Cleansing Herbs for Each Chakra

Thousands of years ago, ancient traditions of India developed a system for understanding the energy in the body. Powerful energy centers, known as the chakras, flow from the base of the spine up to the crown of the head. These swirling wheels of energy connect the physical body with the spiritual realm.

When your Chakra energy flows freely, you feel in balance and at peace. When you feel tense or in an emotional funk, turn inwards to recognize which of your chakras is out of balance. Then use these cleansing herbs for each chakra to heal the body’s energy centers.

Root Chakra Herbs

Name in Sanskrit: Muladhara
Color frequency: Red
Location: Base of the spin

Think of the root chakra as your foundation, controlling your most basic needs like food, safety, and financial security. When out of balance, you feel unstable and stress about making ends meet. Physically, you may experience issues with digestion and weight gain.

To keep this chakra in alignment, incorporate ashwagandha, dandelion root, ginger, and garlic or foods like carrots, potatoes, and radishes into your diet. These root-based herbs will help you feel grounded and connect to the earth element of the root chakra.

Ginger Root (pilipphoto / Shutterstock.com)

Sacral Chakra Herbs

Name in Sanskrit: Svadhisthana
Color frequency: Orange
Location:  Lower abdomen, pelvic region, womb, and genitals

Controlled by the water element, the sacral chakra relates to fluidity. When in balance, you feel free to express yourself sexually, emotionally, and creatively. When out of balance, you experience difficulty in adapting to change, emotional instability, and sexual frigidity or guilt. Physically, a blocked or overactive sacral chakra can manifest in digestion and reproductive issues.

Restore balance to the sacral chakra by consuming damiana, an herb known for its aphrodisiac effects that increases sexual desire and performance. Damiana also will help you relax and go with the flow by calming the nervous system. You can also burn ylang ylang, an aphrodisiac herb that opens the flow of love and passion.

Damiana (Eskymaks / Shutterstock.com)

Solar Plexus Chakra Herbs

Name in Sanskrit: Manipura
Color frequency: Yellow
Location:  Abdomen

The bright yellow solar plexus chakra relates to feelings of personal power and self-esteem. When in the flow, you feel confident with a sense of purpose. When overactive, you may come off as arrogant. Alternatively, you may suffer from low self-worth, jealousy, or a constant need for approval. You may also suffer from poor digestion.

Ease your digestion and restore balance to the solar plexus with cleansing herbs like lemongrass, milk thistle, chamomile, and ginger. You can also burn incense and essential oils like saffron, musk, sandalwood, ginger, and cinnamon to connect with the fire element of the solar plexus.

Milk Thistle (Lunov Mykola / Shutterstock.com)

Heart Chakra Herbs

Name in Sanskrit: Anahata
Color frequency: Green
Location: Chest

The heart chakra controls the love energy in the body. You feel full of love, compassion, and forgiveness when in alignment. When out of balance, you have difficulty giving and receiving love, as well as forgiving yourself. You may also experience pains in the center of the chest. 

Welcome love into your life with energetic heart herbs like rose, hawthorn berry, lavender, rooibos, orange, and jasmine. You can create your own tea with a combination of these heart healthy herbs.

Hawthorn Berry (Tatiana_Pink / Shutterstock.com)

Throat Chakra Herbs

Name in Sanskrit: Vishuddha
Color frequency: Blue
Location: Throat, jaw, neck, and thyroid

The throat chakra controls your ability to express yourself openly and listen to others. You feel comfortable communicating when in balance. When out of balance, you struggle with miscommunication or experience pain in your throat and neck.

You can make a healing tea using ground slippery elm bark to ease the throat chakra. Other herbal remedies for the throat chakra include sage, clary sage, and chamomile. Foods rich in iodine, like kelp, dulse, nori, spirulina, and other sea veggies, can also heal the throat chakra.

Clary Sage (Elena Pavlovich / Shutterstock.com)

Third Eye Chakra Herbs

Name in Sanskrit: Ajna
Color frequency: Indigo
Location: The space between the eyes

Raise the vibrational energy at the third eye, the chakra that relates to intuition and inner wisdom. When out of balance you feel confused and cynical. You may also suffer from headaches, insomnia, and anxiety.

Connect to your intuition with passionflower, an herb that eases insomnia and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Release tension by burning sandalwood or sage, which encourage a sense of calm and clarity.

Passionflower (Katinkah / Shutterstock.com)

Crown Chakra Herbs

Name in Sanskrit: Sahaswara
Color frequency: Indigo
Location: The crown of the head

At the highest vibration, the crown chakra radiates violet light. This spiritual center connects you with the divine, your highest self, and the oneness with the universe. When out of balance, you may feel lost spiritually, fear death, and lack a sense of purpose. You may also get too caught up with material gains like money, status, and fame.

Connect to your higher self with lavender. Add the purple flower to teas, lemonade, or desserts. The flowering plant has powerful calming remedies. Use lavender scented candles and incense during meditation or relax in lavender-scented bath salts.

Lavender (Cora Mueller / Shutterstock.com)