Chaga, Inonotus obliquus, is a polypore fungus which grows on birch trees. The fungus produces a black perennial woody growth called a “conk”.  Chaga contains 215 phyto-nutrients including 29 polysaccharides or beta glucans (known to be immune activators), compounds such as betulinic acid, special pigments including melanins, amino acids and nucleosides. 

Hundreds of modern scientific publications have indicated that these compounds could offer solutions to fight virus and fungal diseases, stimulate the central nervous system, delay growth of tumor and cancer cells, lower white blood cell counts, lower arterial and venous blood pressure, decrease sugar levels, improve skin color and elasticity, detoxify the liver, kidney, and spleen to name a few. Pharmaceutical uses include treatment for TB of bone, high blood pressure, HIV, herpes and other skin disorders, and as an anti-tumor agent. Traditional uses have been recorded for treatment of gastritis, ulcers, digestive complaints, urinary tract disorders, bronchitis, asthma, skin eczemas and of course, to control blood pressure and improve immunity and longevity.

Over 2000 years ago, in 100 B.C., the Chinese Monk Shen Nong in the book “The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing” called Chaga “The King of the Herbs”. According to Oriental medicine, chaga increases longevity and boosts life energy or “Chi.” In Chinese medicine, chaga has been revered for its life enhancing properties.

As with many herbs, natural medicines and foods, science has only been isolating the reasons why in recent years. Chaga, unlike the other medicinal mushrooms, contains over 35,000 units/gm of SOD (super oxide dismutase). This is exceptional for a medicinal mushroom and far surpasses what is found in known superfoods. SOD is one of the most important anti-oxidants in our body. SOD decreases as we age. Living well and exercising keep levels up. SOD’s are used in/for skin creams, burns, wounds and inflammation. SODs are enzymes that keep our cell membranes supple and healthy. Research indicates that super oxide dismutase can be used for arthritis and side effects of cancer treatment.

Chaga also has the highest reported ORAC score in natural foods or oils (Anti-oxidant levels are measured in ORAC, which stand for oxygen radical absorbent capacity).

For centuries, people in parts of Russia have drunk Chaga tea daily for promoting good health. Nobel Prize winner Russian novelist Alexandr Solzenitsyn introduced the amazing cancer treating properties of Chaga in his 1968 novel, “The Cancer Ward”. It’s the BETULINIC ACID that attacks the cancer cells.

In 1998 a study in Poland demonstrated Chaga’s inhibiting effects on tumor growth. The study found that betulin worked highly selectively on tumor cells because the interior pH of tumor tissues is generally lower than that of normal tissues, and betulinic acid is only active at those lower levels. Once inside the cells, betulinic acid destroys the tumors. In 2005, at Department of Medical Nutrition in South Korea, Chaga Mushroom was evaluated for its potential in protecting against oxidative damage to DNA in human lymphocytes.

David Wolfe’s recent book “CHAGA; The King of the Medicinal Mushrooms” is the most literarily accessible and most widely marketed source of english info I could find. He outlines the healing properties of chaga as follows:
“Adaptogenic (Combats Stress); a blood purifier; the most potent anti-oxidant source ever discovered on the face of the planet, with a remarkable potential for scavenging free-radicals; one of the most alkalizing aubstances known to Man 10; It is shown to be immune enhancing and balancing, anti-cancer, anti-viral & anti-inflammatory! These are thanks once again to polysaccharides. These essential nutrients for the immune-system enhance the body’s ability to produce NK (Natural Killer) cells and activates white blood cell (Macrophage) activity; rich source of the anti-oxidant pigment melanin, which is needed throughout the body. It is known to be geno-protective, protecting our DNA from damage due to oxidative-stress; rich source of the yellow polyphenol pigments, which give chaga its deep orange colour inside. These are known to be anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-platelet aggregation, anti-diabetic and anti-dementia; rich source of selenium, iron, zinc, chromium, manganese, copper and magnesium. (zinc being essential to the production of the body’s own anti-oxidant SOD as well as required for cell growth, differentiation and survival, not to mention male reproductive health!)”

a nice pot of vitality

Chaga is recorded as being used by North American indigenous nomads as an eternal flame…that is to say that the chaga was carried around in a pot as a burning ember to start fires because it has incredible capacity and value as tinder and smoulders as a coal for an extraordinarily long time. Being mostly found on the mighty birch tree it has been a revered Boreal medicine ally since before recorded time. OUR chaga is being sourced and harvested ethically and intentionally with respect to the trees and the integrity of the delicate symbiotic ecosystem.

Take Charge Tea was thrilled to be in attendance at the fifth annual Living Locally fair put on by the Russel Horticultural Society. This very special event gathers producers, farmers, educators and volunteers together for a dynamic experience of a thriving local economy. People there want to talk about sustainability and yesterday I was in a room full of solutions; a room full of energy and hope for the future. This kind of event always gets me thinking and I thought it was about time for a blog post on the issue that is an important part of what we are actually selling here, at Take Charge Tea.

There are a lot of different diets, health trends, food obsessions and philosophies about consumption intersecting with environmental and social accountability. Part of this is resulting from the realization that we have evolved a whole new set of health issues by letting our diet be dictated to us by grocery store availability. In essence, on a mass scale our population in North America has inadvertently been bottle-fed for life by multinational corporations with no individual autonomy or accountability. What this means is that the products we’ve been consuming since the 50’s have been made with more and more focus on: packaging or visual aesthetics; lowering cost of production by substituting quality ingredients for fillers; extending shelf life with preservatives; and profitability with smaller more expensive portions sizes. The option to buy fresh, pure, high quality food in the quantity we need without extra plastic packaging has almost disappeared. This has resulted in poverty, overflowing landfills, asthma and obesity epidemics in children while increasing profits for the pharmaceutical industry who serves up over the counter and prescription medications to alleviate chronic conditions resulting from our poor diets. We spend our hard earned dollars and what we end up consuming is not helping society as a whole in the long run….but it is helping investors and stockholders of multi-national grocery and chemical conglomerates get richer.

Living Locally, supporting local growers and producers is one solution to this. An incredible thing happens to the caliber of foodstuffs we access locally with regards to the taste and the intensity of nutrition in the food; not to mention the dramatic lack of unrecognizable chemical preservatives, flavourings and colourings. They aren’t necessary because it’s not wood pulp disguised as food here. It’s a farmer or baker or jam maker who loves the ingredient enough to labour long hours bringing it to market for us; bringing us the increasingly rare option to feed real food to our families. When you face your farmer or producer each saturday at market or at annual community events, you are staring accountability and integrity right in the eye. This is the stuff that you can’t even put a price on. It really is as simple as deciding what core values one votes in to power. Politics is just the machine. We all know that money is power, and so we need to realize that every dollar we spend votes for the kind of future we are building. Over the past 50 years we have unintentionally built powerful systems of control over our food security, our agriculture and our natural resources which have no built in access to human values such as accountability, and integrity. Some have seen it happening and there is some political will to try and tame the wild life of corporate profitability but it’s become too huge and powerful to regulate. The only recourse is for we, the people, en masse to carefully vote with every dollar we spend for quality food with integrity and accountability. Our very survival as a species depends upon it.

I sit here this January day listening to the roar of my furnace, in Ottawa, Canada, where for over 6 months of the year we are not growing much because in most of the country the ground is frozen solid. However, we do have successful crops of food items such as root vegetables which can be stored and fruits such as apples and berries. But most of our groceries stores contain less expensive imported produce even during growing season. This is a food security issue, and it is inhibiting the viability of local growers. If the food item can be produced here we should be feeding our population with it and exporting the rest.

I am keenly aware that the global community keeps getting smaller and smaller, and I’m not suggesting that we cease all importation of foodstuffs. What I am suggesting, however, is that we invest in becoming aware of the origin of what we are importing. That we patronize local producers, shops, websites and co-ops who support fair trade initiatives. This means that in the long run we are directly participating in the local economy of the country of origin for our tea, mangoes, coffee, and coconut oil (instead of elite corrupt government regimes). Do not underestimate the value of trade done fairly for impoverished countries. Support grass roots initiatives and talk to people who know people. Take Charge Tea sources herbal tea ingredients from wholesalers and a co-op who partner up with the growers in other countries and/or supply fair trade certified ingredients. The coffee roasters in my town travel to the plantations and bring the beans up here knowing that the children at that place are well fed, clothed and educated.

ACCOUNTABILITY plus INTEGRITY equals SUSTAINABILITY….for the planet! Do not underestimate the implications of placing a good portion, if not all, of your consistent lifelong grocery budget as a vote for a more humane future for us, and for children all over the globe.

As we hibernate a little bit during the cold winter months, I’ll be enjoying some of the products pictured above and preparing for the spring when we come out on the weekends to local farmers markets to participate in the dynamic local economy of the Ottawa Valley. You can tap into it sooner on March 2nd at the annual “Seedy Saturday”; another gathering of local, health wise, environmentally concerned small businesses, along with non-commercial seed traders and a day of workshops and lectures. These seed trading events are held all across the country sponsored by Seeds of Diversity Canada. It all starts with the seeds….but that is another whole blog entry!

Overall the tendency to set new years resolutions, I’ve noticed, is falling out of favour. In one sense, that is good. Setting unrealistic goals because it’s a certain date, or because everyone else is doing it may not be conducive to success. Also, many people after the holidays find themselves burnt out and weak from all the excitement and extra activity. Travelling or hosting can disrupt healthy sleep patterns; along with the extra sweets, carbs and alcohol that offer an irresistible indulgence. This doesn’t make January 2nd the ideal time to embark on a self improvement journey for most people.

Let’s take a look at how to gently honour ourselves with some recalibration and nurture the body gradually to work consistently (and persistently) into our goals. Giving our body the support it needs to be strong, calm and stable increases the success rate for the most popular resolutions: Becoming more fit, and letting go of destructive habits.

Oatstraw is a powerful Ally. Oatstraw is the nourishing herb which has the reputation of heartily “feeding” the nervous system. That is to say that drinking oatstraw tea has the effect of calming and strengthening the nerves. This makes oat straw particularly helpful in managing stress, anxiety, insomnia and depression. The first thing on the “to do” list is to get our sleeping patterns somewhat rhythmic. This one achievement will empower everything else that we are trying to do.

Drinking Oatstraw tea not only provides a useable source of calcium and magnesium. It also contains B-complex vitamins, silicia, flavones, saponins, and Vitamin A. Oat Straw is useful for thyroid and estrogen deficiency, for MS, osteoporosis, appetite loss, anorexia, urinary concerns, colds and chills and to encourage sweating. This herb increases internal heat, dispels internal chill and strengthens metabolism and circulation,prevents and relieves spasms, softens and soothes damaged or inflamed surfaces such as the gastric mucous membranes, strengthens functional activity of the nervous system, helps with the process of assimilating food, and generally restores, nourishes. Overall, Oatstraw is a fantastic way to gently support and strengthen the entire body.

What all this MEANS to the topic at hand is that by drinking oatstraw daily we become better equipped to overcome temptations that we have resolved to avoid; we feel more strong and happy and relaxed enabling us to move away from negative habits confidently with minimal withdrawal symptoms. The compulsion to indulge in temporarily satisfying but unhealthy food choices is minimized by an overall calm demeanour and emotional state. The exhaustion keeping us away from endorphin raising physical activity has been solved by managing stress and sleeping better.

This has been my experience of using oatstraw and the stories of my clients at the local farmers’ markets over the years has solidified my assertion. The likelihood of dramatic results increases with the consistent drinking of oatstraw tea, in combination with one’s true intent to heal and the commitment to sleep regularly.

One day, many years ago at the Carp Farmers Market…this older guy with a dirty t-shirt and wild hair came up to my booth. He was so excited to see the elderberry tea. He told me that he was a scientist, and he said to me “you know, we have just begun studying the amazing properties of elderberries as anti-viral” he said “you see, they have the unique ability to coat the cells so the virus can not latch on to them! I can not believe you have them here” The fellow seemed shocked and he bought several bags.

When putting together the TCT elderberry blend I felt intuitively that elderberries were the right main ingredient knowing that they had been used traditionally and were native to our area. I didn’t know what to make of this guy…he seemed kind of crazy; but he was not. Indeed he reminded me of Einstein with the hair like that. Over the next 5 or 6 years the articles began flying around about just that which he spoke of. Over the past decade I have many customers who experience an optimal level of health throughout the cold and flu season. As the weather gets nippy I have to remember to prepare larger bags of the elderberry and double my inventory because they know. If they forget to get some…soon something comes along to remind them.

1. Hi there, I finally found your tea at the Piggy Market and picked up some new ones. I am really enjoying the white tea. Can you expand on temperature of water and shortened brew time instructions pleas? How is it important?

Regarding water temp and brew time: for herbs it is less important than for green tea; however scalding hot water does burn away some of the nutrients and thus benefits. I have a large electric conference pot that holds my water at 75degrees. I use that for all my teas, and find that it works well to be a good compromise between the different tea temp recommendations.

White tea is like green tea in that it really wants the water to be less hot… 90degrees is generally suggested for most, but the tea houses will have a different specific temperature and brew time for each type of green or white. The problem is that the flavour starts to become bitter if these are not followed. That being said, I’ll never forget the Asian woman at my booth who tilted her head, looked at me long and said “OH, YOU no like bitter?”. (I’m assuming she did)

The TCT white tea blend is a combination of herbs and white tea. I don’t worry too much about temperature or brew time with this one because white tea is such a delicate flavour, it doesn’t really get bitter unless you forget and steep it for an hour or something. Herbs are like wine in that they get better and better the longer they steep.

2. Also I bought a bag of chicory in an attempt to replace coffee. Made a cup and had an omg get this out of my mouth look on first sip. Suggestions? Thanks, Natalie

I, too, find the chicory very strong. It is designed for coffee lovers but even still, maybe the suggested amount of tea to water should be adjusted. I always drink that one with ALMOND MILK. I love that. It is punchy so it can stand up to cream and sugar for those who love the “coffee experience”. Honestly, I only drink that one with a dessert. I just think that a cheesecake or other sweet pastry is so much better with “coffee” and I don’t drink the caffeinated stuff any more. The chicory is wonderful with dessert.

The rose is the flower chosen by the International Herb Association for the 2012 Herb of the Year. The rose can be hearty, wild and prolific like the provincial flower of Alberta, or as spoiled and fragile as a variegated hybrid tea rose. Either way, there is no mistaking the scent, the tight buds, the slightly curled petal unfurled or the honour given to the thing in florist circles and amateur horticulteralist gardens.
Is there indeed a flower such as rose which has been the muse for so much poetry, song and inspiration? Is there one which more aptly represents the delicate, sweet and fickle nature of love or friendship?

The colours in your bouquet are generally accepted to relay different messages like passion, devotion and love in the case of red roses, friendship and forgiveness in the case of yellow roses; gratitude can be expressed with an extension of pink roses and the white rose represents bridal happiness and innocence.

Did you know that rose essential oil is so rare and requires so many flowers that it fetches a price of $25-$45 per ml? If you are purchasing rose oil that is much less costly, you can be sure that it is in a carrier oil; don’t be duped.

Luckily we can grow roses and there are ways to enjoy the essence of them in our very own kitchens:

• Prepare rose butter by mixing a half-cup to 1 cup of chopped rose petals in a cup of sweet unsalted butter. Let the blend stand at room temperature for 24 hours, then mix again and refrigerate to fully flavour the butter. This can be rolled into tubes wrapped in wax paper and frozen to easily take out and slice into pretty little circles. Serve on fresh scones, biscuits, pancakes.
• Infuse rose water by adding 2 cups rose petals to 1 quart water. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn off heat and let cool. Filter out the rose petals and bottle the water. Refrigerate the water for use in ice cubes or tea or mixed in equal parts with honey for a dessert syrup.
• Rose Sugar is easy to make. Seal fresh rose petals into a glass jar with sugar and leave for at least three weeks to infuse the scent into the sugar. After this you can even dampen the sugar with a spray bottle of water (or rose water) and press it into tiny heart shaped ice cube or chocolate moulds to make rosy sugar hearts.

Rosebuds and rose petals are found in herbal teas and black teas around the world and they have long been used to soothe emotional turmoil and ease heartache….as well as numerous other claims upon the body. We do know in fact that rose-hips, the dried bright red pod left after the flower is finished blooming, have an incredible amount of vitamin C. Many of our grandmothers made rose-hip syrup or rose-hip jam and this was used to prevent colds.

The Herb Garden will be highlighting the herb of the year, rose, at the 17th Annual Herbfest on July 29th and are thrilled to present to you three local chefs who will be preparing a gourmet dish for our judges using the herb of the year. It should be positively divine. The Chef Cook Off is always great fun and things will surely be coming up roses for all three of them, and especially for the rose dish tasters at this fantastic event. Don’t Miss it!

as published in “The Humm” Summer 2012

1. Is Raspberry Leaf Tea on it’s own good for fertility?

Raspberry leaf is “good” for fertility only in that it is nourishing deeply, and specifically indicated for the health of reproductive organs. For example, often fertility is compromised by the presence of fibroids…which are common and natural in women over 35 (but can occur at all ages). When the organs are healthy and functioning well, the menstrual flow will work out these fibroids naturally and they will not be a problem. Sometimes if they grow too big, they require medical intervention.

The vitamins and minerals in raspberry leaves are particularly good to stock up on and to have if you are thinking about becoming pregnant.

2. What are the benefits of Rosebud?

Rosebud is in TCT’s Rosy Red Clover for the beauty and the flavor of it. The aromatherapy of rose essence is for feelings of emotional well being and “love”. I believe that this feeling derived from the scent and flavour of rose contributes to the lovely feeling of being amorous thus enhancing a fertility tea.

3. What are the benefits of Red Clover?

Red clover is the main fertility ingredient in this tea because it is phyto-estrogenic. When you have high estrogen levels you are more fertile. It’s important to note that some overabundance of certain types of estrogen can feed fibroids but when red clover is used in a tea, as an infusion with the whole flowers, the amount of estrogen is balanced with other plant components which alleviates this concern. Tests that result in negative feedback about red clover and estrogen are relating to the isolated compound, concentrated in unusual amounts which we couldn’t even ingest by drinking tea until we were floating away. Also, the debate is still hot in the scientific communities about whether phyto-estrogens effectively cause estrogen uptake inhibitors to send the signal to the body to stop making estrogen or alternatively cause an overabundance. What is often not understood is the complexity of how whole herbs interact gently and beneficially with a body in many cases balancing hormones in whichever direction needed for optimal functioning of that person. It’s a “whole”istic thing. But what we do know, is that there is some reason why herbalists and midwives have used red clover in their women’s health tool kit for generations.

4. So for full fertility benefits, Red Raspberry needs to be mixed with Rosebud and Red Clover?

No, that would not be correct. yet, the raspberry leaves are highly recommended for good prenatal health. The red clover in this TCT blend acts as the fertility boost and the rose is the icing on the cake. I spend years on researching each TCT blend including years of personal use and feedback from others. I believe that this is a special combo here. Any of these ingredients are effective and beneficial taken as “a single” but they interact well and taste wonderful in combination.

5. Do you know anything about Chasteberry Tea?

Chasteberry is sometimes called VITEX. I used that for “recalibrating” my hormones after having my first pregnancy and birth. I believe that it is recommended for some menopausal symptoms as it is indicated for balancing hormones not to mention libido. This ability to balance opposing conditions is one of the special things about many herbs. If you need more sex drive vitex (chasteberry) is supposed to help boost it. If you need to calm your sex drive, it also should help. I vaguely remember something about fertility with the chasteberries but this ingredient is a little too powerful for me to be comfortable recommending without a complete consultation and diagnoses. I believe it does have some toxicity and comes with some cautionary warnings so I would recommend great care and a lot of research before using it frugally. For Take Charge Tea I stick to using herbs that are classed as “nutritional” so they are like “food as medicine” and come with almost no warnings and little concern about toxicity.

Chocolate as “Health Food”

People sometimes forget that chocolate, like wine and tea, starts out as a natural product. Chocolate comes from the cacao bean (the seed of the fruit of the cacao tree) which is a particularly potent source of antioxidants. The antioxidants are part of a large class of compounds called polyphenols. Dark chocolate and cocoa are particularly high in a sub-class of these compounds called flavanols, which are also found in red wine and tea. These flavanols are key to heart health, and their promotion of heart health has really grabbed researchers’ attention. If you eat raw cacao, you are also getting a concentrated source of anti-oxidants, magnesium, chromium and vitamin C.

“Chocolate nourishes and preserves health entire, yet causes a pleasant and natural sleep and rest,” wrote Dr. William Hughes, an English physician in 1672. “Drunk twice a day, a man may very well subsist therewith, not taking anything else at all.”

Chocolate contains very little caffeine. A 1.5 ounce milk chocolate bar has 11 mg of caffeine, while a similar-sized dark chocolate bar has 27 mg of caffeine. In contrast, a 12-ounce mug of coffee has 200 mg. It does however contain a caffeine-like chemical called “theobromine”. Theobromine may be responsible for some of the pleasurable feelings you get after eating chocolate because it releases natural feel-good chemicals called endorphins in your brain. The same chemicals which are released by the brain when people are falling in love. Perhaps this explains why chocolate and Valentines Day are so closely linked. Chocolate is one of nature’s most concentrated sources of theobromine, a mild, natural stimulant and molecular “cousin” of caffeine. However, unlike its cousin, theobromine does not strongly stimulate the central nervous system, nor does it have the same “eye-opening” power. While safe for humans, other species, such as dogs, lack the specific enzyme that metabolizes theobromine so eating chocolate can cause them to become overstimulated. It is strongly recommended that pet owners prevent dogs from eating chocolate.

Theobroma Cacao, was so named in 1753 by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus. Theobroma is Greek for “food of the gods,” and cacao is the Spanish adaptation of the Mayan name for the tree: kakaw.

Kakaw Trees around the world

Cocoa pods from Ambanja, Madagascar

Raw cocoa bean pod from South America

Cacao beans are “steeped” in rich history and culinary uses.

Cacao powder with cinnamon

By 900 A.D., The Toltecs moved in and took control of the Yucatan Peninsula and the Cacao rich lands. The Toltecs also revered cacao, believing “Quetzalcoat” the god of air, had stolen cacao from paradise and travelled from heaven on a star beam to give the bean to men and teach them how to cultivate it. Quetzalcoatl was banished by the other gods for offering this divinely delicious food to mortals, but he swore to return. This legend continued centuries later into the age of the Aztecs, and when Cortes, the Spanish conquistador, showed up in the 16th century, the great Aztec King Montezuma believed it was Quetzalcoatl returning. Montezuma himself is rumoured to drink over 50 cups a day.

“Chocolate, well known, is an invention so noble, that it should be the nourishment of the gods, rather than nectar or ambrosia.” – Joseph Bachot

It was during this time period that the beans became the natives’ “coins.” A list of Aztec trading prices may have had such values as:
1 small rabbit = 30 cacao beans
1 turkey egg = 3 cacao beans
1 large tomato = 1 cacao bean

Carved wooden Mexican cocoa stirring stick (molinillo)

It would appear that the earliest culinary use of chocolate can be attributed to the food loving Italians. An 18th century cookbook includes dishes such as fried liver that had first been dipped in chocolate; a polenta made with almonds, butter and chocolate breadcrumbs; and a chocolate “soup” composed of milk, sugar, chocolate, cinnamon and egg yolk, served warm and poured over toast.

Chocolate is Sinful and Sexy

In 1690, An austere group of Protestant Pilgrims were so offended by the joy and merry making of a chocolate house in Amsterdam where they had taken up residence that they dubbed chocolate as the “Devil’s Food”. When they later immigrated to North america, they outlawed it completely from their colony. It was some years later in Amsterdam that “Devil’s Food Cake” was named in honor of the stern Pilgrims.

Chocolate tea can warm more than just your heart.

“Life is too short for bad chocolate!”
Roxanne Browning -chocolate sommalier

With all this information we may go away feeling an incredible urge to indulge in a generous serving of fudge or grab our favorite bar at the grocery check out. It is important to remember that what we discuss is the Cacao bean, not the derivatives or terribly mutated and ingredient compromised descendant of this sacred bean. Most fudge is three quarters butter and sugar; and most chocolate bars in the grocery store have less than 2 grams of actual cacao. If you don’t believe me, READ YOUR LABELS (this is my mantra). They use a lot of wax, sugar and chocolate “flavouring” which could really mean anything. Unless the bar says 70% or 90% cocoa you are not getting pure chocolate. You are getting a sugar rush, a carbohydrate boost and/or the comfort of some fat….not to mention lecithin and whatever else they decide to add and label in the category of “flavourings and colourings” without telling us. The most highly recommended and nutritionally beneficial way to enjoy the richness of Chocolate and the health benefits is, as anything, to consume it as close to the way it originated in nature as possible. On the market we find the most pure chocolate in the form of raw Cocoa nibs. That is the beans which have been shelled and broken up into small pieces which could then be eaten as a snack, added to trail mix, smoothies, granola or other recipes. They are not roasted because this compromises their wonderful nutrition, kills the enzymes and changes the molecular structure of the natural oils. The flavour is milder and less sweet but when you get used to it, you can appreciate and develop a taste for the true unadulterated bean treat, and it’s positive effects on the body. Like anything, once you have had “the best” you start to really understand and recognize the inferiority of the cheap variations and substitutions. Try raw chocolate, as a snack, a sprinkle, or in tea.

“Chocolate is a divine, celestial drink, the sweat of the stars, the vital seed, divine nectar, the drink of the gods, panacea and universal medicine.” -
— Geronimo Piperni, quoted by Antonio Lavedán, Spanish army surgeon,1796

Carp Farmers Market is one of the oldest running markets in the Ottawa area and certainly one of the nicest. This year’s Easter Market is on April 7…it’s always on the Saturday of Easter weekend. Come out and sample some of the local fare and sweet Easter treats. Handmade chocolate has a quality that can’t be found in the over packaged factory made stuff you get on sale.

The Market will be held for one day:
Saturday Apr 7th 8 am to 2 pm
We’ll have two buildings full of vendors and five vendors outside – scroll down to find the market layout showing where each vendor is located.

Once again we will offer a free draw for an Easter basket of gift items donated by our vendors, and a 50-50 draw for The West Carleton Food Bank. Please be sure to visit the hostess booth in the Rotunda for your free draw and 50-50 tickets. You are also encouraged to bring along non-perishable food items for the Food Bank.

50 VENDORS
FREE PARKING
FREE ADMISSION

LIST OF VENDORS:

EXHIBIT HALL – ROTUNDA

1-2 Woodline Creations
hand-turned wooden items
3 Simply Fresh Roastery
coffee beans and ground coffee
4 Opeongo Mountain Meadow Soap
goat’s milk and rainwater soaps
6 Pine Ridge Studio
stoneware & earthenware pottery
7 Farm Experience School Crafts
pillowcases, quilts, barley bags
8 Wildrose Country Homestead
body care products
9 Take Charge Tea
organic herbal tea blends
10 Kym’s Old Fashion Bakery
breads, buns, fruit bread, fruitcake
11 Mains de Mariposa
organic body lotion, hand cream, scrubs
12-13 Senior Farms
eggs, chicken lamb; bread, buns, fruit pies
11 Willow Ridge Crafts
photo greeting cards
16-17 Micki Renehan Photography
nature and landscape photographs
18 Russell’s Honey
organic honey, and honey baking

OUTSIDE

21 The Elk Ranch
frozen elk meat, sausages, pepperettes
22 Bacon-on-a-Bun
back or side bacon on-a-bun, drinks
23 Hall’s Apple Market
apples and apple products
24 Upper Canada Cranberries
frozen, dried cranberries, juices, sauces

AGRICULTURAL HALL

26 Acorn Creek Garden Farm
fall vegetables, preserves, chocolates
27 Forest Creek Clothing
hand-made children’s and adult clothing
28 Hobb’s Baking
pies, tarts, biscuits, buns, cookies
29 Pork of Yore
frozen cuts of pork meat
30 Dobson’s Grass-fed Beef
frozen cuts of grass-fed beef, chicken
31 Triple A Farm
emu meat, oil & craft products
32 Savoury Pursuits
bread, muffins, cookies; meat & veg pies
33 English Pie Shop
meat & fruit pies, sausage rolls, fruit tarts
34 Pretty Fours
petit-fours, macaroons, pates de fruit
35 Mali’s Eggrolls
eggrolls, springrolls, Thai dishes, drinks
37 Glengyle Garlic
garlic bulbs & braids, garlic spreads
38 Pat’s Sweet Temptations
cakes, cookies, squares, buns, biscuits
39 Heather Sherratt Handweaving
hand-woven clothing
40 Berch Design & Display
cushions, pillow cases, aprons, runners
41 Girl With the Most Cake
scratch-cakes, elaborately decorated
42 Nonna’s Dressings and Marinades
salad dressings, sauces, dips
43 Bitten Cookie Company
cookies-on-a-stick, brownies & mixes
44 Fork n’ Things
jewellery from silver-plated cutlery
45 Back Forty Artisan Cheese
artisan cheeses
46 Servi Pro Mushroom Farms
fresh/dried mushrooms & kits, jellies
47 Wood & Stuff
bird houses, puzzles
48 Willow Rodge Crafts
photocards
49 Maple Holme Sugar Bush
maple syrup and products
50 Lacelle’s Apiary
liquid & creamed honey, various flavours
51 Chamomile Desjardins
hot sauces of various spiciness
52 Bearbrook Farm
game meats, sausages, salami

www.carpfarmersmarket.ca

A while back we did a facebook contest asking people to share what they know about the benefits of nettle. WOW! we got some pretty indepth responses; and each of these participants received a free bag of Take Charge Tea’s nettle blend.

Teresa Bowden:

Nettle tea is quite rich in a large number of vitamins, apart from calcium, iron, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, carotene, and zinc. Along with that, it also comprises of protein in high quantities.

Health Benefits Of Nettle Tea

• For women suffering from excessive menstrual bleeding or premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms, drinking nettle tea might prove beneficial. It is also used to reduce water retention and treat anemia.
• The tea has been found to be rich in sterols, an ingredient that seems to help decrease the action of DHT, a testosterone that is regarded as the culprit behind prostate enlargement.
• If you suffer from springtime allergies, drinking nettle tea three times a day can prove to be beneficial. Apart from that, the tea can help treat tuberculosis, coughs, urinary tract infections, and a variety of intestinal disorders.
• In Europe, the tea was once used in the treatment of scurvy. On the other hand, Russians still consider it to be a treasured antiseptic and astringent. It is used to stop nose bleeding, apart from being used to improve heart action and cure headaches.
• The tea has been found to be rich in natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory substances. This is the reason why it is used to open blocked nasal and bronchial passages and regarded as a beneficial herbal remedy for treating hay fever.
• Nettle tea has proved effective in ousting gravel from the bladder and dissolving kidney stones. It also stimulates the kidneys to excrete more water, thus helping the body get rid of toxins and metabolic wastes and serving as a valuable blood purifier.
• The tea can help clean out the entire intestinal tract, while killing and expelling intestinal worms as well. It also sets in motion the body’s natural defense mechanisms.
• Nettle tea is being used in the treatment of dysentery, diarrhea, hemorrhoids and inflammation of the kidneys. Since it helps get rid of phlegm from the lungs, it is being considered for asthma treatment as well.
• It is believed that the tea serves as an excellent tonic for women. Native American women used to drink it during pregnancy. It was also used to stop excessive bleeding that followed child birth.
• It is said that after giving birth to a child, a woman should consume nettle tea, as it has the ability to restore a woman’s energy and can also stimulate milk production.

Dale Dalessio: ‎

1. Put an infusion on your scalp to promote hair growth.
2. Tonic for the blood
3. Good for bacterial infections
4. Helps with allergies
5. Urinary tract issues

Christine Kovacs: ‎

1. It is used in the treatment of arthritis and rheumatism, joint and muscle pain.
2. It is used as diuretic, which helps with urinary issues.
3. It is used to treat anemia since nettle leaves contain high amount of iron content.
4. It decreases the risk of eczema and other skin disorders.
5. It is used in the treatment of sinusitis and rhinitis, and may help with hay fever by acting as a natural antihistamine.

Leslee Russett:

Nettle tea fights coughs, tuberculosis and asthma; counters arthritis, rheumatism, tendonitis and other disorders of the muscles and joints; combats eczema; is a rich source of calcium, a mineral vital to the maintenance and development of bones in the body; has high levels of beta-carotene, a precursor of Vitamin A, which contributes to the maintenance of good vision and protection from eye diseases such as night blindness and cataracts.

This is what Culpepper writes about Nettle, in Culpeper’s Complete Herbal, 1814:
NETTLES

Nettles are so well known, that they need no description; they may be found by feeling, in the darkest night.

Government and virtues. This is also an herb Mars claims dominion over. You know Mars is hot and dry, and you know as well that winter is cold and moist; then you may know as well the reason why nettle-tops eaten in the spring consume the phlegmatic superfluities in the body of man, that the coldness and moistness of winter hath left behind. The roots or leaves boiled, or the juice of either of them, or both made into an electuary with honey and sugar, is a safe and sure medicine to open the pipes and passages of the lungs, which is the cause of wheezing and shortness of breath, and helps to expectorate tough phlegm, as also to raise the imposthumed pleurisy; and spend it by spitting; the same helps the swelling of the almonds of the throat, the mouth and throat being gargled therewith. The juice is also effectual to settle the palate of the mouth in its place, and to heal and temper the inflammations and soreness of the mouth and throat. The decoction of the leaves in wine, being drank, is singularly good to provoke women’s courses, and settle the suffocation, strangling of the mother, and all other diseases thereof; it is also applied outwardly with a little myrrh. The same also, or the seed provokes urine, and expels the gravel and stone in the reins or bladder, often proved to be effectual in many that have taken it. The same kills the worms in children, eases pains in the sides, and dissolves the windiness in the spleen, as also in the body, although others think it only powerful to provoke venery. The juice of the leaves taken two or three days together, stays bleeding at the mouth. The seed being drank, is a remedy against the stinging of venomous creatures, the biting of mad dogs, the poisonous qualities of hemlock, henbane, n nightshade, mandrake, or other such like herbs that stupify or dull the senses; as also the lethargy, especially to use it outwardly, to rub the forehead or temples in the lethargy, and the places stung or bitten with beasts, with a little salt. The distilled water of the herb is also effectual (though not so powerful) for the diseases aforesaid; as for outward wounds and sores to wash them, and to cleanse the skin from morphew, leprosy, and other discolourings thereof. The seed or leaves bruised, and put into the nostrils, stays the bleeding of them, and takes away the flesh growing in them called polypus. The juice of the leaves, or the decoction of them, or of the root, is singularly good to wash either old, rotten, or stinking sores or fistulous, and gangrenes, and such as fretting, eating, or corroding scabs, manginess, and itch, in any part of the body, as also green wounds, by washing them therewith, or applying the green herb bruised thereunto, yea, although the flesh were separated from the bones; the same applied to our wearied members, refresh them, or to place those that have been out of joint, being first set up again, strengthens, dries, and comforts them, as also those places troubled with aches and gouts, and the defluxion of humours upon the joints or sinews; it eases the pains, and dries or dissolves the defluctions. An ointment made of the juice, oil, and a little wax, is singularly good to rub cold and benumbed members. An handful of the leaves of green nettles, and another of Wallwort, or Deanwort, bruised and applied simply themselves to the gout, sciatica, or joint aches in any part, hath been found to be an admirable help thereunto.

According to Rosemary Gladstar in her book Family Herbal—A Guide to Living Life with Energy, Health and Vitality,

Nettles are rich in calcium, iron, zinc, chromium, silicon, manganese, magnesium as well as other trace vitamins and minerals. The minerals present in nettle leaves are easily extracted in water and this also makes them useful as a food source, to cook with steamed vegetables or in stir fry’s.

We at Take Charge Tea believe that nettle is the most nutritious thing you can put in your body and that it is the most useful and versatile native herbs for us. It is our best selling tea blend not for this reason, but because of the taste. People sample this tea at the market or a trade show and invariably it is the favourite for most. We are happy about that because it’s a pleasure to be sending so much goodness out for people to fortify, clarify and heal their bodily systems.

This last quote sums it up:

“Nettle is one of the most widely applicable plants in the materia medica. The herb strengthens and supports the whole body.” David Hoffman, 2003.