Its been another scorching week here in the UK, as we are experiencing one of the hottest summers on record. With the first schools breaking up now for the summer holidays we still have more weeks of hot weather ahead. Here are some herbal health tips to keep you feeling comfortable during this holiday season.
Keep Hydrated - Make sure your water intake is sufficient on hot days as you will be more vulnerable to dehydration. Aim for around 2 litres of spring water a day. To improve the taste of water add a squeeze of lemon or lime plus a sprig of mint, lemon verbena, lemon balm, borage or slices of cucumber. Usually I advise drinking water at room temperature, as cold or iced water can weaken digestion, however this is the one time of year they can be drunk. The same applies to chilled or iced foods. If you have weak digestion or are very low in energy then mix cold foods with cooked foods to avoid over cooling this system. In the Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine systems the energetics of foods are always considered important in relation to a persons constitutution and condition,as well as working in harmony with the seasons.
Seasonal Foods To You Keep Cool - Focus on eating seasonal produce to balance the energetics of the season, i.e foods that are hydrating and cooling, such as asparagus, celery, cucumber, courgettes, tomatoes, juicy fruits like watermelons, limes, grapes, figs, mango, berries, and salad greens. The body naturally craves these high water content foods as soon as the weather gets hotter. Green algae powders such as spirulina are cooling in nature too, so are a good addition to your smoothies at ths time of year.
Cooling Summer Herbs - Choose cooling herbs such as peppermint, spearmint, elderflowers, lemon balm, lemon verbena, rose petals and hibiscus. Iced or cold herbal teas at this time of year are a wonderful way of ingesting herbs. My favourite is hibiscus, from the sepals of the flower, which transforms into a rich, ruby coloured drink after infusing in water. Add a slice of lime and a sprig of peppermint to make it even more delicious. Hibiscus is packed with anti-aging antioxidants, bioflavonoids and vitamin C to help protect your skin from sun damage. It is also a great herb to keep cool during the transition into menopause.
After Sun Care - Fresh aloe vera gel is a soothing, cooling herb that helps heal the skin and reduce inflammation. If you haven’t access to a fresh aloe vera plant you can buy pure aloe vera juice from Pukka Herbs or Neal’s Yard Remedies . Add a few drop of peppermint and lavender to make a cooling aftersun gel/lotion. Aqua Oleum do a lovely range of floral waters like rose or lavender water that make a refreshing, fragrant spritz. I keep mine in the fridge during hot weather and use them as a cooling spray for my skin. These can also be combined with the aloe vera.
Insomnia is often a problem at this time of year as there are more daylight hours. Try sleeping with blackout blinds or sleep with an eye mask and ear plugs if necessary. An epsom salt foot bath before bed is a useful way of benefiting from the magnesium salts via a local application. Add a few drops of calming essential oils of lavender or roman chamomile to the foot bath to enhance the relaxing qualities of the epsom salts. Valerian, passionflower, hops, california poppy, chamomile, lavender and lime flowers are all herbs that can be used to help encourage sleep. Try some of these as as tea before bed for as a tincture.
Mosquito Repellent - To repel mosquitos from taking a bite, deter them by making your scent unappetising. Taking bitter herbs can act as a repellent. Try gentian or Swedish bitters. Bitter herbs in small amounts acts as digestives to help stimulate the flow of digestive juices and enzymes. As a topical repellant you can make a spray bottle of witch hazel water with essential oils of geranium, lemongrass, lavender, peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus and cedar to spray on exposed skin or clothes to a dilution of 3% (30 drops of essential oil per 50ml of witch hazel water) For children use a 1% dilution (10 drops per 50ml).
Funny Tummy - Activated charcoal capsules or French green clay (ultra ventilated grade) is a must for a holiday upset stomach. Clays and charcoal have the ability to draw out toxins quickly and can settle a gut a few days.
Holiday Hangovers - For many of us the summer is a time when alcohol intake dramatically increases as the social gatherings are more frequent. Hangovers on summer holidays can be really horrible as the heat can make them seem far worse. Pack some milk thistle capsules to protect the liver against the damaging effect of toxic excess. Milk thistle like most liver supporting herbs is also cooling in nature.