This year we have been lucky enough to have an extended summer. The trouble is, our bodies have become so used to the mild weather, that when the cold does eventually hit us it could knock us for six if we are not prepared.

Now is the time to make sure our immune systems get a real boost to help protect us against those nasty winter ailments.

Now is the time to start taking Echinacea to help ward off colds and flu.

Vitamin C is a must for boosting the immune system, along with

Garlic, which is also a natural decongestant and helps to keep the sinuses clear.

Cod Liver Oil naturally contains Vitamins A & D. Vitamin A helps to strengthen the mucous membranes, such as in the nasal lining, against infection, while Vitamin D is known as the “Sunshine Vitamin”, as small amounts are absorbed into the body through sunlight. Obviously, in the winter we are less exposed to sunlight, hence Cod Liver Oil makes a good, cheap, winter supplement, especially as it also helps to oil the joints, like those creaky knees that tend to get worse in the cold weather!
 

Bright red tart cherries have been found to have the highest concentration of antioxidant compounds which act as a natural anti-inflammatory and can help relieve the pain of Arthritis, Gout and other inflammatory complaints. Cherry juice can help to lower uric acid in the body, which can be a cause of these problems, and may aggravate them.

Drinking cherry juice may help to ease muscle pain caused by exercise such as hill-walking or weight-lifting, as the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents it contains can help to soothe the muscles.

Thousands of people are successfully treating their Gout and Arthritis through a daily glass of Cherry Juice.
Why not try some next time you call in?

We stock Biona 100% Organic Pure Acerola Cherry Juice , no added sugar. It costs just £3.89 for 0.33l, and can be mixed with apple juice, if required.
 

WHAT IS AROMATHERAPY?

Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of odiferous substances obtained from flowers, plants, and aromatic shrubs. Not only can it be used to treat an illness effectively, but perhaps ever more importantly it can also help to prevent us losing good health in the first place. To the ancient Egyptians, using aromatic substances was a way of life. They used perfumed oils, scented baths and resins, spices and aromatic vinegar's, as well as wines in medicine, astrology and embalming.

The papyrus Ebers 1550BC provides a valuable insight into Egyptian medicine. It is full of recipes and remedies for all kinds of ailments and methods used are not dissimilar to those used in herbal medicine and aromatherapy today. Probably the earliest use of aromatics was incense, as smoke rises it was considered the natural vehicle to carry prayers and offerings to the Gods. Frankincense was linked with the sun and so was burned at sunrise as an offering to RA, the sun God. It was also a popular ingredient in cosmetics. Myrrh was consecrated to the moon and was also used in embalming. Cedarwood oil and other aromatics were used on linen bandages, as it was believed that Cedarwood was imperishable and indeed the modern equivalent of Cedarwood is used for antiseptic properties in respiratory and urinary infections. Fragrant oils were also used in massage, which served to relax, to perfume the body and to condition the skin of wealthy Egyptian women.

A French chemist name Gattefosse coined the term "aromatherapy" in 1928. Gattefosse was very interested in the application of aromatherapy for skin problems, both medicinal and cosmetic. He discovered the effectiveness of Lavender oil on burns after injuring his own hand in a laboratory explosion and subsequently treating it with the oil. He explained that although the oils are applied externally, their power to penetrate the skin and muscle is so strong that they act on the organs near the areas that they are massaged into.

A Dr. Valnet was fascinated by the work of Gallefosse and the need for essential oils for the treatment of wounds. After the Second World War he continued using the oils in his capacity as a doctor and in 1964 published a comprehensive work entitled "Aromatherapie" which has since earned him global recognition. However it was Marguerite Maury who revived the ancient practice of combining essential oils with massage. The benefits of this natural therapy have been seized upon by therapists, some enlightened doctors and nurses."

WHAT HAPPENS AT AN AROMATHERAPY TREATMENT?

After about 15 minutes of background discussion, the client will prepare themselves as in Body Massage. Then, depending on their needs at the time, the oils which will be most beneficial to the client, will be mixed with a base carrier oil, which will then be used in the normal way. A separate oil i.e. Rose Otto is usually used for facial massage. This has aphrodisiac and antidepressant properties and certainly lifts the spirit. The whole procedure will take about an hour.

HOW WILL I FEEL AFTERWARDS?

Very, very relaxed, the skin feels quite silky and the air is filled with the wonderful aroma of essential oils.

WHAT SOME OF MY CLIENTS HAVE SAID?

Brenda:
I feel quite removed from my body, in a beautiful place.

Susan:
I shall throw away my pills and instead have a monthly Aromatherapy Treatment.

Charles: Wonderfully relaxing, all stress has gone from my neck.

WHAT DO READERS SAY?

It may well be that readers have stories to tell about their Aromatherapy experience and would like to write to me about them, I should like to include them in an article in the future.

Jane Henry practices Holistic Therapies at the New Therapy Centre, Herbs, Gardens & Health, 27 Northdown Road, St Peters. Call: 01843 600201 Or 07866 073806.
 

Be sure to let us know soon if you need Gluten Free and/or Dairy Free Mince Pies, Christmas Cakes or Christmas Pudding. We will be ordering in a limited amount and will not be able to guarantee availability nearer to Christmas.

To help you survive the Christmas Spirit, be sure to take a high strength Vitamin B Complex to help feed the nerves and ability to cope with stress. To complement these nutrients, the herb Valerian is recommended for its ability to calm and improve sleep. It is a particularly pertinent festive option because Valerian is also known to aid digestion and boost liver function. For those indulging in alcoholic drinks, Milk Thistle is also a must, as it helps to detoxify and boost the liver. To help prevent a hangover, take 3 x 1000mg Evening Primrose Oil Capsules with a large glass of water before you go out, and drink more water during the course of the day/evening as well as when you get home, to prevent dehydration.

As for eating all those mince pies and chocolate, help your digestive system during the Festive Season by taking a Digestive Enzyme blend to assist your body to break down and digest all the extra food!

Finally, don’t forget the Guarana or Ginseng to give you extra energy for all that dancing!

Merry Christmas from all at Herbs, Gardens & Health!
 

Most people have heard of Rescue Remedy, a combination of five individual Bach Flower Remedies, designed to help us cope with the stresses and strains of life, driving tests, exams, and to “Comfort and Reassure”, as it says on the bottle.

The 38 Individual Bach Remedies are to help you feel more positive, and to keep your mind and emotions in balance. Here, we will list what some of them can help with.

Try…. If you….
Centaury - Have difficulty in saying no and are over anxious to please others.

Cerato - Doubt your own ability to judge situations.

Chestnut Bud - Fail to learn from experience, repeating the same mistakes.

Clematis - Day-dream and generally have a lack of interest in the present.

Crab Apple - Have a poor self-image and are ashamed or embarrassed by unpleasant physical symptoms, characteristics or features.

Gorse - Feel hopelessness and despair and are pessimistic.

Holly - Have feelings of extreme jealousy, are envious and suspicious.

Honeysuckle - Live in the past, feel homesick or nostalgic.

Mimulus - Have a fear rooted in known causes e.g. spiders, flying, death etc.

Mustard - Experience unexplained deep gloom which comes and goes for no apparent reason.

Red Chestnut - Are over-anxious or over-concerned for others.

Rock Water - are inflexible, setting yourself very high standards.

Star of Bethlehem - Have experienced shock, grief or a fright.

Water Violet - Prefer to be alone or are proud and aloof.

White Chestnut - Have unwanted thoughts, preoccupations and worries.

Wild Rose - Make little effort to improve situations, and are apathetic.

Willow - Are resentful and have feelings of self-pity, “poor me”.

These are just some of the remedies, and very brief descriptions of what they can help you with. Ask us for a free leaflet, or purchase “The Little Book of Bach Flower Remedies” from us for just £2.50, for more detail.
 

Many people need to take extra nutrients to make up for an unhealthy lifestyle. Our bodies were designed to get their nutrients from food, but we can’t all manage to eat healthily all the time, however. The new solution from A. Vogel is a range of natural foods, handily concentrated into vegetarian capsules, including Anti-Ageing Complex (£15.99) and Pomegranate-Spirulina Complex (£10.99). The body will recognise the foods as its natural source of nutrients, and will easily absorb them and utilise the contents sufficiently - it’s the natural way. Many extremely nutritious foodstuffs, such as organic Pomegranate, are provided in these botanical supplements - sourced from foods, with nothing added or taken away.
 

This recipe is full of banana goodness, so is helpful in getting banana- reluctant children to eat them, is easier on the digestion, and uses up ripe bananas.

METHOD

1. mash 2 ripe bananas to a puree

2. beat in 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon of sugar and a tiny pinch of salt

3. sift 4 tablespoons of self-raising flour, fold it into the banana mixture, and whisk in about 4 fl.oz. of milk, or milk substitute. N.B. Flour can be any type -from conventional wheat flour, to gluten-free white flour or rice, buckwheat etc. If not using self-raising add a teaspoon of wheat free raising agent to the mixture.

4. allow the batter to rest ½ hour, then mix again before cooking

5. using a large heavy base frying pan, or griddle, oil well with butter or any high temperature tolerant oil, or use "Pure" margarine for a good healthy flavour. When the oil sizzles drop dessert spoonfuls of batter onto the pan, allowing room for them to spread and rise. Turn after 2 minutes (when bubbles rise to the surface), cook 2 minutes on the other side and remove to cool whilst cooking the next batch.

These little pancakes can be packed and eaten for picnics, or even frozen, but they are usually eaten before they can be stored, as they are very tasty! A drizzle of maple syrup is great. Use brown (Muscavado) sugar in the batter for added flavour (or even molasses to be really healthy!)

- Pam is available in store most Wednesdays, 11.30am - 2.30pm to advise customers on Special Diets.
 

Goji berries are an extremely nutrient-dense fruit. They contain 18 amino acids (six times higher than bee pollen) including all 8 essential amino acids.

The Goji berry is a deep-red, dried fruit about the same size as a raisin. It's very sweet and tastes something like a cross between a cranberry and a cherry. They can be added to smoothies, trail-mix, cereals, teas and cakes. Or you can just eat them by the handful!

Nutritional Information

Goji berries contain up to 21 trace minerals (the main ones being zinc, iron, copper, calcium, germanium, selenium, and phosphorus) and are the richest source of carotenoids, including beta-carotene (more beta carotene than carrots), of all known foods or plants on earth! They contain 500 times the amount of vitamin C, by weight, than oranges making them second only to camu camu berries as the richest vitamin C source on earth.
Goji berries also contain vitamins B1, B2, B6, and vitamin E.
Mature fruits contain about 11 mg of iron per 100 grams, beta-sisterol (an anti-inflammatory agent), linoleic acid (a fatty acid), sesquiterpenoids (cyperone, solavetivone), tetraterpenoids (zeaxanthin, physalin), and betaine (0.1%).

Goji berries contain polysaccharides which fortify the immune system. A polysaccharide found in this fruit has been found to be a powerful secretagogue (a substance that stimulates the secretion of rejuvenative human growth hormone by the pituitary gland).

Benefits

Goji berries have been traditionally regarded as a longevity, strength-building, and sexual potency food of the highest order. In several study groups with elderly people the berry was given once a day for 3 weeks, many beneficial results were experienced and 67% of the patients T cell transformation functions tripled and the activity of the patients white cell interleukin-2 doubled. In addition, the results showed that all the patients spirit and optimism increased significantly, appetite improved in 95% of the patients, 95% of the patients slept better, and 35% of the patients partially recovered their sexual function.

The famed Li Qing Yuen, who apparently lived to the age of 252 years (1678-1930), consumed Goji berries daily. The life of Li Qing Yuen is the most well-documented case of extreme longevity known.

Containing 2000% more antioxidants than oranges and 500 times the amount of vitamin C by weight than oranges, Goji berries are known as “The Jewel of the Himalayas”.

Eat them just the way they are as the perfect snack or add to cereal, trail mixes, yogurt, muesli and smoothies. Gojis make a sweet tea or use as a delicious garnish in exciting dishes. The Goji berry is a nutritious powerhouse and is so very tasty. Dr Gillian McKeith uses raw Himalayan Goji Berries for their extraordinarily high levels of antioxidants. They cost just £3.99 for a 100g tub.