Herbal Infusion For Stress & Anxiety

In the world that we live in now we all experience increased amounts of stress and anxiety. Today, I am going to dive into some herbal knowledge and teach you how you can start to incorporate herbal beverages into your everyday routine! This is a great way to boost your mineral intake in a really affordable way!

What is an herbal infusion?

• An herbal infusion is similar to making a cup of tea, the big difference however, is the amount of herbs used and the length of steeping. Herbal infusions are a way to make really powerful herb drinks, this is due to steeping it for longer, you are allowing all of the benefits to be extracted from the herbs. I find that making a large batch before I go to sleep and letting it steep over night is super easy and then it's ready to drink in the morning!

• There are two types of herbal infusions: Cold (meaning you start the infusion with cold or room temperature water) or Hot (meaning you activate the infusion with hot water, like you would with normal tea)

The big difference in the two types of infusions is what type of herbs you are working with. Some herbs do better to extract their medicinal properties with a specific temperature of water. In this recipe we are going to be doing a hot infusion

Meet the herbs in this infusion:

• Milky oat top (Avena sativa)- Nervine herb that helps to calm the nervous system, calms anxiety

• Oat straw (Avena sativa)-longevity tonic, rebuilds nerves, high in trace minerals, rich in bioavailable (easily absorbed in the body) calcium, balances mood and helps to improve libido, decreases PMS symptoms

• Red raspberry leaf (Rubus idaeus)-rich in minerals that have an affinity for the reproductive system, helps to tone the pelvic muscles & uterus

• Red clover (Trifolium pratense) -rich in phytoestrogens + calcium for hormone health, tones the blood, liver detoxifier

• Nettle (Urtica dioica) - nourishes and rebuilds the adrenals, kidneys, blood vessels, high in vitamins and other trace elements

• optional- peppermint (Mentha piperita) - cooling herb, aids in digestion, helps prevent migraines and headaches, improve PMS symptoms, also adds a great flavor

How to make the herbal infusion

I like to blend up a large batch of this herbal blend all at once and then store it in a jar, that way I can make it easily everyday.

Directions:

1. Blend equal parts of each herb in a large bowl (start with about a 1/2 cup or full cup if you have enough of the herbs)

2. I add more peppermint, about 2 cups if I am using 1 cup of the rest of the herbs- but omit if you don't like the taste of peppermint, or decrease the amount if you prefer

3. mix dry herbs together

4. Store extra blend in air tight container, away from direct light

5. At night, boil water

6. Fill up a pint or quart jar about half way full of the herbal blend, OR I love to use a french press here if you have one. It will make it a lot easier in the morning to just press the herbs down and drink right away. If you are using a jar, make sure you have a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth so you can strain out the herbs in the morning

7. Fill the jar or the french press full with water, make sure all herbs are submerged

8. Cover the jar or place french press lid on and let it sit overnight

9. When you wake up, strain the herbs out and enjoy! Sip on the infusion all day!

*note: you can gently heat up the infusion in the morning if you prefer a warm drink, don't microwave though, use a small sauce pan on the stove. Also, I like to make a 64oz. mason jar so that way I have enough for multiple days if I know I will be busy! Follow same instructions, just make sure to add more herbs for the increased use of water, strain in the morning and then store in the fridge.

Where to get bulk herbs?

There are a lot of places, especially online where you can get bulk herbs from. I always buy organic, since you are making "medicine" from this, you don't want to contaminate it with heavy metals and pesticides. These are a few of my favorite places to get herbs online from:

• Mountain rose herbs

• Starwest Botanicals

• Frontier Coop

I also encourage you to check locally as well, in the Madison area, the community pharmacy is an amazing option and they have a lot of what you would need!