Spring my favourite time of the year here in Portugal. As all the spring flowers & herbs pop up. It's just stunning!
It's also a perfect time to forage for herbs like nettles & dandelions, bulk in on dried herbs and make your own multivitamin tea. As herbs are concentrated in vitamins and minerals. Their nutrition is beneficial because it’s easy to assimilate. Unlike synthetic vitamins and minerals that come to us in pill form, the right co-factors are present in herbs to allow our bodies to digest and utilize their nutrition. The water of tea holds the goodness that our bodies can readily absorb and use.
Let's look at some herbs that are high in vitamins and minerals.
Herbs
Alfalfa Leaf– Alfalfa is a wonderful base for tea because it aids in the assimilation of other plant elements. It is also high in Vitamins A and K, both key nutrients for overall wellness. High in chlorophyll, it’s gentle for the convalescing patient, and excellent for someone desiring stamina and strength.
Dandelion Leaf– Great sources of calcium can be hard to find. Dandelion is high in calcium. It is also nutritive for the blood and helpful for anemia. It cleanses the liver and nourishes both the female organs as well as the urinary tract. It aids in digestion, and is also high in iron and Vitamin A.
Nettle Leaf– Great for detoxification and cleansing, nettle leaf improves liver and kidney function. Also good for digestion, nettle is high in chlorophyll, Vitamins A, C, minerals, calcium, potassium, magnesium, some iron, and amino acids. Nettle is a must-include in any daily tea, in my opinion. (Caution for those with histamine allergy: nettles contain histamine.)
Peppermint Leaf– Perhaps surprisingly, peppermint is not only good for digestion. It is high in calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, niacin, potassium, riboflavin, thiamine, Vitamin A, and amino acids. Peppermint also makes an excellent base with other herbs because it increases circulation and thus stimulates their absorption and the utilization of their properties.
Plantain Leaf– Plantain leaves are high in beta carotene, Vitamin C, and calcium. They are also good for indigestion.
Raspberry Leaf– This leaf is high in antioxidants and excellent for balancing hormones. It is high in calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, niacin, selenium, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C.
Rose Hips– Very high in Vitamin C & A and other minerals.
Sage– Good for digestion, relief of inflammation and headaches, and general strengthening of the nervous system, sage is high in calcium, magnesium, potassium, thiamine, Vitamin A, and zinc.
Oat straw - The entire plant is rich in minerals and trace nutrients such as silica, magnesium, phosphorus, chromium, iron, calcium, alkaloids, protein, the vitamin B complex, and vitamins A and C. Regular consumption of an infusion of dried oatstraw is an excellent way to incorporate vitamins and bioavailable minerals into your diet. The calcium and magnesium in oatstraw help build strong bones.
How to make it?
First you make a blend of different herbs. My own multivitamin blend usually consists of nettle, alfalfa, oat straw, red raspberry leaf, rose hips & sage. To prepare 250grams I will use 50grams of nettle, alfalfa, oat straw & red raspberry leaf and 25grams of rosehips & sage. I add this all together in a big glass jar which I store in a glass jar away from sunlight. To make a cup of tea you can use about 1 tablespoon dried herb to 200ml boiling water and leave it for 15minutes. But I prefer to make a liter of boiling water the night before to which I add 5 tablespoons of dried herb, I leave this overnight so that the herbs can really release all their goodness. I leave this in the fridge and take a big cup daily, as you really don't want to leave it longer than 4 days.
"Earth smiles in flowers"