Archive for the 'Teas' Category
Rev up your body’s natural defenses, so that viruses will be eradicated quickly and cut your recovery time in half. No matter how many times you wash your hands and disinfect your hand held phone or wipe down your door knobs with alcohol, chances are that everyone comes down with the common cold one or two times per year. But, you can cut your recovery time short and feel better faster if you eat and drink right and get more sleep. Here are some helpful tips to speed up your recovery and help you to bounce back quicker.
Studies show that sipping a cup of Korean ginseng tea daily cuts at least two days off the length of time people feel ill by triggering a 30% jump in immune cells that attack and destroy invading viruses. Siberian and Brazilian ginseng are also powerful immune stimulators. When you drink ginseng
tea stir in one tablespoon of raw honey. Raw honey soothes the coughing spells that make it hard to get restorative sleep when you’re ill.
Speaking of sleep – When you are sick you should go back to bed. Yes, sleeping as long as possible, either by going to bed earlier, getting up a little later or catching cat naps – can boost your ability to trounce cold and flu viruses as much as 50%, report Cornell University scientists. Sleep time is when your body makes antibodies, large protein molecules that latch onto invading germs like anchors to block their effect.
Do you have trouble going to sleep and staying asleep? Here are some herbal tips to help you to sleep better and deeper. First, try adding parsley to your meals. This garnish contains myristicin, an organic compound that spurs your brain to produce the relaxing hormone serotonin, Texas A&M researchers discovered. Several hours after you consume parsley , your body will be primed and ready for sleep.
Most people know that consuming caffeine late at night, or before bedtime, is often a culprit for being unable to get to sleep. Instead of coffee, brew some passionflower tea
an hour before bedtime and it will improve your slumber. If you’re prone to stress, just make your after-dinner beverage a cup of this brew.
Problem sleepers who drank one l cup daily for a week dramatically improved their sleep quality, a recent study found. That’s because the herb contains compounds that increase your levels of the calming hormone, dopamine.
Incidentally, those who listen to soft music for 45 minutes prior to bedtime, improved their sleep quality by at least 35%, one study found. In fact, study subjects enjoyed a 26% improvement in just the first week! While folk music produced the biggest benefit, your favorite slow-paced songs will work also.
To prevent colds and flu and provide relief from seasonal allergies which can lead to cold symptoms, you can end inflammation by drinking rooibos tea. It provides relief from sniffling, sneezing, itchy eyes and nasal congestion. This ruby red tea is packed with anti-inflammatories that dampen the production of symptom-triggering histamines within days.
It has a natural sweetness so you don’t have to put alot of sweeteners in it. Just drink two cups daily of this sweet, caffeine-free brew. Rooibos tea 
is from South Africa and it is rich in immune boosting properties that prevents us from getting illnesses and other contagious diseases. There is also green rooibos tea, which is extremely high in magnesium. Studies have shown that keeping daily magnesium levels high can prevent strokes. And, no worries. You can drink as much tea everyday as you want because there is no such thing as drinking “too much rooibos tea.”
By the way, as a extra, added precaution, washing your clothes in hot water (above 140 degrees), removes 97% of pollen and allergens that get stuck to the material. Washing in warm or cool water only removes about 20% of allergens and other histamine-producing dust and material from clothes.
I am a single parent who is trying to get her daughter through college. My daughter is in her second year of college, studying bio chemistry. Since the cost of tuition keeps going up at amazing rates every year, I have to pinch pennies, literally. I am making my own hair rinses, body scrubs and facial scrubs now. This step not only helps me to save money; these homemade skin products really work! My skin, hair and complexion is brighter, smoother and healthier. I am saving quite a bit of money making my own products,(which goes toward my daughter’s tuition), so I want to share them with all of my readers – YOU!
Below is a do it yourself recipe for a minty hair rinse, which will boost your hair’s body. I don’t know about you, but my hair gets limp from time to time. In fact, I need to use body builders. Sometimes my scalp gets itchy and dandruff appears. According to Janice Cox, the writer of the book, “Eco Beauty,” this is a perfect pick-me-up. The mint tea and the vinegar, mixed together, gets your scalp tingly and fresh-feeling, and your hair will be residue-free and full of body.”
To make your own hair rinse, this is what you’ll need:
- 2 mint tea bags (organic, if possible)
- one-half cup boiling water
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Steep the tea in boiling water for 2 to 4 minutes. Remove tea bags and cool. Stir in the vinegar and pour into a resealable bottle. Shampoo, condition and rinse your hair as usual, pour the mint 
rinse into hair and scalp. Massage in and style as usual without re-rinsing. This recipe yields one application.
Here is a recipe for roasted figs with cinnamon. Cinnamon is one of the healthiest spices in the world. This is a recipe which is absolutely delicious and I want to share it with the world. Everyone should eat as healthy as possible.
Ingredients:
- 16 figs, stems trimmed and small x’s cut into the bottom
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- one tablespoon fresh-squeezed orange juice
- one teaspoon ground cinnamon
- one tablespoon fresh, finely chopped thyme
- two tablespoons chopped walnuts
- Zest of one orange
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, In a baking dish, stand 12 figs on their bottoms, (pressing down to keep them from wobbling)
2. Brush each fig with melted butter and roast for about 20 minutes, until figs are tender.
3. Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree the remaining four figs. In a medium saucepan over low heat. Combine the pureed figs with the honey, orange juice and cinnamon and cook, stirring often, for about five minutes. (Add a little water if the mixture is too thick to stir – aim for a syrup-like consistency).
4. Remove the figs from the oven, pour the sauce over them, and sprinkle with chopped thyme, and return to the oven to roast for another five minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with walnuts and orange zest.
Each serving is 184 calories; 6 grams of fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 2 grams protein; 36 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 2 milligrams sodium.
Ginger is the root of the Zingiber officinale plant, sold fresh and also as a dried powder. Its taste is warm and piquant, with an edgy, flowery bite. In Ayurveda, ginger is undoubtedly known as “the universal medicine” for its anti-inflammatory properties and ability to soothe indigestion.
Recent clinical studies support its occasional use to relieve nausea during pregnancy as safe. An effective dose (for relieving nausea) is about 1,000 milligrams of ginger powder, or about one quarter of a typical 3-inch piece of fresh ginger.
It has also been shown to ease motion sickness and may be effective in managing arthritis. A set of Japanese animal studies published in the International Journal of Cancer suggested that ginger may also prevent colon and lung cancer.
To cook with it, remember that it goes well when paired with honey, lemon, lime, scallions, soy sauce, carrots and fish. It is popular in Asian cuisine and is one of the crucial components in curry. To serve sushi, ginger slices are cut very thin to eat with wasabi and soy sauce, which greatly enhances the taste of the sushi.
In the cold winter months it is good to drink as a tea. You can slice the root in small or medium pieces,(depending on how strong you like it). It has a rather strong taste, so if you’re not used to ginger, I suggest you start small and increase the root size over time. Sipping this tea really soothes my throat when it is scratchy from post nasal drip. Try it! I am finding that it takes awhile to develop a taste for this valuable herb, but once you start liking ginger, you will seek it more often and find delight in its taste. Then you will start to yearn for its health benefits. Its good stuff.
Good news! Don’t worry about precautions or danger with overuse. You can eat or drink it as much as you want without the worries of side effects. Unlike other herbs, it is safe throughout all nine months of pregnancy.
Cinnamon is an herb or spice which is derived from the bark of the Cinnamomum Zeylanicum tree. The bark is ground up and dried. It tastes warm, sweet and slightly smoky.
It is so good for you! Renowned for lowering blood glucose and LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels, cinnamon’s diabetes-managing prowess was further explored in a 2009 research study that linked it to lower levels of hemoglobin A1c in patients with type II diabetes. Since hemoglobin levels are a good indicator of long-term blood-glucose control, the study suggests that cinnamon may help treat type II diabetes. An effective dose for cardiovascular health is about one-half teaspoon everyday.
To cook with this popular spice, just add a teaspoon or two into pancake batter or into steel-cut oats. Add this spice early in the cooking process to allow the flavor to blend completely. Cinnamon is also an ingredient of Indian garam massala (mixed with cardamom, cloves, coriander and black pepper). You can make your own organic tea by letting the bark soak in a pot of hot, (but not boiling) water. It makes for a soothing tea. Caution: Take a break from eating or drinking it by taking one week off every 5 -6 weeks. Remember, that even too much of a good thing can be potentially dangerous.
Turmeric is the root of the Curcuma longa plant, dried and ground into a powder. It has a bitter and sweet taste. It is very healthy for you. Researcher Bharat Aggarwal was responsible for the ground breaking 1995 discovery that curcumin, the active phytonutrient in this spice, actually interferes with the growth of tumors.
While there is not clinical proof yet that turmeric can prevent cancer, a 2009 Chinese study suggests it is effective in inhibiting the metastasizing of melanoma cells. A recent California, Los Angeles research study also indicates that turmeric may help the immune system clear the brain of amyloid beta, which form the plaques found in Alzheimer’s disease. Aggarwal says that curcumin has the ability to turn off a “master switch” of inflammation in the body, and he recommends eating a tespoon or two of this great spice everyday for to achieve optimal health.
How to cook with it – turmeric is used extensively in Indian, Moroccan and Thai cuisines, goes well with chicken, potatoes, rice, mustard and with most other spices like coriander, ginger and cumin. It’s the base spice in creating curry,so, remember to cook with more curry to get these important health benefits.
You are all aware of who Dr. Andrew Weil is? He is a medical doctor and one of the world’s leading health experts. He is always featured in Prevention magazine, giving health advice for wellness and disease prevention. Dr. Weil says that ginger root
tea ” really relieves cold symptoms.” Go to DrWeil.com and read his advice for yourself.
His recipe for winter health is to get a pot and, over high heat, combine two cups of cold water and a one inch piece peeled, grated fresh ginger; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for five minutes. Add one-half tsp. of cayenne pepper; simmer for one minute. Remove from heat; add two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, one clove of garlic (crushed) and honey. The tea’s anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting qualities relieve congestion.
This winter, if you need to relieve stress, I recommend Hawthorne tea. Hawthorne tea is so calming that it is called “nature’s Valium.” Shane Ellison (The People’s Chemist.com), author of Over-the-Counter Natural Cures, says that Hawthorne tea “reduces irritability and relaxes your muscles.” Yet here’s one very important muscle it helps you flex: “Your heart; it strengthens contractions while controlling blood pressure.”
When I was a kid, I made pomanders for the holidays. Pomanders are simply oranges, studded with cloves. Amazingly, this simple holiday decoration can perk us up! I know that the holidays are well over, but I hold on to my pomanders for as long as possible. I save my pomanders because the citrus scents of this decoration have been proven to improve focus and increase concentration by more than 30%.
But what really powers this energy-booster are the cloves. When researchers exposed volunteers to the spicy fragrance of cloves
, brain scans revealed a surge of activity in the region responsible for alertness and the volunteers also had a sharper memory! Pretty cool!
Another remnant of the holidays that I save for as long as possible are pointsettias. Yes, I keep these pretty holiday plants growing in pots inside of my home until they stop growing every year. I do this because the lovely pointsettia plant helps me to breathe easier as it purifies the air around us. NASA research reveals that the pointsettia is one of the moist effective air purifiers around.
Many house plants filter some harmful chemicals and pollutants from the air, but because this festive Mexican plant has super-sized leaves, it can absorb a whopping 99% of indoor air toxins that you’d otherwise be breathing into your body! And, guess what? Those bright red petals are not flowers; they are actually red leaves that have turned scarlet. So, keep your pointsettias around and breathe easy.