5 Ways You May Already Be Using Plants to Heal, and How Hemp Flower Fits In
Think natural healing with hemp flower and other plants is a little too “woo-woo” for you?
From ingredients in reliable health care products to less traditional forms of “healing,” you’re probably already using plant power in your daily routine.
As always, do your research and talk to your doctor before trying any new supplements or making changes to your diet or health plan. We’re not healthcare professionals... we just love plants!
Herbal Tea:
Yes we all know that tea is made from plants, but did you ever stop to think about what makes Sleepytime so sleepy? Or how “Throat Coat” can be so comforting?
You guessed it: it’s plants! Chamomile and slippery elm bark to be exact.
Chamomile tea has long been used as a traditional folk remedy with a wide range of effects. Like most herbal remedies, the jury’s still out on the science and actual effectiveness until some larger-scale studies can be done.
But some research has suggested that chamomile binds to benzodiazepine receptors, which are responsible for nerve-impulse transmissions within the brain, helping to slow down the central nervous system.
Slippery elm has played an important role in Native American herbal medicine for hundreds of years. It contains mucilage, a sticky mixture of sugars that helps comfort and soothe the throat.
Skin Care:
One ingredient that’s become a staple of “natural” skin care is tea tree oil. Native to Australia, tea trees are small evergreens that grow wild in tropical and subtropical swampy areas. The oil obtained from the leaves and twigs can be found in a variety of products for different uses, from skin care products to shampoos.
Like all essential oils, be sure to dilute in a carrier product if you’re not buying pre-mixed.
Indoor Plants:
No one can escape this one! Your house plants are helping you heal, just by doing their thing. Internet favorites like fiddle leaf fig, spider plant, snake plant, and ponytail palm plants have incredible air purifying abilities.
They can also help balance the humidity in your home, and if you need another excuse to buy more plants, environmental psychologists believe that having plants in your office can help keep you calm and focused, and increase creativity.
Aloe Vera:
Another houseplant lookin’ cute and helping us heal? Aloe vera!
You can buy aloe bottled up and ready to go, but it’s just as easy to grab a piece off your plant when your skin could use a little care. Plus, you can avoid the additives needed in the bottled stuff to keep it from going bad on the shelf.
Just trim a few leaves, cut off the prickly bits and skin, let the yellow “aloe latex” drain off, and you’re ready to soothe those burns and cuts! Aloe gel is known for its soothing, moisturizing, and cooling effects.
Or, you can toss the gel into a blender with juice or water for an ultra-hydrating bev.
Smudging:
The ancient practice of burning sacred plants, or smudging, is used by healers and traditional cultures around the world. Often used to clear energy from spaces; it’s also used to achieve a healing state by clearing your body, mind, and spirit.
This may have some scientific basis, too. Certain types of sage, including salvia sages and white prairie sage, contain thujone, a mild psychoactive found in many plants used in cultural spiritual rituals to enhance intuition.
Many believe smudging can also improve your mood and soothe stress. Depending on what you choose to smudge with, burning dried flora also creates an aromatherapy effect.
Bonus: Hemp Flower
Hemp flower is another incredible plant for healing. Dating back centuries, hemp and cannabis has been used in a range of folk remedies and ancient medicines.
With different combinations and chemical makeups, there’s a strain for every mood.
Today, studies of cannabis and hemp remain limited, but smaller-scale studies have helped to fill in the gaps. In trying to understand how our bodies process hemp, scientists discovered the endocannabinoid system, which is responsible for processing the cannabinoids in the plant.
Kinda seems like it was meant to be.