Extraordinary Fenugreek Seed!

I've been researching natural estrogen replacements and to my surprise, Fenugreek seed was among them. Coincidentally, my husband used to drink Fenugreek tea when I met him a few decades ago and I had recently purchased some. After reading about the seed, I was truly amazed at its abundant benefits. Hopefully this post won't be too long as I list the many reasons to use Extraordinary Fenugreek!

~Estrogen-like properties increase libido and decrease hot flashes and mood fluctuations

~Treatment for asthma, arthritis, bronchitis, sore throat, acid reflux, skin wounds, and even diabetes

~Studies show that 2 oz. of Fenugreek daily can significantly reduce cholesterol 

~For type 2 diabetes, consuming 500 mg of Fenugreek twice daily can significantly lower blood sugar levels

There's so many ways to prepare it for use; it's a spice, a tea, and in powder form can be used as a poultice or put in capsules. I recently read that it's one of the base ingredients of curry. Sprouted seeds are delicious too. The taste is somewhat sweet and maple-y. 

So give Fenugreek a try, but there are a few warnings; it should not be taken if pregnant as it may induce labor, and avoid if you're allergic to chick peas.

Keep ginger on hand! Here's why...

Did your mother give you ginger ale when you had a tummy ache? And it probably worked too!  Here's why: to help aid in digestion, ginger breaks down the proteins to clear the stomach and intestines of gas. It also helps digestion of fatty foods. Mom was right! I'd stick to the real thing though, as I'm sure Vernors has a hefty dose of sugar.

Ginger helps with all sorts of nausea including morning sickness, post chemotherapy and motion sickness. We're sailors, and a staple on our boat is ginger tea, or ginger candy (sometimes it's hard to brew tea when the seas are rough)! But there's plenty of other reasons to keep ginger on hand:

• It stimulates circulation and relaxes muscles around blood vessels, getting the blood moving around. This is helpful for menstrual cramps as well as lowering high blood pressure. 
• It can lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease. In fact, in 1980, a group of Cornell Medical school researchers published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine confirming that ginger completely inhibited the potentially life-threatening process of platelet aggregation. It actually interferes with cholesterol biosynthesis. 

Aspirin - Ginger? You decide...

• When brewed as a tea, it induces sweating, which can help a fever run it's course.
• Ginger may prevent ulcers, in fact, at least six anti-ulcer constituents from ginger have been isolated and identified.
• Many have marveled at how ginger can treat two opposites - prevent nausea & ulcers while treating constipation & diarrhea at the same time. It does this by inhibiting toxic bacteria while promoting friendly bacteria, all without side effects!  
• Ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is our body's response to illness or injury, keeping us from moving a damaged area while it's healing. But, in some conditions, like arthritis, diverticulitis  and heart disease, the inflammation doesn't go away and can lead to other problems. Ginger is used in treating chronic inflammation because it inhibits two important enzymes. Anti-inflammatory drugs only affect one, and not the other, which only addresses part of the problem. Not to mention the side effects like ulcers, whereas ginger has no side effects and does not cause stomach irritation.
• Some studies are finding that ginger may reduce sugar levels, promising for those with diabetes.
• New research reported at The American Association for Cancer conference found that ginger actually suppressed cancer cells, suggesting that the herb is able to fuel the death of cancer cells. It has been shown to work against skin, ovarian, colon and breast cancer. 
• There have been studies that conclude that ginger enhances immunity too. 

So go out and buy yourself some ginger! It comes in many different forms, fresh ginger root (shown above) can be used as a spice or made into a tea. 

To make tea, simmer 3/4 teaspoon of chopped ginger in one cup of water for five minutes in a closed pot. Remove the slices and sip your tea! Drinking before meals will help digestion. 

Dried ginger root can be blended in herbal teas and chai. Ginger powder capsules are available and ginger essential oil is a wonderful addition to blends for sore joints and muscles. I get my products from Mountain Rose Herbs. 

Need Sleep?

For so many, sleep eludes us. We get through the day being groggy, grumpy and not up to our best selves. Looking for a safe, healthy remedy, I purchased a product from the co-op called Calms Forte'. I've used it before with some success and thought I'd give it another try. It does work pretty well, and as usual, my husband asked, "what's in it?" The main four botanicals in Calms Forte' are Passionflower, Oatstraw, Hops and Chamomile. So, my next mission was to learn about the ingredients which led me to Mountain Rose Herbs, and look what I found! A nighttime tea with passionflower and hops!

Try a cup of Mountain Rose Herb's Fidnemed Nighttime Tea, or get creative and play with a different combination of herbs. Here's how mine turned out

The large green flowers are Hops! I substituted chamomile flowers for skullcap and guessed at amounts. The first blend had an overwhelming odor of valerian root (not a pleasant smell) so I added more lemon balm and hibiscus. It brewed to the most lovely red shade and worked like a dream! (pun intended). Here's what I put in mine:

• Lemon Balm, a mint with a lemony scent
• Hibiscus Flowers, also known as red sorrel - has a high level of anti-oxidants
• Chamomile Flowers, used as a medicine by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans 
• Passionflower, popular as a sedative (yay!) See my other posts for more on Passionflower
• Hops Flowers, first mentioned in European literature in 1079 and used as a sleep aid and to reduce libido. Monks used it to help young males remain chaste!
• Valerian Root, reduces anxiety. The root smells horrible! Suprisingly, the flowers don't.
• Lavender Flowers, can't say enough good things here! My favorite herb & essential oil.

Notes of caution: Chamomile is in the ragweed family and may cause a reaction if you're extremely sensitive to ragweed.

Did you know that avoiding excessive hops consumption (beer) can help men retain potency?