14 Aug 12 Herbs To Restore Sluggish Lymphatics
“You’re kidding me. It’s only been 2 months.” When my sister told me a benign nodule on her thyroid shrunk from the size of an egg to a peanut in two months, I did a little happy dance. For her and for herbal medicine.
“I get sick every year in the Spring and Fall, and when I’m all better and recovered, I’ve got this huge lump.”
This time, it just wasn’t resolving. Her physician told her to prepare for the worst, that the nodule could eventually grow so large it would choke off her airway and would have to be removed. Thyroid tests came back perfect, even though the lump continued to grow until it was 3 inches long and crawling under her clavicle below the shoulder.
This was my chance to show my sister the power of herbalism, and her history of cysts and benign tumors and nodules made me all the more determined to make a difference. Fortunately, she was seriously motivated, not in a hurry, and trusted me to give her safe formulas.
Honestly, we both knew she didn’t have many options if she wanted to avoid surgery. She gave me 6 months.
Today, her neck doesn’t hurt, the knob that felt like a hard-boiled egg sliced lengthwise has shrunk to the size of an M&M candy, and for the first time in years, she didn’t get sick in the Spring. On top of that, she’s no longer fighting the fatigue that’s been dogging her.
I bet you’re wondering what I gave her. The term we use in herbalism to describe the action or healing property of her formula is lymphatic alternative. That’s fancy talk for plants that cleanse the lymphatic system – they clean out and move stuck lymphatic fluid.
My favorite alteratives for stimulating the lymph system include burdock root, red clover, violet leaf, poke root, stillingia root, calendula, cleavers, echinacea, figwort, oregon grape root, myrrh resin, and red root.
At least 5 of these grow wild in untreated lawns nearly everywhere. A spring salad that includes red clover flower, violet leaf, and cleavers, is the most natural way to introduce mild lymph cleansing in the Spring.
Since the lymph system is a major player in immune health, it’s no surprise that giving some love to your lymph can keep you from getting sick as often.
My sister’s nodule is more evidence that lymphatic cleansing can address all sorts of problems where fluids accumulate when they shouldn’t. My sister has reason to be optimistic about her thyroid, and she’s avoided surgery for the time being.
Herbalism is continually affirming what humans have known for thousands of years. Mother Nature has supplied the healing tools we need to survive and thrive. We just need to ask. What’s YOUR question for herbalism?
