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herbal medicine

Saturday Afternoon Botanical Bliss Truffles

Saturday Afternoon Botanical Bliss Truffles

I've been having an exceptional amount of fun lately making tasty, salubrious, spirited herbal concoctions using powders from Sun Potion & other delightful alchemists. I have some combo of adaptogenic herbs in my morning tea on a daily basis (all about that Reishi at the moment - I swear it is to credit for keeping me allergy-free this season!), but today I was craving more of a treat & had some extra time on hand to spend in the apothecary...I mean, kitchen. 'What in the world is an adaptogenic herb?!', you may be wondering! Allow me to elaborate...

Adaptogens are non-toxic herbs that "can stimulate, activate, or promote a response [to stressors] in multiple nonspecific ways, including the building of a reserve of adaptive energy.” They posses a bidirectional intelligence which allows them to either restrain & temper any hyperactive functioning or bolster & invigorate the functioning of underactive systems in the body on the cellular level, especially the neuroendocrine & immune systems!* They can guide the body back into a state of equilibrium, even in the midst of the seemingly ceaseless onslaught of myriad stressors in our modern world.

These beauteous truffle babes are filled with adaptogenic tonic herbs, raw cacao, & magic. Warning: these may incite high vibes, enhanced immunity, upgraded cognition, rejuvenated hair/skin/libido, overall well-being, & long-lasting bliss. Consume at your own risk 😉 Cheers to healthy pleasures & superfood mavens Sun Potion for procuring the highest quality organic/wild crafted herbs! Today's batch of treats feature Anandamide, He Shou Wu, Mucuna Puriens, & Tocos. Yum. 

You can come try some of these at our Healing Arts center where I intend on offering samples of what I'm making from time to time! You can also purchase the herbal powders (as is, or in custom combinations put together for your unique constitution) at our clinic & use this little recipe I've whipped up (see below) so you can make them at home! 

 

Botanical Bliss Truffles Recipe (can't help but giggle a little bit at the name I christened them with - the joy is already bubbling & we haven't even gotten to lick the bowl yet!):

Wet ingredients: 
1/2 cup raw cacao butter
1/2 cup coconut oil or coconut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 ground vanilla bean)
Monkfruit crystals (1 tsp or more; start small & add more depending on desired sweetness)

Dry ingredients: 
1/2 c Anandamide + 1/2 c Raw Cacao Powder
1/4-1/2 c raw coconut flakes
2 tbsp Chia Seeds
2 tbsp blanched almond flour
1 tbsp Lucuma
1 tbsp Tocos
1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt
Raw honey (1 tbsp or more depending on desired sweetness)

Additional adaptogenic/superfood herbs (approximately 1/4-1/2 cup in total; keep in mind you are already getting a divine blend of herbs from the Anandamide cacao powder, so this step is totally optional & open to interpretation):
I used: He Shou Wu + Mucuna Puriens + Maca; but some other great options are: Chaga, Cordyceps, Reishi, Ashwaganda, Schisandra, Pine Pollen, etc. there really are no limits!

Rolled in any combination of the following toppings (again you can play with this part & get creative with other toppings you enjoy). Some of my favorites are: 
local bee pollen
raw coconut flakes/shreds
lucuma, cinnamon, cardamom, raw cacao, maca, &/or tumeric powder
raw cacao nibs
hemp seeds
sesame seeds
goji berries
celtic sea salt or himalayan pink salt

1. Lightly warm the wet ingredients until liquified; I like to put them in a bowl placed atop a pot of boiling hot water so as not to expose the raw ingredients to too much direct heat; melt the monkfruit crystals into this mixture (but don't add the raw honey in at this point - you will add this in later)
2. Place all dry ingredients in blender or food processor & add wet ingredients; blend until fully integrated; it will seem way too wet to form into balls at this point, but have no fear....
3. Scoop the mixture into a bowl (a metal bowl will work best because the mixture will cool faster) & place in fridge for 30 minutes or more (until mixture has hardened enough to be molded)
4. Cover a cutting board with parchment paper & spoon the chocolate mixture out & roll into smooth balls. 
6. Roll the balls into the superfood toppings (you can put the toppings into the bowl one-by-one & toss balls until covered. Alternatively you can add on your choice of superfood toppings in various corners of the parchment paper on your cutting board & roll balls into them by hand). 
7. Enjoy! (These can be kept in the fridge or freezer for future consumption)

 

(For more on adaptogens, check out Winston & Maimes book, Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief)

Elemental Family Focus on Immunity, Part 2: Do You Know Where 80% of Your Immune System Lives?

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Elemental Family Focus on Immunity, Part 2: Do You Know Where 80% of Your Immune System Lives?

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Welcome back to immune prep central! Part 2 of our series is about the relationship between your immune system and your digestive system.

The phrase “immune system” might conjure up an assortment of connotations from your high school biology days: bacteria and viruses, innate and acquired, antibody and antigen, and so on.  The science-y talk ends here, but the point is there is an even more salient fact about your immune system that most of us haven’t been taught. One of the most important predictors of your immune function is already within you and can have either a hugely beneficial or a dramatically negative influence on your ability to fight off illness.

Okay people, drumroll please: 70-90% of your immune system actually resides in your GUT. Your gut is host to your body’s largest population of immune cells, and the proper functioning of those cells relies on a remarkable, and largely uncharted, community of trillions of bacterial cells, known collectively as the microbiome. Those coils upon coils of small intestine house all of the intestinal bacteria that play an essential role in doing the digesting that we are oh so familiar with, but it turns out that the small intestine is the site of the majority of your immune response as well.

Your microbiome is a vast, diverse, and unique assortment of a multitude of strains of bacteria and other organisms, that essentially make you, you! Turns out, you are so much more than just what you eat. The microbiome consists of a mix of both helpful and opportunistic bacteria. The microbiome is truly a new frontier within us that is only beginning to be explored, categorized, and understood, with incredible and exciting ramifications for health conditions in a wide range of categories, from auto-immune conditions to ADHD to depression.

Probiotics are all the rage in the health-o-sphere these days, and for good reason. Probiotics comprise the good guys in your microbiome. Although the majority of them live in your digestive tract, probiotics exert a significant influence well beyond your belly. Probiotics are the key players in overall wellness and maintaining a balanced, healthy system. They rule the roost in three essential realms of your wellbeing: digestion, immunity, and brain function.

To go a little more in depth, here are just a few reasons why probiotics are such an integral part of your immune system:

  • If you think of your gut microbiome as a garden, then the probiotics are the flowers and the opportunistic bacteria are the weeds. The more flowers there are, the less room there is for weeds to grow. The flowers protect your gut by crowding out the weeds and preventing them from sticking to the gut lining.
  • As explained earlier in the post, your gut is host to your body’s largest population of immune cells. Probiotics serve to amplify and enhance the immune activity at these sites.
  • Probiotics act as an immune barrier in the gut, only allowing certain things to pass into the bloodstream, and blocking illness-causing pathogens.

How do you know if you need to take probiotics? Well, most of us do. What type and for how long will vary widely, but if you have ever taken an antibiotic (and I mean ever in your life), then you probably want to explore getting on a probiotic.

My recommended brands for general immune and digestive health, and the ones I carry in my office are:

  • For infants – Klaire Labs Infant Probiotic (powder) or Metagenics Ultraflora Baby (drops)
  • For toddlers and older children – Metagenics UltraFlora Children's (chewable) (or one of the above infant products if your toddler isn't into chewables)
  • For teens and adults – Klaire Labs Therbiotic Complete or Metagenics UltraFlora Spectrum (capsules)

If you are interested in learning more about your microbiome, here are two very worthwhile links to check out:

1) Super informative article by Michael Pollan about the microbiome:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/magazine/say-hello-to-the-100-trillion-bacteria-that-make-up-your-microbiome.html?pagewanted=all

2) Great slideshow about the microbiome:

http://discovermagazine.com/galleries/zen-photo/m/microbiome

(Featured image courtesy of probiotics.org)

Thanks for reading and please be sure to check out Part 1 of the series here: http://elementalfamily.com/fall-focus-on-immunity-preparatory-medicine/. We'd love to have you join our virtual Elemental Family to stay in the loop with these types of posts in the future! You can opt-in on the home page here: http://elementalfamily.com.

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