Cleansing, Life

I sure do try to do a lot of things sometimes. I have realized that it is physically impossible for me to do as much work as there is to do around here- there jsut simply aren't enough hours in the day. This means that the kids have got to help more, and I will have to make them. Not a great prospect come tomorrow after a long weekend of playing around, and the necessity of doing schoolwork!

I am also in the midst of an awful cleanse. I started 2 weeks ago thinking I would ease into it for a week and just eat fruits and veggies, then move on to the deep cleansing with juices and broths and herbs and be done by now. Well, I got a new book on cleansing the bowel, so I've never done this cleanse, but it's a lot cheaper than the one I like doing the most of course, anyway, it took me some time to get all the supplies and get going with it. I'm hating it so far, but I know my body really, really needs it and we really can't afford $500 to do the other one. If it really doesn't work, then we'll have to cough up the $500. I wish insurance would cover that great cleanse. They'll cover medication and surgery, but for me colonics and herbal cleanses are what keep me healthy and avoiding medication and surgery. I guess even without insurance paying, it's more cost effective in the end- not to mention quality of life. But the cleanse I'm doing now will be even better if it works because I won't have to depend on anybody else-- going to an appt. or anything.

We'll see though, because I am REALLY tired of salad and watermelon and tomorrow I start the juice phase for 3 days. I hope I make it, my herbal combinations aren't as good as having it already made for me.

We also got the little goats. They were so loud going back to their pen. They've been quiet ever since, so I think it will work out. I hope it's worth the cost-- you know that goat's milk really does help the kids in their growth. I'm about halfway through The China Study, so I'm just not sure. The kids like them though, and they learn a lot about animals, nature, biology and responsibility taking care of the animals.

So glad we'll be moving. I hope it goes by quickly! The Lord really does watch out for us, but I don't really like growing and stretching. I'm glad in the end that I'm a better person with more understanding, but when I'm going through it, I just want it to be over. Patience, patience.

Herbal Remedy for Dry Eye

I woke up yesterday with my eye feeling like I had an eyelash in it. When I went to check and try to get it out, there was nothing but red. So I figured I must have scratched it. It was annoying, but I was able to go about my day. By the evening though it was starting to hurt and I didn't think it was getting better. I thought mabybe it was infected so zi started putting in colloidial silver drops. It gave a tiny bit of relief so I started boiling water and made a tea of some herbs I already had that I thought might be good for eyes. After the kids went to bed I started researching on the internet and found out it was probably dry eye-- I had all the symptoms. There didn't seem to be much I could do about it and I wasn't sure how long it would last. I put drops of the tea in my eye and wet a washcloth with the tea and laid down with it. that seemed to really help. Then I thought to mhyself that I really needed to check Dr. Christopher's website www.herballegacy.com I could hardly open eye at this point and it even seemed hard to open the good eye. I really felt blind and started to worry about getting through the next day. I was incapacitated. I managed to look up the eye ailment and got this formula which I have made before:

1 part eyebright
1 part goldenseal
1 part red raspberry leaf
1 part babyberry bark
1/8 part cayenne

I had all those herbs in powdered form, it was tough to find them all, but I managed to make another tea with these, let it sit for 15 min. and then put those drops in my eye and got another washcloth soaked with the new tea and put it on my eye. I couldn't even feel the cayenne I was in such pain. I felt relieved, but when the washcloth felt too hot I remembered reading that alternating between hot and cold water can help stimulate the blood an tissues of the body. So put the now cold washcloth from previous tea on my eye for a little bit and then put the warm one back on and fell asleep.

I got woken up about 2 hours later by my 3 yob and after giving him a drink of water I realized that my pain was gone and it no longer felt like I had something in my eye. I looked in the mirror and found that there was a little bit of pus and a tiny perfectly round beige ball that looked like it had been expelled from my eye.

My eye feels tired and sore now, but there is no pain and I'm sure it will be fine. We appreciate what we have until it's gone. I will appreciate my eyes so much more in the future and I will feel more empathy for the blind. I'm thankful for my eyes!!

Herbal remedies

I have been reading a ton about herbal remedies and the uses of plants for all different sorts of things. My favorite information come s from Dr. Christopher and his School of Natural Healing. I can't justify spening the money on a full course but I have bought a bunch of herb books and I am learning a ton. I love plants and I love finding uses for them especially since I have been gardening challenged but not weed or herb challenged. I have a fabulous herb garden and some nice weeds.

Here are some I have been using recently:

Comfrey-- as a salve for eczema and blemishes in the skin, I've also been adding it to our smoothies for its high calcium content. There is apparently some question as to its safety, but I think that used in moderation it is very beneficial and definitely very healing

Herbs high in calcium for nursing and growing children--- nettles, oat straw, horsetail, lobelia and comfrey -- I've been making a tea out of these aded with red raspberry especially when my body is feeling over taxed with the burden of nursing 2 babies full time and I add them to our morning smoothie. Lobelia is another one where it is recommended that it be used carefully.

Colds and illness--- I always use echinacea and vitamin c, if it's really bad and not the kids I add cayenne, garlic and goldenseal

Tooth infection--- I use colloidal silver, garlic oil, clove oil mixed with white oak bark all applied to the affected area and then make a water rinse with a couple drops of spearmint oil

Mosquito repellant-- water mixed with a few drops of citronella essential oil and put in a spray bottle to cover exposed skin while camping-- works great and so much nicer than that stinky off stuff

Plantain-- rub leaves on any kind of bite or sting-- I blended some with some comfrey oil to rub on my daughter's eczema-- worked great also worked for the mosquito bite I got before the citronella stuff was sprayed

Hurray for herbs! I'm really enjoying learning about all the things they are good for. I will definitely be planting more of them and learning how to make my own tinctures and salves.

Www.herbal legacy.com. Is a great resource on the web as well as the books recommended by the school of natural healing and their free newsletter and www.mountainroseherbs.com is a great place to buy them and check out their books for sale too. Very fun and empowering.

Poison Hemlock in my Backyard!!

I just killed and disposed of one of the most poisonous plants in North America in my back yard!!! We basically have a wild forest in our backyard complete with Poison hemlock!! It is gone now. It is quite a pretty plant, part of the carrot family with feathery fern like leaves. It grows to be about 2-5 ft. high and flowers white umbel flowers. The stem is spotted with purple dots or stripes. My specimen was about 2 feet tall, not flowered yet. I'll post a picture of it sometime. The Romans used it to kill prisoners. It works pretty fast destroying the nervous system. It is most often confused with wild carrot. So glad to be rid of it!! Know your plants!!

Help for a Bladder Infection

I am prone to bladder infections, but I have learned to manage them. The last time I had one was right after my 3rd child was born, I took antibiotics and then it turned into a yeast infection and thrush between the 2 of us for about 6 weeks. It was very painful and we finally recovered after taking Diflucan. We tried everything I knew of and I hope none of us ever get a yeast infection again.

Anyway, after that lovely experience I found that if I took cranberry extract or pills right when I felt one coming on, it would go away. It seemed that if I could catch the ailment in the very beginning stages, the herbs would make it go away.

However, this week I let it go too far before I started my herbal regimen, mostly because I was out and about and not home where I could chug the fluids and herbs. I had a full fledged painful infection. I again consulted my How to Herb Book, So this time in addition to the cranberry I added a kidney and bladder mix of herbs at the health food store and mixed equal amounts of echinacea, goldenseal, cayenne and yarrow flower powder into a small cup of water. That is so nasty, I will have to put it in capsules next time. I also took Emergen-C mixed with a small amount of water and colloidial silver and lomatium extract, which is really strong. I also ate several garlic cloves straight over a couple days. The worst thing I did and I do not recommend this is to take 2 capsules of cayenne at about the same time I took the Lomatium. That made my stomach whirl and I was sick for a good 20 min. I felt better when that was over. The good thing is that the nasty flavors paid off, I didn't have to take antibiotics, and I am pretty much over it!! One more day of lots of water and yucky herbs!! yay!!

The really great thing I am learning about herbs is that they are all just different plants. Some of them are easier to grow and harvest than others, but they are just plants. I can go down to my local health food store and they have most all of them dried and ground into powder or just dried and crushed for tea. So I don't have to know exactly what it is, but I can still buy it and take it and they really do help. Especially if you catch your sickness in the beginning stages. That echinacea is good stuff!! Just wanted to share something that worked for me. I don't know if it would help you!!