Unwind and Detoxify
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm has to be my number 1 detox support herb, because it has a wonderful ability to smooth out our liver energy, and the flow of Qi around the entire body.
Relaxing mind and body, releasing the tension that may have built up over the working day. Lemon balm is a balancer, whether you feel depressed, angry or anxious, it will help you tune into a sense of ease. It also softens the muscles, as an antispasmodic, it can help you feel physically more relaxed, too.
My beer-drinking clients suggest to me that after 2 cups, they feel as relaxed as if they have had a pint of beer - but without the side effects, such as an unhealthy thirst for more!
It is quite delicious as a tea with a lemony tang to it, and also helps ease digestive symptoms, so if your stress levels create an IBS-type reaction, lemon balm will help.
Gotu kola
A wonderful ayurvedic herb used by the Brahmins to aid meditation and increase longevity.
This is a herb I add to my morning routine every day as a powder, I blend a half teaspoon into lemon juice before breakfast to detoxify my body, aid circulation and help me maintain my mental focus throughout the working day.
It protects me against stress, so I stay focused, and do my best work. I use it as powder but it is a fairly tasteless tea and would be good in combination with of the above herbs to add some flavour, and is readily available as capsules as well.
Passionflower
Passionflower is a hypnotic herb with a slightly smoky flavour.
I drink passionflower tea almost every night. It helps me sleep peacefully and switch off my overactive mind, gifting me a quieter state of consciousness.
This would be a wonderful herb to drink instead of alcohol when you feel a craving coming on, as it has a similar mind-emptying effect, reducing the volume of our inner chatterbox, whilst also softening the muscles and helping us feel more comfortable within ourselves.
Lime flower
A type of tree blossom that can be made into a tea, so gentle and delicious, it tastes like honey. I also include this herb in my night-time tea, combined with passionflower. Like rose it soothes the heart, easing anxiety. Physically, it assists in detox, helping us sweat it out if we need to.
The skin is our biggest detox organ, and limeflower helps the pores to open up and release toxins through the skin. So it can assist the detox process, soothe our nerves and ease an anxious heart all in one.
Milk Thistle
A commonly known detox herb which helps to repair and protect the liver cells from toxins.
This is not so easy to make into a tea; if you work with the seed, it needs boiling for 20 minutes when you brew it up. This type of infusion is called a decoction. This decoction can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, so you can prepare your detox brew for 3 days, drink a little every morning, or before each meal to aid digestion. It is slightly bitter in flavour, but no more than a cup of coffee.
As the emotions of anger and grief are connected to the liver, if you find yourself feeling angry, or sad during a detox phase, this herb may ease the frustration and sense of vulnerability, helping you to feel more at peace and go with the flow.
Rose
Rose- my favourite herb to ease anxiety in the heart, when you are feeling everything too deeply.
This is a perfect herb for empaths and those struggling with any issues adversely affecting their emotions.
Rose is also wonderfully cooling for hot flushes and can reduce the severity of heart palpitations and panic attacks.
As a tea, it is delicious, like a liquid Turkish delight! Add a little honey for extra sweetness, and you will also benefit from remembering that life can be sweet, too.
If you need a replacement for alcohol at an evening meal, perhaps you are hosting a sober dinner party, my favourite choice is rose syrup. Add 2 teaspoons of rose syrup into a glass of bubbly water and stir well.
It makes me giggle almost as much as a glass of prosecco on a summer’s day! And it definitely helps me see the beauty in other people more (a little like the old beer goggles did).
Chamomile
Although everyone knows Chamomile as a gentle nervous system relaxant, you may not know it is also a powerful liver tonic.
Chamomile stimulates the liver function, helping us to detoxify the body through this digestive organ Chamomile can ease IBS symptoms, relieve anxiety, lift depression, aid sleep, reduce inflammation and it is anti-allergenic too!
It is best taken as a tea - not in teabags which have the worst quality tea in them, buy the whole flowers if you can. Naturally, you can find the whole organic flowers in my shop!
