The most basic action of herbs is to feed us, not only in the
physical sense but on a spiritual level as well. They enhance our
vitality and tend to have a tonic action, like when we take a deep breath of fresh sea air into our lungs, or when we have a really
good belly laugh.
Herbs wake us up and help us to get things moving; that may be gently or with some gusto, depending on the type of herbs.
As can be experienced with more bitter herbs wormwood or tinctures; you pull
that face that is instantly recognisable that you have just tasted
something a little nasty. Saliva will start to flow, digestive juices in your
stomach and intestines will kick start and your liver will activate.
Your digestive system is awake and will be ready for what comes next. As
the old saying goes "If it tastes bad it must be good for you".
So many of our health problems start with some form of lack, or
depletion of the essentials that our bodies need. A lot of things in life draw
on our resources, and if we are low on these resources then that's when
trouble can strike. Things like stress, working continually, illness, not
eating well, not exercising, drinking too much, not sleeping restfully,
and not allowing enough time for plain old simple fun, can suck our resources dry.
We are not so good at recognizing the signs, and tend to ignore what our
bodies are trying to tell us; tiredness, irritability, minor physical
symptoms, and simply not enjoying life. It's not until things have gone too far
and real and serious problems start to occur than we start to think something might be wrong with us. By the time we recognise
this, we are unwell and it can be a very long and difficult road back to
health.
Herbs can play a vital part in dealing with depletion of our vital resources.
They can help stop the vicious circle of bad habits and poor attempts
to look after ourselves properly, by giving us some solid ground to
stand on while replenishing our reserves. When our life force is
stronger, a lot of our problems seem easier to deal with or they tend to simply fall
away. When you are in a better position, physically and mentally, it is easier to make healthy choices and steer
your life in a much more positive direction.
Their actions do not stop there!
Herbs contain a lot of compounds, some of which have specific actions
on specific parts of our bodies, and many which act in synergy with other
herbs to provide many positive benefits.
Some stimulate, cascara bark, damiana, St Mary's Thistle while others soothe chamomile, peppermint, and catnip. Others are general life
enhancers ashwagandha root, gingko, ginseng and help us adapt to whatever life throws at us.
Whatever your
question may be, you will generally find the answer somewhere in the
world of herbs. This is not to say that herbs cure everything, but there
is nearly always something that they can do to benefit us. Where they cannot cure they can
certainly help support you in coping with your problem, or until your resources return to normality.
Monday 24 August 2015
Friday 21 August 2015
CLEAR YOUR SKIN WITH BURDOCK ROOT
Burdock Root contains a number of medicinal properties that have been used traditionally for hundreds of years.
Burdock is considered to be native in Europe and Northern Asia. Burdock is widely cultivated in Eastern Europe, especially former Yugoslavia, Poland, Bulgaria, and Hungary. The plant is a member of the daisy family.
The plant has large oval leaves, with broad pinkish flowers. It's roots are long and hard. In traditional medicine, the fruits, seeds, roots, and leaves have been used as decoctions or teas for a wide range of ailments.
Burdock is used by herbalists worldwide as a blood purifier, to treat a variety of skin diseases such as abscesses, acne, carbuncles, psoriasis and eczema. Burdock can be either taken alone or combined with other remedies, such as Yellow Dock.
The beneficial effects of this herb includes increasing circulation to the skin, helping to detoxify the epidermal tissues. It is a popular detoxifying agent that produces a diuretic effect on the body which aids the filtering of impurities from the bloodstream. By promoting perspiration, Burdock Root eliminates toxins through the skin.
Its detoxifying properties aids blood circulation and produces a variety of positive side effects. It contains inulin, a carbohydrate that strengthens the liver. The high concentration of inulin and mucilage aids in the soothing effects on the gastrointestinal tract.
Actions: Stimulant, expectorant, tonic, stomachic, antiseptic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, mild laxative, diuretic and diaphoretic.
Botanical Name: Arctium lappa
Status: Organic
All information on this site is for informational purposes only. We do stress that you should do your own research, or talk with your health professional if you suffer from an existing health condition, or if you are on other medication, prior to consumption of our products.
Burdock is considered to be native in Europe and Northern Asia. Burdock is widely cultivated in Eastern Europe, especially former Yugoslavia, Poland, Bulgaria, and Hungary. The plant is a member of the daisy family.
The plant has large oval leaves, with broad pinkish flowers. It's roots are long and hard. In traditional medicine, the fruits, seeds, roots, and leaves have been used as decoctions or teas for a wide range of ailments.
Burdock is used by herbalists worldwide as a blood purifier, to treat a variety of skin diseases such as abscesses, acne, carbuncles, psoriasis and eczema. Burdock can be either taken alone or combined with other remedies, such as Yellow Dock.
The beneficial effects of this herb includes increasing circulation to the skin, helping to detoxify the epidermal tissues. It is a popular detoxifying agent that produces a diuretic effect on the body which aids the filtering of impurities from the bloodstream. By promoting perspiration, Burdock Root eliminates toxins through the skin.
Its detoxifying properties aids blood circulation and produces a variety of positive side effects. It contains inulin, a carbohydrate that strengthens the liver. The high concentration of inulin and mucilage aids in the soothing effects on the gastrointestinal tract.
Actions: Stimulant, expectorant, tonic, stomachic, antiseptic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, mild laxative, diuretic and diaphoretic.
Botanical Name: Arctium lappa
Status: Organic
All information on this site is for informational purposes only. We do stress that you should do your own research, or talk with your health professional if you suffer from an existing health condition, or if you are on other medication, prior to consumption of our products.
Saturday 15 August 2015
What are herbs and how do we define them?
What makes a herb a herb?
This is no a simple and straightforward answer. A herb can be a pretty plant pleasing to the eye, have a sweet or pleasant smell, or a pungent odour and bitter taste, or can be an annoying weed in our garden that grows profusely and is hard to get rid of.
There is a long tradition of using herbs for taste and flavouring in our food, or for their healing properties as is the case with herbal medicine. Many culinary herbs can also have medicinal uses, and vice versa.
There are many common and well known herbs which can be used in straightforward first aid for stings or abrasions, or there can be herbs shrouded in mystery and magic, administered by practitioners with great wisdom in the arts of rare and exotic herbs, sourced from deep within rainforests or from high on mountain tops.
There has been in-depth research and proven results for some herbs, and for others mere opinion or word of mouth that certain herbs worked for someone, however upon trying the same herbs by others there appears to be no noticeable effect, either positive or otherwise. There are also the herbs of wild claims of their great healing powers, but with no proven foundation of these claims.
Pretty much any plant has the potential to be a herb, even the blandest of foods such as rice, oats, and vegetables have actions that help nourish the body. Most culinary herbs have some medicinal action so could be defined as a special subset of herbs. Plants can also be considered herbs even if we only use them as perfumes to scent our bodies, clothes and houses, and there are also the not so nice smelling ones that aid in repelling bugs and other pests.
Somewhere amongst all the tradition and history, it is certain that herbs have their place and may be used to improve our health and general well-being. We also need to consider sacred herbs used in ceremonies and rituals and the magic herbs used in charms and amulets. Some herbs bring on visions while other banish them. Some herbs attract bees and butterflies and some simply delight our eyes.
What are we to do with this such exotic abundance? I believe the answer is to embrace it with all that we can!
When considering what herbs can be useful we need to look towards not only the obvious but also the not so obvious. We need to consider the uses of leaf, bark, root and flower and how each part of the whole has its uses. We must also "weed out", pardon the pun, what is true or fact, from the hype of media or Internet claims. We must also consider peoples hopes and fears, or whether any particular herb will cause harm due to conflicting with existing medications or drugs.
The use of herbs may be simple and straight forward, or more complicated in some instances, but it is absolutely certain that they have their place in society, whether they are used for ceremonial purposes or simply as a way to boost our well being in our daily lives through food or herbal drinks, or through potions or remedies created by herbalists for specific medical reasons such as stress, detoxing, digestion, or other more complicated issues.
To find out more about some of the many helpful and useful herbs and how they can be used click here
Some information in this post was sourced from the very useful and informative:
The Herb Handbook by Sujata Bristow
This is no a simple and straightforward answer. A herb can be a pretty plant pleasing to the eye, have a sweet or pleasant smell, or a pungent odour and bitter taste, or can be an annoying weed in our garden that grows profusely and is hard to get rid of.
There is a long tradition of using herbs for taste and flavouring in our food, or for their healing properties as is the case with herbal medicine. Many culinary herbs can also have medicinal uses, and vice versa.
There are many common and well known herbs which can be used in straightforward first aid for stings or abrasions, or there can be herbs shrouded in mystery and magic, administered by practitioners with great wisdom in the arts of rare and exotic herbs, sourced from deep within rainforests or from high on mountain tops.
There has been in-depth research and proven results for some herbs, and for others mere opinion or word of mouth that certain herbs worked for someone, however upon trying the same herbs by others there appears to be no noticeable effect, either positive or otherwise. There are also the herbs of wild claims of their great healing powers, but with no proven foundation of these claims.
Pretty much any plant has the potential to be a herb, even the blandest of foods such as rice, oats, and vegetables have actions that help nourish the body. Most culinary herbs have some medicinal action so could be defined as a special subset of herbs. Plants can also be considered herbs even if we only use them as perfumes to scent our bodies, clothes and houses, and there are also the not so nice smelling ones that aid in repelling bugs and other pests.
Somewhere amongst all the tradition and history, it is certain that herbs have their place and may be used to improve our health and general well-being. We also need to consider sacred herbs used in ceremonies and rituals and the magic herbs used in charms and amulets. Some herbs bring on visions while other banish them. Some herbs attract bees and butterflies and some simply delight our eyes.
What are we to do with this such exotic abundance? I believe the answer is to embrace it with all that we can!
When considering what herbs can be useful we need to look towards not only the obvious but also the not so obvious. We need to consider the uses of leaf, bark, root and flower and how each part of the whole has its uses. We must also "weed out", pardon the pun, what is true or fact, from the hype of media or Internet claims. We must also consider peoples hopes and fears, or whether any particular herb will cause harm due to conflicting with existing medications or drugs.
The use of herbs may be simple and straight forward, or more complicated in some instances, but it is absolutely certain that they have their place in society, whether they are used for ceremonial purposes or simply as a way to boost our well being in our daily lives through food or herbal drinks, or through potions or remedies created by herbalists for specific medical reasons such as stress, detoxing, digestion, or other more complicated issues.
To find out more about some of the many helpful and useful herbs and how they can be used click here
Some information in this post was sourced from the very useful and informative:
The Herb Handbook by Sujata Bristow
Thursday 13 August 2015
Lavender - Take Time To Smell The Flowers
Lavender is one of the best known herbs of all the herb family. Lavender is relaxing, calming, medicinal, fragrant, nostalgic, aromatic, anti-spasmodic, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory. One could say it's a great all-rounder.
Lavender has a wide range of applications.
Lavender can be made into a relaxing tea; it may be enjoyed either by itself or with other herbs, which have complimentary properties to its own. Used regularly it can help relieve depression and calm anxiety, and also helps when someone is in a state of nervous exhaustion.
Lavender can be used as an oil, rubbed directly into the skin, added to a bath or inhaled. It is a wonderfully calming and relaxing herb, with strong first-aid effects; dabbed on the temples, it can relieve a headache, and it will relieve earache in seconds if dropped into the affected ear. It is not often taken internally these days though, not so much as it once was anyway.
Lavender is often used in a small netted bag to store under the pillow at night to aid in sleep, or similarly in clothes drawers or wardrobes to maintain a pleasant fragrance.
The scent of Lavender brings back childhood memories vividly to the mind: high summer days that last for ever, lavender bushes shimmering against the blue sky, the bees blundering in and out among the flowers, stirring up the intense, sweet sensation that is Lavender.
Lavender is particularly rich in aromatic molecules called esters, which are antispasmodic, pacifying and tonic, while other molecules give it its antiviral, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory powers. Of the many therapeutic attributes of Lavender oil, respiratory relief would be one of the most consistently reported benefits.
So, take time out, relax, recharge and regroup and enjoy the very special benefits of Lavender.
There are reportedly 81 varieties of lavender with the most common being Lavandula x intermedia or Lavandula angustifolia
Actions: aromatic, antispasmodic, relaxing, calming, tonic, antiviral, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory
All information on this site is for informational purposes only. We do stress that you should do your own research, or talk with your health professional if you suffer from an existing health condition, or if you are on other medication, prior to consumption of our products.
Tuesday 11 August 2015
Ginger Root - Nature's Hot Water Bottle
Did you know that Ginger Root warms the fingers and toes in cold weather? But that's not all that Ginger can do for us. It has many other health benefits as well.
Ginger Root is one of the most effective digestive herbs. It will help with settling upset stomachs, it will help calm nausea (including pregnancy and travel sickness) and it will also relieve stomach cramps and wind (flatulence).
Like other hot spices, it stimulates the circulation, warming us from the inside. It can create a sweat that will cool us down or assist in reducing a fever.
Lower doses will help to keep fingers and toes warm in cold weather due to its ability to increase circulation. It's very helpful in assisting with chilblains, Raynaud's phenomenon (a disease which causes spasms of the arteries in the extremities, especially the fingers and toes). Raynaud's is typically brought on by constant cold or vibration. Ginger Root also assists many other circulation problems.
Ginger Root is natures internal hot water bottle. It can be used in teas, tinctures and poultices easing and reducing inflammation and soothing pain. This can be useful for muscular and joint pains, period pains, and colitis, and it can be very helpful in reducing pain due to tumours and growths thus enabling patients with these conditions to take fewer painkilling drugs.
After suffering a whiplash injury from a car accident some 18 months ago, I found Ginger Root extremely helpful to reduce both pain and inflammation. Used in conjunction with other inflammation and pain killing herbs such as St John's Wort, White Willow Bark, Nettle, Chamomile, and Peppermint it proved most beneficial and extremely effective. Significantly, I found that since natural herbs were used, there was none of the usual side effects that can be common with most anti-inflammation and pain relieving drugs; notably constipation.
Botanical Name: Zingiber Officinalis
Actions: Calming, warming, anti-inflammatory, pain relieving, wind-dispeller, aids digestion, circulation booster, anti-viral, anti-spasmodic.
For culinary uses: Both the stems and roots of Ginger are used in cooking, finding a suitable place in most cuisines either as a spice for savoury dishes, or as an aromatic without overpowering. It works well for sweet treats such as sweets and chocolate, and many other others besides.
Disclaimer: All information in this blog is for informational purposes only. We do stress that you should do your own research, or talk with your health professional if you suffer from an existing health condition, or if you are on other medication, prior to consumption of herbs or herbal products. Generally, most herbs are very safe but it's always best to be certain, so please consult your health professional.
Ginger Root is one of the most effective digestive herbs. It will help with settling upset stomachs, it will help calm nausea (including pregnancy and travel sickness) and it will also relieve stomach cramps and wind (flatulence).
Like other hot spices, it stimulates the circulation, warming us from the inside. It can create a sweat that will cool us down or assist in reducing a fever.
Lower doses will help to keep fingers and toes warm in cold weather due to its ability to increase circulation. It's very helpful in assisting with chilblains, Raynaud's phenomenon (a disease which causes spasms of the arteries in the extremities, especially the fingers and toes). Raynaud's is typically brought on by constant cold or vibration. Ginger Root also assists many other circulation problems.
Ginger Root is natures internal hot water bottle. It can be used in teas, tinctures and poultices easing and reducing inflammation and soothing pain. This can be useful for muscular and joint pains, period pains, and colitis, and it can be very helpful in reducing pain due to tumours and growths thus enabling patients with these conditions to take fewer painkilling drugs.
After suffering a whiplash injury from a car accident some 18 months ago, I found Ginger Root extremely helpful to reduce both pain and inflammation. Used in conjunction with other inflammation and pain killing herbs such as St John's Wort, White Willow Bark, Nettle, Chamomile, and Peppermint it proved most beneficial and extremely effective. Significantly, I found that since natural herbs were used, there was none of the usual side effects that can be common with most anti-inflammation and pain relieving drugs; notably constipation.
Botanical Name: Zingiber Officinalis
Actions: Calming, warming, anti-inflammatory, pain relieving, wind-dispeller, aids digestion, circulation booster, anti-viral, anti-spasmodic.
For culinary uses: Both the stems and roots of Ginger are used in cooking, finding a suitable place in most cuisines either as a spice for savoury dishes, or as an aromatic without overpowering. It works well for sweet treats such as sweets and chocolate, and many other others besides.
Disclaimer: All information in this blog is for informational purposes only. We do stress that you should do your own research, or talk with your health professional if you suffer from an existing health condition, or if you are on other medication, prior to consumption of herbs or herbal products. Generally, most herbs are very safe but it's always best to be certain, so please consult your health professional.
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