• Valerian
• Meadowsweet’s Annual Holiday Tea Party
• Sleeping the Night Away
• Buy Local this Holiday Season!
• 2 FREE Classes: Using Dr. Hauschka for Your Skin Type
• Meadowsweet Herbs' Holistic Healing Center News: Wintertime Holistic Care

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Valerian

The official species of Valerian is a hardy perennial that grows up to five feet tall. The stems are hollow and grooved. The leaves are fern-like with seven to ten lance shaped leaf segments starting larger at the base and get smaller towards the top. The flowers are tiny, grow in umbel-like clusters and bloom in white, pink or lavender, with a wonderful smell.

Valerian can be easily grown by seed or root divisions. The seeds have a short viability and should be sown when ripe. They germinate in about twenty days. The roots can be divided in the spring or fall and planted one foot apart. Valerian likes full sun to partial shade and prefers moist, rich, loamy soil with a pH of six to seven. Valerian roots can be harvested in the fall of the second year's growth. They are best used fresh which is conveniently done by making a fresh plant tincture.

Valerian has been used since pre-Christian times and is cited in almost every pharmacopoeia in the world. It is best known for its nervine properties that work on the nervous system as a relaxer and sedative. Valerian roots help relieve stress, insomnia and nervous disorders. For some people, Valerian can stimulate rather than relax. We recommend a weekend trial before using it as a sleep aid on a work night.

It is an anti-spasmodic and pain reliever helping to reduce smooth muscle cramps (including menstrual cramps), spasms, headaches and migraines. Valerian has carminative properties make it a good digestive aid. It encourages peristalsis and reduces stomach cramps.

In Germany, Valerian has been used for hyperactivity and learning disabilities in children. It has even been said to increase concentration and motor coordination. Valerian has been known to cause heart palpitations in sensitive individuals. It is potentially addictive or depressing with continual use.       

Meadowsweet's Annual Holiday Tea Party

Friday December 5, 6:00 -- 9:00 pm

Please join us on First Friday for Meadowsweet Herb's Annual Holiday Tea Party with an evening of celebration and gift shopping. Enjoy festive teas, delightful wines, decadent treats and 10% off on all* of your purchases during the party. Choose from a lovely assortment of absolutely beautiful gifts for everyone on your holiday list including hand made Mara mugs, botanical Rosy Rings candles, aromatherapy diffusers, colorful blown glass vases, natural body care, votive candle holders and many other useful and inspiring gifts!

*Dr. Hauschka not included

Sleeping the Night Away

The days get shorter, the weather gets colder, and the holidays are upon us. This is the time of year that we see more people coming into the store with high stress. As anxiety and stress mount, we help many people who have trouble sleeping. Here are a few natural ideas to gently carry you off to a blissful sleep. Not only that, they make great stocking stuffers!

Blissful Bath

1 cup Chamomile flowers
1 cup Lavender Flowers
1 cup Organic Rolled Oats
1/2 cup Rose Flowers
3 cups Sea Salt
90 drops Lavender essential oil
30 drops Marjoram essential oil
20 drops Clary Sage essential oil
10 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil

Add all ingredients together and mix well. Store in a glass airtight container. Add 2 -- 4 Tablespoons to a muslin bag or sock and soak it in the tub. You can massage the bag over your skin to increase relaxation and circulation. Try a cup of Sleep Easy Tea for an enhanced bathing experience.

Sweet Dreams Citrus Sheet Spray

20 drops Mandarin
15 drops Lime
10 drops Bergamot
5 drops Enrolls
Water
4 ounce glass spray bottle (blue is best)

Add all essential oils and water to the four-ounce spray bottle. Shake well before spraying on pillows and sheets. Use right before getting in bed. Can also be used as a face or body spray.

Insomnia Tincture

1 part fresh Valerian Root tincture (see above article)
1 part Skullcap Herb tincture
1 part Passion Flower Herb tincture
1/2 part Motherwort Herb tincture
1/2 part fresh Oat Seed tincture

Add tinctures together and mix well. Take 60 -- 90 drops before bed, or upon awakening in the middle of the night. If not asleep within 20 minutes, take another dose. Don't have the time to make your own? Try the similar formula that we make right here at Meadowsweet Herbs called Herbal Calm.

Sleep Easy Tea

1 part Chamomile Flowers
1 part Skullcap Herb
1 part Spearmint Leaves
1 part Lemon Balm Leaves
1/2 part Lavender Flowers

Mix all herbs together and store in an airtight glass jar. For one lovely cup of tea, pour one cup of boiling over 1 tablespoon of Sleep Easy Tea and let it steep for 10 - 15 minutes. Strain, sweeten with a little honey if you like and enjoy!

Buy Local this Holiday Season!

We want to encourage each of us to spend our money at local businesses this holiday season. How would it be to commit to spending at least $100 of your holiday money locally? How would it be to commit to spending a larger amount of your monthly budget locally? In these hard times it is especially important to support our local businesses. Here is why:

Through shopping at locally-owned, independent businesses:

• You bolster our economic base since local businesses are more likely to use other local services and products.
• You keep more tax dollars in our community to support our schools, parks, police, and other services.
• You support businesses that provide a large share of jobs in our community and are more invested in Missoula’s (or your town's) future.
• You ensure a solid foundation for our nonprofit organizations because they receive a majority of their donations from locally-owned businesses.
• You protect the beauty and natural resources of our community. Our local stores help sustain vibrant, compact, and walkable shopping districts and conserve energy and resources by reducing the transportation costs of goods.
• By shopping at locally-owned businesses you help preserve Missoula’s (or your town's) uniqueness that makes it one of the last best places to live.

Think Local, Buy Local is a grassroots campaign dedicated to preserving the unique character of our community through the promotion of locally-owned businesses. By supporting independent, one-of-a-kind businesses you help maintain the special history and culture of Missoula (or your town) while investing in our neighborhoods and local economy. If you want to find out more, check out: www.sbcmontana.org/buy-local.

2 FREE Classes: Using Dr. Hauschka for Your Skin Type

Wednesdays December 3rd and 10th, 7 - 8 pm

Join Katrina Farnum at Meadowsweet Herbs for a FREE hands-on class with Dr. Hauschka face care products. We will go through the proper steps for cleansing, using the "press and roll" technique, toning and moisturizing appropriate for your skin type. Ask for details about registration. Class size is limited and expected to fill quickly.

Please call 728-0543 to register

Meadowsweet Herbs' Holistic Healing Center News

Wintertime Holistic Care

Entering wintertime and approaching the time of solstice can mean time for celebration, quiet, community, spirit, solace, or the opportunity for reflection. The holiday season can also be a time of introspection. Closing the year and preparing for the New Year is a potentially hectic and difficult time. As the light wanes, we have the opportunity to look within. This might be just the right place in our lives for learning to practice holistic self-care and to address potential long-standing health issues of this past year.

Adjusting to the wintry days, the blustery air, and the beginning of forced indoor heating season you may be experiencing the first symptoms of a respiratory "grunge". Is your immune system strained from the cold? Are you feeling stressed and energetically, emotionally, or physically compromised? Are chronic, long-term health problems catching up with you?

Clinical Herbalist Britta Blödorn and Classical Homeopath Adrienne Veseth offer private consultations to help facilitate your own healing process. We are available to discuss your individual specific health concerns and to help improve overall well being by addressing the acute and chronic issues on your own path to greater health and well-being.

Call 728-0543 to schedule your personal herbal or homeopathic consultation.

Wishing you happiness and sustained health, from the practitioners at Meadowsweet Herbs' Holistic Healing Center.