September 30, 2025 • 57 mins
Feeling stressed, sleepless, or out of balance in midlife? 🌿 In this episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy sits down with master herbalist and classical homeopath Sara Chana Silverstein, author of MOODTOPIA. With over 30 years of experience helping women and families, Sara Chana shares simple, practical ways to use herbs—like skullcap, rosemary, sage, and lemon balm—to calm anxiety, improve sleep, ease hot flashes, and boost brain clarity. From tinctures and teas to easy remedies you can keep in your kitchen, this conversation will empower you to take charge of your health and hormones—naturally.
What You’ll Learn
- 🌿 How herbs like skullcap, motherwort, and lemon balm ease stress and anxiety
- 🌙 The best herbal remedies for better sleep and calmer moods
- 🔥 Why sage and soy can help with hot flashes and night sweats
- 🧠 How rosemary boosts circulation and clears midlife brain fog
- 🍵 Tinctures vs. teas: which one works best for your lifestyle
- 💡 Safe ways to combine herbs with conventional medicine
🎧 Tune in now at https://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com or wherever you listen to podcasts!
👉 Connect with Sara!
🌟 Explore All Things Midlife & More
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https://www.instagram.com/wendy_valentine_/
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https://wendyvalentine.substack.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (00:00):
There are so many women and children who are not
(00:05):
totally falling apart. They're not quite at the
end where they even want to explore
pharmaceuticals. They're somewhere in between,
like most of us. And that's where herbs shine.
They really shine. So that's why I do these
podcasts, because I want women to understand that
you're never going to be perfect emotionally, but
(00:26):
herbs can really help.
>> Wendy Valentine (00:28):
Hey there beautiful. I'm Wendy Valentine, your
host of the Mythology Life Makeover show where
it's never too late to wake up to your best life.
Whether you're navigating a career change, empty
nesting, menopause, or wondering what's next,
you're in the right place. Every week I'll bring
you real talk, laughs and inspiring conversations
(00:48):
with experts and extraordinary women who have
transformed their lives from self care and
relationships to starting over and finding
freedom. This is your time to reinvent, rediscover
and reignite the woman you were always meant to
be. So hit that subscribe button and let's rewrite
the rules of midlife. Your new adventure starts
(01:10):
now. If you haven't heard the news yet, my book,
Women Waking the Midlife Manifesto for Passion,
Purpose and Play is finally here ready for you to
(01:32):
read, soak up the wisdom and change your life.
This isn't just another self help book, it's a
step by step guide to help you break free from
what's holding you back, rediscover your strengths
and design a life that feels full of purpose, joy
and freedom. Whether you're navigating, divorce,
(01:53):
career changes, health struggles, or just that
restless midlife feeling, these seven steps will
help you reinvent yourself and and step into the
next chapter with confidence. You can grab the
book wherever books are sold, in digital,
paperback and even audio m read by yours truly.
(02:13):
Plus, you'll get over $500 in bonuses that go
along with the book, including the Women Waking up
playbook, guided meditations and a digital vision
board. Just head to womenwakingup.com and one
quick favor, if you've already grabbed your copy,
thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please take
(02:34):
a moment to leave a review on Amazon. With over 40
million books on Amazon, your review makes this
one more visible so other women can find it too.
And together we can change lives. So grab your
copy, leave a review, and let's wake up to our
best selves together.
(02:56):
Welcome back to the Midlife Makeover Show. I'm
your host, Wendy Valentine. Today we're diving
into the world of natural remedies with someone
who truly knows her stuff. Sara Hannah
Silverstein. Sarahana is a master herbalist,
classical homeopath, best selling author of
Moodtopia. Love that name. And proud mommy of
(03:19):
seven. Oh my gosh. For over 30 years, she's helped
women and families navigate everything from stress
to hormonal changes, blending alternative medicine
with conventional care in a way that's
approachable, practical and effective. In this
episode, we'll explore how easy and affordable it
can be to bring herbal medicine into your life. To
(03:42):
feel calmer, more energized, and better balanced,
especially during perimenopause and menopause.
Hello. From, mood boosting herbs like skullcap to,
to brain clearing herbs like rosemary, Sarahana
will share her favorite remedies and simple ways
to use them in teas, tinctures, and more. Get
(04:04):
ready to feel empowered about your health and your
hormones.
Please welcome Sarah Hana to the show Wende.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (04:11):
That was such a great introduction. I'm really
grateful and I'm so happy to be here.
>> Wendy Valentine (04:17):
It is great to have you here. And if I wish y',
all, if you're listening on the podcast, you can't
see, see obviously the video, but she has all
these plants behind her and her book and it's just
like, oh my gosh, it's so nice.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (04:31):
Thank you, Wendy. You know, the introduction
though, made it seem like I'm super calm, super
chilled, and I want to be honest with everybody
out there. I have a little anxiety, stress, I feel
overwhelmed, sometimes I feel depressed, you know,
so I'm very real as a woman. Slightly over 30.
Okay. Slightly over 40. Right. So really my goal
(04:55):
with my book Mootopia Wendy was not to like become
these perfect robots. Although that's a whole
nother show and discussion. The truth is, on a day
to day basis, we get stressed, we get overwhelmed,
we have fears, our emotions, especially being a
woman, because we use both sides of our brain at
the same time. We can like love our job and hate
(05:17):
our job. We can love our partner and hate our
partner. We can feel totally confident and totally
insecure in the exact same moment. And we're
supposed to stay sane, right?
>> Wendy Valentine (05:27):
Yeah.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (05:28):
so my goal with Mutopia was to teach women and,
and give them tools, plant based herbal tools that
they can bring into their lives. So herbs have
been used for thousands of years. They're not just
for the elite, they're for the elite, the poor in
between. Every class, every person around the
(05:50):
world can learn about a couple herbs that they can
have at their disposal. So if they know that
they're going on a date, and they're not in the
mood, and they were a little constipated in the
morning, and they were super anxious, and they got
yelled up by their boss. Their babysitter didn't
show up, and they want to still go on this date
and seem somewhat normal. You mentioned the herb
(06:11):
skull cap, which is calming and soothing to the
central nervous system, so it can take the edge
off that anxiety so they can have a nice evening.
So that's where I'd really love for us to discuss.
>> Wendy Valentine (06:24):
I love that you settle that, because even with
herbs, you're still gonna have a rough day, but
you're knowing what to do with that rough day, and
you can bring more calm into. Into a tough moment,
a tough day, a tough date.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (06:39):
Whatever, whatever.
And, Wendy, it's so interesting because, I have
another book coming out this spring, and it's
Herbs for Kids. So as we discuss herbs as mothers,
grandmothers, aunts, cousins, you know, kids also
have these challenges. So we see that, you know,
(07:01):
everyone's really quick to go to Zoloft, Prozac,
Klonopin, Wellbutrin. And if anybody listening
here are on those medications and they're working
fantastic, you know, everything has a place. I
want to begin by saying conventional medicine is
not anything I'm against. Wende. When it works,
(07:21):
it's phenom. If you break your leg, don't come to
an herbalist. Please go get an X ray and get a
cast. Then you can come to me and I'll help you
repair the bone sooner. But the reason that I'm
saying this is that there are so many women and
children who are not totally falling apart.
(07:42):
They're not quite at the end where they even want
to explore pharmaceuticals. They're somewhere in
between, like most of us. And that's where herbs
shine. They really shine. So that's why I. I do
these podcasts, because I want women to understand
that you're never going to be perfed emotionally.
But herbs can really help.
>> Wendy Valentine (08:03):
Yeah. What inspired you to get so into herbs?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (08:08):
So there's so many reasons. I can begin by saying
that I was invited through, Yale University to do
a summer program at Oxford. And I was a girl that
had a lot of allergies, seasonal allergies, fall
allergies all the time. Went through the. Going
through the allergy shots, and, I mean, I guess I
was better, but. Right. So I landed in Oxford, and
(08:31):
this was way. I don't want to age myself way
before you could order things on your phone. And,
and I forgot allergy medicine. It was not. I was
more concerned about like cute shirts, cute
sandals, you know, I mean, earrings that match.
And I got there and I started having allergies. So
I didn't have a pharmacist. I didn't know what to
do. So when I was walking to one of my classes, I
went past a health food store and I went in there
(08:53):
and I said, I know you have nothing, but my eyes
are itching, my nose is dripping. I'm here for the
next eight weeks. is there anything you suggest?
So they actually gave me what is called freeze
dried nettles. And I took them, Wendy. And I made
it through the class and my eyes weren't itching
and I wasn't sneezing. And I went. And the most
(09:16):
important thing was I didn't have the side effect
because when you take an antihistamine, especially
many years ago, they would clear up and then you
would have an exacerbation where your allergies
would get worse. No problem, you retake the
medicine. So it was astounding to me, Wendy. So
instead of studying Shakespeare and Chekhov, which
I was really there, I ended up in the library
(09:38):
learning about botanical plant based medicine. And
I didn't realize the research, the consistency and
availability of herbs and that they can actually
help in a very different way than pharmaceuticals.
>> Wendy Valentine (09:54):
Yeah. And the fact that it's natural too. I've. I
used to own integrative and functional medicine
practices and just like you were saying, too,
conventional medicine is great. Right. But like, I
try to do natural when I can because it's better
for your body. You don't have to worry about the
toxins and et cetera, et cetera. But but yeah,
(10:16):
that is so important to have, that is as far as
that, natural. Natural remedies.
So where, where can you actually get. Do you
always have to go to a health food store? Can you
grow any of these herbs?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (10:27):
So let's talk about that. Great, great, great
question. So if people want to grow it, sure. I'm
in Brooklyn, New York. I've gotten summonses from
the fire department for growing things on my fire
escape. So it depends on where you are. You know
what I mean? And you can have like a grow light in
a closet, but you know, they come in and check for
that these days also. I'm kidding. So it really
(10:50):
depends on where you are. But today you can buy so
many phenomenally processed herbs on the Internet.
So I want to begin by saying that in my practice
we don't use many supplements and we don't use
herbs in capsule form because the truth is then
(11:11):
they become pharmaceutical. So it's almost
impossible to get those white powders, those
orange powders, those yellow powders in your
kitchen. You can't really do it, Wendy. So what's
happened is pharmaceutical companies have decided
since people want more natural, let's give them
(11:34):
what's called natural in pill form. So I use most
herbs in, in tincture, which I will go over right
now.
>> Wendy Valentine (11:43):
Yes, yes. That was actually my question. Like,
what is that? I even when I said it in the intro,
I was like, I hope I said that right.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (11:50):
Tincture, Right. So they must become more popular
because I'm going to explain right now. So those
of you that are watching, I'm going to show you
those that are listening, I'm going to try to
explain it the best that I can. So I'm holding up,
a little bottle of fresh rose petals. Now, all
roses are edible. I mean, I wouldn't eat the ones
(12:11):
from the florist, but if you're ever out in the
woods, rose, has high vitamin C, antioxidants, can
reduce inflammation, and most importantly, helps
with sadness and grief. What you all hospitals.
Yes. Is the flower of choice internationally are,
(12:33):
roses. So it's not a coincidence because rose is
not the most inexpensive flower. Roses have the
ability to take sadness and grief out of the
heart.
So back to my little bottle of herbs. Fascinating.
Wow. I have here some roses. The second you pick a
plant from the ground, it starts to disintegrate.
(12:54):
Think about that partially. You buy at the store,
you're going to use it. After 24 hours, it's a
little limp, you're still going to use it. The
next thing you know it's yellow or white and you
throw it away. So that's what happens with plants.
So what we do is we pour a, grain alcohol over the
plant. So I'm showing the bottle of roses and I'm
showing the grain alcohol in a tincture. You keep
(13:18):
the plant in the grain alcohol from four to six
weeks, depending on the plant roots. Longer
flowers shorter. And then you strain it and you
get what is called a tincture. I'm holding up a
little glass bottle with a dropper. And this is a
tincture. Why do I like tinctures? First of all,
(13:40):
they have a 10 year shelf life. This is not what
pharmaceutical companies want you to know. They do
not want you to know that you can have one plant
on your shelf for 10 years. And what Happens is
the alcohol breaks down the plant components, and
you have this lovely liquid that's easy to take.
So I have a little bottle of a very small tincture
(14:02):
bottle, and you can stick it in your bra strap.
Wende go throughout the day. It's hidden. No one
knows it's there. And if you're starting to get
nervous or panic, you can go like this. Take the
tincture, plop it right under your tongue. Or if
you don't like bitter taste, you can carry around
a little teeny shot glass for a little bit of
(14:23):
grape juice or cranberry juice or apple juice. Put
your tincture right into any kind of liquid, and
you drink it quickly. You can also use the cap of
your water bottle. So let's say you're just out
and about and you're taking a hike and
everything's wonderful, right? Perfect. You're
(14:44):
with your best friend in the world. You are taking
a day off of work, and you're hiking, and all of a
sudden you. You get sad and gloomy, and you're
like, what? Why would I be sad? Sad and glue. This
is m. My perfect day. It's because women have
things called hormones. Even post menopause, we
have these things called hormones, which can
hijack our brain, make us a little loca crazy. And
(15:07):
all of a sudden, we're like, what to do? So an
herb called motherwort can help with gloominess,
sadness. Women can take it before their cycle,
during their cycle, and after their cycle, meaning
they're hormonal the whole month. You can take it
during perimenopause, menopause, and post
menopause, because we still have hormones, just in
(15:29):
different. A, different organizational system in
our brains. So we already discussed mother wart,
which is for gloominess and sadness. I feel every
woman I've ever met should have it in their house.
Yeah, exactly. I know.
>> Wendy Valentine (15:45):
It's true.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (15:46):
Rose is for grief. Sadness. You have a hurt in
your heart, a relationship that didn't work. You
get fired from your job, your. Your neighbor, who
you always got along with, is all of a sudden
reporting you to the board of condo. People like
all these weird things are happening. Rose can
(16:08):
help soothe the heart. And we discuss skullcap,
which is for nervous anxiety. You have to go to
your kids pta. You have to go to your friend's
wedding. You have to go to a bar mitzvah, and you
are anxious. You can take skullcap. So the dosage
is anywhere. And again, we can't diagnose or
treat. Is 25 drops to 45 drops to, to five times a
(16:34):
day. So if you know you're going through a hard
time or even traveling. I just got back from
Japan. We can talk about that.
>> Wendy Valentine (16:43):
I saw that on your Instagram. Yeah.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (16:44):
So exciting. So I'm traveling and I. I'm not
nervous, I'm excited. It's an excited nervous. But
why not take some skullcap when I'm going through
security when I finally get on the plane for my 15
hour flight? Right. So you can take herbs and as
needed, if you're going through a stressful time,
you can take it religiously twice a day, morning
(17:07):
and evening, and it will lower your cortisol
stress hormones. If a Tuesday is not like a
typical Tuesday, it's not Taco Tuesday, and you're
very nervous, you can take it five times that day.
There's no withdrawal sensations and the body and
brain doesn't get addicted to it.
>> Wendy Valentine (17:28):
Wow. Is there anything you recommend for jet lag?
Since I'm about to travel from back to the States,
from Portugal, prepare myself so.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (17:39):
Nice. So there is an herb called rhodiola is an
herb you can take, before you fly. It's got a
little bit of a stimulant in it. and they say that
herbalists say that that will help with the time
switch. rhodiola is an herb. If you don't do well
with caffeine, don't do rhodiola. There's no
(18:00):
caffeine, but it's got that stimulant in it. Some
people love it, some people don't love it.
Rhodiola is also, besides jet lag for, depression
that leaves you like a couch potato.
>> Wendy Valentine (18:16):
Oh, that kind.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (18:18):
The depression that, you know, there's so many
different kinds of depressions. My teacher, my
herbal teacher, David Winston, I think, coins 12
different depressions. Whereas our MDs have one
blanket term for depression. So some depression
people overeat, some depression people undereat,
some depression people become workaholics, some
depression they become couch potatoes. That's
(18:40):
where rhodiola comes in. You're sitting there
going, there's 30 things I need to do. I know I
can accomplish three of them, but I'm not doing
anything because I'm depressed. So when you get
stuck in. I don't want to use the word laziness
because it's not laziness, but you feel lazy. You
feel like you can't get anything done. That's
(19:00):
rhodiola because it has a bit of a boost in it.
Now Stuck sadness is different than a, lazy
sadness. Sadness, depression interchangeable. If
you feel stuck, then the herb lavender is
fantastic. So we have the essential oil lavender,
(19:22):
but what people don't know is that we have
lavender. And I'm pulling out my little bag of
Trix here. We have lavender that you can take in
tea form or tincture. So this I'm showing
everybody lavender. We can use it in an essential
oil to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. But
(19:43):
in T form, if you're stuck in Sadness, like, I'm
60 years old. I still remember the haircut my
mother gave me in third grade. I didn't want
bangs. And I just can't get over it.
>> Wendy Valentine (19:59):
Right.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (19:59):
So I would suggest, besides talk therapy, which is
great, that you go and take some lavender tea
because, by the way, no one remembers. And you can
rip up that picture from third grade. Right. So.
So we hang on to these things all the time, Wendy.
We hang onto things and. And they really can eat
(20:20):
at our hearts. And that's where lavender. So your
question and your listeners questions need to be.
Okay, Sara, can I mix anxiety herbs with sad stuck
herbs? And yes, you could put lavender and skull
cap in the same cup because you can be anxious and
nervous and sad stuck in the job you lost three
(20:42):
years ago that you can't get over. Right? Yeah. so
when I make herbs for a client, that comes in
because people are complicated. I don't know if
you've noticed an herb with at least four to six
or eight herbs in the same bottle, and that's
called a mixture. So you can get a tincture that
(21:06):
has many different herbs.
>> Wendy Valentine (21:07):
It's a mixture of a tincture.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (21:09):
It's a tincture mixture. Mixture that say that
eight times. Just love it. So you can do that. So
there's many herbalists that pre, mix them for
you. So when I was. When I wrote my last book for
kids, I had an herbalist. He's a brilliant man,
read my book, and he said, sarhana, we rarely give
herbs singly. We give them together because they
(21:32):
make this symbiotic balance. Like, if you want to
hear jazz, it's really great to have a saxophone.
The saxophone is going to sound super awesome with
a keyboard. With the saxophone and keyboard, you
put a light drum behind it and you've got this
fantastic ensemble of music and sounds. Same thing
(21:53):
with herbs. So when we mix a couple herbs
together, we get this symbiotic ensemble. Now I
like to teach them singly to empower women to
understand what's in my mix. And why is it there?
M. Because then, women. Women and men will
(22:13):
understand what their goal is with taking this
herb. As opposed to when a doctor hands you a
medicine and says, take this when you're anxious.
Well, which kind of anxious? Just whenever you're
anxious. Well, like every morning I wake up, I'm a
little anxious, but I don't want to be. You know
what I mean? So we delve as herbalist into what is
that anxious sensation for you? Do you feel it in
(22:36):
your stomach? Does your jaw, tighten up? Do you
get tmj? Do you get muscle pain? If you tend to
get muscle pain with your anxiety, then we want
the famous herb from the Philippines called kava
kava.
>> Wendy Valentine (22:50):
Oh, I love kava kava.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (22:52):
You see?
>> Wendy Valentine (22:53):
Yeah, that's a good one.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (22:55):
Why we say it twice? I don't know. Did someone
have a stutter? I'm wondering, was it an herbalism
stutter that we got kava kava. But you can't just
say kava. You have to say kava kava. Right? So
kava kava is a fantastic herb to take before you
go to sleep if you have that muscle tension.
>> Wendy Valentine (23:13):
So you get that, like, with your neck is tense
and.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (23:17):
Yes.
>> Wendy Valentine (23:17):
Yeah, that's me.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (23:20):
Your hands. So kava kava. It's not. It depends on
how much you take of it. A lot of people do well
with taking cover during the day also. But before
you go to bed, you take a slightly larger dose,
and it will help your muscles relax. Now, in the
Philippines and a lot of places in Asia, before
(23:41):
any business people get together and make business
deals, they drink kava tea because it takes the
edge off that anxiety and stress that you can all
look this up online. I am not making this up. The
part about the stutter I totally made up, but the
cavity I did not make up. This is real. And they
(24:04):
find that there's. People are more willing to
negotiate when their muscles are calmer. They're
more willing to listen when their muscles are
calmer. And that's why this has become customary
to drink cava tea. Isn't that fantastic?
>> Wendy Valentine (24:18):
I love that. I used to drink cava tea. And I need
to go back. That's one thing. Now that I live in
Portugal, I'm trying to find some of these places
that offer things like the tinctures that I'm used
to seeing. And. But I do miss. I miss having some
of these herbs.
So question for you. Let's say I'm about to walk
(24:39):
onto Good Morning America, onto the TV show. What.
What do you suggest for a little bit of
nervousness? And also because you don't want to be
too calm. You also want your brain firing and
wiring. Right. But you want to be chill. What
would you love that?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (24:58):
So skull cap. Back to skull cap. Because skull cap
is in the mint family. It will not make you feel
tired. no hangover from. From Skullcap. And it
just takes that edge off of anxiety. So I have a
lot of people that do TV shows that sit for
medical exams, that are keynote speakers that just
(25:18):
carry skullcap with them wherever they go. And I'm
lifting up a bottle of skull cap because it's kind
of a number one go to. You may have to. Wendy,
find your dose. If you. Meaning you may do
perfectly fine at calming down at 30 drops.
Someone else need 55 or 60 drops. What you feel
(25:39):
with skullcap, you'll feel it within 20 minutes.
Wendy. A lot of these herbs that we're talking
about, you will feel they will enter the
bloodstream within 20 minutes, and you will feel a
shift. Not high, not stoned. so a shift. So if
you're going to be on Good Morning America, you
want to take it like, 20 minutes before or even a
half hour or 45. You don't have to time it.
(26:00):
Exactly. And you will still not have any brain
fog, because that's not what the plant does.
>> Wendy Valentine (26:08):
Yes. Yeah. Because that would be bad. Be like.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (26:10):
Oh, that would be, super bad. So when my clients
are sitting, sitting for their L stats or their
MCATs or their medical boards, they have to be
sharp as attack. Yeah.
So speaking about sharpening the brain, because
you brought it up. Great point. There is an herb
called rosemary. Yes. It is a seasoning for your
(26:31):
chicken or fish. It grows all over the world. I'm
sure in Portugal. I have not been there. Oh, it is
so.
>> Wendy Valentine (26:38):
It is so yummy. It's so good. Yes.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (26:41):
So rosemary in tincture. one of my teachers who
said, anybody that passes age 40 should start
taking rosemary daily. It increases blood flow up
to the brain. And what happens is, you know, we're
either sitting up or we're lying parallel to the
floor. And that's why in yoga and different
(27:05):
qigong, you do go upside down and do headstands.
So any of you that can please go do a headstand.
For those of you that are not, could you imagine
going, into Good Morning America? Excuse me once
again. I'll be right back. You sit, you do your
headstand. Your feet are kind of fluttering in the
Air a little bit. You're like, be there two more
minutes. I'm almost there. You said you got to
(27:27):
refix your hair. You will. You would have this
fantastic flow of blood to your brain. You would
be quick and astute. I just don't know if we
should be doing it publicly. Wendy, I really
discuss.
>> Wendy Valentine (27:40):
We'll stick with the skull cap and the rosemary. I
think that's better.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (27:44):
I think it's, you know, like, could you imagine?
We're going to start a fad, Wendy. Okay. Rosemary
is fantastic because it does. It's a circulatory
herb, can help with varicose veins, can help if
your feet feel tired or heavy, especially
perimenopause or menopause. And rosemary without a
(28:06):
caffeine boost will lift that blood to the brain.
So people should take it every day when they wake
up. Just some rosemary tincture.
>> Wendy Valentine (28:15):
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Can you make teas, like, from. With rosemary?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (29:09):
Sure. So great transition. So those of you that
are listening cannot see this. Those of you that
are watching can. This is a great, easy,
inexpensive little tea carrier. All right? So I
love this because it's glass and it's stainless
steel, and it's got this little filter here,
Wendy, where you can put any kind of tea that you
(29:31):
want. You just fill this up with tea. Screw this
cover back on. I'm demonstrating. For those of you
that are listening, pour some hot water over this.
You can put boiling water. You could add some
honey, some maple syrup, any kind of sweetener.
and carry this with you throughout the day. So
you're in Portugal, which I have not visited yet.
>> Wendy Valentine (29:51):
Well, you better get here.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (29:53):
Yes, yes, it's on my list. but in America, people
are not tea drinkers. They're just part of the
culture. And that's why I've gravitated to
tincture, because it's quick and efficient. Now, I
did visit India, where tea drinking is completely
normal and typical. So if I was Teaching in India,
(30:15):
I would talk about all these herbs in tea form.
But anybody that's not regularly drinking tea,
like in la, they have drive through Starbucks. You
think you can't get out of your car park, go in an
order, it's like, drive through Starbucks. I was
shocked when I saw it. Like, oh, my gosh. So it
depends really on the culture that you're from.
Yeah, if you're from a tea drinking culture, then
(30:38):
sure, you can put some rose petals, you can put
some skull cap leaves, you can put some mother
wort right in there, make your own combination and
drink the tea. If you're a neurotic type A
personality, a little bit overwhelmed, you're
going to use your tincture because people tend to
be more consistent with the tinker when. Because
(30:59):
it's easy and quick and literally. Literally takes
you five seconds. Yeah, maybe six, but not even 10
seconds.
>> Wendy Valentine (31:08):
And a lot of these, I mean, I used to get some of
mine at whatever, Whole Foods or like you said,
you can order them online, you can get them
everywhere. Yeah, there's so many.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (31:19):
If you would like me to mention the companies I
like, I do not represent them. It's your choice,
Wendy. You let me know.
>> Wendy Valentine (31:28):
Yeah, yeah, go ahead.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (31:29):
Yeah, sure. So I like herb companies that have a
master herbalist like me behind the scenes
checking the. The herb. And I want everyone to
know that these herbs that are. That are purchased
from reputable companies, they check for
pesticides, they check for lead. They also make
(31:49):
sure it's the right genus of the plant. Because
when you're getting a big bag of herbs from India,
unless you're an herbalist, they could literally
sell you anything and you wouldn't know it. Right.
So we have a problem with tumeric because
turmeric. And I'll go back to the companies.
Tumeric is a root herb. It's a root plant. you. It
(32:13):
literally looks like garlic or ginger. You peel it
and it's this vibrant orange color. So in parts of
the world, to make more money, they take the
tincture in powdered form, add it with rice flour,
because the rice flour gets dyed orange. And in
America, you don't even need to write rice powder
(32:37):
on the ingredient list because it's considered an
inert ingredient. So with my office, we only use
turmeric in an oil form, which is just the pressed
turmeric we get out the oil. So I'm just giving an
example of why you want to behind the scenes. So
most of our turmeric is mostly colored rice
(32:58):
powder, which has no bad side effects. Not going
to hurt anybody. It may just not reduce the
inflammation you want it to reduce. So back to the
companies. So in America, and I don't know,
Portugal, but it's fun to research it. And I know
they have herbs there and herbalists and
tinctures, for sure. But I like a company called
(33:18):
Herbalist and Alchemist, another herb company
called Herb Farm, and the last one I'll discuss is
Wish Garden Herbs, available on Amazon. Not
pushing anything, easy to get. And I. There's
many, many more herbal companies. We could have a
(33:39):
whole class on that. But these three are reliable.
They have herbalists overlooking the production of
the herbs. And I know that they're checking for
pesticides and leads. So that's why I mentioned
those companies.
>> Wendy Valentine (33:52):
I love it. Yeah, I'm definitely going to search
for some soon here.
your book. So in Moodtopia. Tell us a little bit
more about the book. How it's. How it's laid out.
I'm assuming then you can, like, look up. All
right, I'm having stomach, issues. And then you
can find some herbs that are good for that.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (34:10):
Yes. Thank you so much for bringing that up,
Wendy. So I think it's very easy to read. I had a.
An editor who would say to me, sarah, Hannah, that
sounds really good, I'm sure in your brain. But as
a reader, I'm a little lost. And I loved it,
Wendy, because she was like. I'd be like, oh.
She'd then say, like, I. I, know that we should
(34:33):
have 25 footnotes here. And since we don't, can
you be straightforward and simplify this? So I
think the book is easy to read because I had a
great editor, and I go through all the herbs we're
discussing and more individually. And with each
herb, I not only tell you about the herb and the
(34:54):
action. That's the word we herbalists say. What's
the action? Action in the body. Where is it going
to work in your body? Your. Your urinary tracting.
Urinary tract system, your sinuses, your throat or
your brain? We discussed that. And then I give
little stories of clients so you could say, oh, my
gosh, you know what? I can relate that. That's
(35:15):
exactly where I'm at. I do want people to begin
combining a couple herbs together, but I really
feel learn about them singly because you're
smarter, more empowered. And then when you're out
and about traveling, you can pick up the. The herb
and say, oh, wow, there's holy basil in there,
there's. Oh, God. I know this combination is going
to work. Like when I was in India, the truth is
(35:38):
one, I tried to pretend my goal was I was on a
tour to like, like, not say what I do or try to
treat everybody. Just kind of like be an observer,
right? So of course a woman falls and breaks her
wrist and I'm sitting there going, I have to take
action, right? So I immediately went to a, ah,
pharmacy in India. And no, I do not speak the
(35:59):
language, unfortunately. but I was able because it
was put also in Latin most herbalists. And so I
knew exactly what to get for her anywhere I was in
the world. And we went and I gave her some arnica,
which is homeopathic remedy for a fall. I gave her
some herbs to reduce inflammation. And before she
(36:19):
got her cast, when we were at a meal, I walked
into the kitchen, nuts and speaking a word of the
language, and I asked them to grate a potato,
which they did. And I found a piece of cloth,
because you can find cloth everywhere in India.
And I poultice, put it over the area and the
inflammation went down before our eyes. Because a
(36:42):
potato poultice is for banging your knee, swelling
of your knee, twisting your ankle, a bug bite, a
bee bite, any inflammation in the body. You can,
you can literally take a potato, grate it, squeeze
out the juice, put it in either a muslin cloth or
any kind of cloth, put it over the area. And she
(37:03):
was able to make it through the night before she,
you know, got something to stabilize it just with
a potato. And I could explain with my non Hindu,
Hindu how to make a potato poultice. So there you
go. That's knowing herbal medicine.
>> Wendy Valentine (37:19):
I bet you use a lot of this with your kids, with
your seven children.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (37:24):
Yes. I have, thank God, five boys and two girls.
And I'm somewhat sane and I do use the word
somewhat. yes, they were my guinea pigs, True
Confession and all their friends. And I would see
these herbs working right before my eyes. Like,
there's an herb called lemon balm from the mint.
>> Wendy Valentine (37:45):
Yes, that's a good one.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (37:47):
You can make it into tea. Tea or ice pops for kids
or ice cubes. So we can make it into. You can make
it, make it into a honey also. it's very big on
Instagram now that it can help you lose weight.
no, no, That's Instagram for you. Yeah, no. And
(38:09):
I'm always like, if you want to lose weight, drink
lemon balm. I'm like, if you want to chill out
Drink lemon balm. So it's not, it's not the
ozempic of the herbal world, which they're also
saying. But it's great for kids, it's great for
adults, it's great for geriatrics. It's antiviral.
So kids get, you know, drippy noses all the time,
fluid in their ears, and it calms the system down.
(38:32):
So when someone gets a virus, they get a little
agitated. And lemon balm calms it down. And. Or
you can have lemon balm before you go to bed,
before a meeting. Calming and soothing. I would
say the skullcap is a little more powerful. I
would say the lemon balm is a little bit calmer.
But they mix well together because you get that
(38:53):
intense calm and that calm calm, and it's great.
>> Wendy Valentine (38:56):
You know what I love about this is that it teaches
you to be more in tune with your body and to
listen and to. Like you were saying earlier, like,
okay, m. I'm having anxiety. Well, what kind of
anxiety? Like, where are you feeling this anxiety?
Are you having. And so you. It's listening to your
body more and then reaching for something that
will help your body.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (39:17):
Right. And I love that point, Wendy, because, you
know, again, my teacher, when he was teaching
depression, he was like, it's not an umbrella.
It's just not. There are so many different types.
There are so many different types of anxiety, so
many different types of sadness. And you're right,
when we tune into it, we can be more specific.
(39:39):
And, you know, it's interesting because talk
therapy is fantastic. Everyone needs someone to
speak to. But we find that in many cases, long
term talk therapy doesn't solve the problem.
Because if you feel your anxiety in your stomach,
your stomach has tissue memory. And the second you
(40:01):
feel that anxious thought or experience something
that can cause that anxiousness, you feel it in
your stomach right away. So talking about it is
not going to shift that tissue memory. So I was
listening to a podcast last night and this man was
saying it takes a minimum of 30 days to change a
(40:22):
habit. And I was like, last night? Okay, all
right. So that's why it doesn't work after a week.
It doesn't. So if we're going to take an herb for
30 days, we're going to start to see a shift in
our body's reaction, what's going on in our brain.
And that's why we were talking before about
dosage. If, you know, this next month, I would, I,
(40:45):
would say like a shit show. But I don't know if we
can say that on your podcast.
>> Wendy Valentine (40:49):
Yeah.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (40:50):
You know, that's your month. Like, it didn't even
start. You know, that's what's going to happen. So
why do we have to wait, you know, to have all that
crisis? Just start taking your skullcap and mother
ward, daily. Because you know this month is going
to be a rough one. And then your body doesn't have
to react. Because remember, our body's reactions
(41:10):
are our defense mechanism. So somewhere in our
brain, our, our, our, our body feels that to
clench your jaw is going to help. And maybe as a
kid, you would get smacked by a parent if you
opened your mouth. I'm just giving an example. So
you learned at a young age to grit your teeth and
not say anything. Maybe you're in a bad marriage.
(41:33):
You're in a marriage with an alcoholic and just
never know what word is going to flare that. So
you find that crunching your chest is going to
prevent you from saying what you really
intuitively want to. So even if you've left that
marriage or the parent that smacked you is no
longer alive, we still have that tissue memory.
(41:54):
Wendy. How do we get. Get rid of it? Talk, therapy
for sure. But the herbs can stop our body from
responding in a way that doesn't help heal us and
harms us.
>> Wendy Valentine (42:07):
Oh, I love it.
I'm going to ask a question that I'm sure a lot of
women out there will want the answer to. Hot
flashes and night sweats.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (42:16):
Yeah. So I love it. So the poster child for hot
flashes is black cohosh. Yeah. Black cohosh has
its place. It's not my favorite for night swings.
Black cohosh is more for pain, moodiness, and
gloominess. Now, I'm not saying hot flashes can't
(42:37):
create that. Right. That moodiness and gloominess,
similar to motherwort. Black cohosh is a darker
gloomy. That's what I like that for. But for hot
flashes, I really like sage, the herb. Sage. Yes.
It's a spice. There are many different sages. And
(42:59):
you can get sage and tincture. Hot flashes also
cause anxiety. Waking up in the middle of the
night and changing your nightgown three to ten
times causes anxiousness. And. And sage really,
really works. Now I'm going to say things. Excuse
me. That will blow people's mind. Eating a lot of
(43:20):
soy products, unless you're, a blood type B can
really help with hot flashes. Really bad rap in
America. Soybeans, it's like, oh, my gosh. It's
like devil soy. Like, they're like, on the same
line.
>> Wendy Valentine (43:39):
I can remember that was like, was it maybe 20
years ago? Remember they came out with some crazy
report about soy. And then that was right when I
was kind of like in, you know, the perimenopause.
Right. I'm like, you. I'm like the post menopause.
Or. I got in trouble for saying that one doctor.
There's like, there's no such thing as post
menopause. You're always in menopause. I'm like,
(44:00):
well, okay, whatever. But anyways. Yes. but yeah,
so for. For post menopause. Yes. Soy. Soy has been
great for me. I went back to that after I had
realized. I was like, that's gotta be just
hogwash. Like, no, soy's great.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (44:14):
So blood type Bs do not do well with soy. And, our
blood types are A, O, B, A, B. This is another
show, Wendy, about the differences. And it's
really phenom. But if you're not a blood type B,
soy, it's not a natural estrogen. It's similar to
estrogen. We don't want hormone replacement
(44:36):
therapy. And we could discuss that to a whole
nother show. But anyways, but to put a natural soy
product that has some natural estrogen can really
help with those night, sweats and those hot
flashes. So I'm a big fan of it. Edamame, tofu,
(44:56):
miso, real soy sauce. Not the one, you know, that
you get that are just kind of like, you know,
like, sugar and. And seasonings. Real, soy. You
know, again, I was just in Japan, and it's just
part of their diet. I know. it's gorgeous. Their
hair is sleek and shiny. Yes. They do spend a lot
(45:17):
of time on their skin. It encouraged me do a
little more skin care. But soy, it's like, they
don't. It's just part of three meals a day. Rice
is part of three meals a day. And I was watching
and observing. So I think that, we have a big
misunderstanding of soy.
>> Wendy Valentine (45:33):
Yes, exactly.
Was that your first time to Japan?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (45:36):
Yes. Have you been there before?
>> Wendy Valentine (45:38):
I haven't. It's on my list.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (45:40):
Yeah. It was very. It was very fascinating. I'm
really glad I went, you know, as much research as
you do, as I did before, it wasn't enough. And now
that I've gone once, now I understand that. How to
go back a second time. Like every day, I'm
revisiting. Oh, my. I should have gone here. But
it was very fascinating. and it should be on Your
bucket list.
>> Wendy Valentine (45:59):
It's worth going any, I'm sure, with what you do.
Were there any ahas with discoveries about herbs
and how they. How they like natural remedies?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (46:11):
Yeah. Well, I was really surprised to learn that
Wasabi M. 99% of Wasabi is not wasabi. That wasabi
is a really ancient plant. It's expensive. And all
of our wasabi with our sushi is straight
horseradish, which is a root that grows, and they
(46:32):
put in blue and green dye. So I was really,
really, really shocked about that. That I was
really like. Because I went to a fish market, I
found real wasabi root. I saw real wasabi. Oh, my
God. Say that again five times. And, that was
really surprising. I wasn't aware that our wasabi
(46:52):
is not wasabi. And I was shocked that they put
maca in everything. It's not just, you know, your
tea. You get cookies with this gorgeous green
color, and it's in the cookies. They take the
powdered tea and they put it in their ice cream.
The most popular color ice cream is a green ice
(47:16):
cream. Everywhere you go around Japan, in the
noodles, they will also use that as a spice. So
we're very limited to think that it's only a tea.
But in Japan either. I was at all the tourist
shops, which I was. But, from my observation,
looking into restaurants, I would see that it was
(47:37):
used maca in so many more things than we
understand. Fascinating.
>> Wendy Valentine (47:43):
What. What is maca? Is that a.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (47:45):
Is that a green tea leaf? Yes. And that's one
thing I didn't do in Japan, was go to a maca. I
mean, Yeah, fat. Wait, not maca. Wait a second.
Maca. Okay, now we're jumping. Oh, my God. Oh, my
God. Where's my rosemary? But it's a green tea,
(48:09):
and it's powdered, and they use it in everything.
Yes.
>> Wendy Valentine (48:15):
Oh, yeah, yeah.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (48:16):
So there is a place where you can visit the plant,
where you see where the green tea is grown, how
they dry it, how they powder it, and how they use
it in food sources all over.
>> Wendy Valentine (48:26):
Learn so much from different cultures.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (48:29):
So much. So much. M. It's really great to do
research. And when you show up in these places,
people understand what becomes popular.
>> Wendy Valentine (48:39):
Yeah, she's. She's researching right now as we
speak.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (48:43):
Oh, my God.
>> Wendy Valentine (48:44):
He's looking something up.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (48:46):
Yeah, hold on. Let's see if we have it. Yeah.
Matcha. Yeah, there we go.
>> Wendy Valentine (48:52):
Yeah, that's what I said.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (48:53):
I said maca. And maca is from South America.
That's a root it's matcha. Yes, I know.
>> Wendy Valentine (49:01):
When you said it, I was like, okay, wait, I have
some in the kitchen. Almost like, trying to think
of what that was. I was like, know. I know.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (49:07):
Oh, my God. Matcha. Matcha. So it's everywhere.
Green is just the color of Japan. Yes.
>> Wendy Valentine (49:13):
Wait, what? Which. Which is the herb for the brain
boost, because we both need it, right?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (49:18):
Rosemary. Oh, my gosh. So maa. Maa is a root, like
a potato?
>> Wendy Valentine (49:25):
Yes.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (49:26):
Powder that you can use that with fertility. Men
use it to build up vitality. Matcha we're doing.
You're allowed to correct things on podcasts.
Matcha is the green powdered, tea that's used.
Rosemary is what we all need right now. Everyone,
go get your rosemary. It brings blood flow to the
brain. So, yes, that's what I enjoyed in Japan,
(49:48):
was just seeing all these awesome, fascinating.
>> Wendy Valentine (49:52):
You've got to be one of my top five fave guests.
Don't tell me. Don't tell the other 300.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (49:58):
But of course not. Of course not. It's because I'm
honest. I do a lot.
>> Wendy Valentine (50:04):
You're so passionate. You're so passionate about
what you do. I love that.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (50:08):
Right. Because I feel, you know, it's so
interesting because I know we're probably, you
know, running out of time, as usual, but I
remember when I. I was. I live in Brooklyn. I went
to an herbal school in midtown Manhattan. And the
woman said, if you want to heal a person, see what
grows around their house. So I'm like, high heels,
(50:29):
sunglasses on my head, nails done. Everybody else
is kind of hippies. I am, for those of you not
watching, I'm not a hippie, although I do love
hippies. But that was not where I was coming from
as an herbalist. And I went over and I said, you
know, like, pulling her. Her shirt like a. Like a.
Like a kindergartner. I'm like, excuse me, excuse
me, I live in Brooklyn. She goes, yeah. I said,
have you seen what grows around me? There's
concrete, there's fire escapes. We've got a lot of
(50:51):
dog poop and. And cars. Which am I using to help
heal people? She said, oh, my gosh, open up your
eyes. And she handed me a Peterson Guide. So I
grabbed my husband's hand. I feel so bad for him.
And I made him walk around the block and in the
alleyways. Wendy. I saw herbs growing between the
cracks of the concrete, be around broken down
(51:15):
cars. Herbs were growing. And I found 10 medicinal
herbs growing in an urban city block in Brooklyn.
With pollution, too many people, and bad air
quality. Right? Yes. it blew my mind, Wendy. And I
became passionate about it. Because no matter
where you go in the world, no matter what weather
(51:38):
changes occur, no matter what goes on with
pollution, these herbs grow at the same time, same
time every year, through whatever soil, whatever
concrete, wherever they are. And when I travel to
India and Japan and other places, hopefully
Portugal, I can show anybody in alleyways, in
(52:00):
front of people's houses, plants that heal them.
And that's why I became so passionate.
>> Wendy Valentine (52:04):
You. You would probably be in heaven over here,
because I'm. I'm on the island of Madeira, and it
is just absolutely gorgeous. So. And I know, I
mean, I can just look out my window. There's.
There's just tons, tons of herbs and green. The
whole island is just green. Yeah.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (52:19):
Amazing. Amazing. And sadly, most people don't
know what's edible. So I have two things to share
with you. Number one is on my website, if you
don't mind me saying, I have free handouts so they
can go to sarahana.com S A R A C-H-A-N-A.com under
(52:41):
the big tab that says free handouts. I have herbs
for menopause, herbs for perimenopause, a natural
first aid kit for the summer, what to do for
winter colds and flu. So you can just print it or
put it on your desktop and there's little teeny
synopsis of different herbs. And the other thing I
highly suggest after listening to a podcast like
(53:02):
your great podcast, Wendy, is that you look up
edible plants in my area and you can put your zip
code. And I'm not saying that your listeners
should go eat these plants until they know what
they are, but it's a fun activity with kids, with
grandkids, and with partners. You just take the
(53:23):
app and you look around and everybody, no matter
where they are in the world, will be shocked to
see how many edible plants are growing right
around them that they didn't know. And, and that's
really empowering.
>> Wendy Valentine (53:35):
Wow. What, what is the app that you.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (53:38):
Said you can just Google? You can just Google
plants in my area and they're, they're going to
come, up and, you know, I'm always shocked and
people will send me emails and anybody can send me
emails through my, through my website,
sarahana.com they'll go, Sarahana, I'm in, like,
North Dakota. I just found blah, blah, blah, blah,
(54:00):
blah. Yeah, talk Kansas, or I'm in Spain and I
just found da da da so it really opens up our
eyes. So when we're walking for our health or
hiking, besides going, oh, my God, I have to go
another mile. I'm getting really hot and sweaty.
You can say, oh, my gosh, I didn't realize that
every part of the dandelion plant is edible.
>> Wendy Valentine (54:21):
Or, oh, I love dandelion. Dandelion is great for
water retention, right?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (54:26):
Dandelion leaf for water retention. Nothing's
better. Or you can look at a tree and say, oh, my
gosh, that's a chaste tree. And I know those
berries help with hormonal disharmony. So once you
see it in life and not just in a little capsule,
it kind of changes everything and it can change
(54:46):
your relationship with your environment. Ah.
>> Wendy Valentine (54:49):
you're so awesome.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (54:50):
Thank you, Wendy.
>> Wendy Valentine (54:53):
I gotta get your book.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (54:54):
Yeah, it's wonderful. I could should have sent it
to you. I don't even know how it would get to
Portugal, but it's available on Amazon and it's
easy. It's one click away. And, I think your
listeners and yourself will really enjoy it. Easy.
Lots of information. no typos because it's been
edited.
Like, we had our little typo about the matcha, you
(55:16):
know, so here we are. And it's. Thank you, Wendy.
>> Wendy Valentine (55:20):
Thank you. You're awesome. And everyone, yes,
definitely get her book. It was the number one
seller there on Amazon.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (55:27):
Yes. At certain points when I do certain shows, I
also do all the TV segments. And, people are
loving it. It just boosts to Amazon. But, you
know, these books just drop the next day.
>> Wendy Valentine (55:37):
I know.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (55:38):
A couple hours of glory and then it kind of
plummets. It's just the way that it is. So I'm on
my phone, I screenshot. Oh, my gosh. Okay, now I'm
Back to number 437. No problem. It's going to go
back up again. That's Amazon. For those of you
that are not book authors. Wendy understands being
a book author. It is the ocean. Yeah.
>> Wendy Valentine (56:00):
It's like it's more moody than my moods. Right?
Oh, my God, that's great.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (56:03):
I love that, Wendy. Yeah. So there you go. A
little mother wart, little black cohosh. And
you're gonna be fine handling those waves of your
book sales. Yes.
>> Wendy Valentine (56:13):
Thank you, Sarahana. thank you so much.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (56:15):
Thank you, Wendy. It's been a pleasure. Keep up
your amazing work. And everybody keep on listening
to her podcast. Thank you, Wendy. Thank you.
>> Wendy Valentine (56:25):
Did this podcast inspire you? Challenge you,
trigger you to make a change or spit out your
coffee? Laughing. Good. Then there are three ways
you can thank me. Number one, you can leave a
written review of this podcast podcast on Apple
iTunes. Number two, you can take a screenshot of
the episode and share it onto social media and tag
me Wendy Valentine. Number three, share it with
(56:48):
another midlifer that needs a makeover. You know
who I'm talking about. Thank you so much for
listening to the show. Get out there and be bold.
Be free. Be you.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (57:03):
Sam.
There are so many women and children who are not
(00:05):
totally falling apart. They're not quite at the
end where they even want to explore
pharmaceuticals. They're somewhere in between,
like most of us. And that's where herbs shine.
They really shine. So that's why I do these
podcasts, because I want women to understand that
you're never going to be perfect emotionally, but
(00:26):
herbs can really help.
>> Wendy Valentine (00:28):
Hey there beautiful. I'm Wendy Valentine, your
host of the Mythology Life Makeover show where
it's never too late to wake up to your best life.
Whether you're navigating a career change, empty
nesting, menopause, or wondering what's next,
you're in the right place. Every week I'll bring
you real talk, laughs and inspiring conversations
(00:48):
with experts and extraordinary women who have
transformed their lives from self care and
relationships to starting over and finding
freedom. This is your time to reinvent, rediscover
and reignite the woman you were always meant to
be. So hit that subscribe button and let's rewrite
the rules of midlife. Your new adventure starts
(01:10):
now. If you haven't heard the news yet, my book,
Women Waking the Midlife Manifesto for Passion,
Purpose and Play is finally here ready for you to
(01:32):
read, soak up the wisdom and change your life.
This isn't just another self help book, it's a
step by step guide to help you break free from
what's holding you back, rediscover your strengths
and design a life that feels full of purpose, joy
and freedom. Whether you're navigating, divorce,
(01:53):
career changes, health struggles, or just that
restless midlife feeling, these seven steps will
help you reinvent yourself and and step into the
next chapter with confidence. You can grab the
book wherever books are sold, in digital,
paperback and even audio m read by yours truly.
(02:13):
Plus, you'll get over $500 in bonuses that go
along with the book, including the Women Waking up
playbook, guided meditations and a digital vision
board. Just head to womenwakingup.com and one
quick favor, if you've already grabbed your copy,
thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please take
(02:34):
a moment to leave a review on Amazon. With over 40
million books on Amazon, your review makes this
one more visible so other women can find it too.
And together we can change lives. So grab your
copy, leave a review, and let's wake up to our
best selves together.
(02:56):
Welcome back to the Midlife Makeover Show. I'm
your host, Wendy Valentine. Today we're diving
into the world of natural remedies with someone
who truly knows her stuff. Sara Hannah
Silverstein. Sarahana is a master herbalist,
classical homeopath, best selling author of
Moodtopia. Love that name. And proud mommy of
(03:19):
seven. Oh my gosh. For over 30 years, she's helped
women and families navigate everything from stress
to hormonal changes, blending alternative medicine
with conventional care in a way that's
approachable, practical and effective. In this
episode, we'll explore how easy and affordable it
can be to bring herbal medicine into your life. To
(03:42):
feel calmer, more energized, and better balanced,
especially during perimenopause and menopause.
Hello. From, mood boosting herbs like skullcap to,
to brain clearing herbs like rosemary, Sarahana
will share her favorite remedies and simple ways
to use them in teas, tinctures, and more. Get
(04:04):
ready to feel empowered about your health and your
hormones.
Please welcome Sarah Hana to the show Wende.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (04:11):
That was such a great introduction. I'm really
grateful and I'm so happy to be here.
>> Wendy Valentine (04:17):
It is great to have you here. And if I wish y',
all, if you're listening on the podcast, you can't
see, see obviously the video, but she has all
these plants behind her and her book and it's just
like, oh my gosh, it's so nice.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (04:31):
Thank you, Wendy. You know, the introduction
though, made it seem like I'm super calm, super
chilled, and I want to be honest with everybody
out there. I have a little anxiety, stress, I feel
overwhelmed, sometimes I feel depressed, you know,
so I'm very real as a woman. Slightly over 30.
Okay. Slightly over 40. Right. So really my goal
(04:55):
with my book Mootopia Wendy was not to like become
these perfect robots. Although that's a whole
nother show and discussion. The truth is, on a day
to day basis, we get stressed, we get overwhelmed,
we have fears, our emotions, especially being a
woman, because we use both sides of our brain at
the same time. We can like love our job and hate
(05:17):
our job. We can love our partner and hate our
partner. We can feel totally confident and totally
insecure in the exact same moment. And we're
supposed to stay sane, right?
>> Wendy Valentine (05:27):
Yeah.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (05:28):
so my goal with Mutopia was to teach women and,
and give them tools, plant based herbal tools that
they can bring into their lives. So herbs have
been used for thousands of years. They're not just
for the elite, they're for the elite, the poor in
between. Every class, every person around the
(05:50):
world can learn about a couple herbs that they can
have at their disposal. So if they know that
they're going on a date, and they're not in the
mood, and they were a little constipated in the
morning, and they were super anxious, and they got
yelled up by their boss. Their babysitter didn't
show up, and they want to still go on this date
and seem somewhat normal. You mentioned the herb
(06:11):
skull cap, which is calming and soothing to the
central nervous system, so it can take the edge
off that anxiety so they can have a nice evening.
So that's where I'd really love for us to discuss.
>> Wendy Valentine (06:24):
I love that you settle that, because even with
herbs, you're still gonna have a rough day, but
you're knowing what to do with that rough day, and
you can bring more calm into. Into a tough moment,
a tough day, a tough date.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (06:39):
Whatever, whatever.
And, Wendy, it's so interesting because, I have
another book coming out this spring, and it's
Herbs for Kids. So as we discuss herbs as mothers,
grandmothers, aunts, cousins, you know, kids also
have these challenges. So we see that, you know,
(07:01):
everyone's really quick to go to Zoloft, Prozac,
Klonopin, Wellbutrin. And if anybody listening
here are on those medications and they're working
fantastic, you know, everything has a place. I
want to begin by saying conventional medicine is
not anything I'm against. Wende. When it works,
(07:21):
it's phenom. If you break your leg, don't come to
an herbalist. Please go get an X ray and get a
cast. Then you can come to me and I'll help you
repair the bone sooner. But the reason that I'm
saying this is that there are so many women and
children who are not totally falling apart.
(07:42):
They're not quite at the end where they even want
to explore pharmaceuticals. They're somewhere in
between, like most of us. And that's where herbs
shine. They really shine. So that's why I. I do
these podcasts, because I want women to understand
that you're never going to be perfed emotionally.
But herbs can really help.
>> Wendy Valentine (08:03):
Yeah. What inspired you to get so into herbs?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (08:08):
So there's so many reasons. I can begin by saying
that I was invited through, Yale University to do
a summer program at Oxford. And I was a girl that
had a lot of allergies, seasonal allergies, fall
allergies all the time. Went through the. Going
through the allergy shots, and, I mean, I guess I
was better, but. Right. So I landed in Oxford, and
(08:31):
this was way. I don't want to age myself way
before you could order things on your phone. And,
and I forgot allergy medicine. It was not. I was
more concerned about like cute shirts, cute
sandals, you know, I mean, earrings that match.
And I got there and I started having allergies. So
I didn't have a pharmacist. I didn't know what to
do. So when I was walking to one of my classes, I
went past a health food store and I went in there
(08:53):
and I said, I know you have nothing, but my eyes
are itching, my nose is dripping. I'm here for the
next eight weeks. is there anything you suggest?
So they actually gave me what is called freeze
dried nettles. And I took them, Wendy. And I made
it through the class and my eyes weren't itching
and I wasn't sneezing. And I went. And the most
(09:16):
important thing was I didn't have the side effect
because when you take an antihistamine, especially
many years ago, they would clear up and then you
would have an exacerbation where your allergies
would get worse. No problem, you retake the
medicine. So it was astounding to me, Wendy. So
instead of studying Shakespeare and Chekhov, which
I was really there, I ended up in the library
(09:38):
learning about botanical plant based medicine. And
I didn't realize the research, the consistency and
availability of herbs and that they can actually
help in a very different way than pharmaceuticals.
>> Wendy Valentine (09:54):
Yeah. And the fact that it's natural too. I've. I
used to own integrative and functional medicine
practices and just like you were saying, too,
conventional medicine is great. Right. But like, I
try to do natural when I can because it's better
for your body. You don't have to worry about the
toxins and et cetera, et cetera. But but yeah,
(10:16):
that is so important to have, that is as far as
that, natural. Natural remedies.
So where, where can you actually get. Do you
always have to go to a health food store? Can you
grow any of these herbs?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (10:27):
So let's talk about that. Great, great, great
question. So if people want to grow it, sure. I'm
in Brooklyn, New York. I've gotten summonses from
the fire department for growing things on my fire
escape. So it depends on where you are. You know
what I mean? And you can have like a grow light in
a closet, but you know, they come in and check for
that these days also. I'm kidding. So it really
(10:50):
depends on where you are. But today you can buy so
many phenomenally processed herbs on the Internet.
So I want to begin by saying that in my practice
we don't use many supplements and we don't use
herbs in capsule form because the truth is then
(11:11):
they become pharmaceutical. So it's almost
impossible to get those white powders, those
orange powders, those yellow powders in your
kitchen. You can't really do it, Wendy. So what's
happened is pharmaceutical companies have decided
since people want more natural, let's give them
(11:34):
what's called natural in pill form. So I use most
herbs in, in tincture, which I will go over right
now.
>> Wendy Valentine (11:43):
Yes, yes. That was actually my question. Like,
what is that? I even when I said it in the intro,
I was like, I hope I said that right.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (11:50):
Tincture, Right. So they must become more popular
because I'm going to explain right now. So those
of you that are watching, I'm going to show you
those that are listening, I'm going to try to
explain it the best that I can. So I'm holding up,
a little bottle of fresh rose petals. Now, all
roses are edible. I mean, I wouldn't eat the ones
(12:11):
from the florist, but if you're ever out in the
woods, rose, has high vitamin C, antioxidants, can
reduce inflammation, and most importantly, helps
with sadness and grief. What you all hospitals.
Yes. Is the flower of choice internationally are,
(12:33):
roses. So it's not a coincidence because rose is
not the most inexpensive flower. Roses have the
ability to take sadness and grief out of the
heart.
So back to my little bottle of herbs. Fascinating.
Wow. I have here some roses. The second you pick a
plant from the ground, it starts to disintegrate.
(12:54):
Think about that partially. You buy at the store,
you're going to use it. After 24 hours, it's a
little limp, you're still going to use it. The
next thing you know it's yellow or white and you
throw it away. So that's what happens with plants.
So what we do is we pour a, grain alcohol over the
plant. So I'm showing the bottle of roses and I'm
showing the grain alcohol in a tincture. You keep
(13:18):
the plant in the grain alcohol from four to six
weeks, depending on the plant roots. Longer
flowers shorter. And then you strain it and you
get what is called a tincture. I'm holding up a
little glass bottle with a dropper. And this is a
tincture. Why do I like tinctures? First of all,
(13:40):
they have a 10 year shelf life. This is not what
pharmaceutical companies want you to know. They do
not want you to know that you can have one plant
on your shelf for 10 years. And what Happens is
the alcohol breaks down the plant components, and
you have this lovely liquid that's easy to take.
So I have a little bottle of a very small tincture
(14:02):
bottle, and you can stick it in your bra strap.
Wende go throughout the day. It's hidden. No one
knows it's there. And if you're starting to get
nervous or panic, you can go like this. Take the
tincture, plop it right under your tongue. Or if
you don't like bitter taste, you can carry around
a little teeny shot glass for a little bit of
(14:23):
grape juice or cranberry juice or apple juice. Put
your tincture right into any kind of liquid, and
you drink it quickly. You can also use the cap of
your water bottle. So let's say you're just out
and about and you're taking a hike and
everything's wonderful, right? Perfect. You're
(14:44):
with your best friend in the world. You are taking
a day off of work, and you're hiking, and all of a
sudden you. You get sad and gloomy, and you're
like, what? Why would I be sad? Sad and glue. This
is m. My perfect day. It's because women have
things called hormones. Even post menopause, we
have these things called hormones, which can
hijack our brain, make us a little loca crazy. And
(15:07):
all of a sudden, we're like, what to do? So an
herb called motherwort can help with gloominess,
sadness. Women can take it before their cycle,
during their cycle, and after their cycle, meaning
they're hormonal the whole month. You can take it
during perimenopause, menopause, and post
menopause, because we still have hormones, just in
(15:29):
different. A, different organizational system in
our brains. So we already discussed mother wart,
which is for gloominess and sadness. I feel every
woman I've ever met should have it in their house.
Yeah, exactly. I know.
>> Wendy Valentine (15:45):
It's true.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (15:46):
Rose is for grief. Sadness. You have a hurt in
your heart, a relationship that didn't work. You
get fired from your job, your. Your neighbor, who
you always got along with, is all of a sudden
reporting you to the board of condo. People like
all these weird things are happening. Rose can
(16:08):
help soothe the heart. And we discuss skullcap,
which is for nervous anxiety. You have to go to
your kids pta. You have to go to your friend's
wedding. You have to go to a bar mitzvah, and you
are anxious. You can take skullcap. So the dosage
is anywhere. And again, we can't diagnose or
treat. Is 25 drops to 45 drops to, to five times a
(16:34):
day. So if you know you're going through a hard
time or even traveling. I just got back from
Japan. We can talk about that.
>> Wendy Valentine (16:43):
I saw that on your Instagram. Yeah.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (16:44):
So exciting. So I'm traveling and I. I'm not
nervous, I'm excited. It's an excited nervous. But
why not take some skullcap when I'm going through
security when I finally get on the plane for my 15
hour flight? Right. So you can take herbs and as
needed, if you're going through a stressful time,
you can take it religiously twice a day, morning
(17:07):
and evening, and it will lower your cortisol
stress hormones. If a Tuesday is not like a
typical Tuesday, it's not Taco Tuesday, and you're
very nervous, you can take it five times that day.
There's no withdrawal sensations and the body and
brain doesn't get addicted to it.
>> Wendy Valentine (17:28):
Wow. Is there anything you recommend for jet lag?
Since I'm about to travel from back to the States,
from Portugal, prepare myself so.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (17:39):
Nice. So there is an herb called rhodiola is an
herb you can take, before you fly. It's got a
little bit of a stimulant in it. and they say that
herbalists say that that will help with the time
switch. rhodiola is an herb. If you don't do well
with caffeine, don't do rhodiola. There's no
(18:00):
caffeine, but it's got that stimulant in it. Some
people love it, some people don't love it.
Rhodiola is also, besides jet lag for, depression
that leaves you like a couch potato.
>> Wendy Valentine (18:16):
Oh, that kind.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (18:18):
The depression that, you know, there's so many
different kinds of depressions. My teacher, my
herbal teacher, David Winston, I think, coins 12
different depressions. Whereas our MDs have one
blanket term for depression. So some depression
people overeat, some depression people undereat,
some depression people become workaholics, some
depression they become couch potatoes. That's
(18:40):
where rhodiola comes in. You're sitting there
going, there's 30 things I need to do. I know I
can accomplish three of them, but I'm not doing
anything because I'm depressed. So when you get
stuck in. I don't want to use the word laziness
because it's not laziness, but you feel lazy. You
feel like you can't get anything done. That's
(19:00):
rhodiola because it has a bit of a boost in it.
Now Stuck sadness is different than a, lazy
sadness. Sadness, depression interchangeable. If
you feel stuck, then the herb lavender is
fantastic. So we have the essential oil lavender,
(19:22):
but what people don't know is that we have
lavender. And I'm pulling out my little bag of
Trix here. We have lavender that you can take in
tea form or tincture. So this I'm showing
everybody lavender. We can use it in an essential
oil to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. But
(19:43):
in T form, if you're stuck in Sadness, like, I'm
60 years old. I still remember the haircut my
mother gave me in third grade. I didn't want
bangs. And I just can't get over it.
>> Wendy Valentine (19:59):
Right.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (19:59):
So I would suggest, besides talk therapy, which is
great, that you go and take some lavender tea
because, by the way, no one remembers. And you can
rip up that picture from third grade. Right. So.
So we hang on to these things all the time, Wendy.
We hang onto things and. And they really can eat
(20:20):
at our hearts. And that's where lavender. So your
question and your listeners questions need to be.
Okay, Sara, can I mix anxiety herbs with sad stuck
herbs? And yes, you could put lavender and skull
cap in the same cup because you can be anxious and
nervous and sad stuck in the job you lost three
(20:42):
years ago that you can't get over. Right? Yeah. so
when I make herbs for a client, that comes in
because people are complicated. I don't know if
you've noticed an herb with at least four to six
or eight herbs in the same bottle, and that's
called a mixture. So you can get a tincture that
(21:06):
has many different herbs.
>> Wendy Valentine (21:07):
It's a mixture of a tincture.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (21:09):
It's a tincture mixture. Mixture that say that
eight times. Just love it. So you can do that. So
there's many herbalists that pre, mix them for
you. So when I was. When I wrote my last book for
kids, I had an herbalist. He's a brilliant man,
read my book, and he said, sarhana, we rarely give
herbs singly. We give them together because they
(21:32):
make this symbiotic balance. Like, if you want to
hear jazz, it's really great to have a saxophone.
The saxophone is going to sound super awesome with
a keyboard. With the saxophone and keyboard, you
put a light drum behind it and you've got this
fantastic ensemble of music and sounds. Same thing
(21:53):
with herbs. So when we mix a couple herbs
together, we get this symbiotic ensemble. Now I
like to teach them singly to empower women to
understand what's in my mix. And why is it there?
M. Because then, women. Women and men will
(22:13):
understand what their goal is with taking this
herb. As opposed to when a doctor hands you a
medicine and says, take this when you're anxious.
Well, which kind of anxious? Just whenever you're
anxious. Well, like every morning I wake up, I'm a
little anxious, but I don't want to be. You know
what I mean? So we delve as herbalist into what is
that anxious sensation for you? Do you feel it in
(22:36):
your stomach? Does your jaw, tighten up? Do you
get tmj? Do you get muscle pain? If you tend to
get muscle pain with your anxiety, then we want
the famous herb from the Philippines called kava
kava.
>> Wendy Valentine (22:50):
Oh, I love kava kava.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (22:52):
You see?
>> Wendy Valentine (22:53):
Yeah, that's a good one.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (22:55):
Why we say it twice? I don't know. Did someone
have a stutter? I'm wondering, was it an herbalism
stutter that we got kava kava. But you can't just
say kava. You have to say kava kava. Right? So
kava kava is a fantastic herb to take before you
go to sleep if you have that muscle tension.
>> Wendy Valentine (23:13):
So you get that, like, with your neck is tense
and.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (23:17):
Yes.
>> Wendy Valentine (23:17):
Yeah, that's me.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (23:20):
Your hands. So kava kava. It's not. It depends on
how much you take of it. A lot of people do well
with taking cover during the day also. But before
you go to bed, you take a slightly larger dose,
and it will help your muscles relax. Now, in the
Philippines and a lot of places in Asia, before
(23:41):
any business people get together and make business
deals, they drink kava tea because it takes the
edge off that anxiety and stress that you can all
look this up online. I am not making this up. The
part about the stutter I totally made up, but the
cavity I did not make up. This is real. And they
(24:04):
find that there's. People are more willing to
negotiate when their muscles are calmer. They're
more willing to listen when their muscles are
calmer. And that's why this has become customary
to drink cava tea. Isn't that fantastic?
>> Wendy Valentine (24:18):
I love that. I used to drink cava tea. And I need
to go back. That's one thing. Now that I live in
Portugal, I'm trying to find some of these places
that offer things like the tinctures that I'm used
to seeing. And. But I do miss. I miss having some
of these herbs.
So question for you. Let's say I'm about to walk
(24:39):
onto Good Morning America, onto the TV show. What.
What do you suggest for a little bit of
nervousness? And also because you don't want to be
too calm. You also want your brain firing and
wiring. Right. But you want to be chill. What
would you love that?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (24:58):
So skull cap. Back to skull cap. Because skull cap
is in the mint family. It will not make you feel
tired. no hangover from. From Skullcap. And it
just takes that edge off of anxiety. So I have a
lot of people that do TV shows that sit for
medical exams, that are keynote speakers that just
(25:18):
carry skullcap with them wherever they go. And I'm
lifting up a bottle of skull cap because it's kind
of a number one go to. You may have to. Wendy,
find your dose. If you. Meaning you may do
perfectly fine at calming down at 30 drops.
Someone else need 55 or 60 drops. What you feel
(25:39):
with skullcap, you'll feel it within 20 minutes.
Wendy. A lot of these herbs that we're talking
about, you will feel they will enter the
bloodstream within 20 minutes, and you will feel a
shift. Not high, not stoned. so a shift. So if
you're going to be on Good Morning America, you
want to take it like, 20 minutes before or even a
half hour or 45. You don't have to time it.
(26:00):
Exactly. And you will still not have any brain
fog, because that's not what the plant does.
>> Wendy Valentine (26:08):
Yes. Yeah. Because that would be bad. Be like.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (26:10):
Oh, that would be, super bad. So when my clients
are sitting, sitting for their L stats or their
MCATs or their medical boards, they have to be
sharp as attack. Yeah.
So speaking about sharpening the brain, because
you brought it up. Great point. There is an herb
called rosemary. Yes. It is a seasoning for your
(26:31):
chicken or fish. It grows all over the world. I'm
sure in Portugal. I have not been there. Oh, it is
so.
>> Wendy Valentine (26:38):
It is so yummy. It's so good. Yes.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (26:41):
So rosemary in tincture. one of my teachers who
said, anybody that passes age 40 should start
taking rosemary daily. It increases blood flow up
to the brain. And what happens is, you know, we're
either sitting up or we're lying parallel to the
floor. And that's why in yoga and different
(27:05):
qigong, you do go upside down and do headstands.
So any of you that can please go do a headstand.
For those of you that are not, could you imagine
going, into Good Morning America? Excuse me once
again. I'll be right back. You sit, you do your
headstand. Your feet are kind of fluttering in the
Air a little bit. You're like, be there two more
minutes. I'm almost there. You said you got to
(27:27):
refix your hair. You will. You would have this
fantastic flow of blood to your brain. You would
be quick and astute. I just don't know if we
should be doing it publicly. Wendy, I really
discuss.
>> Wendy Valentine (27:40):
We'll stick with the skull cap and the rosemary. I
think that's better.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (27:44):
I think it's, you know, like, could you imagine?
We're going to start a fad, Wendy. Okay. Rosemary
is fantastic because it does. It's a circulatory
herb, can help with varicose veins, can help if
your feet feel tired or heavy, especially
perimenopause or menopause. And rosemary without a
(28:06):
caffeine boost will lift that blood to the brain.
So people should take it every day when they wake
up. Just some rosemary tincture.
>> Wendy Valentine (28:15):
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and embrace the superhero within you.
Can you make teas, like, from. With rosemary?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (29:09):
Sure. So great transition. So those of you that
are listening cannot see this. Those of you that
are watching can. This is a great, easy,
inexpensive little tea carrier. All right? So I
love this because it's glass and it's stainless
steel, and it's got this little filter here,
Wendy, where you can put any kind of tea that you
(29:31):
want. You just fill this up with tea. Screw this
cover back on. I'm demonstrating. For those of you
that are listening, pour some hot water over this.
You can put boiling water. You could add some
honey, some maple syrup, any kind of sweetener.
and carry this with you throughout the day. So
you're in Portugal, which I have not visited yet.
>> Wendy Valentine (29:51):
Well, you better get here.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (29:53):
Yes, yes, it's on my list. but in America, people
are not tea drinkers. They're just part of the
culture. And that's why I've gravitated to
tincture, because it's quick and efficient. Now, I
did visit India, where tea drinking is completely
normal and typical. So if I was Teaching in India,
(30:15):
I would talk about all these herbs in tea form.
But anybody that's not regularly drinking tea,
like in la, they have drive through Starbucks. You
think you can't get out of your car park, go in an
order, it's like, drive through Starbucks. I was
shocked when I saw it. Like, oh, my gosh. So it
depends really on the culture that you're from.
Yeah, if you're from a tea drinking culture, then
(30:38):
sure, you can put some rose petals, you can put
some skull cap leaves, you can put some mother
wort right in there, make your own combination and
drink the tea. If you're a neurotic type A
personality, a little bit overwhelmed, you're
going to use your tincture because people tend to
be more consistent with the tinker when. Because
(30:59):
it's easy and quick and literally. Literally takes
you five seconds. Yeah, maybe six, but not even 10
seconds.
>> Wendy Valentine (31:08):
And a lot of these, I mean, I used to get some of
mine at whatever, Whole Foods or like you said,
you can order them online, you can get them
everywhere. Yeah, there's so many.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (31:19):
If you would like me to mention the companies I
like, I do not represent them. It's your choice,
Wendy. You let me know.
>> Wendy Valentine (31:28):
Yeah, yeah, go ahead.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (31:29):
Yeah, sure. So I like herb companies that have a
master herbalist like me behind the scenes
checking the. The herb. And I want everyone to
know that these herbs that are. That are purchased
from reputable companies, they check for
pesticides, they check for lead. They also make
(31:49):
sure it's the right genus of the plant. Because
when you're getting a big bag of herbs from India,
unless you're an herbalist, they could literally
sell you anything and you wouldn't know it. Right.
So we have a problem with tumeric because
turmeric. And I'll go back to the companies.
Tumeric is a root herb. It's a root plant. you. It
(32:13):
literally looks like garlic or ginger. You peel it
and it's this vibrant orange color. So in parts of
the world, to make more money, they take the
tincture in powdered form, add it with rice flour,
because the rice flour gets dyed orange. And in
America, you don't even need to write rice powder
(32:37):
on the ingredient list because it's considered an
inert ingredient. So with my office, we only use
turmeric in an oil form, which is just the pressed
turmeric we get out the oil. So I'm just giving an
example of why you want to behind the scenes. So
most of our turmeric is mostly colored rice
(32:58):
powder, which has no bad side effects. Not going
to hurt anybody. It may just not reduce the
inflammation you want it to reduce. So back to the
companies. So in America, and I don't know,
Portugal, but it's fun to research it. And I know
they have herbs there and herbalists and
tinctures, for sure. But I like a company called
(33:18):
Herbalist and Alchemist, another herb company
called Herb Farm, and the last one I'll discuss is
Wish Garden Herbs, available on Amazon. Not
pushing anything, easy to get. And I. There's
many, many more herbal companies. We could have a
(33:39):
whole class on that. But these three are reliable.
They have herbalists overlooking the production of
the herbs. And I know that they're checking for
pesticides and leads. So that's why I mentioned
those companies.
>> Wendy Valentine (33:52):
I love it. Yeah, I'm definitely going to search
for some soon here.
your book. So in Moodtopia. Tell us a little bit
more about the book. How it's. How it's laid out.
I'm assuming then you can, like, look up. All
right, I'm having stomach, issues. And then you
can find some herbs that are good for that.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (34:10):
Yes. Thank you so much for bringing that up,
Wendy. So I think it's very easy to read. I had a.
An editor who would say to me, sarah, Hannah, that
sounds really good, I'm sure in your brain. But as
a reader, I'm a little lost. And I loved it,
Wendy, because she was like. I'd be like, oh.
She'd then say, like, I. I, know that we should
(34:33):
have 25 footnotes here. And since we don't, can
you be straightforward and simplify this? So I
think the book is easy to read because I had a
great editor, and I go through all the herbs we're
discussing and more individually. And with each
herb, I not only tell you about the herb and the
(34:54):
action. That's the word we herbalists say. What's
the action? Action in the body. Where is it going
to work in your body? Your. Your urinary tracting.
Urinary tract system, your sinuses, your throat or
your brain? We discussed that. And then I give
little stories of clients so you could say, oh, my
gosh, you know what? I can relate that. That's
(35:15):
exactly where I'm at. I do want people to begin
combining a couple herbs together, but I really
feel learn about them singly because you're
smarter, more empowered. And then when you're out
and about traveling, you can pick up the. The herb
and say, oh, wow, there's holy basil in there,
there's. Oh, God. I know this combination is going
to work. Like when I was in India, the truth is
(35:38):
one, I tried to pretend my goal was I was on a
tour to like, like, not say what I do or try to
treat everybody. Just kind of like be an observer,
right? So of course a woman falls and breaks her
wrist and I'm sitting there going, I have to take
action, right? So I immediately went to a, ah,
pharmacy in India. And no, I do not speak the
(35:59):
language, unfortunately. but I was able because it
was put also in Latin most herbalists. And so I
knew exactly what to get for her anywhere I was in
the world. And we went and I gave her some arnica,
which is homeopathic remedy for a fall. I gave her
some herbs to reduce inflammation. And before she
(36:19):
got her cast, when we were at a meal, I walked
into the kitchen, nuts and speaking a word of the
language, and I asked them to grate a potato,
which they did. And I found a piece of cloth,
because you can find cloth everywhere in India.
And I poultice, put it over the area and the
inflammation went down before our eyes. Because a
(36:42):
potato poultice is for banging your knee, swelling
of your knee, twisting your ankle, a bug bite, a
bee bite, any inflammation in the body. You can,
you can literally take a potato, grate it, squeeze
out the juice, put it in either a muslin cloth or
any kind of cloth, put it over the area. And she
(37:03):
was able to make it through the night before she,
you know, got something to stabilize it just with
a potato. And I could explain with my non Hindu,
Hindu how to make a potato poultice. So there you
go. That's knowing herbal medicine.
>> Wendy Valentine (37:19):
I bet you use a lot of this with your kids, with
your seven children.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (37:24):
Yes. I have, thank God, five boys and two girls.
And I'm somewhat sane and I do use the word
somewhat. yes, they were my guinea pigs, True
Confession and all their friends. And I would see
these herbs working right before my eyes. Like,
there's an herb called lemon balm from the mint.
>> Wendy Valentine (37:45):
Yes, that's a good one.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (37:47):
You can make it into tea. Tea or ice pops for kids
or ice cubes. So we can make it into. You can make
it, make it into a honey also. it's very big on
Instagram now that it can help you lose weight.
no, no, That's Instagram for you. Yeah, no. And
(38:09):
I'm always like, if you want to lose weight, drink
lemon balm. I'm like, if you want to chill out
Drink lemon balm. So it's not, it's not the
ozempic of the herbal world, which they're also
saying. But it's great for kids, it's great for
adults, it's great for geriatrics. It's antiviral.
So kids get, you know, drippy noses all the time,
fluid in their ears, and it calms the system down.
(38:32):
So when someone gets a virus, they get a little
agitated. And lemon balm calms it down. And. Or
you can have lemon balm before you go to bed,
before a meeting. Calming and soothing. I would
say the skullcap is a little more powerful. I
would say the lemon balm is a little bit calmer.
But they mix well together because you get that
(38:53):
intense calm and that calm calm, and it's great.
>> Wendy Valentine (38:56):
You know what I love about this is that it teaches
you to be more in tune with your body and to
listen and to. Like you were saying earlier, like,
okay, m. I'm having anxiety. Well, what kind of
anxiety? Like, where are you feeling this anxiety?
Are you having. And so you. It's listening to your
body more and then reaching for something that
will help your body.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (39:17):
Right. And I love that point, Wendy, because, you
know, again, my teacher, when he was teaching
depression, he was like, it's not an umbrella.
It's just not. There are so many different types.
There are so many different types of anxiety, so
many different types of sadness. And you're right,
when we tune into it, we can be more specific.
(39:39):
And, you know, it's interesting because talk
therapy is fantastic. Everyone needs someone to
speak to. But we find that in many cases, long
term talk therapy doesn't solve the problem.
Because if you feel your anxiety in your stomach,
your stomach has tissue memory. And the second you
(40:01):
feel that anxious thought or experience something
that can cause that anxiousness, you feel it in
your stomach right away. So talking about it is
not going to shift that tissue memory. So I was
listening to a podcast last night and this man was
saying it takes a minimum of 30 days to change a
(40:22):
habit. And I was like, last night? Okay, all
right. So that's why it doesn't work after a week.
It doesn't. So if we're going to take an herb for
30 days, we're going to start to see a shift in
our body's reaction, what's going on in our brain.
And that's why we were talking before about
dosage. If, you know, this next month, I would, I,
(40:45):
would say like a shit show. But I don't know if we
can say that on your podcast.
>> Wendy Valentine (40:49):
Yeah.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (40:50):
You know, that's your month. Like, it didn't even
start. You know, that's what's going to happen. So
why do we have to wait, you know, to have all that
crisis? Just start taking your skullcap and mother
ward, daily. Because you know this month is going
to be a rough one. And then your body doesn't have
to react. Because remember, our body's reactions
(41:10):
are our defense mechanism. So somewhere in our
brain, our, our, our, our body feels that to
clench your jaw is going to help. And maybe as a
kid, you would get smacked by a parent if you
opened your mouth. I'm just giving an example. So
you learned at a young age to grit your teeth and
not say anything. Maybe you're in a bad marriage.
(41:33):
You're in a marriage with an alcoholic and just
never know what word is going to flare that. So
you find that crunching your chest is going to
prevent you from saying what you really
intuitively want to. So even if you've left that
marriage or the parent that smacked you is no
longer alive, we still have that tissue memory.
(41:54):
Wendy. How do we get. Get rid of it? Talk, therapy
for sure. But the herbs can stop our body from
responding in a way that doesn't help heal us and
harms us.
>> Wendy Valentine (42:07):
Oh, I love it.
I'm going to ask a question that I'm sure a lot of
women out there will want the answer to. Hot
flashes and night sweats.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (42:16):
Yeah. So I love it. So the poster child for hot
flashes is black cohosh. Yeah. Black cohosh has
its place. It's not my favorite for night swings.
Black cohosh is more for pain, moodiness, and
gloominess. Now, I'm not saying hot flashes can't
(42:37):
create that. Right. That moodiness and gloominess,
similar to motherwort. Black cohosh is a darker
gloomy. That's what I like that for. But for hot
flashes, I really like sage, the herb. Sage. Yes.
It's a spice. There are many different sages. And
(42:59):
you can get sage and tincture. Hot flashes also
cause anxiety. Waking up in the middle of the
night and changing your nightgown three to ten
times causes anxiousness. And. And sage really,
really works. Now I'm going to say things. Excuse
me. That will blow people's mind. Eating a lot of
(43:20):
soy products, unless you're, a blood type B can
really help with hot flashes. Really bad rap in
America. Soybeans, it's like, oh, my gosh. It's
like devil soy. Like, they're like, on the same
line.
>> Wendy Valentine (43:39):
I can remember that was like, was it maybe 20
years ago? Remember they came out with some crazy
report about soy. And then that was right when I
was kind of like in, you know, the perimenopause.
Right. I'm like, you. I'm like the post menopause.
Or. I got in trouble for saying that one doctor.
There's like, there's no such thing as post
menopause. You're always in menopause. I'm like,
(44:00):
well, okay, whatever. But anyways. Yes. but yeah,
so for. For post menopause. Yes. Soy. Soy has been
great for me. I went back to that after I had
realized. I was like, that's gotta be just
hogwash. Like, no, soy's great.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (44:14):
So blood type Bs do not do well with soy. And, our
blood types are A, O, B, A, B. This is another
show, Wendy, about the differences. And it's
really phenom. But if you're not a blood type B,
soy, it's not a natural estrogen. It's similar to
estrogen. We don't want hormone replacement
(44:36):
therapy. And we could discuss that to a whole
nother show. But anyways, but to put a natural soy
product that has some natural estrogen can really
help with those night, sweats and those hot
flashes. So I'm a big fan of it. Edamame, tofu,
(44:56):
miso, real soy sauce. Not the one, you know, that
you get that are just kind of like, you know,
like, sugar and. And seasonings. Real, soy. You
know, again, I was just in Japan, and it's just
part of their diet. I know. it's gorgeous. Their
hair is sleek and shiny. Yes. They do spend a lot
(45:17):
of time on their skin. It encouraged me do a
little more skin care. But soy, it's like, they
don't. It's just part of three meals a day. Rice
is part of three meals a day. And I was watching
and observing. So I think that, we have a big
misunderstanding of soy.
>> Wendy Valentine (45:33):
Yes, exactly.
Was that your first time to Japan?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (45:36):
Yes. Have you been there before?
>> Wendy Valentine (45:38):
I haven't. It's on my list.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (45:40):
Yeah. It was very. It was very fascinating. I'm
really glad I went, you know, as much research as
you do, as I did before, it wasn't enough. And now
that I've gone once, now I understand that. How to
go back a second time. Like every day, I'm
revisiting. Oh, my. I should have gone here. But
it was very fascinating. and it should be on Your
bucket list.
>> Wendy Valentine (45:59):
It's worth going any, I'm sure, with what you do.
Were there any ahas with discoveries about herbs
and how they. How they like natural remedies?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (46:11):
Yeah. Well, I was really surprised to learn that
Wasabi M. 99% of Wasabi is not wasabi. That wasabi
is a really ancient plant. It's expensive. And all
of our wasabi with our sushi is straight
horseradish, which is a root that grows, and they
(46:32):
put in blue and green dye. So I was really,
really, really shocked about that. That I was
really like. Because I went to a fish market, I
found real wasabi root. I saw real wasabi. Oh, my
God. Say that again five times. And, that was
really surprising. I wasn't aware that our wasabi
(46:52):
is not wasabi. And I was shocked that they put
maca in everything. It's not just, you know, your
tea. You get cookies with this gorgeous green
color, and it's in the cookies. They take the
powdered tea and they put it in their ice cream.
The most popular color ice cream is a green ice
(47:16):
cream. Everywhere you go around Japan, in the
noodles, they will also use that as a spice. So
we're very limited to think that it's only a tea.
But in Japan either. I was at all the tourist
shops, which I was. But, from my observation,
looking into restaurants, I would see that it was
(47:37):
used maca in so many more things than we
understand. Fascinating.
>> Wendy Valentine (47:43):
What. What is maca? Is that a.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (47:45):
Is that a green tea leaf? Yes. And that's one
thing I didn't do in Japan, was go to a maca. I
mean, Yeah, fat. Wait, not maca. Wait a second.
Maca. Okay, now we're jumping. Oh, my God. Oh, my
God. Where's my rosemary? But it's a green tea,
(48:09):
and it's powdered, and they use it in everything.
Yes.
>> Wendy Valentine (48:15):
Oh, yeah, yeah.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (48:16):
So there is a place where you can visit the plant,
where you see where the green tea is grown, how
they dry it, how they powder it, and how they use
it in food sources all over.
>> Wendy Valentine (48:26):
Learn so much from different cultures.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (48:29):
So much. So much. M. It's really great to do
research. And when you show up in these places,
people understand what becomes popular.
>> Wendy Valentine (48:39):
Yeah, she's. She's researching right now as we
speak.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (48:43):
Oh, my God.
>> Wendy Valentine (48:44):
He's looking something up.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (48:46):
Yeah, hold on. Let's see if we have it. Yeah.
Matcha. Yeah, there we go.
>> Wendy Valentine (48:52):
Yeah, that's what I said.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (48:53):
I said maca. And maca is from South America.
That's a root it's matcha. Yes, I know.
>> Wendy Valentine (49:01):
When you said it, I was like, okay, wait, I have
some in the kitchen. Almost like, trying to think
of what that was. I was like, know. I know.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (49:07):
Oh, my God. Matcha. Matcha. So it's everywhere.
Green is just the color of Japan. Yes.
>> Wendy Valentine (49:13):
Wait, what? Which. Which is the herb for the brain
boost, because we both need it, right?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (49:18):
Rosemary. Oh, my gosh. So maa. Maa is a root, like
a potato?
>> Wendy Valentine (49:25):
Yes.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (49:26):
Powder that you can use that with fertility. Men
use it to build up vitality. Matcha we're doing.
You're allowed to correct things on podcasts.
Matcha is the green powdered, tea that's used.
Rosemary is what we all need right now. Everyone,
go get your rosemary. It brings blood flow to the
brain. So, yes, that's what I enjoyed in Japan,
(49:48):
was just seeing all these awesome, fascinating.
>> Wendy Valentine (49:52):
You've got to be one of my top five fave guests.
Don't tell me. Don't tell the other 300.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (49:58):
But of course not. Of course not. It's because I'm
honest. I do a lot.
>> Wendy Valentine (50:04):
You're so passionate. You're so passionate about
what you do. I love that.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (50:08):
Right. Because I feel, you know, it's so
interesting because I know we're probably, you
know, running out of time, as usual, but I
remember when I. I was. I live in Brooklyn. I went
to an herbal school in midtown Manhattan. And the
woman said, if you want to heal a person, see what
grows around their house. So I'm like, high heels,
(50:29):
sunglasses on my head, nails done. Everybody else
is kind of hippies. I am, for those of you not
watching, I'm not a hippie, although I do love
hippies. But that was not where I was coming from
as an herbalist. And I went over and I said, you
know, like, pulling her. Her shirt like a. Like a.
Like a kindergartner. I'm like, excuse me, excuse
me, I live in Brooklyn. She goes, yeah. I said,
have you seen what grows around me? There's
concrete, there's fire escapes. We've got a lot of
(50:51):
dog poop and. And cars. Which am I using to help
heal people? She said, oh, my gosh, open up your
eyes. And she handed me a Peterson Guide. So I
grabbed my husband's hand. I feel so bad for him.
And I made him walk around the block and in the
alleyways. Wendy. I saw herbs growing between the
cracks of the concrete, be around broken down
(51:15):
cars. Herbs were growing. And I found 10 medicinal
herbs growing in an urban city block in Brooklyn.
With pollution, too many people, and bad air
quality. Right? Yes. it blew my mind, Wendy. And I
became passionate about it. Because no matter
where you go in the world, no matter what weather
(51:38):
changes occur, no matter what goes on with
pollution, these herbs grow at the same time, same
time every year, through whatever soil, whatever
concrete, wherever they are. And when I travel to
India and Japan and other places, hopefully
Portugal, I can show anybody in alleyways, in
(52:00):
front of people's houses, plants that heal them.
And that's why I became so passionate.
>> Wendy Valentine (52:04):
You. You would probably be in heaven over here,
because I'm. I'm on the island of Madeira, and it
is just absolutely gorgeous. So. And I know, I
mean, I can just look out my window. There's.
There's just tons, tons of herbs and green. The
whole island is just green. Yeah.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (52:19):
Amazing. Amazing. And sadly, most people don't
know what's edible. So I have two things to share
with you. Number one is on my website, if you
don't mind me saying, I have free handouts so they
can go to sarahana.com S A R A C-H-A-N-A.com under
(52:41):
the big tab that says free handouts. I have herbs
for menopause, herbs for perimenopause, a natural
first aid kit for the summer, what to do for
winter colds and flu. So you can just print it or
put it on your desktop and there's little teeny
synopsis of different herbs. And the other thing I
highly suggest after listening to a podcast like
(53:02):
your great podcast, Wendy, is that you look up
edible plants in my area and you can put your zip
code. And I'm not saying that your listeners
should go eat these plants until they know what
they are, but it's a fun activity with kids, with
grandkids, and with partners. You just take the
(53:23):
app and you look around and everybody, no matter
where they are in the world, will be shocked to
see how many edible plants are growing right
around them that they didn't know. And, and that's
really empowering.
>> Wendy Valentine (53:35):
Wow. What, what is the app that you.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (53:38):
Said you can just Google? You can just Google
plants in my area and they're, they're going to
come, up and, you know, I'm always shocked and
people will send me emails and anybody can send me
emails through my, through my website,
sarahana.com they'll go, Sarahana, I'm in, like,
North Dakota. I just found blah, blah, blah, blah,
(54:00):
blah. Yeah, talk Kansas, or I'm in Spain and I
just found da da da so it really opens up our
eyes. So when we're walking for our health or
hiking, besides going, oh, my God, I have to go
another mile. I'm getting really hot and sweaty.
You can say, oh, my gosh, I didn't realize that
every part of the dandelion plant is edible.
>> Wendy Valentine (54:21):
Or, oh, I love dandelion. Dandelion is great for
water retention, right?
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (54:26):
Dandelion leaf for water retention. Nothing's
better. Or you can look at a tree and say, oh, my
gosh, that's a chaste tree. And I know those
berries help with hormonal disharmony. So once you
see it in life and not just in a little capsule,
it kind of changes everything and it can change
(54:46):
your relationship with your environment. Ah.
>> Wendy Valentine (54:49):
you're so awesome.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (54:50):
Thank you, Wendy.
>> Wendy Valentine (54:53):
I gotta get your book.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (54:54):
Yeah, it's wonderful. I could should have sent it
to you. I don't even know how it would get to
Portugal, but it's available on Amazon and it's
easy. It's one click away. And, I think your
listeners and yourself will really enjoy it. Easy.
Lots of information. no typos because it's been
edited.
Like, we had our little typo about the matcha, you
(55:16):
know, so here we are. And it's. Thank you, Wendy.
>> Wendy Valentine (55:20):
Thank you. You're awesome. And everyone, yes,
definitely get her book. It was the number one
seller there on Amazon.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (55:27):
Yes. At certain points when I do certain shows, I
also do all the TV segments. And, people are
loving it. It just boosts to Amazon. But, you
know, these books just drop the next day.
>> Wendy Valentine (55:37):
I know.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (55:38):
A couple hours of glory and then it kind of
plummets. It's just the way that it is. So I'm on
my phone, I screenshot. Oh, my gosh. Okay, now I'm
Back to number 437. No problem. It's going to go
back up again. That's Amazon. For those of you
that are not book authors. Wendy understands being
a book author. It is the ocean. Yeah.
>> Wendy Valentine (56:00):
It's like it's more moody than my moods. Right?
Oh, my God, that's great.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (56:03):
I love that, Wendy. Yeah. So there you go. A
little mother wart, little black cohosh. And
you're gonna be fine handling those waves of your
book sales. Yes.
>> Wendy Valentine (56:13):
Thank you, Sarahana. thank you so much.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (56:15):
Thank you, Wendy. It's been a pleasure. Keep up
your amazing work. And everybody keep on listening
to her podcast. Thank you, Wendy. Thank you.
>> Wendy Valentine (56:25):
Did this podcast inspire you? Challenge you,
trigger you to make a change or spit out your
coffee? Laughing. Good. Then there are three ways
you can thank me. Number one, you can leave a
written review of this podcast podcast on Apple
iTunes. Number two, you can take a screenshot of
the episode and share it onto social media and tag
me Wendy Valentine. Number three, share it with
(56:48):
another midlifer that needs a makeover. You know
who I'm talking about. Thank you so much for
listening to the show. Get out there and be bold.
Be free. Be you.
>> Sara Chana Silverstein (57:03):
Sam.
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