Tag: Healthy Living

Herbal Remedies

Making Medicinal Teas

Kristine

Updated March 1, 2022

“Herb teas, properly prepared, are warming and soothing to the soul. They provide essential medicinal qualities and healing energy. Preparing and drinking herb teas involves us in the personal process of healing and teaches us to be conscious of the role we each play in our well-being,” says herbalist, Rosemary Gladstar.

Certainly, herbal teas are an important part of boosting and maintaining health. If you’re new to herbalism, they are a great way to get started. Making tea is one of the simplest and most inexpensive ways to prepare herbs medicinally. There is no complicated equipment or processing required. In fact, you probably already have all the tools you need in your kitchen.

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Drinks, Recipes, Wild Woman

Momma’s Bliss Tea

Kristine

Updated March 1, 2022

This tasty and uplifting tea blend will give your body & soul a boost. It’s formulated with new moms in mind, but is beneficial as a relaxing, digestive boosting tea for men and women of all ages.

In our modern culture, motherhood can be an isolated and stressful experience. Simple rituals, like a soothing cup of tea at the end of a long day can help to ground us, and ease the worries of the day. While you sip, take a moment to breathe & quietly reflect or write in a journal.

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Baby + Child, Pregnancy + Birth

Herbs to Promote Breastfeeding

Kristine
Photo Credit: Milk and Hannah
Updated March 1, 2022

Herbs are a natural, gentle way to support and nourish a breastfeeding mom and baby. Certain herbs, called galactagogues, actually help to encourage and increase breast milk. Many of these plants also provide essential vitamins and minerals to help keep mom healthy and relaxed through the stresses of breastfeeding and infant care.

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Herbal Remedies

Make Your Own Immune Boosting Fire Cider

Kristine

Updated March 1, 2022

Fire ciders are a well loved folk preparation that have been used traditionally to boost digestion, aid healthy body processes, warm one up on cold days, and help to ward off illness. Autumn is the perfect time to make a big batch of fire cider so that it can be used to promote health throughout the winter months.

Fire cider is simple to prepare, but it does need to infuse for some time before it’s ready. Depending on who you ask, the exact recipe varies, but the basic formula remains the same: vinegar + health boosting herbs + honey.

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Holistic Healing

A Holistic Treatment Plan for Bladder & Urinary Tract Infections

Kristine

If you notice a frequent need to urinate, pain or burning during urination, and/or a feeling of incomplete urination these are good signs that you have an infection of the bladder and/or urinary tract. The usual allopathic method for treating urinary tract & bladder infections is antibiotics.

However, most bladder infections can be easily resolved with natural remedies when treatment is started early. If you have any of the above symptoms starting the following program as soon as possible can keep the infection at bay.

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Holistic Healing

Holistic Treatment of Poison Ivy, Oak & Sumac Rash

Kristine
If you live in the United States (or parts of Canada), there’s a good chance that you are all too familiar with the effects of a run in with poison ivy, oak, or sumac. These plants contain an oil called urushiol (you-ROO-shee-all) that causes an itchy, blistering rash when it comes in contact with the skin. This rash often goes away within a few weeks, but can cause a lot of misery in the meantime.

Try the following suggestions to avoid getting poison ivy, oak, or sumac this summer.
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DIY, Drinks, Recipes

Make Your Own Herbal Dream Pillows & Tea

Kristine


Throughout history, dreams have had a special significance in many cultures. There are written records of dream interpretations dating back to over 5,000 years old. The ancient Egyptians highly valued dreams, especially vivid ones, as they believed they were communicated from the gods. The Greeks also felt that dreams were divine messages and used interpretations of their dreams to help them make decisions, predict the future, and solve problems.

Today, dreams are still a bit of a mystery to us. Some researchers claim that they help to store memories, while others feel that they are important for resolving conflicts and regulating mood.

Poor sleep and difficulty with recall can make it hard to benefit from our dreams. Herbal dream pillows and teas can help promote peaceful sleep, vivid dreams & recall.

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Herbal Remedies

Digestive Bitters

Kristine

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Updated May 20, 2022

Bitter foods and herbs play a very important role in digestion and the health of the organs that facilitate it. Bitters stimulate the production of digestive fluids that help to break down food to ensure that the body can absorb the nutrients from it. They also help to tone and heal the digestive tissues.

When you first taste bitter foods, bitter taste receptors on the tongue trigger reactions throughout the digestive tract. In the mouth, bitters promote salivation, which breaks down starches and begins to digest fats.

In the stomach, bitters promote the production of gastrin, a hormone that regulates how much gastric acid is produced. This is especially important because an adequate amount of stomach acid is necessary for the body to be able to uptake minerals from food.

Bitters also aid in the production of pepsin, an enzyme that helps break down proteins and is key to the proper absorption of vitamin B12.

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Healthy Living, Pets

The Benefits of a Furry Friend

Kristine

It’s no secret that pets can bring a lot of joy to the lives of their owners, but did you know that having a pet can actually improve your health too?

Spending time with pets actually causes physical reactions in your body that reduce stress and improve your mood. Just petting a cat or dog, or watching a fish swim actually decreases your levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, and helps increase production of serotonin, a feel good chemical that increases feelings of well-being.  Additionally, playing with a pet can increase your levels of both serotonin and dopamine, which will leave you feeling more calm and relaxed.

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Healthy Living

The Truth About Caffeine

Kristine

Caffeine is one of the most popular and commonly used drugs in the world and is consumed by up to 90% of the global population in some form or another. Despite caffeine’s frequent use, however, many people don’t really know how caffeine affects their health or even how much they are taking in on a daily basis. 

The average person person consumes about 200 mg (about two, 8 oz. cups of coffee) per  day. To help you determine how much caffeine you intake, some of the most common sources of caffeine are listed below with the average amount of caffeine they contain.

  • brewed coffee (8 oz):  85 mg
  • instant coffee (8 oz): 75 mg
  • brewed or instant coffee (8 oz):  3 mg
  • single shot of espresso (2 oz): 80 mg
  • black tea (8 oz): 40 mg
  • decaf black tea (8 oz): 4 mg
  • green tea (8 oz): 40 mg
  • dark, semi-sweet chocolate (1 oz): 20 mg

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Healthy Living

Hydrate Your Health

Kristine

Did you know that staying properly hydrated can prevent an array of health issues and promote better overall well-being? The secret to better health may be no further away than a big glass of water.

Water makes up about 60% of the human body and is an essential part of bodily function and maintenance. It helps your body digest food, absorb nutrients, circulate bodily fluids, create saliva, transport nutrients, flush wastes, and regulate body temperature.

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Main Dish, Recipes

Spicy Nettle & Tofu Soup

Kristine
Updated February 26, 2022

This past winter was long and cold — as Midwest winters often are. To cope, I cooked a lot of soup for about five months straight. Now that the weather has been warmer, I have been taking a break from this comforting dish. But, some chillier temps and cool spring rains have had me craving a warm bowl of soup again.

This light, spicy soup utilizes one of my favorite foraged springtime greens, nettle. Fresh nettle greens are quite delicious and extremely nutritious. But, if you don’t have any or don’t know where to get them, you can substitute any other spring greens you have on hand, like spinach, chard, collards or kale.

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