“August is the slow, gentle month that stretches out the longest across the span of the year. It yawns and lingers on with the light in its palms.” – Victoria Erickson
Someone once said that August is the Sunday of months, and I don’t know about you, but I feel that. August in the South is tough. Back to school means new germs, new friends, and new schedules. Traffic resumes. Additionally, it’s still I-don’t-even-want-to-mention-how-many-degrees outside with no end in sight.
Keep Hydration Exciting with Agua Fresca!
As we start moving and grooving a little more, hydration can go to the wayside. When I find that I have one of my favorite blended bevies in the fridge, however, I’m sure to DRINK it!
Although directly translated to “fresh water”, it’s so much more than that. It’s made with whatever combo of fresh fruit, veggies, herbs you’d like, sugar, and water. The vitamins and minerals found in the whole fruit help the water absorb into your cells. It is rich in all the good stuff, plus fiber. This Mexican tradition has roots in centuries-old Aztec culture, where it’s said the Aztecs created the first agua frescas by muddling fruit and adding ice from nearby dormant volcanos.
My Favorite Fruits for Agua Fresca.
Watermelons are SO juicy, and they contain a blend of sugar and minerals that mimics the fluids in our body. This means the water that fills your watermelons can absorb into your cells more.
Berries and peaches are high in ORAC value, which means they contain a bounty of antioxidants that can help support the skin by protecting cells from oxidative stress from too much sun.
Cantaloupe, Apricots and Mangos are foods that are orange are high in beta carotene, which can also defend skin from sun exposure as well as support brain health.
Use any of these fruits, cucumbers, or coconut for yours. Add fresh lemon, lime, or herbs like mints, basils, or lavender. Play with the combos and find your favorite! Here’s the recipe for one of my faves :
Honeydew Mint Agua Fresca
Ingredients:
- 3-4 cups of fruit (in this case, half of a honeydew)
- 2-3 Sprigs of Mint
- ⅛ – ¼ cup sweetener such as honey, sugar, or maple syrup.
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a blender and then fill the remainder with water and/or coconut water Blend. Pour over ice, and enjoy thoroughly and often!
Chill Out Your Nervous System Too
Our nervous systems could also use a break this time of year. We go from the sleepy pace of the dog days of summer to being pulled into the back-to-school or holiday chaos, all while it’s still face-melting degrees outside. (Spirit Halloween has already moved in for the season.)
Science has even proven that excessive heat can make tempers run hot and patience run short due to wreaking havoc on our serotonin levels. Grab your glass of agua fresca and settle in while I tell you about a couple of EZ Herbs products that can help clear that extra heat.
Last month I filled you in on the Be Cool Hibiscus Blend – always a favorite sun tea of mine to sip on this time of year. One ingredient in there is Passionflower vine, and it is one of my all-star summer plants – she is tenacious even in this heat, and her flowers and tiny tendrils offer a little reprieve to our eyes and taste buds.
Passiflora incarnata is a brilliant nervine, meaning it works wonders at cooling off an overly busy nervous system. It’s also known to be helpful at softly quieting a chatter-brain, which becomes a great tool to have at bedtime when thoughts of the day or to-do lists can overcome the mind, making it tough to wind down. I gathered my most recent harvest from a CommUnity Herbalism evening with Caroline of Mutable Earth Botanicals. She needed to clear it from a ramp and offered up the abundant vine to process together, and with a group of about 15 folks and herbal spritzers, we did it. Passionflower tincture is a mainstay in my bedside drawer, and I use it often when I find myself feeling overwhelmed.
Cool Your Jets tincture is a combo I blended out of necessity during a family emergency. The main ingredient is fresh milky oats, and when tinctured fresh as these are, they offer deep restoration and cooling to an overheated nervous system. Ashwagandha and lemon balm complement this blend by adding layers of nervine nourishment and immune system support. The addition of peach leaves brings an extra cooling down of internal heat. (If you’ve got a peach tree, grab some of these leaves and throw them into an infusion – they’ll keep you cool, AND they taste a bit like amaretto.) Think of this product when someone is experiencing burnout; the person that burns the candle at all the ends, the new mom that’s giving all she’s got with little rest in sight, the guy who just can’t seem to get deep, replenishing sleep.
One should never underestimate one’s own power. Little things you can do in the moment can quickly help regulate your own nervous system. One is grounding – putting bare feet onto grass, dirt or unpaved ground helps to bring calm upon the whole nervous system. Another is stimulating the vagus nerve, which runs all the way from our brain through our body and can help us exist in parasympathetic mode (think rest and digest) more easily. Things that tone this nerve, like humming, chanting, singing, and tapping or rubbing the neck and chest area can all help when overwhelming feelings start to set in. Last, harnessing the power of your breath is a simple one that is easily forgotten, it’s so automatic. Give yourself the gift of a few deep nasal breaths that fill up your belly, and are released through your mouth with a big sigh. Or maybe a fierce, loud ROAR if that’s what you’re feeling. Combine them all together for a truly zen moment.
I hope at least one of these suggestions will help bring the heat down inside you. The other side of summer is so close, so hang in there. And I’m always happy to hear from you – what are your favorite ways to keep calm and cool at the end of summertime?
With love and wishes for hydration and rain 🙂 – Corey Gusnowski