Herbal Treatment for ED and Prostate Issues

I recently received this e-mail:  

 I’ve been asked if there are any natural remedies to take the place of E D drugs.  This person has had prostate surgery due to cancer.  Since I’ve never dealt with that I googled/binged it without much success.  My standard, EarthClinic.com, had some info but they are a big supporter of ACV, cayenne and garlic.  I’m sure most of it is a circulatory issue, but I’m a little hesitant to suggest experimentation.  I doubt I could hurt anyone, but a bit nervous about it, but would like to see them off the drugs. Any suggestions?

My response was:  

ED has various factors, all of which need to be addressed before a new paradigm will kick in!  First--hormone levels--they are  always out of balance.  Herbs that help correct this include epimedium, a Chinese herb.  You can read a little bit about it here on WebMD. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-699-EPIMEDIUM.aspx?activeIngredientId=699&activeIngredientName=EPIMEDIUM

Epimedium does not have any known interaction with the drugs that treat this condition, and should eliminate the need for them over time.  I must caution you that epimedium can create other imbalances when used long term, if it is not properly combined with other herbs.   If you decide to try epimedium, you must also prepare it with balancing herbs that will build yin and consolidate jing, and bring the energy balance back up gradually, over time.  One possible combination: Dioscorea root (wild yam root); ganoderma (black), and ginseng powder. Other combinations will work too, but this one is my current favorite.  Adding these herbs together with the epimedium balances the formula so it can be used over a longer period of time without any harmful effect.  Here is a great source for CLEAN bulk Chinese herbs, which are hard to come by:  http://www.eastearthtrade.com/ganodermalucida-4ozblacksliced.aspx

Second--the energy level is usually lowered.  This can be addressed using the same formula, as epimedium addresses this too.  And the changes I am about to recommend next will do wonders for a person's energy level by helping him assimilate more of the nutrients from his foods.

Third--nourishment is an issue, because this is a sign of depletion.  Nourish this person's digestive system with daily doses of fermented food!  He should be drinking 8 ounces a day of kefir water OR kombucha; and include 2 Tablespoons of kim chee, sauerkraut, Veggie Delite, or Bubbies pickles types of ferment, daily.  I would also recommend a probiotic for him, for about 2 or 3 months, until the foods begin to take over the job.  One probiotic I have had success with for men is RAW Men's probiotic; another is Fivelac.  

He will not need to take the probiotics forever, especially once his system gets going with the fermented foods.  I am doing a whole seasonal update on fermented foods this month, so there will be lots more info coming.  

Lastly, I might recommend a series of flower essences or a homeopathic preparation of Cypress or Labrador Tea essential oils.  These could assist the person in clearing the suppressed emotional energy around sexuality, manhood, and loss.  These would be a significant part of the healing for ED, prostate cancer and pre-cancerous conditions.

Lots of Love and Blessings for this healing journey!  Kathryn 

Alchemy in a Bottle

The beauty of Earth Mother's ground cover expanding all around us as the rain becomes more plentiful, has kept us in constant wonder this season.  It has been so beautiful here, that spending days inside pouring the oils became a heavy prospect.  Yet, once I was into the process, my heaviness was replaced by joy as I began to experience the beauty and essence of these oils!

There are a few that I want to share with you, even as they are making their way across country to each of you.

• Mitti attar--Oh my!  I love the Indian Attars, and expected this to be beautiful.  When I placed a little drop on my wrist and went about my day, this aroma came to life with images of dry clay soils, and a feeling of hot wind on my face.  It is truly a remarkable beauty, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.

• Garlic oil precautions--Those who have ordered the garlic oil before will remember, and those who have not, please take note.  Garlic has a warm, roasted garlic aroma that is good enough to eat.  The challenge is that it is so concentrated, that it will remain on hands, clothes, skin, and anything it touches, for days.  If you do not want to smell intensely of garlic, I recommend that you take these precautionary measures:  Wear latex or polyvinyl gloves (from Costco) when you are pouring, and immediately take them outside to the trash when finished; Store your garlic oil bottle in an airtight tupperware container, or double Ziploc baggies--we store ours in a different location than all of our other oils; Use paper towels for clean up and dispose of them when you have finished pouring or blending; and if you want to keep your home or work room from smelling of garlic,  open the bottle and do your pouring and blending outdoors.  (I even change my clothes when I have finished pouring garlic oil).

• Argan--food or carrier!  This oil has a warmly toasted aroma that is similar to peanut or sesame oil.  It makes a great addition  to stir fries, and carries lots of healing properties for internal or external use.  I am excited to hear from you about how you like it, as we have not offered it before.  I enjoy the flavor, and like the oil for my skin as well.

• Dill essential oil--fresh and aromatic, yummy herbal scent.  It is a lovely distillation this year, better than I have encountered in many years.  So balanced that it could be easily used in recipes that you would like a dill flavor--such as gravy, sauce or salad dressing.

• Wormwood essential oil--another very high quality distillation this year!  Enjoy a tiny touch in "green" perfumes and herby-floral blends; for clarifying the mind and dissolving old patterns. 
• Last of all, I am sharing a very special little gift with everyone.  Many of the distillers send me little samples of essential oil creations that they have made, in the form of completely natural perfumes.  (I almost do not want to use the word perfume for these, as perfume has come to mean "chemicals" to most of us in the 21st century).  But these are made from natural, living essential oils and attars; and carry the healing properties and consciousness of the oils and the Alchemist's intention as well.  In fact, the only difference between an essential oil blend and a natural perfume, is this:  The perfume has been aged for at least 6 months, up to a year or two.  This allows the different notes of the oils to condense into one aromatic note, and it is much more challenging to discern individual oils from the perfume's aroma.  The perfume I am sending you in a tiny vial, is called "Morocco".  It is made with over 60 natural oils and substances.  The recipe is unavailable, but would be easy to imitate if one wanted to experiment a bit. Hope you all enjoy this little gift!  I have been toying with the idea of teaching a perfume workshop online, if you love this and are inspired to take this workshop, let me know.  I might be able to focus on it sooner if I know how many of you want to take it!   

In Love and Gratitude,

Kathryn

Protecting Your Hair with Natural Products

Swimming can have a real effect on your hair.  Lots of people are switching to Saltwater pools, which is supposed to be better for hair and skin.  But it turns out that salt breaks down into chlorine over time, so your hair and skin are still exposed to the damaging effect of chlorine.

By request, I have researched the most popular and effective treatments to protect hair, then "weeded them out" to find the most natural ones.  Here is the routine that I feel would best protect your hair when swimming frequently.  Please use it, and I welcome feedback on your satisfaction with the results, or any changes you would make.  I am not a swimmer, and have never used this routine myself, so am really looking for feedback.

1. Wet hair before swimming.  Combine your favorite conditioner (please use a natural paraben free formula!) with pure jojoba, at a 50-50 dilution.   Apply this mix to your hair, then put on your cap if you are using one.     NOTE:  Don't comb the conditioner through hair--it will cause more breakage.  Simply work it through lightly with your fingers.
2. As soon as you come out of the water, rinse hair with pure water OR club soda.  The club soda is very clarifying and the bubbles supposedly help to remove chlorine.  
3. Wash with a sulphate free, paraben free shampoo after you are done swimming for the day.  I recommend Jash Botanicals' Morocco Method International shampoos as a great natural cleanser, if you can not make your own.  If you have a favorite brand of sulphate free shampoo, use it.  If your hair does not improve with this program, you will know you need to change shampoo brands.
4. If your hair is already damaged, spray it with Morocco Method's natural Volumizer Mist OR Diamond Crystal Mist , which act as a protectant for damaged hair.  Massage through hair gently and allow hair to dry without rinsing. 
5. When hair is dry, carefully brush or comb through it.
6. If hair is damaged, deep condition your hair weekly.  A number of natural products are available for this procedure--check the Jash Botanicals website above, OR use pure warmed jojoba.

Remember--it will take time to regenerate your hair.  Natural products do not carry the polymers/plastics that coat hair and make it feel smooth and shiny, even though it is stripped of its protective coating.  As you clear old chemicals out of your system, gradually your hair will improve, and you will eventually have hair that is shiny and smooth and strong--naturally, without chemicals.  

Kathryn

Essential Oils and Shelf Life

Recently a member wrote:

I have a question - wondering if you would comment on some information I've been seeing put forward recently that essential oils are only good for a maximum of 2-4 years, even when stored properly.

In some ways, this can be regarded as a trick question.  A great deal of the answer to this is related to the QUALITY of the oils we are working with.

Commercially produced oils, (and this includes MANY brands that are sold as therapeutic quality, organic, artisan distilled, etc.), have been mass produced by distilling at very high temperatures. 

The SOEF's (subtle organizing energy fields) that preserve the energetic integrity of essential oils is compromised by chemical changes that take place at these high temperatures.  My experience has been that the more heat a plant is exposed to during the distillation process, the less energetic integrity it's oil maintains. 

When the energetic blueprint is not as strong as it can be,   
the substance--essential oil in this case--it can begin to degenerate, and the physical oil itself breaks down. I believe this is why the myth about oils breaking down has taken hold in many circles.  

In the case of essential oils:

• That have been stored away from direct light or in light-protective bottles
• That were hand produced with intention for maintaining the SOEF (or "spirit") integrity
• That have been distilled at the low temperatures common to artisan distillation
• That are stored in energetically enhanced surroundings

I have never heard of essential oils breaking down prematurely.  I personally have oils that I acquired in my first essential oils intensive back in 1990.  They are as fresh and vibrant as they ever were.  

I do store my oils in Violettglass, and the bottles are placed on a marble tile. This preserves the vibratory frequency.  I have stored oils for years without ever losing an essential oil to degeneration.  

There was one exception that I recall, years ago.  A chiropractor that I was working with complained that her oils were going bad on the shelf.  I checked them with dowsing and found that there was a spoilage issue.  

She stored her oils (already combined with carrier oil), in a small shelf directly above the chiropractic table where she treated all of her patients.  My belief was that the released energies following treatments of patients was impacting the oils vibrationally.  Sure enough, when she tried moving them to another location, she no longer had the break down issues.  

We need to remember what started this whole renaissance with plant oils and extracts;  the opening of King Tut's tomb in Egypt in the 1920's.  Scientists found a huge amount of balms, essential oils, and plant products that were viable still, after over 2000 years of "storage".  

During the Middle Ages, Crusaders travelled into Egypt and the Holy lands, fighting a religious war. When they returned to Europe, they brought pieces of Egyptian mummies with them.  The essential oils that were used to embalm the mummies, were still potent and viable medicinal oils.  European doctors of the time quickly learned to distill the mummy pieces to get the oils out--to make medicines!  That is how powerfully intact some hand made oils can remain!

*  *  *  *  *

Still the best way to identify whether or not your oils are still viable, is to educate your nose!  Smell them every so often to see if they still have that lovely little spark of energy and light that you feel when you inhale.  If they do degrade, the aroma will become faded first.  Then it can go sour or just simply lose its top note.  

If you leave a citrus oil in a cup or bowl on a countertop, exposed to air for a few weeks, then compare its aroma to the one stored in your bottle, you might get an opportunity to experience how an oil can change as it degrades.  Citrus oils are the most fragile, especially those that have been cold-pressed, so they are a good oil to experiment with.  Always compare oils that are stored differently, to see if they are changing.  Your nose will give you the best information possible.

In Gratitude,

Kathryn

Vaginal Oil Blend Recipe

Here is a recipe submitted by one of our Buyers Club members.

Vaginal Oil Blend

I have an oil blend that I co-created and use internally (vaginally) every night - smells wonderful! It has Everlasting, English Chamomile, Rose Hip Seed, Hops & Lovage,  with coconut oil for a base.  It has helped to eliminate dryness, and the rubberband tightness I've been experiencing for so long now, is starting to relax and become soft.  I am (finally) moist, and without candida-like discharge.

This could be a wonderful recipe for relieving the “dryness” that occurs during/after menopause!