Herbal Medicine for Healing Your Heart?

As I've transverses my long career and age and wisdom have deepened my search for spirituality, I've begun worry less (but still focus on) the superficial types of healing and explore more how herbal medicine can help us on a soul and spirit level. I've have a clear understanding now that people need healing on not just a physical level but on a spiritual and emotional levels. In fact I would say the latter two play the bigger role in healing and that SPIRITUAL and EMOTIONAL reasons are the cause of disease in the first instance.

I've also witnessed great leaps in consciousness when clients have used herbal medicines. Of course most of the time clients are coming for physical or emotional issues including depression and anxiety, and while of course my aim is to get them physically better there is often a wonderful synchronicity between what medicines they need physically and what the herbs do spiritually and emotionally.

Today I felt enthusiasm around sharing some of this knowledge about which plants help us heal the energy of the heart and soul. Here is a list of herbal medicines that are specific for this:

Schizandra is a herb used extensively in herbal medicine as a liver herb, and liver herbs tend to help us release stuck emotions especially anger and irritation. They help to unblock Qi (pronounced Chee) which is energy. Energy gets stuck by.....you guessed it.....stuck emotions. Schizandra is also known as an adaptogen - it helps the body cope better with stress.

Schizandra Berries

Schizandra Berries

Reishi is a fungus used as a herbal medicine that we use as a adaptogen to help our bodies deal with stress and to support the immune system. Energetically it is said to help clear a backlog of stuck emotions stored in the body. When strong negative emotions are stored in the body they can create disease and chronic illness. Reishi helps to clear these emotions.

Bright orange rainbow of color of the fungus known as Reishi

Reshi Mushroom

Bergamot is a bitter, inedible citrus fruit – often called bergamot orange - and it's what gives Earl Grey tea it's distinctive, delicate flavour. It is said to be a great spiritual cleanser and is ideal for those stuck in grief and sadness.

The fruit of the Bergamot Citrus Tree

Bergamot

Rose - Rose can be used as a essential oil and not only does it smell divine

it helps with softening and opening the heart. It helps us to let go of those emotional thorns that have been held on to and no longer serve us. Of course it never serves to hold onto the past and past emotions. We can only live in the present.

Roses of many colours to help heal our heart.

Rose

Elecampane is a often used herbal medicine for lung complaints and chest infections. I have used it in many herbal mixes where there has been a cold or flu and lung support is needed. Energetically if is for people who have suffered grief and pushed it down into the lungs. There is sometimes a need to keep identifying with the sadness but Elecampane helps to release and let go. Great for loss due to home sickness or due to separation.

The bright yellow flower of the Elecampane plant.

Elecampange

Holy Basil (or Tulsi) is a sacred plant used for centuries. It is used as a nervine for stress and adaptogenic which means it helps our adrenals and body cope with stress. Energetically it is known to support the throat and heart chakras. The throat is an important

Holy Basil plant has pointed cone like flowers and green foliage.

Holy Basil

Hawthorn is a herb often used in the west for physical heart related conditions as a tonic to the physical heart it is said to be cardio-protective and restorative to the heart. Spiritually and emotionally this herb is for heartache or "spiritual heartache" from disconnection to your spirt. It is good for helping us with forgiveness of ourselves and others especially where the lack of this forgiveness is blocking our own healing.

Hawthorn Tree with it's deep red berries and lime green leaves

Hawthorn

I hope you have enjoyed learning about some of these amazing plants.