In yesterday’s post, Sam discussed some of his favorite herbs for the holiday season. You might expect an herbalist to wax poetic about cinnamon, cloves, fir, pine, and orange around the holidays, and sometimes we do! But when it comes to the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we also think of herbs to support the nervous system and the digestive system.
So that you’re prepared for whatever the upcoming holiday gatherings throw your way, we love the idea of making up an herbal “go bag” to keep on hand during the holidays. If you recall from yesterday’s post, we’re big fans of nervine herbs, which can support our ability to stay balanced when dealing with stressors, and bitters and carminatives, which can support our bodies when dealing with a variety of gut-related concerns.
Below are some ideas that you can add to your herbal go bag so that you can enjoy yourself during the holiday festivities, knowing that you’re prepared for potential stressors when they arise. Of course, if you’re an herbalist or herb enthusiast yourself, you may be able to source plenty of nervine, bitter and carminative herbs from your home apothecary, but sometimes we need to grab herbs from our local health food store or even from the grocery store, so we’ve included suggestions that can be found on a quick shopping trip too.
Herbal Go Bag Ideas
Consider adding these to a zippered pouch or in a pocket of your bag or backpack.
-A kava tea blend or tincture.
If you need a quick and convenient option, try Yogi’s Kava Stress Relief tea bags (found at many grocery stores) or an extract from Herb Pharm or Gaia. If you have cut and sifted kava root on hand, you can even simply chew on a piece.
-Your favorite nervine tea blend.
Here’s a favorite nervine formula of mine that makes a nice tea:
- 8 parts Damiana
- 4 parts Chamomile
- 2 parts Lemon Balm
- 1 part Passionflower
- 1 part Lavender
- 1/2 part Rose Petals
You could also try Traditional Medicinals’ Cup of Calm tea bags. They include two of our favorite herbs for this time of year, passionflower (a relaxing nervine herb that can help calm mental chatter) and chamomile (a mildly sedating nervine herb that’s also a carminative and digestive tonic).
-Ginger chews or candies!
You can’t go wrong with the classic Gin-Gins by The Ginger People or Chimes Ginger Chews, or you can make your own ginger candy. Ginger pairs beautifully with chamomile; try making your own tea blend (equal parts of each herb) or bring along some premade ginger + chamomile tea bags.
-Fennel seeds.
A small bag of fennel seeds travels well, and you can chew some after meals, or to use them to make a quick cup of tea.
-A bitters tincture blend.
You can make a bitters tincture blend yourself, using your favorite bitter herbs (we love a combo of dandelion root, orange peel, gentian and artichoke leaf) or pick up a premade bitters blend; Urban Moonshine has some great digestive bitters.
And if nothing else…just bring along a few chamomile tea bags!
Brew a few chamomile tea bags together in a mug for 15-20 minutes, and you’ll have all a pleasant-tasting nervine and carminative infusion. Happy holidays!
