In this blog post…
I will touch on the easiest, most cost efficient and convenient ways to consume herbs…through herbal tea’s and infusions! To highlight a modality I have consistently used throughout my healing journey, this post details some of my:
- herbal experiences
- favourite single herbs
- herbal blends
- the difference between a tea and infusion
- Step-by-step instructions on how to make an herbal infusion
This is especially helpful for anyone on a healing journey, unable to afford numerous tinctures, or a simply a guide for including more herbs into your life!
*There are no affiliate links in this post. I simply just want to pass on this info so you too can incorporate more healing herbs into your life🙏🏻
Herbal Protocol
When my disease hit me and I decided to heal through the natural route of regenerative detoxification, I had a consult with the Dr. Morse Herbal Health Clinic and worked with a Detox Specialist named Atilla. After discussing my symptoms and having my iris read (through a science called iridology), Atilla prescribed me a 14-week herbal protocol consisting of about 9 tinctures and 4 different capsules that I was to take 3x a day alongside my detox diet. With each formula costing $25 USD (plus hefty shipping costs) and lasting 2 weeks, it is safe to say this road wasn’t a cheap one.
Right before I got sick/crippled, I had this wicked month-long Euro trip planned (and partly booked) that I never got to go on. I had saved up a bunch of money with plans to quit my job and fly away with only my backpack. As bummed as I was that I never got to go on this epic trip, it turned out to be a real blessing;
The Euro trip that never happened funded my herbal healing protocol🤑
Because these tinctures cost me thousands of dollars in the long run (no regrets—they definitely played a major role in my healing), I had it in my head that I would only use them when I was in deep detox modes aka. a fruit only diet. A year into my fruit-fast with extensive herbal use (click here for that whole story), I had healed tremendously, was out of my wheelchair and back on my feet. At this point I started adding vegetables back into my diet, and I stopped taking herbs because a) they were expensive and b) I wasn’t detoxing as hard as usual so I wanted to save them for a time that I was. Because of how expensive the herbs were (and with my list of health problems, how could I only choose a couple when I was used to taking 9+ formulas, 3x a day?), I saved my herbal stash for when I was detoxing the hardest and they would be needed the most.
This “all or nothing” attitude was a corrupt little box that I built around me;
herbs are beneficial to anyone, at anytime.
I stopped taking them all together because it was hard for me to narrow down which herbs to take because I still had so many issues. That, and they’re expensive! When taking tinctures, it is best to do it on an empty/empty-ish stomach, away from food, for better absorption and utilization. This can make scheduling herbs and eating times a little tricky as one has to eat frequently on a raw food diet. I somehow felt that if I were going to go through the trouble of taking herbs 3x a day, it was better that I took a whole slew of them to make it really worth my while.
Again, my all-or-nothing mindset…I’m working on it.
Herbal Teas
What I never stopped doing however was drinking herbal tea’s. They are an affordable, convenient, and delicious way to incorporate herbs into your daily life. I always have a stash of different tea’s for different uses, and I often feel immediate stimulation.
Note: I did not always feel stimulation from tea but i feel it more when I am detoxing or eating a raw food diet, particularly when I start my day with tea on an empty stomach. When the body becomes cleaner, you will start to notice the effects of herbs more clearly. Four years into this cleansing lifestyle, one being in an extreme detox, I very noticably feel the effects of tea, and have for some time. But know this, and this part is KEY; even if you don’t feel anything, it is still working. When I first started detoxing I didn’t feel much from herbs but I know they definitely played a big role in my healing.
Herbal Infusions
As a frequent herbal tea drinker, I was delighted to come across some helpful information about herbal infusions. They are basically the same thing as a tea, albeit the infusion is steeped much longer than a tea and reaps many more benefits. Apart from the added benefits, infusions tickle my fancy more-so in the summer months as I drink them cold with stir of agave (a vegan sweetener made from the agave plant). I mean, why drink plain water when I could be drinking refreshing herb-infused water?
From the book, “Dr. Sebi Medicinal Herbs” by Kerri M Williams, she notes, “Herbs that have very powerful sedative or stimulating properties, such as St. Johns Wort, are better served as tea than an infusion”. She then describes the difference in quality between a tea and an infusion as follows:
“…if you steep 2 teaspoons of nettle tea in hot water for ten minutes, you get about 5-10 mg of calcium. But, if you steep 2 spoonfuls of nettle tea in a liter of hot water for at least 4 hours, you get over 200 mg of calcium per cup (plus all the other nutrients the nettle leaves contain).”
That means an infusion is 20x more potent with herbal benefits then just a tea….move over tea! Herbal infusions are where its at!!
Infusion Tips
I personally don’t use a strainer as I have these handy large tea balls that I got off of Amazon. I’d post a link but it’s now saying $35 and I paid like half of that. Make sure you don’t get one that is meant for a mug because it won’t hold the amount of herbs needed for a quart (but the small ones are great for teas). The dimensions of my infusion tea balls are 15.8 x 8.1 x 7.9 cm (L x W x H) and are a perfect size.
For my infusions, I let them steep overnight in a large jar and place it in the fridge first thing in the morning so that they’re cold in a few hours. Consuming it cold is a must for me, otherwise I find it hard to get through. I keep a designated stainless steal travel mug purely for infusions (it keeps it cold all day) that I use to sip on instead of water. I often do nettle leaf or horsetail, both are excellent for the kidneys and liver. Sometimes I add a bag of hibiscus or other flowery teas/herbs to make it taste better. Sweetening your infusion is a must in my opinion! Agave is my favourite natural vegan sweetener.
Favourite Healing Herbal Blends
LUNG TEA
Through the beginning months of my grand detox, my lungs purged so much and I had difficulty breathing since giving up the use of steroid inhalers. My greatest relief was through Dr. Morse’s 3 Lung Tea, which is just pleurisy root, mullein leaf, and fenugreek seed. I would brew it as a tea and it would instantly opened my airways. You can buy it from Dr. Morse’s Herbal Health Clinic but it’ll be cheaper if you buy the herbs separately and mix it yourself. I order from Zhi Herbals.
LIVER TEA
When I drink my Liver Tea, a combination I picked up from an herbal store (consisting of: Bortutu Root Bark, Bepleurum Root, Burdock Root, Dandelion Root, Gentian Root, Ginger Root, Ligistrum Seed, Marshmallow Root, Milk Thistle, Schisandra Berries, and Yellow Dock Root), I can feel a bubbling sensation in my liver. I welcome this sensation as it means things are moving!
HEAL ALL TEA
When I drink Dr. Morse’s Heal All Tea, (a blend I now mix myself: White oak bark‚ plantain leaf‚ black walnut hull‚ chaparral herb‚ burdock root‚ marshmallow root‚ comfrey root‚ comfrey leaf), I often feel a flush in my face or a tingle in my cerebellum. Full of powerful lymph moving herbs, these sensations are the result of my lymphatic system being stimulated. I am very familiar with this feeling as certain fruits do it to me too (watermelon), as well as ingesting other herbs. I also use this blend to douche with and to do enemas with. This is a tea blend Dr. Morse created and sells that I started to mix myself. Alternatively, Our Botanicals makes their own version of the same ingredients, with a slightly cheaper price.
FEMALE BALANCE
I’ve been making herbal infusions with a female hormone balancing blend (from Zhi Herbals), consisting of blessed thistle, chaste berries, ginger root, goldenseal leaf, motherwort, raspberry leaf, skullcap, spearmint, partridge berry herb, and uva-ursi, and consuming it daily for two weeks leading up to my period. I’ve also been douching with an infusion of Heal All Tea (ingredients listed above) for a week prior to my period. The combination of the two definitely made a difference in the severity of my period pain and I will be continuing this practice.
STOMACH TEA
Zhi Herbals also makes a stomach tea I am in love with! Made with calendula, chamomile, ginger, marshmallow root, meadowsweet, and wood betony, this tea instantly calms my stomach and I make sure I never run out. If I could only choose one tea for the rest of my life, it would be this one!
MY THIRD EYE OPENING BLEND
I very much believe the pineal gland is the doorway into the spiritual world and tapping into the innate psychic abilities that all humans have access to. I have researched herbs to aid in clearing the third eye chakra (or the pineal gland), that I will be sharing in a separate blog post. A powerful blend for the nervous and endocrine systems, as well as optimal brain function, this blend turned out to be absolutely delicious and probably the best tasting tea that I drink! Sign up for my e-mail listing here to be notified when that comes out!
Single Herbs
You don’t have to only consume blended herbal teas as there are many reputable brands that produce quality single loose herbs that will greatly benefit you too. You should always look for wildcrafted or organic herbs, as the use of herbal medicine is becoming more popular, herbs can also be mass produced and full of pesticides.
A few favourites of mine are:
- Chanca Piedra, a kidney stone breaker that definitely had an impact on my kidneys opening up to filtration.
- Licorice Root, food for your adrenals!
- Lemon Balm, to instantly feel a calmness in the nervous system
- Passion Flower & Valerian for sleep aid (I have capsules of these as well as “night time tea” bags)
- Burdock Root, for healing the skin
- Mullein, for healing the lungs
- Nettle Leaf, for strengthening the kidneys
- Horsetail, also for the kidneys
Natures Pharmacy
We must remember that modern medicine has only been around for 200-some-odd years and before there were pharmaceuticals, there were herbs. And the beautiful thing about herbs is that they are god given medicine, often grown and accessed for free (meanwhile the pharmaceutical industry is making billions off of sick people. How sick). It is commonly noted that the most beneficial herbs to you are the ones growing in your backyard or specific to your country/area. If picking wild herbs (dandelion is ABUNDANT here in Canada), make sure it is from a wild place and not your fertilized and chemically sprayed lawn or the side of the road. When buying herbs, always buy organic and/or wildcrafted as they can also be mass produced and can contain pesticides/sprays and that can be detrimental to your health.
My go to for ordering bulk organic/wildcrafted herbs and tea blends is through Zhi Herbals, a family based business out of Vancouver. The best part is there is free shipping with no minimum required!!!
Other Blog Posts
About Katie
Hi I’m Katie and welcome to my blog! I am a walking testimony to the healing power of natural foods and lifestyle. Going from wheelchair to walking, I have conquered debilitating chronic illness and I’m here to prove that you too can heal!
At only 26 I had a slew of health problems that hindered my freedom in life—the biggest being that my ankles would no longer support weight on them without excruciating pain. Logging over a year on crutches and 6 months completely bedridden, I have walked right on out of that hell through Regenerative Detoxification.
When no other doctor could diagnose me, Dr. Robert Morse’s teachings on regenerative detoxification explained everything—that all disease is cut from the same cloth of an acidic diet & lifestyle. Following his protocol & wisdom, I turned my health around and it is now my life mission to help others do the same!
About Katie
Hi I’m Katie and welcome to my blog! I am a walking testimony to the healing power of natural foods and lifestyle. Going from wheelchair to walking, I have conquered debilitating chronic illness and I’m here to prove that you too can heal!
At only 26 I had a slew of health problems that hindered my freedom in life—the biggest being that my ankles would no longer support weight on them without excruciating pain. Logging over a year on crutches and 6 months completely bedridden, I have walked right on out of that hell through Regenerative Detoxification.
When no other doctor could diagnose me, Dr. Robert Morse’s teachings on regenerative detoxification explained everything—that all disease is cut from the same cloth of an acidic diet & lifestyle. Following his protocol & wisdom, I turned my health around and it is now my life mission to help others do the same!
