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Back to Your Roots: Herbs for the heart

SARAH SHEPHERD PHOTO | Aromatic herbs and flowers can help cheer the heart.
SARAH SHEPHERD PHOTO | Aromatic herbs and flowers can help cheer the heart.

In this busy age of constant communication and high speed movement, our bodies are constantly being stimulated and it may be difficult to find a pause in our day for a simple moment of relaxation. In different times we may have retreated to a garden — in a little aromatic corner, finding time for reflection and admiration for the beautiful things in life. Taking time, like the old saying goes, “to stop and smell the roses.”

We have an opportunity this time of year to reset and introduce some healthy habits into our routines. Here is an invitation. Make this the year that you discover the many delights and uses of herbs and see how they can motivate your lifestyle and inspire you.

There are so many options to nourish the mind and spirit. One of the simplest ways to infuse peace into your life is by making a daily tea habit. Many schedules reflect a grab and go system of nourishment. A generic tea bag in a cup of hot water does not have any real medicinal value to it. However, the act of brewing a cup of tea from loose herbs provides a real sense of self care and can be used as a tool for meditation, empowerment and reflection.

A general rule to follow when making an herbal tea is to use one teaspoon of dried herbs for each cup of water, plus an extra one for the tea pot. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, strain and enjoy. Grinding the heart-shaped leaves of linden and rose petals and blending with hawthorn and lemon balm is one of my favorite wintertime heart tonics. There are so many flavors to explore.

Aromatic herbs are easy, rewarding and add a comforting fragrance inside or outside the home that soothes the soul. You can take this a step further and consider growing your own herbs for the teapot this season. There are a variety of resources to find organic seeds and plants. Once you put it out there, friends with gardens are usually quite willing to share from their patches of sprawling mints, creeping thyme and towering fennel plants. Aromatic gardens are a pleasure to maintain and even easier to enjoy. Stepping out a doorway and brushing past a peppermint plant will enliven you and help keep anxiety and worry in check.

When we cannot visit our gardens outside, we can take a moment to reflect and tend to our own “inner garden” with sweet-smelling plants. Hold on to a warm cup of herbal tea. Breathe deep. Sip. All you have to do is be present.