A daily smoothie is a great way to enjoy more fruits and vegetables, stay hydrated and include some tonic herbs into your diet. With air warming up and the body craving more cooling foods, some herbs will benefit your daily life. Adding more spices into your smoothies, such as ginger, cinnamon, cardamon or clove, will help with smoothies' overall digestibility too.
Dandelion is a powerful ingredient for vegan herb smoothies because it’s highly nutritious and supports healthy liver function. In addition to protecting liver tissue from toxic substances and oxidative stress, this herb is an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K, as well as vitamin E, folate and small amounts of other B vitamins.
Dandelion will also add several minerals, including iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium to your vegan herb smoothie, and it’s great for healthy skin, immune system support, and healthy eyes. Containing the prebiotic fibre, inulin, dandelion is one the best herbs to add to smoothies for a healthy digestive system and good gut health.
An effective anti-inflammatory, dandelion may also help maintain healthy blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels.
Native to China, Ginkgo Biloba is the only surviving member of an ancient order of plants and is sometimes called a living fossil. As it increases blood flow by dilating blood vessels, Ginkgo Biloba was used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to open energy channels throughout our bodies' different systems.
This unique herb contains potent antioxidants that fight the damaging effects of free radicals and may also help treat anxiety. Ginkgo biloba is one of the best herbs to add to smoothies because it can reduce the inflammation caused by conditions like asthma and calm allergy-based reactions by reducing histamine.
Ginkgo’s anti-inflammatory effects also give this powerful herb the potential to treat depression, and research shows that it may improve mental performance in healthy people.
Also known as eleuthero, Siberian ginseng is native to Northeastern Asia and was first used as an herbal remedy in China over 2,000 years ago.
It’s an adaptogenic herb, meaning that it functions similarly to cortisol in the body. Adaptogens help to normalise bodily functions and strengthen the systems that have been impaired by excessive stress, but Siberian ginseng also prevents the adrenal glands from overreacting to stress in the first place.
Containing many compounds that have a positive effect on the brain, immune system, and hormones, Siberian ginseng can reduce or eliminate symptoms of anxiety and nervousness when you add it to your vegan herb smoothies.
Its benefits reach far beyond just managing stress, though; it’s also known to improve cognitive function and exercise performance, among many other potential health improvements.
Like Siberian ginseng, liquorice root is also an adaptogenic herb that’s ideal for vegan herb smoothies. In addition to the usual immune-boosting and energising properties, liquorice root has another unique superpower.
It’s one of the most powerful herbs to add to smoothies because it can help protect the thymus gland from being damaged by cortisol. It’s also an effective remedy for leaky gut, sore throats and PMS!
Liquorice root strengthens your adrenals and kidneys while lowering the production of the Epstein Barr virus, which may be the root cause of many autoimmune diseases. This sweet herb also balances the body’s levels of cortisol and cortisone, making it a very helpful ingredient in vegan herb smoothies for those recovering from adrenal fatigue.
This blog has been created by our professional Naturopath Jana from @thesecret_kitchen
Suits: GF, DF, Contains Eggs*. Ingredients - Mung Beans Sprouts: 400g Dry Organic Mung Beans Water Ingredients - Pakora: 3 ½ cups (450g) Sprouted mung beans (see below how to prepare these) 1 ¼ cups (100g) Besan flour 1 ½ cups (600g)...
