Sage -Sheikhs Secret Tea

Herbage, HERBS, ISLAMIC MEDICINE, Uncategorized

HERBS – SAGE

By Karimah Bint Dawoud, Muslim Chaplain & Well Being Writer.

SAGE…ANTI-OXIDANT, ANTI INFLAMATORY, GOOD FOR BRAIN, GOOD FOR SORE THROATS,VITAMIN K, VITAMIN A.

Sage...Sheikh's Secret Tea — Sage…Sheikh’s Secret Tea

I hate to admit it but my memory is not what it used to be. When I got to 40 I said to myself and anyone who would listen” I need a new memory card”. Well, a few more moons have passed since then I and I definitely need help. I need to memorize more Quran and improve my Arabic insha’Allah.

Help is here, for every illness Allah has provided a cure and the herb for memory retention and sore throats is called Sage .

In the English language a Sage is a wise older person.

I have not found direct reference in Islamic medicine books to the herb sage. However, the herb sage in Arabic is called Maramiya and I know it is used in the Arab world.

As well as the Indians, the Egyptian people also have vast knowledge of Islamic medicine and I know that sage is widely drunk in North Africa, particularly Egypt, where there have been centres of learning for thousands of years.

I believe that there are books with this information that have remained untranslated into English so is hardly any wonder that too many of us are still eating white flour and white sugar.

As an ex-Rasta I came to Islam with a little bit of knowledge of herbal medicine, having read books like ”Back to Eden ” by Jethro Kloss, a Quaker herbalist and put what I learnt into practice.

Sage is well known as the best herb for sore throats, it’s a stimulant however so I wouldn’t drink it before bed unless you want to stay up all night reading and studying.

PREPARATION

1 teaspoon of the dry herb to 1 cup of boiling water,leave to stand/brew for 5-10 minutes, do not boil, this is the ratio, you can make larger quantity and leave to cool and use as gargle,

As warm tea, add honey and drink.Do not add honey to boiling hot drinks otherwise you will kill useful enzymes and make honey toxic!!!

Sage is an outstanding memory enhancer, so for those of us who are studying, which should be all of us, this herb is a great help, alhamduliah, praise The Creator.

It’s one of nature’s top antioxidant herbs which means it’s anti-ageing. It’s good for memory, focusing, wonderful for cellulite, aids digestion, it’s an insect repellant, good for disinfecting either as a brew or incense, good as a toner and an astringent for oily skin.

It has been used to treat snake bites and to improve fertility. I cannot testify to any of this however what I can say is drink it in the morning with a spoon of honey after your glass of water and you will be bright and ready to go insha’Allah, alhamdulilah

BONES…HELP THEM STAY STRONG

BONES TONE, Herbage, RAW

This post is about technique not about nutrients. It’s an suggestion for a practical way to use herbs thats are great for strengthening bones from the inside out.

This is an area that is new to me and insha’allah I’ll share as I learn. Inspired by the plants on my window ledge and beginning to research parsley and its ability o tines bones from within I thought how can I make this amazing herb alhmdulilah(praise the Creator), part of my diet?

SMOOTHIES!!! or Soups.

Smoothies are better because everything is RAW, all the vitamin and minerals stay intact

SOME VITAMINS ARE DESTROYED BY COOKING

http://www.beyondveg.com/tu-j-l/raw-cooked/raw-cooked-2f.shtml

SOME FRUITS AND VEGGIES G.I. BECOME HIGHER DUE TO COOKING

http://www.livestrong.com/article/430497-why-does-the-cooking-method-change-the-glycemic-index/

You can buy fresh herbs quite cheaply in Arabic and Asian areas in large cities because they are so much a part of the diet.

£1 for 2 bunches of parsley , coriander/dunyia , mint, fenugreek/ methi or dill.

If you are a single person or small family sometimes herbs get wasted or end up in the recycling.

Some times washing and chopping herbs every day is a bit off putting but they have to be part of our daily diet.

So what to do?

Here’s an idea

Wash , drain and dry herbs, overnight preferably

You will need small sandwich bags, ribbon and scissors

Roughly chop herbs

parsley bag 1 (1)

Place a handful in bag, in bag should be added to other food items to make enough for 2 smoothies

parsley bag 1 (2)

Tie up bags with colour coded ribbon , P=pink P= parsley. D=dark blue D=danyia/coriander, you’ll work it out

parsley bag 1 (7)

Place bags inside another big place and place in freezer be mindful of what you have in there and use up ASAP and replace

Frozen herbs can be added to smoothies OR chopped more in frozen state and added last minutes to soups…enjoy

Sorrel Tea…Immune System Boost

Herbage, rememdies

Sorrel and Ginger Tea……is what is needed right now for this sneezey, dizzy vomiting bug.Why? Because Sorrel strengthens the immune system, though may make you vomit when drunk on an empty stomach.

Some of the health benefits of sorrel include its ability to boost eyesight, improve digestion, build strong bones, increase circulation, increase energy levels, help prevent cancer, reduce certain skin conditions, lower blood pressure, increase appetite, slow the aging process, protect against diabetes, strengthen heart health, and improve kidney health.

You can buy sorrel from African, Arab, Asian and Caribbean shops, either as fresh red flowers or dried red flowers.

Place a hand full in a small pot of boiling water .Add fresh chopped ginger and boil for another 5 minutes.Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then pour and strain and add honey.

Do not drink before bed as it can be a diurectic and you might be up all night weeing.

For more information on Sorrel…https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/sorrel.html

MILK…The Facts

HEALTH, Herbage, NUTRITION, ORGANIC, VEGAN

MILK…Although milk is mentioned in the Quran and other Sacred Scriptures, most of the milk we drink today is full of growth hormones ,anti-biotics and from unloved cows.. It is not actually a great source of protein and spinach , gramme for gramme give you about the same amount of calcium. According to Patrick Holford, author of the Optimum Nutrition Bible, no matter how much diary you consume, if your blood is too acidic, which basically means not enough greens, then the calcium will not be absorbed. Seriously we would be better off getting our calcium from greens and having organic milk as a treat for rice pudding etc.

Protein: milk is not the best source of protein. There are 3.4g of protein in 100 grammes of milk, there are 32.97g of protein in 100 grammes of pumpkin seeds.

Vitamin A:.Milk has 47 IU in 100 grammes, carrots have17033 IU that’s over 300% the DV daily value

Vitamin B12: Shellfish, beef liver,fish(mackerel),crab, tofu, fortified bran cereals and beef all have more vitamin B12 than milk.Per 100 grammes whole milk has 18% DV of vitamin B12 whereas 100 grammes of mackerel has 317%DV
Vitamin B6: Per 100grammes of milk there is 0.04mg of vitamin B6 , 100 grammes of sunflower seeds have 1.35mg of vitamin B6,which is 67% DV(daily value),
Vitmain B2 Riboflavin: spinach, beet greens, asparagus,mushrooms and eggs all ahev more riboflavin that milk, however milk is still a pretty good source of riboglavine,. 1 cup of spinahcx contains 0.42 millogrammes of the vitmaomnad 1 cup of whole milk contains 0.22 mg.
Vitamin B3 Niacin: almonds have 1.10mg (60% DV) in 100 grammes, organic milk has 0.1 grammes in 100 grammes of whole milk.
Vitain b1 Thiamine:100 grammes of trout has 0.43 grammes (28% DV) and 100 grammes of milk has 0.107 mg of thiamine

RAMADHAN GET READY – SPIN CHOP FREEZE

Herbage, NUTRITION, Ramadhan, RAW, SMOOTHIES

I have had salad spinners before and given them away however I come to realize how useful they are for spinning washed herbs as well as salad leaves. Herbs can be washed spun and chop, then placed in sandwich bags and frozen to use later. It’s best to grown your own or buy the freshest herbs you can afford, especially if you are going to freeze them.

After washing the herbs, hang them up to drain for 30 minutes.

Then cut off the earthy ends if necessary.

HERBS SPIN CHOP FREEZE — HERBS IN THE SALAD SPINNER

Chop into large chunks to put in salad spinner. This is an alternative to patting them dry. Wind it round and let the water spin out. It’s an alternative to patting them dry.

After spinning either chop with knife or food processor. The food processor gets them really fine and they can be packed into ice cube trays. we just put them into sandwich bags and tie them because we don’t need finally chopped herbs; our soups get blended after cooking , otherwise they get blended in smoothies.

Frozen herbs can be used for pizza toppings, marinades ,rice dishes as well as soups and green smoothies

Frozen herbs in most cases are better than dried herbs and still add a zing to soups and other cooked dishes and provide essential nutrients in your delicious green smoothies. In the winter its more cost effective to use herbs that have been frozen from summer / autumn.

For those of us who are fasting Ramadhan insha’allah, its also quicker and more convenient to use frozen herbs, especially that you have prepared yourself because you know how fresh they were when they went in the freezer.

HERBS IN SANDWICH BAG READY FOR FREEZING

Labeling your bags of herbs is essential if you are freezing lot of different herbs. You can use Freezer Marker Pens for this job.

Being organized makes a massive difference this coming month, please remember those who fail to plan, plan to fail, may Allah make it easy for us all ameen

DANDELION SMOOTHIE (HERBAGE)

FORAGING, Herbage, NUTRITION

INVEST IN YOURSELF BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!

Ooooh fighting your lower nature is not easy, appetite is part of our animal instinct, and it’s a survival instinct. I really want some fried greasy refine carb breakfast like a fried egg sandwich with olives and a coffee, however one of my body control techniques is “you can have that but have something healthy first”.
Sulky I mooched to the kitchen seeing soaked sesame seeds and dandelions in clean water and knew that they had to hit the blender. That fried egg sandwich was becoming a faint desire, praise the Creator. As I was getting ready, music to my ears was my neighbors Vitamix was in full swinging, a sign!!!! I was doing the right thing; invest in yourself before it’s too late. Good for is your health insurance Insha’Allah, trust in Allah and tie up your camel.

Smoothies can be prescriptive like this one, addressing health issues.
Dandelion Smoothie
Dandelions, good for liver, digestion, regulates blood sugar, lows black pressure.
Sesame seeds(soak over night) good for strong bones, hair skin.
Turmeric and cinnamon anti-inflammatory
Pineapple high in vitamin c which is anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory
Sharon fruit are anti-acid

Blend and enjoy!