Springtime and Adaptability

The spring equinox is here!

In the northeast US, this means a season of change has arrived. One minute it is sunny and warm and the next the wind is whipping slices of rain around. After the slow, plodding stasis of winter and its grayness, this can be a jolt to the system (it certainly is to mine), but once the initial shock of the transition has occurred, I like to look at it as an opportunity to welcome in a renewed flexibility, one where plans (especially farm plans) change minute to minute— a time when there is the promise of ripeness just on the other side of whatever choices you make right now. Spring is also a time of renewed inspiration and wonder, the season when Persephone returns from the underworld to grace the world with joy and flowers- so while there are plans and expectations, there is also anticipation and excitement and rebirth. Whether it’s a garden or other goals for the year, springtime is when it feels like there is pressure to create the conditions for these dreams to become real, and our bodies can understandably manifest symptoms of this pressure.

Some signals your body sends that it could use some help in this transitional time are:

• allergies

• skin rashes

• sluggishness

• acne

• digestive upset

• stress

• anxiety

• insomnia

A traditional western herbalist approach to helping ease the transition to spring includes:

• Foraging and consuming the first tender young wild greens, full of minerals and often slightly bitter to stimulate bile flow and liver function after the stillness and heaviness of winter. All excellent as long-steeped teas or added to foods (nettle pasta is a big thing in Italy!)

• These herbs include but aren’t limited to stinging nettle (pictured to the left), dandelion root/leaf/flower, yellow dock root, burdock root

• Shifting the diet towards lighter, more easily digestible foods— think blended veggie soups, porridges and simply cooked proteins

• If the frenetic energy of spring is getting to you and interrupting your sleep (super duper common), then our favorite herbs to be able to sink into deeper slumber are valerian, hops, lemon balm, passionflower, and lavender— the combo that works for you will be highly individual, and it’s worth trying a few out until you find the right fit! We find a tincture kept by the bed works best for these.

A modern addendum to these strategies could include:

• incorporating a quercetin/vitamin C capsule into your routine if you suffer from springtime allergies

• decreasing/taking a break from caffeine— spring already has a crazy enough energy, and sometimes caffeine can put us over the top and turn that excitement into stress

• gradually exposing yourself to midday sunlight for 10 minutes or so to acclimate your skin, in preparation for being able to fully convert vitamin D through sun exposure again after a long winter of the sun being at too oblique of an angle for skin synthesis of vit D to take place in the frozen north

• beginning a new exercise routine to help move your lymph (the herbs above also help do this, but the most effective way will always be through physical movement!) Sweating of any kind is great, even better if you can access a sauna here and there

• encourage airflow in your living space— open the windows! Indoor air quality sucks in the winter, and as soon as its warm enough, let the fresh air in!

• Trying doing something differently than you normally do it. Take a different route to work. Read a different type of book. Dance to a new kind of music. Challenging yourself in these small ways to be more flexible can help take us from spring to summer with greater ease and joy.

As for skincare…

Skin can reveal any internal stagnation that may be occurring after the long winter, and can manifest as eczema, acne, psoriasis, dryness, oiliness— pretty much as anything! Following the low key no nonsense tips above should help a lot, but externally we recommend keeping things very streamlined and simple. Our favorite springtime combo is:

Flower Sap, Resin, and AlcheMist because it is hydrating and also lightweight— allowing skin to breathe as it performs its detox function of allowing stored toxins to be released.

If you want to kick it up a notch, one of our newest launches, Lunar Lymph, is a mask that specifically encourages healthy lymphatic flow and can be a great ally this time of year as we are cleaning house, so to speak.

We’ll leave you with a poem from Wendell Berry entitled

‘Spring’

A shower like a little song

Overtook him going home,

Wet his shoulders, and went on.