This summer, I treated a young Lacrosse player, with wonderful results.  He was interviewed before and after treatment by the editor for IL Indoor, the National Lacrosse website.  Here is the link to the article.

This article is exciting for me, because it helps to get the word out about how Bowen can help these athletes.  They have few options for treatment.  Bowen is very gentle, yet can have long-term lasting effects which help sufferers get back to their normal lives.

Lavender, in bloom

Recipe for Lavender Honey

Pick long stems of lavender blooms.  They are best if picked just before the flowers fully open.  If you cut to the first set of leaves, it is possible that the plant will develop a second harvest.

Freshly cut lavender blooms

Cut the blooms, stems and leaves into a jar with some clean scissors.

Cut the flowers/stem/leaves into a jar

Once your lavender is cut into the jar, completely cover with honey.  Stir well.  Then let it sit in the honey for a while… I usually strain it in September.

Pour the honey over the lavender

When it is time to separate the lavender fiber from the honey, simply place the jar in a pot of hot water on the stove, until the honey warms to a thin consistency.  This cuts down on how much honey you lose when straining.  Once the honey is runny, pour it through a sieve into a fresh container.  Your lavender honey is now ready to eat.

This recipe blends the genius of the bees (honey), with the genius of the plant (brilliant aroma) with the genius of the human (Uhmm, to put the two together!)  When you pull this out of the cupboard on a dark cold morning in January, you will instantly bring a taste of summer into your day.  When you eat lavender honey on toast you will feel like a prince or princess!

Now, if you want to feel like a king or a queen, try making this recipe with the petals of fragrant rose!

So yes, I have had a long recess from writing on this site.  Yes, I am returning to writing and attending to the finer details of running a website.  I wanted to outline some ways that this site works.

Firstly, I have had many questions on how to ‘pick up’ the RSS feed.  At the bottom of every page, there is a little orange square sitting on it’s point.  That is the RSS feed.  Just click on that icon, and it will lead you to the right place.

Secondly, this website allows you to leave comments.  However, I have ultimate control over which comments get published.  This is to protect you, the reader.  In the last 6 months, there have been over 12,000 comments written.  I am sorry to say that many of those comments are not appropriate for this site.  I need to keep the mood of the site to my intentions.  This is not a place to promote your products, whether it be pharmaceuticals or running shoes.  Those comments will not be approved.  Also, many of you are very appreciative readers, and leave me many wonderful comments about my writing and information.  Thank you.  However, this is not a place for me to stroke my ego, so those comments will be appreciated by me privately.  I encourage thoughtful discussion or questions.

I will only be sharing links with local companies or agencies that I know and believe in.  No offense, but if I don’t know you or your products directly, I won’t be promoting your t-shirts.

These may be some hard lines, but I have to keep the site clear for my purposes.  I hope you all understand.  For you loyal readers, I have a treat.  I went into my garden this morning and took pictures of what is most beautiful out there today.  Simply for your enjoyment!

Bleeding Hearts

Fern

Trillium

Wild Ginger

Wild Oats

Jack in the Pulpit

(This plant is just coming up.  We will visit again later in the season)

Have a great day, and we will see what we can get up to in the coming months.  Spring/Summer and Fall are the most interesting times for a Herbalist!

Marianne

Do you want to know what I’ve been doing?  It’s exciting!

Besides the ongoing runnings of a Herbal/Bowen/Reiki practice, besides buying a new home with my family and moving and settling, besides starting a three year program in Therapy Skills at the Transpersonal Therapy Center and besides normal family life, I have been planning and working on a new clinic space.  That’s right, Elderberry Herbals is moving!

There is a beautiful little space on the property that we purchased, that I decided was perfect for a clinic just for my practice.  My dear friend Sharyn Inward of Inward Design helped me to design a space to be suitable for a fully contained clinic.  She worked really hard to listen to my needs and developed a space to fill those needs.  So, a large open room with a breezeway attaching to the house has become a room with all the amenities that my clinic needs, plus a bathroom (with a spot for a future infrared sauna) and a separate door going into the breezeway.

Choosing a contractor can be tricky, but I have been completely confident and pleased with the work done by another friend, Robin Rivison of Rivison Renovations.  His skill and attention to detail and abilities to communicate are refreshing.  I am so lucky to have such competent friends.  We are finishing up the final touches this week, but here are some photos of the progress this far.

Breezeway – Before                                                      Breezeway – After

Exterior – Before                                                          Exterior – After – New door + Path

Clinic Room – Before                                                   Clinic Room – After with Kitchenette

These rooms are still in progress.  By the end of this week, all should be finished and ready for moving in.  This move allows me to extend my hours to full time, which means I can be more flexible for my clients.

The increase in time in my workspace also allows me to do more in my business, such as making more of the herbal medicine in-house.  Gardens, here I come!

The Grand Opening and Open house is scheduled for June 15th.  If you are in the area, please drop by between 2-6pm, and enjoy this celebration with me.

The new address is 157 Morrow St. and the new phone number is 705-740-2054.  I promise, I will get back to the writing, now.  It’s going into my datebook, right now…I mean it – Now!

Marianne

Eat Breakfast!

Starting your day with a healthy breakfast prevents the crash and snack mid morning, but it does something else.  When we go long periods without eating, our body automatically stores everything.  Breaking the fast in the morning tells the body it is not starving, and allows us to burn the fuel.

Get up, Get Moving!  When you do your exercise early in the day (even a short walk) then the body gets the message that there are needs to fulfill.  Burn that fuel, because we are using it!

Eat Clean – Cut the Junk!  Treats are occasional, not daily!  When you eat whole unprocessed foods, your body gets the nutrients it needs.  With poor quality food, you may get the calories you need, but not the nutrients – so you crave more.  Supplementing with herbs or vitamins may be necessary for a time to get your stores up, but then you should be able access your nutrients from good quality food.   Herbs can help with trouble digestion.  Each person is different, it is best to ask a professional.

Spice it up!  Spicy foods can help raise the BMR.  If you cannot tolerate spicy meals, a few dashes of Cayenne in some water before you eat can do the trick, or as a supplement.

Need help with healthy weight loss?  Call 705-775-0255 to book your appointment.

I just wanted to let you know that I have made my first batch of summer spray for the season – a natural bug repellent.  It does a great job of deterring those pesky biters, but is pleasant to use.  If you are interested in purchasing, then send a message to info@elderberryherbals.ca, or call the clinic at 705-775-0255.

Asthma has many possible triggers. Most commonly: allergies (pollen, dust, animal fur, milk products, wheat, eggs, oranges, artificial colouring, flavouring and preservatives,) irritation (smoke, moist atmosphere or chemicals,) infection, emotional factors (disharmony at home or school or anxiety from having asthma attacks,) inherited disposition or digestive disturbances, which can can irritate the vagus nerve feeding both the stomach and the bronchial tubes leading to constricted chest muscles.

It may take some detective work to root out the cause(s) of your child’s asthma.  Reducing their exposure is key.  The medications that your son is on are important to helping him to breath when he is having an attack – do not discontinue use, as it can be life threatening.  However, until the root problem is discovered, it may be difficult to resolve the asthma.

Treatment of asthma should have a varied approach.  It is important to use herbs that boost the immune system (chamomile, garlic, licorice, wild yam, yarrow), with herbs that relax the bronchi and expel mucous (elecampane, hyssop, mullein, thyme) and herbs that are soothing to the lungs (borage, comfrey, marshmallow, mullein, plantain).  Herbs that support the nervous system are also important (chamomile, hops, linden, skullcap.)

Foods which are an important part of the daily diet are:  High in inulin (unrefined sunflower oil, garlic, onions, leeks, artichokes, bananas, honey), High in Vit. A (carrots, spinach, peas, beets, fish liver oils, watercress, apricots,)  High in calcium (green vegetables, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, beans, bony fish) and High in Vit. C.  It can help to have warm drinks of lemon (or 1 tsp apple cider vinegar), honey and water to clear mucous.  Avoid excess dairy, wheat, sugar and foods with additives.

Asthma is a serious condition.  There are ways to support a child with this illness, however, professional help is advised.

Marianne Beacon, RH, Registered Clinical Herbalist
For Appointment, call 705-775-0255 or  info@elderberryherbals.ca

Then there are xenoestrogens.  They are chemical constituents found in common pollutants (such as gasoline, plastics, pesticides) that we ingest through our foods, water or breath in through our air.  Xenoestrogens can bind to the same receptor sites as estrogen and phytoestrogens.  Unfortunately, they do not benefit us in any way.  Some studies have shown that any given xenoestrogen may not adversely affect us on its own, however, it has also been shown that two or more in combination can have 1000 times the effect.  These chemicals are unpredictable, and all the possible results of coming into contact with them are not fully known.  We simply have not had the time to fully study the question.

We are not able to completely avoid these contaminants, which is another good reason to use phytoestrogens.  Again, phytoestrogens will use up receptor sites, which in turn, diminishes the effects of xenoestrogens.  Some foods and simple herbs to turn to when looking for phytoestrogens are as follows:

Phytoestrogenic foods are the basis for a healthy diet and a long life. The first food listed is the highest in phytoestrogens. The best diet contains not just one but many choices from each list:

Whole grains (rye, oats, barley, millet, rice, wheat, corn)
Edible seeds (buckwheat, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, amaranth, quinoa)
Beans (yellow split peas, black turtle, baby limas, Anasazi beans, red kidney beans, red lentils, soy beans)
Leafy greens and seaweed (parsley, nettle, kelp, cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards, lamb’s quarter)
Fruits (olives, cherries, grapes, apples, pears, peaches, plums, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, salmon berries, apricots, crab apples, quinces, rosehips, blueberries)
Olive oil and seed oils
Garlic, onions and their relatives leeks, chives, scallions, ramps, shallot

French beans, rice, apple seeds, licorice, and pomegranate seeds contain the “weak” estrogen called estrone.

Phytoestrogenic food-like herbs are generally considered longevity tonics. For optimum effect, use only one from the list below and to stick with it for at least three months.
Citrus peel, dandelion leaves and/or roots, fenugreek seeds, flax seeds, green tea, hops, red clover, red wine.

Phytoestrogenic herbs are quite powerful for long-term use. It is best to consult with a professional when using these herbs medicinally to alter your hormonal balance.
Agave root, black cohosh root, black currant, black haw, chasteberries, cramp bark, dong quai root, devil’s club root, false unicorn root (which is endangered), ginseng root, groundsel herb, licorice, liferoot herb, motherwort herb, peony root, raspberry leaves, rose family plants (most parts), sage leaves, sarsaparilla root, saw palmetto berries, wild yam root, yarrow blossoms.

Marianne