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Digestive support tea recipe
ingredients
1 part Marshmallow Root
1 part Slippery Elm Powder
1 part Licorice Root
Follow directions for how to make as a decoction. In this case I like to use 1 teaspoon of each herb and boil 4 cups of water (by the time some has evaporated and I am ready to simmer, I am left with approximately 3 cups.) If you have more time, you can also prepare the marshmallow root through a cold infusion, but I typically don't have enough time and I find a decoction with these three herbs synergistically works very well for me.
This tea blend has been super healing to my gut and offers excellent digestive support if my stomach is upset.
All three herbs in this tea blend are demulcents, which are soothing to the mucous membranes. I will highlight some of the digestive indications and contraindications below.
sleeping through the night
I am typically a great sleeper. I don't usually have trouble falling asleep but since my recent surgery I've been experiencing a restless night's sleep and have been waking up many,
many times throughout the night. This is so annoying because it impacts my energy levels throughout the day since I'm not getting a deep enough sleep.
I experimented with a few blends and I put 1 drop of Atlas Cedarwood, 1 drop of Lavender and 1 drop of Clary Sage on a cotton ball, underneath my pillowcase and it helped me sleep throughout the
whole night without an issue!
This is a great technique to use when you don't want to run a diffuser all night or when you are traveling.
supporting your liver with an herbal cleanse
If you have allergies, digestive issues, skin issues, kidney or bladder symptoms or any reproductive health issues, you should pay close attention to supporting your liver so that it can function optimally. Your liver is one of your largest organs and it has so many important metabolic functions! Helping you eliminate toxins from your body and digesting foods are just a couple of it's important functions.
I did my Herbal Apprenticeship at Seven Arrows Farm and part of our curriculum was Rosemary Gladstar's "The Science and Art of Herbology" which includes a great section that focuses on the liver, since it is such an important organ! She writes about this great liver cleanse, and a supportive diet which I will outline below. It felt really amazing to do this liver cleanse and I am preparing to do another one for the New Year! I followed the weekly cleanse with a liver support tincture for 3 months, as well as alterative teas daily.
Please check with your physician before you start any type of cleanse or herbal remedy.
an alkalizing diet
Focus on consuming all vegetables (especially dark green leafy veggies), fresh sprouts (especially fenugreek, alfalfa and clover), beets and beet greens, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, beans, whole grains, seeds (especially sesame) and raw almonds. Remember to include fruits that are alkalizing such as lemons, grapefruits, cherries and apples. Also include bananas, as they are high in potassium. Drinking raw vegetable juice (with some fruits for flavor) is a convenient way to add alkalizing power to your diet.
Avoid dairy foods except cultured products like kefir, yogurt and buttermilk. Lifeway Kefir is the brand I use to make smoothies with and it has lots of great probiotics - and you can buy it at most supermarkets. Sadly, cheese with the exception of cottage cheese and some low fat varieties should be avoided.
an herbal, healthy coffee substitute!
This time of year many people resolve to give up their coffee addiction for their New Year's Resolutions. I make this nourishing and delicious blend to help me give up my own addiction to Mary Lou's News and Dunkin Donuts. As a bonus, substituting this yummy herbal treat saved me loads of money and some time in the morning as well. I found it helpful to brew at night an then drink in the morning because I'm usually pressed for time. It tastes delicious both hot and cold!
- 1 part roasted dandelion root
- 1 part chicory root (optional: roasted)
- 1 part dandelion root
Prepare as a decoction and then add Almond Milk and a few drops of Liquid Stevia (you can also prepare with a TINY pinch of stevia herb instead, but be warned: a little goes a long way!)
herbal infusions and herbal decoctions
One of my favorite way to use herbs is by drinking teas. There is something really nurturing and special about preparing and drinking a cup of tea for yourself or someone you love.
The method of preparation for your tea depends on what parts of the plant you are using since you are trying to extract the plant material in the best way possible.
When you are using the aerial parts of a plant (the parts that grow above ground such as as the flowers, leaves and stem) you will make an infusion. You would make an herbal decoction when you are using the hardier parts of the plant like the roots, barks and seeds.
Below I will share with you the simple methods of how to make infusions (including traditional infusions as well as solar and lunar infusions) and decoctions.
how ox bile helped me post-cholecystecomy
After I had a cholecystectomy (my gallbladder removed), I kept having intermittent pain in my right upper quadrant, right under where my right rib was.
It felt like spasming. It sometimes felt tender like I was being punched repeatedly. My doctor suspected Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction (SOD.)
Then I found the magical ox bile! Typically, bile is produced in your liver and stored in your gallbladder. However when your gallbladder is removed, you may have trouble digesting fats because your bile storehouse is gone!
skin patch testing for essential oils
I have a history of a lot of allergies and food intolerances so I am very cautious before I eat anything new or use any new skin/bodycare products or new herbs/supplements. Young and Tisserand (2014) discuss skin patch testing in the context of dermatology and actually do not recommend skin patch testing before initial essential oil use. This is probably because some people may develop a reaction later on. While I think this is a valid point, I like to personally be cautious and it is my opinion that before you slather any essential oil or blend all over your skin, it is wise to do a small skin patch test first to determine if you may have a sensitivity or an allergy to any of the constituents. I think it is always wise to start small and test how your body reacts to anything new.
Of course it should be noted that it is possible to develop a sensitivity to an oil (or anything else) at any time, especially if it is used consistently over a period of time. If you find yourself wanting to use one of our blends every single day over a period of time, please get in touch with us and we can make you a similar blend with different oils so you can rotate it to try to avoid developing a sensitivity reaction.