Drink Green Tea To Control Diabetes.

Drink Your Shrink: Calming Lemon Balm Ice Tea

I love sipping this during the hot days of summer!
Lemon has an alkalizing effect on you body and thereby works anti-inflammatory together with the raw honey. Do remember that honey is one of those foods that absolutely must be taken raw (check the label, it should say raw on it). Excessive heating - as in pasteurization - changes its properties as it ferments; disabling your body from digesting it and turning into a sticky glue-like toxic substance in your body. This is also why pasteurized honey is a no-go in Ayurvedic medicine.

Lemon balm is one of those herbs that have been used since ancient times to calm an overexcited nervous system. Lemon balm has been found to reduce cortisol levels and also levels of an enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitter GABA -- an inhibitory neurotransmitter known for its calming effects on the nervous system, particularly an area called the hippocampus.
To notice a significant calming effect and boosting GABA measurably, you need dosage levels of 50- 200 mg/kg body weight daily for three weeks.

The results of lemon balm's actions in reducing cortisol and preserving GABA promote cell growth and development in the hippocampus, which is part of the limbic system and contributes to the control of emotions such as anxiety.

A great and healthy alternative to Xanax which is one of the fastest growing prescription drug addictions in the United States, by the way. Xanax is a benzo used to treat anxiety and panic disorders; the side effects are vast and range from irregular heart-beat to depression. Even though Xanax may be used in short-term scenarios, keep in mind that it does not boost your brain-GABA levels which is the real key to overcoming anxiety for good!

You are anxious because your body's stress filter is off - so you need to restore it rather than simply suppress the symptoms temporarily!

If this doesn't do it for you, know that anxiety can also be a symptom of other brain chemicals being out of whack - i.e. excessive high dopamine, low serotonin and/or a combination. That's why it's important to understand your unique biochemistry type, so you match your diet, supplements and lifestyle with your genetic profile - whether it be for preventative or treatment related purposes!

An online biochemistry testing incl. lab analysis and a health provider service will be launching at The Nutrition Doctor's site Www.ChristinaSantini.com end of August, so stay tuned!

Makes 8 servings.

What's in it?

• Big bunch of fresh lemon balm stalks with leaves
  
• 1/2 cup of raw honey
• 1/4 cup of lemon juice
• 8 cups water

What to do?

• Stuff as much rinsed lemon balm into a slow cooker as will fit and cover with 8 cups of water - let simmer for about 3 hrs on low heat.
• Drain the resulting liquid into a pitcher
• While it's still warm, add raw honey and lemon juice. 
• Add more water to taste
• Chill before serving

Reference:

Dae Yoo, Jung Choi, Woosuk Kim, et al. Effects of Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm) Extract on Neurogenesis Associated with Serum Corticosterone and GABA in the Mouse Dentate Gyrus. Neurochemical Research (13 November 2010), 

pp. 1-8, doi:10.1007/s11064-010-0312-2

I can't believe it's NUT milk!

My favorite indulgence before bed is to savor a tall glass of milk. Cashew milk, that is.

Cashew milk. SO creamy. SO rich. So good for you!

Regular pasteurized cow's milk, containing the for humans difficult to digest lactose and casein, is an absolute health disaster. Pasteurized milk consumption has been tied to everything from allergies, asthma, eczema and mucus production. Pasteurized milk is simply one of the biggest contributors in our diet to inflammatory based diseases. Everything you know about cow's milk is probably part of the Dairy Industry myth. All cow's milk - regular and organic - has 59 active hormones and allergens. Most cow's milk has measurable quantities of herbicides, pesticides, dioxins (up to 200 times the safe level), up to 52 powerful antibiotics (perhaps 53 if you include LS-50), blood, feces, dead bacteria and pus. Cow's milk can have traces of anything the cow ate, including such things as radioactive fallout from nuke testing; the 50'ies strontium-90 problem.

Now how's that for enjoying dipping your home-baked cookies in - yummy in your tummy. Or not.

And that's why I make my own cashew milk - not only is it nutritious, but even more importantly: it is simply delicious!I crave rich, creamy and full-bodied flavors and cashew milk's got it!

So, what's in it?

• 1 cup of water
• 1 tbsp. cashew-butter OR 2 tbsp. cashews
• 1 medjol date
• 1 pinch of sea salt

Add a banana with your cashew milk before bed to calm down your CNS!

And I like to add a scrape of real vanilla pods as well. Sometimes I switch vanilla for 1/2 tsp. each cardamom and maca which gives it a deep fragrant, earthy flavor! You can get hold of maca here.

So, what to do?

Pour everything in a blender or vita-mix and hold tight for 30 seconds.

That's it!

Nutritious and delicious - once you go nuts, you never go back!