3 Wildly Simple Healing Herbs Found in Your Kitchen

I do a lot of wild things in my kitchen. I make supplement smoothies that make my boyfriend’s face scrunch up, I make all knds of tonics and teas, plant-based meals and I occasionally even dance. I could go on for days about wild herbs and I am glad to be here to tell you all about it, but the best way to start is to work with what you already have in your kitchen or buy regularly. Here are my favorites and their benefits.

Ginger: Ginger is a kick ass all-star for so many things. It naturally helps with digestion and nausea. It also is a big star in the fight against chronic pain. It is anti-inflammatory and it aids in relieving muscle and joint pain. It is great as a tea or chopped/grated and added into recipes. I also just just chew on raw ginger sometimes when I am having a back flare up. It is intense but you get used to it! For overall health, ginger has shown to be great for your brain, as well as lower cholesterol – pretty major!

Garlic:  Garlic is a little herbal trick I like to pull out of my pocket for anyone who comes to me with a cold or chronic pain. Most people react like I am insane and ask me how to use it. Now, I am Italian so I like to put garlic on pretty much everything and I support that life but the only way to get the benefits I am going to talk about is by eating it raw. So there is an enyme in Garlic called Allicin. The only way to activate this is by crushing the garlic and eating it raw. Some good ways to do this without gagging are making tea – you can throw your crushed garlic cloves into a steeper or cup of hot water - it actually tastes good! Another way to is chop it and mix it with butter or ghee on some toast. As I recently told one of my friends it is a “less sexy version of garlic bread.” Allicin is anti-inflammatory and I like to say that its like natural advil. It also helps with regulating blood pressure and diabetes. Vampires beware!

Basil: A few nights ago I decided to make a Caprese salad. I bought everything including fresh basil, which ended up left over. I thought on it for a day until I decided to try steeping the leaves to make a tea and by the way, it was delicious. Basil is filled with antioxidants which help to prevent cancer, but what I love most about basil is that is an adaptogen. This means that it literally helps your body adapt to external stressors, as well as emotional or mental stress. It also reduces inflammation and swelling and contains anti-aging properties. Because of this you can also use it externally as a fast mist or body rub.

Have you ever tried any of these natural remedies? If not, which one interests you the most? Let me know in the comments  below!