Herbal Quadfecta?! Lavender, lemongrass, Turmeric, Ginger
"First things first, GINGERALE IS NOT DOING SH*T FOR YOU! ...
Hey yall, It's Deli . Today I want to discuss a few different herbs we all use often but don't know much about. When I started Gaia's Hands, I knew for sure one of the goals would be getting people back to basic, natural ways of living, being more healthy, fit, and knowledgable with the end result being more self efficient and powerful. Learning about new things takes time, and I wanted to share some knowledge on a few herbs and oils that I have studied over the past few years. Gaia's Hands will soon be offering remedies, tinctures, and tonics that help with relaxation, inflammation, energy as well as cuts and bruises. WE ARE BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF GROWTH, NATURALNESS, AND POWER.
I am going to discuss lavender, lemongrass, turmeric, and ginger in this post. These are all herbs that are used in Gaia's Hands products and we can start incorporating them in our lives more often.
Lavender
I mentioned lavender some in my last blog. There are numerous benefits to using lavender more often. It can be used in the shower, in teas, or you can rub it all over with a body butter. I see so many benefits in using lavender that I have incorporated it in several of Gaia's Hands products. Lavender contains linalool, which is a terpene contained in many plants like cannabis and peppermint. When absorbed through smell, linalool can leave you feeling very relaxed and anxiety free without leaving you impaired. It is great when you are winding down or feeling over anxious. I know people that carry lavender with them just in case something or someone gets their anxiety up so they can quickly pull it out and sniff. Lavender is also great to add to salves for cuts and bruise as it speeds up the healing process (salves and bug spray will be available next month!) It can help with hair loss and pain relief. Lavender is a herb we should always have in our household especially with the trying days many of us have to deal with.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass is also a herb I have in several of Gaia's Hands products. “Recent scientific studies have provided evidence supporting its antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties” (3) Lemongrass has huge anti-inflammatory properties and is made up of about 70-80% of citral. Studies are showing that the movements of citral are most likely the main cause for the strong anti-inflammatory properties lemongrass contains. You can use lemongrass topically or orally and it helps with both skin inflammatories and wounds. I use lemongrass on my skin pretty much everyday. I noticed that small cuts that may be on my hands seal and heal extremely fast now. Also, adding lemongrass to your tea will help your body absorb those properties internally.
Turmeric
At one point, because of how bad my digestive tract was, turmeric was literally put in every meal I made. Curry is made with turmeric so lets just say I was smelling very seasoned during this time lol. Turmeric was one of the first herbs I was introduced to that could help with bad inflammation and muscle pain and my stomach was a serious problem at the time. I also had an extremely odd, extremely painful knee issue and my doctors could not figure out what was causing it or how to treat it other than giving me pain meds which I wasn't really for. Yall, I could not walk for 3 days!
By far one of the worst pains I have ever experienced. My boss at PBS suggested I start taking turmeric pills as he did daily for his shoulder injury. After that, me, turmeric, and curry became best friends lol. Curry chickpeas, curry cauliflower, curry sweet potato and purple cabbage cook up (don't fret, Gaia's Hands wants you eating healthy as well, recipes will be dropping this summer). I would even toss some curry on top of my avocado. It definitely helped with the pains I was dealing with.
“Researchers have found that phytochemicals from natural foods, such as the curcumin found in turmeric, may be a safe and effective way to help reduce inflammation and prevent and treat disease.... There is promising research to support curcumin’s use for the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on obesity, to reduce arthritis pain and swelling, and to aid in complications such as diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, and cardiomyopathy” University of Utah Health registered dietician nutritionist Anne Pesek Taylor, RDN, CD.
Ginger
First things first, GINGERALE IS NOT DOING SH*T FOR YOU! It's no different than drinking cola. It is carbonated water and high fructose corn syrup. Now, lets talk about real ginger. Ginger is in the same plant family as turmeric. It possess many of the same benefits as well. “The rhizome, which is the horizontal stem from which the roots grow, is the main portion of ginger that is consumed.” (6) Though its origin is still unknown (ginger does not grow in the wild), ginger dates back to thousands of years, mainly in China and India, and was used to treat a variety of illnesses, from nausea, headaches, and common colds. You can use it fresh, dried, powdered or candied and still reap its benefits. Because ginger root contains a very high amount of antioxidants, it can help with preventing and reducing cell damage which can come from radical oxidants. Oxidants are definitely beneficial to our bodies but oxidation stress can cause damage and ginger can provide the antioxidants to minimize this stress. Things like cancer, obesity, and diabetes can cause long term oxidation stress.
These 4 herbs are just the beginning to building your natural pantry. Each of these can be purchased at the grocery store or a local all natural coop. ( I go to Glut in Mount Rainier often) Even if you aren't ready to use them, get them in your house so you can start incorporating each in your diet. I will be dropping easy recipes and remedies for you guys to start using soon! Let's do this!
image from npr.org
Click here to download the FREE lemongrass, turmeric, ginger and lemon tonic recipe I made last week!
Disclaimer: Please note that this information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is for educational purposes only.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
http://www.sci-news.com/medicine/linalool-odor-relaxing-06532.html
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00241/full
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5801909/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3113383/
https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2020/02/turmeric.php