Lemon Myrtle

I love the taste of Lemon Myrtle tea and have been using it since I bought some to offer at my herbal tea tastings as part of a Health and Wellness day at the Chelsea Heights Community Centre a few years ago. People enjoyed it but unfortunately I only had a few packets to sell on the day. Since then I have been getting it in bulk. Recently I made up a herbal punch with lemon myrtle, fresh rosemary leaves, apple & pear juice, fresh mint leaves and bilberry fruits at my City of Kingston's Seniors event- Put Zing into your Life with foods and herbs. Yesterday I attended a fantastic workshop on Growing Herbs by Sustainable Gardening Australia and have just subscribed to their monthly newsletter. Here I saw an article on Lemon Myrtle that I am sharing the link to with you. It has information on this native tree with a recipe for you to make some truly authentic Australian biscuits. Lemon Myrtle tea has relaxing properties and can help ease respiratory complaints.

Lemon Myrtle

Healthy Eating Recipes for Women

We have been celebrating here in Australia National Nutrition Week. So it is great that the Jean Hailes clinic for Women's health here in Melbourne has put together for you some videos and recipes from their Naturopath and Herbalist Sandra Villella. Here are some wonderful healthy and tasty recipes for you to make and share with your friends. So click onto the link below for the Jean Hailes Kitchen series and also take a look at their current newsletter.

Jean Hailes Kitchen series | Health for Women

Published with the kind permission of the Jean Hailes Clinic for Women's Health.
website address www.jeanhailes.org.au and our toll free telephone number (In Australia)
1800 JEAN HAILES (532 642) for women seeking further health information.

Current Herbal Research Projects in Australia

Research is well and alive here in the world of Herbal Medicine in Australia. If you are an Australian resident and either a user of herbal medicines or interested in complementary healing then you may be interested in participating in some of these current studies. As a current full member of the National Herbalists Association of Australia I am sharing this information with you from their website which you can also view. Hoping that some of you may be able to help further the study and research into the uses of herbs and diet in healthcare.

Research Project: Attitudes, beliefs and barriers to herbal medicine use in adults who experience anxiety

PhD candidate Erica McIntyre from Charles Sturt University is seeking participants for a qualitative study exploring beliefs, attitudes towards and reasons for using herbal medicines in adults who experience anxiety. Participation involves a face-to-face interview. Erica is seeking participants in the Sydney, Blue Mountains and greater Western NSW areas. This study requires Australian participants of any background aged 18 years and over who are able to read and understand English, and who experience anxiety. For more details:
Download: Information sheet and Invitation to participate
Email: emcintyre@csu.edu.au or Phone: 0438 448 653

Clinical Trial: PCOS; herbal medicine, diet & exercise

PhD candidate Susan Arentz at the University of Western Sydney is looking into whether herbal medicine can help to regulate the menstrual cycle, improve body characteristics, hormone balance and/or quality of life for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). They are looking for women with PCOS to participate in a twelve week clinical trial. Women aged 18-44, overweight (BMI more than 25) and not taking the oral contraceptive pill are invited to contact the researchers. For full details:
Download: the Information Sheet or visit the UWS facebook research page www.uws.edu.au/pcosfacebook
Email: Susan Arentz at s.arentz@uws.edu.au or Phone: 0403 044 247 

Research Project: Evidence-based medicine in Practice

PhD candidate Jeff Flatt from the University of New England is conducting this research as part of his PhD. The project aims to explore Australian complementary medicine practitioner experience of evidence-based medicine in practice. Specifically practitioners perspectives are sought on the integration of this evidence with your own professional knowledge and philosophies. There is no survey data collection, instead information is being collected via focus groups and interviews. For full details: 
Download: Letter to Participants or the Information Sheet
Email: Jeff Flatt at jflatt@myune.edu.au  

Clinical Trial: Elderberry Supplementation in Air Travellers

Dr Evelin Tiralongo and Dr Shirley Wee from Griffith University are conducting a clinical trial of elderberry supplementation in preventing upper respiratory symptoms in air-travellers on intercontinental flights. They are looking for healthy participants 18 yrs or older who are heading overseas for at least four days and who will be flying economy class (minimum 7 hour flight). For full details:
Download: the Info Flyer and the Recruitment Flyer
Email: Dr Shirley Wee on elderberry-trial@griffith.edu.au  or Phone: 07 5552 8131

Online Survey: Menstrual Health-study is still on going

Dr Karin Ried at the National Institute of Integrative Medicine is looking for responders for her online survey about menstrual health. Both men and women are encouraged to participate and the survey takes about 10-15 minutes. There are no right or wrong answers, questions can be answered with 'I don't know' and you can choose to enter their regular prize draw to win a shopping voucher.
For full details and the link to the survey: http://www.niim.com.au/research/womens-health 

Celebrate National Herbal Medicine Week in Melbourne

Celebrate the Wonderful Uses of Herbs 

Here in Australia we are once again in our Spring celebrating the diverse uses of herbs as our healing medicines. I have been personally using herbs since my early 20's when I grew them and used them in my cooking and salads. I made teas from them to drink for taste and for health problems. I used a tea from Heartsease Viola tricolor for post nasal catarrh and a gargle from sage leaves for my sore throats. I have been practicing since 1987 as a herbalist and sharing my passion, love and experience with using herbs through my many courses, cooking workshops and community talks.

The National Herbalists Association of which I am a full member of, is celebrating now their 93rd birthday. National Herbal Medicine Week is held here between the 16-22 September 2013 with many events across the country.

I will be giving a talk on How Herbs can help us improve our health and well being. I will be discussing herbs that can improve our energy levels, memory, sleep, digestive problems and if we suffer from hay fever which herbs can be safely and effectively used.

SATURDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 2013 1.30pm to 3.30pm

Cost is $10 for one or $5 each if you bring a friend or two

This talk and afternoon tea will be held at my home clinic in Mentone 3194

BOOKINGS are essential by using the contact form on this blog or on my face book page at https://www.facebook.com/southern.centre.of.natural.healing

History and uses of the Red River Gum

I recently wrote this article for the Friends of Braeside Park newsletter. As a herbalist and massage therapist I have used eucalyptus oil in my blends for colds, flu and sore muscles over many years. The leaves, flower nectar and gums (kino) has been used for many years by the original Koori people of this land. 

River Red Gum-Murray Red Gum

This tree is one of the most widespread eucalyptus or gum tree species in Australia and within Braeside Park. It belongs to the Myrtaceace botanical family. It was originally named Eualyptus rostrata  by the botanist Diederich von Schlectendahl in 1847 because of the rostrum or beak on the cap of the unopened bud. This name continued to be used until as late as the mid twentieth century which caused considerable botanical confusion as it had also been named Eucalyptus camaldulensis previously in 1832 by the head gardener Frederick Dehnhardt . It was a forty foot red gum in the famous garden Camalduli of Francesco Ricciardi, Count of Camaldoli . Apparently it had originated from John Oxley’s 1817 exploratory inland expedition from Sydney to the river Lachlan in NSW. He collected plant material for the Earl Bathurst who was Secretary of State for the Colonies and also for the Austrian Emperor. Some of his collection found its way to Italy where in 1822 an Australian River Red Gum was growing in the garden behind Naples. This garden has since vanished but the name E. camaldulensis has remained as it has scientific precedence over E. rostrata as the first name for this tree. River red gums can live from 500 to 1,000 years and have existed for around 50 million years.

River Reds and many other eucalypts have an ominous nickname, "Widow Maker", as they have a habit of dropping large branches without warning. This form of self-pruning may be a means of saving water or simply a result of their brittle wood. These trees have a great demand for water hence their growth habitat is confined to river beds and low alluvial flats subject to flooding.

The original people of the Braeside Park area belonged to the Bunurong tribes. The various Koori names for red gum include biall, yarrah, moolerr, polak and karrawirra. The bark and timber was very popular for building canoes and as material for roofs. The nectar produces a golden honey known as red gum which is still widely eaten and enjoyed today. Kino which is a complex mixture of tannins & other substances from the trunk exudates was exported from Botany Bay around 1810 to England. The early settlers mixed it in water to be drunk for cases of diarrhoea. It was also used as a gargle for sore throats or as a wash for skin sores. A recipe using Kino as a medicine was given in the British medical journal the Lancet using 2 to 4 drachms doses. However the aborigines had little use of the eucalyptus Kino.

The aboriginal people of Australia did use the leaves of Eucalyptus species as a tea for fevers, and in poultices for infected wounds and inflammations. Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory of Australia used the leaves of E. camaldulensis and E. tetrodonta in washes and liniments for joint and muscle pain, as a mouthwash in cases of toothache and for symptoms of cold and flu. It was prized for its disinfecting qualities. The sap was collected, boiled in water until dissolved and then rubbed onto sores and cuts. Its heartwood diluted with boiled water was an effective treatment for diarrhoea in children.

 The aborigines obtained water from the superficial roots. The roots were excavated or lifted to the soil surface. Then the root was cut into pieces about 45 cm long, debarked, held vertically, and blown into, the water then draining into a container. It has been traditionally used as a musical instrument using the mouth to make music and you can hear Herb Patten do this on You Tube.

The colonists found many similar uses for gum leaves but also some new ones such as stimulating hair growth and curing scurvy. The Danish herbalist H.P Rasmusssen who lived in Sydney around 1890 had recipes for eucalyptus leaf baths, ointments & other preparations for earache, ulcers, piles and skin diseases. We are all very familiar with eucalyptus oil for colds, cough, fever and many other complaints. The oil is used in inhalations, mouthwash gargles and dental preparations, as well as in skin rubs to relieve muscle aches and pains. It is a common ingredient in cough syrups and candies. It is used also in domestic cleaners and room sprays as a general disinfectant, and deodorizer about the house. The first oil came onto the market in 1852 at a distillery at Dandenong creek by Melbourne pharmacist Joseph “Bosisto”- a brand that still exists today.

 We know only too well the volatility of eucalyptus oils. Eucalyptus trees have a special connection with fire, whereas the leaves burn easily because of their essential oil content, the tree itself survives the fire and actually thrives and regenerates after a fire. The true scent of Eucalyptus has this regenerating spirit of survival through fire, of rising like a phoenix from the ashes again and again during its life with the sprouting growth of fresh new young leaves.

The leaves contain 0.1–0.4% essential oil, 77% of which is cineol. There is some cuminal, phellandrene, aromadendren and some valerylaldehyde, geraniol, cymene, and phellandral oils, and 5–11% tannin. The Kino contains 45% kinotannic acid as well as Kino red, a glycoside, catechol, and pyrocatechol. Leaves and fruits test positive for flavonoids and sterols. 

Braeside Park River Red Gum

 

Calcium | Bone Health for Life

 Read all the latest about how to keep our bones strong and healthy. This link is provided with the kind permission of the Jean Hailes Centre for Women's Health. Keep in touch with all their news by subscribing to their newsletter.
Calcium | Bone Health for Life

Super Foods for Health and Wellbeing

I have just received this article on the truth about Super Foods and share the link with you to read with the kind permission of the Jean Hailes Centre for Women's Health here in Melbourne. It is one of several interesting articles in their most current 2013 Clinic Magazine. If you have had the opportunity to view the health documentary FOOD MATTERS you will have heard about the benefits of super foods such as wheat grass and barley greens, broccoli sprouts and goji berries. So click on this link and read more and if you have time look at the other articles in the magazine.

Page 2 2013 Vol 2 | Jean Hailes for Women's Health

Vitamin D deficiency in Australia

Vitamin D deficiency

The main source of vitamin D in Australia is from sun exposure. When sunlight hits our skin, it reacts with a cholesterol-like substance and produces vitamin D. The amount of sun exposure needed depends on your skin colour, where you live and the time of year.

Vitamin D deficiency is common in Australia, despite one of the highest ultraviolet (UV) radiation levels worldwide and an abundance of sunshine.

You may be at risk if you have little or no sun exposure. This includes:

• Elderly people
• People in residential care or who are mostly indoors
• Babies of vitamin D deficient mothers
• Dark-skinned people
• People who cover their skin for religious/cultural reasons
• People working irregular hours
• Postmenopausal women

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient, without which our bodies find it hard to absorb enough calcium and phosphorus from the gut. We need calcium for healthy bones, teeth and muscles. Vitamin D also helps with cell growth, hormone function, regulating our nervous system and maintaining a healthy immune system.

You can get small amounts of vitamin D from some foods including cod liver oil, egg yolk and oily fish such as salmon and sardines. In Australia, margarine and some milks and dairy products are fortified with vitamin D. This may help people at risk of vitamin D deficiency, but most Australians get enough vitamin D by spending regular time outdoors.

It’s important to balance the risk of skin cancer from too much sun exposure with time in the sun to help maintain vitamin D levels. Follow these simple tips to make sure you get enough vitamin D from the sun safely:

• Expose arms, hands and face to sunlight for 10 minutes a day in summer, 15-20 minutes in spring and autumn and 30 minutes in winter outside peak UV times (10am-2pm or 11am-3pm daylight savings time).
• People with darker skin may need longer sun exposure periods.
• Always protect yourself from the sun when the UV index is above 3.
• Never use solariums as a substitute for sunlight as they emit dangerous levels of UV, which can increase your risk of skin cancer.

If you are concerned about your vitamin D levels, see your GP, as symptoms may not be obvious.

Published with the permission of Jean Hailes for Women's Health

www.jeanhailes.org.au

1800 JEAN HAILES (532 642)

As a natural therapist in practice here in Melbourne I can offer diet and lifestyle advice for individuals concerned about their Vitamin D levels. As some people follow vegan, vegetarian or an allergy free diet I can help you with these options to maintain healthy vitamin D levels for your health.

Herbs and Foods as Medicines Talk at Venus Bay Community Centre

Did you know that many of our common foods such as onions, potatoes and ginger can be safely used as home medicines for all the family ? Want to learn more about the healing uses for many simple first aid problems ? Then come to the talk that I will be giving this Saturday 20 July 2013 at the Venus Bay Community Centre in South Gippsland at 2pm to 4pm. Bookings are not needed and cost is by gold coin donation. Get advice on how to help colds, coughs and sore throats that are common complaints at this time of year during winter from a professional herbalist & naturopath. Afternoon tea is provided which will include some of my organic Southern Light Herbal teas. So do come and join the local Food Culture group at the community centre in Venus Bay.





Chamomile

Heartsease

Peppermint









How Anger Hurts Your Heart

As the heart symbolises LOVE and COMPASSION, our ANAHATA chakra, the sound vibration of YAM, the home of the Lotus, the element of air, and often associated with the healing colour of pink or rose- it plays a role in transforming ideas into physical reality and vica versa. It is the doorway from the lower physical realms into the higher energetic spiritual ones. Loving and kind thoughts of metta-giving will flow through and transform us through our heart centre. Unfortunately negative and unkind thoughts will harm and block us at the heart, causing physical ailments. So it is not surprising that research shows that the negative emotion of anger will harm our hearts. In Ayurveda it is suggested that chewing a cardoman pod will help dispel any anger from within. So we need to be aware, mindful, at peace and not re-active to external stimuli that will cause anger to arise. But if it does let it go and allow kindness to flow within the lotus of our hearts.
Have a read of this research article by clicking this link to see:-
How Anger Hurts Your Heart





Nutrients for a healthy heart, brain and bones

I have been doing some research online in journals and started reading up on the benefits of Vitamin K2 for health, such as keeping calcium out of our bones by helping it to go to where it is most needed- in our bones and teeth. I am sharing a video and more information on this topic from Dr Mercola's site for you to view. So click onto this link below:-

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/16/vitamin-k2.aspx