Blogs

Top Wellness Podcasts

by Clair Beardson
Top Wellness Podcasts
Curious about new ways to improve your nutrition, health, fitness, mindset or overall wellbeing? Are you looking for inspiration to motivate you as you set your goals for the coming year? Podcasts are an excellent and entertaining source of information and discourse.  We’ve made a short-list of some of our current favorites.  Give these podcasts a listen when you’re on your commute to work or preparing your next meal, we’re sure you’ll learn something new and interesting.

New Year, New You: Easy Ways to Detox

by Clair Beardson
New Year, New You: Easy Ways to Detox
The holidays are a wonderful time to celebrate with family and friends, but indulging in all the delicious foods and drinks can leave your body feeling slow and sluggish. We’ve put together a brief list of detox tips to nourish your body and mind so you can start 2018 feeling rejuvenated and ready to tackle your goals for the new year.

Improve Your Health With Herbal Teas

by Clair Beardson
Improve Your Health With Herbal Teas
All over the world, since ancient times, tisanes, plant-based herbal teas, have been found to hold abilities to boost your health, and contain cer...

Echinacea Health Benefits

by Clair Beardson
Echinacea Health Benefits

Echinacea is a daisy-like flower native to North America. It is also known as a coneflower with vibrant pink petals and a protruding conical orange-brown center.  For centuries, Native Americans would use the echinacea flower to treat a wide range of ailments. Echinacea tea enjoyed wide popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries until the introduction of anti-biotics.  Echinacea has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as people are looking for natural alternatives to traditional medicine.

Health Benefits of Skullcap

by Clair Beardson
Health Benefits of Skullcap

Skullcap is a delightful flowering plant with blossoms shaped like hoods that resemble the helmets worn by medieval soldiers.  It is most well-known for its sedative properties but skullcap has many other health benefits.  This perennial plant is part of the Mint family, grows to about 2-3 feet tall, and can be found in wet habitats.  This plant thrives in more shaded areas, avoiding direct sunlight.  Both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Native American cultures have long considered the skullcap herb to be a useful medicinal plant with a range benefits.

Chamomile: A Classic Cure-All

by Clair Beardson
Chamomile: A Classic Cure-All
Chamomile is considered a classic cure-all natural remedy that has been prized since ancient times for its medicinal properties and ability to treat a range of ailments.  This annual, with daisy-like flowers, has a sweet smell and thrives in the sunshine. It be found in temperate climates around the globe. The flower is traditionally used in tea but it can also be found in salves, perfumes, and cosmetics. Chamomile’s anti-inflammatory properties help heal cuts, excessive acne, rosacea, and soothe other skin irritations.

Health Benefits of Pau d'Arco

by Clair Beardson
Health Benefits of Pau d'Arco
Pau d’Arco has been recognized for its medicinal benefits by indigenous peoples of the rainforests in South America for centuries. The pau d’arco is a large canopy tree that can grow over 30 meters tall and some species feature white, yellow, purple or pink flowers.  The name is Portuguese in origin and is translated as bow stick.  The wood of the tree is extremely hard and was used for making bows. 

Health Benefits of Rooibos

by Clair Beardson
Health Benefits of Rooibos
Rooibos is a grass with yellow flowers that resemble a broom, grows in South Africa, and is commonly known as Red tea. It has many healing properties. It is anti –inflammatory, antiviral, anti-mutagenic and it helps stomach cramps. It is full of iron, calcium, potassium, copper, manganese, zinc and magnesium. It aids cardiovascular problems and allergies. Rich in quercetin, an antioxidant, it can help prevent heart disease. Here we are using it for its properties of releasing stress and reducing hypertension.

Health Benefits of the Orange Peel

by Clair Beardson
Health Benefits of the Orange Peel
As a herbal medicine, orange peel is used to regulate energy, strengthen the spleen, treat coughs and diarrhoea and also as an expectorant. Nowadays it is used to lower blood pressure. Well known for its high vitamin C and E content, it reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain forms of cancer. It is a stimulant so can help induce weight loss.

Health Benefits of Ginger

by Clair Beardson
Health Benefits of Ginger
Ginger was first written about in 200 BC. It is spicy to the tongue, a soothing digestive, it eliminates intestinal parasites, improves circulation, stimulates digestion and improves liver function. There are two types of ginger important in Chinese medicine the dried and fresh. Dried is much stronger. Dried ginger is used for pains in the stomach, diarrhoea and poor appetite. Fresh ginger is for warming the stomach, alleviating vomiting, and ridding the body of coughs. We are using it as a digestive to warm the stomach.

Health Benefits of Rose

by Clair Beardson
Health Benefits of Rose
Roses can grow to many different heights. They often have stems with thorns and a beautiful scented flower. Roses have long been used for emotional...

Health Benefits of Fennel

by Clair Beardson
Health Benefits of Fennel
Fennel has an anise taste. It has been a cooking ingredient since Roman times and is used in herbal medicine to help digestion. The Greeks and Romans believed it gave courage and it was used as a nervous tonic. They also believed it cured the wind’s diseases. It has long been used with fish to help digestion and to add taste. Here we are using it as a digestive