Ya, Sha’ban
The sacred month of Rajab has passed and Sha’ban is here. Now, we strive hard to prepare for and, bi ithni Allah ta ‘aalaa, reach the month of mercy: Ramadan.
Some of the earliest Muslims, would pray: “O Allah, keep me safe until Ramadan, keep Ramadan safe for me, and accept it from me.”
The season of purification that we find ourselves in during the month of Ramadan holds precious gifts, the greatest of them being to draw nearer to the Creator through devoted worship. With daily fasting, frequent prayers, reading and reciting the Qur’an, increased charity and service to the community and our neighbors, and mindful self-discipline, we improve our spiritual health in a beautiful way.
Fasting benefits our physical health very clearly. It has served as a healing therapy among natural healers for thousands of years. Research also points to the physical benefits of fasting:
Weight loss: fasting was an effective method for reducing body weight and body fat in both overweight and obese individuals (Harris et al., 2018).
Improved insulin sensitivity: fasting can improve insulin sensitivity, which is important for regulating blood sugar levels and preventing type 2 diabetes (Varady et al., 2011).
Reduced inflammation: fasting may help reduce inflammation in the body, which is a risk factor for several chronic diseases (Chung et al., 2016).
Improved cardiovascular health: fasting was associated with improvements in including blood pressure and cholesterol levels (Barnosky et al., 2014).
Herbs Can Help With Fasting
With benefits like these, it’s important to help your body reap the rewards. Herbs can help in a few ways. When you include herbs as a part of your get ready for Ramadan plan, you will already have routines and strategies in place, before Ramadan starts, so that it’s easy and seamless to:
Boost your nourishment, without synthetic supplements
Keep up your strength and endurance for a demanding and busy daily schedule
Build a deep well of energy, without burning out your adrenals with coffee and black tea
Improve your hydration, with natural sources of fiber and nutrients
Feeling strong, nourished, energized, and hydrated is possible throughout all the days of Ramadan when you have herbs in your toolkit. And when you feel like you might be hitting a dip in your energy, you’ll know just the herbs to help get you back on track.
The Best Herbs for Your Ramadan Fast
Nutrition: oatstraw, dandelion, nettle, irish moss
Grasses like oatstraw, plus common plants like dandelion, nettle, and irish moss, are known to provide beneficial sources of nutrients needed in the body. Here’s why: they contain massive amounts of minerals, helpful phytochemicals, and loads of fiber.
Strong endurance: goji berries
An amazingly powerful berry, the goji berry, is packed with plant chemicals that keep up your strength and endurance. Here’s why: a goji berry contains 18 kinds of amino acids, including all 8 essential amino acids, and up to 21 trace minerals, and iron.
Energy: green tea, ginseng
There are so many reasons to include green tea and ginseng in your Ramadan routine. Here’s why: Green tea has a high concentration of antioxidants that make it a smart choice to help detox throughout the fasting day; it's also a healthy source of caffeine and energizing amino acids like L-theanine that help keep you alert and calm. Green tea and ginseng are two great partners for stress and anxiety, with ginseng especially known to help your body adapt and rebuild its adrenal reserves over time.
Hydration: marshmallow, chia seeds, dates
These 3 herbs help you stay hydrated from the inside out. Here’s why: they all contain fiber and are beneficial sources of potassium, the mineral that helps our body with thirst.
Along with the sunnah foods, like dates, for starting and completing the fast, I recommend adding these herbs to your fasting routine. Make a tea using the recipe here, or make this Goji Chia Refresher. These would make great bases for smoothies too!
References
Armstrong, L. E., Johnson, E. C., & Munoz, C. X. (2012). The Role of Potassium in Fluid Balance and Exercise. Journal of Athletic Training, 47(2), 233–237. https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-47.2.233
Barnosky, A. R., Hoddy, K. K., Unterman, T. G., & Varady, K. A. (2014). Intermittent fasting vs daily calorie restriction for type 2 diabetes prevention: a review of human findings. Translational Research, 164(4), 302–311.
Chung, H., Chou, W., Sears, D. D., Patterson, R. E., Webster, N. J., & Ellies, L. G. (2016). Time-restricted feeding improves insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis in a mouse model of postmenopausal obesity. Metabolism, 65(12), 1743–1754.
Harris, L., Hamilton, S., Azevedo, L. B., Olajide, J., De Brún, C., Waller, G., ... & Sharma, P. (2018). Intermittent fasting interventions for treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, 16(2), 507–547.
Longo, V. D., & Mattson, M. P. (2014). Fasting: molecular mechanisms and clinical applications. Cell Metabolism, 19(2), 181–192.
Varady, K. A., Bhutani, S., Church, E. C., & Klempel, M. C. (2011). Short-term modified alternate-day fasting: a novel dietary strategy for weight loss and cardioprotection in obese adults. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 94(2), 447–454.