By: Elizabeth Renter,
10 Hardcore Facts Men Can Learn from Nature
𝟏. 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 In the wild, weakness is punished, not pitied. The strong eat. The weak get eaten. 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧: As a man,
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The Top 10 Teas for Your Herbal Medicine Cabinet
Posted: 26 Jul 2013 02:11 PM PDT
By: Daisy Luther,
The Organic Prepper. When you’re sick, little is more comforting than holding a steaming mug of fragrant tea in both hands, warming your face with the hot steam. Somehow, no matter how rotten you felt before, you instantly feel just a tiny bit better.
Whether you are lucky enough to grow your own tea herbs, you purchase loose teas, or you use tea bags, your cabinet is not complete without the following ingredients. These teas are delicious and beneficial, with many different healing qualities. Considering that we most often turn to herbal teas for healing purposes, it’s especially important to purchase or grow organic herbs for this purpose. If your leaves are bathed in pesticide and then you add them to boiling water, instead of healing goodness, you are steeping toxins.
When making tea for medicinal purposes, be sure to steep the tea in a teapot with a lid, or to cover your mug while the herbs are steeping. This helps to make a more potent brew by keeping all of the healing oils in the tea, instead of allowing them to drift into the room. Most herbs should be steeped for about 10 minutes for maximum results.
 There are many different herbs from around the world that have wonderful healing properties. I’ve concentrated this list on ones that can either be easily acquired and stored, or ones that can be easily grown in a backyard garden or a sunny window. Just like band-aids, antibiotic cream, or aspirin, these items are vital additions to your pantry, allowing you to dispense a hot, steaming, fragrant cup of nurturing in as little time as it takes you to boil water. Be prepared by keeping the following ingredients close at hand, and be self-sufficient by producing for yourself as many as possible (always the best way to make sure that the items were grown using safe, organic methods).In no particular order…
1. Mint  Mint tea is the classic herbal tea. Mint is an ingredient in many different commercial tea blends and is much-loved for its refreshing fragrance.
2. Ginger
 This homely root is an ingredient in many natural cough, cold, and nausea treatments. Instead of giving your child gingerale when they are suffering from an upset stomach (and all of the HFCS and artificial flavors that come in it) brew up a nice cup of ginger tea sweetened with honey for a real dose of soothing ginger!
Growing it: Ginger is a tropical plant that is apparently not difficult to grow indoors. It requires excellent soil, warmth, humidity, and filtered sunlight.
You can learn how to grow ginger HERE. It’s not recommended to exceed 4 grams of ginger per day – components in the herb can cause irritation of the mouth, heartburn and diarrhea if taken in excess.
Click HERE to find a recipe for a delicious honey-ginger cough syrup that can also be the basis for a night-time hot toddy. Ginger tea can be used to:
3. Chamomile  Chamomile tea should be steeped a little longer than other herbal teas in order to get all of the medicinal benefits. This soothing, slightly apple-flavored tea has mild sedative properties. The petals of the tiny flowers are where the medicinal values lie.
Growing it: Chamomile is easy to grow from seeds. Start them in the late winter and transfer outdoors when the risk of frost has passed. Once the plants are well established, chamomile can thrive with little water during hot weather. When buying your seeds, note that German chamomile is an annual and Roman chamomile is a perennial.
Caution: Chamomile tea should be avoided by people who take blood thinners. As well, those who suffer from ragweed allergies may also have an allergic reaction to chamomile, as the two plants are related.
Chamomile tea can be used to:
4. Cinnamon  Cinnamon doesn’t just smell like a holiday in a cup, it is anti-bacterial, antiviral, and antifungal, making it an excellent all-around remedy for whatever ails you. Cinnamon is a wonderful source of immune-boosting antioxidants.
Growing it:
Stir cinnamon powder well into boiling water and steep for 8 minutes. Add a tea bag and steep for 2 more minutes. Stir in honey and warm milk.
Cinnamon tea can be used to:
5. Lemongrass Lemongrass is another herb that is loaded with healing properties. The spiky, easy-to-grow plant has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, and antifungal properties, making it helpful in treating a plethora of ailments.
Growing it: You can actually root the lemongrass that you buy at the grocery store to start your own patio lemongrass farm. It grows beautifully in a large pot, making it a good herb for the apartment windowsill farmer to cultivate. It can be grown year-round indoors. Check out this article for more information.
Lemongrass tea can help to:
6. Echinacea
 This lovely flowering plant is probably the pinnacle of herbal preventatives. Echinacea is not only anti-bacterial – but it stimulates the body’s immune system to fight off bacterial and viral attacks. The medicinal properties are in the leaves and the purple flowers.
Growing it: Echinacea is also known as the “purple coneflower”. The plant has deep taproots and is somewhat drought resistant. It is a perennial. Sow seeds outdoors in the early spring before the last frost. These plants like full sun and they don’t like too much moisture.
Echinacea tea can help to:
7. Rosehips  Rosehips make a tart, tangy pink-colored tea. They are the seed-filled pod at the base of a rose blossom, giving you a practical reason to have more rose bushes in your garden. It mixes well and enhances the flavor of any berry or fruit-flavored tea.
Rosehip tea can help to:
8. Blackberry leaf  Dried blackberry leaves give a luscious fruity flavor when steeped in boiling water. Not only are they the basis of many delicious teas, they are loaded with a beneficial component called tannins. (Bonus tip: add a blackberry leaf to a jar of pickles when canning – the tannin helps to keep the pickles crisp.)
Caution: Excess consumption of blackberry leaves (or anything containing tannins) can cause liver damage.
Blackberry leaf tea can help to:
9. Clove
 Cloves are a wonderful addition to herbal tea just for the taste. Not only is the flavor delicious, but cloves have been used for centuries to treat a variety of ailments. The multipurpose little seed packs a mighty punch with its antiviral, antifungal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Growing it: Cloves are the dried buds of a flowering evergreen tree that is native to Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar. They are generally imported and, unfortunately, are not easy to cultivate in other climates or greenhouse atmospheres.
Caution: In high amounts cloves can cause liver damage, blood in the urine, diarrhea, nausea, and dizziness.
Clove tea can help to:
10. Lemon Balm  Lemon balm, also known as Bee Balm, was first recorded to have been used by the ancient Greeks as an overall tonic for good health. It is an ingredient in the old world Carmelite water, a recipe created by Carmelite nuns in the early 1600s to treat headaches. (The traditional mixture also contained coriander, lemon-peel, nutmeg, and angelica root.)
Growing it:
Lemon balm is easy to grow and produces throughout the summer. The more you harvest, the more it produces. It is perennial in warmer climates. Lemon balm like rich moist soil with organic compost and partial shade in the hottest part of the day. It is another one of those herbs that can take over a garden, so plant it in a confined area.
Lemon balm tea can help to:
What do you keep in your herbal medicine cabinet? Why is it an important natural remedy for you? Please share in the comments section below! |
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Posted: 26 Jul 2013 02:48 AM PDT
It’s common knowledge in the natural health world that pharmaceuticals often (if not always) do more harm than good. It’s also clear that foods, herbs, and other natural sources can offer similar benefits without those nasty side effects. Once again, our beliefs have been affirmed by science: A recent study published in Phytotherapy Research says that not only is turmeric effective at treating depression, it may even be more effective than some of the most common anti-depressant drugs currently on the market.
While previous studies have indicated the effectiveness of turmeric (curcumin) in treating serious depression, this study was the first randomized controlled clinical trial of its kind.
Researchers with the Department of Pharmacology of Government Medical College in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India compared the effects of turmeric and Prozac (fluoxetine), both used together and individually, in 60 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD).
According to GreenMedInfo.com, the researchers used the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale to measure their results:
While reading the researchers conclusions indicates one treatment (turmeric) is equally effective as Prozac, it doesn’t account for the negative effects of Prozac, which boost turmeric’s value considerably. Prozac is known to cause “suicidal ideation or other psychotic disorders,” frightening side effects that are clearly absent in turmeric use.
Related Read: 5 Natural Solutions for Preventing Depression
In addition to fighting depression, the bright yellow root commonly used in Indian cooking known as turmeric has been found to have numerous health benefits. In addition to this enlightening research on its efficacy in depression treatment, we know it also has value in the treatment of inflammatory conditions, diabetes, and even cancer. If that isn’t enough, it’s also been shown effective in aiding in weight loss and cutting heart disease risk. Plus, it tastes amazing.
Anti-depressant medications are some of the biggest of Big Pharma’s many big money-makers. Equipped with knowledge like the findings of this most recent study, consumers have the potential to undermine their goal of drugging America and the world.
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𝟏. 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 In the wild, weakness is punished, not pitied. The strong eat. The weak get eaten. 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧: As a man,
In the first article, we left off with the Social Ghostwriting Offer. We saw the different ways a Ghostwriter can scale the business of an