Herbs Articles

It is possible to spice up your life by adding a variety of fresh produce to your meals. There are ways to sauté without adding any oil or fat. There are luscious desserts, which don’t call for white flour or white sugar.

These recipes are for people who want to eat vegetarian or a high quality protein diet and keep the food as fresh, and wholesome as possible. These recipes will be utilizing a wide variety of produce and spices. They will be whole grain, cooked and raw vegetables, along with fruits and herbs.

The recipes will cover breakfast, lunch, dinners, and desserts. By utilizing the variety of fresh produce, grains, beans, spices and protein you will be consuming vitamins, minerals, and enzymes which will produce a more vibrant and radiant life.

You will taste and feel the difference by adding fresh ingredients. All recipes will be easy to prepare perfect for a fast paced world. Good taste should be fast and easy to come by. From sauces to easy deserts there will be something to please the palate. 

These culinary delights will be for your ultimate well-being and in a simple step by step form. Some will introduce you to new and exotic ingredients, but most will be everyday produce, protein, and herbs creatively combined for luscious meals, and desserts.  

The flavors, textures, and colors will enliven your palate, so that meals are more appealing to the senses. We want to take you on a journey to a time and place where food was enjoyed from the preparation to the finished product.

When you devote time to preparing food you are investing in a long and healthy life. An anti-aging regimen starts in the kitchen. We will show you not only how, but where to get some of the ingredients for these healing recipes.

Some of the recipes will be good for fruitarians, vegetarians, and those who like to add some grass fed dairy or meat to the diet. All the recipes can with a few adjustments work for any diet preference.

The simplicity of most of the recipes makes them wonderful for family time. These are the type of recipes to get the whole family involved. Food should be enjoyable and health rendering without the stress of long preparation time.

Many of the meals are festive and make great holiday meals. They also incorporate great tips and product recommendations. By utilizing the dynamic variety of flavors and textures, which come with plant food, you will ultimately enjoy greater health, vitality and a very happy palate.

Ashwagandha protects against stress and enhances psychological health. Research is emerging that this natural herb has some unique abilities.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is also known as Indian winter Cherry. It is a shrub cultivated in India and North America. In Africa, Mediterranean and India it grows as a wild shrub. The shrub is a member of the tomato family, and bears red fruit. Unlike tomatoes Aswagandha fruit are small like berries.

The root of this plant has been used for thousands of years by Ayurvedic practitioners to treat different health condition. The role of ashwagandha is seen not only as calming, but as a tonic to replenish lost energy.

Adrenals

Ashwagandha is sometimes referred as Indian Ginseng. It produces energy in a way that helps the body calm down and sleep. What it does is help the body take care of stress rather than masking it. One of the reasons that ashwagandha helps with stress is in its ability to maintain normal adrenal levels.

The adrenals get depleted when stressed by physical, emotional, and psychological events. Caffeine, nicotine, processed foods and sugar deplete the adrenal reserve, causing fatigue, depression, insomnia, and poor concentration.

Since ashwagandha is used to soothe and calm down a stressed mind and nerves, it not only helps the adrenals, but normalizes the sympathetic nervous system.

Most people in modern society are in the sympathetic mode. This isn’t healthy for long extended periods. This coupled with adrenal fatigue produces brain fog, memory problems, nervous exhaustion and loss of muscular energy. When there are changes in sleep duration it impinges on the quality of life. Sleep patterns change with low adrenal function and an activated sympathetic nervous system.

Cortisol

What ashwagandha does is reduce the cortisol levels in chronically stressed individuals. The body has a built in mechanism for protecting us from acute and immediate stress. The effect is known as the “stress response.” This involves production of what is called the “adrenaline rush” which is a massive release of cortisol or the “stress hormone.”

We are only meant to experience a short term burst of cortisol. What happens is blood sugar levels go up to provide needed energy. Calcium is pulled from storage making it available to muscles for a quick response. In the wilderness this is a plus, but in the asphalt jungle of today it is a determent

Chronic stress in modern society leads to all sorts of major health problems. Cortisol levels never get to return to normal, and overexposure to cortisol leads to a depressed immune response, high blood pressure, loss of muscle mass and cognitive problems.

Modern Science

Modern science hasn’t much to offer, in fact the lowering of cortisol levels, fixing adrenal function and turning off the sympathetic nervous system are not within the realm of allopathic medicine.

The use of ashwagandha is relegated to the medical system of India.It is know as the ginseng of India, and used in Ayurvedic medicine as a general tonic. It is an adaptogen used to rejuvenate, and calm the nerves, and is thought to have a strong and protective effect on the nervous system.

In America it is used by naturopathic physicians and can be bought in health food stores. It is a supplement not a cure all; you have to distress your life, and meet challenges in a productive way. It may seem easy to say and hard to do, with the right diet you can be assured that you will handle things better. Ashwagandha can help clear the way for authentic change.