When I think of peppermint, I'm reminded of Candy Canes and the little candies I like to eat when I have an upset stomach, a cold, or a sore throat. Peppermint is a plant that grows and spreads easily. It's so common, that it's easy to forget about when looking for home remedies. Yet, it's one of a small handful of herbs that I prefer to keep in stock at all times.
Peppermint is a pungent herb that is drying and can be warming and/or cooling (think of an icy-hot sensation). It's good for freshening the breath and reducing fever. It's used to relieve nausea, pain, headaches, gas, hiccups, itchy skin, inflammation, and cramping/spasms. It can also be soothing for flu, colds, and congestion. Because the menthol in peppermint stimulates the hippocampus, it can boost concentration, alertness, memory, and cognitive function. If you're studying for a test, try drinking peppermint tea while you study. Try sucking on a peppermint candy while taking that test. Those are some seriously great therapeutic properties, but wait, there's more -- Peppermint can be part of a nutritious diet! It has Vitamins A, B 6, and C, Calcium, Copper, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Niacin, Phosphorus, Riboflavin, Thiamine, and Zinc in small quantities. Next time your stomach is upset, try drinking some peppermint tea. Liven up your salads with fresh peppermint leaves. Lift your spirits with this refreshing herb as often as you wish!
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Native to Southeast Asia, Ashwagandha is a member of the Nightshade family and a major herb in Ayurveda. The root is most commonly used, but the leaves and berries are sometimes used as well.
Energetically, Ashwagandha is warming and moist. It has a sweet, astringent, and bitter taste. (In Ayurveda, astringent taste means that it tightens tissues, dries up fats, and absorbs water.) Therapeutically, it's often used as an adaptogen, immunomodulator, and anxiolytic. As an adaptogen and anxiolytic, Ashwagandha can help calm and strengthen the central nervous system by boosting energy through supporting healthy sleep. It also lowers anxiety and promotes beneficial rest by lowering the level of cortisol. As an immunomodulator, it reduces inflammation and supports the immune system - especially for those with immune system disorders or who are easily susceptible to infections. This amazing herb is also used as an aphrodisiac, for fibromyalgia and arthritis, to help control blood glucose and lower cholesterol, and to aid learning and memory. To read more about Ashwagandha, check out the Herb Datasheet in the Membership Section. Resources: 1. de la Foret, Rosalee, Ashwagandha Monograph, Herbmentor, (c) 2019, https://herbmentor.learningherbs.com/herb/ashwagandha/#calming-adaptogen, Accessed April 18, 2019 2. Spritzler, Franziska, RD, CDE, 12 Proven Health Benefits of Ashwagandha, healthline, Last updated June 11, 2018, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-proven-ashwagandha-benefits, Accessed April 18, 2019 3. Editors at Chopra.com, What is Ashwagandha, The Chopra Center, (c) 2019, https://chopra.com/articles/what-is-ashwagandha Accessed April 18, 2019 4. THyroid Basics, Ashwagandha, (c) 2019, https://thyroidbasics.com/ashwagandha/ Accessed April 18, 2019 My first introduction to Red Clover was a few years ago. I had the teacher's retirement insurance and discovered what my medications were going to cost me. One of my medications I had/have to take, so there was no question of me shelling out 80% of the cost. The other was one that I decided I could stop taking. I knew it would be uncomfortable to go off it, but not harmful - yes, ladies, it was my hormone patch. It was at a point in my herbal studies where I was still looking to 'treat my symptoms'. So I set out to find and research herbs that could help me stay calm and cool. Red Clover is one of several herbs that I found, researched, and tried.
Red Clover is a member of the Pea Family (Fabaceae Family). It tastes sweet and has a cooling effect on the body. Red Clover is antispasmodic, lymphatic, alterative, nutritive, and phytoestrogenic. As an antispasmodic, Red Clover may help calm the coughing spasms of Whooping Cough. As a lymphatic and alterative, it may help lymphatic fluid move and 'clean the blood'. Finally, as a phytoestrogen, Red Clover has eight compounds that are strongly able to dock with estrogen receptors in our bodies. This means that Red clover can help with many of the changes that go along with menopause -- especially hot flashes. When I tried making Red Clover tea, I discovered right away how sweet it is and how much it calmed my hot flashes. I continued to experiment with other phytoestrogenic herbs, and started blending some of those herbs together in an effort to make myself a "Menotea". In each of those blends, I would include Red Clover because of its sweetening effect on the tea and cooling effect on me. Eventually, I came up with my "Menotea" in which Red Clover was the starring herb. You can find out more about this sweet herb in the membership section. |
DisclaimerThe information contained in this blog is for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Archives
March 2021
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