Do it yourself - Bug Repellant Spray and Sunburn Relief Spray

    Many times we have been at outdoor events and gotten the over spray from people using bug repellant.  I find that so inconsiderate!  You would think they would do it before they came, but no, time after time people are spraying their obnoxious sprays all over everyone.  Commercial sprays smell nasty and are not healthy to inhale, much less have soaking into your skin.

    It is easy to make your own Deet free - chemical free bug repellant. There are two things you need to make a great bug repellant. 
   

Bug Repellant

    4 oz. Vodka
    1 teaspoon Garden Essence Essential Oils Pest-Away with Catnip (5 ml.)

Put Vodka and Pest Away with Catnip in 4 oz. spray bottle and shake.  Spray on exposed skin and in hair several times a day to keep the bugs away. 

Sunburn Relief Spray

    2 oz. Aloe Vera Gel
    2 oz. Distilled Water
    15 drops Garden Essence Lavender Essential Oil
    15 drops Garden Essence Tea Tree Essential Oil
    10 drops Garden Essence Peppermint Essential Oil
   
Mix all ingredients in a 4 oz. glass spray bottle.  Spray liberally as often as desired on sunburned skin.  Keep the left over solution in the refrigerator.

    Herbs First now has 1 oz and 4 oz glass spray bottles  to use with your own herbal and essential oil formulations.

    As a natural sunscreen I like to use Coconut Oil, I put it on several times throughout the day.  Sometimes I slightly burn, so I just put more coconut oil on and by morning it has turned into a tan.  Complete Tissue and Bone Ointment is a great sunburn oil, if you don't mind being oily! I would use it if I had a really bad burn.  Order it here.

    Enjoy your summer!

Dr. Christopher formulas for children

    If you aren’t already using natural medicine to take care of your family what are you waiting for??  My kids were fairly young when we totally switched over and I certainly wish that we had known even sooner what we know now about health.  It is very empowering to be able to handle situations at the very moment realized, than to wait until things get worse.

    Dr. Christopher has a great Kid-e-Line of extracts for children which are appropriate to give from newborn on up. 

    Dr. Christopher’s Kid-e-Calc is a wonderful natural calcium formula designed to meet children’s specific growing needs. As explained in the book, "Biological Transmutations", the silica in horsetail grass can be converted into calcium in the human body, and the other herbs work in close conjunction with this master calcium herb. We need calcium to build and maintain nerve sheath, vein and artery walls, bone, teeth, etc. This combination is helpful for cramps, ("Charlie horses"), successful pregnancies, and building as well as maintaining healthy bones, teeth, hair, skin and nails for children and adults.

    Dr. Christopher’s Kid-e-Col is a mother's favorite formula for her new born baby. This formula is time tested and a blessing for infants. A great combination of Catnip and Fennel for colic, teething pain, flatulence, spasms, etc. This is one I give as a gift when I hear a baby has colic.  Parents are always amazed at how quickly it works to soothe little tummies.

    Dr. Christopher’s Kid-e-Dry is specifically for controlling or overcoming bed-wetting and to strengthen the entire urethral canal, kidneys, bladder, etc.

    Dr. Christopher’s Kid-e-Mins are natural vitamins for children, Kid-e-Mins is the ultimate whole-food formula, perfectly balanced with vitamins and minerals the way mother nature intended. Vitamins that come straight from nature are the most precious gift you can give a child. 100% natural to nourish growing bodies. Vitamins a parent can feel good about giving their children.

    Dr. Christopher’s Kid-e-Mune was designed to enhance the body’s ability to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses. Many herbalists use Echinacea for its ability to build resistance to infections of the respiratory and digestive tracts and strengthen the body’s resistance against many common ailments such as bronchitis, the common cold, sore throats, canker sores, cold sores, etc. Give at the first sign of illness to stop problems quickly before they develop.


    Dr. Christopher’s Kid-e-Reg is a synergistic herbal blend was designed to strengthen and gently cleanse the lower bowel. It is powerful enough for effectiveness and gentle enough for safety. It tastes great and is made with only the finest ingredients.

    Dr. Christopher’s Kid-e-Soothe was designed to calm yet strengthen the body’s immune responses. Oftentimes, we believe that we are allergic to certain foods, plants or animals, but in reality our immune system may be just overreacting. This simple combination of Marshmallow root and Astragalus has made life easier for those who suffer from allergies, hay fever, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis or any hyperactive immune response.

    Dr. Christopher’s Kid-e-Trac has become one of the most popular formulas for mental sharpness and clarity, emotional balance and overall health of the brain and nervous system. This formula has been used traditionally for helping the brain function properly via assisting the body with delivering the nutrients to the brain and calming nervous system. Works wonderfully for depression and anxiety symptoms.

    Dr. Christopher’s Kid-e-Well is a synergistic herbal blend was designed to help strengthen and assist the immune system of children. This formula is powerful enough to be effective, yet gentle enough to be safe. It tastes great and has been used traditionally during times of cold and flu.

You can order these on the extracts order page at Herbs First.

What is your favorite Dr. Christopher formula?

    I talk about this formula way too much, so hopefully you are understanding the importance of having Dr Christopher’s Complete Tissue and Bone Formula on hand.  I was attempting to open up a coconut , but it was a really hard nut and I wasn’t getting anywhere with it.  My husband decided to help me and as he took the coconut it slipped and dropped on my big toe! It hit just right, or wrong for me, and boy did it hurt. The pain was rather numbing and after a minute or two and looking at my toe I decided to get the Complete Tissue and Bone formula into me.  I really thought I would wake up to a bruised toe, and I certainly would have if I hadn’t taken it.  We had planned on going on a walk after opening the coconut, but after that I said there was no way I was going on a walk it hurt too much. 

    About half an hour after taking Dr Christopher’s Complete Tissue and Bone Formula the pain was gone so we went on our walk.  I totally forgot about it until I was talking to a customer  about the Complete Tissue and Bone Formula the next day.  She asked me if I used it and I replied that I did just yesterday and then realized that I hadn’t even thought about my toe at all that day.  I looked at it and it was fine.  Another success story!

    Dr Christopher’s Complete Tissue and Bone Ointment is another must have on hand item. My sister has had great results using it for carpal tunnel, that’s better than surgery!  We love to use it on our joints and anywhere it hurts.  I’ve used it on blisters, just kept a band aid wet with the ointment and had the new skin grow completely in a week.  Use it for arthritis, bursitis, bruises, eczema, sprains, strains and so on.  I have used it on burns and had the pain gone within minutes.  Keep the ointment on the burn just add more ointment as needed and not removing the old, and most will heal with no scars. Great for sunburns and more, just try it and see for yourself!.  

    Read some great healing stories about Dr. Christopher’s Complete Tissue and Bone Formula on Herbal Legacy, including finger re-grown after accident, hernias, spinal problems and more.    Listen to Dr. Christopher as he teaches people how to use all of his formulas on the Dr Christopher’s Herb Lectures CD’s.

Read a related blog where I share my sprained ankle story here.

Call to order: 801-228-1901

  

Healing @ Home, The Crash Course

    My husband and I attended a workshop this past weekend called “Healing @ Home, The Crash Course”.  It was taught by Dr Kyle Christensen, who is the author of Herbal First Aid and Health Care, which is the book that covers Western Botanicals product line.  This is a great book, very different from Dr Christopher’s Herbal Home Health Care, and worth getting.  Dr. Christensen is a chiropractor and naturopathic physician as well a Master Herbalist from the School of Natural Healing and until recently was a co-owner of the Western Botanicals products that we carry.

    I was amazed to find out that many of Western Botanical formulations are in the Herbal First Aid and Health Care book. What a bonus for anyone that buys it, because so many herbal companies will not give out their formulas. In the workshop Dr. Christensen made his Immune Boost formula found on page 230. I have made extracts using Western Botanicals bulk herbs and know how easy it is, but others were amazed that was all there was to it.  He showed us the best straining cloth I have ever seen, a paint straining bag that is reusable.  I went and purchased the two sizes at Home Depot and will enjoy using these for many years to come.  Now I have to figure out what to do with the big box of cheesecloth I bought!

    Dr. Christensen used two of the five gallon paint strainer bags and showed us how easy it is to make greek yogurt. He then used some of the fresh whey that drips out as the yogurt is hanging and taught us how to make fermented vegetables, which are a great source of good bacteria for the gut. I’m excited to start adding fermented veggies to our diet.  Fresh whey keeps for a month in the fridge and can be added to green smoothies to make them full of good bacteria!  We need all the good bacteria we can get to stay healthy!  Eating fermented vegetables and yogurt will help keep candida under control.  Food Matters just posted an article and video about making fermented veggies where you can learn more about the importance of adding this to your diet!

    Dr. Christensen also shared with us the fact that so many herbal companies are using very poor quality herbs to make their products.  Companies would approach them asking to buy their “spent” herbs after they were used to make extracts. Would you want to eat herbs that had the goodness already extracted from them?  No wonder there are so many bad products out there.  He mentioned that both Dr Christopher's and Western Botanicals use the highest quality herbs available and that is why they work.  Their products are pure herbs, no fillers are ever added, so you know you are getting only the whole herb with their healing properties intact.  Read Dr Christopher's Quality Statement and Western Botanicals Quality Statement and you will know why you should be using these herbal formulas for your health and healing.
   
    I love learning how to take care of myself and my family.  Herbal First Aid and Health Care would be a great book to add to your collection and will help you with your endeavors to be medically independent.

Is it time to make the switch to Natural Medicine?

    Dr. Christopher’s formulas are 35% off, bulk formulas 15% off through Friday June 28th 11:00 am MT.

    It is alarming to know that prescription drugs now kill more people in the US than Heroin and Cocaine combined.  Another sad fact is that over the counter drugs are just as dangerous.  We know a 12 year old girl who died from a Tylenol overdose and numerous people that have died from prescription drug overdose.  Having your child die is a hard way to find out that all medications need to be locked away.

    Drugs treat symptoms and once prescribed can lead to the need for more and more medications to treat the side effects. Natural medicine works on the cause to bring a person back to good health. It takes time and people need to be willing to change.  Much of the healing can happen with implementing the correct diet, adding herbal formulas and essential oils make the healing happen even quicker. Learn more about the difference between Natural Healing vs. Conventional Medicine here.

    Do your homework on whatever you have been prescribed and see if you are experiencing any side effects or symptoms that are listed from taking the drugs. The herbal formula names give an indication of the ailment they treat.  Scroll through the various pages of Herbs First website or call us at 801-228-1901 to see what natural treatments may be beneficial to you.  It is up to you to decide whether you are willing to continue your current course or if you have had enough and are ready to make some changes toward better health.

    Resolving the underlying cause of health issues is much more rewarding than medicating the symptoms. Obtaining good health is simple, but making the change often is not easy until you have incorporated healthy lifestyle habits. Enjoy eating whole natural foods and avoid chemical-laden, processed foods and drinks that have no value and are in fact detrimental to you.  Engage in an active life of movement and exercise, and your body will reward you with the good health you have been searching for. The choice is yours, I assure you it is worth it!

    Search for answers to health and healing on the Herbal Legacy website run by The School of Natural Healing.  Then come back and purchase these Dr Christopher's formulas at Herbs First.
  

Now stocking Nature's Way Coconut Oil

Herbs First has added Nature’s Way Coconut Oil to the website and it is stocked in our warehouse, so it can ship with your herb order. This is a great chance for people that have not used coconut oil to try it in the smaller size.  When you experience the health benefits of this wonderful oil you will want to get the gallon size which is more economical. My family easily goes through 4 gallons of coconut oil a year - we love it!

    Nature’s Way extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil is available in 16 oz and 32 oz. These are a convenient size for the kitchen or bathroom. Everything I cook tastes better than it ever did before. I use coconut oil in every recipe that needs oil.  If there is butter and oil in a recipe, then I use both butter and coconut oil.  If it just says oil in a recipe then I just use the coconut oil.  Coconut oil is solid below 76 degrees and liquid above. Coconut oil has a longer shelf life than most oils, making it the perfect oil for storage. 

    I have been using coconut oil for five years.  I never would have thought that I would eat so much oil because I was cutting oil out of my diet before.  Coconut oil is quickly used by the body, so no fear of weight gain eating this oil.  I use coconut oil in all of my cooking and baking, as well as on my skin. I just made a big batch of BF&C Ointment and ended up with 13 cups of ointment out of one pound of BFC cut and less than a gallon of oil. This will last my family quite a few years. Learn how to make it at this link.

    Herbs First also now stocks Nature’s Way liquid coconut oil.  This is the same as fractionated coconut oil that I like to use as a carrier oil for essential oils.  Since it stays liquid it can be used in salad dressings, a great oil to use when you want a nice light tasting oil.  Use it in all of your favorite recipes, in skin care and more.  A great choice when you need a liquid oil.

To learn more about the health benefits of coconut oil here.

To buy Nature’s Way Coconut Oil click here.

To buy coconut oil by the 1/2 gallon and gallons with $10.00 flat rate shipping for up to 4 gallons of oil click here.

Have a great month!
Kathryn

What herbs do you use to retain your natural hair color?

   I am a people watcher and over the years always noticed that women that color their hair look younger than the women that let it go gray.  I hadn’t really decided what I would do when the time came, but knew that I would prefer my hair to stay its natural color. I never liked the idea of dying my hair and don’t like how it looks when people have the big gray stripe growing and growing until they dye it again.  I also dislike the smell of the dye and the thought of using chemicals never appealed to me.
   
    Dr. Christopher has the answer for every problem and he happens to talk about it in the Herb Lectures CD’s.  Yarrow is the herb he talks about using as a hair rinse.  He tells the story of women he knew that had beautiful strawberry blonde hair that over the years went white.  She came in one day to see him and her hair was back to strawberry blonde.  She quickly mentioned that she didn’t dye it, she was reading over her notes about using the yarrow tea as a rinse to bring the color back.  She was so happy that it really worked! He also talked about a latino man who had gone gray who used it to bring his hair back to black.

     I have been using the BF&C Hair & Scalp Massage Oil along the front of my hairline for the past year or so for thinning hair.  I started to notice that I was getting less and less white hair along with the new hair growth.  I decided that I needed to do more for the rest of my hair.  I had in my notes that Rosemary tea works well for darker hair and I happened to have some of the whole herb.  I call my hair sparkly - my hair is coming in white here and there. It wasn’t bad, but getting more and more sparkly.  I decided that since I had the Rosemary I would give it a try.  I made a tea in the usual way, 1 tsp herb to 8 oz. of water.  I put the tea in an old conditioner bottle along with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.  Lemon juice could also be used instead of the vinegar, it is a great replacement for conditioner. It detangles the hair folicles, seals the cuticle, and balances the hair’s pH balance.  I use the Rosemary & Vinegar instead of conditioner. After shampooing with Dr Christopher's BF&C Shampoo I put the Rosemary tea on my hair. I leave it in while I finish my shower and rinse it out at the end.  People have been noticing the difference and asking me what I am doing.  Hopefully adding the Rosemary tea rinse will complete the job! 

    This is so inexpensive and easy to do! So much quicker and easier than dye, and my hair will stay the same color all the time. An 8 oz. bag of either tea from Western Botanicals at Herbs First costs about the same as a box of dye and will last a lot longer!  I mix up a cup of tea and it will last me about 5 days.  It would be fun to hear back how many people try this and how long it takes for their natural color to return.  I am thrilled at the prospect of keeping my natural hair color for life!

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

Rebounding brings the fun back to exercise!

 

   All three rebound models are now in stock
Herbs First has the best pricing on the internet!
Lifetime warranty means worry free purchase!

    Exercise is a vital component in health, yet it seems to be one that people get out of the habit of doing.  I have had a rebounder for many years. It is a low impact exercise that is fun for all ages!  When we have kids come to our house they go straight for the rebounder.  Jumping is fun and irresistible and good for you too!  
    Rebounding reduces body fat; firms arms, legs, thighs, abdomen, and hips; increases  agility; strengthens muscles overall; provides an aerobic effect for the cardiopulmonary systems; rejuvenates the body when it's tired, and generally puts people in a state of mental and physical wellness. There are at least 33 ways the body responds to regular rebounding, detailed at the links below.
    There are three models to choose from:
Standard - $259.00
Half Fold - $309.00
Ultimate - Quarter Fold - $340.00
    Half fold includes a carry case and quarter fold include a carry case and dolly. All models include Keep on Rebounding DVD & Al Carters Lecture on CD and lifetime warranty.  No other rebounder has a lifetime warranty.  These rebounders are built to last, but if it doesn’t ReboundAir will replace any part without charge (for home use).  Standard and Half fold can be used by people weighing less than 300 lbs.  The Quarter Fold Rebounder can handle weights up to 400 lbs. 
    Rebounding is a great way to start the day and end the day and everything in between.  ReboundAir Rebounders are in gyms all over of the United States.  Here are some great videos where you can learn more about rebounding: Free UPS ground shipping in the lower 48 states.  Click here to order your rebounder today!
    Read our other blog posts on how rebounding increases your health : http://herbsfirst.blogspot.com/2012/12/get-healthy-by-rebounding.html
http://herbsfirst.blogspot.com/2010/07/lymphatic-system.html
http://herbsfirst.blogspot.com/2009/10/arm-yourself-with-great-flucold.html
Have a great month!
Kathryn Mechling

Ravintsara oil treats Shingles as well as Sinus Congestion

A customer called a few weeks ago asking me about the Ravintsara essential oil that we carry.  She hadn’t been able to find it anywhere, and when she talked to other stores about it they told her that Ravensara and Ravintsara are the same thing.  Not so.  Here is what our website teaches about these wonderful oils.

    Ravintsara reduces pain and headaches, is antiviral, and effectively used for shingles and herpes zoster.  For shingles, add Melissa and Ravintsara to St. John’s Wort oil and apply liberally several times daily. Is decongesting, anti-inflammatory, helps clear sinuses, chronic allergies. It is an immunostimulant and good for all respiratory concerns. Excellent for colds and flu.

    Ravensara helps the respiratory and cardiovascular systems to harmonize. Lymph drainage is facilitated and is also a beneficial oil for joint pain, digestion and water retention.

    There are some similarities in these oils, but as you can see, Ravintsara is very effective for shingles and herpes zoster.  I talked to my mother-in-law a few weeks ago and she mentioned that she thought she might have shingles.  Shingles is caused by the herpes zoster virus and appears as a painful rash as well as headaches and other symptoms. The rash can occur anywhere on the body and most often appears as a stripe of blisters that wraps around the persons torso.  The pain and itching can be quite distracting.

    I recalled the conversation with my customer and bought a bottle of the Ravintsara. I filled a roller bottle with fractionated coconut oil and put in 10 drops of the Ravintsara and gave it to my mother-in-law. Several days later she remarked that it worked really well for the pain and itching.  After rereading the instructions next time I would add the Melissa to it as well.  I’m not sure where the St. John’s Wort oil can be found.  I’m happy my mother-in-law was helped by this little oil and will look forward to using it for sinus issues. 

    We hope you will enjoy using our essential oils. We carry both Raventsara and Ravensara as well as many other single essential oils as well as oil blends. Garden Essence Essential oils are affordably priced, which make it easier for you to take care of yourself and your family.

Click here for Garden Essence Essential oils single oils A - J
Click here for Garden Essence Essential oils single oils L - Z
Click here for Garden Essence Essential oils essential oil blends
Click here for a wide variety of carrier oils
Roller bottles can be found at the bottom of each essential oil order page.

Have a great month!
Kathryn Mechling