Some Like It Hot!

Most of the time when I talk about water I am talking about making tea. Hot water is ideal for most herbs because the heat helps to break down the herb material so the good stuff can get into the water. Not all herbs are best made into tea with hot water. But what about…

Demulcent Herbs

Demulcent herbs are the sticky, the ooie, the gooie ones that make your throat feel great when you are sick. Demulcent herbs are most often taken as powders or cold infusions. When made with hot water, a demulcent herb tea may be too gooie to handle so best to use a cold infusion. Demulcents are not…

Staying Hydrated: Techniques to Remember

All the time… yes we should all be remembering to drink water all the time but with our busy lives it is hard to remember. When sitting at the computer all day writing for you all, putting together classes, and making herbal products I forget so often. I wanted to share some of my favorite…

Cholagogue and Choleretic Herbs

These two herbal actions are often described together. Their action is on the gallbladder and, consequently, the liver. Choleretics promote the gallbladder to produce a higher volume of bile and cholagogues encourage the bile to flow from the gallbladder to the liver. Bile is a collection of toxins that are manipulated by the gallbladder into bile….

Flavored Waters

A lot of times in stores we will see vitamin waters and other flavored waters. These can be alright but look at the labels. A lot of times these will also be high in sugars and other things your body may be sensitive to. That is alright. You can make your own flavored waters at…

Carminative Herbs

If you remember a few weeks back we had a post on bitter herbs. Carminative herbs like to hang out with the bitters to support the digestive system. They work to relieve gas through a variety of different methods. Much of this action is thought to be from the terpene molecules, the volatile oil components….

Going Bubbly!

When I first started changing my fluid habits I found that lowering soda was my hardest challenge. It wasn’t so much the sugar for me but I really enjoyed drinking carbonated beverages. I knew that the sugar was not doing me any good, neither were the flavorings, corn syrup, and all of the other things…

The Healing Powers Hidden In Your Kitchen

Many years ago I started exploring what my kitchen had to offer for medicine. It is not just the herbs on my spice rack either. Fruits, vegetables, meats, and just about anything you eat can be used as medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine does an excellent job of bringing the medicine of your kitchen right into…