We’ve compiled a list that we hope is of help to you. It features our current favorite plants for topical and internal use, and some of the activities and rituals we are partaking in during the quarantine.
Topical Plant Allies
HydroSoul Plant Allies for emotional support. What do you need right now?
Soothing & calming - Lavender
Centering, peaceful & protective - Tulsi
Grounding & encouraging of deep breathing - Douglas Fir
Self-love & nurturing - Rose Petal
Self-love & embodiment - Rose & Jasmine
Purification, protection & courage - Lemon Thyme
Strength & resilience - Frankincense
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Other topical earthen allies.
Clay mask
Grounding & clarifying
Watch our Oil, Water, Clay application video, opens in a new tab
Shea butter (as a mask or moisturizer)
A cocoon of comfort
Watch our Shea Butter application video, opens in a new tab
Internal plant (and fungi) allies
Some of our favorite plant allies for internal use at this time include:
Medicinal Mushrooms
(blends especially - mushrooms love community) — cordyceps, reishi, turkey tail, chaga, shitake, maitake, tremella, poria, lion’s mane, etc.
Astragalus
Adaptogens in general — eleuthero, rhodiola, ashwagandha, etc.
Roses
Nervines
like skullcap, passionflower, and milky oats — for stress and worry
Nourishing herbal infusions
of nettle, and oatstraw.
Aromatic spices
added to ALL meals — thyme, oregano, garlic, onions, ginger, turmeric, rosemary, marjoram, etc.
Bay Leaf tea.
Sacred to the Greek god Apollon, who rules over plague.
Flower Essences
Try First Aid Kit or Safe and Sound from Alexis Smart Flower Remedies
Activities
Lunar ritual.
As we write this the moon is waning, nearing to dark. Check the moon’s phase when you read this, and then read our Lunar Skin Ritual blog to find the appropriate ritual for the phase you’re currently in.
Get Grounded.
Touch your bare feet to the earth, if you can. Go on a walk around plants, take three slow and deep breaths with your eyes closed.
House Plants.
Do you have them? If you do, make sure to not over-water or over-nurture during your nesting, but spend time with them. Tell them how much you appreciate their presence in your life and in your home. Touch them with gentle hands. Maybe sing them a song.
Binge Watch.
Shows you’ve had on your list but haven’t gotten to. Familiar, comfortable favorites you’ve already watched. Get on the phone. FaceTime or Google Hangout with some distant loved ones and watch the same movie, When Harry Met Sally style.
Read.
A book you’ve been meaning to read, read an old favorite, or read one of your loved one’s favorite books. Reading someone’s favorite book is a beautiful way to connect and get to know them better.
Buddy-Read.
Pick a book, break it down into pages to read each day, and discuss the day’s reading with the group.
FaceTime, Google Hangout.
Communication and connection. It’s important to be open and share and listen and hold space to the best of our abilities.
Youtube.
Search yoga classes, or exercise classes that inspire you to get moving.
Documentaries.
Watch them. Let your mind wander. Be curious. Learn.
Body Oiling and Self-Massage.
This is one of the single most important things you can do for yourself on a daily basis. In ancient Egypt even the lowest class workers were given body oil as part of their wages because body oiling was considered a nonnegotiable basic human right. Read more about why we love body oiling here.
Look at this as an opportunity to slow down and take care of yourself, appreciate slowness, rest and sleep when you need to. Reflect on your feelings, and what this brings up for you. Does it make you reassess your life and priorities? Will you take what you learn about yourself and apply it to your future?
Cultivate a daily practice of presence.
Make meditation or breathwork, or another practice you resonate with an integrated, non-negotiable part of your life every single day.
Music
Listen to your favorite songs, revisit favorite songs/musicians from your teen years, make playlists. Share those playlists with your closest friends.
Sing.
Alone, or together. Listen to the sounds that soothe you.
Re-experience.
Reread your favorite book. Rewatch your favorite movie.
Create.
Use your hands and make something. A meal, or a craft. Draw. Sew. Paint. Make flour into dough and sculpt. Get back to crocheting. Handwrite a letter to a friend. Handwrite a letter to your future self.
Write.
Write down your feelings. Or write a poem. Or a play. An article. A zine. A novel.
Online.
Take a virtual tour around a museum, or watch a virtual performance. This tweet thread has a compiled list of museums and theaters offering free at-home experiences.
The New York Public Library just released an app that enables you to digitally read any of their 300,000 books, for free.
We are thinking of you. We love you. We are wishing you peace. We are wishing you strength. We are wishing you connection, safety, clarity and nourishment.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. No products mentioned are intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
