Rooted & Radiant: Beet Medicine for Blood, Liver & Summer Balance
- Jennifer Peck, RYT500, e-RYT200, YACEP, AHC, RM
- Jul 13
- 4 min read
A few nights before I harvested the first beets from my garden, I dreamed of them. I could see their deep red roots in my mind, rich and earthy. I didn’t know exactly why, but something about their beauty was calling to me. Even before they were harvested, I found myself falling in love with them—admiring their vibrant greens with a quiet knowing that what was growing beneath the surface was going to be something special.
By the end of the week, the beets were ready. And I started menstruating—on the full moon.
This is my third day of my cycle as I write this, and I have to say: something has shifted.
Usually, the first few days are rough. My flow tends to be heavy—like, really heavy—and I often deal with cramps, pain, fatigue, and brain fog. Emotionally, I’m usually riding the waves hard: irritability, frustration, feeling like I just want to hide from the world. That’s been the pattern for years.
But not this time.
This cycle has been much more moderate in flow, without the pain I typically expect. My mood has stayed surprisingly balanced (no angry outbursts—IYKYK), and I’ve had decent energy and focus throughout. I’m not as pale either. One of the ways I track my anemia is by checking the color under my eyes or in my lips, and this week I can clearly see: my color is stronger. I truly believe the daily beet nourishment played a role in stabilizing my system.
The Ayurvedic Wisdom of Beets
Beets are more than just vibrant veggies. In Ayurveda, they carry sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes—the exact tastes that help balance excess Pitta during the summer months. They nourish both Rasa dhatu (plasma/lymph) and Rakta dhatu (blood), making them especially beneficial for people like me who deal with anemia, low energy, or PMS.
They also support the liver, which is one of the main sites of Pitta in the body. Beets offer a gentle detox, helping the liver filter heat and toxins more efficiently. When our liver is overburdened (hello, summer heat, stress, and hormonal swings), we feel it. Irritability, skin rashes, headaches, and heavy bleeding can all point back to excess Pitta and liver involvement.
And during menstruation—particularly the Vata stage of the cycle—grounding foods become essential. Beets, with their earthy sweetness and root energy, offer that grounding in both body and mind. Starting on the full moon can sometimes bring more intensity to the cycle, which is all the more reason to favor stabilizing, blood-building foods like this.
And so, nature gives us beets.
Western Nutrition: Iron, Vitamin C & Clarity
From a Western perspective, beets are loaded with iron and vitamin C—a perfect pair. Vitamin C increases iron absorption, which is especially important during menstruation or for anyone prone to deficiency. Beets also contain folate, antioxidants, and fiber, all of which support blood building, detoxification, and gut health.
But what I’ve learned is this: even with all the science and data, it’s often the body that tells us first. The craving. The dream. The moment we look at a vegetable and feel ourselves light up. That’s where the medicine begins.
How I Ate Them This Week
Roasted in ghee with garlic scape powder and a splash of red wine vinegar
Sliced raw in salads with tahini, fennel, and fresh greens
I kept it simple. Let the medicine do what it needed to do.
This Is What It Means to Live in Tune
I didn’t plan this. I didn’t sit down and say, “I need more iron, so I’ll eat beets this week.” It happened the way nature often does: subtly, intuitively, and with perfect timing.
Ayurveda teaches us to live in rhythm. To listen to the body’s whispers before they become screams. To trust that what grows in our garden might be growing for us. That what we crave might be what we need.
This week, my body asked for beets. My garden gave them. And my cycle responded.
Want to Ground Into Your Own Healing?
Here are a few ways to root into nourishment and balance this week:
• Reiki Restorative Yoga: Join me this Friday, July 18 at 6:30 PM for a deeply restful 90-minute class. Hands-on Reiki through restorative postures, a long Reiki Savasana, and a chakra sound bath to seal it in. Sliding scale $28–$35. Pre-registration required.
• Cooling Summer Body Treatments: Book a coconut oil Abhyanga or Vishesh at the summer special rate of $85. Gentle lymphatic support, grounding, and cooling for fiery Pitta energy.
• Mini Wellness Sessions: Book a 45-minute Ayurvedic wellness session to check in, ground, and receive personalized guidance for your current needs—whether physical, emotional, or seasonal.
• Healing Breath Circle: Join us for our first Healing Breath Circle | Friday, August 1st at 6:30PM —a space to connect inward, release stress, and explore gentle self-discovery in community. This simple practice can be incredibly grounding during transitional times.
May this post be a gentle reminder to listen in—to your cravings, your cycle, your soil, your soul. Sometimes healing isn’t loud or dramatic. Sometimes it comes in the form of a root vegetable showing up in your dreams, waiting patiently in your garden, ready to nourish you just when you need it most.
Thank you for letting me share a piece of this journey with you.
With love and beet-stained hands,
Jennifer
Thank you for this post! I’m curious as to whether you eat the tops as well.