My Health Pantry: ALFALFA

The "new kid" in my wintertime health pantry this year is ALFALFA.

This power-packed little herb is great for sinuses and has been knocking out my allergies very well this winter at a time when I am usually struggling for weeks at a time with upper respiratory congestion and headaches and sore, itchy throat. Can you tell I am a sold-out alfalfa convert??

Allergies is the one thing that I have fought year in and year out all of my life. Over the years, I have tried many wonderful things which were great for my immune system, but didn't seem to provide that targeted punch at my head that I needed.

If you struggle with allergies like I do, keep these three things in mind:

* cut the dairy immediately

it is an allergen and will cause extra mucous

* cut the sugar immediately

I even fast from honey for the most part--a tiny bit to sweeten your hot cereal seems to be ok--you'll be able to tell right away if you've eaten too much sweet because your mucous will increase or your throat will get scratchier, etc

* take alfalfa faithfully every day

4 capsules a day seems to work best for me

Alfalfa is such a great herb, partly because its roots grow so deep--sometimes up to 15 feet--that it is able to absorb nutrients that other plants don't have access to. Take alfalfa and you will super-boost your blood, digestion and heart (alfalfa helps to reduce bad cholesterol), among getting vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin B6 and Vitamin D. Alfalfa has been reported to provide more protein than beef, milk or eggs!

The best prices I have found so far for alfalfa are at Mountain Rose Herbs. I order my alfalfa loose in a bag and make the capsules myself, saving tons of money. It is so EASY and QUICK to make your own capsules--you can get your kids to do it. Click on the blinky at the top right of this screen to browse Mountain Rose Herbs' great site.

So, that's the scoop on alfalfa, "the father of all foods." Next time I'll step you through making your own alfalfa capsules for just pennies!

Goat's Rue

I have nursed five babies (and no, this is not a picture of me--my babies NEVER had that much hair!) and each experience has been a little different. However, one thing that was common across each of them was that I never had very fatty milk. I produced the 2 % version, I guess. One of the main reasons, I think, was that for several years I was a die-hard vegan (no dairy products or meat) and I know that the absence of all those all-American fatty foods probably had a lot to do with my leaner milk. But it always kind of bothered me. Now, my husband is tall, dark and handsome and genetics does play a part, but I never could quite figure out how to beef up my milk.

. . . Until one day last year when my dear "herb friend" told me in passing about goat's rue. What a blessing for this mama! It was inexpensive to buy and within a couple of days my milk changed dramatically. It was so white and rich, and my baby seemed more satisfied for longer periods of time. The flow of milk was also good and steady-- no more dry well after five minutes.

So, goat's rue is one of my favorite nursing herbs now. Thank you, my dear friend!