I’m slowly trying to wean myself off of harmful, synthetic perfumes but the process has been a little bumpy. For instance last week, in need of a little Monday morning pickup, I decided to de-stress with lavender-chamomile essential oil lotion. I blended a spoonful into my arms and hands and headed out the door.

It was only as I boarded the bus to campus that I realized I may have overdone it. My attempt at aromatherapy didn’t soothe the passenger on my left; actually it seemed to revolt her. As she held her nose and gave me angry glares, I realized that lavender may not have the same soothing effect on others as it does on me. At that moment any earlier relaxation I felt evaporated just like the fumes of lavender radiating from my skin.

Photo by Jaako/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaako/ 

So what to do? If I had thought ahead or known earlier, I might have diluted my lotion with a carrier oil, like jojoba, applied some rubbing alcohol or packed unscented lotion to mitigate the essential oil’s heavy perfume. I also would have waited for the scent to sink in at least 10 minutes before leaving my house. As it was, I sat out the interminable bus ride, ran into the bathroom before class and ferociously scrubbed my forearms so that I wouldn’t have to worry about disturbing my classmates as well.

Photo by The Owlchemist/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/helenaliu/ 

Shifting our communities to more sustainable, thoughtful living is all about experimentation. We’re trying to find out what works, what doesn’t work and what we can compromise on in order to ensure a healthy future. Until I can afford the pretty, light smelling crème perfumes and eau de colognes that are being created by natural perfumers and aromatherapists, I guess I’ll just have to rely on my own methods and hope that others will be more tolerant.

If you’re having troubles, like me, switching from eau de parfum to au natural, check out some of these resources. 

• Learn which 20 synthetic perfume ingredients to avoid.

• Find out how to use essential oils and how to make your own herbal fragrances: 
How to Create Floral Waters and Colognes by Janice Cox
Fragrances of Life by Theresa Loe
Herbal Body Fragrances by Theresa Loe
Restorative Perfume by Edwin T. Morris 

• Check out these natural, beauty brands. (A lot of companies offer trial sizes so you can test out a scent before investing your hard-earned money):
Aubrey Organics
Aveda
Ayala Moriel Parfums
CB I Hate Perfume
Rochelle Boleyn 

Have you had any embarrassing or disastrous moments in your transition to herbal living? Leave me a comment and share your story with others!

Desiree Bell is inspired by botanicals and natural materials. She is a vegetarian who has a certificate in herbal studies and a certificate from Australasian College of Health Sciences in Aromatherapy. When she isn't in her suburban garden, hiking or crafting, she is teaching pre-k with an emphasis on nature and gardening. For more ideas on Simple Living With Nature you can visit her blogs at www.beyondagarden.blogspot.com and www.kidsnaturespot.blogspot.com.

The ginger root (Zingiber officinale) is actually a rhizome. The word ginger is derived from the Sanskrit word for ginger, sringa-vera, meaning “antler shaped.” It has buds on the top of each of its stubby fingers and grows a mass of thin, tangled roots below. The roots are scraped off before the ginger arrives at the market.

Ginger is 80 percent water, 2.3 percent water, 1 percent fat, 2.5 percent fibrous material, 1.2 percent minerals, and vitamins of B and C. Medicinally, it is used for the circulatory and digestive systems, coughs, colds, aches and pains.

There are two groups of compounds in the rhizome. The essential oil is the liquid found in tiny vessels just under the corky skin, which is collected by distillation. The other compound is located in the cells dotted around the fleshy interior of the rhizome in between the starch cells. It is extracted with alcohol or a solvent.

Ginger does best in a hot, moist climate, with a little shade at noon and well-drained soil. It is grown as a crop in countries such as India, Australia, Jamaica, China and Nigeria. Many years ago I read in the book Herbal Treasures (Storey Publishing, LLC, 1990), by Phyllis Shaudys, how to grow a ginger root inside the house using a rhizome from the market.

Cut a piece of ginger root from the rhizome. Make sure the piece you cut to plant has at least one bud on it. Fill a clay pot with potting soil and bury the ginger root cut side down, bud up, 1 inch below the surface. Place in a sunny, warm window, water well, then keep moist. It takes about a month for the first sprout to appear.

To harvest, pull the plant from its pot 8 to 12 months after planting, cut off leaf stalks, and remove fibrous roots. Cut off as much ginger as you can use and replant the rest. Many winters I have grown a nice looking ginger plants. Try it!

Fresh ginger produces a warm, spicy and refreshing aroma. Its taste is pungent, aromatic, lemony, and slightly bitter. Dried ginger is less lemony and more warm, woody and pungent. Besides fresh and dried, it is used pickled, preserved and crystallized in cooking. Here is a tasty and healthy Indian Lemonade-Ginger Ale recipe I found in a vegetarian magazine many years ago.

Photo by sweetbeetandgreenbean/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetbeetandgreenbean/

Indian Lemonade-Ginger Ale
Makes 8 cups

• 8 cups sparkling water (club soda)
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 ½ cups maple syrup
• ½ tablespoon freshly grated ginger root
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher or punch bowl.

2. Serve at room temperature or chilled.  

Thanksgiving will be here soon so I have included a recipe from the book, The Ginger Book (Avery, 1996), by Stephen Fulder, Ph.D., for Ginger Pumpkin Pie. This book was also used as a reference for some of this article.

Ginger Pumpkin Pie
Makes 16 servings

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ¾ ounce piece fresh ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 ½ cups pureed boiled pumpkin
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 7 tablespoons butter or vegetable shortening
• 3 eggs, beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch diameter flan tins.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon , and cloves. Add the pumpkin, brown sugar, buttermilk and butter or shortening: beat briefly. Add the eggs and beat again.

3. Pour the batter into the flan tins and place the tins in the oven. Bake until the pies are firm, about 45 minutes. Let cool before serving.

If you bake this pie let me know how it turned out. I have not made it yet.

Happy Thanksgiving….

As I’m sitting at my desk right now, I’m in a lot of pain. My thighs, hamstrings, glutes and feet are in the glorious throes of post-workout agony. 

After a couple month-long hiatus from high-impact workouts, like laps on the track, my chiropractor gave me the all-clear to start running again. But she followed it up with a word of advice—drink cherry juice concentrate. 

Apparently, the micro-nutrients and anti-inflammatory properties in cherries can reduce muscle soreness as well as promote joint function. And because I know how hard it is to start running after a long break, especially thanks to aching muscles, I made sure to pick up Lakewood’s Pure Black Cherry juice on my way home.

www.lakewoodjuices.com

So now in addition to the turmeric supplement I take daily for my lower back issues, I also drink cherry juice before my workout and then add it to a fruit smoothie, or other fruit juice, afterward. The cherry juice is not made from concentrate and is made without any water, so I like to dilute it a little to make it last longer.  

With cherries, turmeric and lots of ice, my painful muscles recover a lot quicker and I’m slowly starting to enjoy running for the first time.

Photo by dklimke/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dklimke/ 

For more muscle recovery and pain relief tips check out these past articles:   

• Body Care for Active People by Laurel Vukovic
• The Best Herbs for Pain Relief by Gina Mohammed, Ph.D.

To learn more about cherries’ many wonders, check out: 

• Berries for Better Health by Kris Wetherbee
• Great Fresh Juice On the Go by Allison Martin
• Meet the Superfruits by Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa

What do you do to relieve post-workout pain? Have cherries helped you before? Leave me a comment and let me know.

I’ve discovered my new favorite wedding favor (or any kind of party favor for that matter). It’s better than engraved photo frames, candles or bubbles; It’s thyme in a pot. I got it at the wedding reception I attended last weekend, which was very simple but elegantly decorated. Each table was adorned with centerpieces of fall foliage and colorful squash as well as evenly spaced plants in cute little pots. After I’d rushed to the buffet and had a chance to sit and look around, I realized that these weren’t just any plants – they were culinary herbs.

Photo by The Weddings Page/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theweddingspagemalaysia/ 

Because the herbs weren’t labeled, a focal point of the dinner conversation became enthusiastically tasting and guessing the herbs’ identity, and subsequently placing “dibs” on which herb you wanted to take home. Unfortunately, I guessed wrong quite a few times, (shows you what a good herbie I am) but I had so much fun playing that I didn’t mind.

Photo by JanetF/Courtesy Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/janetf/

Upon careful deliberation, I’ve discovered the true identity of my herb favor: French thyme (Thymus vulgaris). I’ve spent the past week thumbing through all the recipes with fresh thyme that I could find and experimenting with sprinkles of thyme in whatever I’m cooking each day. Here are a few of the favorite recipes I’ve found so far: 

• Thyme and Thyme Again Dressing: Serve this dressing over leafy greens or with chicken or turkey salads.
• Pasta with Asparagus and Herbs: Cook this pasta al dente with an assortment of asparagus, mushrooms, garlic and dill.
• Vegetable Soup with Turkey-Thyme Meatballs: Try this hearty soup, which is loaded with fresh vegetables and punctuated with thyme-studded turkey meatballs.
• Braised Winter Vegetables with Thyme Leaves: Brussel sprouts, carrots and potatoes. Oh my!

If you’re planning an herbie wedding, check out these great articles for more herbal ideas…

• Herb Love: A Wedding Tradition
• Unique Wedding Ideas Around The Clock 

Have you had any great ideas for herbal party favors or been to a party with herbal gifts or decor? Leave me a comment and let me know. 

Patsy Bell Hobson is a garden writer and a travel writer. For her, it's a great day when she can combine the two things she enjoys most: gardening and traveling. Visit her personal blogMy garden blog  at http://patsybell.blogspot.com/ and read her travel writings at http://www.examiner.com/x-1948-Ozarks-Travel-Examiner. 

French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) thrives in my garden. I don't know why. Several people have asked me for tarragon growing secrets. I don't have a clue. Seldom fed or watered, mulched, but not otherwise protected in the winter, tarragon likes to live in the sunny, well drained soil of the raised bed.

It is a perennial that I do not bring in for the winter. The tarragon plant, and the whole herb bed gets a healthy layer of shredded leaf mulch later in fall. That is the only protection I provide in my zone 6 garden. The herb plant, disappears in winter, goes dormant, and comes back stronger and bigger next spring.

I use tarragon in the kitchen mainly as a herb vinegar additive and in salad dressing. In the garden, it adds variety and has a strong anise (licorice) scent when touched.

Tarragon wine vinegar can be diluted with water if it is too strong.
Photo by Trey Capnerhurst

Tarragon has some antibacterial qualities. It may be one of the reasons why, in ancient times, it was recommended to treat mad dog and dragon bites. I, personally, have never had the occasion to need such medical care, and therefore cannot testify to its healing properties.

I mention tarragon this late in the gardening season because there are two fall-time ways I use French tarragon. 1. To make tarragon vinegar and 2. To make tarragon chicken. Make these recipes your own by tweaking them and trying different herb combinations.

Herb vinegar is only as good as the vinegar you select. If you are making a gourmet product, buy  the best quality vinegar you can afford. If the herb vinegar is mostly for decoration or display, use inexpensive white vinegar. It doesn’t take much tarragon—just a sprig or two to flavor a whole bottle of white wine vinegar.

Use a 5 or 6 inch sprig of tarragon in each bottle.
Photo by Jasmine & Roses

A mild garlic flavor is a great addition to tarragon vinegar. Poke a peeled clove of garlic onto a wooden skewer. Add the garlic skewer to the vinegar.  You may need to clip the skewer so the lid will fill on the jar or bottle of vinegar. Taste the vinegar after two weeks. If the flavor is strong enough, remove the tarragon and garlic. If not, let the herb vinegar continue to steep for another week. Strain using a paper coffee filter.

Now, isn’t removing that skewer a lot easier than fishing around for elusive garlic cloves at the bottom of the herb vinegar bottle?

Stuff a sprig of tarragon in the cavity of a Cornish game hen and cook it as you normally do. The rotisserie works well for this recipe. As the hen cooks, tarragon lightly permeates whole bird. Remove the herbs when the hen cools and freeze whole or cut in half. Next month, thaw the birds in the frig, then slowly warm in the oven.

End of season bloomer Mexican tarragon looks like dwarf single marigolds.
Photo by Valenaann

A little tarragon goes a long way. If in doubt, use less now—it's easier to add more tarragon later.

Michele Tune (a.k.a. Raw Juice Girl) is a freelance writer and blogger. She has lost over 100 pounds and found great healing from natural remedies, raw foods and juices. Read about her journey at www.healingwithjuices.com.

In response from Natural Alternatives: Dry Eye Syndrome Treatment. 

Dry, itching, throbbing, bloodshot eyes are no fun! And, if it’s your job to stare at a computer screen all day, every day, then your eyes are continuously being aggravated—that’s not healthy.

If you aren’t familiar with natural remedies, you may feel your only options for relief are over-the-counter, chemical-laden eye solutions. Sure, some of them may soothe your eye woes for a short time but how many of them are going to target the root cause and truly help you improve the health of your eyes?

If you’re experiencing these irritating eye problems, your eyes need to be lubricated and nurtured—you can do this with natural remedies, both from within and externally.

But first, what actually causes dry eyes to begin with? There are a variety of reasons eyes dry out.

Here are a few:

• Allergies
• Aging
• Menopause or other hormonal imbalances
• Staring at computer screens for too long

 
Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography/Courtesy Flickr
www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/  

Treating Dry Eyes from Within

You may have one or more nutritional deficiencies. For ultimate eye health, you need to take in plenty of vitamins A, B, C, and E. Also be sure to eat foods rich in zinc and selenium (or take quality supplements). And as K.C. mentioned in her recent post on dry eye syndrome, Omegas are fabulous for eye health.

Raw fruits and vegetables are crucial for overall health—including our eyes. You can pack in a ton of extra veggies and fruits by drinking fresh juices and smoothies. For instance, toss a handful or two of baby spinach leaves into your banana (or other fruit) smoothie and the fruit’s sweetness actually dominates the flavor, so it’s a nice way to sneak in those greens you may not otherwise eat.

Some people have noticed improvements to their eye health and vision from juice fasting as well.

Natural Remedy Recipes (for External Use)

Although it’s important to fill our bodies with the proper nutrition that promotes strong, moist, healthy eyes from within, it’s also nice to have safe, go-to natural remedies that can relieve our aching eyes while we wait for the internal methods to kick in. Following are a couple of inexpensive, organic recipes—and they’re both so soothing!

Organic Chamomile Eye Wash

• 2 chamomile tea bags (or spoonful of dried chamomile flower)
• Warm water
• A cup or bowl
• Sieve (if you’re using loose-leaf herb)

1. Add chamomile bag or loose herb to a cup or bowl.

2. Pour warm water on top of it.

3. Let them steep for up to 15 minutes.

4. Remove the tea bags (or strain loose herb with sieve).

5. Find a relaxing position (lay down or lean back in a chair).

6. Close your eyes and cover each one with a tea bag.

7. Leave the tea bags on for up to 10 minutes.

Note: If you’re using loose-leaf chamomile herb, you can put the moistened mixture you’ve strained into cheesecloth (or an empty tea bag you can purchase online or at your health food store) and follow the same steps above.
You can also cup some of the chamomile tea into your hand (or draw it up into a dropper) and wash your eyes out with it. It’s warm, soothing, healing, and safe.

Cold Cucumber Compress

• 2 cold cucumber slices

1. Find a comfortable position.

2. Put a cold cucumber over (closed) eyes.

3. Leave them on for up to 10 minutes.

Tip: Slice an organic cucumber ahead of time and lay the slices flat (not touching) in small plastic bags or reusable containers and freeze. When you need a quick “cold cucumber compress,” you can just grab two slices from the freezer and let them thaw a little. After all, you want relief—not frozen eyeballs!
I have personally followed all of the tips mentioned here for the past several years. The result? I no longer have to wear eye glasses.

References:
Balch, Phyllis A., CNC, Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-to-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies, New York, NY: Penguin Putnam, Inc., 2002
Balch, Phyllis A., CNC, Prescription for Nutritional Healing (Third Edition), New York: Avery Publishing, 2000.
National Institute of Health Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Selenium 
National Institute of Health Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Zinc 

Brenda Stansfield is a licensed massage therapist, certified clincial aromatherapist and the creator of the Clear My Head product line, sold in spas nationally at www.clearmyhead.com. She belives aromatherapy should be simple and easy to incorporate into a hectic lifestyle.

This weekend my sister welcomed another grandchild to her family. It’s been a long time since I held my own newborn son in my arms, but as I looked at the pictures of the newest addition to our family online, I began to think…"Is there anything more precious than a newborn baby?" "Is there anything more confusing to new parents?"
This time of wonder and discovery is the perfect time for parents to unlock the benefits of aromatherapy and infant massage. By incorporating touch with botanicals, you increase the bond between parent and child while simultaneously creating a healthy, relaxing environment for bot.

Aromatherapy can be safe for infants and children as long as a few guidelines are observed: 

• Never apply oils full strength to the baby’s skin. Since babies have a smaller amount of resistive tissue, adult doses can be considered toxic. Be sure to dilute essential oils for babies and toddlers to ½ amount of the adult dose. This would be ¼ drop for every 3 drops in a standard blend. Since it is impossible to measure a ¼ of a drop, it is advisable to decrease the essential oil and increase the carrier oil or lotion. Remember, no where in aromatherapy is the ‘less is more’ approach more appropriate than here.

Safe essential oil choices for babies: lavender, chamomile and rose

Children are naturals with aromatherapy. The sweet and floral scents calm them almost instantaneously. Older children who no longer will tolerate a back rub from mom or dad will most assuredly indulge in a foot massage (especially after sports). All ages welcome the addition of essential oils in their bath tubs. Be sure to dilute these oils in an appropriate carrier oil according the recommendations below. Allow some flexibility to adjust the amounts if the child’s body size and weight is above or below average percentile for the child’s age. Your pediatrician can help you with this information.

Children: Factor age vs. body weight
5-8 years: 1/6th to 1/3rd the adult recommendation
8-12 years: 1/3th to ½ the adult recommendation
12-15 years: ½ to 2/3rd the adult recommendation

Safe essential oil choices for children: lavender, tea tree, German or Roman chamomile, tangerine, spearmint, rose, lemon, ravensara, eucalyptus and rosemary

• Avoid the following oils for use with all children unless instructed by a reliable text or a certified aromatherapist. All ‘spice oils’ such as clove, cinnamon, cassia, nutmeg, ginger and black pepper. Other oils which should not be used with children are pennyroyal, hyssops, rue and yarrow.

• Avoid citrus oils if your children are playing out of doors since they may increase photosensitivity.

• Use cold pressed, natural oils. Stay away from  petroleum-, chemical- or mineral-based oils (such as baby oil). These oils interfere with the solubility of vitamins and minerals within the essential oils. An easy rule for oils is if you can eat it, you can use it. (Olive oil and grapeseed are wonderful.)

Photo by ::paqman::/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paqman/

As a licensed massage therapist and a certified infant massage instructor and practitioner, I recommend infant massage for building a bond with your baby. Infant massage is a path that will lead to a lifetime of good communication and closeness. Numerous studies show impressive benefits, such as significant neurological development and absorption of nutrients. Also, parents raise their confidence and sensitivity to meeting their babies’ needs, allowing them to respond appropriately to baby’s cues.  The special time spent together can help promote longer and deeper sleep patterns, help relieve colic or gas and helps babies and children develop a positive body image.  Your touch will help baby relax and release accumulated tension by decreasing the production of stress hormones.

How to give a rewarding infant massage (for you and baby):

• Make eye contact with baby. Watch baby’s expressions and note how your touch affects your child. Smile, sing and whisper to baby as you touch.

• Ask permission of your baby to touch each part. This simple act of respect also encourages verbalization and word associations for your baby and brings the art of a lifetime of communication into play.

• Use a gentle, but firm pressure when massaging. A confident touch is conveyed and baby’s sense of safety and love is reinforced.

Ready to begin?  Enjoy the following formulas for baby.

To promote sleep patterns in well babies:

• 1 ½ ounce grapeseed essential oil
• 1 drop lavender essential oil
• 1 drop German chamomile essential oil

1. Mix ingredients together.

2. Use mix during massage OR use 1 teaspoon in your baby’s bath at night time when you want your child to fall asleep faster.

To allieviate gas and upset tummies:

• 1 drop fennel essential oil
• 3 ounces grapeseed essential oil

1. Mix ingredients together.

2. Apply mix to abdomen only. Use plain grapeseed for the remainder of a full body massage.

To open nasal passages: 

Put a drop of eucalyptus oil on a night light or into a humidifier as baby sleeps. Never apply this oil directly to baby. An aromatic bath for baby can be made by substituting one drop eucalyptus or ravensara for the fennel in the above formula. Use 1 tablespoon of the mixture in the bath.  Hold baby securely when bathing with oils.

So if you are lucky enough to be welcoming  a new addition to your immediate or extended family, pass along this information.  Family bonds begin early and the skills and communications in those formative years can be key to a confident child.  Babies grow up too quickly, take the time now to be as present as possible.  Learn and grow with your baby – and may you be ‘forever young’.