Wax and Bubbles

Many common aliments can be cured with herbs and oils and here are a few that you can use the next time you suffer from these symptoms and issues.

1. For indigestion: Use ginger and salt: Grate some fresh ginger and mix a tsp. of ginger with a tsp. of sea salt to make a paste. Place this paste in your mouth and chew for about 5 minutes then swallow and follow it with an 8 oz. glass of warm, temped water. Eat your meal or a small bite within 15 minutes of taken so that it won’t experience the burning that can follow with some people and ginger.

2. For PMS Bloating: Use sage: Boil about a tsp. of dried or even fresh sage on the stove on medium high heat with a cup of water and boil for about 5 minutes. Strain and drink a cup or so about three times a day during the times that you feel the bloating.

3. For sprains or muscle strains: Use lettuce: Chop up a rough bunch of lettuce and make sure they are crisp and cold. Apply to the sprained muscle and warp with an elastic band in a loose fashion or a ribbon loosely tied around the sprained areas and the lettuce leaves. When the lettuce leaves become warmed by the skin, replace them with another bunch of cooler leaves and repeat till sprains swelling has been reduced. This is a great way to help relieve swelling from many other ailments as well.

4. For urinary tract infections: Use cranberry: This is nothing new. Drink about a cup of 100 percent cranberry juices at the first sign of the infections and repeat about three times a day. Drink water with this as well to help flush your system as well.

5. For a toothache: Use clove: Make a paste with a few drops of water and a tsp. of clove. Place the paste on the sore gums for about 10 minutes then spit and rinse. Dilute even more to use on babies and toddlers.

1. Lavender (Lavandula spp.): Soothes the digestive tract and promotes bile secretion and relieves nausea. It can also relieve anxiety and insomnia as well. Lavender has antimicrobial actions and helps to heal wounds.

2. Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis): Has mild tranquilizing and sedative properties and helps to settle the stomach as well. Lemon balm ointment and antiviral properties. Helps to treat cold sores and herpes as well.

3. Lovage (Levisticum officinale): Relieves indigestion and bloating and helps to relieve flatulence as well. Improves appetite and has diuretic properties.

4. Mint (Mentha spp.): Helps to aid in digestion, relieves congestion and suppresses coughing. Peppering essential oil has antibacterial properties and helps to relieve headaches.

5. Oregano/Marjoram (Origanum spp.): Has antiseptic properties and relieves coughing. Helps with other respiratory conditions and helps to relieve flatulence and stimulates bile flow.

6. Parsley (Petroselinum crispum): Helps with bad breath because of the chlorophyll. Aid sin digestion and helps relieve intestinal gas. The seeds have diuretic properties.

7. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): Has antioxidant properties and soothes in digestion and relieves congestion. Eases headaches and depression and helps to improve weak circulation.

8. Sage (Salvia spp.): Has astringent properties and helps to treat sore throats, tonsillitis and bleeding gums. Prevents sweating and helps to dry up breast milk in nursing mothers.

9. Savory (Satureja spp.): Helps to relieve gas and helps to stimulate digestion and soothes chest infections and even bronchitis in some. Savory essential oil has a strong antibacterial and antifungal property to it.

10. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris): Helps to soothe digestion. Is an expectorant for coughs and emphysema. Helps externally to disinfect wounds as well.

1. Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum): Eases stomach cramps, colic, nausea and vomiting, as well as flatulence.

2. Bay (Laurus nobilis): Settles the stomach and stimulates the appetite, externally is can be used to relieve muscles aches and pains and helps with arthritis as well.

3. Calendula (Calendula officimalis): Used to heal swollen lymph glands, ulcer in the digestive tract. Externally in cream and salves it can help with cuts, dry skin, sunburns and even diaper rash as well.

4. Chervil (Antriscus cerefolium): Settles digestion in the stomach and have diuretic properties. Helps to purify the blood and lower blood pressure. This herb is rich in vitamin C as well.

5. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum): Mild antibacterial and antifungal properties; mild cardiovascular-systems benefits and a good source of vitamin A and C as well.

6. Cilantro/Coriander (Coriandrum sativum): Stimulates the appetite and helps to improve digestion. Helps relieve flatulence, bloating and even cramps. Has been known to sweeten the breath as well.

7. Dill (Anethum graveolens): Helps aid digestion and soothe colic in babies. Stimulates milk production in nursing mother and relieve bad breath when chewed as well.

8. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgre): Has antispasmodic properties that help with digestion. Promotes bile secretion and helps aid in digestion of fats as well.

9. Garlic (Allium sativum): Has antibacterial properties, antibiotic and antifungal properties as well. May help in lowering cholesterol and prevent cancer and helps reduce blood sugar levels as well.

10. Ginger (Zingiber officinale): Helps with nausea and motion sickness. Contains anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. Helps prevent indigestion and improves circulation as well.

• Burdock Root: Antibacterial, and antifungal; blood and skin cleanser; diuretic and increase perspiration; improves liver function as well.

• Cascara sagrada: Bowel tonic and colon cleanser/ acts as a laxative. Should be taken sparingly due to this as well.

• Cayenne Pepper: Blood and skin cleanser; is great for skin prone to acne for various reasons. tissue purifier, great for skin with aging issues; increases fluid elimination (including sweat).

• Echinacea: Antimicrobial that helps eliminate mucus; lymph cleanser the improves lymphocyte and phagocyte actions while supporting immunity. Blocks some illness causing germs from entering the body’s immune system and weakening it.

• Garlic: Natural antibiotic/antimicrobial for bacteria; parasites, viruses, and yeasts; helps eliminate mucus;’ may lower blood fats and cholesterol.

• Goldenseal Root: Antimicrobial; blood, kidney and liver and skin cleaner. Stimulates detoxification ; helps eliminate mucus.

• Ginger Root: Skin cleanser; stimulates circulation throughout the entire body and sweating helps remove toxins within the body as well, relives congestion, helps relieve nausea.

• Licorice Root: This is a wonderful detoxifier; works as a mild laxative/ colon cleanse; a wonderful stomach soother, supports the immune function as well.

• Parsley Leaf: Breath freshener and green purifier, diuretic, helps to flush out the kidneys, does induce urine flow.

• Oregon Grape Root: Blood purifier, colon and skin cleanser, liver stimulant.

• Sarsaparilla Root: Blood and lymph cleanser,; contains saponins that reduce microbes and toxins.

• Yellow Dick Root: Blood, liver and skin cleaners; supplies vitamin C and iron during cleansing a normal detox diet.

Why do we over eat? There is not a clear answer or one single answer to that question. But all of us, no matter if we admit it or not, would like to stay fit and trim all the time. Keeping your body at it’s normal weight range is work. Most don’t like work and most really don’t like work such as exercise. The main reason anyone over eats is because:

• Physical/medical reasons
• Poor knowledge of nutrition
• Eating as a form of comfort
• Eating as entertainment when bored
• Depression
• Dealing with grief
• Over eating because we are afraid to say “no”

And for these reasons there is a multitude of pills, liquids, programs and books on the market to help you control one or more of these reasons why you over eat. With these products comes chemicals and unhealthy productions that our bodies don’t even need to begin with. There is help.

With essential oils and the science behind essential oils there are many out, made by many manufacturers. Some of the essential oils on the market will help with your weight loss goals. Here is a list of a few that may give you the push you need.

1. Wild Rosemary Essential Oil (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Fresh, strong, minty-herbal, grounding.

2. Sage Essential Oil (Salvia officinalis) Narrow-leaved sage, garden sage, Spanish sage, Salviae folium.

3. Caraway Essential Oil (Carum carvi) Aromatic, feathery, finely cut leaves and a thick, tapering root.

4. Juniper Essential Oil (Juniperis communis) Genevrier, Ginepro, Enebro, Baccae Juniperi.

5. Fennel Essential Oil (Foeniculum vulgare) Fenkel, Finkle, Fennel fruit, foeniculi fructus.

6. Red Clover Essential Oil (Trifolium pratense) Wild clover, trefoil, purple clover, cow clover, meadow clover, trefoil.

7. Black Peppermint Essential Oil (Mentha piperata) Brandy mint, lamb mint.

8. Tasmanian Blue Eucalyptus Essential Oil (Eucalyptus globulus) Blue gum, stringy bark tree.

9. Sweet Orange Essential Oil (Citrus Aurantium) Citrus vulgaris. Citrus Bigaradia. Citrus aurantium amara. Bigaradier. Bigarade Orange. Bitter Orange. Seville Orange. (Sweet) Portugal Orange. China Orange. Citrus dulcis.

20. Anise Essential Oil (Illicium verum) Star anise, pimpinella anisum, badian anise, Chinese anise, Indian anise.

21. Cinnamon Rose Essential Oil (Cinnamonum zeylanicum) Cinnamon bark, Ceylon cinnamon.

22. Sweet Basil Essential Oil Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Sweet, herbaceous

23. Coriander Essential Oil; Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) Sweet, herbaceous, spicy, woody, slightly fruity.

Herbs aren’t only for humans, they have been known to do great things for animals as well.

The following herbs can be added to your pet’s diet to help them maintain a healthy skin and even hair coat.

• Burdock: (Arcutium lappa) is especially good for dry, scaly skin and for the animal that has dandruff.

• Cleavers: (Gallium aparine), along with burdock, are toned to the lymphatic system, helping move toxins out of the body an to transport nutrient substances into the skin,

• Sarsaparilla: (Smilax officinalis) is another herb good for dry, scaly skin. Sarsaparilla has properties that help balance hormonal activates in the body, which can be helpful for skin conditions caused by an imbalance of sex hormones.

• Yellow Dock: (Rumex crispus) has been used extensively for the treatment of all sorts of skin conditions. Yellow dock, burdock and cleavers all are known as blood cleansers all are known as blood cleansers, and their ability to remove toxins from the body might account for some of their beneficial actions on the skin.

• Red Clover: (Trifolium pratense) is a mild-tasting herb that has a wide range of activities, and it seems to be especially helpful for preventing and treating skin conditions.

For External Skin Care:
(Consider the following herbs)

• Calendula: (Calendual officinalis) can be used any time there is inflammation or injury to the skin-for treating cuts, scrapes, bruises or burns, it is one of the best herbals available. Calendula has antibiotic activity, it is soothing and it enhances the healing ability of the skin.

• Lavender: (Lavandual angustifolia) is an excellent choice for injuries of inflammation of the skin, and it has the additional quality of adding its personalize4d and soothing odor. (Source: Herbs for Health 2007)

• Aromatic Herbal Bath: Add 10 to 15 drops of essential oil to your drawn bath water. For relaxation try some lavender or ylang ylang. For skin irritation try tea tree and lavender together. Stir the water throughly after adding the essential woll before getting into the bath.

• Simple foot and hand soak: Add 5 to 7 drops of essential oil to a bowl or basin of warm water. Soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Use the same essential oil mix as above or do an online search for what oils you should use for what condition.

• Herbal Compress: To treat a headache or skin irritation, add 5 to 8 drops of essential oil to 2 cups of hot or cold water. Stir to disperse the oils evenly. Brielfy soak a cotton cloth in the water, wring out the cloth when necessary, then place it on the skin in the needed area on your body or someone else’s body. Repeat every 15 minutes for up to one hour. (Source: Aromatherapy 101)

**Is it in the stars that Barack Obama will capture the Democratic nomination? Over at Astrology Explored, Beth Turnage tells what she thinks. Read the full story here.**
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WAX AND BUBBLES PRODUCT SHOWCASE:

Flower Peddler. It’s a small, family-owned business located near Richmond, Virginia. They actually began the business as a floral design service. Then branched into the bath and body products company they are now. Their products were inspired by or designed specifically for members of their own family. From those with specific skin concerns were among the testers of the fresh start products. Now they have a full line of products and sell everything from soap to facial care products.