Symptom Suppression And Support

My sweet friend Ella- as in Elecampane. If you’ve ever gotten a cough support tincture from us here at Wild River Wellness, chances are pretty good that you’ve taken the root of this sweetie into your body. It helps encourage expectoration- clearing gunk from the respiratory tract that needs to go, is a fantastic warming digestive bitter helping to aid digestion, especially of fats, promotes bowel motility (good for constipation) and is a carminative- or herb that helps dispel gas and bloating. The root also promotes blood flow and helps warm those who experience cold symptoms related to insufficient blood flow. The medicine from the root tastes very distinct- perfumey, floral, fragrant and bitter.

One of the awesome things about herbal medicine is that plants offer a supportive symptomatic assist. For example- instead of suppressing the symptoms our body is expressing, they can encourage and support that symptom to speed along the dis-ease>balance (hormetic) process so our body can return to balance more quickly and in greater health after the tune up that the dis-ease catalyzed. For example- if you get an over-the-counter or prescription cough suppressant/medicine it suppresses the body’s expression. While sometimes this is incredibly helpful- like if you’re not able to get the rest you need to heal because the cough is significantly disturbing sleep, there are so many options that the natural world provides that can supportively work with the body, which can, in the long run, tonify and support greater health and resilience when the next challenge comes around.

It’s such a treat to be growing so many of the medicinal plants I work with in my practice in my home garden so I can thank them when they burst into bloom at different turns of the year, a beautiful cast of characters! Thank you Ella for all you give to us humans in beauty and medicine, thank you for helping my clients and loved ones and me!

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