John Gallagher:
You're listening to HerbMentor Radio by LearningHerbs. I'm John Gallagher.
Tara Ruth:
And I'm Tara Ruth. How's it going, John?
John Gallagher:
It's going really good. It's just past Thanksgiving weekend and it was wonderful to hang out with the kids. See the kids. They're all grown up now, so I don't get to see them a lot. And remember, they were the whole reason I started LearningHerbs to begin with and learning about herbal medicine.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
That was 20 years ago. Haley's 20 so that's how I know how old LearningHerbs is.
Tara Ruth:
It's a good metric.
John Gallagher:
And this is 20 full cycles, and I guess I'm just feeling really grateful for LearningHerbs and the LearningHerbs community, especially for supporting us all of these years and listening and reading and taking our courses and playing our games.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
The gratitude is huge, so I'm really grateful for that, so.
Tara Ruth:
It overflows.
John Gallagher:
It overflows. How about you?
Tara Ruth:
I'm doing well. I had such a great Thanksgiving too. It's so fun making that meal and thinking about all the different herbs that go into it, a little orange peel or cinnamon in your cranberry sauce, some thyme, some sage, etc, just smelling all of those aromatics as you're cooking and feasting together. It's a sweet way to connect with the herbs.
John Gallagher:
What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?
Tara Ruth:
Oh, is it okay if I say a dessert?
John Gallagher:
Yes, absolutely.
Tara Ruth:
I love pumpkin pie. I love pie. How about you?
John Gallagher:
I always have to say the stuffing for some reason. It's just that the memories of way back from when I was a kid. I just love that flavor of the gravy and the stuffing and the Turkey together and the cranberry sauce. But the cranberry sauce has to be from the can, the kind that just plops out. Of course, I get an organic one now from the co-op. You get to... Wait, could we do that sound? Yeah. I don't know.
Tara Ruth:
We're doing great sound effects on the podcast now.
John Gallagher:
I don't have the pre-programmed sound effects for cranberry sauce coming out of a can, but I do love that. And that's squished in there too. That's just something that, it's what mom, that's how mom made it.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
So everyone kind of looks at me funny when I bring that can and plop it out onto a plate. I'm like, oh, just okay. But everyone always eats it, so.
Tara Ruth:
It's really good.
John Gallagher:
It's really good. Exactly. Absolutely. So what do we have today?
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, well, we're thinking about how 2024 is somehow already coming to a close, which blows my mind.
John Gallagher:
Oh gosh.
Tara Ruth:
I know. And we're going to chat about some of the most frequently asked questions we get here at LearningHerbs. We did this in the spring and it was just so fun answering everyone's questions, so we decided to do it again.
John Gallagher:
Yeah, let's just dive in.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, let's do it.
John Gallagher:
Well, the first question is what herbs are helpful for sleep?
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. And this is a question we get a lot at LearningHerbs and a question that I just, I get a lot from friends as well. I mean, sleep is such an important factor in our overall wellness. So when our sleep is off, it just impacts every aspect of our lives. I know you and I know this very well, John, as chronic insomniacs.
John Gallagher:
Yes.
Tara Ruth:
So we both have a lot of knowledge in this area through our mutual struggles.
John Gallagher:
Yeah.
Tara Ruth:
And when it comes to sleep, I love thinking about herbs for sleep, but I also like to take a few steps back and think about a lot of other factors that are really going to be affecting our sleep. We want to be thinking about what are our daily inputs? Are we getting enough movement in our days? Are we nourishing ourselves well so we're not hungry when we're going to bed? If we're drinking caffeine, did we do that at a reasonable hour? So it's not going to keep us up at night, which I have. I think a week ago I drank some kombucha at 8PM forgetting that there was tea in it.
John Gallagher:
Yeah.
Tara Ruth:
It was a horrible mistake.
John Gallagher:
Yeah. Yeah, I do that every time I go to the movies. Our local movie theater has kombucha on tap, and I just want to drink it, so I get it.
Tara Ruth:
It's so good.
John Gallagher:
And then I get home, I'm like, why can't I go to sleep?
Tara Ruth:
I know. Yeah. So I tried a lot of herbs that night, but none could really get past that caffeine barrier. So it was a good lesson in remembering when to drink our caffeine. And then also a thing I like to think about is just what is your morning and nightly routine or ritual? Are you looking at your phone right before you go to bed? Are you giving yourself time to actually wind down? So these are all things I like to consider. And we won't go into a lot of detail here, but it's just helpful to kind of lay that foundation when we're talking about sleep.
John Gallagher:
Yeah. A lot of people will call that, the doctors would call that sleep hygiene.
Tara Ruth:
Exactly.
John Gallagher:
Which is setting the stage for sleep the best way that you can, and not even using the bedroom for anything else but sleep for, because yeah, it's amazing what your mind does and the patterns and everything. So yeah, absolutely. So it's true. It's true. Something surely that's huge. It's been huge for me, the sleep hygiene aspects. It's been really helpful.
Tara Ruth:
Oh, I'm glad it's been helpful. Yeah, I've played around with a lot of them too, and it's been like, oh yeah, time to turn off the phone. Yeah. So all those little things add up. And then another thing, when we think about herbs for sleep, we also want to get really clear on what kind of sleep issues someone may be dealing with. Are they having trouble falling asleep? Are they waking in the middle of the night? Do they have nightmares? There's so many different aspects that can disrupt our sleep. Do they just have really nosy, nosy, noisy neighbors? I was like, which one is it?
John Gallagher:
Or nosy neighbors.
Tara Ruth:
Or nosy. Yeah. Wait a second. Yeah. So all these things can really contribute to our sleep. And with all that in mind, let's dive into some herbs.
John Gallagher:
Yeah.
Tara Ruth:
Yes.
John Gallagher:
Some classic insomnia herbs.
Tara Ruth:
Totally. The first one I'm going to talk about is Passionflower. Passionflower, if you're familiar with this plant, grows with this beautiful snaking vine that curls and loops all around. And that's a great way to remember exactly what passionflower can help with. Passionflower is great for when our mind is kind of having these snaking scattered thoughts that just won't end, they won't stop twisting around and jumping around from snaking thought to thought to thought. And if you're someone who's trying to fall asleep and you find yourself often on these scattered thought loops that won't let you settle in, passionflower can be a really great ally to work with. Have you worked with passionflower, John?
John Gallagher:
I have. I've taken passionflower in the past for sure. And it's wonderful. Yeah, really. And that is really a key thing, is the things that can help, like when you wake up, what's going to help you not think like, oh, what do I have to do tomorrow? Or things like that. As soon as that happens, it's really hard to get back.
Tara Ruth:
Totally. You start going through the to-do list of a 1000 different tasks.
John Gallagher:
And I want to say too, the importance of just prioritizing sleep that we didn't mention. To me, I make it the most important part of my day, and I do that by just guarding when I go to sleep, when I get up, not scheduling things before a certain time so my mind can just let go and not have to even think when it wakes up, oh my gosh, I got to be all awake and afresh by seven or 8AM or whatever it is. And it's just building your life around that. And then your anxiety, if you have that, like a sleep anxiety that's more my situation. It does help a ton.
Tara Ruth:
It's so true when you have those healthy boundaries in place and really let your body fully relax into deep slumber. So nice.
John Gallagher:
Yeah, absolutely.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. And when I work with passionflower, I like to work with it in a tincture. Passionflower can be pretty bitter, so it's not that tasty as a tea. And I work with taking about three to five dropperfuls, you can take up to four times a day of that dosage. But when I'm taking passionflower, I'm just taking it at night right before I go to bed. So I'll have about three to five dropperfuls right before bed and it can help with those scattered snaking thoughts. And then just to keep in mind with passionflower, you want to avoid taking it with sedative drugs because it can potentiate their effects, and then also with MAOIs, which are a type of drug that is often prescribed for depression. So just keep that in mind with passionflower and avoid it during pregnancy.
John Gallagher:
Okay.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, I couldn't find any information about it with lactation. So I'm curious about passionflower and lactation. I wish I had that info. And then another herbal ally that I love to work with, this one I work with far more than passionflower because I've found it very specific for the lovely things that my brain does is blue vervain. So while passionflower is specific for the snaking scattered thoughts, jumping from thing to thing, blue vervain is really specific for that emotional state when it feels like our brain is just kind of on a hamster wheel of one looping thought like, oh no, I'm going to forget this thing, or I messed this up, or whatever it may be, wherever your brain likes to go, blue vervain is very specific for when we're in that little loop that we feel like we just can't get out of.
John Gallagher:
Is that a tincture that you would want to take all throughout the day or again, just at night like,-
Tara Ruth:
Great question.
John Gallagher:
You did with passionflower?
Tara Ruth:
So with Passionflower, I find that one to be more sedative, at least in my body, it has more of a sedating effect. Blue vervain, I find it just more calming without fully sedating me. So I've often taken it when I'm just having a stressful day and I'm just find myself locked into that mind loop. I've taken it throughout the day, and you can take two to five dropperfuls three times a day, and it can be a really helpful ally. You want to avoid taking more than that recommended dosage because in excess it can cause vomiting.
John Gallagher:
Oh.
Tara Ruth:
So just keep that in mind. Yeah, it's a very bitter herb. So you take it in tincture form and you often read about very bitter herbs when they're taken in excess that can have that kind of digestive effect.
John Gallagher:
Right.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. When it comes to blue vervain, in addition to avoiding taking it in excess, you also want to avoid it during pregnancy and lactation. And just a side note, if you haven't gotten to see blue vervain in person, I highly recommend looking up a picture or even growing it because it just grows these beautiful regal blue, purple flowers and it's a delight for all the senses.
John Gallagher:
Wonderful.
Tara Ruth:
Yes.
John Gallagher:
So I'm thinking California poppy.
Tara Ruth:
Oh, yeah. One of my favorites. As a Californian, I was surrounded with California poppies growing up, and I had no idea that they have all these incredible medicinal benefits. Who knew? Yeah. So California poppy, when I think of this plant, I immediately think of it as a sedative. That's what it's most well known for. And it is so helpful for insomnia, whether you wake up in the middle of the night, or if you're just having trouble falling asleep and it doesn't have that specific brain picture pattern that I was talking about with passionflower or blue vervain. I just think of it as kind of an overall support for insomnia. It's also really helpful specifically for kids. It has this affinity for insomnia with children, and it's just a delight, this beautiful bright flower helping us fall asleep at night. And if you're working with California poppy, much like blue vervain and passionflower, it is very bitter. So you want to take it in a tincture form.
John Gallagher:
Yes.
Tara Ruth:
Or with kids, it can be helpful to take it as glycerate because that will make it a little bit more sweet. And in tincture form, you take one to four droppers, three times a day is the maximum dose. But again, since it's a sedative, I'm personally the majority of the time only taking it at night because especially as a sedative, it can start to make you feel very sleepy if you're taking it throughout the day.
John Gallagher:
Right. Right.
Tara Ruth:
So if you were to take it, if you were at work and you were going to take it right before your commute home, that would maybe,-
John Gallagher:
Not a good idea
Tara Ruth:
Be a dicey idea.
John Gallagher:
Yeah.
Tara Ruth:
Because it might not be the best to operate heavy machinery right afterwards.
John Gallagher:
Yeah.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. And again, like passionflower can potentiate the effects of other sedative drugs. So keep that in mind and then just avoid during pregnancy and lactation as well. Hi folks. I'm adding in this little message because just a moment ago, you heard me talk about California poppy dosage, and you also heard me talk about California poppy for kids. And I wanted to clarify that the dosage information I'm talking about here with California poppy as well as all the dosage information we're talking about on this episode is for adults. When it comes to giving herbs to kids, the dosage is often very different than it is for adults. So keep that in mind when we're talking about all these herbs today. Okay, let's get back to talking about California Poppy.
John Gallagher:
My town California poppy just grows everywhere in the summer. It's like the number one orange. You see it everywhere. So it's a wonderful plant.
Tara Ruth:
And that's a good thing to bring up too, when you're harvesting California poppy, for example, where I am in California, I'll see it along highways and just all along sidewalks. And though those California poppies look beautiful there and they're in abundance, one, it's illegal to harvest them in California unless you've grown them yourselves,-
John Gallagher:
Oh.
Tara Ruth:
Because it's the state flower.
John Gallagher:
That's a good thing to know.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. And then the other thing is that I know, I remember as a kid, I picked a California poppy and one of my friends getting really mad at me, they were like, "It's illegal." I got really stressed out because I was five.
John Gallagher:
Yeah. We have a bit of a weird botanical town in this place. I'm up here in the Washington, in the very North coast, in the Port Townsend area where it is just on every hillside, every lot. It's like, I figured California poppy and calendula are the two weeds they grow on, and they're two just wonderful plants.
Tara Ruth:
They're great.
John Gallagher:
I love having them everywhere.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, they're absolutely wonderful.
John Gallagher:
Good point about harvesting though, especially if you're in California. And in fact, each one in California, every flower grows with one of those little stickers on it, so that makes sure that you don't.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, totally.
John Gallagher:
Don't harvest it if you're a resident of the state of California.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, it's amazing the technology that they have here, what tech has really done for us. But yeah, another thing to keep in mind with harvesting is that when these plants grow in abundance by the highway, for example, those are not the plants we want to be harvesting because they're going to have various pollutants, either that they've uptaken from the soil or that are just resting on their flowers and leaves. So be particular in your sourcing and harvesting.
John Gallagher:
So next, I'm wondering if a lot of people think, hey, have a glass of warm milk before going to bed. Do you have an herbal take on that?
Tara Ruth:
I totally do.
John Gallagher:
Oh, I thought you might.
Tara Ruth:
As someone who drank many a warm glass of milk as a child with chronic insomnia, I love drinking cinnamon milk before bed. Have you ever done this, John?
John Gallagher:
I have, yes. Yes.
Tara Ruth:
Oh.
John Gallagher:
Love it. Love it.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. And cinnamon, we often just think of it as this nice culinary spice that has this kind of sweet pungent taste, makes things taste nice. It actually offers a lot of medicinal gifts in addition to this lovely taste. So cinnamon is an anti-spasmodic, which is just a fancy way of saying that it can help bring relaxation, help ease tension and spasm in our musculoskeletal system. So if you're having trouble relaxing at night, how nice to have this relaxing musculoskeletal soother in your cinnamon milk. And then it also has this effect on the nervous system too, of bringing this relaxation, especially with the milk. It's the soothing, nourishing, grounding drink. Especially if you're someone who maybe it's hard for you to sleep because you're just so tired, like you're so wired and sleep-deprived that your nervous system is kind of in this hyperactive state where it just can't let go. Having that nourishment in the form of a cinnamon milk can be really nice.
John Gallagher:
What would you recommend for folks who drink plant-based milks?
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, so I'm allergic to dairy. So when I talk about cinnamon milk, I'm thinking about coconut milk. You could try any plant-based milk. I like to do ones that have more fat in them rather than something that's more carbohydrate rich, like rice milk or something that has sugar in it, because that can spike your blood sugar right before you go to sleep and kind of amp you up a little bit. So I try to do a fat-based milk like coconut.
John Gallagher:
Okay. And how would oat milk work? Because some folks like oat milk and also oats are good for the nervous system, so.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
No.
Tara Ruth:
I tend to avoid oat milk before bed, but I'm also really sensitive to carbohydrates and spikes in my blood sugar. So that might work for someone else. I think it's worth a shot experimenting with. And oats are really nourishing as well, and oat milk is delicious.
John Gallagher:
Wonderful.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. And to make cinnamon milk, you can first of all just look it up on the LearningHerbs blog. We have a great cinnamon milk recipe with step-by-step instructions. But if you're just wanting to try it on your own without looking up the recipe, you can add one cinnamon stick or a teaspoon of powdered cinnamon into a cup of milk of your choice. And I like to use Ceylon cinnamon because it's a little easier on the body than the cassia cinnamon.
John Gallagher:
All right. And we should avoid, should we ever avoid cinnamon in any situation or?
Tara Ruth:
Such a good question. So we want to avoid large amounts during pregnancy. And then cinnamon also has this amazing effect on blood glucose levels and also on thinning the blood. But that being said, if you have diabetes, you want to closely monitor your insulin if you take a large dose of cinnamon because it can significantly lower blood glucose levels. And then if you're already taking blood thinners, you want to avoid therapeutic doses of cinnamon because it can compound their effects.
John Gallagher:
Great.
Tara Ruth:
The power of herbs.
John Gallagher:
Power of herbs. Now what if you are someone who has nightmares, something to help them?
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. Yeah, I am someone who has nightmares. So I've tried various things and while there are so many great internal herbs you can take to just chill out your nervous system like the ones we've talked about with blue vervain and passionflower, you could also try drinking a cup of chamomile tea before bed. Anything soothing and nourishing can be really helpful. I also like to think about plants that have some kind of protective lore around them. So yarrow is an herb that's very specific for nightmares, and yarrow is a vulnerary, which means that it helps heal wounds. So on our external tissues, it helps with tissue repair.
And I think about yarrow also doing this on an energetic and also emotional level, can be this kind of protector or boundary plant that can really help us hold those boundaries if we're someone who's prone to nightmares. And when I'm working with yarrow in this way, I like to either spritz the tea in the little spray bottle around my body, or I'll have a yarrow infused oil and massage a little bit of it onto my skin. Or if I only have the yarrow tincture on hand, then I'll just take a few drops just as a spirit dose to kind of hopefully help my emotional body relax into having some nice boundaries with my nightmares.
John Gallagher:
Good boundaries around your nightmares.
Tara Ruth:
Oh, yeah. Yeah. And then there's other we can think about too, besides yarrow. There's incense you can burn, you could burn a bundle of herbs like sage and sage is very protective. And having that kind of smoke medicine in your room can be very clearing. Or you could experiment with other body oils or spritzes. So that's how I work with nightmares.
John Gallagher:
Oh, wow. Thanks for sharing all that. And if everyone would like to learn more about herbs for insomnia, for sleep and everything on HerbMentor, our membership site, we have a course by herbalist K.P. Khalsa called Relax natural solutions for stress, anxiety, and inflammation. And there's information in there. It's a 10 part, and you could just listen to the audios. It's like a podcast.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. It's so helpful. And this is a lot of information to take in just in one podcast. So it can be nice to dive deep. And if you're like, wait, I especially wanted to know a little bit more about brain nerves and inflammation for example, you could check out that episode on K.P. Khalsa's series, so.
John Gallagher:
Exactly.
Tara Ruth:
Yes.
John Gallagher:
So I have another question for you.
Tara Ruth:
Oh. Let's do it, John.
John Gallagher:
What herbs can be used for pain? But first of all, before we answer that question, like we are in winter here, getting into winter here, and I kind of forgot in the beginning to ask you how that connects with winter and why we're talking about these things?
Tara Ruth:
Why we're talking about sleep and,-
John Gallagher:
Yeah, and now pain.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. So when I think about winter, I'm thinking about we're descending into the darkest days of the year. I'm thinking about the bears who are going into hibernation. I'm thinking about this time where hopefully with these darker days, we get more hours of sleep as well, more time to slow down and really restore and nourish our bodies and in this time, dream into the spring, dream into our future. What seeds do we want to plant and tend to in the spring and then harvest in the year to come. So if we can really nourish and bolster our sleep practices during the winter time, we can just have this beautiful, outward, expansive growth through the rest of our year. The winter is really a time for doing that.
John Gallagher:
Okay.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
Well let's get back to our question then. What herbs can be used for pain?
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. And I also think about pain during the winter because a lot of times just with the colder weather, people's joints can get a little more creaky or cause more inflammation. So this can just be a great time to really be thinking about what ways we can support our joint health. And if we're experiencing any, maybe during the winter we're not out and about as much, maybe we're not moving as much. So our bodies are getting a little more stiff too in the winter time. So supporting,-
John Gallagher:
Oh, that's what's going on.
Tara Ruth:
Oh.
John Gallagher:
I thought I was just getting old.
Tara Ruth:
No, no, no, no.
John Gallagher:
That too.
Tara Ruth:
It's just the winter, John. Don't worry.
John Gallagher:
So pain. Let's start by defining pain. How would you define it?
Tara Ruth:
It can seem kind of funny to define pain.
John Gallagher:
I know.
Tara Ruth:
It's like,-
John Gallagher:
We all know, we think we know what pain is, but it's,-
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. I know what it is.
John Gallagher:
Good place to start.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
Yeah.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, so,-
John Gallagher:
Ouch. That's pain.
Tara Ruth:
Gah. Gah. Yeah. Well, the International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with or resembling that associated with actual or potential tissue damage. So what does that mean? Some pieces that I want to pull out of here include the emotional experience, and then they're talking not only about actual tissue damage, but the potential.
John Gallagher:
But potential. Yeah.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
Potential. Yeah.
Tara Ruth:
So we have all these sensors on our body that detect stimuli, and then our brain interprets from the stimuli whether they're harmful and or painful. So we make meaning in our brains about these stimuli based on our genetics, different cultural factors, and then our emotional experience and basically just how we grew up. So pain doesn't necessarily have to coincide with damage.
So as an example, I'm thinking about when I got a tattoo, I knew that this was, I have a tattoo of an oak leaf right here, and I knew that this wasn't harmful to my body. So when I went into that experience, the tattoo artist said, "This is going to be one of the most painful experiences. You're like, right, getting it tattooed on your arm here. That's one of the most painful areas." And I just knew that it wasn't going to be harmful to me though. So when I had that experience, it didn't hurt. I didn't register it as a painful experience because I had been informed about what I was doing. I was making a choice, and I felt really good about the decision and I was walked through it the whole way. So I didn't have a painful experience, even though I've been told that tattoos are very painful because my brain didn't interpret it in that way.
John Gallagher:
Right.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. Which was really interesting to think about. And then I think about that too, when I, for example, have rolled my ankle while hiking, if I know that my ankle is fine, it hurts way less, but if I'm scared, like did I hurt myself? The pain signals tend to be a lot more intense in my body as I'm interpreting that stimuli in my ankle. So that's all to say that when we're talking about herbs for pain, we're not just talking about herbs for our physical tissues, like our muscles, our joints, and our nerves, and our skin, but we're also talking about herbs that can really bolster our emotional body and our resilience.
John Gallagher:
Because of the fear. If you roll your ankle, it's not just the ow that you're experiencing.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
It's like, oh my gosh, did I mess my ankle up? Am I going to have to go to the hospital? Am I going to not be able to do all these activities or work or? You don't know. And so that fear, which is actually in Chinese medicine associated with the water element, which is winter, so that makes sense too.
Tara Ruth:
Boom. Yes.
John Gallagher:
Boom.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. And this is also especially important with persistent or chronic pain too because we can just get into these pain cycles in our bodies. So having that emotional support for the body as you're navigating pain is so key. And then another big driver of pain in the body is inflammation. So we also need to think about herbs that can modulate and reduce systemic inflammation in the body. Inflammation is an incredible thing. It can be really helpful. When you twist that ankle, then your ankle might swell the next day and it helps immobilize that ankle and it helps heal it. But when we have chronic inflammation, it can lead to more pain and other chronic issues that we end up dealing with in our bodies.
John Gallagher:
Right. Right.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. And then a fun thing that herbalists like to think about too when it comes to pain in the body is that just like there are different energetics of herbs that we talk about whether something is more heating or cooling or moistening or drying, we also like to think about conditions having these different energetics and how we can match make the herbs to the energetics. So pain has different energetics. So something that's a sharp and stabbing pain is going to require different tools than a dull aching pain.
John Gallagher:
Okay.
Tara Ruth:
So a sharp stabbing pain is associated with more heat and dryness in the tissues, and then something that's a little more dull and aching is often associated with more cold or stagnation. So we can think about this as we're matchmaking our herbal allies to the different pain that you might be dealing with.
John Gallagher:
All right, well let's talk about some herbs then.
Tara Ruth:
Let's talk about it.
John Gallagher:
Let's talk about it.
Tara Ruth:
Yes. So the first one I'm going to talk about is St. John's wort, and I think about St. John's wort specifically for the nerves. And St. John's wort is this beautiful plant that grows as a quote, unquote weed throughout California and I think all over the West Coast as well. And with St. John's wort, it blooms on St. John's day, otherwise known as the summer solstice. And it has these beautiful little yellow flowers. And then when you crush a yellow flower, you'll notice it will have this red residue in your hands, which is kind of bizarre when you're looking at this yellow flower, like where did this redness come from? And that red residue is hypericin. This constituent in St. John's wort is especially helpful for nourishing nerves and healing nerve damage in the body. And if you look at the Latin name of St. John's wort, which is called hypericum perforatum, then you see that that hypericin is a central gift of John's wort.
John Gallagher:
Yes.
Tara Ruth:
Is so important. I've worked with St. John's Wort for bruises, but then also slamming my hand in a door. Just anything where there's nerve damage. It's also helpful with nerve pain and tingling, or I've worked with it for when I've had nerve impingement before. So I love working with St. John's, Wort. And when I'm talking about it here, I like to work with it topically in an oil or in a salve or balm for pain. Then you can also work with it internally. But I have a lot of caveats that I'm going to get into when I say that. When I work with it internally, I use the tincture, I use three to five mils of it per day, otherwise known as three to five dropperfuls, or this is not a purposeful product placement. But I love the capsules from Gaia Herbs, the liquid capsules because it's so nice to know exactly how much St. John's wort I'm getting.
John Gallagher:
Right.
Tara Ruth:
So I'll work with those. But if you're working with St. John's wort internally, it's really important to note that this is one of the herbs that has a lot of contraindications with other drugs. So if you're taking drugs and wanting to work with St. John's wort, you really need to check in with your physician, your prescribing physician, because there's just so many contraindications there. Also, when you work with St. John's wort internally, it can cause photosensitivity, so it can make your skin more sensitive to the sun and have rashes and things. But externally it does not cause those things. So St. John's wort for nerve pain.
John Gallagher:
And if you're working with it, harvesting it, St. John's wort, make sure it's the wild variety and not the landscape version with the huge flowers because that won't work.
Tara Ruth:
Really good point. Yeah.
John Gallagher:
Yeah. Yeah. A lot of people think, oh, I made some oil with it, and I look and then I'm like, no, that's not going to work.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. Yeah, you want it to be that hypericum perforatum. And another great way of IDing it, if you look at that Latin name where it says perforatum,
John Gallagher:
Oh, yeah.
Tara Ruth:
That is describing, if you hold up a leaf of St. John's wort to the sun, you'll see lots of tiny holes in the leaves, lots of tiny perforations. So that's another great way of IDing it.
John Gallagher:
Absolutely.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. And it has this beautiful bright red oil that you'll be able to create or a bright red tincture, and that tells you how powerful the medicine is too. How red did this get? How much hypericum did I extract? And also just to say, when I think about pain and the emotional body, St. John's wort also has this really uplifting effect on the nervous system, not only for supporting pain, but it also, you think about harvesting St. John's wort on the sunniest day of the year, it also brings that sunny, uplifting energy into its medicine. So when I take St. John's wort, I feel like I'm working with liquid sunshine and it can be very uplifting for my emotional body.
John Gallagher:
Now, how about herbs for muscular pain?
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. So when it comes to herbs for muscular pain, I'm thinking about antispasmodics. Again, those are herbs that help with tension and spasm in the musculoskeletal system. And some of those examples can include ginger. I'm also thinking about cinnamon that we talked about before. And then I'm also thinking about yarrow, which has a great effect on the muscles as well and then arnica, all of these herbs I work with topically for musculoskeletal pain. Arnica is a very low dose botanical when it's taken internally. So I won't get into all the complexities there, but,-
John Gallagher:
Yeah. Yeah.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, topically, I like to work with arnica, ginger, and yarrow, and I'll infuse these into an oil either separately or together, and then I can make them into a muscle rub or a salve, and then just apply them topically. Arnica can also be really nice for bruises. If you bang your knee into something, as I always do, arnica can be very helpful. And then ginger, in addition to infusing it in oil, I also love making ginger compresses and ginger poultices. So I'll either make a ginger tea and dip some cloth into that tea and then apply it topically wherever I have pain. Or my favorite thing to do is to, I take a little micro planer, and then I just shave a bunch of ginger.
John Gallagher:
What's a micro planer?
Tara Ruth:
It's basically just like a cheese grater, but it's smaller.
John Gallagher:
Okay. I can imagine that. Yeah. Okay.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, exactly. A little zester.
John Gallagher:
Oh, okay.
Tara Ruth:
And I'll shave a bunch of ginger and put it on a little piece of cloth, and then I'll pack all that ginger in there and then put it wherever I'm feeling pain. So it's really helpful.
John Gallagher:
It's really like a compress, it sounds like it'd be fancy, but all it is putting a cloth in tea.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, exactly.
John Gallagher:
Okay. So it's really, really easy. Make a strong tea, dip the cloth in it and wrap it on.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, exactly.
John Gallagher:
And then you can rinse it out, dip it, dip a new cloth in again, the same tea, it can have a stack of cloths that used for compresses, if you don't have any little cloths around because I mean, your typical wash rag that people have for cloth for, my mom always called them wash rags.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
I realize as I'm saying that, I'm like, maybe not everyone calls it that washcloth that you have in your towel closet, if that's a thing. Is a towel closet.
Tara Ruth:
Oh yeah, the towel closet. Totally.
John Gallagher:
That's it.
Tara Ruth:
The towel en moi.
John Gallagher:
I'm just realizing all the things I haven't actually named.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I couldn't remember the difference between noisy and nosy earlier. So whatever. Yes. But compresses are a lot more simple than they sound. And also I really underestimated the power of a compress before I did it. I think I had this hierarchy in my brain that I didn't realize where I was like internal medicine is the most helpful. And then I guess I could try putting a compress or an oil on this thing, but it's not really going to work.
John Gallagher:
Yeah.
Tara Ruth:
And then we had a topicals lab at my herb school where we were just experimenting with tons of different compresses and poultices one day and liniments, which is basically an application of a tincture externally. And I was amazed how effective it was. I'd had all this chronic pain in my shoulders, and I put a ginger compress there and it went away.
John Gallagher:
Wow.
Tara Ruth:
What?
John Gallagher:
Yes.
Tara Ruth:
Okay.
John Gallagher:
Yeah.
Tara Ruth:
Very helpful.
John Gallagher:
And they're so much less messy than poultices.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, so true. Yeah, it's very true.
John Gallagher:
Though it depends on the situation and what herb and what thing you're using it for but.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, so when it comes to musculoskeletal pain, I'm really thinking about those antispasmodics like ginger, and then working with yarrow topically as well. And then also topical arnica, especially for those bumps, bruises. And now that we've covered muscles, should we dive on into joints,?
John Gallagher:
Get into the joint pain. Yeah. What's your favorite joint pain?
Tara Ruth:
Joint pain.
John Gallagher:
Because that's something like right now, my wrist, ow. It hurts. I don't know what I did. I think maybe it was from yoga.
Tara Ruth:
Do you get wrist pain on your right wrist from yoga? Or which one is it?
John Gallagher:
This one's the left wrist, which made it really hard to play guitar with Haley last weekend when she was visiting. But if I knew about this herb you're now going to talk about, I would've done this.
Tara Ruth:
Aha. Yes. So the number one herb that I think about for joints is turmeric. This might not surprise people. Turmeric is one of the most popular herbs on the market right now.
John Gallagher:
Yeah.
Tara Ruth:
And it's especially popular for pain and inflammation in the body. So when it comes to turmeric for joint pain, you can take one to 10 grams of the powdered, dry powdered turmeric per day. And I like to do that in a golden milk because that's a lot of powder.
John Gallagher:
That's a lot of powder.
Tara Ruth:
I'm adding that into a nice drink with some coconut milk or regular milk, maybe a little ghee, a little cinnamon, little black pepper, and enjoying it as a nice beverage. Or you can also work with it as a tincture, or you might find capsules on the market.
John Gallagher:
Star with smaller amounts like capsules or small amounts of powder because everyone's digestive system is going to handle turmeric a little differently.
Tara Ruth:
That's a great point because turmeric is also, in addition to being this just kind of systemic inflammation modulator, it also is bitter. If you've tasted turmeric, you know this intuitively. Oh, this tastes a little bitter to me. And when herbs are bitter, they can have an impact on the digestive system. They can help address stagnation, but they can also sometimes lead to loose stools and kind of speed up your digestive system a little too quickly.
John Gallagher:
Yes.
Tara Ruth:
So yeah, that's a good thing to keep in mind. And then other things to keep in mind with turmeric are that you want to avoid it with blood thinners or if you have any blood clotting disorders or have any known gallstones. And then when I talked about it in a golden milk, one of the reasons that turmeric is traditionally prepared in this way with a nourishing milk and ghee and a little bit of sweetener is because that helps balance out the hot dry energetics of turmeric.
John Gallagher:
Right. Right.
Tara Ruth:
So if you already run a little hot or dry, maybe your skin's a little dry, you often are flushed in the face, or you just feel like you run hot, you might want to either go slow with turmeric or opt for a different herb that's not going to heat you up as much because turmeric has that heating and drying effect.
John Gallagher:
And when you're making your golden milk, I'm assuming you also use coconut milk personally, correct?
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, I do.
John Gallagher:
Yeah. Yeah.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. And,-
John Gallagher:
But you don't have to. You could use regular milk if you like regular milk or you can try different kinds of plant milk, so.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, the world is your oyster. What I will say is that fat helps extract the turmeric. So if you're doing a plant-based milk, it's helpful to have one that has a good amount of fat in it, and then also pairing it with some black pepper because black pepper helps make the turmeric more bioavailable too. They're synergist together.
John Gallagher:
Yes, yes, absolutely. Wow.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. Yeah.
John Gallagher:
That's great. So question about, I see, of course you can use turmeric there, but I also see a lot of the capsules or things that I see in the store, the extract. Yeah, the curcumin. Does that matter which one you use or?
Tara Ruth:
That's a good question. I don't have a specific recommendation for one turmeric extract on the market versus another. But when it comes to curcumin versus the whole plant, I like to work with the whole plant because I don't have any specific issue that I'm really trying to address with curcumin as a constituent. But a lot of research has been done on working specifically with curcumin and its helpful effects. But again, working with the whole herb can be so nice because you get to work with all these other constituents too, and they harmonize together.
John Gallagher:
And that's what we always recommend here on LearningHerbs is learning about the plants individually and all these plants that we're mentioning, you notice that Tara is saying, try this plant or that plant or this plant and not do two parts, this plant, one part, this plant giving you a formula. Because you could do that. You can make formulas, but you could do that when you understand how that all works. And because there's a lot of power in just using one single herb for something. And not only do you get that relief or whatever, you also get to learn about that plant. And all it's energetics and it's taste and everything and its effect on you.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, absolutely. Everyone's body is going to interact a little differently with each plant. I think about Valerian as an example. Valerian is an herb that is classically indicated for insomnia. And in a small percentage of people, it actually makes them feel more hyperactive. It doesn't work as a sedative for them. So everyone's going to respond a little differently to each herb that they work with. And that's part of the magic too.
John Gallagher:
Well, in our overview here, how about digestive pain?
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. So when it comes to digestive pain, if you have sudden stomach pain or pain on the right lower side of your abdomen, you're going to want to be thinking about that as a potential emergency. Do I have appendicitis, et cetera? So those are all good things to keep in mind when we're talking about digestive pain and we're not talking about herbs for appendicitis or something more serious like that. This is more for your, oh, I ate too much, or I just have a little gas pain, or my stomach hurts a little bit from excess food and herbs I like to think about that,-
John Gallagher:
Just happened on Thanksgiving.
Tara Ruth:
Exactly. Exactly.
John Gallagher:
I'm still feeling it.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, the stuffing. Totally.
John Gallagher:
Four days later.
Tara Ruth:
Well, luckily you have so many herbal allies to help you, John.
John Gallagher:
Well, why I've been using them.
Tara Ruth:
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And some of the ones I like to think about for digestive pain are really classic herbs that most people have taken before. And those include chamomile tea and peppermint tea. Just a simple cup of chamomile tea or a simple cup of peppermint,-
John Gallagher:
So simple.
Tara Ruth:
Can be so nice for digestive pain, especially that kind of cramping gas pain, they can be really effective, so.
John Gallagher:
And notice that those are two teas that even if you're traveling, that you can get at most coffee stands. So there's two kinds of herbal teas they'll have, at least have one of them, which is chamomile or peppermint.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
So that's good to know.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, chamomile is one of the most popular teas in the world and most people have tried chamomile, but if for some reason you haven't worked with this before, just keep in mind if you do have an allergy to plants in the Asteraceae or daisy family, chamomile is in that family. So exercise caution in that case. So that's what I got for digestive pain.
John Gallagher:
All right. And menstrual cramps.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. Oh my gosh. What an important topic to cover when we talk about pain. Menstrual cramps affects so many people. And for me personally, I've worked with herbs that have been super helpful. And then I've also had times where I'm like, I'm going to bow out and take some vitamin I or ibuprofen because,-
John Gallagher:
Vitamin I.
Tara Ruth:
The herbs are not going to touch this. So no shame if herbs can't help you in that moment. But herbs that have been supportive for me with menstrual cramps have include ginger and California poppy. California poppy, in addition to being a sedative is also antispasmodic and just helpful with pain in general. So if I'm taking California poppy for pain, I also am wanting to think about what else do I have to do that day? Again, do I have to operate heavy machinery? Avoid. Yeah. And I take that in tincture form, just like I did when taking it for insomnia.
And then when it comes to ginger, I will take that both internally in a high dose tea or I'll do a poultice of ginger, I'll pack a bunch of ginger onto a cloth and then put it on my abdomen with a heating pad, and hopefully that will help. Sometimes, again, it just won't touch the pain, but that's okay. And there can be so many different herbal allies for supporting us with menstrual cramps. I have so many friends who've tried different herbs, and it's really about figuring out what works best for your body. Are you having more dull aching pain, are you having more of that sharp, stabbing pain? These are all things to keep in mind.
John Gallagher:
And something in pain that when we get inflammation, a lot of folks don't realize that if let's say, hurt your knee and your knee gets inflamed, that's actually part of the healing process. I mean, that's that protection that their body is trying to do to prevent further injury. It's like, oh, okay, get off your leg. This is going to be bad if you don't rest it or whatnot. So if you have this inflammation going on, what could be a good herb for support of that inflammation?
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. If you're working with some chronic inflammation in your body, turmeric is a really helpful one for that. So not only for chronic joint pain, but also just for chronic inflammation. Turmeric modulates inflammation. So I'm not going to say it's antiinflammatory because like you're saying, inflammation is actually a helpful response in our body, but all in balance. So turmeric helps bring that into balance as a modulator.
John Gallagher:
Right. Okay.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
All right, good to know. And let's see. Emotional support we were talking about earlier when you started this off. So some herbs for emotional support with pain.
Tara Ruth:
So when it comes to pain, we're not only talking about easing spasms or supporting the physical nerves or supporting the joints, we're also, again really getting, helping that body in its emotional response, helping our body as we interpret the painful stimuli or the stimuli as pain in our body. So some herbs that can be supportive for that are, I'm just going to talk about ones that we've already really mentioned before. So blue vervain can be really helpful for calming down the nervous system, chilling out. Chamomile tea can also be really helpful. And then California poppy can be supportive for that. When I'm working with California poppy more for emotional support, I'm taking it in drop doses, so it's not sedating me, it's more just kind of bringing me to a normal.
John Gallagher:
And when you say drop dose, you literally mean like, Hey, I have this tincture bottle and I'm just putting little drop one, two kind of thing?
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, I'll take a drop at a time and I'll take a drop, sit with it for 10 minutes. I'm like, okay, am I feeling this? Okay. Maybe I need another drop. And then I'll take upwards of five drops over the course of 10 minute increments just to see how it's affecting my body.
John Gallagher:
And I like when you say that too, like to see how it's affecting your body because a lot of people might, or I think that I don't know how you do that. I don't feel that or I don't.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
And I think that if you start doing that, like take that drop and actually pay attention over time, you're going to develop that sense. We have all these senses in us, and a lot of them have not been developed or maybe they've been dulled or whatnot, but they're there still and you can find them in yourself. And not til some years, me personally, of listening to that, oh yeah, I feel it here in my body. I feel it there. And oh, I'd always hear this. People talk about this sort of thing in classes or whatnot I was taking, and I'd be like, you're just making that up.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, totally.
John Gallagher:
But over time, the more I use herbs, the more I paid attention, the more I really could.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
But that is really this personal thing that you just have to kind of trust and do and then see. You might not feel that effect of that drop,-
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
That first time.
Tara Ruth:
Totally. I think about this too with just even how we were describing pain. Pain, how we interpret pain is something that we learn through, our nervous system learns this over time. So we can also apply that to how we learn about working with herbs, how we interpret an herb in our body, the sensation that a drop of California poppy has in our body. The more we pay attention to that, and the more we exercise that muscle, the more we're going to start to feel it and be able to discern more about, am I feeling that California poppy drop? Do I need to drop, another drop? Yeah.
John Gallagher:
Well, that was a big question that we tackled here on what herbs for pain and in this short amount of time. So obviously anyone listening or watching you is like, we know you have a lot of questions. So I want to point out that just like that on HerbMentor, which is our membership community LearningHerbs, we've been around for 20 years and the HerbMentor has been the place where we've collected all these courses and videos and resources and references for your access anytime. And for this particular topic, K.P. Khalsa made a course for us called Soothe Natural Solutions for Pain and Inflammation. And it's 10 parts of him going into great detail. And you know what? You'll listen to that and you're still going to have more questions, so just get used to it.
Tara Ruth:
And then you can ask them in the forum on HerbMentor.
John Gallagher:
There's a community and people, if they have questions, they put them in there or joining us live or something like that when we have a little live meetups on HerbMentor.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
And that's on LearningHerbs and recipes of golden milk, whatnot and in addition to details about the plants, St. John's wort and chamomile, poppy, these all have monographs that you can read about and you can go into depth that have all been well researched.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, absolutely. And then recipes and yeah, different resources on preparing these plants. So much good stuff.
John Gallagher:
I have a question for you, Tara.
Tara Ruth:
You have another question for me?
John Gallagher:
I do.
Tara Ruth:
Have I not done enough?
John Gallagher:
No, you have not. It has nothing to do with the other ones. I was wondering if you had, this time of year in the winter, we all want to get cozy and drink warm fun beverages. And a lot of people like coffee and then they wonder if there's herbal coffees they can drink that don't have the caffeine. Because coffee itself, right, has a lot of antioxidants. It has a lot of healing properties.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
It really does. You can go really deep into the amazing thing. However, it does have this thing called caffeine and that can really affect us. We can't have too much of that. So in that case, people are like, yeah, what other things can I drink that sort of give me that coffee vibe? So what do you think?
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. Well, I'll preface this by saying that I'm not a coffee drinker. I have tried at various times. One time I tried being a coffee drinker for a week, and then I had horrible insomnia for two months afterwards. So I'm one of those people who's very sensitive to caffeine, but I love the taste of coffee.
John Gallagher:
The taste. Oh, you do.
Tara Ruth:
That bitter, rich, delicious taste of coffee. I crave it. I love the smell of it. So I've spent many a year trying to figure out how to find a nice coffee replacement for myself. And then after being in that journey, replacing my language around that, I'm like, okay, I'm not trying to replace coffee. I'm just trying to find another drink that has this nice, rich, bitter flavor. But I know it's not going to replace coffee because it's an entirely different plant with different constituents, different personality. If one of my friends and I didn't live next to each other or couldn't be around each other for some reason, I wouldn't try to suddenly be like, let me find a replacement friend.
John Gallagher:
Right. Right. Right.
Tara Ruth:
So I like to think about the plants the same way. They all have their lovely personalities and gifts. All of this is to say that there are many different herbal quote, unquote coffee replacements out there. A lot of them don't taste that good, I will say. A lot of them on the market, I'm like, it's not my favorite. But I have found that just simply having a roasted dandelion root tea is a delicious way to get at some of those bitter rich flavors of coffee. And also it helps support your digestive system like coffee can with that bitter flavor without bringing that caffeine into your system, without getting you really jittery.
So I love to, I actually purchased dandelion roots pre-roasted, so I don't have to go through that. The harvesting and roasting process is so fun, but I don't have it in me every day to do that. So I bought this big bag and I have a jar full of roasted dandelion root, and I just make a decoction of it, which is a fancy way of saying that I simmer some of that with some water and make a tea. And then I doctor it like I would coffee, maybe I add a little bit of milk or a little bit of honey, and then you have a nice latte and it just has that nice bitter flavor that I crave.
John Gallagher:
And you can froth the milk up and,-
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, dude, froth it.
John Gallagher:
Froth it up.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. And also, if you're wanting that energetic boost that you get from coffee without the caffeine, you could also experiment with adding some energizing adaptogens to your dandelion root coffee.
John Gallagher:
Exactly.
Tara Ruth:
Maybe you'd have a little eleuthero in there, or perhaps you'd have some nourishing milky oats that aren't going to make you feel really amped, but over time are just going to nourish and revitalize you and can help fortify you if you're feeling some burnout.
John Gallagher:
And think of those as longer term herbs that will kind of build over time versus that quick boost like a caffeine.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. Yeah. And also, again, coffee's great, and if you're totally attached to your coffee, but you want to experiment with adding some herbs to it, you can add a little pinch of cardamom. And also a splash of milk can really help your body process that caffeine in a way that can be just a little more sustainable for your body over time. So pinch of cardamom. I also like to add some cinnamon too because that helps balance blood sugar and coffee can kind of make us not hungry and that our blood sugar can crash. So having some cinnamon in there can be helpful, little ways to support you as you drink your delicious coffee.
John Gallagher:
And if you are a coffee drinker, you can drink both.
Tara Ruth:
Yes. Why not?
John Gallagher:
I just think, I am a coffee drinker. I can't drink the dandelion root. Well, you could still drink it.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
You could try it.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. Why not?
John Gallagher:
Absolutely. Absolutely.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. People also experiment with adding mushrooms in too. So there's so many different ways that you can experiment and do Chicory root, we're going to have a chicory root coffee recipe on the LearningHerbs blog too. So, so many different options.
John Gallagher:
So many different options. Wonderful. And that'd be a lovely beverage to brew up this holiday season,-
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
As you get into the end of the year, into the winter.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
Yeah.
Tara Ruth:
Maybe you're having trouble sleeping and you want to cut down on your caffeine. Oh, why not try dandelion root coffee?
John Gallagher:
Coffee. All right. We got to get you on some commercials here.
Tara Ruth:
Yes. Mailchimp. Okay. Yeah. Anyways.
John Gallagher:
All right, so, and if folks want to again, learn more about herbs for sleep and pain and herbal coffee, where can they go?
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. Well, you can go to HerbMentor, but if you want a little,-
John Gallagher:
Yeah. We keep saying that.
Tara Ruth:
Discount on HerbMentor, you can go to Herbmentorradio.com. Get a nice little discount.
John Gallagher:
Not even little, it's a big discount.
Tara Ruth:
A nice big discount on HerbMentor.
John Gallagher:
That's the podcast you're listening to, HerbMentor Radio. Just add a.com. You'll go right there.
Tara Ruth:
Yes.
John Gallagher:
Easy enough. Okay. So Tara, I wish you a happy holiday season.
Tara Ruth:
Thank you, John. I wish you a happy holiday season.
John Gallagher:
Yeah, and I wish everybody listening a happy holiday season no matter what you celebrate.
Tara Ruth:
Yes. And if you do have the time to leave a little review for HerbMentor Radio, that would be so fun. I would love to see your ratings, your reviews, love to hear your feedback. It'd be so great.
John Gallagher:
And if you enjoyed it, tell your friends, send a little... I find myself doing that more and more. I'll be listening to podcasts. My son would like this or my, and it's like, I'll send him the link. It's the equivalent to when my mom would always clip things out of newspapers and send them to me randomly. I used to be free internet. I'd just get envelopes in the mail with articles and often not even a note.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. I remember my grandma sending those to me too.
John Gallagher:
Be like oh, I got a letter from Mom. It's just like a clipping from a newspaper.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah.
John Gallagher:
Yeah. But it's the modern version of that.
Tara Ruth:
Yes. Yes.
John Gallagher:
So you can just tap on that share link and share it with your friends. Appreciate it. And so before everyone goes, stick around for a quick herb note on one of my favorite plants. One of yours too, Tara?
Tara Ruth:
Absolutely.
John Gallagher:
Absolutely.
Tara Ruth:
Absolutely. Let's do it. As one of the most popular herbal teas in the world, peppermint's ubiquitous flavor can bring a sense of familiarity and comfort. Peppermint is more than just a tasty beverage though. The peppermint plant has a rich history of medicinal usage. Let's dive into three benefits of peppermint. One, peppermint for healthy digestion. Drinking a cup of peppermint tea can soothe an upset stomach, ease gas and bloating, dissipate mild nausea and calm a nervous stomach. That cup of peppermint tea can also help freshen bad breath. Two, peppermint for the nervous system. Peppermint tea and tincture can have a simultaneously soothing and uplifting effect on the nervous system. Peppermint has a stimulating quality that can bring a sense of alertness to the mind, but it can also ease musculoskeletal tension and promote a general sense of calm. Three, peppermint for pain. Peppermint is an anti-spasmodic, meaning it can gently ease spasm and promote deeper relaxation in the muscles.
To experience the antispasmodic effects of peppermint, I like to either apply an external poultice of peppermint leaves to the affected muscle, or massage the area with peppermint leaf infused oil. And just a few notes of caution when working with peppermint. Peppermint is contra indicated with GERD and taken in excess during lactation, it can dry up breast milk. Want to learn more about the benefits of other common herbs? Visit Herbnotes.cards to grab a deck of our top 12 herb notes. You'll learn all about herbs like chamomile, elderberry, yarrow, and more. This has been Herb Notes with me, Tara Ruth. Catch you next time.
John Gallagher:
HerbMentor Radio and Herb Notes are 100% sustainably well crafted podcasts written, performed, and produced by Tara Ruth and me, John Gallagher. Can you do us a quick favor? Look up HerbMentor Radio on your favorite podcast app like Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and rate and review us. We'd really appreciate it. Also, visit Herbmentorradio.com to find out how you can be part of HerbMentor, which is a site you must see to believe. HerbMentor Radio is a production of LearningHerbs.com LLC, all rights reserved. And thank you very, very, very much for listening.
