Kava Kava (Piper methysticum) is native to the Western Pacific Islands region. Captain Cook is responsible for the naming of the kava plant, though he didn’t actually discover it. The Latin name Piper methysticum translates to “intoxicating pepper.” The terms “kava” and “kava kava” are both used often and refer to the same plant.
My naturopath recommends castor oil for everything from dry eyes to sore joints to digestive issues. I took her word for it and every time I would use it, it would work — but I wasn’t sure if it was all in my mind or if there really was something special to this sticky, slippery stuff that I just didn’t know about yet.
Swimmer’s Ear, also known as Otitis externa, is pretty common during the summer months simply because more people are in and around water. Swimmer’s ear is actually an infection that occurs in the outer ear canal running from your eardrum to the outside of your head. The infection is typically brought on when water enters the ear and becomes trapped inside of the ear canal.
Do you have thick hair, thin hair, or maybe more coarse hair?
Are you talkative or not?
Prone to anger, fear, or escape in a stressful situation?
Lemon balm, also called Melissa officinalis and “the Herb of Good Cheer,” has easily become one of my favorite herbs in the past year. It tastes like a mellow, citrus-y herb (exactly what you would expect from something called “lemon balm”) but what I love most is that it’s an “all-in-one.” Not only is lemon balm calming for your nerves but it also has powerful healing properties and is especially helpful for killing viruses and lowering inflammation. Here are just some of the many benefits of lemon balm:
Sandalwood refers to wood from trees in the genus Santalum. Sandalwood trees grow in India, Asia, and places like Hawaii. There are many types of wood that have desirable fragrances such as cedar and cherry trees but the scent of those trees fades pretty quickly compared to the sandalwood. The sweet, warm, woody, and soft scent of sandalwood stays strong for decades. Sandalwood’s sweet aroma has been around and highly valued for many centuries.
Recovering from a drug addiction is one of the hardest things for a person to do—especially when you’re feeling depressed and looking for something to help improve your mood.
S.C.O.B.Y., the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast needed to produce kombucha, is a necessary by-product of the fizzy, good-for-you fermented tea that’s grown in popularity over the last few years. It’s not pretty: most scoby are disc-shaped (they grow to fit their containers, usually a large glass jar), rubbery feeling, and slimy looking, with the occasional grayish-brown strands that can result from yeast blooms.
Water permeates all facets (and faucets – pun intended) of our lives: from what we drink, to how we bathe, to where we gather to swim, kayak, ride boats, and even travel. We’ve all heard familiar phrases like “drink half your body weight in ounces per day,” and “eight cups of water per day is the minimum of what you need,” but few of us ever bother to take a look at our water.
Yes, it can be found in a well, reservoir, tap, or bottle, but few of us are familiar with the actual source: springs.
