Milk Thistle is a ‘carduus’ thistle from the compositae or daisy family known as carduus marianus or silybum marianus.  Thistles are found mainly in Asia and Europe and also parts of Australia.

Milk Thistle has its greatest affinity with the liver and is reported to have protective qualities and to stimulate enhanced liver function.  Herbalist typically use Milk Thistle to treat conditions such as chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and gallbladder problems.  Chemically the active ingredient in Milk Thistle is silymarin and is a mixture of four flavonolignans.  There has been much research carried out on silymarin since the 1970s but there has been no one conclusive report published as yet.  However it still remains one of the most widely used herbs and has received celebrity status in books by Gillian McKeith and Carol Vorderman.

(more…)

For over 2500 years Agnus Castus has been used by herbalists to treat the affects of the menstrual cycle.  This natural balancer of hormones is taken from the berries of the chaste tree and one of the major herbal alternatives used in many cultures to address gynaecological illnesses. 

(more…)

The exotic sounding ylang ylang means the ‘fragrance of all fragrances or ‘flower of all flowers’ in Philippine.  It has been used traditionally in aromatherapy to accentuate the senses and release negative emotions such as anger, fear, jealousy and depression.  In Indonesia its reputation as an aphrodisiac means that it is a tradition to scatter its petals on the bed of newly weds. 

(more…)

Are you feeling bloated?  Is your system sluggish or do you suffer from digestive problems?  Then the answer may be to use herbal teas to cleanse your colon and give your digestive tract a good spring cleaning!

Drinking a colon cleansing tea helps the body to eliminate intestinal plaque called mucoid plaque.  This substance builds up in the colon overtime becoming hard and stagnant and can prevent the absorption of vital nutrients into the body.  A cleansing tea not only improves the condition of digestive tract but aids detoxification by boosting the performance of various organs and glands in the body.  This helps the body to eliminate toxins efficiently and develops a robust immune system.  Through regular ingestion of herbal teas you can eliminate harmful toxins in the body over time. 

(more…)

Forget that old wives tale about toads giving you warts; it’s the human papillomavirus that’s the true culprit!  There are an amazing 75 strains of the warty virus that are known to exist.  They cause a multitude of unsightly growths such the common warts, plantar warts and plane warts. 

Common warts like to grow on the back of your hands but can also find a home on your feet, face and neck.  Plantar wart otherwise commonly known as verruca takes root on the sole of the foot and can cause a lot of pain.  Plane or flat warts grow in colonies and are most often found on the face.

(more…)

Tea Tree is a species f the paperbark tree.  This tree is found on the sub-tropical coast of New South Wales and parts of Queensland, Australia where it has long had a history of use as one of nature’s most potent antiseptics.

Aboriginal tribes used poultices of the leaves on wounds and cuts and smoked leaves to clear congestion f the respiratory and nasal tract.  Tea Tree oil remains to this day as one of aromatherapy’s most powerful ingredients when fighting bacteria, fungi, viruses and yeast.

(more…)

Most of us at some point have had the dreaded dandruff!  This embarrassing and irritating condition refers to flaking skin on the scalp which can be very noticeable.

Dandruff is actually inflammation of the skin.  Although we are most accustomed to it occurring on the head it can occur on the face, neck, back and fold of the body.  Psoriasis has similar symptoms and the two can often be mistaken for each other.

It is unknown what exactly causes dandruff and this upsetting illness can be long term.  It may be related to a fungus similar to that of athlete’s foot or is perhaps triggered by stress, obesity, fatigue, oily skin, hygiene issues or allergic reactions to hair or skin products. 

(more…)

At some stage in our lives we will experience the tossing and turning of insomnia.  No matter how many sheep you count or cups of milk you sip you just can’t drop off.  The thoughts are churning through your head and the sound of your partner’s blissful shores and snorts are making you want to bludgeon him or her to death in pure green envy!

Valerian is the best known herbal remedy for sleep.  Like conventional benzodiazepine drugs it puts to sleep but unlike the drugs it doesn’t give you a sleeping pill hangover, interact with alcohol or lead to addition.  It will also improve your sleep quality.

(more…)

Green Tea is often quoted by many of my friends as being a wonder drink and it has had its fair share of celebrity endorsement over the last few years.  However if you’re like me you’ll probably be a bit woolly on the actual benefits of Green Tea.

As with many of the herbal teas that are experiencing revival at the moment Green Tea has been around for a long time.  The ancient Chinese herbalists knew all about the healing qualities of this tea and used it extensively to treat ailments from minor headaches through to cases of depression.

(more…)

Ginger has been long used medicinally by herbalists and there is now much scientific evidence to support this. 

Ginger is often used to reduce cholesterol levels.  It hinders the liver from producing cholesterol which is useful to those suffering from high readings as cholesterol in the liver makes up for 85% of cholesterol found in the blood.  In addition to this Ginger slows down the activity of clotting agents in the blood which are instrumental in causing heart attacks and strokes. 

(more…)