❤ Fluoride Free Toothpaste

9/11/2013

I just whipped up some toothpaste using bentonite clay, Tulsi, grapefruit seed extract, myrhh extract, baking soda, living water, probiotics, himalayan pink sea salt, coconut oil and fennel essential oil blend.  Yummy!

Why natural toothpaste? Most commercial brands contain Fluoride, a toxic chemical that has not actually been shown to reduce tooth decay, and certainly not at the rate that a diet low in phytic acid can. Fluoride also has been linked to thyroid damage and hosts of other problems.

Like most commercial health and beauty products on the market, toothpaste has been industrialized over the years. Here are just a few of the questionable ingredients commonly found in commercial toothpastes:

The Case Against Fluoride: How Hazardous Waste Ended Up in Our Drinking Water and the Bad Science and Powerful Politics That Keep It ThereFluoride. While fluoride is supposedly the ingredient that prevents cavities, it doesn't do that job very well and can actually be very toxic to the body. In fact, if you suffer from acne outbreaks around the mouth and chin area, fluoride toothpaste may be the cause! (If you haven’t already, check out The Case Against Fluorideand The Fluoride Deception for more information.) Fluoride-free toothpastes are becoming more common, but unfortunately it’s not the only ingredient in toothpaste you should be avoiding.

Titanium dioxide. There are some concerns that titanium dioxide is carcinogenic.  The biggest problem is that nano-sized particles of titanium dioxide can be absorbed through the mouth and may cause toxic damage in the cells of the body.

Glycerin. (man made). This is found in almost every toothpaste on the market (even the natural ones). Glycerin helps give toothpaste its pasty texture and keeps it from drying out. But it can also leave a coating on your teeth that prevents them from remineralizing.

Sodium lauryl sulfate. It gives you the foamy cleaning action we all expect from toothpaste, but sodium lauryl sulfate is also a strong chemical surfactant that doesn’t belong in our bodies.

Artificial sweeteners. I don’t know about you, but I generally avoid chemical sweeteners like sorbitol and saccharin. Unfortunately, these are commonly used in commercial toothpaste to make them taste sweet.

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❤ DIY Mint Extract

9/07/2013

Mint is one of those workhorses of the garden. Once you plant it, your hardest job is keeping it from overtaking everything else in the yard and figuring out what to do with it all. Did you know Mint is one of the oldest and most popular herbs that is grown around the world. There are many different varieties of mint, each having its own subtle flavour and aroma.

Mint as Minta Spacata is a plant that has been long used in diverse cultures, such as India, the Caribbean and even Spanish speaking countries. Mint has a sweet flavour, with a cooling after-sensation. Both, fresh and dried mint are used in preparing a large number of recipes, including curries, soups, chutneys, salads, juices, and ice creams.

Its health benefits include:
- Soothing the digestive tract and if you are having stomach ache then it can be of great help
- Drinking herbal mint tea reduces irritated bowel syndromes, cleanses the stomach and also clear up skin disorders such as acne.
- Mint acts as a cooling sensation to the skin and helps in dealing with skin irritations.
- Mint helps in eliminating toxins from the body.
- Crushed mint leaves helps in whitening teeth and combat bad breath.
- Mint is a very good cleanser for the blood.

Here's a very simple tutorial on how to make mint extract at home

Ingredients:

approximately 1 cup mint leaves
2 cups vodka

Directions:

Sanitize jar
Harvest mint, ensure leaves are cleaned.
Either with your hands on with a mortar and pestle, bruise the mint. Tear the leaves a little.
Store the mixture in a cool, dry place for 1 month. Give it a good shake every few days.
After 1 month, strain the leaves, pour the extract into an air-tight jar and store in a cool, dark place.
The spearmint extract should last at least 1 year, if not more.

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❤Hippie Cooking

6/07/2013

I came across an article on Vice written by Joanna Fuertes-Knight and aptly called GIRL EATS FOOD - HIPPIE JOHNNY'S CHOCOLATE BROWNIES. It's about making weed butter and using the butter to make brownies. Yes, weed as in ganja, bud or cannabis :) I can just imagine your faces now. Lol!

Much to my delight, I found this article very pleasing. Read it here. As Joanna rightfully said eating 'weed brownies doesn't give you lung cancer' cause weed is much better then popping a chemical filled cigarette between the kisser. Chemicals? What! Don't tell me you thought cigarettes are simply dried tobacco leaves rolled in paper, then you’re about 597 ingredients off. The tobacco industry has become master mixologists with the additives. Some ingredients are added for flavor, but research has shown that the key purpose of using additives is to improve tobacco’s potency resulting in increased addictiveness–and the additives they choose to use are dreadful. Don't believe me? Read the list of 599 additives approved by the US Government for use in the manufacture of cigarettes here.

So how do one cook with ganja?

• Locals, please keep in mind Ganja isn't legal in Trinidad and Tobago. Anyone found with ganja on their possession, or home will be jailed. 

• The recipe attached to this article isn't RAW but I'm sure a RAW version can be wonderfully made. I'm thinking Raw cocoa, almond milk,nuts,Medjool dates with a pinch of startch and sea salt..  and ...hmm think I'm gonna create a recipe for RAW ganja brownie. :)

Cooking with Marijuana

Most weed-related recipes call for the making of "Ganja Butter", which is then used as a replacement for standard butter while cooking. To prepare ganja for eating it has to be heated in some way. It won't work if the weed is eaten without preparation, because the digestive system is unable to digest THC directly. When cooking with weed, it is very important to use fat (oil, butter, milk) because THC (the stuff that gets you stoned) is fat soluble and not water soluble. It is therefore impossible to get high from pot tea, for example, without adding some milk.

What are the effects?

It can take anywhere from 20 minutes to even up to 4-5 hours for the effects to set in. It all depends on your body. The biggest problem here is to find the right amount. When smoked, the effects set in almost immediately, so it is easy to judge how much you need. After eating some weed, some users are too impatient, and they think they need more. While it is not possible to overdose on weed, the effects of eating too much cannabis are not pleasant. You may feel sick, confused, unable to move or talk, and your coordination may be heavily affected. These effects may last a long time, much longer than when smoked. It is therefore important not to eat too much. Start with a low dose, and increase it the next time, if needed. Experiment to find the right amount. If you eat too much, a high dose of vitamin c (200mg or more) may help to make you feel better.

The length of time it takes for ganja to work, also depend on the amount and quality of the weed, the rate of your digestion system, and the amount of food you've eaten beforehand. For best results, we recommend not eating anything at least 2-3 hours before eating your marijuana.

How much weed do I use?

Trial and error is your guide here. If you're making ganja butter, you might go through a few saucepans full of cabbage before the butter is green and smelly enough to be useful for cooking. It's a good idea to note down how much you've used so you know for next time. As a general guide, a mild dose using high quality cannabis, extracted properly into butter or oil, would be 0.5g. To get really high use 1g. So - 7 brownies=7 grams of cannabis. 

On to the juicy part! 

Ingredients to make ganja butter

1 lb. of butter (not margarine!)
1/2 ounce of finely ground marijuana

Method;

Melt the butter in a sauce pan until it's simmering.
Add the marijuana and let simmer for 30 minutes or so until the butter has turned green from the marijuana.
Pour butter through a strainer to remove all the pieces of marijuana.
Chill until solid.

You can follow the recipe in Joanna's article from here on in, she has even provided a step by step photo log.  Bone-appetit!

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❤Your Spice Rack Can Cure You

4/25/2012

While over-the-counter drugs are the first things most people use along with a box of tissues during cold season, I on the other hand, reach for my spice rack along with herbal medicine or what we in the islands call "bush medicine". Cause,over the counter drugs often rid the body of its defenses against the infection, rather than treating the infection itself. I always marvel at over the counter medication advertisements, they tell you pop a pill to solve one problem but advises you that same pill can cause heart attack, stroke, blood clots along with a host of other problems. I often wonder what sense does it make to take medication for one problem while knowingly, putting yourself at risk for so many other possible problems. Fortunately, there are accepted spices a person can consume to alleviate many of the symptoms without the side effects of taking the drugs.

See the list below, its given for information purposes. Chat with your doctor before starting any home care treatment.

Anise: Aids in digestion and helps stop coughing.

Basil: Helps clear head congestion during a cold.

Black-pepper:   Provides Joint Pain relief

Cardamom: Can be used to provide relief from common cold.

Cilantro: Helps prevent food poisoning and removes mercury from the body. Cilantro is the name of the young green leaves of the coriander plant.

Fennel: Controls bad breath and, when chewed after spicy meals, masks the odor of garlic and onions.

Garlic: Can act as a decongestant and relieve common cold and has anti-bacterial antiviral, and antifungal properties

Ginger: Steeping ginger in nearly-boiling water to aid in breathing and even potentially ward offsinus infections.

Mint: Can help relive congestion caused by common cold

Onions: Have anti-inflammatory compounds that could help reduce the soreness and swelling of the larynx. Moreover, this bulb can also help in softening the phlegm, thus allowing you to cough and expel the mucus more easily.

Oregano: A favorite in Mediterranean cooking, oregano has powerful infection-fighting properties.

Peppermint: Stops intestinal gas, calms indigestion, controls nausea, and sweetens the breath.

Parsley: Promotes urinary flow and provides antioxidants.

Rosemary: A powerful antioxidant, rosemary also had microbe-fighting properties, and it helps calms nerves.

Sage: Treats the congestion and stuffiness associated with colds, clears headaches, and kills parasites, bacteria, and yeasts. Sage oil may improve memory.

Thyme: Well known as a natural antibiotic, it kills parasites and yeast. It can also soothe the chest and halt coughing.

Turmeric: The main ingredient in curry, turmeric adds zest and color to foods. It’s cancer fighting and lowers unfavorable bacteria in the gut that cause gas and bloating. It has anti-inflammatory properties.


Tulsi (Holy Basil): Provides relief from common cold and cough and has anti-inflammatory properties and can provide relief form pains and aches.

The common cold usually lasts for one week, although it may be extended for up to 2 weeks, it can be cured without treatment. If you notice that your cold lasts more than two weeks, then it is something serious and you should visit your doctor.

The most common symptoms of a cold are:
*Cough

*Congestion

*Diminished sense of taste and smell

*Fatigue

*Low Fever 

*Runny or Blocked nose

*Sneezing
*Sore throat
*Watery eyes

Possible cold prevention techniquesTo reduce the chances of getting the cold virus you can follow these simple rules:
*Wash your hands regularly - and always before meals or before touching your eyes and your mouth.
*Disinfect surfaces including staircase handrails, door knobs, light switches.
*Try to avoid people that have the cold virus
*If you do get the cold always drink lots of fluid and get plenty rest.