The very early days of Spring are the first time we see wild herbal plants after the Winter. Nettle, cleavers, chickweed and dandelions are some of the earliest wild plants you can find growing, These herbs also happen to be some of the most beneficial for Spring health and wellbeing.

As we step into Spring after the cold and dark days of Winter. Days which were hard on both our minds and bodies, it is a perfect time to refresh and renew.

We all know and understand that the weather changes as we move through each of the four seasons, but we don’t always stop to think about how those changes affect us. Both physical and mental health, as well as our emotional and spiritual well-being.

Often, without realising it, our habits, and the activities we choose to do, will change with the seasons, sometimes for the better, sometimes to the detriment of our health and well-being.

I am a huge advocate of herbal and holistic treatments for health and wellbeing. But I can tell you if you are taking herbal medicines while also weekly drinking alcohol, eating highly processed foods, takeaways, food high in salt, sugar, and neglecting the whole fresh foods (like fruits and vegetables) that are full of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, then you are wasting your time!!

One of the many joys and benefits of Seasonal living is that it encourages and helps us to embrace every season. To adapt and change our routines and habits to reflect what is happening in the world around us, and to remain flexible and adaptable.

Not to mention the benefits it brings to our bodies and minds when we are able to adapt to the natural ebb and flow of our energy and what our bodies are capable of in each season.

Seasonal living is a constant practice of adjusting our daily routines and habits in accordance with the changing seasons and natural rhythms of the earth. This approach to living recognises that our bodies and minds are interconnected with the natural world, and that we can better optimise our health and wellbeing by aligning ourselves with the patterns of nature.

One of the key areas where seasonal living can have a profound impact on our overall health and wellbeing is our circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is the internal 24-hour clock that governs our sleep-wake cycle, a process that is controled by the release of hormones that tell our body either ‘it’s time to wake up’ or ‘it’s time to sleep’, and it is influenced by a variety of factors including light exposure, meal timing, and physical activity to name a few.

As we step into May the plant world around us is bursting into life, the hedgerows are full of Hawthorn blossoms, and this means the seasons Elder flower blossom isn’t far behind.

This is one of my favourite times of year, and elderflowers gentle healing and energy is one of my favourites to work with, and is always highly anticipated …

In this post I've included tips on elderflower foraging, its properties for health and healing AND a simple recipe for making elderflower cordial.

Humans are not built to produce the same amount of output every day, day after day, like a production line machine. We cannot produce both quantity an𝘥 quality work at this rate either…

and yet, we seem to be permanantly fixated on how ‘productive’ we have been.

This toxic form of productivity has to stop. Do we even know what true productivity means anymore?

The key is finding the balance between action and rest. Being able to see rest as an equal partner to action. A balance on the opposite side of a continuous cycle.

Have you ever thought about how different men and women’s bodies are, how we function and (as that famous book tells us) act as if we are from different planets?

Have you ever looked at your male friend, sibling, relative, or partner and wondered how, when you are so different, we are all treated the same by out health system?

What’s so important about womens health you may ask? Can it be so very different?

When so much in this world is designed and tested around the male body and composition womens health and wellbeing is very much lagging behind…

As we move from Winter to Spring it is time to reawaken our minds and bodies from Winter slumber.

Energetically this is a shift from the cold hard earth of Winter to the light and airy Spring. The earth is warming and re-awakening as the sun returns, and we too must slowly revive our bodies and adjust to the changes in momentum.

The Energy of Spring

Spring is the energy of Air, the archetype of the Maiden; young, new, the birth of new life.

All of that, the light energy after the heavy and darkness of winter, can feel very heady and exciting. Spring is a season, four reigniting passions, projects, and hobbies set of lain dormant over the winter, all the last year.

Allergies and allergic reactions can make life really uncomfortable! If you’re dealing with any autoimmune illness one of the side effects can be an elevated immune system, meaning that your body’s response to irritants (like pollen) can trigger off the charts reactions from hives + rashes to swollen itchy eyes, excessive congestion and running nose, and even flu like symptoms.

Depending on what you are allergic to allergies can start as early as February with tree catkin pollen, but it’s usually the summer months that tends to be the time when allergy symptoms are worst.

(If you are unlucky enough to suffer from tree, grass, AND flower pollen, or find a whole host of irritants cause you an allergic reaction, you may spend the better part of 5 months to a year with allergy symptoms).

In this post I will cover the Natural remedies, not just for Hayfever, but that address the root causes of the body’s immune response, as well as covering some of the best natural remedies for relieving allergies and their symptoms.

Although it sounds pretty ironic considering plants are causing the symptoms, plants can be used as a cure too!

Yep, that's right. There are in fact eight different types of rest! Which do you need most right now?

When we think of rest we often only think of being sedentary eg. sitting/laying on the sofa, or passive rest eg. sleeping/taking a nap where the whole body and senses are resting and inactive.

But our body as a whole system is so much more than this. Our 'body' and our well-being are dependant on our Spiritual, Emotional, Physical Active, Physical Passive, Mental, Social, Sensory, and Creative health.

These are seven of the different types of rest, and this is why, even after days of sleeping well, you cans till find yourself as burnt out, depleted, and fatigued as ever!

The change in season will usually also mean a change in pace. As we move from winter to Spring that is a quickening of energy and socialising, as well as a need to reawaken the digestion and systems of the body.

Our digestion and metabolism tend to slow down over winter with the colder weather, and types of foods we tend to eat through winter to sustain our body and stay warm.

However, there are many foods, edible wild plants, and herbal remedies that can be used to easily + gently cleanse your body as well as stimulate and awaken the metabolism, liver, digestion and energy.

Nettle is still one of my favourite (and underrated) wild herbs. Not only is it full of nutrients and essential vitamins and minerals our bodies need to be healthy (in fact, it probably contains more vitamins and minerals than the foods we buy from the supermarket!) but it is also hugely beneficial to the health of our skin and hair too.

Nettle Benefits for Hair

Nettle benefits for hair include promoting hair growth and even treating hair loss.

In fact, nettle is one of the oldest recorded remedies used for treating and preventing hair loss…

There is a lot of talk about ‘stress’ here at Emily + the Plants, and really that’s no surprise seems as one of the highest factors in cfs/me + burnout onset is prolonged and elevated stress.

But what actually is STRESS?

If you don’t understand what stress is, what forms it can come in, and what it’s actually doing to your body internally, then really it’s just some vague term or threat like the boogie monster, right?

What is Stress + Where Does it Come From

First things first, there’s more than one cause of stress that can happen for your body. Just because you don’t necessarily 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 stressed, doesn’t mean you’re not! And stress isn’t always just a mental thing. Stress can show up —⠀

The movement of the seasons is a never-ending cycle. Although in reality there is no place that we can firmly point to as the beginning of the seasonal cycle, spring is often seen as the first season in the sequence. This comes from the fact that earlier calendars began the year in the spring.

Spring is traditionally associated with new beginnings, sowing, childhood, and young things in general. Spring is a time of potential, a time for planning and planting, and a time for making wishes about what you want the future to hold…

As humans we tend to prefer things we can see and understand. Organs, blood etc. So something like your endocrine or glandular system can often fly under the radar when it comes to our health, even though it’s arguably one of the most important aspects of our health. In this post we will look at what the endocrine system is, and why your endocrine system is so important for your health. As well as holistic and herbal ways you can support your endocrine system.

What is the endocrine system?

The endocrine system, in its simplest explanation, is everything involving hormones in your body.

The endocrine or glandular system is made up of all the glands in your body (no surprise), including : the adrenal glands, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, thymus gland, pancreas, and the sex organs (either the testies or ovaries).

Our skin is the biggest organ of our body, vital for our health and wellbeing, and yet often gets neglected or is an afterthought when it comes to skincare + our beauty regime.

Our body uses the skin’s permeability as one of four ways to release + excrete toxins (the others being our breath, urine + stool). Without these channels of eliminating waste, toxins, excess hormones, foreign bodies + germs the body can become overwhelmed, inflamed + out of balance.

OR

Imbalances within our body; such as hormone imbalance, can often show up in our skin condition as the body works to fix the problem or get rid of toxins that are causing imbalance internally.

This can look like acne, breakouts, oily or dry skin, eczema, psoriasis, rashes and irritation…

I’ve learnt a lot in my eight years of transitioning into and living a slower and seasonal lifestyle. But after finishing this year exhausted, depleted and struggling with multiple injuries I have realised two things:

Although I’d been making sure to schedule in regular self care I hadn’t actually given myself any real holiday or time off all year!

The way I was planning and trying to work just wasn’t in alignment with my slower and more intentional way of life.

Although seasonal living doesn’t mean doing less, it does mean slowing down and following natures cues to live + be in a cyclical process that supports wellbeing, as well as many physical and mental health benefits…

But what if there WAS a way to set goals, plan + make my dreams happen in a more intentional and sustainable way?

What if I could prioritise health, wellbeing and happiness AND achieve my goals for the year?

These were the questions I asked myself in December last year.

A Seasonal + Intentional Planning System…

All of us have within us the innate knowledge and ability to make the right choices for the health of our body, mind and spirit.

But often busy modern life interferes. We don’t want to face our true feelings + emotions so we create busy and materialistic ways to numb ourselves.

We have been taught by society/our peers to ignore our needs and emotions.

When we are struggling with big emotions, problems, or things in life aren't going well or really resonating with you as a person, it is often our response to block or numb ourselves to the problem, instead of facing it.

Ironically, it’s times when things are the worst we often neglect self-care practices (if they were even there to start with), when these are the times we need them most!