For the respiratory system I decided to sit with Sage, Mullein, and Lavender. Sage has been an ally to me since the beginning of my herbalism journey at about 16 when I refused to take antibiotics and instead took Sage. I knew it was an herbal antibiotic and I trusted in the medicine wholly. Sage is very mentally clearing and physically cooling/dispersing. I ingested Mullein as a tincture and I could feel the deepening of my breath as I used it, it felt very spiritual actually. Taking deeper breaths has an almost nourishing effect, I came to that understanding when working with Mullein. Lavender came to me in the physical form and I have been able to connect with her, weeding around her and caring for her... The Lavender spirit is so welcoming with her soothing gentleness, but comes packing immense healing properties at the same time! Working with these throat chakra herbs has pushed me to re-evaluate or look over my truths, my self-expression and how to honor them + the truths and expressions of others.

For the Cardiovascular System, Anahata unit, I chose to work with Yarrow, Rosemary and Hawthorn. Yarrow was completely new to me (exciting), and Hawthorn I knew because of researching remedies for arrhythmias to help my partner, and lastly, Rosemary is one of, if not my first, close -herbal- friend 🤗🌱 Where I grew up Rosemary was grown ornamentally around many places and it may be the first herb I used medicinally and also spiritually. I've grown it several times, one plant I grew for over a year. During my week sitting with Rosemary, my dear old friend came to me in many public places, like the outside area of a bar and near a popular vegan spot here in Atlanta where I just recently moved (July 1st). I even went to an absolutely beautiful healing event with amazing, nourishing food that had a table of small compostable pots and packs of seeds the organizers were giving away... 90% of all the seed packets were, you guessed it, Rosemary seeds!!! Plant spirits have such a mysterious and magical way of communicating with us. Hawthorn is super warm and sweet. Not taste wise either, I mean Hawthorn's energy. I felt very open and able to share my inner feelings rather easily while connecting to it. I even had a couple heartfelt moments at the beginning of working with it that really showed me it's heart-opening power! The tea smells similar to honey to me, and has a nice taste and color. During the weeks I sat with the heart herbs I spent some self-healing time in nature with psyilocibin mushrooms, and found chanterelle mushrooms along the way (yum!) I also took time to reflect more and did some self-care with a detoxing clay mask. I also unearthed some shadow work within my self-love/self-image journey, so I'm also working through that as well... Loving myself through each phase, as best I can 💚

For the Manipura unit I chose to work with Cinnamon, Chamomile and Fennel. I can say I've luckily never had many digestive problems in my life, probably because I ate a decent amount of veggies growing up with my grandma who cooked a lot of traditional Filipino dishes. She also gave me Chamomile from a young age, which is gentle but very effective in aiding digestion. Sitting with each of these herbs gave me a small boost to my very smooth digestive system. While sitting with Fennel, both of my partners (polygamy) drank a cup with me in the earlier part of our day and it simultaneously sent us all to go #2 LOL 😆 Cinnamon definitely would open up my appetite after drinking it first thing in the morning or at the start of my day. I found Cinnamon very strengthening and grounding to my system. I've learned so much this unit; from the Enteric Nervous System, to the different parts of the digestive system + their functions, and the importance of gut biology on the entire body, this unit has been deeply informative!

My relationship with my internal waters-emotions, femininity, creativity, and my physical womb-has been paved by a long road of rediscovery and healing. I had many years of mistreating myself, my womb and sacral energy. I created some beautiful healing rituals where I would dance, cry + release, and do divination asking my ancestors/guides questions into my sacral traumas. The book Sacred Woman by Queen Afua helped me a lot, I have not completed it (as it's basically a feminine bible or encyclopedia, lol) but the sections on the womb and sacred movement aided this process tremendously. I have come a long way and I know everything I endured is not just for me and my growth but other women as well. I feel a deep calling to help heal my fellow sistren, and I plan to continue following that call. The herbs I chose for the Svadhisthana unit were Motherwort, Red Raspberry Leaf, and Shatavari Root. These herbal allies further fueled my femininity, connected me deeper to my maternal lineage and even regulated my cycle. Profound moments connecting with my great-great grandma on my maternal side were some of the best times I've had during this unit. I planned a big ancestral ritual for her birthday, but just after finishing Motherwort and beginning Red Raspberry Leaf, my cycle started! On the day of her bithday/the ritual! Totally not a coincidence!!! This prompted me to slow down and not go all out like I planned to do for the ritual (which kinda discouraged me). However, I realized it was all aligned and I might have connected with her even deeper by not doing the big extravagant ritual. I could write a novel so I'll just stop here. Blessings all ways! <3

Ahhh! I feel oh-so inspired after reading the Immune System unit!!! One thing that I'm excited to work with is Elderberry. I have decent amount of Elderberry that I have yet to really work with, and after the section of the Muladhara unit about Elderberry, I am called to make some medicine. I'm currently out of town, but when I return home I will be trying my hand at some syrup, and drinking the tea. I also want to create some kind of facial toner because I know Elder has very powerful antioxidant qualities. It has many phytochemicals/constituents that contribute to it's anti-aging properties. I'm actually super excited that I'm feeling the herbal creative juices flowing again! That's why I took this course, because I felt like I reached a peak in my craft, and I needed to learn more in order to be inspired to create more... and here I am! Grateful for you all <3 I loved working with Hyssop and I think its a very effective immune booster, but since the beginning of my herbalism journey I have trusted Sage to be my go-to antibiotic. I used to always tell folks how it is a natural antibiotic, and although it may take a little bit longer, it is better than pharmaceutical antibiotics because those often kill good bacteria too, and can give women yeast infections.

NETTLE 💚 -common/scientific name: stinging nettle, urtica dioica -when the herb was ingested?: first thing each morning + throughout the day -how long was the herb ingested for?: a total of 12 days, 8 consecutive Nettle feels like a big, warm hug from Nature. I felt more whole and nourished, even my normal hunger (hanger 😠 lol) was not as bothersome as I waited to eat between work. The taste is smooth and lightly earthy, and almost just tastes nutrient dense! I observed how after consistently taking Nettle, it's ability to boost absorption and strength of other herbs/foods became prevalent when drinking coffee. I don't regularly drink coffee, but the same coffee I normally drink had such a stronger effect when working with Nettle. Spiritually it has a masculine energy that feels strengthening and protective. I wore Nettle on my wrist in a small green mojo bag while I took it internally and it's energy was motivating and grounding. Nettle tastes like health and the vitality it brings mirrors that taste... I feel stronger when drinking Nettle.