Get Your Rest, And Reduce Your Stress...!

It won't be long until Spring is here, believe it or not!

In fact, here on the Texas coast, springtime weather conditions have come around and seem ready to stay a while. That's fine with me, for sure!

As the days get longer and the garden work beckons more and more, many of us will begin the never ending cycle of tilling the soil, growing our share of nature's bounty, and putting up the harvest as an investment against hard times.

With the current happenings in the world today, it's easy to become stressed out. Worry about all things affecting our families, our friends, and our country!

In keeping with my efforts to help all my friends as much as possible, I have gathered some information from the Almanac that may be of some use in relieving some of that stress and in helping get a good night's sleep!

We all have times when stress, anxiety, and sleeplessness enter our lives. Here are traditional herbal remedies to help.

First calm thyself. If gardening or another relaxing activity doesn't calm your nerves and make you sleep well, try a tea (really a tisane, from the Greek for "medicinal brew.)

Herbal Teas

* Teas of chamomile, basil, marjoram, or basil help ease stress. Use about 1 ounce fresh herbs (half of that if dried) for every 2 to 3 cups water.

* A tea of elderberry flowers is considered relaxing to the nerves and is sleep inducing, too. (Caution! Avoid if pregnant.)

* For insomnia, drink bee balm which acts as a mild sedative, calming the nerves and aiding sleep. Take an infusion of 2 teaspoons chopped leaves in 1 cup boiling water.

* Drink rosemary tea to alleviate melancholy or depression.

* Native America tea ingredients for insomnia included lady's slipper (decocted), yarrow, mullein, hops, and purslane (decocted).

* Valerian tea (or capsules) is a natural sleep aide. In infusions, 1 ounce of the roots in 1 pint boiling water is a common recipe, consumed by wineglass as needed. (Caution: Too high a dose may lead to negative side effects!)

Food

* First, do not eat your final meal late in the evening, and keep the meal light.

* Eating lettuce with your dinner is supposed to be calming, helping you to sleep and have pleasant dreams. Some say you should not have vinegar with your lettuce.

* Mandarin oranges are soporifics, so consider adding them to your evening meal to help insomnia.

* Native Americans reportedly ate raw onions to induce sleep. (They also used a variety of herbal syrups and poultices but they're a bit too complicated for most of us today.)

* Trying to remain relaxed but alert? Some studies suggest that the smell of apples, apple cider vinegar, or spiced apples have this effect. The right smell can make all the difference.

I truly hope that none of you ever need to make use of this list, but at least you have it ...just in case! After all, better to be prepared for any circumstance, right?

Now, to fight the stress level today...why don't we get some fresh coffee and sit outside on the patio for a bit? Maybe I can share a little of our sunshine with you!