The path of holistic wellness is so open and wide, which is a really good thing. It means we have options, and we can adjust accordingly as we continue our path to health and overall life balance. We can start moving our bodies more ( going for hikes, long walks, yoga, etc.); or we can start doing intermitent fasting; or we can start meditating (5 min, 10 min, 30 min, etc); or we can start eliminating processed foods from our daily diets, etc. You get the point. We have options!
We can play with a few at the beginning and see what feels right and continue to modify as needed. The important thing is to start. Just give that first step.
One of my favorite tools available to support our holistic wellness path are daily usage of herbs. This is one of the oldest wellness and healing paths in human history. All our ancestors used them along the way to help with a fever, to calm us down, to support digestion, etc. Some can be used in the kitchen and are part of seasonings for dishes, and some are consumed as teas. Again, we have options!
Plants are beautiful allies that can add a lot of nourishment and overall support to our bodies, minds, and yes, even spirits.
How to add the magic and support of herbs in your daily life:
Add teas and infusions to your daily routine. They say you are either a tea drinker or a coffee drinker. I am honestly both. I love them both equally. However, I do drink my herbal tea first, then my coffee. Some great options to start your day with: Nettles, Oatstraw, Raspberry Leaf, Linden, Mint, and Chamomile. Most of them are easy to find even as tea bags, but I prefer loose leaf tea, so I can control the quality of my tea, and the potency of my infusion. In fact you can even use fresh herbs and flowers, just make sure they are organic, and pesticide free.
Add herbs and spices into your meals. This might be easier than what you think. You can add Turmeric in powder form to maybe some sautéed veggies, or add fresh Parsley to your eggs. Nettles is great as food as well, you can make dressings, and even pesto with it. Another herb easy to add in the kitchen is Rosemary, and Basil. We sometimes do not think about them as nourshing powerhouses, but they are, and they can help our digestion, and inflammation, boost our immuntiy, calm our nerves, etc. Other herbs to consider are: edible flowers (such as nasturiums, lavender, calendula, borage, blue lotus), adaptogens ( reishi, turkey tail, lion's mane, shiitake mushrooms), bee pollen, and chia seeds.
Add herbs to your beauty routine. This is one of my favorite areas to play with herbs and their medicine. Spray some Rose Water after washing your face or throughout the day to keep it moist and sooth your skin. It also has anti-aging properties. Home Made Body Scubs are also amazing for our bodies, and you can add lavender, rosemary, roses, plus essential oils that can support the lymph system, circulation, toning the skin, etc. A beauty mask made with honey and cinnamon can help your blood circulation, clean your pores with its antibacterial properties, and even work as an anti-inflammatory. These are just ideas. Remember the sky is the limit on the healing beauty support you can get from herbs and plants.
Add an herbal tea before bed for sleep support. We all experience all level of stress during our daily lives. We are constantly going, trying to catch up to everyone in this fast paced world we have created that never stops, and it feels like it never sleeps either. Thus, herbs can be an amazing ally and support for calming our nervous system and help us have restful sleep. Remember, sleep is so important for our bodies to be able to repair themselves, so having good quality sleep should be in your wellness plan. Some of my favorite herbs for sleep support are: passionvine, chamomile, lavender, and blue lotus. You can do single infusions, or find a blend you like. They are game changers, specially if you drink them daily and create a little evening ritual from it.
Start an herbal garden. Lastly, I love the idea of an herbal garden as a way to connect with herbs in your holistic wellness path because there is nothing like one-on-one relationship with them. By tending them, we understand them better, and create a 2 way relationship in which we take care of them, and they take care of us. We also connect with the seasons, and what they like: direct sun, indirect sun, resilience to lack of water, or not, etc. Building a direct relationship with herbs will also help you slow down, just a bit, enough to pay attention to them, see what they need, forcing even for a moment full on being present, which in that we can also find an important piece of our wellness path. Easy herbs to start with will depend on where in the world you live, but in general I would say: Rosemary, Parsley, Chamomile, Lavender, Garlic, Mint.
In Conclusion
Our path to holistic wellness is personal, and luckily we have many options and tools to choose from. We get to decide the one that alligns the most within us, our lifestyle, our context and our priorities. One of those tools are herbs and plant, and one of the many beauties of using them as a tool to support you in this wellness path is that they are accesible and easy to incorporate into our lives from different angles. They are flexible. We just need to invite them into our lives, and welcome them in!
