Ayurveda is an ancient system of health care, principal to the Indian sub-continent. The word “Ayurveda” is an amalgam of the word ayus meaning “life” and the word veda, which refers to a method of “knowledge”. Therefore “Ayurveda” more or less translates as the “knowledge of life”.

Ayurveda is a system that helps maintain wellbeing in a person by using the intrinsic principles of nature. In essence Ayurveda has been in existence since the beginning of time as we have always been governed by nature’s laws.

Many Ayurvedic methods were handed down by word of mouth and were used before there were written records. Two ancient books, more than 2,000 years old, are thought to be the first texts on Ayurveda–Caraka Samhita and Susruta Samhita.

Ayurvedic Elements

Ayurveda believes that every human being is a made up of five primary elements. These five primary elements combine and create various physiological functions in the human body.

Ether or Space
Air
Water
Fire
Earth

These elements combine to form three doshas- Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

Ayurveda believes humans are all made up of unique proportions of Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These ratios of the doshas vary in each individual. Each person has one predominant dosha in their constitution.

An imbalance in the doshas is the cause of any disease. Imbalances may be caused by an unhealthy diet, too much or too little mental and physical work, or from the weather, chemicals, or germs.

Doshas

Vata dosha.
Ether and air combine to form what is known as the Vata dosha. Vata administers to the principle of movement and is considered the most powerful of all doshas. It controls the very basic body developments such as cell division, heart, respiration, and the mind. Vata can be out of balance by, staying up late at night, or eating before the previous meal is digested. People with vata as their main dosha are thought to be particularly prone to skin, neurological, and mental diseases.

Pitta dosha.
Fire and water combine to form the Pitta dosha. Pitta controls the hormones and digestive system. When pitta is out of balance, a person experiences harmful emotions and has physical symptoms such as heartburn. Pitta is upset by, eating spicy or sour food; being angry, tired, or fearful, or spending too much time in the sun. People with a predominantly pitta constitution are vulnerable to heart disease and arthritis.

Kapha dosha.
The elements water and earth combine to form the Kapha dosha. Kapha is considered to help keep up strength and immunity and to control growth. A symptom of kapha imbalance is nausea immediately after eating. Kapha is aggravated by, sleeping during the daytime, eating too many sweet foods, and eating and drinking foods and beverages with too much salt and water .Those with a predominant kapha dosha are exposed to diabetes, gallbladder problems, stomach ulcers, and respiratory illnesses.

Ayurvedic Medicines

Ayurveda operates on the principle that materials of vegetable, animal, and mineral origin have an assortment of medicinal values. The medicinal properties of these materials have been established by the practitioners of Ayurveda over a period of 2,000 years.

Ayurveda has been used for centuries to cure illness and maintain good health. Ayurvedic medications are made from herbs or blend of herbs. Ayurveda also uses herbs in combination with minerals, metals and other ingredients of animal origin. The metals, animals and minerals are cleansed by diverse procedures before being used for medicinal purposes.

In Conclusion

Ayuerveda is a pure holistic treatment in sync with nature. It is health, not disease, specific and takes into account the patient’s entire individuality - body, mind and spirit before treatment.

Ashish Bhattacharya is an exponent of oriental and alternative medicine. Armed with a degree in East Asian Therapies from China, he has worked in an Ayurvedic spa resort in Mauritius, and is an expert in spa reservation

Homeopathy is one of the most widely used forms of medicine in the world today. (1)

How homeopathy works

Homeo - same, pathos - suffering
Homeopathy takes the principal known as the law of similars or “like cures like” the strategy also behind immunizations. This means that a substance that can cause the disease can also cure it. If coffee leaves one wide awake then a homeopath may use potentised (diluted) coffee or coffea 200C as it’s known to relieve insomnia. (2)

Founder of Homeopathy
Homeopathy as it is known today was developed over 200 years ago by Samuel Hahnemann, a German doctor and chemist. He believed that “The highest ideal of cure is rapid, gently and permanent restoration of health, or removal and annihilation of the disease in its whole extent, in the shortest, most reliable and most harmless way, on easily comprehensible principles.” (1)

How scientific is Homeopathy?
According to the majority of modern mainstream medical professionals, homeopathy is long way from being scientific and its effectiveness needs a long stretch of the imagination.
However in 1991 the British Medical Journal published an extensive review article by a group of Dutch researchers on the effectiveness of Homeopathy. They reviewed 107 Homeopathy clinical trials that had been published in reputable medical journals. 77 trials showed that Homeopathy worked, so they evaluated the methodology to see how carefully the trials were conducted - expecting to see poorly performed trials. To their surprise they found instead, that the clear majority of those more rigorous trials homeopathy proved to be effective. “Based on the evidence we would be ready to accept that homeopathy can be efficacious, if only the mechanism of action were more plausible…” (2)

How are Homeopathic remedies prepared?
Remedies are derived from plant, mineral, or animal substances. The remedy begins as a liquid solution taken through a series of dilution steps involving shaking or succession to potentise it. It then turns into a tiny sugar tasting ball that you dissolve in the mouth, which is a good reason for scepticism as it tastes too good to be medicine.

Where can I find out more?
In the UK I recommend contacting the Alliance of Registered Homeopaths at www.a-r-h.org for a registered practitioner. If you are on a budget and curious there are also discounted clinics offered by final year students under the eyes of supervisors. Alternatively most countries have a registered body that can be found through a google search.

Your 3d Coach

Craig Burton

References

(1) Alliance of Registered Homeopaths website, http://www.a-r-h.org
(2) Radical Healing, Rudolph Ballentine M.D., Randon House Publishing, 1999

About the Author:

Article by Craig Burton. Craig is a prominent European based holistic health and fitness coach with more than 15 years experience. Craig is a Sports Science graduate of Edith Cowan University and has postgraduate accreditations in nutrition, massage, athletic training, and corrective exercise therapy. He is the author of “The 21 Day Roadmap to Health” available at http://www.3dpts.com

If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to forward it to others, make it available from your site or post it on forums for others to read. Just make sure that this paragraph and URL are included. For more information and articles on health and fitness visit http://www.3dpts.com/articles

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Today we examine a highly influential part of my health approach - naturopathy.

What is Naturopathy?

Naturopathy, also known as natural medicine, or natural therapeutics, is the western version of other holistic, nature-based medical systems that harness the body’s own natural healing process (like Chinese medicine).

Naturopaths believe the healing power of the body is the most powerful tool and should be supported - not overridden. The body can heal cuts, mend broken bones, rid itself of infections and achieve feats when given a chance that makes no competition against any man-made drug.

History and theory
The roots of naturopathy go back to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, who is often quoted as saying, “one man’s food is another man’s poison”, which is the basis of Metabolic Typing MT (see archive for more on MT). Hippocrates believed the foundations of health and vitality were supportive eating, adequate rest and exercise - and that cures should stimulate the body’s natural healing ability.

Modern naturopathy evolved from Austrian friar Father Kneipp and German Vincent Preissnitz in the 19th century. They further developed Hippocrates idea and formulated the two concepts central to modern naturopathy:

1. Nature cure - the body has the power to heal itself.
2. Natural hygiene - the body requires clean air and water, regular exercise and fresh food, in order to be healthy.

Naturopaths believe the body has a natural state of equilibrium, known as “homeostasis”, and a “vital force” that facilitates healing. They also believe poor diet, lack of exercise, inadequate fresh air and sunlight, too much stress or too many negative thoughts can disturb this equilibrium and lead to disease.

Another considered cause of disease is the accumulation of toxins in the body caused by poor elimination of waste products, ingesting chemicals or additives, or the inhaling pollutants. These toxins can weaken the immune system and suppress the body’s vital force. Here the role of the naturopath is to use techniques to assist in the body’s process of elimination.

Naturopath’s tool bag
Naturopaths use various techniques and therapies to promote health and healing including:
•Advising on healthy foods options
•Herbal and homeopathic remedies
•Detoxification regimes (including fasting, enemas and colonic irrigation) to help eliminate toxins from the body and strengthen the immune system
•Hydrotherapy (using hot and cold baths, mineral spas and douches)
•Breathing exercises and stretches are used to improve flexibility and promote relaxation
•Osteopathic manipulation is used to correct structural misalignment
•Massage is used to improve circulation and relax the body and mind

Consulting a practitioner
Naturopaths are widespread in the US, Germany and Australia. There are fewer naturopaths in the UK and other European countries, but their numbers are steadily rising.

At the first consultation, a naturopath will take your medical history and may check blood pressure and lung function, or suggest blood or other medical tests. They may also use less orthodox testing such as iridology (iris diagnosis) and radionic testing. You’ll generally be given dietary and exercise recommendations and may be asked to follow a cleansing diet or a short fast.

To find a qualified practitioner, we suggest you contact one of the relevant organizations.

In the UK you could contact the General Council and Register of Naturopaths (GCRN). The GCRNs keep a register of over 300 qualified practitioners of naturopathy. Website: www.naturopathy.org.uk.

For other countries see their national governing body, easily found via the internet.

Your 3d Coach

Craig Burton

References
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/healthy_living/ complementary_medicine/therapies_naturopathy.shtml

About the Author:

Article by Craig Burton. Craig is a prominent European based holistic health and fitness coach with more than 15 years experience. Craig is a Sports Science graduate of Edith Cowan University and has postgraduate accreditations in nutrition, massage, athletic training, and corrective exercise therapy. He is the author of “The 21 Day Roadmap to Health” available at http://www.3dpts.com

If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to forward it to others, make it available from your site or post it on forums for others to read. Just make sure that this paragraph and URL are included. For more information and articles on health and fitness visit http://www.3dpts.com/articles

To join the FREE monthly Peak Performance Newsletter and to find out more about your current health status with our FREE questionnaire go to http://www.3dpts.com

If you’ve been researching TMJ for some time and how to treat it, you’ve probably found one overall statement from every reliable source:

There is no real cure for TMJ.

The only thing doctors can do is give out strong pain relief medicines or muscle relaxation drugs. There is nothing else they can do.

Little by little, you get immune to the strong pain killers and other short term medications and they’ll stop working for you (if they ever did relief your pain in the first place).

Your dentists may try his best to help you by making a dental implant. These implants are mostly meant to save your teeth from grinding down. It is not a permanent cure and usually doesn’t relief the pain, although it may be well worth it to save your teeth.

The traditional health system has no cure for TMJ!

You can’t really blame them tough.

TMJ is one of the most complex conditions you’ll ever find.

Every TMJ patient has different original causes for his or her condition. And not only one cause or accident. There are probably several contributing factors causing your pain. Both physical and emotional.

Overwhelming feelings like stress, grief, or intense anger are often basic triggers of TMJ. Injuries, like car accidents or sport injuries are another common triggers.

You may not even have noticed at all when your condition began to develop. Maybe you bumped into something but didn’t give it a second thought. Few days later you began to experience pain. Most often, there is no way to know the original trigger.

Okay, that’s enough. Lets talk about what we DO KNOW!

What we know for a fact about TMJ is, the jaw joints are always misplaced in some way. It doesn’t necessarily have to be complete misplacement (although sometimes it is). Small wrong misplacement can be enough. And the symptoms can be both nerve racking and painful…

* Jaw locking opened or closed

* Uncontrollable jaw or tongue movements

* Clicking, popping jaw joints

* Clenching or grinding at night

* Grating sounds

* Inability to open the jaw smoothly or evenly

* Jaw deviates to one side when opening

* Inability to “find bite” with teeth

* Limited opening

* Frequent, migraine type headaches

* Extreme pain in cheek muscles

* Discomfort or pain to any of these areas

…are just few obvious symptoms. You may have some or all of them. Or non at all. Like I said, this is very complicated condition.

Another thing we know for a fact is, the jaw muscles are always very tense. It varies how painful they’re or if they’re torn but they’re always too tense. These weak, tense jaw muscles will push your jaw further out of position and make the problem worse.

This is similar to back problems. Most people who suffer from back problems have weak, tense muscles. The back problem may have started by using bad position when working, by minor injury, or something else that didn’t seem very serious at the time.

As self defense, the back muscles get tense to avoid the pain. This is unconscious and uncontrollable. That’s why you often see people with back problem walk bent. The back pain becomes chronic when, the tension in the back muscles actually push the spine out of place. What was only supposed to be temporarily pain relief has caused serious condition.

It’s no different with TMJ. Something that probably began as minor problem (maybe small bump on the jaw or period of intense feelings) is now becoming serious problem as the jaw muscles push on the jaw joints.

This, then leads to series of other problems.

Now the two jaw joints do not cooperate together. They’re unbalanced and uncontrollable. It shouldn’t really come as surprise that everything gets stuck. The pain is unbearable. It’s like begin constantly tortured.

Nerves get squeezed when the jaw joints are out of place. This is, for example, the reason many people suffering from TMJ experience loss of balance. The nerve system, controlling the jaw are directly connected to the nerves in the ear, where the function balancing your body takes place.

All the muscles in your body are connected. If one gets tense, all the muscles around that one become tense too. You’ve probably, for example, felt your shoulders and neck get stiffer as your TMJ grows worse.

Less noticeable is the tension in all the small muscles in your head. Including your other face muscles, tongue, throat and even eyes. You may also feel like your throat is narrower now than before (you’re not crazy it’s true).

You don’t have to imagine all the secondary symptoms this indirect tension from the jaw is creating. You’re experiencing some or all of them yourself…

* voice fluctuations

* sore throat without infection

* swallowing difficulties

* bloodshot eyes

* tongue pain

* balance problems, “vertigo”, dizziness, or disequilibrium

* feeling of foreign object in throat

* clogged, stuffy, “itchy” ears, feeling of fullness

* watering of the eyes

…plus endless other secondary symptoms, some people experience but others don’t.

The only way to reverse the development of TMJ and heal your self is to loosen up and strengthen both the jaw muscles and all the muscles around the jaw.

This does actually not require hard effort tough. The exercises are simple and easy to do. But you have to practice them if they’re are going to work for you.

1)The jaw exercises strengthen and loosen up the jaw muscles directly. As you practice these exercises, the jaw muscles stops pushing the jaw into wrong position. Instead, it guides the jaw joints into right place and that way heals your TMJ.

2)Consider how close the tongue is to the jaw. It’s no wonder how important it is to remove any tension from this muscle. You do that using simple tongue exercises.

3)You probably noticed how many of the secondary symptoms had something to do with the throat. You’ll feel a whole lot better after you practise the throat exercises for few days.

4)The neck and shoulder muscles are directly connected to the Jaw muscles. These muscles are usually the first one to freeze when the jaw muscles get stiff. They can, however, easily be put back into regular function using powerful neck and shoulder exercises.

5)All muscles need oxygen to function properly. Stiff muscles, reduce the amount of oxygen they can process. Using specially designed breathing exercises, you can bring these muscles back to life, so they may begin to function properly again.

Most people who practice these exercises claim to get really good relief from them. Many totally heal their TMJ permanently. This is amazing, considering how complicated this condition is.

But before you celebrate, let me be brutally honest with you.

This will most likely take some time and effort. The exercises take less than 10 minutes a day on the average. But you must commit to them for some period of time. Some people literally get healed over night but that’s not the norm.

Your TMJ has been developing for years (even if the symptoms just showed up). So give the training few weeks. Even couple of months.

The muscles around the jaw must regain their old strength and flexibility. So must the jaw muscle itself. But that’s not enough. The jaw muscles must guide and lock the jaw joints into natural healthy position. This happens little by little (often fraction of an inch a day).

The fact remains, this is the only method proven effective to heal TMJ. Nothing else helps!

Do you want to learn more about these exercises and try some of them for free? If so, follow this link to cure TMJ permanently…

http://tmj-no-more.com

Christian Goodman is the founder of The TMJ No More Program ( http://www.tmj-no-more.com ). The program has helped thousands of people to cure their TMJ without having to undertake dangerous surgery, dental implant or having to buy and use drugs every day.

Home remedy for athlete’s foot is the best choice now because it’s proven to recover the symptoms faster than conventional medication, decrease the rate of recurrence, and no dangerous side effects.

Athlete’s foot or tinea pedis is skin infection that caused by pathogen fungi. Foot is more affect by fungi because they always wet and moist warm environment. Symptoms of athlete’s foot are burning sensation, itching, redness, scaling, cracked and blistering. Athlete’s food infection is difficult to cure and often recur.

There are some of home remedies for athlete’s foot:

- Apply some tea tree oil in the affected skin, it acts such an antiseptic that can relief the itchy cessation.

- Soak your foot in the vinegar. They act such anti fungal can kill off the fungus.

- Mixture baking soda with warm water and rub on the affected skin and between your nail then rinse and dry properly.

- Clean your toenails, toenails are favorite breeding place for the fungus, so make sure to clean your toenails.

- Keep your feet and area between each toenails dry and clean after your get wet, consider using a hair dryer set on low to thoroughly dry your feet.

- Practice good habit such change your socks every day, dry your shoes, and don’t barefoot in the public toilet or pools.

You’ve tried other treatment to cure your athlete’s foot with a little or maybe no result. You should try this best home remedy for athlete’s foot to solve your problem forever. Don’t hide your problem inside your shoes, which just make worst everyday, and only spread to your other body. Solve your problem now and forever! Click here learn about : Home remedy for athlete’s foot

(c) Home remedy for athlete’s foot

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What is athlete’s foot? Let’s learn more about this and find the best cure for athlete’s foot.

Athlete’s foot is called tinea pedis on medical term. Athlete’s foot caused by pathogen fungal infection of the skin of the foot, usually between the toes. It is contagious and can be spread through direct contact such as shoes, public shower or pool, sock or stockings.

Symptoms of athlete’s foot include scaling, itching, blisters and cracked of the affected skin. The infection can be spread to other area of the body such as the knees, armpits, elbow and groin.

Prevention for Athlete’s foot is important because it can spread to other easily, some of tips to prevent athlete’s foot, includes:

- Keep your feet dry and cool , so dry your feet carefully between each toe whenever your feet get wet.

- Always wear sandals at the public shower or pool

- Wear shoes that has well ventilated and made of natural material.

- Dry your shoes after used everyday and if possible try to alternate shoes on different days.

- Change your shocks daily to keep your feet dry and clean.

How to cure athlete’s foot? If you consult to your doctor, usually they will give you prescription of topical anti fungal and / or oral griseofulvin for athlete’s foot. These medication need your patience because it is long term treatment but can work well when you using it. But after you stop the treatment, the effect is stop too, and can’t prevent the fungal to come back again.

There are home remedies for athlete’s foot is very helpful, because they work in your immune system, so your body works to recover the disease and reduce the reoccurance. Home remedy for athele’s foot is famous cure for athlete’s foot now. So many people have tried home remedies for cure their athlete’s foot with good results than other treatment.

If you have athlete’s foot problem, and often recur might be home remedies is the best solution for you. Learn more about this, click here : Home remedy to cure athlete’s foot

(c) http://betterhealthstyle.com/nail-fungus-medication.htm

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Chinese herbal remedies have been used to treat all kinds of diseases and symptoms for thousands of years ago in China. It is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a system of healing that has many principles that are not easy to understand because of their many intricacies. A TCM practitioner has to take several years to learn them all and also to draw his knowledge on the various herbs and their interactions for healing. Here, I attempt to explain some of the basic principles using Chinese herbal remedies as a form of treatment.

Chinese herbal remedies are divided into 5 different seasons; including fall, winter, spring, summer and late summer. According to the principles that are followed here, the universal energy is at its highest during the summer and herbs are most abundant in the late summer.

All foods can also be viewed from an energy perspective. Of course, food also provides nutrition, vitamins and calories, but it is the energy that is studied here. It is believed that each food vibrates at a specific energy frequency that corresponds to a specific organ. These energies know how to thrive in specific seasons, which corresponds with a specific organ. Thus, some foods can be used as herbal remedies which can help increase or decrease a person’s vital energy. For instance, sunflower causes energy to rise, while a plant’s root causes energy to flow downwards.

While TCM also regards food as having healing energies, herbs are the ones that used to dramatically help increase the energy within these foods. Many foods and herbs are often mixed together and cooked for hours. Although there is no nutritional value left in the foods or herbs, it is the drink that contains the energy that is required to treat your various conditions.

Here, it is believed that the universe has provided us with a powerful, natural way in which to maintain good health. In TCM, various factors that contribute to your body being out of harmony are examined so that a permanent solution to the issue can be found. It is believed that this is much better than just treating the symptoms.

Chinese herbal remedies can be used for your relief from physical and mental symptoms. In many cases, these herbal remedies are also effective as cures. There can be a great deal to learn from this system of holistic healing. However, you may find it worth the time to acquire some knowledge as this would mean being able to live in complete harmony with your body. Alternatively, if you want to derive the benefits from Chinese herbal remedies, you can always consult a qualified practitioner.

Evelyn Lim is the publisher of a newsletter on Herbal Home Remedies. She draws on her practical knowledge passed down by her grandmother in the use of herbs to treat common ailments and shares about them in her newsletter. For free information and a bonus MP3 download, please visit her site at http://www.HerbalRemedyTips.com

Ravensara ( Ravinsara aromatica ) has a soft, sweet aroma with a lightly camphorous scent, similar to Eucalyptus.

Ravensara has a reputation as a universal healing oil to be used for a broad spectrum of conditions.

It is especially beneficial for treating any type of respiratory illness like: bronchitis, sinusitis and flu.

Ravensara is an immuno-stimulant and promotes detoxification.

Its anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties make it an excellent aromatic mist for use in a room. Or try a few drops in a bowel of steaming hot water.

Ravensara’s very gentle action as an immune support make it one of the safest anti-infectious oils to use with children!

Ravensara also acts as gentle and nourishing support for the nerves making it especially good for treating chronic conditions.

Good results may be obtained for infectious mononucleosis, shingles and cold sores.

For shingles I recommend blending it with Sandalwood and Myrrh for inhalation.

Ravensara’s tonic effect on the nerves make it useful for treating mental and physical fatigue.

May be beneficial in a blend with Neroli and Sandalwood for treating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

PLEASE NOTE: There are many cheap, synthetic copies of aromatic oils, but these are not recommended for therapeutic use. For best results purchase the highest quality oils you can possibly find. Use certified organic essential oils, or oils that have been tested and are pesticide free.

Holistic MindBody Therapy, including pure essential oils, are gentle, noninvasive complementary forms of health care for balancing and synchronizing your body, mind and spirit and a natural, safe and effective way to enhance your health and well-being. Holistic health care may produce satisfying results where other methods have failed. Please consult with your physician regarding serious health concerns and do not attempt to self diagnose.

KG has developed massage training and holistic health programs for the spa industry, health clubs and clinics, schools, resorts, as well as for individual clients. She is a MindBody Therapist and Health Educator with advanced certification and training in Bowen Therapy, BodyTalk and Aromatherapy. She is the owner of Springhill Wellness Center and the founder & director of PurePlant Essentials aromatherapy products.

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Earliest Known Use of Herbs

The earliest indication of herb use by human beings was discovered in the 1960s in a burial site at Shanidar Cave in Iraq. 8 herbs were found there, buried with 60,000 year-old Neanderthal remains. It’s believed these were medicinal plants intended for use in the afterlife. Healing herbs were also portrayed in the famous cave paintings at Lascaux, France, which are between 11,000-23,000 years old.

Ancient Civilizations

Chinese herbalism is widely regarded because it has the longest unbroken recorded history. The oldest medical book that mentions herbs is the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, dated somewhere between 800 and 200 BC. It explains the medical theory and practice of the Yellow Emperor who is thought to have lived around 4700 BC.

By 3500 BC, the Egyptians were associating herbs with healing. The practice of Ayurvedic herbal medicine, which originated in India, is lost in antiquity, but had been recorded at least by 1000 BC. In the West, the earliest writing about herbs comes from the Greek physician, Hippocrates, who lived between 460-377 BC, and from Pliny the Elder, a Roman who wrote about medicinal plants in 77 AD.

Medieval Europe

Medieval Europe had a dicey relationship with herbs—lots of superstitions. For example, it was commonly believed scorpions bred beneath Basil pots, and if you so much as inhaled the scent of basil, it could drive a scorpion into your brain. At the same time, monks and midwives often had a very sophisticated knowledge of medicinal herbs, and the peasant class grew and used herbs in cooking. The rich planted their gardens with native herbs and purchased exotic spices like cinnamon from the East.

The New World

It’s easy to forget that Columbus was looking for a quick, cheap route to the spices of India when he “discovered” the New World. Also forgotten is the fact that long before his discovery, indigenous peoples were using herbs extensively–some of the best documented are Goldenseal, Black Cohosh, Echinacea, and Cat’s Claw. In fact, native peoples across both American continents had uses for almost every wild, nonpoisonous plant growing in their region.

Early Americans

American settlers used herbal remedies for illnesses, flavoring, as dyes, and for their pleasant fragrances. Herb gardens were an essential part of pioneer homes. European immigrants were familiar with many of the wild-growing herbs of North America, including parsley, anise, pennyroyal, sorrel, watercress, liverwort, wild leeks, and lavender. Unknown herbs, such as Echinacea, they learned to use from Native Americans.

Age of Enlightenment

By the 17th century, European universities were teaching botany and planting “physic” gardens, and in 1652, Nicholas Culpeper published the first comprehensive herbal, cataloging all the known herbal remedies of England. Ultimately the West turned away from herbs in favor of chemical cures, many of which were based on the active ingredients found in herbs in the first place. To protect their nascent drug industry, however, herbal cures were openly disdained, and in some places even outlawed.

A Few Common Cures

Marjoram was a general tonic for the Greeks, and was eaten in the Middle Ages as a tranquilizer and cure for headaches. Parsley was a medieval cure for stomach ailments. Mint was used by Greek athletes as an after bath muscle relaxant, and was an important cleansing agent in the middle ages. It was used to purify drinking water by sailors. Chives were used by early Dutch. They planted chives in the meadows so cows would give chive-flavored milk, which they believed was good for the digestion.

To learn more about herbs and natural remedies go to http://www.herbs-4u.com/ and http://www.herbs-4u.com/Site_Map.html

Jerry Alexander is a webmaster and author. His articles appear on various websites. His home webpage is http://www.jerryswrite.com You can contact him at jerry@jerryswrite.com.

Lavender ( Lavendula augustifolia ) - PROPERTIES & ACTIONS INCLUDE:

Analgesic - pain reliever

Anticonvulsive - helps arrest or prevent convulsions.

Antidepressant - alleviates or prevents depression, lifts mood, counters melancholia

Antirheumatic - eases rheumatic pain, inflamed muscles and joints

Antiseptic - prevents, halts infection

Antispasmodic - calms nervous and muscular spasms, for colic, pain and indigestion

Antiviral - Preventing or inhibiting viral activity

Decongestive - an agent for relief or reduction of congestion

Deodorant - an agent that corrects, masks, or removes unpleasant odors

Restorative - an agent that helps to strengthen and revive the body systems

Sedative - agent that exerts a soothing, tranquilizing, calming effect on the body, good for nervous tension, stress, insomnia, anxiety and palpitations

Relaxant - soothing, causing relaxation, relieving strain or tension

Lavender’s pure and clean scent is well known. It is the most commonly used essential oil and the absolute classic oil for treating burns!

A universal first aid healing oil, Lavender has broad application and may be beneficial for treating an assortment of wounds, as well as for relieving inflammatory conditions like fever blisters, rheumatism, sore muscles and back pain.

Helpful for calming intense feeling states of nervousness, stress, depression, fear, irritability, frustration, anger, resentment, jealousy and insomnia.

Lavender is excellent for skin care and promotes healing and regeneration for all skin types, especially dry skin.

Add to your shampoo for helping to reduce hair loss. Also good for regulating sebum production to relieve oily/dry scalp conditions. Helpful for controlling dandruff!

Use Lavender for burns, rashes, acne, eczema, boils, dermatitis, leg ulcers, and psoriasis. Apply it immediately to burns to prevent blistering, or scarring, as well as speed healing of wounds as it stimulates cellular repair and regeneration.

PLEASE NOTE: There are many cheap, synthetic copies of aromatic oils, but these are not recommended for therapeutic use. For best results purchase the highest quality oils you can possibly find. Use certified organic essential oils, or oils that have been tested and are pesticide free.

Holistic MindBody Therapy, including pure essential oils, are gentle, noninvasive complementary forms of health care for balancing and synchronizing your body, mind and spirit and a natural, safe and effective way to enhance your health and well-being. Holistic health care may produce satisfying results where other methods have failed. Please consult with your physician regarding serious health concerns and do not attempt to self diagnose.

KG has developed massage training and holistic health programs for the spa industry, health clubs and clinics, schools, resorts, as well as for individual clients. She is a MindBody Therapist and Health Educator with advanced certification and training in Bowen Therapy, BodyTalk and Aromatherapy. She is the owner of Springhill Wellness Center and the founder & director of PurePlant Essentials aromatherapy products.

Click to order http://www.kgstiles.com/moreinfo/lavender.htm LAVENDER PURE ESSENTIAL OIL

Click to find out about KG’s other fine aromatherapy products http://www.kgstiles.com/pureplantessentials.html PUREPLANT ESSENTIALS

Click to learn about http://www.kgstiles.com/presentations.htm KG’s Presentations and Workshops

More Info? Contact: KG Stiles at Springhill Wellness Center, 2520 Springhill Drive Ashland, OR USA (541) 941-7315 Mahalo!