Yes, the lightbox helped...and so did the therapy, but it wasn't the end all and over the years I have incorporated many many diffierent tools to manage this. Admittedly, moving to Colorado has helped more than I could have imagined, but I also started to discover the benefits that Chinese medicine has in dealing with my winter blues. One of my favorites is to make a cup of rosebud tea. So let's talk about rosebud in Chinese medicine and how you can use these beautiful little flowers to help lift your mood.
Rose bud (Mei Gui Hua) is one of the most beautiful herbs in the Chinese Materia Medica. It is gentle, sweet and ascending. It belongs to a category of herbs that regulate qi. I know we've talked about qi before, but as a reminder, we will simplify it as a vital energy, necessary for all of your metabolic functions, your vitality and wellness. When the qi flows freely, so does your mental state. When the qi gets stagnant, there can be mental depression. Winter blues can be seen as a type of mental depression.
Because rose bud regulates the qi, it helps to ensure the smooth flow of qi and may alleviate mild depression. Its ascending action can literally help to lift your mood. And the smell of the rose steeping in the hot water, a gentle reminder of warmth and spring. If you're interested, this has been researching in China and here is a link to review a brief on a study that utilized an herbal formula with rose bud as the primary ingredient to help treat depression. You can often find rose buds in bulk at herb shops and apothecaries. Some grocery stores will have rose bud tea in tea bags.
**All information and resources found on balancedstonewellness.com are based on the opinions, experience and research of the author unless otherwise noted. All information is intended to motivate readers to make their own nutrition and health decisions after consulting with their health care provider...even if that provider may be the author ;)