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Delicious Pumpkin Spice Nice Cream Recipe

Come autumn, come pumpkin pie spice. As we transition into crisp autumn days, slanted golden light, apple season, and sweater weather, our food, herb, and spicing choices shift accordingly. You may be bombarded with pumpkin spice everything at groceries stores as well as your local coffee shop. While pumpkin spice lattes have become a seasonal favorite, there are a plethora of other ways to enjoy and benefit from the delicious and supportive spices in a pumpkin pie spice blend. This nice cream recipe is a vegan ice cream made from nutritious plant-based ingredients, beneficial spices, and whole foods. It features tasty pumpkin pie spices, as well as pumpkin puree, offering sweet nostalgia and solid nutrition all in one creamy scoop. Read the full post and get the recipe on the Herbal Academy blog: FALL IN LOVE WITH OUR DELICIOUS PUMPKIN SPICE NICE CREAM!

How to Increase Appetite with Herbs, Diet, and Lifestyle

Having a good appetite and being able to relish the experience of eating is a basic sign of health. However, there are a number of factors, ranging from physical to emotional to circumstantial that can diminish one’s appetite. While this may not cause much concern if it happens for only a day or two, a low appetite can become problematic, not to mention a health concern, if it carries on for an extended period of time. Eating too little can lead to unwanted weight loss, low energy, and even malnutrition. Fortunately, there are ways to address this issue. By examining lifestyle factors, emotional factors, and physical components, and working with diet, spices, and herbs to increase appetite, there are many ways to help regain a healthy hunger and desire for food.

Read the full post on the Herbal Academy blog: HOW TO INCREASE THE APPETITE WITH HERBS, DIET, AND LIFESTYLE.

Green Pea Hummus Recipe with Fresh Mint

Many of us appreciate the satisfying and versatile nature of a good hummus. Great on sandwiches, pita bread, and crackers, hummus is also a fabulous topping on veggies, and adds an extra kick of protein to a variety of savory dishes and spreads. As a fun variation on chickpeas, this hummus recipe mixes it up by featuring green peas as the base, along with green chile and mint, making it delectable and zingy. Not to mention that fresh, bright green hue! This green pea hummus recipe may become a new go-to favorite simple recipe for you—it has become one for me!

What’s In It? Prominent Ingredients and Their Benefits

Green Peas

Beyond split pea soup—a comfort food classic—there are many other ways to enjoy these nourishing little legumes. Looking at the energetics of green peas, Ayurveda deems them to have an astringent taste and a cooling energy (Lad & Lad, 1994). This is perfect for summer, offering a cool balance to the heat of the warm months.

With 8 grams of protein and a whopping 7 grams of fiber per serving, according to Chinese medicine, peas harmonize digestion, support an overworked liver, and ease constipation and skin eruptions (Pitchford, 2002).

Read the full article and get the recipe on the Herbal Academy blog: Green Pea Hummus Recipe with Fresh Mint.

Herbal Supports for Menopause + An Herbal Formula for Dryness

While studying Ayurveda, our teacher emphasized many times that “menopause is not a disease.” Though there are often symptoms associated with the transition from the menstruating years to menopause, menopause is a natural biological process and is simply part of the normal life cycle. Some individuals are fortunate enough to experience a relatively symptom-free menopause. However, fortunately, for those who do experience menopause and perimenopause-related troubles, such as dryness, hot flashes, difficulty sleeping, decreased energy, changes in weight, and mood swings, there are a number of plant allies and lifestyle factors that can ease the ups and downs and discomforts related to this time. This article will highlight an herbal formula that I designed to soothe overall dryness related to menopause. That said, there are a variety of herbal supports available for menopause and perimenopause, depending on how symptoms present—this article will touch upon some of these as well.

Since there are a number of symptoms that may be associated with menopause and perimenopause, I am not going to attempt to address the entire topic in-depth here. If you are struggling with menopausal symptoms, getting the help of an experienced herbalist who can create an herbal protocol to address your particular needs can be incredibly helpful. For now, let’s take a deeper dive into a common issue related to menopause—dryness—and how herbs can help. Compared to night sweats, insomnia, and mood swings, dryness may seem minor. However, when someone experiences chronic dry skin, dry eyes, and issues such as constipation and vaginal dryness, it’s certainly a problem worth addressing. Also, from an ayurvedic perspective, the fluids in the body are called the rasa, and having ample rasa is key for overall health and vitality. When rasa is depleted, this may ultimately relate to, or lead to, deeper imbalances and health concerns.

Read the full post on the Herbal Academy blog: HERBAL SUPPORTS FOR MENOPAUSE + AN HERBAL FORMULA FOR DRYNESS