The Problem: Winter Stagnation & Stress You know the feeling: the post-meal heaviness that lasts for hours, the bloating, and the sluggish energy. This isn't just about what you ate; it’s a systemic shift compounded what inevitably happens in the Winter: Less Movement:  We are naturally more sedentary, slowing down metabolic fire. Stress Hijack:  The holidays and persistent cold trigger stress responses, causing the body to pull energy away from the digestive tract—the "Rest

Every year, as the days shorten and the air chills, the wellness industry kicks into high gear, flooding us with the same message: Boost! Fight! Attack the oncoming season! The narrative frames our immune system as a sluggish soldier that needs aggressive stimulation, often leading us to grab expensive, high-dose supplements in a panic. But here is the truth: Your immune system is not likely weak, and the goal is not to put it into overdrive.  An immune system that is constan

How demulcent herbs save us from hot, dry inflammation  As Spring emerges with her bouquets of pollen, there seem to be two main kinds of seasonal allergy sufferers: the runny, drippy, puffy folks, and the dry, scratchy, hot folks The runny, drippy, puffy folks we will have to save for another time- since the herbal action we are about to discuss is more likely to intensify these symptoms than ease them. Today we're looking at the dry, scratchy, hot folks. This may still come

The Detox Delusion: The Scam That Starts with Shame Every January 1st, the same cycle of shame begins. The diet and wellness industries, fueled by post-holiday guilt, flood your feed with messages: You must be disciplined. You must be pure. You must "cleanse" to fix the "damage" you did over the holidays. This manufactured urgency isn't about health; it's about profit fueled by insecurity. The weight loss and detox industries are two sides of the same toxic coin, promoting di

Supporting and Regulating the Nervous System with Nervine Herbs What is a nervine herb? A nervine is a plant that has an effect on the nervous system. Sounds vague, but when we think about the role that the nervous system plays in every aspect of our mental health, including our response to stress and anxiety, it makes sense why nervine herbs are some of the most commonly known and well-accepted herbs not only in traditional use and modern peer-reviewed research— but in the m

And the myth of "cleanses" and "detoxing" Ah, Spring. The time of year when nature starts coming out of her Winter slumber and so do we. With the promise of warmer, longer, sunnier days ahead, nature conveniently (though not likely coincidentally) provides us with exactly the nourishment our bodies need to transition out of a sleepy, low energy Winter and into a more active and energized Summer. As we navigate this transition, both our insides and our outsides might need a li

We’ve been sold a lie: that your burnout is a personal failing and the cure is a supplement. Adaptogens are some of the most powerful tools in the herbal toolkit, designed to help your body survive severe, chronic stress. But when we take them just to keep up with the demands of capitalism—the relentless work, the short deadlines, the financial scarcity—we are simply using them as a performance-enhancing band-aid over a systemic wound. It's time to change why  we use them, an