Tag: Books

Hay Fever Season

Hay fever season is in full swing and anyone who suffers knows how miserable hay fever can be.  Here’s a handy homemade remedy that can help to ease the symptoms…

This mix contains echinacea, chamomile and lemon balm to soothe the allergic response that sparks off symptoms, while agrimony and ground ivy calm any inflammation, drying up secretions.

Ingredients (makes enough to fill a 500ml (17 fl oz) jar)

400ml (14 fl oz) plant glycerol
100ml (3.5 fl oz) alcohol (vodka or brandy)
250g (9 oz) each fresh or 100g (3.5 oz) dried agrimony, chamomile, Echinacea, lemon balm and ground ivy

How to make

First mix the glycerol and alcohol together, then place the herbs in a wide-necked jar and pour the mixture over the herbs.

Leave to macerate for at least 2-3 weeks, stirring daily, and then strain through a fine mesh sieve or muslin, or press using a wine press, making sure that you squeeze as much liquid from the herbs as possible.

Pour into dark, sterilized bottles, label carefully and store in a cool, dark place.

How to use

Take a teaspoon 3-6 times daily in a little water, depending on the severity of the symptoms.

Warming cough busting tea

This recipe made from warming spices makes a delicious drink for all the family to protect from and alleviate the symptoms of coughs, colds and flu and is especially good for clearing catarrh and a blocked nose.

Ingredients:

1/2 oz fresh ginger root, sliced
1 stick of cinnamon
3 cloves
3 black peppercorns
3 cardamom pods

How to make:

Place in a pan and cover with 1 pt/600 mls of cold water. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Strain, sweeten with honey if desired, and take every 2 hours diluted with boiling water.

French Apple and Cinnamon Tea

This is the third in this week’s series of seasonal recipes, taken from the book ‘Healing Drinks’.  The traditional combination of apple and cinnamon works well in this sweet and spicy tea.  The tart flavour and cold properties of the apples and balanced by the sweetness and warming properties of the honey and cinnamon.  Jean Valnet, the French phytotherapist, recommends apple tea to be taken daily to prevent cold and flu viruses and to ward off arthritis and gout.

Ingredients:

4 apples, washed and sliced
600ml (1 pint) water
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

How to make:

Place the apples in a pan, add the water, cover and cook on a low heat until soft.  Strain and then stir in the honey and cinnamon.

Serve hot (2-3 servings)

Elderberry ‘Rob’

This autumn booster is the second of our seasonal recipes for the ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ and is taken from ‘Healing Drinks’.

The autumn is a great time to make use of the glut of fruit that might otherwise go to waste and drinks made from apples, pears, plums, blackberries and elderberries are packed with vitamins and minerals and provide vital nutrients for the immune system, preparing us well for the onslaught of winter and the ills it may bring.  Spices added to enhance the flavour of the fruit have the extra benefit of stimulating the circulation, keeping us warm as the weather turns colder.  This recipe also works well with other fruit such as blackberries and blackcurrants.

Ingredients:

450g (1lb) fresh elderberries
450g (1lb) brown sugar

How to make:

Strip the berries from their stems, wash and then crush them.  Place in a pan with the sugar.  Bring slowly to the boil and simmer until a syrupy consistency is reached.  Pass through a sieve and bottle in clean, airtight bottles.

How to use:

Take 1-2 tablespoons in a cup of hot water regularly as a preventative or at the onset of cold symptoms.

English Blackberry Cordial

English Blackberry Cordial (from Healing Drinks)

The hedgerows are bursting with ripening blackberries and elderberries so we will be sharing a few seasonal recipes to harness these (free!) wonder berries.

This sweet spicy cordial is delicious enough to be loved by children and helps the body to fight infection and to throw off fevers at the same time.  Blackberries are packed with vitamin C and bioflavonoids, they have a decongestant action and clear toxins from the body through their laxative and diuretic effects.  The spices increase sweating by stimulating the circulation and have powerful anti-microbial properties.

Ingredients:

900g (2lb) ripe blackberries (or enough to produce 600ml/1 pint of juice)
6 tablespoons of runny honey
10 cloves
5 slices fresh root ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

How to make:

Press the ripe, raw blackberries through a sieve to obtain the juice.  Place the juice in a pan and add the honey and spices.

Bring to a boil over a low heat, stirring until the honey has dissolved.   Simmer for 5 minutes.

Leave to cool and store in a cool place away from light.

How to use:

Drink diluted to taste with hot water.  Drink a cupful every 2 hours as needed.

Probiotic breakfast yoghurt

Probiotic Breakfast Yoghurt from Drugs in Pots

This herby yoghurt can be eaten daily as a great way to support beneficial gut bacteria and to combat yeasts and ‘bad’ bacteria that may have taken hold after e.g. taking antibiotics – although if you are working closely with others you may want to leave the garlic for weekends only!  All the herbs are easy to grow in pots or in your garden at home making this a great breakfast that you can pick, prepare and eat within minutes!

Ingredients:

1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon each of fresh dill leaves and marigold (calendula) petals, torn into small pieces
20ml (1 fl oz) aloe vera juice
2 teaspoons each of fresh marjoram and thyme, leaves only chopped
500ml (17 fl oz) carton of live yoghurt

How to Make:

Add the torn/chopped herbs and the minced garlic to a bowl of live yoghurt, then stir in the aloe vera juice.

How to Use:

You can enjoy this yoghurt daily and for as long as you would like to take it.  The herbs are all aromatic and pleasant tasting – although as mentioned above, the garlic can be a little antisocial!

How does it work?

The garlic, calendula, dill, basil and marjoram are excellent for combating pathogenic micro-organisms and are also good digestive herbs, clearing toxins from the digestive tract.  Aloe vera is soothing, immune-enhancing and helps to combat dysbiosis.

Antihistamine Mix

Antihistamine Mix – for hay fever (from ‘Drugs in Pots’ )

Hopefully last week’s brain mix started some synapses firing!  This week’s recipe helps with hay fever symptoms.  No one enjoys having their summer ruined by hay fever – itchy eyes,  runny nose and feeling generally grotty.  This mix contains echinacea, chamomile and lemon balm to soothe the allergic response that sparks off symptoms, while agrimony and ground ivy calm any inflammation, drying up secretions.

Ingredients (makes enough to fill a 500ml (17 fl oz) jar)

400ml (14 fl oz) plant glycerol
100ml (3.5 fl oz) alcohol (vodka or brandy)
250g (9 oz) each fresh or 100g (3.5 oz) dried agrimony, chamomile, Echinacea, lemon balm and ground ivy

How to make

First mix the glycerol and alcohol together, then place the herbs in a wide-necked jar and pour the mixture over the herbs.

Leave to macerate for at least 2-3 weeks, stirring daily, and then strain through a fine mesh sieve or muslin, or press using a wine press, making sure that you squeeze as much liquid from the herbs as possible.

Pour into dark, sterilized bottles, label carefully and store in a cool, dark place.

How to use

Take a teaspoon 3-6 times daily in a little water, depending on the severity of the symptoms.

Brilliant Brain Tonic

Brilliant Brain Tonic – for poor memory and concentration (from ‘Drugs in Pots’)

Exam season is upon us and the slog of revising all those facts and figures can leave even the most able of students feeling a little foggy in the head.  Don’t rely on caffeine filled energy drinks and over processed snacks to keep you going, instead brew up this fabulous herbal tonic and enjoy your natural boost!

This refreshing drink has rosemary, thyme and peppermint to enliven the mind and wood betony to send blood to the brain. Gotu kola stimulates blood flow to the head, clearing the mind, enhancing concentration and increasing creativity.

Ingredients (makes 650ml (21 fl oz) tonic):

60g (2.5 oz) each fresh or 30g (1 oz) each dried rosemary, thyme, gotu kola, peppermint, wood betony
600ml (1 pint) water
500g (1 lb) sugar
30ml (1 fl oz) brandy (optional)

How to make:

1. Pour the boiling water over the herbs

2. Leave to infuse overnight, then strain into a jug through a fine mesh sieve or piece of muslin, press as much residual water from the herb mixture as you can before discarding it.

3. Mix the sugar into the infusion in a pan and heat it until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has started to thicken, stirring frequently.  If desired, add 5 per cent brandy to preserve the syrup.

4. Store in sterilized dark bottles, clearly labelled, and keep in a cool place, preferably the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

How to use:

Take 2 teaspoons 3 -4 times daily, over several weeks, for the best results.

Enjoy!

Dispensing with Tradition

Dispensing with Tradition:

Way back in 2009 I agreed to compile a quick reference guide to herbs used in the Western tradition from an Ayurvedic perspective, little realising how much work this would entail!  My co-author, Michelle Boudin, and I (along with other invaluable colleagues) researched and cross referenced and tasted and pondered and indexed and checked and then re-checked and double checked (just in case…) and the end result is ‘Dispensing with Tradition: A Practitioner’s Guide to using Indian and Western Herbs the Ayurvedic Way’.

Introduction:

According to Ayurvedic philosophy all matter is derived from pure consciousness.  The amazing natural world gives us herbs, incredible healing plants, which are manifestations of the conscious intelligence of the universe.  Prana is the life force, the dynamic manifestation of consciousness and each herb has its own subtle intelligence or unique wisdom and pranic energy or attributes which give it ‘energetic’ effects as well as pharmacological constituents, and its potential ability to heal.  Herbs from all over the globe can impart their wisdom or intelligence to us and help balance pranic disturbances that create imbalances and health problems in mind and body, and reconnect or align us with consciousness, and this is the ultimate aim of Ayurveda.  They are an extraordinary gift.  Whether we are trained in the Western or Eastern tradition we can benefit from the healing ability of the herbs around us and use them to care for ourselves and others.

The purpose of the book is to enable an understanding of the Ayurvedic classification and use of herbs for practitioners employing herbs within the framework of an Ayurvedic approach to treatment.  It presumes a prior knowledge of Ayurveda and its terms (although there are glossaries at the back).  It consists mainly of a Materia Medica divided loosely in Western and Ayurvedic herbs and indexes of actions and therapeutic uses.

Each herb has its own unique blend of many different attributes.  It has myriad chemical constituents and physiological actions; it has its qualities and properties, being for example hot/cold, dry/moist, heavy/light, and with time and experience it is possible to become acquainted with each individual herb almost like a different personality.  Taking all this into consideration we can consider a herb as a whole and not assess its healing potential based solely on its ‘active’ constituents or even their quality or qualities (guna).  Each short monograph classifies the herbs according to basic traditional Ayurvedic specifications (including their tastes, post digestive effect, energy, guna, which doshas, dhatus and srotas they mainly affect) and according to the Western medical model, their latin name, botanical family, pharmacological constituents, actions and indications.