Cultivating Allowance - May Newsletter

A garden, in sweet and steady ways, can echo a soul’s path. The state of the soil, the building of ecology, and the flourishing blooms are a mirrored experience in our own internal ecology and seasonal rhythms. My garden isn’t necessarily easy to work. It’s shady, with tree roots competing for water and nutrients in a once clay-packed dirt that had to be worked with a pickaxe and mattock. But herbs are wild things. If they struggle a little out there, they are all the more powerful for it - packed with constituents from a more feral existence. A lot of herbs will resist cultivation, and then after a couple of years of letting them go to seed they find the hardpacked pathways between the beds, at the edges, and they’ll make a happy home there. Still, some do benefit from a carefully tended compost ecology and fluffy soil, and it can take many years to build that rich loam. Which parts of us require an untamed experience? Which parts require the most careful tending? Gardening wild plants requires a certain amount of allowance, for them to express their existence when and where they will.

Spring is nearing the end of its leap, and I’m settling into the mindset of allowance. The optimistic, striving, try-hard season of digging beds, amending the soil, setting up irrigation and getting plants in the ground is waning. Now it’s becoming time to drift, making small adjustments with the current of the growing season. (And, be sure to read our shop updates below because we are drifting out with our new facial line and tooth powders!!)

In the vein of allowance, this month I’d like to more deeply explore my favorite gentle adaptogen, tulsi. Allowance because with adaptogens we are not simply shifting the physiology with direct constituents. Adaptogens have a quality called amphoterism, or amphoteric action, which means that they are capable of bringing physiology into balance – responding differently to one person versus another, or responding in multiple ways to the same person during different physiologic states. A good example of this is astragalus, which can be helpful for both underactive and overactive immune function. As herbs are studied more, it is becoming clearer that many more herbs than originally assumed have some amount of amphoteric action. Echinacea, for instance, used to be broadly understood as a direct immune stimulant. While it does often do that, it is now understood as more of an immune modulator in the sense that it generally won’t overstimulate an already heightened immune response, and might even alleviate it.[1] Herbs often wend their way toward balance, perhaps in part because wild plant constituents have their place in the evolution of our physiology. When constituents meet receptors, there is an ancient communion that takes place between plant and animal.

TULSI – Ocimum sanctum - Sometimes known as holy basil, tulsi is the sweetest nudge to the nervous system and has a very broad reach of incredible qualities. Being an adaptogen, it supports the body in adaptation to stress and new physiologic states such as parenthood, menarche, menopause, during illness or even post-injury. It is an excellent postpartum herb, as it supports milk production as well.
Tulsi is a great choice for generalized stress, especially when it is accompanied by brain fog and inattention. I use tulsi when there is a depressive state of overwhelm because the uplifting qualities of this herb are distinct, and it is helpful at dispelling a sense of hopelessness. Tulsi is also an expectorant with an affinity for the lungs. The Lung organ in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the house of the emotion grief, and tulsi can gently draw us into our breath, uplifting the spirits through respiration – all the while rejuvenating and detoxifying the lungs themselves.

There are also studies on its effects of lowering blood sugar[2] and demonstrating efficacy in oral health.[3] It also has broad reaching effects as an antioxidant with toxicity protective effects in the brain and other organs.[4] In addition to all that, tulsi shows promise in its radioprotective and anti-carcinogen effects.[5]

What a powerhouse of a cutie little basil plant that smells and tastes absolutely divine! I love the tincture of the fresh herb because it captures the sweetness and complexity of the flavor a little better than the tea – although the tea is also delicious and maintains medicinal potency. With most herbs, and especially adaptogens, consistency is more important than quantity, so if taking a couple tincture droppers is easier than brewing tea daily, then that’s your jam. There is something in the medicine of the ritual of the making of the tea - and the sipping of the tea - that can add to the depth of the regulation imparted by the herb.

Tulsi Blueberry Shrub Recipe:
If you have tulsi growing in your garden, you can muddle a few flowering tops with 5-6 blueberries and add 2T apple cider vinegar and top with sparkling water for an uplifting and aromatic refreshment. If you prefer it sweeter, you could add more blueberries or 1 teaspoon maple syrup, honey, or simple syrup. (PSA: Agave nectar has a worse glycemic index than high fructose corn syrup, so you’ll want to avoid that here, and keep avoiding it in the future!) If you don’t have fresh tulsi, you can add 4-6 droppers of tincture instead.

IF YOU NEED
Tulsi preparations abound in the apothecary, if you’d like to bring this one into your routine for a while. We have the single fresh herb tincture, as well as many formulas: Respiratory Elixir, Adrenal Tonic, Flowers, Mama’s Milk Support, and Sunshine Tonic. All of these include the tincture of the fresh garden grown herb. In tea blends, tulsi is included in Ground Down, Mineral Bliss, and Morning Dew. You can find teas here, and email us for tincture orders: sundialmedicinals@gmail.com

AT THE APOTHECARY
Our NEW line of facial products is hitting the shelves! We’re thrilled for this luxurious system, including Herbal Oil Cleanser, Orange and Honey Facial Mask, Aloe and Cucumber Hyaluronic Serum, and Glow Serum. You can use them as a complete 5 step process (with the addition of our Facial Toner) or you can simplify with using the two serums after bathing.
Find them here.

We also have our new Mineralizing Tooth Powder available now. With white clay, baking soda, and hydroxyapatite it’s everything you need with nothing that interferes with a healthy ecology – no xylitol, no glycerine. It is available in two spearmint varieties – one has salt added to the formula, which is extra supportive to dental ecology and gum health.
Find it here.

UPCOMING CLASS
I’m joining the Wellness Collective for a free Meal Support Circle session next Thursday. We’ll explore how to prepare legumes (like beans and lentils) in ways that reduce anti-nutrient factors, support digestion, and improve nutrient absorption. Everyone goes home with fresh, seasonal produce from Easy Bee Farm, generously donated by Our Village.

Thursday, May 29th at 5:15 PM

Youth Garden Project kitchen

Free to attend | Sign-up in advance requested at wellnesscollectivemoab.com

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[1] Zhai Z, Liu Y, Wu L, Senchina DS, Wurtele ES, Murphy PA, Kohut ML, Cunnick JE. Enhancement of innate and adaptive immune functions by multiple Echinacea species. J Med Food. 2007 Sep;10(3):423-34. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2006.257. PMID: 17887935; PMCID: PMC2362099.

[2] Agrawal P, Rai V, Singh RB. Randomized placebo-controlled, single blind trial of holy basil leaves in patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1996 Sep;34(9):406-9. PMID: 8880292.

[3] Agrawal A, Sharma AR, Rathod V, Bhatnagar A, Amol Khale P, Tidke P, Mehta D, Mazumder D. Assessment of the Efficiency of Tulsi Extract as a Locally Administered Medication Agent and Its Comparison With Curcumin in the Treatment of Periodontal Pockets. Cureus. 2024 Feb 21;16(2):e54619. doi: 10.7759/cureus.54619. PMID: 38523946; PMCID: PMC10959213.

[4] Samson J, Sheeladevi R, Ravindran R. Oxidative stress in brain and antioxidant activity of Ocimum sanctum in noise exposure. Neurotoxicology. 2007 May;28(3):679-85. doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2007.02.011. Epub 2007 Feb 25. PMID: 17379314.

[5] Baliga MS, Rao S, Rai MP, D'souza P. Radio protective effects of the Ayurvedic medicinal plant Ocimum sanctum Linn. (Holy Basil): A memoir. J Cancer Res Ther. 2016 Jan-Mar;12(1):20-7. doi: 10.4103/0973-1482.151422. PMID: 27072205.