Tag Archives: herbal remedies

An Afternoon Pick-Me-Up Tea with Benefits

two jars containing herbs labeled Tulsi and Hibiscus flowers. Flanked by a tea kettle

By around 3:00 in the afternoon I’m feeling the day wear on me a bit and I often start to look around for a pick me up. Many days I choose Tulsi.

Famous as an adaptogen, Tulsi is also called Holy Basil. It helps to release tension and provides support to the adrenals. Other benefits: it’s an exhilarant, which means it’s a mood lifter, it’s aromatic, stimulating circulation to the digestive tract. Gentle enough for most anyone to enjoy, tulsi also has the energetic effect of helping lift people out of stagnant, depressed states.

I experience a little lift whenever I drink tulsi, making it a good 3 PM friend. I like to pair it with hibiscus because the fruity, sweet, slightly sour taste of hibiscus is a nice balance for tulsi’s bitter-sweet flavor. And Hibiscus has its own benefits. Rich in nutrients and phyto-goodness, it contains antioxidants, supports healthy blood pressure and urinary tract health, and is known to support hair growth and brighten the complexion.

red and green herbs on a bamboo board
hibiscus and tulsi

To the list of wellness virtues listed above, add its beautiful red color, and you’ve got an afternoon pick-me-up you can feel good about.

A teaspoon of honey doesn’t hurt, either.

red tea in a clear glass mug
hibiscus gives this tea a beautiful red color

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Filed under herbal medicine, Herbal Tea, Support for Calm, Wellness Teas

The Magic of Pollinators and Herbs

a sunflower partially hidden by it's foliage

There’s no feeling like watching a bumble bee on flowering st johns wort or a giant sunflower; radiating the pure joy of doing what comes naturally, of things going right, of the natural abundance of summer and the flowering season.

yellow flowers in the sunshine

the common weed st johns wort is known for its healing ability, and pollinators love it too.

Fleeting, magical moments.

This week the sun was shining just before the wildfire smoke blew in. Calendula stood nodding in the morning sun.

calendula is used for it’s healing power in skin and tea remedies

Wood betony, covered in happy pollinators and graceful in the morning light, looked magical. Mint grew tall, absolutely at large and threatening a takeover of the garden, it’s soft leaves rising into the sun and flanked by a regiment of lemon balm.

purple spire flowers in slanting sun
Wood betony is a perennial herb used as a nervine. Graceful purple spires of flowers bloom in July in the Northeast of America.

So I joined the bees and their pollinator friends in the garden, collecting calendula, wood betony, peppermint, plantain, and lemon balm to dry for teas.

a mix of herbs an flowers in a basket
summer harvest: wood betony, calendula, peppermint, lemon balm, blackberry leaf

Just past Midsummer and moving toward Lammas, the garden is all abundance.

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Filed under gardening, Herb, herbal medicine, Herbs and Healing

Anxiety and Tension Busting Skullcap

Mint family plant in bloom with blue-purple flowers.
Skullcap is effective for relieving anxiety, calming anger, clearing the head.

Likely the most common request I’ve had for herbal support has been for the relief of anxiety and stress. Speaking for myself, stress, tension, and anxiety have been a condition for which I’ve sought an antidote over the years.

Enter Skullcap.

Skullcap is well known in herbalism as an effective relief for anxiety, stress and muscle tension, especially in the neck, shoulders, and head. Herbal Reality, an excellent source for all things herbal, also notes it is used for the relief of angry hot states and as a support in addiction withdrawl. It’s beneficial for those dealing with tension headaches or TMJ.

Taken as a tea or in tincture form, it’s a reliable way to calm the mind during the day because it does not bring on drowsiness. And combined with Passionflower, Hops, or Wild Lettuce it becomes a sleep formula, lending it’s calming and relaxing effects to the hypnotic effects of these other herbs.

In a tea it has a mild flavor, so it’s easy to add to any loose tea you are drinking or to have on its own. Native to North America, it grows readily in moist places.

It’s a good friend to have along in a dosing bottle of tincture to take the edge off on stressful days… I can personally vouch for it’s effectiveness!

Skullcap is safe for folks of all ages, is gentle, and benefits teenagers who are often anxious. The dose is 5-30 drops of tincture a day or 3-6 grams of dried leaves and flowers in a tea. You can find this delightful herb at Mountain Rose herbs or you can easily grow it in your backyard in a sunny moist spot. Take care to get the right variety – Scutellaria lateriflora – if you choose to grow it yourself!

Mint family plant in bloom with blue-purple flowers.
Skullcap, Scutellaria lateriflora and also called Mad Dog skullcap growing happily in my backyard.

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Filed under Herb, herbal medicine, Herbs and Healing