What's on the Table!? ~ Health and Beauty Care with the Natural Intelligence of Plants and Herbs

Reach for Plants ~ Rhodiola to the Rescue The other day I was feeling off, stressy and overwhelmed. I feel it has a lot to do with the constant unseasonable rain and cloud cover. After unsuccessful attempts to redirect my mood, I decided to have a time out and it popped in my head to add some Rhodiola rosea to my Kombucha. It felt as if only minutes had passed, and this lightness came over me. The heavy overwhelm lifted, my mood noticeably softened. It is a good reminder that our plant allies are there at the ready to help! Studies have found rhodiola may help strengthen the body’s response to physical stressors like exercise and psychological stressors such as fatigue and depression. Other studies, many in test tubes and animals, have suggested that rhodiola may help protect against certain health conditions, such as cancer, depression, and diabetes. However, more research is necessary to quantify how traditional medicine already uses this herb. Rhodiola has been used in trad...

A Case for Holistic Thyroid Investigation As I continue to support clients, there is yet an overwhelming number of incoming questions about thyroid concerns and potential supports. I would like to remind all here, that I am a student in life just as you are. We each take a special affinity to various areas of interest. The research I do enables me to be a better resource to clients and my community. I also make some of my own synopses based on how I perceive the information. What I write is not a conclusive answer to a question, but great beginning points for others to think about their body and health. Always do your own research in regard to a suggestion or recommendation via any type of practitioner. What works for one body, may not be the right fit for another. Now bear with me! I am going to explain a little about the thyroid and the system it is included within the body. This is important because understanding this system is relatively new and there is no extensive review of p...

  As a community we are unearthing what was once known and then sadly covered up and veiled from our minds. There is a reason that cinnamon was part of the holy anointing oil. In Exodus 30:22-33 the following is found: “Then the Lord said to Moses, `Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels [a] of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels [b] of fragrant calamus, 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin [c] of olive oil. Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil.” Extracts from the bark as well as leaves, flowers, fruits, and roots of the cinnamon tree are used in traditional medicine around the world for thousands of years. At one point, cinnamon was  more valuable than gold . Egyptians used the spice for various religious practices, as well as embalming. Cinnamon also played a role in religious ceremonies conducted by Medieva...

Plants are magic. I sit back in awe when, yet another serendipitous event happens to teach me when I do not realize there is a lesson to be had. Once the knowledge is acquired, it is a feeling filled with 'of course this is the way it is.' The eclipse season is heavy upon us, and I do not think we discuss this in our daily lives enough. I put together a list of herbs that may be fabulous helpers for you during this time and beyond, spurred on by a recent experience with Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris). I was putting together my tea for the day and this plant felt like it was hopping up and down in the back of my shelf, like ‘pick me, pick me!’ I had not used Mugwort in quite some time and I thought it was interesting to be called to it. I have focused much of my relationship with plants over the years around scientific study supported by traditional teachings.  Seeking out the study behind what women like my grandmother simply knew to be true, has been my modus operandi. It ...