Spring – The season of renewal, growth, cleansing and the wood element.

Hurrah and welcome to the spring equinox, today is the day where day and night are of equal length and Spring is here. Granted as I look out of my window while writing this and see yet again it’s raining and wonder if the ground can really take any more rain and wonder where spring is. So, I thought now might be a good time to look at the wood element which is associated with this time of the year.

According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), spring is the time of creating, cleansing, activity, movement, growth and renewal. Spring is also the season associated with the wood element as part of the five-element theory.

This is the time where nature awakens from its winter slumber, and we start to notice buds on branches which were bare the day before, and the flowers which seem to have sprung up overnight while no one noticed.

It is also a good time to focus on releasing emotions which no longer serve us, especially those rooted in anger, resentment, frustration and lethargy. Allowing the power of spring to slough off the old and bring in the new, fresh experiences of emotional wellbeing, health and mental clarity.

Spring is a great time to look at the TCM perspective on it. As it is the season of Yin within Yang, the seasonal energies move from the winter Yin towards the summer Yang. And according to TCM principles spring is Yang and it is creativity, warmth and light and the element associated with it is Wood.

So what might it mean for us and our animal friends? Lets look a bit closer at the element associated with spring – Wood

The Wood Element

According to traditional chinese medicine wood (when in balance) is gentle, persistent, filled with creative potential, it is both being and becoming – of being true to your own nature and becoming more yourself, by expressing your inner needs and desires. Wood gently penetrates the earth to bring forth water, the source of all life.

Emotion

As with all the elements emotions are associated with each of them and for wood it’s anger.

When balanced anger is a normal healthy emotion, it’s a natural reaction to stress, frustration or injustice to name a few. It can be like the summer thunderstorm that rolls in and clears the heavy oppressive air then moves on as quickly as it came. Controlled anger can dispel tension and restore balance.

An imbalanced wood often has the quality of an out-of-control anger which can result in either excess or deficient.

In excess wood is quick to anger, prone to volatile outbursts, irritability and the tendency to judge others quickly or harshly – like the dog that snaps out of nowhere.

A deficient wood, often has difficulties dealing with anger, holding it in and not releasing it, this can result in anxiety, irritability and blaming oneself.

Some of the problems that maybe seen with an imbalance in the wood element can be both emotional and physical such as the ones below.

Irritability & angry outbursts

Frustration                                                      Muscle tension

Indecisiveness                                                Prone to tendon &ligament injuries

Depression                                                     Headaches

Resentment                                                    Digestive disturbances

Rage                                                                High blood pressure

Lethargy

A healthy wood element will display emotional signs such as

A forgiving spirit                                             Passionate

Even temper/ go with the flow                       Joyful

Happiness                                                       Decisive

Fulfilled                                                           Assertiveness

A willingness to let go

According to the TCM principles the organs associated with the wood element are the liver and gallbladder. They work together to move blood and bile and play roles in, spleen and lung health, which can affect your immunity and susceptibility to seasonal allergies such as hay fever and colds. Tendons, impacting on the flexibility and strength leading to bursitis and injuries, and the eyes, as the liver opens to the eyes and gives us both inner and outer vision. Visual disturbances can be connected to a liver imbalance.

Liver (Yin Organ)

The liver can be thought of as the body’s master laboratory, the largest organ where nourishment for the entire body is stored and distributed. The liver is a power house of hundreds of essential functions including cleansing and filtering of the blood, the formation of blood, eliminating toxins and much, much more. In TCM the liver functions go far beyond the purely physiological functions, and include the emotional and spiritual qualities too.

The liver excels at strategic planning, it is the role of the liver to ensure that the body’s organs are working together for the benefit of the whole. Its role is to keep everything flowing and avoid stagnation and friction. The liver rules flowing and spreading, meaning the liver is responsible for keeping free and easy flow of energy, blood and emotions throughout the mind, body and spirit.

Gall Bladder (Yang Organ)

In TCM the gall bladder has a role in wise decisions. The gall bladder helps the liver to utilise the liver’s vision and make proper decisions to bring these visions to fruition, like your will power.

Functionally the gall bladder is a small organ that stores and intensifies the bile that is created in the liver and pumps it into the bowel when needed.

Wood Element: Correspondences

The climate of the wood element is windy, the colour associated is green.

There are things we can do to help the wood element in spring, which will help both you and your fur friends.

Move – The liver and you and your fur friends need movement – Go on get outside, take long walks, enjoy being in nature. Spend some time just being present, observing the plants and animals around you. Invite change in, try something new, yoga, exercise class, dancing whatever takes your fancy.

Create order out of chaos – Now is the time to go through your home or office the choice is yours and get rid of some of the stuff you no longer use. Spring clean your house to make space for new to come in. You know allow new things to come into your life.

Let go – Grudges, resentment and not letting go are indigestible and can damage the liver energy if we keep hold of them. So go on give it a try and let go of what no longer serves you, practice forgiveness and be kind to yourself.

Take a risk – Try something new, go on an adventure (it doesn’t have to be across the world), take up a class, do something that pushes you out of your comfort zone, even if it seems silly.

Detox – Spring is a good time to start a healthier diet and flush toxins out. Start small and remove foods that stress the liver like processed foods or very fatty foods. Try adding some leafy greens into your meal after all green is the colour of wood. Even try adding some sour foods in like lemon or grapefruit.

Hydrate – Try to drink more water (recommended amount is about 1.2 litres). And the best bit add, some lemon to flavour it and nourish the liver.

Keep warm – As the wind is the external negative to spring, many meridian points can easily be affected by the wind. These are on the head, neck and upper back. Take or wear a snood, light scarf and hat for those spring windy days will help.

For your fur friends, there are some herbs you can offer them, now when I say offer, I mean offer, please, please respect your animal’s choice and if they say no then they don’t want them. Sometimes a sniff is all they want and they don’t want to digest.

I offer herbs to my animals by placing them in a bowl and seeing if they want to interact with them.

Yellow Dock – Yellow dock is a bitter herb that has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years.

In traditional medicine, yellow dock was specifically used as a mild laxative, for cleansing the blood, and for skin issues.

Yellow dock is a bitter herb that is helpful for supporting the secretion of bile, which kickstarts the body’s digestion process. For further information 7 Yellow Dock Benefits: Dosage & Safety | The Botanical Institute

Dandelion – Dandelion’s sunny, yellow florets can be seen thriving in fields, yards, and roadsides. The flowers and leaves are often consumed for therapeutic and culinary purposes, while the roots have numerous health-supporting properties.

The dandelion plant is rich in potassium, iron, zinc, and vitamins A, B, and C.

Dandelion’s bitter leaves may support digestion and the liver health and can be included in various culinary dishes, like salads, sandwiches, and sautéed with butter and garlic.

Chickweed – Some of these benefits are: Reducing inflammation and soothing irritated skin. Supporting the gut, liver, lungs, kidneys, and gallbladder. Helping with weight loss, rheumatism, and arthritis. Improving respiratory and lymphatic health. Healing wounds and promoting skin health. For further information 6 Benefits Of Chickweed: Dosage & Safety | The Botanical Institute

Burdock Root – Has been known throughout history for its blood-purifying qualities, and that is one of the main reasons animals will select it, to cleanse. The European Medicines Agency (2010) have said it is traditionally used ” to increase the amount of urine to achieve flushing of the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary tract complaints”. The root is also used in temporary loss of appetite, and is used to soothe chronic skin conditions especially those that are oily in nature, producing scurf dandruff or non-specific itching.

Burdock root is eaten as a vegetable in some countries and is said to aid digestion, the root contains inulin, a prebiotic that feeds the gut microbiome (Li et al., 2008). Burdock root also tonifies the digestive system by stimulating the secretion of bile.

Milk Thistle Seed – Is used to protect and improve liver function. Speeding up the regeneration of liver cells, it increases bile secretions. It has undergone extensive research and trials, that have shown it to lower fat deposits in the liver and offer some protection to the liver from damage from drugs.

As with everything please do your own research, I have added a couple of links but always do due diligence and talk to a qualified herbalist.

So go out and enjoy the longer, warmer days of spring, take your fur friends with you. Check in with yourself and your fur friends. Are we OK coming out of winter? Do we need any help in any way?

If you are looking for someone to help your animal friend, you can find a list of practitioners on ANAWP- Directory of Practitioners – (essentialanimals.com)

Enjoy spring – here are few plants waking up in my garden.