Herb Guru

Herb Guru for iPhone and iPad is a whole new approach to learning & discovering about the most popular medicinal herbs used today. Discover new herbs through their uses and their properties. Herb Guru is your personal herbal knowledge base with over 100 medicinal herbs that include full and complete information on background information, scientific name, parts used, internal uses, external uses, properties, warning, dosage, and a hi-res zoomable image.

Features:

• Add and edit your own herbs
• Over 100 medicinal herbs
• Search Bar; search by name, scientific, uses, and properties
• Find herbs suitable for the symptoms you are experiencing
• Read & post comments for each herb
• Connect with Facebook & Twitter to share your favorite herbs
• Each herb includes information on their scientific name, background, parts used, internal uses, external uses, properties, dosage, warning, picture, and more
• Definitions and herbs for 40 properties.
• Notes; add notes for each herb

Herbal Pocket Library

Now you can have over 1,400 herbs, plants, fruits, vegetables and more in the palm of your hand for easy look up and research whenever you need. This amazing app gives you everything you need for understanding the health and wellness of each herb. Along with medicinal uses, habitats, chemical constituents and more, you can learn what can make and keep you healthy. From Acacia to Echinacea, Eucalyptus to Zedoary, this app is perfect for your study of natural health and healing.No other App like it. Complete with the ability to add highlighters, personal notes, bookmarks, and quickly access the information you are looking for using powerful searches and navigation tools.

Healing With Herbal Tea

165+ Diseases And 150+ Best Known Herbal Tea Data.  Need a health boost? Reach for a soothing cup of herbal tea to relieve Diseases and other common ailments. Herbal tea is simply the combination of boiling water and dried fruit, flower or herb. Why fill your body with man-made chemicals and risk the side-effects instead go with natural way of healing. Add your own notes. Information on How to Prepare & Common Medical Use of Herbal Tea. You can share and email herbal tea information to your friends and family members.

Medicinal Plants PRO – NATURE MOBILE

Discover nature’s medicine cabinet. Our ancestors described the multiple effects of medicinal plants, and many of their findings were confirmed by modern science.NATURE MOBILE introduces – Medicinal Plants PRO – an ideal guide to 150 common species of medicinal plants on your smartphone and tablet. With the built-in quiz you also quickly learn to distinguish different species from each other. Finally you have the direct option to identify different species without a book. You get a comprehensive library full of facts, figures, and images. Find out about the healing power of different species and their application area. Be inspired and experience nature in a whole new way.

Medicinal Plants Collection HD

Medicinal Plants Collection HD is an huge database with almost all plants in the world. You can find info like: category, common name, known hazards, range, habitat, height, width, pollinators, medicinal description, cultivation details, propagation and more…

Amethyst Healing Energy Bracelet

This past September I created a new line of hemp & gemstone healing jewelry, Mystic Zen Healing Jewelry. Crystals are energetic and work with our energies and work gently to help bring us closer to a state of wellness. Each crystal has its own unique energy and helps to facilitate different adjustments to our energy. For example:

• Rose Quartz helps to foster unconditional love and nurturing.
• Amethyst helps to protects from environmental stress, purifies, calms the nervous system and enhances personal spiritual awareness.
• Sodalite promotes inner peace, is useful in communication, considered a stone for writers & helps with being authentic & true to self.

Please take a moment to visit my website at Mystic Zen Healing Jewelry or like me on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/MysticZenHealingJewelry

Abalone Shell, Rhodonite, Garnet, Labradorite Necklace

(Guest blog by Jennifer Vishnevsky, a contributor to www.TopDentists.com, part of the Everyday Health portfolio.)

Bad breath, also known as halitosis, can be annoying and downright embarrassing. Halitosis is one of the most common complaints at the dentist’s office, as well as one of the most treatable. See your dentist to rule out any underlying problem, such as gum disease, bacteria or dry mouth syndrome. These problems can all cause your mouth to emit a foul smell. However, if you still find yourself with bad breath, here are some quick natural remedies for curing bad breath.

• Taking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed with water, prior to eating meals, is supposed to help your digestive processes run more smoothly.
• A salt water gargle is also useful for eliminating bacteria from your throat.
• Tea tree oil is a natural cure for bad breath when it’s used as a toothpaste additive. Add a drop of the oil to your toothpaste before you brush. Never swallow the toothpaste.

In order to really curb bad breath, try to update your daily routine with these natural options.

Brush and Rinse

Improper brushing is one of the leading causes of bad breath. You should brush your teeth at least twice a day using a soft bristled toothbrush. Floss between your teeth at least once per day and use a toothpick to remove any food lodged between your teeth after meals. If you’re brushing and flossing, consider using a tongue scraper to scrub off bacteria from your tongue.

Removing plaque and tartar from the teeth during a dental cleaning can help you reduce bad breath immediately. A dental cleaning will also remove any bits of food that are stuck between the teeth, which also leads to halitosis.

Baking soda is a fantastic remedy for bad breath, since it changes the acidity levels in your mouth. Add some baking soda onto your toothbrush, brush with it, and then rinse with water. You can also purchase toothpaste that contains a small amount of baking soda.

Watch Your Diet

If your mouth is dry, eat a citrus fruit that is high in citric acid, which can help improve your breath. The acid in orange, lemon or grapefruit stimulates the saliva, which can help improve your breath. Fruits and veggies that are high in vitamin C may inhibit bacterial growth.

There are also foods you can eat that promote good breath. Chewing raw vegetables and fruits work like a brushing mechanism to dislodge debris from your teeth. Plus, the vigorous chewing boosts saliva production.

Test out a combination of the easy tricks along with fully changing our beauty and diet regime to really notice a difference in your fresher breath.

Symptoms are signals that our body is out of balance is some way, in a state of dis-ease. Symptoms themselves should not necessarily be suppressed, as what modern medicine and pharmaceuticals strive for, but to be treated by healing the whole system on a deeper level. Herbal and natural remedies, taken properly and without the mindset of just getting rid of a symptom, can be very effective in treating colds and the flu. Herbal remedies work by helping to bring the body back into balance.

For example, it is assumed that a fever is bad and must be suppressed. However, a fever is the body’s natural defense for fighting an infection. Because of this, it is important not to bring down a fever too much or too quickly. A temperature of 100-101 degrees is necessary for the body to fight the infection. However, if a fever rises too high, measures must be taken to bring it back down within a normal range.

One nice way to use herbs during the cold and flu season is to create a soothing bath tea to help relieve symptoms, promote relaxation so healing can take place and induce sleep. A bath tea (also known as tub tea, herbal soak or herbal bath sachet) works the same way as brewing a cup of tea. Herbs can be brewed on the stove as making a large batch of tea or put desired herbs into a muslin bag and place the bag into the tub as it is filling. Bath teas combine the benefits of herbal aromatherapy with the direct application of herbal nutrients to the skin.

Therapeutic Bath Tea – Combine equal parts of sage, rosemary, eucalyptus and sea salt.

Stimulating Bath Tea – Combine equal parts of peppermint, spearmint, rosemary, cloves and anise

The following herbs are specific for the treatment of colds and flu. A suggestion is to make teas or tinctures from a combination of herbs depending upon which symptoms you might be experiencing. Always make sure to drink sufficient water to help the body flush toxins out. Some of the herbs listed below stimulate perspiration, opening pores, as a way for the body to release toxins and heat. Make sure to use high quality herbs for any herbal preparations. The best supplier of bulk herbs is Mountain Rose Herbs.

Anise Seed

• Sore Throats & Coughs

Catnip

• Stimulates perspiration without raising temperature
• Reduces fevers
• Sleep promoting

Cinnamon

• Increases perspiration
• Diarrhea & Nausea

Elder Flowers

• Promotes perspiration
• Reduces fever
• Good for colds & flu, upper respiratory inflammations & diarrhea

Eucalyptus (do not use internally)

• Antiseptic, antibacterial
• Kills flu virus
• Good for bronchitis

Fennel

• Expectorant
• Sore Throats & Coughs

Ginger

• Specific for rhinoviruses (colds)
• Increases perspiration
• Reduces pain & fever, nausea, diarrhea
• Suppresses cough
• Mild sedative

Green Tea

• Helps prevent infection of the flu & colds

Horehound

• Bronchitis & non-productive cough

Lavender

• Expectorant

Licorice

• Expectorant
• Antibacterial, antiviral
• Soothing to the throat
• Good for bronchitis

Maitake

• Kills viruses
• Good for persistent colds

Marshmallow

• Soothes mucus membranes, lungs & bronchial
• Irritable coughs

Mullein

• Reduces inflammation
• Expectorant
• Good for bronchitis

Peppermint

• Promotes perspiration
• Reduces fever

Raspberry Leaf

• Diarrhea

Rose Hips

• Very high in vitamin C

Sage

• Sore throats – gargle with 2 tbsp per pint of water (tea)

Skullcap

• Stops flu virus from reproducing
• Induces sleep & relaxation

Thyme

• Relaxes respiratory tract – antispasmodic
• Coughs & bronchitis
• Antibacterial, anti-fungal

Wild Cherry Bark

• Relaxes bronchial muscles
• Good for coughs & colds
• Very common in cough syrups
• Use in small doses

Yarrow

• Induces sweating, reduces fever
• Diarrhea

Related Articles:

• Brewing the Perfect Cup of Herbal Tea
• Making Herbal Tinctures
• Essential Oils for the Cold & Flu Season
• 10 Natural Tips for Cold & Flu Prevention
• Boost Your Immune System with Elderberry

Order my eBook, A Journey into Herbal & Natural Healing, to keep your body in balance and healthy throughout all the seasons.

This is a guest post by Rebecca Nolan of Wild and Bare Co.

Health benefits, low levels of caffeine, a soothing, natural taste… this is what defines the king of Chinese tea, pu-erh. With a divine aroma and a rich exquisite taste, pu-erh tea is one of the most obsessed-over and sought-after teas in the world.

The healing factor…

Commonly known as the medicinal tea, pu-erh has been popular among Chinese for more than 1,700 years. This tea is collected from old tea trees growing in the wild—trees that have special potency. The leaves are steeped and fermented to yield a woodsy taste. The healing and medicinal properties associated with pu-erh tea are truly amazing. Pu-erh reputedly possesses strong Qi (“life energy”) that improves blood circulation in the body. This characteristic helps the body remove toxins and has the ability to cure slight aches and pains as well.

Pu-erh  is strongly believed to contain compounds that help slow aging, control diabetes, remove toxins that promote dysentery, prevent heart disease and cancer, aid digestion and control weight, improve eyesight, reduce inflammation and revitalize people suffering from over consumption of alcohol.

The aging process of pu-erh tea…

Aging of pu-erh tea leaves is a special process. The leaves are molded into cakes, called moachas, and allowed to ferment. In the early years, these cakes were stored for more than 100 years. Aging methods are faster now using a modern fermentation procedure. First, the leaves are moistened and then turned, splashed with water and covered with a cloth daily for up to 40 days. Next, the leaves are pressed into a moacha. The fermentation that occurs comes from bacteria and fungus performing their magic on the tea leaves.

Below are some health beliefs commonly associated by tea enthusiasts with pu-erh tea:

• Drinking purple pu-erh tea leaves can reduce glucose levels in the blood stream.
• Drinking the tea effectively reduces hypertension.
• Drinking cooked pu-erh tea can reduce phlegm and flu. The older the tea, the more effective it is.
• Pu-erh tea can reduce cholesterol. (One must drink it daily for at least three months for the tea to be effective.)
• It can assist with weight loss.
• Pu-erh tea can reduce acidity in the body.
• Development of certain cancer cells can be slowed.
• The tea contains antiseptic properties for washing open wounds with tea liquor.
• Drinking pu-erh tea can clean and clear liver fat.

Today, we are continuously fighting the toxicity of our daily surroundings and our potentially polluted food. Drinking pu-erh tea is a great way to get rid of free radicals within the body, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, fight cancer, and perhaps look a little younger with every cup.

The following essential oils are useful for sinus infections, congestion, colds and flu.

• Rosemary – antiseptic
• Thyme – antiviral, antibiotic, antiseptic
• Peppermint – anti-inflammatory, antiseptic
• Eucalyptus – antiseptic, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, reduces fever
• Bergamot – reduces fever
• Tea Tree – antiviral, antibacterial
• Lavender – antibiotic, stimulates immune system, anti-depressant, cough suppressant
• Chamomile – anti-inflammatory, antibacterial
• Lemon – lymphatic system tonic

Several methods are recommended for using essential oils to help fight infections and their symptoms.

Essential Oil Steam Inhalation

This method works especially well for sinus infections and congestion. The warmth from the steam is soothing and the moisture helps to loosen and move mucus within the sinus cavity.

Add 3 – 5 drops of essential oil in a bowl with boiling water. Cover head with a towel in a tent-like manner. Breathe deeply through the nose for cold or sinus infections, or through the mouth to soothe a cough. Continue for 10 – 15 minutes, lifting the towel when necessary.

Bath or Massage

Dilute 5 – 8 drops of essential oil into a carrier oil such as sweet almond oil and add to bath or use as a massage oil. This method promotes a restful sleep as well.

Room and Linen Spray

Combine 20 – 30 drops of essential oil, 4 oz. water and 1 tsp. vodka (allows the oil and water to mix). Shake well before using and spray the air or bed linens to kill germs and freshen the air.

Diffuser

Add essential oil to a diffuser or bowl of hot water to freshen and purify the air.

IMPORTANT!  Make sure that you are using  pure essential oils and NOT fragrance oils (which some companies sell as essential oils). The best supplier of pure essential oils is Mountain Rose Herbs.

This is a guest post by Ryan Rivera at www.calmclinic.com

Anxiety is the type of disorder that in some ways is “too manageable.” Depending on the degree of anxiety you experience, many people find that while their anxiety drastically lowers their quality of life, they’re able to cope with it just enough that they can still go to work and go home without any significant issues. Their life is less happy, but they aren’t bed-ridden.

Because it’s mildly manageable, many people avoid anxiety treatments. This is often because prescription anxiety treatments have been linked to a host of side effects, while therapy can be prohibitively expensive and time consuming for those with busy lifestyles. Yet this is a problem, because anxiety itself is essentially leading people to live lives that are not as fulfilling as they could be.

Luckily, there are several natural solutions for dealing with anxiety that you can try as a way to control your anxiety and improve your quality of life.

Natural Methods to Treat Anxiety

• Valerian Root
  Valerian root is an extract used mostly to promote sleep, yet the way it promotes sleep benefits anxiety as well. The key is the sedation affect provided by valerian. It essentially relaxes the body and the mind, so your stress feels less pronounced and your anxiety symptoms decrease. It also improves sleep, which also increases stress coping. Valerian is best used at night.

• Kava
  Kava extract is one of the most powerful known substances for controlling anxiety. It has a well-researched effect on GABA levels and calms the mind and body as powerfully as some medications, all without dependency risk. Kava shouldn’t be taken with alcohol or with those that take other medications or liver issues, however, as the kava herb is fairly strong and can interact with other medications.

• Jogging
  Not all natural treatments are herbal related, and jogging is perhaps one of the most powerful ways to combat anxiety. Some studies have shown that jogging may be as powerful or more powerful as some of the world’s leading anti-anxiety medications. Regular jogging is not just for physical health – the effects on neurotransmitters, hormones, and muscles all show that jogging is beneficial for physical health as well.

• Magnesium
  Magnesium won’t help everyone’s anxiety, but it can be a big help for those that aren’t getting enough magnesium in their diets, as several studies have linked magnesium deficiency to anxiety and depression issues. It’s unclear exactly why a lack of magnesium appears to lead to anxiety, but magnesium plays a role in nearly 400 different processes in your body and offsets some of the more harmful effects of calcium, so those are likely to be contributing factors.

• Passionflower
  Passionflower is a weaker version of kava, but better for those that don’t want to deal with quite as much sedation. Passionflower’s extract appears to control emotions using flavones, which are also believed to reduce sadness and depression symptoms in a similar way as MAO-Is.

Using Natural Remedies for Anxiety and Stress

Anxiety doesn’t have to be something that you struggle with forever, nor does it have to be something you cure using prescription medication. There are countless natural ways to fight anxiety that will allow you to learn to successfully cope with your anxiety symptoms without the side effects of prescription medication. The above list represents the most common ways to control anxiety, and with the right lifestyle changes, your anxiety can be completely under control.

About the Author: Ryan Rivera often utilized natural supplements in addition to his lifestyle changes when he treated his own anxiety. He now writes about anxiety and stress at www.calmclinic.com.

Breath Meditation

Staying focused in the present takes a little practice but once learned, it’s a simple way to reduce your stress and add a new dimension to your life. An easy way to get started is by paying attention to your breath – this is also referred to as ‘conscious breathing’. Take a few minutes to try this: get comfortable, close your eyes, as you breathe in feel the air being pulled in and filling your lungs, and as you exhale feel the air leaving your lungs and passing through your nose. As your mind wanders to other thoughts, keep bringing yourself back to the present, to your breath. A variation to this method is to silently say something to yourself as you breathe in and out – such as relax/release or even breathe in/breathe out. This will help you stay focused. Breathing like this is a simple tool that can be used anywhere and will instantly reduce your stress level, heart rate and blood pressure.

Acorn Meditation

This meditation is easy to visualize and makes it easy for first time meditators. It is a powerful healing and empowering meditation.

Find yourself a comfortable, quiet location. A straight back chair is most effective as the position allows energy to flow more freely though your body.

Sit with your feet flat on the floor, arms relaxed and with your eyes closed, just feeling your breath as you inhale and exhale.

Imagine yourself as an acorn, buried just beneath the soil. Feel the warmth of the sun warming the moist soil.

The warmth and moisture stir your energies. Imagine your root starting to grow, straight down into the nourishing soil. Growing and starting to branch out. You sprout a stalk, pushing through the soil and finding the sunshine. Reaching towards the light and air, you grow stronger and taller. Feel the energy of the sunshine being drawn into you. Breathe it in. Breathe in love and healing energy. You start branching out, filling out with leaves, reaching for the limitless sky. Your roots drive deeper into the soil, spreading out and grounding you. Feel yourself pulling the nutrients from the soil, absorbing them and sending them all though you, reaching your farthest leaves. As you exhale, release all tensions and negativity. Feel the energies moving through you, grounding and strengthening, healing. You are now a magnificent oak tree. Enjoy the warmth of the sun, the gentle breezes through your leaves and the soft rains refreshing your leaves.

When you are ready, slowly become aware of your self and surroundings. Stretch and slowly open your eyes. Experience how refreshed, grounded and empowered you now feel.

Taking Notice of Beauty

With our hectic lives and times of increasing stress, it becomes easier and easier to lose sight of the beauty that surrounds us everywhere. Do you take the time to really notice the ‘small things’ in your life?

It doesn’t take much, just an open eye to see with and an open heart to feel with. Now, find something to look at. Anything; a photo in a magazine, a flower, a rock, a leaf, a cup of coffee, even your hand. Finding something outside in nature is ideal. Take a few minutes to really observe your object, see it with a new set of eyes, and become that object. Notice all the different colors and shades of the same color. Notice the texture. Notice what it feels like (if it’s a photo, feel what it would feel like to actually be there). Just lose yourself for a few minutes and become totally absorbed in feeling and observing.

Guess what. Your blood pressure dropped in those few minutes. Your stress level dropped. You relaxed. You didn’t have a choice; you were totally present in what you were doing. No other thoughts could enter into your mind. This is a simple exercise that can be practiced anytime, anywhere and with anything.

When I had my herbal and natural products business, Mystic Naturals, the herbal heating pads were one of my biggest sellers. They are easy and inexpensive to make and also a much appreciated gift.

Not only are herbal heating pads great smelling; they provide warm moist heat to soothe sore muscles & aches. Moist heat therapy works wonders for sore neck and shoulder muscles, back aches, and menstrual cramps.

Only a few ingredients and just basic sewing machine skills are necessary.

• Select a soft fabric such as lightweight corduroy or a fleece without too much stretch. Flannels and cottons are a little thin and don’t hold up as well.
• Cut 2 pieces of fabric 8″ x 12″. Place right sides together and stitch along 3 sides leaving one of the 8″ sides open. Restitch over stitches for extra strength at the seams. Turn right sides out (so seams are on the inside and you have a bag/pouch).
• Fill with 2 cups of dried corn kernels (available at animal feed stores and doesn’t “pop” in the microwave). Add 1 cup of mixed dried herbs such as  eucalyptus, clove, lavender, rosemary, spearmint and cinnamon. Turn in raw edges of fabric and top-stitch closed. Again, stitch over this seam.

These herbal heating packs release a warm moist heat for about 30 minutes when warmed in the microwave for 2 – 3 minutes. The herbal scent is soothing and relaxing. These can also be used as a flexible cold pack by placing in freezer.

This is a guest post by Heather Von St. James. As a Reiki Master, I feel this is a wonderful description of Reiki and its benefits.

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by Heather Von St. James

As a cancer survivor, I can attest to how beneficial complementary therapies can be while undergoing harsh traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. Reiki is one of many alternative healing practices being used to reduce stress and promote healing. Derived from the Japanese words for “Higher Power” and “life force energy”, the ancient healing art is performed by trained practitioners who place their hands near or lightly on the body to channel energy. It may also be administered to oneself with little training, including within the treatment programs of cancers like mesothelioma.

Used both to maintain good health and to create conditions for the body to repair itself, Reiki has recently been endorsed by Dr. Mehmet Oz, one of the nation’s leading cardiologists and talk show hosts. As its benefits become increasingly more well known, the practice is also gaining favor as an adjunct to traditional medical treatments. It is now being used in many hospitals to decrease the discomfort of treatments for cancer and to relieve symptoms of chronic diseases, potentially increasing mesothelioma life expectancy.

Because Reiki is “transferred” by a master teacher to a student in a process called an “attunement”, it is easily learned and practiced – thus allowing the recipient to tap into an unlimited source of universal energy for healing both oneself and others. The energy that supports life flows throughout the body and nourishes its organs and tissues. When negative thoughts or trauma disrupt its natural flow, energy is blocked or weakened. It is important to realize that Reiki does not heal illnesses; it helps to repair the energy field so that the body can resume its normal processes.

Although spiritual, the practice is not a part of any religion and requires no personal beliefs or dogma. Reiki does, however, promote a harmonious, ethical, and peaceful lifestyle that is compatible with the teachings of all cultures. Because Reiki’s energy comes from God, it may have positive spiritual and emotional components, as well as physical ones.

While all energy healers channel energy, Reiki is different from other styles because it can only be accessed by being passed from a Reiki Master to a student. Energy healers who use other methods may also be attuned to Reiki, and many report an increase in energetic ability as a result. The use of symbols is one of the ways Reiki energy is channeled, and some masters stress the importance of intention. Regardless, the energy is said to have an intelligence of its own that directs it to the area of the body where it is needed.

The American Cancer Society has endorsed Reiki as a form or complementary medicine for mesothelioma and other kinds of debilitating malignancies, and many hospitals now hire Reiki practitioners. Although more studies are needed to prove the benefits of Reiki in cancer care, it appears to help patients feel better without creating side effects.