Category: Herbs

Posted by Christine Pope on in Detoxification, Herbs, Homeopathy, Minerals, Online Courses

What are the healthy options available in the Black Friday sales ?

Black Friday refers to the Friday following Thanksgiving in the United States, marking the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season. The event is infamous for retailers offering substantial discounts, often at deeply reduced prices.This year I started looking for bargains on healthy options to see what was available and would help me save money on things I would usually buy.

First up one of my favourite protein powders nuut emailed offering a 25% discount across the product range of their keto, paleo and daily balance with the code bff25. My usual recommendation is to try the taster bundle so you can check out different flavours. The protein powder is a blend of protein powder, cacao, supergreens and prebiotics and probiotics. Just click here for the nuut site.

My daughter messaged and let me know Zazen replacement water filters were on sale. Jumping on the site I couldn’t find the deal but it showed up in my email shortly afterwards. The site is giving a 35% discount on the replacement kit and 20% on the water filters themselves. The Zazen water filter is a great unit which sits on the bench and removes 99.98% of heavy metals and microplastics, reduces toxins and remineralises the water. Use the code ZAZENFAMILY at checkout.

One of my favourite flavoured salt and spice providers, Gewerzhaus , is offering a 20% discount across the site plus free shipping over $70. The spice mixes provide a wide range of flavour profiles that really enhance cooking. Better still adding herbs and spices to a meal provides a great source of plant phytochemicals as well as flavour.

The Roast Vegetable Salt is a flavourful twist on traditional salt. It’s a blend of finely ground sea salt with a variety of herbs and spices like garlic, coriander, garlic, onion, caraway, oregano, pepper, thyme, ginger, lemon myrtle, marjoram, mustard seed, nutmeg, paprika, parsley, rosemary. This seasoning adds a wonderful depth of flavor to soups, stews, roasted veggies, and even salads. It’s an all-purpose seasoning that brings out the natural sweetness in ingredients, making it a great alternative to plain salt, and it’s perfect for when you want to enhance flavors without overpowering them.

For those who love a garlicky kick in their meals, Gewürzhaus’ Garlic Spice Lover’s is a must-have. This classic seasoning combines the rich, aromatic flavor of garlic with the subtle earthiness of sea salt as well as a little parsley and onion. It’s also the quickest way to make a garlic pizza with just a little oil.

If you’re craving something with a bit of heat and smokiness, the Tex Mex Spices blend is just the ticket. It combines chili, cumin, paprika, garlic, and onion to create the perfect seasoning for tacos, burritos, fajitas, or grilled veggies. It’s the kind of seasoning that brings all the right flavors of Tex-Mex cuisine to your table, with just the right balance of spice and savory notes.

Looking for some education options? My Homeopathy 101 program is on sale at a 50% discount and with the four weeks of content gives you a great training in how to use homeopathy to treat a range of common illnesses. Plus you get to save $$$ every time you avoid having to head to the GP, unless you are fortunate enough to have one who bulk bills!

The on demand program covers all the basics for training yourself in using homeopathic medicines including dosing and selecting a useful potency. Plus it provides you with information about which conditions you can treat and when you need to seek more advice.

Another brand that I use for cleaning is Norwex and they have a lot of specials on products at this time of year. Their microfiber cloths and cleaning systems use advanced technology to trap and remove dirt, bacteria, and allergens with just water, meaning you can clean most surfaces without the need for harsh chemicals. There are also a range of useful cleaning products such as a concentrated laundry powder and enzymatically based stain removal and dishwashing products.

Benefiting from the Black Friday sales is largely a question of identifying what you need to buy and then seeing if the deals offered are worthwhile. My other tip is to make sure you do stay on newsletter databases this time of year because it often adds a little extra value! Let me know if you find any other healthy specials!

Posted by Christine Pope on in Health Care, Herbs, Homeopathy, Online Courses

Natural Medicine First Aid 2022

Did you miss my latest webinar for Natural Medicine Week ? If you want an overview of how to treat coughs, colds and stomach upsets as well as common injuries please review the powerpoint links below or click through to the youtube recording further down.

Natural Medicine First Aid 2022Download

The recordings are linked to my youtube site and can be accessed by clicking on the link below, but please feel free to subscribe to the channel for updates.

Thanks to all those who attended the workshop and please consider following my blog for future updates on all things natural medicine. If you are interested in treating common illnesses and injuries have a look at these recent blogs;

  1. Treating Colds and Flu at home
  2. Natural medicine first aid – bruises, sprains and strains
  3. Stomach Aches and Pains
  4. Post Viral Fatigue (and other symptoms)

Christine is a naturopath and nutritionist based at Elemental Health St Ives. Appointment can be made on 02 8084 0081 or online at the website.

Posted by Christine Pope on in Detoxification, Herbs, Nutrition, Tea

Flavour your food with Therapeutic Herbs

Traditionally many herbs were used to flavour foods or to assist with digestion of those foods. In some instances the flavours are used to enhance the meal and in other cases they were added to alcohol and provided as an aperitif.

There are a significant number of herbs which flavour foods and are commonly used in cooking. Ideally use fresh herbs to really maximise the the nutritional content.

Ginger is a rhizome which can be used sliced, grated or dried. It is useful for stimulating digestion in terms of improving peristalsis, which is the regular muscular movement of the bowels. It is also beneficial for people who suffer from nausea and is often suggested as a tea in the early stages of pregnancy. Ginger can be used as a base for a simple stir fry of vegetables or added as part of a spice mix in Asian dishes.

Garlic is a bulb and is high in both sulphur and allicin, a potent anti-microbial. Garlic is reknown for its impact on the immune system and regular consumption can really support immune function. Many years ago on a camping trip around Thailand we were consuming the equivilant of 5-6 cloves daily. One member of our group had a bad cold but nobody else seemed to acquire it given the substantial consumption of garlic.

Garlic also has value in assisting in the reduction of cholesterol and it is useful for liver function sparing glutathione.

Both ginger and garlic can be used therapeutically in teas with more information in this recent blog Herbal teas for hydration .

Peppermint is usually considered a digestive herb due to the therapeutic properties of its essential oils. Most peppermint leaves consist of up to 2.5% essential oils. Those oils have specific uses in Irritable Bowel symptoms as they are antispasmodic and carminative. That is they relieve symptoms of cramping as well as being useful to alleviate bloating and gas. Mint goes well in salads, particularly flavours such as watermelon and strawberry.

Cinnamon is a bark which has a range of digestive actions. It was often used due to its antifungal actions to preserve baked goods but also has value in its ability to assist in the management of blood glucose and improve insulin sensitivity. Cinnamon is also a carminative which assists in reducing muscle contractions and relieves flatulence, thereby improving the appetite. The smell of cinnamon in cooking is particularly evocative. Cinnamon pairs well with many digestive herbs and spices. An easy way to introduce it in food is to sprinkle ground cinnamon on pumpkin whilst baking.

Rosemary like any digestive herb has a high essential oil content and it is considered useful for colic and period pain due to its antispasmodic actions. The flavour of any meat is usually improved by adding a combination of lemon juice, rosemary, garlic and rock salt. It pairs particularly well with chicken and lamb and is a good source of iron, calcium and B6. Rosemary is one of the few herbs that we manage to grow successfully and so I find a wide number of uses for it in cooking but also in adding as a dried herb to bath salts.

Have you managed to successfully grow herbs and use them in your cooking ? Please post in the comments if you have any tips as in the past I have managed to kill peppermint in the garden!