Health

Herbs to Help You Stay Healthy This Spring

If you imagine stepping from a freezing December day into a sweltering July day, you can only marvel at the body’s ability to adjust to new seasons. Beneath the surface, your body works hard to transition to new seasonal conditions. More than 5,000 genes change their expression from one season to the next, according to research done at Cambridge University.

The seasonal shift from winter to spring may be especially challenging. You can support your body by gently shifting your diet, rituals, and self-care for the new season. Herbs can also be powerful allies. Keep reading to learn some simple practices to help your body transition to spring and discover four herbs that may help you stay healthy this spring.

The Season of Renewal

During the spring, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners recommend simplifying food preparation. You may not be as hungry as the weather gets warmer. Take heed of nature’s cue and eat less. Steam your vegetables, and move toward eating soups with clearer broths and vegetables.

One season may change to the next in a single day on the calendar, but that’s not how your body experiences the transition. Rise slowly from your winter rest and take measures to stay warm in early spring. Avoid doing extreme spring fasts or cleanses. Instead, replace winter food with spring foods one by one, and gradually increase your physical activity as the days lengthen.

Nature offers an amazing way to know which foods and herbs are helpful when: Eat what’s growing near you when it’s growing near you.

Spring Herbs

Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizes keeping the liver and gallbladder healthy during the spring months to ward off seasonal allergies and digestive problems. Not coincidentally, these common spring herbs are excellent for the health of your liver and gallbladder.

Two of these herbs are wild and two are domesticated. If you’re not used to eating wild foods, it may feel strange to gather food outside. But people have eaten wild plants for thousands of years, and the human diet was once 100 percent wild. Wild foods are usually far more nutritious than cultivated ones. Just make sure you know how to identify them before picking them yourself. Find out how in this article. You can probably also find these at a health food store, farmers market, or herb supplier.

Stinging Nettle

Nettles grow all over the United States in the springtime next to rivers and streams. They’re high in protein, calcium, iron, and antioxidants. In a double-blind study, freeze-dried nettles were found to relieve seasonal allergy symptoms better than a placebo. I drink a nourishing nettle tonic a few days a week; find out how to make it here.

Dandelion

Don’t poison those sunny, yellow-headed blossoms coming up in your yard! Dandelion greens are some of the most nutritious spring foods you can eat. They’re available in the produce aisle of my local gourmet grocery store for $3.99 for a small bundle. Hopefully that makes you feel better about picking and eating them. For a complete primer on the health benefits of eating dandelion, how to pick them safely, and how to transform them into delicious dishes, check out this article.

Cilantro

You’ve likely eaten this herb in salsa or in Thai food. Some people love it; others hate it. If you love it, spring is a great time to enjoy it. It’s packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and it helps your body excrete toxins, according to a number of studies.

Parsley

Like cilantro, parsley is high in a number of nutrients, especially vitamins A, C, and K, iron, and antioxidants. It’s a perfect aid for sluggish digestion. Chop it to add flavor and color to dishes or infuse it to make a refreshing spring tea.

Lighten Up

Spring is the time to lighten up your meals and increase activity after a long, slumbering winter. Remember, your body’s working hard to adjust to the new season. You may experience annoying symptoms. Headaches, hay fever symptoms, sinus congestion, red eyes, and other ailments are common as the seasons shift. Instead of cursing your body, support it by stepping up your self-care, getting plenty of rest, and eating with the seasons.

Editor’s note: This is a revamped version of an article originally posted on April 17, 2018.

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5 Winter Immunity Boosters

By Abby Quillen

Most adults catch between two and four colds a year and the average infant or child catches from six to ten colds a year. That means, in our lifetimes, most of us will have a cold or flu for between two and three years. That’s a lot of Kleenex.

Immune Boosters

The good news is, nature offers some powerful immune-boosters. You may want to have these on hand this winter.

Garlic

Garlic has antibacterial, antibiotic, and antifungal properties. Allicin is garlic’s defense mechanism against pest attacks, and in clinical tests, it also prevents the common cold. In one study, volunteers were randomized to receive a placebo or an allicin-containing garlic supplement every day between November and February. The garlic group reported 24 colds compared to 65 in the placebo group. The volunteers in the garlic group also recovered significantly faster if they did get infected.

You don’t have to buy a supplement. The tastiest way to take garlic is to eat it. Raw is best. But garlic’s active ingredients are also present in cooked food.

Lemons

Lemons are loaded with vitamin C. One lemon contains anywhere from 50 percent to 80 percent of the vitamin C you need in a day.

And if you come down with a cold or virus, one study confirmed that hot lemonaid (or another hot fruit beverage) relieves runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness and tiredness.

Elderberry

Elderberry is a popular herbal cold remedy in Europe. It’s getting a lot of press this flu season, because in clinical tests its flavonoids compare favorably with the antiviral Tamiflu in treating the H1N1 flu . You can buy over-the-counter elderberry syrup at most health food stores. Or you can harvest your own elderberries or buy them in the bulk section of your local health food store and make your own syrup. (Recipe below.)

Ginger

Ginger increases circulation and brings warmth to the body. It excels at quelling nausea, motion sickness, and dizziness. Many people also insist it can knock out the common cold.

Chicken Soup or Miso

Chicken soup and miso are full of vitamins and minerals. At least one study confirmed that chicken soup mitigates the symptoms of upper respiratory infections, possibly by reducing inflammation. Plus, the taste, smell, and warmth of these nourishing soups just make us feel good.

Herbalist Rosemary Gladstar recommends adding any or all of the following immunity herbs to the broth for a bigger boost of vitality:

Astragalus
Dandelion root
Burdock root
Echinacea root

Simple Immune Boosting Recipes

Here are four of my favorite recipes for the cold and flu season.

Lemon and Garlic Quinoa Salad

(Adapted from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair)

Salad

1 c. dry quinoa
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 and 3/4 c. water
1/2 c. chopped carrots
1/3 c. minced parsley
1/4 c. sunflower seeds

Dressing

4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tbl. tamari or shoyu

Rinse quinoa and drain. Place rinsed quinoa, salt, and water in a pot. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes uncovered, then fluff with a fork. Place quinoa in a large bowl. Add carrots, parsley, and sunflower seeds. Mix. Combine dressing ingredients and pour over quinoa. Toss. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Hot Ginger Garlic Lemonaid

2 cloves garlic
1 tbs. grated ginger root
Juice of one freshly-squeezed lemon
Honey, to taste
Hot water

Put ginger root in a tea ball or tea bag. Place garlic, lemon juice, honey, and tea ball or bag in your favorite coffee mug. Pour hot water in. Cover and steep. Drink very hot.

Miso

(Loosely adapted from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair)

3 inch piece wakame
4 c. water
4 tbs. light or mellow unpasteurized miso.
2 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Any or all of the following

1 potato
1 carrot
1/2 c. chopped bok choy
5 sliced shitake mushrooms
1/4 lb. firm tofu, cut into cubes
Handful of immune-boosting herbs: astragalus, echinacea root, dandelion root, or burdock root.

Soak wakame in small bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Put herbs in a large tea ball or bag.

Put water (and potato, carrot, and herbs if using) into a pot and bring to a boil.

Tear wakame into pieces, removing the spine. Add wakame to soup. Lower heat, cover pot, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Near the end of the cooking time, add mushrooms, bok choy, and tofu cubes if using, and let simmer a few minutes more.

Remove soup from stove. Dissolve miso in a little warm water. Remove tea ball or bag. Add miso to broth. Stir well. Ladle into bowl and add scallions for garnish.

Elderberry Syrup

(From Rosemary Gladstar’s Family Herbal*)

1 c. fresh or 1/2 c. dried blue elderberries*
3 c. water
1 c. honey

Place berries in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Smash berries. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and add 1 cup of honey, or adjust to taste. Bottle the syrup and store in the refrigerator. It keeps for 2 to 3 months.

*Make sure you use blue elderberries, not red ones. Never eat uncooked elderberries.

(Editors note: This is an updated version of Stay Well: 5 Winter Immunity Boosters and Winter Wellness Recipes, originally posted in November 2009.)

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Local, Seasonal Foods are Superfoods

By Abby Quillen

What should you eat for optimal health? That question has inspired wildly contradictory dietary trends from Low-fat to Raw Vegan to Paleo to Keto, each backed by health claims and scientific studies. However, nobody will ever discover a one-size-fits-all optimal human diet because we didn’t evolve to eat the same thing. Throughout most of history, whether humans hunted and gathered, raised animals, or cultivated crops, they ate a menu of local foods that shifted with the seasons. All traditional diets emphasized seasonal eating.

In the past hundred years, the industrialization of agriculture and the invention of refrigeration radically remade our diets. Today, 70 percent of the American diet is processed, and the fresh foods in your grocery store were likely imported from all over the globe. However, locavore, Farm to Table, and Farm to School movements are flourishing for good reason. Exotic superfoods may be trendy, but the foods grown near you are usually the freshest, most nutritious, healthiest, and most flavorful foods you can eat. Even a modest change to eating more local and seasonal foods can bring health, environmental, and culinary benefits.

Eating seasonally may require a mindset shift and some effort, because most modern Americans weren’t raised doing it. But the benefits are worthwhile! Keep reading to learn why local, seasonal foods are superfoods and discover ways to shift to a more seasonal diet.

The Case of the Missing Nutrients

The industrial food system has brought convenience, but the price tag is high, both for human health and the health of our ecosystems. First of all, we’ve lost an incredible amount of food diversity. In 1903, 408 types of peas were available in commercial seed catalogs; by 1983, there were 25 available pea types. More than 300 varieties of sweet corn in 1903 dwindled to 12 in 1983; 544 cabbage varieties in 1903 diminished to 28 in 1983.

Here’s the problem: Modern crops are significantly less nutritious than the crops our grandparents ate. Farmers must select crop types for yield and their ability to be transported and stored, rather than for nutrition. Moreover, soil depletion and rising carbon levels in the atmosphere may further contribute to the declining nutrient values of our food. The USDA has monitored the nutrition in crops since the late 1800s, and the data is troubling. According to one analysis, an orange today contains eight times less vitamin A than an orange your grandparent would have eaten. Broccoli contains less than half as much calcium as it did in 1950.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Exotic superfoods may be trendy, but local, seasonal foods are the real superfoods. #localfood” quote=”Exotic superfoods may be trendy, but local, seasonal foods are the real superfoods.” theme=”style1″]

To complicate the problem, nutrients degrade quickly after produce is picked. Conventional produce is often picked before it’s ripe, is shipped an average of 1494 miles, and is handled frequently and stored on shelves for days.

For obvious reasons, local produce is nearly always fresher than produce shipped from across the world. And it may contain more nutrients in the first place because farmers growing food for local markets can choose crop types for nutrition and flavor, such as antioxidant-rich purple carrots and potatoes. Moreover, there’s a less understood reason to eat seasonal foods; by doing so, we tap into nature’s wisdom about what’s best to eat when.

Tap into Nature’s Wisdom

Because of the tilt of the earth, seasons exist everywhere, except for a small tropical band near the equator, which has minimal seasonality. In some regions of the earth, seasonal changes are extreme. In parts of Alaska, summer and winter temperatures vary by 100 degrees. Flora, fauna, and weather vary widely by region and and season, and it makes sense that our diets would vary accordingly, since they were once dependent on the local environment. The bottom line? We evolved to eat certain foods at certain times. And now that we’ve lost touch with which crops grow when, we may have lost a natural way to stay healthy during each season.

Consider these examples:

Summer crops (berries, fruit, snap beans, corn, cucumbers, melons, peppers, tomatoes, and summer squash) provide energy, hydration, and antioxidants to help people deal with the potentially damaging effects of summer sunshine.
Fall and winter crops (sweet potatoes, winter squash, chard, spinach, bok choy, and kale) provide large amounts of vitamin A, a nutrient that supports the immune system, just as seasonal illnesses are circulating.
Spring crops (watercress, pea shoots, wild nettles and greens) have anti-histamine effects in the body, which helps fend off spring’s seasonal allergies. (Nettles worked better than allergy medication in one study.)

The health benefits of seasonal eating go beyond ingesting antioxidants and phytochemicals. Eating is not only about nutrients; it’s about our relationship with the natural world, the source of all real food.

Humans are wired to be outside. Spending time in nature is therapeutic, healing, and necessary for human health. Reconnecting food to its true source by hunting or gathering wild foods, gardening, or visiting farms or orchards can be a powerful step toward better health. When you adjust your diet with local conditions, you must observe and relate with the environment outside the climate-controlled homes, buildings, and cars, where Americans now spend 90 percent of the time.

Invest in Healthier Ecosystems

The industrial food system, which was developed in the decades after World War II, features enormous single-crop farms and animal production facilities and relies heavily on chemical fertilizers. The system has been successful at increasing crop yields, making food cheaper, decreasing the need for farm labor, and increasing the availability of off-season crops. Unfortunately, the environmental costs for industrial agriculture have been huge and include mass extinctions, a biodiversity crisis, contaminated water ways, the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and pesticide toxicity.

In wealthy nations, food consumption is estimated to account for 20 to 30 percent of each family’s environmental footprint. Environmental life cycle food assessments are complicated, and it’s important to factor how the food is grown and transported to market. However, many studies suggest that even a small shift to local and seasonal eating may make a difference to the environment. A research team found the conventional food distribution system emitted 5 to 17 times more CO₂and used four to 17 times more fuel than the local and regional food distribution systems in Iowa. A Canadian study estimated that replacing imported food with locally grown food in just the Waterloo, Ontario region would save transport-related emissions roughly equivalent to taking 16,191 cars off the road. According to another analysis, if everyone in the U.S. just ate one meal a week consisting of local and organic produce, we’d reduce our national oil consumption by 1.1 million barrels a week.

Step Outside of the Grocery Store

Seasonal eating goes against our always-available, fast-food culture, and it may not be intuitive if you weren’t raised doing it. Growing up in rural Colorado, nearly all of my family’s produce came from refrigerated cases at a national grocery chain. My dad grew a small vegetable garden one summer (an experience that had an enormous impact on me). Other than that, we didn’t grow food or visit farms or orchards. Most years, the apples and plums on the trees in our yard fell to the ground and rotted, as did the fruit on the trees around our neighborhood. Little of the wisdom my ancestors must have possessed about hunting or growing, storing, and gathering food was passed to me. However, I’m committed to eating more local and seasonal foods because it feels like the most nutritious, sustainable, and nourishing way to eat.

These days, my family and I garden, gather food, belong to a Community Supported Agriculture program, and regularly visit farms and orchards. We don’t stick to a 100-mile diet or eschew all imported foods. We enjoy coffee and imported oranges and bananas as much as the next family. But we do our best to heed some traditional wisdom and stay connected to our natural environment as we live our busy lives in the modern world.

Even a little local and seasonal eating may make a difference to your health, community, and local ecosystems. And it’s an amazing way to connect with the natural world and glimpse the beauty and wisdom pervasive there.

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Editor’s note: This is an updated version of a blog originally posted October 3. 2017.

10 Nonconformists Who Could Change the Way You Think About Life

By Abby Quillen

Do you love having your mind blown?

Me too.

I learned the word iconoclast in college, and I loved the word instantly. It describes a person who attacks cherished beliefs and institutions.

I was familiar with the concept. My dad wrote a column for a major newspaper for 26 years in which he delighted in attacking cherished beliefs and institutions. He received hate mail regularly, got a few death threats, and was sued by a local politician for libel. The lawsuit was thrown out in three courts. None of it seemed to bother my dad much. He said it was part of the job.

While most fathers may worry if their kids break rules, my dad worried if his daughters followed them too readily. My straight-A report cards caused him some stress.

He was proud of me, but he was a tireless advocate for people thinking for themselves, and he didn’t detect a high priority for that in the school system.

In the end, my dad’s values wore off on me because I’m nearly constantly seeking a state of cognitive dissonance. That’s the mental discomfort experienced when a person simultaneously holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values.

Caution: New Ideas May Shake Your Worldview

Just as fish don’t realize they’re swimming in water because they’re immersed in it, we can lose sight of the peculiarities and injustices in the culture and systems we’re immersed in.

That’s why it’s important to pay attention to outside-the-box thinkers, especially during polarizing times. Here are a few original thinkers who have challenged and shaped my thinking over the past decades.

Susun Weed

Who she is: An herbalist, author, and women’s health advocate

Why her work may shift your worldview: She articulates an empowering approach to health that she calls the Wise Woman Tradition, which focuses on nourishment, simple and easily accessible remedies, and honoring nature’s cycles. She’s critical of many popular alternative medical treatments, including essential oils, elimination diets, and cleanses.

A good introduction to her work: This article

Katy Bowman

Who she is: A biomechanist and author

Why her work may shift your worldview: She explains how sedentary our society is and how it affects our bodies, our worldview, our nutrient levels, and most of our modern scientific research. She offers an antidote with an extensive library of exercise programs, books, interviews, and educational materials.

A good introduction to her work: This video

Dr. Christiane Northrup

Who she is: A OBGYN, author, and women’s health advocate

Why her work may shift your worldview: She’s been a female pioneer in the male-dominated world of women’s health care for decades. She articulates an empowering view of health care that emphasizes the wisdom of women’s bodies and natural cycles and rhythms. She’s critical of many standard preventative medical tests and writes about normal and healthy but taboo female experiences, such as menstruation and menopause.

A good introduction to her work: This blog post

Satish Kumar

Who he is: A philosopher, magazine editor, and university co-founder

Why his work may shift your worldview: He articulates a worldview that emphasizes slowing down, using your hands to make beautiful things, growing food, and syncing with natural cycles.

A good introduction to his work: This interview

Charles Eisenstein

Who he is: An author and speaker who describes himself as a degrowth activist

Why his work may shift your worldview: He writes about the problems with our current cultural narrative and the need to develop a new story that reflects the “more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.” He’s real and vulnerable and displays an expansive knowledge of diverse subjects.

A good introduction to his work: This video

Dr. Kelly Brogan

Who she is: A psychiatrist, author, and activist

Why her work may shift your worldview: She has an empowering view of mental health care and believes people have the power to heal even the most complicated of mental health conditions. She’s moved into alternative care but continues to write case studies for mainstream medical journals.

A good introduction to her work: This interview

Diana Beresford Kroeger

Who she is: An author, medical biochemist, and botanist

Why her work may shift your worldview: She invites people to form a new relationship with nature by merging scientific knowledge with ancient spiritual wisdom.

A good introduction to her work: This interview

Robin Wall Kimmerer

Who she is: A plant ecologist, author, and professor

Why her work may shift your worldview: As a member of the Potawatomi nation, she merges scientific knowledge with indigenous wisdom to offer innovative solutions to ecological problems. She moves beyond a conservation approach and embraces humans’ important role in healthy ecosystems.

A good introduction to her work: This interview

Jeremy Narby

Who he is: An anthropologist and author

Why his work may shift your worldview: He went to the Peruvian Andes to study the Ashaninca Indians as an anthropologist with a doctorate from Stanford. What he experienced there profoundly changed his worldview, and it may shake yours too.

A good introduction his work: This interview

Alfie Kohn

Who he is: An author and speaker

Why his work may shift your worldview: He’s critical of mainstream education’s fixation with competition, punishment, rewards, testing, and homework. He champions parenting and teaching without using rewards or punishments.

A good introduction to his work: This article

Which Noncomformists Have Shattered or Shaped Your Thinking?

I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

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[Photo credit: Powderruns]

Simple Herbal Tonics: Brews for Beginners

By Abby Quillen

Plants have been powerful allies for health and healing for as long as humans have lived. Herbal medicines can be effective remedies for ills as anyone who’s sipped on ginger tea for a stomachache can attest. They can also be powerful tonics for everyday health.

Many common plants are full of vitamins, minerals, proteins, antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and other nutrients. When you prepare them the right way, they’re transformed into nutrient-rich tonics, which boost health and well being. When I drink herbal tonics daily, my hair and skin shine and I feel calmer and more grounded.

Nourishing Herbal Tonics

If you’re new to using herbs, congratulations! Learning about herbalism is an amazing way to take charge of your health and form a deeper connection to nature. Check out my post Herbs Made Easy to learn more about the benefits.

I make herbal tonics using herbalist Susun Weed’s method. She advocates the art of simpling, which means using a single herb to make an infusion.

“In The Herbal Home Remedy Book, Joyce Wardwell lays out the four elements of simpling as follows:

Use mild herbs. These plants are commonly used as foods, safe for small children and the elderly, and they enhance the body’s capacity for healing.
Use large doses. Brew strong infusions, and drink them often.
Use the herbs that grow near you. The herbs that grown in your climate are the best adapted for the stresses the climate puts on your body.
Be patient. You’ll probably see some effects within three days or so, but sometimes it takes longer.

Pick an Herb to Infuse

Like Warwell, I’m a huge believer in consuming the plants that grow near you to help your body adapt to the environment and optimize your health. (You can learn more about the benefits of a local diet in my post Local, Seasonal Foods are Superfoods.)

Though a plant grows in your area, even outside your back door, it’s usually safer and easier for beginners to buy good-quality dried herb at a local health food or herb store. You can learn to harvest herbs later if you wish. (Check out my article Eating the Wild Plants in Your Backyard for a primer.)

Herbs are usually inexpensive by bulk. Look for herbs supplied by local organic growers or reputable wildcrafters, and make sure the store cleans and changes their jars or bins frequently. If you can’t get dried herbs where you live, mail-order them from Mountain Rose Herbs or another bulk herb company.

According to Weed, the following plants are highly nutritious, and side effects from consuming them are rare:

Alfalfa
Astragalus
Calendula flowers
Chickweed
Comfrey leaves
Dandelion
Honeysuckle flowers
Lamb’s quarter
Marshmallow
Oatstraw
Plantain (leaves and seeds)
Purslane
Red clover blossoms
Siberian ginseng
Slippery elm
Stinging nettle
Violet leaves

I usually stick to a few nutrient-rich herbs for my daily tonics, including:

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

Weed calls nettles “one of the finest nourishing tonics known” and contends that “the list of vitamins and minerals in this herb includes nearly every one known to be necessary for human health and growth.”

According to Weed, nettle infusions supply calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins A and D, and they are in a readily assimilated form. Nettles also contain iron and vitamin C, and the vitamin C ensures the iron is well-absorbed by the body, making nettles an excellent remedy for anemia. Nettles are also high in protein. Their high vitamin and mineral content make nettles an excellent all-around tonic.

Nettles are also used to encourage the flow of breast milk in nursing women, lower blood sugar levels, slow profuse menstrual bleeding, treat eczema, heal arthritis and gout, and cure hay-fever allergy symptoms. Externally, nettle compresses can stop bleeding or heal hemorrhoids, eliminate dandruff, and slow hair loss. Does that sound like a lot of uses for one plant? Well, that’s far from all. Check out the book 101 Uses for Stinging Nettles by Piers Warren for more.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

According to herbalist Michael Tierra, alfalfa means “father” in Arabic, perhaps referring to the plant’s “function as a superlative restorative tonic.” Alfalfa leaves are highly nutritious, containing vitamins C, D, E, and K, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, and protein.

Alfalfa’s historically been used to restore vitality and increase appetite in both horses and people. It’s also used to treat cystitis, prostatitis, peptic ulcers, fever, insomnia, inflammation, and arthritis, as well as to increase the flow of breast milk in nursing women, reduce inflammation, and regulate the bowels.

Oatstraw (Avena sativa)

Oats are rich in silica, magnesium, phosphorus, chromium, iron, calcium, alkaloids, protein, the vitamin B complex, and vitamins A and C . Oat straw, the stem of the plant, nourishes the bones, endocrine system, immune system, and nerve cells and helps the body cope with insomnia, anxiety, and nerve disorders.

How to make a nourishing herbal tonic

Here is Susan Weed’s infusion method:

Place one ounce of dried herb (about a cup) in a quart jar.
Fill the jar to the top with boiling water
Put the lid on tightly and steep for four to 10 hours. (I usually let it steep overnight.)
Strain and pour a cup, and store the rest in the refrigerator.
Drink two to four cups a day.
Drink the entire infusion within 36 hours or until it spoils. (You’ll be able to tell by the smell.)
Use whatever remains to water house plants, or pour over your hair after conditioning as a final rinse.

If you don’t love the taste of the infusion but want to reap the benefits, try adding a tablespoon of dried mint to the herb before you infuse it.

Nettles, alfalfa, and oat straw are mild herbs that have been ingested for thousands of years with excellent safety records, however they may not be for everyone. If you have a medical condition or take any medications, check with your doctor, an herbalist, or a pharmacist first.

It’s a good idea for everyone to be cautious about what goes into your body. Read about the herbs you plan to take, and be alert to the rare potential for an allergic reaction or side effects. But don’t forget to enjoy yourself! Nutritious herbal tonics are amazing additions to a healthy and happy life.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Load up on vitamins without supplements by making simple, restorative herbal tonics. #health #herbs” quote=”Load up on vitamins without supplements by making restorative herbal tonics.” theme=”style1″]

Sources:
The New Age Herbalist by Richard Mabey
The Herbal Home Remedy Book by Joyce A. Warwell
The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra
Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susan Weed
The Herb Book by John Lust

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[Editor’s Note: This is an updated and revamped version of a post originally published on June 3, 2009, Photo credit: Caitlin Regan, modified]

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Try This Before Eliminating a Food Group

By Abby Quillen

Most women I know have cut out dairy, gluten, grains, legumes, or soy or experimented with a diet that eliminates a food group, such as Paleo, Keto, or Whole 30. Some men I know have too. I’ve been there as well. (More on my story below.)

Here’s what I wish I could tell my younger self: A restrictive elimination diet may not be the only or best answer. There’s another approach to vibrant health, one that your grandmother probably knew, and one that’s emphasized by many traditional healing practices, including Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. It’s called nourishment, and your body, mind, and spirit may be craving it.

Are you well nourished? Even asking yourself the question is a little radical. Our culture doesn’t put much value on nourishment. Doctors, workplaces, therapists, schools, and the media rarely mention it. But it may be time to put more of your focus on nourishing yourself, especially if you’re struggling with your mental or physical health.

My Elimination Diet

When I was 20 and in college, I developed digestive issues and broke out in rashes. My doctor suggested I eliminate dairy from my diet. I followed his advice and felt better. His theory was that I’d developed an allergy to a dairy protein and may outgrow the allergy at some point. Over the next decade, I tried eating dairy a few times and experienced the same symptoms.

Then, at age 32, between my two pregnancies, I tried dairy again. This time, I had zero reactions, and I’ve eaten it ever since. In hindsight, though, I don’t think I outgrew my allergy. At 20, I ate a lot of processed, fake, “fat-free,” and junk foods. But by my thirties, I ate a healthy diet of real food, including plenty of fruits and vegetables, grains, and meat. I was nourishing my body better, and while I was at it, I was nourishing vast ecosystems inside my body.

Science Catches Up With Traditional Wisdom

Scientists sequenced the DNA of the human gastrointestinal microbiome in 2012 and discovered we share our bodies with trillions of microscopic organisms, which are organized into ecosystems that resemble forest ecosystems.

The balance of predators and prey determine the health of an ecosystem. In a 1966 experiment, scientists removed the purple starfish from the Washington coast, and the population of mussels (the purple starfish’s food source) exploded and crowded out all other plant life. When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone Park, they regulated the elk population, which triggered a bioligical cascade that increased the number of willow, aspens, beetles, beavers, ravens, eagles, magpies, coyotes, bears, lynxes, and wolverines. Something similar can happen in your interior wilderness based on what you eat.

When the predators and prey in your microbiome are unbalanced, it’s called dysbiosis. This can result from taking antibiotics or using antiseptics, and it can also be caused by diet. Many conditions we once attributed to other causes have now been linked to diet-induced dysbiosis. The composition of your intestinal microbiota can influence your susceptibility to:

Ulcerative colitis
Crohn’s disease
Celiac disease
Irritable bowel syndrome
Obesity
Type 1 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes
Autoimmune diseases
Arthritis and other inflammatory condition
Food allergies

The Downside of Elimination Diets

Approximately 20 percent of the population have food allergies or sensitivities. Many more people try restrictive diets for other reasons, such as to lose weight, have more energy, or improve general health. But, just as with medications, strict diets can have unintended side effects.

First of all, diets that ban whole, nutrient-dense foods (such as dairy) may encourage people to reach for heavily processed alternatives.

Furthermore, restrictive diets impact social relationships, which are incredibly important for health and happiness. Humans have been gathering together to break bread for at least three centuries, and food is one of the primary ways we connect. Not being able to enjoy food with other people can be isolating and lonely. Restrictive diets also make travel more difficult, especially to foreign locales. Restrictive diets can have even more damaging effects for children. Childhood food allergies are linked with anxiety, compulsive behaviors, and eating disorders.

Please don’t feel bad or guilty if you’re on an elimination diet or if you’ve put your kid on one. Remember, I was on one for years. I only want to mention that there’s an alternate approach that may be just as healing. If you’re in search of better health, clearer skin, or more energy, or if you’d like to relieve gastrointestinal symptoms (that are not severe or life threatening), you may want to first try healing your gut with better nourishment. There are zero down sides to adopting a more nourishing diet. If you’re on an elimination diet and need to stay on one, you could probably also benefit from putting more focus on nourishment.

A Nourishment Crisis

Although Americans eat enough calories, 85 percent of us do not consume the recommended daily intake of the most important vitamins and minerals necessary for health.

The reasons are many fold. Seventy percent of the American diet is processed, and we tend to choose less nutritious foods over nutrient-dense whole foods. We eat almost no wild foods, which usually contain far more nutrients than their cultivated counterparts. Moreover, our crops are less nutritious than they were fifty years ago because industrial agriculture prizes shelf life over nutrition. The protein, calcium, potassium, iron, and vitamins B2 and C in our food supply are declining.

Not Just About Food

Moreover, nourishment is not just about food. Americans are chronically undernourished in two other key ways that have an impact on our nutrient levels: physical activity and relaxation.

Frequent movement is what circulates nutrients to our bones, joints, ligaments, connective tissue, and organs. However, 80 percent of Americans do not exercise, and we walk about half as many steps as health experts recommend.

Americans are also under constant stress, which floods our bodies with hormones that deplete certain nutrients and trigger the gut microbiota to behave erratically. We can be nourished by long walks, time outdoors, time with friends, meditation, or time alone. What would your life look like if you put your focus on nourishing yourself?

A Recipe for Better Nourishment

1. Eat real food

As Americans have transitioned to a diet of mostly processed foods, the above illnesses linked with gut dysbiosis have become epidemic. You don’t need to worry about measuring micro-nutrients to nourish your microbiome. Simply eat a wide variety of minimally processed, colorful, nutritious foods, such as:

Leafy greens
Seaweed
Fish, meats, and organ meats
Whole grains
Legumes
Vegetables
Fruits and berries
Nuts and seeds
Fermented vegetables and dairy
Full fat dairy products

2. Go wild

Wild foods are usually far more nutritious than their cultivated counterparts. Humans once had a 100 percent wild diet and now we eat almost none. It’s easy to learn how to identify, forage, and prepare a few wild foods, some of which may be growing in your backyard:

Dandelion greens
Watercress
Purslane
Miner’s lettuce
Nettles
Wild mustard
Blackberries
Wild strawberries
Elderberries

3. Eat local and seasonal.

Industrial crop types are chosen for shelf life, not nutrient levels. Local and seasonal foods are usually fresher and more nutritious. (Learn more about the benefits of seasonal eating in my blog post Local, Seasonal Foods Are Superfoods).

4. Cook

Preparing whole foods from scratch is the most nourishing way to eat. According to research conducted at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, people who frequently cook meals at home eat healthier than those who cook less without even trying.

5. Stop the war on germs

Once you understand that you’re tending an internal ecosystem that’s vital to your health and well-being, it makes no sense to use products that claim to kill “99.9 percent of the germs” on your skin or in your mouth. Avoid antibiotics and antiseptics, including chlorinated tap water whenever possible. Also, limit your intake of processed foods, including sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and food additives, which can contribute to dysbiosis when eaten in excess.

6. Move (a lot)

Just as a multivitamin doesn’t stand in for real food, a burst of “exercise” doesn’t stand in for frequent all-day movement. Here are some ways to make sure you’re nourishing every part of your body with frequent movement:

Set a pomodoro timer, and get up every 30 minutes to move around for five minutes.
Replace car trips with walking. Aim for 10,000 steps a day.
Vary your sitting positions, and alternate sitting with standing.
Nourish your cells with nutrients by doing full-body tasks, such as housework, cooking, yard work, and gardening.
Try a full-body movement practice, such as Restorative Exercise, Essentrics, Dance, Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga, or Pilates.

7. Relax

Chronic stress is damaging to your body and microbiome. Here are some ways to turn on your body’s relaxation response, also called the “rest and digest” mode, and help your body absorb nutrients better:

Learn to breathe slowly
Turn off distractions when you’re eating.
Do a mindfulness practice.
Go for a walk everyday.

Focus on Nourishment

Elimination and cleansing diets are popular, but there may be another way to heal yourself. As many of our grandmothers knew, nourishment is the foundation for vibrant health and well-being.

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