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7 Healing Herbs You Should Have In Your Kitchen

Food | Lifestyle

Prone to colds and stomachaches? Look no further than your very own kitchen to find help in healing herbs to combat those common ailments like digestive discomfort and cold symptoms!

Speaking as an experienced herbalist, there are a few safe, everyday herbs that you should always keep handy in the kitchen for first aid purposes.

You can often add them to your meals, juices or smoothies, and you could also make a simple draught out of them, simply adding them to hot water and steeping for a few moments before drinking up!

1. Cardamom

Cardamom is used traditionally for nausea, heartburn, bloating, excess gas and constipation. In fact, this product is often used at a high dose to help soothe chemotherapy patients for these very reasons.

Used daily, this household herb is also great for helping maintain safer cholesterol levels! Simply add cardamom to your heart-healthy food regimen along with garlic.

2. Cinnamon Sticks

These are great added to hot water with a little lemon to express cold symptoms, or mixed with honey and ginger as an elixir for sore throats.

3. Turmeric

This herb is a powerful anti-inflammatory, which means it can used to help ease pain from injuries, arthritis or other chronic aches. It can be added in bulk to smoothies or to gently spice up your meals as a powdered spice.

If you are not having much luck using it for pain relief, then grab capsules and talk to a properly trained herbalist to make sure you are getting a higher (but still safe) dose — they may have an alternative that is better for you specifically.

4. Basil

This herb is not just a tasty Italian addition to any meal, but it is wonderfully warming and as such can ease anxiety by relaxing the muscles. Because of this action, it also helps curb uterine and intestinal cramps. The fresh herb has a bigger impact in this particular case.

5. Maca Root

This is an energy lifter and is superb for procuring fertility as it supports cellular health. You can grab this as a root or already powdered and add it to any of your smoothies or juices.

To be specific about how much you’re taking daily, grab some capsules from your herbalist.

6. Ginseng

Another big helper in the energy department! You can grab this as a liquid, tea or in capsule format and add it to your daily regimen in the morning as a replacement for caffeine.

7. Ginger

Ginger has so many uses that you should try to always stay stocked with the fresh root! It is great for easing digestion, warming raw foods for better nutrient absorption, curbing nausea, and combatting cold symptoms.

Simply cut a peeled cube and either add it to your smoothie or juice, or steep it in hot water for 5 minutes. Another way to use this fresh herb is to grate some over your salad, soup or rice dish. Yum!

A Word of Caution

Using these herbs in this way is safe, but when it comes to heightening the dose of any herb (or supplement) and using them for specific conditions, you should always seek the advice of a well-trained professional that knows your personal body chemistry and symptoms.

This person should be able to tell you which products are perfect for you specifically and how much to take, which products will or won’t interact with ANYTHING else you are taking (natural or not), and where to get the cleanest and most potent product.

Natural products can be quite strong and definitely interact with prescription medications as well as each other. Remember your MD may not always be trained in the use of these products with prescription medications, but a good herbalist will be, so always talk to a professional herbalist to keep it safe!

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