You're likely to either love or hate bitter flavors. Spring is the time of change - and to make sure that change flows we need bitters. My first introduction to a custom herbal protocol as an adult (I'd been experimenting on myself for years before that, and my mom often gave us herbs) was a bitter herbal liver cleanse by one of my teachers - Karen Rose of Sacred Vibes in Brooklyn. I came complaining about feeing stuck in the winter, slow, sluggish, lethargic. She gave me Oregon Grape, Yellow Dock, Dandelion & Burdock to take 3x a day for a week. Clearly this decoction did not taste great, but Karen said to choke it down - the taste was important too. I started the cleanse skeptical, but left feeling exactly as promise - FLOW was back, I felt lighter, not craving the heavy winterfoods, and my skin had cleared up. I was a believer in bitters. The herbs helped my liver do what it loves to do - process out impurities and toxins in the body - so in a sense I was just helping my body remember (through bitter flavors) what it was doing all along. 

I recently started reading The Wild Medicine Solution by Guido Mase. Guido writes poetically about bitter herbs and their effects in "remedying digestive symptoms, bolstering liver health, and reestablishing blood sugar balance." Exactly all the things you need after a long winter of sluggishness (if you live in the cold climates like I do) and eating a lot of heavy foods. I recommend reading this book for its fusion of science and energetic herbalism and the simple focus on aromatics, tonics and bitters. 

Simply find your favorite liver root - I recommend yellow dock or burdock if you live in the NE as you can harvest it simply outside your door in most cases - and make a strong decoction of 1 tbsp herb to 1 cup of water simmered, covered, for 20 minutes. Drink a cup 3-4 times a day for a week, and see how you feel.  

I'm reading David Winston's "Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina and Stress Relief" an excellent overview of the class of herbs that everyone should be taking. Why? They decrease the effects of stress on your body (and stress is broad here - anything that stresses your body - like life!) leading to a longer, more dis-ease free life. 

I often use traditional chinese medicine (TCM) pattern diagnosis in working with clients. I was excited to see the following chart on 5 classes of the "Superior" herbs in TCM. Superior herbs support the three treasures of our lives - jing (essence, life force), shen (spirit), and qi (movement, vitality). Everyone should be taking them!

QI TONICS 
Increase energy and treat depletion: Asian ginseng, dang shen, eleuthero, ginseng, licorice, and prince seng.

BLOOD TONICS
Blood builders: he sou wu, lycium (goji berry), rehmannia, dang gui

JING TONICS
Conserve or strengthen your vital force: asian ginseng, cordyceps, reishi, scisandra

YIN TONICS
Nourish your fluids, relieve dryness, strengthen lungs, skin and bowels:
American ginseng, prince seng, lycium, and shatavari

YANG TONICS
Use for deficient kidney conditions affecting reproduction & adrenal function:
ashwagandha, cordyceps, epimedium, morinda root

You don't need an appointment with me to start taking one of these herbs. Go to your local apothecary and pick up whichever herb you find yourself drawn to and experiment on yourself. Not all herbs are right for all people, but by being intentional and noticing how your body responds, you will find the herb that's right for you. 

I wish you vitality, ease and freedom in your path!

Which dried herb pile do you think was recently harvested from the lawn up in Tivoli? That's right - the green one.  The pile on the right is chickweed from Mountain Rose herbs in Oregon. No bad blood, but herbs are ALWAYS better if you can harvest or grow them in your local area.

Chickweed is a powerful and common lawn & bike-path side herb. It is best used fresh (sorry dried herbs!) for blood toxicity, fevers, inflammation, and other HOT diseases. An oil or salve can be made to treat skin rashes, eczema and psoriasis.  Eaten fresh or in a tea, it is a fabulous spring blood cleanser and weight eliminator (both physically and psychosocially). 

Go out and find chickweed growing in your lawns and the park - it tastes like spinach and is delicious raw or lightly steamed. Right now it is flowering and you can see the tiny star-shaped flowers below. 

Enjoy other spring herbs like dandelion, cleavers & violet in a refreshing spring salad - now is the perfect time to munch on these spring cleansers.