Forgiving (oneself) as one lays down a burden: 'ONE' medicinal plant useful for all?"

Forgiveness is not about forgetting, it is about remembering, reclaiming your Peace. - Tony Samara

Carrying resentment, anger, old feelings of guilt, or grudges within oneself is a weight often underestimated when it comes to improving our health. These heavy emotions trap us, drain us, sometimes unknowingly. (Self)Forgiveness then appears as a true act of liberation — not forgetting what happened, but a conscious choice to release what holds us in pain, energies that can get stuck in the body.

The transformative power of letting go, the ability to move forward with a lighter heart and mind, has always been recognized. Yet… how difficult it is to apply in our lives!

And sometimes, we think we’ve forgiven — ourselves, others — until an emotion suddenly arises out of nowhere: anger, sadness, resentment. And there, the surprise. It’s as if the past is gently knocking on the door once again.

There are many ways to prepare infusions: for Sidertis, Greek Moutain Tea, it is important to simmer (cover) for ten minutes, aftern having brought to a boil. It makes a big difference in taste, but also in extracting medicinal components from the plant material. Reminder: not all plants are to be boiled thus.

Can medicinal plants support the process of forgiveness, whether directed towards ourselves, others, or both? This process, both intimate and complex, is sometimes questioned regarding its real role in the psychological reconstruction of those who have suffered injustice. However, it is now recognized that certain plants — particularly those with anxiolytic, adaptogenic, or mood-regulating properties — can encourage emotional calming, creating a space conducive to this inner journey.

But does one have to forgive in order to heal? This question remains open, in my view, only in certain cases, especially when injustice has not been recognized or rectified by a legal or social body: indeed, anger can play a driving role. It can support vitality, maintain self-esteem, and provide the energy needed for action or the demand for justice. In these contexts, non-forgiveness may represent a coherent psychological defense mechanism, even necessary.

What is certain, however, is that forgiveness — and its effects on the body, nervous system, immunity, or even mental health — cannot be generalized. It is a deeply individual dynamic, varying depending on context, personality, and each person’s psycho-emotional resources.

Quote by Brian Solis (Not sure of the source yet)

In French, roughly translated:"Transformation also awakens the feeling of loss.Don’t forget that."

(I am still searching for the source of this quote, and will update it once I am 100% sure of the author.)

What continues to astonish me is how often people are surprised, during consultations, to learn that medicinal plants can — and are wonderfully effective — when used specifically to accompany complex psychological and emotional processes. Whether it’s old anxiety, recurring patterns, deep wounds, or persistent pain, some plants open inner spaces where one can finally explore, understand, and transform. When an emotional cause underlying a physical issue is identified and treated, the results are often profound. Those who have experienced it share their joy almost incredulously: “That’s where it really calmed down…”

And now, you might ask me this essential question: Since there are so many plants, and the paths of forgiveness or mourning are so personal, why talk about this in a newsletter intended for many people? Why even suggest that a single plant could be useful for everyone?

It’s a question I’ve asked myself. Very sincerely. And for a long time.

Is there one medicinal plant, just one, that everyone could receive — at their own pace, in their own way — to clarify, soften, and accompany forgiveness, whether it’s directed towards oneself, others, or, as often happens… both?A plant I could slip into every infusion, every remedy, as a red thread of healing.Because, deep down… who doesn’t have something to forgive? Or something to forgive themselves for?

And what if forgiveness, in its essence, wasn’t just individual but also collective? In these troubled times, where conflicts echo as remnants of the last century, where violence, silence, and sometimes cowardice return to knock on the door of our collective memory… What if we began by asking forgiveness from the Earth? Forgiveness for so much pollution, extraction, blindness, and forgetfulness of the living world. Forgiveness for the frenzy that prevents us from fully inhabiting our humanity. Forgiveness for so much selfishness.

And then, asking forgiveness from ourselves. For all those times we survived instead of truly living. For the time we didn’t take with our children. For the friends or family we couldn’t uplift. For this frantic race towards “more,” when perhaps most certainly we most needed to slow down. Do we really need so many things? That latest object, that processed food, that gadget made under inhumane conditions, that piece of clothing that won’t warm our hearts and pollutes minds, bodies, and oceans?

Rosemary officinalis, January 2024

Let’s stop talking. Let’s stop sweeping lies and bad excuses under the rug. Let’s stop fleeing (self) forgiveness.

Instead, why not turn to herbal infusions, gifts of the Earth to come and support us. Let’s contemplate our next steps — different, loving, sexy, and respectful of one another. And let’s leave ChatGPT where it is, unless and only when, truly, it can advance humanity in clearer communication and to avoid misunderstandings.

Here’s my conclusion: Yes, there is a plant for all that.

It is the one you look at. The one you choose. The one you prepare with attention and gratitude.The one you drink like fresh spring water, whispering: mmmmmhh… wow.

The one that makes your cells dance — and you along with them. The one your heart knows, without a doubt: It’s you. Only you. I can’t help it. That’s how it is. It’s strange.

And if you’re not sure yet — and that’s normal, no one can be an expert in everything — then your herbalist is here. To listen. To suggest. To breathe with you and find where the wound needs to be healed.

Would you like a “cliché” example? Everyone knows that the one who has eaten too much, drunk too much, too greasy, too salty… will need rosemary. And for the one who has overused medication? Rosemary again — but accompanied, supported, because it’s no small matter for the body to gorge and anesthetize itself. The body doesn’t like that. It reminds it of the fall of the Roman Empire.

A less cliché example? For the one who feels ugly, useless, or incapable — it can be the delicious Queen of the Meadows (Filipendula ulmaria), sweet and comforting. With True Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), for example — a plant that washes away heavy memories, that transforms what weighs us down. And, moreover, it’s a major antiviral. A plant full of light…. Like all others , granted.

What if we went even further? A few drops of lavender essential oil, slipped into solarized Queen of the Meadows oil… To massage on the heart, shoulders, or belly. An alchemy. A healing. A silent prayer for the body.

Another day, it will be something else. A plant accidentally encountered in an orchard, between two distracted thoughts. And there — mirror, oh beautiful mirror — it will reveal, without a word, the depth of a long-hidden truth. And with it, beauty. True beauty. The one that doesn’t need makeup. The one that is born when the soul finally aligns with the body, and when the gaze stops judging and simply recognizes: “Ah… it was always there, within me.”

Perhaps it will be a shy violet, a prickly nettle, a rose that sheds its petals without shame. Perhaps it will be a plant no one looks at, except you. And this plant will say :“I am you. And you are me. And you can stop doubting.”

One of the very first flowers heralding the end of winter,

Salève Hill, early February 2024.

Let’s take another example: the one who is tense, contracted, locked in by so many betrayals, unspoken words, obligations, and invisible pressures… That one would greatly benefit from turning to relaxing, soothing, and unwinding plants. And please hear me on, there are some very powerful ones. Not just to put you to sleep, but to release, to restore the vagus nerve, to relearn to say “no” without guilt, or “yes” with joy.

Finally to avoid disappointing you if you were hoping for a single plant to represent support for humanity with the act of forgiveness, I must confess that I have, indeed, selected a medicinal plant—one that will soon be a staple in all my remedies, the result of much research and reflection.

It's a plant that might seem unremarkable at first glance—perhaps one you might barely notice. Yet, what a mistake that would be, if I may say so gently.

Herbalists and warriors from across the world have celebrated this plant for centuries, with unwavering conviction, even without the luxury of modern communication (a consensus formed long before the internet, which continues to fascinate me).

No, it's not the daisy—although it’s a plant many people recognize, and one whose medicinal properties are beginning to catch the attention of researchers.

The plant that we could all tame and learn to know and consume, in the context of forgiveness and mourning, is Yarrow (Achillea millefolium).

It comes to heal wounds, halt powerful leaks of all kinds. When you're sensitive to how your body functions, you can actually feel how it powerfully comes to heal. Plus, it's a great protector, according to many herbalists (references on request)

Better known for external use as a healing agent and to stop bleeding, Yarrow takes its name from the Greek hero Achilles (remember, according to legend, it was used to heal the wounds of soldiers during the Trojan War.)

Beyond legends, it's probably the most known and widely used medicinal plant worldwide, as it is so versatile: astringent, coagulant, and antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic (it treats digestive disorders, spasms of the stomach and intestines, spasmodic colic as well as excessive menstruation and irregular menstrual cycles.)

Moreover, it is emmenagogue as it stimulates blood flow to the pelvic region and uterus. In a sitz bath or massage, this plant relieves menstrual pain. And then it's also a tonic, effective in case of general fatigue.

Promoting the elimination of toxins while being a mild diuretic, yarrow is also known to be effective in case of cystitis or urinary inflammation. According to my latest readings, in inhalation or infusion, the latter with a few drops of 🌶️ chili and honey (only when the infusion is lukewarm and if you're not vegan), yarrow would be effective against respiratory infections in case of flu or cold.

All this and more. A deep wound healer, on sooooo many levels.

And when we recover life forces, we more easily let go of what weighs so much.

If you you need a « pick me up » though, what in my experience works fastest is a guided meditation by an expert teacher — here is one that I believe has the same effect as the plants we've discussed above. It comes from the teachings of a sage I have trusted since 2008, who has supported many of my own emotional and physical healing processes, and those who know me know how much has been healed: deep meditations on forgiveness and self-love/compassion

Also, he offers a beautiful free ressource summarizing specific steps - super practical and helpful suggestions - you can take to support forgiveness: this, alongside medicinal plants, are so supportive - and I recommend these steps to all: free ressource

Thank you for reading and for your time,

Erika Scheidegger Gardet

Herbalist, Teacher, and ASCA Therapist

For appointments and support: Click here to check availabilities or email me at petiteherboristerie@bluewin.ch

Sources for scientific articles on this writing available upon request.

A person in consultation, admiring the logo created by the talented designer at Burolabo.ch, saw the little laminated poster on the wall of petiteherboristerie.ch and decided to make a wonderful gesture. They commissioned and gifted this precious item, hand-painted, varnished, on wood — a symbol of deep gratitude. Thank you to them — from the heart.

The connection between art, nature, and healing is more tangible than ever.

And you know what? All the plants that adorn this logo are deep healers. These plants are waiting to be listened to, respected, and shared. Don’t hesitate to spend time with them, observe them, let them guide you. They return everything tenfold (trust an herbalist.)