I Shamelessly Use 'Blood Tea' For My Houseplants--Here's What You Should Know
I've never really felt any shame around my period.
Not really anyways.
There were some behaviors like hiding my tampon in the presence of people (namely men) that I have become more aware of but not any deep-rooted trauma and shame. That's the thing about me, I've always been relatively shameless when it comes to matters of the human body. I recall wearing pads around the house well before I began my period, excited for the possibilities. I don't mind the mess of period blood, now I'm not going to go smearing it on my face but really I have more of a visceral reaction to loose hair than I do to menstrual blood.
However, I did grow to feel some disappointment and resentment towards moon day because it has come to feel like an inconvenience. Which at times, it is a challenging experience but it's also a beautiful one. And this is what I'm coming to realize! For so many years, my period was just something that had to happen to me. I disassociated from the experience, outside of the pain of PMS. I could never tell the doctor if my period was coming or going. I knew the bare minimum when it came to my period. But, no shame.
I say all of this to say that when I saw and heard of blood tea for the first time -- a moon blood, water mixture -- I didn't cringe so much as my curiosity was piqued. Curious because, well, what is life if we're not always searching and exploring the roots of ourselves and those who came before us? Especially sans colonization! I understand this cocktail to be an offering to Mother Nature. A celebration of feminine energy--of Earth.
If we are Queens and our bodies are as sacred as our ancestors believed -- throwing that energy down drains and into landfills is ungodly and wasteful.
Feng shui principles similarly believe that you shouldn't leave your toilet seat up because it is a portal where energy can flow into, so imagine thinking it's the rightful place for something as sacred as menstrual blood. There is life, love, and energy in that blood. Per ancestral guidelines, you're better off giving your blood back to nature. Traditionally, in some cultures, it is given back to the oldest tree in your yard. But, recycling your blood back into your garden is also sufficient. There's a quote, "When the women give their blood back to the earth, men will come home from war and earth shall find peace." And as I read it, I'm reminded of how our periods were once held to the highest esteem.
Interested in shifting the way I experience menstruation, I began returning my blood to the earth via my houseplants.
Plus, like so many others I had become more invested in gardening as a hobby back in March, as we slowly came to realize 1) the summer would be spent in the house and 2) the possibility of living through a global food shortage was real. My thumb is not the most pigmented shade of green, so I had a few plants that I was willing to test this knowledge out on. I bottom watered them by using menstrual blood easily from my menstrual cup and pouring it into a bottle filled with water. Watering it from the bottom leaves less room to attract gnats since the top of the soil doesn't stay wet. If and when I can, I use rain water to water the plants in an attempt to give and take from nature as much as possible. And very quickly, I was able to see my plants perk up, then within 24 hours, new blooms had come through.
Although I was less interested in the journey it would take me on when I began doing this, I have come to realize the plant and I am sharing a journey that is one and the same. We are both life forces.
Here are the lessons that came from fertilizing my plants with moon blood -- for myself and my green thumb.
1. Life Force
Blood in general is rich in phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen. These are the major minerals needed for plants to thrive!
Our blood has the ability to give life to all things great, all life forms including babies and nature alike.
And sure there's blood meal, but therein lies the problem -- we're already too far removed from what is natural and wholesome. Plants shouldn't nourish from unknown/unnatural sources anymore than we should.
2. Synchronicity
I became more connected as the ritual intends. Like I said before I had no clue of when to expect my period. Now I'm far more observant of what's to come, by either looking to the moon or looking at the condition my plants are in. I have Pothos plants that get watered on the same cycle of my menstrual cycle, when they start to wither I know they're in need of sustenance. In turn, I've become more in sync with my needs and when I can anticipate them.
3. Purpose
I feel more whole in the act of seeing the life my menses brings to my plants; the capabilities of my body helps me to feel a bit more firm in my purpose here on this earth.
Our duty to put back into nature rather than take from it. We are natural nurturers and in addition to standing in that role,
I've come to understand there are many things in our environment that require nurturing--human babies are not the only things we're supposed to give life to.
As I continue gardening, I'll be looking to the gradual changes and observations that manifest on behalf of this ritual.
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Motor City native, Atlanta living. Sagittarius. Writer. Sexpert. Into all things magical, mystical, and unknown. I'll try anything at least once but you knew that the moment I revealed that I was a Sag.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Why We'll Probably Never Hear Lupita Nyong'o Share Her Relationship With The World
Lupita Nyong'o is sharing a transparent look into her life after a recent breakup.
In a cover story for NET-A-PORTER, the A Quiet Place: Day One star shed light on the significant heartbreak she experienced following the end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend and TV host, Selema Masekela.
As a public figure, Nyong'o, 39, sought to divulge the news of the breakup in hopes of presenting a more authentic perspective on the pain that follows a separation.
"I was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak," she told the publication. "I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."
The Black Panther star went on to explain that her choice to be transparent with her fans about her breakup came from the certainty she felt after ending the relationship. “In my mind, when I shared my relationship status with the world, it was because I felt sure about it,” she said.
While she didn’t know how the news would land with her fans, she found relief in knowing she wasn’t alone in her experience.
“I knew how it could be interpreted; I knew it would have a life of its own,” she reflects. “But then I started to see the comments and people were being so loving and supportive. The ones that moved me the most were other people sharing their pain and their heartbreak.”
Nyong'o and Masekela went Instagram official in December 2022, publicly announcing their relationship in a couple's video. In October 2023, Nyong'o took to her personal Instagram account to share the news of her breakup in her caption, writing, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.”
She continued the vulnerable note, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way.' But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."
These days, Nyong'o tells NET-A-PORTER that she is prioritizing profound self-discovery that extends beyond her career. She notes having a deliberate and unhurried approach to understanding herself.
She also alludes to keeping her relationships private moving forward after noting it was "very, very sage" of her not to talk about her private life professionally in the days before her last relationship. "I'm going back to those days by the way," Nyong'o shares of her reinstated boundaries around her personal life.
Earlier this month, Nyong'o made headlines alongside her new boyfriend actor Joshua Jackson. Nyong'o and Jackson went through public splits from their respective SOs in October 2023, with the latter splitting from his long-time partner Jodie Turner-Smith following her divorce filing from the Dawson's Creek alum.
The pair have been spotted together as early as December 2023, but nothing screamed "couple" quite as loudly as their recent getaway to Mexico for Nyong'o's 41st birthday featuring passionate displays of affection.
"Our purpose in life is to love. And so you have to get back in it," she tells the outlet, seemingly alluding to her budding new romance.
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Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images