FLOWER POWER : HEALING MIND, BODY & SPIRIT
Without a doubt, we are officially in high summer! This is a powerful time of year as the sun’s energy is at its peak, and solar fire shows its most potent force for the next few months, bringing life to earth with abundance and growth. The season of fire energy and long days of sunlight encourages us to ask how this period can help us manifest and heal: What stokes our personal fire? Where is our own flame a little dulled?
The connection between earth and sky is at its most evident in summer, illustrated in heavy-laden blooms of flowers and their response to the sun’s rays; bursts of colour and fragrance announce their peak potential.
Flowers are among the most essential players in our planet’s ecological cycle, as the vessels of the complex reproductive systems of plants, they work in symbiosis with pollinators to propagate life. Honouring this, the vital energy of flowers has been used since time immemorial for healing purposes, and is often an important part of ritual and ceremony to address a wide range of physical and spiritual concerns.
Flower essences (herbal decoctions or infusions made from the flowering part of the plant) can be harnessed for more personal mind-body-soul benefits, focusing on emotional and mental aspects of wellness. As imprints of the life force of plants, they carry healing and inspirational properties through the vehicle of water when taken orally.
In this post, we highlight some of the shining flowers of the season, their essences, properties, and how we love to use them.
Rose
Parts Used:
- Hips, seeds, petals
Ailments (physical):
- Rose hips are high in vitamin C, and help build immune function, fighting debility and exhaustion, great as a spring/summer tonic
- The hips are anti-inflammatory, helpful for constipation, ulcers and digestion
- Petals are a light astringent, and help with tightening tissues, aiding in symptoms like rosacea
- Helpful for delicate parts, topically or internally
Flower Essence (emotional):
- Heart break/heartache
- Trauma
- Unresolved grief/deep hurt
- Death of a loved one
- Depression or loss of will
- Feeling stuck in the past
- A tight chest or heart-related problems
Borage:
Parts Used:
- Seeds, leaves
Ailments (physical):
- Leaves act as a restorative helping to restore and revive the adrenals
- May be used as a tonic for stress over a long period of time
- The leaves and seeds simulate milk flow in nursing moms
- Borage seed oil is high in GLA (gamma linolenic acid) helpful for regulating menstrual cramps and excellent for the skin as an anti-oxidant
Flower Essence:
- Essence for courage and optimism
- Assists in all matter of life, especially when one is burdened with worry
- Refuels the soul with fresh clarity
- Works on opening the heart chakra
- Helps to relax the emotional body
Yarrow
Parts Used:
- Flowers, aerial parts
Ailments:
- First aid remedy to help stop bleeding
- One of the best diaphoretics (induces perspiration) to help the body deal with fevers
- Opens/tones the blood vessels, reduces high blood pressure
- Helps stimulate digestion
- Used for easing menstrual cramps and aids in labor and childbirth
- Externally it is a concentrated astringent for healing wounds and varicose veins
Flower Essence:
- Protects against negative influences of all kinds
- Good for those who are particularly sensitive to negative thoughts and emotions
- Protection against unwanted environmental energies such as electromagnetic radiation (computers, florescent lights, aircraft travel, etc.)
- Helps provide better boundary and energetic protection
- Good for oversensitivity and vulnerability
*These statements have not been evaluated by Heath Canada, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is not intended to be a substitute for seeking medical advise. Please consult your medical doctor for specific medical issues.