Get connected with herbs-

picking chamomile in the garden

To yourself, your body, heart, brain, to others and to nature!

I am seeing connections everywhere now days. And learning more and more how important they are. And how they can help solve our problems.

In the garden, the potatoes next to the cucumbers are doing the best. The volunteer sunflowers are helping the cilantro not to bolt so fast. The peas and carrots love each other and the basil is a nice companion to the tomatoes. Plants effect and help or hinder each other. It goes on and on. The birds and the trees seem to talk to each other.

Permaculture has a saying, “the solution is in the problem.” When we live in relationship with each other, the natural world and our Higher power, solutions can happen much more readily and naturally.

On the flip side, there is a belief in the permaculture world that most problems, diseases, etc. come from a disconnection somewhere. Find the disconnect, and you can solve the problem.

Another simple example: I tripped (over my dog) and fell on the pavement last week and jammed my finger. I tell you, all the other parts of my body were in sympathy and trying to help out and compensate for that little finger. They were connected and feeling for a part that was hurt. That, to me, is how we are with each other and everything in the world. If something or somebody is hurting, we are feeling it in some way, even if unconsciously.  We are all so connected.

What is your biggest health challenge? Might there be a disconnect somewhere? What kind of connection would help bring about more balance?

Herbs can help connections!

Herbs pull up minerals, vitamins and nutrients from far down in the earth. Many of them are balancers of the soil and they can do the same inside of us.

The more I learn about herbs, the more I am amazed at how they can help us connect and correct so many health issues. They deliver far more than just one benefit, they can go deep into underlying problems and bring back into balance what we may be unaware or barely aware of being out.

Here are some of our favorites. Most of these herbs are also strengtheners of the overall body.

Herbs for Body -connective tissues-skin, hair, nails, cartilage:

Horsetail (shavegrass) herb, nettles, oatstraw, plantain, scullcap, lemon balm, calendula.

I call this blend our Herbal Calcium because it is high in calcium, and mineral such as silica that help build connective tissues like cartilage, hair, skin, nails, bones, teeth. Safe for pregnancy, kids, elders, and everyone in between.

Herbs for Heart connections: 

     Heart and Blood Pressure Support: Hawthorne berries, motherwort, gingko biloba, hibiscus

Heart connections with others: Lemon Balm, Licorice root, rose, ylang ylang, hibiscus

Herbs for Brain connections:

Gingko Biloba, Gota Kola, Rosemary and Sage, Green Tea, peppermint, scullcap, American Ginseng, Lemon Balm

Herbs for Joint connections:

Arnica (external), white willow bark, yucca root, cayenne, comfrey, peppermint, lobelia

We at T’s Tonics, offer many of these in tincture blends or teas. In the case of external inflammation and pain, we have sprays and ointments for topical support.

Inflammation and dis-ease, injury, and/or pain go hand in hand. Where one is, you can usually find the other.

Inflammation helping herbs:

Arnica is my #1 Herb for External inflammation. I haven’t found anything that takes down bumps and bruises and injury related swelling more quickly.

However, I believe that chronic, long term issues create internal inflammation and that, in turn, causes more problems. And there are so many herbs that help with inflammation and healing!!

For internal help, the following herbs are great general choices.

Joint Pain

These are herbs rich in minerals and healing properties; specifically for their ability to help support and strengthen joints and connective tissues. May help support the system for arthritic and osteoporosis pain relief & internal & external inflammation.*

Peppermint is especially good for the nervous system and used for digestive disorders.  It is helpful for insomnia when taken before bed.  It is also calming to muscle spasms, cramps and headaches.  The oil is a fast pain and inflammation reducer.

White Willow Bark is known for relieving pain and has long been used for rheumatism, inflammation and more.  It is what early aspirin was derived from, but unlike aspirin, it does not thin the blood or irritate the stomach.

Burdock Root is one of the best blood cleansers as well as a kidney, liver and gland cleanser.  It helps to reduce swelling and deposits in the joints.  It is helpful for most skin conditions and is also used for fatigue and nervous disorders.

Yucca is effective in reducing inflammation in the joints.  It is helpful for Arthritis, Rheumatism, Bursitis, Gout, Ulcers and wounds.  It is also a blood purifier. For more information on yucca root can be found Here.

Respiratory Pain

Mullein Helps dispel mucus in the system.  It is considered the herb of choice for respiratory problems, also is a natural painkiller, helps calm spasms, and helps reduce swelling in the glandular system.  Used as a poultice on external wounds to reduce swelling.

Nerve Pain

St. John’s Wort is known for lifting depression but it also has sedative and pain-reducing properties. Helpful for nerve injuries and inflammation surrounding nerves. It may also help with inflammation of the respiratory tract. *Not to be used with blood thinners or heart medications.

All of these herbs and more can be found in our Pain in the Joint Tea and Pain Tonic.

Do you believe one size fits all?

Consider

Even within the same family, little babies come out with different personalities, different needs and have different experiences that shape them.

I have experienced this in my own family. My 2 daughters were born on the same day, two years apart. You would think they would have similarities. Nope. Very different personalities though they even shared the same room. Foods, medicines and essential oils that work for each are very different as are their styles and approaches to life.

Schools are another example. Children learn in different ways. One of the more simple reasons there has been a rise in charter schools and home school programs for the last 15-20 years.

When we try to prescribe the same treatments and protocols to everyone regardless of their health and health needs, there are injuries. And there have been. Lots!

The numbers of v@x injuries are staggering. And it looks like it may be just the beginning. Some scientists say that vaxs are the actual creation of some of the health issues and diseases now prevalent in our society, such as “auto-immune” diseases, allergies and unexplained reactions, and that we will continue to see more and more.

The compromise in health starts with the very first vax given to babies. There are no safe vaccines. We can’t improve on God’s perfect design for life. We must say No for our kids sake. Please.

One helper if you are experiencing “long covid” symptoms or other compromises is to cleanse the blood. As the blood travels throughout the body and effects every cell, so oxygenating the blood and cleansing it, brings new life and energy into each cell in your body.

Here are some herbs that can help cleanse the blood: Burdock, Dandelion, Hyssop, Red Cover, Sarsaparilla, Taheebo, Yarrow, Yellow Dock and Chlorophyll (alfalfa).

Make sure with any cleansing that you have a good binder and elimination program otherwise whatever gets flushed from the cells can just stay and circulate in the body causing all kinds of mischief.

For elimination, I like a capsule of cascara sagrada at night. I also like to use this after coming back from any trip to reset quickly.  It is good for the colon and restores the tone of the bowel. It also stimulates secretions of the liver, pancreas and stomach. As with any eliminator, don’t use continuously.

Dads

Readers of great bedtime stories

Protectors from monsters of various sizes

Providers of shelter, hamburgers, hugs and comfort from the storms

Teachers of survival skills, fix-it tricks, hard work and useful know hows

Leaders of our homes, community and country

Visionaries for our future

Worshippers of God

Listeners

Creators

Conquerors

Pranksters

Dad and Bev

Builders

Advocates, counselors

Planters, Growers, Harvesters

Repairers of broken parts

I’ve been thinking about dads lately and how thankful I am for the dads in my life.

Start with Connection for Greater Health

Connection is our Theme for May

It all starts with connection. The whole person- mind, body and spirit- being connected together and in harmony. And to have this harmony inside of us, I believe, we have to first be connected to our Higher power. Everything right, good and living comes from that source. Here are 3 simple actions to start the day that have the power to transform our connection with everything else in our life in a new and wonderful way:

Starting the day with connection with God = solid foundation and intention set before anything else happens.

1. Before leaving bed: saying (in your head or out loud) “thank you for this new and wonderful day.” 

= It’s a day full of undiscovered mystery, adventure, miracles, and purpose.

2. Greet the light – walk outside barefooted as soon as you can = take a few deep breathes and deep stretches, say good morning to the day. This creates grounding and livens the senses.

3. Meditate – in the Word, if only 1 verse, and/or  prayer.

Ask, “Lord, what would you have me know and do today?” Then listen.

“A sound heart is the Life of the flesh.” -Prov 14;30

These 3 simple practices don’t take long.

You may have heard of them before or maybe are already practicing versions of this. How has it helped you? Do you feel more grounded and connected to yourself and your intention?

If you haven’t tried these, I challenge you to try them for 1 week and see what they do for your feeling of connection even to others around you.

Starting the day with connection between  our own heart, mind and soul = feeling of being whole.

Usnea Lichen Throat Spray

Usnea lichen is a powerful antibiotic, antifungal, antimicrobial and antiviral.

Historically, it has been used in treating viral, bacterial, urinary and respiratory infections internally. Externally it may be helpful on skin, wound and fungal infections and has anti-inflammatory properties helpful for pain relief.*

Usnea is useful both internally and externally for irritations, infections and preventions.

May help in ease of sore throat, respiratory and sinus discomfort.

Life or Death?

What leads to living more abundantly, health wise?

As the earth is bursting out with new life, my mind is drawn to how we make life and death choices everyday.

My plants get buggy and my first instinct is to kill the bugs. 

I have to remember that bugs are usually an indication of distress in the plant. If I support the life of the plant more, water, feed and fertilize, the bugs usually disappear. If I work with the plant instead of against it, it gets stronger and can fight off enemies. Using a killing method only weakens the plant in the long run.

I really noticed this when I worked as a behavior counselor for a weight loss clinic: The more clients focused on the diet and losing weight the harder it seemed to lose! I was most successful with my own weight loss by getting excited about other things in life which caused me to lose interest in eating. Fill those vacuums with “life”, and the temptations that “kill” dissolve.

My thoughts follow the same rules- when I want to “kill” the negative thoughts, they grow bigger. When I accept that they are bringing my attention to something that needs looked at, I can take responsibility for them, support myself and resolve the pain point easier. Then shifting focus to positive thoughts, things that I am looking forward to and/or that I am thankful for, causing the negative ones to melt away.

This applies to dis-eases in our own body as well. Choosing to amp up the good and raise the body’s energy frequency, causes life to flourish. We have the natural strength to fight off diseases. 

If we choose to go after the dis-ease and try to “kill” it with poisons and/or drugs, we often just end up making our natural defense systems weaker. And the less power we have to fight the disease and the next “bug” that comes along.

Cleansing our systems of toxins is a great way to help “reset” our defenses. Hence, create favorable conditions for more “life” to flourish.

We love our Spring Tonic for this cleansing action. It goes right to our body’s cleansing systems: the blood, liver and lymphatic system. It’s a quick action to “flush” our body of build-ups of mucus, toxins and chemicals that can make us feel sluggish and more prone to dis-ease.

This principle of supporting Life rather than death can be applied to the macro level and the micro level. To what is happening in our country, our health systems, the earth as well as our own communities, bodies, and cells.

Choose life with every breathe, thought and choice!

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart…for out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”-Luke 6;45

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10

blood tonic cordial with cranberries

Blood Tonic Recipe from 1920’s Prohibition Times

This Blood Tonic “Cordial” has an interesting history. It was served in at least one soda shop in Philadelphia during the prohibition era between 1920 to 1933. Alcohol was not legally allowed to be sold in establishments during that time. Herbal tonics were offered as alternatives. These herbs are truly excellent at cleaning the blood and clearing what “ails ya”.

It makes a beautifully red and tasty drink and is delightful added to some sparkling tonic water! Of course, you can add alcohol if desired. Enjoy!

Blood Tonic Cordial Recipe

1/4 c dandelion root

1/2 c rosehips

1/4 c licorice root

1/4 c red clover

1/4 c grated beet

2 c sugar or 1 c honey

2 c water

1/2 lemon juice

I used dried herbs but fresh are fine, if available, too. Simmer in a pan over low heat on the stove for 20 minutes, remove and strain out herbs, bottle and refrigerate or enjoy immediately. Enjoy added to sparkling water or in hot or cold drinks as desired. It will keep for a few months in the refrigerator.