Herbal Wellness
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For The Love Of Cinnamon
Who doesn’t love cinnamon? The smell of cinnamon for many brings about a sense of coziness and sweetness – since cinnamon is often used in fall desserts. And, in Western culture, it’s all over malls and airports in the form of cinnamon buns. The other day I was chatting with someone who said she can’t go to a mall without getting a cinnamon bun, she considers it sacrilegious. I’m not a fan of going to malls, but I do love to put a generous amount of it in yogurt, pudding, cottage cheese, and smoothies. Those are all energetically (and physically) cold items which can be hard on the digestive system…
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The Secret Life of Cardamom
I loooovee cardamom – I am currently drinking it as I write this (along with some other herbs) but I also love it in my oatmeal, chai, hot chocolate, cookies, and most recently I have been putting it on top of my homemade pudding! Cardamom is so wonderful. The footnote version of this herb is: if you have digestive issues, have a lot of mucus you need to expel, or want to spice up your love life, cardamom might be your new favorite spice and tea herb! But here is a little bit more info you might not know about cardamom. Fun Facts: Cardamom has been used extensively throughout history…
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What’s in your kitchen cabinet? Cayenne!
Every few weeks there seem to be themes that pop up in my practice and with my loved ones. So I felt cayenne would be a prudent next herb to do in my kitchen series because perhaps you might be in a similar theme and need this too! Cayenne is one of the most loved herbs to have during an emergency/crisis (particularly of a heart emergency). Herbalist and acupuncturist Michael Tierra uses up to 1 tsp of cayenne every 15 minutes (while waiting for an emergency vehicle) to help lessen the effects and encourage a speedy recovery of heart attacks and strokes and other emergencies. Nutritionist Gary Null has mentioned…
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What’s in your kitchen cabinet? Cumin!
Last week I shared via a newsletter and Instagram that I am taking Steph Dodd’s Creative Abundance course. I was reflecting on some of the questions Steph asked before the course and had an inspiration hit: I want to do a Kitchen Cabinet Herb series! And here we are. Most likely you use culinary herbs to make your recipes delicious. Our ancestors, of course, also used them to create deliciousness. But they also used them medicinally by changing the quantity of the herb they were using. I chose cumin for this week. Probably because I was in Beers Books a couple of weekends ago (a Sacramento staple for those not…
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4 Herbs I Always Have on Hand
Here are 4 herbs I always have on hand. They do so much more than described, but here is a brief overview. Note: Fresh ginger is different energetically than dried, powdered ginger. Dried ginger is much hotter and if consumed internally could cause a little bit of bloating. Want to learn more about simple things you can do at home to take care of yourself? Sign up here for my newsletter to get tips right in your inbox. *Disclaimer* None of these statements have been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition. This article is meant solely for…
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What herbs help you fall to sleep and how to use them
Sleep is a complicated issue. Many imbalances cause sleep issues, but anxiety and stress tend to be the most common reason. Some herbs I recommend in my practice to help clients fall asleep/ have better quality sleep are: Passion flower, Chamomile, Valerian, Hops, Ashwagandha One of the most common misconceptions I hear are people taking their herbs to help them sleep right before bed. Most of the time what happens before bed is not what keeps you up at night. It’s what happens during the day. So I recommend that you use the herbs during the day when you’re most stressed out and/or anxious to train your body to be…
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Which herbs I used before a big session of healing the next layer of my sexual trauma.
A few months ago I had a big session with my practitioner. Throughout the years we have worked on my sexual trauma, but it’s never been the primary focus of the session since I did so much solo work on it. Little things would pop up and we would work on it along with everything else that had popped up during the month. But at the end of one of my sessions my practitioner told me the next session she thought we needed to have the main focus of the session be on the trauma, that it was time. And I knew it was true – even if I didn’t…
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Herbs to help you when traveling: for both adults and children
7/13/23 Brand recommendations are at the bottom of the article (with extra attention for formulas for kids). Here are the top three herbal products I like to bring with me when traveling. Brand Recommendations: I have no affiliation with any herbal or supplement companies. All the brands listed here are ones I personally buy from and recommend clients in my practice to buy from. If you’re in Sacramento, the Co-op will have all of these there. Otherwise I have recommended brands/websites. Kids in general: Your local co-op will most likely have glycerin extracts (tinctures) if you’re not comfortable using alcohol based tinctures. Avena Botanicals is online and has great glycerin…
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How to make the most out of herbal tea for your health
6/19/23 There are many different ways to make tea and none of them are wrong. If you are looking to get the most medicinally out of your herbs here are some recommended tips: – Toss the tea bags and buy in bulk – lots of herbalists love to joke that tea bags killed the herbalist. It gets a good chuckle because the amount of herbs in a tea bag is usually very small (aka not as heavy on the medicinal side). Opt for tea strainers which can hold larger amounts of herbs. -Using roots or hard berries? Bring those to a boil and then turn down to a simmer for…
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How much of an herb do you take? Observations on herbal dosages.
6/20/23 The amount of herbs you need to take can be a tricky thing and is very much dependent on the person taking them. A lot of herbalists say 3 cups of herbal tea a day or 3 ml of tincture is a medicinal dose. After 7 years of clinical practice I politely disagree with this statement. I think of it more as a tonifying dose. When someone has had a severe health imbalance for years you need to overwhelm the imbalanced energy, starting with a greater quantity of herbs and then slowly reducing the amount as the person is coming into balance. That being said, I do always recommend…
