I am a huge fan of liquid nutrition, whether they’re elixirs, smoothies, juices, broths, or teas. I often start and end my day, and usually interrupt it, with an elixir or cup of tea. There are many, many ways we can enhance our beverages (and our health) with key herbs that are easy to find and use. Different herbs produce different actions in the body and so should be selected keeping these actions in mind – and that is what this post is all about.
Herbs for Digestion
Ginger
This is one of my all-time favourite herbs, period. Digestively speaking, it helps to prevent gas and bloating, prompts digestive juices, and addresses an upset stomach and nausea. I have extreme motion sickness, so it’s something I basically have with me at all times. Plus it was very helpful to me when I was pregnant.
Lavender offers a lot of benefits to the nervous system. It helps us feel calmer, reduces anxiety, improves our mood, and helps us sleep. There are a lot of different ways we can use lavender for its effects, including essential oils, culinary teas, infused oils, and beauty care products.
There are a few ways you’ll find the herbs I’ve mentioned above:
Fresh
Dried
Essential oils
In order to reap the benefits of these herbs, quality matters. If an herb doesn’t have much of an odour or flavour, it’s likely not going to offer you much health-wise.
For essentials oils, my go-to is always Living Libations. Fresh herbs can be located at your local health food store or grocery store. Dried herbs can be found locally at health food stores or bulk herbal dispensaries. When purchasing fresh and especially dried herbs, I like to shop at stores that have a high turnover so you’re not buying licorice or chaga that’s been sitting around for months.
Always store your herbs in a well-sealed container, whether you are storing fresh herbs in your fridge or dried ones in your pantry. Skip the kitchen disposables and plastic, and opt for glass (my fave) or stainless steel containers.
Choosing Herb Combos
For therapeutic purposes, it is helpful to use herbs in combination rather than on their own. They tend to have synergistic properties, meaning they can work together.
Try 2–3 of the herbs in each section above in a single recipe to start, especially if you are new to these ingredients. For example, begin with using ginger and mint to create a digestive-friendly tea. Then, as you explore more flavours, you can experiment with additional herbs or mix and match from the different categories.
Have fun with it!
herb Recipes to Try
Some fun herbal recipes to get you started using these tasty and beneficial herbs.
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