In keeping with the season, I thought I’d talk about frankincense, one of the gifts that the wise men brought to the child Jesus. They also brought gold and myrrh. All very expensive gifts, out of the reach of ordinary people. Fortunately, while gold is still expensive, both of these herbs are relatively affordable and readily available in this modern age. Frankincense and myrrh are both resins, similar to the pine resin (gum) we discussed last week. These resins are produced to heal damaged bark…
Who would have thought one year ago that we'd all be wearing masks to go shopping, experiencing lockdowns and curfews in any areas, shortages of toilet paper and other necessities, and the widespread civil unrest this country has experienced? Do you think all of this is really over? I don't. While I'm not going to claim prophetic insight, take it from a person who has always thought in terms of emergency preparedness, if you've thought through some of the negative things that could happen…
The sense of smell triggers memories like no other sense can because the nerves that detect odors are directly connected to the limbic system, which is involved in memory storage and acquisition. For me, the smells that most strongly trigger the memories of Christmas are pine and cinnamon. So, I’ve decided to write about the many uses for pine trees this week. Pine trees are most easily distinguished from other evergreens because their needles grow in bundles with a small brown or tan bract at…
Last Monday, a yellow warning light appeared on my dashboard. It said "Service engine soon." But, the car seemed to be running fine and I was busy, so I decided to wait to have it checked out. However, as I was driving on the freeway Wednesday morning, a bright red warning flashed on the dashboard. This time it told me my engine was overheating and I needed to shut it off. Alarmed, I pulled over at the next exit. When I opened my hood, it didn’t look like my engine was overheating. Everything…
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays for many reasons. First, I love the idea of a holiday dedicated to being thankful for our many blessings. I've found being thankful is simply a good practice for a happy life. I also love the family aspect, how Thanksgiving brings family and friends together. And finally, I really like to cook, and Thanksgiving is a time when I have an excuse to cook to my heart’s content. Unfortunately, the eating part of Thanksgiving often leads people to stuff themselves…
I love Thanksgiving because I love to cook for people. Some years ago I decided to try making cream pies from scratch using healthier ingredients. I love the challenge of taking an ordinary recipe and converting it to healthier ingredients. My first tries were very successful and I've made these pies many times. They have both turned out fabulously well and have been enjoyed even by people who normally don't eat natural foods. So, I'm sharing them with you and I hope you'll enjoy them, too. The…
Native people have said that plants grow where they are needed, so if you have persistent pesky weeds in your yard, it might be because you need them for your health problems. It’s an interesting idea, especially since one of the weeds that tends to grow wild on my property is horehound. I never planted it, but it pops up here and there every year. Given my long history of respiratory problems and the fact that horehound is a very effective expectorant and decongestant, it would seem that the…
A sage is a person who is distinguished for their wisdom and good judgment. A person becomes sage through reflection and experience. A person who can’t learn from life’s experiences will see the events of their life as ill-fated and undeserved. They will be unable to see the higher purpose in the events of their lives and derive wisdom from their setbacks and defeats. The flower essence of sage helps a person to draw wisdom from their life experiences and see life from a higher perspective.…