Your local pharmacy stocks, among other items, a few pure essential oils. A larger variety is available through specialty online herbal sources. Essential oils are extracted from plants and contain the clean, pure scent of the plant. Pure essential oils are available in organic versions, and may be used for aromatherapy, perfume, cosmetics, bath products, flavoring foods and beverages, adding scent to incense and in household care products.

Pure essential oils can also be diluted with oil, and then these scented oils can be used as a rub for the skin or in massage therapy. One of the most popular ways to use organic essential oils is in aromatherapy. Aromatherapy uses different kinds of apparatus to release the wonderful herbal scent into the air, and this is thought to improve one’s physical and emotional well being. Different kinds of diffusers are used to spread the scent around your body or throughout a room, depending on the size and kind of diffuser used. One of the simplest ones is a hollow ring that will fit over the top of a light bulb that would be used in a lamp. You simply place a few drops of essential oils, perhaps lavender essential oils, into the hollow, and then turn the light on. The heat from the bulb raises the temperature of the lavender essential oils, causing them to more easily diffuse throughout the air in the room. Candles are also used to heat pure essential oils for aromatherapy. Other types of diffusers are a small as a personal diffuser that you wear as a necklace, and the heat from your body releases the wonderful scent. Larger diffusers have fans attached in order to spread the aroma throughout a larger room size.

Read the rest of this entry »

For tea afficianados, it is a thrill to take part in the amazing cultural event known as the Japanese tea ceremony. At the basis of the ceremony, certain types of green tea are prepared and served to guests in a highly ceremonial fashion. With Starwest loose green teas, you can enjoy the comforts of Japanese green tea easily in your home.

A little background is in order at this point. Green tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, the leaves of which are used in the production of Green tea. The leaves are processed using minimal oxidation in order to provide the unique flavor that has come to be expected from green tea.

Read the rest of this entry »

Fresh dried herbs from around the world are used in many ways around your home or in your business. Fresh herbs grown by suppliers located worldwide, are used in all types of cuisines and in beverages. Dried herbs are also the main ingredient in a host of wonderful teas that you enjoy with your morning paper or at the end of a long day. Dried herbs can be used in household products such as cleaning products, laundry detergents and dryer scents for your clothing. Personal care products, such as perfumes, cosmetics, body lotions and oils typically use fresh dried herbs for their fragrance. Businesses that produce food or offer dried herbs for sale to the public can benefit from the wealth of wholesale bulk herbs available online today. However, most people simply enjoy having a variety of fresh dried herbs on hand for everyday meal preparation.

Read the rest of this entry »

Most people, when they think of Cinnamon, they
think of a taste, or a smell. And for good reason, few spices are
used with such abundance. New information has been released, however, with regard to other, more interesting uses for this already so commonly used bark. We’ll explore that here, amongst cinnamon’s other attributes.

Culinary:

Cinnamon bark has been extensively used in the preparation of many different kind of foods. Its sweet flavor has been added to chocolate, pies, donuts, buns, candies, tea, cocoa and many other desserts. In the Middle East it is often used to enhance chicken and lamb. In the United States, cinnamon and sugar are often used to flavor cereals, bread-based dishes, and fruits, most commonly apples. Cinnamon bark is one of the few spices that can be eaten by itself.

Read the rest of this entry »

Everyday, you reach for your pepper grinder and grind a bit of the savory spice that helps to flavor all sorts of foods. You might not have realized it, but peppercorns have achieved a gourmet status in all types of cuisines. There are several different types of peppercorns as well as a plethora of ways to use them.

Gourmet peppercorns come in a variety of different colors, including white, green, black and pink peppercorns. There are also different varieties of peppercorns available. Some of the most popular for cooking include Malabar and Tellicherry peppercorns.

Read the rest of this entry »

In every kitchen around the world, you will likely find some type of salt. Although it can be used in homemade eco-friendly cleansers for your home, salt, and gourmet salts in particular, are used in all types of cuisines found worldwide. Gourmet salts are unique in their type and benefits offered to cooks.

Types of Gourmet Salts

Unrefined salt would include the popular sea salts. Sea salts, known as Fleur de sel, vary in flavor due to the minerals the salts contain. Raw sea salts are collected through small basins of salt water that evaporate, leaving the salt behind, or through the mining of rock salt. Salt that is totally raw is not usually eaten, however, because of the bitter taste, but is often used in bathing salts and cosmetics. Sea salts can be found in smoked varieties. Beautiful pink Himalayan mineral salts are also available. Hawaii, with its large number of beaches, is a perfect spot for harvesting Hawaiian salt.

Read the rest of this entry »

Did you know that you can use Soapnut Berries as an eco-friendly way to make your own laundry detergent substitute?

Soapnut berries come from the Sapindus trifoliatus tree. The trees produce the berries, which, when crushed, can be used to make soaps and detergents. This is because soapnut berries contain saponins, which are surface acting agents, making them useful as an ingredient in cleaning detergents.

Here Are Some Eco Tips For Using Soapnut Berries

You can think of soapnut berries as eco laundry balls. You will need a cloth bag made out of a loose-mesh fabric like cheesecloth that can be tied off at the top. Inside this bag you place four or five soapnut berries, tie it off and place it in the washer with your laundry. The soapnut berries help to wash the clothes, removing dirt and odors with ease. The soapnut berries can be reused four or five times in your washer, gently cleaning your clothes. When the soapnuts get soft and mushy, you are done with them, and the used berries can be placed in your compost pile with no ill effects because they are plant matter.

Read the rest of this entry »

A study by Whole Foods Market in 2004 reported by the Organic Consumers Association found that ‘Two Years After Organic Standards Enacted, More Than Half of Americans Have Tried Organic Foods; Americans Choose Organic Products for Quality, Flavor, Environmental Impact, Perceived Health Benefits’

More recently, this growing popularity and awareness of the natural foods industry was highlighted through the success of the Natural Products Expo. Along with this are the early estimates from the Nutrition Business Journal that indicate consumer sales of nutrition products grew 9 percent in 2008 to more than $100 billion.

We decided to take a look at some of the factors of why the demand for organic herbs is on the rise.

Read the rest of this entry »

It seems to be an ongoing controversy - is it best to use whole spices or ground? Dried herbs or fresh?

There are strong arguments on all sides of the issue, but when asking this question, the best answer is “all of the above” - for different types of cooking and food preparation. It can also depend a great deal upon the time of the year; after all, many herbs are perennials that die back at the end of each growing season - meaning that in its fresh form, it’s probably not available during the winter.

It’s also dependent on whether the food being prepared is fried or baked, and at what temperature. For example, some fresh herbs and spices stand up quite well to the extremely high temperatures involved in Chinese wok stir-frying. On the other hand, when it comes to Italian marinara sauces that simmer for hours over low heat, it’s probably best to use dried herbs rather than the fresh variety. The reason here is that dried herbs ultimately explode into microscopic particles during the simmering process, actually fusing with the tomatoes on a molecular level as they cook down into sauce. Fresh herbs in this case would likely turn into soggy little bits.

Read the rest of this entry »

New studies are following the use of Hibiscus in the fight to lower high blood pressure

Hibiscus tea is the infusion made from Hibiscus sabdariffa flower, an herbal tea drink consumed both hot and cold by people around the world. Hibiscus tea has a tart, cranberry-like flavor. It contains vitamin C and minerals and is used traditionally as a mild medicine, as it’s believed to reduce cholesterol. Certain health authorities have been working to build awareness around the diuretic properties of the tea, and its effectiveness in the treatment of urinary tract infections.New studies are following the use of Hibiscus in the fight to lower high blood pressure. Read the rest of this entry »