Author: naturalalternativespecialist

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Herbs for Energy and Alertness

We are in a time where life is in a rush and we are always on the go. Well, that is how it use to be and still is for some. Our time has changed in many ways thru the years.

There was a time that we all would go outside and enjoy the sun, run, play, dance, just go out and live life to the fullest. As the years passed, civilization has changed drastically and we have come to a complete standstill in many ways.

For example, our children don’t play outside like we use to. You practically have to throw them out and lock the door, so they don’t run back in to get on their laptops, cell phones, or even the television.

Sadly, they learn this behavior from their parents and society. We have become a very lazy people in our world nowadays.

We have relied on the new technology to the point that many of us don’t even look up from our cell phones to cross the street. We have become so absorbed with the new way of communicating with the other side of the world that we don’t communicate with our own family.

It has torn us apart, and has left a very big gap. It keeps getting wider, not smaller.

How can we fix this?

Not only do we stay in front of our laptops, cellphones, and televisions, but we deprive our bodies of sleep. We push ourselves to stay awake.

That is the worst thing you can do to yourself.

Now is the time to take the best care of yourself that you can, to keep your immune system in tip top shape, in order for herbs to help you, you need to do your part by getting plenty of rest. Once you do this, the following herbs can help you concentrate.

A mind that concentrates keeps awake and alert, moving constantly.

Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola Rosea is an herb that regulates your mood and also helps increase concentration. Rhodiola Rosea also helps with stress in the body.

Rosemary

Rosemary is known as a brain tonic and helps you concentrate. Rosemary keeps you alert by circulating more oxygen to the brain.

Ginseng

Ginseng is also known to give energy and stimulate the brain which we all need.

Sage

When sage is used, it helps with memory and lifts your mood that is a good improvement.

Peppermint

By inhaling the aroma of Peppermint or its oils, it boosts alertness, mood, and energy levels.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is one of the oldest herbs used by our ancestors and is thousands of years old. Ashwagandha is very beneficial for our brain, it helps improve memory, also helps you sleep.

Centella asiatca

Centella asiatca (gotu kola) has been beneficial in improving brain function and also helps in alertness and moods.

I hope this was helpful to you in deciding  which would be best to use, they all do work, but if one herbal happens to give you an allergic reaction there is more to choose from that may be more beneficial for you to use.

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Your Herbalist Tool Kit

If you are thinking about becoming an herbalist, here are some basic items that you need to assemble your herbalist tool kit to get started.

 

First of all, the tools that a herbalist uses have to be carefully selected like a philtre, which we all know as a strainer, but we can’t use it cause it is made of metal. It might change the chemical action of the herb, so make sure to avoid metal strainers or anything metal. They can lead to hazardous metallic oxides in your preparations.

1. Philtre

The philtre is used to strain out the plant substances. That leaves us with a nice, clear liquid that is easily digested into a persons system.

You can use a natural uncolored cotton, or linen cloth, or even coffee filters, or the plastic coffee cone filter. It needs to be new and never used to make coffee.

2. Bamboo Tea Strainer

There is also the bamboo tea strainer that can be used but it lets finely grounded herbs pass thru it.

3. Infuser

An infuser is another essential tool that is really used to heat up the water that the herbs will be put in. It can be a tea pot, but something that will seal the steam in and not let it escape, and again no metal.

If you find a pot glazed with enamel that has a tight lid, you can use that.

4. Measuring Cups

The measuring device for determining the ideal amount of an herb is the most important tool for the herbalist. Again, no metal, but it needs to be the measuring device that you use for all your preparations, that is always precise when you use it.

I have seen people just use the palm of their hand if they can’t find the right measuring tool.

Miscellaneous Tools

here are a variety of things an herbalist should have on hand, like,

5. First Aid Kit

A first aid kit with lot of bandages, lots of gaze.

6. Small Bottles

Next, would be small bottles to put your oils in. Preferably dark bottles. Always make sure your bottles are clean before use.

7. Eye Droppers

Eye droppers are also very much needed but you need to make sure the rubber tops are removable so they can be easily cleaned.

8. Glass Funnel

Also a glass funnel is very important to fill your bottles.

9. Hand Towel

It is very important to have a hand towel that is used only for all your tools and nothing else. That goes for the

10. Shovel

Shovel, and

11. Special Knife

Special knife which needs to be sharp to cut the stems or branches.

12. String

Also, add string in with your tools because it is used to tie the bundles of herbs together.

13. Labels

Labels are necessary to identify what each container has inside and the date it was made.

14. Index Cards

Index cards are for writing down what you mixed in your tinctures or something else you may be experimenting on, so you don’t forget what herbs you used.

All the herbalist’s tools are used only for the plant herbs or preparation and nothing else. You keep them separate from your other tools, you never mix them.

Since these tools are mostly breakable you must be very careful with them. Some may be hard to find.

I know I have said this before but always clean your tools after each use, so when you make something new it won’t contaminate your next brew.

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Storage Containers for Your Herbals

You just finished harvesting your herbs and they are dry and ready to be put away for use later. Have you thought, “what kind of containers should I use?” This is very important to know, even before you start to dry your collection of herbs.

Your containers need to be sealed properly, so your herbs don’t lose their potency of the active ingredients inside of them.

Store in the Dark

If  you buy regular glass jars enabling you to see the herbs from the outside, that is okay, but your still need to move them to an area like a cupboard or cabinet to keep them in the dark. If the sun is shining on your jars the herbs will start to fade. The sun also causes a chemical breakdown of the herbs, which will weaken the potency of the herbal when it comes time to use it. You do not want that to happen.

Colored Containers

It is best to buy colored containers that keep the sunlight out. So that is when the fun begins.

Finding the right containers with fitting lids and wide mouths to be able to fill them without spilling anything are really the best ones to use. Though sometimes they are not easy to find.

How to Get Jars

Going to garage sales may be a good place to go. Some people sell them cheap just to get rid of them and as they say “one mans junk is another mans treasure.” You might find them also at a thrift store or even a Goodwill.

Another great way to get containers is by letting your family and friends know what kind of jars you are looking for. That would help you out more since that is more eyes looking for jars.

You could also ask for colored jars for your birthday or even Christmas. You may receive the most beautiful jars, you never know. Just ask and you shall receive.

Blue, Green, and Brown

The colors to look for are blue, green, and brown. They do look pretty to have on the shelf, more towards the back so they are better shaded, to protect them from direct sunlight.

Put them in a cabinet where it is dark to keep them protected.

Remember that the lids have to fit tightly to keep the herbals fresh.

Labels

You must also remember your labels for the jars. You don’t want to forget to mark your herbals or tinctures, and if this is your first time making your containers and you happened to forget what you put in your jars? That is not good unless you recognize the smell of the herbal that is in that jar.

Dates

Don’t forget the date that it was made that will help with the potency of the herbal. It is also important when you are making tinctures, depending what herbal you use, it could be good for a few days or few weeks, even a few months or up to a year or more, just depends what you are mixing.

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How To Stop Smoking No Joking

How many people do you know that smoke? Have you ever kissed a person who smoked? You might as well kiss an ash tray. How many each year say I’m going to quit one of these days just wait you’ll see. Never happened.

Some friends even add up all the money their friend could have saved by just adding up the value of how many packs he or she smoked a day to show them how much they could have spent on something else they might like even more.

Many people who have bad habits spend a lot of money without realizing it or they just don’t care at the time.

When I worked at a gas station many years ago people would come in and ask if they could buy two or three cigarettes for a dollar. They said they couldn’t afford a pack but needed their fix for the day.

I’ve tried cigarettes. I don’t see how people can get addicted to it, but some say it calms them down. Others say they don’t feel hungry when they smoke.

I remember when I was working at this one place and one of my coworkers I was working with asked if I would trade breaks with her? I asked her why? I asked, “Is it an emergency?” She said, “No. I desperately need a smoke really bad.” I said, “No.” She got upset with me and started to curse at me. I told her to stop smoking and she wouldn’t be having her tantrum just cause things didn’t go her way.

I wish I knew about the following herbs to help her quit smoking, it really might of helped her out if she would of tried them. But she has to want to quit first.

Skullcap helps with withdrawals of smoking by calming the body, relaxing the mind, and reliving anxiety, and depression.

Another helper is St John’s Wort helps relieve symptom of opiate withdrawal and aids people trying to quit smoking, and calms the nervous system in general. Use a tincture of St Johns Wort which can be ingested.

Osha is an herb that helps stop smoking, by chewing the root. It helps with the withdrawal of the nicotine craving.

Parrot’s Beak is another good herb for breaking that very bad habit of smoking. It helps with stress and anxiety. Parrot’s Beak helps with withdrawals of smoking by keeping you calm and relaxed.

Also, remember to be very careful that if you are pregnant with child it is best to wait till you are completely done breast feeding the baby before you start using these herbs to quit smoking. The effect that these herbs my have on a pregnant or breastfed baby is unknown.

For now, these are the few of the herbals I know of, but if I do find more, I will let you know.

I do have to add, if you are reading this and you have not decided yet if you are going to quit, please always take into consideration those around you when you are smoking because some have trouble breathing.

I thank you in advance that you are caring in that way. When done smoking please do not throw the cigarette butts out your car window or on the sidewalk.

 

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Mind Altering Herbals

Have you ever gotten up from your chair and  walked into the another room looked around “wondering what did I come in here for?” turned around and walked back out. Then, as soon as you sit down, you remember I forgot my glasses and back you go to get them.

Well, your not alone, and the older you get the more it happens. Some people call these senior moments. I call them veinte vueltas – meaning 20 turns, because on a bad day you feel like you have been going in circles all day long and haven’t accomplished anything.

Or how about this one, you put something away so you can use it later and then you don’t remember where you put it.

Another is, you are speaking to someone and you forget what you are saying, then you ask them “What was I talking about?” And they don’t remember or your conversation was so boring they were not paying attention.

Most of the time people just think they are tired and they just have brain fog, or they need a cup of coffee, but you need to be careful what you use to stimulate the brain not everything that is over the counter is safe. You need to read what it is and look up the ingredients that they put in this pill, and even if the doctor says take this prescription to help your brain, you also need to question that too.

I would rather take something natural, grown from my very own garden. At least I know that it would be fresh and nothing strange was added to it.

There are a few natural herbs that can help you with your memory.

Top 5 Mind Altering Herbs

Drinking a cup of tea once or twice a day made from some of these may help like,

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha naturally protects from cell degeneration, it has natural antioxidants and occurring steroids that help the brain and improve function.

Rosemary

Another good herb is called Rosemary. Rosemary improves concentration and memory. It simulates the circulatory system and brings more oxygen to the brain.

Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola Rosea helps with mental clarity and improves memory also helps with fatigue and anxiety.

Lion Main Mushroom

Lion Main Mushroom is known to enhance the memory, also known to slow down and even reverse cell degeneration in the brain. LMM stimulates the nerve system which is very important for all the body.

Turmeric

Turmeric improves brain function, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). When this decreases from the brain, that causes our forgetfulness.

Our bodies need all these plants in one way or another to survive and live our life as healthy as possible.

With plants it may take some time for it to work but at least you know where it came from and its all natural.

You can take as much as you need, add a bit of honey for sweetness, and just sit back and see what your mind does.

The opportunities are endless. You may just remember where you hid that special gift you put away, and not only surprise the one you love, but surprise your self too in the process.

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Poultices

Have you ever gone camping or hiking? Set up your tent and decide, I’m ready for a walk, and down the trail you go, then slap! You kill a mosquito. They keep biting you because you taste so delicious and they keep coming back for more. So, you decide to go back to camp, only to end up falling, scraping and bruising your hands and knees on the rocks. As you continue, you realize that you did not bring the first aid kit. But you did have a book of healing plants with you because you wanted to get to know nature better and it happened to show you the pictures of the plants needed to make the poultice to heal yourself.

The following plants are shown: plantain, yarrow, mullein, and usnea.

You can use all the plants at once or just one plant for a poultice.

One plant that is an herb that is soft and fluffy can also be used as toilet paper if you forget the roll is mullein. That is nice to know if you get lost in the woods.

Two herbs that work good together are plantain and mullein. Plantain helps the body heal faster and the mullein enhances the plantain herb even though they both help with pain and more of one brings out the best of the other.

All that needs to be done is crush the herb and apply to the area that is wounded.

Always make sure the wound is cleaned good before adding the poultice.

Also make sure you cover the poultice every time you change it when it dries and repeat as needed.

It is always smart to carry a book of herbs, or better yet, have your own herbal tool box in your car. You never know when it may come in handy.

When using dry herbs, make sure to crush the herbs, add moisture to them, make them like a paste, apply to the wound, and cover the wound so the poultice does not dry fast and change as needed.

If you are worried about pain, the mullein well help with pain and also help with the process of healing.

Once you see how good these herbs are you should dry some up during the summer, so when winter comes around you may have some on hand.

Just remember, you don’t need to clean out the forest of all these awesome plants and also don’t hurt them when your are harvesting them.

Always be gentle, never unroot a plant unless you need the root or want to transplant it into your garden.

When cutting the leaves to dry, clip the small branches and always leave enough leaves on the branch so that it will not kill the plant.

So next time you are out and about and having fun and forget your first aid kit, don’t worry be happy that you know your herbs, and you have your handy dandy herbal book with you just in case anything happens unexpectedly, plus your herbal tool box too, just in case.

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Can Plants Understand Us?

Have you ever stopped to think that when you talk to your plants that they understand you? Well, they do understand. But did you know that you don’t have to talk to them for them to understand you? Just stand and look at them and think how beautiful they are and they can read your mind.

I know that sounds out of this world but plants just like cats and dogs and other animals do have feelings.

Plants do communicate at different levels. They can feel sorrow for other plants that are being sliced or shredded.

Many years ago, there was a study done on plants, they connected a machine that they use as a lie detector. They put the machine and the plant in one room together, connected the machine to one of the plant’s delicate leaves. They timed the demise of the fish to fall in hot water in another room. At the first reading of the plant, it is calm and relaxed,  but when the time came that the baby fish fell into the hot water, the lie detector needle moved drastically. The plant felt sorrow for the loss the baby fish.

In another study, they again attached a plant to another machine that read the plants energy. On the same table, a few feet away, was another plant next to it. At first they had a small group pass by both plants, the plant was calm. Then the group passed by again and the last person was asked to tear the second plant apart that was not attached to the machine to see how the energy of the plant connected to the machine would react. Its energy showed that it was terrified at what happened to the other plant. It took a while for the energy of the plant to calm down. Once it did calm down they had the group pass by one by one. The plant was able to identify the person who tore the other plant apart by the energy it put out.

The plants of the world are delicate but strong and independent and are also very hardy.

What other material in the world can you think of that can break thru cement, grow in very hot climate, grow on rock on a side of a mountain and make it look easy?

Plants have to learn to live in there environment. They can’t just get up and say they don’t like it here and walk away. They have to adapt where they are at.

So be careful what you are thinking around plants because they can read your mind.

Remember to always think happy thoughts because you never know who may be listening or might be reading your thoughts.

Also remember that plants all over the world supply us with the clean oxygen we need to survive in this world we live in.

We need to be kinder and more careful to keep plant life happy and healthy.

We need to stop destroying places like the Amazon. This is part of nature that can never be replaced.

Our planet depends on all the plants for survival.

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Harvesting Herbs

All herbs start as living plants, trees, flowers, (roots of plants), mushrooms, lichens, and more. Many persons have a garden full of herbs that they just can go and pick any time they may need to use one, but then there is a time that you need to take a walk in the woods to find the one herbal plant you don’t have in your garden.

As I said before, it is always best to take a book, preferably one that shows all the growing cycles of the plant you are looking for, so you can identify it properly.

When looking for the herb that you are planning to use, find out if the flower is in bloom. You don’t want to pick it too early, only when it has matured, but if you want the seed then you have to wait a little longer if that is the part you need. It may save you a trip if you have to go far.

If you just need the leaves, it is always best to harvest them by cutting off small branches to make it easy to dry. Pick them just after the dew of the morning has evaporated but before the sun is too hot and the essential oils have not evaporated.

You must always be careful not to damage the plant. Handle them with tender loving care. We must always make sure that we take what we need but not stress the plant and leave it so that it may make a healthy recovery and continue doing what it does best, growing to supply us with the goodness within it.

If you are taking part of the root, always leave some of the leaves on top of the plant so that it doesn’t die, but keeps growing.

I remember my mother always digging plants out of the ground and also she would be planting them. One day, I asked her what she was doing with the plants she was planting, and if I could help? She said, “Yes,” and started to explain how to plant them and what she used them for. Some were used as spices to give the food you eat flavor and others were used to make you feel better, like when you have a tummy ache.

So, I did learn something as a child, but I wish I had taken the time to really learn even more. The is much knowledge that is lost now that my mother has passed.

If you have a loved one who uses the herbal plants for healing, start a conversation with them, take notes, and watch how they open up to you! They would love to share their knowledge, like the name of the plant, how to identify it, what it heals, what part of the plant to use, and how to prepare it. How to use it if it is external, or internal, what symptoms it helps to heal, etc.

So don’t be like me and regret the loss forever.

 

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Are Weeds Healing Herbs?

I have been talking a lot about nature, now I should start to talk about the natural herbs that we have in our back yard, plants that a lot of us call weeds are herbs that heal the body.

When God made the earth, He made all plant life for the good of man. Plants have been used for centuries to stop sicknesses like headaches, bleeding, broken bones, pain, and so much more.

Sadly, with time we have let the knowledge die with our ancestors. Some have been passed down to the next generation but others have died with their knowledge and wisdom gone forever. So, we are left to learn this knowledge of the plants today, but we have one disadvantage that might help us, and it is our modern technology.

Check out what vitamins or minerals the plant has. Once we find out what it has, we can use it.  Write down what your illness is, and then check if it can help you with your symptoms.

There are so many good herbs out there to use that we already know about, those that do some great good for the body, like chamomile. Chamomile helps you to relax and help you sleep, and it’s also good for colic and is good for indigestion. Make it into a tea and add a little honey to sweeten.

Cinnamon is also good it has its sweetness and tastes deliciously made in tea. Cassia Cinnamon is known to help with blood sugar control.

Dandelion which many consider a weed and grows everywhere is very good for the body. Dandelion helps in many ways but you need to be careful where you get it from because many people spray chemicals to kill these very plants. They don’t know the qualities that this herb has, because it’s been known as nothing but an undesirable weed. This plant helps with digestion problems and also makes great wine. I had it once when I was a young lady and it was very good. Wish I had the recipe. Maybe, one of these days I will look up the recipe but I do remember her saying you needed a lot of the herb to make it.

These are just a few of the herbs I mentioned that you can get in the grocery store but the best is still fresh but if you can’t find them then the next best place to go is to an herbal store.

If you take a picture of a plant out in your yard and then go to the Internet, look up southernexposure.com and look for that plant and just try to match it to the plant in the picture that it shows. You just might have a good herb growing in your front or backyard.

Knowing what it can do to keep you feeling great would be the next thing to look up you might be amazed at what people think is a useless weed and in reality, it is a gold mine find.

 

Click on image

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Changing Your Quality of Life

Have you gone into a grocery store pharmacy to buy something for a cold, pain relief, stomachache, and then start to read each product to see which one is close to the symptoms you are feeling only to feel frustrated because you have to buy at least half the shelf just to cover all your needs?

I know I’m exaggerating, but it feel like that at times, or you can’t find what you need and that is worse yet.

Have you ever questioned what they put in the medications that we casually buy off the shelves? What those big words mean?

I bought a soothing gel with aloe. It said refreshing relief for sunburns moisturizes and cools. So I decide to read the the ingredient on the back, the only thing in it that was good for me was the aloe and there was not enough of that in the bottle because everything else they added needed room in the to bottle along with it. Some of the ingredients that they put in it, if you use it for long periods of time dries your skin and causes wrinkles, irritates the skin, and cause rashes, even cancer! But they don’t tell you that.

The only way to find out is to take the time to check out what in the world these ingredients are. They are hoping you don’t take time out of your busy life to read what is being put in your meds, lotions, shampoos, or conditioners. Sadly, even the food we eat.

What has happened with our high quality standards?

Today’s technology has us thinking we are doing great in our quality of life, only to be seeing more obesity and illness in life then ever before.

What has changed? Everything. Some good and a lot more bad. Our food is over-processed and made to grow faster. Our animals are feed some kind of steroids to grow faster and bigger, produce more, and least of all they forget that we consume all that which is put on our plates for us to devourer, without thinking of what its doing to our bodies.

Are we as blind to this as the animals that they do this to?

We really need to open everyone’s eyes to the reality of what is going on and make the right decisions and choices. All our lives depend on this in order to save the life of our children because they are being  poisoned right under our noses, and we are letting them get away with it.

If each one of us as a parent were to poison our child, we would be convicted of murder and put in prison! Yet, many companies that make our cereals for our family are putting chemicals in our foods and telling you its healthy for you, or worse “its organic!” Wow! How greedy is that?

Bowing down to the almighty dollar.

We as consumers need to put a stop to this. Its already gotten out of hand. We need to get involved more and not let them have that much control over our food preparation.