The warmth of summer is welcomed in June but by late July and August when the intense heat begins we are just looking for some relief. If you have suddenly begun hiding from summer let me share some body cooling tips. Besides the basics of covering your body with light, thin clothing another easy tip is to carry a bottle of water and a handkerchief with you. It is amazing what a slightly drenched cloth applied to your face of placed on the back of your neck can do to cool you or your child down. Bringing along snacks of light and cooling foods like cucumber and watermelon will help to keep you well hydrated as well. The final tips are ways to use herbs to your benefit in the summer.
There are 3 main types of herbs that come to mind when I think of herbs with cooling energies. The first is diaphoretics. Diaphoretics are herbs that help to open your body's pores and help you to sweat to cool down. Mint is a wonderful diaphoretic and a glass of fresh mint tea on ice will do more to cool you than a plain glass of water. Other tasty diaphoretics are Lemon balm and Elderflower.
The next category of herbs that I look to are nervines. Nervines help us to stay emotionally cool and collected. Herbs like Skullcap or Linden are very nice summertime nervines. Holy basil is a diaphoretic and nervine that can also replenish the mind and is a great base for teas. Mix up a cooling tea of diaphoretics and nervines for your next picnic!
The final herb category that I turn to is bitters. Most bitters are cool to cold energetically speaking. Many are not that tasty but Chamomile is a mild bitter that fits all three of these categories and is still tasty. One of my most favorites herbs for summertime is Yarrow. It is not the tastiest to drink but I have found that if you have a kiddo that overheats easily in the summer (you know those flushed cheeks!) then a few drops of Yarrow tincture on the back of the neck is perfect for decreasing their body heat in just seconds. Try it out!
Download this cheat sheet of information to help with bug bites, overheating, and more! Check back soon for the second page of summertime cheat sheets!
There are 3 main types of herbs that come to mind when I think of herbs with cooling energies. The first is diaphoretics. Diaphoretics are herbs that help to open your body's pores and help you to sweat to cool down. Mint is a wonderful diaphoretic and a glass of fresh mint tea on ice will do more to cool you than a plain glass of water. Other tasty diaphoretics are Lemon balm and Elderflower.
The next category of herbs that I look to are nervines. Nervines help us to stay emotionally cool and collected. Herbs like Skullcap or Linden are very nice summertime nervines. Holy basil is a diaphoretic and nervine that can also replenish the mind and is a great base for teas. Mix up a cooling tea of diaphoretics and nervines for your next picnic!
The final herb category that I turn to is bitters. Most bitters are cool to cold energetically speaking. Many are not that tasty but Chamomile is a mild bitter that fits all three of these categories and is still tasty. One of my most favorites herbs for summertime is Yarrow. It is not the tastiest to drink but I have found that if you have a kiddo that overheats easily in the summer (you know those flushed cheeks!) then a few drops of Yarrow tincture on the back of the neck is perfect for decreasing their body heat in just seconds. Try it out!
Download this cheat sheet of information to help with bug bites, overheating, and more! Check back soon for the second page of summertime cheat sheets!
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