Natural Beauty

DIY Coffee & Orange Exfoliating Scrub

Updated February 27, 2022

Commercially made body scrubs often contain synthetic preservatives and fragrances. These chemicals increase shelf life and make products “smell nice,” but can have some seriously detrimental health effects.

Synthetic preservatives, like parabens and formaldehyde, can cause skin irritation, allergies, and more serious health problems, like hormone disruption, infertility, and cancer.

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Herbal Remedies

Digestive Bitters

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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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