 I was visiting one of my best friends last weekend. She's big into gardening and has a beautiful herb garden in her backyard. The last time I visited a month ago, she had just planted the herbs in container pots. When I returned this past weekend, I enjoyed seeing how the plants blossomed in the interim. I was especially drawn to the mint and lavender plants. And, I asked her, "Would you mind if I make a tea with these?"
So, I trimmed some of the mint leaves and sprigs of lavender. Warmed up some water, put in the fresh herbs, and some honey. Let me tell you, it was SO DELICIOUS! If you're able to get your hands on some fresh herbs this season, I highly recommend it! Fresh herbs are a staple in Ayurvedic healing. Here's a sampling of all the things you can do with herbs: -Add herbs to your cooking to amp up the nutritive and healing properties of your food. -Crush herbs into powders and ingest them with carriers like honey or ghee. -Make a paste out of herbs to apply topically to your skin. -Steep the herbs in hot water for a yummy and healing tea. Dr. David Frawley has this to say about herbs: "Plants bring us the love, the nourishing power of the sun, which is the same energy of all the stars, of all light...They offer us not only their own nutritive value but the very light and love from the stars...They bring us the universal light so that we can enter the universal life." Some of my favorite plants for the summer teas are lavender, mint, and rose. Cilantro is a great herb to add to your cooking. All of these plants have cooling properties and that's why they're perfect for the season! Another one of my favorite things for the summer is to use essential oil aromotherapy. Going back to the lavender and rose that I mentioned earlier. Not only are these cooling, but they're also calming and grounding. How do I use them? -Place a few drops mixed with water in an aromatherapy diffuser -Place a few drops of lavender essential oil into sesame oil to rub on the soles of your feet before going to bed -Use an essential oil blend to apply to trigger points of your body, like your wrists and temples. My current fave is Pratima's Pitta Essential Oil. It's a blend of Rose, Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, and Sandalwood. It's heavenly!! I have a whole bunch of other Ayurveda tips for the summer that I've written about in prior years. So, if you're interested in learning more, check out those blogs here: -Summer Tips -Salad Season -Summer Solstice And, now I want to hear from you! Leave a comment, let me know if you try any of these tips and how they worked out for you. Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from these tips! Love, Sheetal
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