Loose-Leaf Teas

Green Kitchen Naturals offers natural loose-leaf tea blends to drink in Winter and in Summer, and a Yoni-steam blend for external use.

Understanding Your Needs

Before you start looking for a medicinal tea, it’s essential to understand your specific needs. This clarity will guide your search and help you evaluate potential medicinal benefits effectively.

Define Your Requirements

• Traditional Chinese Medicine: TCM is a 5,000-year-old system of medicine that aims to restore balance within the body to promote health and treat illness, using practices like acupuncture, herbal medicine, and tai chi. It operates on principles such as the flow of vital energy (qi), the balance of complementary forces (yin and yang), and the interconnectedness of the body with the universe. TCM's goal is to address the root causes of illness, not just the symptoms, by using a variety of therapies to create balance within the individual.

• Ayurveda: Ayurvedic medicine is a 5,000-year-old system of holistic health that integrates physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. It emphasizes balance within the body's life forces, known as The Three Doshas- Vata (air), Pitta (fire), and Kapha (water)- that govern physiological and psychological processes. An imbalance in the doshas can lead to illness, and treatments aim to restore balance, using nutrition, lifestyle changes, herbal remedies, exercise and practices like yoga, meditation, and oil massage.

• Indigenous Herbalism or Traditional Herbalism is a longstanding medical system using plant-based substances, such as roots, leaves, and flowers, for health maintenance, disease prevention, and treatment. It emphasizes a holistic approach, often focusing on treating the whole person rather than just symptoms, and is heavily based on cultural tradition and experience.

  
  

Researching Potential Herbal Benefits to You

Once you have a clear understanding of your needs, it’s time to start researching potential medicinal herbs and practices.

Use Reputable Sources

Don’t rely on a single source of information. Use a combination of:

• Online Sources: Google can provide surface-level information about an herb and its possible applications, but seek out websites run by experienced herbal practitioners to gain more specificity and clarity about how to use and protect herbs.

• Referrals: Ask an herbalist, nutritionist, or even a biologist for recommendations when using herbs and food as medicine. Personal experiences can often lead you to trustworthy practitioners.

• Professional Associations: Seek professional advice from qualified natural health service providers.

  
  

Evaluate Sustainability

The most popular herbs may require limited use to protect the species in their natural environment. Before deciding to use a new herb, find out if it's at-risk due to overharvesting, habitat loss, and high commercial demand. In North America, the following website keeps a list of at-risk medicinal herbs:

• https://unitedplantsavers.org/species-at-risk-list/

  
  
  
  

Trying One Herb at Time

Once you have a shortlist of potential medicinal herbs to suit your needs, choose one at a time and assess how it interacts with your body over a 14-30 day period.

Check for Plant Allergies

Sometimes you can make an educated guess that you might have an allergic response to an herb if it's from the same genus or species as a food you knowingly have a reaction to. Do your research.

Review Effects After 30 Days Consistent Use

Look for:

• Clarity of mind

• Relief of inflammation, discomfort, or pain

• Better sleep behaviors

• Positive hormonal effects

• Glowing (hydrated) skin

  
  

Topical Herbal Preparations

You can use herbs topically to gain the same desired effect. My yoni steam blend of herbs does just that. Use the yoni blend for the following reasons:

• Menstrual Support- easing cramps, bloating, and regulating cycles.

• Postpartum Healing- aiding in recovery, shrinking the uterus, and reducing lochia

• Fertility & Cleansing- nourishing the uterine lining and increasing cervical fluids.

• Menopause & Wellness- addressing dryness and providing a relaxing, self-care ritual.

  
  

Comparing Internal and External Uses of Herbs

You can often use the same herbs internally that you do externally. The taste of an herb or blend that you use externally may not be to your preference, but the strength of an herb that you use internally may be too weak for external use. You can do both at one time by diluting the external strength herbal blends to a strength that's palatable for internal use.

Look Beyond Price

While cost of an herb is an important factor, it shouldn’t be the only consideration. Evaluate the value you will receive for the health benefits of the herb. Consider:

• The scope of systemic wellness this herb may impact

• Quality of life you may gain from having a relationship with such an herb

• Timeline for use- if you plan to use the herb long or short term

Improving Brain Health

Right nutrition, including consuming herbal medicines, improves brain health, mood, mental clarity, and focus.

Improving Gut Health

Right nutrition, including consuming herbal medicines, exercise, and hydration improves overall gut health. Prebiotics in fermented foods help restore balance in the colon. Drinking the juice of fermented foods works the same way. Slippery foods like okra and herbs like marshmallow root help restore intestinal lining damaged by processed foods, alcohol, and acidic foods. Both yoga and HIIT workouts help reduce stress, especially when the body is well-fed with nutritious food. Breathing exercises tie everything together by relieving mental, physical, and spiritual waste from the body.

Long-Term Effects

Most herbs are safe for long-term use. That said, please research long-term effects when using new herbs, as some herbs, like Valerian root, can create chemical-dependency over time.

Hydration V. Water Intake

Using herbs, especially in tea, adds to your daily water intake regimen, and provides minerals, vitamins, and nutrients. Drinking herbal teas are a great way to aid the lymphatic system.

A Note from the Founder

Choosing a plant based, nutrient dense, herbal medicinal lifestyle may be increasingly popular, but it is still requires huge time and energy commitments. Cooking fresh food and eating at home requires planning and prep time up front, but the backend yields strong immunity and character. Medicinal grade teas are not yet commonly offered at cafés, so you must prepare your medicine at home ahead of time. Lean into the reality that others may not understand what you're doing or why it's important to you. You'll find strength in your morale when you stop having issues that you thought were just normal.

Herbs and nutrition have changed my life. In 20 years, I've overcome acne, allergies, anemia, arthritis, bacterial infections, chronic stress, cysts, depression and mental fog, gut issues, overactive yeast/fungal growths, and viral infections using diet, herbs, and lifestyle. I've improved my skin, hair, and bone and joint health, and I enjoy daily breathing exercises, yoga, dancing, and HIIT workouts.