THREE WAYS TO INCORPORATE HERBS INTO YOUR PRACTICE

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Herbs are an extension of food. They are closely related. Some herbs, like nettles, are more nutritious than medicinal. Other herbs like gentian root, a bitter, is medicinal.

Herbal medicine does not need to be scary. While herbs do interact with drugs, there are rarely issues with the dietary use of herbs. For checking herb-drug interactions, I like to use the Natural Medicines Database.

We include this in our mentorship program for all of our interns.

Let's dive into some ways you can incorporate herbs into your practice.

There are simple ways to start incorporating herbs into your practice.

1. Start with your spice cabinet. Encourage the use of culinary herbs and spices in recipes and food prep. Culinary herbs were used for a variety of reasons: flavor, aroma, and preventing food rancidity. Most of our culinary herbs have some common properties. These herbs tend to kill microbes, relieve gas and bloating, and improve circulation.

Examples include: ginger, thyme, cumin, rosemary, oregano, dill, fennel, cinnamon, and cardamom.

2. Encourage herbal teas. Most folks under-hydrate, and herbal tea provides a non-caffeinated beverage that is more interesting than water. Tea companies have spent a lot of time and money creating some fabulous formulations. Take Traditional Medicinals Cup of Calm or Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer. These two formulations are a great addition to a stressful lifestyle or day for better sleep, less nighttime snacking, lower anxiety, and nervous system health. Just the act of sitting down to drink tea is a moment of reflection and meditation that is vastly missing from modern life.

A moment’s contemplation, what mild bitter-pleasure moves timidly within my tiny bowl of tea? ~James Green

3. Soups are like teas made with meats, beans, and vegetables. In Chinese medicine, tonic herbs were often cooked into soups. Some of my favorite herbs to cook into soups include nettles, astragalus, reishi, maitake, shatavari, and shitake.

We know that you want to build your toolbox as a nutritionist. And we want you to build your herbal knowledge. Every clinical protocol we give you includes herbal medicine as well as nutrition. Watch the video to learn some of my favorite herbal remedies!

Learn herbal strategies and gain confidence in your clinical nutrition skills in our monthly Clinical Working Group! Led by an experienced CNS supervisor and clinical nutritionist: share a case from your functional medicine clinic, gain health and nutrition resources and insights, collaborate with your supervisors and other nutrition graduates, and learn how to incorporate functional nutrition coaching skills with your clients to help them meet their long-term health goals.

For more FREE content, check out our Resource Hub to learn more about how to start a nutrition business, prepare for the CNS exam, clinical nutrition pearls, best practices for meeting SPE requirements, self-care for the clinical nutritionist, and more.