I didn’t grow up knowing my cycle mirrored those of the earth so closely. Like many of us, my early reproductive education was fairly limited and cloaked in both secrecy and shame.

It would take more than a decade of study and practice before I began to appreciate how little I knew about how my body worked. Even then, it would be some years before I understood that having a cycle meant going around, like the seasons. 

The menstrual cycle mirrors all other cycles in nature. 

Just like the tide that rises and falls, the seasons that bloom and decay, the moon that waxes and wanes, our cycles embody the life-death-life cycles of nature.

And so…

The menstrual cycle can be broken into four seasons, that reflect our shifting fertility:
Winter - the menstrual phase, Spring - the pre-ovulatory phase, Summer - the ovulatory phase and Fall - the post-ovulatory phase.

Understanding the energetic seasons of the menstrual cycle gives us a language with which we can understand and explore our own fertility and physiology. Equipped with words, we begin to appreciate the menstrual cycle as a powerful teacher. One that constantly offers us insights into our health and well-being, and gives us the opportunity to develop a deep relationship with ourselves.

Winter // Menstruation // Mugwort 

A new cycle begins on the first day of heavy menstrual bleeding and we call it Day One. 

It is time for us to turn inward, to rest, to be still and silent as snowfall. It’s here in the dark that we return home to ourselves, shaking off the world outside, we land deeply in our bodies. 

Here in the winter-time we are most connected to our needs, our path and intuitive self. 
Without the distraction of the light, everything is clear. 

Menstruation brings us deep clarity, if only we can sit still long enough to listen.

Mugwort, Artemisia vulgaris, helps us to dream our visions, reconnect with our subconscious and move through the underworld, making this plant a wonderful ally to call upon during menstruation. Many of you will be familiar with Mugwort's ability to ease cramping and bring on light or scanty flow. Mugwort also connects us with our dreams and deeper visioning and feels oh so aligned, to these inner-winter nights. 

Note: Mugwort - Artemisia vulgaris is an emmenagogue - avoid in pregnancy.

Spring // Pre-ovulation // Nettle

A few days have passed and bleeding begins to slow. There is a distinct shift in our energy. We no longer feel cocooned to the inner world, but refreshed, renewed and restored. Awake once more from winter's restful slumber. 

The energy of spring, as all herbalists know, is exciting, inspiring and motivating. If left without direction, or grounding however, spring has the potential to become erratic, and before we know it we’ve planted a garden bigger than we can possibly tend.

It’s in our inner-spring, as estrogen rises, that we are fresh with new ideas, excitement and the motivation to get out there. We must remember, though, to thin the rows, focus our energy, lest our garden becomes overcrowded.

Nettles, Urtica dioca, pop up everywhere, and are here to tonify the blood and support the kidneys. A great mover of water, Nettles move fluid through the body, like the streams now running in the woods, that gently cleanse winter's stagnation.

Summer // Ovulation // Rose

Around the middle of our cycle, Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) stimulate ovulation and an ‘egg’ or ovum is released from the ovary.  We feel energised, empowered and capable. If menstruation pulls us inward, then ovulation sends us spiraling, radiant, into the outer world.

Ovulation is the power to create. 

This is the fertile phase of our cycle and we now hold the capacity to create that which we wish to see manifest in our lives. 

The beauty of the cycle is here, in it’s balance - during menstruation we turn inward, we find deep communion with self and truth. During ovulation we have the energy to bring that truth into the light. 

While summer is a joyful season, it is also incredibly busy. 

During the long hot days we can feel both uncentered and distracted, forgetting the important work we wished to complete. Who better to keep us aligned with our heart's truth than Rose?

​Fall // Post-ovulation // Dandelion

With the headiness of summer behind us, and the leaves shifting colors in the forest, it’s time to dig up roots and gather the last of the harvest.

Fall is both a joyful season of abundance, of harvest, and of celebration as it is a time of preparation, and looking ahead. If we did not achieve what we set out to do, there is a little time left before the winter comes to finish up the projects we have started. 

This season is about re-drawing our boundaries, saying "no" to what's un-important and focusing our energy on what we must. Towards the end of Fall, it’s time to prepare, rearrange our commitments and plan our slow days so that we can fully step into rest and silence, once winter arrives.

Dandelion roots, Taraxacum officinale, support the liver and assist estrogen clearance by encouraging bowel movements. Dandelion helps us to let go of the things that are not really important. Some of us find that high levels of progesterone in the post-ovulatory phase can be constipating, and so Dandelion is a beautifully poised ally for our inner-fall. 

As the days grow darker, and the air gets colder, soon we welcome back the clarity of our winter nights and our cycle begins once more.

Gabrielle Jansen BNat is an Australian Herbalist and Fertility Educator out of Rockland, Maine. Her practice combines her clinical foundation with a deep desire to empower others to understand their bodies. She offers classes, consultations and informative blog posts on herbalism, fertility education and cyclical wisdom at www.witchmountainherbal.com and on instagram @witchmountainherbal

Steph Zabel, MSc, is a practicing herbalist and the founder of Herbstalk. For over a decade she has combined her passions for herbalism, education, and community outreach. She holds a Master’s degree in ethnobotany and began her professional career working in the botanical collections of the Harvard University Herbaria. Her current work focuses on teaching practical & inspiring herbal classes and offering dynamic wellness sessions through her business Flowerfolk Herbs. As the founder of Herbstalk she helps create accessible educational opportunities for all plant enthusiasts in the Boston area.

So now that we have a better understanding of how important stomach acid is to our health it becomes apparent that antacids (PPI’s) are creating a vicious cycle that we are unable to break free of. They neutralize the already low acid in our stomachs, and when we try to come off of them the pain is unbearable and further damage is caused to the esophagus from food remaining undigested, sustaining a dependency on these medications that are now proven unsafe. 

After becoming educated to what was going on I became concerned for family members who I knew were going through this exact issue -- one being on antacids for over a year and the other experiencing painful heartburn almost daily. So I threw on my green cape (insert super herb healing hero here), gathered my most trusted nourishing plants, and flew on over to my open minded family members. On top of healing with plants we must often look at our diets and lifestyle patterns as well. Indigestion and everything that accompanies it is often manifested by processed foods, refined sugar, over consumption of alcohol and coffee, and unhealthy stress. It is also not wise to run over to your medicine cabinet and throw out your medications cold turkey. Over time, with some small yet important changes, you will find yourself no longer turning to drugs for relief. I have witnessed and experienced the following three herbs providing profound healing on the entire digestive system.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officnale): If I were to guess, most people know about this sweet, generous, yellow-sunshine faced flower. On top of being a supreme liver tonic, dandelion replenishes healthy levels and maintains production of HCL and bile. All parts of dandelion may be harvested and used at any time of the year, with the root being the best choice for medicine here. I highly recommend making your own tincture or vinegar, for there is nothing more satisfying and joyful than making and taking your own lovingly gathered plant medicine. 10-20 drops of tincture before each meal is an excellent regimen. 

Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra) and Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis): Both of these plants contain mucilage. These complex carbohydrates have a lubricating quality so that in the body they produce an effect similar to mucus, coating and soothing raw, exposed, irritated, dried membranes. Taking both plants will address the damage done by acid reflux and medications. Slippery elm bark is incredibly nourishing, especially for the digestive system. I like to make a cold water infusion by weighing out a half ounce of cut and sifted herb in a quart sized mason jar, letting it steep for 2-4 hours, then straining it and sipping it throughout the day. I also learned from herbalist Susun Weed that rolling powdered slippery elm together with honey to form into small bite-sized balls can be taken as often as needed. Slippery elm has never failed me in instantly relieving heart burn. Marshmallow is cooling, moistening and sweet and all parts may be used, but the root contains the highest amount of mucilage with the cold water method of infusing working best in this application as well. 

Incorporating all three of these plants into your life -- while also making necessary lifestyle changes -- will bring great and lasting positive results. Break the cycle and heal with whole plants and whole foods for whole health.