Powerfully minty-fresh with a cool distinctive fragrance, peppermint oil is quickly becoming one of the most versatile essential oils in the world. The rapidly growing perennial plant native to Europe and Asia supports a wide range of health benefits due to the nutrient-rich compounds present in peppermint leaves.
Today's walk through Mother Earth's Medicine Cabinet will lead us down the Heart Health & Healing section. There are several different natural ways to lower your blood pressure, such as adding or eliminating certain foods in your diet. Before we move on to the goodies in store that can help you with lowering your blood pressure, I'd like to explain exactly what high blood pressure is.
Farro is an ancient food of the people who lived in the Mediterranean basin. It fed the Roman army, was a biblical food, and is the national dish of Lebanon. Not only was it a staple but it was also a cure for many maladies. Farro was found to have first been cultivated in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East 10,000 years ago. Its initial use was as the main ingredient in bread. It is also known as emmer and by the 20th century was replaced with durum wheat.
Psyllium husk doesn’t necessarily “look” like a superfood, but boy is it ever powerful. Psyllium is a master at relieving constipation, and when your bowels are running smoothly, so are you.
Amaranth is a seed that has been part of the Aztec diet for more than 8000 years, when the Aztecs would collect the seeds in the wild. They also used the seeds to make flour for baked images of their gods during festivals and for tributary payments. The plant began to be cultivated in Mexico approximately 4000 B.C.E. and continues to be a native Peruvian crop.
The cucumber is often overlooked, but this valuable veggie has a lot of healing qualities that should certainly not be ignored. It’s full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and so many other things that help to nurture the body. From the skin to the seeds, here are 10 amazing healing qualities of the so very cool cucumber.
1. Cleaning Out Toxins
Gotu Kola: a small plant with big healing potential.
Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) has been considered a cure-all for thousands of years. It is considered to be an herb of longevity in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic medicine with good reason. This slender, tiny herb is packed full of some truly amazing health and healing benefits.
The walnut tree is found from the Balkans to China. It is a slow-growing tree, and its fruit has been eaten by Europeans for more than 8,000 years. The ancient Greeks began cultivating the trees and the practice spread throughout Europe. The walnut tree came to North America with the English settlers in the early 19th century – and thus the walnut got its name the English walnut. Today the largest groves of walnut trees are found in Kyrgyzstan at high elevations.
It seems that in our society, yawning has become an indicator of “being bored”— or being rude for that matter—when in reality, this is likely far from the truth and is a misunderstanding.
As a retired yoga teacher and massage therapist—and simply a person who has spent countless hours dedicated to learning how to relax and take good care of myself—I feel a particular need and responsibility to write this article as an encouragement to the world at large to yawn as much and as often as possible.
Tahini is ground sesame seeds – it’s a product which is rich in nutrients and has been used in recipes and as a healing agent for centuries. The sesame plant is native to India and was found growing naturally from northeastern Africa to the far east. The seeds were primarily used for their oil, as a base for perfumes and as a seasoning. The name sesame is derived from the ancient Egyptian word sesemt and later from the Greek word sesamon.