Posts Tagged: herbs

pregnancy — Comments Off
2
Jan 11

Morning Sickness Relief With Herbs

If you’ve come seeking a morning sickness remedy for yourself or someone you love, I’m wishing you a mild case. I know people who have had extreme cases of morning sickness, and personally, I was blessed with only mild nausea and no vomiting during each of my first trimesters.

What worked for me during my first pregnancy was taking homeopathic nux vomica 6x any time I started feeling nauseas. This was completely infective during my second pregnancy, however. Ginger tea was more helpful this second time around.

Susan Weed, in The Childbearing Year suggests taking it in tablespoon doses when you feel nauseas.

When considering the morning sickness remedy that is right for you, it may be useful to look at the factors that are contributing to your particular case.

Some factors that have been identified include low blood sugar, low blood pressure, chemical by-products of the increased hormonal activity, a vitamin B6 deficiency, excess of refined, spicy or greasy foods, and emotional upset about the pregnancy. In my case, I also think my activity level played a role.

During my second pregnancy I was in a very busy time in my life, and I did not get enough rest during my first trimester and my nausea was much worse.

There are several things you can do to help prevent morning sickness.

?Keep your blood sugar level up by eating small, frequent meals and protein-rich snacks before going to sleep.

?Walking a mile a day can help prevent the increased hormonal activity leading to morning sickness.

?Increasing iron and vitamin B6 complex in your diet can also help. My recommendation for this is including nettles in your diet and drinking an infusion of nettle and oatstraw daily. Nettle is an excellent source of iron and oatstraw contains the B6 complex vitamins.

Place 1D2 ounce of each herb in a quart jar. Fill with boiling water and let steep for at least 4 hours. Strain and drink room temperature, heated or chilled.

Prevention is a powerful morning sickness remedy.

Several preventative measures are possible just before getting out of bed in the morning as a morning sickness remedy:

?Eating unsalted crackers or matzo

?Getting out of bed slowly and avoiding sudden movements

?Drinking a cup of anise or fennel seed tea first thing after waking

?Drinking on teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in 8 oz. of warm water first thing in the morning. The vinegar neutralizes the excess stomach acid.

Here is a morning sickness remedy breakfast idea:

1. Stay in bed for 1D2 hour after waking.
2. Sip a digestive tea of peppermint, fennel, or chamomile or a glass of mineral water with crackers before getting out of bed.
3. Rise slowly.
4. Eat fresh fruit or drink juice.
5. Breathe in some fresh air.
6. 1D2 hour later, eat a piece of wholegrain toast with nutritional yeast, and a second cup of herbal tea.

Now, if all the preventative methods are not making a difference for you, here are some morning sickness remedies to try once you are feeling nauseous.

This is Susan Weed’s list from The Childbearing Year and is in order of increasing strength for morning sickness relief:

?Open the wind or go outside for fresh air.

?Drink a cup or two raspberry leaf tea or infusion each day.

?Try a homeopathic morning sickness remedy: Ipecac 30X, Nux Vomica 6X, Cannabis 30X

?Drink a tea from Peach tree leaves.

?Sip peppermint or spearmint infusion first thing in the morning as a morning sickness remedy. It’s stimulating and an effective anti-nauseate.

?Tablespoon doses of ginger root tea when nausea occurs for morning sickness relief.

?Wild yam root infusion sipped throughout the day, or teaspoonfuls of the decoction (simmer a handful of the root in a quart of water for 20 minutes) several times daily.

?Powdered and encapsulated ginger roots up to 25 capsules per day for complete control of severe nausea and vomiting throughout the pregnancy.

I recently read about a study showing that morning sickness often occurs just after the baby has gone through its most sensitive period of development, and that the nausea may be leading to aversions to meat, fish, eggs, poultry, and strong tasting vegetables in order to keep potentially harmful chemicals and bacteria from the mom and baby and to keep them both safe from food-borne illness during this critical time.

This study found that morning sickness is uncommon in cultures with vegetarian and low dairy diets.

So, perhaps the nausea is actually serving us well, even though it is not always pleasant. As a wise woman herbalist I always look for the gift in the condition I’m experiencing.

In my second pregnancy, my nausea was a constant reminder to take it slow and relax so that I could grow a healthy baby.

As your baby grows within you, enjoy the morning sickness relief provided by these home remedies and remember and trust the wisdom of your body.

I hope you find a morning sickness remedy that works for you.

Gardening — Comments Off
16
Aug 10

What You Need to Know When Growing Kitchen Herbs

When it comes to growing kitchen herbs, it is a good idea to know as much as possible about the herbs. The more you know, the easier it will be to keep your plants growing healthy and strong. The better your herbs grow, the better they will taste when you use them in fresh and cooked dishes. The most common herbs grown in a kitchen herb garden are basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano and mint. While each of the herbs may have a preferred environment, there is a general environment that is conducive to all herbs growing well.

Most all kitchen herbs will taste better before they have flowered. While some herbs may be able to endure being pruned in order to grow, others will die. The herbs, which will be negatively affected by pruning, are chives and lavender. A better idea for these plants would be to remove the entire stem from the base stem. While there will no be a new growth from the plant, the plant will continue to grow. Plants like basil and thyme will grow better when pruned. The best part is you get to use the herbs in cooking every day. If you do not plan to use the herbs, pinch them instead. This will cause the plant to struggle against the pressure.

Many people want to plant every home plant in pure potting soil. The problem is herbs do not like the rich nutrient environment of the pure potting soil. They prefer soil that is lower, but not depleted, in nutrients than potting soil. In order to create the best soil for growing kitchen herbs, mix potting soil with sand and loose dirt from outside. This will create an environment, which will retain moisture, not water. Excessive water will simply drain to the bottom of the bed. In order to give the water somewhere to go, fill in the bottom of the bed with gravel. Use medium sized rocks in order to make sure the soil will not fill in the gaps.

Light is a very important aspect to growing any plant. Give your herb garden the ability to get at least 8 hours of sunlight every day. Keep a watchful eye on your herbs, and if you notice brown spots on the leaves, it means they are receiving too much sunlight. Use a shade to give less sunlight to your plants if you see this happening. If the leaves look dull green, it means they are not receiving enough sunlight. This happens often when they are grown in North facing windows. It is due to the fact they are not receiving any direct sunlight.

Wind is important in growing any plant and indoor plants are no exception. In order to give your plants the wind they desire, simply turn on a floor fan to low and direct it to the plants. If you have an oscillating fan, all the better. Oscillating keeps the herbs from being pushed constantly in one direction. The reason why the plants respond so well to the wind is because it boosts the energy they are getting as well as forces them to grow stronger in order to withstand the wind.

Kitchen herbs are tasty and pretty. They will respond to the love and attention you give them. When starting your own garden, make sure you are ready for the responsibility. This does not mean you have to sink all of your time into tending your garden. It should be fun and exciting rather than being a chore.

Gardening — Comments Off
8
Apr 10

Growing Herbs Outdoors Or in an Indoor Herb Garden

Growing herbs that are ready to be picked from your herb garden to add to the dishes you are preparing is an enjoyable thing to do. An outdoor herb garden with plenty of light and good soil drainage can produce a variety of flavors for many foods. An indoor herb garden makes it possible to have fresh herbs throughout the year. Indoors, a sunny window and pots with good drainage are needed. When growing herbs, the flavors are best when picking them and using them when fresh. However, herbs can be stored either frozen or dried.

Herbs add special flavors to your food. Try experimenting with small amounts of individual herbs by mixing them with a small amount of butter and spreading the mixture on crackers. You will soon learn the flavor of that particular herb. When adding herbs to dishes that take a longer period of time to cook, such as soups and stews, the herbs should be added near the end of the cooking time to preserve the flavor.

A favorite with many people, chives are very easy to grow, producing grass-like leaves that grow to be about twelve inches long. The leaves can be cut with a pair of scissors. Chopped chives can be sprinkled on a variety of foods. The chive flowers can also be eaten, often being tossed on a salad as a special addition. The chives leaves do not have as good a flavor after the plant has bloomed so the flowers can be cut off when they begin to appear, leaving the leaves to be at their best.

Sweet basil, also a very popular herb, is great for salads, vegetable dishes, vinegars and pesto. Begin picking the leaves when the plants are twelve to eighteen inches high and pick them regularly to keep the new growth coming on. Dill weed is also a common herb. Dill weed is actually the feathery leaves of the dill plant. The seeds of the dill plant are called dill seeds and are considered to be spices rather than herbs.

If you are interested in learning more about herb gardens, here is a good source for that information: CHIVES GROWING TIPS.

Gardening — Comments Off
12
Mar 10

Home Grown Herbs – Why Not?

Home grown herbs are something that every single household can do. It is with complete amazement that folk can trundle down to the supermarket and buy expensive herbs in plastic casing for an incredible amount of money, which is inferior in every way to the herb you can easily grown at home. Why do people do this? Even if it was as good as homegrown herbs, why pay? What’s more, your homegrown herb is on your doorstep and as fresh as you can ever get. Need I go on?

Growing herbs is the easiest thing in the world and cost absolutely nothing but time to grow.

Grow herbs in the garden, greenhouse or on an allotment. Even if you haven’t got a garden or access to an allotment, use a friend’s garden and share the produce, why not? If they were friends surely they wouldn’t object. Start some off indoors on a windowsill. It can be in the kitchen dining room, bedroom or even the bathroom. Even if you haven’t got a garden use a friends’ garden and share the produce, why not? If they were friends surely they wouldn’t object.

The whole point is, everyone should be growing herbs and using them in their own cooking. Maybe it’s because the trend is not to do any home cooking anymore. The need for herbs is on the decrease because of fast food, microwave culture and snacks. Is this the beginning of the end of real natural food, it is for many in high geared westernised culture that gives people everything on a plate. Convenience is the fashion and cooking is an inconvenience.

It isn’t only the wonderfully fresh and natural produce that you benefit from by home growing herbs it is the whole process of culturing nature’s process and being part of it. Your stress levels by doing this will fall and you will be the most popular person in your neighbourhood from sharing surplus stocks of herbs. The healthy pastime of gardening and consuming the produce will also be a major benefit to you and your family. And not least, your shopping bills will be that much cheaper.

In the space of just five minutes you could have prepared and planted herbs that will be produce in the bank. Herbs basically look after themselves; this is how most of them have lived wild for thousands of years. All you need to do it make sure they do not dry out, that’s it! How simple is that? You will be amazed how robust herbs are and the rewards you get for just that initial five minutes. In a short time you can laugh at other people you now see picking prepacked herbs in the supermarket.

Having abandoned the UK two years ago I have lived and worked within the Bulgarian community throughout this time. The Bulgaria found was found to be very different from many accounts read from other expatriates that have come here. The real Bulgaria has been found from within the Bulgarian community coming from a British expatriate who tells how it actually is.

http://bulgarianslivatree.com

pregnancy — Comments Off
7
Mar 10

Herbs to Avoid in Pregnancy

As you seek to nourish yourself and your baby as fully as possible the question of which herbs to avoid in pregnancy is probably at the forefront of your mind.

Above all, when we’re pregnant, we want to make choices that will not harm our own bodies or our growing baby’s. Unfortunately, this fear can lead many of us to stay away from herbal preparations during pregnancy, one time in our lives when herbs can be amazing allies.

The truth is that many herbs fall into the category of nourishing herbs, will have no ill effects, and can offer great benefits.

Susun Weed’s Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year is a great place to start gathering knowledge about the benefits and cautions around using herbs for health.

On her list of herbs to avoid during pregnancy are:

?Antihistamines like Ma-huang and osha root

?Diuretics like Buchu, Horsetail, and Juniper Berries

?Steroids and herbs containing steroid-like factors: Agave, Ginseng, Licorice, Hops, Sage

Then there are some herbs to use with caution, being aware of the risks:

1. Emmenagogues (especially in the first and last trimester) These are herbs that can help bring on the menstrual cycle:

Angelica, fresh lemon balm leaves, Bethroot, Birthwort, Black Cohosh root, Blue Cohosh root, European Vervain, Ergot fungus, Feverfew plant in flower, ginger root, Hyssop leaves, Liferoot plant in flower, Lovage root, Marijuana female flowers, Mistletoe leaves, Motherwort, Mugwort, Fresh Parsley, Pennyroil plant, Peruvian bark, Rosemary plant in flower, Rue leaves, Saffron stigmas, Sumac Berries, Sweet flag root, Tansy plant in flower, Fresh wood Sorrel plant

2. Common cooking herbs that may encourage miscarriage (avoid during first trimester and use only in small quantities in later pregnancy):

Basil, Caraway seeds, Celery seed, Ginger, fresh Horseradish, Savory, Marjoram, Nutmeg, Rosemary, Saffron. Sage, Parsley, Tarragon, Thyme, Watercress

3. Golden Seal root: stresses liver and kidneys, raises white blood cell count, and can cause uterine contractions.

This simple list was very empowering for me.

Secure in my knowledge about which herbs to avoid in pregnancy, I was free to play and learn about all of the many other herbs and the benefits they could offer to me and my growing babies.

Kimberly Gallagher, M.Ed. and John Gallagher, L.Ac are Community Centered Herbalists who run http://www.LearningHerbs.com . They are creators of the Herbal Medicine Making Kit and the Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game board game. John and Kimberly also mentor herbal studies online for people of all experience levels at http://www.HerbMentor.com .

?Home Remedy Secrets, Building Your Own Herbal Medicine Chest at LearningHerbs.com

?Supermarket Herbalism: A 7 day email and video eCourse at FamilyHerbalRemedies.com

?HerbMentor News Monthly Email Mentoring at HerbMentor.com