Mixing herbs can increase the effectiveness of the herbs but, what herbs should you mix,
how should you mix the herbs and what should u be mindful of
Find out 4 simple rules of herb mixes in this video
Let’s go
Herb mixing, also known as compounding, is the process of combining herbs for therapeutic
use and benefits
This is one of the most common questions I get when people start their herb journey,
every wants to further understand herb mixing.
This video mainly relates to teas, there are many other ways to consume herbs that i'll
go over in other videos, some other ways include tinctures, oil infusions, compresses, syrups
and honeys, capsules, steam inhalations and some herbs can even be smoked, there are quite
a few smokable herbs.
We’ll dive into these over time
Teas are the simplest way to consume herbs and one of my go to methods. The proper term
for this method is infusions and decoctions. I’ll break these down further towards the
end of this video, so make sure you watch to the end
Before I dive into some quick rules on herb mixing, I want to point out that herbalism
is simpler than people may think, as humans, we all have a tendency to overcomplicate things
or fear what we don’t understand.
For example, when cooking a lot of us use mixed herbs, most of us will still add curry
powder, turmeric powder or other herbs into the pot without too much thinking but when
it comes to other herbs we may over think. So I hope this video will help change how
you view herbs.
The only people who need to be more mindful about herb mixing are people that are taking
other forms of medication, have a medical procedure or surgery pending, are pregnant,
trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding, have liver or kidney disease, you’re elderly
or young, or if you have pre existing allergies to certain plants species apart from that,
it's fair and safe to experiment with herbs and mixing herbs. So the world is your oyster.
Before we get into some rules of combining herbs, let’s go over 4 quick benefits of
combining herbs
The first benefit is that combining herbs can help increase potency potential.
Most herbs are beneficial on their own, for example just adding turmeric to hot water
and you will benefit from a wide array of benefits including immune system benefits
but adding turmeric to your herbal tea will automatically boost its benefits. For example,
in your ginkgo tea, ginkgo already has studies linking it to brain health but adding turmeric,
another herb noted for brain health as well as liver function, increases the benefits
and allows you to increase the potency of that herbal tea.
The second benefit of combining herbs is its complimentary benefits
Nettle and sea moss are both good sources of iron, but some nutrients are complimentary
or they relate to each other in terms of absorption, the body requires one in order to utilise
the other. For example, vitamin c helps with iron absorption, choline helps with B vitamins
and folates, calcium relates to magnesium and vitamin C. These are just a few examples,
so having nutrients that relate to one another in the same tea or herbal blend increases
the benefits you can receive from that tea
This is a reason I tend to always put either lime, lime, ginger or turmeric into my herbal
teas. It offers complimentary benefits
The third benefits of combining herbs is the holistic benefits
Herbal medicine takes a holistic approach, the aim of herbal compounding is not only
to ease symptoms and help treat the underlying issues. So one herb in the blend may have
therapeutic benefits that target the inflammation caused by an underlying issue and the other
herb can help reduce treat the underlying issue, for example, the blend may help in
aiding digestion and bowel movements and also reducing inflammation in the digestive tract
The forth benefit of combining herbs is absorption and bioavailability
It's said that some herbs can increase the bioavailability and absorption of other herbs.
For example, sarsaparilla is thought to increase the bioavailability and absorption of other
herbs due to the saponins found in sarsaparilla.
Other benefits of mixing herbs are the taste benefits. Different herbs taste different,
cat’s claw tends to be bitter tasting whilst hibiscus tea or burdock tea can be sweet tasting,
combining herbs allows you to get a taste that’s to your liking.
When it comes to herb combining, it depends on what school of thought you want to go with.
For example, in traditional chinese medicine, the taste of a herb is said to give clues
about herbs uses, aromatic tasting herbs often help settle the digestive tract whilst bitters
stimulate it. There are 5 tastes considered in traditional, these are sourness, saltiness,
sweetness, pungency and bitterness. I am going to dive more into traditional chinese medicine
soon, especially the types of herbal combinations, for example single effect, mutual enhancement.
If this is a video you'd like to see, comment below.
As you may know different schools of thought approach this subject differently, so see
this video as an intro. This will form part 1 of my understanding herbs series. I hope
you like it.
So, there is no real consensus in rules for herb mixing and creating blends, you’re
free to experiment but, i now i'll discuss 4 general things and rules to consider when
mixing herbs and creating herbal blends. This is not comprehensive and if you buy premade
blends, these rules may not apply, but it’s good to know, especially for those who are
more cautious.
The first rule is the single herb introduction
When creating a herbal blend, it’s good to know you can tolerate each herb in the
blend. The best way to do that is to have the herb by itself for a small period of time
and see how the body reacts.
Some people are more sensitive, so introducing 4 herbs at a time into a blend may lead to
small unwanted effects, and then the individual won’t know which herb is causing the problem.
so start by introducing one by one, after which you can start experimenting with combining
2 or 3 herbs based on taste, benefits and interactions.
The second herb rule is low dose
The typical tea bag on the market contains 1.4-1.8 grams of dry tea. I say this because
this is a typical good dose to start a new herbal mix with. Starting with one or two
teabags worth per cup of water, up to three times a day is a doge introductory dose.
So when it comes to herb combining, a star is a teaspoon of each herb in part that’s
50:50 or 33.3 each and then going from there and using one or two tea spoons per cup is
a good start.
The ratio can then be adjusted based on price, so some herbs cost more, like panax ginseng,
so you may want to use less in a tea, other herbs are more potent so you may wish to use
more or less. You can adjust the ratios when creating your blends
The third rule of herb mixing is understanding differences
Understanding that different parts of the plant can be prepared differently for optimal
absorption. Leaves and flowers are more delicate, these can be easily added to teas, whereas
tougher parts of the plants like roots, barks need to be heated for longer. This is the
main difference between infusions and decoctions. In the following videos I'll dive in more
into preparing herbs, so don't worry, teas are a good introduction.
So when it comes to mixing, some people mix these two together some don’t, but
if you mix barks and roots with leaves and create deep decoctions, so, if you boiled
i a pan for for around 20 minutes, just understand the leaves need less time so, the leaves may
be more potent in this mix as it’s simmered for longer than it needs to be.
It’s not a conclusive rule but just understanding different parts of a plant can be prepared
differently.
The fourth rule is to Experiment
There is no set rule, remember there are many schools of thoughts when it comes to herbs
and most of these schools are for healing, we’re here to optimise wellness in our daily
life so the world is your oyster.
Adding herbs as part of you daily life is easier and should be fun. We’re returning
to nature with herbs. For example, I've always used 2 tea bags when I drink green tea. Most
people use one, rules can be broken as each individual is different.
These rules apply to relatively safe herbs, these are herbs I tend to talk about on this
channel and books and use personally.
Some key questions to ask to ask yourself are:
Is it safe? Does it work? What dosage works? What part of the plant works? (root, stem,
leaf)
After that if you have no underlying issues, you’re free to experiment. Always do your
own research, be mindful some herbs can have side effects. If it doesn't feel right for
you, stop using it. Everyone is different.
I hope that video helped put your mind at ease when it comes
to herb mixing, if you want to learn more about herbs, click my face and get my herb
guide and before you go, check out this video right here and right here.