In the natural world, shedding is a sign of vitality. Trees release their leaves, snakes slough off old skin, and rivers carry away debris. This eternal process of surrender continually creates space for new breath, healing, and what comes next. Similarly, our bodies and spirits benefit from cycles of letting go, aligning with the Earth’s rhythms to restore balance and vitality.
While fall is commonly associated with release, spring and summer are also seen in many Indigenous traditions as powerful times for purification and renewal. Across the Americas, these seasonal thresholds often mark the beginning of ceremonial cycles akin to a reset. Many of these traditions include cleansing rituals during this time, calling on plant allies to support the body’s natural processes of elimination, realignment, and spiritual connection.
In the Amazon, Indigenous plant spirit healers or shamans—such as curanderos like the Onanya among the Shipibo-Conibo—engage in “plant dietas,” periods of intentional isolation, fasting, and communion with specific plants. These dietas are considered sacred processes and are used to build a right relationship with the plant spirits. Guided by prayer, tobacco, and plant baths (among other spirit tools), these rituals are designed to heal, reveal, and teach.
In North America, many Indigenous nations, including the Lakota, Diné (Navajo), and Coast Salish, mark seasonal transitions with purification rites such as sweat lodge ceremonies. These practices, often involving heated stones and the burning of herbs such as sage, cedar, and sweetgrass, are used to cleanse the body, mind, and spirit. For the Lakota, the Inípi ceremony is one of the Seven Sacred Rites and is deeply rooted in community, prayer, and purification. In the Andes, August is revered as the Month of Pachamama, a sacred time when offerings known as despachos or pagos a la tierra—often including coca leaves, corn, wine, and other holy items—are buried or burned as a way of expressing gratitude and seeking blessings. These rituals reaffirm the deep, reciprocal, and never-ending relationship between humans and the Earth, recognizing the importance of release and renewal in sustaining all forms of life.
Herbal Allies For Letting Go
Ancestral technologies like these are rooted in reciprocity and reverence for Nature’s cycles. Therefore, the plants used in these rituals are selected for their medicinal properties and spiritual significance. They are sung to, prayed with, and invited in as partners in transformation. In these traditions, spring cleansing neither encourages perfection nor demands productivity; it’s centered on realignment. We might think of it as a soft but powerful homecoming to our most authentic self, guided by plant intelligence and ancestral ways of receiving this knowledge.
As we enter the shedding season, our inner landscape also calls for transformation. Like our ancestors and our plant siblings, our minds, bodies, and spirits can benefit from plant allies that help us release what no longer serves. Herbs have supported this sacred act of letting go across cultures, helping us move stagnation, restore vitality, and reclaim our emotional balance.
Below are some of this transitional period's most time-honored herbal companions:
Psyllium Husk, Slippery Elm, and Marshmallow Root
(Plantago ovata, Ulmus rubra, and Althaea officinalis)
Together, this trio soothes and supports the digestive tract while assisting with gentle elimination. Psyllium is bland, cool, and bulking—ideal for moving waste without irritation. Slippery elm and marshmallow are demulcent herbs that moisten and calm inflammation, restoring mucosal integrity. Energetically, they offer protection, safety, and softness—perfect for those undergoing deep cleansing or dealing with vulnerability in the gut-emotion connection.
Dandelion Root (Taraxacum officinale)
A classic liver tonic and mild laxative, dandelion has a cooling and slightly bitter energy. It supports bile production and detoxification through the liver and gallbladder while helping the body process built-up waste, both physical and emotional. Energetically, dandelion encourages movement, especially where there is stagnation due to anger or frustration. It’s ideal for those who need to release resentment and alleviate emotional burdens, while also addressing sluggish digestion or skin issues.
Burdock Root (Arctium lappa)
With its deep roots and nourishing minerals, burdock has a grounding, moistening energy. It acts as a blood purifier, hepatic (liver support), and lymphatic stimulant, helping to cleanse the blood and clear the skin. Traditionally used for inflammatory conditions and hormonal imbalances, burdock helps remove toxins through the kidneys, liver, and lymphatic system. Emotionally, its earthy nature allows people who feel unmoored or overwhelmed to re-root and release what’s stuck.
Chicory Root (Cichorium intybus)
Chicory root is cooling and drying, with a bitter taste that stimulates digestion and liver function. It’s particularly rich in inulin, a prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial gut flora. As a bitter tonic, it helps move heat and excess from the liver, alleviating issues of irritation or overcontrol. On a subtle level, chicory supports those who struggle to receive or cling tightly to expectations, encouraging surrender and trust.
Mucuna (Mucuna pruriens)
Mucuna is warm and sweet, nourishing to the nervous system, and restorative for adrenal glands that are depleted. Its actions are adaptogenic, mood-boosting, and neuroprotective, mainly due to its content of L-Dopa, a dopamine precursor. Energetically, Mucuna brings levity and joy to those burdened by stress, sadness, or burnout. It helps regulate energy, smooth out emotional highs and lows, and promote creative release.
Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum)
Milk thistle is cool, dry, and slightly bitter, with a protective, regenerative action on liver cells. Its signature compound, silymarin, shields the liver from toxins and supports repair. It’s a go-to herb for those recovering from alcohol, medication overuse, or emotional exhaustion. On a soul level, milk thistle teaches us about boundaries and resilience, helping people detox gently without experiencing depletion.
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
Aromatic, bitter, and slightly warming, mugwort awakens the digestive and nervous systems while also acting on the spirit. Used in both smoke cleansing and infusions, its volatile oils clear energetic stagnation, awaken intuition, and open the dreamscape. It is ideal for those engaged in emotional or spiritual work related to the unconscious, offering support during transitions, loss, or shifts in identity. Mugwort is especially beneficial for individuals who tend to suppress their emotions or fear change.
Albizia (Albizia julibrissin)
The flowers and bark from “The Tree of Happiness” (Albizia) are sweet, slightly bitter, and neutral in temperature. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, they are classified as Shen tonics—herbs that nourish the heart and calm the spirit. Used for grief, heartbreak, and anxiety, Albizia helps restore emotional equilibrium. Its energetic signature is expansive and uplifting, ideal for those who feel emotionally stuck or closed off after trauma or loss.
Similarly, bobinsana (Calliandra angustifolia) is a sacred plant native to the Amazon Basin, traditionally revered by Indigenous communities for its role in spiritual, emotional, and ceremonial practices. For generations, Bobinsana has been cherished as a plant ally that supports reflection, connection, and inner exploration. It can serve as a gentle companion for mindfulness, dreamwork, and heart-centered rituals, especially during seasons of transition.
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
Warming, sweet, and deeply strengthening, ashwagandha is a premier adaptogen for nervous system regulation and adrenal recovery. It’s particularly supportive for Vata-type exhaustion when anxiety, overthinking, or chronic stress have left someone feeling scattered and worn down. Rather than “cleansing,” Ashwagandha replenishes and stabilizes after a time of release, making it a vital herb for your integration and rebuilding. It’s like nervous system aftercare.
Rituals for the Season of Shedding
This time of year asks us to pause and peel back the layers. As the trees let go of their leaves, we’re invited to release what no longer serves us, too. Old stories, outdated habits, and lingering grief can all be set free. The herbs that support us in this process aren’t here to fix or force anything. They simply offer companionship as we slow down, exhale, and begin to trust in our body’s innate intelligence and the Earth's cycles of death and rebirth.
Drinking a nutrient-dense broth, stepping into a mugwort bath, or taking a moment to breathe deeply with a cup of nourishing Mineral Tea can be made into acts of devotion. In choosing to engage with these simple practices, we communicate to ourselves and the plants:
I am ready to let go. I am willing to be changed. I honor the mystery of what’s falling away.
Release is rarely clean or linear. It can be messy, tender, even surprising. But it’s also profoundly healing. Letting go doesn’t always mean absence. It can mean making space, if you let it. And in that space, new insight, energy, and inspiration can take root. Herbal support during this time allows us to soften into stillness and let nature move through us.
So as the days shorten and the light turns inward, let the herbs remind you that there is grace in endings. There is beauty in the sacred pause. And there is strength in surrender. Whatever you're shedding this season, may you feel held by Pachamama, by your breath, and the plants that have always generously shared daily wisdom, quietly and simply by coexisting with us.
Note: This information is intended for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new wellness regimen.
