People always ask me what herbs I take, or what foods I eat to stay so healthy.
It's hard to narrow down to just a handful as there are so many.
Still, If I had to pick my top 5, they would be:
1. ginger
2. kelp
3. oregano
4. cordyceps
5. ashwaganda
With these 5 in hand, you can support just about every part of your body.
Ginger is a potent anti-inflammatory and can help ease joint and digestive pain. It's also a great remedy for nausea of a variety of origins – pregnancy, motion sickness, overeating and more.
Kelp is a potent green from the sea, packing a punch and filled with essential nutrients. It’s a great source of iodine, magnesium, zinc, folate, vitamin K and iron. It's very portable, and can be consumed as a powder sprinkled freely on your food, or as whole pieces, soaked, chopped and added to soup. Kelp attracts toxins and heavy metals and carries them out of your body. And because of its iodine content is a good food for your thyroid, can increase metabolism and fat burning.
Oregano is a potent anti-microbial and I carry it wherever I travel. You are exposed to lots of germs in crowded airports and your immune system is stressed by sleeping away from home, unusual schedules and the stuffy air in hotels. A few drops of oregano oil added to water or a smoothie can protect you, especially when traveling to areas with known water borne illness.
Cordyceps is a mushroom that is powerfully supportive of your immune system, adrenals, lungs and kidneys. It's used by Chinese Olympic athletes to improve their stamina and endurance before events. It's an adaptogen, meaning it supports your functioning by either increasing or decreasing, depending on what you need at the time
Ashwaganda is an Ayurvedic herb that's used to tonify adrenal function. It helps mitigate the effects of stress, plus it can help stabilize blood sugar and support your liver.
Honorable mentions: That's the top 5 but I can't leave out slippery elm. It’s the bark of the elm tree and is high in mucopolysaccarides. Yes, that means that it's mucous like. Add 8 ounces of warm to hot water to 1 teaspoon slippery elm powder and stir well. After 5 minutes or so, you have a nice cup of mucous like substances to drink. But before you get grossed out, understand this: slippery elm tea can eliminate heartburn in a matter of minutes. The mucopolysaccarides protect the delicate gastrointestinal lining from harm and can be an important part of a leaky gut protocol.
Whenever I travel, I take along little zip lock bags of these plus a few other herbs. I also take along a mason jar and make a drink each day containing herbs, greens powder and protein powder. I also take along chia seeds, because they are so versatile and pack a nutrition punch.
Learn even more of my secrets to staying vibrant on the run on my radio show this Thursday at 10:00 am Central time:
How to Maintain a Healthy Diet While Traveling
With much appreciation,
I’m glad to hear you are home. I had to laugh when you said you slept in 8 different beds. Recently my husband and I bought a cottage. At home when I can’t sleep I go in the spare bedroom. At the new place I went to the spare bedroom also when I couldn’t sleep. When we got back from a few trips I would wake up not knowing where I was. I thought I was headed for the bathroom but to my surprise I was at the window in the room. I have been making progress in improving my health. I haven’t had any episodes of atrial fibrillation in about 3 months. I use ginger and oregano frequently. I recently ordered a mushroom packet that contains 12 different mushrooms to help boost my immunity. I also usually take lysine to help my immune system. Last year my alternative doctor said I probably had a mild case of shingles because I was taking lysine. I only had 3 red areas that didn’t blister or get any worse. I enjoy all the information you share.
Good evening!
Where would one purchase these fabulous herbs?
Thank you!
Karen
Hi Karen! Dr. Ritamarie loves Mountain Rose Herbs, for their high quality and value. However, all of them are pretty common and can be purchased online on sites like Amazon, or anywhere else that sells health foods or herbs. Her favorite of the green powders is by Healthforce and it’s called Elite Green. But there are many other great places to get those as well. Hope this helps! ~Stacie
on the topic of mucopolysaccarides–must they [?] be taken in it’s mucus state? Will it/they have the intestinal benefit if not in that form? aren’t they derived from aloe also? I have a powdered formulation that claim the mps and other minerals, beta glucans etc. in combination. Will the mps in that type of formulation have the intestinal benefit if dissolved in water and then taken with other supplements? If I take this formulation alone I feel nauseous! Help please.