I Heart Herbal Infusions

If you’ve been around the block a few times in the health and cleansing world, you might be wondering, what else can I do to look and feel my best?

Green smoothie? Check.

Kale salad? Check.

Superfoods? Check.

What else is there?

What else can I do to get the glow, to get rid of nasty toxins and to fuel my body to perform its best?

The inspiration for this blog post and my love affair with herbal infusions comes from this motivation.

I first learned about herbal infusions from my midwife (I had both my kids at home with Elizabeth Moore). Elizabeth is a Goddess Earth Mama, herbalist, shaman, wiser-than-wise woman whom I adore and trust immensely.

The world of herbs is a big one and I’ve only started to dabble but below is a list of a handful of healing herbs and their medicinal benefits. For me it’s always easier to go the extra mile with my food and nutrition choices when I know why and how something works. So just in case you too need a few good reasons, here are my favs:

Red Clover Blossoms – Help reduce water retention, great for cleansing and detoxing, eliminate toxins and bacteria from the blood and urinary tract, reduce inflammation, helpful with skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, helpful for hot flashes and PMS, balance hormones, support liver function and shown to reduce bad cholesterol.

Nettle Leaf – Great source of iron and calcium, strengthens and cleanses the blood, gives skin a healthy glow, brightens the whites of the eyes, helps detox heavy metals, good for PMS, reduces water retention, anti-inflammatory, shown to help with allergies and hay fever.

Red Raspberry Leaf – Naturally high in magnesium, potassium, iron, B vitamins, great immune booster because of high vitamin C content, known to help ease symptoms of PMS, good for leg cramps, eases diarrhea, canker sores and cold sores. It’s especially great for prego women or women trying to conceive.

Dandelion Leaf – Loaded with vitamins and minerals, especially calcium, alkalizing, builds and strengthens the blood, good for low blood pressure, energy and stamina, cleanses the liver.

Peppermint – Great for nausea, soothes and calms digestive system, helps relieve gas, heart burn and indigestion, improves circulation and relaxes nerves.

One of the first steps in successful herbal infusion making is to find high-quality herbs. Check your local health food store for herbs sold in bulk. Plenty of online resources are also available. One of my favorites is Frontier Co-op. Always check with your doctor before using these or any other herbs. And for more healing herbal infusion recipes, you can also check out the recipe section of our book.

Be sure to leave me a comment below if you like this topic. It’s one I would love to explore more as the world of medicinal herbs is a biggin’. Tell me what health challenges you’d like to address with herbal infusions.

With herbalicious love,

Earth Mama Herbal Infusion

Yield: 1 quart

Ingredients:

• Red clover blossoms
• Nettle leaf
• Red raspberry leaf
• Peppermint leaf
• Boiling water

Directions:
Add 1 heaping tablespoon of each dried herb to the bottom of a quart size jar. Boil water and allow to cool for 2 minutes before pouring over the herbs. Let steep for at least 10 minutes and up to 2 hours to get the most nutrients out of the plants. Pour into your favorite teacup, sweeten with a few drops of stevia (optional) and enjoy.

*Special Note: What you don’t drink immediately can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It also makes a great base for a green smoothie.