An Happy Herb for Mood: Linden (Tilia spp)
This article is all about one of my favorite medicinal trees: Linden (Tilia species). Learn a bit about why it’s so good for you, and has cardioprotective, digestive, immunomodulating, and anti-inflammatory properties to support your body. Linden is also delicious!
Are you familiar with the linden tree? You may have it growing nearby, and it's a good one to get to know, if you do!
I remember the first time I stood under a mature flowering linden tree in Moscow, Idaho outside the Co-op....and I immediately felt calm and...just happy. That's when I decided I'd better do some research and experiment with linden!
I've dabbled in the past with linden medicine because it's just delicious, and we just studied it deeply in the Confident Herbalist Tribe (CHT) last week in the live portion of the plant masterclass for this month.
Last year we planted three lindens (Tilia cordata) trees on our property because I just knew then that I wanted this powerful (and so beautiful) medicine growing near me. As I reviewed the text and did some additional research into the essential oil for the plant chat, I was once again amazed and reminded how greatly God created plant medicine for us.
The Linden textbook in the CHT is huge, if I remember, about 60-ish pages, and contains some really wonderful remedy formulations--far too many for this post. But I'd love to hit the highlights for you and share a recent experience I had with linden. Plus, I have a SUPER delicious recipe for you, below.
You probably don't realize this (unless you own an online business), but AI is changing everything. And for a non-tech person like myself who doesn't even know "code," this is beyond frightening. ALL the platforms we use to run Healing Harvest Homestead and the School of Botanical Arts & Sciences are moving to AI models that we have no choice but to learn....or shut down the business. It's incredibly stressful.
For someone like me...these new changes are often HARD (impossible sometimes) to figure out or use. It makes me feel rather ashamed, as a matter of fact---like our business is beyond me now.
You have to remember that as I graduated high school, basic calculators had only been out for about a year or so (and boy, were they expensive--too much for my family to afford), and obviously there were no computers at all. They've always frightened me, to be honest.
It's a little crazy to think I have a business and a school that's mostly all online! God made Healing Harvest Homestead possible. That's all I can say. 🥰
Anyway, when I experience severe anxiety, my blood pressure spikes and spikes badly, like to within "stroke limits." (By the way, modern medicine didn't help this.)
So, I try to be very careful and stay closely in touch with my nervous system. I can write more about that if you'd like sometime. I have developed some very helpful tools.
But there's always going to be stress in our lives, right?
Bee on linden flower credit: Olha Halvatsa via istockphoto
After spending several hours I didn't have trying to fix a landing page on one of these new platform changes, I gave up. I was so upset because it affects, well, everything to do with the business!
My head felt like it was about to explode, and my heart felt fat in my chest. I was angry. I felt dizzy. It wasn't a great feeling, and I knew I had to do something fast.
Because I had my jar of linden herb handy due to our studies, and because my usual relaxation tea wasn't near me, I decided to make a strong infusion of linden tea, and also.....breathe deeply and say a prayer.
Wow.
That's all I can say.
Within about ten minutes, I could literally feel my nervous system calm. And not in a "chamomile" way, either. It's hard to describe. I'm now calling this the "Linden way."
I felt like I did after being given prescription medication many years ago to lower it super fast one time in a doctor's office....ONLY without the feelings of nausea, stomach upset, or feeling "groggy." I felt amazing! Even happy!
The experience, for me, was just incredible for lack of a better word!
Now, I had made a VERY strong cup, and usually I use it combined with other herbs. But this experience made me realize just how useful this common tree that grows nearly everywhere is.
Linden makes one feel happy. It calms the nervous system, and that can help the cardiovascular system for many of us. It's as simple as that.
Bee on linden flower (by Olha Haletska via istock photo)
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Here are some other things to know about linden
1) Linden is wonderful to comfort and soothe:
Linden flower tea has long been used as a gentle nervine, meaning it helps support the nervous system during stress, tension, restlessness, and anxious feelings. It is often used when someone feels emotionally “wound up,” especially when that tension shows up in the chest, sleep, digestion, or the heart area. Several herbal references describe linden as traditionally used for anxiety, sleep support, and nervous palpitations, though modern clinical research is still limited.
2) It can be supportive to the body during illness from bad cold with fever:
Linden is traditionally used as a diaphoretic, which means it helps encourage healthy perspiration. This makes it especially beloved during hot, tense, uncomfortable colds or flu-like illnesses where the body is trying to move through a feverish state. It does not “force” the body; it gently supports the natural heat-releasing process.
3) As a member of the mallow family, it contains high amounts of mucilage, especially the flowers:
Linden flowers are naturally mucilaginous, which means they have a soft, slippery, soothing quality when prepared as tea. This helps explain why linden is traditionally used for irritated throats, dry coughs, and scratchy upper respiratory discomfort. It is not just “relaxing”; it is physically soothing to tender tissues.
(When my little trees flower this summer, if I have enough, I plan to make some herbal infused oil.)
4) Linden flowers are very high in beneficial flavonoids.
Tilia flowers contain flavonoids and tannins. These plant constituents are one reason linden is associated with antioxidant and inflammation-modulating activity in traditional and emerging research discussions.
I love how not only do linden flowers soothe irritated tissues, the mild astringent action from helpful tannins support toning inflamed areas, too. It's a double action powerhouse!
5) Linden supports both the emotions and the digestive system.
Linden is often thought of as a “tea for the heart,” but it also has traditional use as a digestive comfort herb. This makes sense: when stress tightens the body, digestion often suffers. A warm cup of linden tea can be especially lovely after a tense day, during emotional upset, or when the stomach feels unsettled from nervousness.
But....how does Linden (Tilia spp) taste?
Oh....my goodness! It's just delicious! You can even drink it all by itself, as I did during my stress incident, and it's just absolutely lovely. It has a flavor of honey, but without the sugary sweetness. It even smells of honey (and so does the essential oil to an extent).
SAFETY NOTE:
If you have low blood pressure, linden may not be a helpful plant for you. Be sure to monitor this carefully, or check with your doctor. Also, if you are pregnant or nursing or on heart or blood pressure medications, be sure to check in with your doctor before use. Also, if you are on sedatives, you should check to see if taking linden is good for you.
If you'd like to learn ALL the things about Linden (Tilia spp), then you can join us in the Confident Herbalist Tribe for just a $1 set up fee, and enjoy it for a couple of amazing weeks!
This next week our live event (chat) is the FIRST in our new Special Sessions Series on SLEEP inside the Tribe. We're beginning at the foundations...what happens in the brain and the work of the glymphatic system. This live chat Tuesday, then we'll have a regular Q&A chat the following week!
Yes, there are replays! And as a member, you have access to ALL past, present, and future--besides all the course content, the village, and more.
Be sure to get my latest book: The Guide to Natural Health with Herbs and Essential Oils!
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Happy Life Linden Tea
This herbal tea is filled with herbs that are cooling and moistening, perfect for a hot day. It’s a beautiful, refreshing herbal tea, perfect for a hot spring or summer day. Pour some over tea if you like it iced!
Ingredients:
5 parts linden leaves and flowers
3 parts hibiscus flowers
3 parts spearmint leaves
1 part cinnamon (Ceylon), cut and sifted
Honey to taste, if you like.
Directions:
1) Blend the dried herbs together. Store in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place.
2) To make a cup of tea, use about 2 tsp of the blend in an infuser.
3) Pour just boiled water over the top and steep for 15 to 20 minutes, allowing the herbs to release their loveliness. If you want a more medicinal infusion, you can steep for several hours and make a larger amount if you like.
4) Add your honey if desired, and Enjoy!
Sipping tea is one of the most relaxing things an herbalist can do. Photo credit: my friend, Shanna Schwartz
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Berry Good Heart Balls: A Delicious Linden Recipe for Joy
Here's a wonderful and easy recipe to enjoy from the Linden Book and masterclass inside the Confident Herbalist Tribe! It's delicious! And these would be great for Mother's Day or any occasion....or just as a daily tonic treat! (Inspired by Rosemary Gladstar’s Zoom Ball formula) You can read more about making electuaries here.
Ingredients:
2 ounces hawthorn berry powder
1 ounce blueberry (or elderberry or bilberry or raspberry) powder
1 ounce linden flower powder
1 ounce cinnamon powder
1/2 ounce ginger powder
1/8 ounce cardamom powder
4 ounces unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted or not
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts of your choice
Cacao powder as needed to thicken the paste
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups nut butter of choice (I like raw almond butter or tahini)---You may need to add a bit more to the recipe to roll the balls
1 to 1 1/2 cup raw honey
Directions:
You can buy your herbs cut and sifted and then powder them up; or you can buy them powdered. You'll be able to find these at some good health stores or co-ops, or buy online from Starwest Botanicals, Mountain Rose Herbs, Frontier Co-op, or others.
Mix the nut butter with the honey.
Add the powdered herbs to the honey and butter mixture.
Stir in the coconut and chopped nuts.
If the mixture is still too thin to form into balls, then add some other kind of powder (or more herb powder) like cacao powder to thicken it to a moldable, paste-like consistency.
Roll into balls that are roughly 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons.
Enjoy!
TIPS:
This recipe is for a large batch. you can cut the ingredients in half to make less, if you like. It's also very flexible! Play around with it to make it your own.
You can freeze the balls on a cookie sheet first, then store them in a container in the freezer. Remove as many as you want to use within a few days. They'll keep in the freezer up to about six months.
Final Thoughts on Linden and The Berry Good Heart Balls
I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about linden. Please do look for this tree where you live! It grows well in temperate areas, and becomes quite large. It’s a beautiful medicinal tree.
Did you make the recipe? I hope you’ll let me know how you liked them!
Hugs, Health, and Herbs,
Heidi
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