Rule over the November reign with the Queen of Autumn

The fall season can be challenging for some of us. Humidity, shorter daylight, the first colds… all contributing to making us feel the blues.

Lucky us, there is some magic coming from Nature: chestnuts are full of gifts. Their shape suggests protection, with the core surrounded by a spiny burr: it says “no one can harm me”. Maybe that is why ancients kept them under the pillow to sleep safe and sound. The French have a tradition of putting chestnuts under the mattress to keep bad spirits from “pulling one’s feet” during the night. In Japan, chestnuts were eaten for good luck in battles and when fighting with disease.

Apparently chestnuts are good for you and your darling! The inside has always been a symbol of fertility. In the Middle Age they were considered the fruits of love and passion, the aphrodisiac of November. Chestnut honey is still valued as a libido enhancer. In Georgia, when asking for something that is very nice but hard to obtain, it is known as “asking for boiled chestnuts”: does that remind you how your future hubby has been courting you?

Our ancestors said that chestnuts cure the fall mild depression. In fact, if you take a close look at a chestnut, you will see the shape of a brain. You should definitely have some chestnuts every day, only if you’re not diabetic though, since they contain a high amount of carbs. They will give you minerals, vitamins and they cure exhaustion and apathy, very frequent during this time of the year due to the seasonal change. If you have already caught a cold, boiled chestnuts are the perfect tonic and teas made from the leaves are a cure for respiratory diseases.

To stimulate your immune system here is an elixir: two handfuls of leaves in one liter of boiled water. You can also put the leaves in your tub for a purifying and toning bath that makes your skin healthier and regenerated.