Month: December 2018

Cleansing for the New Year

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This is a repost of a blog I wrote around this time last year. Happy New Year everyone.

Is anyone else ready to put away the dairy and desserts and cleanse for the New Year? I personally love a good cleanse, though I’m partial to the low-suffering kind. I know people who think it’s not a real cleanse unless you take in nothing but fresh juice and water, but that never made sense to me. Our bodies like balance, and balance by extremes is not really balance at all at the human level. Just look at how bad yo-yo dieting is for people or how hard it is on the body when there are huge weight fluctuations. Gentle detox is a way to cleanse while giving the body support to adjust, instead of shocking the body and then reeling from its effects. Of course, there is a time and place for everything and if you know what you are doing and have the right support, then by all means juice away your days. If you prefer a cleansing reboot that doesn’t leave your blood sugar levels bouncing and your mood-o-meter permanently set to hangry, keep reading for some options.

Adding powdered greens to your daily routine is one way to activate detox mechanisms in your body. While cleansing you should be drinking extra glasses of water anyway, so adding a scoop or packet to one of your glasses or bottles of water is a great way to get extra goodness. It is worth noting that some green mixes, like Paradise Herbs, are formulated for energy~

while others, like the Food Science one below, are formulated more specifically for cleansing. Greens in general, whether in a powder or in a whole fresh or cooked form, are cleansing though so an energy greens mix will still work towards detoxing your system. Both these mixes came in my New Hope Blogger Box and they are tasty as well as healthy blends, but there are of course other reputable greens out there. Just be sure to read ingredients lists thoroughly.

Adding a cup or two of detoxifying herbal tea a day is another easy way to help your body cleanse. There are plenty of blends out there, such as detox teas by Yogi and Traditional Medicinals that are as easy as boiling water. Flora makes a tea concentrate that you just pour a bit out and add hot water to. They promote their cleanse every year on Facebook so you can actually join a group of others using their product to get tips and expand your knowledge a bit into the world of detox. (Plus if you join in you just might get a coupon I believe.) They do have a dry blend as well.

If you want to do something a little more involved than greens and teas, making up a batch of kitchari is what one of my herbal teachers drilled into us as the most healing, cleansing, tri-doshic thing you could do. Kitchari is a meal from the tradition of Ayurveda that is made up of mung beans and basmati rice (brown or white depending on your preference), spices, and ghee. You can eat it once a day to support a general cleanse, or you can eat kitchari three times a day and nothing else but herbal teas for 6 days straight for a more intense detox. As with all things herbal, kitchari is a traditional dish that you can find a thousand variations for so this recipe can be modified as you like. What follows is how my herbal teacher told us to make it and it has never failed me. It’s a calming meal, easy on the digestive system, and healing.

Kitchari Recipe:

1 C mung beans

1 C brown basmati rice (my herbal teacher actually used white basmati rice, so your choice really)

1 tbsp. ghee (vegans can use coconut oil)

1 tsp. each turmeric, cumin, and coriander

After soaking the mung beans overnight (or at least 6 hours), cook them in 4 C of water until they are thoroughly soft, about half an hour.

Cook rice according to its instructions, depending on white or brown, then mix together with beans.

Warm the ghee in a sauce or sauté pan and add the spices, cooking until fragrant, about 2 minutes or so.

Mix the spices and ghee with the rice and beans and you are finished. Eat as often as you like.

I’ve never been big on resolutions, but I do like the spirit of renewal that January sweeps in. A gentle cleanse sets a nice tone for the year~ a reminder to think better, feel better, act better, and be better. Best wishes for health, fulfillment, beauty, and peace to everyone for the New Year. Please subscribe for weekly posts about herbs, natural health, and green beauty, and please share this with anyone who might be interested.

 

The Language of Nature

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Wreaths, trees, and greenery find their way inside our homes near the winter solstice, which is so fitting. It’s not always easy to be outside for long in the winter months, so it seems natural that we have traditions which bring nature inside. I love the smell of fresh evergreens inside, and I also just love the fact that we still hold onto these green traditions throughout the plastic-ness and consumerism of the season. Nature has a way of communicating authenticity, and actually a whole lot more. The language of flowers, herbs, and trees is a language that used to be readily understood and I hope does not go completely extinct. It was at one time a language that was prevalent, back when nature was a part of every day life and herbs were used in all parts of life from sun up to sun down~ from the herbs used in the houses and in bedding to keep away vermin, to the food they ate, and the medicines (the only option!) that kept them alive. They used herbs in rituals, for spiritual purposes, celebration, decoration, and communication.

If that sounds strange, think about what a red rose signifies. If someone gives another a red rose or 12, they are probably not giving a token of friendship, a get-well bouquet, nor a flower of condolence, right? A red rose equals love, a very specific type of love~ romantic love. This seems to be an enduring symbol that has lasted far longer than any other plant language symbols, but it is by no means the only way that plant with symbolic meaning. Here are a couple of examples:

Thyme used to symbolize warrior type bravery. It was given to Roman soldiers before and after campaigns to wish them luck and honor their courageousness. A few hundred years later, ladies used to embroider thyme into handkerchiefs for knights going to battle. Thyme means warrior, bravery, courage.

Bay leaves used to symbolize scholarly achievement, honor, and victory. The Greeks and Romans were active in embracing this symbolism by crowning the most learned of the statesmen with bay leaf crowns, and also those with the highest status. Bay laurel even gives it’s name to baccalaureate, and also the word laureate, as in ‘Nobel Laureate’ or ‘poet laureate’ for example. If you search online, there are plenty of examples of graduates donning bay crowns even today, so at least that tradition is still alive in some way.

Since it is nearing Christmas, I thought I’d share some holiday plants with their symbolism. I found a bouquet in the book, Tussie Mussies, by Geraldine Adamich Laufer that she calls “Christmas Joy” and would make a lovely wreath as well. Also, using these same meanings, one can put together an essential oil blend with a special holiday message. The bouquet has the following in it:

Pine: Warm friendship, vigorous life, spiritual energy

Cinnamon: Love, beauty, my fortune is yours!

Burnet: A merry heart

Rosemary: Remembrance

Bedstraw: The manger

Holly Berries: Christmas joy

Cone: Conviviality, life

Another bouquet in her book celebrates the New Year. It is called, “New Years Resolutions” and has the following:

Vervain: Good fortune, wishes granted

Sumac: Resoluteness

Rue: Beginning anew

Parsley Flower: At the very beginning

Hyssop: Cleansing

Elderberry: Zeal

These bouquets or wreaths might be fun gifts to bring to some hosts over the holidays, and a conversation starter if you include the meaning of the plants used. Essential oil blends can be used instead for a longer lasting gift, and of course there are plenty of other herbs, flowers, and trees to choose from. For example, Mint, another traditional winter holiday scent, symbolizes burning love, and also wisdom and virtue. There is also an old saying: “Grow mint in your garden to attract money to your purse,” so this plant has a lot to offer in the way of New Year’s wishes.

However you celebrate the winter holidays, I hope you are filled with peace, happiness, and good health. From all accounts, I’m not the only one eager to see 2018 come to a close and hoping for a lighter and brighter year ahead. In order to embrace this dark, quiet, inner-focused time of year, I’ll be taking a wee break from posting here until January. Hopefully I’ll be back with some news on a couple of other projects I’m working on so stay tuned! All the best to all of you and see you next year! Cheers!

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Body Butter DIY

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It’s winter (here) and almost Christmas, so it’s a perfect time to whip up some body butter for both self-care and homemade gifts. And I do mean ‘whip’ quite literally, as you can see for yourself below. This recipe is very similar to the one I shared here before, so as you can see, this is recipe is ripe for customization. Pick your solid butters and oils, add some (liquid) herbal oil, and choose your essential oils to make your own unique moisturizer.

Body Butter

1/2 C Shea Butter

1/8 C Coconut Oil

1/4 C Cocoa Butter

1/8 C Rose Oil (Olive Oil based)

10 drops Lavender

10 drops Vanilla (in jojoba oil)

10 drops Frankincense

Put all the ingredients, except for the essential oils, into a measuring cup that can go into a pot of water that will heat up to a simmer. Let the solids completely melt, then take the measuring cup out of the water and let the liquid cool. You can put the measuring cup on ice, or put it in the fridge or freezer with a clean towel on top of it. It takes a while to cool, anywhere between a half hour to an hour depending on how it is cooling (freezer or on ice or just sitting out or whatnot). If you lose track of time and find the measuring cup hours later rock solid, don’t worry, just melt it again. When the liquid starts to get a bit cloudy and feels room temperature to the touch, add the essential oils and start whipping it with an electric mixer or in a blender until it turns creamy and opaque. This could take 5-10 minutes, depending on how cool the liquid is upon starting. 

Pour the butter into a clean jar and keep it out of heat and light for storage. This is a very emollient body butter, good for hand or foot cream, elbows, or any part of the body that is very dry. It isn’t recommended for the face though because those hard oils and butters can be pore clogging. It smells decadent and it is really fun to make something that starts off mostly solid, melts into a liquid, then whips into a totally new texture.

If you are looking for more homemade gift ideas, check out this post with a variety of ideas, or this one on making bath salts. I hope you are enjoying the season and not feeling the frenzy that this time of year can sometimes whip up. Please share with anyone who might enjoy this post and if you haven’t already, subscribe for a weekly wellness post.

Survey Incentive

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Hello! This is just a brief post letting you know about a survey you can take involving the natural foods/products industry. The first 250 people to take it will get a $10 Amazon gift card, so if you want to do it, act fast! Here’s the link:  bit.ly/2rsd9WO Stay warm and stay well! 

Supplements and Substitutes for New Year’s Resolutions

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That time of year is approaching where we review our habits and try to replace the ones that no longer serve us with better options. The New Hope Blogger Box had some products that will start the year off right with the intentions of better and healthier. One easy way to improve daily nutrition is to drink some powdered super foods each day. These greens from Natural Factors are fermented, organic, non-GMO, gluten free, and contain medicinal mushrooms as well as 6 grams of protein. Adding one serving of greens in the form of powdered super foods really packs a nutritious punch and could be a great habit to add in to the upcoming new year’s routines. I’ve been mixing this with water and it tastes good and…. green. Although it is very tasty to me  this way, you can always add it to juice or to smoothies or a smoothie bowl as well.

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This immune supporting supplement from Redd Remedies features medicinal mushrooms too, which doesn’t surprise me a bit. I have a feeling medicinal mushrooms are going to start being ubiquitous in 2019 as their benefits become more well known, and supporting the immune system is one of their specialties. Immune Everyday also has the adaptogen, Ashwagandha, in it, as well as vitamin C to keep the immune system working optimally.

Probiotics are generally thought of as for gastrointestinal health, but the link between gut health and brain health has long been known and the gut is even called the ‘second brain’ in many circles. This probiotic supplement from Klaire Labs has kept that brain-gut link central in the formulation of these powdered packets. I suggest you read more about how this probiotic supports positive moods on their website, but here’s a snippet to spark your curiosity: “Target gb-X is a probiotic supplement specifically designed to support positive mood by influencing the gut-brain axis through the microbiome. It is powered by Ecologic BARRIER, a 5B CFU blend of 9 probiotic strains, that has been clinically shown to decrease overall cognitive reactivity to sad mood, rumination, negative thoughts, and aggressive thoughts.”~ from Klair Labs website.

Thinking of taming an overly enthusiastic sweet tooth in the new year? These syrups from NuNaturals are sugar free and net carb free and come in a variety of flavors. Besides being low glycemic, they are also gluten free, vegan, and non GMO, so they actually suit just about any diet, but might be an especially good find for those following a keto diet. Please share with any keto-devotees and they will surely be very grateful for a bit of sweetness in the new year.

For those wanting to reduce their soda consumption, Tohi has some tasty alternatives. These juice drinks are packed with antioxidants, have no artificial ingredients, and are invigorating without caffeine. The (only!) five ingredients on their ingredient list is as refreshing as the taste, and if you need a reminder of why antioxidants are so important, it’s because they help fight signs of aging as well as the internal wear and tear that can lead to disease. in short, antioxidants support healthy aging, healthy beauty, and a healthy immune system.

And if you missed last week’s post, it has even more supplements that can set up New Year’s resolutions for success. Here are a few of the items targeting brain health, skin health, and anxiety, but check out the whole post for more.

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I hope your season is filled with joy, peace, and health for you and your loved ones. If you haven’t already, please subscribe for a weekly wellness blog post, and as always, sharing is caring. Happy Holidays!