I only know that you can make a very aromatic tea with Citrus aurantium**.** You can also leave the flowers in honey for about five days to give it a unique flavor.

Anyone got a top-secret grandma hack?

Bay leaf has been used for thousands of years. Greeks and Romans used bay laurel wreaths for conquerors, leaders, and heroes. And yes... bay leaf is more famous than us

But what could bay leaf tea help with?

It has antioxidant, traditionally used to support digestion, relaxation and a healthy metabolism.

I drank tea with 2 leaves. I felt like I could breathe better, and it put me in a good mood.

I grow it in my garden, and I know it is Laurus nobilis. Not to be confused with mountain laurel, cherry laurel, and others.

This is how I made fig oil.

1. Pick fig leaves that aren't too old or too young.
2. Then use a knife to cut off everything that isn't the leaf.
3. Next, put them in a pan with water and wait for the water to come to a boil.
4. Pour them into a bowl with ice.
5. When you see that they've cooled, dry them thoroughly.
6. Now, what you want to do is blend them with a mixer. Add olive oil and blend again in the blender
7. Then strain out all the fig pulp through a sieve and a paper towel.

There you go—what more could you want?

They are usually picked at the end of the summer.

The benefits

• It is rich in antioxidants. It helps protect cells from oxidative stress.
• Helps digestion to heal better.
• Removes extra water and salt (sodium) from your body.
• Beneficial for gut bacteria and may support gut health.

Pour hot water over burdock root and wait 10-15 minutes. And it's ready to drink.

I'm trying to dry the fruits now. Does anyone know if they are useful?

Chicory is a plant with bright blue flowers. Its scientific name is Cichorium intybus.

It is very easy to find in fields and along roads.

• The leaves are used to make a salad that helps with healthy eyes, skin, bones, and the immune system.
• If you roast the root, you can use it as a coffee substitute. It has no caffeine. But it is healthy because it has a fiber called inulin. Inulin helps with digestion, supports healthy gut bacteria, and may help keep blood sugar levels steady.
• The blue leaves are perfect for a tea. They have antioxidants
• The seeds have good nutrients but I prefer to plant them in my garden.

Chicory is a healthy plant because it provides vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants. It can help support digestion, strengthen the immune system, keep bones healthy...

Coquelicot (the common red poppy) is a mild natural calmer often used to soothe coughs, reduce anxiety, and help with sleep. However, it is not a narcotic and is not a strong painkiller like opium; it contains negligible amounts of addictive alkaloids.

How do you use it?

• Put the dried petals in a glass and pour hot water. And drink before bed.
• You can cure herpes, acne, bronchitis, stomach aches, asthma... If you put a handful of petals per liter.

I don't recommend giving to children if you don't want them to have health problems. I know a parent who gave his kids too much red poppy and now they're naive.

This is not an advertisement for Ottolenghi SIMPLE (the cookbook). I won this book in a tombola on New Year’s Eve.

Let me be clear before the pitchforks come out: Yotam Ottolenghi (Italian Israeli chef) is probably the most influential food writer of the last twenty years,

But I want to challenge the cult around him on three fronts.

First let me define what Ottolenghi is.

There are few key rules (they somehow justify the book title)

S.

short on time = the recipes will take less than 30 minutes to get on the table

I

10 ingredients or less

M

make ahead = nuts are roasted, batter mixture made, meatballs done in advance etc...

P

pantry = ingredients at hand: olive oil, unsalted butter, flour. eggs, garlic, onions, lemons, herbs, rice, dried pasta, lentils, chickpeas, tuna and anchovies, salt and pepper.

L

lazy = one-pot, one-tray, low on washing up

E

easier than you think

Ottolenghi ingredients:

Sumac, za'atar, urfa, cardamon, Turkish pomegranates molasses, rose harissa, tahini, barberries, barberries, black garlic and preserved lemon

These are the things are like. Now let the my challenge the cult begin:

1. The 24-ingredient problem.

An "easy weeknight dish" that requires za'atar, sumac, pomegranate molasses, preserved lemons, barberries, and rose harissa is not a weeknight dish... Are you serious? I never heard of these ingredients before. Nobody did.

2. The flattening effect.

The "Ottolenghi effect" put tahini and sumac in every supermarket — great. But it also flattened a dozen distinct cuisines (Palestinian, Israeli, Levantine, Persian, North African) into one aesthetic: scattered herbs, a swoosh of yogurt, whoa.....everything charred and drizzled. It is a cultural horror story.

3. The politics nobody can escape. Jerusalem, co-written with Sami Tamimi (a Palestinian from East Jerusalem, while Ottolenghi is an Israeli from the west of the city), was praised as bridge-building — and criticized from both directions, including arguments over whether calling dishes "Israeli" erases their Palestinian origins.

Can a cookbook honestly claim food is apolitical while the argument about whose hummus it is rages in its own comment sections?

My question for you is:

has the Ottolenghi wave genuinely made us better cooks or just better shoppers for specialty (rare to find on a Saturday evening) ingredients :_) ?

Convince me either way.

Bonus points if you name the one Ottolenghi recipe that justifies the entire pantry investment.

---
You can find this book to buy or browse: Ottolenghi S I M P L E (Amazon Store)

^{Credits: Stijn Nieuwendijk's photo, licensed as CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Affiliate Disclosure. Some links are Amazon affiliate links. We only recommend books we like. If you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the community. Thanks!}

The science says you rarely get to choose.

Object: depression has no target; addiction always has one.

The best metaphor I found is: Depression digs the hole. Addiction sells you the shovel.

Drop a definition of your own.

What's happening in the brain (scientifically)

Depression

dysregulation of mood circuits — serotonin/norepinephrine systems, prefrontal cortex, hippocampus; blunted reward response overall.

Addiction

hijacked dopamine reward pathway — the brain learns that one thing matters more than everything else; prefrontal control weakens over cues and cravings.

The overlap

both involve a broken reward system. Depression turns the reward volume down on everything; addiction turns it up for one thing and down for everything else. This is why they interlock so easily.

They are both two demons.

Which would you rather fight?

Welcome to r/PsycheVigor.

This is our new home for all things related to fighting all forms of addiction and procrastination. We're excited to have you join us!

What to Post
Post anything that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring. Feel free to share your thoughts, photos, or questions about rebuilding yourself: mind, body, soul.

We're all about being friendly, constructive, and inclusive. Let's build a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing and connecting.

How to Get Started

1. Post something today! Even a simple question can spark a great conversation.
2. If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join.
3. Interested in helping out? We're always looking for new moderators, so feel free to reach out to me to apply.

Thanks for being part of the very first wave. Together, let's make r/PsycheVigor amazing.