In the soul and spirit, warmth manifests itself as inflammation, passion, enthusiasm, in intuition and genius. In human development, it is identification with the self, maturation, adulthood.
The warmth of the heart is sharing cordiality, empathy, which leads us to perceive communion with others in relationships. In fact, in language we say that he, she “is a warm person” or “she welcomed me coldly”, “she has a warm voice”, “she warmed my heart”, “she froze me with her eyes” .
Warmth, as well as heat, means also power, and in myths it was personified by gods like Jupiter / Zeus who rules lightning. In a destructive sense heat leads to catharsis, purification, transformation, it is therefore also destruction. One of its symbols is the dragon, linked to fire, fear and the wild.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, warmth is nourished by the element of wood, flows into the earth, governs metal and is controlled by water. It is the basis of all metabolic processes, it warms up the pelvic organs. In excess it manifests itself as inflammation and fever. Warmth governs the blood and the heart, the small intestine, the muscles.
Following herbal recipe supports our innate warmth potential and envelope and promotes our resilience during the winter period:
Herbal hand bath
3 tablespoons of hawthorn flowers and leaves
1 tablespoon of lavender flowers
1 tablespoon of lemon balm leaves
Practice the hand bath twice a week, all year round, it supports the heart and nerves, prevents joint pain and helps in the neck. Preparation: in the mortar, grind the mixture of herbs, prepare an infusion with the mixture and two liters of boiling water. Leave to infuse for 15 minutes, filter and pour into a bowl. Add warm water, the temperature should not exceed 39 degrees. Sit comfortably in the chair, place your hands, wrists and arms up to the elbows in the medicated water, shoulders, neck and face remain relaxed if possible. Feel the action of the hot infusion, inspire the scent of herbs, if you want, close your eyes and rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then carefully dry your hands and arms and massage with a herbal lotion or oil.
*This article is for the next issue of the NEWSLETTER of “HERBALISTS WITHOUT BORDERS”, the text was taken from my latest book “Verde resilienza, erboristeria pratica nel cambiamento” written during the first lockdown in Italy in spring 2020, published by Natura e Cultura Editrice.