Passionflower

Passionflower
Passiflora incarnata
 
You finally get into bed at night after a long busy day and expect to fall asleep the minute your head hits the pillow.  What occurs instead however is that your brain can’t stop ruminating about the state of your finances, what you should have said to your boss, what your kids are up to…..An hour later you finally fall asleep only to wake up groggy to your alarm clock at six AM.  Sound familiar?
My favorite remedy for this situation ( in addition to daily exercise) is the herb Passionflower.  The name sounds like something that might keep you awake in bed, but the herb is actually very calming to the nervous system and can effectively shut off the mental chatter, allowing you to fall asleep.  It is available in tea, tincture and capsules.  A typical dose of tincture is two dropperfuls under the tongue right before bed.

Bitter Herbal Tonics

Bitter Herbal Tonics

In addition to the foods discussed above I also recommend an herbal formula containing bitter herbs to stimulate the digestive tract. Bitter plants stimulate the entire digestive tract to secrete digestive juices and are best taken prior to a meal but can also be used as an antidote to a large and heavy meal. These formulas are very effective at treating gas and bloating and can be used interchangeably with an encapsulated digestive enzyme supplement with the added benefit of stimulating the production of amylase, an enzyme found in our saliva which starts breaking down starches as soon as we chew our food.
I like our local Shining Mountain Herbs “Rocky Mountain Herbal Bitters” product which combines locally wildcrafted and organically grown herbs such as Aspen bark, Angelica root and Gentian root in a tasty formula. I usually recommend between 30 drops to one teaspoon up to three times daily before meals. This type of formula is contraindicated in acute gallbladder inflammation, intestinal blockage, for young children and in pregnancy.

Foods for Autumn and Winter

With the onset of winter comes the need to make some changes to our diets to stay healthy.  From an Oriental perspective, the cold weather requires that we use greater amounts of energy to stay warm and therefore we have less energy to break down and digest our food.  With decreased “digestive fire”, it is more difficult to process raw vegetables and cold foods.  Get out your cookbooks and look at the recipes for soups, stews and other warm, cooked foods.  Root vegetables are particularly good at helping your body hold onto energy and warmth rather than dispersing it and allowing you to become chilled.

Kale Potato Soup

(Laurel’s Kitchen Cookbook)
This is a very simple yet satisfying soup!
1 large onion
1 Tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic
2 large potatoes
1 large bunch kale
5 cups hot water or stock
1/2 tsp. salt, to taste
Black pepper
Saute onion in butter, cooking until clear and slightly golden.  About halfway, add the garlic, crush garlic with a fork.  Add potatoes and 2 cups water.  Simmer, covered, until potatoes start to soften.  Wash the kale, remove stems and chop, then steam.  Do not cook with the potatoes as the flavor is too strong.  When potatoes are well done, puree half of them with remaining water or stock and salt and pepper.  Combine all and heat gently.  Makes 6 cups.

Kale Potato Soup(Laurel’s Kitchen Cookbook)This is a very simple yet satisfying soup! 1 large onion1 Tbsp. butter1 clove garlic2 large potatoes1 large bunch kale5 cups hot water or stock1/2 tsp. salt, to tasteBlack pepper
Saute onion in butter, cooking until clear and slightly golden.  About halfway, add the garlic, crush garlic with a fork.  Add potatoes and 2 cups water.  Simmer, covered, until potatoes start to soften.  Wash the kale, remove stems and chop, then steam.  Do not cook with the potatoes as the flavor is too strong.  When potatoes are well done, puree half of them with remaining water or stock and salt and pepper.  Combine all and heat gently.  Makes 6 cups.