, or capsule form.
Summer: The heat of Summer, with its demands on metabolism, exhausts immunities necessary for Autumn and Winter. In Summer, our bodies are in “full out” mode. That is to say that we are open to expansive activity, working and playing outdoors, and eating foods that cool the body. "
Summer dissipates energy like water sputtering on hot griddle. Summer is fun! We are open, expanding, and bursting with heat and activity. Summer is the time to cram play into your schedule, take vacations, visit the beach, and consume foods from far away! Contrary to most of our beliefs, summer is not the season of rest and relaxation; summer actually exhausts all of our reserves. Sluggishness; sleeplessness; headaches; heat exhaustion; arthritic flare-ups; digestive upsets; and low immunity are problems we may notice in Summer.
This is salad season- time for cooler, easily digested foods. No need to expend internal heat for digestion; there is plenty of heat in the environment! Cooling foods to consider are fruits, salads, light grains, and legumes such as lentils. This is the best time to curtail consumption of red meat. Interestingly, excessive intake of ice and iced drinks increases internal fires that increase summer symptoms.
By drinking warm teas and spicy foods, we cause sweating which ultimately
cools the body. In Summer we should protect energy.
Rest during the hottest hours, moderate activities and budget your excitement. Rest protects the Heart- the organ of Summer. Regulate your air conditioning so that the difference between indoor and outdoor temperature is not so shocking to your system. The taste of “bitter” is cool and dry and strengthens the Heart (and the Small Intestine.) This bitter taste, in foods and HERBS helps eliminate excess fluid and cholesterol from our bodies.
HERBS for Summer include: Spicy HERBS like Chilies and Curries which cause the pores to open with perspiration and cool the body; Cooling HERBS such as Mint, Rose Hips, and GREEN Tea;
and Heart Nourishing HERBS such as Hawthorn.
Late Summer: This is the season of transition from hot to cold. For the earth and for our bodies; this is the time of early Harvest. You may experience “dampness” in Late Summer. That is to say, you may notice fluid retention, digestive sluggishness, gas and bloating or “wetness” in your respiratory tract with cough, allergies, and mucus. To fortify the Spleen and Stomach our earth provides sweet foods that are best eaten cooked. It is time to decrease intake of raw and cold foods. I always think of Late Summer Foods as the foods that fall or lay on the ground when ripe, such as Sweet apples, Peaches, Squash, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, and Pumpkins.
HERBS for Late Summer include: Warming Ginseng;
and Nourishing Hawthorn, Licorice, Cardamom, and Ginger.
Autumn is the season that portends the cold of Winter. In Autumn, the body begins its function to pull warmth within. It is the “bridge” from summer to winter; from the Yang of heat and expansion- to the Yin of cold and contraction. In Autumn, our bodies concentrate on preparing for Winter. By utilizing certain foods and HERBS we tell our bodies that we are ready for the cold and wind that will come. Full Harvest is in Full Swing.
Now is the time to concentrate on building reserves you will need for the demands of Winter.
In Autumn, the depletion of Summer can be felt by illnesses such as asthma, colds, bronchitis, allergies, and influenza. Accumulations of toxins manifest as digestive upsets such as constipation, and skin eruptions such as acne. Clarifying the system in Autumn is difficult, but not impossible. It’s hard to think of Winter when we wish that Summer could stay. Warm days keep us engaged in activities that take advantage of the nice weather; however, cool nights switch the body to defensive mode with sniffles, colds and flu. Warm days keep us eating cooling foods- tampering digestive fires that energize. Warm days keep us dressing as if Summer remains, but cool breezes catch us off guard. We add school and work to our hectic schedule of outdoor play and gardening. Warm days delude us by demanding energies that have already been utilized by Summer requirements.
We now can see how annual illnesses can snarl our lives in Autumn. Begin now to consume the foods that Mother Earth has stored “below.” Eat most of your foods cooked because raw foods cool our inner fires, depleting immunities you will need for Winter. Root Vegetables like Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, delicious Parsnips, Potatoes, and Turnips stoke the fires of digestion to support the Lungs and Large Intestine. Cook the Fruits of Harvest. Add warming spices such as Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Ginger. Think of Grammy’s luscious apple sauce and apple butter. Revel in apple pie and pumpkin custards! Use savories such as garlic, ginger, and pepper in soups and stews. Warm those innards! The foods we eat now will function to protect us in Winter.
The HERBS you use now will ward off Autumn’s recurring deficiencies. You can oppose weakening of lung function with HERBS such as Coltsfoot, Elecampane, and Mullein; while strengthening Lung immunity with Astragalus, and keeping Lung tissues moist and mucus liquid with Marshmallow. Nourishing foods and HERBS moisten digestion and keep bowel functions smooth. With foresight in Late Summer and Autumn,
the threat of Winter’s cold will not penetrate so easily.
Winter is the time that we “sequester” within: within our homes; within ourselves. We store energy and fire like a savings account to spend when Spring arrives. Foods, HERBS, and activities should reflect the contractive yin of Winter. Winter is cold, contractive, and restorative. However, even the act of storage requires nourishment. Winter’s organ, the Kidney, is the seat of several functions that regulate both storage and energy. When you continue to eat cold foods in Winter, you use up immunities that are necessary to combat annual bouts of back pain; cold hands and feet; pallor; depression; and problems with bowel and kidney elimination. Root vegetables and Mushrooms such as Reishi, Shiitake, Maitake, Chaga; and Cordyceps are highly nutritious. Even mushrooms such as those we know as “button” or Portobello enrich the “immunity brew.” Mushrooms should be eaten three to five times a week in Winter. If you are prone to cold in winter, keep your kidneys warm. Fill a tube sock with rice (and a bit of lavender,) tie or sew it shut and heat in the microwave for one to two minutes. Take it to bed or place behind you in your chair to warm your kidneys (where the spine meets the ribs on both sides.) Remember, you are trying to strengthen, not deplete your immunities in Winter.
In summary, by being aware that your body is an inner extension of your environment; you should be preparing one or two seasons ahead for your body’s transitions. Remember: Winter nourishes Summer; Spring nourishes Late Summer; Summer nourishes Autumn; Late Summer nourishes Winter; and Autumn nourishes Spring. If you make diligent observations and use foods and HERBS to augment “your inner climate” for a full year, I guarantee that you will experience health and balance.
“April Showers bring May Flowers” is not just an old saying- it is actually a prediction of climatic realities. For the most part, we brave the wind of March and the rain of April for the beauty of May.
Our bodies internalize climate changes, as well.
Enrich yourself by observing your life by the seasons. Our bodies are not just “living machines consisting of interworking parts;” but are inward extensions of the climate in which we live. Don’t just float through the seasons like a butterfly trying to avoid the cold breezes, hungry birds, or heavy feet of illness. Be aware of the climate that changes within you as the seasons change. Note whenever your body responds with fatigue, malaise, temperature imbalance, sniffles, cough, digestive upset, disinterest, or depression. Do these symptoms correspond with the time of year? For many of us, symptoms of “dis-ease” happen in the same time-frame every year! For this reason, the first step toward your best health is to
be aware of the seasons and how they affect your body.
Many HERBAL Healers consider five seasons: Spring, Summer, Late Summer (or Indian Summer), Autumn, and Winter. For us, the nature of climate change is the same within the body as it is within the surrounding environment. Roughly, the five seasons (in this hemisphere) can be thought of as two to three month time frames, like this: Winter: December, January and February; Spring: March, April and May; Summer: June and July; Late Summer: August and September; and Autumn: October and November. To explain this better, we would say that “our bodies are now in the ‘climate’ of Autumn” - September and October. What most of us do not realize, is that the symptoms of illness we experience within season come from depletion of our immunities in prior seasons.
Think about supporting your body two seasons prior. For instance, in Spring, you prepare for Late Summer; in Summer, you prepare for Autumn and so on. In the heat of summer the “yang-most” state of our climatic year, it is hard to consider Autumn; however, Summer is the best time to utilize foods and HERBS that will build Autumn’s reserves. Good nourishment each season gives the upcoming seasons the most reserve (immunity from illness.)
If we think about nourishment, we will realize that the earth gives us
just what we need to prepare for season’s changes.
For the most part, nourishing foods for Spring and Summer are reaching up towards the sun.
Foods that nourish in Late Summer, Autumn, and Winter are on or beneath the earth.
Spring: is Mother Nature’s “wake-up call.” Spring bridges the cold yin of Winter and the hot yang of Summer. In Spring, the Liver which is the body’s largest internal organ is busy harmonizing, balancing, and maintaining equilibrium over all the body’s functions. Just as the flowers burst from buds, so our bodies burst forth each year. The internal and external energy demand of this resurrection is enormous! Facing the demands of Summer, it is imperative that we nourish and support the Liver and ourselves during the Spring season- both with foods and with HERBS. In Spring, the tender greens shoots sprout above ground
to announce the beginning of the growing season.
Dark greens, like dandelion, chard, collards, kale, mustard, and turnip tell our Liver that it is time to “wake from winter slumber” and “crank up the volume!” The Liver is the body’s referee –it balances over five hundred body functions! Support and stimulation of the Liver in Spring is one of the best ways
to insure good health all year long. Dark greens should be eaten in salads, soups,
or gently parboiled, then sautéed with olive or sesame oil. Delicious!
Other ‘Bitter/ Sour’ HERBS that help with this “wake up call:” Teas, such as Dandelion leaf, Chamomile, and GREEN Tea; Wild HERBS such as Cress, Chickweed, Dandelion leaf and root, Nettle, and Purslane; or Liver Support HERBS such as: Sorrel, Dandelion root, Nettles, Chamomile, Burdock, Fennel, Milk Thistle, and Turmeric. The easiest way to incorporate HERBS is to utilize them fresh in your food.
You can also take them in tincture, syrup, or capsule form.
Summer: The heat of Summer, with its demands on metabolism, exhausts immunities necessary for Autumn and Winter. In Summer, our bodies are in “full out” mode. That is to say that we are open to expansive activity, working and playing outdoors, and eating foods that cool the body. "
Summer dissipates energy like water sputtering on hot griddle. Summer is fun! We are open, expanding, and bursting with heat and activity. Summer is the time to cram play into your schedule, take vacations, visit the beach, and consume foods from far away! Contrary to most of our beliefs, summer is not the season of rest and relaxation; summer actually exhausts all of our reserves. Sluggishness; sleeplessness; headaches; heat exhaustion; arthritic flare-ups; digestive upsets; and low immunity are problems we may notice in Summer.
This is salad season- time for cooler, easily digested foods. No need to expend internal heat for digestion; there is plenty of heat in the environment! Cooling foods to consider are fruits, salads, light grains, and legumes such as lentils. This is the best time to curtail consumption of red meat. Interestingly, excessive intake of ice and iced drinks increases internal fires that increase summer symptoms.
By drinking warm teas and spicy foods, we cause sweating which ultimately
cools the body. In Summer we should protect energy.
Rest during the hottest hours, moderate activities and budget your excitement. Rest protects the Heart- the organ of Summer. Regulate your air conditioning so that the difference between indoor and outdoor temperature is not so shocking to your system. The taste of “bitter” is cool and dry and strengthens the Heart (and the Small Intestine.) This bitter taste, in foods and HERBS helps eliminate excess fluid and cholesterol from our bodies.
HERBS for Summer include: Spicy HERBS like Chilies and Curries which cause the pores to open with perspiration and cool the body; Cooling HERBS such as Mint, Rose Hips, and GREEN Tea;
and Heart Nourishing HERBS such as Hawthorn.
Late Summer: This is the season of transition from hot to cold. For the earth and for our bodies; this is the time of early Harvest. You may experience “dampness” in Late Summer. That is to say, you may notice fluid retention, digestive sluggishness, gas and bloating or “wetness” in your respiratory tract with cough, allergies, and mucus. To fortify the Spleen and Stomach our earth provides sweet foods that are best eaten cooked. It is time to decrease intake of raw and cold foods. I always think of Late Summer Foods as the foods that fall or lay on the ground when ripe, such as Sweet apples, Peaches, Squash, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, and Pumpkins.
HERBS for Late Summer include: Warming Ginseng;
and Nourishing Hawthorn, Licorice, Cardamom, and Ginger.
Autumn is the season that portends the cold of Winter. In Autumn, the body begins its function to pull warmth within. It is the “bridge” from summer to winter; from the Yang of heat and expansion- to the Yin of cold and contraction. In Autumn, our bodies concentrate on preparing for Winter. By utilizing certain foods and HERBS we tell our bodies that we are ready for the cold and wind that will come. Full Harvest is in Full Swing.
Now is the time to concentrate on building reserves you will need for the demands of Winter.
In Autumn, the depletion of Summer can be felt by illnesses such as asthma, colds, bronchitis, allergies, and influenza. Accumulations of toxins manifest as digestive upsets such as constipation, and skin eruptions such as acne. Clarifying the system in Autumn is difficult, but not impossible. It’s hard to think of Winter when we wish that Summer could stay. Warm days keep us engaged in activities that take advantage of the nice weather; however, cool nights switch the body to defensive mode with sniffles, colds and flu. Warm days keep us eating cooling foods- tampering digestive fires that energize. Warm days keep us dressing as if Summer remains, but cool breezes catch us off guard. We add school and work to our hectic schedule of outdoor play and gardening. Warm days delude us by demanding energies that have already been utilized by Summer requirements.
We now can see how annual illnesses can snarl our lives in Autumn. Begin now to consume the foods that Mother Earth has stored “below.” Eat most of your foods cooked because raw foods cool our inner fires, depleting immunities you will need for Winter. Root Vegetables like Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, delicious Parsnips, Potatoes, and Turnips stoke the fires of digestion to support the Lungs and Large Intestine. Cook the Fruits of Harvest. Add warming spices such as Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Ginger. Think of Grammy’s luscious apple sauce and apple butter. Revel in apple pie and pumpkin custards! Use savories such as garlic, ginger, and pepper in soups and stews. Warm those innards! The foods we eat now will function to protect us in Winter.
The HERBS you use now will ward off Autumn’s recurring deficiencies. You can oppose weakening of lung function with HERBS such as Coltsfoot, Elecampane, and Mullein; while strengthening Lung immunity with Astragalus, and keeping Lung tissues moist and mucus liquid with Marshmallow. Nourishing foods and HERBS moisten digestion and keep bowel functions smooth. With foresight in Late Summer and Autumn,
the threat of Winter’s cold will not penetrate so easily.
Winter is the time that we “sequester” within: within our homes; within ourselves. We store energy and fire like a savings account to spend when Spring arrives. Foods, HERBS, and activities should reflect the contractive yin of Winter. Winter is cold, contractive, and restorative. However, even the act of storage requires nourishment. Winter’s organ, the Kidney, is the seat of several functions that regulate both storage and energy. When you continue to eat cold foods in Winter, you use up immunities that are necessary to combat annual bouts of back pain; cold hands and feet; pallor; depression; and problems with bowel and kidney elimination. Root vegetables and Mushrooms such as Reishi, Shiitake, Maitake, Chaga; and Cordyceps are highly nutritious. Even mushrooms such as those we know as “button” or Portobello enrich the “immunity brew.” Mushrooms should be eaten three to five times a week in Winter. If you are prone to cold in winter, keep your kidneys warm. Fill a tube sock with rice (and a bit of lavender,) tie or sew it shut and heat in the microwave for one to two minutes. Take it to bed or place behind you in your chair to warm your kidneys (where the spine meets the ribs on both sides.) Remember, you are trying to strengthen, not deplete your immunities in Winter.
In summary, by being aware that your body is an inner extension of your environment; you should be preparing one or two seasons ahead for your body’s transitions. Remember: Winter nourishes Summer; Spring nourishes Late Summer; Summer nourishes Autumn; Late Summer nourishes Winter; and Autumn nourishes Spring. If you make diligent observations and use foods and HERBS to augment “your inner climate” for a full year, I guarantee that you will experience health and balance.