My Bulk Herb Store Order!

I am so excited about my order! I can't wait to get my herbs organized and start making tinctures and infusions. I have some tutorials and experiments that I'll be posting soon, so be on the look out for those. 

When I first showed my hubby the herbs I wanted  to purchase he was like "hooooold on"! It's not the the herbs were expensive, he's just really good at keeping me on track financially :o)  But once I showed him that I had already spent more than $50 on syrups and tinctures in the past month, he was totally on board. It's so much cheaper to make things yourself. 

All the herbs and accessories you see in the picture cost less than $100! And we're stocked up for a good while. Pretty much any issues that might come up we're prepared for, which was my first goal. Next I want to stock up on things for day to day heath and well being. 

There are SO MANY uses for the herbs I purchased so I'll just name a few:

Comfrey Leaf: anti-inflammatory good for speeding up the healing of wounds, and promotes cell regrowth. 

Dried Elderberries: good for cold, flu, sore throat, fever, constipation, allergies. 

Echinacea: good for acne, ear infection, fever, sore gums, insect bites, stings, eczema, antibiotic, strep throat.

Nettle Leaf: good for burns, eczema, asthma, anemia, high blood pressure, hair loss.

Plantain Leaf: good for eczema, bites, stings, cuts, rashes, tooth ache, poison ivy, constipation, liver issues.   

Yarrow Flower: good for colds, flu, fever, pneumonia, menstruation, chicken pox,  urinary problems, circulation, diarrhea. 

Red Raspberry Leaf: There are so many benefits to this herb that I probably could devote a whole post to it! "It is filled with essential minerals and vitamins like magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin C, E, A and B complex. It also contains easily assimilated calcium and iron." -Bulk Herb Store

Henna Leaf Powder: This herb is for my hair, I will use it as a treatment for strengthening and conditioning. 

As you can see a few of these herbs are for eczema and that is because my youngest has eczema and we're on the hunt to heal her. But enough about me I have something for you!MARCH PROMO CODES!!! These codes are good until March 31st or while supplies last.  

Making Vegetables Book (pre-order) $12.95 (normally $19.95)- MARMVB

Organic Alfalfa $2.94 (normally $4.20) - MARALF

Black Walnut Hull Powder $3.29 (normally $4.70) - MARNUT

Erin's Super Green Drink $10.47 (normally $14.95)- MARGRN

Pomergrante Green Tea  $6.27 (normally $8.95)- MARPOM

Organic Lemon Peel $7.28 (normally $10.40)- MARLEM

Even if you don't want to purchase any of these items stop by the bulk herb store and check out their wide selection. The prices are reasonable and shipping is a flat rate!

Oh and here is a sneak peek of my herb cabinet before it's stocked. Can't wait to show you the after picture!

...and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. -Ezekiel 47:12

*this post contains affiliate links

DIY Shower Soother Discs

A few years back I used to purchase these shower disc things when ever I had a cold. I would drop them on the floor of my shower and the water would melt it, releasing the vapors that opened up my sinuses and gave me much needed relief. I haven't seen those in a long while and when I started using essential oils I figured there had to be a way to make them. Well low and behold there is!!! 

I found a simple recipe via google at Frugal by Choice, Cheap by Necessity. However, I made a slight adjustment. In my discs I only used Eucalyptus oil. Now on to how to make them!

Ok step one empty a box of baking soda into a bowl, next stir in water slowly until you get a paste like consistency, finally add your essential oils and stir. SO SIMPLE! After it's all whipped up, spoon the mixture in to a lined muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes. I added a few drops to each disc after they came out of the oven because I read that for some people the scent wasn't strong enough after baking. 

I added some food coloring to tint them, but I didn't add enough

Pretty

Not so pretty after baking lol

I decided to wrap them in coffee filters for storage
because some of them were really crumbly
and the muffin liners were ripping

...and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. -Ezekiel 47:12

Blessings in the Storm

image via google

My family has been battling something wicked these last few days. On late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning our girls both woke up with bad coughs. I gave the oldest a honey and raw garlic mix and the youngest my previously mentioned cough remedy. Followed by some warm tea for both. Well, our oldest didn't do so well and began to throw up.

After changing sheets, and giving instructions on aiming for the garbage we placed next to her bed, everyone went to sleep. The next  day the girls were feeling AWFUL they just laid in bed and drifting between sleep and being awake. I'm pretty sure its the quietest our house has ever been. After getting some advice from a friend, I began rubbing the soles of their feet with eucalyptus oil. Then I got a message saying that a few people from our church had the flu! With how quickly it came on and the severity of it I'm 90% sure it was the flu for the girls too. Thursday night the youngest got even worse and started throwing up. So I decided to try to get out early in the morning before the blizzard started to get some elderberry syrup.

I woke up late, and snow was already falling but I really felt strongly that the girls needed something to help them out. So I rushed out to whole foods, despite the snow. I found what I needed and was heading back home, when our truck broke down less than 3 miles from home! I tried not to panic, and called my parents to see if they could call someone in the area to help me out. As I sat in the car I was determined not to cry. I began singing every praise song I could remember and dancing to try and stay warm. Cars zipped by, snow kept falling, and I kept watching my rear-view mirror. I was a little afraid but I just kept reminding myself that  YHVH is in control.

When I couldn't sing songs by memory any more I turned on the cd player and played Faithful God on repeat! Finally, about 30 or more minutes later, a friend of my dad came to get me. He tried to jump the car, and when that didn't work he called a tow truck. I said a quick prayer because I could not afford to pay for a tow truck. Turns out he had Triple A and because I lived less than 3 miles away the tow was free! Once I got home I thawed out a little then started giving the girls the elderberry tincture I purchased. The oldest was starting to feel better, but the younger one was still looking like a  she was out of it. They both had fevers and I just wanted them to be better. I gave them the tincture 4 times on Friday and my husband prayed over them. We had both been praying and seeking wisdom on how to handle this, but it was looking so bad he decided to hold them and pray for healing.

Late Friday night/early Saturday evening the oldest woke me up to tell me she felt better! I didn't want to put to much stock in that but we woke up Saturday morning to, 38 inches of snow, and two bubbly playful girls! Just like that YHVH had healed them. I have never seen the flu last for just two days! He showed us exactly what we needed to get to help heal them. So many prayers were answered in these last few days that all I can do is praise HIM! I'm so thankful that my girls are better and that the car situation wasn't worse. Oh and even better once the snow is all clear one of my dad's friends is going to come look at it for us. I'm not even worried about it though because I know my faithful Elohim will take care of us. 

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. -Psalm28:7

Learning to Heal Naturally

It's been quiet around the blog this week because a lot of life has been happening. As I mentioned in this weeks Torah Momma Journal we've had decisions and changes to make. The bulk of the changes we're making have to do with health. As believers I think its important to take care of our bodies. I'm sure how that is approached will be different for every one, but here are some of the things we're doing. 

-Switching to a natural toothpaste. With all the chemicals in toothpaste this was probably our easiest switch. Currently we're using a store bought natural toothpaste, but going forward I'll be making it. 

-Eating more real foods. I've always cooked, but now I'm purposing to make more things from scratch. 

-Eating more raw food. My husband definitely pioneered this one, which I was a little surprised about. Our current plan is to drink more green smoothies. I'm hoping to get more creative in this area as we continue on. Although I did make a delicious Israeli style salad the other day that everyone loved.  

-Using herbs and oils instead of traditional medicine. I was around 11 when I first heard about how awesome YHVH is when it comes to healing. My family and I were at a powwow (we're part Native American) and someone was explaining how the cure for poison ivy grows right next to it! I was totally blown away. So since then I've been pretty naturally minded but haven't fully educated myself. This stops NOW!

-Buying organic. We most likely will not be buying everything organic but the things that are known to be the worst offenders we will definitely buy organic. 

-Significantly reducing our use of sugar and working on eliminating white sugar. Someone gave us a bottle of agave and now I'm hooked. I thought it would add a funny taste but it doesn't, and you don't need a lot. I like to use it to sweeten tea for my girls, and myself. It's taking a little convincing to get my hubby on board with this one. 

-Switching from plastic containers to glass. There are so many chemicals in plastic that get released into our foods, so in order to prevent that we're switching to glass storage containers. 

These 7 things are our first steps to living a healthier lifestyle. There is still so much to be done but you have to start where you can. Some of the books I will be reading to educate myself are:

The ABC Herbal: A Simplified Guide to Natural Health Care for Children {EXCELLENT book lots of information, definitely one I will refer to again and again}

Naturally Knocked Up {tons of info about healthy living in general}

Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year {not done reading}

Back to Eden {still haven't read yet}

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. -1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Home Remedies

I don't normally talk about these kinds of things, but this was too good not to share! The other night I was up late (or early depending on how you look at it) with a sick 2 year old. She was coughing, struggling to breath, and just all around uncomfortable. I had given her some cough medicine earlier but it just wasn't helping her. So I prayed about it and then decided to google some natural remedies. I stumbled across some information about making a syrup out of thyme and honey. Being desperate, and tired, I figured it couldn't hurt. 

It worked like a charm! She was back to her normal self after just taking it once! I've been giving her a tablespoom full every few hours since and her cold is pretty much cleared up. She does have a bit of a cough still but she is no where near as bad as she was. My 4 year old was also starting to come down with something, so I gave her some and she is fine now. 

With all that, how could I not share it with ya'll?? So here you go, the super simple recipe with pictures. Oh, and for this batch I added some lime for an added kick. 

Boil 3 tablespoons of dried thyme leaves, for 20 minutes

Strain out the leaves. I just used a coffee filter
but if you have a tea strainer that should work. 

Add 1/2 cup of honey.

Add the juice of one lime, and stir. 

Then pour into a container and store in the fridge.

 Once cooled take 1 tablespoon every 3-4 hours for kids*, 2 tablespoons for kids 6 to 12, and 3 tablespoons for adults.**



* DO NOT give to a child under 1 year old!
** I am not a doctor and these are just my suggested dosages, please use your discretion when taking or giving to someone else.


...and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. -Ezekiel 47:12