by Marie Temmen Common Name: Tea Tree (or Ti Tree) Latin Binomial: Melaleuca alternifolia Family: Myrtaceæ Part Used: Leaves Extraction Method: Steam Distillation Country of Origin: Australia Tea Tree essential oil is currently one of the most popular of the essential oils. Herb stores, aromatherapy catalogues, cosmetic counters and drug stores abound with […]
tea
Essential Oil Profile: Litsea Cubeba
by Marie Temmen Common Name: May Chang Latin Binomial: Litsea cubeba Family: Lauraceae Other Common Names: Exotic verbena, tropical verbena (not related to lemon verbena). Part Used: Litsea cubeba is obtained from the small pepper shaped fruits which resemble peppers. Production Method: Oil is obtained by steam distillation. Countries of Origin: China is […]
Essential Oil Profile: Helichrysum
by Marie Temmen Common Name:Everlasting Latin Binomial:Helichrysum italicum, Helichrysum angustifolium Family: Asteraceae (Compositae) Other Common Names: Immortelle, St. John’s herb Part Used: Flowering tops Production Method:steam distillation (an absolute may be produced by solvent extraction.) Countries of Origin: Helichrysum is native to the Mediterranean. It is […]
Essential Oil Profile: Aniseed
by Jeffrey S. Hoard Common Name: Anise, Anise Seed, Aniseed Latin Binomial: Pimpinella anisum Family: Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) Other Common Names: Anisum officinalis, Anisum vulgare Part Used: Seeds, dried and crushed. Production Method: Steam distillation. Countries of Origin: Native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Poland and Russia are among the largest producers of Aniseed oil from locally […]
Turmeric: A superior herb hiding beneath media hype
by Laurel Redmon, M.S., L.Ac. Dipl. C.H. Turmeric rhizome, Curcuma longa, or jiang huang has been enjoying the limelight in recent months. It was the herb-du-jour, in the wake of the Vioxx scandal, along with a bit of research funding and an urban myth that Indian women never contract breast cancer. Media scrutiny […]
Jeff’s thoughts on ginseng…
Years ago when I lived in Wisconsin, I frequented a well-known Madison co-op which was conveniently located on my walk home each day. It was a throwback, hippie sort of place complete with dusty old wood floors, a store cat and a collection of questionable vegetables, which were supposed to be organic and somehow better […]
Strategies for Supporting the Immune System
by Ingrid Petres We encounter harmful germs and bacteria on a daily basis. It’s important, as the cold and flu season is upon us, to understand how we can boost our immune systems in order to prevent becoming sick. General lifestyle changes to help maintain a healthy immune system: Wash your hands frequently Buy a […]
Purchasing and Using Herbs
by Cheryl & Jeff Hoard Knowledge is vital in the successful use of herbs for health and well-being. It is best to consult your health practitioner first before using herbs. It wouldn’t be wise, for instance to take Saw Palmetto Berry (respected by the mainstream medical community) for treating enlarged prostate […]
Natural Remedies for Moderate Depression
by Cheryl Hoard From a holistic point of view, many herbal remedies could be used for depression because the physical body, psychological state and spirit are all connected to produce the whole person and all of those parts have also created the disease. Every case of depression is very unique and the successful treatment […]
Natural Approach to Addiction Recovery
By Cheryl Hoard There are so many things to which we can become addicted. As is often the case with a natural approach, the same herbs and essential oils can be helpful for the various difficult moments associated with recovery from all kinds of addictions. Addictions to cigarettes, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, unhealthy […]