Athletic Benefits of Herbs

Take a look at the athletic benefits of these common herbs:

Herbs have fantastic therapeutic benefits that support the athlete in all of us. Today, we’ll discuss how common herbs can help your workouts and your everyday health.

Athletic Benefits of Herbs

Take a look at the athletic benefits of these common herbs:

• Rosemary: Offers relief of muscle pain and is a great anti-inflammatory in addition to the flavor it adds to foods.
• Lavender: The “Tylenol” of herbs. Offers support for almost anything that ails you.
• Thyme: Helps with mood and keeps you focused on your workouts.
• Chives: Have been shown to prevent cancers and elevate mood.
• Dill: Prevents bone loss.
• Oregano: A powerful anti-oxidant and great source of fiber.

If you want to take advantage of these medicinal benefits, herbs are full of flavor and easy to grow. The cost to grow herbs is minimal compared to purchasing them weekly. You can grow them indoors or outdoors with little effort. If you prefer to perform seasonal gardening, many herbs can be frozen for year-long support through the winter months.

Organic soil supports a healthy herb garden.

A great fresh herb garden might include the following:

• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Lavender
• Chives
• Oregano
• Dill

This combination will provide a well-rounded array of herbs that can be included in almost every dish, even smoothies. I even love herbs in my water, as I previously shared.

The Power of Fresh Herbs

My recent tour of organic sustainable farms in trip to Ecuador reminded me of the power of herbs in my garden and kitchen. Ecuador brought me back to the gardens of my childhood. I remembered the many herbs in the family gardens, planted in what I thought was a random order. Little did I know this practice was a form of sustainable farming, as herbs can be used as natural pesticides for crops.

Often when we plan our meals, we forget about the power of fresh herbs to make a meal even more nutrient dense. Now I add herbs in abundance at every meal. Here’s a great recipe for an herb mixture that can be used throughout the week. Not only will it make meal prep easier, but it will also add flavor and the many medicinal benefits of fresh herbs to your daily plate.

Make-Ahead Fresh Herb Mix for Athletes

Left: Fresh parsley; Right: Fresh thyme.

Ingredients:

Handful of each, fresh:

• Rosemary
• Parsley
• Thyme
• Lavender
• Oregano

Method:

1. Place all herbs in a food processor. You can also chop them by hand.
2. If using the food processor, make sure not to create a paste, but rather a bouquet of herbs that can be added to almost any dish.
3. Place herb mixture in a Mason jar and refrigerate for immediate use, or freeze for future use.

This mixture can be added to almost anything: smoothies, egg dishes, vegetables, broths, and meats. Use generous amounts of the mix for a healthy explosion of flavor in every bite.

You’ll Also Enjoy:

• 4 Plants Every Athlete Needs in the Garden
• Rosemary Garlic Truffle Oil Sweet Potato Fries (Recipe)
• For the Love of Pie: 7 Steps Toward Reconnecting With Your Food
• New on Breaking Muscle Right Now

Photos courtesy of V Capaldi.

Teaser photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

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Pushing the envelope like this on a weekly basis is sure to leave us deficient in some areas, physically and mentally. It’s not long before most of us need to taper off for a week or two to give ourselves a chance at recovering.

Traditional Chinese Herbology was way ahead of the curve a thousand years ago with its creation of the classic herbal formula – The Four Gentlemen. This formula, consisting of four powerful herbs, is designed to counteract the physical and emotional effect of this busy lifestyle and high metabolic demand.

Per Bensky stated in Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas and Strategies, “In traditional Chinese culture it was common to refer to four important things that were harmonious as a group and not given to extremes as ‘the four gentlemen’ or the ‘four noblemen’ after the Confucian term for a person who exhibits ideal behavior. The four herbs in this formula are mild in nature and blend well together in tonifying the qi. They are therefore called ‘the four gentlemen’ of herbal medicine.”

The Four Gentlemen (Si Jun Zi Tang) is made up of the following herbs:

1. Ren Shen (Ginseng)
2. Bai Zhu (Atractylodis)
3. Fu Ling (Poriae)
4. Zhi Gan Cao (Honey Fried Ginseng)

Before breaking down the individual herbs and how they compliment each other, we need to have a basic understanding of the Tradition Chinese Medicine (TCM) view of the spleen and spleen qi. In TCM your “spleen system” (most likely the responsibility of our pancreas today) is responsible for taking food and air we’ve ingested and transforming these products into usable substances to fuel our bodies and minds.

When there is a lack of spleen qi, or energy in the spleen, then this transformation doesn’t take place as efficiently as it should and we’re left without as much daily energy as we’d like. This often manifests in people as a feeling of heaviness or lethargy and is often described as “feeling foggy.” The analogy is correct as a deficient spleen that is not transforming food and air efficiently will leave us with higher levels of dampness or phlegm in our body, thus weighing us down.

Ren Shen

The first of the Four Gentlemen, Ren Shen is known in both TCM and western herbology as a powerful energy enhancing herb. In TCM, Ren Shen is well known for its ability to tonify the qi of the spleen, enhance lung capacity in addition to balancing out hormones.

Bai Zhu

The second herb in the formula is called Bai Zhu in Chinese or Rhizoma Atractylodis in western herbology. Bai Zhu is also a powerful qi tonic but has the added ability of helping our bodies transform fluids in our body. Remember that feeling of heaviness? Bai Zhu’s main job in this formula is to help relieve that symptom directly while also supporting our energy levels.

Fu Ling

The third herb in the formula is Fu Ling or Sclerotium Poriae and is a naturally occurring fungus. Fu Ling is used to induce diuresis, excreting dampness from body, supporting the spleen and also, as an added effect has a calming effect on the mind.

Zhi Gan Cao

Lastly, the formula is brought together with Zhi Gan Cao or honey sweetened licorice. Zhi Gan Cao serves multiple purposes here, one as an added tonic for our energy system as well as gently counteracting any overdrying that the Bai Zhu and Fu Ling may bring on.

The Four Gentlemen Formula has been used for thousands of years to not only support athletes and people with high output lifestyles, but also can be useful for other syndromes such as chronic gastritis, diabetes mellitus, and uterine fibroids. Contraindications include dryness, excessive thirst and constipation. As always, it is best to consult a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist before consuming herbal formulas.

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One of the most powerful allies we have in the war on immune compromise is the herb Huang Qi. Huang Qi (Radix Astargali), more commonly known to Westerners as Astragalus, has immune boosting properties in addition to many more favorable attributes.

In Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology by famous herbalist John Chen, Chen outlines the studies done with Huang Qi. Some of the highlights include:

• Immunostimulant: Subcutaneous injection of Huang Qi increases white blood cells and multinuclear leukocytes in mice. In addition, administration of Huang Qi is associated with an enhanced production of IgM in mice.
• Prevention of common colds and in?uenza: In one study, 540 patients with past histories of frequent common colds and in?uenza were divided into two groups and received preventative treatment with Huang Qi. One group received 5 grams of Huang Qi in pills three times daily, and the other group received 15 grams of Huang Qi in decoction every other day. All patients had two courses of 10 days treatment, with 5 days of rest in between courses. The study reported that patients in both groups had similar results. Both had 2.7 times lower risk of infection, and a shortened duration of infection.
• Antibiotic: Huang Qi has been shown to inhibit the activity of Bacillus dysenteriae [dysentery], Bacillus anthracis [anthrax], β-hemolytic streptococcus [strep], Corynebacterium diphtheriae [diphtheria], Diplococcus pneumoniae [pneumonia], and Staphylococcus aureus [staph infections].

The ability to act as an immune stimulant, prevent colds and flu in addition to providing anti-biotic qualities is a powerful set of attributes for any healing substance. Astragalus is also prescribed to combat fatigue, eliminate excess water weight, enhance the strength of the lungs, and prevent daytime sweating.

The recommended dosage for personal intake of Astragalus is 10-15 grams in a serving with a maximum of 150 grams in one day. Readily available in the raw form at any herb shop or in pill form at local health food stores or larger chains like Whole Foods.

When purchasing any herb, the raw, unprocessed form will always be your most potent and should be used with any acute situation. Astragalus comes in long vanilla colored pieces and can be decocted, or cooked into tea form, by itself or with other teas.

If your children have just gone off to school or the people in your office are beginning to cough and sniffle, this is the herb that will keep you healthy, happy and training hard.

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