If You Were A Plant What Care Instructions Would Have?

If you were a plant what care instructions would you come with?

What would you say is the essential information, someone would need to know about you, to help you thrive and embrace all of who you are? The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Think about it like your personal manual for being human. We each need our own care instructions since we are all different. But, people don’t always know what you need. It’s important to give them some instructions. And, it might be a helpful reminder for you too.

These would be things that make you feel nourished and alive, happy, heard, healthy, loved, and understood…

Your instructions might look something like this:

• Requires 8+ hours of sleep a night
• Feed nourishing food
• Must have adequate time to play
• Plenty of sunshine and water
• Does better with lots of supportive friends
• Has a safe environment in which to grow
• Needs help with spelling
• Needs time to rest
• Being in nature is a must
• Hates lima beans
• Likes personal space
• Does better with a partner
• Can be a little prickly, bitter, or sour
• Likes listening to great music
• Encouragement is always welcome
• Thrives with lots of love

If you don’t nourish yourself you may begin to feel like a plant that is weak and ends up getting munched on by bugs. And like plants, it’s about balance. If you get too much or not enough of your own brand of essential nutrients it can leave you wilted, exhausted, burnt out, or sick.

Plants can show us the way.

Keep in mind the plants you choose to work with are unique to your particular constitution, what you are trying to accomplish, and your way of being in the world. Not every plant is meant for you so you need to discern what resonates with you and leave the rest. 

Just because you have digestive issues and you keep hearing about how good bitters are for digestion doesn’t mean that they are right for you. Read about bitters here.

I know I’ve said it before but I’ll keep saying it to remind you cause all the information out there can be overwhelming. The goal is to keep it simple. 

Maybe you are feeling the effects of a broken heart either physical or emotional. Turn to Hawthorn. A tasty, safe tonic for the heart on all levels.

Constantly picking at yourself for all your faults? Loving others better than yourself. Call on Rose. She will remind you to see yourself as beautiful and whole.

Dandelion teaches you how to adapt and handle the ups and downs of life. Dandelion medicine says perseverance isn’t just putting up with bad situations, it’s about knowing the difference between what’s difficult but doable and what’s unhealthy. 

Apple may help you tap your hidden desires. Like the whole garden of Eden thing. Maybe you eat the things you think you are supposed to instead of what your body actually craves. Dude, just eat the ice cream already! Read about Apple medicine here.

Life is sticky and emotions, yours or others, can cling to you without you even being aware. Smudging or burning Sage is a sacred ritual practice that can help you clear that invisible stuck energy. Try it and let the smoke move out whatever needs to be released. 

Are you burnt out and can’t quite find the energy to live your best life? Maca root is one of the best herbs to help adrenal fatigue. It’s actually a  cruciferous vegetable. Maca is used as a tonic to boost energy and immunity, but it can also help replenish depleted adrenal glands. 

Feeling like your immune system is in the crapper? Try adding some Astragalus Root to your diet. It can help balance the immune system so that it’s functioning better overall, and give your energy a little boost. It’s also an important herb to support longevity and quality of life as you get older. 

Comfrey loves to mend. Skin, bones. She digs deep to rebuild the layers of your cells. If Comfrey feels like a plant for you, ask yourself what in your life needs to be healed. Take a breath and let her help you feel complete.  

Use Fennel to nourish your eyes and brain. It’s easy enough to make a fennel seed tea and it’s really not bad tasting. It also has the added benefit of helping with digestive issues like bloating and gas. And, it’s high in calcium so it might benefit your bones and skin. 

It doesn’t have to be hard to start incorporating herbs into your life to help nourish all parts of you. 

Maybe you feel like hey, I really don’t that much about any of these herbs. That’s okay.

Pick one or two herbs (not just from this list) that you feel might be helpful. Eat them, drink them, cook with them, take them as tinctures whatever floats your boat. See what happens. 

You do need to be consistent. Like every day or at least half the week or more. If you want to create change you gotta commit to it. 

You don’t brush your teeth once and call it good. Nope, you brush your teeth every day because that’s what it takes for your teeth to stay healthy. Same with herbs or anything else you do for nourishment like exercising, eating, resting… Daily.

PS

I don’t think there actually is an herb to help you with your spelling but you never know. Maybe a brain tonic herb. Rosemary perhaps?