Just took a 15-minute break to go into my garden and grab some morning sunshine in the far corner where the tulips are beginning to form buds and the bees are visiting the flowering heather. Winter seems to have been very long and very grey this year and to finally see the sun can only be time to join the birds in joyful song and the bees intensely buzzing from flower to flower. Is it sunny all the way from here? Unlikely, but at least warmer and brighter.
During the seasonal transition it is natural to feel more energetic and want to clean things out, cupboards, garages, wardrobes and attics. This is the time also to have a good internal spring clean to remove the stagnation and sluggishness of winter and do that detox you have been promising yourself for months.
Psychologically the winter is a gloomy time, especially in Northern countries when daylight hours are much less, the sun is low in the sky, everything appears to be sleeping and consequently energy stagnates, things get left undone, projects unfinished and progress naturally slowed. With the energy of spring we feel ready to complete all the unfinished projects, make those decisions that we have been putting off, and generally get on with things with renewed and almost excited vigour.
There are several thoughts about where the term “Spring Cleaning” came from. It appears to date back many centuries and could have been influenced by several traditions. The Jewish tradition during Passover (March and April) requires the removal of all leavened products from the house including utensils used for making these products. It is thought that this time coincided with a thorough clean of the house.
The Iranians took part in Khaneh Tabani, which translates as “Shaking of the House”, in preparation for New Year during the spring Equinox on the 21st March. This term “Shaking of the House” is rather visual and for me has a strong association with getting ready for what is coming in spring and summer. The Chinese also “shake the house” in preparation for their New Year in January or February depending on how the Chinese calendar falls.
In Western countries before the advent of the wonderful vacuum cleaner, spring was the time to remove soot from the house that was a result of coal fired furnaces and fires. Springtime was considered warm enough to open the doors and windows to air out the house, letting the wind blow all the soot and dust away.
Whatever the history to spring cleaning it is a time of renewal, of letting go of what is not needed. It has both psychological and physical effects on the mind, body and spirit. The physical effects are found in deeper cleaning of dirt and dust that has accumulated over the winter months in areas that are not so visible due to lack of sun and day light.
During spring we feel more inclined towards fresh, raw, lighter foods; salads and vegetables. Drinking herbal teas “feels” the right thing to do to help remove unwanted clogging in the intestines and bowel, refreshing and energizing the system, as well as increasing and improving blood circulation, supporting your main organs by assisting them in breaking down and eliminating accumulated toxins through the body’s elimination channels – the skin, liver, kidneys, lungs and bowel. Spring-cleaning the body, not only removes accumulated “dust”, helping our systems function more effectively but also decreases the potential for spring allergies, such as hay fever. Herbs that help with detoxifying and removing the sluggishness of winter are abundant in our hedgerows from early spring onwards and as the hedgerows show slight signs of bursting into leaf, so we see nettles, goose grass and dandelion offering their wares openly.
Herbs that help with detoxification include:
Cleavers or Goose grass (Galium aparine) is a straggling plant that sticks to everything. When looking at the plant’s physiognomy, it looks like the body’s lymphatic system of small channels connecting lymph nodes all over to encourage clearance of toxins and effective lymph drainage. The name refers to its ability to cling/cleave to clothing or animals that brush past it. Full of polyphenolic acids, flavonoids and tannins. These constituents make a wonderful diuretic for general detoxification of the liver and whole body as well as decreasing swollen lymph glands. Pick the plant’s creeping stems, simmer in water for 10-15 minutes and drink 2-3 cups daily as a tea. (Avoid if pregnant)
Culpeper, an English botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer (1616-1664) in his Materica Medica described Cleavers as, “A good remedy in the spring, eaten (being first chopped small and boiled well in water gruel, to cleanse the blood and strengthen the liver, thereby to keep the body in health and fitting it for that change of season that is coming.”
Found in abundance as this time is also Nettle (Urtica doica) – The Romans used Urtica as a method of beating the body to bring blood to the surface in order to keep warm. Known as “urtification”. Nettle leaves are rich in flavonoids, amines, including histamine, acetylcholine and serotonin as well as minerals. Nettle is also a cleansing and detoxifying herb with diuretic action, aiding the elimination of waste from the body. It is an antiallergenic and can be used for treating hay fever, a condition often associated with spring. Pick nettle tops and leaves, simmer in water for 5-7 minutes and drink 2-3 cups daily either hot or cold. A wonderful diuretic, high in potassium, helping effectively release excessive water and edema without depleting the body’s potassium levels. The high mineral content supports energy as well as healthy functioning of the kidneys. Nettle soup eaten daily is a very tasty, iron rich, highly nutritious soup. (Avoid if pregnant)
Culpeper wrote about the nettle; “Nettle tops eaten in the spring consume the phlegmatic superfluities in the body of man that the coldness of winter hath left behind.”
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) a beautiful herb that supports the liver and gallbladder function, is a detoxifying bitter tonic that increases elimination of toxins through the liver and kidneys. Eating the young leaves in spring helps cleanse the body of wastes from heavy, clogging foods and our more home bound sedentary lifestyle of winter. Vulgarly called “Piss-a-beds”, Culpepper said of dandelions: “It is under the dominion of Jupiter. It is of an opening and cleansing quality and therefore very effectual for the obstructions of the liver, gall and spleen and the diseases that arise from them.”
In combination with using the herbs, try dry skin brushing on a daily basis to stimulate lymph to aid removal of toxins through the skin, the largest organ in the body. Using a natural bristle body brush, before showering brush firmly, moving upwards always in the direction of your heart. Avoid any areas of open, irritated skin, or eczema. Shower immediately afterwards to remove any loosened dead skin. If you are feeling really motivated end with a burst of cold water to further invigorate and stimulate movement of lymphatic fluid and the removal of toxins. Over time you will feel that your immune is stronger and in general you have increased energy and improved wellbeing.
References:
Culpepper’s Complete Herbal, Nicholas Culpeper. (Kissinger Legacy Reprints)
Dispensing with Tradition, Anne McIntyre, Michelle Boudin
Healing with the Herbs of Life, Lesley Tierra, L.Ac., Herbalist, A.H.G
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