Tissue States & Body Constitution

In Embodied Herbalism, we draw from the traditional concept of tissue states, which are patterns that reflect how our body’s tissues are functioning and responding to internal and environmental stress and imbalance. As described by herbalist Matthew Wood, these six core states help us understand the energetics of what is happening in the body:

The 6 Tissue States

• Hot – Characterized by excess heat, inflammation, redness or overactivity. This may show up as irritability, burning sensations, or heightened metabolic processes.
• Cold – Marked by reduced circulation, low energy and slowed function. The body may feel cool, sluggish, or underactive.
• Damp – Associated with stagnation, fluid retention,and a sense of heaviness. This can present as swelling, congestion, sluggish digestion, or a feeling of being “weighed down”.
• Dry – Reflects a lack of moisture and lubrication in the tissues. Symptoms may include dryness of the skin or mucous membranes, brittleness or a general depletion of fluids.
• Tense – Involves constriction, tightness and restricted flow. The body may hold chronic muscular tension, nervous system bracing or a sense of contraction that limits circulation and movement.
• Relaxed – Indicates a lack of tone or structural integrity. Tissues may feel lax, weak or unsupported, fluids may leak out because of lack of structure.

Body Constitution

Looking at body constitution through the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine helps us discover what organ systems, energy channels and meridians in the body are in or out of balance. We look at:

• Yin & Yang – the foundational polarity of the body. Yin relates to cooling, nourishing, and inward aspects, while Yang reflects warmth, activity and outward expression.
• Cold & Heat – describes the thermal nature of the constitution. Cold patterns may involve low energy and poor circulation, while Heat patterns often show up as inflammation, restlessness or overactivity.
• Deficiency & Excess – indicate whether something is lacking or overabundant. Deficiency may appear as fatigue or depletion, while Excess can manifest as stagnation, pressure, or buildup in the system.
• Interior & Exterior – refers to the depth of a pattern. Exterior conditions affect the surface (like skin or early-stage illness), while Interior patterns involve deeper organ systems and more chronic imbalances.

Together, these principles create a map of how your body is functioning, allowing for more precise and individualized support that works with your natural tendencies and constitution.

Alchemy & Astrology

Alchemy offers a symbolic and experiential language for understanding transformation within the body. In this work, it becomes a way of perceiving how different aspects of your system are interacting.

Drawing from classical alchemical principles such as Sulfur, Mercury and Salt, we explore:

• Sulfur (the Soul) is the expressive, masculine, active principle relating to heat, metabolism & drive
• Mercury (the Spirit) is the fluid, feminine, communicative principle, which mediates between Sulfur & Salt
• Salt (the Body) – the structural, fixed, stabilizing principle that holds Sulfur & Mercury together

Imbalances in these qualities can show up as patterns in the body and psyche, guiding us toward specific plants that help restore harmony.

Planetary Correspondences

Herbs are also categorized by planetary influences, allowing remedies to be chosen for how they resonate with your individual pattern. This approach also informs timing, highlighting when the body may be more receptive to certain forms of support.

• Sun – Vitality, warmth, and core identity; governs the heart and circulation. Solar herbs tend to be uplifting, strengthening, and restorative to overall vitality.
• Moon – Fluids, nourishment, and emotional rhythms; connected to digestion and the body’s cycles. Lunar herbs are moistening, soothing, and supportive to the nervous and reproductive systems.
• Mercury – Communication, movement and adaptability; linked to the nervous system and respiration. Mercurial herbs are often aromatic, mobile and help regulate flow and coordination between systems.
• Venus – Harmony, cooling, and restoration; associated with the reproductive system, skin, and mucosal tissues. Venusian herbs are often moistening, demulcent, and support relaxation and receptivity.
• Mars – Heat, activation, and drive; governs blood, muscles, and inflammatory processes. Martian herbs are stimulating, circulatory, and can break through stagnation or cold conditions.
• Jupiter – Expansion, growth, and nourishment; linked to the liver and metabolism. Jovian herbs tend to be tonifying, nutritive and support growth, regeneration and abundance in the body.
• Saturn – Structure, contraction, and boundaries; associated with bones, joints, and chronic conditions. Saturnian herbs are grounding and consolidating, often used to strengthen structure or address long-standing imbalances.

These planetary qualities provide another layer of understanding, helping to align herbal choices with both the physical and energetic patterns present.

Body Armoring

“Body Armoring,” a concept developed by Wilhelm Reich, maps patterns of chronic tension, constriction and collapse that can form in the body’s tissues as protective strategies. When these patterns are activated the energy flows in our body are dampened, blocked or restricted. These patterns organize in segments throughout the body, each with its own expression:

• Ocular (Eyes & Forehead) tension in the brow, eyes, and scalp; difficulty relaxing the gaze, over-vigilance, or feeling mentally “on guard”
• Oral (Jaw, Mouth, Throat) tight jaw, clenched teeth, or held throat; patterns around expression, receiving, or unmet needs
• Cervical (Neck) stiffness or rigidity in the neck; holding back emotion, restraint between what is felt and what is expressed
• Thoracic (Chest & Lungs) restricted breath, collapsed or armored chest; difficulty with vulnerability, grief, or emotional openness
• Diaphragmatic (Solar Plexus) tight diaphragm or shallow breathing; control, anxiety, or holding back deeper feelings
• Abdominal (Belly) tension, gripping, or numbness in the abdomen; holding fear, insecurity, or lack of safety
• Pelvic (Hips & Pelvis) tightness or disconnection in the pelvis; patterns around grounding, vitality, and creative or sexual energy

Character Structure

Reich also talked about character structures and how they manifest throughout the body. These patterns are often expressed through broader character structures, each reflecting a core way the body organizes around safety and connection:

• Schizoid Structure – a tendency toward withdrawal or fragmentation. The body may feel disconnected, sensitive or ungrounded, with difficulty fully “inhabiting” physical experience.
• Oral Structure – themes of longing, depletion or unmet nourishment. The body may feel collapsed, low in energy or seeking support and replenishment
• Psychopathic Structure – a pattern of control, willfulness or guarding vulnerability. The body may present as strong or held together, with tension around the heart and upper body
• Masochistic Structure – holding, compression and internalized pressure. The body may feel dense or constricted, with difficulty expressing emotion or releasing tension
• Rigid Structure – high tone, control, and performance. The body may appear well-structured but with underlying tightness, especially around the pelvis and heart, limiting deeper emotional flow

Through herbal assessment, plants are chosen not only for physical symptoms, but for how they relate to these deeper protective patterns.

Use of Energetic Plant Signatures

Every plant has an unique energetic signature; a frequency which it emanates through it form. Some people call this the spirit of the plant. Just like you have a soul or spirit, every living form on this planet has one as well. Once the energy signature of a particular plant is discovered you can begin to work with the unique qualities it shares. This is similar to any relationship. Each person you meet has a uniqueness, and through interacting with them an alchemy that gets created and something new comes into form.

Working with the energetic signatures often involves having a picture of the plant, and when available the live plant itself. Dr. Amanda coaches you on the basics of relating to the plant, describing to your constitution and how it connects with the plant’s frequency. This this way you can begin to receive the plant’s wisdom.

Consumption & Application

In addition to working with the plant signatures and energetics, often single herbs or herbal formulas will be recommended for consumption or application to the body. This supports the physical level of your being by providing targeted nourishment, regulating imbalance and encouraging the body’s innate healing processes at the level of the tissues, organs and systems.

These remedies are not approached as isolated interventions, but as part of a larger relationship. You’ll be guided in how to take or apply them with awareness, bringing attention to how your body responds, what shifts and what begins to open. In this way, herbal medicine becomes both a physiological support and an experiential practice, helping to bridge the physical and subtle aspects of healing in a way that is integrated.

Acupressure & Neuro-somatic Bodywork

To support the unwinding of neurological defenses and patterns of constriction in the body, we incorporate acupressure and neuro-somatic bodywork designed to gently soften the system into breath, ease and receptivity. Through intentional pressure along key points, combined with the use of aromatic essential oils, flower essences and herbal preparations, these sessions help open and regulate the flow of energy through the body’s channels.

Rather than forcing release, this approach works with the body’s natural timing, inviting areas of holding to gradually soften and reorganize. As the system becomes more regulated, breath deepens, awareness expands and the body can begin to shift from protection into a state of greater flow, coherence, and responsiveness. This creates an optimal state for alchemical relationship with the herbs.

In Person Embodied Herbalism Sessions

In person embodied herbalism sessions occur in Boulder, CO. Your first session will consist of a comprehensive intake process, which will include a detailed questionnaire to review body systems and tissue states, assessment of your pulse and tongue, and palpation for tender points on the body. Once that is complete we will look at alchemical and astrological correspondences.

From there we will match 1-3 herbs to your constitution and will work with the energetic properties of the herbs. Dr Amanda will teach you how to connect and commune with each plant so that you can develop a relationship with and begin to alchemize with its unique signatures. Next we will work with the body armoring, discovering where there are blockages in the energetic system. Through acupressure and gentle bodywork we support the release of tensions patterns in the body that interfere with the smooth flow of energy. Lastly if herbs are recommended for consumption or application to the body, herbal formulations will be discussed.

Follow up session will be scheduled as needed to meet your wellness goals.

Virtual Embodied Herbalism Sessions

In you don’t live local to Colorado or if you simply prefer an online format, embodied herbalism sessions can be completed over Zoom. Your first session will consist of a comprehensive intake process where your tissue states, body constitution and physiological systems are accessed. During this process Dr. Amanda may have you touch certain spots on your body to access for tenderness.

Next we will look at alchemical and astrological correspondences. Once your constitutional patterns and correspondences are discovered, herbs will be matched to meet your system’s needs. We will work with the energetic properties of the selected herbs while on the call together, and if herbs are recommended for consumption or application, herbal formulations will be discussed. Somatic awareness and breath work techniques will be utilized to unwind neurological patterns of defense and protection.

After our first meeting, following up meetings will be scheduled based on each person’s unique needs in order modify, alter or deepen with the selected herbs in accordance with your body, mind and spirit responses.