I don't know where you are in the world, but where I am it's H-O-T! Half the day was spent feeling like my brain had melted, only to be restored by ice and a fan. My appetite has diminished and I'm craving cooling foods.
Last summer I wrote about what foods you can eat to cool down. This year I want to share some cooling herbs with you. Most of us know that mint is on the top of the list. Just thinking about it cools me down (great post about mint can be found here).
Here are a few other herbs that have similar cooling properties:
Dandelion - Both a common "weed" and the base for a gourmet salad. Dandelion leaves are very cooling as well as detoxing, helping the liver and improving digestion. It is also antiviral, helps with PMS, and lowers your blood sugar. For an old fashioned dandelion wine and salad, click here.
Borage - This was a new discovery for me. I'm used to seeing Borage oil advertised as a needed EFA (Essential Fatty Acid in the form of Gamma- Linoleic Acid aka Omegas). I didn't know it could be used as a straight up food too. You can add the blossoms to salad, use the leaves instead of grape leaves to make dolmas, or add to pasta sauces. Borage cools a fever, is an antidepressant, and supports the heart in addition to being a cooling food. Really interesting info on borage here and some recipes here.
Cilantro - Definitely cooling and great in a salsa. Cilantro helps with digestion, nausea, mental stress, headaches, UTI's (urinary tract infections) and quenches your thirst. Coriander is the seed of cilantro and is often used in Indian dishes. If you're like me and your cilantro has gone slimy before its time, these tips will help keep it fresh. Lots of cilantro recipes here.
One last point I have to make here - I think it's so awesome that we have access to information. Anything we want to know about, we can look it up and it even comes with pictures and video! I love the internet!
What are your favorite cooling herbs? Do tell...
Comments