Getting familiar with herbs should be fun and interactive. Herbalism isn’t all about memorizing facts — it’s a lifestyle. So today we’re going to talk about ways to increase your personal relationship with herbs!
Here are the steps I want you to follow.
- Choose your herb — any herb, but preferably one you don’t know anything about, this way you go into the exercise blind and really rely on your senses and intuition for a personal experience
- Brew up some tea. If it’s a root, bark or berry you will need to make a decoction.
- Sit down with a journal and pen, take a deep inhale. First of all, ahhhhhh relaxing (something that tea should invoke). As you inhale — two or three times, think about the aroma, the feeling it gives you in your nose, throat and chest. Really pay attention
- Take a sip. As you sip you want to become aware of the feeling in your mouth, is it moistening or astringent (drawing moisture out). Then start recognizing the flavors — sweet, salty, earthy, bitter, green? Whatever you taste, write it down.
- After a few sips. Begin to become more aware of your body and how it feels when you drink this tea. Is it relaxing? Invigorating? Drying? Can you feel it warming you up? Maybe it’s moving through and you need to go to the bathroom. Whatever you feel, write it down.
Remember, herbs can have an effect several hours later as it begins to be absorbed through your digestive tract so be aware of any unusual feelings or affects you notice over the time you are drinking it.
Getting to know an herb in detail is exactly why we created Herb-a-Month. For just $5 a month you can get detailed monographs, recipes, medicinal properties, nutritional facts and history/folklore! One new herb is released every 30 days to ensure that you get enough time to truly learn the herb before moving on!
Sign up for Herb-a-Month today!
