Category: Health

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Basic Herbal Medicine: Stinging Nettle

stinging nettle the herb that heals

If you’ve ever wandered through a patch of stinging nettles without leg coverings you may have some misgivings about the plant’s intentions. It is not a pleasant experience, but it turns out that the effects of stinging nettle are not necessarily bad.

Some people even go out of their way to get stung by stinging nettles. And it’s not a new trend.

It’s said that Roman soldiers used to deliberately sting their legs with stinging nettles. They’d whip themselves with nettles to stimulate circulation and give relief to their tired, painful legs on long marches. It’s a practice called urtication. Apparently Romans weren’t the only ones to do this. On the other side of the globe a number of North and South American indigenous nations reportedly used stinging nettles in a similar way. In this case it was to help them stay awake when pulling guard duty. source

Using stinging nettles as a health treatment by actually stinging the skin has other surprising effects. In one case a UK man credited stinging nettles for helping him get rid of his hayfever. This story was reported in May 2019 by the Cambridge Shire Live News: “Goran Pavlovic claims he hasn’t been troubled by hayfever in three years after stinging himself.

Stinging nettles. Photo credit sermoa

“A few years ago,” Pavlovic said, “an old man (crazy old man according to my wife) told me to try nettles.

“Basically, as soon as the spring starts, he told me, and the first nettles sprout out, pick a bunch and sting myself with them.

“Do that once a week until the end of autumn. Apparently this would make my immune system concentrate on nettles and forget about the pollen…To my wife’s horror and the amusement of the fellow walkers in parks and forests, I soon started the “therapy”. source

Another reported stinging nettle sting story comes from Dr. James A Duke Ph D.

“Back in the good old days,” says Dr. Duke, ” I played bass fiddle in a a five-member band. At that time, three of our band members or their relatives were using an herb known as stinging nettle to relieve arthritis pain. Although stinging nettle does cook up into a tasty vegetable, these musicians weren’t eating it. Rather, they were stinging themselves with it by grasping the plant in a gloved hand and then swatting their stiff, swollen joints. Our banjo player kept a plant in his kitchen so he could self-urticate when his arthritis flared up. The guitar player’s mother-in-law was unable to write because of arthritis in her hands, but the sting of the nettle improved that. The fiddle player’s mother soon had stinging nettle taking over her garden and said her arthritis was much improved.” source

The above type of treatment is not generally advisable as some people may not fare well with nettle rash.

I wondered if the external application of stinging nettles had been the subject of any academic studies. And if so what were the documented merits to this type of treatment.

The search I conducted on the subject turned up an interesting study published in June 2000 by the Royal Society of Medicine (UK). A randomized controlled study found that one week’s treatment with nettle sting to an achy thumb joint resulted in significant pain relief compared to a placebo. source

Further reading and research on the subject revealed that fortunately you don’t need to sting yourself in order to benefit from this amazing plant.

Stinging nettles offer many benefits even when they aren’t stinging a person.

In her book, Stinging Nettles — Queen of Herbs, herbalist Mary Ann Mehegan recounts the story of how her mother found relief from arthritic pain by using stinging nettles but getting stung was not necessary.

Having studied herbalism Mary Ann was familiar with the healing properties of stinging nettles. When her mother complained of an achy knee Mary Ann suggested applying her new found knowledge to see if it might help. Mary Ann found a patch of wild nettles growing beside a nearby forest. She cut  some of the nettles and brought them home. After making a poultice she applied the nettles to her mother’s knee with a warm damp  cloth, occasionally applying pressure. After an hour of this treatment her mother found that the pain was gone. Both mother and daughter were surprised that it had worked so fast. Even more wonderful is that her mother reported that the joint pain in that knee never returned.

Some plants that have traditionally been used to treat specific ailments have proven difficult to study. Scientists have not clearly identified how echinacea or ginkgo biloba provide some of the results attested to by anecdotal evidence. This difficulty is often due to the fact that studying the health benefits usually means isolating a particular phytochemical from the plant and understanding how it acts on human cells. When the benefits are not the result of one or two phytochemicals it becomes extremely difficult to isolate results. Herbal healing can be the result of the synergistic result of multiple phytochemicals acting on the body, perhaps on a number of different parts of the body.

Fortunately stinging nettles have yielded up some of their secrets in more than one scientific study.

We have the scientific proof, in addition to anecdotal evidence, that nettles are indeed a herb which endows many benefits. Research papers which describe the action of stinging nettles on the body give us an understanding as to why nettles are such an amazing healing herb.

If you are interested in reading further about this then check out a study published in 2017 which sheds light on the chemical composition and immuno-modulatory effects of urtica dioica L. (Stinging Nettle). It can be found in Phytotherapy Research Volume 31, Issue 8.

Benefits of Nettle Tea

nettle tea

Stinging nettle is an ingredient in many of our teas here at Nourishing Herbs. Not only are the benefits it yields for overall well-being abundant, it complements a number of other herbs that might be a little overpowering on their own.

One of our goals is to not only provide teas that support well-being but to make sure that the teas are rich in flavour and enjoyable. Ideally without the need for any sweetening.

Nettle tea on its own has a herbaceous taste that some compare to an earthy, sweet version of seaweed.

It complements many other herbs and pairs well with a range of different plants. If you search for Nettle on our site you will find that we combine it with many different herbs and spices including Black Pepper, Burdock, Cayenne, Cinnamon, Cloves, Fenugreek, Ginger, Ginkgo, Hibiscus, Horsetail, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lemon Myrtle, Lemongrass, Liquorice, Red Clover, Rooibos, Rose petals, Rosehips, Rosemary and the list goes on.

Featured Nourishing Herbs teas with Stinging Nettle

Nettle Use Around the World

Stinging nettles have long been used as a tea to treat pain and sore joints. The Arthritis Foundation suggests that nettle tea is useful in reducing the inflammation and pain associated with osteoarthritis.

In Lithuanian folk medicine, nettle made from the entire plant was used to treat atrophy.

Nettles were used in American medicine which made use of botanical remedies in the latter half of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. Preparations from nettle leaf and root were used as a blood purifier, styptic, stimulating tonic and diuretic to treat diarrhoea, dysentery, discharges, chronic diseases of the colon and chronic skin eruptions . Syrup made from the juice of root or leaves was said to relieve bronchial and asthmatic troubles .

In African medicine, nettle root is used to treat diarrhoea and as an anthelmintic to expel intestinal worms. Nettle root was first used in urinary tract disorders in the 1950s.

The German “Commission E” approved the use of nettle root for problems in urination in benign prostatic adenoma stages I and II .

The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia reported prostatic action (BHP 1996). According to the wording of the British Herbal Compendium, nettle root is suitable for the symptomatic treatment of micturition disorders in the early stages of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) .

The French Herbal Remedies Notice to Applicants for Marketing Authorization allows two uses of nettle root: as an adjunctive treatment for the bladder outlet obstruction symptoms of prostatic origin, and to enhance the renal elimination of water .

ESCOP indicates its use for symptomatic treatment of micturition disorders (nocturia, pollakisuria, dysuria, urine retention) in BPH at stages I and II . In the USA, it is used similarly, although as a dietary supplement. source

As always we advise consulting your health care physician before undergoing any treatment. Care should especially be taken if you are taking blood thinners, blood pressure medication, diuretics (water pills), diabetes medication, or lithium. The information given on this site is of a general nature and does not take into account your personal circumstances and should not be taken as medical advice.

Header image “Nettles (Urtica)” by wallygrom is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

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Boost Your Breastmilk

How to increase breastmilk supply

Galactogogues

Galactogogue (pronounced gah-lakh’-tah-gog) is the funny sounding scientific word for foods, herbs and medications that stimulate breastmilk supply by increasing prolactin and oxytocin output. Do you need the help of galactogogues? The answer to that relies on a few factors.

How is breastmilk made?

Your body will make breastmilk when it receives the right signals. Usually this is when you have been pregnant and your baby has been born, or sometimes from a month or so beforehand.

For most people this works best if all the signals are from your own body. The oxyctocin that stimulates labour increases the output of milk when your baby is born, and then when you put the baby to the breast right after birth prolactin is stimulated, which is the signal to your brain is that you now have a baby to feed and milk is pushed out in response, as the suckling stimulates your nipple. This also increases the love hormone, oxytocin, at the same time which solidifies the bonding in your brain and the baby’s brain. When this happens in the golden hour after birth, you are set up to continue producing milk whenever your baby signals hungry.

Supply and Demand

As your baby grows and their needs change, your milk will change with them. When they are first born, the colostrum that you provide is very high in energy and nutrients, as the baby has been used to a constant supply of nutrients from the placenta, but has a stomach the size of a marble. This is why the baby will want constantly be on the nipple in the first 6 to 8 weeks. As the grow and their stomach gets larger, the milk will contain more proteins and water as well.

Your baby sends your body the signal for how much milk to make. Each time the baby suckles on your nipple, it is sending a signal to make milk, and it is setting a pattern in your brain for the frequency and amount of milk he or she will need in the future.

In the first 6-8 weeks you will make way more milk than your baby needs. This is natures way of ensuring that you have enough for multiple babies, if necessary. As time goes on, however, your baby sets the timing and amount of what it will need. It is important that during this time, your avoid bottle feeding, or using pacifiers or dummies, except in an emergency, as this can mess with nature’s perfect system of supply and demand, and may decrease your supply.

When you might you need galactogogues

When birth has been difficult or traumatic, and when the mother hasn’t had the golden hour with her baby, bonding and suckling right after birth, it can confuse the instinctive signals between mother and baby.

The baby has certain instincts to crawl towards the breast and to suckle right after birth. Unfortunately, the longer this skin to skin holding is put off, the less those instincts kick in. The baby can still learn to suckle, but it might be more difficult, and they might need extra help. This, in turn, affects the supply and demand production of the milk. If you experience these issues, its really a good idea to talk to a breastfeeding counselor or lactation consultant. The behaviour between mother and baby is really the key to producing enough milk, as well as secure attachment.

Photo: Christian Bowen

After the first six to eight weeks, your body will have gotten used to the amount of milk to produce, based on feeding your baby on demand. For some people, this will mean that you are producing way less milk than during the first six to eight weeks. This doesn’t mean that you are losing your milk or producing too little. In the first weeks, you may get used to your breasts feeling “full”, but as your baby gets older and your body becomes attuned to the amount of milk they need, your breasts will stop producing more than the baby needs, and start producing it on demand instead. This might mean that your breasts feel softer and slightly smaller, between feeds, than they did in the first six to eight weeks.

Here are some signs to look for to gauge whether you are producing enough milk.

If you are producing enough milk, and your baby is feeding correctly , your baby will have bright eyes, they will be alert when awake, they will be eager to feed and have a strong suck, they will also produce six to eight wet or dirty nappies in 24 hours, and they will be gaining an appropriate amount of weight. They will also wake through the night to feed at least two to three times.

Your breasts produce milk on demand, so if everything is working properly, the slightest feeling that the baby is ready to feed will trigger the let down reflex, which is when your breast pushes milk from the lobes where it is produced, towards the nipple and you might start to leak a little. This feels like pins and needles around your breasts and underarms.

Generally speaking, if you have made sure that your baby is properly attached, is feeding on demand, but you still feel like you need extra help producing milk, this is when herbs and foods that are galactogogues can be helpful. Remember that extra stress, anxiety and not enough physical skin to skin time with your baby, especially if they are under six months, can inhibit milk production and the let down reflex.

Photo: Filip Mroz

If you have to work and pump, try putting on headphones with a recording of your baby making sounds, or a video of your baby and concentrate on them while pumping. When you get home spend plenty of time with them in your arms, skin to skin.

Other reasons for low milk supply and using galactogogues to boost your supply are: exclusively pumping for a premie or sick child in hospital or a baby with feeding issues, breastfeeding after surgery, stress, the return of menstruation causing a dip in supply, taking hormonal birth control, starting breastfeeding again after a break, breastfeeding an adopted baby.

Foods that increase breastmilk supply

When you are breastfeeding you need a good balance of nutrients in your diet. Every day you should have 2-3 servings of protein foods such as poultry, fish, meat, eggs, dairy or a combination of beans, nuts, and seeds.

Photo: Nadine Primeau

Each day eat a minimum of three servings of a variety of colourful vegetables, have two servings of fresh fruit and include other complex carbohydrates like nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains.

Drink enough plain water to satisfy thirst, have minimal caffeinated drinks as the caffeine can come through the milk, and can also be a culprit in lower milk supply, if you are having too much every day.

Vegetarian diets can be compatible with breastfeeding, if you are careful to plan your diet to get the nutrients you require. If you would like to avoid meat make sure to include other sources of iron and zinc such as dried beans, nuts, seeds, dairy and eggs. If you would prefer to have a vegan diet and avoid all animal products, add a nutritional yeast supplement and a B12 supplement so you and your baby don’t develop a B12 deficiency.

Specific foods that can help boost your milk in times of stress and or low nutrition are: garlic, oatmeal, barley, brown rice, brewers yeast, and yeast spreads such as Vegemite.

Photo: Ellieelien

Fermented foods like yoghurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut and lacto-fermented pickles are especially important to include as they keep your gut healthy and this is imperative to being able to absorb nutrients.

Green and leafy vegetables (particularly cos lettuce, watercress, parsley, rocket, spinach, silverbeet, broccoli, kale, alfalfa sprouts and asparagus) and yellow orange and red vegetables (carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, red capsicum) promote rich milk as well as increasing volume.

Almonds and other nuts, chick peas, sesame seeds and tahini, sunflower seeds boost supply because they are nutritionally dense. Spices and cooking herbs like ginger, cumin, fennel, anise seeds, fenugreek, turmeric and coriander/cilantro moringa leaves, and dill can be very useful as a boost, especially used in conjunction with some of the other foods on this list.

Milk Boosting Recipes

Here are three recipes which I recommend as side-dishes to have in your fridge which help boost supply: hummus, tabbouleh and almond pesto.

Hummus

Hummus
Photo: Kevin McCutcheon

Hummus is a dip that is yummy on crackers, with flat bread or as a side dish for a meal.

  • 1 can of chickpeas
  • 4 tablespoons of tahini (sesame seed paste)
  • 2 cloves of raw garlic, crushed
  • 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon pink salt or sea salt (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  1. To your clean food processor bowl add tahini, lemon juice and garlic and blend till it turns creamy.
  2. Add your chickpeas, small amounts at a time, with the water from the can, alternating with a tablespoon of olive oil at a time. Some people like to remove the skins of the chickpeas for a creamier dip. You can also substitute canned chickpeas for ones that you have cooked yourself, by soaking a cup of dried chickpeas overnight with a teaspoon of vinegar, cook them the next day in two cups of fresh water with a pinch of salt until soft,(usually an hour with soaked chickpeas).
  3. Add cumin powder and blend till creamy. Keep in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for up to a week.

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a parsley salad which is delicious in wraps, or as a side dish.

  • 1 big bunch of parsley
  • 2 ripe firm tomatoes
  • 2 sprigs of fresh mint (or to taste)
  • 3 spring onions
  • 1/4 cup bulgur wheat, soaked overnight in the dressing (you can substitute cooked quinoa as a gluten free alternative)

Dressing:

  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of salt
  1. Make the dressing by crushing the garlic and adding lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
  2. Soak the bulgur wheat in the dressing for at least an hour, but overnight tastes better.
  3. Chop parsley, mint, spring onions and tomatoes finely, and combine with the bulgur and dressing.

Almond Pesto

Photo: Melissa Walker Horn

Pesto is a paste usually used on pasta, but it can also be a condiment for any other meal that you would like.

  • 1 bunch fresh basil, roughly chopped
  • 1 bunch fresh parsley, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 cloves crushed raw garlic
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons grated parmesan or other hard cheese
  • 4 tablespoons almonds
  • 1 teaspoon salt

In a food processor blend the almonds while adding olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. When creamy add the basil and parsley and blend till fine. Add parmesan and salt and blend till fully combined. Store in an airtight jar or container in the fridge. Can last up to a week.

Herbal help to build breastmilk supply

Mother's Milk Booster Herbal Tea

Herbal teas are an easy way to increase your breastmilk supply, by increasing the intake of fluids as well as nutrients and the actions of specific herbs.

The herbs that I have in my Mother’s Milk Booster are raspberry leaf , stinging nettles, goat’s rue, lemon balm, lemon verbena, red clover, blessed thistle, fennel, fenugreek, marshmallow root, chamomile, rosehips, hibiscus, rose petals and coconut. These herbs in combination are the ones that I found the most helpful when breastfeeding my own babies. I hope they help you as well.

Happy breastfeeding!

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9 Ways to Support Your Immune System

9-ways-to-support-immune-system

In these uncertain times with a pandemic on our doorstep, it’s important to understand some ways to support your immune system. Your immunity is a finely tuned system that repels invaders, and remembers which invaders it has had to repel before. There is no “one size fits all” natural remedy that you can take. However there are a variety of ways that you can strengthen your body and its resources so that you are in the best condition possible to fight off whatever comes your way.

Your immune system is 99% dependent on your management of stress, sleep, exercise and nutrition. The other 1% is where a supplemental approach can be useful.

  1. Exercise Outdoors
  2. Sleep
  3. Vitamins A,D, E and C
  4. Eat Fermented Foods
  5. Include Broccoli and Cabbage
  6. Get Enough Omega 3
  7. Mushrooms, Oats and Barley
  8. Zinc for Healing
  9. Herbs to Strengthen Your Immune System

Exercise Outdoors

Exercise builds your stamina and general health, and exercising outdoors also gives the benefits of added Vitamin D from the sun as well as healthy gut bacteria from inhaling air around trees and growing things. Better muscle tone gives your body more resources to draw from for energy as well as general strength. Aerobic exercise like walking, running and lifting weights can help expand your lung capacity so your body can process oxygen more efficiently. Aerobic exercise, also known as cardio exercise, increases the strength and stamina of your heart muscle, which pumps blood through your veins to circulate oxygen and nutrients throughout your body, which in turn, aids your immune system to work efficiently. A study published in The American Journal of Medicine showed that women who walked for 30 minutes a day, over the course of a year, had half the number of colds as a group who didn’t walk.

While most of us are isolated at home, due to social distancing measures, we can still get enough exercise. You can go walking or bike-riding in the local park or around the neighbourhood. There are also videos on the internet which show High Intensity Interval Training workouts. These exercise patterns can be done inside if necessary due to weather, or in your backyard, on a balcony or the local park, with an appropriate distance between you and other park users. A set of light hand held weights is useful and can be bought inexpensively. Other options can include using 2 litre bottles filled with water for a light weight workout or other innovations for exercising at home. Where possible exercise in the sunshine outside.

Sleep

Sleep is a vital function that supports our body to heal as well as to stay strong to fight off invaders. Most of us have trouble knowing how much sleep is enough, as well as how to set up our lives so that we get enough.

There is no optimum amount for everyone. Some people naturally need less and others need more. However there have been studies which show that the minimum we should have to prevent our bodies becoming weak and our brains from degenerating is 7.5 hours.

If you have trouble getting a minimum of 7.5 hours every night, a good option to help is our Sleepytime or Serenity blends.

Get enough Vitamin A, D, E and C

Lack of vitamins A,D, E and C has been shown to slow down healing. The best way to get these vitamins is from foods that contain them, but a quality multivitamin can help, especially if some foods are expensive or in short supply. Luckily most people living in Australia have the opportunity to get enough foods that contain the important nutrients. Quality doesn’t necessarily equal expensive. Most vitamin supplements produced in Australia are decent quality, even the cheaper ones. Follow the dosing guidelines on the bottle and don’t megadose any vitamin. This can cause liver damage.

Vitamin D can be gotten by exposing approximately a third of your skin to the sun for 15-20 minutes when the sun is at its highest, between 11 am and 2 pm. You can do this by uncovering your arms and shoulders. If you are uncovering your legs, you must be lying down so that the suns rays can reach them without your body being in the way. You must be outside as glass blocks the rays which produce Vitamin D.

Foods that are high in vitamin A: Orange,yellow and dark green leafy vegetables and fruits contain a type of vitamin A called “beta-carotene”. Beta-carotene needs to be eaten with a healthy source of fat so that it can be absorbed properly. Other sources of readily available vitamin A are: eggs, cod liver oil, oily fish such as mackerel and salmon, milk and dairy products, and liver. Herbs and spices that are high in vitamin A: paprika, cayenne, turmeric, parsley, coriander, dill, basil, tulsi.

Foods that are high in vitamin D: Maiitake mushrooms and portobello mushrooms supply D2. Sunshine, egg yolks (four eggs supplies your recommended daily amount), cold water fatty fish, free range grass fed dairy products and liver supply Vitamin D3. Some fortified foods supply vitamin D3, also called cholecalciferol on the nutrition table of the package. Herbs and spices that are high in vitamin D: allspice, aniseed, caraway seed, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel seed, fenugreek, ginger, nutmeg, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper.

Foods that are high in Vitamin E: Sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, peanuts, brazil nuts, avocado, abalone, Atlantic salmon, Rainbow trout, red sweet capsicum, mango, kiwifruit. Two to three servings of these will give you your recommended daily amount. Herbs and spices that are high in vitamin E: cayenne, paprika,turmeric, caraway, cinnamon, black pepper, ginger, nutmeg.

Foods that contain Vitamin C: acerola cherries, rosehips, chili peppers, guavas, sweet capsicum, blackcurrants,mustard greens, kale, kiwi fruits, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, lemon juice, lychees, papaya, strawberries, oranges. Cooking reduces the vitamin C, but even when cooking certain vegetables, such as kale, Brussels sprouts and broccoli, a half cup still provides half of the RDA of Vitamin C as well as making other antioxidants more readily available. Herbs and spices that contain high vitamin C: turmeric, rosehips, thyme, parsley, paprika, cayenne, chili, basil, allspice, peppermint and other mints, black and white pepper, tulsi.

Eat fermented foods

Fermented foods contain beneficial bacteria, which provide a wide variety of benefits for your health including helping your digestion, keeping pathogens under control by populating the gut, teaching our immune system how to behave, producing specific “natural killer” cells which get rid of “bad” bacteria, fungi and viruses. Some fermented foods that are very helpful are sauerkraut made from cabbage or a combo of vegetables, lacto-fermented pickled cucumbers, kimchi, Indian green mango or lime pickles, kefir, yoghurt, miso, and natural tofu.

Include Broccoli, Cabbage and Garlic

Your gut has special cells called lymphocytes which have receptors on them which specifically receive a molecule from cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli and cabbage. When this molecule clicks into the receptor the lymphocytes switch on and stimulate other cells to be alert and ready to attack invaders. Cruciferous vegetables prime your immune system to be ready as your first line of defense. Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, bok choy, watercress. Other vegetables that have a similar function are onions and garlic. Garlic is especially powerful when crushed and added raw to foods such as salads or added to your soup right before you eat it.

Get enough Omega-3

Omega 3 fatty acids like DHA are found in fish oils, and enhance B cells, which are a type of white blood cell. They help regulate and strengthen the immune system. You can either eat cold water fish, such as salmon, trout or cod, or take a supplement like fish oil or cod liver oil.

Mushrooms, Oats and Barley

Beta-glucans are naturally occurring sugars found in mushrooms, oats and barley. These substances increase your immune defenses by activating complement systems, like your natural killer cells, to attack viruses and pathogenic bacteria.

Zinc for Healing

Zinc is a micronutrient essential for human health, without it our bodies cannot heal. Because we cannot make zinc in our bodies it must be provided through our diet. Zinc is required for the body to manufacture the proteins to close wounds, for immune function, healthy gene and DNA expression, and for growth and development.

Zinc is necessary for metabolism, digestion and nerve function. Zinc is vital for healthy skin and is your bodies first defense against invaders. Lack of zinc can lead to losing your sense of taste and smell. Immune cell function is reliant on having a good supply of zinc, as it aids the communication of immune cells and their response to invaders. Lack of zinc equals weakened immune response. Food sources of zinc: shellfish, lamb, pork, beef, turkey, chicken, flounder, sardines, salmon, sole, chickpeas, lentils, black beans, kidney beans, pumpkin seeds, cashews, hemp seeds, milk, yoghurt, cheese, eggs, oats, quinoa, brown rice, mushrooms, kale, peas, asparagus, beet greens. Herbs and spices high in zinc: poppy seeds, cardamom, caraway seed, aniseed, coriander seed, turmeric, paprika, fennel seed, ginger, fenugreek, cayenne, thyme, basil.

Herbs to Strengthen Your Immune System

Although I have already listed some herbs and spices that are useful for getting vital nutrients, there are other reasons to take herbs.

Some herbs are adaptogens, also known as immunomodulators and immune tonics, which means that they help your body to cope with stress and support your body’s immune system for the long term. Stress can come from all sorts of directions such as hard work, exercise, lack of sleep, increased anxiety, and illness. Taking an adaptogenic herbal tea can be a great support for your body to help you cope. Some adaptogens that are easy to take as a tea are liquorice root, tulsi (also know as Holy Basil), Siberian ginseng(eleuthero) and turmeric, found in our Liquorice Lovers, Peace Love and Ginger, Tulsi Chai, Sarsaparilla Detox, Focus, Elderberry Immune Boost and Golden Turmeric Latte.

Antiviral herbs which are known for interfering with a virus as it tries to spread, are a very important way to keep yourself healthy when viruses are going around. Some pathogenic bacteria also try to get a foot hold when we get a virus, so its good to take some herbs which strengthen the immune system against these invaders. Some antiviral herbs are immunostimulators and are best not taken long term, just when you have come into contact with a virus or are fighting a viral or bacterial infection. They stimulate natural killer cells which cause minor inflammation for a time, but reduce the viral numbers in your body. These herbs are elderberry, elderflower and echinacea. Our teas which are useful to take several times a day when fighting a virus or infection are: Elderberry Immune Boost and Elderflower Throat Soother.

Other herbs which support immune function and the flushing of bacterial infection are: liquorice root, mullein, elecampane, eucalyptus, lemon myrtle, lemon balm, peppermint, ginger,fennel, chamomile and valerian. Some of these herbs interfere with the replication of viruses, some prevent viruses from entering the cell, others help by flushing out bacterial infection by stimulating the mucous membranes. Our teas that contain these herbs are Elderflower Throat Soother, Elderberry Immune Boost, Lemon Balm Mint Drop, Australian Bush Tea, Sleeptyime, Serenity, Meditation, Happy Tummies, Liquorice Lovers, Peace Love and Ginger and Moroccan Mint Spiced Green Tea.

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Basic Herbal Medicine: Liquorice Root

Benefits of Liquorice tea

Liquorice is one of those herbs which inspires strong feelings in people. They either love it or hate it.
I have never been a fan of liquorice candy, but the first time I tasted a good liquorice tea, I was hooked.
The taste was amazing, but I also really enjoyed the smooth feeling as it went down. My chest and nose felt really clear, which for someone like me who has a lot of allergies that cause sneezing and coughing, felt like a miracle.
I felt like I had discovered something that I had to share.
The first type of liquorice tea I tried and used for years, was a tea bag type. I liked it, but one thing I noticed with most tea bag teas, was that the flavour was weak and the effect of the herbs wasn’t strong enough for medicinal purposes. So I went looking for the liquorice root with the best flavour to make a loose blend.
My Liquorice Lovers blend is the fruit of that labour, as well as countless trial tastings by my family and people at markets.

What is Liquorice and why is it so good?

Liquorice root is from the plant called Glycyrrhiza Glabra . Recorded history shows that as far back as ancient Egypt, liquorice root was used as a tea for its medicinal and flavour value. It also has a long history in Western Herbal Medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Liquorice is Good For Your Stomach

Liquorice has long been a treatment for gastrointesinal troubles. It aids in the repair of the stomach lining and feeds the good bacteria which are in the protective mucous lining of the stomach. The glycyrhizzic acid in liquorice root reduces inflammation and supports the immune system, helping the stomach to heal from food poisoning, stomach ulcers, and viruses. Glycyrrhizic acid can also suppress the bacteria heliobacter pylori, which is responsible for stomach ulcers. Gastritis and heartburn also improve while taking liquorice root tea.

How Liquorice Helps Your Lungs

Liquorice treats respiratory problems by flushing the lungs, bronchial tubes and nose with clean mucous, clearing out old, sticky mucous which may be harbouring an infection of pathogenic bacteria. The flushing with clean mucous lubricates the respiratory system allowing healing, as well as promoting long term health.

Liquorice Supports the Adrenal system

Your adrenal glands can become exhausted during long periods of stress, constantly producing cortisol and adrenaline. Liquorice nourishes the adrenal gland and supports it to function well.

How Your Skin and Mouth Benefit from Liquorice

The soothing properties of liquorice can be used topically to soothe eczema and other skin complaints as well as taking internally as tea or a supplement to promote healthy skin.

The lining of the mouth is another mucous membrane that benefits from the soothing properties of liquorice, as well as its ability to feed good bacteria and suppress bad bacteria. Liquorice helps with the healing of mouth ulcers as well as being used with success to suppress the development of cavities in teeth.

Liquorice’s Role In Blocking Viruses

Liquorice has been shown in studies to inhibit viral activity by interfering with virus replication and preventing viral attachment and entry to cells. It also stimulates the body’s own lymphocytes to attack the virus.

Liquorice Kills Fungi

There are at least 25 chemicals in liquorice root that are known to be antifungal. Candida growing in the digestive tract can be killed and prevented from regrowing by daily use of liquorice tea, internally. A paste of liquorice powder and coconut or other safe oil can be made for topical use to kill yeast infections growing on the skin and liquorice root can be simmered and the liquid used as a douche for the private areas.

How Much Liquorice Should I Take?

Liquorice is strong medicine. It’s recommended to take no more than one cup of pure liquorice tea per day. This is equal to 240 ml., or 8 oz, made with approximately 15 grams of liquorice root. The reason its consumption should be limited is that too much liquorice can cause an imbalance in the amount of potassium in your body. Overdoing it on liquorice can cause muscle weakness, heartbeat irregularity and high blood pressure. If consuming a blend that only contains a small amount of liquorice, then a few cups a day should be perfectly fine. If you are concerned, please consult your health care professional. You can also message us and we can share the information we have on the subject. Our Liquorice Lovers blend contains one quarter liquorice root and is our strongest liquorice blend. We recommend no more than three full strength cups of Liquorice Lovers per day. Other of our blends which contain a significant amount of liquorice are Peace Love and Ginger, Lemon Balm Mint Drop, Moroccan Mint Spice Green Tea, Elderflower Throat Soother, Elderberry Immune Boost, Breathe Easy, Sarsaparilla Detox, Radiant Skin, Cranberry Flush. Three to four cups of these per day is unlikely to cause any issues.

If you have hypertension, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is recommended to avoid taking liquorice root internally, however you may use it on the skin as a topical wash for eczema or candida.

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How to Reduce Inflammation

How to Reduce Inflammation

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is the body’s way of healing and defending itself. If that is so, you might be wondering why we would want to reduce inflammation at all.

Inflammation isn’t a disease. It’s a symptom of disease or a sign of a deeper issue such as an autoimmune condition, or the effect of an unhealthy lifestyle in which disease is about to occur, such as pre-diabetes. In advanced inflammation, the underlying condition may advance to become chronic, which can eventually cause cancer and some autoimmune conditions, so its a good idea to treat the cause of the inflammation as soon as possible.

Inflammation is part of your body’s immune response to get rid of irritants, damaged cells and pathogens, and to begin the healing process. Inflammation can be beneficial when you need to heal a wound, or an injury, but a longer lasting chronic response needs to be treated.

Symptoms of inflammation

There is an acronym for acute inflammation, especially of external sites: PRISH.

Pain: The area feels sore especially when the muscle or joint is being used and during or after being touched. Nerve endings are stimulated by specific chemicals , the function of which is to make you slow down and rest your injury.

Redness: The capillaries in the area are filled with more blood than usual.

Immobility: The joint or muscle may feel stiff or difficult to move.

Swelling: Fluid builds up in the area as various chemicals are carried to the site to aid in healing.

Heat: More blood flow to the affected area increases the warmth of the injury site, making it warm to the touch.

Internal organs can also have inflammation, but some of the above symptoms may not be felt in the same way due to differences of nerve endings at different sites. Here are some different ways that inflammation may manifest in various internal parts of the body:

  • fatigue
  • mouth sores
  • chest pain
  • abdominal pain and bloating
  • fever
  • rash and pimples
  • joint pain

Causes of inflammation

What can cause inflammation?

  1. Stress: Long time exposure to stress hormones, such as cortisol, can damage cells, increasing inflammation as your body tries to heal the effects. Cortisol is the ” fight or flight” hormone which readies our body to kick into gear in an emergency situation. Unfortunately modern living creates many situations which our brains interpret as emergencies, so we produce too much cortisol over long periods of time due to constant stressful situations. In our everyday life, we no longer have to run from predators like our ancestors once did. However, we do need to avoid dangerous drivers, walk through dangerous areas, work with people who raise our stress levels and face daily issues of survival such as financial worries, etc. These emotional stressors can produce as much cortisol as physical stress. In such situations blood flow is increased to our capillaries in the large muscles of our legs and to our hearts in preparation for running away. It also liberates sugars from our liver into the bloodstream to give us an energy jolt. The dilated blood vessels can become damaged and the sugars, if not used, can also cause damage, as well as causing us to crave more sugar as we produce more insulin to cope with the stress sugars. These are occasions when our bodies release inflammatory compounds to help with healing the damage.
  2. Untreated infection or injury: Inflammation is a part of the healing mechanism of your body, thus if you have an underlying infection or injury that is taking a long time to heal, this can be a root cause of chronic inflammation.
  3. Long term exposure to environmental irritants, such as pollution, chemicals, or mold: Environmental irritants are often overlooked when people are searching for a cause of inflammation. Living around smokers, in an area with a lot of air pollution, a house with mold growing in the walls, working in a factory where you inhale lots of dust from cutting wood or stone, working with harsh cleaning chemicals or even living in an old house full of dust and dust mites – these can all be the cause of inflammation as your body tries to rid itself of potentially harmful invaders.
  4. Smoking: Smoking irritates the lining of the lungs creating ongoing chronic inflammation.
  5. Alcohol: Regular exposure to alcohol increases the inflammatory response as the body has to heal the damage it causes in the liver and veins.
  6. Obesity: Obesity is an overabundance of calories. Not all calories are equal and some types of foods do more damage than others. Deep fried or high-sugar foods, and foods with inflammatory oils like margarine or refined starch products create deposits of the more damaging kind of fat. This kind of fat is stored internally around the organs such as the liver and heart, and is known as visceral fat . Visceral fat is a big cause of inflammation as the body works to heal the damage caused by the deposits in the organs and veins. You may not look as if you are carrying copious amounts of fat, but if your diet is high in these damaging foods, you may still have high inflammation from visceral fat deposits. This may also explain why some people who eat healthy may look overweight, but may not have the same health problems as those with an inflammatory diet. Your body needs some fat to function. Your brain is nearly 60% fat, and subcutaneous fat under the skin has a protective aspect as well as helping to regulate your hormones. So you don’t want to get rid of all fat. Simply switch to an anti-inflammatory diet, and spend some time every day without eating (fasting), to give your body some time to heal damage and remove the fat deposits around your organs. Further along in the article I’ll give you some ideas on how to go about this.
  7. An autoimmune disorder: Some autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease, are caused by your immune system becoming overstimulated and attacking your body instead of an actual disease. While we know that some of these types of diseases have a genetic component, we also know that infection, viruses and damage from other causes can be the first step to developing these conditions. The immune system tries to heal the damage and chronic inflammation develops. This is a very simplified explanation of course, but you get the idea.

How does chronic inflammation affect your body?

  • Diabetes
  • Heart Disease
  • Asthma
  • Rheuamtoid arthritis
  • Obesity
  • Neurodegenerative disease
  • Cancer
  • Other autoimmune conditions
  • Allergies and intolerances to food and other things

Fastest way to reduce inflammation in the body

Fasting or restricting your eating hours: This is the latest thing that everyone is talking about. We have been taught that we need to eat all throughout the day to have enough energy, but our bodies are made to store excess energy as fat, and then go for periods of time without eating. Eating too often reduces the time in which our bodies can stop digesting and put more energy into regulating our immune systems, reducing inflammation by repairing tissue, and autophagy which is when our bodies trim excess or damaged cells. If you have chronic inflammation, you may not be giving your body enough of a chance to rest from food and heal the problem area. Eating for a certain amount of hours every day, and giving your body a chance to trim the unnecessary or damaged cells, as well as use up fat deposits for energy, will be the best thing you can do to turn around your chronic inflammation. One recommendation is an eating window of 8-10 hours, and 14-16 hours of not eating, out of every 24 hour day. A lot of the not-eating hours will be spent sleeping, and the other part can be arranged so that its most convenient for you. In your eating window you should concentrate on anti-inflammatory foods and drinks.

Eat and drink anti-inflammatory foods and drinks: Brightly coloured vegetables and fruits, both raw and cooked, are well known for being anti-inflammatory. Some that have been specifically studied are tomatoes, green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, collards and cabbage, broccoli, avocados, capsicum (bell peppers), mushrooms, cherries, grapes and berries. Other anti-inflammatory foods include oily fish, nuts, chia and flaxseeds. Oils that are particularly good include extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil. Cacao is also anti-inflammatory, just as long as it isn’t accompanied by too much sugar. Spices are also really good at cutting down inflammation, particularly turmeric paired with black pepper, ginger and cayenne. Add them to your food daily.

Some drinks that are really good for reducing inflammation include plain water, tart cherry juice, lemon water, water with apple cider vinegar and herbal teas. Herbs and spices that reduce inflammation include cacao, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cat’s claw, white willow bark, cayenne and chili, green tea, hibiscus, rosehips, dandelion and rosemary. Some of our herbal teas have been specifically designed to aid in the reduction of inflammation. These include: Golden Turmeric Chai, Aztec Chili Chocolate, Chocolate Chai, Kashmiri Green Chai, White Willow Balm Pain Relief, Joint Function, Sarsaparilla Detox and Blueberry Hibiscus.

Cut down or eliminate inflammatory foods and drinks: Refined starchy foods such as refined grains and flours, fried foods, foods and drinks sweetened with sugar, sauces with hidden sugars, processed meats, margarine and other trans fats.

Control blood sugar levels: Glucose that doesn’t get cleared right away from the blood stream can cause damage. Insulin is the hormone whose job it is to clear glucose from the bloodstream, from the sugars that you eat. However, if you eat sugar and starch too often, your body will not be able to keep up with the demand for insulin. This is called insulin resistance and can develop into diabetes. Most people can avoid this by not eating sugar and starch every day (low carb or low glycaemic load eating), and by time restricted eating, or intermittent fasting. If you are already diabetic, please consult your doctor about any new eating regimen, especially when taking insulin or other medications. Some of the herbal blends we have which can help with blood sugar balance are Essiac, Triphala and French Lilac.

Exercise: Exercise is well known for reducing inflammation. Studies have shown that when you start moving your muscles, they release a protein called interleukin 6. IL-6 is instrumental in reducing the production of other protein cells which aggravate inflammation and IL-6 even helps protect the cells that produce insulin, which is very good news for those who are healing themselves from insulin resistance and diabetes. The longer your exercise session, the more interleukin 6 is released. A minimum of 30 minutes a day is recommended, build up to longer for better results.

Manage stress: Stress is one of those words that is bandied about a lot. What is stress and how does it increase inflammation? Stress is necessary to increase your body’s ability to adapt and grow, and to help remove us from dangerous situations, such as in the case of the fight or flight response. Good stress includes stress on the muscles when we lift weights, or on the vasculature system when we exercise. Also psychological stress can be good if it keeps us alert when driving in bad weather etc. Bad stress happens when we don’t properly recover from good stress. An example is not giving your muscles enough rest and protein between weight lifting sessions, or constant alertness (worrying), not getting enough sleep etc. Prolonged stress causes prolonged high cortisol levels which, in turn, reduces the ability of cortisol to regulate your inflammatory and immune response. When stress becomes chronic, it leads to tissue breakdown and chronic inflammation as your body constantly tries to heal itself. So to recover properly from stress means to take time away from stressful situations every day. Part of this means getting enough restful sleep, but other de-stressing activities include meditation, yoga, a walk outside in nature, art activities, dancing, listening to music and basically anything that helps you to relax without putting extra stress on your body (alcohol in moderation). If you have trouble turning your mind off while going to sleep, or have constant worries throughout the day, try our Serenity blend for night time, to increase restful sleep and heal the nervous system or our Meditation blend for reducing worrying thoughts while still functioning appropriately during the day. Other herbal blends which are useful for reducing stress and the effects of stress are: Peace Love and Ginger, Tranquil Rose, Blueberry Vanilla Green Tea, and Blueberry Hibiscus.

As you progress in your healing, you will realise that each person’s body and needs are different, and what worked for your sister in law, or your favourite internet influencer, may not be what you need. Hopefully learning some of the basics about inflammation, has given you somewhere to start in your healing journey.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is of a general nature and does not take into account your personal circumstances and should not be taken as medical advice. Please see your doctor about symptoms, new diets, and/or herbal regimes.