Baby Spice returns and is All About the Heartburn

As always, remember Herb Girl is self-taught as well as amazing. Please consult a physician if you have any qualms about herbing it up with the chicks!

Well Hellooooooo, chicksinthekitchen bloggers and readers!
Today, Herb Girl… Baby Spice… haha, me… will be telling you about how to manage indigestion with a terrific tea that tastes like Mother Earth’s comforting bosom.

The Ingredients:
1 tbs Linden Flower
1 dash dandelion
1 dash citrus peel
1 dash peppermint
1 pinch of chamomile

Background on Herbs and why they work on indigestion:

Peppermint is a natural hybrid cross between M. aquatica (water mint) and M. spicata (spearmint). I love peppermint! Not only is it delicious, it’s a stomachic, antispasmodic, antimicrobic, and, of course, often used as a pleasant flavoring agent. I’ve been to friend’s houses for dinner when they serve mint liquor or mint ice cream after dinner and it always makes me smile because it will also help with digestion. And some restaurants give mints with the check. Beautiful! Peppermint especially cools down heartburn and after eating fajitas or high acidic marinara sauce, I want everyone to say “pass the mint, please!”

Linden Flower is considered valuable in the treatment of headaches, indigestion, hysteria, and diarrhea. Native Americans of the First Nation used linden flowers for treating “sick headaches” and a nervous stomach. Linden blossom makes a wonderfully relaxing remedy that is delicious when taken in infusions. Linden also relieves tension and anxiety, aids sleep, calms restless and excitable children and reduces muscle tension. One precaution, though. Don’t drink linden flower teas within 2 hours of taking any vitamin and mineral supplements. Because of its mucilages in the tea, it can interfere with the absorption of nutrients from the supplement.

Dandelion is NOT just a pesky weed! Herbalists consider it a valuable herb with many culinary and medicinal uses. Dandelion is a rich source of vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. Native Americans also used dandelion decoctions (liquid made by boiling down the herb in water) to treat kidney disease, swelling, skin problems, heartburn, and stomach upset. Chinese medicinal practitioners traditionally used dandelion to treat digestive disorders, appendicitis, and breast problems (such as inflammation or lack of milk flow).

Chamomile Tea is so popular, it’s found in most grocery stores. It is used as a mild sedative, and is good for insomnia as well as many other nervous conditions. Chamomile flowers are used in alternative medicine as an anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, nervine, stomachic, tonic, vasodilatory. The anti-inflammatory properties make it good for rheumatism, arthritis, and other painful swellings. Additional uses in herbal medicine include an antispasmodic for intestinal and menstrual cramps, relieving gas pains, and a very mild but efficient laxative.

Are you ready for the tea?
Because the citrus peel and the dandelion can become bitter if you leave it boiling too long, this is a tea you should make one serving at a time, which is why the recipe portions (pinch, dash) are used. Get out a pan and add a 1 1/8 cup of water to it. Then add the ingredients. Let it come to a boil, but don’t let it sit too long before you strain it. Drink it whenever you feel indigestion symptoms, especially after a big meal.

Does anyone have a Pepcid?
NO!! Take Fennel Seeds instead as a natural approach to the annoying burning of the heart, LOL heartburn Fennel seed is an aromatic but powerful herb that helps in digestive conditions and has many other benefits. Fennel seeds contain a compound known as Anethole, which is known to suppress spasms of the stomach or gastrointestinal tract spasms. Oh, it is such an effective remedy for Acid Reflux! Take half a tea spoon of Fennel Seeds and chew them slowly after your meals. And they’re yummy, too!

I’m here for questions and hopefully, I’ll know the answers. If I don’t, research has always been my friend

Baby Spice signing off. Muah!

Disclaimer: I am self taught from the way I was brought up. I learned these recipes, but am not a trained herbalist. Please consult your physician before trying these remedies or getting off prescribed medication.