• Add some pep to your step with Black Pepper

    Everyone has heard of black pepper, it graces pretty much every eating establishment in America. Including the tables of people who claim they don’t use herbs in their cooking. Black pepper is one of the oldest recorded herbs used, so perhaps its long history in human history has allowed it to wiggle its way into the hearts of even the most stubborn-I-do-not-like-herbs-in-my-food humans. While those humans just think of it as something to shake on to their food to add flavor there are tons of other things our ancestors used black pepper for throughout history.  But first, let’s talk about herbal stimulants. Black Pepper is considered a stimulant in the…

  • 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…