Wisdom of Psalm

Psalm 129:2
Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me.

Saundra was handicapped. Her hands were twisted beyond usefulness, and she had lived with them since birth. They caused her not only physical pain, but emotional anguish as well. Throughout her childhood, cruel children had mocked her. The damage done to her self-esteem was immense, and for a long period she believed that she could never do anything. In college she had met a friend who led her to Christ. In Christ she found a new desire to succeed and beat her affliction. She received a Master's degree in Therapy and Handicapped Services and became national spokeswoman for a handicap-awareness campaign. Though her detractors had always had something to say, Saundra prevailed and rose above her handicap.The Lord gives us all the ability to rise above the things that limit us. If we will only lean upon Him, He will give us the will and drive to succeed in every situation. His power can be our power when we call upon His holy name.

Prayer:

There are times, dear Lord, when I feel I don't amount to much. My self-image is bruised, and my determination is crushed. Be with me in those times, and lift me up. Amen.

If it's not natrual

A Practical Guide to Soap Ingredients
By Bontaine

... don't say it is! If you're like us, you're frustrated by everyone calling their products natural, even when they're not. How can you tell? Whether you are buying soap and skin care for your company or for personal use, the only way to know if a product is truly natural is to understand the ingredients it contains.

The problem with the term "natural" is that there are no official definitions for it. Believe it or not, the only standards for defining a product as natural are voluntary ones, and a company is free to make up its own. In other words, in the world of soap and skin care, companies can call their products "natural" regardless of what's in them. We know, it's crazy. But it's true. You can't just trust what it says on a product's packaging, and you can't assume a product is truly natural just because it is sold at a natural products store.

The highest and truest standard for "natural" is organic certification, and we'll address this concept in the next newsletter. For many soap and skin care companies, though, "natural" is a more attainable standard. Whole Foods has developed its own "Premium Body Care" standard to define "natural." Two organizations, the Natural Products Association and the Natural Ingredients Resource Council, also offer strong standards for "natural."

For example, the Whole Foods Premium Body Care standard forbids the use of synthetic fragrances in skin care products. However, the use of synthetic fragrances is common in "natural" soaps and skin care. How can you, the consumer, tell the difference? The following terms refer to synthetic fragrance: "fragrance", "fragrance oils", "perfume", "parfum". If you see any of these on a label - even on a label that says "all natural" - you know the product has synthetic fragrances in it. By contrast, pure essential oils are the only truly natural scent ingredients. Also, be sure to read the ingredients panel on so called "fragrance free" or "unscented" soaps found in grocery stores. Some products, with names like "Unscented", "Fragrance Free", or "Sensitive Skin," have fragrance listed among their ingredients. Worse, some have clever ways to hide this, such as using ingredients like "Malto" as a "fragrance mask." Whole Foods has a helpful brochure that discusses this: PREMIUM BODY CARE

Fortunately, "natural" soaps are easy to understand. In our Newsletter coming in a few months, we'll be discussing the actual chemistry behind soap formulation and the technical names for ingredients you sometimes see on soap labels. Always, the highest standard for Natural is organic certification. For all the rest, here are four basic rules of thumb for determining whether a soap is natural:

• It is made from vegetable oils (if you see "tallow" or "tallowate" in the ingredients, this refers to animal fats)
• It is scented with essential oils only, or, if unscented, is truly unscented
• It contains no synthetic pigments, dyes, or preservatives
• SUMMARY: The ingredients sound like plant names!

Whether you need natural soap for your personal use or wholesale soap for your business, be sure it is truly natural. "Mostly" and "Sort of" don't count.

What is Homeopathic ?

Homeopathic remedies (also called homeopathics) are a system of medicine based on three principles:

• Like cures like
  For example, if the symptoms of your cold are similar to poisoning by mercury, then mercury would be your homeopathic remedy.
• Minimal Dose
  The remedy is taken in an extremely dilute form; normally one part of the remedy to around 1,000,000,000,000 parts of water.
• The Single Remedy
  No matter how many symptoms are experienced, only one remedy is taken, and that remedy will be aimed at all those symptoms.

Similar principals forms the basis of conventional allergy treatment, where the allergic substance is given in a small dose, and in vaccines where an impotent form of the virus is given to bolster the immune system against that particular virus.

Why use Homeopathics?

Homeopathy is the second most widely used system of medicine in the world. Its growth in popularity in the United States has been around 25 to 50 percent a year throughout the last decade.
This success is fueled by several factors:

• Homeopathy is extremely effective. When the correct remedy is taken, results can be rapid, complete and permanent.
• Homeopathy is completely safe. Even babies and pregnant women can use Homeopathy without the danger of side effects. Homeopathic remedies can also be taken alongside other medication without producing unwanted side effects.
• Homeopathy is natural. Homeopathic remedies are normally based on natural ingredients.
• Homeopathy works in harmony with your immune system, unlike some conventional medicines which suppress the immune system. (For example, cough medicines suppress the cough reflex, which is your body's attempt to clear the lungs)
• Homeopathic remedies are not addictive - once relief is felt, you should stop taking them. If no relief is felt, you are probably taking the wrong homeopathic remedy.
• Homeopathy is holistic. It treats all the symptoms as one, which in practical terms means that it addresses the cause, not the symptoms. This often means that symptoms tackled with Homeopathy do not recur.

But there is a catch...

Every silver lining has a cloud, and there are two main barriers to the effective use of homeopathy:

• Prescribing the right homeopathic remedy takes a little more time and patience than conventional medicine. Exactly the right remedy needs to be taken for your symptoms. There is no such thing as a standard homeopathic headache remedy (though, sadly that doesn't mean no such product is sold...).
  The remedy you take has to be matched to your particular headache - where it occurs, what brings it on, what type of pain it is, what aggravates it, what makes it feel worse, your state of mind and what other symptoms you experience.
• The sheer range of remedies in use can cause practical problems for an average sized pharmacy. If the right remedy is not one of 30 or so commonly used remedies, they can be difficult to obtain.

And so...

• We built a remedy finder. Type in your symptoms in plain English, answer a few questions and the homeopathic remedy finder will help you to work out exactly which remedy you need to take.
• We opened a remedy shop to sell an extensive range of homeopathics. You can search by the name of the remedy, or a few letters of the name. Easier still, you can put remedies in your basket directly from the homeopathic remedy finder.

Wisdom of Psalm

Psalm 126:2
Then was our mouth fil led with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.

Young people all seemed to think you had to get drunk to have a good time. Steve and Dan were out to teach them otherwise. One of the high priorities in their youth ministry was to show teenagers that Christians could have even more fun than non-Christians. They entered the lives of the young people, bringing them laughter, joy, and a message of Good News. Soon, both Christians and non-Christians hung out with the duo. All the kids wanted to be part of the experience.Too often we take our faith seriously in the wrong ways. When we present only the somber, quiet side of faith, without expressing the joy, the result is not always so attractive. Christians have gained the reputation of not being too much fun, and nothing should be further from the truth. Being a Christian is the most joy-filled and lively experience we can have. Others need to see that. Live the happiness, laughter, and singing of being a Christian, so the whole world might know.

Prayer:

Never let me forget the intense joy that accompanies being a Christian. Turn my tears to laughter, my sorrow to dancing, and let me spread my delight to everyone. Amen.

The Ultimate Anti-Aging Spice?

Also known as

Curcuma longa, Curcuma, Gauri, Haldi, Indian Saffron, and You Jin.

Introduction

A time-honored food-based spice (that also happens to taste incredibly great that just might qualify as the ultimate brain, health & anti-aging spice one can think of.

If you're already a fan of Indian cuisine, you've probably already been enjoying it's wonderful distinctive flavor, scent and color; but did you know that you were also ingesting a food which has been shown to do everything from helping prevent Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia to serving as a potent anti-inflammatory to helping prevent colon and other cancers to helping prevent and treat arthritis, and much more?

Turmeric is a tropical perennial plant in the same family as ginger, native to India, and cultivated throughout the tropics around the world. Growing to a height of about three feet (one meter), it bears pairs of lance-shaped leaves of alternate sides of the stem. At the base of the stem, there is a knobby rhizome somewhat resembling ginger. Most herbal traditions use turmeric to "invigorate the blood." It is so useful as a medicine that the Chinese names for the plant both call it "gold," chuan yu jin, river constrained gold, and guang yu jin, plain constrained gold. In ancient times, turmeric was reserved for patients who were relatively weak.
Constituents

1-alpha curcumene, 1-beta-curcumene, camphene, camphor, various forms of curcumin.

Parts Used

The rhizome, dried and ground.

Typical Preparations

Teas, tinctures, and poultices. Combined with dong quai for treating menstrual cramps. Ayurvedic medicine uses turmeric with guggul for treating liver disease. Many of the healing of benefits of turmeric have been attributed to curcumin, a group of antioxidant compounds found in the rhizome. Although curcumin is available as a standardized extract, the whole herb may be more beneficial for you than the curcumin extract: Only very small amounts of curcumin are absorbed into the bloodstream. Turmeric as a whole herb stays in the digestive tract longer than curcumin, releasing antioxidant curcumin along with other beneficial substances.

Summary

Turmeric is the main anti-inflammatory herb of Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurveda uses turmeric to treat diseases of the liver and to relieve inflammation. Laboratory tests have found that turmeric in antioxidant and antimutagenic (13,14), that is, it potentially helps prevent new cancers that are caused by chemotherapy or radiation used to treat existing cancers. Turmeric in the diet may prevent pain of arthritis, bursitis, and tendonitis. A volatile oil in the spice is as effective in relieving pain, under laboratory conditions, as equal amounts steroids. The antioxidants in turmeric fight atherosclerosis by deactivating platelet-activating facto (POAF). This protein seals leaks in blood vessels by stimulating the growth of a protein "net" on which a cholesterol plaque can form. Curcumin in turmeric helps prevent hardening of the arteries in people who have diabetes, and also helps stop the loss of protein through the kidneys. In the laboratory, the antioxidants in turmeric kills cultures of cancer cells from the skin, bloodstream, and ovaries. Curcumin may stop the action of a livery enzyme that activates environmental toxins into carcinogen forms, and may be especially useful in deactivating the carcinogens in cigarette smoke and chewing tobacco. Turmeric in the diet increases the production of enzymes that digest fats and sugars, and stop cholesterol from forming gallstones. Turmeric prevents the release of histamine in the stomach, quelling nervous stomach and counteracting food allergies and it fights gum inflammation by halting the action of a gene that creates irritant chemicals. With the irritation, bacteria cannot find a place to grow, and the absence of bacteria reduces both bad breath and gingivitis. Of course, if you use turmeric to prevent bad breath, you shouldn't eat curries made with garlic.
Precautions

As is the case with so many herbs, turmeric should be used in moderation. Too much turmeric used for extended periods of time may cause stomach distress. Since turmeric is included in Ayurvedic formulas for birth control, women trying to become pregnant should limit their consumption of the herb, and it should be avoided entirely while pregnant. Excessive use of turmeric should also be avoided in people with congestive heart failure. The curcumin in turmeric activates a gene called p53. This gene deactivates cancer cells, but it also deactivates damaged cells in the heart.

Wisdom from Psalm

Psalm 122:1
I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.

Mike and Jerry were neighbors for about five months when one day Jerry asked Mike to play golf with him on a bright, beautiful Sunday morning. Mike graciously declined, asking for a raincheck. Jerry invited Mike on a couple more Sundays, but Mike always refused. Jerry asked him why, and Mike told him that he went to church. After that, Jerry didn't ask again, on Sunday or any other day of the week. Mike finally asked Jerry why, and he replied, "I asked you to go with me three times to do something that was really important to me, but you never once asked me to go to church with you."Mike never thought that Jerry might like to go to church. Too often we shy away from asking people because we don't want to seem pushy. But the Lord asks that we work diligently to bring people to Him. Often people do not go to church simply because they feel awkward and have never been asked. Share your faith. Ask someone to church with you. You never know what might happen.

Prayer:

Open my eyes to the needs of others. Help me to not think I know people's minds before I ask. Be patient with me as I learn to share my faith with others. Amen

by Dan R. Dick 

You Know You're A Mother When...

1. You count the sprinkles on each kid's cupcake to make sure they're equal.
2. You have time to shave only one leg at a time.
3. You hide in the bathroom to be alone.
4. Your kid throws up and you catch it.
5. Someone else's kid throws up at a party. You keep eating.
6. You consider finger paints to be a controlled substance.
7. You've mastered the art of placing large quantities of pancakes and eggs on a plate without anything touching.
8. Your child

insists that you read "Once Upon a Potty" out loud in the lobby of Grand Central Station and you do it.
9. You cling to the high moral ground on toy weapons; your child chews his toast into the shape of a gun.
10. You hope ketchup is a vegetable, since it's the only one your child eats.
11. You can't bear the thought of your son's first girlfriend.
12. You hate the thought of his wife even more.

13. You find yourself cutting your husdband's sandwiches into cute shapes.
14. You can't bear to give away baby clothes - it's so final.
15. You hear your mother's voice coming out of your mouth when you say, "NOT in your good clothes!"
16. You stop criticizing the way your mother raised you.
17. You donate to charities in the hope that your child won't get that disease.

18. You hire a sitter because you haven't been out with your husband in ages, then spend half the night checking on the kids.
19. You use your own saliva to clean your child's face.
20. You say at least once a day, "I'm not cut out for this job", but you know you wouldn't trade it for the world.

Celery Seeds not just for cooking.

I absolutely love the smell of celery. It reminds me of the fall and cooking. The fall is when most of us start cooking more home cooked meals as the days cool down and the holidays start to creep up. Without fail everyone who is anyone uses celery in some form in their holiday cooking. Weather it's for the dressing, adding it to your special blend of turkey rub or in that perfect pot of  beef stew or chicken noodle soup , celery is known the world over for it's aromatic nature. However in my home, celery seed is so much more.

Celery Seeds are the most under estimated herbal supplement out there in my opinion. How can such a tiny seed pack such a punch?Well lets take a look shall we?

Celery Seed is chalked full of vitamins and mineral , Vitamins A,B,C,D, Zinc Calcium and Iron, just to name a few.Which promotes this tiny little seed in the super food realm. Did you know that depending on the variety of celery used you can get up to a million seeds in just one pound of seed? Well now you do(smile) but lets not stick around for the small details, lets get into it's amazing properties, that can help both you and I. 


Tell me more!

Celery a member of the Umbelliferae family, a family which includes anise, caraway, carrot, fennel, parsley, parsnips, and celeriaic. The celery plant is slender, pale to darker green, growing up to 3 ft in height. It has a segmented leaf (3-5. Flowers with small white petals. Celery seeds are very small, tan to dark brown, and have a strong, bitter, pleasant smell.

Used as medicine since ancient times, with possible origins in the Indian Ayurvedic system. The English word celery is from celeri, a French word derived from an ancient Greek word. The plant is mentioned as selinon in Homer's Odyssey (850 BC.) It's obvisouly been around for a long time for a good reason.


What can it be used for?

Diuretic, antispasmodic, nervine, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-rheumatic, antiseptic, appetite stimulant, carminative, emmenagogue, hypothesize.

What I have used it for: Imflamation, diurectic , aniti bacteria.
In what form? Tincture, tea and cooking( of course)

Used as a treatment for brain and nervous system conditions, as a mild tranquilizer, to treat alcoholism, anxiety, depression, neuralgia, ardiovascular conditions, cold, bronchitis, flu, and pulmonary catarrh. Lowers high blood pressure, increases menstrual flow, promotes the onset of menstruation. muscular conditions, muscle spasms, cystitis, gout, urinary tract and kidney inflammation and infection. Reduces inflammation in the following conditions: arthritis, rheumatism, liver conditions. Preventive in liver damage caused by toxic chemicals. Corrects acid-based metabolism imbalance. Used also as a remedy for skin problems, deficiency diseases, to prevent and diminish cancer and tumors, spleen disorders. The seed is known to be beneficial to those with a tendency to be overweight.

Celery  seeds have a direct action on the kidneys, increasing the elimination of water and speeding up the clearance of accumulated toxins from the joints and so is of benefit in any oedematous condition that accompanies arthritis. It  is often administered with Taraxacum radix (Dandalion) to increase the efficiency of elimination by both the kidneys and the liver. Apium is also hypoglycaemic, and as such is helpful in diabetes; this action seems to involve a direct action on the pancreas and its production of insulin. Clinical studies in China have demonstrated a hypotensive action for the tincture, and this is accompanied by increased urine output. The flavonoid apigenin has exhibited significant anti-platelet activity in vitro. 

My Celery Seed Tea Recipe

3 tsp. Seeds.
3 Peppermint leaves
4 tsp Stevia leaves (sweeten)

Steep 10- 20 min.
I like my teas strong and sweet, so you will need to
play around with yours a bit.






Where can you buy it?

You can buy it at a variety of health food stores or at online herb stores such as The Black Butterfly.  Most of us already have it in the pantry so might as well use it up and then invest in a fresh new stock of it, when it's around the holidays. 

If interested in prices and quantity email us.
Celery Seed Tincture

Everything is certified Oragnic

Everyone ,everywhere is claiming to have or sale organic items, from grocery stores, to your local farmers market.  I personally don't believe it. Because becoming certified organic is not an easy process. However organic certification is the only way you can be sure a company's product truly complies with organic standards. Basically No certification = No proof = Not organic.
Since your spending money on it, then step up and ask for proof. If they won't or can't, walk away. Chances are they are not truly certified. Also don't be fooled bythe fact that home growers like myself,,although we may plant herbs and not use chemicals, still does not mean we are certified organic.



Sales of organic products are on the rise, and growth rates average over 20% per year. Because of this, many companies are trying to catch this wave by offering "organic" products for sale. But what does "organic" mean?

The USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) provides the benchmark, global standard for defining organic. Within the NOP, there are three levels of certification. A product's classification is based on the total percentage of its organic ingredients (without counting water or salt). 

USDA Organic Definitions

1) "100% Organic"
This means just what the name implies.

2) "Organic"
The category "Organic" applies to products containing a minimum of 95% organic contents by weight. Usually, these are products that contain a small amount of a natural preservative or processing aid that prevents them from reaching the 100% mark. For example, many fixed oils (such as palm and coconut oil) contain a trace amount of citric acid to increase their shelf life. Importantly, these trace ingredients must conform to the USDA's list of approved ingredients that can be used in organic products.

3) "Made with Organic..."
"Made with Organic..." applies to products that contain a minimum of 70% organic content but do not reach the 95% mark. The USDA has determined that 70% is the minimum amount of organic content a product can have and still use the terminology of "organic" in its labels and marketing. Here too, a product's ingredients that are not-certified organic must conform with the USDA's list of allowable products. Because of their chemistry, bar soaps cannot every reach the 95% level of organic content...

How This all applies to Soap and Skincare

Because of their chemistry, bar soaps cannot ever reach the 95% level of organic content... Organic soap and skin care products are among the most misrepresented organic products. This has to do with formulation issues, labeling requirements, and a misrepresentation of the standards. All bar soaps, and most skin care products, fall short of the 95% organic mark. Bar soaps require sodium hydroxide (NaOH, or lye) for their production. Sodium hydroxide is on the allowed list of non-organic ingredients that can be used in making organic products, and it accounts for approximately 10-15% of the ingredients, by weight (not including water or salt and depending on the recipe). Even if every other ingredient in a bar soap were certified organic, the soap would never have an organic content of more than 90%, as this is the maximum level of organic content in a bar soap.

Sometimes, manufacturers "cheat" a bit to reach higher organic content levels. Take lotion for example. A typical lotion has water among its ingredients, which does not count in any way toward organic content levels. However, by steeping organic herbs in this water first, some manufacturers claim their water is "organic," thus counting it as an organic ingredient and raising their products' organic content levels. As always, it is crucial to understand the standards and read the labels.

It is also important to verify whether or not a company's products are certified according to organic standards. Many companies claim to use organic ingredients or call their products organic; however, few have actual certification, which is the only proof for the claim. Part of the certification process includes proving an audit trail and showing the ability to trace any organic product sold back to its original organic ingredients.

Buying organic often times means higher prices. So it's worth knowing weather or not your truely paying for something certified organic or not.

The miracle

It starts with an egg, the size of the top of a straight pin....just as human life starts with a tiny fertilized egg.

 A few short days later a TINY caterpillar emerges through the shell of the egg.....a baby is born.

 

The caterpillar stage of eating, eating, eating is symbolic of life on earth.....preoccupied so often with the physical and material.

In the chrysalis stage it appears the caterpillar is lifeless inside the chrysalis.....symbolizing death and the darkness of the tomb, an inevitable reality. But, lo, inside of the chrysalis a miracle is taking place.....

The butterfly emerges..... symbolic of our souls rising from the grave and ascending into heaven and eternal life.

There are so many reasons that the transformation of the butterfly is amazing to me. Scientific research has reveled that the butterfly is the only living thing capable of changing entirely. The butterfly’s DNA is even entirely different from the caterpillar. Therefore, it is the perfect symbol in my eyes for transformation. 

The butterfly represents change, greater freedom and courage. A person requires courage for changes necessary for the process of growth. Freedom is achieved through peace of mind and the freedom of choices. The Lord gives us choices.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come."

The transformation of the butterfly assures me that God is alive and working in the world, that He is an awesome Creator and masterful artist (as we see throughout nature) and that there is hope in Eternal Life.