Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar  (ACV) has been used for detoxification, to purify blood to cleanse lymph nodes and improve the immune system, since 5000BC.

From that time until now, it has been used to whiten teeth, remove warts, ease varicose veins, cure colds, soothe sunburn, repel fleas and as a natural deodorant.

Studies now show that ACV is excellent for correcting pH balance, especially in the skin mantle as a skin toner and in the stomach, removing acid reflux, bloating and indigestion.

They also show that ACV has the ability to balance blood sugar by improving insulin sensitivity, and so may have an application for those with insulin dependent type 2 diabetic.  When there is a lack of insulin sensitivity, fat accumulates around the belly and waist, so ACV has the added benefit of decreasing belly fat and waist size.  It also decrease triglycerides, lowers cholesterol and decreases blood pressure. 

I like to use it because it kills pathogens including fungus, and wiping kitchen benches and appliances, disinfects and reduces any mould or E coli that may be around, as well as polishing them. I also use it as a hair condition after shampooing.

Apple cider vinegar can be bought at the supermarket and it is really easy to make.  It takes only minutes to put together, but it must rest for quite some time, so patience is a virtue.

Here's how.

• Gather together a very clean glass jar, a clean cloth, white sugar, filtered water, apple pieces (apple skins or cores will do).  I used apples that the birds had pecked and left, cutting the pecked bit off and then cutting the apple into chunks. I always use apples straight from my tree so they are organic.
• Put the apple pieces into the glass jar so it is 3/4 full.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of sugar to one cup of water.  You may need a few of these depending upon the volume of your glass jar.
• Pour the sugar water over the apple pieces. Make sure there is enough to cover the apple pieces.  
• Press the apple pieces under the sugar water so they are submerged.  A grape leaf does a good job.
• Cover with a cloth and leave in a cosy place for as long as it takes to bubble.  This may take a while.
• When it is bubbling nicely, tip out the apple pieces and discard.  
• Let the liquid sit until it has the smell you like.  You can use it straight away.

Apple cider vinegar is an ancient folk remedy that has stood the test of time, but it does contains acetic acid so if you are thinking of drinking it, please, dilute with water, or add it to olive oil as a salad dressing.

Until next time, here's to your very good health.

Linda.


















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Home-made Mulberry Icecream

This Summer our Mulberry tree is overflowing with plump ripe mulberries that are sweet, juicy and succulent.  In fact, I have never seen so many mulberries at one time.  It is astonishing how many there are.  I picked a big bowlful yesterday and another today and still there are mulberries ready to ripen on the tree.

Because it is so hot and because of this abundance, Peter and I decided to make Mulberry Ice Cream.  I thought it was to be eaten at dinner time, but Peter had other ideas.  As soon as it was made we were enjoying our treat.  And, what a treat it was.  Cerise coloured and creamy tasting it was delicious.

Colour and taste  are not the only things that mulberries have going for them .  They also contain good amounts of vitamins that assist in metabolism; minerals that control blood pressure and heart rate; iron to ensure oxygenation of the blood and cells; carotenoids that regulate retinal cells of the eye; compounds to protect against free radical damage and provide resistance from infection, stroke risk, and potentially cancers.

Although mulberry icecream is not strictly a health food it does support my philosophy on health very much.  My thoughts are that although eating a little of something that you will really enjoy may not be totally beneficial to you physically, emotionally it may be extremely so.

I have included a recipe if you are interested in making Mulberry Icecream.  Of course, you could use any other kind of berry and these too would provide many of the above benefits.

So, here it is...

You will need:
250g Mulberries
50 gm sugar
100gm cream.

This is what you do:
Blend the mulberries so they have all been squashed and are leaking juice.
Add sugar and cream and mix well.
Pour into an icecream maker and follow the instructions for use..
And... eat

Any left can be frozen for a later date. But, it is very delicious so who knows how much this will be :)

Until next time, here's to your very good health,

Linda.

Orange and Apple Cider Vinegar Cleaner.

I love my kitchen.  It is an effervescent, vital, life confirming space.  In this space, I create lots of nutritious food … yoghurt in my yoghurt maker, sour dough bread using wild yeast, freshly squeezed orange juice, dried apples and bananas in my dehydrator, home-made vanilla extract, clarified butter, and many herbal infusions, including yarrow to ward off colds and flu - just to name a few.

In my kitchen I strongly avoid using harsh commercial cleaners.  Instead, I use Eucalyptus essential oil in warm water to wipe down all the benches, taps, sink, and all appliances. Eucalyptus is antiviral, antibacterial and kills the usual 99.9% of all germs; and I trust it much more than harsh commercial cleansers with their toxic load.

I also use a mixture of orange peel and apple cider vinegar to actually clean the same things. This mix is very effective and has been known to clean much better than harsh cleaners.  It is also antibacterial, smells wonderful and makes you feel uplifted.  Orange essential oil is used in aromatherapy when people are feeling low, so as well as a cleaner, it is perfect if anyone is suffering depression or anxiety. It is also a tonic making every body system sparkle- contributing to strength of the body, relaxing muscle and nervous spasms and boosting immunity.

  

And, what’s more… it’s an aphrodisiac.   Just think, by wiping the benches regularly with orange infusion you could surreptitiously be helping raise libido and erase any sexual embarrassment in your household! 

The cleaner is very simple to make.  If you would like the recipe keep reading.

You will need

A clean mason jar.

Enough Organic Orange Peel to fill your jar. 

A bottle of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.

Here's what to do.

Put the organic orange peel into the mason jar.

Fill to the top with Apple Cider Vinegar

Shake and leave for around 2 weeks in a sunny spot.

Shake occasionally.

Strain and use.

Make sure you get organic orange peel as non-organic oranges are laden with toxic elements

Until next time, here’s to your very good health,

Linda.

Scented Sails and Body Oils

Cleopatra V11, Queen of Egypt, was said to have exceptionally lovely skin; and if myth can be trusted, bathed daily in asses milk to maintain that loveliness.  The verdict is still out though… some people feel the climate would have been too hot and affected the milk, resulting in her sliding into a curdled stinky mess; others knowing of the ingenuity of the Egyptians feel ice could have been transported to Egypt and placed in cooling rooms to keep milk fresh.

If she did use asses milk, though, it would have been a very good choice.  Asses milk is very high in linoleic acid; and linoleic acid is soothing and calming to the skin.  It reduces wrinkles, dry skin and coloured splotches in as little as three weeks.

Unfortunately, asses milk is very scarce in this area but if you too would like skin like Cleopatra, you will find linoleic acid in the supermarket.  Linoleic acid features in warm seed oils like safflower or grape seed oil, as well as superb but expensive oils, such as rose seed oil.   

 Applying linoleic acid through a full body massage is the perfect way to soften and calm all your skin, - especially when mixed with aromatic essential oils, such as frankincense, rose, patchouli, or sandalwood that have regenerative and tonic effects. 

Cleopatra knew the power of essential oils when she sailed down the Nile with purple, essential oil soaked sails wafting out an aromatic message to the people that said here comes a woman of romance, mystery and beauty. 

So, if you would like to naturally soothe, calm and soften your skin and/or send a message like Cleopatra, a full body, hand or foot massage with oils containing linoleic acid and essential oil would be just the ticket. 

You can find a recipe for such a body oil below:

You will need:

An amber coloured 50ml bottle with a dripper lid (or eyedropper lid)

30ml Organic Grapeseed oil

10ml Organic Almond oil

10ml Organic Apricot oil 

2 drop 100% pure Sandalwood essential oil

4 drops 100% pure Lavender essential oil

6 drops of 3% pure Rose essential oil.

Here's what you do:

Put the essential oils into the amber bottle and shake well

Add 15ml organic grapeseed oil, 5ml organic almond oil,  5ml organic apricot oil.  Shake.

Add the rest of the grapeseed, almond and apricot oils. Tilt bottle gently forward and backwards.

Label the bottle so you know what is in it

Date the label so you know when you made it.

Let it sit for a day or so, stored in a dark and dry place.

The perfume of the oil will not be developed fully until a couple of days have passed and may not seem overly strong after this, but the warmth of the body when it is applied will release the aromas.  Smelling from the bottle therefore may not seem very satisfying.  

Please don't be tempted to put extra essential oil into the bottle and before you use it do a test to make sure allergic reactions do not occur.  Do not use if this does happen. 

Cleopatra, move over, for here we come.

 Linda.

The Tatong Naturopath.

Apples and Beetle Poo

I love walking amongst the fruit and vegetable section of the supermarket.  The brilliant display showing off their cavalcade of magnificent colour just speaks to me.  It’s heaven.

The day before yesterday I was in such a supermarket and spent time indulging in a visual feast, ambling amongst the green, red, white and black fruit and vegetables.   I picked up a red, very juicy looking apple. It looked like it would be sweet.  It certainly looked shiny and even shinier when I rubbed it against my shoulder.  What a beauty.

I, however, did not buy it.  The reason being that I just knew it would not be this shiny straight off my apple tree.  Freshly picked apples can be rubbed into a sheen:  but not an actual shine.  I could practically see my face reflected off this apple.  Shininess only comes from the confectioners’ glaze that is sprayed onto the apple to restore its shininess after it has been thoroughly washed.

That, I suppose, sounds quite tasty… confections’ glaze sounds yum.   Confectioners’ glaze though is known by another name.  That name is shellac.

Shellac is used to protect furniture and give it a shine.  It was used in the production of gramophone records back in the time of the old 78 rpm vinyls. It is made using the bodily fluids of the Lac beetle and its chemical structure is similar to synthetic polymers ie plastic.

So, to be clear, each time you take a bite from that shiny apple, you are also taking a nice big bite of natural plastic and the bodily secretions of the Lac beetle. If you like that and would like some more you can also find it on jellybeans, oranges, chocolate coated peanuts/liquorice/almonds or most foodstuff with a shiny surface. :)

If you don't like that not eating jellybeans, chocolate coated peanuts/liquorice/almonds or any shiny confectionery is probably a good idea - they are not really food; but apples and oranges are very nutritious. To get shellac off them you might like to do this:

Fill a sink with cold water; then mix in 1 cup of white vinegar.
Soak the fruit  in the cold water/vinegar mix for 1/2 hour, pat dry and store.  Or eat.

Until next time, here’s to your very good health.

Linda.

www.facebook.com/thetatongnaturopath

www.naturaltherapyforhealth.blogspot.com.au

Coffee: the good or evil twin?

                                 

If you wanted to dress like people in the 1950’s what would you wear?  Thinking of Sandi in ‘Grease’ or Young Lorraine in ‘Back to the Future’ one would be tempted to say a super wide dress, cardigan slung around the shoulders and a hairband holding hair back.  But, this is not what I wore to my parent’s 60^th wedding anniversary party. 

 Mum and Dad were married in 1952 and to help celebrate we all dressed to kill for that period.  I went as a Beatnik, a rebellious group whose women rejected those pretty dresses for black pencil-thin dresses or trousers; and whose men instead of wearing neatly pressed button and collared shirts, sported turtleneck jumpers and berets.

I was delighted to find during my research that Beatniks habitually visited coffee bars in which they drank coffee and recited poetry exploring the meanings of life.  As people who know me well will tell, I love cafés and never miss an opportunity to visit one.  Coffee is said to heighten concentration, alertness, stamina and energy so perhaps that is why Beatniks drank such a lot of it. But there are other benefits.  Coffee has been found to lower the risk of stroke, Parkinson’s disease, gout, cirrhosis, diabetes 2 and dementia.  It also reduces exercise pain, depression in women, and prostate cancer.  Quite an impressive list!

Unfortunately, it will not do these things if those health problems already exist.  Furthermore, it’s a diuretic so osteoporosis and muscle cramping can occur if too much is taken; it raises blood pressure; interferes with sleep; stimulates heartburn; and is addictive, and this can lead to anxiety, adrenal exhaustion and hormonal disturbances. 

So… what do you think? Is coffee the good guy or is it the evil twin?

Until next time, here’s to your very good health,

Linda.

www.naturaltherapyforhealth.blogspot.com.au

www.facebook.com/TheTatongNaturopath

Plum Sponge - gluten and dairy free.

Recently, I dusted down the preserving kit I had bought a couple of years ago and used it to bottle two kilos of dark red plums most generously donated by my neighbour. It was to be the first time I had ever used the apparatus and to tell the truth I was a little afraid of it.  I had never bottled anything for long storage and bought it in a moment of inspiration. In my mind’s eye I daydreamed about shelves containing bottle upon bottle of produce plentiful now, but which would soon be scarce; and I would still have them. As with many ideas like this it faded when I found I had no extra produce to bottle. I put it into storage… and there it stayed.

But, there the plums were, sitting on the kitchen bench, getting plumper and riper, becoming ready to burst with every day.  Eating them wasn’t an option: there were just too many - and if frozen, they would stay there until I decided to tidy the freezer and then they would be thrown away. So, with another flash of inspiration, I thought of bottling. 

I ended up with four lovely bottles of organic plums in red wine ready to be used when Winter comes.  I shall use them then in a tart plum sponge.  The problem is that I am not sure I will be able to wait until then!  Eaten cold with vanilla yoghurt they are superb.  Whilst waiting for either day to come, however, I now have four bottles sitting on that daydream shelf.  Nice going- even if I do say so myself. 

If you are interested in a recipe for plum sponge here is a really nice one.  It does contain sugar but a treat is a treat and as such should only be eaten very infrequently.  So, here it is:

You will need:

Preserved plums or stewed plums sweetened to taste.  How many is up to you.

1/4 cup SR gluten-free flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour with 1/8 tsp baking power.  If you do not wish to make this gluten free then 1/2 cup normal SR flour is excellent instead of the gluten free flour and buckwheat
One pinch of salt

2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 cup coconut sugar



This is what you need to do:

Put the plums into a greased dish to bake in.

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.

In another bowl beat the eggs until the mix is thick and creamy
Add the sugar and vanilla essence.
Stir this into the flour.

Pour the mix over the plums and bake for approximately 30minutes on 180 C.

We serve ours with yoghurt and it's delicious. Mmm... if it wasn't so hot now I would be making this today!

Until next time, here’s to your very good health.

Linda.

The Tatong Naturopath

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