Archive for the 'Teas' Category
Last week, I ate a few handfuls of sweet, yogurt covered raisins. They tasted so good, I ate more than I should have eaten. About 30 minutes later, my energy started to take a dip and I felt a sudden, overwhelming fatigue. My body became extremely sluggish. Then I realized that my body was crashing due to too much sugar. Yogurt covered raisins must have as much sugar in them as candy. I was suffering from the energy-draining effects of blood sugar swings.
Consuming as little as one-half teaspoon of cinnamon each day can cut energy draining blood sugar spikes by 29 per cent within a month, according to USDA research. Cinnamon works by activating insulin receptors on muscles, helping them to rapidly burn blood sugar. Use cinnamon to add flavor to toast, oatmeal, smoothies, sweet potatoes, hot chocolate and more. Or you can toss in a cinnamon
stick when simmering some hot cocoa or brewing a hot pot of tea.
In the cold wintertime, cinnamon is soothng and comforting, as its’ taste is wonderful in hot apple cider and in warm apple pie. Also, using one tbps. of honey each morning and afternoon significantly improves blood sugar control, helping you to feel energized, think more clearly and work more productively for at least two hours after each dose. This news is based on a recent report from University of Memphis scientists. Choose dark, unpastuerized (raw) varieties of honey such as buckwheat or wild flower, which have up to 20 times more antioxidants than the lighter, more pale types of honey.
When I ‘m cranky and irritated, I can’t see the positive things all around me. I feel agitated and I am in a bad mood and, people hate to be around me. So, I try to be alone by myself so I don’t upset others. Being self-aware and making distinctions as to how my mood is affecting other people is very helpful. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not that I’m frequently in a bad mood; it’s just that life happens and it can throw you a curve ball when you least expect it. Generally, I keep a positive outlook and I am able to focus on the good things in life. However, stress hits all of us from time to time.
Well, feeling annoyed can keep us awake most of the night. Meditation and deep breathing helps to relax me, but herbs can be key in regulating mood; chamomile is the perfect herb to help mental irritation disappear. Cosmetics Chemist Alida Stevens says that chamomile helps to make us more calm so we can fall asleep faster at night. Stevens has announced that “the chamomile in this body spray instantly calms tight, itchy or irritated skin.”
To make this delightful body spray you will need the following:
- 2 cups of distilled water
- 4 to 6 chamomile tea
bags - one clean spray bottle
This is what you need to do next:
- Boil water.
- Steep the tea bags for 10 minutes.
- Squeeze out the tea bags and pour tea into the clean spray bottle.
- Ten minutes prior to bedtime, shake and lightly mist over your entire body (preferable to apply after a shower or a relaxing bath).
This natural body spray will keep for two to five days if stored in the refrigerator. You can thank chemist Alida Stevens for this wonderful skin refresher.
Cosmetic Chemist Alida Stevens has announced that “smelling lavender steadies breathing, regulates bo
dy temperature and lowers blood pressure!” And research on all of this proves that all of these improved body functions produces a better quality of sleep. Below is a recipe for making your own lavender bath soaks. They are loaded with skin-softening oils, so your body feels velvety soft from the moment you get our of the tub until you step out of the house or into your bed,(whatever you so choose to do).
It is fun to make your own bath cubes, and, of course, lavender is the central ingredient. You will also need the following other materials:
- one-half cup light oil, such as sunflower, canola or almond oil
- 3-6 drops of lavender essential oil
- one cup baking soda
- one cup citric acid (as found in health food stores)
- three-fourths cup cornstarch
- 4 drops blue food coloring (optional)
- one muffin tin or an ice cube tray (such as Wilton Mimi Star Cake Pan for $10 at amazon.com)
Next, mix all the oils and set them aside. Combine all dry ingredients, then stir in oil mixture until it forms a crumbly dough. If you want it to be a pretty color of blue, then knead in the food coloring. Pack this mixture into the molds and let is set overnight. Gently remove from the molds the next day and let the cubes air dry. Drop one of the cubes into your bath water, get in and relax!
I love chamomile tea because it is so soothing and it helps me to relax. I only drink it at nighttime; about 2 to 3 hours before going to bed. I have a tendency to drink hot tea in the winter months for obvious reasons. Not only does it warm me up, but it relaxes me into sweet dreamland.
As the years move on, I have noticed that the wrinkles in and around my eyes, my mouth and my cheeks are becoming much more pronounced and I have mixed feelings about it. Sometimes I look at my crow’s feet in the mirror and I think, “I have worked hard for these crow’s feet; I’m entitled to them. But then when I examine the creases and the deepening wrinkles in my forehead and smile lines, I think that “I must be getting older too fast. HELP!!”
I certainly don’t feel my age because I have alot of energy and I have no aches or pains, fortunately. I live a healthy lifestyle, as I get plenty of sleep, I exercise and I eat healthy, fat-free, non-greasy food. I take supplements when necessary, yet I am still trapped in a linear timeline of hours and days which seem to march on faster and faster each day. I don’t know about you, but, as I age, time seems to fly by faster than ever; one year blends into the next and I wish I could just stop time to get a grip on life events. But, alas, we are only human, stuck in the linear unfolding of time. In eternity, time will not exist linearly; it will be have many dimensions. However, until we reach eternity, we must cope with time as it exists for us in the world.
C
hamomileflowers are a great, natural way to reduce the appearance of fine wrinkles. It is better than chemicals and other such distrustful ingredients. Chamomile blossoms contain alpha-bisobolol, a substance proven to promote what is called “granulation.” Granulation is the formation of healthy new skin tissue. This information is cutting edge form Chris Kilham, the author of the book, “Hot Plants.”
Just immerse a chamomile tea bag in hot water for 10 minutes. Do not let the water reach the boiling point. Let the tea bag cool down and then rinse your face with it, at least twice per day. You will be delighted when you see the improvement. Happy aging!
I was almost in tears last week when I got together with an old friend whom I hadn’t seen in several years. Well, we all get older, and, myself, (being a prisoner of time), am no exception. My friend looked at me and she kept staring at my forehead. After I asked her what she was starring at, she remarked, “Abigail, you have a receding hairline.” 
I denied her observation vehemently and thought that it can’t possibly be true. But, sure enough, I went into the bathroom and gazed into the mirror, and, then I saw what she saw. I had a brief period of sadness and some grief over the loss and then…. I got our the scissors and gave myself bangs. I still wear bangs and I will never give up the bangs, because it looks better than a receding hairline.
Yes, a woman’s pride is in her hair. We spend our hard-earned cash at the beauty salon and where we take great strides to cut and style our hair to look good. I have friends who worry that their hair is getting thinner as they age, and they cry sometimes. They wonder how to get the thickness back into their hair so that they won’t go bald. I would hate having to wear a wig – it seems like wigs would be unbearably hot in the summer weather.I have to admit; fear of becoming bald is a big one on my list of worrisome “what-if’s.”
Anyway, I found out that we can make our hair thicker with hibiscus. Hibiscus flowers grow in the tropics and it the petals of this beautiful flower taste good, along with containing a high level of vitamin C. Hibiscus contains plant lipids that coat and protect hair and stimulate the scalp. Since it thoroughly cleans the hair follicles, hibiscus helps thicken hair.
Research suggests an extract of the leaves and flowers may even prevent hair loss. So, brew up the tea and use it as a rinse after shampooing and conditioning. Let the flower petals soak in hot water, just like you would make tea. It is worth a try and it really works for many people.
This is the time of year that I love; yet, I hate it too because my allergies really get triggered during the late summer and early autumn season. I am allergic to ragweed and as much as I love the colors of autumn, it gives me painful sinus headaches. Maybe you can relate to what I’m talking about. Anyway, I try not to take sinus decongestants because they dry me up and my heart starts racing faster, which is scary.
I use guided visualization. I envision my head pain and pressure vanishing and that seems to help somewhat. It doesn’t take all the pressure away. So, I have tried taking peppermint oil and saturating a cotton ball with it. Then, when I start to drive my 16-mile commute back and forth to work everyday, I stick the peppermint-soaked cotton ball in the heating vent so I sniff in the soothing oil, and, voila, it takes away the edge off the pressure and pain.
Be mindful that I combine this way of treating the headache with use of a netty pot and saline solution, along with inhaling of eucalyptus too. I avoid taking pain killers and I use the alternate treatment of natural herbs and plant medicine whenever possible. Peppermint 
and lavender are very soothing in combination with each other too.
By the way,Dr. Fred Pescatore, M.D. and director of the Centers for Integrative and Complementary Medicine in NYC and Dallas, reports that people who load up on pain killing meds when they are fighting viruses actually stay sick three days longer because those medications suppress the fever which actually kill the viruses. So, the next time you are sick with a virus, lay in bed and welcome the presence of a fever, since that is what will kill the virus that made you sick in the first place.
Women in India fight off symptoms of cold and flu by drinking curry-laced broth and soup. Researchers at the University of California at San Fransisco report that this anti-inflammatory spice can relieve congestion, stuffiness and other symptoms within 10 minutes. Amazing! Just add a pinch of curry powder to 8 ounces of your favorite chicken broth or soup, heat it up and enjoy.
Additionally, we should all add avocados to our diets. They are packed with omega-9 fatty acids, which are essential oils that speed the conversion of food into the cellular energy needed to build strong immune cells. This can reduce your risk of a prolonged illness by 30 per cent or greater. The research studies suggest a daily dose of 1/4 cup of avocado everyday.
Last of all, be silly. People who use the “downtime” of being sick as an excuse to laugh with funny videos or other humorous entertainment recover faster, plus cut their risk of a relapse by as much as 80 per cent. Laughter stimulates your brain to produce immunity-boosting hormones such as oxytocin.
Cumin is one of main ingredients found in curry sauces. It is classified as a “smoky” herb. Cumin is proven to prevent gas, banish bloating and to ease digestion. It has over 100 different compounds that help to break down food faster and more efficiently. The consequences: your body absorbs more nutrients from the food you eat and toxins and fats that cause sluggishness are literally broken down and flushed out of your system.
Be sure to get the full health benefits. You can use ground cumin seed when you cook and you can try making a cumin tea from the seeds. Just place one teaspoon of cumin seeds and one cup of water in a tea or coffee pot. Heat until the water starts to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let steep for about 10 minutes. Add a pinch of salt to enhance the flavor and drink up!
My friends are taking me to a Jamaican Jerk Hut tomorrow night to celebrate my birthday. I can’t wait to order some of the curried dishes. It will give me the energy I need to dance the night away after working all day!
Rooibos tea is only found in South Africa. It was boycotted for many years due to the political tensions in that country, but in the last five to six years, rooibos tea has been gaining popularity as one of the healthiest teas on the planet! More and more people are buying it and drinking it in good health. I love it simply because it is a wonderful anti-oxidant and it strengthens my immune system and keeps it functioning in tip top shape.
The reason for its’ popularity is due to its’ healthy stores of anti-oxidants, such as zinc, copper and calcium. These ingredients, along with Rooibos’ anti-inflammatory properties are able to lock moisture into the skin cells and they are successful at easing full blown symptoms of excema and psoriasis. Plus, it tastes good!
It is no surprise that Rooibos tea is now an ingredient in many over-the-counter skin creams and lotions. Just steep a Rooibos tea bag in hot water for 10 minutes . Let it cool and then use it as a toner, dipping a cottonball in the liquid and applying directly to the affected areas of skin two times per day. Most Rooibos is red, however, there is a type of green Rooibos tea
which is green.
Ginger tea has already been known to help stomach aches and now research has been shown it to relax tense muscles and ease menstrual cramps. Research shows that it is the gingerols that give ginger its’ incredible healing properties. Gingerols are natural pain killers that warm the muscles, put a damper on menstrual cramps and stimulate blood flow to the muscles so they can heal more rapidly.
Ginger tea 
is also filled with loads of magnesium and with vitamin C, which relax the nervous system and help to lower stress hormone levels. To use, put three to four ginger tea bags into your bath water. As your body soaks in the soothing bath water, its hardworking plant compounds will soak into your pores.
Just the scent of the ginger, as you breathe it inside of you, helps to relax your body, mind and your soul. It is such a relaxing scent. Let it fill you up as you lay in the water and relax. For myself, I always use more than four bags of tea simply because I can’t get enough ginger. I put several drops of ginger essential oil into my bath water and it seems to be a little more powerful than using the leaves, the powder, or the actual root.