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Spring Greens + Seasonal Cleansing: Why Your Body Craves Them

Long before supermarkets stocked fresh produce year-round, we waited eagerly for the first wild greens to appear after the equinox. These early plants—dandelion, nettle, cleavers, and others—weren’t just the first food of spring; they were a much-needed tonic after a long winter of heavy meals and limited fresh nourishment. Even today, our bodies still follow that same rhythm. After months of comfort food, reduced movement, and cold weather, it’s normal to feel sluggish. The good news? Spring greens are exactly what your body needs to reset, gently cleanse, and rebuild your energy stores.

Why Spring Is a Natural Time to Cleanse

During the winter, we tend to eat more starchy root vegetables and fats, slowing our digestion and metabolism. Our bodies become a bit stagnant like the world around us. As the sun comes back and we feel ready to move again, lighter meals, bitter herbs, and nutrient-rich greens help to gently wake up the body. Spring is the time to support key organs, especially the liver, gallbladder, and lymphatic system so they can flush out the buildup of winter and make way for renewal.

The Lymphatic System: Your Internal Drainage Network

A healthy lymphatic system is crucial for immune function, detoxification, and overall health. When it's stagnant, you might feel puffy, tired, or sluggish.

You can support lymphatic health with movement, hydration, and herbs like:

• Calendula

• Red Clover

• Dandelion

• Burdock

These herbs encourage proper flow and gentle elimination, reducing inflammation and supporting immune resilience.

The Power of Dark Leafy Greens: Food as Medicine

Greens like spinach, kale, arugula, and tatsoi are packed with the nutrients your body needs to support this natural transition:

Chlorophyll: Binds to toxins and helps carry them out of the body

Vitamin C: Boosts immunity and supports adrenal function

Vitamin K: Supports blood clotting and bone strength

Iron & Folate: Essential for energy and red blood cell production

Magnesium & Calcium: Calm the nervous system and support muscle function

Fiber: Keeps digestion moving and feeds the good gut bacteria

They’re also deeply cleansing to the liver and rich in antioxidants, helping to reduce inflammation.

Wild Spring Greens: Abundant Plant Medicine

In addition to cultivated greens, wild spring plants like nettles, dandelion, yarrow and plantain are especially powerful during this season. They’re some of the most nutrient-dense foods available and they grow abundantly and naturally right when we need them.

• Nettle: Extremely rich in minerals like iron, magnesium, and calcium. Known to support joints, energy, and seasonal allergy relief. (Must be cooked or dried before eating to neutralize the sting.)

• Dandelion leaf & root: Acts as a gentle diuretic and supports bile flow, liver detox, and kidney health.

• Plantain: Soothes the gut lining, supports digestion, and has gentle anti-inflammatory properties.

• Yarrow: Supports circulation and regulates blood flow, making it helpful during transitions between seasons. Known for its bitter, aromatic properties, it aids digestion and offers gentle anti-inflammatory support.

Bitters: The Forgotten Tool for Daily Detox

Bitter herbs and foods stimulate the digestive system, making it easier for the body to break down fats, absorb nutrients, and support liver function. Our ancestors ate bitter plants daily, but modern diets often lack them entirely. Herbs like burdock, dandelion root, yarrow, and orange peel are all excellent bitters. Burdock is especially helpful because it also contains inulin, a prebiotic that feeds your gut microbes and supports digestion from the inside out.

Start small: a few drops of a bitter tincture before meals can do wonders for digestion, energy, and metabolism.

Simple Ways to Add Spring Greens to Your Routine

• Mix bitter greens like arugula or dandelion with milder ones like tatsoi or spinach.

• Dress them with a simple vinaigrette made from olive oil, vinegar (or one of our herbal shrubs) and a touch of local honey.

• Add nettles to soups, sautés, or infuse as tea.

• Blend plantain into smoothies or spring pesto.

• Make a daily tea blend with red clover, calendula, burdock, and dandelion for gentle daily support.

Bringing It All Together

You don’t have to make big changes to benefit from these spring gifts. Start small. Drink a daily cup of tea. Add a handful of spring greens to your plate. Keep a bitters blend near your meals. These seasonal rhythms are the ones our bodies remember—rituals of nourishment and balance that are worth bringing back into everyday life. Below you can find our Ostara Bitters recipe to help aid you on your journey.

Ostara Bitters Tincture Blend

For liver awakening, digestive support, and gentle circulatory movement

Herb Ratio (Parts Method)

• 2 parts dandelion leaf & root (key herb – cleansing, liver-stimulating, bitter tonic)

• 2 parts burdock root (key herb – blood purifier, grounding, deeply nutritive)

• 2 parts yarrow leaf (key herb – vascular toning, bitter, diaphoretic)

• 1 part ginger root (supporting herb – warming, digestive, circulatory)

• ½ part orange peel (balancing herb – aromatic, uplifting, carminative)

• ½ part anise seed (balancing & catalytic – sweet-spicy, digestive stimulant, harmonizer)

Tincture Instructions (Folk Method)

Ingredients:

• 80g dried herb blend (see above)

• 500 ml vodka (40% ABV)

• Glass jar with tight lid

• Label + cheesecloth or fine strainer

Directions:

1. Blend the herbs according to the parts listed above.

2. Place your dried herb mix in a glass jar — leave at least 1/3 of the jar free for shaking space.

3. Pour alcohol over the herbs, covering them by at least 2–3 inches.

4. Stir gently with a wooden spoon or chopstick to release air bubbles.

5. Seal the jar tightly, label with ingredients and date.

6. Store in a cool, dark place for a full moon cycle(4 weeks), shaking daily or as often as you remember.

7. Strain through cheesecloth, pressing out every last golden drop.

8. At this point you can add a bit of honey to form an elixir that is more palatable. Make sure to stir until honey dissolves.

9. Bottle in amber glass dropper bottles or tincture jars.

10. Label with name, ingredients, date, and alcohol percentage if known.

Dosage (General Folk Use):

• 1–2 droppers full under tongue before meals as a bitter tonic

• Or 5 ml in a small amount of water, up to 3x daily for digestive or circulatory support