Maybe youโve started hearing whispers about these things called tonic herbs, or youโve stumbled across the SuperFeast website, Instagram,ย Facebook, the phenomenal podcast... Maybe even had a friend or family member rave on about all the wondrous benefits of tonic herbs and now youโre thinking what the heck are all these peeps talking about and why are they spooning herbs into their tea, coffee and hot elixirsโฆ
Well, Letโs Clarifyโฆ What Is a Tonic Herb?
OK, we have a whole podcast episode dedicated to this very topic! Tonic herbs are used to nourish, tone and restore the organ systems of the body, encouraging them to perform at their innate capacity and function. The word tone, which originates from the Latin word โtonusโ (meaning โability to respondโ) can be understood in the same regard as โmuscle tone". Our organs are specialised muscles, when you tone a muscle it becomes stronger and more responsive, if you want stronger biceps you grab a couple of dumbbells and pump ironย until theyโre good and ripped, so if you want fit and healthy organs, tonic herbs are your new best friends.
Tonic herbs were first mentioned in the Emperor Shen Nong's Classic of Herbal Medicine around 2,000 years ago andย fall into the โsuperior herbโ category. Superior herbs are the herbs collectively known to be safe, gentle, well-tolerated and effective.
Tonic herbs (superior herbs) do not force the body to change, but rather work with it to adapt, allowing a measured, nourishing and normalising effect to unfold within the body and its systems.
Traditionally tonic herbs are consumed daily to promote longevity and prevent illness, offering nourishment to the vital organs without negative side effects.ย
Youโre New to Tonic Herbs, Where Do You Start?
So now youโve discovered that you and tonic herbs are going to be BFFโs for life. But where do you start?
When embarking on your journey into the realm of tonic herbalism it is a really wonderful practice to get clear on why you want to begin this journey and what aspect of your physical, emotional and/or spiritual health youโd really love to nurture.
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To do this I recommend taking a still moment to tap into your intuition, your inner wisdom, and really feel into what is coming up for you.
- Is it gut health you're interested in?ย Try someย Mason's Mushrooms!ย
- Perhaps your adrenals need some love? Some of our JING blend might help.
- Is your Liver desperate for a polish? Berry yourselfย in Schizandra / Schisandra berry extract.
- Has your Spirit become strung out and needs a hug? Nourish yourself with some Reishi!
- Feel like taking a couple at once? Read up on Can I Combine My Herbs (answer: yes)
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These herbs unfold their medicine in a multidirectional and multidimensional way, so combining a mindfulness ritual when selecting and consuming them, can really enhance their effect within the body, mind and spirit. Intention is such a powerful tool and force to work with in any facet of life so why not embrace it when choosing to nourish yourself in this way.
Ok So Youโre Clear On What Herb You Want to Take and Why, Whatโs The Next Step?
All SuperFeast herbs are fully extracted and ready to roll (we take the woody, hard, difficult to chew reishi and make it a powder for you). Our extracts are not sensitive to temperature and can be added to any hot or cold food or beverage of choice; no activation needed!
To begin simply add ยผ - 1tsp of your desired herbal buddy to hot water. You can add more than one; the tonic herbs will work in synergy with one another.
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But When Will I See Results?
What a great question. A tricky one, too. We have a full article here, called When Will I See Results. Check it out.
