Bitter Medicine

Lately, I’ve been sitting with something that feels a bit like bitter medicine. It’s a mix of sadness, disappointment and moments of frustration. I can feel it not only emotionally, but in my physical body as well.

Where I live, we’re in a season of growth. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), spring is connected to movement, vision, and new direction. It’s the time when life begins to rise and move again. And yet, as I move through my own season of growth, it hasn’t felt smooth. In fact, it’s been taking up a lot of emotional bandwidth.

In TCM, the Heart is said to house the Shen (our Spirit). It plays an important role in our sense of presence and emotional steadiness. When something weighs heavily on us, the Shen can become unsettled. This can feel like heaviness in the chest, restlessness, or emotions sitting just beneath the surface.

At the same time, spring is closely connected to the movement of Liver Qi. In TCM, the Liver is responsible for the smooth flow of energy and our ability to move forward with clarity.

When that movement is disrupted or becomes stagnant, we feel it in both the body and our emotional landscape. It can show up as tension in the body, digestive disturbance, irritability or low mood. Sometimes, it feels like being caught between where you’ve been and where you’re trying to go.

This has been my experience lately. A sadness, and a feeling of being really bummed out about how a certain aspect of my life has been unfolding. Nature has always been one of my greatest teachers, and I’ve found myself looking to it lately.

Where I live, bears emerging from winter dormancy often seek out slightly bitter and astringent roots and plants. These are thought to gently wake up digestion and support their transition out of dormancy. There’s something about this that really resonates with me. I'm reminded that what helps us move forward and evolve, isn’t always sweet.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, bitterness has a role. It helps clear what has built up or feels heavy and stuck, guiding things downward so the body can release what it no longer needs. Astringent qualities help us to gather, hold and integrate what remains.

This holds meaning for me as I sit with this experience. It doesn’t feel particularly good, but it is asking to be processed. Not pushed away or bypassed but slowly worked through until it can be integrated.

The biggest teaching for me has been this. Growth isn’t always easy or light. Sometimes it feels heavy or uncomfortable, and these more difficult experiences always hold their own kind of medicine. In fact, in my experience, these are often the moments that are most transformative.

If you’ve been moving through growth or a transition that feels like bitter medicine, acupuncture can be a gentle way to support you through it. You are always welcome to reach out if you're curious how it might support you.

Please note: all references to internal organs are from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which is why they are capitalized. While some functions described in TCM may overlap with Western medical concepts, it is not within the scope of practice for registered acupuncturists in Alberta to provide Western medical diagnoses or medical advice.