Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Posted on April 15, 2017 by Renee Lindstrom • Posted in Rosemary, Uncategorized • Tagged Antibiotic, antiviral, Backyard Medicinals, Backyard Medicine, Herbs, Medicinal Plants, Natural Cancer Remedy, Natural Hair Remedies, Natural Remedies, Natural Skin Remedies, Rosemary

by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP – – Living in Natures Love Lifestyles @insideawareness.com

Mortar tea kettle Edible Dye deer

Rosemary in bloom

Uses: Culinary, Medicinal, Cosmetic, Massage Oil, Aromatherapy, Purifier, Love Potion

Parts Used: Flowers, Leaves

Preparation: Spice, Vinegar, Tea, Tincture, Infused Oil, Flower Essence, Essential Oil, Memory Enhancer, Incense

Symbolizes: Wisdom, Love, Protection
Language of Flowers meaning: Remembrance
Associated with: 3rd Chakra
Element: Fire
Governed: Leo

This post may contain Affiliate Links for your convenience, thank you in advance for your support! Renee

This rosemary plant has been a part of my family for a good 15 years. It began as a small seedling in a pot that moved around with us. Once planted at it’s current location it sprang to life in a new way. Planted with protection in mind, it is located at the entrance to my home and also my business pathway. Anyone walking towards either entrance-way faces this magnificent rosemary plant.

When cutting branches and picking flowers for creating essential oils, tinctures, infused oils and vinegar’s, and drying for tea, I also lay branches along the front and side property lines to establish an intentional boundary. I sense the energy of this rosemary plant as a protective mother and call her, “Mother,” however I have just read that this plant is male in nature.

Health & Wellness

The roots, leaves and berries are used for medicinal remedies and the flowers and the leaves are edible. The wood has been used to make musical instruments!

Rosemary contains antibacterial and antioxidant, rosmarinic acid, essential oils such as cineol, camphene, borneol, bornyl acetate, and α-pinene that are known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and antiseptic properties.

Buy Canadian Rosemary Seeds

Some beneficial health constituents of Rosemary for you to consider getting fresh from your own plant and replacing processed capsules and pills are listed below. Your body will be happier as living minerals and vitamins are easier to digest and are in deeper alignment with your how your body absorbs and processes their benefits resulting in fuller and more whole system of well-being. Many vitamin pills go in and come out whole!

Vitamin A,
Vitamin B’s (pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, riboflavin, folates)
Vitamin C,
Manganese,
Iron,
Potassium,
Fiber,
Copper,
Calcium,
Magnesium

Uses of Rosemary are:

Combat oxidative stress in the brain,
Improve memory,
Improve mood,
Hair tonic to restore grey hair to natural colour, stop split ends, stop dandruff and grow new hair,
Increase circulation,
Reduce aches and pains,
Antiseptic,
Astringent,
Antioxidant,
Vision,
Healthy skin,
Lung, breast and mouth cancers,
Fighting infection,
Improve blood and control heart rate and blood pressure

Buy Canadian Rosemary Seeds

The flowers of the rosemary have a higher potency of the above qualities therefore this year I have managed to infuse a tincture remedy along with an oil and a vinegar? I am excited to explore these flower infusions. This rosemary has not flowered in quite the same way in the past and I find this exciting and have appreciation to this plant! Here is a picture of the oil and the vinegar infusion. You can see after only 12 hours the vinegar has begun to become the colour of the flowers. The vinegar began with it’s own apple cider colour so the flower dye is quite dominant.

Infusing Rosemary Flowers

#yyj Non-Native Winter Flowering Edible & Medicinal Shrubs

Copyright 2014 – 2018 Living in Nature’s Love by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP,

Feldenkrais® Practitioner since 2007, Communication & Empathy Coach since 2004, Art of Placement since 2000

Sage

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Renee Lindstrom • Posted in Sage • Tagged antibacterial, antihydrotic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, aphrodisiac, astringent, carminative, estrogen, flavenoids, Medicinal Plants, Natural Dye, phenol acids, Recipes, resin, Sage (Salvia officinalis), saponins, Silica, stimulant, styptic, tannins, thujone, tonic, volatile oil

by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP

Mortar tea kettle Edible Dye deer

sage

Sage (Salvia officinalis)

Sage is a herb that is used to flavour recipes, a medicinal, a natural dye for fabric and restoring a darker color for graying hair, smudging and to ward off evil. It is also a stinky plant to deer!

The recommended active life of a sage plant is two maybe three years, however, I have one that has traveled with me for over six years. It is the one that I go to for adding sage to Christmas stuffing’s. It is a tradition. It is also the one that I have set an intention for protection in the placement of the pot in relationship to my front doors!

Constituents of Sage

Sage leaves contain tannins, estrogen, phenol acids, flavenoids, resin, saponins, silica, thujone and volatile oil.

Medicinal Uses of Sage

The medicinal use of sage are as an antibacterial, antihydrotic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, aphrodisiac, astringent, carminative, stimulant, styptic, and tonic.

Bacterial and Viral Conditions
Cardiovascular
Cold Sores
Gargle for: laryngitis, sore throat, tonsillitis, ulcerated throat, inflammation of tooth pulp, loose and bleeding teeth, preventing excessive flow of saliva, ulcerated or receding gums, ulcerated gums and mouth
Gastrointestinal Conditions
Glandular Conditions
Liver conditons
Menopausal sweating & hot flash’s
Mouth Sores
Regulates the menstrual cycle
Reduces perspiration
Salves & Washes for; dandruff, insect bites, itchy skin, skin eruptions, treating sores, stop bleeding in all cuts
Sore Throats
Tooth Powder

Sage is used in Cosmetics and as a Hair Dye

antibacterial – destroys bacteria, bactericide
antihydrotic – reduces perspiration
antiseptic – inhibits growth of microorganism and destroys pathogenic or putrefactive bacteria
antispasmodic – relieves spasms or cramps
antiviral – destroys viruses
aphrodisiac – arousing or increasing sexual desire or potency
astringent – contracts organic tissue, reducing secretions or discharges
carminative – eases pains, colic and expells gas from the intestines
stimulant – quickens the functional activity of the tissues giving more energy
styptic – stops bleeding by contracting the blood vessels
tonic – tones, strengthens and invigorates organs or the entire organism giving a feeling of well-being

Traditional uses and properties of herbs are for educational purposes only. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Every attempt has been made for accuracy, but none is guaranteed. Any serious health concerns or if you are pregnant, you should always check with your health care practitioner before self-administering herbs.

Bamboo

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Renee Lindstrom • Posted in Bamboo • Tagged anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, antiviral, Bamboo, Bamboo Leaf Tea, detox, improve immunity function., increase hair growth, Indocalamus Longiauritu, reduce hair loss, regulate body fat, Silica

by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP: This post may contain Affiliate Links for your convenience, thank you in advance for your support! Renee

Bamboo Roots Planted 2012

Bamboo 2016

Indocalamus Longiauritu

In 2012 my son and I received an offer to come by a clients and dig up some bamboo that was invading their driveway. After planting it the shoots all died back and I wondered if bamboo would ever grow. For two years it sat idle and it wasn’t until the third season it began to grow. It grew quickly and by the fourth it was filling in the spaces between plants. Now it is hardy with a steady growth of new stocks and leaves. It is strong and flexible.

Bamboo is the a fast growing woody plant that is considered a grass in the true grass family Poaceae. This family has over 10,000 species native to Asia and imported to North America as a decorative plant for landscaping.

Making Tea with Bamboo Leaves

There are a number of different types of bamboo leaves used for commercial tea processing. The Indocalamus Longiauritu pictured above is the bamboo that I have growing in my garden.

I have discovered the leaves of the Indocalamus Longiauritu were in a Chinese scientific study that suggests it has comparable components, biological activity and effective qualities to ginkgo leaves. The extract of the leaves was shown to have excellent resistance to radical, anti-oxidation, anti-aging, lowering of blood lipid and micro-circulation of blood cholesterol, dilated capillaries, clearing up, activation of the brain and memory, improve sleep, fight cancer, and had an effect of beautifying the skin.

These bamboo leaves contain a lot of flavone and lactone, chlorophyll, amino acids, polysaccharides, vitamins, trace elements and other nutrients. Active ingredients found are flavonoids compounds, biologically active polysaccharides and other phenolic acid derivatives, Anthraquinone compounds, amino acids and terpene Lactone, special active peptides, manganese, zinc, selenium and other trace elements.

They found it could efficiently regulate body fat, and has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, improve immunity function.

In North America the Tea wholesalers suggest that Bamboo Leaf Tea has 10 times the amount of vegetable silica than horsetail. Horsetail has 5-8% vegetable silica versus the bamboo plant which is made up of 70% silica. Vegetable silica helps to fix calcium, so that the body can store more of this mineral and then use it to repair bones, collagen and other body tissues. Silica is water-soluble and so it is highest in the tea. If the body doesn’t use the silica it flushes it out of the body. Therefore drinking tea through the day is recommended.

A high silica content has shown to cut hair loss, increase growth and improve vitality.

Steps for preparing Bamboo leaves for Tea

Pick new bamboo leaves
Wash & drain leaves
Dry fry in a pan until leaves start to turn brown

Preparing Bamboo Tea

Gently bring dried bamboo leaves to a boil
Reduce after a few minutes and steep to taste.

If you don’t have bamboo in your garden, get tea here:

Bamboo Leaf Tea

30 Day Bamboo Leaf Tea Challenge

Bamboo as a Medicinal

Bamboo leaves have been used in Chinese medicine for hundreds of years and in the Indian Ayurveda. They have used the Bamboo leaf extract and tea for detoxification of the body, to aid in digestion, in the treatment of blood diseases and inflammation, for protection against cancer and for improving sleep quality.

Bamboo is considered sweet, cooling, diuretic, febrifuge, expectorant and controls vomiting, stems bleeding and has been used for bacterial infections.