Some Herbs from My Garden

I hope this post finds you happy and healthy...we are watching our gardens grow, and they are doing beautifully this year. An early warm spell gave us a real boost here in the northeast. I think I'm just going to "show off" a few of the herbs in my garden for you...pictures taken when things were running wild. They are a little more under control now after spending some time in the garden this weekend.

The plant above is Comfrey, this will grow to be quite tall and get nice clusters of purple flowers. It's young leaves contain the medicinal qualities it's known for.

The herb to the right is horseradish, I planted this one a couple of years ago, since this picture, have cleared back the mint a bit that is taking over it's territory. In fact we have so much mint that finds it's way into many of the pictures that I haven't "honored" it with it's own picture, but it is delightful, smells wonderful and so nice in our iced tea...I make sure it's clean of the little bugs that enjoy it, then "roll" a small stem of leaves between my hands to release the oils, and put it into my steeping tea (the mint, that is, not the horseradish:-).

So these are a few of our plants, I'll have more for you later. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and get a little gardening in if you can. It's wonderful exercise and therapeutic on many levels, seeing your vision for your garden becoming a reality.

Important Webinar Conferences - Please Read!

NEXT WEEK there will be a FREE Webinar Conference on a different topic each day of the week. The same session is given a few times throughout the day so you can chose the time that works best for you.

Topics include the following:

1. Monday - "Solve it with Silver: New effective ways to use Silver in your home" (Timely in light of recent news headlines)
2. Tuesday - Digestive Dilemnas: How to improve your health from the inside out.
3. Wednesday - Herbal Health Care for Hard Times: Natural remedies for everyday problems
4. Thursday - Chinese Wisdom for Emotional and Mental Health: Battle stress, depression and anxiety
5. Friday - Targeted programs for the kidneys, lungs, skin, cells and colon.

Please email me at nsp[at]happynutritionist.com for registration information. Again, these are FREE seminars offered by herbalists and health professionals.

Thank you and have a great weekend!

Swine Flu, Fear, and the Immune System

Like many I have been watching the latest coverage on the Swine Flu and it brings back memories of the 1970's when we stood in lines to get a Swine Flu vaccination, they were free offered in communities throughout the US.

While it is tragic to anyone who may suffer loss due to this disease, and I am sorry, personally I find that I'm just not that concerned. I'm not sure why, maybe it's because:

• There is so much media hype about everything that I'm numb to it.
• Many other times when things like this are "hyped" in the media it hasn't found it's way to my home
• I know God won't bring anything my way unless it's for a good purpose
• I work to keep my immune system healthy
• A combination of all the above

Please know that if you are reading this and you have had someone in your family suffer from this disease, our hearts do go out to you.

For me, this is yet another good reason to be doing all we can to keep our immune systems strong.

• Eating right is perhaps the hardest thing for some of us, but so important
• Supplementing to make sure that the body is getting a well-rounded spectrum of vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients (plant nutrients) necessary to maintain health
• Taking supplements targeted for your body's area of weakness.

I do take supplements, and for 20 years have promoted particular supplements, so it may be tempting to pass over this post as a "sales pitch". PLEASE know that it is much more than that, I believe in what I'm sharing because these are things I have done in my home for years.

Are we perfectly healthy and never sick as a result? I rarely take any medication, and am quite healthy....my husband is a diabetic, and under medical care, he needs to do what is best for him, which he has decided is a combination of eating right, taking supplements needed, and using medications...so we are people just like you, facing challenges and meeting them head-on with the tools that are available to us in the best way we know how.

But back to Swine Flu, how is your diet? Over the years we have moved away from healthy eating, and in recent years have trended back toward healthy eating, but some have lost their way and still don't know where to begin. I do provide a Nutrition and Health Evaluation online and can help you with that.

What are you doing to support your immune system? Following are a few suggestions, they contain plant and other nutrients to support the immune system and provide overall body health. Email me at nutritionist [at] happynutritionst.com if you would like fact sheets with more information...sometimes the fact sheets are available right at the link you will be visiting if you click on the following:

• Fizz Active Immune for those times when you need an extra quick acting boost to the immune system.
  
• Immune Stimulator
• Super Trio - a basic daily program that takes the confusion out of what to take.
  

Do You Grow Your Own Herbs?

The gardening season is upon us, and my herbs and other perennials are beginning to show after our long and very cold winter. I can see the oregano, sage, rhubarb, and I am waiting for my mints and lemon balm to show. I'm giving some thought to moving all of my herbs and vegetables to the back of the house, because we have a new sunny spot after having a tree removed last year because of the installation of a new septic system. I hated to see the tree go, but having more sun and the potential for more gardening space on our mostly shaded property will make up for it.

Each spring and early summer when I dig in the garden to prepare the soil for planting my bean seeds, I'm greeted by cut worms, those little grubs that like to nip your plants off just below the surface of the ground...they love to do this to my bean seedlings. Then there's the Japanese Beetles that love to go after the rose bush I have in the corner of the garden, and striped beetles, I'm not sure what they are, but I find them on my squash plants.

Because we don't like putting poisons harmful to the environment on our plants, I am always on the look out for natural solutions to the pests that come to the garden, like organic pest control. When I stopped by to visit saferbrand.com's website, I was delighted to find organic bug patrol kills over 40 insects, and does it naturally, without harm to the environment. You can also learn about some common garden pests at the site.