by The Seed SistAs
Osteoporosis, often referred to as the “silent thief of bones,” is a condition that weakens bones, making them fragile and more susceptible to fractures. You can make your bones a whole lot stronger by following some lifestyle tips and herbs to support osteoporosis and improve bone health through nutrition, and the therapeutic magic of herbs.
What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis quietly robs your skeleton of density and quality. It sets in when the body starts losing bone faster than it can replace it, or when it just isn’t making enough new bone to keep up. The result? Bones that are fragile and brittle, making even small bumps, bends, or coughs a potential fracture risk.
What can happen when you have osteoporosis?
A decade ago the lovely Pam, our elderly neighbour, fell and broke her wrist. It was a small slip on her way to the garden, something so simple, but it changed everything. Pam had always been steady, moving through her daily routines with a quiet confidence, a keen gardener who shared many cuttings with us. But after that fall, something shifted. Her wrist, once so capable of tending her beloved roses, was now wrapped in a cast, and with that came a fear we hadn’t seen in her before—the fear of falling again, of breaking something else. It wasn’t just her wrist that had become fragile; it was her spirit, too.
Before the fall, Pam was always out and about, whether she was heading to the market or joining us for an evening walk. She’d stroll round our village with an ease that belied her age. But after that day, every step seemed to come with hesitation. She started declining invitations, worried about the uneven ground . Watching her world shrink like that—her vibrant, outdoor life suddenly confined to the safety of her home—was hard for all of us who had known her for years.
Pam’s bones didn’t become fragile overnight. She was born during a time of scarcity, her teenage years marked by the second world war and the shortage of proper nutrition. Back then, there wasn’t always enough calcium or essential vitamins to nourish her growing bones.
As we move through our own perimenopausal years, knowing that bone density starts to decline in our 30s, and perimenopause speeds that up. It’s a reminder that the choices we make now will shape how we live in the future. We don’t want to be hesitant to step outside, afraid that a small stumble might change everything.
Prevention is our focus. We’ve learned that building and preserving bone mass in these years is crucial. We make sure we get enough calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium. Greens like kale and broccoli, nuts, seeds, are regulars in our meals, and take herbs to support osteoporosis. We’ve also taken to doing more weight-bearing exercises—walking, yoga, karate, strength training—all of which help keep our bones strong.
The key nutrients essential for bone health – calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin K – each play unique roles in promoting bone strength and density.
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Calcium
Bone Density: adequate calcium intake is crucial during childhood, adolescence and early adulthood when bones are growing and reaching peak density. Sufficient calcium helps maintain bone density, reducing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis later in life.
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Vitamin D
Calcium Absorption: vitamin D enhances the absorption of calcium in the intestines, ensuring that the body can utilise the calcium consumed in the diet effectively. Without enough vitamin D, the intestines can absorb only about 10-15% of dietary calcium; with adequate vitamin D levels, this absorption rate increases to around 30-40%.
Bone Remodelling: vitamin D also plays a role in the continuous process of bone resorption and formation. It helps regulate the activity of osteoclasts (cells that break down bone) and osteoblasts (cells that build bone), ensuring a balance that maintains bone strength.
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Magnesium
Bone Mineralisation: magnesium is involved in the structural development of bone. It contributes to the mineralisation process, helping to form bone crystals that give bones their strength.
Calcium Regulation: magnesium also helps regulate calcium levels in the body. It ensures that calcium is properly utilised for bone formation and prevents calcium from being lost through urine, which can occur when magnesium levels are low.
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Vitamin K
Bone Matrix Formation: vitamin K is essential for the synthesis of osteocalcin, a protein that helps bind calcium to the bone matrix. This process is crucial for maintaining bone density and strength.
Lifestyle Tips for Bone Health
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Exercise
Building a bone-strong lifestyle means weaving some powerful habits into your daily routine to keep those bones solid and sturdy for life. Regular exercise—especially weight-bearing and strength training—is your secret weapon against bone loss. Activities, like walking, running, and dancing, force your bones to battle gravity, nudging them to grow denser and tougher over time. These moves don’t just slow down bone loss; they actually stimulate new bone formation. Your bones might not still always be the life of the party, but they’re hard at work when you’re grooving on the dance floor!
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Sunlight
Vitamin D synthesis from sunlight is like a natural power-up for your bones and overall wellness. When your skin catches some ultraviolet B (UVB) rays, it kicks into gear to produce vitamin D—a superstar nutrient that’s essential for soaking up calcium. Luckily, just a little sunshine—10 to 30 minutes a few times a week, depending on your skin and where you live—can give you a solid dose of vitamin D.
Herbs to Support Osteoporosis
Nettles (Urtica dioica)
Nettles are nutrient powerhouses that can support bone health and play a role in managing osteoporosis. Rich in calcium, magnesium, and vitamin K, nettles can help enhance bone density and strength. Their high calcium content makes them a natural choice for those looking to boost their intake, especially for individuals who may not consume enough dairy or other calcium-rich foods. Additionally, the magnesium in nettles aids in the conversion of vitamin D to its active form, which is essential for calcium absorption and bone metabolism.
Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)
Horsetail is a remarkable celebrated for its exceptionally high silica content, an essential mineral for promoting bone strength and health. Silica, or silicon dioxide, plays a vital role in the formation and maintenance of connective tissues, including bones, cartilage and tendons. By enhancing the deposition of calcium in bone tissue, silica helps improve bone density and strength, making it a key player in the prevention of osteoporosis and other bone-related issues. Furthermore, horsetail’s silica aids in the body’s ability to absorb calcium more effectively, ensuring that this crucial mineral is utilised efficiently for bone mineralisation. Finally, horsetail is rich in antioxidants and possesses anti-inflammatory properties that can support overall skeletal health, making it an excellent herb to support osteoporosis.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Dandelion plays a significant role in supporting bone health, thanks to its impressive nutritional profile and medicinal properties. Rich in calcium, vitamin K, and antioxidants, dandelions can contribute to maintaining strong bones and preventing osteoporosis. The calcium in dandelion greens makes them a great addition to salads or smoothies, providing a plant-based source of this essential mineral. Vitamin K, also abundant in dandelion, is vital for bone mineralisation and helps bind calcium to the bone matrix, promoting overall bone strength. Additionally, dandelion has anti-inflammatory properties that may help mitigate the bone pain and discomfort associated with conditions like osteoporosis.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow, a hardy herb known for a wide array of medicinal actions, has a nutrient-rich composition that offers benefits for bone health. This herb contains several bone-supportive nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, and potassium, which play essential roles in maintaining bone strength and density. Additionally, potassium in yarrow helps reduce calcium loss from bones, a process that can contribute to bone density preservation over time. Yarrow also contains silica, a mineral that promotes collagen formation, which is key to maintaining the flexibility and resilience of bones. Beyond these nutrients, yarrow’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties support against oxidative stress and inflammation, both contribute to bone deterioration.
Herbal Vinegar: A Medicinal Elixir
Herbal vinegar has a long history as a traditional remedy. Vinegar itself was used medicinally as far back as ancient Babylon, around 5,000 B.C., when people discovered that fermenting fruit could produce a sour, preservative-rich liquid. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all utilised vinegar for both culinary and medicinal purposes, valuing it for its ability to preserve food, disinfect wounds and aid in digestion.
During the Middle Ages, herbal vinegars became especially popular in Europe, where they were often used as natural disinfectants and as remedies for various ailments. The “Four Thieves Vinegar,” a famous herbal concoction made with garlic, rosemary, sage, and other potent herbs, was created by grave robbers to protect themselves from the plague.
In folk medicine, herbal vinegar was widely recognised for its antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and digestive benefits. Practitioners often used it as a tonic to boost immunity, soothe sore throats, and alleviate fevers. The vinegar acts as a solvent, extracting the active compounds from the herbs, making benefits more readily available and potent.
Bone-Boosting Herbal Vinegar Recipe
Herbal vinegar is a simple yet flavourful infusion made by steeping fresh or dried herbs in vinegar. This process extracts mineral rich compounds from the herbs, creating a, medicinal preparation.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to whipping up bone-boosting herbal SPRING vinegar with fresh nettles, dandelion, horsetail, and yarrow, an ideal combination of herbs to support osteoporosis. Not only is it simple to make, but you’ll also get all the bone-loving benefits packed into a tangy infusion that’s perfect for dressings, marinades, or even a splash in your water.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dried nettles
- 1 cup dried dandelion leaves
- 1 cup dried horsetail
- 1 cup dried yarrow
- Apple cider vinegar (enough to cover herbs)
- A glass jar with a lid
- A piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap
- Apple cider vinegar is preferred for its health benefits and mild taste.
Instructions:
- Prep Your Herbs: pick your fresh herbs and let any insects crawl off them – we do not wash our herbs but make sure we pick from unsprayed fields, away from dog walking areas and heavy traffic.
- Load Up the Jar: Add the fresh nettles, dandelion, horsetail, and yarrow into your glass jar. You can use equal parts of each herb, adjusting based on what you have. Fill the jar to about halfway full with the herbs.
- Pour the Vinegar: Now, pour the apple cider vinegar over the herbs, filling the jar until the herbs are fully submerged. Leave a bit of room at the top so you can shake things up without spills.
- Cover and Shake: Place a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap over the top of the jar before sealing with the lid (this prevents the vinegar from corroding the metal lid). Give it a good shake to mix everything up.
- Infuse: Let the jar sit in a cool, dark place for about 2 weeks. Give it a shake every few days to keep things moving along. If it is left longer than 2 weeks the herbs will start to denature
- Strain and Store: After 2 weeks, strain out the herbs and transfer your herbal vinegar into a clean bottle – label with exactly what you have made and a date. You can store it in the fridge or a cool cupboard.
These blog articles are herbal education resources, produced by the Seed Sistas. Gain insights and join us in the evolution of healthcare, please do leave a comment or question. Wellbeing empowerment for all…