June– Early Summer / Fire/ Pitta
Lemon Balm & Broccoli: Evening Wind-Down for Summer Calm
A Year of Seasonal Self-Care with Plants and Rituals
Long summer nights
Early summer hums with gentle warmth: Lemon Balm tea cools and calms the nervous system.
The longer, lighter evenings brings more lightness in our own being but a caution here of supporting the nervous system to prevent getting too frazzled through the summer months.
As we settle into summer’s vibrant energy, we can feel the urge to do more, see more, experience more and be out more and choosing the right ways to experience this for you; as we are all different, can be joyful. But doing too much, can affect sleep patterns along and with the lighter evenings and early morning light disturbing our sleep, this can all start to take it’s toll on our nervous system and there is a risk of feeling frazzled or wired and tired.
In June, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we come into the Fire Element on the 21st of June and stay with it until the 1st of August when we come into the Earth Element. The Fire Element has the shortest season to implement support. But if we don’t nurture our Fire, then we can enter the winter months feeling very depleted and can have issues with excess mucus, leaving us prone to bacterial and viral infections.
The Fire Element is about the heart and heart supporters (the pericardium, and triple burner), and the small intestine which helps us to digest and absorb nutrients. It is also about the health of the tongue and blood vessels.
The Fire element is a time of growth. Those seeds we have planted should be nurtured and cared for and be coming in to bloom or fruition soon, so it’s a time of really ‘bedding’ in those essential nutrients, ensuring we are absorbing everything we need and staying well hydrated so that come the late summer we can truly bloom and thrive.
An imbalance in the Fire Element can manifest in heart issues such as high blood pressure, issues with our blood vessels, varicose veins, haemorrhoids or burning sensations in our mouth, hands and feet. We may have a tremble or suffer panic attacks or have a sensation of heaviness over the chest area. We may suffer with insomnia or feel restless or dizzy or light headed. Maybe suffering with a lack of sexual desire or impotency. We may suffer with stomach pains or have malabsorption issues - particularly issues with being deficient in magnesium, B12, iron, zinc and calcium.
When in balance, the Fire Element can help us to think on our feet and be spontaneous and enthusiastic, enjoying interaction and making good connections. Out of balance we may be highly strung or have a nervous exhaustion and not able to relax or rest, we may have a continuous twitch or bouncy/ restless energy.
Mid June until Mid October is Pitta season in Ayurveda and this is all about passion and healthy digestion, metabolism and energy. Pitta has the qualities of Fire and Water, too much of one isn’t good for the other. But working together bring balance ensuring preservation of tissues, protection from fiery digestive juices and cooling too much heat. An imbalance of Pitta and you tend to feel hot, flushed, and may suffer with acid reflux, experience rashes or hives, feel hot pain, have high blood pressure, get palpitations. Pitta also governs the liver, secretion of bile and digestion in the stomach and small intestine. But it also resides in eyes, blood, stomach, lymph and emotionally in the heart.
Coming from both perspectives, during the hotter summer months we want to cool and calm, soft, balance with gentle motion and not doing too much or pushing through when there is exhaustion. Recognising when there is a need to replenish, more gently stoking the fire rather than raging flames and burning out.
Herb of the month: Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
Lemon Balm is an excellent remedy for soothing the nerves and lifting the spirits. It has a relaxing effect, calming the mind and the body and an excellent remedy for stress. It is a strengthening nerve tonic supporting mental robustness. It is also a helpful sleep remedy.
Lemon Balm is great at helping people to get out of emotional overwhelm or even feeling almost hysterical. Rich in polyphenols it is supportive of a healthy gut microbiome and can help to ease nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea and colitis and can stimulate the appetite. Lemon balm is a useful remedy where nervousness or depression affect the action of the heart, causing palpitation or irregular heartbeats.
It is also beneficial for the reproductive system, a great one for PMT, helping to reduce PMT symptoms, regulate periods and relieve depression. It is also beneficial for any urinary issues, headaches, use for cold and flu symptoms and to help reduce a fever or ease coughs, bronchitis and an excellent remedy for cold sores.
Most of all it helps to renew your energy from an over tired, overwhelmed system.
Taken at night it helps with sleep, drunk in the morning it refreshes tiredness.
In Ayurveda: Lemon Balm is considered to pacify pitta as it is a cooling nervine. In TCM Lemon Balm is considered to calm Shen (Spirit) as well as supporting the heart and liver.
How could you use Lemon Balm this month?
Tea: 1–2 tsp dried lemon balm leaves per cup, steep 5–10 min in boiled water
Optional: mix with chamomile or peppermint
Food: Add fresh leaves to fruit salads, smoothies, or cold drinks.
Broccoli can help with hormone detoxification
Nourishing Ourselves With Seasonal Vegetables
June – Broccoli
Health Benefits: Cooling, Pitta-balancing, rich in vitamins C & K. Broccoli is an excellent source of fibre so great for digestion.
Broccoli comes into season this month in the UK. Nature again providing us with a gentle support for the body's natural detoxification pathways. While it may not be the most glamorous vegetable, it is a firm favourite in our house and is one of the most powerful vegetables when it comes to supporting liver function and healthy hormonal balance.
Broccoli is part of the cruciferous vegetable family (alongside kale, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussel sprouts) and contains unique plant compounds that support the body’s natural detoxification pathways and particularly how we process hormones and especially oestrogen. Broccoli contains compounds called glucosinolates which when chopped and chewed, are converted into sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol (and its active metabolite DIM) which help support the liver’s detoxification pathways.
For women in perimenopause and post menopause, broccoli is one of my favourite foods to recommend because how we metabolise oestrogen really matters to our health. Once oestrogen has been used, the body needs to break down and clear it efficiently and this involves several pathways in the liver, including methylation - a process that helps convert oestrogen metabolites into forms that can be excreted. These compounds found in Broccoli help to support healthier oestrogen metabolism and efficient detoxification. I recommend broccoli to my clients needing hormone balance and regularly eating the cruciferous vegetables can be a simple but powerful support in balancing hormones naturally.
And not to be overlooked are the broccoli sprouts which are nutritional powerhouses. Young broccoli sprouts can contain significantly higher levels of sulforaphane precursors than the more mature broccoli and they are super easy to sprinkle over dishes, add to soups, salads and sandwiches or wraps. There is much research on sulforaphane and its benefits to detoxification and cellular resilience. It is also known to calm inflammation and support gut and immune health.
And even if you are not in peri or menopause, broccoli can be a huge benefit to your health as we are exposed to endocrine disruptors more than ever through plastics, parabens in our cosmetics and pesticides in our foods. Endocrine disruptors are hormone-disrupting chemicals that can mimic, block and interfere with our natural hormones.
Simple Recipe:
Roasted Broccoli with Lemon
Cut 200g broccoli florets
Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper
Roast 15 min at 200°C
Finish with lemon zest
This month’s Vitamin / Mineral Focus
June – Magnesium & B Vitamins
Why: Early summer, nervous system support, energy metabolism, and stress resilience.
How: Lemon Balm tea, broccoli, leafy greens, nuts/seeds, dark chocolate.
Example: Roasted broccoli with toasted almonds.
Star gazing on warm summer nights to rest the nervous system
June’s Ritual
Ritual: Evening wind-down tea + star or fire gazing
Extra tip: Evening digital detox + lemon balm tea.
With the longer days our sleep and circadian rhythms can get dysregulated. The lighter evening can get in the way of those circadian cues for night and sleep. Being on our screens, late night scrolling with the blue light and constant stimulation can make us feel even more wired and keep our nervous system switched “on” making it more difficult for us to prepare our body for sleep and rest.
If this sounds like you - try an evening digital detox, with an evening walk or even just spend time grounding your energy by walking barefoot in the grass in your garden or my favourite is an evening fire pit and fire and star gazing.
Reflection Prompt
“What brings simple joy into my day?”
Optional: List small things that bring joy to your heart and then invite more of them into your every day. Actively seek out more joy; joyful people, joyful experiences, joyful activities.
A Gentle Note on Safety & Individuality
While herbs are natural, they are also biologically active. What supports one person may be inappropriate for another, depending on their constitution, medications, life stage, or current health issues.
June – Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
This herb may not be suitable if…
You have hypothyroidism and are using large or long-term doses
You are sensitive to sedative effects during the day. Avoid Lemon Balm if also taking sleeping tablets, sedating antihistamines.
Contraindicated with some anti-anxiety medications or antidepressants and use with caution with low blood pressure or on antihypertensives.
You require strong stimulation rather than calming support
Safety Note: Tea infusions or moderate doses of Lemon Balm is generally very well tolerated.
Important note:
The information shared in this series is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace personalised medical or herbal advice. Herbs are biologically active substances and may not be suitable for everyone. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication, or managing a medical condition, please seek individual guidance from a qualified practitioner before using herbal remedies regularly.