For years now, many of us have been hearing about the benefits of natural remedies. One of the most popular natural remedies in use is in the berry family. From blueberry to strawberry, from raspberry to acai, berries everywhere are basking in the limelight watching as their popularity continues to grow.
Aside from the more common berries such as blueberry, there are many lesser-known beneficial berries. For instance, you might not have heard of the Schisandra berry. Unknown among the Western countries, this berry is extremely popular remedy among the Chinese due to the many benefits that they derived.
In fact, the Chinese have used Schisandra berries as a staple in their diet for centuries. Read the rest of this entry »
Just as many Eastern cultures have embraced the offerings of the land, using roots, herbs and plants for medicinal and everyday purposes, so have Native Americans. In fact, Native American herbs were among some of the most widely and commonly used herbs in the past.
The Native American culture is a culture of creativity bent on finding original ways to use all kinds of things on Earth; it is almost as if no plant goes to waste. They use herbs to make medicines, teas and even insect repellent. Read the rest of this entry »
Chances are, you don’t look longingly at flowers, licking your lips and hoping for a taste; simply put, you are not a giraffe. While eating flowers might not be a common thing among the human population, it turns out that they may actually be good for us, at least their extracts are. This is particularly true for the Hibiscus flower.
The Hibiscus flower is actually not one flower but a combined genus of around 220 floral species. These flowers are grown in naturally warm, subtropical and tropical climates, such as the Caribbean. A variety of these species are known for their exceptional beauty and vivid colors, but they have also received accolades for their other talents.
Using Hibiscus flowers for health their health benefits has become a common practice. These flowers may possess similar benefits to red wine and green tea. Read the rest of this entry »
Thankfully the holiday season is finally over. I don’t know how many more dinners and holiday cookies I could possibly eat. If you are anything like me, then you are scrambling for a way to lose those extra holiday pounds we all manage to put on. The good news is there are many ways to do just that with the right combination of herbs and spices in bulk.
The first one you can try is Cayenne. Full of vitamin A, vitamins C and B6, Cayenne also is a great source of fiber, vitamin K and manganese. It is nutritious and is a thermogenic food, meaning it burns calories through increased metabolism. This is why it is such a good tool for weight loss.
Generally speaking, a tincture is a solution that uses alcohol as the extract. Many people are making tinctures with alcohol and glycerin, and have been used in traditional and alternative medicine practices. Herbal tinctures offer a popular way to use dried herbs and spices for many health purposes. They are easy to make as well.
Tinctures were used historically to preserve the potency of herbal medications. Although dried herbs can lose potency over time, alcohol-based herbal tinctures enjoy a longer shelf life.
Astragalus root is a widely known medicinal herb that has long been a staple of Chinese herbal medicine. Practitioners of Chinese medicine have used this powerful root to stimulate and strengthen the immune system. Astragalus herb is thought to help keep your immune system healthy so it fights off free radicals and diseases. More recently, the use of the herb is catching on with practitioners of alternative medicine in the rest of the world.
The Astragalus root, otherwise known as astragalus membranaceous, is thought to be a powerful herbal supplement. Astragalus root comes from a perennial plant of the pea family which grows in northern China and Mongolia. As an herbal remedy, it has been used for literally thousands of years in China for therapeutically healing. Hard to believe something so small can hold such big benefits.
Feverfew herb is a delightful short-lived perennial plant with bright chartreuse or yellow leaves and wonderful tiny flowers that look like miniature Shasta daisies with a bright yellow center and white rays. This herb is known by the Latin botanical name of Tanacetum parthenium, although it also has the common names of featherfew, Santa Maria and wild chamomile. Although it has a small daisy-like flower similar to the chamomile flower, the chamomile flower is conical in shape in the central yellow portion of the flower whereas the feverfew flower is flat. Ferverfew herb was originally native to Eurasia, but is now commonly found worldwide, likely because it is self fertile and due to its propensity to reseed freely.
Everyday there are new ways of helping our bodies deal with infections and other problems. Herbal remedies for various conditions are constantly being discovered. Used appropriately, herbal remedies, such as slippery elm bark extract, can speed up the process of our bodies healing themselves and fighting off harmful free radicals.
The slippery elm herb comes from the bark of elm trees which grow throughout North America. The tree has been utilized in a number of ways, including canoe making, as a food preservative, as a source of survival food during the Revolutionary War and as a medicine. The inner bark of the slippery elm tree is a strong and durable fiber, which can be spun into thread, twine or rope. It was once used for bowstrings, ropes, jewelry, clothing, snowshoe bindings, woven mats, and even in some musical instruments.
Juniper berries are often used in the culinary world as a spice to enhance meat, stuffings, sausages, stews, and soups and marinades. As an herbal remedy juniper berries are used in an herbal infusion by herbalists for urinary tract and bladder infections and inflammations and to to reduce water retention.
You can make juniper tea by adding 1 cup of boiling water to 1 tablespoon of juniper berries, covering, and allowing the berries to steep for 20 minutes. The usual dosage is 1 cup twice a day.
At Starwest Botanicals, we enjoy making herbal teas and infusions and wanted to share this video on making your own Juniper Berry Infusion. We stock high quality wild-crafted juniper berries and organic juniper berries for use in your own remedies and preparations.
Juniper should not be taken internally by pregnant women or by individuals with kidney problems. Juniper contains a potent volatile essential oil, oil of sabinal. Not for use exceeding four to six weeks in succession; contraindicated in inflammatory kidney disease. Before taking for a medical condition, it is best to consult with a physician.
Essiac herbal tea is thought by practitioners of alternative medicine to be a potent natural herbal formula used to fight cancer. Well-known for over 90 years, the proponents and critics of Essiac herbs are constantly going back and forth about the true efficacy towards our health. Essiac tea is recommended by herbalists as an alternative healthcare means of treatment for various forms of cancer and is used to alleviate symptoms and side effects of conventional cancer therapy, such as chemotherapy.
Buy Essiac Tea » All natural Essiac tea offered by the pound in certified organic and conventional blends. Blended according to Rene Caisse’s recipe using only the finest quality ingredients.
