As little children growing up in the Alps of Bavaria, my siblings and I used to present our mother with bunches of cowslip flowers which we gathered in the fields around our house in the week before mothers day.
Little did I realise then, that cowslip (Primula veris) is also a potent herbal remedy with proven expectorant properties and that 30 years later I would use it in herbal tea infusions to help with the common cold and sinusitis, together with wood-sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), which I used to pick in the meadows near my primary school, in order to munch on the sour leaves as a snack.
Over the years my travels, my studies, my own illnesses and recoveries and most importantly the people I met have again and again brought me in contact with herbs and spices and their uses in cooking and in maintaining health and well-being.
In 2004, after herbal medicine & nutrition greatly improved my own health, I began blending herbal teas for family and friends. The list of blends I created has since grown (alongside my own two children) to well over 50 blends, which I have categorised into 5 groups.
1. Favourite Infusions these are not necessarily designed for their health benefits, but primarily as a tasty & healthy alternative to other drinks.
2. Ladies and Babies including blends for pregnancy & breastfeeding, colicky babies, PMT & Menopause etc
3. Remedies are for helping the body to cope with and recover from the little everyday niggles we all get from time to time.
4. Potpourris these blends can be infused as teas, but they can also be used together with essential oils as room fragrance or in pomanders.
5. Culinary Blends such as roast rubs, mixed peppercorns for peppermills and cream cheese. And I still continuously create new blends!
Please visit my Facebook page Dolyang Herbals (www.facebook.com/dolyangherbals) to find out more!
