Herbs for Hangovers

We really want  to focus on the internet, social media, and electronic communications this year as a way to share hints tips and ideas about herbs, how to grow them and how to use them.

What could be more appropriate for the first tip of the year, on New Years Day, than some ideas on how we can use herbs to combat hangovers.

Now, for those of you who like myself, aren’t drinkers, it is important to note that we aren’t really treating a hangover per se, but the symptoms, so these same remedies can be used to treat any hangover type symptoms.

** Disclaimer.  I am not a doctor.  I have no medical training.  Please do not rely on Tips, Hints, or Ideas you find on this blog as a replacement for medical care.  If you are pregnant, nursing, or have serious health issues, you should consult a doctor before using any herbs medicinally.  All medical treatment should occur under the guidance and direction of a medical professional.

OK, now that we have that out of the way, for those of you who were making merry last night, and are feeling a bit out of sorts today, lets explore some possible options that may help you feel better.

Peppermint
Peppermint is a natural stomach soother,  taken as a tea it can calm nerves and improve digestion.   Tea drinkers can add a teaspoon of dried peppermint or a Tablespoon of fresh peppermint leaves to their regular  cup of tea. 

Non tea drinkers can make an herbal tisane  by adding a cup of boiling water to 2 teaspoons of dried peppermint, allowing it to stand for about five minutes and sweetening to taste.  When I do this I like to add a tablespoon of lemon Juice and 2 Teaspoons of Honey.

As an added benefit, inhaling the steam produced while brewing peppermint tea can help to relieve headaches

** Note, do not attempt to treat a hangover with Peppermint Schnapps.

Fennel
1/2 teaspoons of  fennel seeds in a hot cup of tea can help improve liver function. Fennel is a restorative herb, and can help bring your liver back into working order.

Ginger
Ginger is a stomach soother; Ginger snaps, gingerbread cookies, can often provide partial relief for minor stomach upset.  Candied or pickled Ginger root may be as effective, provided the sugar or vinegar are not overpowering. 

** Note, Vernor’s Ginger Ale is actually made with real ginger and can be used to settle an upset stomach.  Other brands may not be as effective.

Thyme
Thyme leaves  brewed into a tisane  with a spoonful  of honey can help soothe tense and tired muscles, and can help with any stomach troubles too.

Lemon Verbena
A tisane made from adding 2 t dried Lemon Verbena leaves to a cup of boiling water can help to calm the nervous system and relax jittery nerves as well as help relieve anxiety. Lemon Verbena Tisane is so effective that people are actually cautioned not to drive or operate machinery after drinking this as it may affect alertness. 

Wintergreen/Teaberry
Also known as 'nature's aspirin,' Teaberry leaves were brewed into a tisane by the Native Americans to treat headaches.   If you can’t find the leaves, wintergreen oil, and gum or candy made with natural wintergreen oil and not artificial flavoring can also be effective.

** Important Note**Teaberry actually contains salicylic acid which is the active ingredient synthesized to produce aspirin.  because of this, teaberry or Wintergreen oil should not be used by anyone with an allergy to aspirin, as the same reaction may result.

Hopefully in just a few hours you will be feeling as good as new and ready to help us enjoy the fact that a new year has dawned. 2012 is no more.  Lets have a fun 2013.

 

Watch this space for regular Herb Hints, Tips, and Ideas.

 

Note, this post was written by Troy, but I used Diann’s computer so it says it was written by her.  Any errors in it are my fault, not hers.

First of all, I want to thank all of you once again for your support, your prayers, your words of encouragement, your positive thoughts, and for all of you who took the time to write a letter to the judge for and on our behalf.

Friendship like this is priceless, and I am amazed on a regular basis at the amount that has been shown, by people who we have never met face to face.

As any of you who read Diann's blog http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-cowardly-judge-susan-hubbard.html may know. Two days ago, we got a phone call from the judge's chambers. She was dismissing oral argument and she will issue a written opinion.

What does this mean?

It's anyone's guess.

We discussed it at length with our attorney, and we concluded that what it boils down to is that she is a coward and does not want to face us in open court and look us in the eye.

It could mean that she is embarrassed to actually admit that she was wrong publicly, and prefers to do it on paper, or it could mean that she knows that denying our motion is wrong, and she prefers to do it in private.

It could also be a knee jerk reaction to the fact that Channel 7 had requested permission to have their cameras in her courtroom today, and she balked at the idea.

So whatever the case, she has up to 21 days from today to render her decision.

Popular theory is that she will do so sooner.

My guess is that the sooner it happens the more likely it is to be favorable to us, and the longer it drags out the less likely.

But that is just me predicting the unpredictable.

We will keep everyone posted,and again, thank you so much.

It is friends like you who have carried us through these very difficult times.

Christmas Craft Show While at the Cabin

Hi friends!

I love living in a small town. I grew up and have lived my entire life in a small community. Although my hometown is small, it takes less than a half hour to get to either Detroit or Toledo. So, there is plenty of city life all around us.

At the cabin, first it takes almost a half an hour just to get “into town”. And the town itself is a very small town. And up north, the towns are at least 25-30 miles away from each other. So, when you have an event in town, the entire town shows up for it. Not to mention the so called neighboring towns make a day of it and head over.

Oh how we love these kinds of shows! You basically have a captive audience. We quite literally are “the only show in town”. This Christmas craft show is the last event that will happen here until Spring. So, everyone wants to check it out and spend their day shopping. And the folks that have driven 30+ miles to attend have money ready to spend. They want to do their Christmas shopping. And because of this, you have a lot of crafters/vendors there. The high school was packed with fun and different things throughout all the halls and gym.

Generally it is very rare for us to have any type of similar product competition. DTL Herbs is quite unique. Occasionally we will see a vendor selling spices. We don’t sell spices, we sell herbs. Big difference. People don’t realize that. We spend a lot of our time at shows educating people about herbs. And once in awhile we will see vendors selling dip mixes or dry rubs similar to ours. The big factor with them is they are generally vendors of the products. This means that there is a large company that makes these items and then you sell them for the company. Kind of like selling Avon or Tupperware.

Our company is not a big company. It is just us. We go from the soil to the table. We plant our herbs, we grow our herbs, we harvest our herbs, we dry our herbs and we create our end product. All of our recipes have been created by us and tested, what sometimes feels like a million times until they are just right in our opinion. We know exactly what goes into our growing herbs and our end product. We use no chemicals and we don’t use any artificial additives. Okay, that was just a small lie. LOL I have added food coloring to my sugars to make them pink, green or yellow. But, that is the only thing that has anything unnatural added to it. And it really stressed us out about doing the food colorings in the sugars. We test marketed it several times to see if people would be okay with it. Our customers are very loyal to us and believe in our company and products so, they give us their honest opinion. We love that!

That’s what it looks like sitting behind the table as a vendor. LOL Okay, back to the show.

Here is where you can find us this coming week….

Thursday 12/6 Redford Olde Fashioned Holiday http://www.redfordtwp.com/docs/2012/homepage/2012OldefashionHolidays8.5x11colorposter.jpg

Friday Dec 7, 1:00 pm,  Troy will be giving a fun presentation class on Holiday gifts with herbs, http://www.macombcountymi.gov/msuextension/documents/Fallherbregistration.pdf

Saturday Dec 8 River of Living Waters Ministries Annual Holiday Craft Show, 9:00-4:00 http://events.detroitnews.com/taylor_mi/events/show/295721825-annual-winter-holiday-craft-show

We don’t have a show scheduled for Sunday so, if any of you know of a local one, please let us know about it.