Rosemary - The Herb of the Week

When I was working towards my Diploma of Herbal Studies, I went through an "herb of the week" program in addition. The rules were simple. Each week I chose an herb to learn about and use. For example, one week I adopted Lavender to be my studied plant. I even made bread that had lavender flowers in it.

I've decided to revive this tradition. So, I chose Rosemary to be my plant of choice this week. This means that I will cook with it, use it for beauty, make ointments - whatever I can think to do with it. I believe this to be the best way to get to know a plant.

My first assignment? I am going to buy a fresh rosemary branch and stick it in a bottle of wine to use as a heart tonic. I read in my Australasian course materials that it is a good tonic for low blood pressure which is something I am afflicted with. Plus, I cook with wine all the time and rosemary infused wine will give my food an extra kick.

Keeping Your Liver Healthy with Herbs

The liver is one of those organs that we often don't think about until it stops working. Whenever we drink or eat something, or liver steps in. It helps metabolize fats and the foods we eat and helps regulate our weight.
So what's the problem? It has TOO MUCH work to do. Obesity, taking medication, drinking too much, etc can all affect the way the liver functions. In other words, it is easy for the liver to get overworked which throws the body out of balance.

In Chinese Medicine, practitioners often help their clients restore liver health as a vital first step to any healing program. I believe in doing something similar. But instead of waiting for health to decline, I like to take herbs that are good for the liver on a constant basis.

Here are some of the herbs I use:

• Milk Thistle
• Dandelion Root
• Burdock Root

I go into greater detail about the herbs in an article I wrote: How to Use Herbs for Liver Health.

I also enjoy certain foods that have liver cleansing properties. Foods like lemons, artichokes, and watermelon are a vital part of my diet.