Do you know how to get the optimum from your herbal medicine?

In my Bowen practice, I have has very good success with treating concussions.  Numerous clients have had full resolution of their concussion symptoms within 2 treatments.  When the concussion is more complicated than a concussion and technically is a brain injury, I have not always had the same results.

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.

Living in this northern climate, it seems that a lot of living has to be done during the summer months.  Winter can be long and harsh.  As a herbalist, I try to find ways of capturing that summer energy to save it for the more dreary days.  One way is with Lavender Honey.

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!

Hello folks,

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

I have been seriously neglecting this website.  It’s as simple as that.  I apologize.  There are reasons, though.  Sometimes, the world calls in ways that draw me away from the computer screen.  In times past, a herbalist would never have to consider such things, but here I am, a modern herbalist.  One who has gotten carried away with the demands of my practice and my life.

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

There are many reasons why a person will put on weight or have difficulty losing weight.  If you find this challenging, then it is best to seek trusted professional help.
Many available diets tend to create more problems then they correct.  They may cause you to lose weight quickly, but the methods harm by lowering the Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR).  This sets up an unhealthy cycle of lose-gain.  Here are some safe tips to follow, when wanting to raise your BMR naturally.

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.