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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Blessed Thistle Herb and It's Uses

Hi readers! How has your week been? I hope that you have found some of my videos helpful in making your own tinctures at home. I have more videos to come with different herbs for you to see how tinctures work. Today I wanted to talk a bit about Blessed Thistle and what you can use this herb for. I will also include an identification photo for personal reference, and a video on how I made my tincture for this herb.

Blessed Thistle 


Blessed Thistle is an herb that you can use for a few different things internally and externally for your health. Externally this herb used in a poultice, can be useful for wounds and ulcers. Internally the herb is often used for dyspeptic complaints, or heart burn. You can use this herb in the form of a tea, extract (tincture), poultice (externally), and other uses could be in tablets or powered herb in capsules. Each preparation is made differently and some are stronger than others.
For a tea you would use150 ml of boiling water, poured over 1 to 2 grams of dried herb. Allow the herb to steep between 5 to ten minutes. The tea can be taken 2 to 3 times a day.
The tincture is a 1:1 ratio for a strong dose, in my video I used a 1:6 ratio for a weaker herbal content. The tincture is left in a cool dry place for around two weeks.


The capsules are taken with either 340mg of powered herb or 360mg of powered herb for the average adult.
A poultice can be made by using an infusion of the herb and soaking a cloth within the infusion, then placing the infused cloth over the affected area several times a day.

* This herb is not to be used while pregnant*


Thursday, January 24, 2013

How to Make an Elder Berry Tincture


In this video I cut my herbs down so I may use only enough to fill a one ounce tincture bottle. My ratios are still one part herb to five parts alcohol, I used .25 ounce of herb to 1.25 ounces of the alcohol.

Please leave your comments and I hope you all have a blessed day!!


Saturday, January 19, 2013

How To Make an Echinacea Tincture at Home


Look for updates on 2/2/2013 for the end result. I will create another video to show you how to store your tincture!
Comment below if you have questions.
Have a blessed night!!!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Winter is Back! Curl up With Some Hot Tea


Hi everyone, I hope your feeling OK with the winter chill around the world. Flu season has bitten once again and to keep those doctor bills down, you must keep your immune system working well to fight of any pesky virus you might be exposing yourself to during your day.
As a full time student and mother to three children, my immune system is put through the ringer on an everyday basis, so I need something that's safe to use everyday, with breastfeeding in mind, that keeps me up and running. Avoiding over the counter drugs when I'm sick, I turn to teas for a quicker more effective treatment, without the risk of side effects. With a new baby I also have to consider what I ingest and how it will affect my little girl. So much research on what types of herbs are OK for use while nursing is a must during this time in my life, and I have found that Echinacea tea helps me stay ahead of the game when I'm not feeling well. Taken less often than someone who is not nursing, for instance once a day instead of two or three times a day poses no risk to the new born baby, and doesn't affect the flow or production of your milk. Susun Weed states in chapter four; After Pregnancy of her book, Wise Woman Herbal For the Childbearing Years, "Echinacea root (Echinacea augustifolia), the herbalists' antibiotic, I have seen it clear up serious cases of blood poisoning, mastitis, strep, and staph infections, pneumonia, and other systemic infections." (Weed, 1986) As a well known herbalist she uses Echinacea via tea and tincture to cure the above infections. Her book not only goes over how you can use this herb, but others as well, and it offers a good insight to whats OK and whats not.


Echinacea is a wonderful herb that gives your immune system that extra boost it needs to help you fend off unwanted viruses, so stay healthy this winter, and use some tea to scare off the flu. 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Baby's Home! Help For Breastfeeding Mommies

Hi everyone! 

Khyia Leeanne

I'm sorry for the long delay with updates and new content, but I took some time to myself for a while due to pregnancy and birth. My daughter was born one week early, November 9th 2012, and caught phenomena and spent the better half of her first month in the hospital on oxygen and feeding tubes, until she was well again. During the time that she was in hospital I visited as often as I could to feed and watch her.

 

She remained in hospital for 13 days fighting off the sickness, but after the 7 days of antibiotics, the pneumonia gone, she still wasn't coming off the oxygen and it worried me. 
The doctors told me she just needs time, but to have a baby that can't breath without help is a very scary thing, and it crushed me to go home without her. So I made her a trinket with healing crystals, hung it in her bassinet to aid her lungs, and blessed it so she could ween off the machine that breathed for her. At home I preformed healing ritual after healing ritual, every night I had to sleep without her home.

Khyia came home from the hospital on  November 22nd, 2012 a healthy baby!
During the last two months I have worried about milk production and dealt with reflux and colic. My night have been pretty sleepless but my baby is still healthy!

Now that I'm up and running again I wanted to update you on how everything has been going and share my experience, and how I was able to keep breast feeding regardless of her lengthy hospital stay.

When they told me she was gonna have to stay in the hospital my brain jumped to my first son's birth, I knew she would be in good hands, but I was unsure if I would be able to breast feed like I planned. My older son stayed in hospital for one week, and without a choice on how he would be feed, I was unable to feed by breast, because he wouldn't latch. With my first experience, each day that she remained in the hospital worried me on how well I was going to produce milk, as well as if she would even take the breast when she came home. Having my older two children also created a pickle during that time because it meant that I couldn't visit her as often as I wanted. I was forced to pump and take it to the hospital and breast feed her once a day when I came to visit her. There was a time where I thought I might not make enough  milk and used a tea remedy to help my milk stick around for the long haul, and it worked like a charm. By the time my daughter came home I was producing way more than she was drinking. Which in the end, resulted in much left over milk to freeze while my body regulated the milk production process from a pump, to the baby's feedings. With persistence I was able to keep her on the breast and now don't have to worry if latching will be an issue.





For the mommies who worry about making enough milk for there babies, using this product will help you bring in and maintain healthy lactation so you and your baby can enjoy feeding times together!
Mother's milk doesn't pose a risk to your baby, because it is designed to produce milk, so taking the tea several times a day won't cause any harm.

Our family is complete and baby is well. I am getting back into school and enjoying the fun things about being a mommy! I hope these last few month shave been good to everyone and I hope you are all enjoying a blessed new year!



Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Call for Help, For my Good Friend Who Need Surgery

Hi readers! I need your help, My good friend has been struggling with gallstones for the last 4 years, and has tried everything in the book to try and pass them, but hasn't had any luck, and now his gallblatter is totally impacted. He needs to have surgery to have the gallbladder removed or it could kill him. My friends and I are trying to raise money to help him get the surgery to save his life and we are asking you to help. He and his girlfriend have tried everything they can, but they don't have the money or INS, so doctors have turned them away regardless of how serious his condition has become. We need your help so please donate what you can so he can get better!!!
Click the link Below to donate now!!!

Join Me On FaceBook

Hello fellow readers! I just wanted to drop in a say that I now have a group on Face Book where we can all chat and you can talk with me directly. Just follow the link bellow and send me a request to join the group!!! Hope to see you all on Face Book!! Have a blessed day

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