PLANT LORE STUDY GROUP: AUGUST 2025: BOTANICAL TRANSITIONS: EMBRACING THE FALL SEASON

What are herbal energetics? Herbal energetics refer to the energetic properties of herbs as they act on the body, the energetic qualities of a condition or imbalance, and the energetics of a person which is also referred to as their constitution. The energetics of plants, conditions, and people are often thought of as qualities or properties, and may be referred to in terms of temperature, moisture, and tension. Other energetic descriptors include warm, dry, cool, moist, tense, and relaxed. Conditions are referred to as tissue states in Western herbalism, and selecting an herb with the opposite energetic quality helps counteract these tissue states and bring the body back into balance. Energetics help the herbalist to personalize the use of herbs to the condition and the individual.

Herbal action refers to the specific effect a plant has on the body, and herbal property describes an herbal action in more detail and refers to the constituents or phytochemicals found in the plant.

Herbal Taste or Flavor: the tastes in herbalism are:

• Acrid: have an irritating sensation in the mouth and analgesic and antispasmodic properties. Examples are black cohosh and kava root.

• Astringent: are drying to the body and toning to the skin and mucous membranes. Examples are black tea and witch hazel leaves.

• Bitter: help stimulate digestion and have cooling properties. Dandelion root is an example of a bitter herb.

• Bland: have a slippery texture associated with mucilage, a gelatinous substance, and a cooling nature. Slippery elm bark is an example of a bland herb.

• Pungent: are strong-tasting herbs that have warming and drying properties, and may be used as diaphoretics, circulatory stimulants, or digestive stimulants, and examples are garlic bulb and horseradish root.

• Salty: are nutritive and rich in minerals, and have cooling and drying properties. Examples are chickweed aerial parts and nettle leaf.

• Sour: have astringent, digestive stimulant, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, and examples are hawthorn berries and rosehips.

• Spicy: are stimulating in nature and have an affinity for the digestive, circulatory, respiratory, and nervous systems. Examples are cayenne pepper and oregano leaf.

• Sweet: have a moistening quality and can be used as a nutritive, tonic, adaptogen, demulcent, and immunomodulant. Examples are astragalus and licorice roots.

Self-Care During the Fall Season: autumn is a season of shifting, changing, shedding, releasing, and turning inward. It is the season to begin slowing down, stepping back from the expansion and outward energy of the summer, reducing the amount of outdoor activity, consuming more carbohydrate heavy vegetables and warming foods, preparing the body and digestion for the colder months, and to start supporting and strengthening the immune system to protect against colds, flu, and other germs that are more prevalent during the colder and wetter seasons. In autumn, nutrients have begun to sink deep into the roots of plants that have been showy and vibrant during the spring and summer months.

Herbal actions that are useful for self-care in autumn include antispasmodic, moistening, nervine, nutritive, and tonic herbs. An herb that is classified as a tonic, such as stinging nettles, dandelion, and burdock root, acts by nourishing tissues and aiding in restoration for optimal function. To use a tonic herb, don’t wait until fatigue and illness strike. Instead, weave a tonic formulation into the daily regimen to support vitality and wellbeing and promote tissue and system wellness. Tonic herbs are a great way to bring in micronutrients and plant constituents that support system care.

Optimal Foods to Consume in the Fall Season: herbs and foods can be a huge support in adjusting to the change in seasons. Fruit-infused water and iced herbal teas can be replaced by infusions and decoctions such as chai. A diet which consists of 50% whole grains, 20% protein, 20% fresh vegetables, and 10% fresh fruits, and includes oils and herbs that are warming and grounding are excellent choices for autumn.

• Slow Cooked Meats and Stews: slow cooking preserves more nutrients like B vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, makes meat easier to digest by breaking down fiber and proteins, enhances flavor, and retains healthier fats.

• Seasonal Fruit and Vegetables: vegetables in season during the fall include pumpkins, butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, leeks, beetroot, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and turnips, and fruits such as apples, pears, plums, blackberries, elderberries, damsons, and cranberries are ideal for seasonal cooking and offering peak freshness and nutrition.

• Stewed Apples and Pears: are rich in pectin which act as a prebiotic to nourish beneficial gut bacteria and promote a balanced gut microbiome. They are especially beneficial in autumn, providing warmth and moisture to counteract the season's dryness while also supporting lung health.

• Golden Milk Turmeric Latte / Pumpkin Spiced Latte: is a warming, immune modulating, and anti-inflammatory treat.

• Congee: a traditional rice porridge popular in many Asian cultures that is made by cooking rice in a large amount of water until it reaches a creamy and smooth consistency. It is often used as a healing dish for colder months, for women and postpartum care, for the elderly, and for anyone who is sick. Congee is a nourishing, comforting, and easily digestible dish.

• Kitchari: is a traditional Ayurvedic dish made from rice and dal, and seasoned with spices like cumin, turmeric, and ginger. It is beneficial in autumn for its easy digestibility, and it acts as a detoxifying food, allows the digestive system to rest and reset, and is a warming and nourishing dish.

• Bone broth: is an ancestral superfood that supports immunity, digestion, joint health, heals leaky gut, and can be used as a base for soups. Add warming herbs such as ginger, garlic and pepper to boost its immune properties.

• Raw honey: has natural antibacterial and antiviral properties that strengthen the immune system and ward off colds and flu. Raw honey is soothing for coughs and sore throats, and is a natural source of energy during colder months when the body may require more energy to stay warm.

• Mushrooms: stimulate and modulate the immune system, and medicinal mushrooms such as Reishi, shiitake, and turkey tail, contain polysaccharides that enhance immune function and help the body fend off infections. Medicinal mushrooms have apoptogenic properties, support digestion, are nutrient-rich, provide the body with essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, and can be added to broths and soups, or added to herbal teas in powdered form.

• Warming Spices: ginger, cardamom, cumin, rosemary, and mustard.

Materia Medica for the Fall Season:

Ashwagandha root (Withania somnifera): a gentle adaptogen, ashwagandha calms nervousness, overwhelm, stress that leads to feeling burnt out, and anxiety. It has slightly warming and moistening energetics and a mild flavor profile. Do not use if an allergy to nightshades is present and during pregnancy and lactation.

Asian ginseng root (Panax ginseng): a strong adaptogen that can support mental fog, weakness, fatigue, and mood. Use Asian ginseng short term and not exceeding 1-3 months.

Astragalus root (Astragalus membranaceus): has a slightly sweet flavor and mildly warming and moistening energetics and is used as an immune and adaptogenic tonic. Astragalus root has anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and diuretic actions that make it useful during the shifting seasons.

Burdock root (Arctium lappa): is a slightly sweet, cool, and bitter root that has alterative, nutritive, digestive, and hepatoprotective actions.

Calendula flowers (Calendula officinalis): are vibrant orange and yellow, packed with antioxidants that support the immune system, and have healing, soothing, anti-inflammatory, lymphatic, detoxifying, and antimicrobial actions. Calendula can be used as an herbal tea or an all-purpose skin care option for the colder and drier months. It can be used daily as an infused serum for healthy skin.

Dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale): is bitter and slightly sweet in flavor, has alterative and cholagogue actions, and can be used as a powerful digestive tonic and liver protector.

Ginger root (Zingiber officinale): is a versatile medicinal herb that warms up the digestive system and aids digestion by promoting beneficial bacteria, killing gut pathogens, and reducing gas, bloating, and nausea. Ginger root is also packed full of antioxidants and other nutrients that help prevent or treat arthritis, inflammation, and various types of infection, and reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, and other health problems. Ginger root can be used a circulatory stimulant to help keep blood moving, and for fall allergy season to help reduce inflammation throughout my body.

Marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis): contains moistening mucilage, has drying energetics, and has nutritive, antispasmodic, and vulnerary actions.

Mullein leaf (Verbascum thapsus): is an excellent herb that is used to support lung health, treat respiratory ailments such as lung irritation, chronic and acute lung infections, to clear up respiratory issues resulting from mold exposure, cool the airways, sooth harsh coughs, help with dryness, and improve symptoms of seasonal allergies. Mullein can be used as an herbal tea, tincture, and as a steam inhalation for more immediate relief.

Oat Straw (Avena sativa): a nervine tonic, antidepressant, nutritive, demulcent, vulnerary, soothing, and nourishing herb that are used to deeply relax and rebuild nerves and replenish and feed the nervous system. It has adaptogenic actions that balance the stress response in the short and long term and helps improve synaptic functioning and communication between nerve cells.

Shatavari root (Asparagus racemosus): a demulcent herb that can help balance the energetics of a root tonic. It brings a nutritive and nourishing quality to the formula, and has adaptogenic and tonic actions, especially for the reproductive system.

Tulsi leaf (Ocimum sanctorum): is an adaptogenic herb that can help adapt the body to stress, boost energy, and ease anxiety and fatigue. It has antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic actions, and can be used to treat asthma, bronchitis, colds, flu, lower blood sugar, lower cholesterol, boost the immune system, ease inflammation and joint pain, regulate metabolism, promote weight loss, detox the liver, and protect the stomach. Tulsi is high in antioxidants, vitamins A, C, and D, calcium, zinc, iron and chlorophyll, and can be used as an herbal tea for supporting the body physically and mentally with its pleasant but mild taste.

Yellow dock root (Rumex crispus): a bitter alterative herb that has an affinity for the digestive system and is used to ease digestive disturbances accompanied by skin eruptions and inflammation. Use yellow dock moderately and for short-term periods no longer than 3 weeks at a time.