I’m a whole-herb gal at heart and don’t use a ton of essential oils (curious about why!? ask me in my newsletter, that’s where I love to chat with you!), but eucalyptus essential oil has earned a permanent spot in my winter medicine chest.

Why?
Because it’s literally just so effective. It’s an amazing congestion buster that can help you breathe easier in minutes, and can even kill airborne germs on contact.

In herbalism, we often aim to get remedies in direct contact with the tissues that need support. These three methods do just that, bringing eucalyptus oil straight to the respiratory system, where it can work its expectorant and antimicrobial magic.

Let’s dive into three practical ways to use eucalyptus essential oil for colds, flus, and winter wellness.

1. Steam inhalation for congestion relief

(How to use eucalyptus oil for blocked nose + sinus pressure)

This is hands-down one of my all-time fav ways to use eucalyptus oil (although I can’t say my kids feel the same… but that’s why I’ve got a few methods here, cause you might find different herbal remedies suit different people in your home!)

The warm steam opens your airways, and the eucalyptus helps loosen mucus, soothe tissues, and kill microbes on contact. It’s a gentle but potent remedy for colds, sinus infections, and that stuffy, muddled-wombat-headed feeling.

How to do it:

• Add 2 drops of eucalyptus essential oil* to a bowl of boiling water (yes it’s ok if a few more drops dribble out, that’s why we aim for 1-2 drops, but try not to get more than 3-4 drops. Essential oils almost have this soul lesson reminding us that more isn’t always better!)
• Very carefully, put your head over the bowl and cover with a towel. Breathe deeply for 5–10 minutes.

*Don’t have eucalyptus essential oil or don’t like using essential oils?? You could also throw in 1 big handful of dried thyme (thymus vulgaris) or sage (salvia officinalis) leaves.

👉 Grab full instructions in my FREE eBook

2. Diffuse it (or try this no-diffuser trick)

(Purify the air + support better breathing at night)

When someone’s sick, I love getting eucalyptus right into the air. Diffusing eucalyptus essential oil can help cleanse the room, reduce exposure for others, and support better breathing overnight.

No diffuser? No problem. Try the old-school method:

• Add a few drops to a tissue, cotton ball, or scrap of fabric
• Place near the bed or in the room

This is especially great at night to help unblock sinuses and get some healing sleep.

3. Make a simple natural room spray

(A germ-busting, air-cleansing spray for sick days)

A homemade eucalyptus room spray is a great way to freshen the air and minimise the spread of viruses.

✨ DIY Germ-Away room spray recipe:

1. Fill a 500ml(ish) spray bottle with water
2. Add 8–10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil (if using a smaller spray bottle, use less)
3. Shake well before each use, otherwise the essential oils float on water
4. Mist into the air, especially in bedrooms or wherever the sick person’s hanging out.
   🚫 Don’t spray directly on faces

Eucalyptus essential oil is an affordable, accessible ways to bring potent natural healing into your home. Whether you’re using steam, diffusing it, or making a DIY spray, this plant ally can help support your respiratory system and keep the household breathing easy this winter.

Also – cause I’m a big fan of use-what-you’ve-got herbalism, you could also work with: thyme, sage, tea tree or lavender to freshen the air, clear congestion and kill viruses in the respiratory system.

Want more winter wellness tips? I’ve got heaps on the blog, or get hands-on making your own with my DIY Immunity Herbal Remedy Kit

The post 3 Powerful ways to use eucalyptus essential oil for colds, flu & winter wellness appeared first on Everyday Empowered.

You’ll hear me say it heaps, but the beauty of home herbalism is that when we understand basic remedy-making, we get to add our own spin to the recipes. Hopefully yours won’t look exactly like mine, cause then you’ve created your *own* legacy for your home – and over time, your recipes will get lovingly passed from hand to hand, mug to mug amongst family and friends.

So how does this Herbal Chai Tea Recipe – 4 WAYS work?

There’s lots of ways to customise this, which I’ve noted below, but essentially you’ll make your chai tea the same way each time, by decocting your basic chai herbs. You can also add in different medicinal herbs depending what your health goal is. I’ve given you 4 versions in this post, but there’ll be others you could add as well.

Decocting is a tea-making technique where you gently simmer harder plant parts in water in a saucepan on the stove (learn the 3 tea techniques herbalists turn to and when to use each in my Mastering Herbal Teas in 5 Minutes a day course)

Underneath the recipe is a bit more info about each of the herbs and why I’ve chosen them for the Herbal Chai Tea recipe – 4 WAYS.

The Basic chai* recipe is:

• 3-4 cups water
• 1-2 cinnamon sticks, broken up
• 4-10 cardamom pods, (crushed with side of knife on chopping board or mortar and pestle)
• 1 inch slick fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
• 4-6 black peppercorns (crushed with side of knife or mortar and pestle)
• A few cloves, (crushed with side of knife or mortar and pestle)
• Dash of milk or plant mylk

Then add your other medicinal herbs:

• Deep IMMUNITY: 1 tablespoon astragalus root – DON’T use during active infection
• Glow Up:  1 tablespoon burdock root and 1 tablespoon dandelion root
• Burnout RESTORE: 1 tablespoon ashwagandha root (optional: add 1 tablespoon eleuthero root although this could be too stimulating depending on what your body needs)
• Caffeine-free chai: 1 tablespoon rooibos (if using, don’t add rooibos when simmering rest of herbs. Turn off heat and steep for 5 mins at the end)

To make:

1. Chop or crush herbs you’re using. Most of these herbs are optional based on what you’ve got available and your taste preferences.
2. Boil 3-4 cups water (in kettle or saucepan). Add water and herbs to saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Steep 30 minutes**.
3. Strain tea into mug and add whatever milk you use^ sweetener too if desired.
4. Because I usually decoct enough tea for the day, I’ll leave the remaining herbs and water steeping in saucepan, then gently reheat when I’m ready to drink my next cup. I find this flavour is fine, but then I’m used to strong teas. If you prefer, you can strain out all your herbs, compost them and store tea in fridge. Reheat as needed.

There are as many ways to make this, as there are people. Below are some ways to customise.

How to customise:

* Chai Herbs in this recipe: whilst these are pretty universal chai herbs, feel free to change it up according to what you’ve got, what you enjoy and what your health goals are.

Other herbs: aside from the variations already mentioned, you might also want to add: grated nutmeg, crushed star anise, fennel seeds, sliced vanilla bean, orange peel, rose petals, black tea, rooibos etc

** Time: I tend to decoct my chai for a fair while, if you don’t have much time or like a milder flavour – you can decoct for just 15 minutes.

^ Cooking in milk: I prefer to add milk to my mug once I’m done, but you can also add your milk to the pot when you’re done decocting your tea. You could also sub out half your water for milk (whatever type you drink) for a slightly creamier consistency

To lid or not to lid: I prefer to decoct my chai with the lid on. This traps the precious medicinal volatile oils in your drink. I also don’t see the need to reduce the liquid down as I want to drink several cups. You might see some other recipes however, reducing the liquid down by simmering without a lid on. If that works for you, you’re welcome to.

If you love learning tea recipes this way, you’ll LOVE my self-paced online course Mastering Herbal Teas in 5 Minutes a day.

I take you under the hood to learn so you can confidently blend your own teas – tailoring each brew to what herbs you’ve got, your health goals and your family’s tastebuds!

In this fun, easily-digestible course, you’ll understand the simple how’s and why’s of tea-making for digestion, mood, vitality and immunity so you can really take charge of your own health at home! Get it now!

Let’s take a quick look at what each herb contributes:

The chai spices are all warming carminative spices that improve digestion. They gently warm the gut and increase circulation there, helping ease common digestive symptoms such as bloating, cramping, gas etc. The more pungent chai spices, like ginger and pepper are great circulatory stimulations which warms you up and gets blood moving.

Deep Immunity: Astragalus is a preventative immune tonic, improving the overall health and function of your immune system. Great to use preventatively during winter or a great restorative herb to work with when you’re recovering from illness. Contraindicated (ie don’t work with) astragalus when you’re acutely sick with infection.

Glow Up: Burdock and Dandelion are great alterative herbs, gently supporting the body’s capacity to eliminate metabolic wastes through various channels which supports metabolic and liver health and creates a healthy skin glow. They both also support a healthy digestive system, which enhances our ability to absorb nutrients from the food we eat.

Burnout RESTORE: Ashwagandha is a superb remedy for depletion and burnout, particularly when accompanied by anxiety and stress-induced insomnia. When you’re wired but tired, her adaptogen properties will help with cortisol dysregulation, anxiolytic action soothes the nervous system and she helps reset circadian rhythm so you can get back into health sleep patterns.

Caffeine-Free: Rooibos is a lovely caffeine-free replacement for black tea in a chai tea recipe.

I’d love hearing how you go with this recipe – join the newsletter and hit reply and tell me how you go!

Also, let’s keep learning together! All my online courses and in-person Sunshine Coast workshops are designed to be practical, hands-on learning about herbs and remedies you’ll turn to again and again in daily life.

Make teas in Mastering Herbal Tea in 5 Minutes a day and in our DIY Remedy Kits where you’ll also learn other remedy-making techniques.

The post Medicinal Herbal Chai Tea recipe – 4 WAYS appeared first on Everyday Empowered.

Every home needs at least one immune stimulant remedy on hand to quickly turn to when winter lurgies are doing the rounds. Fire cider could be that for you! Whilst my family tends to favour elderberry syrup, it’s so interesting how sometimes I’ll crave fire cider instead – the wisdom of the body at work. And fire cider is a great remedy to take with you if you’re on hols as it’s shelf stable.

This is a foundational kitchen medicine recipe, using many easily accessible herbs and foods! I love recipes that cross the food-medicine divide and brings herbal remedies right into our kitchen and that was the inspiration of Rosemary Gladstar who first created this remedy.

While we made this recipe at a recent workshop, I had this seriously old song stuck in my head – and I tell ya, I didn’t hold back from sharing 😂

🎤Give it to me baby, uh huh, uh huh…. pretty fly for a white guy… on repeat….. for 2 hours….🎵🎶 (ok, ok, half the time I sang in my head, I wanted people to want to come back to the workshop after all! – I run regular herbal medicine workshops on the Sunshine Coast – come join us! )

So in honour of that earworm, I wanna call this new recipe:

Give it to me Baby Fire Cider Recipe

Which also works, cause hopefully it’s so delicious your friends and family will be begging for more!😉

Recipes are great, but understanding the principles (or the ‘why’ behind things) is even better than that’s the how I love to teach herbal medicine.

So this fire cider recipe is more of a recipe framework than a recipe per se as I show you how to easily customise according to taste and what you’ve got on hand.

Don’t have an ingredient? Leave it out.

Want it to have a gentler flavour? Amp up the yummy herbs

Ingredients

• Parchment paper
• Apple cider vinegar
• Honey
• jar with lid (you can use any size jar, match ingredient amounts to your jar – see instructions below)

Core herbs

Make sure at least half your jar consists of these core herbs as they’re the ones doing the immune system heavy lifting (although they all have a role to play!).

I’ll tend to pick 3-4 of these core ingredients and then use in roughly equal parts, although use 1 or 2 herbs if that’s what you’ve got on hand.

• Onion
• Garlic
• ginger
• Horseradish*
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Nasturtium leaves and flowers
• Chillis*

*horseradish and chillis are both strong flavours, even amongst a crowd of strong flavours, so tone these down or leave out if you don’t like things overly spicy

Optional Herbs

For added vitamin C and bioflavonoids: Lemon – sliced, including peel, rosehips, lemongrass (which also has antimicrobial and antiviral properties)

To soften the taste for kids: raisins, cinnamon, blueberries or apples (I haven’t tried, but imagine it’d be nice!?)

Random ideas: herbs like cardamon, cobblers peg, echinacea etc

(Got any other herbs you like to add to your fire cider? I’d love to hear! Just reply to one of my newsletters, or use the contact form to reach out 😊)

To make:

1. Chop and slice your herbs and foods
2. Add to your jar. If using mostly fresh herbs, fill jar ¾ full, if using dried, then fill jar ½ full.
3. Fill jar ¾ full with apple cider vinegar.
4. Fill remaining way with honey (if your honey’s too stiff, gently warm jar in a saucepan of hot water)*
5. Cut parchment paper to cover jar, then screw on lid tightly (the parchment paper is super important if you’re using a metal lid as the vinegar will corrode the lid – yes I’ve had personal experience 😂) Skip if you’re using a plastic lid
6. Shake jar
7. Label jar with ingredients and date made
8. Keep jar in a handy place as you’ll want to shake daily or 3x a week for 4-6 weeks.
9. Strain and taste. If you need to, you can add a bit more honey to make it sweeter.

*Another way to make this (and you might see this on other recipes, is to infuse the herbs in only vinegar. Then once you strain them you’ll add the honey. Depending on your taste, you’ll add 1/4 cup – 1/2 cup honey for every 1 cup vinegar (and you can even increase the honey if needed, although I’d personally explore adding yummier herbs to the blend).

To use:

Preventative immune tonic: 1 tablespoon/ day for adults and 1 teaspoon for kids, diluted in water.

Acute: 1 tablespoon every 3-4 hours for adults and 1 teaspoon for kids, diluted in water.

As food: use in marinades, salad dressings etc

Hope you love this fire cider – as you make it over the years, take note on favourite batches and flavours. After a while, you might have your own favourite recipe with particular herbs and foods you like to use each time! That’s one of my favourite parts of home herbalism, as it’s a living legacy and family health culture you can pass on for generations.

Love learning herbal medicine understanding principles, rather than just recipes? You’ll adore my Mastering Herbal Teas in 5 minutes a day course where I lift the curtain on how to craft your own tea blends for tummy troubles, anxiety and stress, sleep, vitality and more! And yes, there are a tonne of recipes too, I wouldn’t leave you hanging! Although with my simple and intuitive BASE-BUILD-EXTEND process, I know you’ll be confidently blending your own teas in no time at all! Learn more

Want a simple version of this recipe on a recipe card? Grab the DIY Immunity Kit– comes with recipe cards, herbs, bottles etc – our remedy kits are convenient, expert-backed recipes and saves you oodles of time sourcing all the bits ‘n’ bobs you need!

The post Fire Cider Recipe appeared first on Everyday Empowered.

So what do you do when your tea sucks (or when your family turns up their noses at it)? Luckily, you have options! Here’s 5 ways how to make your herbal teas more delicious.

1. Choosing the Right Tea Herbs

Not all herbs are naturally tasty or suited for tea-making. Remember, tea only extracts water-soluble constituents, so certain herbs might extract better in another menstruum (herbal term for liquid we’re using to that extract herbs).

2. Adjusting Herb Quantity & Steep Time

The strength and flavor of your tea can be adjusted simply by modifying how much herb you use and how long you steep it.

3. Add “Yum Factor” Herbs

If your tea needs a little something extra, these herbs and natural sweeteners can make it more enjoyable. Look for herbs that taste: sour, sweet, minty, spicy and warming, anise-like or fruity (find a list of herbs with these flavours in the Mastering Herbal Teas course.

4. Swap Out a Herb You Don’t Like

Sometimes, there’s just an herb you can’t stand the taste of—but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on what it does in the body! Many herbs have similar actions, meaning you can substitute one for another while still getting the desired effect.

For example, fennel is a fantastic digestive herb, but not everyone enjoys its licorice-like taste. If that’s you, swap it out for peppermint, chamomile, or ginger—each of which also supports digestion.

Rote learning herbs through recipes can actually make it really hard to work out how to substitute. That’s why in my Mastering Herbal Teas course I actually take you step-by-step through the process of making your own blends.

In essence, you’re first define your intention for the tea blend, and work out which herbs have the herbal actions you want.  

It’s much easier than you think I promise! In Mastering Herbal Teas course, I show you exactly how to do it with examples (videos and written, depending how you learn best).

5. Make Your Tea Beautiful

Tea isn’t just about taste—it can be a visual and aromatic experience, too! Adding colourful herbs and flowers can make your tea blends more appealing and fun to drink.

Some suggestions could include:

• red: rose petals, hibiscus
• orange: Nasturtium, calendula
• yellow: chamomile, dandelion flower, calendula
• blue: borage flowers, cornflower, blue butterfly pea
• purple: lavender, violet flowers, elderberries

There are lots of other edible flowers I personally haven’t worked with in teas, but you can certainly explore this further!

Herbal teas don’t have to be a struggle to drink. With a little creativity and customization, you can turn even the most medicinal-tasting brews into something you genuinely enjoy. Whether it’s adjusting the steep time, adding complementary flavors, or making your tea visually appealing, there’s always a way to enhance your tea experience.

Wanna whip up healing teas with ease?

You’ll adore my Mastering Herbal Teas in 5 Minutes a day course. It’s your ultimate roadmap to making healing teas you and your family actually want to drink!

Get started today!

The post The Yum Factor: How to Make Herbal Teas More Delicious appeared first on Everyday Empowered.

They belong together.

You can eat bitter foods as part of your meals, to get this forgotten flavour into your life.

OR you can make herbal digestive bitters blends, like this one.

They’re easily customisable, delicious and optimise digestion in a tonne of ways, such as:

• increasing secretions of saliva, gastrin, mucous to line the digestive tract, digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid, bile production and secretion
• increase circulation to gut
• regulating gut motility and digestive sphincters
• tonfiying smooth muscles of digestive tract, notably the stomach

Bitters, through helping us properly break down our food, actually help us better absorb nutrients and get more out of the food we’re eating!

What are herbal bitters?

Bitters are both an action and a taste in herbal medicine. Herbal bitter blends are traditionally a combination of cooling bitter herbs and warming aromatic ones (although yes, you can get warming bitters and cooling aromatics!).

In this recipe, I’m turning to the bitter powers of gentian (Gentiana lutea), arguably one of our most straight-up bitter herbs in our western materia medica.

So we don’t overly cool our digestive systems (we don’t want to put out our digestive fires after all), we blend gentian with warming herbs.

Gentian and ginger is a classic Western herbal combo and works well.

I personally find ginger too spicy sometimes and I wanted a herbal bitter blend that was delicious and works with carminative herbs to support digestion as well.

Herbal bitters blend recipe

Most of these herbs are tinctures I’ve made or bought and I’m blending together, although I’m also using rose glycetract in the blend. I love this for its nervous system support and its floral sweet taste balances the flavours in the recipe.

There’s two versions of the recipe – the first is in parts, so you can make it whatever size you want, keeping the same ratio. I’ve also then given some more directions in millimetres for a 100ml bottle (roughly).

Rosy Bitters recipe:

2 parts gentian (Gentiana lutea) tincture

1.5 parts orange peel (Citrus sinensis) tincture

1 part rose (Rosa sp.) glycetract

1 part fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) tincture

(could add 1/8 – 1/4 part ginger) (Zingiber officinale)

Rosy Bitters Recipe in ml

30ml gentian tincture

22 ml orange peel tincture

15 ml rose glycetract

15ml fennel tincture

Mix tinctures in glass dropper bottle.

Label your bottle with ingredients and date made.

To use:

Shake bottle before using to make sure all mixed well.

Use 20 drops (roughly 1 ml) diluted in 30ml water to stimulate digestion before meals.

Some people take the dropper straight on their tongue but I prefer to dilute mine with water – although you still need to be able to taste the bitter flavour.

I personally find this combo delicious, but if you’re really un-used to bitter-flavoured foods and herbs you might not. Try it for a few weeks and see if your taste buds adapt, or if you notice improvements in your digestive functioning.

If not, try another blend – there are so many bitter and carminative herbs!

The post Herbal Bitters Blend recipe for better digestion appeared first on Everyday Empowered.

This broth has a place in EVERY home and I reckon has to be one of my most used recipes.

Why? Cause it’s so versatile and super quick hands-on time.

I love versatile recipes cause when you make them regularly you get to go on auto-pilot which reduces overwhelm and simplifies herbal medicine-making in your busy life!

Today we’ll talk about my immunity broth version – and some of the herbs you might want to include. At the end I’ll talk about how I like to use this broth

Benefits of herbal immunity broth

The benefits will depend on which herbs you use, but some herbs I always like to include:

Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) Astragalus has an affinity for the immune system and is an immunomodulator herb, meaning it brings the immune system into balance – whether it’s under or over-functioning (learn to decode herbal jargon around immunity in this article (click here).

I was taught that Chinese grandma’s would start adding Astragalus to the stock pot in autumn, to build immunity ahead of the winter cold and flu season. And that’s what I do too. It doesn’t stimulate the immune system acutely, but it works as a deep immune tonic, improving immune function when used over time.  

But it’s not just for prevention – astragalus is also a deeply supportive herb to use after illness. It’ll help you recover more fully so you don’t go down the route of recurrent infections.

NOTE – In Traditional Chinese Medicine, astragalus is contraindicated when you’re acutely sick.

Shiitake (lentinula edodes)– another immune superstar, shiitake is both an immunomodulator herb with antiviral and antimicrobial actions. See this article for more info (click here)

Seaweeds: seaweeds are a great source of bioavailable nutrients and will aid in recovery after an illness, or anytime you’re needing extra nourishment and support.

Nettle (Urtica dioica) is another great herb to add if you want a nutrient-dense broth.

Pungent herbs: garlic, onion, cayenne

Depending how you want to use your broth, you can either add these or leave them out. If I’m making a mild broth to cook rice in, or hide in foods, I’ll leave out these stronger tastes. The benefits of adding them is they warm the body, and stimulate the immune system. They’re great to add if you’re sipping on broth to support a fever as their diaphoretic action will help bring the fever to the surface. More info on supporting fevers in our Building Immunity course (click here)

Herbal Immunity Broth Recipe

Base Ingredients

I’m providing this recipe as a starting place for your herbal immunity broth adventures! Adapt to use what you’ve got on hand, and what health outcomes you want to support. Tweak the ratios to match the pot you’re making your stock in. A general guide is to fill about 1/3 – 1/2 way up your pot.

🌿 3 cups* mixed vegetables – I usually include carrots, celery, sweet potato, capsicum, onion (usually steer away from cruciferous ones, although I do use broccoli stems)

🌿 ½ cup shiitake (Lentinula Edodes)

🌿 1 dessertspoon – 1/4 cup astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus)

🌿 Few cloves of garlic, roughly chopped. (leave out if making mild version)

🌿 2 tablespoons fresh chopped or 1 tablespoon dried turmeric

🌿 1 tablespoon thyme (thyme vulgaris)

🌿 1 tablespoon fresh chopped ginger (can add more to your taste or leave out for mild version)

🌿 Salt and pepper

*Depends on your pot size, you might use up to 5 cups if a 12 litre stockpot

Method

🌿 Add all the ingredients to the pot and fill pot almost to the top with water (leaving room for it to gently simmer without overflowing)

🌿 Put lid on and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.

🌿 Simmer for 1 – 4 hours or up to 12 if using chicken bones

How To Use Herbal Immunity Broth

This is a mild, palatable broth, easily hidden in foods and great for kids. You can drink warm, or use it in your cooking. You can certainly amp up the pungent herbs to make it a spicier, more flavourful sipping broth.

I like to make a big batch and keep it in the fridge to use in cooking,. You could also freeze as ice cubes to have on hand when illness strikes (just make sure you’re not drinking a broth with astragalus in if you have acute infection).

Prevention: use in cooking all autumn/ winter as a base for stews, soups, as the water component in curries or when cooking rice.

If you feel yourself coming down with something, you can add the pungent herbs to warm you up and stimulate the immune system – make it according to your taste.

Acute illness: sip when feeling rough, especially if you’re not up for eating, a nourishing broth can give your body some nourishing support without adding digestion to your body’s to-do list.  Nettles, seaweeds and bones (if you eat that) are really good additions if you’re relying on your broth for nutrient support.

Note- make sure your broth doesn’t have astragalus during acute phase of illness.

Recovery: this broth can be a star in your recovery as you add herbs to help you kick of the last of the infection, rebuild your strength and focus on nourishment.

Cause yes, you can sip it as a drinking broth, but you can also use it as the base for soups and stews, the water component in curries, or when cooking rice.

Learn more

Get this as a recipe card, as well shiitake and astragalus in the DIY Immunity Kit (click here)

This broth is technically a herbal decoction – a specific way of making tea! The Mastering Herbal Teas in 5 Minutes a day self-paced course is your ultimate roadmap to make effective healing teas at home that you and your family actually want to drink!

In easily digestible videos, with printable cheat sheets and much more, you’ll what equipment you’ll need, the 3 ways herbalists make teas, as well as recipes and a simple framework to start making your own teas at home — I am so proud of this course and I hope it’ll help tea become a simple, fun enjoyable daily habit in your home! Learn more (click here)

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This leaky gut tea is delicious and effective support.

It’s a mix of vulnerary (wound-healing), anti-inflammatory and digestive herbs that have secondary actions supporting the liver and lymph.

Let’s take a closer look:

Calendula and plantain are wound-healing herbs that help heal damaged tissues and tighten loose junctions in the gut. Now, before we jump on the hysteria bandwagon – these little gut junctions are supposed to move between leaky and tigher that’s how they work to let things cross the gut-blood barrier.

However, yes, sometimes they can get a little too relaxed about who they let into the party and calendula and plantain help.

Chamomile, whilst being gentle enough for babies and little rabbits, is actually a pretty awesome anti-inflammatory herb with wound-healing action as well, and has a role to play in many inflammatory gut issues.

If steeped for 15 – 20 minutes, the bitter quality of chamomile also comes through (not as noticeable with the other strong flavours in this tea) which offers other type of digestive support, including help for the liver.

Fennel, and peppermint, along with chamomile, also offer carminative actions in the gut to help us deal with signs of digestive upset, such as cramps, bloating and gas.

Licorice offers her sweetness, and moistening action to help balance and harmonise the formula, and can also be helpful if there’s H. Pylori and ulcers.

Optional – you could also add a bit of ginger to the mix. I personally haven’t caused I’m lazy and just like to pop the blend into the teapot without any additional work

Safety and Contraindications

Research contraindications to make sure it’s safe in your circumstances. Ie. Many people with high blood pressure can’t take licorice long-term and if you’ve got GERD, peppermint might aggravate the condition, and don’t use chamomile if allergic to Asteraceae family.

To make:

1. Blend all herbs in equal parts. You can adjust ratios to suit your specific issues and tastebuds or leave one out if there’s a safety issue
2. Use 1 tablespoon/ cup. Steep, covered, for 15 – 20 minutes. Suggested to drink 3 cups a day if actively healing your gut.

Some nuance

1. Depending on the cut of your licorice, you might need to decoct it first, rather than straight-up infusing it.
2. If healing from food intolerances, you might need to remove food that’s causing trouble whilst healing, otherwise they work against each other. I’m not advocating cutting things out willy nilly, I think that’s far too common. I’d also recommend working with bitters to improve digestive function rather than just cutting out food groups.
3. if you can’t resolve it on your own, seek support from others knowledge in your community or practitioners.

This tea really proves healing can be both delicious and effective!

This recipe and HEAPS more are in my self-paced Mastering Herbal Teas in 5 Minutes a Day course. It’s your ultimate roadmap to making healing teas you and your family actually want to drink. And it’s fully of easily digestible 5 minute videos, all delivered in my relatable style. Comprehensive workbook will have you learning and deepening your tea-making no matter where you start!

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Because we’re home herbalists, we’re naturally going to be thinking of herbs we can work with to ease the transition and it’s a good idea to have a back-to-school herbal toolkit on hand!

Stress, and worry

It’s totally normal to be stressed about back to school – new teacher, new timetable, maybe shifting friendships after the summer break – there is a lot going on!

Luckily for us, there are tonnes of herbs to help ease the worries and relax the nervous system, that are super safe and gentle for kids. The main nervines you could turn to are:

• Lemon balm (melissa officinalis) leaf
• chamomile (matricaria recutita) flower
• catnip (nepeta cataria) leaf
• lavender (lavendula angustifolia) flower

These herbs make a beautiful tea when on their own, or you can blend 2 or all of them together.

Aim for roughly 2 teaspoons herb/ cup, steeped for 3 to 10 minutes covered.

ie. 2 teaspoons chamomile, OR 1 teaspoon chamomile + 1 teaspoon lemon balm, OR 1 teaspoon lemon balm and 1 teaspoon catnip OR 1 teaspoon each chamomile, lemon balm and catnip, OR 1/2 teaspoon each 4 herbs.

They’re all good options! If you want to more detail on how to choose – get all my tea-making tips in my easily-digestible course: Mastering Herbal Teas in 5 Minutes a day)

I recommend starting with what you’ve got, or get a small amount of all of them and do a fun experiment with your kids to try to find their favourite blend. Keep in mind lavender and chamomile can get bitter if steeped longer than 3 minutes.

Anxiety

If your kid really falls on the more anxious end and has looping, ruminating thoughts, passionflower (passiflora incarnata) is a kid-safe herb to work with. I recommend combining passionflower with one or a few of the herbs mentioned in Stress and Worry section.

1/2 teaspoon each Chamomile, passionflower and lemon balm makes a lovely blend. If your kid finds the passionflower too ‘grassy-tasting’ you could use less of that herb (ie 1/2 teaspoon passionflower to 1 teaspoon each chamomile and passionflower), or sweeten with honey. Steep tea covered for 3 – 10 minutes.

Passionflower can make some kids sleepy (it’s also a great herb for insomnia due to ruminating mind), so either use it in a bedtime mix, or, if using it during day, just check your kids individual response to it.

Holistic viewpoint:

Like many things in the body, anxiety can have various causes. Whilst herbs can help, if they’re anxious because they’re magnesium deficiency then a cup of chamomile isn’t going to solve the problem. If you’re working with herbs, and things are continuing or getting worse, work with a practitioner or experiment with some other strategies to find what helps your child on a holistic level.  There are other lifestyle strategies such as getting enough sleep, movement and learning some breathwork techniques that can also help with anxiety.

Irritability and frustration

Kids (and adults, let’s keep it real!) can lash out with irritability and frustration when they’re experiencing other emotions like fear, nervousness, stress or overwhelm. If that’s your kid, chamomile can be a really good herb to turn to. You can use it alone or in combo with some of the others herbs in this article.

2 teaspoons chamomile, steeped 3 – 10 minutes (the longer the steep, the more bitter the brew)

Navigating Big feelings

Sometimes our kids are nervous going back to school because they’re actually processing some really big feelings, maybe separation anxiety, bullying, friendship issues etc etc,

Rose (rosa sp) is such a gorgeous herb to hold the heart safe while they process their emotions.

One tea blend could be 1 teaspoon each lemon balm, chamomile and rose, OR 1 teaspoon lemon balm, 1/2 teaspoon rose and lavender. Steeped 3 – 10 minutes covered.

Whilst I love rose in tea, I think she really shines as a glycetract and this is one of my favourite ways to work with her. Rose syrup also tastes like liquid turkish delight (depending which sweetener you use, so a very good option!) Check out rose info and some recipes, including the glycetract recipe

Focus

Sometimes, kids are emotionally ready for school but simply find the back-to-school transition hard cause they’re going from summer playing to having to focus and concentrate.

Along with a good daily dose of movement, a tea made with 1 teaspoon each: lemon balm, peppermint (mentha x piperita) and gotu kola (centella asiatica) can all help kids focus and pay attention at school.

Other areas

Other remedies you might like in your back-to-school herbal toolkit could be remedies for:

• the immune system (for my fav immunity remedies, check out the DIY Immunity Kit or grab my FREE Ebook – Top 3 remedies for every home)
• herbal first aid – such as a cuts and scrape salve (make your own with the DIY Herbal Starter Kit, or grab my FREE Ebook – top 3 remedies for Every Home)

How to use these herbs

These herbs are all delicious as syrups, glycetracts and tea. You can have them individually or make a blend of 2 – 4.

(I give recipes and teach you how to think through tea-blending in my self-paced course Mastering Herbal Teas in 5 Minutes a day)

Make home herbalism your own

Whilst I’ve mentioned a few herbs here, to support you, please never think you need them all, or that there’s “one right herb”.  That approach can really stress you out. Whilst over time you might find you and your children have favourite recipes or herbs that match your particular patterns really well, but in the beginning know that all these herbs are an effective part of a back-to-school herbal toolkit.

I hope you enjoy creating your back-to-school herbal toolkit and that these herbs support you and your family in this transition!

Get support making your own remedies

Want our hand in yours, guiding you to make your own remedies!? Grab the Herbal Starter Kit. Make a chamomile syrup, and soothing chamomile, lavender moon mylk. Learn to make a glycetract in the DIY Immunity Kit (although it’s a glycetract to support immunity

The post Back-to-school herbal toolkit appeared first on Everyday Empowered.

Her medicine is twofold, protecting us and creating a safe container with her thorny embrace, yet offering such grace and spaciousness to feel vulnerable with her tender petals.

Her scent uplifts our spirits and soothe our soul. We are safe, we are held, we are ok to just be exactly as we are.

Rose reminds us, deep in our bones, that we can ride out the shock waves and tumult of our inner and outer worlds.

And when we experience emotional stress, this has an impact on our physical body (and vice versa), so I like that rose, and other heart-centred herbs like hibiscus, linden and hawthorn support both our physical and emotional hearts.

Rose has other properties as well, and as a cooling herb, is great at sedating heat in our body, with a wide variety of uses.

Read on for some rose recipes to include this gorgeous rose medicine in daily life, but here’s some quick herbal info:

Rose at a Glance

Botanical Name: Rosa Sp | Family: Roseaceae | Parts Used: Flower petals, buds, rosehips (fruit)

Energetics: Cooling, Drying | Taste: Sour, Astringent

Safety: If using rose in therapeutic doses (not just culinary amounts) caution during kidney disease, breastfeeding & pregnancy, and if you’re a cool constitution, can be cooling over time.

Rose-Hearted Tea

This is a heart-centred hug in a mug. Rose gently protects our heart as we navigate challenging times, and tulsi helps us cope with the stress that accompanies emotional upheaval. Hibiscus and linden both specifically support the physical and emotional heart and cardiovascular system as well as rounding out the blend to create this delicious, soothing tea.

• 1 teaspoon rose (rosa sp)
• 1 teaspoon tulsi (ocimum sanctum)
• 1 teaspoon hibiscus (hibiscus sabdariffa)
• 1 teaspoon linden (tilia sp)

Put herbs in teapot or heatsafe jar. Pour boiling water over herbs, and cover with a lid. Steep for 10 minutes. Strain and drink. Sweeten with honey if desired.

Rose bliss balls

Transform a simple snack into a heart-opening embrace. Turn to rose medicine in times of needing extra emotional support, or also times when you want to cultivate more feelings of love, compassion and openness.

• 1.5 cups sunflower seeds
• ½ – ¾ cup cashew nuts
• 4 (heaping) tablespoons cacao powder
• ¼ cup sweetener (honey, maple syrup)
• ¼ – ½ cup organic dried rose petals*
• 2-3 tablespoons coconut oil (if required to bind other ingredients)

Method –

Add everything to a food processor and process till can make a ball with your hands. If it’s too dry, add the coconut oil.

*Note – roses are typically a heavily sprayed crop so it’s important to use organic rose petals where possible. Petals with a strong delightful scent are best here.

Rose Glycetract

This is one of my all-time favourite rose recipes. The sweet taste of glycerine pairs beautifully with rose to make a liquid Turkish delight. It’s  sweetness is soothing in times of stress and emotional upheaval. nd the red colour is medicine in itself.

Ingredients

• organic dried roses
• glycerine
• water

Method

• half fill a jar with organic dried rose petals
• fill the jar up ¾ way with glycerine
• fill the rest of the jar up with water
• use a spoon to mix
• cover with a lid, then macerate on a shelf for 2 – 4 weeks. Shake a few times a week.
• Strain through a fine mesh sieve or muslin cloth.
• Store in a bottle and label

Use 1 teaspoon plain or mixed in water.

I’ve got a few more rose medicine recipes I love, and I know at the moment, the more ways we have to work with rose the better. Not that we necessarily need to use them all at once, but I find when we want to work with a plant consistently, it can be easier to have a variety of preparations so we can find a way to incorporate that herb one way or another every day.

I’ll write them up in another post soon!

The post Rose Medicine appeared first on Everyday Empowered.

I’ve never seen a list like this, and I thought it’d be fun to put it together — it’s allllllllll the ways I could think of to work with herbs. I’ve made most of them, but not all—so inspired to keep exploring this beautiful herbal life!

In categories:

Topical (applied on skin)

• herbal oil
• creams
• salves
• balms
• compresses
• poultices
• herbal steam
• neti pot
• spritzer
• hair oil
• mouthwash
• eye wash/ drops
• ear oil
• shampoo/ conditioner
• hair detangler

Internal

• tea
• tincture
• elixir
• herbal-infused honey
• electuary
• herbal-infused vinegar
• oxymel
• glycetract
• syrup
• smoke blends

Culinary

• herbal salt
• herbal butter
• in meals – curries, stews, eggs, etc
• in baking – cookies, cakes, bliss balls etc
• smoothies, ice blocks and ice cream
• spice blends
• pesto
• natural food colouring
• marshmallows
• candies
• cordial
• bitters in cocktails and mocktails
• kombucha and other fermented drinks
• in ferments

Personal Care/ Home Care

• cleaning spray
• smudge sticks
• deodorant
• moxa sticks
• incense
• deodorant
• potpourri
• simmer pot
• herbal eye pillows
• herb moth-repelling sachets
• herbal baths
• floral/ leaf displays
• wreath

Art

• botanical illustration
• eco-dying
• flower mandala

Are you feeling inspired?

This is one of the reasons I LOVE home herbalism – there are literally so many ways to work with herbs in daily life!

Our herbal homes are full of creativity, potential, and joy as we personalise it to our interests, tastes and needs.

Does your home herablism need to look like anyone elses? Hell no!

Do you need to do it all? Definitely not!

Can you find what works for you!? YESSS!

I’m sure there’s probably more – drop a comment below (or email hello @ everydayempowered.com.au to tell me what I’ve missed (Contact form’s not working atm, so don’t use that yet!)

The post The Complete List of How to Use Herbs in Daily Life! appeared first on Everyday Empowered.