Detox Your Home!

I know I talk a lot about Detoxing Your Body but I want to take a moment to talk about Detoxing Your Home.
This will be short and I encourage you to look into these tips yourself, run some searches and find out which ways really resonate with you for you to work with.
Also, they are in no particular order, just numbered for organization.

1. Get the Chemicals OUT
Just like Detoxing your body involves getting rid of chemicals in your body, detoxing your home will involve getting rid of chemicals.
What under your sinks have been there for years? Remove anything that is past expiration or, if it doesn't have an expiration, has been there over a year or two.
What under your sinks or cupboards or in your utility room can be replaced with something natural? Could you replace your kitchen and bathroom cleaners with lemon juice, spring water, baking soda, essential oils?

2. Circulate The AIR
Fresh air is NECESSARY for human habitation.
Open the windows during the warm weather months for as long as possible and in the cold weather open them ever so often even for just 5 minutes to get fresh air in.

Bring in an IONIZER to energize the air you breath - ions are the reason the air before a storm feels so great!

Bring in some plants! Plants have been studied and proven to filter air in the home and work place by NASA. Some plants are better than others so do your research but any plant will do.

Buy air filters for the home especially if you live in a high pollen, high smog, high polution area like mid-city.

3. Filter the WATER
We all know tap water is not good for drinking, but what about bathing?
Buy filters for sinks and showers in the home. Try finding ones that filter Chlorine and Flouride as well as the other chemicals in the water.

4. Consider hardwood floors rather than carpet.
Even better, bring in bamboo flooring - bamboo can be stained to look like other woods as well, even Walnut and Red Wood.
Carpet perpetuates allergies and releases gases that are bad for us.

There you go! That wasn't so hard was it? Some fresh air and a few pretty plants? Maybe a home renovation or two? Great ideas available for you home-fixer-uppers. ^_^

Cures for Cancer

Disclaimer: This post is for educational purposes only, please see medical professional about your health problems before carrying on with any method stated here...

I have family, friends, and the family of friends with cancer. Its an epidemic that is being treated incorrectly, in my opinion. Instead of getting the problem out of the body with DETOXIFICATION and boosting the immune system with NUTRITION, allopathic medicine today instead wants to put more and more and more toxins, radiation, and disease into the body! Chemotherapy, injection of viruses, radiation poisoning - only to be told you have a matter of days left and be sent home under hospice (if that) to get their affairs in order.
I'm disgusted and heart broken with every phone call, every e-mail about more and more of the people I love and care about being diagnosed with cancer and never being treated like human beings but rather like large lab rats.

I said this not so long ago to a family member and the response was, "But what can they do? There isn't a cure for cancer yet."
I was shocked. Not too long ago I wrote some articles about Rene Caisse's CURE FOR CANCER - Essiac.
The first article, The Essiac Cure for Cancer, explains how this Canadian nurse found a Native American cure for disease and cancer.
The second, The Ingredients for Essiac, states that the cure is made up for 4 simple ingredients - sheeps sorrel, turkey rhubarb, burdock root, and slippery elm. These ingredients grow in the wild in North America! They have DETOXING and NOURISHING abilities! Exactly what the body needs to allow it to fight disease. The article also explains how to decoct these herbs and use them.

I bring this all up again because I've learned about a second way to cure cancer that follows the same principles of detox and building nutrition and the immune system. The Gerson Therapy created by Dr. Max Gerson has been found to cure not only cancer but also diabetes and other "incurable" diseases.
Dr. Gerson came to America to flee the Holocaust that later killed his siblings. It is said that even Hitler wanted his hands on this amazing doctor because of his ability to treat and cure disease. In America, Gerson's treatment for disease and diabetes was tested on patients with cancer and found to work.

What is the therapy?
Juicing and Enemas. That's it! Now, it is recommended that you participate in the therapy with a qualified Gerson Home Trainer or Doctor (which are rare) but the gist of the treatment is Organic, Raw juices and Organic Coffee Enemas.
Why is this illegal? Its just juice and enemas! But it is illegal to offer this as a treatment for ANYTHING in USA hospitals.

Where can I learn more?
The Gerson Website offers links to buy the documentaries of the method (including donating just $5 to watch one online - thats less than what most people donate to one of the Cancer Awareness groups a month!
The site also offers FREE PDFs on Gerson recipes, treatments, guides to juicers, shopping lists, and lists of supplies and why you need them. SO SIMPLE!

With More than 1 PROVEN method, how can we continue to ignore this and simply Hope that someone will just wave a magic wand and an allopathic doctor tell his or her patient, yes there is a cure and we mad eit in a lab. Here is your magic pill. I'm sorry if I sound cynical but I feel like this is what is being said of adds for a Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness or Leukemia or whatever. We are AWARE! Cancer does exist! THERE IS A CURE!

For those of you with a disease or cancer, why not try it? Talk to your doctor about the Essiac ingredients - will they interact with the medication you are on? Talk to a doctor or naturopath about how to give yourself an enema properly, will the coffee interact with your medication?
Would it really hurt you to drink some organic fruit and vegetable juice or tea, especially when it could CURE you of your illness.

The Bible says: "The Lord hath created medicines out of the Earth, and he that is wise will not abhor them." Ecclesiasties 38:4

Preparedness

With the shows on the tellie about preparedness or dooms-day-ers or whatever they are calling them now, I thought I would post some links on the subject of herbal or natural preparedness and survival.

Tansy at Fields of Tansy has several articles on how she and her family are preparing for the worst with herbal treatments. Her blog is the first I've seen that posts how she would treat dangerous viruses and dis-ease that people normally must go to a hospital or doctor for such as cholera and polio. These are issues that I've yet to see many preppers say they have solutions or treatments for and they could be a problem for those survivors of ... end of the world? Or whatever it is they are preparing for.

Herbal Healer Academy with my teacher Marijah McCain has a new correspondence course on survival. Now, this course won't give you the hands-on experience of going to one of the in-person courses that are popping up all over the country, but they could get you started. Right now, the school is offering the course (3 books, test and certificate) at 10% off!

I won't bother with posting my views on this topic as I don't want to turn this blog into a debate - but I will say that Hoping for the Best and Preparing for the Worst is not a bad idea.

Problems with Foraging

Susun Weed is an amazing woman and herbal healer. I wan'ted to share her words from her e-zine about Foraging. Spring is here and I know a few of you are seeing so many wild plants growing such as the dandelion, clover, plantain and more. Keep Susun's tips in mind before you do:

"Are you concerned about contamination of wild plants with lead, chemicals, and dog doo?

Avoid harvesting herbs from roadsides where lead concentration is high; plants growing by busy roads will accumulate more lead. The nearer the plant is to the road, the higher the level of lead concentration.

If you can't find a particular herb anywhere except by a road, pick at least eight feet from the road edge; lead levels drop sharply in the first few feet. In cities, pick from parks and other out-of-the-way places. Be wary of vacant lots which may be contaminated with lead paint.

Avoid picking under powerlines and along roads where the weeds are controlled by spraying instead of cutting. Suburban lawns that have been doused with weed killers rarely grow medicinal weeds, but if you support chemical warfare (distorted, mutated, sparse weeds are good clues), avoid that area.

Avoid gathering herbs where canines gather. Dogs can pass parasites to humans.

Allow yourself to be guided by your intuition, as well as your senses and your intelligence, and you will know which areas to avoid when picking wild plants. Given the amount of chemical contamination on commercial herbs (and fruits and vegetables, for that matter), I honestly feel safer taking risks in the wild.

Open your eyes and observe the green abundance. Open your heart and feel the green joy. Come with respect for green power. The devas of the plant kingdom welcome you."

by Susun Weed

Herbal Beauty Products

Herbalism isn't all medical and learning where wild plants grow. Most herbalists are female and they like to look pretty just like any other woman.
Herbs and oils can be used to create beuty and bath products. Many bath and body products found at the mall or superstore are filled with chemicals I can't pronounce much less know if they'll harm my sensitive skin or worse. By making my own products, I know what is going into the product and into my body (remember that 80% of what goes on the skin goes into the body).
Luckily enough, I not only found recipes online on how to make everything from lip balm to shampoo but also videos, mostly through Mountain Rose Herbs (where you can find many of the needed ingredients) and Herb Mentor.

Bath Salts
Bath salts are a great way to relax after a hard day. They make your skin feel soft and smooth and often are mixed iwth scented oils that help you relax both mind and body.
To make your own you will need:
A cup each of White Kaolin Cosmetic Clay, Sea Salt, and Dead Sea Salt. A half cup each of Epsom Salts, Borax (be careful that you get borax that has not been mixed with unsafe chemicals like bleach and other toxins), and Baking Soda. 1 teaspoon Lavender Oil (or whatever oil you find most relaxing).



Lip Balm
Everyone has used lip balm and I feel that a natural lip balm is doubly important because not only am I taking in the 80% that seeps into my skin but I also have a tendency to bite my lips so I am also eating whatever I put on them. There are many companies that make natural lip balm but they are also $1+ a tube! In the video below, you can see how to make dozens of tubes in one go which you can store up yourself or share with others in a much more economical way.
To make your own you will need:
2 ounces of Bees Wax, 1 cup of Calendula infused Sweet Almond Oil (or just the almond oil, or the almond oil infused with whatever herb you desire), 1 teaspoon of Anise seed oil (or another essential oil you prefer).



Herbal Shampoo
Herbal Essences smells good and has a memorable commercial but there's nothign truely natural about this product. The perks of making your own shampoo include being able to choose the scents you prefer as well as knowning that all the products are natural.
To make the Herb Mentor shampoo recipe you’ll need:
8 oz distilled water
2 teaspoons of dried rosemary
2 teaspoons of dried rose petals
3 ounces liquid castile soap
3 Tablespoon aloe vera gel
¼  teaspoon of jojoba oil
30 drops of pure rosemary essential oil
 
This video is not an Herb Mentor Video but one based on the recipe from Rosemary Gladstar. I like this video not only for the pretty music included but because it includes oil combos for oily hair, dry hair, blonde hair, etc.
 

 
There are tons of different recipes and way to make your own beauty products online or in books. Just do a simple search on Google or even YouTube to find how-to videos. I have found videos on how to make everything from perfume kits to face and body creams. Most importantly, have fun and be healthy!
 
Love and Light
Happy Chick

Monthly Herbal: Dandelion Wine

Rosalee de la Foret of Herb Mentor did a video lesson on how to make Dandelion wine which includes how to harvest.
I've never had dandelion wine myself but know a few people that have and they say it's very sweet and yummy.
She uses dried apricots but I'm wondering what those of you who have made this or tried it have used, since I don't like apricots all that much...or raisins for that matter...

How to Find Good Essential Oils

I have been asked by several people where and how to find good essential oils.
Now, I am no oil expert. I do not claim to be. I am simply a student of herbalism and aromatherapy. What I know about essential oils is self taught through experience and books.
That being said, here is what I learned:

First, oils are expensive because they are expensive to make. It takes pounds and pounds of plant material to make one little bottle of oil. If an oil is cheap, I would question why because it might be cut with other materials.

Ways to know if an oil is pure:

Know the scientific name.
Make sure that the oil you are looking at is the actual essential oil needed. Sometimes, there will be two oils of the same name but different scientific name and different properties. Take Lavender for example. There are many different types of Lavender but only Lavendula augustifolia is considered True Lavender and is the best to use in aromatherapy. However, Lavendula inermis, a type of lavender known for its long lasting flowers and coloring, are used to make a cheaper version of lavender oil.

Make sure you are buying Essential Oil:
Oils are a big business as Better Homes and Gardens and similair magazines show celebrity secrets of how they keep their homes smelling lovely. You can find oils to scent yourself and your home everywhere from Walmart ot Pier1 (they aren't just found at head shops anymore).
This does lead to a small problem in that many people buy fragrance oils thinking they are obtaining essential oil and visa versa.
Read the Labels!
Another few words to look for on the labels is therapeutic or pharmaceutical grade. If the bottle does not have these words, do not use them for aromatherapy.

How to test oils:
you can test essential oils by putting a drop on a piece of white paper and let dry. If there is a residue then the oil has been cut or polished with other material.

I am also frequently asked where to buy oils.
This is a tricky question as there is no one place I can point out and say They have the best of all of them! I haven't tried ever oil seller and cannot pretend to know.
However, here is what I do:
I buy local so I can ask the vendor about their oils and get a specific amount of what I want. Recently, I bought 1.5 drams of Rose oil from Dillys in Elizabethton, TN. I wanted the smallest bottle they had and without the roller ball they have for the oils used on skin. The proprietor was happy to oblige and even gave me a discount.
I also have a little secret for buying Tea Tree oil and have decided to disclose it to the public:
Walmart has pharmaceutical grade Tea Tree Oil 2 fl. 0z for just $8!!!! Its excellent and I've used it on wounds, bites, and a face wash thet cuts through fast food grease!

My best advice is look around you, READ, research, and test. Don't stress over it too much of course, especially if you are only using the oil to scent your home.
Go for what you like best, what feels right for you. Don't worry about what a book or ad says is hte best oil out there.