Winter Solstice and Immune Support

The 21st of December (11:19pm EST to be exact) brings us the Winter Solstice. The shortest day of the year. And while the Winter Solstice marks the return of longer days ahead—the sun reaching higher and higher into the sky—it also marks the true beginning of winter. It is, after all, still Fall, and as I write this right now, the temperature is reading 8 degree Fahrenheit. We’re in the middle of it.

The seasonal change offers a point of reflection on seasonal changes—around and within us. We can feel our energy ebb, both physically and mentally, as the cold sets in, and we can feel our energy flow as the world begins to thaw. I love living somewhere where I can experience the raw seasons. Winter is not a time to push ourselves—it is a time of rest. Spring arrives soon enough. That rampant growth is just around the corner.

A study into Classical Chinese Medicine offers the 5 Phases (5 Element) model.

Within this, each season, or phase, engenders a certain set characteristics, and these characteristics offer a lens of reflection with which we can use to better understand the seasons, or phases, within ourselves. These are, ultimately, tools of introspection and reflection—not prescriptions.

Winter and the Five Elements

Season	Element	Color	Yin Organ	Yang Organ	Mental/Emotional	Spirit
Winter	Metal	White	Lung	Large Intestine. The final state of assimilation and the letting go of waste and that which no longer serves us.	Sorrow and grief. The relationship of the Lung, the act of letting go, and the human connection to heaven or to a universal spirit or energy.	Po. The Po is the animal nature within us. Po is the the Yang spirit and is complementary to the Hun. The Po spirit enters the body from heaven (universal spirit/energy) and resides until death, where is descends into earth.

The transition into winter is an opportune time to nourish the body and to fortify immune health. Our favorite products at RAW Forest Foods to fortify and nourish are:

TapRoot Deep Jing: Clears heat and is adaptogenic.
Twelve Rivers MycoMedic: Broad spectrum immune support through a proprietary formula of whole fruiting body mushroom extracts.
Siberian Chaga Extract Powder: A prepared Chaga extract that can be simply added to water. Deep immune support.
ESF Pine Pollen Alchemy Capsules and Tinctures: Another proprietary formula to build blood and to nourish the endocrine system.
Elevated Astragalus: Potent, organic Astragalus extract blended with our special isolated Astragaloside IV, known to repair chromosomal telomeres.

Dec 19, 2019 Ryan Wade