Wild Rose - for finding a sparkle in life

Each time I eat rose hip fruits I feel that amazing sensation of being fully alive; be it for the physical energy and clarity it gives me, be it for the energy it gives me. That zesty taste of its fruits gives me just that: the zest for life.

Wild Rose is captivating both when flowering: with most beautiful, delicate and pastel-coloured rose flowers, and when bearing fruits: bright red shiny fruits in the grey of Winter's background. Despite its apparent fragile beauty of its flowers, it is a robust and resistant plant growing in windy fields or cold mountains. Simply, out of all the roses, this one is the toughest one.

Hence Dr.Bach had studied it and used as one of his flower essences for "those who without apparently sufficient reason become resigned to all that happens, and just glide through life, take it as it is, without any effort to improve things and find some joy. They have surrendered to the struggle of life without complaint."

So, Dr. Bach has indicated the flower essence of Wild Rose for a lack of enthusiasm, saying that "the remedy helps reawaken our interest in life. In a positive Wild Rose state we are happy-go-lucky. But instead of apathy we feel a sense of purpose that brings increased happiness and enjoyment."

It does sound like a perfect pick-me-up for the Winter blues.

I can confirm that such energy is not only contained in the flower essence but also in the fruits of this particular rose. Be mindful of this when you go to harvest fruits of the Wild Rose and even when you consume a rose hip jam or rose hip powder.

Although Chinese Medicine uses a similar Rose, Rosa laevigata variety in its herbal medicine, it has been studied as genetically very closely related to Rosa Canina (Wild Rose)*. In Classical Chinese Materia Medica the rose hips are used more than other parts of the plant. They are considered a tonic. They are neutral in temperature, hence we can eat them in Winter without the worry of cooling our body too much or drying it by overheating. Their taste is sweet and sour but sour taste dominates giving it astringent quality. Astringent holds onto the essence and the slight sweetness nourishes.

It is from its strongly astringent quality that most of its benefits derive: it prevents all kinds of leakage: of energy, fluids and substances. Hence it is suggested when a person is not able to hold onto essence: seminal or vaginal, blood: emorragie uterine, bleedings, fluids: urine or feces (giving rise to diarrhoea) due to Kidney and Spleen weakness. Even when you notice undigested food in your feces or in your child's, that can be a sign of Kidney and/or Spleen deficiency. So, a very good Winter remedy for that is a rose hip jam or rose hip powder. As you would have gathered by now, rose hips are related to organs of Bladder, Kidneys, Spleen and Large Intestine in their capacity to regulate how much to hold onto.

The way to observe its capacity to hold essence is to note the size of its fruits in Autumn and then in December. As more rain comes in November its fruits grow substantially in size and become more juicy just before ripening in Winter.

Further, its astringent quality can reverse prolapsed muscles of uterus and bladder. So, the pulling up effect of rose hips is not only on the mood but also on the muscles in the lower part of the body.

In Winter you can use it even if in good health, as a Winter tonic. If you had read my December blog you would have found out by now that Winter is the season of accumulation of our essence and energy https://www.dorotao.com/post/december-withdrawing-and-accumulating. Last but not least, as most of you know, rose hips contain loads of Vitamin C: 426 mg in 100 g of fruits, protecting us from the seasonal influenza.

So, when out for a Winter walk in Nature, pick some of its fruits. You can eat them raw, especially if soft, squeese out the pulp leaving out the seeds. You can also bring them home, cut in half, clean out the seeds and dry in low heat (up to 40-50°C). Then, you can chew the pieces or pulverise it into a powder and take a spoonful a day.

* https://cmjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13020-020-0298-x

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December - withdrawing and accumulating

So, here's the Winter season! According to the Classics, 7th December marks the beginning of the second month of Winter. This middle month of Winter represents to us the festive season in which we celebrate light (December being the darkest month of the year) and our humanity. It comes from our innate need to come together on dark and cold evenings to create and share heat and light. We withdraw from much outdoor activities to rest and recover after many busy months. We are supposed to accumulate energy during the next couple of months or so. So, avoid doing harsh eliminations or energy wastage, i.e. detox or rushing around without stopping, in the next couple of months.

In some ways, we have adopted that innate need to withdraw and accumulate energy into acquisition of goods as presents and foods for the festive season. But remember that this is really our instinctual urge to accumulate and recharge our batteries. Look at trees, all their energy is withdrawing from the external parts (branches) into trunks and roots. Hence they lose their leaves. Look at animals; they either hibernate or look for warm shelter and sleep a lot.

In Chinese Medicine this energy, our batteries, is called Jing and it is placed in our Kidneys. We have two Kidneys, one is related to our pre-natal energy and the other to our post-natal energy. This means that the Kidneys are a kind of a bridge between our living energy and the energy we had brought in with us: ancestral or reincarnated. So, this month we reconnect with our roots, our families, to renew the connection to who we are and where we have come from. I encourage you to take time off to yourself to reflect on what you feel your human identity is here on Earth.

The next two months will give us this possibility to dive deep into our essence and identity. If, in that process, you rediscover or re-identify some aspects of yourself you have, but you have not realised you have had, it has the potential to give you a new shot of life, a renewed will to live. Sometimes it is simply a family connection, going back to your roots and feeling that connection can reignite life. Whether you feel part of the family or not (you feel more of an outcast), facing them up still reinforces the message about who you feel you are. Other times, it is slowing down and reflecting that gives us more clarity on your identity. In any case, make time to reconnect and reflect.

In Winter we should be like the stormy waters which calm down and reveal their transparency all the way to the bottom of the sea. You will benefit immensely on the mental level too! Physically, it will give you tranquil sleep, good body circulation, physical strength (especially in the lumbar back) and improved immunity to cold-borne diseases (such as viruses).

The post-natal Kidney "batteries" are further renewed during these Winter months by taking care of our "renewable" physical energy. The best way to renew it is to keep the body warm, circulation stable and resting sufficiently. If you suffer from cold, do warm up with hot coarse salt compresses and warming herbal teas (ginger, cinnamon, etc) and soups (especially with winter root vegetables). Brisk walking or jogging and winter sports are also indicated in this season to keep the circulation going and building up the body's strength and determination.

To keep you warm, nourished and sustained during this Winter I have prepared special herbal teas, meticulously made from personally harvested herbs and according to the principles of Classical Chinese Medicine. If you are interested in getting this special herbal tea edition, please contact me below:

Contact me for Herbal Teas

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November - last orders for letting go

The 7th of November will mark the beginning of Winter according to the classic Su Wen text. Depending on where you live in the northern hemisphere you may feel it more or less wintery around you. Here in the central Italy it definitely does not feel wintery yet; feeling yet that autumnal stillness, the leaves have just began to turn yellow and the air is still smelling of fungus. All that seems like a little extension to Autumn energy as in reality, the beginnings and endings of seasons are never clear cut.

If you remember my October update, Autumn is related to Lungs and Large Intestine. Being at the far end of the Autumn there is more emphasis on Colon and clearing out activity. Think about your garden or a park near you or a tree growing near your house. It is at the end of Autumn that we need to clear out lots of dead leaves fallen to the ground.

Analogically, the end side of Autumn season is the best time to consider what we still want, or better, need to let go of before the Wintery withdrawal and accumulation season initiates. At least here in Italy we seem to have those last chances to clear out things or energy from our homes, bodies, minds and emotions.

So let's start with your body. Is your body moving smoothly or have you had your rheumatisms, headaches, constipations, extra-weight, swellings, candida in your body recently? If those symptoms have come up in the Autumn months that is clearly an indication that cleansing is necessary. It is the best time to help your Colon in clearing out by cutting down or cutting out the foods that slow down your peristalsis: glutinous grains and meat in particular. Adding, however, extra fibre from fruits, veggies and pulses. It is ideal time to help your Colon with probiotics too, remembering that you can get it from fermented foods too!

How about your mind? Are you able to get clarity at work and in other activities? If you struggle with too many thoughts that keep you awake at night you need to sit still more often and teach your mind to let go of habitual mental unrest. In the morning, plan your day consciously according to your priorities. Focusing on what is necessary to do at hand and sweep away cluttering and unproductive thoughts. Make a conscious effort to address that which is necessary. Face head on your obligations, including bills or payments, handle and resolve difficult issues with friends and family, etc. Putting things aside will hold and block the energy so resolving them will release a lot of energy which you will notice in your affairs moving ahead.

Or perhaps you have noticed that after relaxing Summer months you got back into the stressful whirl of work and life that has by now created in you feelings of anger, frustration, withdrawal, lack of enthusiasm, even fear of not not making it. Although we all have our own dynamics to work on, this period of late Autumn is a perfect time to just let go of painful feelings irrespectively of where they originate from. The energy that is out there right now is so helpful in doing just that: detach from all those destructive emotions that only stop you from experiencing life fully.

To add to this Autumnal energy we are astrologically in between two Eclipses (the Solar and the Lunar between the 25th October and 7th November), the energy of which will continue afterwards for a while. It powers the energy of introspection and reset, which is perfect for clearing the old and setting the new, clean plate for time to come; be it in your life or in your habits that ultimately create your health and wellbeing.

To start with take one habit, physical, mental or emotional that has been around for too long or you got rather tired of. Make a conscious effort to change your attitude towards it; let go of the need to repeat it. All along remember: habits cannot make who you are, put yourself in charge of your habits!

If you don't know where to start, you can book an appointment to get some help from ancient traditional diagnosis and treatment; click on the button below to proceed.

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