10 Essential Foods: A Sensible, Good-Humored Approach to Vitality, Health and Well-Being

By Lilitha Thomas

10 Essential Foods introduces the ten foods that cover all of your nutritional basics, and provides simple, delicious recipes for how to prepare them. Woven throughout this enjoyable book are book are funny stories, stories and tips for feeding children with the essential foods.

10 Foods That:

• Increase vitality and longevity
• Encourage weight loss
• Strengthen immune system
• Balance nutrients
  Bonus section: 10 Essential Snacks.

Paperback, 324 pages, English, Kalindi Press, 1997

Want to brew up your own herbal blends for tea, infusions or baths? Use them for potpourri or for an impromptu sachet. 

These 100% cotton re-usable muslin herb bags with draw-string come in several different sizes:

• 3x5 in tea bag - Best size for making 1 cup of tea (about 2 tablespoons of herb)
• 4x6 in tea bag - Best size for making 1 quart of tea (about 1/2 cup of herb) 
• 6x8 in tea bag - Best size for making 1/2 gallon of tea (about 1 cup of dried herb)

The bags may be brewed with and then emptied, washed, dried and re-used. When brewing and infusing, be sure to under fill the herb bag in order to accommodate the expansion of dried herbs when soaked.

USEFUL HINT: We have found that washing the tea bags in the top rack of the dishwasher works well. We give them a quick rinse after to make sure there's no soap remnant on them. 

What is muslin?

Muslin refers to a cotton cloth of varying styles of weave, from sheer gauze to fine linen. Perhaps the best representation of the latter is jamdani, also known as daka, a fine muslin produced for centuries in Dhaka, now the capital of Bangladesh. At one time, linen muslin was popular in dress-making from the 1700s through the early 20th century.

These muslin bags are made of a simple linen type weave that you wouldn’t want to make a dress out of, but they’re perfect for making large batches of tea, spice and seasoning sacks, herbal sachets or bath bags.

By Julie Lusk

A Soothing Broth

by Pat Willard

Honking and wheezing? Plumbing all messed up? Change of seasons got you down? Need a little pick-me-up?

Pat Willard has just the ticket to get you back on track.  While poring over weathered, vintage cookbooks, Pat found a treasure trove of recipes from the days when ailing family members were cared for at home, and everyday aches, pains, and complaints were dealt with by turning to the kitchen pantry.  With a style reminiscent of M.F.K.  Fisher and Laurie Colwin, and a tone as soothing as Pat's suggestions, A Soothing Broth includes recipes for homemade broths, tonics, juices, puddings, and teas.

If a sore throat has you croaking like a frog, relieve the pain with a vinegar and cayenne pepper beverage.  If you've overdone it at the gym, soak those aching muscles in a warm bath with some ginger and vinegar.  A paste of wheat germ and honey will relieve the itching and take down the swelling of that nasty bee sting.

You've got a cupboard full of cures in your kitchen, and A Soothing Broth shows you how to use them.

Hardcover, 224 pages, English, Broadway, 1998

"A-Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactions" by Alan R. Gaby

Know the Side Effects and Protect Your Health

If you’re among the millions of people taking prescription and over-the-counter drugs, as well as vitamins and natural medicines, you need to know which combinations are potentially helpful and which can be extremely dangerous. The A–Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactions is an essential resource to understanding the interactions that may affect your health.

From the experts at Healthnotes, this revised and updated edition contains the newest information on thousands of drugs and supplements, based on studies published in the leading medical journals. Reliable and easy to use, this book is sure to become a trusted reference in your home.

MORE THAN 18,000 DRUG-HERB-VITAMIN INTERACTIONS

Find out about:

• Drugs that can deplete your body’s nutrients

• Supplements that can interfere with drug absorption

• Side effects of common drug-herb-vitamin combinations

• Supplements that can help your prescriptions work better

• Combinations that should never be taken together

• With a foreword by Dr. Bob Arnot

Paperback, 338 pages, English, Harmony, 2006

AD (Formerly Adrenal Toner)

INGREDIENTS: Licorice Root, Astragalus, Ginseng Root, Ginger

One of the key functions of the adrenal glands is to prepare our bodies and minds for situations in which we may need a quick and appropriate response. They accomplish this by producing certain types of hormones and sending them throughout the body. Hormones are the communication system of the endocrine glands. If our belief is that we live in a stressful or unsafe environment, the adrenal glands will be continually firing, all day long, every day. This continual work load eventually sends the adrenal glands into a state of fatigue, leaving us with symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, memory problems, food cravings, allergies, blood sugar problems, aching joints, low energy, and with a need for a couple of naps throughout the day.

The kidneys and the adrenal glands are closely connected. I have pondered the connections here. Stressed kidneys can contribute to a personality that is generally fearful; afraid to move forward but afraid not to at the same time, and afraid of many other things. Did the malfunctioning kidneys cause the fear or are the kidneys malfunctioning because of the fear? Either way, the adrenals get over worked coping with the fear.

The adrenal glands are vital to immune system function. They also produce hormones which are important in the metabolism of carbohydrates, the regulation of blood sugar, the maintenance of electrolyte and water balance in the body, and the regulation of blood pressure (to name just a few of the their many functions).

This formula is helpful, along with other remedies, for mononucleosis and chronic fatigue. There is a full program for these outlined in my book, Butterfly Miracles with Homeopathic Remedies II.

©Copyright Butterfly Expressions 2020, 2021

ALMOND OIL (Prunus dulcis)

EXTRACTION METHOD: cold pressed, refined

CONSISTENCY: medium weight, light almost clear color

PART UTILIZED: kernel

APPLICATION: Almond Oil is such a delightful carrier oil that is can be used all by itself, 100%.

AROMATIC CONSIDERATIONS: little to no aroma

GENERAL INFORMATION: Sweet Almond Oil is easily the most popular carrier oil for many reasons. Almond Oil is inexpensive and absorbs into the skin quite quickly. Almond Oil is rich in vitamins A, B, and E, all of which are beneficial nutrients for healthy skin. Almond Oil is light enough to be used as a make-up remover. It opens the pores, ensuring that all makeup is easily removed. Almond Oil, heated, can be used in place of more expensive, commercially available hot oil treatments for dry hair and scalp. This is one of my favorite uses for Almond (and Coconut) Oil.

Almond Oil contains, along with the vitamins mentioned above, heart healthy fats, potassium and folic acid. Besides using Almond Oil as a carrier oil when applying essential oils, perhaps replacing some of your cooking oil with Almond Oil might be a good idea. I use mostly Solid Coconut Oil for cooking because I like the slight coconut flavor it provides. I use Almond Oil from time to time where the flavor of coconut might not be appropriate or desired.

©Copyright Butterfly Expressions 2020, 2021

ARNICA OIL (Arnica montana)

EXTRACTION METHOD: Arnica flowers infused in Almond Oil

CONSISTENCY: medium weight, light yellow color

PART UTILIZED: flower

APPLICATION: Arnica carrier oil can be used all by itself, 100%. Though it is not recommended to use on open wounds.

AROMATIC CONSIDERATIONS: little to no aroma

GENERAL INFORMATION: Arnica is useful for bumps, bruises, and inflammation. Arnica works on sore, tight muscles and helps to reduce swelling of injured areas. Applying Arnica Oil immediately after the injury can prevent swelling; application later on can reduce swelling that has already taken place. Arnica is also effective in relieving the pain of arthritic joints and swollen feet.

In recent years, Arnica is being used by midwives as the oil of choice during exams for dilation during labor. It is absolutely incredible how the application of a little bit of Arnica oil “melts away” any swelling of tissues that may be occurring, and prevents bruising and trauma to those very delicate tissues. One of the most important things I learned in the last few years of my midwife practice. (Thanks to Laura Lechner, friend and trainer.)

Arnica Oil in herbal/oil form is ment for external use only. Arnica Oil is said to cause swelling in exposed muscle tissue, so it is not used on open wounds or deep abrasions except in homeopathic form. Arnica is one of my favorite healing plants and should be in every first aid kit!

Special Instructions: Arnica Oil (at least the one sold by Butterfly Express LLC) is made by soaking Arnica blossoms—fresh, whenever possible—in Almond Oil. Arnica Oil is used with amazing results for injuries where bruising, swelling, and/or inflammation are present.

Place Arnica flowers in a carrier oil such as Almond oil. Cover with a loose-weave cloth and let sit for 2 weeks stirring daily. The ratio of oil to plant material is 1:25. Arnica is better made with fresh flowers whenever possible. The dried flowers are easier to find and handle, and have proven very effective for me many, many times.

©Copyright Butterfly Expressions 2022

AVOCADO VIRGIN OIL (Persea gratissima)

EXTRACTION METHOD: expeller pressed, refined, or virgin

CONSISTENCY: medium weight, refined, has a very light color, the virgin oil is dark green and can so slightly solid when cold.

PART UTILIZED: fruit

APPLICATION: Avocado Oil is quite light and absorbs reasonably quickly so is sometimes used by itself on particularly damaged skin patches. Generally, however, it is used as a percentage in carrier oil mixtures.

AROMATIC CONSIDERATIONS: Refined Avocado Oil has a slight nutty aroma, Virgin Avocado Oil has a stronger nutty smell.

GENERAL INFORMATION: Avocado Oil is a rich oil that penetrates deeply into the skin. It is rich in vitamins A, D, and E, all wonderful skin nourishing vitamins. Like all good carrier oils, Avocado contains oleic and linoleic acids. Avocado Oil is excellent for use with dry or aging skin, with eczema or psoriasis, and for sun or wind damaged skin. Avocado Oil is said to have a sufficiently high sterol content to be useful as a carrier when using essential oils for joint and muscle inflammation and pain.

©Copyright Butterfly Expressions 2020, 2021

Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn’t Know You Could Eat

by Ellen Zachos

There’s food growing everywhere! You’ll be amazed by how many of the plants you see each day are actually nutritious edibles. Ideal for first-time foragers, this book features 70 edible weeds, flowers, mushrooms, and ornamental plants typically found in urban and suburban neighborhoods. Full-color photographs make identification easy, while tips on common plant locations, pesticides, pollution, and dangerous flora make foraging as safe and simple as stepping into your own backyard.

Paperback, 240 pages, English, Storey Publishing LLC, 2013

BERGAMONT (Citrus bergamia)

THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES: anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, disinfectant

AFFINITY FOR: digestive system, endocrine system, hormone balance, metal element, wood element, water element, yang energy, heart chakra

RESONANCE: emotional, physical

PLANT FAMILY: Rutaceae

PART UTILIZED: fruit

EXTRACTION METHOD: cold pressed

APPLICATION: It is always recommended to dilute Bergamot well. Well diluted Bergamot becomes soothing and emollient; not diluted sufficiently, it can be irritating to skin.

AROMATIC CONSIDERATIONS: Bergamot is a sweet smelling citrus oil, with a warm floral scent that is unusual among the citrus oils. Bergamot, diffused, is said to repair the aura and make one feel young at heart.

EMOTIONAL - SPIRITUAL - MENTAL ASPECTS: Because Bergamot has a special affinity for the liver meridian, it encourages the release of anger and pain that is being held back or held deeply in the body. A person needing Bergamot is usually a good listener. They are described by friends and family as cheerful and supportive. Often this cheerfulness is a mask, hiding anger, despair, or depression. It is as though they are carrying the burden of every sad story they have listened to on their own shoulders. They are very angry, but since the stories are not their own they feel they cannot tell them to anyone. The anger they feel becomes repressed and turns inward. The ability of Bergamot to relieve anger, nervous depression, anxiety, and hysteria has been well documented in Europe. Bergamot can help us find peace when our heart hurts for other’s distress.

Bergamot is excellent in any emotional crisis and in convalescing from an illness. Bergamot raises the spirits and brings light into our lives and lightness to dark and weary days. It is often used in treatments for eating disorders.

PHYSICAL ASPECTS: Bergamot has a great many applications for physical healing. Bergamot is used for urinary tract infections, sore throat, cold sores, bronchitis, and varicose veins.

In Italy, Bergamot is commonly used in the treatment of intestinal parasites. Also used in treatments for candida overgrowth and thrush. Bergamot has been shown effective against tuberculosis bacilli. Like all essential oils, Bergamot is antimicrobial. It is particularly destructive of bacteria that live in the mouth.

CAUTIONS: Bergamot should be diluted well and used sparingly. Repeated use of Bergamot can result in extreme contact sensitization.

Bergamot contains bergaptene, which is phototoxic. You should avoid direct sunlight on skin to which Bergamot has been applied. This caution applies to more than just an uncomfortable sunburn. Damage to the nuclei of cells has been documented when skin to which Bergamot was applied was exposed to ultra-violet light. This phototoxicity lasts up to 12 hours after the oil has been applied. Using Bergamot in a blend does not eliminate its phototoxicity. There is no problem using this oil as long as you apply it to areas of the body that will not be exposed to ultra-violet light (sunlight or a tanning bed).

There are Bergamot essential oils available that have had the constituents that create phototoxicity removed. However, these oils lack both aroma and certain therapeutic qualities.

©Copyright Butterfly Expressions 2020, 2021

BIRCH (Betula lenta)

THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES: anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, disinfectant

AFFINITY FOR: muscles and joints, nerves, urinary system, lymphatic system, lung meridian

RESONANCE: physical, emotional

PLANT FAMILY: Betulaceae

PART UTILIZED: bark

EXTRACTION METHOD: steam distilled

APPLICATION: Birch should be applied, well diluted, to areas of pain or inflammation.

AROMATIC CONSIDERATIONS: Birch awakens the senses, increasing awareness and alertness.

EMOTIONAL - SPIRITUAL - MENTAL ASPECTS: Sometimes we get into a frame of mind where we are very much afraid of the truth. We are sure that we will not be able to handle the truth if it is forced upon us. We spend a lot of mental and emotional energy hiding from the truth. Birch is eye opening. It shatters our illusions and brings us up against reality. This sounds harsh, but honesty in looking at oneself is a liberating force. The most important truth we can learn in this life is the truth about our own motivations. This truth will truly set us free and Birch essential oil can help us grasp it and keep hold of it.

PHYSICAL ASPECTS: Birch essential oil has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. It is useful for arthritis, muscle and bone pain, tendonitis, osteoporosis, and any inflammatory condition. Birch is also a treatment for bladder infections, recurring cystitis, gout, edema, and kidney stones. Birch helps with eczema and other skin disorders. One of its outstanding uses is reducing fevers.

GENERAL INFORMATION: One of the key compounds in Birch (and Wintergreen) essential oil is methyl salicylate. In Birch oil, this compound makes up 85-90% of the oil. Methyl salicylate is an aspirin-like compound which has much the same effect on muscles and nerves as cortisone, but as a constituent of an essential oil it does not have the side-effects of cortisone.

Methyl salicylate is easily and cheaply produced in laboratories, but the man-made substitute has very toxic side effects. This is not true of Birch essential oil—in spite of what you may have heard or read. There are two basic reasons for the natural one being harmless and the chemical version being deadly.

The first has to do with molecular structure. Methyl salicylate is comprised of 19 atoms—8 of carbon, 8 of hydrogen, and 3 of oxygen. Imagine how many different combinations could be made using these “building blocks.” Nature makes only one methyl salicylate. Forced together in a laboratory, this set of atoms combine into 25 known structures called isomers. The components of each isomer are the same but the structure is different. Two of these isomers are quite similar to natural methyl salicylate but are not quite right! Different isomers of the same compound can have entirely different, often opposite, properties—some helpful, most harmful. This is the case with man-made methyl salicylate. It has nasty side effects.

Secondly, the 10-15% of other compounds that occur naturally in Birch oil balances the methyl salicylate and keep it from being toxic. This “balancing act” of naturally occurring compounds is common in the natural world. (The lack of balancing components is why drugs have side effects and herbs do not!!) Research done by aromatherapists of the British school of thought was conducted using perfume grade essential oils (in other words, synthetic laboratory produced oils diluted in carrier oil). This research has been given extensive coverage in print. These synthetic oils proved toxic—even when diluted. The research has no relevance to the safety or efficacy of pure therapeutic grade essential oils. Therapeutic grade Birch essential oil is safe to use; synthetic reproductions are not!

I visited a web site where it was explained that Birch oil had aggravated a toxic condition established by medications which contained large amounts of “fake” methyl salicylate. This was cited as a reason to not use Birch essential oil at all. The fact that the reaction was set up by the synthetic compound was brushed aside as irrelevant. It was assumed that the reaction would have been the same with pure Birch oil.

Although the natural and the man-made compounds have the same name, they are not the same! A study of simple chemistry shows this clearly. (See Dr. David Stewart’s book The Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple, page 221). The methyl salicylate in the Birch oil continued to aggravate the condition because the natural compounds meant to balance it were insufficient for a battle against the synthetic compound in the medications and the natural compound in the Birch oil at the same time. More simply put, the “balancing” substances in the Birch were sufficient for the Birch; they were wholly inadequate to deal with a deliberate drug over-dose.

Essential oils heal because they are naturally occurring substances, balanced by nature and nature’s Creator. They heal quickly, without the side effects of drugs. Never forget, drugs have side effects!!

©Copyright Butterfly Expressions 2020, 2021