Did you miss our “Nourishing the Heart: Physical and Emotional” class on February 1st? Not to worry! We have the audio recording up on our YouTube, and “Herbs to Nourish Frayed Nerves” coming on February 15th, 1:30-3pm, with visiting teacher Mo Katz-Christy, Clinical Herbalist. Register here.
In order, the main herbs discussed in Nourishing the Heart: Physical and Emotional are:
- Tulsi (Holy Basil)
- Lemon Balm
- Skullcap
- Rosemary
- Motherwort
- Linden
- Hawthorn
- Rose
During the class, we drank a relaxing tea made of roughly equal parts tulsi, lemon balm, skullcap, and rosemary. In the short term, this tea is a doorway to ritual, bringing soothing aroma, relaxant qualities, and improvement to blood flow, encouraging a period of deep breath, rest, and focus. I love a “family reunion” tea like this one, made from 4 members of the Lamiaceae (or mint) family. It always seems to make a complete and magical blend, as long as I keep a balance of bitter and aromatic family members. If I need to be more relaxed, I’ll focus more on the bitter herbs, such as skullcap, and if I need to be more uplifted, I’ll focus more on highly aromatic herbs, like rosemary. Of course some family members, like lavender, are both bitter and aromatic—amazing!
Many of these herbs in the Lamiaceae family can be purchased as seeds and planted out for a beautiful medicine garden. Check out the ones from Earthbeat, I was able to find over a dozen in the same family, all with different medicinal benefits to the nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory, and lymphatic systems. Personally, I grow many of them – Tulsi, Catnip, Self Heal, Motherwort, Skullcap, Mints, Lemon Balm, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Lavender, and both Native and European Bee Balms. From this one family I’m able to have a full range of bitter and aromatic flavors and actions.
We also simmered up some Hawthorn berries for about an hour, stirring and squishing to help release the fruit from the seed. Then, we poured the silky and deep–red decoction over a teapot of 1 part hawthorn leaf and flower, 1 part Linden leaf and flower, and a sprinkling of rose petals. Rose, a relative of Hawthorn, is a beautiful teacher of moderation—too many petals can overpower the tea with bitterness. This blend provides relaxant and structural support to the cardiovascular, nervous systems, respiratory, and digestive systems. This creates a powerful soothing balm for grief, replenishing tired systems that need ways to recover and replenish. Grief taxes every part of our bodies, and especially those four systems.
This blend is also an excellent choice if your focus is bringing down high cholesterol and blood pressure and stress is getting in the way. From the combination of compounds like polyphenols, quercetin, pectin, and more, plus the stress relief actions of linden and rose, this hug-in-a-mug is an amazing support for the physical and emotional heart. I love the way this tea turns out delightfully silky and smooth. I took the teapot home and poured hot water over the herbs and berries a few more times because I loved it so much. Each time I steeped it, the Linden, a tree relative of Marshmallow, gave a little more slippery thickness to the tea. Steeping them more than once is a great practice so our herbs have a chance to provide us their full medicinal value. If you’re unable to simmer hawthorn berries, feel free to just work with the aerial parts.
If you find it difficult to take medicinal teas consistently, you can also blend your herbs as a tincture! It’s important to be realistic when we are under stress and trying to manage long-term issues. Stress and emotional health challenges always make it harder to take our herbs consistently. So, you can make sure the herbs to support your heart and mind are both in your mug and in your pocket. Personally, I put my essential herbs in a half ounce bottle and keep them at my desk or in my pocket at all times. Proactive thinking has changed everything for me as far as making sure I am actually taking care of myself. If you’re going the tincture route and you feel stress really hits you in your chest with tension or rapid heart rate, consider adding in motherwort for relaxation in the short term and strengthening of the heart in the long term.
These are by far not the only herbs who can support our cardiovascular and emotional health; this was simply the number of herbs we could discuss in detail within the limits of this short class. If you have any questions, feel free to send us an email at haba@bluehill.coop, visit the store to speak with one of us in person, or speak to an herbalist you trust.
Love and Linden,
Torsten
We are not doctors. The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only. There are no state or federal authorities in the U.S. that license herbalists. The staff at Blue Hill Co-op do not prescribe, offer medical opinions, or practice medicine. Please reach out to your primary care provider or seek emergency support if you require medical care.
