Many customers, old and new, came in to purchase chemical-free toiletries, deodorants and cosmetics, having watched a two-part Channel-4 show in October.

Channel-4’s review of the programme says, “Every year we splash out £6.4 billion on beauty products, but do we ever stop to think about what's in them or what they could be doing to us? The beauty industry spends £600 million a year marketing its products as pure, simple, organic and natural, but what's the truth behind the hype? Presenter Sarah Beeny wants to find out. First she meets Emma and Charlotte, two beauty-obsessed sisters. Between them they spend almost £1,000 a month on their beauty regime, but they have no idea how many chemicals are in their favourite products or whether these could be damaging their health.

Sarah has the girls tested, and with the help of two experts, is able to reveal the chemicals being stored in their bodies and then shows them how to detox by removing chemicals from their lives. Then Sarah meets two young mums to see whether the chemicals in the products they use are being passed on to their babies, before taking to the streets to find out whether parents really know what's in the special baby products they are buying.”

It says of deodorants, “Research has suggested a link between parabens and breast cancer and has shown that aluminium, like parabens, is capable of interfering with oestrogen activity. The researchers have also shown that, in tissue samples from 17 women with breast cancer, aluminium levels were higher in the outer side of the breast, near to where deodorants are applied.”

Their website recommends Green People and Green Baby products, Crystal deodorants and the Ecover cleaning range. For further details see http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/T/toxic/index.html
 

Try balancing your brain chemistry!

Low serotonin levels can trigger cravings for alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and sugar. 5-HTP, which the body converts into an amino acid called Tryptophan, can help to raise serotonin levels, lift your mood and help you to sleep.

L-glutamine is another amino acid which can help the body cope with stress and anxiety and a craving for tranquilizers such as alcohol and valium, while L-tyrosine can help increase energy and reduce cravings for stimulants such as caffeine, chocolate and cocaine.

Omega-3 essential fatty acids from fish oils, or a good mixture of Omega Oils, such as Udo’s Oil, can help lift depressions which often turn people to alcohol, drugs or sugar in an attempt to feel better. Omega Oils help to enable proper communication between the neurotransmitters that regulate mood and behaviour. These highly beneficial oils also help increase energy.

Magnesium, especially the Floradix liquid version, is uplifting, energy enhancing, anti-anxiety and fatigue reducing.

Kudzu herbal remedy can help reduce alcohol intake, while Lobelia can help smokers wean themselves off tobacco by preventing nicotine from releasing dopamine so that you crave the drug less. Passionflower is a relaxing sedative that can ease anxiety without the use of pharmaceutical drugs. It can help reduce emotional withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, agitation and irritability.

Finally, make sure you take a good multivitamin high in the B Vitamin Complex, like Quest Super Once a Day, a good pick-me-up dose.
 

Orders from our website are gradually increasing. All the products that we keep in stock are available to order from there, and customers are able to pay securely online.

We have just upgraded the payment system, and customers now have a choice of paying by card via Worldpay’s secure payment processing system, or PayPal. PayPal is familiar to anyone who uses EBay, and many consumers have PayPal accounts.

We receive orders not only from the UK, but from all over the world.

Natural hair colours seem to be the most popular products that we sell online. We also send off quite a lot of natural cleaning products (check out the hints and tips on our Household page!) and organic baking ingredients.
 

Having been asked a few times for certain products from the Viridian range, we decided to open an account with them and stock a few of their lines.

Schisandra, an adaptogenic herb, has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for coughs, night sweats, insomnia, thirst, and physical exhaustion, as well as to improve the ability of the body to respond to stress. It has been known as a kidney tonic, lung astringent and may help protect the liver.

Cleavers has traditionally been used to act as a diuretic. It was therefore used to relieve oedema and to promote urine formation during bladder infections. It has also been used by people with lymph swellings, jaundice, and wounds. Cleavers can help to unblock the lymph glands. The lymphatic system is responsible for filtering through waste products and if it becomes blocked or overburdened, it can make you feel sluggish, unwell and cause your glands to hurt. Cleavers can help to detoxify and unblock the system, getting everything moving again. This, in turn, may help those wishing to speed up weight reduction when it has become increasingly difficult to lose!

Bilberry with Eyebright is an excellent combination of herbs directed at supporting the eyesight. Bilberry may help improve poor night vision and it contains antioxidants that may help strengthen capillaries. Bilberry may also help with urinary tract infections. Eyebright has been used historically for eye fatigue and other disturbances of vision.

Milk thistle extract may protect the cells of the liver by blocking the entrance of harmful toxins and helping remove these toxins from the liver cells. Milk thistle extract is most commonly recommended to counteract the harmful actions of alcohol on the liver and may help the liver return to a healthy state once a person stops drinking. The Viridian Milk Thistle extract uniquely contains extract from both the herb and the seed.

Viridian’s High Five multivitamin and mineral formula. The “High Five” refers to the higher level of Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) found in this formula. Pantothenic acid is fundamental in many of the body’s functions, particularly in today’s hectic lifestyles.

Viridian do not add any undesirable extras during encapsulation. They use a green food blend of spirulina, bilberry and alfalfa as a natural filler for their capsules. Please ask in-store for a brochure.