Category Archives: Health

New Herb Book Release and Cover Updates

Click on the cover for a preview!

It’s been a long time coming but I’ve finally finished Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico: Learning About Culture Through Plant Use. Yippee!  It’s now available on Amazon in full-color paperback and ebook. 

Mexican herbalism has often been overlooked by North American herbalists because most remedies have not been written down. Furthermore, many native plants are misidentified even by botanists. This volume of Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico: Learning About Culture Through Plant Use looks at some commonly miscategorized native plants and their traditional uses.

In this book you’ll discover:

◆30 Mexican plants used in traditional remedies

◆Dozens of herbal treatments for common ailments

◆Accurate botanical identification of native Mexican plants

To celebrate, Volume 1, Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico: An Introduction to Natural Healing is FREE for the next few days. You’ll notice the book has a new cover, which I hope is pleasing. It’s also been revamped inside, however, the updates are not reflected in the Look Inside feature on Amazon. Apparently, there’s a glitch they are trying to work out. They were vague about when that would happen though.

Anyway, if you’ve already purchased this book, you can get the updated version delivered to your Kindle like this:

  1. Go to Manage Your Content and Devices.
  2. Search for your Kindle book.
  3. If available, select Update Available, then select Update.

Would you believe that I’m working on Volume 3 already? Who knows where this will end? I also have some herb courses in the works, a plant coloring book (because Claudia’s illustrations are so amazing), and an expanded Mexican Cold and Flu Remedy book. All COMING SOON!

Don’t forget to get your FREE ebook if you haven’t already!

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Filed under Health, Native fauna and flora

Natural Healing — Flor de Tila

Flor de tila (Ternstroemia lineata)

Originally, I was under the impression that the flor de tila that was a staple ingredient in my favorite relaxing tea blend was from the Mexican linden tree. After all, several herb books I own that focus on Mexican herbs use the terms linden and tila interchangeably. However, doing just a little more research, I found that flor de tila is NOT any species in the family Malvacaea at all. Rather it belongs to the Pentaphylacaceae family and all my research on this beneficial herb went out the window since I had been searching for the wrong plant. What is more likely is that the correct term in Mexico is flor de tilia (not tila) or flor de tilo when referring to the blossoms of the linden tree in the genus Tilia. 

As you can see from the picture, Flor de tila (Ternstroemia lineata) dries much darker than linden flowers. The flower structure is also very different. Linden trees are much larger than the Ternstroemia lineata, which tends to only grow to about 20 feet. 

Flor de tila (Ternstroemia lineata) is native to areas of higher altitudes in central Mexico. It is also known as ucharillo and charapit uku in Purépecha. The wood is used to make certain guitar components. This plant is used in traditional Mexican remedies for insomnia, menstrual cramps, and headaches. It is also used as a digestive aid, sedative, and for bronchitis. 

There have been no studies done on the medicinal properties of Ternstroemia lineata. In fact, until recently, this species was classified as Ternstroemia pringlei, also known as flor de tila. A few studies have been done on Ternstroemia pringlei showing it has a sedative effect supporting its use for insomnia treatment. Leaf extracts from the plant are effective against liver flukes and the leaf, petal, fruit and seed are antioxidant.

I did find a few concoctions in my little herb books that use Ternstroemia lineata and not linden but because of the error in identification, I had to discount many of the remedies both online and from the books in my library.

Flor de tila (Ternstroemia lineata)

Flor de Tila Headache Tea

Boil ½ liter of water.

Add:

  • 2 to 4 grams of flor de tila (Ternstroemia lineata)
  • To make a sleep aid tea, add 10 grams of bitter orange leaves (Citrus × aurantium).
  • To make a cough tea, add 5 grams of (starflower)(borrajo officinalis).

Flor de Tila Heart Palpitation Tea

Drink daily before meals

Boil ¾ liter water.

Add:

  • 5 matarique branches (Psacalium decompositum)(Desert Indian brush)
  • 20 flores de tila (Ternstroemia lineata)(Tila flowers)
  • 2 pinches of sauco (Sambucus)(elder flowers)
  • 2 flores de manitas (Chiranthodendron pentadactylon)(Hand Flower Tree flowers)
  • 1 branch of alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
  • 2 pieces of valeriana roja (Centranthus ruber)(red valerian)

***

Interested in natural remedies? Uncover herbal remedies from traditional Mexican sources for healing and wellness in the Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico series.

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Filed under Health, Native fauna and flora, Natural Healing

Ultimate Bundles Flash Sales for October

Boy oh boy! Just wait until I lay this one on you. Ultimate Bundles is filling October with one flash sale after another. This will be your LAST chance to get these bundles before they disappear into the nether. Let’s go through them one by one.

First, on October 4-5, it’s The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle 2021 Flash Sale. As part of the promotional material, you can sign up for the free webinar 5 Essential Herbal Remedies for Cold and Flu Season scheduled for October 4 at 3 pm EST without any obligation to purchase the bundle.  

However, the bundle is awesome. This set includes 20 eBooks, 18 eCourses & Summits, 5 Printables & Workbooks for $37. But the fun doesn’t end there. You will ALSO get the chance to purchase the Herbs + Essential Oils Super Bundle with my book, Traditional Mexican Herbal Remedies, included!  

It includes 20 herbs, or rather 19, and miel sagrado (sacred Melipona honey) and their medicinal use by Mexican healers as well as scientific research on their effectiveness in treating a variety of ailments. This little book is ONLY available through Ultimate Bundles and after this flash sale, it will no longer be available. With the Herbs + Essential Oils Super Bundle, you’ll get 18 ebooks (including mine), 11 courses, 6 printables, and workbooks, worth a total of worth $684.36 for $37.

Also available as a purchase option with the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle is the Gardening & Sustainable Living Bundle, back for one more hurrah.

Then on October 11-12, it’s The Ultimate Homeschooling Bundle Flash Sale. This bundle has 2 eBooks, 17 eCourses, 29 Workbooks, and Printables & 2 Membership Sites, 50 products worth $1875.22 for $37. 

I know the uncertainty surrounding the protective measures in place for children has prompted many families to homeschool again this year, not an easy task at all. This set of goodies is certainly a helpful batch of advice, tools, and activities. The free webinar is 6 Fail-Proof Tips to Make Your Homeschooling Journey Less Stressful with Ana Willis scheduled for October 11 at 3 pm est.

The third flash sale is for the Ultimate Productivity Bundle on October 18-19. It has 29 products worth $1291.98 for $37 including 16 eCourses, 10 Planners, 3 Printables & Workbooks. There’s no time like the present to start preparing for 2022!

And finally, to round out the month, the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle Flash sale is October 25-26. It has 48 products worth $2377.81 consisting of 8 eBooks, 25 eCourses, 15 Printables & Workbooks. The free webinar will be Productive Homemaking: 5 Steps to a Chaos Free Home with Susan Cramer of Motivated Moms on October 25 at 11 am EST.

I expect fall and winter activities to be restricted in many areas over the next few months until we see where this virus thing is going. I know I really enjoy having bundles of courses and ebooks and the like to keep myself occupied when staying indoors and socially distanced. How about you?

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Filed under Education, Health