Midsummer Nurturance - June Newsletter

We have rounded the corner on Midsummer, and the days are blanketed by a penetrating heat. The hopeful optimism of spring is over, and it’s time to start doing the work of tending - culling pests, pulling weeds, and harvesting the growth. This tracks well with the Sun’s recent shift into Cancer, which is even more amplified with Jupiter having also recently ingressed into Cancer. The tending and nurturing of all things is magnified for this year-long Jupiter placement, with a little extra ease in the realm of emotional literacy.  

I love this time of year, when every few days I’m arriving at work with baskets and baskets of herbs collected in the shady morning for processing. And yet, sometimes it is hard to stay focused given the current political upheaval, and the collective grief that comes with it. There is a clear thread within the conversations at the apothecary—depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, heartache, overwhelm and burnout are by far the most common topics of late. Given that, I want to write this month about a couple of nervines. Because whether we are feeling marginalized, fearful, uncertain, or holding collective grief, we need resilience in our nervous systems. We must have steady uplifted resolve in order to rise against the bigots, and thrive in spite of the bigots - in all ways possible. We’ll focus today on the uplifted part of the equation. No toxic positivity here, but sometimes we do need a dose of uplift to be present and effective. There is also a theme of community in the emotional indications of these plants, emphasizing how important our social connections are to our mental health.

MIMOSA - Albizzia julibrissin - It seems the mimosa trees celebrate the heat with their bright fluffy blossoms that echo my enjoyment of the days that are rich with solar charge. The flowers evoke other-worldly tropical vibes that seem to represent the sense of lightness they can inspire. This tree is often called the ‘tree of happiness,’ although the literal translation of the Chinese name for this herb is ‘collective happiness bark.’[1]  The ‘collective’ piece is important. In Chinese medicine, it can be understood as an herb that relieves constrained emotions and Liver Qi, making it indicated for bad temper, depression, insomnia, and poor memory from constrained emotions.1 I would add that constrained emotions and the poor memory that can accompany it can be interpreted to include our modern affliction of overwhelm, especially when it is accompanied by a sense of isolation.

Mimosa - Albizzia julibrissin. Author’s collection.

Western herbalism recognizes mimosa as an anxiolytic (anxiety relieving) herb with a long history of use for depression and mood disorders. It has been shown to reduce oxidative stress in the amygdala, and is being researched for its potential to treat inflammatory neurologic diseases.[2]

I like to mix the fresh bark tincture with the fresh flower tincture. The bark is a little more blood moving and the flowers a little more specific for Liver Qi[1] so the combination is really nice and balanced.

ST JOHN’S WORT – Hypericum perforatum - is one of Western herbalism’s most classic midsummer herbs. The perforations you can see pictured in the leaves lend the Latin name ‘perforatum’ for this species, although there are quite a few Hypericum species that have been used for similar purposes over the ages. The adage with H. perforatum is that it ‘lets the light into the heart,’[3] through which the perforations are the signature. This herb has been used since prehistoric times, when it was held with a mythic reverence.[4] St. John’s Wort grows and thrives in community with other plants, and has an emotional indication for enhancing the understanding of the need for social connectedness.3 Its main modern indication is for depression and anxiety, through which its wide-ranging neurotransmitter mechanisms render it highly effective.[2]

St John’s wort - Hypericum perforatum. Author’s collection.

St John’s Wort has a strong affinity for the nerves and can be used as a nerve trophorestorative[3] - supporting the regrowth of damaged nerve tissue, neuralgia, or tissue trauma.[2]  It is also highly effective for nerve pain, especially in the gut.[4] It’s combined action of being antiviral with an affinity for healing the nerves makes it especially helpful in treating any herpesvirus variation – shingles, cold sores, chickenpox, Epstein-Barr virus, etc.

The oil made from fresh plant flowers is such a magical addition to one’s medicine cabinet. Use on wounds to prevent and soften existing scar tissue, burns, irritations, topical eruptions, and many kinds of pain.

This is a gentle and effective nerve tonic and uplifting nervine for most people, most of the time. However, it is also well-known for its many contraindications. Because of its liver enzyme potentiating effects, it can affect drug metabolism.[2] It isn’t recommended for folks that are taking prescription medications with a narrow therapeutic range,[2] and shouldn’t be mixed with acetaminophen (Tylenol) because of the potential for St John’s Wort to exacerbate liver damage caused by the drug.[5]  Consult an herbalist (call me 😉) if you are curious about using this herb to find out if it’s the right fit for you.

 AT THE APOTHECARY
Sunshine Tonic formula has mimosa and St John’s wort, and Heart Heal has mimosa. We have each of these herbs as single tinctures as well, and I can always mix up a custom formula including one or both of them. I often add some St John’s wort to Viral Rescue for herpesvirus variations (I had shingles not too long ago and the pain went away immediately once I started this formula), and it is nice in combination with other herbs for pain post-surgery or injury.
Scar Oil has a base of St John’s wort oil and it is also included in our Arnica Salve.

A nurturing, uplifted summer to you all ~

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[1] Bensky, D., & Gamble, A. (1993). Chinese herbal medicine: Materia medica. Eastland Press. 

 [2] Stansbury, J. (2020). Herbal formularies for health professionals: Neurology, psychiatry, and pain management (Vol. 4). Chelsea Green Publishing. 

[3] Tilgner, S. (2009). Herbal medicine from the heart of the earth. Wise Acres LLC.

[4] Wood, M. (2008). The earthwise herbal: A complete guide to old world medicinal plants. North Atlantic Books.

[5] Jiang, Y., Zhou, Y., Song, S., Fan, S., Gao, Y., Li, Y., Huang, M., & Bi, H. (2022). St. John's Wort Exacerbates Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Injury by Activation of PXR and CYP-Mediated Bioactivation. Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology, 190(1), 54–63. https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfac094