Goldenrod: Limitless Summer
/
The wisdom of Goldenrod is to seek out the limitless joys of summer and store them deep in your roots.
Goldenrod is a great ally for us during the Autumn Equinox. I marvel at the root system of my third-year garden plants. Their roots dive hungry in to the soil in summer and fall, going deeper and deeper, gathering energy from the sun-soaked soil throughout the Cascadia season of light. In the winter, Goldenrod roots lie just below the surface, vulnerable yet holding strong from the nourishment of the summer past.
I grow Goldenrod in my garden and is abundantly wild in my area. The batch above was growing high above a flowing creek and kissed by butterflies. It’s radiant and I have no doubt will be radiant in the clinic as well.
Goldenrod is a remedy for winter vulnerabilities. No longer able to glean energy from the sun, we become vulnerable to winter “blues”. Goldenrod strengthens the solar plexus, mistress of intuition and reduces the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder. You can ally with Goldenrod in the form of drop doses and sitting in the sun.
Goldenrod is our ally for when the inevitable moment of vulnerability and being seen below your topsoil mask happens, and you endure. You shine bright and your flowers follow the light.
Goldenrod, Solidago canadensis is pain management in living color. Arnica is well-known for its pain relieving properties, but Goldenrod has very similar properties, and is much easier to find in the wild in Western Washington State. I had a late and small harvest of Arnica this year so I am stretching my Arnica for pain relieving liniments with the addition of Goldenrod. Goldenrod is my go- to for overworked muscles, inflammation resulting in pain, and reduced range of motion.
Goldenrod is an ally for trauma and inflammation, accelerating healing of soft tissue concerns quickly and completely. The pungent leaf is harvested before the flower to capture the bitter, warming impressions felt on the stomach. Harvest flowering tips for volatile oils and use as an herbal antihistamine and for allergy relief. Goldenrod roots are stimulating and warming to the kidneys.
Harvesting Goldenrod is similar to other herbaceous perennials. It dies back after its year growth. Once the flower has been pollinated, it loses its essence and energy. Flowers just about to open contain medicine and energetics to get its vitality into medicine. Harvest in bundles in the Summer and Fall. Strip off leaves and dry them in a dehydrator for tea or tincture. You can tincture the whole plant minus the stems, finely chop it up, put it in a jar and cover with alcohol 100 proof. Or, you can make an oil.
How do you plan to ally with Goldenrod as Summer transitions to Fall?