People and Plants

This e-guide from Delicious Living speaks to my heart. Delicious Living made it in partnership with the company Gaia Herbs which is one of  my go-to herbal supplement brands. I have taken their extra-strength turmeric daily for years and it has made a huge impact in my life (and my aching feet). Plants have been our friends, healers, and joy givers for all of our human existence and it’s a mission of mine to keep that relationship alive and thriving. This guide not only reminds us how many ways plants are part of our lives and part of our health, it also gives some suggestions for herbs that can enhance your daily life and if you think about it, our lifelong health is nothing more than our daily habits so adding small positive actions, supplements, and wellness practices are what make the biggest impact on health, aging, and quality of life. Check out the e-guide and enjoy being reminded of how integral plants are to our lives, and how entwined their health is with our own.

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Natural Support in a Classroom Setting

My friend suggested I write about what, if anything, a teacher could do in his or her classroom to help students learn. There are definitely things one can do in a classroom, but what exactly can be done has a lot to do with who and where you are teaching. This friend of mine is actually in her home country of South Africa right now but we lived in Prague together as English teachers many moons ago, so that got me thinking about the differences in cultural classrooms and also the differences in ages being taught. We taught adults in Prague but we both have experience with kids too, both as teachers and parents.

DB4A47C5-BB47-4296-ACC9-D268FC499839[1]One thing just about anyone can do is to bring in fresh plants. This is something parents or students themselves can actually take the initiative on to freshen up the air in a classroom and depending on the plant, actually have added benefits. There are certain plants that cleanse the space of specific toxins, and the fragrance of herbs and flowers can actually benefit the moods and brain functioning of people. One year when my two kids were still in elementary school, I gave their classroom teachers each a pot of Rosemary before the state testing began, thinking the teachers would already know that Rosemary is great for brains, benefiting focus, clarity, and memory.  The teachers were surprised to hear that Rosemary was traditionally used in such a way and I’m not really sure if they believed me or not, but the plants stayed in my boys’ classrooms for the rest of that year.

If you travel from classroom to classroom, then plants might not be practical. Luckily, essential oils are portable and can be used in a couple of different ways. Diffusing essential oils in the classroom can help promote positive mental and emotional health. There are different options when it comes to diffusing, including plug-in ones, light bulbA59AF0A5-9A2C-4D76-B61A-3D62814D9DC0[1] rings, ceramic discs, and candle fueled ceramics. Orange or Bergamot essential oils would be good uplifting choices for returning to school after a long break. When it might be necessary to keep a class calm, Lavender is the obvious choice. When taking a big test, nothing beats Rosemary essential oil for clarity, focus, and memory help. When going through a study guide, if you have any essential oil scenting the room, it will help to have that same scent in the room during the actual test. (Just as at home studying can be amplified with essential oils and then the brain triggered during the assessment with the same scent.) It’s important to switch up the essential oils if used in this way, so assigning certain subjects with certain essential oils can help the brain function best. Also, doing blends might be the best option of all so the scents will be truly unique to a certain class and its specific material, so that way students won’t automatically think of the pythagorean theorem every time they smell Cedarwood for the rest of their lives, or whatever scent has been married to whatever subject. It’s truly something to consider! The role scent plays in memory cannot be overstated, due to the construction of the brain, so making use of it is wise, but being thoughtful about it is kind.

Besides diffusing essential oils, making sprays can be another way to scent the room, and also to combat germs. Thieves oil is the classic germ buster, but many essential oils have anti-bacterial properties, and some are even anti-viral. Thyme is especially good for cold and flu time of year, and besides being antiseptic, antibacterial, and antiviral, it is antifungal too. You can use the spray you make not only as an air freshener, but also to wipe down desks and tabletops. You can also use sprays made from distilled water and essential oils as a body spray to help keep yourself or your student healthy. Just diffusing the essential oils into the air will help keep down the germs, and almost all the essential oils have some antiseptic properties so you can’t really choose badly in that respect. While more essential oils are antibacterial than antiviral, the following have both antibacterial and antiviral properties: Cinnamon, Clove, Lemon Eucalyptus, Garlic, Lavender, Onion, Oregano, Tea Tree, and Thyme. (Reference: Valerie Ann Wormwood’s The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy.)

For more about what students and parents of students can do to combat anxiety and increase their study power, click the links, and here are two more posts on immune boosters for winter.

Although winter is an especially good time for bringing plants and essential oils into the classroom, students and teachers can benefit year round from a bit of nature in their shared space. Instead of gifting teachers apples, a potted plant or a bottle of essential oils might be the healthier option for all. Wishing you all the best in health and happiness~ do what it takes. You are worth it. Please subscribe for weekly posts about herbs, natural health, and green beauty, and please share this with anyone who might be interested.

 

 

 

Plants Heal Places too

Now that it’s winter I find myself daydreaming more and more about adding indoor plants to our home. Living in the Pacific Northwest though makes it hard to always pick plants that will survive with little sunlight.

We are lucky that we have a wall of big windows in our living room but the angle of the sun in the wintertime makes it nearly impossible to get direct light for long in the house, and that is when there is actual sun to be seen. Most winter days here are 8CAC41BA-B986-461E-BAC1-B87B5309F6AA[1]overcast or rainy or both.  We’ve managed to keep alive a few little plant-babies in the house but I want some bigger ones to really fill the space. I saw this article on New Hope Network’s website and it made me more determined than ever to  get myself to a plant store. The thing that struck me the most, other than the fact I have our aloe in the wrong place (kitchen, not bedroom) was that specific plants clean certain toxins. I mean everyone knows that plants are good for the air quality, but they have their specialties like proper healers do. That makes perfect sense but it just never occurred to me to look into which plants are best for what needs to be cleansed. Below is the article from New Hope Network, including the pics. The ones above are my own.

Article by Jenny Ivy: The winter months are upon us, and it’s time to focus on how to stay healthy as we spend most of our time indoors. Ever since it released its Clean Air study in 1989, NASA has touted the air-filtering benefits of plants, which help cleanse our indoor environments of pollutants and common toxic chemicals such as benzene and ammonia.

Here are seven indoor plants to stock around the house this winter. 

Aloe vera

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The aloe vera plant releases oxygen throughout the night, making it ideal for bedroom spaces. It also helps clear the air of benzene, a chemical found in detergents and plastics, and formaldehyde, which can be present in varnishes and floor finishes.

Toxic to pets? Yes

Peace lily

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The peace lily cleanses benzene, formaldehyde, ammonia and trichloroethylene, a chemical commonly found in paints, varnishes, lacquers and adhesives. This is a great plant to have in your home if you love buying flowers but don’t want to buy bouquets that will die after a few days.

Toxic to pets? Yes

Bamboo palm

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Bamboo palm is the third most powerful plant at removing formaldehyde in the air, according to NASA. It also helps filter out xylene, a chemical found in rubber and tobacco smoke. Give this plant plenty of room to grow, as mature height varies between 4 and 12 feet with a span of 3 to 5 feet.

Toxic to pets? No

Boston fern

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A common indoor plant, the Boston fern ranks ninth on NASA’s list of 50 air-purifying plants. It also is the most effective plant at removing formaldehyde. Additional research found this fern can eliminate heavy metals, such as mercury and arsenic from soil.

Toxic to pets? No

Areca palm

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The Areca Palm is considered the most efficient air-purifying plant, according to NASA. It also makes for an excellent air humidifier, transpiring 1 liter of water per 24 hours—this is the process by which moisture is carried through plants from roots to small pores on the underside of leaves, where it changes to vapor and is released into the air. This tropical plant from Madagascar eliminates benzene, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene and other toxins from the air.

Toxic to pets? No

Weeping fig

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According to NASA’s Clean Air Study, Ficus benjamina was effective at cleansing airborne formaldehyde, xylene and toluene, which is the solvent in some types of paint thinner. The weeping fig grows best in bright, indirect light.

Toxic to pets? Yes

English ivy

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English ivy is helpful to treat inflammation problems in the body—issues such as arthritis, gout or rheumatism. You can either consume it in the form of tea or apply the leaves directly to the spot of inflammation, according to organicfacts.net. English ivy can also help reduce the amount of mold in the air in your home, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Toxic to pets? Yes

(Me again) I hope you are inspired to add more botanical beauty to your life too! I am definitely making it a priority this month to find some hearty, shade-loving, toxin-busting plants for our home. Please subscribe for weekly posts about herbs, natural health, and green beauty, and please share this with anyone who might be interested. Thanks for reading and best health to you and yours.