Healthy Herbs for Wellness and Stress ReliefWhen thinking of healthy herbs for nourishment and protection from stress, teas, capsules and tinctures come to mind. But in order to reap nutritional rewards, serving sized portions of these herb foods are needed. They provide many of the vitamins, minerals and other constituents needed to replenish the body that has been compromised due to chronic stress and unhealthy living. Despite what advertising may lead you to believe, you simply cannot receive the nourishment you need from vitamin pills. Herbs available as "teas" and in other forms are not strong enough to qualify as nourishment either. An easy way to improve your health and resistance to the effects of stress is to include oatstraw, stinging nettles, and/or sea vegetables as part of your regular diet. Oatstraw and nettles are often brewed as nourishing herbal infusions that are tasty and easy to make. Nettle Leaf - (Urtica dioica or Urtica urens)
Stinging Nettle Leaf is energizing, nourishing and rejuvenating. Nettle leaves contain a wealth of vitamins, minerals, lipids, proteins, and micro-nutrients.Nettle leaf shines in its ability to restore adrenal and kidney functioning. It is nourishing to the endocrine glands, cardiovascular, nervous, digestive and immune systems. This healthy herb nourishes the skin, hair, joints and bones. Nettles is known to help balance blood sugar, reduce headaches, rehydrate dry tissue in the body and relieve constipation (as many dark green drinks do). Some people find nettle tea to be a bit strong or "harsh". You may want to start with a smaller amount of herb or drink it diluted with more water. They can be boiled and eaten as a green vegetable in the spring, made into a vinegar, herbal infusion, or used in soups. My choice is to buy them cut and dried to infuse for drinks or soup stock. One-and-a-third cups of dried nettle leaf (cut and sifted so it looks like flakes) is roughly equivalent to one ounce. Oatstraw - Avena sativa
Avena is a familiar herb that is used in a variety of ways. If you've eaten oatmeal, or taken an Aveno, or oat, bath for itchy skin, then you've already experienced common uses of this plant. Taken as a tincture or extract of fresh milky tops, oatstraw is one of the calming, nervine herbs. Oatstraw is rich in calcium, B vitamins, and other vitamins, minerals and herbal constituents. It helps you build energy, sleep better, be more emotionally resilient and more resistant to stress. The benefits of oatstraw extend beyond the nervous system. It helps build healthy bones and teeth, improves circulation and can help stabilize blood sugar levels. It helps keep blood vessels healthy and relieves tissue dryness. Women report it boosts their libido. Approximately three-fourths (3/4ths) of a cup of dried, cut and sifted oatstraw is equivalent to one ounce. Sea VegetablesThere are several varieties of sea vegetables sold in markets and health food stores. They are healthy herbs rich in minerals and vitamins needed by the bones and the endocrine, immune and circulatory systems.Seaweeds minimize the effects of different kinds of stress. They help protect you from chemicals, radiation and free radical damage in addition to supporting stressed glands and organ systems. 
Kelp, Dulse and Nori are fairly well known healthy herbs. You can find these and other seaweeds dried and packaged at health food stores. They are available as whole sheets or small flakes. Kelp can be found dried in packages or in shakers as a salt substitute in health food stores. I've even seen it sold as candy! Kelp is very rich in minerals, especially iodine. Add a whole piece to a soup or stew, cook for at least ten minutes and remove before serving. Dulse has a lighter flavor and texture than kelp. Big barrels of packaged dried red dulse are available at snack bars in Nova Scotia. Lightly toast sheets of dulse on the stove to make "DLTs". Dulse, lettuce and tomato sandwiches are actually pretty good! Packages of thin sheets of roasted Nori are sold in Asian markets and make a tasty snack. Nori is often found at sushi bars. Sea vegetables are easily hidden in soups, stews, sauces and casseroles. Add it to tomato sauce. Aim for a half-ounce of dried seaweed a week to enjoy their health benefits. Read more about Natural Herbal Healing
|
