Monday, May 25, 2015

How to use Hawthorn - Natures Heart Healer

Poor heart/circulatory health is a reality for many people and Hawthorn is natures answer - although it has been used for centuries, we seem to have lost our connection to these simple herbal remedies.

Hawthorn is a common hedgerow shrub/tree which often lines fields and paths in the UK.  Many people can identify it, but less of us know how healing it may be.  Hawthorn has been found to be a heart and circulatory tonic, improving blood circulation around the body.  It has also been linked to emotional support by calming and reducing anxiety.

The flowers (which blossom in spring), the leaves and berries (autumn) all have healing benefits and these can be used to simply make tinctures, syrups and berry leather.

'The great value of hawthorn is that, although is can have profound healing effects, it achieves these in a gentle and supportive way' Conway (2001)

Collecting and using hedgerow herbs/plants is becoming a lost art and discovering these plants again can be a lovely pastime.

http://shamanaflora.com/category/hawthorn/

Hawthorn Tincture Recipe (Julie Bruton-Seal)

The best tincture is made in 2 parts using the flowers and leaves in Spring and adding the berries in Autumn but can be done with either in isolation.

1. Gather the flowers and pack into a jar, covering with vodka.
2. Leave in jar for 1 month until leaves have lost colour and then strain and bottle.

for a mixed tincture...

3. In autumn but the berries in a blender with the hawthorn flower tincture and pour into wide mouthed jars.
4. Leave for 1 month then squeeze the liquid out using a jelly bag.
5. Bottle and label (this keeps for several years!)
 (1 tsp a day as a general tonic, 1-3tsp or as advised for circulatory problems)

Notes: This is not intended as medical advise. Always check with your doctor before using any herb.

References:

Hedgerow Medicine: Harvest and make your own herbal remedies. Julie Bruton -Seal and Mathew Seal

Hawthorn Affects on Atherosclerosis
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24126122

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Free food - Nettles are here again!

There is nothing more appealing than food that is free as well as healthy - but what if it comes with a sting?

Although they may seem a little unfriendly nettles are full of vitamins and minerals which are essential to good health including calcium, iron, vitamin A and D.  They are particularly well known for their ability to help the body detoxify as they are a diuretic and help the kidneys release waste.  This is a reason to avoid drinking nettle tea too close to bedtime - but a great reason to incorporate it into a morning routine as you prepare for the day with a detoxifying drink.  They are also anti-inflammatory so may help with allergic reactions such as hayfever.


It is best to harvest them when they are shooting out new leaves which is now (April/May).  Of course it is important to wear rubber gloves or gardening gloves to make sure you don't get stung.  It is also a good idea to avoid nettles on roadsides (to avoid polluted plants) or along the edge of the path (to avoid dog mess).


Here are a few ideas for using your precious shoots!


1. Nettle Tea - Simply add a few sprigs to freshly boiled water and leave to steep for 2-3 minutes.  If you cover with a plate while it cools you will retain all the healing benefits.


2. Green Smoothie - You can add nettles as a green in any green smoothie recipe.  A nice combination is to simply put kiwi, mint, nettle and pear in the blender.


3. Nettle Soup - This is a lovely recipe to keep you strong in the lead up to summer.  


Ingredients


½ carrier bag full of nettles, tops or young leaves
55g butter
1 large or 2 medium onions, finely sliced
1 large carrot, chopped (optional)
2 celery sticks, chopped (optional)
1 large garlic clove, crushed (optional)
1 litre good chicken, fish or vegetable stock
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
3 tablespoons cooked rice or 3 rice cakes
2 tablespoons thick organic cream or crème fraiche
salt and freshly ground black pepper


Method


Pick over the nettles and wash them thoroughly. Discard only the tougher stalks, as the soup will be liquidised. Melt the butter in a large pan and sweat the onion, plus the carrot, celery and garlic if using, until soft but not brown. Add the stock and pile in the nettles. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the nettles are tender. Season with salt and pepper, and with nutmeg if you wish. Puree the soup in a liquidiser with the cooked rice or rice cakes (you will probably have to do this in 2 batches). Return to a clean pan, stir in the cream and reheat, but do not let it boil. Check the seasoning, then serve, garnishing each bowl with a swirl of cream and a generous sprinkling of chopped herbs.
Enjoy!

Josie.x



References:


Nettle Soup is featured in Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's 'River Cottage Cookbook', published by Harper Collins, ISBN: 0002202042, price: 19.99


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19140159

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Beat the January Blues with a Green Smoothie

January Booster

INGREDIENTS
2 cups kale
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup pineapple
1/2 cup mango
Juice of ½ lemon
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger
¼ to 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Blend kale and coconut milk until smooth.
2. Add remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Rosehip Vinegar Recipe

Rosehips are completely free and are best known for their extremely high vitamin C content.  This is the first year that I have got around to experimenting with them so I started researching the best methods of preparing them with 2 main objectives...

1. Preserve the vitamin C content by avoiding cooking (as with traditional syrups)

2. Find an easy method with no 8 stage* preparation instructions 

*Rosehips are renowned for their itchy hairs and at school they were called itching berries (we used to put them down each others backs).  Many recipes require you dry the berries  to extract the seeds and hairs - this one doesn't!)

So, with these goals in mind I found a recipe for rosehip vinegar and adapted it to make it as easy as humanly possible!



Josie's Rosehip Vinegar


Ingredients:

1. Rosehips - I used a standard sized punnet and managed to fill it. There are no rules here but simply the more hips you use - the more vinegar you need - the larger your jar must be. 
2. Vinegar - I chose to use organic apple cider vinegar because it has such wonderful healing properties so seemed like the perfect partner for my nutrient rich rosehips.  You could however use any vinegar you like.





Method: 

1. Take the ripe rosehips and cut off the hairy end, squidge them between your clean fingers so the centre (seeds, hairs pulp and all) comes out -throw it all into the jar.  Repeat this until your jar is fulled with a mash of rosehips.  

2. Pour your chosen vinegar over the hips so they are concealed (anything popping out the top could mould). 

3. Transfer your jar to the fridge so the vinegar can infuse with the rosehips (other recipes used a shelf or window sill but thinking of my goal of preserving the vitamin C I thought the fridge would be better) and leave to infuse for 10 days.

4. After the 10 days strain the vinegar through a muslin cloth and pour the sifted (hair and seed free) vinegar into a bottle. 

Delicious and nutritious!

Enjoy.

Josie.x

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Hormones Detox Live!


Who is joining us for Hormones Detox Live this fall? All our clients (past and present) get $100 off on the Live program. Coupon code is "2014client", to book your spot go to www.HormonesDetox.com. We start on Sept 25th although detox day 1 is on Saturday Sept 27th (Saturday). 

Join us, this is going to be an awesome experience if you have not done it live with us before.

Excited to be kicking off another detox with my partner, Magdalena!


Josie.


Visit www.hormonesdetox.com to sign up.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

The healing benefits of the common Dandelion.

The drawback of many healing herbs and foods is that they seem to come with a high price.  The wonderful thing about dandelions is that they are deeply healing and completely free.  Some people get confused about dandelions and think that the weeds that grow in your back garden are different to the healing herbs which are made into shop bought remedies - the truth is that they are exactly the same.  There are certainly more than one type of dandelion, but it is easy to look up the variety that grows in your lawn or flower bed and find out if it will make a good salad or not.




So which part of the plant should we use?  The great news is that the root, leaves and flowers all have their own individual benefits and can be used in different ways...

The leaves can be used in salads just like any other salad leaf or can be blended into soups
for a nutritious boost.  The flowers can be infused as a tea or can be added to meals to add colour and healing power.  The root is best used as a tea infusion once dried, but can be added to any broth or soup to add to its healing power.  For recipe ideas follow this link: http://www.eattheweeds.com/dandelions-hear-them-roar/

Dandelions are a rich source of vitamin K and provide 535 percent of the recommended daily allowance.   This is an important source of plant-based vitamin K which plays a role in strengthening bones, but may also play a role in fighting Alzheimer's disease by limiting neuron damage in the brain.  They are most commonly used to help the liver and have been found to aid in detoxification.


Dandelion greens are high in fiber, vitamins C and B6, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, iron, potassium and manganese, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and are also a good source of vitamin A which acts as an antioxidant carotenoid beneficial for the skin, mucus membranes and vision. 
So, pop into the garden and have a look for any dandelion 'weeds' as they may be more valuable than you first thought!

Josie.x

Resources:

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Summer Green Smoothie Recipe

The summer is a wonderful time to be enjoying green smoothies because there is so much fresh produce about.  I particularly love using berries as they are low in sugar but blend really well and combine easily with greens.  Smoothies are great as long as you balance them well with protein and fat to give a balanced nutritional hit.  Smoothies made with fruit alone or made with high sugar fruit (e.g. mango/banana) may disrupt blood sugar levels.  To avoid this aim to have 30% fruit and 70% green leaves/vegetables, seeds, nuts and oils.

Try my summer smoothie recipe!

Ingredients:

1 small handful of blueberries
1 small handful of strawberries
4 handfuls of kale
I tablespoon of coconut oil
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed
Water to blend.

Method: 

Starting with the fruit and a little water first can give the greens a better base for blending but basically you are simply adding all the ingredients in a blender and whizzing together until smooth.  

Enjoy!

Josie.x


Saturday, May 24, 2014

How to beat stress with nutrition!




What is Stress?

Stress is a word which gets used constantly in modern life – perhaps overused in some ways – but there is no doubt that it is everywhere and is almost certainly unavoidable. Stress is in fact a very primal process – most of us have heard of the fight or flight response – which is our body’s reaction to a stressful situation.  It would have been triggered many moons ago when we were chased by sabre toothed tigers – but now the queue at tesco or work deadlines are the usual culprits. Pressure in moderate amounts is a good thing; it keeps us motivated and helps us perform.  It becomes a problem when we are under constant low level stress – known as chronic stress.  This type of pressure tends to sit in the background wearing us down slowly but surely.  

Stress and Nutrition

Stress and nutrition are intrinsically linked because stress depletes us nutritionally by using up vital nutrient stores and the wrong type of food actually causes our body physiological stress.  So...the wrong diet can actually deplete us nutritionally and leave us worse off!  And surprisingly this is not only McDonalds – some ‘stressful foods’ may not even sound that unhealthy!

The Adrenal Gland Link

Our adrenal glands sit above our kidneys and they are responsible for producing adrenaline and cortisol – our stress hormones.  These hormones start a cascade of reactions in the body which prepare us for the fight or flight reaction – our pupils dilate, sugar is released into our bloodstream for physical escape, our heart rate rises and we begin to sweat.  When we are continually stressed these small glands are put under a great deal of pressure to perform and in the process they demand large levels of essential nutrients.  When our adrenal glands are continually depleted they start to tire and this can cause our bodies to become out of balance...we may wake in the early hours and find it hard to settle again – we are sooo tired but we feel wired, then when we wake in the morning and we feel sluggish and foggy. 

This cycle often hits when we are stressed and then normalises - but in some cases of continual stress, we become more and more depleted until our systems force us to stop with something harder to heal with - such as adrenal fatigue, oestrogen dominance or a thyroid imbalance.


What can we do about this?

So, that all sounds a bit scary, especially if we have a stressful situation in our lives which we can’t put a stop to!  But be reassured that with the correct nutrition our bodies can survive stress and come out the other side without any long-term negative effects!  In fact with the right lifestyle approach we can actually use stress to learn, heal and come out stronger.


Boost the with Diet with Specific Nutrients
  
The three big nutrients to look at when supporting the body through stress are vitamin C, Magnesium and the B-vitamins.  

The adrenal glands use more Vitamin C than any other part of the body and if you are stressed the chances of you having enough to support their actions is slim.  Over 200 functions in the body require this vitamin so if you are stressed then supplementing is a really good idea.  It is vital for the production of cortisol and it protects against free radicals that are produced by stress. 

Magnesium is often called natures tranquiliser as it helps your body’s muscles to relax – again it is depleted quickly when we are stressed, so supplementing is a good idea if you suspect you are suffering from anxiety of tension.  It helps to calm the nervous sustem and remove lactic acid from muscles. 

The B-vitamins are a group of water soluble nutrients which release together in the body so need to be taken as a complex.  Insufficiencies are very common when the adrenal glands have been exhausted by stress and supplementing with them can help provide the nutrients needed for energy production and nerve function. 

Beat Stress with Nutrition! 

Josie.x

Monday, April 14, 2014

Stress Busting Bath Recipe!

Aromatherapy baths are simply the best


    On first glance this one always sounds so basic and a bit wishy washy, but aromatherapy baths are truly blissful at the end of a long day. Taking time out and allowing your muscles to relax, your mind to calm and your chosen oil to work its magic is more therapeutic than people realise.

So,  I am going to give you my recipe for a truly stress relieving soak. 

½ pint of Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate - natures tranquiliser)

6 drops of lavender oil

4 drops of chamomile

Candles Optional!

Simply lie back and soak into blissful relaxation.

Enjoy! 

Josie.x

n.b. this is not just for girls!!  Sandalwood is a nice relaxing oil with a more masculine scent for those who need converting :)

Monday, March 24, 2014

The Benefits of Vitamin D

Vitamin D has been getting lots of press attention recently and new research is being conducted all the time with very positive findings that suggest this may not simply the latest nutritional hype.  Several medics and researchers believe that deficiency is a key factor in today's most prevalent chronic diseases.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin which is available in 5 different forms but you are most likely to hear about D2 and D3.  Vitamin D2 is derived from plants and is thought to be the most bioavailable form.  Vitamin D3 is derived from animal products and is present in foods such as oily fish, liver, eggs, butter and fortified products.  

Because we can synthesise vitamin D3 in our skin from contact with sunlight, it is especially important that we get outside.  A prescription of lovely foreign holiday springs to most peoples minds - but if that is not feasible then even a bright day in the UK is worth getting out in. Aim for 15 minutes without sun protection factor each day when the sun does decide to show its rays (although spring and summer sun in colder climates is only likely to be warm enough to be sufficient so a holiday is still a fab idea - and what a perfect excuse!).

So,  what are the top 5 reasons to keep on top of your vitamin D intake...?

1. Bone Health

2. Mood Enhancer (particularly with SAD)

3. Reducing the Risk of Cancer

4. Immune Health

5. Cardiovascular Disease


So, if you think you may be deficient after a long winter then consider a supplement to give you a boost and consider taking one at the onset of winter to get you through the darkest days.

Happy Sun Hunting!

Josie