A Plant Meditation Update & Schisandra Plant Monograph:
Tuesday evening was our 5th Plant Meditation class and in honor of Valentine's day, we met Schisandra. She’s a new friend and in the past she would have not been among the first to think of in regards to matters of “intimate love” and beauty. But following the compulsion to get to know her, I was soon to discover through meditation and study, just how appropriate it is to be working with her in regards to sexuality, vitality, health and beauty.
After taking her sacrament, my mouth immediately was filled with a bouquet of flavors, primarily sour, then bitter with a touch of sweet, salty and pungent. I quietly ask her to to teach me about herself. I found myself sinking into deep waters. My mouth fills with water and I have the sense I will drown. Then the message comes to me to breathe, to let go. I floated to the surface bathed in moonlight. I feel my lungs fill with the sweetness of air and I surrender to the sensation. I’m centered and aware. My focus becomes crisp as tension leaves my body and I experience a profound feeling of my mind being centered while relaxed. Our meditations come to a close and we share our reflective experiences. Themes of the sun, the moon, the wind, of release are mentioned. This is the part of our nights journey I love most. As a group, our collective experiences of a particular herb are shown to us in a symbolic language. Samantha shares the science and medicinal attributes of our chosen plant and then I get to share the energetics, as it is related to astrology as well as the subtle energy of a plant as it relates to our psyches.
Schisandra is called the five flavor berry as it is sweet, pungent, sour and salty and bitter. It’s an adaptogen, strengthening the hypothalamic/pituitary/adrenal function and normalizing the nervous system and immune activity.
This translates into its ability to help us deal with stress by regulating a cascade of hormones and supporting the adrenals when they are 'under fire'. It mediates our fight and flight response. Schisandra also acts as a mild, non habit forming stimulant. It has the benefit of elevating our capacity to focus with out the jitters of caffeine.
It helps to protect the liver as an anti-hepatotoxin and has been successfully been used in the treatment of hepatitis A and B The liver is our primary organ of detoxification and when it is sluggish or compromised one can feel sick, sluggish and irritable. The whole of our bodily functions have far reaching effects on our well being. Stress begets stress and impaired vitality.
Schisandra with its many flavors, likewise has many and far reaching restorative properties.
According to Chinese medicine it restores the kidney jing. Jing is the primal life force in living beings. We are born with it and it determines the power of our life force. Jing is a fundamental determinant of our potential for a long life. A person with an abundance of Jing will most likely be healthy, strong and resilient, and can achieve great longevity. Symptoms of leaky Jing are excessive vaginal discharge, premature ejaculation, excessive sweating. lower back pain and excessive urination, fatigue and premature aging. Schisandra berry builds the primary energies of our life force and is highly beneficial to anyone who consumes it.
There is a link between the lungs and kidneys in Chinese medicine. The kidneys are where we store our fears and the lungs are where we store grief. There is a theory called epigenetics which postulates that we are born with the genetic material of our ancestors and within that genetic material we carry our past trauma as well as the tendencies of our ancestors. I find this so interesting! The kidneys store our jing which is the genetic material we are born with. If I follow this flow, I can see the symbolic language of asthma as it relates to both lung and kidney, and I can understand the message of my vision. Like an asthmatic who is gasping for air, I was filled with very real fear. It was not until I heard "let go and relax" that I came to the surface and inhaled the sweetness of the night air, bathed in the yin essence of the moon light.
In short, Schisandra is one of the premier adaptogenic herbs! It modulates our stress hormones and is very calming to our nervous system, while being very stimulating at the same time. Studies have shown that it enhances human intellectual activity on all levels and provide increased mental power and alertness.
Schisandra increases vitality, purifies the blood, strengthens the lungs, detoxifies and cleanses the liver, sharpens the mind, improves memory, increases sexual fluids, sexual endurance, protects and beautifies the skin, and is overall life strengthening.
Schisandra, The Ulimate Plant Adaptogen
Schisandra possesses five flavors and within the complexity of these flavors we can look to more of its attributes as they relate on an energetic level. The use of Schisandra as an energetic teaches us tolerance for diversity. And wow, isn't that timely!? Just as there are five flavors, there are all types of people from all walks of life. The energetics of this plant assist in the opening of the heart to the unification inherent in all of humanity. This is a plant of tolerance, grounding, and development of empathy.
-
Often called the ultimate tonic herb
-
Promotes beautiful skin and hair
-
Supports the liver and lungs
-
Supports mental clarity and memory
-
Offers mental power, without jitters
-
Supports healthy aging
-
Contains all 5 flavors, for all 5 Elements
-
Yin and Yang balanced
-
Supports sexual health in men and women, aphrodisiac
Spring is certainly the time of year for re-emergence, rebuilding, and nourishing. After the dormancy of winter, spring is the perfect time for cleansing the kidneys and liver, to flush out toxins, boost immunity and revitalize your system. We are excited to offer our newsletter subscribers this Spring Cleaning Special!
These cleansers and tonics are 15% off when you use the code SPRINGCLEAN
Kidney Tonic - soothing and nutritive for both chronic and acute kidney inflammation
LVR Cleanse - Helps detox the liver, cleanses the blood, and stimulates bile production
Cleansing Blend Tea for Liver and Kidneys - Cleanses, rebuilds and nourishes the liver and kidneys
Schisandra Single Herb Tincture - This is the ***ultimate tonic herb***
If you are blown away by the diverse and powerful attributes of this plant adaptogen, then you are right on target! So are we! So much good stuff! Order now!