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?

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!

"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!!!

Tea Master!!!????

I am going to be a very busy lil Herbalist for the rest of the week! Here is why:

They called me a tea master! wow! Thank you, but I'm still a young herbalist who actually needs to brush up on her skills! I'm pretty excited and a bit nervous. Not sure what to expect, but I do know I have a ton of tea to make and hope that all the hard work and preparation pay off.

 I am currently waiting for my tea containers to arrive. I have a ton of online orders to get out and UPS is killing me! I'm also concerned about how much herb I have. I may have to drive to Ocean beach to the only herb shop left and pick up some herb, since I won't get an herb order in time for the weekend. Ok, I'm rambling on.

     If you are local and reading my blog, come to Yoga Oceanside on Tuesday May 3rd, practice some yoga, drink some tea, ask some questions, buy some tea!

 Thank you.. Look for the upcoming post on Fennel!! Chef Kyle has given me some great info on how to cook with fennel, so, you will get the best of both worlds! Herbs and Food!

 Thanks and have a great day!

   

Everyday, Earth day

Happy Earth Day, all!!!
   What earth day type things will you be doing? Planting gardens? cleaning up parks and beaches?


    I will be fulfilling tea orders! Which means I will be smelling and blending pieces of earth, pretty cool, but I know, no monumental movement in earth improvement.

   anyway, have a great earth day, sip some tea, and be aware of the earth around you, under you and above you today!!

 Yay!!

   

Fun pictures of herbs!!

  I know I need to do a full blog post, but I have a little bit on my plate today and just wanted to show some photos of how beautiful some of these herbs are. Even just viewing the bright, vibrant colors can be healing. Aromas can be healing, hence aromatherapy. Do not discard roses, roots or bark. They are all herbs! They all have medicinal qualities and some are just so damn purdy and aromatic. Hold them, breathe them in.. RELAX!!
                                                                        Licorice root!

                                                                Calendula Flowers!

                                                                            Lavender!

                                                                     Ginger root!

                                                                        Chamomile!

                                                                              Hibiscus!!

                                                                     Pink Rose petals!!

                      I love to blend chamomile, roses, hibiscus and lavender together. So soothing, calming and floral!!   

• Licorice root, great for quenching thirst, and soothing a sore throat. 
• Calendula is very good for the skin, I like to use it internally for stomach and intestinal issues. 
• Lavender, we all know is very calming to the nervous system. 
• Ginger root, great for digestion, alleviating intestinal cramps and great at the onset of a cold.
• Chamomile, also calming to the nervous system, great for babies with colic and helps with teething. I could really go on and on about chamomile. 
• Hibiscus, lovely, sweet, aromatic, good for the stomach, but ultimately, it just tastes nice and tart, a great herb to add to a most medicinal blend that may be tough to swallow!
• Rose petals, great for uterine cramps and mouth sores! Who would have thunk it?!

                                                         Thanks and Enjoy!!!

Hey Nettle your so fine, your so fine you blow my mind, hey Nettle!

Nettle, AKA Great Stinging Nettle
Urtica dioica

  I will start by telling you my favorite parts about my main man Nettle and then go forth to give a little history and other influences of nettle.

•  Great for the digestive tract: cleanses and then helps with stomach problems. This herb functions a lot like Cayenne pepper, or even red beets, by opening blood vessels, relieving exhaustion and increasing circulation.
• Due to anti inflammatory properties, Nettle helps relieve teary eyes and runny nose caused from allergic reactions.
• Nettle helps alleviate a heavy period
• Nettle, rich in iron, silicon, potassium and other minerals is an alkalizing herb!
• Great for anemic little lads and lassies, prepared as a tea, due to it's nutritive value

  A little bit o' history:

   The name nettle comes from words meaning "textile plant". This plant was cultivated in Scotland for the fibers in the stalk, to make a durable cloth that would look similar to linen.
  This next tid bit is kinda funny, but we are talking back before dirt was invented (hahah), so... Nettle was popular for increasing blood flow to an inflamed area by actually scraping, irritating, or "STINGING" the skin of the inflamed area. Seems like kind of an oxi-moron if you ask me, but hey, whatever works right?  :)

 The cool thing about  herbs is that there is medicine in the leaf, stalk, and root. Some of the healing properties that are found in the root may not be as strong in the leaves, and vise versa.

 I use Nettle in my Detox tea, Replenish Tea, Migraine relief tea and the Hair Stimulation Tea.


How do you use Nettle? Or how have you heard it used? Emilee, you said Mike cooks with it a lot, what does that taste like, rich in iron? Can you explain it?
       Thanks for reading, enjoy this beautiful weekend and love your herbies!