Stress-Busting Tonic
Having sensory processing difficulties can really put pressure on the adrenal glands leading to meltdowns, especially after a busy day. This wonderful tonic, recommended by Maverick Physician Henry Bieler, is marvellous for balancing the sodium loving adrenal glands and restoring acid-alkaline balance. It can be served hot or cold on its own or with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt or used in cooking for making; soups, rice/quinoa/millet/porridge, dressings, casseroles, poaching fish and meat or for the really tricky customer as a base for all drinks mixed with a favourite juice or smoothie.
Ingredients
4 medium courgettes
500 g green beans
2 sticks celery
2 handfulls fresh parsley
1 handful fresh thyme
1 handful fresh tarragon
1 litre water
Instructions
Cut the courgettes and the celery into chuncks and roughly chop up the green beans. Add them all to a pan.
Add the herbs and the water to the pan and bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer convered for 30 minutes.
Strain the liquid and drink straight away or store in glass jars in the fridge for at least 7 days.
The leftover vegetabels and herbs can be blended with some of the liquid to make into a thick soup.
The science bit
COURGETTES, GREEN BEANS and CELERY contain fantastic levels of mineral salts essential for nourishing adrenal glands. PARSLEY is loaded with vitamin K which has been shown to protect neurons. Adrenals need lots of vitamin C and parsley contains 3 times more vitamin C than oranges. Many ASD kids tend to be low in iron – parsley is a great source of iron and contains twice as much iron than spinach. TARRAGON has a calming effect on the body and is also a vermifuge, meaning it can help expel parasitic worms from the intestines. THYME has mood enhancing properties and has also been shown to have antimicrobial activity against a host of different bacteria and fungi, including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and E. coli.