To know Linden is to love Linden.
And to take Linden is to know love, and remember what love feels like in the body.
For all those who know me personally or herbally, you’re likely aware of my affinity for this very special herb. A bottle of Linden tincture has a forever home on my desk (for drop dosing as desired) and I’ve been known to pawn this herb off on folks as frequently as possible (who doesn’t need more heart medicine?!) And with the most delightful effervescent sweet-floral aroma and flavor…it’s beyond me who wouldn’t grow an affinity for this herb after encountering it.
My relationship with Linden at this point is more on an energetic level than it is on a physical level. I work with it as needed and when I feel like I need it, rather than on a specific daily regimen for a physical ailment (although you could certainly use it this way too; more on Linden dosing and recommendations for usage below). Through working with Linden in this way, I’ve cultivated my “herbal intuition” skills more. Linden is a very safe herb to work with, with no known cautions or contraindications, so playing with this herb “intuitively”, as-needed, has much more breathing room than other low-dose herbs or botanicals with more footnotes tacked onto their usage.
In the vein of embracing the “sacred pauses” of life, intuitively dosing herbs like Linden can be very therapeutic. For Linden specifically, this herb shines for calming moments of nervous tension, especially those related to the heart (emotionally) and those with symptoms manifesting in the heart (physically). Oftentimes when we really truly need to take a pause in life, we also happen to be experiencing some form of nervous tension, be it exhaustion, anxiety, or something in between. In my mind, Linden is a perfect “sacred pause” herb because it brings us back to our hearts by the nature of how it works and, by the nature of how it tastes, it provides a gentle, delicate, oh-so-subtle but oh-so-sweet comforting feeling. We sense the feeling of being supported (regardless of the circumstances) and whatever looming edge was threatening us beforehand feels a little softer and less scary now.
While these experiences might be subtle at first, the more you work with Linden the more you will begin to recognize them. And soon enough, you’ll understand why when an herbalist sees a Linden tree they simply must exclaim out loud “LOOK - it’s Linden!!” The shared joy is real. Let’s dive in and explore more of where and how this comes to be [plus, enjoy the most delightful Linden Honey recipe tucked in below as well].