Herbal Womb Wisdom

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...

Breath.  How can such a simple, unassuming practice that happens automatically every few seconds be such a powerful ally in changing our body, our mind, our emotions, and more? I'm sure you've experienced it. You've noticed how your breath quickens and seems to be bursting out of your chest when you're in a panic moment. Or you've noticed that deep belly sigh that can happ...

It's summa summa summa-time! Summer solstice is upon us and the heat is kicking in. Have you ever noticed how your body responds to the summer heat?  For those of us with more fire physically and mentally, the heat can aggravate some of our symptoms or create new ones altogether. For others, the summer heat can be very balanced and welcome.  But either way, the heat can sometimes be too much....

Have you explored the world of cycle synching at all? It's a concept that's been developed and popularized really over the past decade or so by some menstrual health influencers, but the truth is they were just tuning in to what our bodies already tell us.  The basics are that each phase of our cycles (menstrual, follicular, ovulatory and luteal) are characterized by different hormonal f...

Have you explored the herbal lineages of your ancestral lines? Most of us come to plant medicine learning either the plants around us (which is a wonderful way to begin!) or studying a particular tradition (western, Chinese, Ayurveda, or a specific regional medicinal practice).  But at this point in history, most of us have become pretty disconnected from our ancestral homelands, especially if we...

Have you ever noticed that you feel turned on by certain scents? Or even just noticed a relaxation response from lavender, or a stimulating energy from rosemary? Aromatherapy is both a simple practice accessible to all of us and a more advanced therapeutic modality that can take a lifetime to study.  But the basic concept is that the volatile oils of plants (also called essential oils) can be capt...

Can we just talk about how wholly unprepared most of us are for this massive transitional time in our lives? It's one of those things we often don't talk about until it starts happening.  And even while it's happening you might feel shame about having symptoms like insomnia, mood swings, hot flashes, changes in libido, skin, metabolism or your cycles.  You're expected to just k...

At this point, the concept of the seasons of our menstrual cycles has become familiar to many of us. In other words, considering our inner winter as menstruation, inner spring as follicular, inner summer as ovulatory, and inner fall as luteal. And if you haven't yet heard that description, there's a quick introduction to it.  But there's a difference between speaking these words, or...

Could it be possible for the humble oat plant to have a transformational impact on your sexual, sensual and hormonal health? The answer is a resounding YES. Between the oats you eat for breakfast, the oatstraw you drink in nourishing infusions, and the milky oats extract from the unripe seed heads that contain a luscious nourishing "milky sap" that is a true nervous system tonic, the una...

Okay, let's be real. 1 out of every 3 births in the United States is a cesarean. So, if you've experienced a C-section birth, you're far from alone.  That said, many people wish to achieve a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) and possibly even want to try that at home.  And while there's certainly risk involved, there's also a very high success rate.  So what can you do t...

Irregular cycles. Are they something to just shrug off, or is it important to pay attention to them? The answer is, it depends. But almost always, they are giving you some kind of information that will be helpful for you to understand not only your hormonal health, but also you whole body health.  After all, your cycle is a vital sign.  So if you're noticing cycles longer than 35 days on a re...

Have you ever noticed yourself becoming more aware of your senses when you're in the depths of grief or loss? It's an interesting thing that feeling such grief can remind us of what we love, to paraphrase a Martin Prechtel quote that this week's guest Stacey Ramsower shared. Somehow, dropping into what sometimes feels like emptiness, helplessness, or lostness, can actually help us f...

Ahh, the vagus nerve. It's funny how this nerve has basically become its own kind of celebrity.  I mean, who would have ever thought that a nerve could gain such popularity and trending hashtags? But it has, and for good reason.  Not only does the vagus nerve comprise 75% of our parasympathetic nervous systems*, but it's also the longest cranial nerve (meaning the longest nerve that trav...

Hashimoto's is more common than you may think.  In fact, up to 5% of all people in the US may be faced with this autoimmune disorder, which often shows up between the ages of 30 and 50 and is significantly more common in women and folks with wombs. But the reality is that Hashimoto's itself doesn't have to mean you end up with hypothyroidism, especially if you catch it earlier and i...

It's spring, it's spring! And that means... it's time to clear out the gunk accumulated over the winter (inside and out). Especially if you've been eating lots of rich foods, hibernating indoors, or feeling stagnant and sedentary at all.  The earth is coming alive and inviting us to come alive with it.  So, what are some simple ways you can engage with the spring season to enco...

Who isn't living with some form of trauma in our current world? It's just part of our lives, and whether you've got something lingering from childhood, a more recent experience, or even chronic underlying patterns that carve out longer term less-overt forms of trauma, we've all got something to heal from. And as you may already know, trauma commonly settles into the pelvis - wh...

If you're familiar with my style, you know I'm not a this-for-that kind of herbalist so when I was asked the question a couple weeks ago, "what herbs do you recommend for hormonal health?" My answer was unsurprisingly, "it depends." But I wanted to create something to answer that question that also incorporates the concept of WHY we would choose each of these herbs. N...

Let's just be real and acknowledge this is an edgy topic. It's one of those things we don't talk about and often stays tucked in the dark and under the table, so much so that most clinically trained herbalists (and even midwives) have little to no training on this topic AT ALL. So most of us just avoid the topic. We assume that herbal abortifacients are unsafe and inappropriate and...