Many people have heard and seen the many advertisements about tea and its various cures and benefits. Along with weight loss, cancer fighting, and other cellular benefits curing Headaches and Migraines while reducing stress is among the top advertised. But when I see these ads, I think Why?
After drinking tea for a while, including Green Tea, Oolong Tea, Rooibos, Lemongrass, and a wide listing of organic herbal blends, I have found that I don’t really know if I am fighting cancer inside my body. But I do know that tea can greatly help me to balance out a stressful time, and help get rid of and prevent headaches.
Simply drinking tea, especially some of the herbal blends specifically mixed for the occasion, can help with headaches, and you will receive all other benefits from the actual tea itself. But only drinking the tea in itself will not allow you to fully maximize all the potential, especially in regards to headaches and migraines. Because not always, but sometimes, drinking tea is about Drinking Tea.
I drink tea all day long. Cup after cup (Thank you, Tea Stand) I drink with no sense of traditional practice, or religious afterthought. I just drink it. But when I have a headache (from stress, sinus headache, caffeine, or many other reasons), just drinking tea isn’t always best. That is when my tradition comes out.
I don’t use special pots, or time honored traditions. There is nothing wrong with them, but I rarely have time for that, and growing up in the United States, there are no time honored tea drinking traditions. I always used tea bags (low quality as they were my only option, and didn’t know any better).So now, even though I am closer to tradition, I still do not have time for this. My Headache/Stress tea drinking practice takes less than five minutes. Usually, that is all the time I have (which is mostly why I have the headache in the first place).
I begin with the double chamber gourmet tea bag. High quality loose tea, easy to use tea bag, reusable; three of the reasons why. I rough it up a little to make the tea inside spread out, and then I put the bag into my mug. With the tea bag ready I pour steaming hot water over it. A little bit too hot to drink. When the cup is full, I bob the tea bag in and out of the water for a minute or so, and let it site for a minute (maybe, depending on how strong I want the tea, how many times have I used the tea bag already, etc.) When letting the tea bag sit, I wrap the string around the mug handle and anchoring it with the bead at the end. After the tea is ready, I take the tea bag out of the cup, and hang it on my tea stand. With green teas and Oolong teas, this is especially important. If you leave the tea bag in the cup too long it can get very bitter.
Now that my tea is ready ( a process which took maybe two minutes) I am ready to relieve myself from this nagging headache. With the cup still steaming, I cup my hands around the mug and slowly breath in the steam. Slow, deep breathes. I do this three to five times, or until the tea has cooled down a little so that I can begin drinking it. It is still hot, but I won’t burn my tongue or lips if I drink it. Then I take small slurping sips. The hot water is important not only for the steam but also for these first few sips. The hot water slows down your drinking, and also helps to clear out your head. After a couple minutes of this I am generally feeling better.
Maybe this 5 minute practice is loosely based on tradition, and doesn’t sound too complicated, but it helps me. I am sure that all in this hectic world can appreciate 5 minutes where life is slowed down and especially a tradition that is fast, easy, and that really helps to get alleviate life’s little inconveniences; headaches, migraines, and stress.
David Giusti is the owner of Sabaidi Tea Co., Ltd., a manufacturer of Gourmet Tea bags that include high quality loose tea and herbal teas. FOr more information about the company, you can visit their website, http://www.sabaidi.net, or their forum, http://www.sabaidi.net/phpbb
Tags: tea, migraines, stress, headache, headaches, gourmet tea bags, migraines, herbal tea
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Herbal remedies are a hot topic throughout magazines and other advertisements. We see St. John’s Wort as a depression remedy, Echinacea to help ward off colds and chamomile to calm us down after a long, stressful day. Herbal preparations are popping up all over grocery stores shelves and your local pharmacy. There has been an influx of alternative practitioners that have sprung up in the last few years and even some doctors are prescribing herbal remedies to their patients.
What is herbal medicine? Herbal medicine is the use of herbs for their therapeutic or medicinal value. Some people call it plant or botanical medicine. This type of medicine is better used for keeping yourself in good shape so you do not get faced with a serious illness, even though there have been success stories of curing serious and chronic illnesses with plants. So what exactly are these plants called herbs? Herbs are plants or a plant part that has some sort of chemical substance that acts upon the body. Herbs can be taken in many different ways. They are found in capsules, teas, tinctures and other products like lotions and oils.
Believe it or not, the oldest form of healthcare known to mankind is herbal medicine. Before pharmacies ever existed, people used plants to cure and treat illnesses and injuries. Plants were one of the most important things to man millions of years ago. They helped feed him, shelter him, clothe him and provided healthcare. It is thought that people learned which plants were poisonous based on how the animals around them acted after eating the plant. Even today, according to the World Health Organization estimates, around eighty percent of the world’s population, a whopping four billion people, uses herbal medicine for some form of their healthcare needs.
Many different alternative therapies such as acupuncture, oriental and homeopathy may have some sort of herbal component to them. Pharmaceutical companies use herbal components in some of their products as well. As an example, aspirin contains white willow bark. These companies know that plants have been in use for millions of years and that there must be a reason why, so they conduct large full-scale tests to see if they can use them in their products. One of the major areas that the pharmaceutical companies are looking at is the rainforest, as there are thousands of plants that have not yet been discovered. When there is destruction to the rainforest areas, we may never know if we have lost a plant that was a cure for a disease.
People are becoming more interested in herbs as medicines, because they feel these are safer alternatives to a lot of the pharmaceutical drugs which have so many side effects. The truth is, though, plants are powerful medicines and need to be respected as such. Before taking any herbal medicine, it is important to check with your doctor or herbalist; because some herbs can interfere with medicines you may currently be taking. Also, not all plants medicines may be right for your particular condition.
Herbal medicine will most likely be around for a long time, as long as we don’t destroy all the plants!
Michael Russell
Your Independent Herbal guide.
Tags: herbal
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Because prescription and over the counter products can have unwanted side effects, many people look for IBS herbal remedies, such as slippery elm and aloe vera. And IBS may be controlled with products such as these, but they should be used as a part of a complete treatment plan which includes dietary changes that address your own food sensitivities and other triggers such as stress. You should also advise your doctor about any IBS herbal remedies you are taking.
The connection between aloe vera and IBS is well established in the herbal and the medical community. It is sometimes recommended as an alternative medicine for IBS (irritable bowel) and inflammatory bowel diseases. It reduces inflammation or swelling, promotes healing and has been proven to be an effective laxative. Studies have not been done concerning aloe vera and IBS with diarrhea. Because, it can have a laxative effect, it could worsen diarrhea, but according to user testimonials this is not always the case. Another of the IBS herbal remedies may be a better choice. A food and symptoms diary can help you decide which product works best for you. It can also help you identify food sensitivities and avoiding these may provide the best IBS control.
It may be important to mention that no one is recommending that there may be a connection between eating raw aloe vera and IBS control. IBS herbal remedies containing aloe are extracts from the raw plant. The extract is sterilized, freeze-dried and encapsulated. The best manufacturers use aloe that has been grown organically, as to prevent chemicals that could irritate from being included in the finished product.
Aloe vera and IBS herbal remedies are not the only alternatives. Chiropractic and hypnotic therapy have been effective for many people. There has been one study published concerning the effectiveness of hypnosis for IBS control and stress reduction. Chiropractors, which were long thought of as back and neck doctors, know that misaligned vertebra may cause pain elsewhere in the body as they press on the nerves that lead to other parts of the body. Stress management and relaxation techniques such as meditation may also be helpful.
If you have not had your symptoms evaluated by a doctor, it is important that you do. The symptoms of IBS are similar to the symptoms of other more serious conditions. Self-treatment with aloe vera and IBS herbal remedies is not recommended. Without proper diagnosis these could aggravate problems. For more information about aloe vera and IBS herbal remedies, visit www.digestive-disorders-guide.com.
Tags: aloe vera and ibs, ibs herbal remedies
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