I just heard the cutest and real story, the story of the pack rat. A yard cleaning crew was clearing out several damaged and broken down trees from a neighborhood. One day a woman came out of her house to talk to the head of the crew. She cautiously said to the man:” When I do the dishes I always take off my rings and I put them on the window sill. When I am done in the kitchen I put them back on. Ever since you’ve started to work in our area, more of my shiny little trinkets I leave on the window sill, including my rings, have been disappearing. Do you have any explanations?” The man asked her:” Was there anything left on your window sill after you’ve noticed the rings were gone?” She said:” Yes, acorns”. Instantly, the tree cutter knew what was going on. He said he will keep his eyes open and went about his business. As he was cutting down another dead tree it fell to the ground and broke in half were a woodpecker had hallowed it out and once made its home. And here was the evidence! Out came all the woman’s jewelry, napkin rings and things that she did not even know were missing. A little pack rat had made its nest in the woodpecker’s old home. This little pack rat has been exchanging his most valuable possessions, his nuts, trading them for her shiny trinkets. In my opinion this is an absolutely beautiful story about the exchange of energy. Even though an acorn may not have much value from our perspective; but to the pack rat an acorn is a precious source of sustainability. Nature is reminding us to show our gratitude to anyone, people, animals, the birds for their beautiful songs, plants for their healing, the water, earth, sky, etc. Next time someone opens the door for you, offers to let you go ahead of them in the check0out line, a kind word from a neighbor, a valuable advice from a friend, remember the pack rat.

Here is some good news for anyone suffering with coccydinia, pain experienced in the region of the coccyx, or tailbone. A friend of The Herb Stop said that she experienced immediate relief by applying castor oil packs on the affected area for about 30 minutes. Castor oil packs are amazing! Whenever I don't know what to do for a health problem, I always look to castor oil packs first. Castor oil, applied topically, can greatly reduce pain, swelling due to sprains, bruises and fractures. The emollient properties of castor oil make it excellent for soothing chapped lips and dry skin. Warmed castor oil dropped in the ear can lessen pain of ear infections. Castor oil packs are thought to help with conditions such as: arthritis, colitis and other disturbances of the colon and intestines, kidney, liver and gall bladder problems, disturbances of the lymphatic system, helps soothe the nervous system, and much, much more. . . . . Castor oil has shown to be effective in preventing the growth of numerous species of viruses, bacterias, yeast, and mold. This explains the high degree of success in the topical use of the oil for treating skin inflammation, warts and ringworm. Castor oil applications increase the flow of lymph throughout the body, which speeds up detoxification at the cellular level and reduces swollen lymph nodes. The end result is an improvement in organ function and a lessening of fatigue and depression. Here is how a castor oil pack is used: 1. Fold a white or off white piece of cloth (unbleached cotton or wool) 3 times, large enough to cover the desired body area 2. Saturate with castor oil. 3. Apply to body and cover with plastic sheet to keep oil from staining clothes and linen. 4. Place heating pad over plastic and cover with towel. Continue for at least 1 ½ hour. 5. Remove cloth and store in refrigerator (or under your bed). Can be reused many times 6. Wash body area to remove oil. (Apply baking soda first before washing oil off). Castor oil packs can be used 1-3 times a day for acute ailments and 1-3 times a week for chronic ailments. This castor oil pack can be used many times, but please do not share with anyone else. It is yours!

Did you know that stress increases toxins in the body? Almond tea is a great body alkalizer, good to use during stressful times. Grind three almonds and place into cold water. Bring to a boil, and then cool down. This method extracts the oils and other nutrients into the water, which will infuse into the body more efficiently and faster. Drink one cup in the morning to prevent stress build up during the day. If you have a lot of stress during the day, take another cup of almond tea in the evening.

Feeling low in energy and cold in the morning? Mix 1/4 teaspoon clove powder in 1 cup of warm water or tea and drink at once. Now feel your body wake up and warm up. Clove is energizing, dispels chills, strengthens the lower back increases circulation and clears the lungs to allow for deeper breathing. Clove also soothes sugar cravings due to low adrenals. Have a great day!

Are you feeling weighed down by all the worldly problems? Do you say, there is absolutely nothing I can do? Many people feel this way at this time, because or the huge worldly difficulties, the economic crises, health care crisis, politics, pollution, violence, etc. are so overwhelming. But, there is another side to this picture.

Last night Natalie and I went to the 2010 Farmers Market Kick-off-Meeting. It was a great brain-storming meeting. John and Lorian mentioned the numerous available opportunities of contribution, looking at what moves you and where you want to express your talents and passion. He mentioned the areas of growth, such as art, growing plants, flowers, food, even compost. People at Farmers Markets are actually buying your homemade compost!!! There is such an incredible demand for organic, locally grown food, which sells out very quickly. Traffic and revenues are expanding at an incredible pace at most Farmers Markets throughout the country.

Here is a fabulous opportunity for you to become involved in your community, sharing your talents, homemade and homegrown goods, and at the same time receive a well-deserved revenue, while having fun! This is our new and growing world!

If you need a little help with your assertiveness and confidence, the natural world can be very helpful. Please click here

It's been now a little more than four months since my husband and I returned from seeing the doctor of oriental medicine in Albuquerque. My husband has been drinking his prescribed not-to-bad-tasting tea three times a day. I am happy to report that he has had only two minor absentee seizures during this times. Also, I have been able to assist him during these seizures by helping him calm down and focus on "coming back". Even though he is still taking his medication, he has more energy and he is happier than ever before. I actually catch him laugh wholeheartedly at a funny joke, something I have never seen him express before. Although he has ran out of herbs and not been able to drink the tea, it seems as though he has stabilized at this level of healing. When the weather gets better we are going back to Albuquerque for the "next healing" or the "peeling off" of the next layer. Healing occurs in layers and not always all at once.

Come in to our Pine, AZ location for our daily savings! Each day is a surprise.....

Join us in our Pine, AZ location for a FREE class on understanding and using vibrational essence from 3-4 p.m. See you there.....

FREE class 11-7-09 at the Pine, AZ Herb Stop on Earconing. Come for a live demonstration!! History and uses will also be discussed. See you there.....

The role of an herbalist includes searching out and trying new modalities within our field. My latest adventure was inspired by my daughter, Natalie, who is being successful treated by a Doctor of Oriental Medicine (DOM) in Albuquerque for chronic gastritis and duodenal ulcers. After watching her miraculous recovery process, I thought why not take my husband, who is an epileptic, to see him?

Our first visit was three months ago, and the changes were immediate. He is helping him to cope with the side-effect of his medication. For anyone who is epileptic, you can relate to these harsh side-effects of fatigue, confusion, etc.

His first visit included a lengthy consultation and review, acupuncture with moxa, followed by a daily regiment of teas and some dietary advice. Surprisingly, the acupuncture was slightly painful at the beginning but by the end of his treatment he was relaxed, happy, balanced....like a new man.

We arrived at home a couple days later and prepared the tea his Doctor formulated for him. He was instructed to drink 1 cup 3 times daily. This kept the energy movement of the acupuncture working and his moods stabilized. What an amazing difference!!

Yesterday we returned from another visit to the great Doctor. My husband received SIX treatments in two days. It was intense, considering this was basically a re-wiring for his brain and nervous system. The Doctor confirmed that he had lost weight, some of his hearing in his long-time deaf ear was returning and according to his tongue, many changes had occurred during the last few months. He was again prescribed/formulated an herbal tea to take three times daily and his focus, concentration, quick-ness are all balanced again.

What an amazing journey this is becoming! Considering the medical field's only answer has been heavy medication and a sentence of an epileptic life.

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Listen to us live on the radio tomorrow at 9 a.m. (Arizona Time). Visit KMOG 1420AM to hear the live stream.

If you missed our poultice making class, we will be posting the video later this week....stay tuned.....

Visit our booth at the Farmer's Market in Payson this Saturday! If you would like to pick up your order at the market, give us a call and we will bring it down to Payson for you! 928.476.4144

Visit our booth at the Farmer's Market in Payson this Saturday! If you would like to pick up your order at the market, give us a call and we will bring it down to Payson for you! 928.476.4144

Visit our booth at the Farmer's Market in Payson today!

Listen to us live on the radio today at 9 a.m. (Arizona Time). Visit KMOG 1420AM to hear the live stream.

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Watch our videos on Herb Stop's YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/herbstop?feature=fupldc#play/all

In the last few weeks I have had many inquiries about what to do for dry skin.

When I moved from cold and moist Canada to hot and dry Arizona my skin turned from youthful and hydrated to aged and dry. I felt I aged 10 years in six months, so I needed to act quickly, before the damage was permanent. I whipped up aloe vera, castor oil, vitamin A plus essential oils (Herb Stop makes this particular blend called Dry Skin Formula)and my skin recovered pretty quickly. Actually, some of my friends say that it plumps up their skin and the wrinkles are considerably diminished.

In addition, I drink much more water than I did when I lived in Canada. Hydrating from the inside out is essential to treat dry skin.
~Leilah

My name is Leilah Breitler and in 1992 I founded The Herb Stop. It has been an exciting journey for me working with herbs and meeting great people throughout the years. In this blog I would like to share some of my thoughts and ideas. Please join me with your ideas, comments and questions. Visit our Contact Page. ~Leilah

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