Simple Tricks to Add More Health-Boosting Herbs into Your Daily Routine
I think most of us are facing the first truly global pandemic of our lifetimes. This can feel scary, and it’s so new that we don’t really know what will work or not. But, we can take general actions to boost our immune systems and fortify ourselves for the times to come. Here, I’m sharing a bit of my personal daily daily routine for wellness with herbs.
We have so many herbal allies when it comes to our health, and I’ll be sure to share many more tips and recipes—especially for when you’re not just preventing sickness but actually feeling ill.
For now though, here are some easy ways to add healing herbs and foods into your daily routine:
Herbal Teas for wellness
The magic of herbal teas is endless—so drink a variety of tea and drink it often. Anxiety is on the rise and we know stress lowers the immune system, so here’s a family-friendly relaxing tea to support your overall well-being.
Rest & Relax Tea
Mix together equal parts:
lemon balm
passionflower
skullcap
spearmint
chamomile
Steep about 2 tsp mixed herbs per 6 oz hot water.
Medicinal Mushrooms for Immune Boosting
Medicinal mushrooms such as turkey tail, chaga, shiitake, maitake, cordyceps, reishi, and lion’s mane are known to do everything from prevent cancer to boost your immune system. If getting more exotic sounding mushrooms into your diet seems like a challenge, check out some of these super easy tips:
Sprinkle some medicinal mushroom powder into your smoothies, salad dressings, and soups.
Make a medicinal seasoning salt by mixing together mushroom powder, dulse (a nutritious seaweed), and pink Himalayan sea salt.
Add medicinal mushrooms to your morning coffee—I love chaga and reishi for this—or make an herbal coffee blend. Here’s one of my personal recipes:
Note: Many people like to add roasted dandelion root to their coffee blends. This is great once in a while, but not something you want to do daily for extended periods of time, especially if you tend to have a sensitive system.
Ginger for Antiviral Support
According to herbalist Stephen Buhner, fresh ginger (not dried) is a great antiviral, and in my experience, ginger has worked wonders for fighting off illness at the first signs of imbalance.
Try adding fresh ginger to soups, stir fries, and salad dressings (it makes a surprisingly good addition to homemade caesar dressing!). You can also make ginger juice tea for a super potent brew:
Recipe for Ginger Juice Tea
To make: Juice fresh ginger and add hot water, lemon, honey, and cayenne. If you don’t have a juicer, you can blend fresh ginger with water until it’s drinkable. I like to freeze the juice in ice cube trays so I can just add hot water when I need it.
From Bruhner: Have one cup daily as a preventative. If you feel a tickle of something "off", bump up your daily dose to 4-6 cups a day with 3-4oz of ginger per cup. Even if this doesn't completely wipe the illness out, it should slow the spread of the virus in the body and help protect mucous membranes from damage.
Note: This is a medicinal dose of ginger and not recommended for pregnancy. Check with your doctor to see if you have any other contraindications.
Garlic & Onions for Winter Wellness
I once had a shamanic and herbalism teacher who had studied with a Mayan healer for decades. In the paraphrased words of her Mayan teacher, “Don’t trust anyone who doesn’t eat garlic.”
Some fun ways to get more garlic in your diet:
Chimichurri (especially with oregano) and pesto (especially with nutritional yeast instead of parm)
Throw one or two cloves of garlic into homemade salad dressing
Add raw onions to salads and salsas
Make some garlic and herb infused olive oil
Add extra garlic and onions to soups and stir fries
Stock up on fire cider and use it in your salad dressing or anywhere else you need vinegar—there are tons of recipes online
Raw or cooked? Raw garlic has amazing benefits—but you don’t have to eat it raw if you don’t want to. If you’re going to cook your garlic, just mince it and then let it rest. I’ve read everything from 20m to an hour is necessary to retain the key healing benefits, so I try to err on the side of caution.
How to Make Healing Broths
Nothing feels more nourishing than a nutrient-dense, medicinal broth. Plus, staying hydrated is a key part of a healthy immune system. Here are a few of my most used broth bases. Together, they can be adapted for a variety of healthy soups.
Broth Base 1
This mix is wonderful for soups such as minestrone, lentil soups, ribolita, and other Italian-style or bean soups.
Sauté your aromatics in olive oil—onion, carrots, celery, etc.
Add a whole head (yes, a whole head) of minced and rested garlic.
Add ½ cup mixed dried herbs—rosemary, oregano, and thyme have antiviral properties, so if you go for a good Mediterranean seasoning blend, you should be covered.
If you’re adding other veggies that need sautéing, add them now.
Add 4-6 cups water and bring to a boil.
While water is coming to a boil, add
3 slices astragalus
1 slice reishi (if your slow cooking, you might want to take this out earlier, as it can get bitter)
¼ cup dried nettle (if you have frozen or fresh nettle, add it closer to the end)
¼ cup cat's claw bark in a muslin bag (if you have powdered cat’s claw, add less and directly to the broth)
A few bay leaves
Stir in lentils or precooked beans, if using, or dried and soaked beans if slow cooking.
Simmer for about an hour, or slow cook all day.
Remove the astragalus, reishi, cat’s claw, and bay leaves
Stir in greens (kale, spinach, fresh nettles) and cook for just another 5 minutes.
Enjoy :)
Broth Base 2
This soup base is fantastic for curries!
Sauté your aromatics in coconut oil—onion, carrots, celery, etc.
Add a whole head (yes, a whole head) of minced and rested garlic.
Add as much minced ginger as you can handle.
Add ¼ - ½ cup good curry powder. If your curry doesn't have a lot of turmeric, add another tablespoon of that.
If you’re adding other veggies that need sautéing, add them now.
Add 3-4 cups water and bring to a boil.
While water is coming to a boil, add
3 slices astragalus
1 slice reishi (if your slow cooking, you might want to take this out earlier, as it can get bitter)
¼ cup dried nettle (if you have frozen or fresh nettle, add it closer to the end)
¼ cup cat's claw bark in a muslin bag (if you have powdered cat’s claw, add less and directly to the broth)
A few bay leaves
Stir in lentils or precooked beans, if using, or dried and soaked beans if slow cooking.
Simmer for about an hour, or slow cook all day.
Remove the astragalus, reishi, cat’s claw, and bay leaves
Stir in greens (kale, spinach, fresh nettles) and cook for just other 5 minutes.
Stir in 1-2 cans coconut milk (optional).
Enjoy :)
Broth Base 3
My favorite for chili! And any Southwest or Mexican style soups :)
Sauté your aromatics in olive oil—onion, carrots, celery, etc.
Add a whole head (yes, a whole head) of minced and rested garlic.
Add ¼ cup chili powder, ¼ cup oregano, and 1 tablespoon cumin. You can add turmeric to taste for an extra boost.
If you’re adding other veggies that need sautéing, add them now.
Add 4-6 cups water and bring to a boil.
While water is coming to a boil, add
3 slices astragalus
1 slice reishi (if your slow cooking, you might want to take this out earlier, as it can get bitter)
¼ cup dried nettle (if you have frozen or fresh nettle, add it closer to the end)
¼ cup cat's claw bark in a muslin bag (if you have powdered cat’s claw, add less and directly to the broth)
A few bay leaves
Stir in precooked beans, if using, or dried and soaked beans if slow cooking.
Simmer for about an hour, or slow cook all day.
Remove the astragalus, reishi, cat’s claw, and bay leaves
Stir in greens (kale, spinach, fresh nettles) and cook for just another 5 minutes.
Enjoy :)
These bases can also be strained to make a pure broth for sipping or freezing.
Happy healthy eating and drinking! Be sure to subscribe for more healing recipes.