Herb Journal: Yerba De La Negrita (New Mexican Globe Mallow)

I'm just going to start off as saying: YUMMMMM, I really like this herbal tea. It smells amazing, first of all. This is the first thing I noticed, as some herbs are much more aromatic than others, and then there is the case of, well does it smell good? Hmmm... okay that aside, this is a good tea. Just yummy. It has a yellow-greenish color, and is incredibly warming to the heart as well as to the body. It is what i needed, right now, at this moment, for whatever reason. But lets dig deeper. Why does this feel so good to me? It tastes kind of nutty, for one. It is the first in a while in the course of doing this journal, where i wanted another cup, immediately. The tea that we made is full on. It's got the bark, stems, leaves and flowers. This makes it complete in a way that a lot of the other herbs we have been sampling have not. It would be really interesting to try the tea of dandelion leaves with the root, as well as yerba mansa leaves and root, for example. I'm guessing it would perhaps have a much more wholesome flavor, well-rounded, as perhaps is this tea. And it is making me wonder, if perhaps that is the best way to make teas in the future, even if the root, branch, leaf or flower has a different effect, wouldn't it be wonderful to just at least try each tea, with all of it's ingestible elements.. altogether, just to get the full picture. Love it, and this will be one of my future projects. For now, again, one of my favorite teas. Interestingly enough my favorite teas that I have sampled in the past several, have been used in Native American culture as "protective herbs" having sort of magical powers to protect a person in various circumstances. No wonder these herbs are so good to me. We all have vulnerabilities. Mine is that I am sometimes thrown off.. very far, by emotional issues that arise, especially when they are unexpected, creating a certain fear, shock, hurt and trauma. The cure is to feel safe, loved, and to be able to release, which is something I scramble to do, but can't help but to be like a hurt puppy dog, licking my wounds and not finding the way to just kick them out of my mind/heart/body. So to me, the herbs that are seen as protective, motherly some might say, are the ones that heal my heart. As of now, I need some love, and if herbs, that are living, thriving, breathing things, and have each their own energetics, can bring their life force to me, and help me to deal with grief, I am althemore grateful. Interestingly enough, both this herb and yucca have been tremendously to my liking very recently, and they are both used in the Southwest as cleansing agents (as soaps, shampoos), and metaphorically, as I feel I need some cleansing of my mind, as there were some pretty disturbing thoughts and images that I have been struggling with this past week or so, it does make sense. I need a "limpia" ... of my soul, bring me back to mother earth, to the state of my innocence that I feel at this moment in time, is lost and blighted. Mucilaginous, soothing, moistening, cooling.. and sweet. Just what the doctor ordered. Thank you Globemallow, for being my friend and ally today. I will hold you dear to my heart.