7 Herbs for 7 Chakras

7 Herbs for 7 Chakras

 - By Dr. Linda Kingsbury

The vibrational qualities of plants can assist in balancing, relaxing, and energizing your aura and chakras. Each member of the plant kingdom has a unique gift to offer and can support you on your journey of manifesting your highest path on earth. Allowing herbal energies to assist your personal growth can help you connect to the beauty of nature within and around you. Drinking herbal teas and elixirs, using herbal-based body care products, and acknowledging the plants growing around you as you move through the day are some simple ways of including gifts from the plant kingdom in your life. As you explore your personal connection to all creation, you enhance your ability to live comfortably and safely in a physical body on earth.

The first chakra is located at the base of the spine and deals with issues about surviving on the planet in a physical body. One of the most important lessons to learn while being in a physical body is how to remain consciously connected to our soul and spiritual selves while taking care of our body. For some of us it is hard to stay anchored or grounded. Part of the Divine plan of us living harmoniously on earth is that many of our medicines are growing naturally around us or are easy to grow in our own backyards. Dandelion root is an abundant herb that can help us to be more consciously connected to our bodies so that we can align with synchronicity and manifest our soul purpose. Especially during these times of economic change when it could be easy to get caught in the chaos of the external world, dandelion root helps to ease frustrations and stay focused on our path.

The second chakra relates to issues of empathy, creativity and sensual expression. It is located below the navel in the abdominal area between the ovaries for women and near the prostate gland for men. Calendula is an easy to grow herb that reaches out with its bright orange flowers bringing joy an up-liftment. You may notice an enhancement of creativity in all areas of your life by drinking calendula tea. One of the benefits of balancing the second chakra is that a greater sense of intimacy and companionship can develop with your partner. It also helps to create healthy boundaries so that you are not empathy other people’s feelings to a point of hurting or confusing yourself and your choices. Lighten up and remember that the game of life can be Fun.

The third chakra; Marshmallow relaxes and softens our personal efforts to control life. When you feel a sense of urgency or attachment to the outcome of a situation or plan, a tea or a few tinctures drops in water of Marshmallow root can allow you to surrender to the flow of the present moment. It helps you to relax your diaphragm and reconnect to your breath, which can align your actions with divine order. The third chakra is also known as your solar plexus and is the seat for personal power and positive self control. When there is a situation that contributes to a feeling of powerlessness you may often feel tension or a "knot in your stomach". People who live year after year letting someone or something outside of themselves be in charge of their life may develop ulcers in the physical body. Many diseases have their origins in unprocessed emotional issues that repress life flow energy and interfere with cellular transformation.

The Heart/ fourth chakra; Unconditional love for yourself and others can be enhanced when taking Hawthorne berries. A tea or tincture of the berries increases trust in the process of life and encourages you to feel safe following your heart. The fourth chakra is located in your heart center and is the place for integration of upper and lower chakra energies. As you open your heart chakra cosmic energies from above and earthly energies from below flow into your heart and out your arms to facilitate loving service. Balance in giving and receiving is a gift of an open heart chakra. Even an herb bundle made with Hawthorn berries when worn over the heart region, helps you to focus on the soul qualities in relationships rather than personality differences. Surrender to the power of self-love and feel your life evolving.

The fifth chakra; we’ve all felt oppressed at one time or another when we did not or could not speak our truth. That feeling is related to the fifth or throat chakra shutting down. Red Clover blossoms assist in allowing a free flow of communication and self-expression. When you need to improve communication with your partner, kids, or co-workers sharing a cup of red clover tea can help. Deep emotions locked in the body that are waiting for words can be set in motion with these wild flowers. Yes, this is the common purple-colour clover that you see growing in the grass in your lawn or nearby fields. The blossoms may be eaten or gathered and prepared as tea or tincture.

The sixth chakra is also known as the third eye and is our centre for intuition and clairvoyant perception. When opening your psychic abilities there is a tendency to see everything! This can lead to depression and confusion. Eyebright helps to honour the lessons that all aspects of life bring and to see both the light and dark sides as part of the whole. Resurrecting hidden feelings and learning to trust memories are keys to validating your natural intuitive gifts. Reframing the once formidable darkness and silence to be a place where peace resides enhances clear perceptions.

The crown chakra is located near the top of your head. Lavender flowers assist in opening your seventh chakra to bring you into alignment with divine wisdom on a daily basis. This is a popular herb for enhancing meditation. It helps to trust that the guidance you are receiving is from the highest source! Inhaling Lavender essential oil before doing yoga, meditating, or simply adding a few drops to your bath support your natural ability for direct revelation.

There are many natural ways to work with the spiritual energies of these herbs for the chakras on a daily basis. One of the simplest ways is by adding drops of an herbal elixir containing the plant medicines to water or juice. Herb bundles are a creative way to use the dried herbs from your garden. Choose fabric the colours of the rainbow to match the associated chakra colour and place 1 Tbls. dried herbs in the middle of a 4” square of fabric. Gather the ends of the cloth up and close by twisting the fabric securely around the herbs. Tie closed with yarn affirming your intended enhancement for the chakra with each knot. Place in your pocket, under your pillow or in the glove box in your car to benefit from the spiritual healing properties of the herbs.

Whether including plants in your life through taking herbs internally an elixir or tea, or externally as a bath or in a bundle pouch, the benefits can be enhanced by slowing down and consciously connecting with their vibration qualities. Take a few minutes to relax, light a candle, and get cantered by focusing on your breath. Create a picture in your mind of what the plant looks like, recall its fragrance, and listen for its wisdom. Express gratitude as the gifts perfectly unfold in your life over the next few days. Honour the herbal energies that work in your life to enhance your ability to live a balanced life in harmony with all creation.