This is a lovely challenge, dear @theherbalhive !
My two go-to herbs which I use in pelvic steaming, baths and teas, are nettle and rose: they have a particular combination of qualities, perfume and taste, which have settled into my life and psyche as my main base for the above uses.
Both plants grow near my house: the nettles down the bottom parts of the big gardens here, and the rosesI harvest from a mix of my own white rose in front of the Arthouse, and a gloriously perfumed antique tea rose down in a neighbour's garden.
I've been using herbal teas as a compliment to a regular black/ Earl Grey caffeinated-tea habit - but had to give the latter up for health reasons recently. I felt lost without my big solid cuppa punctuating the day, and reminding me of home!
However, persevering with my tea blends, I'm finding that I can make just as nice a solid flavour, with plants harvested myself! Woohoo! 🥰☕ The improved health outcome is significant, obviously.
I use the base of around 50% nettle, 30% rose petals, 15% sage or rosemary and/ or olive leaf, and a wee 5% pinch or less of lavender (which easily overpowers!) ....
All these herbs have beautiful benefits, but I feel that those from nettles - strength, vitality, discernment, spiritual stamina, boundaries, capacity to protect oneself, and standing up against wrongs - and from rose - divine feminine vibration, womb healing/ consciousness, self love, compassion, oneness/ love of family and community, slowing down and letting things be what they are - all these potent qualities are essential regular medicine for me.. The qualities seem to balance yin and yang very well, I feel - and this confirms my intuitive spontaneous path to using them!
Blessings, all!
Clare.
Oh my goodness yes!!! Nettle and rose with a dash of... Perfect. Rose is so TEA like!! And sweetens the grassy nettle. Don't you love it how plants that grow together simply MUST be used together? It's like nature KNOWS. Cleavers and nettle in the spring... Nourish and detox! Now you're talking!!!
Nature most certainly does know - and the Nature in us knows too, if we can slow down enough to hear her speak!
I'm really liking the little twist of grounding sage in there.... one of my favourite herbs!
Yes! Depending on my mood or taste, I'll add a variety of other herbs and spices 😍 Sage is one of my faves too, but on its own can make me feel a tad overwhelmed 😋
What an awesome read! I have to say I am so sad that nettle does not grow here where I live. Or I have never seen them yet. Thank you for sharing this! The rose just sounds delicious, I recently had some rose tea. It was just so soothing. And as @riverflows state, it is as if nature knows when different plants grow together!
I always thought that nettles were pretty uniquitous, but of course there must be a couple of places in the world where they're not so prolific! ;-D Heheh! I was thinking too though, about how there is always an equivalent kind of plant with the same qualities in most parts of the world - so in Europe we might use garlic rather than turmeric. I wonder if anyone has done a guidebook about this? :-) And yes, our Nature knows too, if we can calm our mind and ego to hear her speak! Great conversations, I love these comment challenges!
That would be awesome right? A field guide of all or most herbs and how one can swop them for any reason one wants to. Or even just a cook book that shows you how to swop everyday ingredients to get you to explore local plants. Tzatziki made with purslane rather than cucumber; pesto made with wild rocket or dandelion leaves; and so on.
Yes! We make pesto in Scotland from rocket and walnuts rather than basil and pinenuts, as they are the ingredients found near us. :-D In the mountains (near me, in the Alta Sannio, Italy) it seems common to use wild garlic and walnuts in a pesto too - yum! Basil is yummy, but it is very nice to switch it up and have a variety of pestos to hand! I love your idea of purslane in tzaziki, @fermentedphil !
Glad I could share some wisdom and new ideas!
I love that idea, wild garlic pesto. I always add some garlic chives, but it is not the same! I think one can make some awesome pestos if you know local ingredients and when you use some creative thinking.
Nettles don't grow in Thailand either. My half-Thai daughter recently moved to Netherlands for university and was a little surprised to see me get some nettle stings. We all took some time to show her how to identify it so she doesn't inadvertently roll around in it and hurt herself - it was EVERYwhere at the horse farm we stayed at!!
Nettle and rose sounds like a magnificent combination! And beautifully balanced and synergistic.
Oh my, yes, I've seen foreign folk here in Italy grasping nettles, and not comprehending their power.... though this does have a therapeutic effect, so maybe their instinct led them to be stung!? 😉 Hehe.
I remember as a child on the island, not seeing nettles e.g. under tall bracken - and going in thigh-high. Yikes! At least there were always doc leaves nearby, which have a great immediate effect....
In fact, @theherbalhive - there's another divine pairing: nettles and doc leaves (rumex) - usually growing together - one antidoting the strong sting of the other. Blessed union, when one is wee and exploring nature uninhibitedly! 🥰