In the spirit of the holiday season, we treat ourselves to mulled wine and traditional Christmas cakes such as Lebkuchen. This isn’t a coincidence, as these winter treats contain a mother lode of spices that are celebrated for their strengthening virtues. With the threat of colds and viruses, and onslaught...
A simple way to boost your immune system is to be generous with herbs, spices and condiments in your kitchen. Many cultures around the world, including African, Caribbean, American, Chinese, Indian, Eastern European, have always made extensive use of spices, and for good reason too! Herbs and spices are a simple...
Cosmetics commercials promise wonders – your wrinkles will be ‘deleted’ and your skin left smooth. And yet, these vague formulas obscure the most obvious fact, namely that there is no cosmetic product/procedure that can permanently ‘delete’ a wrinkle. Getting to Know your Wrinkles There are several types of wrinkles - some wrinkles...
Are you beginning to find random strands of hair on your comb, sink and bathroom floor? Well then, you may have a problem with hair breakage, which can get a bit worrisome. The first (and possibly worst) reaction to remedy this problem would be to buy ‘miracle’ shampoo. These products often...
Hijama, the Arabic term for ‘wet-cupping’, is an ancient bloodletting technique that has been practiced by several civilisations, including the Greeks and Persians, in order to treat a host of ailments and bodily disorders. Hippocrates had mentioned the practice in his writings while Prophet Muhammad is quoted in stating that...
Endocrine disrupting chemicals can be either natural or synthetic and as their name suggests, they ‘disrupt’ and alter functions as well as behaviours regulated by our hormonal system (such as reproduction, growth, appetite and sleep). Here’s one example: the essential oil of clary sage is oestrogen-like due to its content of sclareol...
Every now and again we engage in an internal dialogue with ourselves, which can take form in either; “What do they think of me?”, “You're fat and ugly, its only normal that nobody cares about you”, or “You will never succeed, never!” And yet, the ramifications of feeling inadequate and unworthy is even...
Want to attain a radiant complexion and reduce wrinkles, tighten pores and get rid of those acne scars? Well you can do all of these with a little lemon juice! Lemon is concentrated with alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA), which is why it rivals many cosmetic peels for skin! Some of the most...
Your skin is covered with pores – tiny holes that are the openings of hair follicles. They allow your skin to perspire and your body to cool off, and also serve as a gateway for sebum, an oily substance that protects your skin. Sebum is usually in the form of...
If you are looking to lose weight and have not found success, it’s probably because you’re missing out on a key ingredient – one that is good for your intestinal flora! It has been long thought that your intestinal flora essentially assured immune defences (as 80% of the immune system is...