HEDGERIDER
Fresh Hawthorn berries infused into whiskey with cinnamon and clove.
2 oz
Flowers white as milk bloom on Beltane from the thorny branches of the Hawthorn. While their blooms appear innocent, there is a curious shadow to their efflorescence. Hawthorn flowers carry both the mark of fertility and the essence of death.
Hawthorn’s blossoms exude the chemical trimethylamine, which attracts pollinating insects, but is also exuded in decaying flesh. Trimethylamine is the sweet stench of death found in all decomposing mammals. It is also the musky smell of sex, as the chemical is found in bodily fluids, including semen. What begins as an intoxicating fragrance eventually turns to the fecundity of death.
Over and over again we see Hawthorn spiraling from birth to death to birth. At the other edge of the wheel, the fruit of Hawthorn ripens at Samhain, a time associated with death, the otherworld, and release. Hawthorns were planted in graveyards and used in funeral pyres to help souls pass on to the otherside. They loom over ancient wells and stone circles offering protection or perhaps portals from here to there. Hawthorns are so revered in Ireland and Scotland that major highways have been rerouted around lone trees.
Hawthorn is astringent, sweet and sour, and above all else - a heart tonic.
Hawthorn is a mild coronary vasodilator, increasing blood supply to the heart muscles and lessening the potential for spasms, angina, and shortness of breath in middle-aged or older individuals. Hawthorn is indicated for any degenerative condition of the cardiovascular system or in recovery from a heart attack. They are used to treat arteriosclerosis (hardening of arteries), and can open the chest and lungs, easing effects of asthma. Hawthorn opens blood vessels and increases blood supply not only to the heart but to the reproductive organs as well. Hawthorn works well in a formula for endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease. High levels of flavonoids in the berries can help chronic inflammation and Hawthorn can strengthen connective tissue that has been weakened by excessive inflammation.
Hawthorn shows us how to expand our hearts to give and receive more love. After shock, trauma, or grief, they can gently circulate energy back to our heart and spirit, helping us move past dissociation and into presence. Beyond their cardioprotective qualities, Hawthorn is the ally we need when we find ourselves in transition and are unsure how to proceed. Whether a choice or decision needs to be made, pulling us out of a period of liminality or we need to become more comfortable lingering in the great mystery, Hawthorn extends a hand and supports us as we navigate the spaces between.
Hawthorn knows death and birth are one endless circle. With berries red as moon blood and flowers white as snow, they teach us that fertility leads to decay and so the circle turns. Are you stuck in one spot on the circle? What needs to let go so something new can emerge? What lies on the other side of the hedge? What are you composting?
Fresh Hawthorn berries infused into whiskey with cinnamon and clove.
2 oz
Flowers white as milk bloom on Beltane from the thorny branches of the Hawthorn. While their blooms appear innocent, there is a curious shadow to their efflorescence. Hawthorn flowers carry both the mark of fertility and the essence of death.
Hawthorn’s blossoms exude the chemical trimethylamine, which attracts pollinating insects, but is also exuded in decaying flesh. Trimethylamine is the sweet stench of death found in all decomposing mammals. It is also the musky smell of sex, as the chemical is found in bodily fluids, including semen. What begins as an intoxicating fragrance eventually turns to the fecundity of death.
Over and over again we see Hawthorn spiraling from birth to death to birth. At the other edge of the wheel, the fruit of Hawthorn ripens at Samhain, a time associated with death, the otherworld, and release. Hawthorns were planted in graveyards and used in funeral pyres to help souls pass on to the otherside. They loom over ancient wells and stone circles offering protection or perhaps portals from here to there. Hawthorns are so revered in Ireland and Scotland that major highways have been rerouted around lone trees.
Hawthorn is astringent, sweet and sour, and above all else - a heart tonic.
Hawthorn is a mild coronary vasodilator, increasing blood supply to the heart muscles and lessening the potential for spasms, angina, and shortness of breath in middle-aged or older individuals. Hawthorn is indicated for any degenerative condition of the cardiovascular system or in recovery from a heart attack. They are used to treat arteriosclerosis (hardening of arteries), and can open the chest and lungs, easing effects of asthma. Hawthorn opens blood vessels and increases blood supply not only to the heart but to the reproductive organs as well. Hawthorn works well in a formula for endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease. High levels of flavonoids in the berries can help chronic inflammation and Hawthorn can strengthen connective tissue that has been weakened by excessive inflammation.
Hawthorn shows us how to expand our hearts to give and receive more love. After shock, trauma, or grief, they can gently circulate energy back to our heart and spirit, helping us move past dissociation and into presence. Beyond their cardioprotective qualities, Hawthorn is the ally we need when we find ourselves in transition and are unsure how to proceed. Whether a choice or decision needs to be made, pulling us out of a period of liminality or we need to become more comfortable lingering in the great mystery, Hawthorn extends a hand and supports us as we navigate the spaces between.
Hawthorn knows death and birth are one endless circle. With berries red as moon blood and flowers white as snow, they teach us that fertility leads to decay and so the circle turns. Are you stuck in one spot on the circle? What needs to let go so something new can emerge? What lies on the other side of the hedge? What are you composting?
Fresh Hawthorn berries infused into whiskey with cinnamon and clove.
2 oz
Flowers white as milk bloom on Beltane from the thorny branches of the Hawthorn. While their blooms appear innocent, there is a curious shadow to their efflorescence. Hawthorn flowers carry both the mark of fertility and the essence of death.
Hawthorn’s blossoms exude the chemical trimethylamine, which attracts pollinating insects, but is also exuded in decaying flesh. Trimethylamine is the sweet stench of death found in all decomposing mammals. It is also the musky smell of sex, as the chemical is found in bodily fluids, including semen. What begins as an intoxicating fragrance eventually turns to the fecundity of death.
Over and over again we see Hawthorn spiraling from birth to death to birth. At the other edge of the wheel, the fruit of Hawthorn ripens at Samhain, a time associated with death, the otherworld, and release. Hawthorns were planted in graveyards and used in funeral pyres to help souls pass on to the otherside. They loom over ancient wells and stone circles offering protection or perhaps portals from here to there. Hawthorns are so revered in Ireland and Scotland that major highways have been rerouted around lone trees.
Hawthorn is astringent, sweet and sour, and above all else - a heart tonic.
Hawthorn is a mild coronary vasodilator, increasing blood supply to the heart muscles and lessening the potential for spasms, angina, and shortness of breath in middle-aged or older individuals. Hawthorn is indicated for any degenerative condition of the cardiovascular system or in recovery from a heart attack. They are used to treat arteriosclerosis (hardening of arteries), and can open the chest and lungs, easing effects of asthma. Hawthorn opens blood vessels and increases blood supply not only to the heart but to the reproductive organs as well. Hawthorn works well in a formula for endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease. High levels of flavonoids in the berries can help chronic inflammation and Hawthorn can strengthen connective tissue that has been weakened by excessive inflammation.
Hawthorn shows us how to expand our hearts to give and receive more love. After shock, trauma, or grief, they can gently circulate energy back to our heart and spirit, helping us move past dissociation and into presence. Beyond their cardioprotective qualities, Hawthorn is the ally we need when we find ourselves in transition and are unsure how to proceed. Whether a choice or decision needs to be made, pulling us out of a period of liminality or we need to become more comfortable lingering in the great mystery, Hawthorn extends a hand and supports us as we navigate the spaces between.
Hawthorn knows death and birth are one endless circle. With berries red as moon blood and flowers white as snow, they teach us that fertility leads to decay and so the circle turns. Are you stuck in one spot on the circle? What needs to let go so something new can emerge? What lies on the other side of the hedge? What are you composting?