Friday, 25. April 2008
Tea Tips from Dr. Tea

Sure, you love Camomile and Mint, but are they actually teas? Dr. Tea explains the differences between Teas and Tisanes: Camomile, Mint, and Rooibos. Each has their own benefit as an Herbal Tisane.



Tea Tips is a weekly 3 minute video podcast hosted by Dr. Tea. Every week Dr. Tea explains the different varieties of tea, the health benefits of tea, and lets you in on age old secrets of the world of Tea.

It's a new project by Dr. Tea, three episodes are available in the archive, but it looks as if it could be really very useful in the future. So be sure to check back weekly to see more amazing Tea Tips!
Category: Herbs & Kitchen |




Thursday, 20. March 2008
Fruitarian

What is Fruitarianism

Fruitarianism is a nutrition system and a life style.

The fruitarian diet consists of RAW fruit and seeds ONLY!

Examples of fruits are: Pineapple, mango, banana, avocado, apple, melon, orange, etc., all kinds of berries, and the vegetable fruits such as tomato, cucumber, olives; and dried fruits such as nuts, hazelnuts, cashews, chestnuts, etc.. And seeds including sprouted seeds.

Fruit is a LIVE food ! Fruit, has "the power and magic of life" … Fruit nutrition is a very simple concept … from fruit alone, the human body has evolved to produce everything else it needs to stay energetically alive for more than 100 years …

Fruitarian

image


This site will be sponsored by "The International Fruitarian Foundation", a non profit organization, to welcome, support, connect and defend the interests of all fruitarians around the world, to promote the style of life of living on fruit only. You will be able to learn about nutrition, fruit, seeds, fruit trees, and the environment for a better life …
Category: Body & Health | Herbs & Kitchen |




Tuesday, 19. February 2008
Traditional Chinese Medicine: Sacred Lotus Arts

Sacred Lotus Arts is one of the most comprehensive references on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) available on the internet, and we're growing.

Studying or referencing Acupuncture points, Chinese herbs, Chinese formulas, Yin Yang theory, Qi, causes of symptoms and diagnosis from a TCM point of view has never been easier.

For the student, there are diagrams of Qi flow in the meridians (channels), Five Element diagrams, major Acupuncture point tables and worksheets, full color pictures of over 400 Chinese herbs, every formula has photos of the herbs, every herb has a list of formulas in which it appears. Tired of studying books to prepare for tests or exams? Spend some time with us.

Practitioners have expressed a need for quickly referencing contraindications, herb-drug interactions, and other tools that we will be working.

Traditional Chinese Medicine: Sacred Lotus Arts

Sacred Lotus Arts was founded in 2001 (under the former name Internal Healers) with the vision of fusing the ancient art of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with the interactive and organizational potential of modern technology. The journey of absorbing and comprehending Chinese Medicine generally requires simultaneous cross-referencing of multiple textbooks to get the details needed to deepen one’s understanding of the art's inter-relationships. Sacred Lotus Arts enables students and practitioners to navigate and access these complex inter-relationships with unprecedented ease and clarity.

image


Table of Contents:

Highly Recommended! The Herb Section is superb!
Category: Body & Health | Herbs & Kitchen |


Friday, 08. February 2008
Healthy Cooking Shows

What is for dinner tonight?

Learn how to cook healthy with organic foods with Chef Keith Conow:


Category: Herbs & Kitchen |


Wednesday, 23. January 2008
The Psychedelic Salon

The Psychedelic Salon is a political and spiritual podcast, a source for cutting edge information about the exploration and expansion of consciousness. Featured speakers include Terence McKenna, Alex Grey, Daniel Pinchbeck, Erik Davis, Ann and Sasha Shulgin, Nick Sand and more. You can access all of these podcasts for free at Psychedelic Salon.

The latest podcast:
Terence McKenna, Ralph Abraham, Rupert Sheldrake discuss "Cannabis".
Listen:




Program Notes:

Terence McKenna: "In the absence of cannabis the dream life seems to become much richer. This causes me to sort of form a theory, just for my own edification, that cannabis must in some sense thin the boundary between the conscious and unconscious mind. … And if you smoke cannabis, the energy which would normally be channeled into dreams is instead manifest in the reveries of the cannabis intoxication."

Terence McKenna: "And what I really value about cannabis is the way in which it allows one to be taken by surprise by unexpected ideas."

Terence McKenna: "For the 19th century, and for all of European civilization, cannabis was something that was eaten in the form of various sugared confections that were prepared. And this method of ingestion changes cannabis into an extremely powerful psychedelic experience. … For the serious eater of hashish, it is the portal into a true artificial paradise whose length and breadth is equal to that of any of the artificial paradises that we’ve discovered in modern psychedelic pharmacology."

Terence McKenna: "To my mind, the whole of Indian and Middle Eastern civilization is steeped in the ambiance of hashish."

image


Terence McKenna: "Hashish, cannabis, has an ambiance of its own. It has a morphogenetic field, and if you enter into that morphogenic field you enter into an androgynous, softened, abstract, colorful, and extraordinarily beautiful world."

Ralph Abraham: "It [cannabis] is medicine for cultural evolution."

Terence McKenna: "If I judiciously control my intake of cannabis, it like gives me a second wind and a third wind to go forward with creative activity."

Terence McKenna: "It can turn you into a stupor, sort of lazy, loutish person. On the other hand, it can allow you to do very hard work for very long periods of time. So you sort of have to manage it, and I think a lot of people don’t learn to manage it."
Category: Herbs & Kitchen | Lunacy & Psychedelic | Music & Voices |


Thursday, 01. November 2007
Plant Medicine

image

Cinnamon is one of the most popular medicines in history.

It has been used around the world for many centuries to stimulate digestion and circulation and to combat respiratory infections. Modern research points to a potential benefit in diabetes, linked in part to a constituent cinnamaldehyde.


image

Feverfew is a bitter herb sometimes known as the ‘mediaeval aspirin’ for its ancient reputation in reducing fevers and headaches. Its modern popular use in migraine prevention has been supported by clinical trials. A major problem has been that much ‘feverfew’ available to the public has not been the right species or has lacked the active parthenolide constituents.


Valerian is both one of the most established plant remedies in modern medicine yet its mechanism of action is still unknown. Today it is generally viewed primarily as a mild sedative, but in antiquity it had wider applications, including as a general tonic. Modern human studies of variable quality suggest that valerian may help with insomnia and improve overall sleep quality (particularly in poor sleepers), relieve tension, and support relaxation.

image


The strong aroma of chaste trees around the Mediterranean in late summer has long been associated with women. The berries have been used at least since the Middle Ages in Europe to relieve problems associated with the menstrual cycle, and to dampen sexual desire in men! Modern research shows the berries may suppress the secretion of the female hormone prolactin by acting on the dopamine receptors in the anterior pituitary gland.

image



If you are thinking about using herbal remedies and want to know what they can really do, or not do for you - check this out!
Plant Medicine: a revolution in understanding the world's favourite remedies.

This 75 minutes film is a lecture by Simon Mills, herbalist and director of the Plant Medicine project, on crucial aspects of Herbalism (Phytotherapy), given at Schumacher College in Devon, England.


Category: Herbs & Kitchen | Movies & TV |


Saturday, 29. September 2007
Herbs to Herbs

It's no doubt that herbs have never lost their popularity. For thousands of years, their beauty, fragrance, and flavor have given humankind much pleasure. Herbs were our first medicines, used to treat problems ranging from sore throats and hypertension to heart disease and battle wounds.

Today, we season our foods with culinary herbs, prepare scents from the aromatic kinds, and cultivate them for the color and texture they bring to the garden. Even herbal medicine is experiencing a renaissance as scientific research confirms in the laboratory what our ancestors knew from experience.

Herbs A - Z


image
Image from Elizabeth Blackwell's flora Herbarium Blackwellianum emendatum et auctum



For example, I picked the Dandelion - Taraxacum officinale.

... The herbal remedies made from the leaves of the dandelion are used as a diuretic, it is also used in the treatment of high blood pressure which it accomplishes by reducing the total volume of fluid present in the body at any time.

As a detoxification agent, the root of the dandelion herb is considered to be one of the most effective and beneficial herbal remedies. The waste products accumulated in the liver and the gall bladder is removed by this herbal remedy and it principally affects the functioning of the liver and the gallbladder. The kidneys are also stimulated by the dandelion at the same time and it enables the rapid removal toxins through the urine produced. The root of the dandelion is known to be a remarkably well balanced herbal remedy, the steady and gradual elimination of toxins accumulating in the body due to infection or pollution is accelerated by the root of the dandelion. In the treatment of a variety of conditions, the dandelion possesses major and effective therapeutic benefits, these include the treatment of persistent constipation, the treatment of various types of skin problems, including acne, and eczema, and diseases like psoriasis. The root also treats other types of arthritic conditions, including severe conditions such as osteoarthritis, and disorders like gout ...


image



Herbs have been used to flavor food and to make medicines since prehistoric times. Herbs are small flowering plants, and there are hundreds of different kinds, each with its own special properties. Usually it is the leaves that are valued, but it can be the flowers or the stem. Some, such as basil and oregano, are edible and used in small quantities to flavor food. Others, like feverfew are valued more for their medicinal qualities. Many of today's medicines came originally from plants, including aspirin (from willow trees), morphine (from the seeds of the opium poppy), and quinine (from the bark of the cinchona tree of South America). An extract of the rosy periwinkle, called vincristine, is one of the drugs used against leukemia, a childhood cancer.
Egyptian pyramid builders ate garlic because they thought it would give them strength. Rosemary gets its name from the Latin rosmarinus which means sea dew. Bay leaves were used to crown poets and heroes in Ancient Rome. The Ancient Greeks called basil "King of Herbs". The Latin name for sage is Salvia, which means healthy, and sage is thought to have healing qualities. Mint and the spice cinnamon keep moths away from clothes.

Herbs to Herbs - Number one source of traditional and nutritional health care.

Wonderful place! With HERBS - THE BASICS, ACTIONS OF HERBS, HERBS FOR BEAUTY, HERBS FOR DOGS, BACH FLOWER REMEDIES, HERBS FOR WOMEN, HERBS FOR MAN, HERBS FOR KIDS, HERBS IN THE GARDEN, HERBS IN THE HOUSE, COOKING WITH HERBS and ARTICLES ...
Category: Body & Health | Herbs & Kitchen |


Monday, 06. August 2007
Superb Herbs

image

Medicinally, the aroma of Lavender is said to have soothing properties that relieve stress and help you sleep. A few drops of oil in a warm bath or rubbed on the temples can soothe the nerves and alleviate a headache. Fill a mask with lavender and put it over your eyes for relaxing. Drink lavender tea as a circulatory and uterine stimulant (AVOID IN PREGNANCY). Use it in salves as an analgesic for bug bites to relieve itching and reduce swelling and for mild burns.


Mix a few drops in water and spray on sunburn. Mix pulverized lavender with arrowroot and white clay for baby's rash.

Chives is a perennial native to the Orient. They have been used as food for 5,000 years, first by the Chinese and then the Greeks. Marco Polo brought them to Western attention and Europeans began cultivating them in the 16th century. Colonials brought them to the New World. Chives were supposed to have magical powers, so the colonists hung them in their houses to protect themselves from diseases and evil spirits.
Medicinally, the leaves are mildly antiseptic as they contain a sulfur-rich oil found in all Allium.

image


When sprinkled on food, they stimulate the appetite and promote digestion. They are high in vitamin C.
image

Most mints (Mentha) are native to Europe and Asia. Some are native to North and South America, South Africa, and Australia.
The Pharisees in Biblical times paid taxes with mint. The Greeks used it in medicine and in temple rituals. It was strewn to refresh the air in homes and hospitals. Because Philemon and Baucis rubbed the table with mint before serving a meal to Zeus and Hermes, who had been traveling incognito and who had been snubbed by villagers, it has become a symbol of hospitality.


Sara's Superb Herbs

Whether you fancy herbs for their aphrodisiacal powers, their healing powers, or their culinary uses, there is no debate about their power. They were put on this earth with purpose: to help us cure our ills and enhance our senses. Medieval herbalists "felt that to smell green herbs continuously would keep anyone in perfect health". I agree!
This site is a wonderful place to look around.
And don't miss Herbal History and Lore.
Category: Herbs & Kitchen |


Wednesday, 23. May 2007
Magic Baths

Taking a Magical Bath doesn't have to be complicated. It can be as simple as running to your local drug or beauty supply and buying a product that is appropriately scented or contains an herb or essential oil.

The important thing about taking one of these baths, no matter how humble or expensive the ingredients are, is to meditate on your intention while you are sitting in the tub.

You can get a little fancier, by making an infusion from flowers, herbs or other elements. Brewing the herbs as you would brew a cup of herbal tea and then pouring the strained infusion into your bath water is the easiest way to make an infusion. You can also put the ingredients in a cheesecloth bag that hangs over the bathtub faucet and have the hot water run through the ingredients.

image


In some cases you can actually buy tea bags and just toss them in the water. I'm a purist so personally I love to throw the entire herb, flower or vegetable in the bath. It makes me feel like I am Cleopatra having a bath in ancient Egypt or like some kind of wicked harlot getting ready for her Roman Soldier. However if you do decide to get really into the food aspect of this make sure you have some kind of strainer on your drain so that stuff doesn't flow down your pipes. What can I say? Some miracles can be quite "messy".

Here are a couple of "quick fixes" for aspiring witches on the run:
Read more ...
Category: Body & Health | Herbs & Kitchen | Magick & Witchcraft |


Monday, 07. May 2007
Plants - Sacred and Spiritual

In Hindu mythology, the banyan tree is also called kalpavriksha meaning 'wish fulfilling tree'. It represents eternal life because of its seemingly ever-expanding branches and people have great respect for it. There are many stories about it in ancient literature.

image

The coconut palm is also known as the tree which grants all wishes. The nuts are an essential part of Hindu religious ceremonies such as weddings.
They symbolise complete usefulness, selfless service, prosperity and generosity. Coconuts feature in many South Asian mythological stories and legends.

The Brihat Samhita of Varahamihira, dated about 6th century AD, contains a chapter of verses on plant medicines. It recommends that the neem tree be planted near dwellings.
The ancient Hindus believed that planting neem trees ensured a passage to heaven. Smallpox and chicken pox were cured or staved off with the use of neem leaves. It was believed that the goddess of smallpox, Sithala, lived in the neem tree.


Body decorations are an important part of Hindu weddings and the Islamic festival of Eid al-fatr at the end of Ramadan. Henna symbolises prosperity, fertility, happiness, fortune, seduction and beauty. There are many legends surrounding the art of mendhi.
Holy basil is the most sacred plant in the Hindu religion, and is found in or near almost every Hindi house throughout India.
It is frequently grown in courtyards and temples and is believed to protect from misfortune and sanctifies and guides to heaven all who cultivate it.

Lotus is one of South Asia's most celebrated flowers and symbolises eternity, plenty and good fortune.
The flowers are used as offerings particularly in Buddhism and Hinduism. They are mentioned in Sanskrit scriptures.

image


image

Incense from sandalwood is supposed to be calming and conducive to clarity of mind and is therefore preferred for meditation and to promote spiritual practice. The paste is smeared on the foreheads of devotees of Vishnu and Shiva. It is particularly placed as a dot or tilak in the forehead between the eyebrows where Hindus believe power resides and can be awakened. The sandalwood dot is meant to cool and protect this spot.

Mango trees, fruits and leaves are associated with fortune, plenty and fertility in South Asian folklore. They are represented in religious themes across South Asia, whether Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim or Christian.


In South Asia bright yellow and orange marigold flowers are used in their thousands in garlands and to decorate religious statues and buildings. They are also used as offerings and decoration at funerals, weddings and other ceremonies.

Tamarind is commonly known in north India as imli, and Imli-tala or shade of the imli is sacred to Krishna in mythology.
The popular deity is an incarnation of the great god Vishnu, and personifies idealised love together with Radha. It is said that Krishna sat under a tamarind tree when separated from Radha and experienced an intense epiphany with her spirit permeating him.

image

Read more about Betelnut, Chilli pepper, Curry leaf, Garlic and much more. Also the plants related to medicine.

Plant Cultures
Plants have an important part in our lives, from the clothes on our back to the food that we eat. Plant Cultures invites you to discover more about South Asian plants and the stories they have inspired.
Category: Herbs & Kitchen |


Saturday, 24. February 2007
Pagan Kitchen Recipes & Tips

Magick begins in the kitchen. The things we prepare each day for our families and friends are very special and can harbor the energies that we think as we create them.

image

In this day of so much fear and anger, so much despair and depression, it is extremely important to do the daily ritual of preparing our food in a sacred way. When you do this, joy and laughter, prosperity and abundance can manifest itself into your lives...

Pagan Kitchen Recipes - Everything for the Kitchen Witch by Celeste Heldstab also known as Lady Elaine.

More than 400 recipes - and it grows up.


Also from her site:

Some herbs used for magick are toxic and not intended to be eaten, breathed in incense, or otherwise consumed. If you also work with herbs for cooking or healing, be sure to keep your magickal herbs separate and use a different set of tools to work with them. You wouldn't use the same funnel to pour cooking oil that you used to pour kerosene, after all.

Lessons in Magickal Herbal Use


When many of us barely have three minutes to nuke a frozen burrito, the thought of taking time to make your kitchen a more special, magical, even sacred place may seem pretty daunting, but these simple tips will inspire and enliven you.

image
"Hexenküche" - Ulricus Molitoris


Claim your role as a Kitchen Priestess, making nourishing magic that will feed you and your family--body, mind, and spirit. The antidote to cultural depression and disconnection can all start in the kitchen! Food for thought, right here.

Tips for a More Magical Kitchen
Category: Herbs & Kitchen | Magick & Witchcraft |


Tuesday, 09. January 2007
Healthy Lifestyle

image

In The Kitchen - Make the most of your pantry! Learn what to keep and what to throw out as well as food safety and healthy cooking tips.

Recipes - These healthful and delicious recipes will show you that good food can be good for you and easy to prepare, too.

Supplements and Herbs - Vitamin, supplement and herb formulas are developed for maximum effectiveness, use only the highest-quality ingredients, and are based on years of research. Learn more here.

Gardening - "Gardening just makes me happy," says Dr. Weil, who can often be found working amongst the vegetables and flowers of his organic garden.

Healthy Home, Personal Care, Exercise and Fitness, Spirit and Inspiration, Pets and Pet Care, and much more for your health ... by Andrew Weil, M.D..

No matter what your age, Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging is your online guide to lifelong well-being. As a member of the site, you’ll have access to tools and information to help you develop and apply lifestyle practices essential for optimal health. Articles, recipes, advice, tools, support and more are presented weekly, to help you maximize your physical and spiritual health and well-being.
Category: Body & Health | Herbs & Kitchen |


Thursday, 30. November 2006
MyPyramid - Steps to a Healthier You

MyPyramid Plan can help you choose the foods and amounts that are right for you. For a quick estimate of what and how much you need to eat, enter your age, sex, and activity level in the MyPyramid Plan box.

Use the advice "Inside MyPyramid" to help you:
- Make smart choices from every food group,
- Find your balance between food and physical activity, and
- Get the most nutrition out of your calories.

MyPyramid - Steps to a Healthier You
Not only for Americans!

image

Category: Body & Health | Herbs & Kitchen |


Friday, 24. November 2006
Natural Remedies of Arabia

Whether you are in Doha, Dubai, Manama, Salalah, Jiddah or an obscure country village, when you step into an herbal medicine shop or wander through the traditional suqs (markets), you will find vendors of herbs, spices, bark, twigs, rocks and salt intended for culinary, cosmetic or medicinal purposes.

As you gaze at the piles of twisted bark or the varied combinations of dried flowers, you may wonder: What are these products? Where do they come from? How are they used locally?

These fascinating items whisper tales of the ancient trade routes, for many still come to Arabia from India, China, Indonesia, Egypt, Syria and other exotic locations, and are distributed across the Peninsula through existing commercial networks. Others are harvested locally, some under harsh desert conditions, and have their own fascinating stories to tell.

The people of the Arabian Peninsula have, for centuries, combined goods obtained by trade and barter with a prudent use of local plants and have developed a rich heritage of folk medicine.

image


Natural Remedies of Arabia by Robert Lebling and Donna Pepperdine.

Donna Pepperdine is an ESL instructor with a special interest in literacy, culture and health education. As a master herbalist, she has focused much of her research on natural health solutions within the context of the Saudi family. Donna has lived in the Middle East 10 years.
Her website is very interesting: Herbal Educator.
Category: Body & Health | Herbs & Kitchen |


Thursday, 02. November 2006
Foods That Fuel Your Chakras

When you think about your chakra system you probably aren't considering the types of foods that you consume. Because our chakras are energy vortexes and invisible to most of us one might well imagine that chakras would thrive on energy, prayer, or other such spiritual stuff... you know, those things that we can't see with the human eye. However, the chakras cannot sustain our human body without our help. It is important to feed and nourish the flesh in order to help support and fuel our chakras. Whenever one or more of your chakras is misaligned you might do well to look and see if you are not eating or possibly overeating the foods that fuel that particular chakra. Check out the foods under each of the seven primary chakras listed here to help you determine how your current diet might be deficient or over-indulgent.

We can do our part in helping bring balance to our chakras by eating a balanced diet.
Root Chakras Foods:

• Root vegetables: carrots, potatoes, parsnips, radishes, beets, onions, garlic, etc.

• Protein-rich foods: eggs, meats, beans, tofu, soy products, peanut butter

• Spices: horseradish, hot paprika, chives, cayenne, pepper

image

Sacral Chakra Foods:

• Sweet fruits: melons, mangos, strawberries, passion fruit, oranges, coconut, etc.

• Honey

• Nuts: almonds, walnuts, etc.

• Spices: cinnamon, vanilla, carob, sweet paprika, sesame seeds, caraway seeds

image

Solar Plexus Chakra Foods:

• Granola and Grains: pastas, breads, cereal, rices, flax seed, sunflower seeds, etc.

• Dairy: milk, cheeses, yogurt

• Spices: ginger, mints (peppermint, spearmint, etc.), melissa, chamomile, turmeric, cumin, fennel

image

Heart Chakra Foods:

• Leafy vegetables: spinach, kale, dandelion greens, etc.

• Air vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, squash, etc.

• Liquids: green teas

• Spices: basil, sage, thyme, cilantro, parsley

image

Throat Chakra Foods:

• Liquids in general: water, fruit juices, herbal teas

• Tart or tangy fruits: lemons, limes, grapefruit, kiwi

• Other tree growing fruits: apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, etc.

• Spices: salt, lemon grass

image

Brow Chakra Foods:

• Dark bluish colored fruits: blueberries, red grapes, black berries, raspberries, etc.

• Liquids: red wines and grape juice

• Spices: lavender, poppy seed, mugwort

image

Crown Chakra Foods:

• Air: fasting / detoxing

• Incense and Smudging Herbs: sage, copal, myrrh, frankincense, and juniper (These herbs are not to be eaten but are ritually inhaled through the nostrils or can be smoked through a ceremony pipe for purification purposes)

image



Source: Phylameana lila Désy at About, Inc.
Category: Body & Health | Energy & Light | Herbs & Kitchen |


Page 1 of 3 pages  1 2 3 >

top