Etsy Natural Healers Guild

Friday, June 3, 2011

Etsy Natural Healers Guild Monthly Blog Question

Starting this month of June, I "Andrea" (shop owner of Storybook Artifact and also one of the awesome leaders of this fabulous team) have decided to create a monthly blog question (or MBQ) to help bring members and non-members to the Etsy Natural Healers Guild blog to join in on comments that play along the topic of "health". I personally have always loved talking about health, and enjoy the ideas and opinions of others even if I do totally agree, partially agree, or not totally agree on all thoughts shared; nonetheless, I enjoy the candor and look forward to a friendly fun experience with all who choose to join in on answering the blog question of the month.

This Month's Blog Question: (is found below in bold print)

What Are Your Favorite Teas?

Be specific, be brief, or be creative ... I'll be the first to comment below. :-)

_Andrea
www.storybookartifact.blogspot.com

Monday, May 30, 2011

Boost Your Health with a Cup of Kombucha Tea!

The lovely image above features these delightful tea spoons titled "Antique Run-Away Spoons" by fellow Etsy Natural Healers Guild member Andrea of Storybook Artifact.
Feel energized, detox your body, and boost your health with kombucha tea!

Kombucha Tea is a biological active product fermented with a living culture ("scoby") to become a natural living food high in enzymes. Scientific research shows the benefits of Kombucha, whose high concentration of probiotic-rich acids can provide a powerful energy boost, as well as detoxify and cleanse the blood of disease-causing toxins, allowing the body to alleviate a wide spectrum of ailments and conditions; from the mildest indisposition to the most serious diseases.

Drinking Kombucha tea regularly has been shown to benefit the human body by:

* balancing the metabolism
* cleansing the blood and regulating pH levels
* improving liver, gall bladder, and digestive function
* detoxifying the body and enhancing the immune system
* raising overall energy level

This summer while the heat is intense and you're enjoying some fresh air, have yourself a cool, refreshing glass of kombucha and detox while you hydrate!

If you are interested in making your own kombucha at home, fellow Etsy Natural Healers Guild member Spirit Herbs has a "Kombucha Starter Scoby Culture" for sell in their shop, as do I have organic kombucha scobies in my Etsy shop for making this delicious and nutritious probiotic beverage. With these kombucha scobies all you need is some black or green tea and you are on your way to kombucha-making success. Also, with each order of my kombucha scobies, I send a step-by-step picture tutorial that I have made to assist you in making your first batch of kombucha tea!

This blog post was contributed by Jessica of Eco-Friendly Freckles.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Conventional Medicine Runs Amok: Prostate, Breast, and Colon Screenings

I found this article via the Alliance for Natural Health e-mail. I couldn't help but agree with a lot of what is said in here. I wanted to share it so here you go...

Conventional Medicine Runs Amok: Prostate, Breast, and Colon Screenings

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Mother Nature Shares Her Love

The breathtakingly beautiful image above is a Limited Edition 11x14 Color Print titled "Mother Nature" by Inner Fae Creations The Art of Trisha Leigh Shufelt.

The nurturing heart of Mother Nature is found within the Etsy Natural Healers Guild for these team members have shown their love for the guild by featuring team member items in these gorgeous team treasuries!

"Getting in Touch With the Root Chakra" by Pathway Wellness.

"Burned Bridges of Troubled County" by Storybook Artifact.

"Just a Spot of Tea Darling" by myself, Eco Friendly Freckles.

"Healing Outside the Box" by Olde Ways Herbals.

"Alpaca Therapy" by Well Criated.

"Pain Killer" by Morgaine's Well.

"April Showers Bring May Flowers" by Moorelight Mysticals.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Cha Cha Cha Chia! Raw Chocolate Chia Pudding Trifle Recipe!

Chia Seeds are so very healthy for you...they aren't just used to grow cute chia pets! They are a favorite staple ingredient amongst raw foodists...Here is an informative video clip telling you all about chia seed and it's health benefits:

http://www.naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=F99BA7CA912165275467CC90764F2738

I LOVE chia seed; it is AMAZING! It is great for my digestion and it makes some delicious and nutritious desserts (it is also a great ingredient to implement into many different recipes). Here is the recipe for a "Raw Dark Chocolate Chia Pudding Trifle with Strawberries and All-Natural Vanilla Wafers" that my husband and I made this weekend!

Raw Dark Chocolate Chia Pudding Trifle with Strawberries and All-Natural Vanilla Wafers

Ingredients-

Pudding:

1/2 cup chia seed
1 1/2 raw goats milk (any milk will work for this recipe)
6 tablespoons raw cocoa powder (any cocoa powder will work for this recipe)
3 raw egg yolks; preferably from local farm fresh pastured (NOT pasteurized!) eggs
1/3 cup - 1/2 cup chopped dates (or as sweet as you would like it; "to taste")
1 - 2 tablespoon raw local honey (or as sweet as you would like it; "to taste")
2 tablespoons coconut cream concentrate (We got ours from Tropical Traditions)
1 ripe banana
1/4 tsp. sea salt
A splash of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum (optional)

Meringue:

3 raw egg whites ; preferably from local farm fresh pastured (NOT pasteurized!) eggs (we used 4 egg whites because we wanted more meringue for layering)
organic cane sugar ("to taste"...we used Organic Florida Crystals)

Trifle Remaining Layering Ingredients:

sliced strawberries (preferably organic)
all-natural vanilla wafers (we used used Organic Vanilla Wafers from Country Choice)

Instructions:

Add the milk to the chia seed in a medium sized mixing bowl, stir, and let sit until the chia seed absorbs the milk and has a gelatin consistency (about 10-15 minutes). Add six tablespoons raw cocoa powder and stir into the milk and chia mixture. Separate three egg yolks from three egg whites and add the egg yolks to the chia seed mixture; set the egg whites aside for meringue. Now you can pour the chia mixture into a blender or Vita Mix, and add coconut cream concentrate, banana, sea salt, and honey...slowing add the chopped dates while pulsing the blender (add a splash of spiced rum if you want...we did!) and then blend the pudding up til smooth.

Make meringue by beating the three (or four) egg whites with the sugar until the mixture forms soft peaks.

Layer the bottom of your trifle dish with all-natural vanilla wafers, putting some decoratively propped up on the sides of the dish as well. Then add a layer of your raw chocolate chia pudding, then a layer strawberries, then meringue, then repeat the layers until you reach the top and put meringue and sliced strawberries on the very top. Vwa la...Enjoy!!!

This blog article was contributed by Jessica of Eco-Friendly Freckles and Team Captain of the Etsy Natural Healers Guild.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Healing Your Heart with Nature's Gifts

The beautiful image above is an original painting titled "El Corazon" (The Heart) by Kerian's Art. 50% of the proceeds of this painting will go to the Disaster relief in Japan via the Red Cross.

Finding a healthy balance between high and low blood pressure can be daunting to many people. However, there is a natural remedy that you can use that has healing properties and helps regulate blood pressure aside from those harmful pharmaceuticals with numerous side effects; this herb is called: Hawthorn Berry.

One of my FAVORITE websites and wise woman herbalist, Susun Weed, has intriguingly informative article about the therapeutic benefits of hawthorn for our heart health...as well as other fascinating information about the herb.

Hey there crafty Etsy artisans, Susun Weed says of hawthorn: "Hawthorn is said to guard the hinges and to oversee crafts. A branch of flowering hawthorn placed in studio or workshop is believed to make the craftsperson skilled and successful." I have got to give this a try! Here is the link to her article:

"Take Heart From Hawthorn" by Susun Weed

As Susun mentions in her article, a hawthorn berry tincture can be made for a simple, effective way to absorb the healing properties of the herb. Joe and I made a hawthorn berry tincture (our tincture infusion is pictured above) using 70% Everclear (grain alcohol) and 30% water along with hibiscus flowers which is also another very beneficial herb for lowering high blood pressure (see article below).

Hibiscus Tea Significantly Lowers Blood Pressure

My husband, Joe, is prone to having high blood pressure and his father is already struggling with it; so we have made this tincture for them and myself to help keep us all heart healthy and regulate our blood pressure.

If you would like to make your own hawthorn and hibiscus tincture or tea...or you would just like to get one already made, I have listed a few Etsy shops (some are members of the Etsy Natural Healers Guild) below that carry these medicinal items!