As winter breaks, sap begins to rise. The fluctuation between cold nights and warm days promotes the flow of this watery, nutrient-rich liquid, which brings needed nourishment for trees to bud and bloom.

Spring erupts with volatility. Changing temperatures bring this movement of sap, as well as wind, warbler song, and crocus bloom. Your body feels this, too. This is the time to rise up, rise up! and move.

This season, in the traditional Chinese paradigm, is ruled by the Wood element, which embodies flexibility and the ability to adapt. Winter though, can leave us with a cloak of stagnancy that’s hard to shake. And if we meet Spring’s rising energy in a vessel that’s congested, we can feel resistant, stuck, and frustrated.

One of the most impactful ways to invite flexibility, fluidity, and ease into Spring is to tend to our own sap and encourage it to flow. Our sap is the water of our body that offers us nourishment and resilience— our lymph.

what is lymph?

Made from fluid that drains from our cells and tissues, lymph contains many different substances. With a base of water, it carries fats, proteins, and minerals for nourishment; antibodies, white blood cells, and hormones for immunity and vitality; and viruses, bacteria, and damaged cells for detoxification.

Lymph flows through a complex network of vessels connected to lymph nodes, which detoxify the lymph as it passes through them. When your lymph nodes swell, this means your nodes are coping with a heavy load.

After the lymphatic system does its work, the cleared lymph then drains through ducts in the chest into the subclavian veins, where it re-enters the bloodstream.1

why spring?

Like how sap requires signals from the external world to flow, our lymph also needs external stimulation to properly move and function. This differs from most of our other bodily systems which work autonomically, on their own. Our lymphatic system requires and benefits from our direct participation.

To flow properly, lymph needs stocattic movement and gentle pressure to move through the channels and veins where it may nourish, detoxify, and cycle back into the bloodstream. Springtime serves as a potent portal to tend to the lymph, as the immobility of winter can lead to its stagnation (which coincides with decreased immunity). Meanwhile, increased pollen in the Spring air leaves the lymph with more antibodies and allergens to mitigate, so tending to the lymph at this time can help ease the load of seasonal allergies.

Research into an emergent field called affective immunobiology shows a direct link between the state of our immune system and our emotions. It’s become clear that these systems bidirectionally communicate— our emotions directly affect our immune system and our immunity impacts our emotional and mental states.2

If we’re feeling sluggish and impatient as Spring begins to rise, this is a tell-tale sign that our immune system, of which lymph plays a key role, could use our helping hands.

tending to lymph

Jumping, shaking, stretching, and gentle massage serve as some of the easiest ways to invite lymphatic fluidity. Lymphatic vessels intertwine with our fascia, so it’s important to bring touch and movement to places that feel especially tense and rigid.3 Physical flexibility leads to immunity and fluidity.

My all time favorite lymph-tending ritual is herbal body oiling. In this practice, we receive the support of our hands’ gentle pressure as well as the medicine of key plants that encourage lymphatic flow.

For lymphatic herbal body oiling, we stroke our skin always towards the heart, as that’s where the lymph drains back into the blood. It helps to pay special attention to the throat, armpits, breasts, groin, and knees where ducts help to clear the lymph as well.

Massaging the face, jaw, and scalp with herbal-infused oil especially helps the glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic systems— newly confirmed networks of lymphatic vessels in the brain that play a key role in removing toxins and supporting immunity.4 Stress and emotional trauma can hinder the brain’s lymphatic drainage, which can coincide with anxiety, depression, and brain fog.² So, as we help our brain’s lymph to flow, we can foster clarity and ease.

For folks that may shy away from rubbing oil into their scalp, hair, and face, I especially recommend an herb-infused jojoba oil since it absorbs so readily and doesn’t upset oily and acne-prone skin. I personally use jojoba from the neck-up. Then, I am more lenient with what I use on my body, often leaning towards jojoba or sunflower depending on the blend I’m working with.

Oil absorbs even more readily into hair and skin that is damp, so I recommend laying a towel down on the floor outside of your shower or bath with your herb-infused oils next to it. That way when you come out of the bath, without drying off, you can sit on the towel and rub the oil into your damp skin from head-to-foot, massaging consistently towards the heart.

lymphatic allies

It may not come as a surprise that many of our key lymph-supporting plants, known as lymphagogues, are those that first emerge in Spring. Many of these allies grow abundantly in several bioregions, and they can be harvested as fresh plants to eat, to dry for water-based infusions, and to infuse into oil.

Three of the most gentle, prolific lymph-supporting plants are Violet, Dandelion, and Red Clover — specifically the blossoms of Dandelion and Red Clover and both the leaves and blossoms of Violet. These three make a beautiful base for lymphatic massage oil, starring in my beloved River Body breast & lymph oil.

These allies make delicious additions to salads as well— just make sure to harvest from a clean environment! You can also tincture them fresh, or dry them to make water-based infusions to experience their nourishing support throughout the rest of the year.

Another tried-and-true herbal ally that supports the lymph— Calendula! Many folks lean toward this plant for topical skin care, and while the plant helps promote skin regeneration and balance, this ally also encourages our lymph to flow. This makes Calendula oil a go-to for daily facial care, tending to the skin and lymph at once.

My potent Calendula Soul oil (infused into jojoba) is my personal go-to for scalp and facial oiling, especially in the Spring or when I’m feeling congested. I also love to throw Calendula blossoms into broths or infusions I make for immune and emotional support, though I refrain from too many as they can get bitter!

The last lymphagogue I’ll mention is one I look forward to every Spring, as its medicinal properties really only come through in the fresh plant and its water soluble constituents. Drying this plant negates most of its medicine, so it also isn’t the best option to infuse into oil, as the water content would make the oil go rancid fairly quickly. I still wanted to mention this friend as it’s one of the most weedy, nutritious, and delicious of lymph-loving plants: Cleavers!

Although it does share a look-a-like plant, bedstraw, it’s very easy to identify Cleavers since they’ll stick to you! My absolute favorite way to work with this plant is to harvest before they go to seed to make a Cleavers succus:

Harvest a small basket-full (carefully, as they’ll stick to other plants), and then bring them home. There, you can fill the blender loosely with Cleavers and about halfway with water. This isn’t an exact science— you’re essentially making a fresh juice! (And if you have a juicer, you can simply run the plant material through that.)

Blend until smooth and bright green, and then strain the liquid through a clean cotton or muslin cloth. Drink as much of the savory green Cleavers succus as you wish for a lymphatic energy boost, and then save the rest in an ice cube tray to enjoy later on.

⋆˚࿔⋆✿⋆𖥧༘ 𖡼 𖤣 𖡼 𖥧༘⋆✿⋆.⋆˚

spring sale

All said, to receive the support of the plants this Spring when we could use it, I’m offering a discount of 20% off, plus free shipping on orders over $35! This coupon is for subscribers only and can be redeemed through end of day this Saturday, April 12th (Chiron cazimi and when Venus goes out of retrograde). Use code LYMPH at check-out! I don’t run sales often, so this is your time to grab anything you’ve been eyeing.

Meanwhile, some products are on a 25% off sale for everyone until end of day Saturday as well. This includes Mother Tree drawing & soothing salve — a key ally to carry around to tend to bug/tick bites this Spring. It includes Calendula, Plantain, and Pine resin, and I’ve also been loving this as a facial balm recently too (with extra Vitamin C from hemlock needles!)

shop the apothecary

Thanks for being here for a newsletter that was a bit less poetic and more informative, though I do find inherent poetry in the wonders of the lymphatic system. Maybe you do, too? One last time, let’s look at the branching of our body’s own watershed…

Wishing you flexibility and fluidity this Spring,

Jordann

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P.S. Recently I got to meet a jojoba plant in their native home of Arizona! Look at this beauty, pictured here with the jojoba nuts that are cold-pressed for the nourishing oil that graces so many of my products. I love this plant so much.

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