Thursday, May 19, 2011

Fennel: Antacid, Anti-Inflammatory, Expectorant, Tonic

Ok, I'm back from my vacation to NH. It was lovely and of course so great to see my family, but as you all know, when you are away, your business tends to suffer a bit. I am happy to be back and focused on work. :)

    Today I want to talk about Fennel, I know it's been a while since I said I was going to discuss it, but here I am, stop your fussin!

              Fennel is such a strong, rich herb. Great for use in food and medicinally, Woop!

  •      Fennel enriches the quality and quantity of mother's milk, which in turn carries over to baby and helps calm colic.
  •  We all know fennel is great for digestion and helps rid the intestinal tract of mucus, (come on, who wants mucus in there?)
  • Fennel can be used as a breath freshener and gargle
  • Fennel can expel worms, and can be applied as an eye wash
  • This herb is quite effective in weight loss, helps curb the appetite and alleviates hunger pains!!!
  • Promotes more normal bowel function!
  • Fennel is more than effective for cancer patients after being exposed to radiation and chemotherapy.
 I use fennel in my Sinus blend, Weight loss blend  and my Breast Milk tea.

 I should use it in more though!

 My good friend Kyle LOVES to use fennel to cook with:
 "Fennel is great with pork! Whole toasted fennel seeds in pork sausage, I love rubbing pork chops or tenderloins in ground fennel seeds and then searing them in a pan with olive oil, they also add great flavor when added to braising liquids, ground fennel seeds are great for spice rubs and can be combined with other ground spices like coriander!"

 So, here you have it! Fennel: Quite a well rounded herb, I'd say!!!

How do you use Fennel? How would you like to see it used? Do you have any interesting experiences with blending or ingesting this herb?

Friday, May 6, 2011

Hang around, drink tea!

   Oh my goodness, I know I owe you a post on Fennel, and other great herbs, I apologize. But I just wanted to update you on how the lovely Tea Tasting Tuesday went!

 It went fabulously! I was so worried there wouldn't be many students that night, etc. There were about 20 which was perfect! I had 4 teas to taste and I brought the mineral water I made. (infused with Hibiscus, Spearmint, Rosemary, Nettle and Licorice root). Everyone was very eager to taste the tea, ask questions and they bought! Woot Woot!

 I have to say, I was so in my element.. There is no better high than the high you achieve from seeing  people so excited about something you have created. People hung around, chatted amongst themselves when normally they would have rushed out. Got to know one another, relaxed and drank tea. Everyone thanked us for putting this tasting together and appreciated what I had to offer. I have another tasting coming up with another studio in early June and will continue with Yoga Oceanside every Tuesday for the rest of the month!

 I am so excited about this, I plan on encouraging this with other studios.

 Wish me luck!

Monday, May 2, 2011

"Stress is not an illness, it is a fact of life"

   Tomorrow I am featuring the Stress Relief tea for my first Tasting Tuesday at Yoga Oceanside

     This tea has more than one bonus, it's chock full of Adaptogens which creates a general toning effect on the body, building up defenses against illness, and disease. In addition to clove, rhodiola, and eleuthero root, I include oatstraw which is a really strong, neutral herb. This means that it does not produce a high, nor an ultra calming effect. It simply makes you feel "normal". Skullcap is among these herbs which is a classic Nervine. This is a very calming herb, which compliments Kava root! Kava being a natural muscle relaxant, as well as a nervine.


       I am proud to present this tea tomorrow evening. I believe having a cup of stress relief tea when you finish an invigorating, yet calming yoga class will be quite a celebration!  So, I invite you to join me!

   Hope to see you there!!!