Roots for soup 2oz
Add a scoop of these herbs to any soup or bone broth for an immune boost. Comes with a muslin bag that can be emptied out and reused multiple times. Add a scoop of this blend to your muslin bag and put directly into your soup broth.
Made with aleria (seaweed), nettles, burdock root, reishi mushroom, and astragalus
Recommended to steep with your broth for a couple of hours to get all the benefits and nutrients from these plants. High in Iron, Magnesium, and Calcium.

Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus)

Astragalus, also referred to as “milk vetch”, is native to China, Korea, and Mongolia and is often used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Chinese medicine uses it for treating weak or deficient conditions. It helps in maintaining vitality and keeping up resistance. In China it is referred to as Huang qi which stands for “yellow leader”. It is such a common herb in TCM that it is listed as a drug in the Pharmacopoeia of People’s Republic of China and is one of 50 fundamental herbs in TCM.

There are many different species of astragalus and not all of them are used for medicinal purposes as some are poisonous and toxic. There are only 3 species that are used for medicine, Astragalus membranaceus being one of them. Sometime between the 1920s and 1960s it became more widely used in western herbalism and is now one of the most used herbs for immune support. The root is the part that gets used.  In my opinion it has a slightly sweet taste – but my family has become quite accustomed to taking it regularly. Some processed astragalus looks like tongue depressors. Astragalus likes sandy well drained soiled. I have grown it in years past and I had a beautiful plant at my parent’s place for a few years before it was overtaken by other plants. I have never personally harvested the roots even though that has always been my ultimate goal.

I have seen astragalus referred to as an immune stimulant in some instances and that is not accurate. It is considered an immune modulator as it helps to keep the immune system balanced by either increasing or decreasing what is needed - so it basically regulates the immune system. Astragalus is great to use for people with auto-immune disorders because it won’t cause the immune system to overstimulate causing the body to attack itself which is what happens when taking immune stimulating herbs. Astragalus can potentially be a problem when a person has chronic (late stage) Lyme disease as it may cause a “herx reaction” (exacerbating your symptoms because of bacteria die off) and isn’t recommended for that reason. Stephen Buhner does talk about using astragalus on a regular basis as a preventative for Lyme disease.  Also, if you have had an organ transplant and are on meds to prevent rejection it shouldn’t be used.

Astragalus helps to support weak lungs and is useful for people with asthma and lung infections. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and in a small study showed improvements with those suffering from COPD.  Astragalus also acts as a liver restorative and to protect the liver, having a hepatoprotective effect. It has been shown to help stabilize blood sugar, acts as a diuretic, and helps to reduce edema and fluid stagnation in the tissues, helps to promote urination and helps to heal wounds like ulcers and abscesses. Astragalus has been shown to decrease cellular permeability, thereby strengthening the cell walls against viral invasion which is important during the cold and flu season. It has cardioprotective properties and has been used to help regulate blood pressure. Stephen Buhner reported that white blood cell counts improve significantly in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy who used astragalus. It helps to rebuild your immune system. It pairs well with echinacea and goldenseal for viral outbreaks.

I like to add dried astragalus to my soup and bone broths. I recommend pulling it out after cooking it for a few hours. If it is too small you can just put it in a small muslin bag while cooking it and then pull it out at the end. It helps to add immune boosting properties to your soups

Nettles (Urtica dioica)

Despite the sting, nettles are a great medicinal herb to use for a variety of purposes. Nettles has antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties making it great for seasonal allergies, hay fever, and asthma sufferers. Nettles is a good herb to start taking in the early spring, about 4-6 weeks before everything starts to go into bloom. The benefits of doing this is that you have a buildup in your body before the pollen from plants starts to show itself. I have also found it beneficial for dogs that suffer from allergies. The dried herb can be sprinkled into their food and consumed directly. Nettles is a good alterative which means it helps to purify the blood and eliminates waste so in turn it helps to detox the body. It is especially useful after a long winter of eating heavy food and not exercising as much. This makes drinking the tea or cooking with the young greens a great option in the early spring when using as a detox.

Nettles is an amazing herb used to support and strengthen the kidneys, adrenals, and prostate. It is highly nourishing to the blood and is beneficial for anemia. Because of the nutritional content and its ability to strengthen the adrenals it is good for afternoon lulls and can give you an energy boost when feeling fatigued. There have been some studies done using nettles for relief of lower urinary tract problems that have shown good results. Herbalist use nettles to help with reducing urinary frequency, strengthening kidney function, and to help decrease prostate size.  Nettles drunk as an infusion or used as a hair rinse, acts as a restorative for weak hair and to promote hair growth where there is hair loss. Nettles is also good after pregnancy as it helps to increase breast milk. Because of its astringent properties it can also help with the uterine bleeding. It can be used any time there is excessive bleeding in the body.

Nettles can also be used for gout and arthritis. If you are brave and purposely want to try rubbing nettles up against the skin it has been used by many cultures to help with gout and arthritis pain. In the case of gout, it helps to break up that uric acid that has formed into clusters in the joints.  There have been some beneficial clinical trials done using nettles cream for pain relief for osteoarthritis. During the summer I have purposely rubbed nettles onto my big toe for some gout pain and I have found relief - that doesn’t mean everyone should do it.