The Healing Properties of Tea
Out of necessity more than choice, I spent the last few years working to heal my nervous system. Through my own experiences and training in breathwork I’ve learned how much trauma most of us are storing in our bodies. And it’s not just the intense life threatening events that affect us. Anything that is too much for our nervous system to process stores in our emotional body and negatively impacts our health. And I can’t begin to talk about my own healing journey without acknowledging the power of plants.
From plant ceremonies to learning how to grow food to studying herbs, the healing came from many angles. But the one I find most powerful and yet so simple to integrate is drinking herbal teas. When I first started working with plants I drank herbal infusions single day. My go-to being nettle, oat straw and red raspberry or licorice root. Not only did this help my nails (I have to cut them once a week) and my hair, which is twice as thick as it was a few years ago, but on a deeper level it has shifted my psyche. Every single day making the choice to nourish myself on a deep level became an act of self-love. And I think for a very long time, that was missing from my life.
The oat straw (which has been called mother’s milk of the Earth) calmed my nervous system and supported my bones, hair and nails with calcium and silica. The nettles, which are the most chlorophyll, vitamin and mineral rich herb out there helped replenish years of deficiencies from adrenal fatigue and burnout. The licorice not only helped strengthen my immune and adrenal systems but also supported my hydration, something I’ve always struggled with. Red raspberry is a powerful reproductive tonic, strengthening and toning the uterus for better periods and future childbirth. Although I worked with a lot of other tinctures and teas during this time, I know that combination was the biggest source of support.
Why Nutrient Teas?
Because we bleed each month, losing iron and other precious minerals, women need extra supplementation. Besides this, stress literally leaches minerals from our bodies and most of us, if we aren’t supplementing with wild foods are deficient in some way. It’s just a sign of the times and it shows up through allergies, repeated illness, fatigue, muscle cramping and general angst. I will never understand why our general practitioners don’t encourage regular blood testing and not just to rule out illness but to look for vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Drinking nutrient dense teas is the easiest and most gentle way to supplement. I recommend a blend of nettle, oat straw and red raspberry for everyone, because it covers all the bases and is safe to drink pre-conception, during pregnancy and post partum.
Let's break it down:
Nettles: The most nutrient dense herb, nettles contain vitamins A, C, D, K and B vitamins, calcium, folic acid, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and selenium. They contain proteins and chlorophyll and are helpful to those suffering from allergies and have an alkalinizing affect on the body’s tissues.
Oat Straw: Vitamin A, C, B vitamins, folic acid, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, calcium, chromium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium and silicon. Besides these helpful vitamins and minerals oat straw is excellent for soothing the nervous system and assisting those who suffer from p.m.s.
Red Rasberry: Contains magnesium, potassium, iron and vitamins B, C, and E. Red raspberry strengthens the uterine wall which make for better periods and faster more productive labors.
How to Prepare an Infusion
Put two heaping tablespoons of each herb into a 32 oz mason jar and cover them with boiling water. I let that soak overnight, you can even put it in the fridge if you want. The next morning I strain out the herbs and put the tea back in the fridge to drink throughout the day cold or heated in the fall or winter months. Besides stronger hair and nails, your skin will thank you, your bones will thank you, your organs will be supported and your nerves relaxed. It is such an easy (and tasty) way of getting your vitamins that I encourage everyone to try it. It’s also such a nourishing ritual to take a moment to sit down, calm your mind and drink a cup of tea that you know in your bones is that good for you.
I have lots of theories about how these plants healed my body, mind and spirit. Communing with and consuming these teas regularly grounded me, helped me learn to slow down and honor my boundaries. Plants know who they are, the nettle is not trying to be the raspberry plant. They are rooted in the ground and are well versed in the art of receiving nourishment from the sun, soil and water and converting those into the energy it takes to grow. There is no neuroticism in plants. They just are and they’ve taught me how to be in my body like nothing else has.