During sleep, our bodies should be working to support healthy brain function and maintain our physical health.
How is that working for you?
I hope very well! But, if not, I hope something in this article can help you! There are few things in life more frustrating—and more detrimental to our health—than lying awake, so very tired, but unable to sleep. Not getting enough good quality sleep is, however, more than just frustrating because sleep is a very essential function! Without sufficient rest/sleep, it is impossible for a person to be well either physically or emotionally! As you sleep, your body and mind get a chance to recharge. If that ‘recharging’ gets accomplished, you should wake up refreshed, energetic, and alert. If not . . .?
During childhood and into the teenage years, sleep also supports growth and development. Getting inadequate sleep over time increases the risk of chronic (long-term) health problems.
Studies show that when we don’t get quality sleep or enough sleep, our immune system gets disrupted and weakened. This, of course, makes it more likely that we will get sick when we have been exposed to any sort of illness. Our bodies need sleep to fight infections that are passed from one person to the next. Long-term lack of sleep also raises our risk of obesity, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.
I could go on and on here, but let’s just get on to possible solutions!
Before we begin today’s discussion of essential oils, herbs, and Blessed Waters (homeopathics), I would like to provide a little bit of extraneous, but I feel quite necessary, information. I searched both the Butterfly Express and Butterfly Expressions sites and was disappointed to find that the information I have written and taught in various places over the years on the topic I am about to summarize briefly below is not to be found on either site. It doesn’t seem to be in any of the books I have written, either. (However, I made only a rudimentary search, so . . .) If this oversight is actually real, I intend to remedy the situation as soon as I can find a minute (or a few hours, as it will likely be).
Two key factors in understanding essential oils are recognizing the differences in healing properties among plant families and understanding how various parts of the same plant can offer different therapeutic benefits. It probably doesn’t surprise you that the medicinal properties of the conifer family (spruce trees, for example) are very different from the healing properties of the various herbaceous or ornamental plants (such as the Lauraceae, Labiate, Compositae, and Umbelliferae families).
Even within the same plant family, whether an essential oil has been created from the wood, the seed, the root, or the leaves, dramatically affects the healing properties of that essential oil, and does so to an incredible degree.
A well-built blend allows us to combine, synergistically, the benefits of several plant families as well as the healing capacities of various plant parts, all with the goal of increasing the capabilities of each single essential oil. Just as a chocolate cake is more pleasing—and tastes better—than the varying ingredients separately, an essential oil blend has the potential of being so much more than any of the single oil ingredients by themselves
Let’s keep this information in mind as we discuss various essential oil blends in the pages of this (and every) newsletter.
Essential oils, herbs, and homeopathic remedies can be great natural options for keeping your skin safe in the sun and keeping bugs away. Products like lavender essential oil and Neutralizer help soothe sunburns, while things like Sun Shade lotion offer sun protection. For bug bites and stings, herbs like calendula or plantain can calm the itch, and essential oils like citronella, catnip, and kanuka help keep mosquitoes and other bugs at bay. Homeopathic remedies like Apis or Ledum can also help with swelling and itching if you do get bitten. It’s a simple, natural way to care for your skin and stay comfortable when you’re outside.
The digestive system is a very intricate and complex system. To my mind, it is much like a fragile ecosystem. There is a constant need for balance in the digestive system, just as there is in nature. The balance between the organs and among the different types of healthy bacteria found in the digestive system is absolutely essential to good health. When the digestive system is not working properly, the body becomes either malnourished or toxic. As a result, all the woes of poor nutrition and/or a toxic system eventually show themselves in the overall health of the body and mind.
Due to the many different organs included in the digestive system and their specific roles in the body, there are a lot of essential oils and herbs which have an ability to impact this system and bring about improvements. This month’s newsletter targets only a few of them. (I know from the length of the article that it seems like we surely must have mentioned them all. Not so—but it did feel like that to me as I wrote it.) I hope you find something useful to you or your family in the information I have tried to present here.
September marks the beginning of flu season. The herbal world is full of so many wonderful things to help us build our immune system and combat the flu when it finds its way into our lives. This month we will focus on building your Immune System and the Herbs, Essential Oils, and Blessed Waters that are my favorite for the Flu Season. Some of the products discussed are particularly loved by children but can always be used for adults as well. See the full list of topics.
I hate to see the end of summer and school starting up again but at least I have my oils and herbs. This month we will discuss ATTENTION, FOCUS, and EMOTIONAL STABILITY. The Essential Oils, Herbs, and Blessed Waters that will be discussed have been a huge blessing in my life for my children and myself. I have seen them help so many people. They can bless you and your family so I hope you take the opportunity to learn about them. See the full list of topics.
Are you ready for some summer fun? There are so many fun things to do and places to go. Are you traveling, camping, or just getting out in the sun? Summer can be full of bugs, sun, scrapes, and bruises so we are focusing this month’s blog on some of our favorite Herbs, Essential Oils, and Blessed Waters that help us to be PREPARED for the fun of SUMMER. There are some amazing products you need to know about and then we will talk about things for Sun Safety, Building Immunity, Camping and First Aid, and Traveling.
Heart and CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH (or Cardiovascular ill-health that I experienced as a younger woman) are topics I am delighted to share knowledge and experience about whenever possible. Many, if not most, of the essential oils, blessed waters, herbs, and minerals discussed here were part of my walk away from serious and scary episodes with my heart to the far better health I enjoy now. Assisting with information gathering and contributing to this blog has been a joy to me. It is my hope that the information provided here brings knowledge and, as a result, relief and better health to you and those you love. Alternative remedies such as those discussed here were such a blessing in my own life!
See the full list of topics.
I have had several rather personal experiences of late that have shown me just how important it is to focus on EMOTIONAL SUPPORT and RESILIENCE to be better prepared for the trials that this life will inevitably throw at us. I am super excited to announce the two new essential oil blends with this very focus in mind. The Resilience has become one that sits on my desk and is used daily. Many of the other things we will talk about on this blog are long-time favorites of mine. I am so grateful for these herbs, oils, and blessed waters.
See the full list of topics.
This is the time of year that I am aching to get out in my yard and get started. Spring cleanup and all the activities of spring can leave you with lots of aches and pains and that is why I decided to focus this month’s blog on aches, pains, and sprains. This is an area where herbs, essential oils, and homeopathics really shine. Some of the things we are going to talk about have been used in my family for over 40 years. These are staples in my home and I hope learning to use them will be a blessing in yours. Thanks for reading.
See the full list of topics.