Monthly Archives: December 2018

Eating to good health

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Herbal Honey

I love eating my medicine, which prompted me to experiment with herbal honeys years ago. They are so easy to make, delicious, nutritious and medicinal. What more can anyone ask for? I add it to my oatmeal, spread it on my toast,  and I love peanut butter and honey sandwiches. The possibilities are endless.

The first herbal honey I made was with fresh Elecampane (Inula helenium) root. I harvested the root after its second year of growth, since they start to lose their medicinal qualities after 2-3 years. Elecampane is excellent for all respiratory ailments and honey is wonderful for calming coughs. Honestly, Elecampane root is not a great tasting herb and honey helps make it palatable. All and all, it’s a winning combination.

My next herbal honey endeavor was with Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root (known as Indian Ginseng).  It is a wonderful energy builder, it increases the body’s ability to adapt to and resist stress, along with dealing with tension and anxiety. It helps increase memory, facilitates learning, promotes general well-being and enhances stamina. It is also a great herb in helping the body recover after chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Again, not the best tasting herb, so combining it with honey makes a lot of sense to me.

Making herbal honey is very simple. All you need is a pot, clean jar/lid, chopstick, raw honey and herb.

How to make herbal honey:

1. Fill jar ¼ – ½ with the herb (I use fresh sliced Elecampane root and dry powdered Ashwagandha root).

2. Fill clean/dry jar with raw honey

3. Fill pot with about 2 inches of water

4. Put jar of herbal honey in pot with water (think double boiler)

5. Simmer water, temperature should never get higher than 110° as it will kill the medicinal qualities of the raw honey.

6. Stir honey with chopstick to disperse herb in honey.

7. When the honey develops a frothy top, it is done.

Some people strain the herbs out before eating but I leave them in and take pleasure in the herbs along with the honey.

YUM!

Enjoy honey in tea, oatmeal, on toast or however you want! Honey should keep for a couple of years but rarely lasts that long since it is so delicious. If the honey starts to crystallize as raw honey often does, simply reheat as in the above directions.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

It’s Marshmallow Root Time!

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Over the years, I’ve noticed that as the weather gets colder, my digestive tract gets irritated. Yes, my allergies change but I also get acid reflux. I have no idea why this happens, but the first year it was very painful. In fact, it woke me up in the middle of the night it was so uncomfortable. Since I prefer to try to heal myself before I go to the doctor, I did a lot of research.

Of course, my first line of attack was to remove the cause. I looked at my lifestyle and tried to identify any changes. Why was my esophagus getting irritated? Why was my stomach acid backing up into my esophagus? Truthfully, I couldn’t come up with a solid answer. However, after several years, the only conclusion I could come to was that it had to do with the changing of the season, because it starts to happen every autumn and rarely any other time of the year. Then, I looked at remedies. Most of the allopathic (conventional) remedies reduce the acid in the stomach so it does not irritate the digestive tract anymore. Most people need to take it for the rest of their lives. I understand the logic but I need (as we all do) the acids in my digestive system, I need them to do their job ~ digest my food, allowing my body to absorb nutrients from it. I need those nutrients to maintain a healthy body.

Dried Marshmallow Root

There are lots of remedies and theories out there, for example, when and what to eat. But what I really needed to do was heal the irritation in my digestive system so it could work properly and I could be comfortable again. Luckily, I knew about Marshmallow Root (Althaea officinalis).  It is very soothing and mucilaginous. It coats, protects and heals all inflammatory digestive disorders and enhances the immune system.  All I need to do is simply drink a cup of cold infusion after each meal and feel the discomfort melt away. Depending on the severity of the heartburn, relief happens instantly or may take a couple of days.  You can find Marshmallow Root in the bulk section of most health food stores. One thing I really love about Marshmallow Root is that after my system has been healed, I can stop using it. I have found that the infusion tastes better if I keep it in the refrigerator.  One important thing to know about Marshmallow Root infusions ~ they can be very thick and mucilaginous, in turn coating the digestive tract, which can inhibit the absorption of some medication. So, if you are taking any medication, be sure to take it at least an hour or more before or after you drink the Marshmallow Root infusion.  Here’s to relief from heartburn!

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

If you are having a difficult time finding Marshmallow Root locally, Healing Spirit Herb Farm is a wonderful company to order from.