MyHerbCorner

Posts Tagged ‘Ginseng’

Lately I was thinking about herbs to calm down my temper since I was jumpy and snappy and pretty nervous.
Normally lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) always helped me so I tried it… without success.
Then I switched to mood lifting St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) but I didn’t took it regularly (which you should over a long period of time) and… I was still unhappy with myself.

This led me to the right path because, just lets face it, coping with stress can be supported by herbs which are called adaptogens (adapt to stress) but constant stress calls for a lifestyle change!

So since I took all this good remedies which help our nervous system (lemon balm tincture or St john’s wort tincture first thing on empty stomach in the morning, then calming oat muesli, nettle infusion over the day and short breaks with deep breathing) I was still pretty jumpy.

Now I made what our body is calling for, I sat me down (actually I lay down) and thought about the reason why I am so stressed.
Ha, that was great because I found sooooooooo many reasons and then I thought if it is really worth to be so active.
If I would take a rest I could finish much more in a shorter period of time (and with a clearer mind…)
And, do I really have to do all that stuff when the kids have holidays which is stressful enough

So if you are under stress just take a moment and find out what the cause is.
If you can do something against it (lifestyle change) do it.
If you are a mum with only one or more kids get help (yes we all need help and a break in such an important job! A mother is teacher, nurse, cook, day and night care… you deserve a break!)
If it is because of emotional stress (break up, lost a loved one…) take adaptogenes like

• St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) tincture more times a day
• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) tincture and tea more times a day
• Hops (Humulus lupulus) tea before bed time or sleeping pillow
• Ginseng (Panax ginseng.) a tea late morning and after lunch
• Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) just chew on a piece of root or infuse with a tea of your choice
• Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) as infusion
• Oats (Avena sativa) porridge, muesli, Sagelets or other cooked oat

To strengthen your nerves use the following nervine tonics

• Oatstraw (Avena sativa) as nourishing and tonic infusion
• Vervain (Verbena officinalis) in tincture form or tea
• Sage (Salvia officinalis) tea or tincture as well as in cooking
• Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) tincture or tea before bedtime

If you have difficulties to relax or sleep, make one of the following teas and sit down drinking every sip consiously

• Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
• Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata
• Valerian (Valeria officinalis)
• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
• Hops (Humulus lupulus)

Some people find also help in meditation or yoga.
Unfortunately my mind runs in such a speed I never can relax in form of meditation BUT I find help by just going outside and breath the clean, fresh air surrounding our garden.
Watch the wide open space with it’s stars (how little am I in such a huge cluster of stars… and how wonderful to have the opportunity to be alive… )
A little walk under the forest trees and some deep inhaling breaths and I am calmed in any situation.
If I have no time to go outside (no time means REALLY bad stressful situation) I still pick up a flower or herb and hold my nose to it. Best for this is a herb with aromatic volatile oil like lemon balm, lavender or rosemary.
Herbs, trees, flowers just nature has such a healing effect to our body.

Even making a simple tea has a therapeutic effect.
You have to stop and bring water to boil, place some herbs into your cup and let it infuse. Sure you can do this with thousands thoughts on your mind but just try to make a break and do it fully aware.
If I see the herbs infusing I can let my fast thinking mind go and give it all a rest.
Smelling the infused herb is… just heavenly. Simple water and a few plant people celebrate their combination to help me…

When we just talk about water… there is nothing more relaxing then soaking in a wonderfully bath by candlelight
Use any of the above herbs and add some sea salt.
Sea salt has a relaxing effect to our body and many people have enjoyed this in their holidays at the beach.
The salt is not only cleansing to skin but also removes toxins.
I think I will write about all good (and bad) things about salt in another post… see, just writing a post and other things pop up which led to other posts and others and others…
Here comes a priority list handy.

If you have constant stress make a list and look what you have to do first and give your self a rest then and now. You will finish things much faster and better when you have enough breaks to recharge your batteries.
So, now I take a break make me a tea and go into my rocker, thinking about the next post of salt… oops, I mean, I make a break and just enjoy my tea and relaxing music

I was already trying out the different effects of ginseng tea by infusing and boiling the root.

What I tried yesterday was to infuse the root over night. In the evening I worked with the mortar to break and grind a whole dried root and gave it into a 500 ml jar. Covering with boiling water and lid I left it sit over night.

In the morning (I was still drowsy by not getting enough sleep) I opened the jar and poured some infusion into my cup, topped it with some boiling water to make it warm and drunk the half cup.
Then my first lessen began… within a minute or two the stomach started cramping and I was got awake enough to remember… NEVER DRINK GINSENG ON AN EMPTY STOMACH!
Quickly I spread a bread with honey and after eating a few bites the cramping disappeared. Phew! Lesson learned.
The cramping may also happen if you drink coffee and ginseng together or in a short period of time.

Now back to my ginseng adventure.
On this day I worked very hard (mentally and physically) so every time my energy level dropped, I sipped a bit from my ginseng infusion and was on the top again after a few minutes. Yes, I can say it works

But I also had to learn when to stop because you can’t sleep when you drink to much of this root during the day or in the evening. Your heart rate is higher and your body is like an engine in high gear.

Next thing I want to try is what effect it will have when I just chew on a root when I lack on energy?

(I will comment at this as soon as I tried it out. Meanwhile click here for an older ginseng post)

For me a big plus to live in New Zealand is cheap ginseng (Panax ginseng)
Croco (my husband) brought me 100 g dried ginseng from Davis Trading for just NZ$8 while I purchased only 1 g for the same price in Austria! Isn’t that amazing?! In my home country we use ginseng as a nerve tonic and for good memory.
When I first saw this big, whole dried roots I was surprised since we only get coarse ginseng in Austria.
Our new experience was funny because I first tried to ‘cut’ this root into pieces until I wished me an axe!
But then my husband had the great idea to use our stone mortar and with a big success the ginseng was processed into small pieces (and even powder) in no time.
Our first cup of this root tea was just an amazing taste. I nearly forgot how it tasted (because who can purchase this liquid in Europe? I only had my 1 g and that was it…)
Now I tried out different ways to make ginseng tea like decoction, infusion and just steeping as tea for 20 minutes. The results have been different. Decoction wasn’t stimulating at all while I couldn’t sleep when I drunk a tea an hour before bedtime. It was incredible to feel the tea working in my body. My thinking cleared and I just got so many great ideas and went straight out of bed to work on my computer.
In the internet I found a New Zealand based ginseng cultivation (please click here for the link) and read all I could about planting and working with this herb. Ginseng takes at least four years to produce big enough roots to harvest. It can be sown or planted and now I am looking forward to our own piece of land where we can try out to grow a batch of ginseng. How great is that!!!
By reading more about this plant I discovered that you can chew a piece of ginseng to gain new energy when exhausted and to balance blood sugar (you feel a blood sugar low by a sudden loss of energy and craving for sweets)
Ginseng shouldn’t be taken during pregnancy or if there is a heart disease since it can raise blood pressure and cause anxiety. It is recommended to use for short periods but it shouldn’t be a problem if you drink one cup a day. It is said to not use with coffee (stimulant plus stimulant… wow, the heart rate must really be sky rocking after that mix!)
Ginseng may also be used for jet lag but for older people or those weakened by illness this root may be the opposite since ginseng has a sedative effect for those who need sleep. You see, there is always the big sign ‘Listen to your own body!’
Another ginseng on the market which is less stimulating is Siberian ginseng (Eleuthrococcus senticocuc) However, I am happy with the Panax and are looking forward what I can learn from it.