The Arrival of Motherwort
By Deb
It has been a long summer season of celebrating in the the hot summer sun accompanied by the sweet essence of the water the monsoon rains have brought to the Durango region. Now the bears are very active eating crab apples and such, the bucks are gathering in the field next to my home, tomatoes ripen on the vine in such an expression of abundance as we transition to the season of inward motion. I reflect upon the seasonal summer adventures and am reminded of the consistent presence of the plants around my home.
In the spring, a significant event happened in my garden. We welcomed a new arrival, a new family member. Her name is Motherwort. I chose to transplant this plant near the front door as a reminder. A reminder to utilize the tools to cultivate pathways back to my true nature. When I leave or come home Motherwort, in her consistent presence, gives me this opportunity to remember to connect with the deeper essence of self. I chose to plant Motherwort in my garden as my relationship with her has grown over the years. I recognize the value of having her sweet essence in close proximity. I transplanted her from the garden at work. At work, I would often chew on a leaf during more difficult days to shift my perspective of the challenge. Through time, I have recognized the power of this plant to assist me in maintaining balance in my daily life.
Motherwort, being a nervine, can support our nervous system to create harmonious alignment between body, mind and spirit. Nervine’s in general (to name a few others… Valerian, Pulsatilla, Skullcap) give us the opportunity to shift into harnessing the present moment and bringing ourselves into harmony with the moment. The use of nervine’s is subtly powerful. Especially when we can recognize when and how to ingest them. Creating the opportunity for alignment helps us to deal with challenging situations in a more harmonious way then what was previously accessible. Doug emphasizes delving into the subtle power of the nervine’s during acute situations. Such as flu, fever, cold, emotional distress, parenting, moon cycle imbalances, difficulty sleeping, traumatic situations, etc.
Throughout Doug’s experience, he has built a relationship with Motherwort as a heart tonic. Motherwort can help to correct imbalance within physical heart issues. This lovely plant can assist us in the strengthening of a weak heart muscle and nerve weakness in the heart. Traditionally, she has been utilized as a tonic to maintain greater balance in the heart center. She allows us to maintain agood relation in one’s heart, open our hearts more easily and feel safe in doing so.
Like Yarrow, Motherwort gives us the opportunity as women to become deeply connected to the moon cycle, our fertility and to keep the relationship with our womanhood a priority. Often times due to cultural and societal impacts, women, being bringers of life (whether they birth children or not) can stray away from this relationship and Motherwort can help us to rekindle that. Not to mention that this plant remedio has an incredible affinity for relaxing uterine cramping.
Doug reminds us of the power of building relationships with plants, “We learn to depend on them, when we are meeting these plants and developing relationships, these are relationships for our whole lives. These guys aren’t going anywhere, they are going to be here as long as we are. You begin to realize that is an amazing part of a plant relationship, they are always there for you. We begin to build these relationships that you depend on always.”