Making Your Own Herbal Vitamin Mix

During the time that we were first working on the kids' gut issues, we discovered they were deficient in several important vitamins and minerals. We purchased supplements to get them back on track, and it really took it's toll on our budget. Most of them made a huge difference, but some of them caused bowel discomfort. As I started researching herbs more, I learned that God is pretty awesome to have put so many useful plants all around us. Plants and herbs that contain minerals, vitamins, and healing properties. After all, God did not put a CVS in the Garden of Eden. ;) Don't get me wrong, there is certainly a place for today's medicines and some of them save lives. Several of them are derived from plant sources to begin with. But why not take advantage of the herbs around us, in their original form?! I love learning about herbs, applying what I learn, and seeing results when I use them. Since studying and learning about herbs for the last couple of years, our family has not had to see a doctor for illness. Partly due to the fact that eating healthy and healing our guts has strengthened our immune systems and kept us from catching everything that goes around, but also bc I have been able to apply what I've learned about herbs when we do get sick. Learning about herbs is fun, and the boys are getting pretty good at identifying several of them in the wild. We love foraging, and we carry our field guide with us every time we hike or walk trails.

Anyway, back to talking about vitamins. ;) Since herbs are a whole food source, it is easier for our bodies to absorb and use the vitamins and minerals in them. Some require making an infusion, some require making a tincture, some can be used in tea form, and others can be encapsulated. Last year, Shoshanna over at Bulk Herb Store wrote an article about using powdered herbs in smoothies to get the health benefits from them. I decided to research what minerals I wanted the boys to have the most and which herbs are highest in those things. I also read in The ABC Herbal book about a mix the author recommended for children. So I ordered the herbs and put together my own herbal vitamin mix. Most of the herbs I could get in powdered form, and two of them I had to use my coffee grinder to grind up. I added the mix to the boys' kefir smoothies and they loved it! I use it also, and mix it with orange juice and banana or frozen fruit. I am confident we are still getting the vitamins and minerals we need this way. And it's easier on our budget!

This is the mix I use:

1 cup powdered oatstraw
1 cup ground alfalfa
1/2 cup powdered nettles
1/2 cup powdered horsetail/shavegrass
1/4 cup ground burdock root

Grind the herbs that are not in powder form.


Measure the other herbs out, and dump them into a quart size mason jar.


Cap the jar, and shake until all the herbs are mixed well. Store in the fridge or other cool place, out of direct sunlight and heat. I use 1 heaping tsp a day per person.


(From More Than Alive):
Oatstraw is high in calcium, magnesium, crude fiber, vitamin A, dietary fiber, silicon, sodium and chromium.
Alfalfa is high in cobalt, niacin, riboflavin, crude fiber, protein, vitamin C and vitamin A.
Nettles is high in vitamin C and vitamin A, protein, dietary fiber, calcium, silicon and potassium chloride.
Horsetail/Shavegrass is high in silicon, calcium, magnesium, chromium, iron, manganese, and potassium
Burdock is a blood purifier, along with containing niacin, vitamin C, chromium, copper, iron and magnesium.

For more information on these herbs or numerous other herbs or to order herbs, please visit More Than Alive or Bulk Herb Store. You can also order premixed herbal smoothie mixes at Bulk Herb Store. I love both of these companies and know they are family owned by awesome people! You can also check out the Peterson Field Guides on medicinal herbs or wild edible plants. "The Green Pharmacy" is another great informational book, one of my "go to" books regularly, along with "The How to Herb Book" and "The ABC Herbal."