Friday, March 7, 2014

Functional Friday no. 35 - What's in our Natural Medicine Cabinet(s)

I've been getting lots and lots of questions from friends and family about natural remedies. Almost every time someone I know is sick, I mention a remedy they've never heard of and they try it and like it! So, I thought I'd share a glimpse into our medicine cabinet...
Here's the kitchen cabinet full of our natural healing remedies.
I'll start off with Natural Calm, a magnesium supplement that you put into water to create a delicious fizzy bedtime drink.  Magnesium helps muscles relax, can help with anxiety and morning sickness.  I use it for the anti anxiety and muscle relaxer when I'm working out or when I want a stevia sweetened drink. Find it on Amazon here.
I didn't even realize how many essential oils I had until documenting them! 
Spearmint- helps with morning sickness, calms the stomach, smell it to avoid throwing up. It is also a great antiseptic and insecticide, I'll often add a few drops of it to my mop water.
Cinnamon Leaf- above is cinnamon leaf, but I actually needed cinnamon which is called cassia bark- used in my thieves oil recipe but not okay for pregnant women to smell as it can induce uterine contractions.
Aura Cacia is a reasonably priced essential oil manufacturer, I try to buy their organic line when possible, however, sometimes a local store won't have a specific oil in stock in organic and in that case if I need it, I'll purchase the non-organic version.  {I know some people will only use certain brands because they say they're purist but really organic oils are pure and sometimes those pure ones are over priced because of their marketing- just something for beginning essential oil users to keep in mind. Don't feel obligated to purchase the most expensive oils if organic ones are affordable and it will get you using them.}
Cramp Bark is an herb and this is a tincture which is a super concentrated extraction of the herb, it is used for menstrual cramps {hence the name} but is a vasodilator so it could work for headache as well. This literally stops cramps within 20-30 minutes, and you can take as much as you want until it goes away, the only side effect is nausea, so if you start feeling sick, you can stop taking it, as opposed to Tylenol which can severely affect your liver if you take too much.
Garlic, I get the anti-candida strength for obvious reasons {no thank you thrush!} but its good for your blood and general health, after a multivitamin and apple cider vinegar this is one of the best things you can add to your health.
Lemon Balm Blend which I used during pregnancy and postpartum to help with my anxiety.
We keep Papaya on hand for indigestion, think of a natural tums. 
B-6 and Magnesium both were purchased during pregnancy. B6 helps with the morning sickness and Magnesium does too.  Magnesium is a muscle relaxer and helps the body rest and relax.  It is beneficial to anyone who works out or for a mom who can't sleep during pregnancy, but it can relax a little too well and if you take too much you might poop your pants {not me, I always stay near a bathroom, but consider yourself warned}.
Husband was using claratin until I found this on sale at sprouts, I don't know where to find it nationally but looking for allergy tinctures at your local health food grocer is definitely worth it, he wasn't as medicated with this as claratin.
You can't tell but this is Grapefruit Seed Extract.  The label came off a while ago to see the use and directions, but it is a great cure all.  Any {okay not ALL} infection will be killed by this guy, stomach problems, thrush, flu symptoms, pretty much can all be treated with this. There is a bit of controversy over its' naturalness because of its extraction process and combined with glycerin but I prefer it to antibiotics and prescription antifungals.
Raw Manuka Honey is Antibacterial and used most frequently in our home when we have symptoms of a cold, we add it to our teas.  Husband actually added some to our dog's ear, because he kept getting ear infections and after one dose, he NEVER got another ear infection. EVER. 
Vera likes to help me blog...
... and pull out all of the teas.
daily.
Ginger Tea is best for upset tummy. My three year old drinks it on the reg. and I drank it during pregnancy; morning sickness, but also whenever I don't feel good.  Really great to have on hand in case of stomach bugs.
Throat Comfort is one we use when we have sore throats.
Mother's Milk is great for me to have on hand since I'm still nursing, if I feel stressed or dehydrated I drink this to make sure my milk production stays up.
Echinacea Elder Tea is good for echinacea=immune support and elderberry=dry sinuses so this one is a good one for colds and sinus issues.
Throat Coat is actually the tea I prefer for sore throats but the one above is what we found last time we were at the store, either will work but I prefer the flavor of this one.
THIS. so this. Apple Cider Vinegar is the best thing you can add to your daily. It keeps me stronger than anyone else's immune system in this house, and I'm always the sick one, so that's a big deal.  I've been really good about drinking an ounce a day and I am never sick more than 24 hours {I might have symtoms for a bit longer than that but I never feel bad or knocked out like I used to when I wasn't drinking ACV}
My kids don't get vaccinated for EVERYTHING {which is really another post completely}, so we keep their immune systems operating at their highest with probiotics like this Primadophilus for Children.
I take my probiotics too for gut health, this one just happens to be for women so they add the "Vaginal Support" but it really just is better probiotics for women's guts, not only for healthy vaginas.
And out of the kitchen and into the bathroom we have our usual salt mix, Epsom salt baths are great with sea salt for flu or muscle aches, about 1-3 cups Epsom salt depending on desired strength and just a dash of salt to help with absorption.
Sunflower Oil is for oil pulling, a technique used to help prevent and repair cavities, naturally.
We got this propolis toothpaste on sale, propolis is a natural antibacterial from honey, I don't LOVE the toothpaste but I think it's a great concept.
This is my HOMEMADE natural remedy.  Thieves Oil. It's a blend of essential oils. Sometimes it's the only thing that works when we have the flu or colds. Rub onto feet and symptoms subside for hours.  Always helps with Sonja's fevers.
And again in the bathroom I found anther stash of essential oils.


And that's my natural medicine cabinet, everything we use to stay healthy naturally, of course we do still use Tylenol and Benadryl but our emphasis is prevention and then natural treatment first. I'm not a doctor nor do I pretend to be one, I'm just sharing what works for us, our friends and family and what I've shared with them so you to can try what works best for your family. I hope this gives you all a reference and starting point for your own natural healing stash.  The trick to building a stash like this is to start small or with one or two investments.  I suggest Thieves oil, Apple Cider Vinegar and maybe a tea or two.  Good Luck and happy healthy healing!

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