RafikiLove - News 2018-04-04T12:56:40+10:00 RafikiLove 2018-04-04T12:56:40+10:00 2018-04-04T14:31:08+10:00 Why being in a constant state of stress is bad for your health Ashley Mandela More


Stress is more than a state of mind, it’s a physical state of being too. By the time you realise you’re stressed the damage to your health has already been done. That’s why it’s important to get-to-know your body so you can nip those stress triggers in the butt.

Do you know what gets your blood pumping, causes your chest to tighten and your head to ache?

Is it waking up to find 50 unanswered emails in your inbox? Coming home to a messy house and an empty fridge? Holding your crying baby with one hand while trying to organise your husband’s birthday party with the other? Or realising you haven’t attended a yoga class in months?

Women cite work, family life and health as the biggest causes of stress in their lives. Stress is actually a normal part of life and serves a purpose in small doses. It helps us get up in the morning, motivates us to go for a promotion at work and pushes us to run that extra kilometre at the gym. But if you don’t get a handle on your stress and it becomes a daily state of being, it can seriously affect your life, and mental and physical wellbeing.

When you’re stressed your body is in fight or flight mode

Emotional and physical stress affects the body in the same way. When we’re stressed or threatened, the body’s nervous system responds by realising a flood of stress hormones

including adrenaline and cortisol which prepare the body for action. This is why when you’re stressed your heart pounds fasters, your muscles feel tense, you breathe quicker and you feel on alert. This reaction can be lifesaving if we actually need to protect ourselves from immediate dangers like running away from a bear or hiding from an ex at the supermarket. But the downside is that the body needs to shut down other important systems like our digestive and immune systems to give us our fight or flight abilities.

When we are experiencing stress multiple times a day our body is essentially putting all its energy into protecting us from a perceived threat and if we experience chronic stress over a long period of time our body starts to get sick and rundown.

You’re not superhuman, your body needs time to heal

You can’t escape or outrun the negative effects of chronic stress. Overtime you will start to experience symptoms like exhaustion, slower ability to heal, insomnia, frequent colds and infections, headaches, an upset stomach, and aches, pains and tense muscles.

Your digestive and immune systems are needed to fight infections and when these systems are too weak to overcome them due to chronic stress, the body needs help from natural or prescription medicines to get back its fighting power.

Organic, herbal teas have been helping people feel good inside and out for centuries

When you feel stressed it’s important you make time to relax and recharge. Organic, teas containing adaptogenic herbs like astralagus, ginseng and flowers like echinacea and elderflower have traditionally been used to strengthen the body’s resistance to illness by supporting the immune system to heal and decrease the effect of stress on our adrenal glands. While organic, herbal teas can’t prevent you from feeling stressed, they can help protect your body from the effects of future stress.

The more you understand the link between your mind, body and your health the easier it will be for you to recognise what makes you stressed and how you can reduce stress in your everyday life.

Want to help your body relax and recharge?

Our immunostrength tea is a protecting, rejuvenating and healing brew with a lovely light earthy flavour and hints of lemon. Made with 100% organic echinacea, lemon myrtle, astragalus, Siberian ginseng and elderflower, our herbal tea has the power to improve your immune system and recharge your adrenal glands.


A protecting, rejuvenating and healing tea with a lovely light earthy flavour and hints of lemon.

Made with 100% organic echinacea, lemon myrtle, astragalus, siberian ginseng and elderflower.

]]> 2018-04-04T10:22:00+10:00 2018-04-04T14:32:13+10:00 Here’s why having a bloated tummy isn’t ‘normal’? Ashley Mandela More


Is this you? “I always feel bloated after meals.” “Diarrhoea and constipation is an everyday occurrence for me.” “I think I have a food intolerance but I’ve never sought medical help.” Bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and constipation is your body’s way of telling you something isn’t right.

What’s happening internally when you feel the bloat?

Imagine your stomach is a bag of microwave popcorn. Inside the bag are cells that look a lot like corn. The corn is sitting in the bag doing their thing - they’re happy, functioning as they should and are a healthy, normal size.

Then you ingest what your body perceives as a toxin. All your cells react immediately, swelling just like corn does when you heat it up in the microwave. The corn slowly expands, filling the bag causing it to open at the top and release steam.

The same thing is happening inside your stomach with your cells. Your cells have become irritated and have swollen to protect your vital organs by trapping the toxins in the cells alongside fluid. This is why you sometimes experience pain, gas and discomfort all the way down your digestive tract.

Your immune system is doing everything it can to protect you from a perceived threat, which may happen to be an additive or a slice of bread. For many people, this immune response has

become an everyday occurrence. If this is happening to you on a regular basis, it’s time you prioritised your digestive health.

Here are three steps you can take to improve your gut health

  1. Listen to your body
    Everybody is different and so what affects one person may not affect you. That’s why it is important that you trial going without different food groups for short periods of time and use a diary to monitor symptoms. Don’t cut out entire food groups or go on a restrictive diet without seeking medical and professional advice first.
  2. Stay away from processed foods
    Pre-packaged food and ready-made meals contain high amounts of additives, preservatives and toxins that can damage your digestive system. Where possible, make meals, sauces and drinks from scratch using fresh, wholesome ingredients and make sure you’re getting enough fruit vegetables, grains and nuts in your diet.
  3. Help restore your gut health with natural supplements and digestive aids
    Taking supplements like probiotics and ensuring your diet contains anti-inflammatory foods like ginger, turmeric and Vitamin C will help reduce bad bacteria living in your digestive system. Other organic herbs like peppermint, spearmint, calendula and liquorice and marshmallow root have traditionally been used together to improve digestion and liver function by assisting with the detoxification process. Drinking these ingredients in a tea is a great way to reduce bloating, bowel inflammation and regulate your bowels after every meal.

Want a bloat-free tummy?

Our Post Chow Down tea is a delicious, cleansing brew with a fresh minty taste and soft liquorice undertones. Made with 100% organic peppermint, spearmint, calendula, liquorice root and marshmallow root, our herbal tea has the power to improve your digestion and liver function and get rid of bloating, decreasing bowel inflammation and regulating your bowels.


A delicious, cleansing tea with its fresh minty taste and soft liquorice undertones.

Made with 100% organic peppermint, spearmint, calendula, liquorice root and marshmallow root.