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T's Tonics

Handmade Natural Products and Organic Herbal Tea

12 Benefits of Hawthorne For Heart and Blood Pressure

Support Heart and Health with Hawthorne

The Hawthorne Berry harvest was great this year!

Thank you Dad and Nancy and Charlie and all the harvest crew.

Let me tell you some of the many benefits of this lovely tree berry and how, when and why to use it:

Hawthorne berries and leaves are wonderful for the heart and circulatory system because they are high in bioflavonoids with vaso-dilating and heart muscle strengthening and regulating activity.

They are also effective at reducing high blood pressure and arterial plaque.

They help strengthen vein and capillary structure and improve circulation.

Act as a digestant for better food absorption. It helps reduce constipation, bloating, cramping. It is also helpful in treating intestinal infections and parasites.

High Cholesterol reducing. Also beneficial effect of triglycerides, liver cholesterol, and loss of body fat.

Regulating heart rhythms. People find a significant decline in heart palpitations when taking consistently.

Immune system support and overall health tonic. Hawthorne berries contain powerful antioxidants which promote anti-inflammatory action. It helps remove free radicals that cause damage to the body. They also contain a high level of vitamin C which helps fight infection.

You can eat these raw or cooked, in tea, tincture or make them into a jam or jelly.

Here at T’s Tonics we dry our Washington state farm harvested (thanks Dad) Hawthorne berries and steep them into a tincture for optimal strength and potency.

We like to combine them in our Heart Tonic with Gingko, Motherwort, Rosehips and Linden for a whole body supportive Tonic. Try it today!

Top Weight Loss Tip-Passion!

Weight Loss the Easier Waynatural pain relief products

The best way, in my opinion, to lose weight is to get excited about something! Anything. Refocus your energy onto something greater than yourself, your problems, your weight, your next meal.

Find a new hobby or passion and immerse yourself.

It gives you excitement and focus, decreases boredom and can help make healthier habits happen. Let me explain:

When I was a behavior counselor for Nutri-System, a weight loss program franchise, 30 years ago, I noticed this pattern. We would discuss habits, and triggers, and share our struggles. A lot of talk and thought focused on food, types of foods, portion sizes, times and styles, etc. I struggled with my own weight in that job because I was thinking and talking about food so much!

The times extra weight slid off easily is when I wasn’t focused on it. I was focused on something beyond myself. 

For me, I can pile on weight when I am unhappy. When I lived in the Willamette Valley area of Oregon for a year I gained an extra 30 pounds. Which is a lot on a 5’2″ frame. I was unhappy in my situation, had no activity outlet, was in a very gray and rainy area, and feeling a little unloved and lost in life. 

The minute I decided to move and go to the college I wanted to, I got excited about life again. I had direction and purpose and the pounds started pouring off.

Do you have something you are excited about in life?

My daughter, Arianna, is another example. A few years back, she was in a job that was unhealthy for her and had gained some weight. As soon as she met her future husband, the weight came pouring off. Her whole body changed before our eyes! The combination of nerves and feeling loved were transformative, literally.

What ever we focus on grows! What do you want to grow in your life?

I believe another big factor in eating extra is boredom.

That’s why moving forward in life and being excited about something works!

It truly comes down to habits. 

One habit change that My husband and I did a few years ago that has really helped us is to have a smoothie in the morning rather than the bagel that was our yesteryear breakfast.

I pack our smoothies with lots of super greens and goodness that helps give us a good start on the day and helps keep our gut biome healthy and regular. I know that some people swear by having protein in the morning. That may work well for them. I’m not quite ready for a big meal

cranberry smoothie

Morning Cranberry Smoothies coming right up!

first thing in the morning. This works for us and makes us feel good. 

Do what works for you. Our recipe is below, tweak at will:

Breakfast Smoothie:

(Per serving)

1 ripe banana

1/4 c. Frozen blueberries (organic) or cranberries

1/4 c. Fresh greens (I go out and pick mint, herbs and/or greens from the garden. Kale, parsley, cilantro, etc. will do as well)

Heaping Tbsp. Plain yogurt

2-3 pieces pineapple, orange or lemon

1 Tbsp. Supergreen mix (recipe below) or protein powder or almond butter

1/2 c water

Supergreen Powder Mix

Change up according to what’s on hand:

Moringa powder

Red beet powder

Spirulina 

Matcha

Kelp or Atlantic dulce

Wheatgrass

Chaga mushroom powder

Reishi mushroom powder

Lemon peel powder

Ginger root powder

Turmeric  

Dash cayenne and black pepper

Ground sesame and flaxseed

Maca root powder

Once in a while options: ashwagandha powder, saw palmetto, tea, etc.

Our Trim & Tone Tea is also a great jump start to help take off pounds, increase digestion, cleanse out mucus and crud. Try some today.

And let your passion and excitement for life be big!

Healthy Baby Tip 1-Don’t Worry

Don’t Worry- Just Get Even with Laughtereating sand by the river

Us mothers all have advise and wisdom for you. And there are some good gems in it too, believe (only) me!

We want what’s best for you, of course.

We all have the perfect way that worked for us in everything from getting kids to sleep, to eating, to potty training and on and on. And it’s good to listen to and learn from whatever advise. Mom (and Dad) hacks are great.

Take it and then use your intuition and observation skills to judge what works best for you.

And then don’t worry.

I needed that advise the most when I was having young kids.

It’s natural to second guess yourself on many things. To not be sure if you are doing enough, or doing too much. The mental gymnastics can be big. At least they were for me. Along with guilt trips and being hard on my self for any little thing throughout the day.

Just know you get a reset the following day.

So don’t worry.

And the child that seems slow at something will catch up. Don’t worry. And the child that is fast will find other things to be slow at.

And your spouse will do things different than you and have a different relationship with your child. That’s good even though it will drive you crazy at times.

And whatever seems like a problem right now will not be important next week or next month. (If it’s still a problem, you will get more opportunities to work on correcting it.)

So be gentle with yourself on the learning curve you are on right now. It’s steep as a new parent.

You are made for this!

And the dishes can wait. Sometimes there are more important things to do. Don’t worry.

So laugh at yourself and laugh at the mess and laugh at the day and laugh with the little ones.

What an adventure life is! …Without the worry.

Take a deep breathe and fix yourself another cup of tea. My mama said everything is better with a cup of tea. Mama’s Tea

drinking a cup of tea

Mama’s Tea

4 Herbs That Help With Environmental Detoxing

Environmental Detoxing with Simple Herbs

We are all affected by our environments and absorb them to a certain point. And there are many pollutants and chemicals we are exposed to every day. They are on most manufactured items; in our air and soil, foods and clothes and the homes we live in. Toxins and chemicals build up in us over time.

This is not intended to promote fear. Rather to be aware and take action in cleansing your internal and external systems once in a while. Recommended at least a couple times a year.

Here are herbs for simple teas that are known to help with cleansing specific chemicals out of our body systems. I referenced these from the book Medical Medium by Anthony William.

Heavy Metal Detoxingtrim and tone tea

Cilantro/coriander

Atlantic Dulse

Barley Grass juice extract powder

Spirulina

All of these can be added into juice or a smoothie for easy consumption

Chlorine and Fluoride detox herbs:

blackberry leaf

raspberry leaf

hibiscus flower

rosehips

combine equal parts of these herbs and steep as a tea. Enjoy!

Pesticides, herbicides and fungicide detox herbs:

Burdock root

Red Clover

Lemon Verbena

Ginger

combine equal parts of these herbs and steep as a tea. Enjoy!

Blood Cleansing herbs:

Red Clover

Dandelion Root

Burdock Root

Chickweed

combine equal parts of these herbs and steep as a tea. Enjoy!trim and tone tea

Our Trim and Tone Tea has many of these herbs included as it is designed to cleanse and jump start the entire system.

Clearing out our internal and external environments doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it can be tasty. I hope these lists of herbs inspire you too!

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed doctor. This is for educational purposes only. Not intended to diagnose, treat or cure disease. You are responsible for your own health.

Stand In The Breech for Babes

Thanks Mom and Dad for standing in the breech

When I was five years old I went into convulsions and almost died. They took me to the hospital and found I had a constriction around my bladder. The hospital did save me but then told my parents that I needed to be on medication likely for the rest of my life. My parents said no and took me home and put me on cranberry juice for my bladder and kidneys.

I haven’t had any further problem with them to this day. I wonder how many medications or worse I would be on today if they had started me down that route? Dad said that medication, which I forget the name of, is known to compromise the liver and general health in people so they require other drugs eventually to compensate.

I am thankful they advocated for me when I was too young to choose for myself.

I did the same for my kids. I chose not to have my kids get vax. Why not?

Because I did a lot of research and came to the conclusion that there was more chance of harm done than good to precious little babies. I am thankful they are all healthy. And I am glad I held that space for them and advocated for them when they couldn’t for themselves.

Yes, we filled out religious exemption forms for schools when we were asked. Vac*ines were definitely against our personal beliefs then and now.

When they grew up they each looked at that for themselves. Some got vac*ines for travel and/or work. They were old enough to make their own decisions. They also had stronger immune systems by then than as babies.

What are some ways that you stand in the breech and advocate for others? For kids?

 

Heavy metals, Autism, and Auto-Immune Link

Autism, Auto-Immune and Heavy Metals. Is there a Link?

Out of the 50 kids in our local (Redmond) kindergarten class this last school year (2022-23), 12 had learning challenges and were on Individual Education Plans. Autism was the biggest reason. That is 24% of the kindergarten class!

I did not know of any autistic kids while growing up so I have been asking my peers if they remember any. Nobody does. 

I did have a friend, Suzie, who’s son, Victor, was the same age as my kids and was severely autistic. She said he was fine until right after his 18 month old vaccine shots. Then he changed.

This is a fairly new epidemic. Notice that it is on the same timeline as the rise in auto-immune disorders in our country.

What do auto immune diseases and autism have in common besides their rise in numbers?

Maybe it’s heavy metals.

There are now many studies out there that show that large amounts of heavy metals are found in both autism and auto-immune diseases.

Where are these coming from? One of the places is vaccines.

What do most of the childhood vaccines have in them? Aluminum, mercury, and formaldehyde among other things.

They say they are not at harmful levels. Yet, even small amounts of mercury effect the health of our cells.

They also don’t report on the 100’s of babies harmed every year. 

And after a regiment of 72 vaccines by the time kids are teenagers, might metals not be adding up in the body? Yes, over 200 cc of aluminum!

Especially if they can’t be easily eliminated and there is already a load passed on by Mom?

It turns out that mothers pass heavy metals on to their children in childbirth. The heavy metals have been building in people for a few generations now and are at a toxic level in some people.

Seems that all of us could use a cleanse from heavy metals. 

Here are some herbs that can help extract metals from the body:

Calendula

Chickweed

Sheep Sorrel

Cat’s Claw

Cilantro/coriander

Red Clover

Resources to start investigating childhood vaccines for yourself and your kids:

www.KidsFirst4Ever.com- Dr Paul Thomas -He found unvaccinated kids in his practice were healthier than the vaccinated kids.

Children’s Health Defense

Books:

Turtles All The Way Down- Mary Holland, J.D.

The Real Doctor Fauci- Robert F Kennedy Jr

Inoculated- How Science Lost It’s Soul in Autism- Kent Heckenlively, J.D.

Dispatches From The Vaccine Wars- Christopher Shaw

3 Power Seeds For Bone Health and More

3 Power Seeds For Bone Health

grouping of seeds

Mustard Seed, Celery Seed and Sesame Seed are excellent for strengthening bones! Here’s why and how I like to use them.

Mustard Seed

is high in minerals and vitamins such as vitamin C, A, and K, calcium and magnesium.

The calcium content is strengthening to the bones, teeth and gums. And here’s more benefits:

Mustard seed has a high antioxidant level which can help prevent cancer and aging.

Mustard seed is also good for heart health, skin issues like psoriasis, aids digestion, and even helps with pain from inflammation.

Celery Seed

Celery seed is full of essential minerals like calcium, manganese, and iron.

It is great for bone health with easily digestible calcium.

It promotes the production of red blood cells. It can help fight infection and bacteria.

Celery seed also high in magnesium and anti-oxidants. Magnesium has many functions in your body, such as improving blood sugar levels and helping prevent diabetes.

Sesame Seed

Sesame seeds are an excellent source of manganese and calcium, both of which help your bones grow healthy and strong.

Calcium also plays a role in nerve signal transmission, muscle movement, blood vessel function, and hormone release, according to WebMD.com

I like to use these seeds with 3 other powerfully healthy seeds; coriander, black seed and flax. Here’s a look at them:

Coriander seedhandful of coriander

Reduces blood sugar by promoting enzyme activity. Helps fight infections. Good for heart, brain, skin, gut and digestive health.

Extracts heavy metals of past times from deep, inaccessible places in the body.

Cilantro is the green leaves and fresh growing plant of coriander seed. It also binds heavy metals and helps eliminate them from the body.

Black Seed

Black seed oil is high in anti-oxidants and inflammation reducing properties.

It is well documented for help with skin conditions; eczema, psoriasis, acne, wounds, and even hair and nail health. 

It can ease inflammation, lower blood sugar levels, and may help in weight loss.

How to use:

I like to grind these seeds up together with flax seed.seeds ground up together

Sprinkle on top of salads, soups, meats, veggies, eggs or add them to your favorite vinaigrette (or just oil and vinegar.) They make an excellent dressing addition! Here is one dressing I like:

Mustard Vinaigrette Recipe

1 heaping tsp of each: Mustard seed, coriander seed, celery seed, sesame seed, black seed and flax seed. grind together until fine

1 cup olive oil

1/2 apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. raw honey

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp prepared mustard

mix all together and enjoy!

8 Benefits of Chlorophyll Green Drinks!

Green Drinks for Chlorophyllcup of green with frog infuser

Do you make drinks green by putting liquid chlorophyll in them like we do on St. Patrick’s Day? It goes into teas, juices, smoothies, eggs and more all day long.

But your Green Juice has a lot more going for it than turning drinks green on St Patty’s Day. Here’s a deeper look at this amazing greenness:

What is it? Chlorophyll is what gives green vegetables their color. It is found in most of your green vegetables- broccoli, kale, spinach, green peppers etc. -and is packed full of trace minerals and more. (see below)chlorophyll for green drinks

But if you are feeling like you aren’t getting enough green vegetables, or just need an extra boost of health and energy, chlorophyll taken by liquid or capsules may help. It can be found in the health food store near you.

8 benefits of taking a daily dose of Chlorophyll this spring:

1.  Allergy help.  Liquid chlorophyll from alfalfa is an excellent blood cleanser and detoxifier that may help with seasonal allergy relief.

2.  Immune System booster – Chlorophyll helps the body increase white cell production which aids in fighting off diseases. 

3.  Body Odor– Chlorophyll is perhaps best know for it’s ability to take care of body odor. Gargling it can help with bad breath and sore throats.

4.  Weight loss – It is documented as making the body feel fuller, reducing the need to eat as much. It also detoxifies.

5.  Aids Detoxification – not only is it a good blood cleanser but it binds to heavy metals and molds and helps eliminate them from the body.

6.  Energy – chlorophyll increases the production of red blood cells which result in higher levels of circulating oxygen throughout the body. It also increases stamina

7.  Healthy Skin- cleansing the blood, kidneys and liver helps the skin to clear up and shine.

8.  Thyroid Support – Chlorophyll can help balance and support the thyroid.

Chlorophyll has a high calcium and iron content as well as vitamin K and trace minerals. Alfalfa specifically contains eight essential digestive enzymes and eight essential amino acids of protein!

There are varieties of chlorophyll in the health store to buy. Find one that suits you. I prefer liquid chlorophyll from alfalfa with mint added. I take it once a day in a shot glass or include it in my morning smoothie. Enjoy!

Herbs and Foods to Help Prevent Clots

What herbs are helpful in the prevention of blood clots?

Fresh air and arnicaI have been asked this question a few times this last year. I usually suggest starting by cleansing the blood, drinking lots of liquids and moving your body often.

There are herbs and foods that can help also. I have compiled a list here. This is not comprehensive. Feel free to add to the list in comments if you have other good suggestions. We can all use extra resources and tools of natural and alternative medicines that we can compile. Enjoy!

Internally:

Herbs and foods high in Rutin (helps vascular system, prevents varicose veins etc):

Goldenrod herb
Violet leaves and flowers

foods: apples with the skin (organic), buckwheat, apricots, cherries, citrus, plums, grapes

a little maca powder on top

Vasodilators
Prickly Pear
Motherwort
Angelica
Nettles
Lion’s Mane and Turkey Tail Mushrooms
Hawthorne Berries
Circulation
Horseradish
Cayenne
Rosemary and Sage together
B vitamins and magnesium can be helpful.
Externally:vein glory held
Arnica is exceptional for external inflammation.
Aloe Vera, Witch Hazel, Grapeseed oil
Epsom Salts and/or Magnesium Flakes soaks
Essential oils such as peppermint, basil, cypress and marjoram
T’s Tonics Vein Glory Spray is excellent topically for relieving vein pressure and helping with spider and varicose veins.
Recipe for Super Tonic (Fire Cider):  https://www.tstonics.com/herbs-and-recipes-for-circulation/
Also, I have herbs listed here that are good blood cleansers which is a great way to start: https://www.tstonics.com/7-herbs-to-get-ready-for-spring/
These can be found in our Spring Tonic and also our Trim & Tone Tea
These should all be safe to take in moderation and not in contra-indication with other medicines, but check with health care providers if you are not sure.
For educational purposes. Not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
 
Hope this helps and finds you healthy and thriving!
 
All our best in health and life,
Teresa

5 Easy Home Actions To Prevent Colds

Raise Your Immunity In 5 Easy Actions

Here are 5 ways to help increase your health right now, at home. We can use all of the tools at our disposal to help our immune systems stay strong this winter! Here are some ways to start that may be different than what you have been hearing.

citrus fruit

lemons to balance pH and increase energy

Balance pH – lemon or vinegar

Our body is acidic when we are stressed and/or sick. Changing our pH to a more balanced, alkaline state can help our body fight. The fastest, easiest way I know how to do this is to drink fresh squeezed lemon juice. Apple cider vinegar will work too. I know both of these foods seem acidic but they actually change the body’s pH to alkaline.

And there is a reason that citrus fruits are ripe in the winter; we need the high vitamin C they offer.

Simple lemon drink recipe:

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Glass of hot or cold water

1 Tbsp (or to taste) maple syrup, honey or honey simple syrup.

1 pinch of cayenne pepper

This is a great pick me up in the middle of the day. It can also make a great drink for cleanses.

Tip:  I love adding a couple droppers full of T’s Tonics Immune Tonic or Spring Tonic to this tasty drink.

Fire in the belly

Speed digestion and elimination with some spice! Most countries in the world do this in some way: fermented and/or pickled foods like kimchi, kraut, pickled ginger, turmeric and chilis, etc. 

I use super tonic (also called Fire Cider) when I am feeling the need. A simple recipe for it can be found here.

Capsules of cayenne work well too.

Cleanse the gut

Over 60 years ago a holistic doctor (whom I forget the name of) wrote that all dis-ease starts in the gut.

When I am feeling like I am fighting off something, I think of him. I give my body some help with a capsule of Cascara Sagrada to clear my gut. I also stay away from breads and sugars that bugs love to feed on. You may have your own way to help speed elimination. Prunes or activated charcoal also come to mind.

Hot liquids

There  is something about hot drinks when you are sick! Hot water will do nicely, but if you can get some herbs in while you are enjoying it, why not? There are a lot of good tea herbs for supporting health and preventing colds (see 10 of my top Immune Building herb choices Here). Drinking hot liquids is helpful for opening up the airways and chest, loosening mucus and getting hydrated.

Raise frequency 

Our bodies are like electrical conduits. They run on electrical frequencies, like everything in this world). In general, the higher the frequency, (or more smoothly running without stuck spots), the less disease can come in. 

There are many ways to to raise your frequency and energy level. 

Common ones include: movement, exercise, fresh air, getting into nature, music, good sleep, meditation, breath work, laughter, loving actions, cleansing…

These can be harder actions to take when feeling low. 

I turn to essential oils as a fast way to help raise my frequency levels. All of them increase molecular  energy on some level. Choose any one you have as long as it is good quality. 

Citrus oils are easy, hot oils like cinnamon and clove are powerful, the more biblical oils such as myrrh and frankincense are even higher in frequency levels.

I tend to use a blend of eucalyptus, basil, lemongrass, lavender and peppermint when I start to feel congested.

I put a few drops in my hand and rub up the back of my neck and breathe it in. Be sure to dilute with a carrier oil like olive oil or grapeseed oil if your essential oil is “hot”. Rubbing oils on the bottoms of the feet is safe and effective too. The oils will be carried throughout the body within 20 minutes!

Here are even more ideas to Raise your resistance to dis-ease.

Great Health to all of you, my friends!