62 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition
Herbal teas are lovely made from fresh or dried (and preferably
loose) herbs. Try them with the most natural sweeteners, such as
pure honey or with lemon juice — or drink them just as they are.
Herbal tea bags are very useful, but confine their usage to the office
or for quick convenience on odd occasions. Tea made from fresh,
loose herbs is fresher — no tea bag or dried herbal tea will come close
to it for quality.
To dry your own herbs for teas, pick them
as young as possible and preferably fi rst
thing in the morning. Dry in the air and
away from direct heat or sunlight, covering
with a brown paper bag to help preserve all
their healing components. Store away from
light.
Alcohol adversely affects the body, espe-
cially overloading the liver, but the pur-
est alcohols are the best, such as 80-proof
top-quality vodka or brandy or even good
Champagne, which is double-fermented
and organic. Anybody with liver, gall-
bladder, stomach, pancreas, or spleen
problems should not drink alcohol at all.
Water cleanses and revitalizes the whole
body. This is the best liquid to give you
your daily needs. Its consumption tends
to be overlooked, and its delicate taste
underestimated. Often, it is just a ques-
tion of having a bottle there when you
need it — in the office or beside the bed.
The habit grows on you. Well over half
your body is made up of water, and you
need it to constantly cleanse and regen-
erate all your cells and organs. Drinking
a glass of water first thing in the morning
helps clean out the body, especially help-
ing to remove acids or foods left in the
digestive tract overnight. If your airways
are blocked or mucusy in the morning,
add to your water some fresh lemon
juice. It is best to drink water at least half an hour before a meal or
half an hour after to keep your digestive juices from becoming di-
luted. Becoming excessively thirsty is a sign that you should seek
food and nutrition 62
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