Travel sickness: Natural solutions to anticipate and fight it

• Herbal therapy
• Aromatherapy

Plants for Travel Sickness

Ginger: Zingiger Officinale

Ginger is the most efficient anti-nausea and anti-sickness plant. The 6-gingerol as well as other compounds is responsible for the antiemetic action by fixing its central receptor 5HT3.Completed by its action of suppressing the gastric contraction. This plant can be used fresh or dried and is also recommended to suppress nausea induced by chemotherapy or post surgery situation.

For transport sickness: 2 to 5g of fresh ginger or 500mg of dried ginger (powder) in capsules to take ½ to 1 hour before the departure, renew every 4 hours, but do not excess 2 to 3g per day

Counter indication: gall-stones

Lemon balm (Melisse):

Lemon Balm Water Organic smooth jet lag, transport sickness and stress. Pour in a little water or few drops in an herbal tea (mint, green tea or chamomile for instance).

Or Lemon balm capsules: 2 capsule (200mg each) 2 to 3 hours before departure (to renew 6 to 8 hours later, in case of long travel, jet lag or stress)

Herbal tea: Put one tea bag of (each) peppermint, sage and lemon balm in a tea pot and let to brew 5 minutes. You can also use dry sage and lemon balm to add on to a tea pot with the peppermint tea bag (5g of plat for a cup).

      

* For children Under 6 years old: Lemon balm water can be use alone in a little water or on a piece of unrefined cane sugar. Herbal tea of Lemon balm can be combined with verbena, chamomile, or fennel herb tea; or alone. (For infant, seek advice).

Aromatherapy to defeat Transport Sickness

     

Preparation :

Essential oil of Basil tropical: 1 ml

Essential oil of Mandarin of Orange (sweet) (Citrus sinensis): 2 ml

Essential oil of Peppermint : 2 ml

3 drops of this blend on a small piece of cane sugar, let dissolve in the mouth or in a teaspoon of olive oil. Renew if necessary.

*This is not recommended for children below 12 years old, pregnant women and breast feeding mothers.

Peperminth (mentha x piperita) essential oil: 1 drop on a piece of unrefined cane sugar or a teaspoon of olive oil. Renew if necessary.

*Not for children under 6 year old and breast feeding mothers.

In prevention before traveling: Tarragon essential oil (Artemisia dracunculus): 1 drop on a piece of unrefined cane sugar and let it melting in the mouth; and 2 to 3 drops on the plexus solar.

Beautiful skin and anti-ageing mask with Honey

For thousand years, honey has been used not only just as a sweetener but essentially for its aniseptique properties and healing the skin. It is renowned for healing skin scares and wounds and accelerating the healing of burn.

 Honey has different actions for the skin: anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and powerful tissue growth activator.

 Try it on a burn, it is surprising: start by putting the burnt area under fresh water for few minutes, dry it gently, and directly put a thick layer of honey, it will melt  and will only leave  few droplets of honey on the surface of the skin. The Pain will be extensively reduced. The healing will be activated and the skin will be quickly regenerated, the burn mark will disappear rapidly and without pain.

 Same with sunburn, wound; honey have the capacity of disinfecting and cleanse the wound, while activating the healing.
Honey contains anti-oxidant which gives its anti-ageing qualities, it works at the skin level, but also deeply as it captures the molecules of water; and so nourishes and re-hydrate. It is particularly recommended for dry or irritated skins.

That is why honey is a precious ingredient of the homemade beauty recipes: Nourishing and nurturing, beautifying, anti-ageing, smoothing, hydrating, honey is all of those!

Pamper your skin with this homemade Anti-wrinkle and hydrating mask with a synergy of essential oil and honey:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon of crème fraîche
• 1 tablespoon of accacia honey (*)
• 3 drops of either of these essential oils: geranium (Perlargonium graveolens), palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini), rosewood (Aniba rosaeaodora); or a drop of each (**)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until the texture is smooth.
Apply on the face and neck and leave for 15 to 20 minutes.

Rinse with rose water (hydrolat) or fresh water

Essential oil of Geranium is astringent, firming, rejuvenating and anti-wrinkle

Essential oil of Palmarosa is firming and anti-wrinkle

Essential oil of Rosewood is regenerating and anti-wrinkle

 

Simpler recipe: just apply the honey directly on the skin and leave it for half an hour before rinsing it with clear water and/or rose water. Instant beauty effect!

* The quality of the honey is crucial; make sure that it is pure and preferably organic

** Make sure that the essential oil genotype is mentioned, chose quality essential oil as there are lots of impure essential oils on the market (even when mentioned pure on the packaging). Good brands are Neal’s Yeard, Eve Taylor, essential oils on Santi-shop.co.uk….

copyright © 2011 Florence McVeigh

Summer Natural hydration: Make your own herbal tea cocktail to hydrate your body naturally, refresh, and stay slim and serene!

Pleasant colour, fresh mint aroma, fruity and aromatic plants: a good refreshing everyday drink for the summer and your wellbeing.

Put one bag of organic mint tea with a bag of rose hip tea and one bag of Sencha green tea (you can add one bag of hibiscus tea if you can find some at your local health shop) in a jar or bottle with 1 litre of fresh filtered water. Let it brew for 4 to 5 minutes minimum. You can stir or shake very gently to help the plant to ‘express‘their aroma.

You can eventually add 3 to 4 ice cubs.

If you want a stronger tea, let brew the bags in hot water; then let it cooling down.

And drink it fresh (but never too cold).

Three glasses per day bring about a third of your need in water, indispensable for the balance of your body.

Think of sharing this pleasant hydrating drink with older people and children!