Cold and Sore Throat Tea

This is my favorite remedy when I get slammed with a cold or sore throat. I don't get sick very often. Usually, when I feel like I'm coming down with something I can take my RC tincture and it goes away. But some viruses are just nasty and break through the herbs. Especially when you substitute teach at an elementary school.

This drink revives the energy, clears congestion, and eases a sore throat. But do prepare yourself before taking the first sip! The last time I made this, I was in a hurry and started gulping it down without taking a minute to prepare. It hit my sore throat and I had an involuntary reaction and started coughing and spluttering. The drink went up my nose! Apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper do NOT feel good on the nasal passages!

When purchasing apple cider vinegar, look for the Bragg's brand. It has "the mother" which is the floatie stuff in the vinegar. Some other brands have this also--just make sure you're not purchasing filtered vinegar like Heinz. It doesn't have the same health properties.

The Brew

A few years ago my teenager daughter contracted Mono. She became fatigued and developed a pain in her side which turned out to be an enlarged spleen. To her disdain, I pulled out this recipe for The Brew and made her drink it every day for about a week.

This recipe is excellent for viruses, bacteria, infections, detoxing, and regulating bleeding. For some people, it helps to jumpstart their metabolism. The key ingredient is apple cider vinegar. You have to make sure the apple cider vinegar has "the mother" which is the floaties in the vinegar. Do not buy the clear, filtered apple cider vinegar (like Heinz); it doesn't have the same health properties. My favorite brand is Bragg's.

You can purchase cayenne tincture/extract at health food stores. Start out with just a couple drops and test the temperature. You want the drink to be hot but drinkable.

It's important after drinking The Brew (or any kind of detox) to rebuild the body with probiotics and vitamins. I like to use liquid chlorophyll (aka alfalfa juice) for the rebuild phase.

The Brew

4 Tablespoons raw honey, dissolved in a small amount of warm water (not hot)
4 Tablespoons Bragg's apple cider vinegar
7-10 drops cayenne pepper tincture
A few dashes of cinnamon
Water

Dissolve the honey in a small amount of warm water (not hot). Pour it into a quart jar. Add the apple cider vinegar, a few drops of cayenne tincture, and a couple dashes of cinnamon. Fill the jar with filtered water. Test the temperature and add more cayenne drops until it's hot but drinkable. Keep refrigerated and drink over 2 days. You may want to do a second round of The Brew, or muscle test to see how much to do.

Other products I use to combat infections are Deliverance oil, RC tincture, IF tincture, colloidal silver, a neti pot for sinuses, garlic, and Oscillococcinum homeopathic.

Teacher Appreciation Gift

Another school year is over! I thought when my youngest started Kindergarten that I would have more time to do things like blog about essential oils...ha! Our Kindergarten is only half-day so that's not much time to do anything. His teacher was such a sweetheart and I wanted to give her a little something to say thanks. I had already given her a gift certificate for a foot zone for Christmas, so I decided to fall back on an old favorite and give it a twist. 

I got a cute plastic cup from Walmart and a box of True Lemon packets. Have you tried True Lemon? I love it! I can't stand most lemonade powders because they're too sweet. But True Lemon is made from crystallized lemon, cane sugar, and stevia and only has 1 gram of sugar per packet. To add some extra relaxation, I included a bottle of lavender essential oil. Since I don't know how familiar she is with essential oils, I included a print out of how to use it. Put it all inside the cup, punch a hole in the card and thread it onto the straw, tie a ribbon, and you're done! Feel free to use these images to make a gift for your favorite teacher! 

How to Order Oils

With the publication of my article about essential oils and PCOS, I'm receiving questions about how to order the essential oils I referenced. You can order directly from the Butterfly Express website: https://butterflyexpress.shop/?beid=45

As always, you are welcome to message me with any questions about essential oils! I love talking about oils!

Guest Post: Essential Oils and PCOS

Amy has been my health coach for the past 2 years. She is the founder of pcosdiva.com and is helping to inspire and empower women with PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome). I've known that I have PCOS since I was a teenager and finally took charge of my health in my 30's. I was honored to be asked to guest post on her website about my experience with essential oils and PCOS. You can read the full article here: http://pcosdiva.com/2015/10/you-asked-for-it-the-essential-oils-for-pcos/?inf_contact_key=a369e510edf7afaae7c8cfe805cb9a7b 

If you know anyone who struggles with PCOS, send them to Amy's website! They can download the free PCOS 101 Guide which contains helpful information for understanding this condition. I highly recommend the Jumpstart Program when you're ready to make a change, but don't know how to do it by yourself. Changing your diet and lifestyle can be overwhelming, especially if you don't feel good. Amy holds your hand through a week of online coaching and gives you the tools you need to succeed!

Amy offers seasonal meal plans that are perfectly designed for the PCOS body. What's even better is these meal plans are also wonderful for anyone who wants to eat healthier! The meals are low-glycemic, gluten-free, dairy-free, and processed sugar-free. It's a diet of whole foods which reduce inflammation in the body. This diet is helpful for anyone who has an auto-immune condition, insulin resistance, or just want to feel better.

If you have any questions about PCOS, you can contact me on my Facebook page.

How To Quickly Refresh Your Home

It's been hard for me to break up my love affair with Bath & Body Works room sprays and wall plug-ins. I love having a yummy smelling home! These days, my home always smells like last night's dinner, which includes onions and fresh garlic. That's not exactly the ambiance I'm going for. 

I don't remember where I saw it, but somewhere on the internet I found a brilliant idea for quickly refreshing your home: put a few drops of essential oils on the air filter in your vacuum! 

I had to give it a try! My kiddos have been fighting a virus for the past week, so I grabbed some SpiceC oil (click for more info). SpiceC is my favorite oil to diffuse during cold and flu season because of it's strong anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. It's very similar to Deliverance but has a warm, spicy smell that is perfect for fall and winter. Putting the oils on the air filter can achieve a similar effect as diffusing the oils by disbursing the small, volatile molecules of the essential oil into the air where it purifies the air and we can breathe it into our lungs.

My vacuum's air filter is easy to access at the top of the canister, so it was super simple to put a few drops on it. 

As I vacuumed all over my house, I could smell the SpiceC drifting up from the vacuum. It really lifted my spirits too! I'm going to do this every time I vacuum and try different oils. Because the oils evaporate and diffuse into the air, you will need to reapply with each vacuum. 

During the holidays I'm going to use Holiday Spirit. If my energy is feeling sluggish, peppermint would be helpful to perk things up. During the summer months lemon and lime and other citrus oils would be fun. There are so many possibilities! 

Essential Oils 101 Handout

For those who have attended my Essential Oils 101 class, I finally put together a handout that you can refer to after the class. Chances are good that I'll modify it later and make it fancier, but for now this is what I have!

If you have a group of friends and family who would like to attend a class, I teach the class for free. I'm passionate about people learning about these amazing tools for health and wellness, and I want them to learn that there are other methods of using essential oils than what is taught by multi-level marketing businesses so they can make an educated choice for themselves.