Ask an Herbalist: Moon Canyon Healing’s Tips for Fall Wellness
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Wellness
Ask an Herbalist: Moon Canyon Healing’s Tips for Fall Wellness
November 6, 2023
Just in time for shorter days and colder forecasts, we’re back with a second installment of Ask an Herbalist—a column in which Moon Canyon Healing’s Kristen Caissie and Sarah Dolan, co-creators and clinical herbalists, share their insights and guidance for living in harmony with the seasons. In this edition, they’re honing in on the healing power of fall’s harvest—root medicines, to be specific—which to incorporate into your autumnal wellness routine, and exactly how they do it.
Ask an Herbalist: Moon Canyon Healing’s Tips for Fall Wellness
Nourishing Our Roots
Fall is a time for building resiliency, grounding our energy back into the earth and nourishing our roots. A time for reflection and introspection, as we assess what we’ve grown, honor it with preservation, and simultaneously prepare to let go. A time for deepening our inner-knowing and fortifying our immune system with the clarity born of intimate acquaintance with the self. As the earth’s energy retreats into the soil, we are invited to bring our energy downward, rooting ourselves into the earth. Here we are safe, held, and nurtured as we prepare to endure the cold and dark days ahead. In this season of nourishing our roots, we look to roots themselves to coax our energy downward and nourish us in this place.
Nourishing Our Roots
Root medicines, many times adaptogenic in nature, play an essential role in our fall wellness routine, building our resilience and adaptability for the stark seasonal shifts that are coming. Adaptogens work in concert with our bodies to regulate and normalize organ and system function, increasing our capacity to cope with stress. Many roots also embody the vital role of building foundational nourishment, while supporting healthy detoxification. They help us to shed what no longer serves and make the space for new seeds of growth to begin incubation over winter’s rest. This is the growth born of composting. The breaking down of what was into what will be. The very beginnings of new life.
The Autumn Lineup
Shatavari:
This adaptogenic root, historically known as the “Queen of the Herbs” in Ayurvedic medicine, acts as a tonic and rejuvenative for the reproductive tissues and organs. Shatavari nurtures mucus membranes, improves hydration, and offers general strength and vitality. Spiritually, Shatavari aids in love and devotion. This root can be found in one of our favorite products for building vitality in the Fall, our Rose Chai Adaptogen Honey, paired with Ashwagandha, bringing balance to the body/mind system.
Ashwagandha:
Another adaptogenic root that holds a place in Ayurvedic medicine as an rejuvenative herb, especially for those recovering from overwork, lack of sleep or nervous system depletion. Ashwagandha has been shown to lower stress levels, increase sense of well-being, reduce anxiety and enhance immune function. This root can be found alongside Shatavari in our Rose Chai Adaptogen Honey. We include a spoonful of this daily atop oatmeal, mixed into warm milk, or in your morning coffee.
The Autumn Lineup
Astragalus:
A sweet, warming root is adaptogenic in nature, helping the body to adapt to external influences, such as cold and flu, by increasing immune surveillance. Astragalus is also an energy-building tonic and helps the body to gain resilience and endurance. Astragalus is one of a few adaptogens featured in our Immunity Broth blend, a savory stovetop remedy that strengthens the multi-faceted approach of the immune system to keep our bodies well, particularly in transitional times, like the Autumn season.
Burdock:
This bitter, oily root is one of the foremost plant allies for supporting biotransformation (detoxification). When the body is clear of what it no longer needs (toxins, excess hormones, heavy metals, etc.) it is better able to focus on acute conditions that may arise, such as viral or bacterial infections, as well as focus on the digestion and assimilation of nourishment. Another root medicine playing a key role in our Immunity Broth blend, this time offering the action of detoxification and nourishment-building, both foundational to immune health.
The Autumn Lineup
Dandelion:
One of the few plants where all parts of the plant (root, stem, leaf and flower) can be used medicinally, this plant is a detoxification ally, nearly unmatched. The root supports the liver in clearance of waste as well as the body’s ability to digest fats, so vital to the health and function of our cells. Dandelion can reduce inflammation and inflammatory conditions that often show up on the skin, in the joints, and through challenges with digestion. This is one more root that you can find working synergistically in the savory Immunity Broth, which we love to use as a means of transforming our food into medicine, and as an plant-based alternative to bone broth.
Licorice:
This yellow root is an anti-inflammatory, healing, harmonizing adaptogen shown to repair tissue, especially when inflamed in the digestive tract, chest and skin. Licorice also restores energy by supporting the function of the adrenal glands and HPA axis, and hormonal cascade. Arguably our favorite adaptogen, you can find this root in many of our herbal tea blends, namely the best-selling Holy Heart.
Photos by Bliss Kaufman
