Archive for the ‘Health’ Category
To Sprout or Not To Sprout?
Posted by nwnikkie on June 20, 2012
Posted in Food, Garden, Health, Organics | Tagged: Grain, Nuts, seeds, Sprout | Leave a Comment »
Make Your Own Natural Bug Spray
Posted by nwnikkie on April 18, 2012
Did you know that the main ingredients in most commercial bug sprays and repellents, Deet, is a neurotoxin and is harmful to the brain. Yup you read that right, harmful to our brains. If you do use deet it is recommended that the bug spray not be applied to the skin, but rather to the clothes. I have never been a fan of deet before and avoid bug sprays for my family and myself, lucky for us we don’t get many bites these days. Something about a good diet makes you a bad target. For years I have sworn off bug repellants of all sorts. I have instead incorporated plants into the landscape that help to repel the bugs. This works well when we are at home, but now that kids are old enough to go off to camp they need something to take with them. Making your own bug spray is not that hard. It is just as easy as making your own cleaners. My favorite bug sprays are easy to make. You can take some of your favorite essential oils and combine them in a spray bottle for a safe and easy effective bug spray. In an opaque spray bottle combine
- fill about 1/2 full with distilled or boiled water
- fill almost to top with witch hazel
- add 20-30 drops of essential oils of any of the following essential oils: rosemary, lemon eucalyptus, citronella, clove, lavender or tea tree oil. – The more oils you use the stronger the spray will be
Posted in Health, Organics, Safety, Survival | Leave a Comment »
Mysterious Honey Discovered That Kills All Bacteria Scientists Throw At It
Posted by nwnikkie on April 18, 2012
Bees feeding off tea trees native to New Zealand, produce a type of honey that’s known as “Jelly Bush Honey” in Australia and “Mankuta Honey” in New Zealand. Now, scientists at the University of Sydney’s School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences have found this particular type of honey has some amazing curative properties.
Until now, Manuka Honey has been sold in health food stores as a natural medicine. That is probably about to change. New research has shown the honey kills every type of bacteria scientists have thrown at it, including the antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’ plaguing hospitals and killing patients around the world.
Professor Dee Carter is one of the research team that made the discovery. She said a compound in the honey called methylglyoxal is the key ingredient to the effectiveness of the honey. However, methylglyoxal on its own is toxic but when it combines with what are, as yet, unknown compounds it causes “multi-system failure” in bacteria.
Manuka Honey Unique to New Zealand
Honey bees collect nectar from Manuka bushes (also known as Tea Trees) which grow in remote areas of New Zealand. According to Manuka Health the discovery of the anti-bacterial properties of methylglyoxal was made by Professor Thomas Henle at the University of Dresden, Germany.
The curative properties of various types of honey have been known to indigenous cultures for thousands of years, and dressing wounds with honey was common before the advent of antibiotics.
Source: theaustralian
Posted in Food, Health, Organics | Leave a Comment »
I wish I knew this 40 years ago
Posted by nwnikkie on November 28, 2011
The answer is right under our noses. How much information can you handle in 3 minutes about health, wild and local medicinal plants? Fasten your seatbelt and get ready for a serious brain fill. This is all about natural healing from weeds and wild edible plants in your area. If I or my parents knew all this when I was young, things would be a lot different !
Posted in First Aid/Medical, Food, Health | Tagged: burdock, dandelions, milk thistle, plantain, superfood, Thistle, weeds | Leave a Comment »
Honest Food Guide
Posted by nwnikkie on September 12, 2011
Provided by Honest Food Guide.org
Posted in Food, Health | Leave a Comment »
Master Tonic 101
Posted by nwnikkie on July 29, 2011
(HealThyself) Master tonic looks like it cures everything and is easy to make and have on hand.
WEAR GLOVES when you prepare this!!!!!!
Master Tonic Ingredients
- 1 part fresh chopped garlic cloves (antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitical) (peeled or unpeeled doesn’t matter)
- 1 part fresh chopped white onions or the hottest onions available (similar properties to garlic)
- 1 part fresh grated ginger root (increases circulation to the extremities)
- 1 part fresh grated horseradish root (increases blood flow to the head)
- 1 part fresh chopped Cayenne peppers, Jalapenos, Serrano’s, Habaneras, African bird peppers….any combination of the hottest peppers available
Preparation:
- Fill a glass jar 3/4 of the way full with equal parts of the above fresh chopped and grated herbs. Then fill to the top with raw unfiltered, unbleached, non-distilled apple cider vinegar.
- Close and shake vigorously and then top off the vinegar if necessary. Begin this formula on the NEW moon and strain and bottle on the FULL moon, (approximately 14 days). Filter the mixture through a clean piece of cotton, bottle and label.
- Make sure that when you are making this tonic that you shake it every time you walk by it, a minimum of once per day. Remember that all the herbs and vegetables should be fresh (and organic if possible), and to use dried herbs only in an emergency.
Usage:
Strain liquids from solids through muslin cloth or strainer into an 8oz. Glass. Note: the solid ingredients retain almost the same potency as the liquid ingredients; Therefore, these solids can be puréed to use with other ingredients like honey and lemon to make a salad dressing or to marinate meats of all sorts. For example mixing to taste with Peanut oil makes a great sauce to roast chicken. This formula will not spoil unless mixed with new ingredients.
Posted in Health, Health and Fitness | Tagged: ailments, herbs, MasterTonic101, moon | Leave a Comment »
7 Non-Toxic Pet Friendly Garden Remedies
Posted by Sisko on July 20, 2011
Notes about the following article: Most articles instructing you on non-toxic garden remedies often suggest alternate toxic substances . This article is a good example and I thought it helpful to amend this one to demonstrate how these toxins creep into non-toxic advice. Remember anything you spray on your vegetable garden will end up on your plate. You can wash off soap but you cannot wash away the toxins they carry with them. Likewise on your lawn…your pets, wandering cats and dogs, and other critters graze on grasses and you track into your home any toxins placed on your lawn.
See emphasis bracketed in bold and strikethroughs. Dr. Bonners and Bio-Kleen are two good non toxic soaps. There are others. Check the ingredients like you would your food, your garden is food. Don’t use ” any brand” lawn fertilizer, most contain toxins. Get a non-toxic one from a “green” supplier or make your own. Corn syrup contains toxins. Cedar chips are often treated with chemicals, make sure yours aren’t. Finally, ammonia!!??
Here following is the Article:
t’s that time of year to begin gardening and we always seem to encounter a few hiccups after the winter.
In my landscaping business, we specialize in pet friendly yards and encourage others to use natural remedies to eliminate pests and other gardening problems that you may encounter. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Common Sense, Everyday Use Items E.U.I, Food, Garden, Health, Organics | Tagged: do-it-yourself, edible plants, food, garden, health, insects, natural, nutrition, organic, vegetables | Leave a Comment »
Long Term Water Storage
Posted by nwnikkie on July 15, 2011
Perhaps the only thing more important than food in a long-term emergency is water. Even the food you do have probably needs water to be cooked and eaten – especially dried beans and grains. Seriously, have you ever tried to bite into a dried bean? What is even more concerning is that water can be “bad” without anyone ever knowing it until it is too late! Crystal clear water can have dangerous bacteria growing in it, chemical run-off, and high levels of lead, mercury, or even arsenic!
Even if you store perfectly good water, storing it in the wrong way will mean that when you really need it, you will find yourself drinking poison rather than water. Just as critical as knowing how to store water, is the knowledge of knowing how not to store water.
What NOT to Use
- Non-food-grade plastic. While some people would say that all plastic is questionable, for long term storage, certainly non-food-grade plastic is definitely out. The plastic containers can leech dangerous chemicals into anything you store in them, degrade over time, and often are so thin that rodents, bugs, and other pests have no trouble finding their way into the container.
- Food grade plastic which has previously stored things other than food. While you may be able to get great cheap or free barrels through Free-cycle, Craig’s List, or scouting what is laying around your neighborhood, better to find another use for them besides food or water unless you know with absolute certainty what was in them before. Any kind of chemical (yes – including cleaners) could soak into the plastic and then soak right back out again into your long-term water storage.
- Food grade plastic which previously stored fruit, juice, syrup, or milk. Right about now, you are probably thinking – I know, I can use old milk jugs and juice bottles! Yes, they are plastic. Yes, they are food grade. But the sugars in fruit and milk are impossible to completely remove from the plastic, and can easily start your own Petri dish of bacteria over time. I am sure you will be able to think of another use for these (or at least recycle them), but water storage is not the thing.
- Any kind of cardboard. These easily break; soak up unwanted materials, or leak.
- Anything else contaminated. While you might think if you just wash it well enough then it will be fine, don’t take chances with your water – it is just too important! Other than glass, or stainless steel, which can be sterilized by boiling in hot water for at least 20 minutes, it is better to be safe than sorry.
How Much to Store
How much water you need will largely depend on a variety of factors:
- How many people are in your family
- The presence of water locally
- Average rainfall for your area
- If you have pets or other animals you will need to care for
- Whether or not any family members have special medical conditions
- How much activity you will be doing
- The temperature of your environment
Posted in Food Storage, Health, Survival, Water | Tagged: chlorine, containers, distillation, emergency, glass, long term, non-food grade plastic, options, plastic, purificaiton, rotating, solution, stainless steel, swimming pool, treat, water, water heater, water-sources | Leave a Comment »
The Fantastic Four – 4 Essential Wild Edible Plants
Posted by nwnikkie on July 14, 2011
(TacticalIntelligence.net) Did you realize that knowing just 4 wild edible plants could one day save your life?
If there were any four categories of plants that I would recommend all people to know how to use and identify it would be these: Grass, Oak, Pine, and Cattail. For the knowledgeable survivor, knowing just these four plants can make the difference between life and death if stranded in the wilds – for each one is an excellent food source which can sustain you until help arrives.
GRASS
Surprising to many is the fact that you can eat grass. Despite there being hundreds of varieties of bladed grass found in the Americas, almost all (99% of them) can be eaten. This ranges from wheat, oats, and bamboo to the wild meadow varieties.
The young shoots up to 6 inches tall can be eaten raw and the starchy base (usually white and at the bottom when you pluck it) can be eaten as a trail nibble. The more mature the grass plant gets, the more fibrous the plant becomes. For older plants the base can be chewed and spit out — extracting the beneficial juices in the process. Or a tea can be made from the fresh or dried leaves.
The best part of the grass plant to eat are the seed heads, which can be gathered to make millet for breads or filler for soups & stews. Of the 99% that can be eaten raw, about 1% have toxic seeds and require that you roast or cook the seeds first. As a word of caution, stay away from blackish or purple colored grass seeds. This is a good indication of toxic fungus. Just make sure they are green or brown. Also use common sense when gathering. Don’t gather where there has been recent sprayings of weed killer.
Posted in Food, Health, Survival | Tagged: cattail, flour, food, grass, oak, pine, seeds, survival | Leave a Comment »
