St. John's Wort ~ Not Just for "Ladies' Days"

Ask most any woman, "what was the first medicinal herb you used or heard of?", and she will probably say, "St. John's Wort" because it's most well-known use is for the easing of headaches, back pain and other menstrual symptoms. And well it should be the first for many of us, because it is a wonderful herb for all sorts of relief.

St. John's Wort is one of the most useful and safest** herbs and can be used in so many ways and for so many issues ~

~Premenstrual/menstrual backache
~Depression and moodiness
~Depression
~Anxiety
~over-all feeling of tension and stress
~Tense, tired, aching muscles
~Insect bites and stings (cream/oil)
~Neuralgia
~Chickenpox, shingle relief
~Cold sores
~anti-inflammatory (cream/oil)
~pain relief (cream/oil)
~eczema (cream/oil)
~psoriasis (cream/oil)
~peptic ulcers (oil taken internally)
~heals burns and other minor wounds (cream/oil)

St. John's Wort can be taken in several ways:

~~Capsules ~ click HERE to find out how to make your own capsules, or buy them at your local, TRUSTED health food store (I DO NOT recommend supplements from grocery or drug stores; supplements from health food stores go through different quality checks than grocery store/drug store products) 

~~Infused Oils ~ very easy to make. St. John's Wort (and other herbs such as calendula) is made as a "cold" infused oil, meaning that they do not need heated during preparation. 

You Will Need:

~glass jar (clear) with a tightly fitting lid
~enough fresh or dried herb to fill jar to 1" from top
~olive oil (olive oil is the best oil for infused oil because it is slow to become rancid)
~muslin cloth OR very fine sieve/strainer
~funnel
~amber bottles or jar with tightly fitting lids
~a sunny window

Directions:
(**You may use this recipe for most other infused oils**)

1) stuff herb into clear jar to 1" from top
2) carefully pour olive oil until it completely covers the herbs
3) tightly close jar and shake thoroughly
4) put the jar on a sunny window ledge, shake a little every day or two, let steep for 4-6 weeks; the longer you leave it, the stronger it will be
. . . at the end of 4-6 weeks . . . 
5) pour your oil and herbs through the muslin or sieve, press, strain and squeeze as much of the oil out and into your AMBER glass containers as you can (amber glass protects the strength of the product from being diluted from light)
6) throw used herbs away
7) top bottle/jar with a tightly fitting lid

To Use:

1) Topically ~ use liberally on aches and pains
2) Orally ~ for peptic ulcer ~ 1 ts 1-3 times per day

~~Tincture ~ for depression ~ Click HERE to learn how to make medicinal herbal tinctures. To use: 1-2 dropper-fulls in a cold cup of water 3 times per day

~~Cream ~ for eczema, psoriasis, neuralgia, stings, wounds, burns, muscle pain relief 

You Will Need:

~1 oz dried St. John's Wort OR 2 to 2-1/2 oz fresh
~4 oz grated bees wax (I buy bars of bees wax and grate them because I find that the grated melts better than the pellets)
~2 oz vegetable glycerine
~1-1/2 c water
~tea tree essential oil
~amber glass jars with tightly fitting lids
~double boiler pot and heat-proof glass bowl that fits inside
~muslin cloth OR fine sieve/strainer
~medium-sized mixing bowl
~wooden mixing spoon

Directions:

1) in a glass bowl inside a double boiler with boiling water, melt the beeswax
2) once melted, add ~ in order ~ the glycerin (stir), water (stir), and herbs (stir)
3) simmer and stir occasionally for 3 hours
4) carefully (it's HOT) strain the herbs through your muslin or strainer into a bowl
5) slowly stir, CONTINUOUSLY, until it cools and turns into a lovely cream
6) stir in 2-4 drops of tea tree oil to stop mold growth
6) once cool and set, scoop cream into amber jars with tightly fitting lids

To Use:

~apply cream to wound or itchy area 2-4 times per day

So many wonderful uses from such a lovely little flower. God is SO good to us.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

**This herb MAY interact with prescription medications by reducing their effectiveness ~ this could cause serious health problems. MAKE SURE you talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking**

**See obligatory disclaimer at bottom of page** 

Making Homemade Herbal Capsules

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If (IF) obamacare has been responsible for ANYthing good, it has made people want to (have to) start living more frugally and to take better care of their family's health needs. Weather you use medicinal teas, tinctures or, as we will discuss today, make your own herbal supplement capsules, it's always good to take charge and to know everything ~ and to be able to pronounce everything ~ that goes into our bodies.

Many of the ingredients I have given you for the medicinal teas or tinctures can be used in a much smaller amount for homemade supplements. However, many people prefer to have a single ingredient in their capsules. 

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Empty capsules come in several sizes, the most popular being "0"/500 mg, "00"/750 mg, and "000"/1,000 mg ~ "0" being the smallest most people use (although there are smaller sizes) and generally, the one that most store-bought bottled herbal supplements use. You may purchase them made from gelatin (made from a "clean" beef source and are usually kosher), or vegetarian (usually made from a poplar tree cellulose).

 
 Google ImagesMaking the capsules can be, honestly, a little tricky until you get the knack of it. Once you do it a few times, you'll have mastered the technique and will make less of a mess each time. :-) There are basically 2 ways to fill your capsules: 1) put your prepared (crushed, pulverized, crumbled) herbs in a small bowl and simply scoop the largest end of the capsule through the herbs, tap a couple times to settle the ingredient(s) and place the other half of the capsule on and squeeze together. 2) most health food markets have a "capsule machine." This is especially good if you are making more than . . . say . . . 20 capsules at a time.  

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If you are interested in good over-all health homemade supplements, try: 

Thieves Oil Wellness Supplement

~2-3 drops Thieves Oil (an essential oil blend with MANY uses, you can find my original recipe HERE)
~4-6 drops EITHER safflower oil or grapeseed oil
~use "00" capsules
~~Take 1 per day

Thieves Oil Antibiotic Supplement

~10 drops Thieves Oil
~6 drops Oregano Oil
~2 drops Frankincense Oil
~use "00" capsules
~~Take 2-3 per day for duration of illness 

Other supplements are ~

Pain Relief Herbal Supplements

~see some of the pain relief herbs listed in THIS POST and decide which fits your need
~fill your capsules
~~ALWAYS begin by taking ONE herbal capsule at a time until you adjust your dosage to fit you needs

Vein and Circulation Supplement

~cayenne powder, enough to fill approximately 1/3 of the capsule
~ground ginger root, a large pinch
~fill a "0" capsule
~~take 1-2 per day 

Echinacea Supplement

~crumble or pulverize dried echinacea root
~fill a "00" capsule
~~take once per day for on-going immune support OR 2-3 times per day to shorten the life of a cold or flu

Gentle Anti-Inflammatory Supplement

~licorice root powder
~fill a "0" capsule
~~take as needed; no more than 6 per day. May take for: digestive problems (gas, reflux, GURD, indigestion), peptic ulcer, constipation, canker sores, inflamed joints, arthritis, hoarse cough

Constipation/Irritable Bowel Syndrome Supplement

~psyllium husk powder
~fill either a "0" or "00" capsule
~~take as needed; no more than 6 per day.

Allergy Supplement

~nettle, dried
~fill either a "0" or "00" capsules
~~take 2 capsules once or twice per day. Nettle helps with: hay fever, asthma, gentle detox and mild diuretic, anemia, heavy mentrual bleeding, anti-inflammatory

Eye Health Supplement

~bilberry, crushed or pulverized dried berries
~fill "0" capsules
~~take up to 4 per day. Bilberry is an antioxidant and is widely known to help protect the eyes from tissue damage and prevents cataracts, helps heal the intestines from inflammation, helps circulation, varicose veins, bruising, blood flow,  helps with bladder and urinary tract infections; works BOTH as a mild laxative and to stop diarrhea

Headaches and Migraines Supplement

~feverfew, dried
~fill half or whole "0" capsule
~~take 1 or 2 per dose, no more than 4 per day. 

Taking charge of your own health ~ and that of your family ~ is a wonderful way to love your family and save time and money. Do some research and find out what other herbs may work for you.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
**Please see the obligatory disclaimer at bottom of page**

Word-Filled Wednesday ~#115~ A Fool for Christ

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

~ 1 Cor. 1:18

"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; 

not many were influential; 

not many were of noble birth. 

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; 

God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world 

and the despised things ~ 

and the things that are not ~

to nullify the things that are, so that NO ONE may boast for Him."

~1 Cor. 1:26-29

"We in our foolishness thought we were wise

He played the fool and He opened our eyes

We in our weakness believed we were strong

He became helpless to show we were wrong.

So we follow God's own Fool

And only the foolish can tell

Believe the unbelievable

Come, be a fool as well."

~God's Own Fool

by Michael Card

I don't know about you, but I believe we are seeing the birth pangs of the last days. More and more, I look to the sky and wonder, "How long, O, Lord?" 

These days do seem to be dividing the sheep and the goats (Matt. 25:31-46) ~ the middle ground seems to be shrinking. One one hand, the Lord is drawing many to Himself and on the other hand, those who are lost seem to be drifting farther and farther away. Although, I DO NOT give up hope of salvation for ANYONE until they draw their final breath on earth. 

It also seems that "those who are perishing" try so hard to  make a spectacle of "those of us who are being saved." While they blindly believe in such myths as evolution and chance, they laugh and point at us who believe the truth of God's Word, of His creation and the once-for-all sacrifice of His One and Only Son, Jesus, that paid the penalty for our sin so that we may spend eternity with God in heaven. 

Even if you put the Bible aside, secular history and fossil records for geological science record that Jesus, in fact, walked the earth, that the places where He visited were real places, the people talked about in the Bible were real people. Secular "science" says that we "evolved" from nothing, to something, to amoeba, to ooze, to apes, to something-in-the-middle, to human . . . with no proof. Any "fossil record" loudly proclaimed in scientific journals to show some sort of fake "missing link" is ALWAYS quietly retracted at a later date. ALWAYS.

Secular "science" crumbles, but the TRUTH of the Word of God stands forever. Who is the real fool?

To go even further with the truth of Creation ~ Even though modern "science" has never, and will never, prove evolution, it HAS in very recent years VERY begrudgingly come to admit that genetic studies show that it just might be possible that all mankind has a common set of parents. Dare we say it? Dare we NAME them? . . . Adam and Eve?! Some have even dubbed this study "The Eve Hypothesis." 

Secular "science" crumbles, but the TRUTH of the Word of God stands forever. Who is the real fool?   

750 years before Jesus walked the earth, secular "science" thought that the world was flat, even though God's Word said, "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth . . . " (Isaiah 40:22[a]) God told us that the earth was round, a sphere, long before mere man "discovered" it.

Secular "science" crumbles, but the TRUTH of the Word of God stands forever. Who is the real fool? 

Secular "science" understood that the waves of the ocean are governed by currents, but they didn't know that those currents could be charted and systematically followed; that courses could be reliably charted by them until the mid-1800's when Matthew Maury, the Father of Oceanography, began charting currents and proving that they were the road map of the seas. He consistently credited Psalm 8:6-8 ("you made him ruler over the works of Your hands . . . and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.") as his inspiration to prove the truth of God's Word. 

Secular "science" crumbles, but the TRUTH of the Word of God stands forever. Who is the real fool?

Every day, the TRUTH of God's Word is being proven over and over again. Even though the Lord wants us to walk and believe by faith, He is so good to supply a little proof of His love and good works to boost the faith it takes to believe what we cannot see.

God does NOT lie (Numbers 23:19) ~ if He says it, it surely MUST be. 

"Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. 

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD TO LIE, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure . . ."

~Hebrews 6:16-19(a)

If you MUST do something "foolish" in the world's eyes, be a fool for Christ. You will be in great company.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

Queen of the Meadow Herb a.k.a. Meadowsweet

 There is an herb in my kitchen collection that is growing in use the more I use it and the more I find out about it. It's gone by many names over the centuries: Meadow Wort, Gravel Root, Queen of the Ditch (because is grows well in rural ditches), Queen of the Prairie, Bride's Wort, Trumpet Weed, Purple Boneset, Joe Pye Weed, Lady of the Meadow . . . But it is most commonly known as Queen of the Meadow or Meadowsweet. 

It is a pretty, weedy-herb that grows in damp ditches and along creeks, rivers, ponds and streams mostly in Great Britain and European countries but it also grows in America in the same sort of areas. If you grow it at home, it prefers a semi-damp, semi-shade area. 

What makes this herb so popular is that you can use the flower AND the stem; once dried, you can use it in a tea/infusion (which is my preferred method), in a tincture or in pill/capsule form (either from your favorite health food market or make your own). 

The other reason Queen of the Meadow is so useful is that it is BOTH a pain reliever (containing Salicylic acid, which aspirin is made from) and it neutralizes stomach acid.

[**NOTE** If you are allergic to aspirin DO NOT use this herb.]

As a pain reliever, Queen of the Meadow is even better than aspirin because, NOT ONLY, does it relieve pain and reduce inflammation ~ much like Turmeric ~ which makes it very effective for arthritis sufferers, but ~ unlike aspirin ~ it does not thin the blood or tear up the lining of your stomach. As a matter of fact, it actually helps to protect the stomach and intestine lining.

Another plus for your tummy is that it reduces the acid level in the stomach ~ helping those of us who suffer from acid reflux (GIRD) and chronic or occasional heartburn ~ PLUS ~ it reduces acidity throughout the body ~ which ALSO helps those with joint stiffness, rheumatoid arthritis and gout. Oh, happy day!

And something else ~ Meadowsweet helps to calm diarrhea (even in children), IBS and cystitis cause by a UTI. 

See why my admiration for this little herb is growing by leaps and bounds?

Try it and let me know what you think.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

**Please see disclaimer at bottom of blog page**

Word-Filled Wednesday ~#114~ Where Everybody Knows Your Name

"Making your way in the world 

take everything you've got,

Taking a break from all your worries

sure would help a lot.

Wouldn't you like to get away?

All those nights when you've got no lights,

the check is in the mail;

And your little angel hung the cat up

by it's tail.

And your third fiancée 

didn't show.

Sometimes, you want to go

where everybody knows your name,

and they're always glad you came.

You wanna be where you can see

our troubles are all the same.

You wanna be where everybody

knows your name."

~Cheers theme song, 

by Gary Portnoy~

"This day is sacred to our LORD. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." ~Nehemiah 8:10(b)

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another ~ and all the more as your see the Day approaching." ~Hebrews 10:25

I love my church. 

I have loved something about every church I have belonged to. Each church has it's own personality. 

Some churches have various ministries, clubs, Bible studies for all ages and especially for the kiddos; some churches are sweet, small and humble; some are beautiful, majestic historic buildings where you can almost hear grand hymns of the faith that were sung my the faithful for centuries resounding off of the rafters; some churches have worship that stirs and edifies, the kind that you can almost feel the angels standing next to you rejoicing with you. And sadly, there are some churches that barely go through the motions of faith and you sometimes wonder how (or why) they keep their doors open.

But to me, church ~ as a place of community worship ~ is one of my favorite places to be.

It starts out that many of my favorite people are there. Everyone I see, once I walk in the door, brings a smile to my face. I know that most everyone (just being honest) is there for the same purpose I am ~ to worship the Lord in community, to edify and build each other up in the Lord. We are there to care for one-another, to pray for one-another and to worship.

I love to worship at my church. I know we all have our favorite modes of worship, tastes in music, etc., and we TRY to make as many "happy" with our choices as we can, but I am mostly a Contemporary Worship sort of girl. I love praise music ~ I love to rock and I love the sweet folk-type acoustics. Yes, I love the old hymns of the church, but I also love it when they are modified a bit with a more "current" instrumentation.  What an honor and deep, deep privilege it is to be a part of a praise team and have the honor of helping to prepare hearts for the hearing of God's Word.

(**Now, I don't want to get into any "discussion" about TASTES in music or what's "bad" or "good" ~ let me just say 2 things: 1) I serve THE GOD OF CREATION and He CAN AND WILL use anything He wants to to draw someone to Himself and He CAN AND WILL use whatever type of music He chooses. Having said that, it leads me to 2) I was saved at Christian rock concert. You cannot convince me the God didn't use that type of music to draw His children to Himself. I am living proof.**)

I love to be taught the Word of God: the Bible. I love to listen to good preaching, to a sermon that I can take into my life and use . . . that I can LIVE. My favorite kind of preachers are those I call "preach-teachers" ~ those who read the Word of God, then divide it and teach it in such a way that I can take it with me and APPLY it in my life, my family's lives and on into my community. 

I love to fellowship with my friends ~ fellow saints of God. I love to hear what God is doing in their lives ~ to be encouraged that if He brought them through something, that He WILL bring me through, too; to be able to help others know the same from my life and experiences. I love to pray with my brothers and sisters . . . what a special thing to be able to go before God's throne and ask His blessings and help for others and KNOW that He hears us. 

It is a pleasure and a privilege to go where people know you and love you in the Name of Jesus.

I hope you have a church where everybody knows your name. 

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><