Whole Foods, Elephant Pharmacy... Natural is Better

Today I would like to point you to a news article about an up and coming chain of natural products.

"Elephant Pharmacy doesn't look or even smell much like a regular drugstore. While the back of the store houses the customary counter for prescription drugs, Skorman has devoted just as much room to a warmly wood-paneled area that dispenses high-margin herbal remedies. The store's book section—which doubles as a reading room, with comfortable chairs—offers 2,500 titles. Bestselling subjects include massage, meditation, and yoga. Elephant also offers more than 100 free classes on-site each month on subjects ranging from Infant Massage and Communication to Ayurvedic Bliss Therapy. "

Read more here...

Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm: It "causeth the mind and heart to become merry and driveth away all troublesome cares and thoughts arising from melancholy and black choler..." wrote the famous British herbalist, Nicholas Culpepper in the 17th century. Lemon Balm was a symbolic plant used to transmit messages between lovers and also signified sympathy.

A loosely branched, upright perennial, lemon balm attracts attention by its scent rather than appearance. It is a member of the mint family. It has square stems and two-lipped white or yellowish tubular flowers in clusters. Touch the leaves and your fingers will smell of lemon with a hint of mint. Native to southern Europe and North Africa, it now grows wild and is cultivated throughout the world.

Studies have shown this herb can have a sedative effect on the central nervous system. The oil of lemon balm helps inhibit bacteria and viruses. It is a very gentle herb with a mint-like flavor. It has been used as a tea to treat many children's disorders such as colds and flus. It relieves anxiety and tension and is an excellent digestive relaxant.

More about the herb Lemon Balm

Hawthorne :: Heart Health

Herbalists have used hawthorne for thousands of years. Since the turn of this century, it has been studied as a possible curative of heart disease. In the 19th century, Hawthorne was considered a "secret remedy" for heart disease. In the 1890s, a group of American physicians used hawthorn preparations to treat cardiac troubles such as angina and weak heartbeat. Today, it is viewed as a potentially important drug source.

During the past 80 years, research has shown that hawthorn has positive effects on the cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) system, probably due to its flavinoids which can regulate blood pressure and reduce angina pain. It dilates blood vessels allowing blood to flow more freely resulting in the lowering of blood pressure. It act directly on the heart muscle to help a damaged heart to work more efficiently.

Learn more about the Hawthorne Herb

Angelica

More Healing Herbs and Folklore Remedies
Modern science explains the success of much folk medicine by the presence of helpful chemical substances found and identified in many herbs but there's a certain "romance" missing when you only study this aspect. In addition to their healing powers and delightful physical attributes, there are volumes of fascinating stories and history that accompany many of the plants found in the herbal world. With this in mind, this lesson will explore herbs that are steeped in folklore to give you a taste of our legacies from the past.

Ambien or Natural Sleep Aids?

This morning on the Today show I heard a woman talk about her problems with a sleep aid she had been taking for 5 years. She worked nights and had trouble getting to sleep in the daytime. Her husband worked days, but at home. Her doctor prescribed Ambien.

She got up one morning to find a thrashed bag of hamburger buns, and the debris from the little bit of buns that were left, on her counter. She asked her husband if the dog got into the buns. Surprised by her question, he said that she ate them.

She had no recollection of getting up, ripping open the bag, slathering butter all over the buns, and voraciously eating every one of them. Though, she did say she sort of remembered a hazy dream that was something like that.

Turns out that one of the side effects of Ambien for her was unconscious binge eating while sleeping! She did sleep walk as a child, but not since then and nothing like this.

Whoa! Sleep walking, sleep binge eating!?! Sometimes she would get up and cook an entire breakfast and eat it, without remembering that she did it. She also mentioned that she was usually barely cognitive of the first two hours upon waking and she had memory related problems.

The pharmaceutical company issued a statement that said that there was no proof that this was a side effect caused by the sleep aid.

However, keeping this in mind, wouldn't you prefer a natural sleep aid that has side effects of better health? Also chamomile tea works as a mild sleep aid.