Herbalicious........

Hey folks! First off, a billion (organic fair-trade) sugar-coated thanks for visiting The Green Daisy and for participating in my weekly poll. You have no idea the level of heartbeams I get when I tune in to the Daisy Pages and see that someone's added their info or opinion to it! I'll be sure to start posting the end results and adding my two cents (or three cents, or four) each time they're finished.
OKAY! So my last post was an excellent example of my tendency to be mercilessly long-winded on topic that I enjoy, so I thought it'd be a grand idea to make today's post on a topic that's more concise and listy. (Listy? You can probably tell that I just got up.) A few years ago, I really started getting into using herbs and other materials directly from nature to treat minor health ailments. It was almost more of a curiosity than a quest to heal anything.. after all, most of the compounds that are found in store-bought medicines are just synthetic copies of remedies that can be found in your own backyard (unless your backyard is a parking lot, like mine) and it seemed like a pretty common-sense idea. Why not get your prescription directly from Mother Nature? Now if only she specialized in heart surgery..... ;)
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that if you're on death's door you should fix yourself a cup of herbal tea and forget about it. Obviously there's a time to visit the doctor, and your body will tell you when that is. But for daily gripes and bothers, there's no need to fill yourself up with questionable, synthesized (and expensive) bottled junk from an already filthy-rich company when you can do it nature's way and be extra-kind to your body in the process. It's friendly for your bod, and it's friendly for the planet. I'm no expert on the topic, but I'd like to share a list of herbal/natural remedies that I've added to over the years. I really dig some of them, and I'll add a l'il blip of my testimonials when applicable.

LEMON BALM
It's a plant that is readily available dried or in tea-bag form. Make 2-3 cups of lemon balm tea daily to simmer down a headache or relieve mild depression. I started drinking lemon balm tea a few years ago when I was working a very stressful job and it was starting to affect my mood. It took a few days, but I honestly did feel a hell of a lot better. Then I quit that crappy job.. hee hee.

TEA TREE
A wonderous plant! Ideal for areas needing a natural antiseptic, any skin ailments (cuts, infections, even head lice!) and even athlete's foot. You can add the oil to a bath, or buy soaps and shampoos with tea tree added to them. You can use the oil directly too, but you might want to dilute it somewhat. [Jennie's note: Long story short: I got head lice for the first time in grade 12. Tried on antique-hats. Caught lice. Mortified. Used tea tree oil and tea tree shampoo... lice gone. Only slightly traumatized.]

TUMERIC
A delicious food seasoning, also good for inflammation - of cuts, rashes, etc. Use the dried powder or fresh plant in your cooking a often as possible or take as a supplement. [I use this all the time in my cooking! Tasty and healing? Hooray!]

KAVA KAVA
From the plant - apparently good for stress, muscle tension and anxiety. [I've never actually used it before, but it's on the list waiting, just in case. I've heard good things.] You can buy it as a supplement at health food stores.

ENCHINACEA
We've all heard this one before, but I had to add it, because mercy, it works. Use it at the first signs of a cold, sore throat, or virus invasion. Take a bunch. You can find it in crunchy tasty tablet form too! Its immune boosting properties are known worldwide.

PASSIONFLOWER
Take passionflower as a tea, 2-3 times daily, or in supplement form for anxiety, irritability and especially insomnia. [Jennie's note: I haven't tried this one personally, but I have a friend who does. Apparently having a cup of passionflower tea about a half-hour before bed time is supposed to do wonders. It kinda makes me wonder though... wouldn't I have to wake up to pee? Haha]

ST.JOHN'S WORT
This is supposed to be THE herb to take for mild depression. Funny thing - I've actually tried St.John's Wort in tea-form simply because it tastes good! Anyways, I haven't tried it as a remedy, but like passionflower, I know someone who does, and they swear by it and I put it on this list on their urging. This herb has a very good reputation for relieving depression. Available as a supplement or as tea.

VERLERIAN
Another favorite to help with the havoc that insomnia causes! Take as a bed time tea, or buy the tincture and put it in a bit of hot water. You can get it as a supplement too. Watch it though - this herb is supposed to be a marvelous relaxant, but you don't want to fall asleep at the wheel.

RED CLOVER
This is supposed to be amazing for hushing menopausal symptoms. Needless to say, I haven't actually had a reason to try this stuff yet. Just throwin' it out there for ... further reference? Take as a tea, three or more times daily.

FLAX SEED.
Whoo boy. Say goodbye to constipation. Store-bought laxatives are awful for your system. Try flax seed instead! Soak 1 tsp of the seeds in cold water overnight, and then add it to your oatmeal or cereal in the morning. Have a nice big glass of water with it. Flax works like a charm... don't overdo it.

CHAMOMILE
A tea-lover's favorite, no doubt! I'm in love with chamomile tea. It's great for all over agitation, stress, headaches, and general i've-had-a-long-crappy-day,-wind-me-down-please. It's very calming without making you sleepy, although it is nice at bed time. Have a cup of chamomile tea whenever required, or have it daily. Add honey... it'd delicious.

FENNEL
Fantastic for indigestion complaints. That new spicy Indian dish didn't agree with you? Make tea with fennel seeds. I promise.

GINGER
One of my favorites! Ginger is really neat. Not only does it taste like a (spicy) dream, it's perfect for indigestion, nausea and other complaints - it's great for when you're sick with a cold or flu too. When in doubt - have some ginger. Work it into a dish, or better yet, make a delicious tea from it. Boil a one-inch piece (you can cut it up too) in enough water for a cup or two of tea for five minutes or so, and then strain. You can use just the ginger water as tea, or better yet, add some green tea leaves and/or lemongrass stems to it for an extra boost. Sweeten with honey... great, now I have to go make myself a pot of ginger tea. Be right back.

PEPPERMINT
Peppermint is another one of my best herbal friends. It's fantastic as a natural wake-up, but it's good for indigestion and headaches too. Like ginger, I find that peppermint is one of those all-around very-handy any-time herbs. If you're feeling crappy, try peppermint. You can get it in ready-made teabags, (watch for artificial flavoring... that stuff's crap) or better yet, get a sprig of the fresh plant and add it to freshly boiled water. Add a squirt of lemon and/or honey. You can't go wrong.


So there we have it! And now I ask YOU: what's YOUR favorite herbal remedy? I think we all have one! Or, if you've tried one of the above and would like to share the results, add a comment or send me an email!
That's all for today's Daisy Pages... thanks again for reading! Stay tuned for the next post, too... it's gonna be a doozy. So long - I'll be in the tub with my ginger tea if you need me.