sown & uprooted

In the end, whether our life experiences make us wise or resentful, conscious or bitter, lastly, it is up to us and the meaning we assign to those oddballs winging their way into our reality.

Sometimes we feel angry, harbour resentment and even grow bitter. Sometimes we really know why we feel a certain way, and often our mind simply goes in search of an explanation for our current feelings of upset and eventually finds a valid reason to hold on to.

How do you decide to interpret your life’s current circumstances?

Gut Feelings

From a health perspective, our gut function and a balanced digestive system are effecting our physical and our mental well-being. Not only does our digestive system have an own nervous system to control its correct functioning, our brain and gut are in constant connection. Our “abdominal brain” (enteric nervous system, gut-brain) is a complex “little brain” in our gastrointestinal tract containing an amount of around 100 million nerve cells. The Vagus nerve is for example physically connecting our “two” brains. Hormones and other neuro transmitters are key players to their communication.

Most of us have experienced that stress or anxiety can lead to stomach upsets and digestive problems, but the system also communicates the other way around. Hence, our gut health effects our physical well-being and the state of our mental health. Recent clinical studies indicate that anxiety, depression and even the way we think are negatively influenced by an unhealthy gut. Interestingly, traditional herbalists of various origins have intuitively incorporated this insight many centuries ago and treat almost any issue of the nervous system from both sides, supporting our nervous system and different organs of our digestive system.

A Herbal Tea for a Healthy Gut Feeling

• 1 teaspoon of dried Wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium)
• Brewed with 250ml ( ~ 1 cup) of water
• Left covered to steep for 10 minutes
• A herbal healing tea, perfect for the late afternoon or evening!

The unexpected plot twist happens on your tongue: the tea tastes intensely bitter! It can really take a while to get used to the taste, which makes the first encounter with this tea a very special experience.

Such medicinal plants in which the effect of the bitter substances is in the foreground are unified under the term Amara or amaroid plants. Bitter agents are contained in a diversity of popular herbs known from healing infusions or food, among them are Dandelion, Olive Leaves, Artichoke, Basil, Ginger, Rosemary and Turmeric. They are mostly applied in herbal remedies for our stomach, gallbladder, pancreas, liver and digestive system but also to support our immune system, skin or nervous system. Especially strongly bitter amara plants such as Wormwood are not recommended to consume in high dosages or over longer time frames but make an excellent tea to consume occasionally.

Spiritually, Woodworm is said to help us take responsibility in life and release a child-like approach for a rather accountable adult viewpoint of self empowerment. The herb helps us regain an overall desire to live and overcome feelings of lacklustre or fatigue, while rebalancing our stomach and supporting the peristalsis of our gastrointestinal tract.

Medicinally, Artemisia Absinthium is a herb with a long traditional application to remedy various ailments. Most often in the form of tea, tincture or traditionally preparred herbal wine recipes. It makes a fabulous remedy to issues with the gut and stomach, stimulates appetite, aids digestion, remedies flatulence, acts as a gallbladder stimulant and can support the central nervous system.

Our “gut feeling” or “intuition” is a common phrase that refers to an intuitive feeling towards a particular person or outcome of a situation. Problems with accessing our intuition in a healthy, calm way that is not based on fear and worry can often be due to stress, anxiety or underlying limiting beliefs. When we are able to trust our gut feeling, our intuition, we learn to trust ourselves and slowly regain a sense of confidence in life.

If you are looking for more inspiration, my co-writer Corina shares her experiences of overwhelm and her thoughts on how perfect an imperfect life can be in her article Reclaiming My Time: A Journey of Self-Rediscovery and Letting Go.

Stay confident and don’t you drown in bitterness 💚!

 – with love – 

Lina

sown & uprooted

https://for-a-better-living.com

Please note: As with all things in life, some things will have ripple effects and the amounts make the difference. So please don’t overdose herbal teas either. Especially if you are on medication, suffer a medical condition, are prone to allergic reactions and during pregnancy it’s recommended to seek medical advisory before starting any self medication.