Spice up Your Holiday

Spices have a long history in just about every culture throughout time till about our current era; we have lost some of our knowledge from the past as to the abundance of uses of these rich plants.  From herbs and spices used for medicinal purposes to culinary flavor our history is rich.  It is time for us to reconnect with not just the culinary application of spices and herbs, but the medical application as well.  We need to be able to expand our resource knowledge that cinnamon is more than just a stick of bark that sits on the side of our hot apple cider or is ground up into apple pie.  While what I provide in this article is just a hint at the uses of these lost spices I encourage you, the reader, to delve into our history and see for yourself how you can reconnect with our roots.

 

While most of these spices and herbs can be purchased at your local coop or grown in your back yard, there are also uses and application for the essential distilled oils from these same spices.   Familiarity with essential oils comes from the fast growing aromatherapy trend, but there is little information about the quality of the plant and process to produce a high quality product.  Therefore it is necessary to have a little information about the difference between pure essential oil and synthetics.  Pure oils consist of a highly complex set of compounds ranging in the millions; compounds that are essential for the plant to defend itself against insects, environmental conditions, and disease.  Synthetics are man-made oils based off the basic compound of the intended oil and do not contain the plethora of compounds that make up a plants true nature.  The major difference between pure and synthetic oils is most noticeable with fragrance and usage.  Pure oils can often be ingested just as the plant they came from could be ingested and most can be used topically without being mixed with carrier oils.  Synthetics often only carry a portion of the plants main fragrance, cannot be ingested, and most will cause irritation or worse when used topically.  The other major difference is price.  While synthetic oils will be well within the budget, pure oils will be priced based off the difficulty and amount of plant required to produce the oil.

 

Without further ado here are your

Holiday Spices

 

Allspice: Myrtaceae, aromatic evergreen; used as a spice or condiment to curries, rice, puddings, for pickling, and for mulling wines.

 

Cinnamon: Cinnamomum zeylanicum; tropical evergreen. The inner bark used in teas, cooked fruit, pickling, honey, punches, mulled red wine. Ground cinnamon is probably the most familiar and can be added to sweet baked puddings, cooked fruit, meats, and fish. Seed oil used in perfume. Cinnamon acts as a natural antiseptic, astringent, stimulant, relief for nausea, flatulence, and diarrhea.  The essential oil can be used as an inhalant in a steam bath to help with respiratory issues or diluted with carrier oil for topical use.

 

Clove: Syzygium aromatica, tropical evergreen tree.  Clove oil and flower buds work as a powerful antiseptic, anodyne, antispasmodic, carminative, stimulant, and in the prevention of vomiting.  In the past clove oil was used in dentistry as a local anesthetic before dental procedures.  The essential oil can be used both internally and topically when combined with other ingredients and carrier oil as it can have a numbing or burning sensation.

 

Frankincense: is considered warming, relaxing, aiding in respiratory problems, aging skin, inflammation, and wounds.  The essential oil has been used as a beauty treatment for its skin health boosting properties.  The oil can be used both internally through the use of homemade capsules when mixed with olive oil and topically with or without carrier oil.  Frankincense resin can also be burned for its calming effects.

 

Ginger: Zingiber officinalis; creeping tropical perennial.  The fresh root has traditionally been used to promote sweating for fever illnesses.  Dried root has been used to combat motion sickness and morning sickness in pregnancy.  The essential oil must be combined with carrier oil for topical use for rheumatism or mixed with honey to be used internally for menstrual cramps, nausea, and flatulence.

 

Myrrh: Commiphora Molmol; bushy shrub in arid climates.  Acts as an antiseptic, healing specifically for wounds, is anti-inflammatory, aids in digestion, loss of appetite, catarrh, bronchitis, and an immune stimulant.  Research shows it can lower blood cholesterol levels, though it tastes unpleasant.  Essential oils are distilled from the resin and are best used topically, or the resin can be burned.

 

Nutmeg: Myristica fragrans, tender evergreen tree. Great when added to sweet and savory dishes especially cheese dishes; other uses include adding flavor to mead, milk drinks, liqueurs, and cordials. In small quantities, can aid in digestion and improve appetite.  Studies have proven it to be successful as a treatment for Crohn’s Disease.  Similar to clove oil, nutmeg oil can be used to dull toothache.  For tooth or gum pain a few drops on a cotton swab will suffice.  Essential oil can also be used topically with carrier oil for muscular pains.

 

Sage: Salvia officinalis; a variety of low to tall perennial plants. A great addition when combined with onions for poultry stuffing, best cooked with rich fatty meats: pork, duck, sausage. Dried leaves placed among linens discourage insects, an astringent when used as a facial steam, a conditioning rinse that can darken gray hair, a whitening rub for teeth, and a mouthwash. Aids in digestion, is an antiseptic, antifungal, and combats diarrhea.  When used as a tea or wine acts as a nerve and blood tonic; reduces sweating, sooths coughs and colds, may be used to treat irregular menstruation and menopause.  The essential oil can be used internally or topically.

 

 

To purchase any of these oils from a Highly Qualified and Pure Essential Oil company please visit: https://www.youngliving.org/alikap

 

Resources:

Bremness, Leslie (1988). Complete book of herbs, the.

Ody, Penelope (1993). Complete Medicinal Herbal, the. DK Publishing: NY, New York.

 

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Fun With Household Products part 1

We all have them in our cupboards or maybe under the sink and at some point in our life one family member or another may have told us that we can use them as cleaner or for personal hygiene. What am I talking about?

Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Table Salt.

 

Vinegar:
There are hundreds of uses for Vinegar from cleaning and laundry to outdoor use, and even beauty remedies; not to mention the fun uses of Vinegar. For those tough cleaning jobs in the kitchen such as those deeply stained coffee pots and cups, the dishwasher, or microwaves -Vinegar to the rescue. A simple mix of 1/4 cup of vinegar with the regular brew cycle in your coffee pot, 1/2 cup in an empty dishwasher on the rinse cycle, or a 1/4 cup in a microwavable bowl set to boil for 3 minutes within to loosen up those hard to remove food bits. For unclogging sinks or tub drains pour 1 gallon of vinegar followed by boiling water to keep soap residue down for free flowing drains.

For those mishaps on your lovely carpets don't turn to highly chemical carpet cleaner, vinegar is your answer. Lightly sponge equal parts of vinegar and water onto stained areas of your carpet where there have been mishaps with catsup, chewing gum, chocolate, coffee, cola, crayon stains, glue, ink, mildew, and/or red wine.

Vinegar is a wonder with laundry. Use when washing cotton or washable wool blankets by adding 2 cups to the last rinse cycle to remove any soap residue and leave blankets soft and fluffy. Vinegar also helps reduce lint build up and helps prevent pet hair from sticking to clothing. Unlike other detergents, vinegar works fine with your other materials as well, such as leather and silk..

Beauty regiment cutting into your budget? Vinegar to the rescue! Vinegar mixed with onion juice in equal parts can be dabbed onto age spots. After several weeks of daily application you should see noticeable results. Equal mix of vinegar and water can be used as a simple cleanser or toner between deep facial cleaning. Itchy skin? A bath with 8 ounces of Apple Cider Vinegar will help relieve irritated skin and relax aching muscles.

In the garden battle those pesky weeds with vinegar rather than using dangerous poisons. Boil a quart of water adding 2 tablespoons of salt and 5 tablespoons of vinegar; pour the mixture directly onto weeds between cracks in sidewalks or driveways. Keep those pests out too by spraying undiluted vinegar at entrances to your household, near sinks, appliances, or anywhere you see ants congregating.

Want to know more click on the image to get your copy!

 

Myth vs Fact

Myth: We only use 10% of our brains

Fact: Neuroscientists have found that most of the brain is active almost ALL of the time

Myth: Your tastebuds are divided into zone on your tongue, one each for sweet, savory, and salty tastes

Fact: Every area of your tongue can actually taste every type of taste

Myth: If you're not obese, you shouldn't be worried about obese people's illenesses.

Fact: Studies show that thin people with unseen internal fat or high cholesterol levels can be just as prone to heart disease and diabetes.

(do not remember where I obtained this information, but it has been sitting in my draft pile since June, so I thought I would just publish it already)

:)

November's Challenge

I will give all my faithful readers a heads up - I may be a little lax in the posting this month as I will be participating in the NaNoWriMo.  Head on over to my other blog to learn more or see updates on my progress.  50,000 words in 30 days, I am going to be very busy!  If I do not touch base here again this month, I will wish everyone a happy November and a wonderful Thanks Giving (for those who celebrate).  Be Well!  Stay Healthy!

http://30dayssomethingnew.blogspot.com/2012/11/novembers-challenge-nanowrimo.html