Ask Arlene about digestive herbs and more©

Ask Arlene about digestive herbs and more©

By Arlene Wright-Correll

I was recently asked, “Can you tell me about digestive herbs?”

Most culinary herbs help digestion, but a few are outstanding such as mint (Mentha spp.). Spearmints, peppermints  and other mints are all respected for their digestive benefits.

In the early Christian church, peppermint was so valued it was accepted as payment of tithes. Well-studied for its digestive effects, peppermint contains several carminatives such as menthol; anethole and carvone that help settle the stomach and relieve gas. Peppermint is also a gentle “bitter herb.” Bitter herbs are those that aid digestion by stimulating bile production. 

Caraway (Carum carvi)  and these seeds contain carvone and other compounds that relax the smooth muscles of the digestive tract. Seed extracts used in certain commercial herbal digestive aids (sometimes along with peppermint oil) have been found to improve chronic indigestion. Enjoy a small dish of caraway seeds with cheese, or sprinkle them into soups or stews.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale).  The gingerols and shogaols in ginger are antispasmodics, soothing the stomach and stimulating peristalsis. Ginger encourages gastric emptying. It also relieves constipation, and may ease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Gingerols degrade with cooking, processing and storage, so enjoy it fresh or minimally cooked. 

Another question asked is “How can I judge art?”

There are many ways and here are a few of them. I look for beauty, skill, inherent meaning, uniqueness, and fulfilled intent.  Beauty is really in the “eye of the beholder”. 

One may as if the repeating shapes, patterns, and symmetry or if colors, especially colors that complement or enhance each other.  Are the textures, both visual and physical (like thick, impasto paint) and in crops and compositions that focus the eye and keep the viewers’ attention.  Is the movement or flow guiding the viewers through the art?  Are there correct or appealing proportions of figures and objects and lastly is the presentation and framing. Correct.

Recently I was asked a very good question.  “As an artist is a blog really worth my time?” 

My answer is yes. Today the internet is a highway and a blog is like a billboard on the biggest highway in the world.  When you start a blog, it’s like putting up a billboard next to the biggest highway in the world.

At first, your blog/billboard is small and people can barely see it as they drive by, and only if they’re really looking for it, but every time you add another blog post to your blog.  Your billboard gets a little bigger! Each new post is like adding an extra square foot of signage to your board.  If you add a new blog post every day (or every other day) people won’t have to look quite so hard to see your billboard. In fact, after about a half year of blogging, you’d probably be getting some decent attention!

 May the Creative Force be with you as you tread the earth lightly!

 

Arlene Wright-Correll

Home Farm Herbery LLC