Seasonal Herbal Treats Boost Immune System Mother Nature Heals What Ails You

Herbal Treats Beats the Summer Heat

Relieve Your Life From Prostate & Menopause

Herbs has its own unique power!

Herbs can help us maintain harmony with our environment. Cold foods and beverages particularly made with the right herbs, can improve comfort while providing a nutritious, culinary pleasure.

Every herb has its own powers and associations. There are herbs for attraction and protection too, and all kinds of other things to make your sanctuary a safe and healthy place.

Herbs For Magical Appeal

Lemon Tree- (attraction)- Apple Tree (invitation) Basil (protection, fire) Borage (happiness) Buckwheat (Growth, earth) Chamomile (calming, water)

Herbal Remedy for Spring Healing

Spring clean your body. Now is the time to emerge from hibernation and get into shape with outdoor activities. Refresh yourself with spring scents and sounds.

Fresh, seasonal vegetables in your diet will restore your vitality. Boost immunity with echinacea or nettle tea, and foods rich in antioxidants. An antioxidants is something that slows or prevents this damaging process within our bodies. Most antioxidants come from fruits, vegetables, and herbs. The most powerful herbal antioxidants are green tea and grape-seed extract, closely followed in efficacy by rosemary, sage, lavender, clove, allspice, sweet marjoram, nutmeg, lemon grass, turmeric, and coriander. Cleanse your system with spring greens, garlic and onions as you prepare for increased activity in the warmer months. Boost your mood and energy by surrounding yourself with natural spring color. Fill window boxes with spring bulbs and primroses.

Here are some herbs with cooling properties:

Anise - has a sweet, fresh smell similar to licorice- a popular flavor in candies and cookies. Used sparingly, it soothes digestion.

Basil - has a spicy-sweet smell and goes with almost everything. it reduces fever and headaches.

Borage - stands out with its hairy leaves and blue, star-shaped flowers. It has a faint cucumber flavor. Borage also eases dry coughs and lower fever.

Catmint - has a mellower smell and taste than its relative catnip. it soothes headaches and reduces fever. Add tender leaves to salads.

Catnip - is intoxicating to felines, but relaxing to humans. It relieves nausea and promotes restful sleep. Catnip makes an excellent tea.

Celery - is juicy and refreshing. it helps keep the body hydrated. Chop stalks and add to salads, cheese spreads, etc., for a crunchy texture.

Chamomile - smells like fresh-mown hay warmed by the sun. Use it to prevent nightmares and bring peaceful sleep. Chamomile makes delicious tea.

Cilantro - has a pungent, spicy character. Chop its feathery leaves for use in sauces, sandwiches, and taco toppings.

Coconut - has a mellow, sweet flavor and fragrance that creates a tropical mood. Coconut milk, coconut cream, and shredded coconut are soothing and cheering. Use liberally in desserts.

Coriander - is the dried seed of cilantro plants and has a mild spicy flavor. it aids digestion and reduces flatulence.

Cucumber - refreshes and rehydrates. Its crisp flavor makes it a favorite in salads, but it is also delicious in beverages

Cumin - is among the cooling herbs in Ayurveduc tradition. its strong flavor adds interest to mild herbal dishes.

Dandelion - may be the most widely available herb of all. use tender young leaves in salads. The flowers make dandelion wine.

Dill - has a tangy flavor, stronger in the seeds and milder in the feathery leaves. It reduces stomach pains and hiccups. use in pickles and dips.

Echinacea - also known as "Coneflower" is the best known for strengthening the immune system, but has broader normalizing effects on the body. it reduces fever and allergies.

Fennel - has a mild licorice flavor with a greener note. Chew the seeds to aid indigestion. Leaves may be added to salads or dips. Bronze fennel adds a red hue to herbal vinegar.

Ginseng - increases the body's efficiency. American ginseng is more relaxing than oriental varieties. Use tea and desserts, when appropriate.

Hibiscus - lends a rich tangy flavor to tea. It helps cool the body. the flowers make a lovely edible garnish.

Lavender - has a sweet-sharp, musky fragrance. it soothes anxiety, and relieves flatulence and halitosis. The flowers flavor tea, jelly, cream, vinegar, and desserts.

Lemon - is famed for its intensely sour, bright flavor and fragrance. It adds zest to salads, tea, dessert, and dishes of all kinds.

Lemon Balm - is both lemony and minty. use in tea, or candy the leaves.

Lemongrass - has a subtle grassy-citrus flavor. relives diarrhea and stomachache.

Licorice - appears most often in candied form, with its dark spicy taste. it reduces allergies and asthma.

Lime - belongs to the citrus family, with a greener flavor. It relieves anxiety and depression. use in tea, desserts, and anywhere that calls for lemon juice.

Linden - is sometimes called limeflower, though it is not citrus. its flowers and honey have a light, sweet quality that make them ideal for tea and desserts.

Peppermint - is more cooling than spearmint, with a mellower, blush taste. It soothes and refreshes. Use in tea and desserts.

Raspberry Leaves - have cooling and antispasmodic properties. tea made from them tastes similar to green tea. Sweet, juicy raspberry fruit stars in many summer jams, ice creams, and other desserts.

Rose - needs an intense, sweet scent to function as an herb. It revives and rejuvenates. Candy the petals and use the hips in tea and jelly.

Saffron - has a mellow, nutty-spicy flavor. It lowers fever and stimulates the libido.

Sarsaparilla - is rich and spicy with a faint medicinal taste. Its cooling properties make it popular in tea and soda.

Sorrel - starts out bland in spring, but summer heat gives it a sharp tangy bite. It quenches thirst and reduces fever. Use in salads, soups, and sauces.

Spearmint - has a sharper, greener taste than peppermint. It cools and invigorates. Use in tea and glazes, especially with meat.

Thyme - comes in many flavors, such as musky and nutty: it also mimics herbs like caraway and lemon. It reduces indigestion and flatulence. Use in spreads and vinegars.

Watercress - has a crisp. pungent flavor. Use in salads or soups. It also makes a great bed for serving other things, such as cheese spread.

Wintergreen - has a strong minty-medicinal flavor. its leaves and berries are good for toothpaste and tea.

Edible herbal flowers: angelica, bergamot, calendula, carnation, chicory, chrysanthemum, clover, daylily, dianthus, elderflower, jasmine, lemon, marjoram, nasturtium, pansy, primrose, rose, sage, viola, and violet.

Food For Spring

Choose foods rich in vitamin C, such as early strawberries, fresh orange juice and new potatoes.

Medicinal Herbs For All Seasons

Spring - April - May - June -

Chickweed - appears very early in spring and lasts through late summer. this hardy herb is used in weight-loss teas and pills while exuding nutrition, and is said to dissolve many meanies in the body, including, over time, some ovarian cysts. it is also a coolant, for reducing heat and inflammation anywhere in the body. An herb vinegar featuring chickweed maintains and improves eye strength and health. The tiny white flowers that appear in mid-spring are star shaped.

Nettle - (urtica dioica)- is a complete vitamin and mineral food. a preventive medicine. People who may take prescription medicines for asthma, anemia, diabetes, or rheumatism may like to try nettle and be surprised at the extra help and energy they may get from this natural herb.

Motherwort (leonurus cardiaca) - is a friend to all women. She balances the hormones to keep the personality on an even keel while toning the reproductive and digestive tracts. Motherwort is helpful in menopause, bringing sleep, sanity, and sense. Motherwort is good to take between ovulation and menstruation.

Mugwort (Artemesia vulgaris) - an antidote to hysteria and jangled nerves, is particularly helpful with menopausal rage and winter stress. To bring your children home safely, put a small pouch of dried mugwort in their backpacks.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) - is a cure-all and daily tonic, a calmative, a pain reliever and an anesthetic, Sprinkle the sweetly aromatic leaves in the bath or in a baby's crib as a relaxant. lemon balm is also good for stomach cramps in men and women, as muscles relax, tension leaves the area. Lemon balm is allied with love and the pursuit of romance.

Rose ( Rosa, sp) - heals colds, sore throats, and most anything you can catch from a school-age child. It may also be blended with water and soap to spritz on plants and fences to deter woodchuck, deer, and some insects and slugs. Rosemary is strong, but also gentle, in its curative powers and may be eaten raw in salads.

Lavender 0lavendula officinalis) -counteracts asthma when inhaled or taken as a tea is well know as a nervine or relaxant, inducing sweet sleep. It is one of the most wonderful herbs to work with, the scent filling the house as we tie it in bundles to dry out. Add it to your cosmetics, shampoos or face and body moisturizers.

Autumn

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) - for sore throats and any chest or nasal congestion, even in small babies, weak ginger tea given at room temperature will aid resistance and allow the patient to sleep. Grow ginger and be totally blessed by its presence in your garden.

Sage (Salvia officinalis) - is an herb of protection and love, an herb to use in the home to change, eliminate , or encourage energy, therefore keeping the family stress-free. The wisdom of this herb attracts our respect, so in homes, tied bunches of sage where you sleep. When you feel bad energy enter your life or home, light a bunch of sage and go around every room and until you reach back door. Bury the sage or throw it away- along goes the bad energy with it. In apartments, put the sage bunch at the bottom of a houseplant. Sage is an antiseptic, cures constipation, curbs obesity, and dries the sniffles.

Burdock (Arctium lappa) - leaves are nice and big by July when the bugs are biting. infused in vinegar, will draw the sting or itch out of the skin, ease poison ivy and sunburn, or dissolve ringworm. Burdock moves slowly and gently enough to drink every day as a cancer preventative and to maintain healthy reproductive systems in men and women. researchers have found burdock to kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi. if ringworm breaks out at your school, the tea, as well as the leaves, can rid the infection for teachers and students.

Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) - The leaves are somewhat prickly, can be handled without gloves. raspberry is one of the best women's tonics and the leaf tea sipped during pregnancy prevents morning sickness and builds vitamins and minerals naturally in the changing body.

Lemon (Citrus limon) - Know to all, lemon is good for almost anything that ails us. lemon and honey in hot water reduces a fever, clears a thick head or chest, and slows dysentery and diarrhea. its fragrance is its strength and the leaves, bark, and flowers as well as the fruit are pungent, especially at night as the tree cools after a hot day.

Winter - December - March

Take a teaspoon of honey-infused herbs for a great and nourishing start to the day. The warm feeling in the throat mentally pushes colds away. eat the winter foods such as soups, with good quality organic meat and vegetables, warm not hot drinks, and lots of nourishing teas. Winter is an excellent catch-up time for making face moisturizers, hand cream, candles, and hair tonics.

Foot Notes

A garden brings beauty and ensures a steady supply of fresh and dried herbs. It also spreads an aura of protection around your home, shielding it from the outside world.

Creating a Magical Garden - A magic garden need not advertise its powers. it can be your secret with the earth.

To ensure happiness in a home, you might wish to fill a window box or ranks of flowerpots with Hyacinth, Lavender, Marjoram, Catnip and Morning Glory.

If Money is a problem, choose Mint, Onion, Snapdragon, camellia, chamomile, clover, dill, basil, as will as a banana plant.

To ward off thefts in your home, plant a fence of ti (ki) around its perimeter, or be sure to include garlic, cumin

Bamboo and Hydrangea near the home offer it general luck, as does sunflower.

Choosing your flowers, trees, herbs, and vegetables with their powers in mind brings a new dimension to gardening that truly makes it a part of magical living.

Good Luck to All Until We Meet Again