The mimosa trees have blossomed, almost as if overnight, and are laden with those beautiful, pink fragrant blooms. Mimosa is a tree that always fills me with such joy. It is truly a magnificent tree that blooms in June, with sprays of deep pink that expand out from a base of white tendrils. Her flower’s fragrance, for some reason, always makes me think of champagne, because it is this bubbly and happy smell that lifts my spirits. I always know her by her smell. This waft of scent in the air in early June that makes me think of, well, joy and the magic of being alive. It is such a light and pleasant scent that words can not do it justice.
The Chinese pinyin name for the bark, he huan pi, and flower, he huan hua, translates literally as collective happiness bark or flower. She is the happiness herb! She furls her leaves up to close them as the sun goes down and unfurls them again to open them to greet the rising sun. I have a friend who lives in the woods and once showed me a mimosa tree that had shot up until it reached above the tree canopy, 30-40 feet at minimum, so it could flower in the sun. I love her optimism.
I once planted her in my yard and was absolutely amazed at how quickly she grew, with her branches extending their reach by at least double in the first year. She spreads her seedlings around like crazy and has a reputation for prolific propagation. During the second year of planting her, I had baby mimosa seedlings everywhere throughout my medicinal herb garden and yard. Many people I know pull out her seedlings in an effort to remove her from their yard completely.
I have heard the word invasive used to describe her rampant reproductive abilities. I do not like the word invasive, which tends to imply a harmful or undesirable spreading. I prefer the word abundant to invasive, not just for mimosa, but for all plants that spread prolifically. I like to think that she is so abundantly joyful that she is willing to share her overflow capacity of it with everyone anywhere in her vicinity. Besides, when you dive a little deeper into the healing potential of “invasive” plants you tend to find a wealth of uses that address a wide range of common physical and emotional health complaints.
She is classified as an herb to calm the spirit in Chinese medicine, but she also has a role in regulating the flow of blood and Qi in the body. This means that not only does she calm the spirit, but she regulates the flow of the life force energy and invigorates the flow of blood. By doing this she alleviates depression, anger, moodiness, as well as both physical and emotional pain. When the qi and blood in the body become stagnate and are not flowing smoothly and evenly, our emotions become blocked, generating anger, frustration, depression, and a lack of joy. This block of qi and blood can also generate physical pain too.
The flowers are thought to be weaker than the bark. Simply based on the doctrine of signatures alone, the bark would be more stabilizing because it would penetrate a little more deeply into the physical body. I find that the flowers are quite effective at dealing with the spiritual or emotional level. In my practice I use the flower essence to help someone embrace the beauty of the present moment. I have found this herb to be subtle, yet powerful.
One of the uses for both the flower and the bark in Chinese medicine is to treat insomnia (typically in combination with other herbs). Again, I think of the doctrine of signatures invoked by the way her leaves start to point downward and curl inward in harmony with the setting sun, signaling it is time to sleep or to go inward as night falls. What a beautiful imagery for lulling someone to sleep, but not simply falling sleep, but more significantly calming the spirit down from an externally-focused, overstimulated place. In fact in Chinese Herbal Materia Medica 3rd Edition by Bensky, Clavey, and Stoger, they site the Treasury of Words on the Materia Medica by Ni Zhu Mo that he huan pi expands the spirit and helps to eliminate any extremes of the five emotions which allows the heart to open to happiness easily. In addition, one of the psycho-spiritual meanings I have found for mimosa flower is sensitivity. The way she works is quite significant in that she calms the spirit and helps one achieve a more balanced emotional state by actually expanding our consciousness and opening us up to allow joy and happiness to flow in more easily.
Mimosa calls to mind for me a poem by the Sufi poet Hafiz:
“How did the rose ever open its heart and give to this world all of its beauty? It felt the encouragement of light against its being, Otherwise, we all remain too frightened.”
I see the emotional and spiritual properties of mimosa in much the same way that Hafiz describes the encouragement of light that helps the rose to open up and share it’s beauty. She mirrors this expansion, joy, and abundance in the ways she shows herself to the world. How perfect that she comes right before the height of summer and is in bloom during the peak of summer. It is the time when the world is most expanded. Mimosa gently leads you to expand and open more fully to life by making it easier both physically and emotionally to do so.
I make mimosa tincture every year, except for last year when I was studying in China. Which means I am very much looking forward to this year’s tincture making adventure. I infuse her blossoms at every stage of development, from green bud to full bloom, in 100 proof apple brandy. I like apple brandy because it yields a tincture with a very rich and wonderful flavor, worthy of her beauty. The tincture is a lovely herb to meditate with. Mimosa has taught me about gratitude, that there is always a trace of light and beauty in the middle of everything. I find it very helpful to meditate with her when I am having a problem seeing the beauty in my life or in the world. With her presence, I have found at the very least, relief, comfort and a letting go of any resistance. Mimosa does not push or try too hard, she doesn’t need to. By simply being herself, she spreads her joy prolifically in the world.
