Good morning friends and family! Sorry that this blog is one day late. We had company from out of town last night and, well, you know how that goes. LOTS of chatting and catching up to do!
This weeks topic is celery tea & soda. Yes, thats right, celery tea, made from celery seed. We have to give credit to Alton Browns show "Good Eats" where he talks about celery soda and the benefits from drinking it. Well, being celery lovers that we are we decided to give his recipe a try...and to do some of our own research into this delicious and healthy drink.
Please remember that anytime you are consuming herbs you should always check with your doctor how it could interact with any medications that you are taking. We will discuss the benefits and warnings of consuming celery tea.
BENEFITS:
Celery tea has shown to help lower blood pressure, cholesterol, reduce arthritis paid, and inflammation due to gout. It has been used for thousands of years in India to treat liver disease, flu, colds, edema, and help with digestive prooblems.
** When I was pregnant I ate celery stalks when I had heart burn, followed by drinking fresh squeezed lemons in water...and it WORKED!!
Back to celery tea.... drinking tea has also been acredited to being a laxative & sedative. Celery seed also contains a substance called lutein, which may help prevent cancer and tumor growth. It may also help with muscle spasms & nervousness. It is a source of fiber, flavenoids, linoleic acid (which is an omega 6 essential polyunsaturated fatty acid. When we are deficient of linoleic acid we can experience hair loss, dry hair, and poor wound healing). But just like anything else if you have too much of linoleic acid, there can be negative side effects. For more information about linoleic acid go to http://www.linoleicacid.net/
WARNINGS:
Celery seed contains bergapten, which can cause your skin to become more sensative to sunlite and ultraviolet rays. It can aslo increase kidney inflammation, as well as cause uterine contractions & bleeding in ppregnant women! It can increase the levels of lithium in your body.
********If you are taking blood thinners such as Coumadin because celery seed contains coumarin (which is another blood thinner), consult your physician before starting a celery tea/soda regiment.
DOSAGE:
There are two celery recipes we are going to share today
1) CELERY TEA: 1 tsp celery seed (grind just before using it, fresh ground is always better), 1 cup boiling water.
Boil the water, turn the heat off add the tsp of ground celery seed, let steep for 15 minutes. Strain out the seed. You can enjoy up to 3 cups of celery tea daily.
******University of Maryland Medical Center advises not to consume more than 3 cups of celery seed per day, or 1 TBSP of ground celery seed.
2) CELERY SODA: Grind 2 TBSP of celery seed, set aside.
In a sauce pan combind 1 cup of honey, if you are allergic to honey you can use 2 cups table sugar, (Honey is the healthier option)!!! AND 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and reduce to a simple syrup consistancy. Turn off the heat.
Pour the 2 TBSP of ground celery seed to the syrup, DO NOT MIX IN!!! Just sprinkle it on top. Cover with a tight lid and let steep for 1 hour.
After steeping, pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or sieve into a heat save GLASS jar...throw away the celery seed remains.
Let cool completely. The syrup can remain in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 6 months.
Pour 2 TBSP of the celery syrup into a glass, add 8 OZ of club soda or selzer water. Add ice if desired. ENJOY!
Ed and I drink 1 glass a day. We stay under the max consumption recomended, yet enjoy just enough to take in it's benefits.
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK:
Ed's Happy toes Foot Balm. Ed developed this due to his own cracked heels. This is the ultimate foot balm for dry and cracked feet! Silky smooth, no alcohol to dry out your skin. It's rich texture and ingredients absorb into your skin leaving you feeling like you just stepped out from a pedicure! Let us not forget to mention that sweet birch essential oil gives it a sweet winter green like scent that smells amazing!
Ingredients: almond oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, essential oils, and glycerine.
4oz jar $16.00, includes S&H
Once again, we thank you for spending your precious time with us.
Have an energetic day!
Ed & Amy