Seasonal Affective Disorder, Blue lily, Saffron, Pineapple sage and Mushrooms with Cacey Blackburn.
Cacey here talking to you from the edge of Gubbi Gubbi country – just shy of the ocean by an hour or so, where heat pools in like an engulfing blanket and then slowly disperses into a comfortable, crisp kiss of cool air during our winter reprieve from the harsh teeth of the summer sun and its intense cascade. We are currently going into the beginnings of winter, or what we call winter here in Australia. In the garden this morning I was reminded as the seasons change, to remember our winter plant allies. Some people can be more sensitive to the winter darkness than others. People with a lack of fire in their astrological chart, water signs in general, people with slow metabolisms and a tendency towards melancholia (that’s me by the way).
The more serious form of imbalance that can occur for some people at this time of year is seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a common and I would say, quite underdiagnosed condition and can have devastating consequences and really derail people. Causing low mood, sleep disturbance and a range of secondary conditions resulting from this. As many of us know, sleep cycles are very important and there is a huge amount of evidence piling up that sleep is in fact far more important than we once realised. At this coming time of year, there can be a general lack of vitamin d that occurs with shorter days, more inside time and a healthy desire to hibernate, of which I am a huge fan and need no encouragement.
Some plants I use medicinally at some seasons of the year, and spiritually/energetically at other times. Blue Lily (Nymphaea violacea) is energetically a solar plant. I use it for spiritual purposes throughout the height of the summer season for its close connections to solar power, but come winter and as the darkness descends so to speak and Persephone takes over, I like to take it medicinally as an anti-depressant, to make sure I keep that one little spark of life alive in my hearth over winter. It was the Queen of flowers that spoke this morning and said, ‘write about winter depressions’. And of course, in her glorious presence, who could ever be depressed?
Another beautiful winter ally to consider in combination is Saffron. This is another solar energetic plant (seeing a theme?), a being of stunning beauty, interestingly vibrating with the same colour palette of violet and yellow. Personally, I only combine Blue Lily (N. v) with other plants when I’m building a medicinal tonic with it, because working with it spiritually requires a clear and focused portal which doesn’t have room for other plants crowding the space. I go into this and the reasons for this in my other articles and workshops on Blue Lily. In this case however, as a sleep tonic and as an anti-depressant, I will combine them. I prepare the tinctures and simples differently for medicinal vs spiritual use and employ different techniques in the preparation as is required. Saffron is one of the most powerful anti-depressants we have and is widely underused in my opinion considering how available it is as a culinary ingredient. It contains a very pure spirit and is very clarifying for the mind, restoring within us the ability to see the beauty around us, when we may feel bogged down by darkness.
The next winter ally I’d like to highlight is the delicious Salvia elegans or Pineapple/Mexican sage, what an underused powerhouse this plant truly is. It grows abundantly in my area and as with any medicinal plant that grows abundantly and locally to your environment, it’s often very good medicine suited to the climate where you live and the localized challenges of that environment. Often your best medicine is right under your feet. This multitalented, fruity-smelling green and red herb is the perfect hot cup of tea over winter and if you live in Australia, or a warmish climate with plenty of rain, I highly suggest planting it and beginning a relationship with this uplifting and visually beautiful herb. The colours of its flowers suggest vitality and strength, helpful energetic qualities to imbibe throughout winter. The leaves are a lovely salad addition and combining the leaves and flowers is a perfect cup of tea. Featuring anti-depressant uplifting qualities, anti-anxiety and supporting deeper sleep, it’s not sedating, but more a balancing herb for the system.
And finally, don’t forget to include all of your delicious medicinal and edible mushrooms over winter as they are all very high in vitamin d, so naturally this keeps your mood and immune system healthy as we go through our darker, introspective processes. I particularly love cordyceps, reishi, pfifferling (chantarelles if you’re in Europe, I enjoyed these immensely while in Germany). Of course, ideally buy locally grown mushrooms you can pick up at your market or grow your own. If at all possible, buy organic mushrooms. Mushrooms are very porous and soak up chemicals, and also industrially grown mushrooms are sprayed with antifungals to stop other fungus taking over, and antifungals are not great for you consumed in that form.
As we move through to our next turn of the wheel, take time each day like I did this morning to delight in, and notice the changes going on around you. We can be constantly entertained by the hypnotic cadence of nature’s songs – morphing, circling and singing around us. We use our eyes, and other senses to reset each day, take in new information, adjust and evolve. Nature and plants are a perfect way to focus your attention on things that continually restore and recharge your internal systems, keeping us flowing and in step with the seasons. This is a really easy way to bring yourself into balance, home to your core and venture into the journey of winter, and all of our seasonal shifts, with a sense of being at one, and held by our environment. This can lead us to feeling more connected to everything around us and reminds us of the symphony we are traveling with, not separate from, but moving with the river of life (depression is a disease of isolation). For these small moments in the garden, listening to the plethora of birds singing their prayers in the early morning, I am truly grateful. To be present with something, to see it in its full beauty, is to both give and receive, merge, be seen and be received in return. This is where plants and nature can help us get in touch with our more Divine states. Enjoy the descent into winter.
By Cacey Blackburn.
