Herbal Womb Wisdom

Okay, so most of us DO honor pregnancy and birth in a way that could be considered to be a rite of passage. We have blessingways, baby showers, even postpartum care.    But what about all the other pivotal moments of our womb story that we pass through?    The truth is, honoring these transitional times is part of many ancestral traditions. It’s not some kooky, woo-woo, new age thing.     The more...

I know, I know... Human Design? What could a system that reads more like an astrological birth chart mixed with the I Ching and Chakras have to do with our sexuality or relationships? It's a fair question, and one I had, too.  But today's guest, Cara Dempsey, shares about how learning Human Design (and especially understanding what her "Sacral Inner Authority" meant) completely...

What comes up when you think of your cervix? Is it images of a sterile healthcare office where you're getting a pap-smear (and all the complicated emotions that come up around that)? The common concerns around HPV, abnormal paps and even cervical cancer can run rampant in our minds.  So perhaps, thinking about your cervix brings up some fear or discomfort or grief... rightfully so.  Or maybe...

Stress, depletion, burnout, frazzled nerves, anxiety, lack of focus, spaciness, groundlessness. What do all of these have in common?  Vata.  If you're familiar with Ayurveda, you'll know there are three primary "doshas," or collections of elemental characteristics that describe qualities of a person.  But they aren't static. I think sometimes people get stuck in the idea t...

I think many of us just accept the discomfort we have in our guts without question.  I was talking to a client recently and I actively had to ask her if she ever notices any symptoms after eating for her to remember that she commonly experiences sharp pain in her belly and doesn't know why.  The fact that it wasn't top of mind for her because she's just accepted that as part of her...

After birth, our bodies are especially tender and rather "blown open." Not only has a babe passed through either your perineum or your belly, but your spirit has been expanded tremendously, too.  And unfortunately, most of us have NO IDEA how to effectively tend "to the root of our bodies" as today's guest, MD-turned-holistic-midwife (and mother of 9!) Dr Rebecca Cohen des...

Oh, our hearts!  I'm not sure if you're feeling it, but everywhere I look I'm seeing yet another person share about how they're feeling heartbroken, or how these times are heartbreaking.  The collective field is full of grief, loss, shock, confusion, and meanwhile we're also all living our lives, attempting to go about our days "as usual." When our hearts are so...

What the heck is the mesentery? And why does it matter to you, anyway? Okay, so I know not all of us are anatomy nerds, and we don't commonly get excited to hear about anatomical structures, but this one... well, it's worth checking out.  Partly because it's deeply intertwined with all of your belly organs, partly because it has  an intimate relationship with your wombspace, and par...

How do you navigate uncertainty - in your body, in your mind, in your life? I think it's easy to fall into patterns of avoidance or not facing what's hard, especially when that requires us to feel big emotions or actually respond to what we're feeling with some kind of action. This is just as true with worldly events like we're witnessing now as it is with information our body...

We hear a lot about the gifts and benefits of each of our cycle phases, but what we don't commonly explore are the shadow sides of those times. And whether it's our menstrual cycles or even our womb phases we travel through during our lives, it's helpful to know what to look out for that might be a sign of imbalance.  Not so much physically, but from a psycho-emotional perspective. ...

Okay, so why does it seem like hormonal birth control has become front and center as "the most effective" contraception? Somehow it seems like in the last few decades, non-hormonal birth control has fallen out of favor. Maybe because it's too simple? Maybe because there isn't enough money in it? It can feel scary to transition off of hormonal birth control if you've been o...

What does it mean to become fully yourself? And how can the plants and your womb help with that? These are questions that are not as straightforward as they seem. Really, each of us carries our own unique blueprint and gifts that we can offer to the world.  And beginning to connect with that inner knowing, the place inside you that whispers that you are more than just a cog in the wheel of societa...

Have you noticed how many people acknowledge the seasonal transition from summer to autumn? It's one of the most talked about events-of-the-year.  Maybe that's because it's such a dramatic change. The vibrant heat and buoyancy of summer give way to the brilliant display of color and shedding of leaves on trees, and the return to the earth of many annual and perennial plants.  It&apo...

What happens when the goal is not just to reduce pain or remedy a pelvic health "disorder", but actually to prioritize pleasure? What if it was possible to actually feel safe in your body, to listen to yourself, to gently ease into what authentically feels good for you... one step at a time. It's tremendously easy to feel shame around any kind of health challenge, but somehow even e...

Oh, Ashwagandha.  An herb that almost every single one of us have heard of - at least by name, if not because we've used it at some point along the way. A real celebrity of the plant world. And a true favorite among herbalists, too.  Before I share more, just take a moment to think about what you already know about this plant.    My guess is you probably think of Ashwagandha (Withania somnife...

Have you explored acupressure at all? I think most of us know that acupuncture has a lot of potential benefit, and perhaps you've heard of how supportive it is for enhancing fertility and/or as an adjunct to fertility treatments like IVF or IUI.  But something less well known is that acupressure is a modality unto itself, which at times can be as effective if not more effective than acupunctu...

Have you ever wondered what herbs may be supportive for the transition from hormonal birth control to natural cycles again? It's actually not something that's talked about much.  But herbs can be wonderful allies to help cultivate an optimal foundation for our sex hormones to begin circulating naturally again, both for overall system support and symptomatic relief. And they can also help...

How does herbalism relate to astrology?  I mean, what can the stars possibly have to do with the plants? Aren't they totally different disciplines? These are such good questions. And honestly, I didn't even hear about the ancient practice of astro-herbalism until about ten years ago when I took a course on it. Turns out western herbalism was actually deeply rooted in astrological practic...

Late summer has arrived, and with it a sense of fall coming soon. In the earth, in our bodies.  As folks with wombs, we're intimately connected with the seasons outside of us.  And it's in this late summer season we can start to feel an urgency or desire to both relish in the abundance and joy of summer in all its glory, and also store and preserve our foods and medicines for the coming...

So many of us spend days, weeks, months researching and taking classes, preparing ourselves for the event of childbirth. Because it feels mysterious and miraculous and like something we need to train for.  And that makes sense. It's a huge milestone unlike any other in our lives.  But what about the tremendous transformation that occurs the moment you become a parent (for the first or second...

What is receptivity? And how does it relate to our wombspace? In the world of gynecologic health, the concept of a receptive womb is all but left to the scientific research articles talking about encouraging an optimal uterine lining so potential implantation can occur.  And while that is absolutely important (of course having a robust and nutrient-rich uterine lining is a sign of not just uterine...

"Communicating with plants" can feel mysterious, especially if you're new to it.  And really, what does it mean to connect with them? How do you cultivate a relationship beyond knowing their name and potential ways to work with them? What happens when we start to weave ourselves back into the story of the landscape, and recognize that plants are actually always sensing and communica...

Have you ever paid attention to how your energy, desires, symptoms, even feeling of mental capacity or self-confidence changes throughout your menstrual cycle? Well, this IS a thing and it's not just you.  The hormonal fluctuations throughout the waves of our menstrual cycle have four fairly distinct phases - menstrual, follicular, ovulatory and luteal.  And each of those phases can be charac...

Have you heard of fascia? It's become a bit of a trending topic, but in case it's new to you, just know that it's a form of connective tissue that connects everything to everything in your body.  I'm actually not exaggerating. It's basically the matrix that covers every organ, bone, muscle, and tissue and connects them to each other.  And in living bodies, it's actual...

Phytoestrogens...  What are they? How do they work? Are they helpful or harmful?  Honestly, these questions are more complicated to answer than they seem, even though researchers have been diving into this topic for decades.  In the end, the basics are that phytoestrogens are plant-derived compounds that act similarly to estrogens in our bodies.  But they're milder acting than our natural est...