⋒ Clearing away the old and releasing what is stuck. The plants in The Tree blends and formulas embody the action of the flowing river. ꃼ

⋒ The clearing and soothing brought by flowing water, dislodging the stone, the mud, allowing the flow and carrying matter downstream.

⋒ Roots are able to stretch out and grow. When plant roots are deeply watered the fine hairs are smoothed against the soil in a downward direction, making contact with information being communicated in the underground world. All of this is a parallel to the health of our root, our pelvis and sacrum. When our root is not blocked, stuck or stagnant, and there is flow, all parts of our life feel easier. All of sudden it feels like we’re able to have more creativity in our actions and decision making. A nagging, root tension has been released.

⋒ The Person who ends up with pelvic stagnation is well, most everyone who menstruates! Our societal attitudes and economic realities are not made for menstruating people in mind. We are told to plug it up and keep going! Keep working, playing, being athletic, and being there for other people even when we are having our monthly bleed. We are told “pain is normal. It sucks, but just eat some ice cream, take some pain meds and try to laugh about it.” The pain is a messenger telling us that we already have uterine stagnation. The cramps literally are the uterus contracting to push out clots, old blood that is now congealed/dried, and endometrial tissues that weren’t passed in previous menstrual bleeds.

There can be a variety of reasons that there is uterine stagnation, but plugging with tampons and menstrual cups, as well as not slowing down activity for menstruation are the two most common - read more about this here.

⋒ People with cysts (internal/external) have a stagnation of fluids that The River herbs help release. Fibroids and endometriosis are also a stagnation of tissues that benefit from these plant allies.

⋒ You may be someone who doesn’t menstruate but also have pelvic stagnation in the form of constipation or other pelvic pain. This can be due to a habit of holding (tension or a need for control due to past traumas, or general anxiety that create habits of holding…like not responding when there is the urge to release bowels, not hydrating enough because drinking a lot of liquids can feel out of control (opening the mouth, relaxing the throat), stuck in low fiber food habits due to your eating preferences…and more. Family trauma and/or insecurity in the form of income/housing/food etc can cause the body to hold massive amounts of tension in the pelvis, the root, where we are meant to be able to feel safe, secure, grounded. In these cases The River plant allies help guide a gentle release (plants know the best pace for each body/mind/spirit) of whatever is stagnating and stuck.