As a former caterer and a long standing "home cook" I am often asked why I gave up a seemingly great career of cooking for others to pursue the art of healing with herbology. The answer is a simple one....I didn't! I still love to cook for others and haven't given up this enjoyable pastime at all. But now instead of cooking for up to 450 people I cook for small groups of people like friends and family.
And I haven't really changed much in my outlook toward cooking with the exception of no pork and very little milk; I do cook much the same as before. On of my favorite dishes is chalk full of nutrients and a family favorite.
Rosemary, Garlic Chicken is one I love to fix and has all the properties of a healthy meal without feeling that I'm "eating healthy". This recipe proves that you can enjoy a great meal without feeling left out of great taste!
Here is a great location for healthy food and great recipes!
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/283/Rosemary_Garlic_Chicken2883.shtml
If you look at the recipe you'll see that it calls for fresh Rosemary and garlic cloves. Rosemary is well known as an aromatic that eases flu symptoms and colds, helps with mucus and is great as a help to the liver! Garlic has been used for many years for boosting the immune system and is a wonderful help for the stomach. Have a look at this recipe and remember....make lots of it because EVERYONE will want a second helping!
Showing posts with label garlic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garlic. Show all posts
Friday, January 6, 2012
Monday, November 29, 2010
Live to Fight another Day
With the advent of the holiday season a great deal of people feel the pressure to get things done and the stress of the season can take it’s toll. One of the worst things that can happen are stressors. These are things that bombard the body to cause potential illness if left unchecked.
Stressors include money woes; too much work; cold season and even poor diet. It’s a common mistake to not get enough water during the cold season as we aren’t triggered by thirst as we would be during the hot summer months. But we need water even more when it’s a cold dry climate as this time can be. And a dehydrated body is prone to all sorts of illness. Couple that with a huge inundation of sugar and you have the perfect recipe for disaster.
The most common illness is an upset stomach followed in popularity by the flu or a seasonal cold with headaches coming in a close third. These things are easily preventable with a few common sense steps.
First off; hydration and sleep are the most important things you can do. You might not be able to resist grandma’s sugar cookies but if you eat sensibly with the cookie and drink lots of water with it; you may not get the tummy or headache ache common to this type of eating. AND the added benefit of hydration allows the body to rid itself of a toxic condition that sugar provides and may even help shed those extra calories.
Sleep is the most overlooked and underappreciated thing we do this time of year and I have found that if I have several sleepless nights in a row; I can just mark on the calendar the following week will be fraught with either a cold sore or a cold or both! The body just does not have the reserves that it should if we do not repair with sleep.
The next thing that seems to always happen; especially if we are not eating and sleeping right; is to go to the crowded department stores and catch a virus or bacteria. This is such a perfect environment for illness; a virtual Petri dish of germs just waiting for a home! So do we avoid these places? Are we to forgo the famous “Black Friday” specials in lieu of good health? It’s not always possible to stay away from those places and it’s not always going to help us keep away from illness. But if we arm our immune system with good food, sleep, water and common sense we can go a long way toward good health.
One thing that we can do if we just don’t have the ability to take as good of care of ourselves is to take herbal supplements to offset the devastating things we do to our body.
One of my favorite herbs to take is to balance my pH with either Chlorophyll or minerals to help the body’s defense. A body that is alkaline is not going to be a good environment for bugs so pH is paramount to great health. Another thing I always keep on hand and use every day during flu season is Colloidal Silver. I also keep a tube of Silver Shield Gel in my purse for those times when I have to enter a grocery or department store. This is especially true if I know that those places are giving flu vaccines and nasal spray for the seasonal illness. Contrary to popular science information; this CAN cause you to get ill! So I try to arm myself with a shield of silver to offset this potential danger. Please note that this is NOT the same as sani wipes that are so popular. If you use those on your hands; you are basically wiping a pesticide on them! Who needs more chemicals in our body? No one!
If by some chance the flu or other viral or bacterial infection starts to hit; take immediate action in the form of immune boosters such as Elderberry; Garlic, Capsicum, Echinacea or Vitamin C; especially a type called Citrus Bioflavonoid. If you take immediate action followed by rest and hydration you may well find that you will be healthy enough to fight another day; AND without spreading illness to the rest of the family!
So make sure that you fill your medicine cabinet with herbs to help the immune system; your refrigerator with great food and your body with good herbs, water and nutrition and you will sail through this sometimes stressful time of year like a breeze!
Stressors include money woes; too much work; cold season and even poor diet. It’s a common mistake to not get enough water during the cold season as we aren’t triggered by thirst as we would be during the hot summer months. But we need water even more when it’s a cold dry climate as this time can be. And a dehydrated body is prone to all sorts of illness. Couple that with a huge inundation of sugar and you have the perfect recipe for disaster.
The most common illness is an upset stomach followed in popularity by the flu or a seasonal cold with headaches coming in a close third. These things are easily preventable with a few common sense steps.
First off; hydration and sleep are the most important things you can do. You might not be able to resist grandma’s sugar cookies but if you eat sensibly with the cookie and drink lots of water with it; you may not get the tummy or headache ache common to this type of eating. AND the added benefit of hydration allows the body to rid itself of a toxic condition that sugar provides and may even help shed those extra calories.
Sleep is the most overlooked and underappreciated thing we do this time of year and I have found that if I have several sleepless nights in a row; I can just mark on the calendar the following week will be fraught with either a cold sore or a cold or both! The body just does not have the reserves that it should if we do not repair with sleep.
The next thing that seems to always happen; especially if we are not eating and sleeping right; is to go to the crowded department stores and catch a virus or bacteria. This is such a perfect environment for illness; a virtual Petri dish of germs just waiting for a home! So do we avoid these places? Are we to forgo the famous “Black Friday” specials in lieu of good health? It’s not always possible to stay away from those places and it’s not always going to help us keep away from illness. But if we arm our immune system with good food, sleep, water and common sense we can go a long way toward good health.
One thing that we can do if we just don’t have the ability to take as good of care of ourselves is to take herbal supplements to offset the devastating things we do to our body.
One of my favorite herbs to take is to balance my pH with either Chlorophyll or minerals to help the body’s defense. A body that is alkaline is not going to be a good environment for bugs so pH is paramount to great health. Another thing I always keep on hand and use every day during flu season is Colloidal Silver. I also keep a tube of Silver Shield Gel in my purse for those times when I have to enter a grocery or department store. This is especially true if I know that those places are giving flu vaccines and nasal spray for the seasonal illness. Contrary to popular science information; this CAN cause you to get ill! So I try to arm myself with a shield of silver to offset this potential danger. Please note that this is NOT the same as sani wipes that are so popular. If you use those on your hands; you are basically wiping a pesticide on them! Who needs more chemicals in our body? No one!
If by some chance the flu or other viral or bacterial infection starts to hit; take immediate action in the form of immune boosters such as Elderberry; Garlic, Capsicum, Echinacea or Vitamin C; especially a type called Citrus Bioflavonoid. If you take immediate action followed by rest and hydration you may well find that you will be healthy enough to fight another day; AND without spreading illness to the rest of the family!
So make sure that you fill your medicine cabinet with herbs to help the immune system; your refrigerator with great food and your body with good herbs, water and nutrition and you will sail through this sometimes stressful time of year like a breeze!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
My Life with Herbs
People often ask me where my inspiration comes from in using herbs to cook with; and I have to say that it was all started by a fluke. You see the garden I had was pretty big and as I got older was really getting tired of having to work several hours each day on those rows of corn, beans and tomatoes. So the next logical thing to do was to add things that needed little care and were able to be there year after year without replanting.
I had already put in a border of flowers around the outside and down the middle but wanted more useful things besides just for show. So the next step was planting herbs. Boy was I ever surprised at the result!
The first year I planted two kinds of Sage, Lemon Verbena, Chamomile and Chives. The second year I put in Rosemary, another Sage, another Chive, Mint and Parsley. The third year I put in Cilantro. By that time the Verbena was gone, and even though Chive is not perennial; was still surviving; due to a mild winter. The Sage however was humongous! It ended up becoming as large as a picnic table and almost as tall as me!
The real problem with planting a hardy perennial is that it can take over the whole blasted garden. This is what happened with the Mint. Now most of you that garden realize what I learned the hard way. Mint is an insidiously strong plant that can withstand almost any issue from drought to bugs to even burning….something I tried to do in my effort to rid myself of this pest. I had already tried digging it up; to no avail. It is a tuber; meaning it sends roots up from the bottom of the plant to another spot a short distance away from the mother plant. This makes a complex network of strong roots and is almost impossible to get rid of! After weeks of chopping, hoeing and digging found the end to my project and taught me a valuable lesson on gardening. A tough native plant can become a real problem if you don’t keep it in control. I have since learned that if you wish to have mint (I don’t!) to plant it in a container and then bury the container in the ground for easy culling should you wish to move or remove it. Just remember that the plant can hop over the side of the pot if you’re not careful!
As the herb patch in my garden flourished; I found that they not only tasted good in my soups and other dishes but they; for the most part; were a great help in becoming a “pest control”. I found that Sage is like mesquite; it is strong smelling and virtually impossible to kill; not tasty for grasshoppers and gets big enough to act like a live barrier to outside influences. I found that Parsley; although tasty to the caterpillar; will actually keep them off other plants like tomatoes if I plant enough! And the added benefit is that I am contributing to the Monarch butterfly world by doing so.
I also found that Garlic Chives is not tasty to anything in the animal world but humans. It has a delicious flavor and smells so strongly of Garlic that I sometimes use it instead of Garlic when I am out of the healthy bulb.
The world of herbs is an amazing place to visit. I have planted herbs for my canning needs; I have planted herbs for beauty such as Chamomile; and have even planted herbs for my cats. If you’ve never seen a cat enjoy Catnip you really haven’t been kind enough to your kitty. The Catnip plant is not a beautiful one and after a summer of your four legged friends wallowing all over the leggy plant; is quite an eyesore. But this useful herb is a joy for not only cats but us as well. The properties of Catnip; also called Catwort; are as a sedative, antispasmodic and can be used for insomnia, cramps and migraine headaches. A great way to use it is to put a couple of stems with leaves intact in boiling water to steep for 10 minutes. Catnip tea has been traditionally used as the more popular Valerian as a calming tea at the end of a hard day.
So when you plant the garden next spring take into account the valuable properties of herbs as not only a beautiful plant to add to the garden but a healthy alternative to our diet!
I had already put in a border of flowers around the outside and down the middle but wanted more useful things besides just for show. So the next step was planting herbs. Boy was I ever surprised at the result!
The first year I planted two kinds of Sage, Lemon Verbena, Chamomile and Chives. The second year I put in Rosemary, another Sage, another Chive, Mint and Parsley. The third year I put in Cilantro. By that time the Verbena was gone, and even though Chive is not perennial; was still surviving; due to a mild winter. The Sage however was humongous! It ended up becoming as large as a picnic table and almost as tall as me!
The real problem with planting a hardy perennial is that it can take over the whole blasted garden. This is what happened with the Mint. Now most of you that garden realize what I learned the hard way. Mint is an insidiously strong plant that can withstand almost any issue from drought to bugs to even burning….something I tried to do in my effort to rid myself of this pest. I had already tried digging it up; to no avail. It is a tuber; meaning it sends roots up from the bottom of the plant to another spot a short distance away from the mother plant. This makes a complex network of strong roots and is almost impossible to get rid of! After weeks of chopping, hoeing and digging found the end to my project and taught me a valuable lesson on gardening. A tough native plant can become a real problem if you don’t keep it in control. I have since learned that if you wish to have mint (I don’t!) to plant it in a container and then bury the container in the ground for easy culling should you wish to move or remove it. Just remember that the plant can hop over the side of the pot if you’re not careful!
As the herb patch in my garden flourished; I found that they not only tasted good in my soups and other dishes but they; for the most part; were a great help in becoming a “pest control”. I found that Sage is like mesquite; it is strong smelling and virtually impossible to kill; not tasty for grasshoppers and gets big enough to act like a live barrier to outside influences. I found that Parsley; although tasty to the caterpillar; will actually keep them off other plants like tomatoes if I plant enough! And the added benefit is that I am contributing to the Monarch butterfly world by doing so.
I also found that Garlic Chives is not tasty to anything in the animal world but humans. It has a delicious flavor and smells so strongly of Garlic that I sometimes use it instead of Garlic when I am out of the healthy bulb.
The world of herbs is an amazing place to visit. I have planted herbs for my canning needs; I have planted herbs for beauty such as Chamomile; and have even planted herbs for my cats. If you’ve never seen a cat enjoy Catnip you really haven’t been kind enough to your kitty. The Catnip plant is not a beautiful one and after a summer of your four legged friends wallowing all over the leggy plant; is quite an eyesore. But this useful herb is a joy for not only cats but us as well. The properties of Catnip; also called Catwort; are as a sedative, antispasmodic and can be used for insomnia, cramps and migraine headaches. A great way to use it is to put a couple of stems with leaves intact in boiling water to steep for 10 minutes. Catnip tea has been traditionally used as the more popular Valerian as a calming tea at the end of a hard day.
So when you plant the garden next spring take into account the valuable properties of herbs as not only a beautiful plant to add to the garden but a healthy alternative to our diet!
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Perfect Medicine Cabinet
When looking at the vast array of herbs in my cupboard and storage I think it looks like the herb store I work at! To people that have seen it and don’t understand how herbs work; probably think I’m a bit of a hypochondriac. This is absolutely false. The thing is; herbs work much different than traditional medicines do. So if you use only traditional meds; you will have only two or three bottles of pills to treat many types of issues. But these medicines are harsh on the body and to an herbalist like myself; very toxic.
So what does the average alternative medicine cabinet hold? I carry many of the same types of helps for body imbalances such as anti inflammatory and stomach help. I tend to get headaches and have something for that as well. I get body aches when I’ve worked beyond my normal exercise routine and a rub for that as well as sleep aids and energy boosters.
The difference with me and the average household is that the herbs; oils, flower essences and rubs I have are not as strong. They may well be more effective than over the counter meds or Rx drugs are; but they take up more room because they are not encapsulated into as small a pill form. So if I take Adrenal Support for tiredness; I take four or five of them in a day. If I need Vitamin C; I eat as many as I can in a day to knock out that cold I’m trying to get. That might be as many as 8 or 10 a day.
This means that my medicine cabinet is bigger than yours.
But although these herbs are not as concentrated; they are amazingly accurate in helping just what I want helped without damaging my liver or causing any other side effect. The most common side effect of over doing most herbs is diarrhea. Which is exactly what the body would do to eliminate anything you take too much of; such as eating 20 apples in a day. You don’t need that much fruit and what does the body do? Eliminate what it doesn’t use.
So one question I’m asked frequently is what should the average person have on hand for every day use in their cabinet?
I decided that there are several things that everyone should have in their cabinet; especially during flu season. Here is a list of suggested herbs, vitamins and other helps that I recommend. Please remember that there are other herbs that work similarly but these are my personal favorites. You might like to talk to a certified Herbalist for advice or feel free to ask me! And remember this is the list I'm using regularly at this time. This varies with the seasons and with issues of health in our home.
Please note; these are Natures Sunshine Products. This is the only company I will use.
Colds:
Citrus Bioflavonoid ( a particularly effective type of vitamin C)
VS-C ( a great help to stop viruses)
Garlic ( a powerful anti oxidant and immune booster)
Elderberry Defense ( immune booster)
L- Lysine ( an essential amino acid perfect to help cold or canker sores)
Colloidal Silver ( anti viral, anti fungal, anti bacterial)
Skin:
Silver Shield Gel ( Colloidal Silver in gel form; use as you would anti bacterial ointment)
Black Ointment ( amazing ointment used for all skin issues)
Golden Salve ( similar ointment to Black Ointment; that has an olive oil base)
Aloe Vera Gel ( perfect for sunburns; scrapes and cuts)
Stomach:
Stomach Comfort ( herbal version of ant acids; chewable)
L- Acidophilus ( a pro biotic; refrigerate after opening to keep culture alive)
Food Enzymes ( a combination of food enzymes very effective to restore flora in stomach)
Papaya Mint ( chews that work as an anti acid)
LB-X ( a mild laxative)
Gentle Move ( a bulk laxative)
Pain:
Capsicum ( the heat of Capsicum will help move toxins in the body to help inflammation dissipate in the body)
IF-C (Chinese combination of herbs formulated to stop pain)
IF ( another version of herb combination to help pain)
Everflex ( ointment formulated to help sore muscles)
Headache:
Lavender Essence ( a few drops on the back of the neck; at temples works wonders on a headache!)
Herbal Sleep ( a combination of herbs formulated to relax)
Chamomile Tea ( the perfect herb tea to soothe)
De toxifying
All Cell Detox ( a combination of herbs that will help the body eliminate poisons)
Activated Charcoal ( capsules of activated charcoal to absorb poisons and toxins)
Tiao He Cleanse (a mild cleanse to boost energy and help the liver and bowels)
Candida Clear ( a cleanse designed to rid yourself of excess Candida Albicans)
Para Cleanse (a cleanse to rid the body of parasites)
NSP also carries a large selection of men’s and women’s formulas as well as herbs especially for the younger set. It would take many blogs to mention them all so I am only putting some of what I have in this feature.
Now to those that are reading this; it seems a lot. And not everyone keeps what I have on hand but I have to say that I use these herbs regularly and I have not been to a physician in years! I use no vaccines for illness; I take no traditional medicine either to prevent it or to stop an illness in play. And yet I’m healthier than I’ve ever been!
And my husband; once a skeptic; is now handing out my cards so fast I’m always out!
So the next time you run out of aspirin or Tum’s please remember that there are great substitutes that will not cause long term damage to the body and are as close as your browser if you wish to get healthy!
So what does the average alternative medicine cabinet hold? I carry many of the same types of helps for body imbalances such as anti inflammatory and stomach help. I tend to get headaches and have something for that as well. I get body aches when I’ve worked beyond my normal exercise routine and a rub for that as well as sleep aids and energy boosters.
The difference with me and the average household is that the herbs; oils, flower essences and rubs I have are not as strong. They may well be more effective than over the counter meds or Rx drugs are; but they take up more room because they are not encapsulated into as small a pill form. So if I take Adrenal Support for tiredness; I take four or five of them in a day. If I need Vitamin C; I eat as many as I can in a day to knock out that cold I’m trying to get. That might be as many as 8 or 10 a day.
This means that my medicine cabinet is bigger than yours.
But although these herbs are not as concentrated; they are amazingly accurate in helping just what I want helped without damaging my liver or causing any other side effect. The most common side effect of over doing most herbs is diarrhea. Which is exactly what the body would do to eliminate anything you take too much of; such as eating 20 apples in a day. You don’t need that much fruit and what does the body do? Eliminate what it doesn’t use.
So one question I’m asked frequently is what should the average person have on hand for every day use in their cabinet?
I decided that there are several things that everyone should have in their cabinet; especially during flu season. Here is a list of suggested herbs, vitamins and other helps that I recommend. Please remember that there are other herbs that work similarly but these are my personal favorites. You might like to talk to a certified Herbalist for advice or feel free to ask me! And remember this is the list I'm using regularly at this time. This varies with the seasons and with issues of health in our home.
Please note; these are Natures Sunshine Products. This is the only company I will use.
Colds:
Citrus Bioflavonoid ( a particularly effective type of vitamin C)
VS-C ( a great help to stop viruses)
Garlic ( a powerful anti oxidant and immune booster)
Elderberry Defense ( immune booster)
L- Lysine ( an essential amino acid perfect to help cold or canker sores)
Colloidal Silver ( anti viral, anti fungal, anti bacterial)
Skin:
Silver Shield Gel ( Colloidal Silver in gel form; use as you would anti bacterial ointment)
Black Ointment ( amazing ointment used for all skin issues)
Golden Salve ( similar ointment to Black Ointment; that has an olive oil base)
Aloe Vera Gel ( perfect for sunburns; scrapes and cuts)
Stomach:
Stomach Comfort ( herbal version of ant acids; chewable)
L- Acidophilus ( a pro biotic; refrigerate after opening to keep culture alive)
Food Enzymes ( a combination of food enzymes very effective to restore flora in stomach)
Papaya Mint ( chews that work as an anti acid)
LB-X ( a mild laxative)
Gentle Move ( a bulk laxative)
Pain:
Capsicum ( the heat of Capsicum will help move toxins in the body to help inflammation dissipate in the body)
IF-C (Chinese combination of herbs formulated to stop pain)
IF ( another version of herb combination to help pain)
Everflex ( ointment formulated to help sore muscles)
Headache:
Lavender Essence ( a few drops on the back of the neck; at temples works wonders on a headache!)
Herbal Sleep ( a combination of herbs formulated to relax)
Chamomile Tea ( the perfect herb tea to soothe)
De toxifying
All Cell Detox ( a combination of herbs that will help the body eliminate poisons)
Activated Charcoal ( capsules of activated charcoal to absorb poisons and toxins)
Tiao He Cleanse (a mild cleanse to boost energy and help the liver and bowels)
Candida Clear ( a cleanse designed to rid yourself of excess Candida Albicans)
Para Cleanse (a cleanse to rid the body of parasites)
NSP also carries a large selection of men’s and women’s formulas as well as herbs especially for the younger set. It would take many blogs to mention them all so I am only putting some of what I have in this feature.
Now to those that are reading this; it seems a lot. And not everyone keeps what I have on hand but I have to say that I use these herbs regularly and I have not been to a physician in years! I use no vaccines for illness; I take no traditional medicine either to prevent it or to stop an illness in play. And yet I’m healthier than I’ve ever been!
And my husband; once a skeptic; is now handing out my cards so fast I’m always out!
So the next time you run out of aspirin or Tum’s please remember that there are great substitutes that will not cause long term damage to the body and are as close as your browser if you wish to get healthy!
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