Sleep Problems

I have talked to quite a few people lately that suffer with sleep issues. It is important to your health to get a good night’s sleep, and having a natural sleep aid to use that does not have negative side effects is a plus. We have a lot of great herbal formulas and essential oil choices to help you get the sleep you need. The first five remedies are made for sleep, the ones that follow after that are remedies that you may have on-hand that work as well.

Dr. Christopher’s Slumber formula contains Black Cohosh Root, Blue Cohosh Root, Hops Flower, Lavender, Lobelia Herb, Mullein Leaf, Passion Flower & Valerian Root. This blend of herbs is calming to the system and promotes a restful night’s sleep. Available in capsules.

Dr. Christopher’s Sleep Well Spray contains fresh Valerian root, Chamomile flower, Catnip & Passion Flower. The sublingual spray is very easy to use, just spray three squirts into the mouth at bedtime or when sleep is a problem.

Western Botanicals Sweet Dreams formula is a natural, non narcotic, non-alcohol based herbal product which helps to relax the body, mind and spirit allowing you to gently drift into sleep. Used effectively by children and adults. Not habit forming and completely non toxic to the system. Available in capsules or syrup 2 oz and 4 oz.

Western Botanicals Rest Easy Tea is a soothing blend of Chamomile flower, Scullcap herb, Catnip herb, Peppermint leaf, Stevia leaf, Spearmint leaf, Passion Flower herb, Lemon Balm leaf, Lemon Grass herb and Lavender flower. Available in 4 oz, 8 oz & 16 oz re-closeable mylar bag.

Garden Essence Oils Nite Cap blend contains Lavender, Chamomile, and Valerian essential oils. The oils in the blend help to relieve nighttime restlessness and is a great sleep aid. These are full strength oils. Mix a few drops into lotion or a carrier oil and massage into neck, abdomen, down the spine, legs and feet in the evening before bed. Make a roller bottle using your favorite carrier oil and add 2 to 10 drops into the 10 ml bottle or 4 to 30 drops into the 1 oz. roller bottle.

Both my husband and I take Kava Kava every night. I’m pretty active and on the nights that I don’t take it I know that I didn’t when morning comes because I have achy muscles.  Kava Kava is a great muscle relaxant, is calming for anxiety, stress and restlessness. It is available in capsules, 2 oz and 4 oz. extract and bulk cut and powder.

I have also used Dr. Christopher’s famous anxiety/nerve/depression combo for many years. It is both Relax-Eze and Mindtrac taken together. Sometimes I take them individually, but together they are amazing and work wonders for sleep! If I wake up in the night with worries I’ll pop two capsules of Mindtrac and it quiets down my brain and I drift quickly into a deep sleep. These two go to the root of the sleep problem for me, which is the fact that I am a more anxious worry type person. Great for anxiety, depression and sleep!

Other herbal formulas that may promote sleep are Dr. Christopher’s Valerian Nerve extract and Western Botanicals Nerve Calm, available in capsules, extract and syrup.

Other essential oils that promote calming and sleep are Lavender, Cedarwood, Celery, Chamomile, Clary Sage, Marjoram, Valerian and Vetiver to name a few. If you have some of these oils add a few drops into the roller bottle with the carrier oil or add to some lotion and you are good to go!

Please call me and I’d be happy to take your order and answer your questions!

Order online at Herbs First or call 801-228-1901 to place your order today!

Wishing you the best this summer!
Kathryn

Are bug bites bugging you?

There are several great remedies available to help with bug bites and I have used all of them at one time or another. Plantain Ointment/Stings & Bites is a Dr. Christopher favorite. If you know what the plant looks like and you are having an issue with a bug bite, you can just pick some of the leaves, chew them and place them on the bite. It works well to draw out the poison that is causing the itching. Plantain is commonly seen in grassy areas. Learn what it looks like, it might come in handy someday! Note that we have a few jars of the old label Stings & Bites and then after that it will be back to Plantain Ointment.

Lavender essential oil is a well-known favorite for many  people and I find that it works well for mosquito bites and bee stings. I was recently stung by a bee and it really hurt. I put the Garden Essence Lavender oil on the area and it didn’t swell and the pain went away. Lavender is a great summer remedy for sunburn as well, making it a must have for every household.

I recently had some mosquito bites that weren’t responding to the Plantain Ointment or Lavender oil. I was asking friends for some other ideas because the bites were very bothersome. One of them came up with Dr. Christopher's Black Ointment so I decided to give it a try and it worked! Sweet relief!

Another essential oil that works on bites is one that helps deter them. I will add a few drops of Garden Essence Pest Away blend to lotion and put it on my exposed areas and it works pretty well at keeping them away. I’ve also used it directly on the bites and had them stop itching.

So there you have it, some great natural remedies to help you with this pesky problem!

We are here to help you, give us a call to place an order or ask a question.

Order online at Herbs First or call 801-228-1901 to place your order today!

Adaptogen Essential Oils

   There is group of essential oils called adaptogens that are unique because they have opposing healing properties like being both stimulating and relaxing. They adapt to your needs.

    The use of adaptogen essential oils are pivotal for hormonal imbalances where glands may be under-functioning in one system, while over-functioning in another. Adaptogenic essential oils are capable of balancing opposing conditions without creating further imbalance, as many pharmaceuticals would cause. Using them together further strengthens their healing properties.

Seven Adaptogen Essential Oils For Hormone Balance

1. Basil
2. Clary Sage
3. Geranium
4. Lavender
5. Lemon
6. Lemongrass
7. Myrtle

Balance the Adrenals with Basil and Lavender

   
    The adrenal glands are responsible for how people cope with stress. In trying to juggle a job, family and the demands of everyday life, people are likely to have overworked adrenals.

Cortisol, the “stress hormone” is produced by the adrenal glands and regulates the body’s response to stress. It works on a schedule — good sleep, starting at 10 pm, maximizes adrenal hormone function. Out of balance cortisol levels lead to:

•    feeling exhausted upon waking even after a long night’s sleep
•    high energy late in the evening or waking up at 2 or 3 in the morning
•    an inability to calmly deal with stress
•    food cravings
•    brain fog

    Basil essential oil increases the body’s natural response to both physical and emotional stress while conditioning the system to cope better.

    Basil essential oil soothes feelings of anxiety, overwhelm and exhaustion. Rub a couple of drops of high quality organic basil oil daily into forearms or the ear’s adrenal gland point at the tragus (the cartilage above your ear lobe) to bring balance to the adrenals.

Life is demanding — the key to adrenal balance is to allow yourself more restorative relaxation time and sleep. Improve the quality of your sleep with Lavender.

Thyroid Dysfunction and Myrtle and Lemongrass

    The thyroid controls important functions like the body’s metabolism and temperature regulation. Out of balance thyroid function symptoms include:

•    Depression
•    Uncontrollable weight gain or loss
•    Dry hair and skin
•    Cold or heat fluctuations
•    Insomnia

    Myrtle oil is an adaptogen that can stimulate thyroid activity. Myrtle has the natural ability to balance and normalize hormonal imbalances of both the thyroid and ovaries, regardless of whether they are under or over performing.
Rub a few drops of organic myrtle oil into the big toe and the reflexology point for the thyroid located at the base of the foot in the fleshy area below the big toe. Another area where myrtle oil is effective is the thyroid area below the Adam’s apple, at the base of the throat.

    Magnify the thyroid-healing effect of myrtle oil by blending it with Lemongrass oil, another thyroid-boosting adaptogen, or alternate between each.

Ovary Balance with Lemon, Clary Sage and Geranium

    While menstruation and menopause are natural processes of womanhood, some of the side effects are not. The ovaries produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which when imbalanced, lead to several symptoms including:

•    PMS
•    infertility
•    difficult or irregular menstrual cycles
•    lowered libido
•    difficult menopausal symptoms like sweats and hot flashes

    Start the day with a simple liver detox to keep hormonal imbalances from wreaking havoc. The liver regulates the sex hormones, primarily estrogen. Add 2 – 3 drops of Lemon essential oil into a cup of warm water and drink it first thing in the morning.

    A Dutch study has found that the compounds in lemon peels, a large component of lemon essential oil, improve liver functions like hormone regulation by lowering liver cholesterol.

    Clary Sage has been used since Medieval times to treat the list of symptoms above. It’s quite helpful in not only balancing hormones but for also relieving pain. Dilute a few drops a carrier oil and rub the dilution into the ankles daily. If menstrual cramps are painful, rub the mixture on the stomach and ovary area for pain relief. Add the adaptogen oil geranium to the blend to enhance pain relief.
To soothe PMS and other feminine discomforts, add a few drops of Clary Sage and Geranium to a warm bath and enjoy a soak.

    Hormonal imbalances can be treated with essential oils safely and holistically. As with all new health regimes, consult with a trusted practitioner and start gradually. Using these eight essential oils is an enjoyable way to work toward hormonal balance and better body, mind and spirit awareness.

You can purchase these and other Garden Essense Oils at Herbs First.

Order online, or phone in your order  801-228-1901.

Have a great month!
Kathryn

Do it yourself healing success stories...

The thing I like most about using natural medicine at home is when something happens we can take care of the problem right away, instead of having to go to see a doctor.  Our early experiences were with ear infections.  Having gone the doctor route at first with our son and with his ears never getting better it was a relief to finally find Western Botanicals  Herbal Ear Drops that ended that cycle.  We built up his immune system with home made Anti-Plague (Dr Christopher's Super Garlic Immune Syrup) and he became our healthy one. 

     My niece  had an experience a few weeks ago when her little 16 month old son was suddenly crying hysterically. She found that a wasp had gotten under his shirt and had stung him quite a few times.  She has been using the essential oils lately and grabbed the lavender essential oil and put it on his tummy and rubbed it around. Within seconds he settled right down and was fine.  It is great to see nieces and nephews learning more and using these great products with their families.

    Lavender essential oil soothes bites, itching and inflammation.  It is a well known burn remedy, cooling the burn and aiding in healing without scarring.  Use it on sunburns to soothe and heal without peeling.  It is a very relaxing oil, use in the bath, use it with fractionated coconut oil on the shoulders, massage it in and feel the muscles relax.  Put it on your kids pillow at night and they will quickly fall asleep.  Use it when you don’t know what to use, what do you have to lose?

    Another niece told me that her ten year old son is going through one of those clumsy stages and tripped one night badly scuffing and bruising his leg.  She put the Garden Essence Blue blend on his leg and in the morning there was no sign of the injury from the night before.  She diffuses Garden Essence X-Plague all winter long to keep the bugs away and it does a good job of things and smells great too!

    I like to keep a roller bottle of Garden Essence Blue mixed with fractionated coconut oil on my night stand because sometimes  I wake up during the night with my neck hurting.  I’ll roll it around my neck and shoulders and rub it in and drift back to a good night’s sleep. 

    My cousin will order three of the 4 oz. jars of Dr Christophr's Complete Tissue and Bone Ointment at a time.  They use it liberally on boo boos that happen with their four kids.  She is starting to use the essentail oils and loves how quickly and effectively they work.  She loves the quality of the oils and the affordable pricing that makes it easy to have on hand for her family. 

    What are your success stories?  If you don’t have any, then now is time to get started.  Check out our sale pricing on all of the products we carry. Order some and start having your own success stories! 

Have a great month!
Kathryn