Homemade Apothecary: Black Walnut Hull

When building you homemade apothecary, you look for things that have a multitude of uses and can be gathered or sourced locally, if possible. Living in Missouri, we have access to a giant heap of natural, wild medicinals and one of my favorites is Black Walnuts.

Let's be honest, the best part of having a endless supply of black walnuts is the ability to eat until your heart is content. But, if you were to dig a little deeper, you'd find that they are an amazing medicinal as well.

When harvesting black walnuts you want to look for mature fruit that has fallen to the ground. While you can use the bark, leaves and the fruit (the hull and the seed/meet, for now I'm just going to focus on the use of the hull. (We'll leave the leaves and bark for another rainy day.)

While traditionally used to treat internal parasites, the benefits of the hull do not just stop there. High in Omega-3 fatty acids, tannins and iodine, this little (yet sometimes pesky) plant has natural antibacterial, astringent, laxative and emetic properties that make it wonderful for treating several ailments.

Black Walnut can help manage/treat:

• Eczema & Psoriasis
• Acne
• Canker Sores
• Poor Digestion and Diarrhea
• Worms, Parasites and Ring Worm
• Yeast and Fungal Infections
• Warts (it is said to be a traditional remedy- apply the hull directly 3x daily for as long as needed)
• Possibly reverse the effects of radiation (source)

There are several ways to take black walnut hull, but no matter the form, you shouldn't take it internally for longer than six weeks at a time. Black walnut hull is high in tannins, and if taken for too long can cause issues for your kidneys. It is not considered safe for use during pregnancy and should be heavily considered before use while breastfeeding. It has been shown to decrease milk supply.

Black walnut hull can be dried into a powder, put into pill form, made into a tincture or for skin ailments, used in a compress or directly on the skin from the hull. Pick up some black walnuts and whip up a batch of all forms or purchase from your favorite source.

And for further reading, stop by and check out these pages:
(The links might be hard to see, I'm working to fix this problem.)
The Herbal Resource
Global Healing Center 
Vitamin E-Store 
Livestrong 


**These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition or disease. What I share is what I use personally for my own family, and I greatly encourage you to research and talk over these items with your preferred choice of a health care provider (I recommend Naturopaths and Chiropractors.)**

Grandmother Moon and You

)O(

Have you heard the story of Grandmother Moon? How her sister, Grandmother Ocean, offered to cleanse the excessive energy we take in through out the month and in doing so, Grandmother Moon brings her sister's waters to use once a month. (If not, you can read the story here.)

The moon controls the flow of the tides and electromagnetic fields. We hold inside our wombs, in our souls a small replica of her power. From our journey through the maiden to the mother to the wise old crone, or the process of releasing an egg to provide a fertile place where the seed of life can continue to grow, the power of the moon is inside of us. A woman on her menses used to be referred to being "on her moon" and was revered as sacred and honored by everyone in her tribe or community. 

We need to remember the times when being on "on the moon" meant we were more like the moon. She is our life cycle and our life source. She is like a young fair maiden at the beginning of her cycle. Growing with experience and gaining confidence until she shines at her fullest. Full like a mother pregnant with her own maiden, an embodiment of the fullest part of our cycles, when we can carry the life force in us at the highest. She shimmers like the old crone with her sage wisdom at the end of her cycle, preparing to pass her secret on to the next maiden before her light releases into the next plane. 

We have long forgotten the power that the moon lends us. Instead we rush her, push her and ignore her natural call. Like a great mother keeping watch over us as we sleep, we've given our trust to her, but no longer in return to we acknowledge her strength and wisdom in our hearts, souls and wombs. She is not only a reminder of being watched, she is a reminder of how our cycle should be. Empty, yearning for fulfillment, plump with expectancy and then passing every so beautiful with a rush of glory.  

This forgetfulness has come at a risk. We no longer know how to handle the energy lent to use during our moon period. The consequences of this are great. We suffer from mood disorders, PMS, PMDD, lack of energy extreme bleeding and cramps. We do not use her light and a beacon to remember our cycles. We are not in sync as women anymore. (And I'd wager this has A LOT to do with the "mommy wars".) We have been deprogrammed to know the strength in our menses and programmed to think of them as an inconvenience.

But the beauty is we can regain this. We can tune back into Grandmother Moon. We can meditate, sit in the moonlight and removed stress and toxins from our diet to get us back to Mother Earth and Grandmother Moon. The most beneficial and productive way to get our cycles back on, well, cycle is to enjoy our menses. Rest, meditate, avoid things that pull your energy, feed yourself quality food during your menses and honor the inner goddess in you. Yoga is great during your menses because it forces you to focus and breathe while allowing tension to be released.

So the next time you're tempted to moan about your menses to your fellow sage sister, take a moment, breathe and enjoy a cup of tea (I recommend some Red Raspberry Leaf Tea for it's amazing properties.) and share with you sage sister the beauty of the power you hold inside your womb. 

Namaste

(To join a group of women who are dedicated to tracking their cycles and taking charge of their fertility and harnessing the moon, please look up "Moon Daughters" on Facebook.)

Ramble, Ramble

So I've been gone. I know, crummy me. But between a birth, mailing gifts out (and prizes!!) and starting to take charge of my healthy, I've just been kind of swamped. So while today is short and sweet, I do think about you all daily and am figuring out everything on my iPhone to get things going.

So this week brings *hopefully* the launch of the Etsy shop. Week 2 of C25k training and enough lettuce in my garden to make a salad!

So here's the baby from the last birth I attended! She's gorgeous and her mom was a rockstar! VBAC natural birth that didn't last very long at all. This family was amazing. Seriously, the dad of Baby W could be teaching classes on how to be a gentleman.

Ignore my lovely look. I was exhausted!

Here's one of the first babies I was there to witness and support being born. Baby Kenners (not her real name!) is actually the cousin to Baby W. She too was also born naturally to a mom having her 3rd baby and first natural birth! It was a marathon birth, but taught me so much! And Momma ended up becoming one of my best friends.

Those cheeks! She's so loveable. We even FaceTime!

And last but not least, my running soundtrack. Just because I am so giddy about my old school music!

So tell me below, what do you listen to when you workout!?!

-The Anti-Mainstream Mom


 

Using Natures Best to Treat at Home (And a Giveaway!)

With as many chemicals that children come into contact with in the air today, the last thing I want to do is add chemicals and junk when trying to treat a cold or a seasonal allergies. But what am I to turn to if natural and preventative measures don't work out like planned?

For our family, homeopathic medicine is now our go-to for things that need a slightly more aggressive treatment than just the basics. After the birth of my first and learning about things like vaccines and food dyes, I have vowed that unless absolutely, end game necessary, my children would avoid using Western medicine and we'd use natural, holistic or homeopathic treatments.

So much to my pleasure, I had the opportunity to try several items from the Hyland's children's care line. And the package couldn't have arrived at a better time.

The first thing I noticed about Hyland's was the care that they took in packaging their product. The attention to detail showed that they want to make each purchase from their website personal. That added touch really means a lot. Included with the package was a handout talking about homeopathy. It was help and informative.


So the products I've had the chance to review are:
 

• Sniffles 'n Sneezes 4 Kids
• Allergy Relief
• Cold'n Cough 4 Kids
• Nighttime Cold'n Cough 4 Kids
• Calms Forté
• Complete Flu Care 4 Kids

The Hyland's Kids Care line works for children 2 and up. As a mother, I try *almost* everything that I give my children to be sure that it is safe. I think it's a natural instinct. And I can say that what worked for my kids, worked for myself too. Which earns them a double whammy. It may be "for kids" but it works well for adults too. 

Out of the products that I received, I've already had the chance to review three of them in just about a week thanks to our lovely Missouri weather (rain, 80 degree temps and snow in one week-in April/May).

Sniffles 'n Sneezes 4 Kids
This product is great for little kids who you can't get to take garlic just yet. ;) (Hey I can dream that they will eventually, right!?)  When boosting their immune system just isn't enough and they need a little something to help with the runny nose, sneezing, watering eyes and everything else a minor cold brings, this can really save the day. Especially with a little one who is just at 2 years old! An overnight dose worked to knock out the rest of her cold by morning and she was back to getting into everything again.

Calms Forté
What I liked best about Calms Forté cannot even be explained in words. I need like choir music and angelic voices for this. My son has a tendency to go a few days trying to get as little sleep as possible until it comes to a peak with a night where every little thing will make him emotional and restless. He'll fuss and fight and scream and cry and there isn't much we can do about until he finally "crashes and burns". This has always broken my heart. Enter Calms Forté. Just a dose or two and he is a normal, happy, easy to get to sleep little 4 year old. No more agitation. No more fighting him to calm him down. Just calm, easy and eager to finally fall asleep. And the help it has provided at night is showing during his waking hours. He's more refreshed and no longer grumpy! 

Cold'n Cough 4 Kids
Let's face it. Kids are germ magnets. And sometimes handwashing just doesn't happen fast enough to prevent cold germs from settling in. And then before you know it they are cranky and you're not getting any sleep. But what if you don't like to use acetaminophen or ibuprofen? Your options might get rather limited at that point. Or so you think. Cold'n Cough 4 Kids really did the trick. It kicked the worst of the symptoms and allowed my little one to sleep well over night. And a rested baby (and momma) is a happy baby (and momma)! 

Another big win for Hyland's is that they print all the information on the bottle, the box and the insert that comes with the product. There are no chances for you to misplace or lose the instructions with each product. And the doses are generally the same for each medicine that it's easy to set the standard of what you need to give each age group. 


The quality, ability to work and general awesomeness of this product has really made me a huge fan and believer of Hyland's Kids Care line. So much so, that I'm able to offer you a chance to win everything I've had the opportunity to try. :) This is a really good value and a great score have in your house. 

 

 

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Hugs & Coffee,
-The Anti-Mainstream Mom