Bug off!

Looking for an alternative to DEET? This insect repellent is known to induce brain damage with associated symptoms of muscle weakness, muscle pain, memory loss, fatigue, tremors, and shortness of breath. These symptoms may not manifest for months or years after exposure. DEET should never be used on infants. Rosemary oil or rosemary extract may be natural repellent solutions, with borneol and camphor as the active components. One study that demonstrates rosemary’s effectiveness uses approximately 2 tablespoons of freshly minced rosemary leaves to about 1 cup of water. Let the mixture sit for 24 hours and filter out the leaves. Pour the water into a spray bottle and use on the skin as necessary. This cheap, natural alternative was found to provide better protection time and repellency than that of two other natural based brands.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035912_rosemary_herb_memory.html#ixzz1vOHKJ7Bo

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From EAT WEEDS Website (http://www.eatweeds.co.uk/dandelion-flower-vinegar)

The dandelions are all bright and beautiful at the moment. Perfect, I thought for making a dandelion flower vinegar.

Ingredients

Dandelion flower heads
Cider vinegar
Jam jar with rubber sealed lid

And so jar in hand, I walked out down the lane from my house and gathered as many dandelion flower heads as I could fit comfortably into the jar.

I took them back to my house, and then poured 10 year old cider vinegar over them until they were submerged, then capped them and placed them in a shady place.

Really you should leave them for about 6 weeks, but I was already tucking into the vinegar within about 5 days. I like to taste the changes as the vinegar matures.

Makes: 1 jam jar

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This following link is to a website that is mapping the wild food in Hull UK

http://www.hullgoeswild.co.uk

What to do with your bounty…..

SLOE GIN

Take a 1 litre bottle of gin

Drink half a litre..

Cut or prick the sloes

Drop sloes into the half-empty bottle so that they displace the remaining gin to almost the top
Add about 150g sugar

Shake the bottle (with lid on!) daily for one week, then weekly for two months

in theory after 2 months its ready to drink, but the longer you wait the better it gets….

ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL

20 heads of elderflower
1.8 kg granulated sugar, or caster sugar
1.2 litres water
2 lemons
75 g citric acid

Get rid of any large thick stalks and insects, then put elderflowers in a bowl.
Boil up the sugar with the water and stir until totally dissolved

Pare the zest from the lemons and put it in with flowers, then slice the lemons and pop them in as well

Pour the boiling syrup over the flower/lemon mixture

Mix in the citric acid

Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave to stand at room temperature for 24 hours

Sterilise some glass bottles (wash thoroughly, simmer in hot water – http://britishfood.about.com/od/glossary/ht/sterilizingjars.htm

The next day, strain the cordial through some clean muslin into the cleaned bottles. Seal and keep in fridge ready for use!

More>>>

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“Never Put This on Your Face or Skin”
Despite all the marketing hype – this popular substance coats your skin like
plastic, clogging pores and can create a build-up of toxins that creates
earlier signs of aging. It’s implicated as a suspected cause of cancer
and can even disrupt hormonal activity…

http://www.mercolahealthyskin.com/index-b.aspx?e_cid=20120503_DNL_art_1

Homesoil

Homesoil

I was so hungry in between meals today that I just threw together the following snack.

Now it may just have been because I felt really hungry but all I can say is it is the best thing I have ever eaten! lol

Ingredients and Method

Wash two romaine lettuce leaves, smear with home made garlic hummous, drop a few blobs of home cooked refried beans on top, add a crushed walnut to each,  sprinkle with nutritional yeast and top with chives picked from just outside the back door. Roll up and devour.

I felt quite proud of my innovative because just before it popped into my head I was going through the “what can I eat stage” ?

It really was quick, easy, satisfying, incredibly tasty and most importantly full of nutrition!

Oh and I did also add one lonely cherry tomato because I love them but was scared it would be too big to roll up!

Worked fine though because it was itty bitty!

Homesoil

As I have said earlier the biggest change for me came around when I watched Forks over Knives (FOK).

There are some real hero’s that took part in making that documentary and two of them featured prominantly and they are Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D. & T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.. who wrote the “China Study” which I am part of the way through (so much information out there once you start digging)

Before the FOK film I had watched things like “the world according to monsanto” where you can see how people are “sold to the devil” for profit and another great documentary called Food Inc.

I highly recommend watching all these films to give you a greater understanding of how we are being manipulated and how & why they manage to get away with it. The following video is a free version of the “the world according to monsanto”.

More recently I watched a film called Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead by Joe Cross. This man drank nothing but juice for 60 days and ended up curing himself of his autoimmune disease, getting off his medication and losing 100lbs in weight. Might be a bit drastic for some but he is giving the same message as all the heros, highly nutritious plant based diet. Everything else is up to interpretation depending on many factors.

I have just last week bought the book “Eat to Live” and the author Dr Joel Furhman and he is fast becoming another favourite of mine.

There is tons of information out there and support, plus stories of miraculous reversal of serious illness like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. My high blood pressure reversed and I have no reason to doubt any of theses stories I am just grateful that people are willing to share their stories with me and the rest of the world.

I am linked to three facebook support groups that offer amazing advice and support if you are just starting out on an unprocessed, nutritionally dense, plant based, vegan eating plan.

Dr Furhmans “Eat to live – Nutritarian Plant Based Diet

Reboot Your Life

FOK Fans Group

I can hear what you are thinking. “Trust me”, I NEVER believed I would be promoting this way of looking after your health. I still have an affinity towards the hunter gatherer in me but decades ago we mostly gathered plants and seeds anyway so that point is moot.

Something wonderful happens when you put plants in and take toxins out. It is not always easy to explain but my husband who told me he would never give up dairy is right behind me and feels exactly the same. “what happened”

I can add that it hasn’t been an easy transtition. Some days will be good days and some will be bad but if you get used to feeling good incrementally, you will want MORE.

Homesoil

The Oil Cleansing Method

Clear, glowing, dewy-looking skin, free of blackheads, pimples, cysts, and other imperfections seems to be an elusive goal. The booming skin care industry would have you believe the same with their claims of the need to rid your skin of oil completely and apply burning chemicals in order to avoid these imperfections. Modern society has been so strongly influenced by these marketing claims that some find themselves washing the delicate and easily-inflamed tissue of their facial skin with “grease cutting” or “antibacterial” dish and hand soap only to find that their skin condition worsens. The anxiety that rises when yet another pimple flares up or another painful lump begins forming beneath the skin sends many into overdrive in attempt to counter the impending damage, but does it ever work? Does the panicked scrubbing, disinfecting, and drying ever work? Why is it that if something works for a few days, or if you get lucky, a few weeks, the long term brings the blemishes back? The cycle seems endless. It’s exhausting. It’s painful. It’s embarrassing. It’s expensive!

More….

Homesoil

Things you can expect when you follow a plant based, unprocessed, nutritional eating plan!

I get to remain free from craving the standard diet and binge eating!
I get to enjoy life without feeling miserably bloated, tired and depressed.
I get to enjoy wearing pretty clothes on hot summer days.
I get to ride a bike and enjoy the sights and smells of a fresh, spring morning in the country.
I get to wake up in the mornings refreshed and happy to be alive!
I get to live my life without ongoing endocrinology and cardiology appointments.
I get to save lots and lots of money by not needing to buy test strips and insulin.
I get to live in no fear of ever having a heart attack in front of my kids.
I get to be free from astronomically expensive and toxic pharmaceuticals.
I get to sit in an airplane seat and not be encumbered by rolls of fat.
I get to play with future grandchildren someday instead of sitting on the sidelines in a chair.
I get to do all of this and more!

Homesoil

Foods that naturally boost the immune system

Foods that boost the body’s immune system can offer a lot of healthy options for those who wish to be more conscious in what they take in. To be sustained, the immune system heavily depends on the stomach for support. Malnourished individuals are more susceptible to disease as opposed to those who observe a healthy nutritious diet. Below are some of these examples:

1. Echinacea – Echinacea is a popular herb that has been identified to boost immunity. Combined with goldenseal, another herb, or enjoyed alone as tea, this member of the daisy family has been found to prevent and treat upper respiratory tract infections as well as the common cold.

2. Ginseng – This herb has many varieties. The most commonly studied variety is Panax ginseng, also known as Korean ginseng. Its main active component, ginsenosides, has been proven to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Clinical research studies have demonstrated that it may improve immune and psychological functions as well as conditions related to diabetes.

3. Garlic – This spice has had a long history of medicinal value. In a recent study conducted by Dr. Ellen Tattelman, an assistant professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, New York, it was reconfirmed that garlic indeed has cardiovascular, anti-microbial and antineoplastic properties. It’s also a perfect spice to use when doing sauteed dishes.

4. Bell peppers- This pepper variety does not contain capsaicin, unlike its other feisty cousins. On the contrary, it is sweet and crunchy and contains the carotenoid lycopene which lowers the risk of cancer; beta-carotene which is converted to vitamin A; and Zeaxanthin, known to prevent macular degeneration and cataracts.

5. Ginger – This herb has been shown to reduce inflammation, cardiovascular conditions, blood clots and cholesterol. In a study, researchers found that animal subjects given ginger extracts had a significant reduction in cholesterol and blood clotting qualities. Moreover, it has been observed to inhibit the behavior of genes connected with inflammation.

6. Turmeric- This spice contains curcumin, which has notable antioxidant properties. It also has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and stomach soothing benefits. It reduces inflammation by stimulating the adrenal glands to increase the hormone that lessens inflammation. Animal studies on this herb have revealed that turmeric protects the liver from the adverse effects of alcohol and certain toxins. Turmeric also helps in digestive problems by stimulating bile flow.

7. Gingko Biloba- Gingko biloba’s leaves contain antioxidant compounds called bilobalides and ginkgolides that protect the body from damage caused by free radicals. Moreover, it has also been found to protect against radiation. In a study using animal subjects, ginkgo was demonstrated to have protected the test subjects against radiation poisoning. The latest research also suggests that extracts of this herb can neutralize oxidizing agents and free radicals caused in the cells due to radiation, thus preventing cell death. In fact, NaturalNews recently reported that ginkgo extracts reduce brain damage by up to 50 percent.

8. Ganoderma- This is a bitter mushroom also known as reishi. It has long been a popular herb in Chinese medicine attributed to assisting in longevity and health. Further studies on this oriental herb reveal that it strengthens immunity and combats cancer. Moreover, it has antioxidant properties and provides relief from urinary tract infections.

9. Astralagus – Also from China, this herb stimulates the immune system and aids in digestion and adrenal gland functions. It is also a diuretic. The effectiveness of this herb is due to polysaccharides, saponins and flavonoids. It has also been taken to combat the common cold and flu. Its digestive health benefits demonstrate the lowering of stomach acidity, resulting to an increase in the body’s metabolic rates and the promotion of waste elimination.

10. Cat’s claw – This herb from Peru is commonly used for stomach problems. Recently, however, it is becoming known as an exceptional immune response stimulator that helps the body to fight off infections and degenerative diseases. It contains oxindole alkaloids enhancing the immune system’s capacity to engulf and destroy pathogens.

From a practical perspective, taking in food which boosts the immune system while enjoying it at the same time can be a cost effective way to maintain health. Coupled with a healthy lifestyle, sufficient rest and a positive outlook in life, staying healthy does not have to cost an arm and a leg.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035530_immune_system_herbs_spices.html#ixzz1rlW9dwRr

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