This is a place for lessons learned & shared. A love for the Lord & frugal living; for homemade food, personal care, health care, home care & Bible-centered herbalism. And, after having homeschooled for 16 years, a heart for the homeschool community.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Holy Basil ~ Matchless Herb
For quite a while I have taken a supplement for my adrenal glands. I started taking them to deal with the stress of my mom's Alzheimer's on top of my other family, church and job demands. Our adrenals, which sit atop our kidneys, help with that "flight or fight" response and they help us deal with the stresses of life. Depending upon the demands of your life, your poor adrenals can become stressed, themselves.
One of the best herbs to help promote adrenal health is Holy Basil, also known as Tulsi, an Ayurvedic herb used in Indian medicine. Holy Basil is wondrous in helping us deal with stress. I have often called it a tangible breath of fresh air.
Actually, it is an "adaptogic" herb, in that it adapts to what your needs are. It has the ability to protect your heart and adrenals from stress by lowering both cholesterol and blood pressure so that you can face the stresses at hand. Amazing. Another amazing thing is that it can not only calm you down, but it can act as a tonic herb ~ giving you that feeling of well-being. This herb does so much that it is called the "matchless herb" in Ayurvedic medicine.
Holy Basil is also known to help with diabetes by leveling out blood sugar. Did I tell you that it's amazing?
In Indian Ayurvedic medicine, it is most well known to help with colds, bronchitis, coughing fits, reducing fevers and a general anti-inflammatory (similar to Turmeric).
You can take Holy Basil as a capsule, gel capsule, tincture or tea. Teas and tinctures always work the quickest, being liquid. If you have fever blisters (canker sores), swish a mouthful of the tea around your mouth, concentrating on the affected area.You can also make a VERY strong tea, saturate a cotton ball and use it on skin irritations, bug bites and even ringworm. Also use the juice by applying a few drops into your ear to help with ear infections.
Here's my recent favorite "ahhh" tea ~ I drink this at least once a day and many times, after a hectic day, I have another nice hot mug at bed time. I sleep like a baby.
You will need:
~1 ts dried Holy Basil
~1/2 ts dried nettle
~5-8 whole cloves
~1/2 ts dried Jasmine flower buds
Directions:
1) Put all herbs in a tea ball
2) steep in a mug of hot water for 10-15 minutes
3) no need for honey, the taste is sweet, pungent and soothing
Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
**see the obligatory disclaimer at bottom of blog page**
I continue to love that you share these kinds of posts.
ReplyDeleteBlessings for helping in keeping us healthy.