• Cold and Flu Recipes
• Foods to Fight Depression
• Resolve to Stay Healthy Coupon
• Winter Herb Classes
• Herbal Foundations: an In-Depth Program in Herbal Medicine
• Meadowsweet Herbs' Holistic Healing Center

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Cold and Flu Recipes

This is the time of year it usually hits -- the "ick" that we all dread each winter. These aromatherapy recipes will help to heal the body and soul. Please use externally ONLY. Natural remedies work best when you use things for both external and internal healing, so remember to also take your zinc and vitamin C, get plenty of water and rest, and of course -- don't forget your herbs!

Cold Balm

2 ounces coconut oil
1 tablespoon almond oil
10 drops Lemongrass essential oil
10 drops Geranium essential oil
5 drops Tea Tree essential oil
5 drops Juniper essential oil
5 drops Thyme essential oil

Warm the coconut oil until melted and add the almond oil to it. Add as much or as little almond oil until you like the consistency. Check thickness by dipping a cold spoon into the oil and feeling the blend with you finger. Before final cooling of the oil, add the essential oils and mix well. Store in a sealed, glass container.

Cold Balm is blend of antiviral essential oils that can be used for a cold, flu, or the general "ick" that is going around. Rub it on your chest, back, neck, behind your ears or carefully over the sinuses (on the forehead and under the eyes). You can even use a little dab on cold sores!

Sinus Steam

30 drops Eucalyptus essential oil
30 drops Rosemary essential oil
10 drops Peppermint essential oil
10 drops Thyme essential oil

Add all oils together and store on a bottle with and essential oil dropper. To make a steam, heat a pot of water on the stove. Do not boil. Put the pot of water on a trivet on the counter top. Put a towel over your head and the bowl and close your eyes. Drop 2 -- 3 of the Sinus Steam essential oil blend into the water and breathe deeply through your nose. Repeat 2 -- 3 times. Repeat this whole process 2 to 3 times a day.
An excellent remedy for a sinus infection or head cold.

Respiratory Support Shower

1 drop Eucalyptus essential oil
1 drop Naiouli essential oil
1 drop Pine essential oil
1 drop Bergamot essential oil

Drop on drop of each oil onto a clean dry wash cloth. Rub over the skin, focusing on the chest and back before getting into a steamy shower. During your shower, hold the washcloth close to your face and breath deeply. The washcloth may be worn around your neck for additional benefit. Have a little extra time for a bath? Add 5 drops of each oil to 1/4 cup of sea salt or plain yogurt. Add yourself before adding the blend to your bath.

Foods to Fight Depression

Chocolate cake is a popular home remedy for depression, but it comes with some unwelcome side effects. Sweet treats don't just pack on the pounds; they give us a sugar high that's inevitably followed by a demoralizing crash. Still, there's growing recognition in the medical community that the right food choices can improve your mood.

Though drugs are often considered the first line of treatment for depression, a dietary change might be all you need, says James Gordon, a psychiatrist who advocates non-drug approaches to depression.

Gordon, a clinical professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine and the founder of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine, believes what we eat affects how we think and feel. "It's a wake-up call to let us know our body is out of balance."

Eat more ...

• Salmon. Fatty, cold-water fish such as salmon contain omega-3 fatty acids, which keep cell membranes pliable and flexible, said neurosurgeon Larry McCleary founder of a research group that looks at natural ways to treat health issues. It's also in tuna, anchovies and sardines, but since fish fat is also a good place to store heavy metals, pesticides and poylchlorinated biphenyls (PCB), consider plant-based sources, including walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and green, leafy vegetables. Read more

Resolve to Stay Healthy Coupon

Let us help make your New Year's resolution to stay healthy a reality! We'll even make it easy for you. Use this coupon to start you on your way to more vitality, well-being, energy, fitness, and a sense of balance in your life. One coupon per customer, please. Happy New Year, from Meadowsweet Herbs!

Printable Coupon

Winter Classes

Celebrating Your Inner Goddess

In this gift inspiring class lead by Katrina Farnum we will make bath salts, lip balms and personal lubricants. We will discuss the benefits of the herbs used in these products and how you can use these herbs in other ways to nurture the mind, body, and soul.
Thursday February 5, 2009
7 - 9 pm. Cost: $20

Vaccine Perspectives

Every parent is concerned with making the right decisions when it comes to their child's health. In Montana, the issues surrounding vaccinations for children can be complicated and controversial. That's why it's important to have as much information as possible to decide what is right for your family. Dr. Teresita Martinez will share the latest research on vaccines as well as naturopathic vaccine perspectives.
Wednesday February 11, 2009
7 - 9 pm. Cost: Free

Natural Pet Care

Gregory Tillford, Herbalist and co-owner of Animal Essentials, will be discussing the current research on herbs and natural diet discoveries for our four legged friends. This two hour lecture will cover how raw foods, commercial foods, herbs and supplements affect the life and vitality of our pets. Knowing what is available on the market will help us give our pets their optimal diet and herbal allies. Proceeds from this class will be given to the Missoula Humane Society.
Wednesday February 18, 2009
7 - 9 pm. Cost: $20

Cough Syrup Making

Herbalist Kris Hill, owner of Hill Botanical in Bozeman, will be making a White Pine Compound cough syrup. She will be discussing the plants used in the blend (hand-out included) and percolation techniques to make a fast and potent herbal tincture. A one ounce cough syrup is included with this class.
Thursday February 26, 2009
7 - 9 pm. Cost: $30

Herbs For Kids

In this helpful parenting with herbs class lead by Katrina Farnum we will make slippery elm lozenges, ear oil, dream pillows and an herbal healing salve. We will discuss the benefits of different herbs and how to incorporate natural items like these into a first aid kit.
Thursday March 5, 2009
7 - 9 pm. Cost: $20

How Hot Is Too Hot: What Parents Should Know About Children's Fevers

In the medical world, fever is a complex, controversial topic that worries many parents. Join Dr. Friess a Naturopathic physician at the Golgi Clinic, as he discusses the importance of fever as a favorable immune response. He addresses when to suppress and when to promote a fever, and why to do so.
Thursday March 12, 2009
7 - 9 pm. Cost:  Free

Using Essential Oils

What is all this talk about aromatherapy? Katrina Farnum will explore the world of essential oils including how they work and how to use them. Explore a variety of scents for a better nights rest, respiratory ailments, hormonal balance and stress. Finish off the class by learning how to make a scented, therapeutic massage oil or lotion.
Choose from one of two classes in March: Tuesday 10th or Wednesday 11th
7 - 8 pm, Cost:  Free

Herbal Foundations: an In-Depth Program in Herbal Medicine

Sign up by February 28 and get $50 off!

Wednesdays May 20 -- September 9, 2009

Join us for the fourth year of our annual in-depth herbal studies program. Make a deeper connection to the earth. Discover the healing properties of medicinal plants - a special and unique part of our world. Come on a journey with us and experience an intimate connection with healing herbs that are native to the Northern Rocky Mountains.

Printable Coupon

We will study:

• Medicinal plants easily grown in our northern climate as well as some special exotics.
• How to grow herbs and how essential oils are made.
• Using medicinal herbs for different body systems.
• The art and science of medicine making.
• How to respectfully harvest and use wild plants.

We are looking for enthusiastic students committed to a long-term class series. Join in our excitement as we explore the healing power of plants and the study of herbal medicine. For more information, or to register click here.

Meadowsweet Herbs' Holistic Healing Center

Happy New Year!

It is the beginning of a New Year and while it also is the middle of winter, this time invites change into our lives. Let health be the gift you give yourself and others this New Year. Invest in your health to fulfill your resolution of greater awareness and growth.  Constitutional botanical and homeopathic therapies work on deeper levels to improve overall well being and give you the strength to follow through on your resolutions. 

Whether you are struggling with the coldest time of year or the darkness, long-standing chronic health issues or acute illness, food cravings, sleep imbalances, or are generally feeling out of balance in other parts of your healthy being, consider taking care of yourself with botanical medicine or homeopathic care.

Make an appointment with Clinical Herbalist Britta Blödorn or Classical Homeopath Adrienne Veseth to help facilitate your own healing process. Call 728-0543 to schedule your personal herbal or homeopathic consultation.