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CHAPTER 3

THE INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HERBS, SUPPLEMENTS, AND CHAKRAS

It was not meant that the soul should cultivate the earth, but that the earth should educate and maintain the soul.

MARGARET FULLER (1810–1850), Memoirs

Depending on our life choices, the process of living may dull, dim, or deplete the vivid rainbow of energy we are composed of. Since everything that surrounds us carries an energy signature, it would be reasonable that we could tweak, shift, repair, and restore our rainbow energy with the assistance of external sources. Because we eat every day, one way to change our energy is through foods. Indeed, people can eat specific foods to help heal the chakras.

This concept and its application are described in detail in my previous book, Chakra Foods for Optimum Health. However, sometimes food is not enough. We may experience repeated injury and long-term imbalance in the energetic field, resulting from compounded everyday stresses and burdens. To assist in the healing process, some people find that supplementing their healthy eating regimen and lifestyle approach with additional, fine-tuned nutritional or herbal support helps restore and shift their subtle energy to carry a different vibration—ultimately one that supports optimal wellness.

The distilled vibratory essence of foods and plants in supplement form can affect the vibration of the chakras. When ingesting any number of the 29,000 dietary supplements on the market, people are most likely attempting to balance the life issues the chakras represent on a more philosophical and even spiritual level, but perhaps they are not always aware they are doing so. For example, not everyone realizes that high cholesterol and heart issues may be signs of deeper issues within the heart chakra—that is, how love is given and received, and even whether one has difficulty loving oneself. But if you examine the connection beyond the laboratory measurement of cholesterol, the relationship seems to be a logical one. The body-spirit paradigm is not new. Fortunately, it is on the verge of shifting into greater visibility, which may lead to increased awareness of the multilayered reasons for symptoms and, ultimately, enhanced healing.

Based on this model, certain nutrients resonate with one or more chakra centers. Like the healing effects of foods, the healing effects of these potent nutrients are determined by their physical properties (solid, liquid, oil, powder, plant extract), origin, color, and function in the body. Pigments, minerals, vitamins, and plants are all part of the palette of dietary supplements used in the art of healing the chakras. For example, the colorful compound which is available in dietary supplement form, beta-carotene, a well-known orange-red plant pigment that converts in the body to vitamin A, imparts its orange color vibration and protective properties as an antioxidant to serve a deficient sacral chakra. Since its origin is carrots, a root vegetable, betacarotene also extends its energy to the root chakra.

Minerals, through their contribution to physiological structure and, eventually, to function, stabilize the energy flow to and from chakras. This concept is seen with the mineral supplements zinc and iron, which compose the anatomical matrix governed by the root chakra. (For example, zinc is a component of protein-containing enzymes, and iron composes red blood cells.) Vitamins, either singly or in combination, may orchestrate activities in the chakras. If it weren't for the family of B vitamins working together as a team (referred to as the “B complex”), the solar plexus chakra would not be able to metabolize carbohydrates for energy. And, finally, plant extracts can be taken as a supplement to promote the vibration of healthy chakras; St. John's wort, for instance, can be taken to support healthy mood and third eye chakra activity. Along these same lines, ginkgo extract helps with memory and cognitive function, both of which fall within the realm of the third eye chakra.

MACRONUTRIENTS AND THEIR CONNECTION TO THE CHAKRAS

As discussed earlier in Chapter 2, the lower three chakras, the root, sacral and solar plexus centers, tend to be more connected to the physical body than do the upper four chakras. As a result, the major macronutrients, protein, fat, and carbohydrate, correspond respectively to these chakras:

 Protein and the root chakra: Protein provides the basis for the strong support of body tissues that are governed by the root chakra, like muscles, bones, skin, and the immune system. On an energetic (symbolic) level, it gives an individual a sense of stability, safety, and trust by imparting its “building” energy, or ability to form new structures. Real-world example of how this manifests: High-protein diets became a popular trend after the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York City in 2001, possibly in an effort to promote a sense of safety and security in society at large.

 Fat and the sacral chakra: Fat is needed in the body for establishing flow, whether flow of menstrual blood, waste through the kidneys and colon, or communication between cells. On an energetic (symbolic) level, it enables us to effectively express creativity, emotions, and the senses. The nature of the fat represents its effects in the body: the more liquid and flowing the fat, the more it contributes to the expression of aspects of the self. Real-world example of how this manifests: Many people, especially women, are fat-phobic and will not eat dietary fat because they fear it will “make them fat.” Although this has been debunked by science, the perception remains. Adding to this observation, I have noticed that women who avoid fat also seem to have difficulty expressing emotions. They tend to become preoccupied with stuffing the emotion down with food rather than letting the emotion come out and be fully expressed.

 Carbohydrate and the solar plexus chakra: Carbohydrates, whether sugars or starches, are burned for energy in the body, and this energy is used to fuel activity, including defining who we are through our outward projection of a job or career, accomplishments, or expression of our opinions, desires, and dreams. On an energetic (symbolic) level, it imparts to us the ability to harness our energy and be powerful. Real-world example of how this manifests: In today's society, most people's lives are full of stress. One way that we cope with stress and from being worn out from the exchange of energy that happens repeatedly, consistently throughout the day, is by sinking into sweet foods: the rush from candy, cookies, and soft drinks gets us to the next moment. However, at the end of the day, we feel even more depleted and empty, physically and spiritually.

VITAMINS, MINERALS, AND HERBS AND THEIR CONNECTION TO THE CHAKRAS

On an energetic level, micronutrients support all of the energy centers of the body. Whereas the macronutrients provide the general body structure and connect strongly to the lower chakras (root, sacral, and solar plexus chakras), vitamins and minerals support the body's ability to be animated—to function and be active—by serving as catalysts in a multitude of biochemical reactions. Although they are needed in lesser amounts, their importance to the body is not small.

The fact that vitamins and minerals can work together either synergistically or antagonistically is relevant from an energetic perspective as well: the circuit of energy centers is interdependent. If a single energy center is deficient in a micronutrient, the effect cascades through to the whole energy circuit. When certain vitamins and minerals are taken together, they may assist more than one chakra at a time.

From an energetic perspective, vitamins are the vital substances that invigorate the human being, allowing it to come to life. Without vitamins, we wouldn't be able to hold the current of life energy within us or to extract it from foodstuffs. Consequently, minerals provide a direct conduit to the healing, grounding energy of the earth and resonate strongly with the root chakra, or the earthy, primarily bodily composition of a human being. An herb carries an energetic vibration that is quite different from the vibrations of macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients have a steady resonance, almost like the consistent beat of the heart. They are parental and guardianlike, shepherding the body into existence and providing sustenance for function. The micronutrients are the energetic helpers of the macronutrients; the two have a strong interrelationship. On the other hand, herbs are in a category all their own. Since they are independent life forms, their energy is more complex and multidimensional than that of the isolated nutrients, making their effects very potent. They can impact all of the energy centers, even simultaneously. Their potency is not unreasonable to fathom considering that the origin of many pharmaceuticals is based on plant compounds.