Tools for Natural Living

Arnica (Arnica montana), also known as mountain tobacco and wolf's bane, is the workhouse of this formula. The flowers of this plant con

Spicy and sweet, this easy-to-make warming oil will fill your home with the fragrance of fall. Add a few drops to the water reservoir of your essential oil diffuser, or add to a carrier oil (i.e., melted coconut oil) for use in a ceramic or tempered glass dish warmed over a votive candle. 25 drops cinnamon leaf essential oil 25 drops ginger essential oil 20 drops clove bud essential oil 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamo

For hundreds of years, indigenous societies around the globe have turned to chili peppers to ease pain. Later, it was discovered that capsaicin, the active chemical in chili peppers, effectively blocks pain by depleting a neurotransmitter called substance P at nerve ending sites, preventing the neural signal to the brain to experience pain from being communicated. According to researchers at the University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy, capsaicin also appears to enhance metab

Turmeric, and it’s primary active constituent, curcumin, has undergone considerable study in recent years for its powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and its potential application in preventing and treating neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Now, British scientists have developed an eye drop formulation that features curcumin that may help to prevent blindness. According to researchers at UCL’s Institute of Ophthalmology and

For centuries, valerian root (Valeriana officinalis) has been the go-to herb to address anxiety and insomnia, often in combination with skullcap and/or passionflower. Also known as setwall and all-heal (as many herbs are), this member of the honeysuckle family was well known to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It was commonly grown in monastery gardens in England, where the 17th century herbalist Nicholas Culpeper praised the many virtues of valerian when he wrote, “the root bo

Photo by Katja Schulz This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License. Bitter melon (Momordica charantia), also known as bitter gourd and bitter apple, is a tropical annual vine in the squash family native to Indian and now cultivated throughout the Caribbean, Asia and Africa. The fruit, which resembles a warty cucumber with ridges at maturity, is eaten as a vegetable and the leaves are prepared as greens. It is widely found in Asian and Indian