9 Essential Herbs for Your Home Apothecary + Soothing Tea Recipes
There has been written records of herbal medicine usages dating back to 5,000 years ago in ancient China, yet there have also been archeological studies tying herbal medicine practices as far back as 60,000 years ago in ancient Iraq. In this blog post, we will offer 9 essential herbs that are a staple for your home apothecary.
This information does not discredit mainstream medicine, and you should always consult with medical professionals when seeking medical advice.
1. Lavender
While lavender can flourish in the United States, Southern Europe, and Australia, this plant originated in the mountainous zones of the Mediterranean. There are over 45 different lavender species, but the most common are: English Lavender, French Lavender, Spanish Lavender and Portuguese Lavender.
Benefits:
This herb is most popular for its calming and relaxing properties. Lavender is perfect to work with if you are feeling anxious or stressed, have a headache, or if you are experiencing any skin ailments (such as fungal infections, cuts and scrapes). Lavender is also anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antispasmodic. For a high-quality Lavender Essential Oil, click the link to receive 15% off.
How to Use:
To treat cuts, scrapes, burns, and bug bites: Apply neat, or for more sensitive skin you may dilute this with one to two drops of a carrier oil (Organic Jojoba or coconut oil).
To treat shock, anxiety, depression or to promote relaxation: You may also brew lavender as a tea by boiling the dried leaves. Another option is to diffuse the Lavender essential oil in a diffuser or in a Salt Inhaler. Lastly, you may add a few drops to your bath to promote relaxation, or mix with a carrier oil to use in massage.
2. Ginger
Native to India, ginger has been used for around 4,400 years.
Benefits:
Used for digestion imbalances, nausea and vomiting, colds, flus, headaches, inflammation, and painful menstruation cycles. The ancient Greeks and Romans used ginger to treat intestinal parasites as well.
How to Use:
For respiratory and digestive imbalances, you can prepare a ginger tea. For fresh ginger tea, slice a 1 inch piece of ginger and simmer it with 2 cups of water for 10-15 minutes and drink 1-3 cups per day.
To enhance circulation and treat coughs and colds, repeat the above steps and add lemon juice and honey.
If you are using dried ginger, pour 1 cup of boiling water over a 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain with a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer. Enjoy after meals to ease nausea and relieve gas and bloating. You may also enjoy this herb in essential oil form.
3. Rosemary
Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean and known as the “Dew of the Sea”. In ancient Egypt, this herb was placed inside tombs to protect the soul’s journey to the afterlife. In Greece and Rome, Rosemary represented love, purity and memory. This was oftentimes turned into a crown wreath and used for enhanced concentration and focus.
Benefits:
Boosting brain function, reducing stress, soothing digestion, skin healing and hair growth. Rosemary has a high concentration of antioxidants which fights free radicals and has the potential to lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Rosemary can also be used as a mild analgesic for muscle pain and joint inflammation.
How to Use:
You can diffuse Rosemary essential oil in a diffuser, or simmer a few springs in a pot to deodorize your home. You can also add a couple drops of the essential oil to a Botanical Nose Ring when studying or focusing. You can also mix Rosemary with a carrier oil such as Jojoba, Coconut or Castor to promote hair growth. The Castor Oil + Rosemary Verbenone is a great option as well. Lastly, you can steep Rosemary in water or an organic grape alcohol to create a natural linen spray.
4. Peppermint
Originating in Northern Africa and the Mediterranean around 1500 B.C., peppermint has been a staple when used in food and holistic medicine.
Benefits:
Peppermint is great to soothe an upset stomach and improve digestion. If you have irritable bowel syndrome, peppermint may ease your pain, gas and diarrhea. Peppermint is used around the world to treat colds, flus, coughs, and soothes sore throats. When used topically, this herb has a cooling effect on scrapes, burns, rashes and hives and can be applied to the temples when experiencing a headache. This herb is a powerhouse in oral care, helping the clean up of pathogens and working in synergy with the oral microbiome. Here are a few of our favorite oral care products with Peppermint: Triple Mint Enamelizer Toothpaste, Mint Condition Mineral Tooth Powder, Mint + Myrrh Tooth Serum, Mint + Myrrh Oil Swishing Serum.
How to Use:
To prepare as a tea when using fresh leaves, pour 1 cup of boiling water over 6-8 leaves and let steep for around 10 minutes. Let cool and strain. If you are using dried peppermint, you can repeat the above process with instead using 1 teaspoon of dried peppermint. You can enjoy this tea 2-3 times a day and add honey if you prefer it sweeter.
You can also take peppermint in capsule form. It is important to know that you should only use peppermint capsules when they are prepared with an enteric coating. This means that your stomach acid will not dissolve the herbs right away and your body can have the chance to receive the benefits.
5. Chamomile
Chamomile has been used for thousands of years in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.
Benefits:
The antioxidant apigenin present within Chamomile binds to the receptors of the brain to promote relaxation. This herb is wonderful at soothing and calming anxiety or stress. It is used for skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis, minor burns or PMS.
How to Use:
If brewing a tea, you can steep 1-3 teaspoons of dried flower for 5-10 minutes and enjoy up to 4 times a day. You may also use this herb in capsules, extract form, or topically such as in the soothing Sandalwood and Frankincense Best Skin Evers. You may also add a few drops of Chamomile essential oil to your pillow or bath to promote relaxation. This is a wonderful oil to be mixed with Lavender for extra comfort as well.
6. Echinacea
Originating in North America, Echinacea was used by Native Americans from three different species of the plant.
Benefits:
The Omaha-Ponca tribe would chew on the roots of fresh echinacea to heal tooth pain. Other tribes would brew a tea with echinacea to ease sore gums and throat, relieve colds, coughs and colic. This herb was also used to treat snake bites.
Echinacea has been known to shorten the length of a cold and improve the severity of it. This herb also contains chemical compounds called polysaccharides, glycoproteins, and alkylamides. These properties drastically improve the immune system and create elevated antibody responses to stimulate white blood cells that fight off infections.
How to use:
When using echinacea in tea form, simply pour 1-2 cups of boiling water over 2 teaspoons of either the leaf, flower, or root of echinacea and let steep for around 10 minutes.
If you feel the symptoms of a cold coming on, take 1-2 ml of an echinacea root tincture diluted in water every 2 hours. While it has not been proven that echinacea prevents a cold, research has shown that it does improve a cold.
You can also consume echinacea in capsule form, yet we would recommend following the instructions of the supplement bottle. You may also enjoy these high-quality echinacea essential oil blends - Echinacea - Ginger + Orange and Echinacea + Hyssop.
7. Thyme
Dating back to 3100 BCE, Ancient Egyptians used in the mummification process due to its high thymol content which is antibacterial and antifungal. In Ancient Greece, this herb was revered as providing courage or strength and was used as an incense, in bath water to stimulate vitality.
Benefits:
Thyme is very soothing for the respiratory system and great at boosting the immune system. Thyme tea can clear mucus, ease sore throats, and suppress coughs. Due to its pain relieving qualities, this herb is great for menstrual cramps. Due to the thymol and carvacrol in thyme, it fights infections and great for acne or used in oral care.
How to use:
To brew thyme in a tea, steep 1 tsp of fresh or dried leaves in 1 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. To use this in a cough syrup, simply simmer the springs in water, remove and mix with honey. Use fresh in culinary dishes for a boost in vitamins A, C, and K or used as a replacement for salt. When targeting acne, the Zippity Dew Dab is a great option. For using thyme in oral care, the Happy Gum Drops is a great choice. To soothe chest congestion, you may also enjoy the Immune Illume Classic Camphorous Balm.
8. Basil
Coconuts grow on palm trees in the tropics all over the world, and people have been using it for food and medicine for centuries.
Healing effects and how to use:
Coconut oil contains lauric acid which gives it its antiviral and antifungal properties. When applied topically, coconut oil can provide great relief for skin conditions such as: dry skin, eczema, diaper rash, and athlete’s foot. Coconut oil has been revered as a cure to weight loss as it is a healthy fat and can help your body feel fuller longer.
This oil has also been used as a lice treatment. To use it as such, completely wet hair with diluted apple cider vinegar, saturate the hair and scalp with coconut oil, and cover with a shower cap for 12 hours. Proceed by using a nit comb to remove dead lice and eggs.
Coconut oil is also used for oral and dental health by removing bacteria and deep cleaning gums and teeth. You can do so by swishing the oil in your mouth for 10-15 minutes and pulling the oil through your teeth in a suction movement. You’ll want to spit out into a trash can to avoid the build up of oil in the plumbing of your sink or toilet. Our favorite oil swishing serms are: Mint + Myrrh Oil Swishing Serum and the Happy Gum Drops Oil Swishing Serum.
9. Calendula
This post will be the first in our series of healing herbs. Are there any you are curious about, or that you recommend? If so, leave a comment down below to share with your fellow Tribe!
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We are so grateful for your support, and as always, we wish you love, strength, and power on your journey!
Peace.
