Tea!

I use tea for a lot of my minor health complaints as well as a few of my major ones. Ginger tea has been a huge part of my life this year. It has helped reduce my migraine frequency and intensity when I do get them. It acts as a great anti-inflammatory which is also good for my MS symptoms helping to relieve some of the severity when they happen. I have a cup every day in place of the morning coffee I used to have.

This probably won’t be a huge surprise to anyone. I make my own tea. That way I know what is in it and that it is organic. Many store bought teas have additives or extra herbs and flavors that are just not needed. When I do use a store bought tea I make sure it is 100% one ingredient. (It seems like they really like to throw chamomile in everything and I have a ragweed allergy. By the way, if you have a ragweed allergy, skip the chamomile and dandelion)

Making your own tea is super easy and fast. If you have a mortar and pestle, great. Use that to break your herbs and spices up a bit. If not, use a meat tenderizer or hammer and a bag. (even a heavy book would work in a pinch) Gently smack your ingredients. Gently, we don’t want them to be powder. No need to turn into the Hulk, stay Bruce Banner for this one. Now put it all in a tea ball, bag, infuser, or some cheese cloth if you are really desperate and pour boiling water over it.

Look! Tea! (The amount you use and the time you let it steep all relies on how strong you like your tea. I give mine about 10-15 minutes)

My favorite combo is cinnamon (using a fresh cinnamon stick is just the best. It smells and tastes amazing) ginger, peppermint, lemon peel. You can get these at your natural food store or you can order them in bulk from places like Atlantic Spice Company online. If you want to go crazy you can dry your own instead.

Here are some other options and ideas.

Ginger: great anti-inflammatory, helps block pain signals from migraines, also good for nausea

Peppermint: another good anti-inflammatory, aids in digestions, nausea, tension headaches, also helps sleep and relaxation

Cinnamon: congestion, gas and cramps, tooth whitening, and it makes your house smell awesome.

Licorice root: sore throat, low energy, also good for thyroid issues, but be warned, if you have blood pressure problems stay away from licorice!

Herbs have been a hobby of mine for a very long time now and I could go on and on about them. This is just a quick overview of a very limited selection. Explore, experiment. At some point in the future I will probably do an expanded post of herbs and their uses, but right now I need to go have some tea and shortbread.