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Herb Girl Tackles High Blood Pressure

Disclainer: I am self taught from the way i was brought up. I learned these recipes, but am not a trained herbalist. please consult your physitian before trying these remedies or getting off prescribed medication

Fellow chicksinthekitchen and readers,

After today, high blood pressure will no longer be your nemesis. High blood pressure (HBP) is a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart disease (also called coronary artery disease), heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and other health problems. ”Blood pressure” is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage the body in many ways.

But no more.

First let’s start with a juice so yummy, no one could mistake it for medicine.

Caribbean Juice Pressure Reducer

mix coconut water and lemon lime.

Too simple? Not everything has to be hard. With this electrolite infusion, you’ll be feeling breezy like wind from the beach This is a safe diuretic, mineral replacement, and it’s very easy to digest.

Now for the Elixir, let’s learn about some great herbs! Hawthorn dilates arteries, lowers blood pressure, and is also a diuretic. Cramp bark can be used for cramps (hence the name)It also lowers blood pressure by relaxing the vessel walls. When taken in large dosages (30 drops or more every two or three hours), cramp bark may reduce leg cramps, muscle spasms, or pain from a stiff neck. Rooibos is an extremely nutritious herb, containing Vitamin C, Alphahydroxy Acid, potassium, copper, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, manganese and fluoride. It can help to control blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and enhance immunity funtions. Coleus (Forskolin) lowers high blood pressure, increases the release of hormones from the thyroid gland, stimulates digestive secretion, and reduces pressure within the eye. Coleus has been prescribed to treat congestive heart failure and poor coronary blood flow. It also improves circulation of blood to the brain.

Whew! Who’s ready for the recipe?

Heart Cordial Blood Pressure Elixir 

(this heart cordial is a potassium replacement, antithrombotic, and loosens blocked arteries)

*1 oz cramp bark

*3 oz hawthorn (1 oz leaf, 1 oz flower, 1 oz berry)

*1 oz rooibos (South African Red Bush)

Mix it up and put an ounce of it in tea with 2  1/4 oz of dandelion

*4 cups of hot water

Let steep for 5 minutes. Strain 15 oz– add 3 drops of rosemary oil (thrombosis is clotting within a blocked artery and rosemary helps with that), 3 oz of unsweet cocoa, 8 oz dehydrated sugar cane juice, 4 oz of hawthorn tincture, 2 oz of coleus tincture. For better taste, add vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, and hawthorn berries.

Rx- 2 tsp a day

Store in the fridge with a label. I’ve been told it can last 6 months without refrigeration, but Florida summers are kinda brutal. Let’s stay on the safe side

All right, it’s been a pleasure and as always…

Herb Girl… Spice Girl… Baby Spice, over and out

We’ve Moved!

We have a new domain name and website:  www.chickletsinthekitchen.com!  We’re still ironing out the wrinkles, but the new site will have far more flexibility and features.  Coming in the days and weeks ahead will be a page with up-to-date grocery coupons available for printing directly from the Chicklets, links to awesome recipe sites, and manufacturers websites.  We’ll also feature a page with links to our favorite authors with links to their books (we are, after all, authors ourselves!).  Please stay tuned and bear with us as we make the transition!

Menu 0, Take Out 1

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday on the menu plan worked out well.

Wednesday, though.  Wow.  We usually eat dinner around 6pm, family style.  I had planned to make salmon cakes and an apple soup (which I had never made before).  What could possibly go wrong?

The boys’ camp field trip not getting back until 5:30.  Not getting home until 5:50.  Not finding the cook book with the soup until 6pm.  A crazy dog.  Impatient Things.  Too many activities at once.  At which point I said “I’m getting take-out.”

Ten minutes later, dinner is on the table, my stress level is significantly lower, and everyone is happy.  Until the Things look at their kid meal toys and find the “girl” toy instead of the “boy” toy.    Oy.

Gluten-Free In a Pinch

My husband and I had a miscommunication last night. He asked, “Have you and the boys eaten [dinner]?” I replied, “No, and we’re hungry.” Not sure how he did it, but he translated that into, “We’ve eaten and we’re not hungry.”

Hmmm…gotta love those moments.

So he came home with subs and I was stuck. I couldn’t even share his meal. What to do? Well, this is when being creative can help. I scoured my pantry and my refrigerator for items to toss together to make a quick meal.

My older child chose to make a PB&J but my younger son wanted to share my dinner. To my surprise, my six-year-old declared the experiment a huge success. Since he loved it, I thought I’d share the recipe with you this week.

Tangy Tuna Pasta Salad

One pouch of Tuna in water or olive oil

6 oz of Gluten-Free Vegetable Pasta

2 oz Artichoke Hearts

4 medium mushrooms diced and sautéed in 1-2 Tbsp of Sun Dried Tomato Dressing (Gluten-Free)

Cherry Tomatoes

Sun Dried Tomato Salad Dressing

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sautée mushrooms in dressing until tender. Boil pasta until tender. Drain and rinse well. (Some gluten-free pastas leave behind a thick milky substance. It won’t hurt but we prefer ours rinsed.)

In  a bowl mix tuna, pasta, mushrooms and 3-4 Tbsp of salad dressing until well blended. Top with cherry tomatoes, freshly grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

This recipe serves two.

See you next week!

Meddling Book Giveaway

Tina won this book!

Cat told me late yesterday that she had a book to give away to a commenter. So guess what, Tina? You’re our lucky randomly-generated winner.

I hope everyone had a fabulous Tuesday. I made monte cristo sandwiches for dinner with Thing 1. We didn’t deep fry them or eat them with jelly, but they were still decent. A lot of effort, though.  Not sure if it was worth it.  Not like home made pasta or anything.

Herb Girl Takes on Varicose Veins :-)

Disclainer: I am self taught from the way i was brought up. I learned these recipes, but am not a trained herbalist. please consult your physitian before trying these remedies or getting off prescribed medication

Hello chicksinthekitchen and fellow readers:

Today, as you can see, I will be taking on varicose veins. First of all, what are varicose veins? They are veins that have become stretched and swollen with blood.

The varicose veins often show up on the legs, ankles, and feet because those body parts are farthest from the heart. Gravity pulls blood down into your legs and feet when you’re standing up or sitting down, so the veins have to work extra hard to get that blood back up to the heart, and some of those veins can wear out over time.

But there’s an herb for that LOL

The herbal approach acts like an anti-inflammatory, a decongestant, and minimizes related health risks. Today we’ll be making a Horse Chestnut Vascular Tincture in our kitchens. Horse Chestnut prevents bruising from sore veins and is a blood vessel support. Are we ready for the easiest, healthy recipe ever?

Horse Chestnut Vascular Tincture

*8 oz crushed or powdered horse chestnut seed

*24 oz brandy (80 proof, 40 alcohol) 1:3

Put in a glass container with a lid and let sit for 14 days out of sunlight. (Make a label and don’t forget to re-visit it in 14 days.) Press the liquid out of it by using coffee filter or cloth. It will be a dark, milky color. Store it into a glass jar or bottle with a label.

Rx- 1/2 teaspoon of extract twice a day in juice or water. Take daily for 3 months up to 12 months then omit to 1 day a week.

This will improve lymphatic drainage in veins, increases circulation, and soothes tired veins.

Legs sore after a hard day of work? What if I told you there was a way for you to massage yourself using hydrotherapy? Go outside wearing some shorts or bathing suit bottoms. Turn on the garden hose and start massaging with cold water from your ankles to your thighs (toward the heart.) No garden hose? How about a cold compress of witch hazel? Put some witch hazel on a towel and wrap it with a dry towel, elevating your legs.

I hope this helped, ladies and gents.

Herb Girl… Spice girl… Baby Spice, over and out