A Most Joyful Medicine “Rose” and Seasonal Depression

When the plants speak its best to listen.

Rose has been speaking loud and clear the last few days, showing up in different ways so I’ve put together an elixir for this time of year.

This time of year is the space when winter is not quite over and spring is not quite here. It can be a challenge for many folks especially for those that live in the Northern climates. Less sunshine can certainly attribute to low levels of vitamin D and can lead to sadness. lethargy and sickness.

I’m consciously eating foods rich in Vitamin D such as eggs, whole milk yogurt, steel cut oats and get as much bare skin in the sunshine when it does appear. I will occasionally supplement with Vitamin D as well but still feel the drag of winter and the occasional sadness on and off.

For me it started a couple weeks ago with feeling the grief of being away from my 17 year old as he’s currently living with his father in a different state. As his graduation nears closer I can feel that my heart will be feeling a wide range of emotions and I want to be prepared for this.

In comes Rose…

I remember the first time (as an adult) that I realized the plants need us as much as we need them. I always knew it as a little girl who trusted the woods and all the plants within it but forgot it at some point along the way until some years later.

If plants can shift our body and consciousness by being among them or the use of them in our lives then might also their consciousness shift by being gazed upon, being adored and loved. Now you may say I sound woo woo but just think, if everything is energy, then nothing ever dies but only shifts and changes into something greater? Remember a time that a flower or the plant took your breath away and totally shifted how you felt.

Rose is one of these plants. It speaks loud and clear and sometimes with a prick to the finger. It has been speaking of its ability to soften and open the heart and remind us that sunny days are ahead. That it’s ok to feel the pain as that is what opens us to the wisdom to innately heal oursleves.

Did you know that Rose is noted for its effectiveness in alleviating sadness, sorrow, depression and anxiety? Rose is high in vitamins B, C and E along with minerals, which is useful for folks suffering from depression as they can sometimes be deficient in vitamin B.

I’ve been in the process of working with rose and other gentle herbs to create an elixir for the heart center to ease this time of “in between winter and spring” and the sadness that can come with it.

Another herb that is calming to the nervous system is chamomile…

Studies have shown chamomile to be effective in aiding insomnia, depression and anxiety. Chamomile contains flavonoids and antioxidants. One of the flavonoids is apigenin which binds to benzodiazepine receptors in the brain thus calming nerves and reducing anxiety.

Now, like most plant medicine the key is to use it for an extended period of time. Plants don’t work the same as a pill where we expect results immediately. Plants work at the root of the problem where pharmaceutical drugs work to alleviate the symptom, which will continue to present itself until you get to the root of the problem.

Sticking with plant medicine takes grit and the willingness to make a daily ritual to be with that plant and its offering.

Arrangement by my 8 year old.

Lifted Spirit Rose Elixir will be ready in just a few short days. Many blessings into Spring!