How to Make Herbal Tinctures from Dried Herbs I have several tincture recipes posted (including my two favorites: Chamomile Tincture and Digestion Tincture ) but I realized that a post with general instructions on how to make a tincture from any herbs would be helpful. A tincture is a concentrated liquid form of an herb that is easy to make and easy to take. Tinctures preserve and concentrate the properties of the herb, making them more effective and longer lasting. Alcohol based tinctures have a shelf life of several years and are easy to use when needed! I keep several tinctures on hand for my kids, as they can be used externally even on small children for relief from common problems. If you’ve ever bought tinctures from the store, I’d encourage you to try making your own, as they are very inexpensive to make and can be made in minutes. Tincture Making Supplies: I make most tinctures in an alcohol base as this makes them the most long lasting, but tinctures can also be made with glycerine, vinegar or even with honey to make a syrup!
What to Avoid in Toothpaste, and How to Make Your Own Fluoride has made the news (again) recently, for potentially being linked to autism in children to being under fire in U.S. Federal Court because of dental fluorosis. An ongoing concern is the safety of water fluoridation, with some cities actively fighting fluoridation of their drinking water, such as Portland, OR. But this got me thinking about the toothpaste we use, which might also contain fluoride—as well as other ingredients we should consider avoiding. After all, one of the fastest ways to absorb something into the body is through the mouth. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock There seems to be a general consensus among health advocates—from Environmental Working Group to Dr. What else in your toothpaste should raise a red flag? The Eco-Dentistry Association emphasizes the important step we should all be taking: Read your labels! FD&C color pigments—Synthetic coloring agent made from coal tar that can be found in a multitude of personal care products. So what then are some alternatives?
10 Incredible and Amazingly Bizarre Homes Please note: Ikea will not make your house look like this. 1. Tribecca Wonderland Our first house belongs to Meghan Boody, a contemporary artist and photographer living in Tribecca New York. Her taste you will find is wild, and sometimes pretty hard to swallow… And by hard to swallow, I mean the very lifelike silicone sculpture of a young girl locked in the moss-lined cage. Boody has also built a tiny alcove above the foyer that can be reaches stairs hidden behind a door. 2. This one belongs to architect Ricardo Bofill’s and it serves as his Barcelona home and office. You may also be having deja vu right now as this home was shown on MTV Cribs a few years ago by Spanish singer Paulina Ribero, when she was at the time engaged to Bofill. 3. It was an abandoned and neglected house in a disadvantaged neighborhood for some 30 years before Zecc Architecten and Studio Rolf came along and transformed it. 4. 5. Having been abandoned for almost 20 years, St. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Okay, okay one more!
All Natural Herbal Hair Color Recipes Since I posted by recipes for homemade shampoo and DIY dry shampoo I’ve gotten a few emails asking about natural/herbal options for hair color. I’ve experimented with natural hair lightening in the past, but hadn’t tried dark or red shades. Many wasted herbs and a bunch of randomly colored streaks on the underside of my hair later, I figured out some good dark and red options as well! I started with sandy blonde hair, so I used the lightening herbs on most of my head, and I’m the blondest I’ve been since childhood (with some interesting red/brown streaks underneath). I think the reds and browns would be even more dramatic on hair that was already darker, but they definitely had my hair not-blonde anymore. If any of you with dark hair try the red or dark colors, please let me know how they work on you! These are natural colors and as such will create natural hues on your hair. Herbs for Light Hair I’ve tried several basic herbal variations including: Ingredients: Herbs for Red Hair
Homemade vitamin C (NaturalNews) Vitamin C is best known for strengthening the immune system. This potent antioxidant also has many other important roles that control significant aspects of our health. Vitamin C helps detoxify our bodies, protects and promotes healing of all of our cells, and helps us deal with both mental and physical stress. It also supports healthy bacteria in our gut, neutralizes free radicals, is anti viral and anti bacterial, prevents and kills cancer cells, and so much more. Natural vitamin C complexes from wholefoods are more potent than store-bought vitamin C tablets. Full disclosure, I meant a fully-grown, large watermelon. Rosehips, parsley, cilantro, and coriander are also very potent vitamin C suppliers. The best vitamin C is the vitamin C that comes as food. Save money with your own vitamin C supplement Any organic orange, lime, or lemon peels left over from the fruit you buy will do the trick. Sources: Close
Kevin West's 'Saving the Season' Cookbook author Kevin West possesses a rare ability. He can make a damn good jar of spiced fig jam and writes beautifully, but the talent I’m talking about is more interpersonal: He’s excellent at introducing people to one another. In Los Angeles, where he and I both live, introductions can be, at their clichéd worst, more about favors and recognition than anything remotely friendly. Who do you know, what do you do, what can you do for me, etc. In his new book, Saving the Season: A Cook’s Guide to Home Canning, Pickling, and Preserving, West charts a personal, literary and cultural history of “putting up” over the course of more than 500 pages, 220 recipes, and numerous essays. Thinking about making strawberry jam? And in many instances, canning recipes are stand-ins for the fascinating people West has come across over the years. CUCUMBER DILL SPEARS AND CHIPS | Yields 2 Quarts • ¼ cup kosher salt • 6 cups lukewarm water • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds • ½ teaspoon fennel seeds 1. 2. 3. 4.
Growing Herbs, Planting Herbs, How to Grow Herbs The best tips for growing herbs indoors, outdoors, and in container herb gardens. Learn how to plant and care for herbs when home gardening. Plant a kitchen herb garden to supply fresh herbs to spice up your meals. Design Your Own Vegetable Garden Layout Using our Free "Vegetable Garden Planner" Software! Why Grow an Herb Garden? The practice of planting herbs has been undertaken on every continent for hundreds of years. Herbs are prized for their scents, medicinal properties, and seasoning qualities in gardening, aromatherapy, arts and crafts, home remedies, and cooking. Planting a small sized kitchen herb garden supplies a wide range of flavorful, therapeutic, and fragrant herbs. Download Free Garden Planning Worksheets, Garden Diary, Zone Chart, Or Planting Guide Common Types of Herb Gardens Visiting herb gardens is the best way to decide on which plants to select and where to place your garden. Indoor Herb Gardening Many herbs can be successfully grown indoors in a container herb garden.
Folk Remedies For You La Structure Fractale : la clef de la compréhension de l'Univers Sommaire du sous-titre Quand un simple Arbre, un Chou de Romanesco ou une Feuille de Fougère nous racontent l'Univers TOTAL... Quand ils nous apprennent comment l'Univers TOTAL fonctionnent et comment il crée les univers et les mondes C'est à Benoît Mandelbrot, l'un des pères de la géométrie fractale (voir ici l'une de ses fractales appelée "fractale ou "ensemble de Mandelbrot"), une nouvelle et très riche branche des mathématiques, que l'on doit en 1974 le mot "fractal" (éthymologiquement "brisé", "fractionné"), notion qui décrit par exemple une très curieuse caractéristique des côtes bretonnes. Ce n'est donc que très récemment qu'on a pris conscience de l'importance des fractales dans la Nature: Arbre, Chou de Romanesco, Feuille de Fougère, Flocon de Neige, Galaxie, etc., sont des objets fractals. Dans cette première partie nous ferons un exposé technique de ce qu'est une une générescence et une structure fractale au sens le plus large et le puissant du terme. Et vous savez quoi?
The Lazy Lady’s Guide to DIY: Hanging Herb Garden in Ladyguides on Persephone Magazine. At some point near the middle of March, I always decide that I’m “done” with winter. The sweaters and jackets get pushed to the back of the closet, the flip flops come out, and I inevitably freeze my butt off for several weeks until the weather catches up with my warm-weather state of mind. Likewise, my cravings for fresh herbs and veggies are always a little ahead of the season. Growing your own herbs is a great way to save money and avoid buying too much at a time and letting most of it go to waste. If it’s still too cold to plant outside where you are (or if you’re short on space!) this hanging herb garden is the perfect project to get you in gear for spring. What you’ll need: Tin containers with snap-on plastic lids (tea, cocoa, and coffee cans are a good bet), coat hangers, pliers, scissors, herbs (I bought basil, rosemary, dill, and cilantro for about $2.50 each), masking tape, coffee filters, a nail, a hammer, X-acto knife, scrap fabric or paper, and glue or spray adhesive.