Increase Your Energy With This Popular Russian Remedy

{Please welcome my good friend Lydia to the site today! Lydia is a Nutritional Therapist and the author of the Divine Health from the Inside Out site. If you’ve followed my site for any amount of time, you know that Lydia is not only a close friend, but she is also my NTP and has been helping me make great progress on my healing journey. She is an INCREDIBLE woman who really knows her stuff when it comes to health, especially the role minerals play in our bodies. Please give her a warm welcome to the site and stop by Divine Health and say hello!.}

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by Lydia Shatney
Divine Health from the Inside Out

Let’s face it, pretty much everyone these days is looking for a way to increase their energy. Why else would all the grocery stores fill bins by the check-out with ‘energy’ shots? As well as the mini coolers right at the end of each check-out line with heavily caffeinated sodas and drinks? And why would we hear such slogans as ‘America runs on Duncan‘ on a daily basis?

Most of us are running on lower energy than we would prefer and many of us have just chosen to prop ourselves up with these products. However, this creates a vicious cycle and only takes the body further into a fatigued and depleted state.

The dictionary defines energy as “the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity.”

As a Nutritional Therapist, it’s my passion and job to teach people how to increase their energy in a natural way. And not just physical energy, but emotional and mental energy as well. True energy comes from properly supporting the body with nutrients, not with chemicals, sugar and caffeine.

Do you want to increase your energy?

DISCLAIMER: The content shared on this site is for informational and educational purposes only. Statements/products discussed have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease or illness. Please consult your own certified health care practitioner before making changes to your current diet or before beginning any herbal or vitamin supplement regimen or exercise program.

Today, I’m sharing how you can increase your energy with a popular Russian remedy. This remedy is affordable (it will actually save you money), easy and will work to actually HEAL your body from the inside out. Wanna know what it is?

Eleuthero!

Eleuthero is known as the KING of all the adaptogenic herbs. It is also the most well studied with more scientific studies published than any other herb. The use of eleuthero dates back 2000 years. It was believed then to provide energy and vitality.

Eleuthero became a popular remedy in Russia in the late 1950s and in 1964 it was approved by the Ministry of Health in Russia as an adaptogen. (1)

Adaptogens are known for their ability to support the affects of stress on the body and provide, vitality, strength, stamina and energy. Many adrenal formulas or herbal supplements contain one or more adaptogens in them for this very reason. They should be considered as tonics for the entire body. It is a wonderful herb used to enhance mental acuity and physical endurance. Yet there are no letdowns with eleuthero.

This is one of the first herbs I recommend to my clients suffering with adrenal fatigue and/or insomnia. It helps to improve the circadian rhythm. It’s a powerful herb all in all. Learn more about eleuthero in this post from Jessica; ‘Adaptogens: Herbs For Vitality – Eleuthero Root’.

If you are ready to try eleuthero find out just how to do so below.

If you’re interested in learning more about herbs and where to buy the highest quality herbs, check out my herbal resources here.

 

How To Make Eleuthero Tincture

Ideally, when making this tincture you want a 1:1 ratio of alcohol to herbs. This is the true Russian extract and most well known.

Simply place equal measures of both eleuthero root and vodka or brandy (I use Smirnoff since it is potato based therefore a good option for those who are gluten-free). If you need to avoid alcohol you can use a glycerin base OR put your tincture dose into your hot tea and almost all the alcohol with evaporate away.

I was not able to make a 1:1 ratio at home, the best I could pull off was a 1:2 ratio. This is still effective it will just require a larger dose.

Stir well and make sure the root is totally submerged in the vodka, brandy or glycerin. Put on your lid, label it with the date. Place it in a dark cupboard for 4-6 weeks, shake daily. When it’s done, strain well through cheesecloth over a small strainer into a bowl. Tie up the cheesecloth bundle tightly and squeeze as much of the remaining liquid out as possible.

It is SO much cheaper to make your own tincture, however it will take 4-6 weeks before it is ready. If you don’t want to wait, I suggest purchasing a bottle to use now while you wait for your homemade tincture to finish. If you can’t find the 1:1 ratio anywhere, you can find a 1:2 ratio, you will just have to use a bit more to get the same benefits.

Dosage & How To Take It

For a 1:1 ratio of eleuthero tincture (also known as, fluid extract) = Take 4 to 10 mL daily. Or 20-40 drops, 3x per day.

For a 1:2 ratio of eleuthero tincture = Take 30-50 drops, 3 x per day.

For a 1:4 ratio of eleuthero tincture = Take 60-100 drops, 3 x per day.

*Note: It is recommended to take your full dose in the earlier part of the day, with your last dose no later than 1 pm.

How To Take Your Dose

Simply add the tincture to a small amount of water and drink. If you do not like the taste you can take your dose in a couple ounces of tart cherry juice. Or simply take it sublingually right under the tongue so it can be absorbed directly through the mouth tissues bypassing the digestive system (this is my preferred way to take it). It may take up to 2 months of regular use to really feel a major difference. Everyone’s response will be different.

Decoction: 1-2 tsp. dried powdered root to 12-16 oz of water. Decoct slowly for 20-30 minutes -simple bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and allow to simmer. Then turn off the heat and let steep for 1 hour. Take up to 3 cups per day. I do not prefer the taste of this decoction so I use it in a blend with other herbs in my Schisandra Five-Flavor Tea recipe.

Safety: As always, check with your doctor before using if you are on any medications, pregnant or nursing. Be sure that any product you actually purchase is from a reputable company and botanically authenticated to avoid any adulteration from added Periploca sepium. In general, eleuthero is well tolerated and free of side effects and can be taken for long periods of time.

Learn more about making your own herbal tinctures, decoctions, and infusions here.

Find Out How to Master Basic Herbal Preparations

If you’re new to herbs and are feeling confused about all the different preparations for them, don’t be! Let me help you out with this Basic Herbal Preparations post. You can also watch the videos below to learn more about a couple herbal preparations and about my favorite source for organic, sustainably harvested herbs.

If you’re interested in learning more about herbs and where to buy the highest quality herbs, check out my herbal resources here.

Are you looking to increase your energy naturally? Do you think you will give Eleuthero a try? Share in the comments below.

Supporting a The Adrenals, Thyroid, and Whole Body Through Herbs

When it comes to supporting overall wellness, herbs are a great tool to have in your toolkit, especially those who may be dealing with chronic illness of some type. Since 2009, when I started this site, I have met thousands upon thousands of people through my work and by far, the #1 health complaints are:

• adrenal fatigue (or adrenal dysfunction of some sort) (click here to read all of my adrenal health articles)
• thyroid disorders (hypo-, hyper-, or autoimmune) (click here to read all of my thyroid health articles)

Because of this, I wanted to add in a section into this post about the benefit of using herbs with chronic illness.

If you are dealing with any type of chronic illness, I’m sorry to break it to you, but caffeine may not be your best friend. 🙁 While you can find lots of info online in both the pro- and the anti-coffee camps, the fact of the matter comes down to the fact that are a lot of people dealing with chronic illness, especially thyroid and adrenal problems, that simply cannot tolerate coffee and caffeine.

While those with sluggish adrenal glands tend to feel run down and in need of a regular pick-me-up (like coffee and other caffeinated beverages), in the long run, caffeine can do more harm than good while you are healing. I go into the “whys” around caffeine and your adrenals in this detailed post here. In addition to the caffeine, there are other constituents, molds, and mycotoxins that can show up in coffee that some people find they react to and can further exacerbate the toxic load on the body.

When I was diagnosed with autoimmune disease and adrenal fatigue, one of the first things that had to go was coffee. In addition to dealing with these issues, we suspected that I was having some detox pathway sluggishness so we wanted to also focus on supporting the liver and lymph systems. Most people who are dealing with chronic illness are also going to have issues with detoxification of the body, which is why herbs can play such an important role. 

To be honest, I never drank coffee because of the caffeine. I drank coffee for the taste and aroma, as well as the emotional experience I felt to my morning cup of joe. For me, it was a ritual that I looked forward to every day (and sometimes multiple times a day). Whether I was brewing it at home or going to my local coffee shops, the experience was one that I clung to tightly.

But, when I was faced with new health struggles, I knew I had to do whatever I could to support my body and give it the tools it needed to heal. Giving up coffee and caffeine was one step in this direction.

And it sucked.

I turned to the coffee substitutes on the market in a desperate attempt to recreate the ritual I had grown so fond of, but nothing ever tasted the way I wanted it to. Nothing ever gave me that same experience that my cup of “real” coffee did. I knew there had to be something better, but I simply could not find it on my health food store’s shelves.

Necessity is the mother of invention so that is why I created my own coffee substitutes. They were made with organic, sustainably harvested herbs with zero grains, zero gluten, and zero caffeine. Just herbs.

Herbs that not only tasted delicious but supported my body’s function, like liver detox, bile production, digestion, etc. All of the herbs used in my “coffee” blends have been used for thousands of years to support the body’s normal functions and help everything work a little better — something we all need in today’s toxic world! (psst, dandelion is one of the herbs!)

When it came to creating these blends, if I could get something to not only tasted amazing (and helped me recreate my dearly loved ritual), but also did amazingly supportive things for my body, then it’s a no brainer!

I sold these pre-made blends on Etsy for awhile and the demand was more than I could keep up with. People literally LOVED these blends and were stunned at how much like coffee they actually tasted. Customers who had been dealing with a variety of chronic illnesses had given up coffee to heal their bodies, but like me were deeply missing their morning cup of joe ritual.

After careful consideration and work with some highly experienced advisors, I decided to stop selling the pre-made blends and instead share my proprietary recipes in the form of an eBook. That way I could arm people with the knowledge and recipes they needed to make their own caffeine-free, gluten-free, grain-free blends in the comfort of their own home. 

That is why I created the best-selling DIY Herbal Coffees eBook: A Complete Guide To Making Delicious Herbal Coffees to Support Healing & Stress Relief.

Now in its second edition, this ebook features:

• All of my proprietary herbal blend recipes to you can craft a homemade herbal cup of “coffee” at home.
• A ton of researched information about coffee’s impact on the health of those dealing with issues like adrenal fatigue, blood sugar dysregulation, autoimmune disease, thyroid disease, and any other chronic illness.
• Information about all of the herbs used, why I selected them, how to source them, how to prepare and store you “coffees”, and much more.
• Access to your own personal coffee shop where I show you how to recreate your favorite coffee shop drinks and pastries with wholesome, nourishing real food ingredients. No junk here. Only real food.

This book truly is a comprehensive guide to supporting your health, reducing your stress, and bringing a little something special back into your healing journey. You can learn more and download your own copy of this revolutionary wellness guide here, or simply click on the image below.

 

References

(1) ‘Adaptogens in Medical Herbalism’, Donald R. Yance, CN, MH, RH (AHG)