Kava Kava (Piper methysticum) was originally first grown and used in the South Pacific ceremonially for enhancing a sense of unity, especially as it pertained to the meeting of high-ranking community leaders. Nowadays, Kava is probably best known as a natural anti-anxiety aid. In recent studies, Kava was shown to be as effective as Xanax, a prescription anxiety medication (anxiolytic). Kava is a gentle sedative/relaxant that does not dull the senses but tends to enhance sensory perception, focus the mind, and elevate… Continue reading →

Nursing Your Baby Breastfeeding not only promotes a deeply intimate and loving way to bond with your newborn, it also nourishes your infant with the perfect balance of nutrients and vital immune protection. If breast milk supply is low, however, or there is difficulty in milk letdown, herbs known as galactagogues can improve production and encourage stronger, easier flow. These include herbs such as Blessed Thistle, Nettles, Goat’s Rue, Shatavari, Fenugreek and Fennel, which have been safely used for thousands… Continue reading →

‘Heart Health’ month may be coming to a close, but a healthy heart is something we want to maintain every month of the year! Inflammation in the arterial blood vessels of the cardiovascular system is a leading cause of heart disease. It causes damage to the walls of the vessels, making them more susceptible to cholesterol (a waxy type of fat) being deposited along their lining, narrowing and eventually blocking them. Damage in the vessels from inflammation can also cause… Continue reading →

Trichos derives from the Greek, meaning hair, with trichotillomania being the compulsive urge to pull out one’s hair. The action of pulling or tugging can lead to noticeable breakage, hair of varying lengths, and hair loss, and has been strongly associated with stress, anxiety, and depression, though other events can also trigger it. The most common age of onset of hair-pulling is during preadolescence. It affects approximately 3.5 percent of females, though its prevalence is likely higher as many individuals may feel… Continue reading →

Nutrient deficiencies are a common cause of hair loss and poor hair growth (thin, weak, brittle, slow-growing), with iron-deficiency being the most common in women of child-bearing age. If your body doesn’t have adequate iron, it’s unable to produce sufficient oxygen-carrying hemoglobin in your red blood cells. This is known as iron-deficiency anemia, and can occur with: • insufficient dietary intake of iron • decreased absorption of iron from intestinal tract due to gut inflammation (e.g., irritable bowel syndrome (IBS),… Continue reading →

Hypothyroid-related Hair Loss A common cause of hair loss in women, especially as we get older, is hypothyroid (underactive thyroid). Oftentimes, however, this condition may not be detected if relying only upon standard TSH testing. The thyroid gland, a small, butterfly-shaped gland situation in our throat, is vitally important to overall health, as it regulates our body’s entire metabolism. When the thyroid is underactive, all cellular activity, body-wide, is decreased. This includes the rate of cell division within an area of… Continue reading →

Telogen Effluvium: Is Your Hair Going Down the Drain, Literally? Anywhere from one to four months after an extremely stressful event or shock to your system, you may start to notice significantly more hair in the shower drain or in your hairbrush, or that your hair is suddenly “coming out by the handfuls.” Why does this happen? When the body experiences a dramatic shock, an increased number of hair follicles may prematurely enter the resting (telogen) stage, as the body… Continue reading →

Androgenic/Androgenetiic Alopecia (also known as Hereditary Hair Loss or Female Pattern Hair Loss) According to the American Academy of Dermatology, androgenic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss in women. It typically occurs as women near or enter menopause, though it can begin much earlier. Both genetic and environmental factors, including declining hormone levels, play a role in the build up of the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the hair follicles. Genes that signal for production of the hormone DHT may… Continue reading →

We might think that it is only men who use herbs as ‘aphrodisiacs,’ such as Tribulus, Horny Goat Weed, Ginseng, and Yohimbe. In fact, many traditional aphrodisiac herbs have been used for thousands of years by women, too, for supporting a healthy libido! Sexual and reproductive health has always been viewed as an integral part of overall health in traditional healing systems such as Ayurveda from India, or traditional Chinese medicine. Aphrodisiacs derive their name, appropriately enough, from the Greek goddess… Continue reading →

Nothing speaks of “tropical” quite like the exotic beauty and intoxicating fragrance of Plumeria (Frangipani). What is especially unique about this flower’s exquisite scent is that it is continuously being released by the plant’s metabolism, not made or stored as an essential oil (which most plant fragrance molecules are). As so eloquently described by one famed aromatherapist, it is as though its fragrance were “the breath of the living plant.” I could happily inhale Plumeria’s sweet breath, anytime! What is… Continue reading →