Validation Is Sweet! How PHYTO5 Is Positioned Once Again at the Leading Edge of a Major Wellness Trend

The 2018 Global Wellness Trends Report prepared by the Global Wellness Summit (GWS) report makes for interesting reading. One of the eight mega-trends for the global wellness industry is Wellness Meets Happiness. 

It attracted my attention since it casts an authoritative light on happiness as a requirement for enduring wellness. It also validates PHYTO5’s pioneering work in using its powerful vital energy balancing skincare line to work beyond the level of the skin and to reach through to emotions by way of vital energy balancing.

This important effort culminated in mid-2017 when we launched the “Beauty of Emotions” protocols¹ for facials, body treatment and energetic massage. The Beauty of Emotions treatments are made effective with our new generation energetic PHYTO5 products whose vibrational levels have been elevated to the quantum level. At the quantum level the products and Beauty of Emotions treatments act not only on the skin and vital energy but on emotions as well.

It’s only in the last 20 years that the idea of a science of happiness gained momentum. The conclusions reached so far have important impact on our physical, emotional, and spiritual state.

It is now crystal clear that happiness and wellness are intertwined.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda of India have always had that understanding. In our series of blog posts on the topic of wei chi (and our white paper entitled, Wei Chi and the Beauty of Emotions), we pointed to the ancient wisdom that the vital energy of our immune system can be destroyed by negative emotions and that conversely, nurturing human relationships are a critical strengthening factor of wei chi.

The relationship between vital energy balance, health of the organs, and emotional balance, is a core concept of ancient energy medicines. Negative emotions affect the organs in a detrimental way in the same way a blockage of vital energy does. Vital energy balance positively helps maintain both physical and emotional balance which is a pre-requisite to wellness.

The best manifestation of emotional balance is rewarding human relationships be they familial or social. Sustained social isolation is very negative to our health and happiness. 

Unfortunately, the tech explosion, particularly the so-called smartphones and tablets that have become addictive for many people including our younger population, has driven a wedge between people in many ways. By trying to connect people in a “virtual" way, social apps have dismembered the nourishing value of live face-to-face connections. The Global Wellness Trends report cites a recent study that indicates we touch, swipe, or tap our smartphone an average of 2,617 times a day! This dramatizes the (negative) importance these devices have on our lives.

The obvious remedy is to disengage from the constant use of high tech devices and reconnect with nature and people, but there must be a quality to that reconnection. This reconnection with nature and people requires real engagement. It’s not about simply looking at nature. It’s about letting nature speak to us. It’s not about simply being with other people. It’s about learning and developing empathy.

Authenticity and honesty must underscore our experience which is a pathway toward a better awareness of our own true and higher selves. 

Ultimately, implied in the entire effort to achieve happiness and wellness is the ultimate achievement of some degree of a spiritual awareness of our higher self. Through this more intimate understanding of ourselves we deepen the quality of our human relationships. 

All this is not possible, however, when we largely reside in a negative emotional state so it is very important we do what we can to balance our emotions, using all the help we can get.

Sometimes this help comes from unexpected sources such as including the quantum effect of PHYTO5 energetic skincare products.

In it we see validation at two levels:

1. Modern science validating TCM’s premise of a systematic connection between emotions and physiology;
2. Validation for PHYTO5 with its new signature “Beauty of Emotions” treatments (facial, body treatment, and energetic massage). The products are formulated and the treatments designed to enhance our innate and often latent positive emotions. This is achieved by a breakthrough product formulation that delivers high vibrational potency and reaches to the core quantum level where all healing actually occurs. 

Find out how Wellness Meets Happiness in PHYTO5’s quantum energetic five element lines: 

Wood: for oiliness, blackheads, hyper-pigmentation and issues of vital energy circulation (indicating a Wood element imbalance); Wood products will also assist your emotional balance when you're feeling uncertainty, self-doubt and anger; restore your confident true nature!

Fire: for irritated, sensitive, blotchy, allergic skin, couperose, and issues of red blood (arterial) circulation (indicating a Fire element imbalance); Fire products will also assist emotional balance when feeling unhappy, depressed and in despair; rediscover your inherent joy!

Earth: for blemishes, toxicity, acne, psoriasis, enlarged pores and lymph circulation problems (indicating an Earth element imbalance); will also assist emotional balance when feeling stuck, stagnant and worrisome; return to your innate sense of knowing and creativity!

Metal: for dry, dull, lifeless and flaky skin, and issues of blue blood (venous) circulation (indicating a Metal element imbalance); will also assist your emotional balance when you're feeling sadness and discontentment; revive true nature of contentment, ease and well-being!

Water: for dehydration, lack of skin tone, wrinkles and issues of water circulation (water retention) (indicating a Water element imbalance); will also assist your emotional balance when you're feeling fearful and agitated; truly relax and achieve a sense of zenitude and supreme serenity.

¹  This link for Beauty of Emotions signature treatments by PHYTO5 takes you to our site dedicated to skincare professionals. If you are looking for a PHYTO5 professional in your area, please go here so that we can help you find the closest professional to you who offers Beauty of Emotions treatments.

A Theory of Happiness: We Probably Can't Be Totally Healthy and Well Without It

The subject of happiness is a serious one. Many books have been written about it in the last decade and in the wake of the positive psychology¹ trend, it has become subject matter for a number of universities. Many schools of thought and holistically oriented disciplines emphatically believe we cannot be truly and wholly healthy without having an overriding general sense of happiness.

Of course, the Founding Fathers elevated the subject by enshrining “the pursuit of happiness” in the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a natural objective and fundamental human right, the idea of which is generally ignored throughout history by the ruling class.

It is said that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. The same might apply to happiness. 

There are no universal criteria for beauty and likewise happiness is a very individual experience. What makes me happy might not be what makes you happy.

The normal healthy individual would rather be happy than not, yet happiness eludes most people. At best, for most, the state of happiness is spasmodic and rarely sustained as a temporary state of joy or the experience of occasional pleasurable events. Still others seem to be so invested in their unhappiness that one could say they find their relative happiness in their unhappiness.

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Read PHYTO5 President Jon Canas' white paper on the subject of happiness and joy and how they relate to health and vitality. Get your FREE download here.

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In general, babies are more often happy than not. Except for some limited periods during their waking time, and unless they are hungry or feel some physical discomfort, their normal state is happiness expressed by smiles and laughter. This is also true of young children.  

As a child increases its interactions with adults, by age five or six, he or she begins to become increasingly less happy. For a majority of children, the resulting unhappiness grows as the child becomes a teenager and young adult. Unfortunately, this is often a time when many teens and young adults experience depression, even suicidal tendencies. 

If health requires an absence of disease, happiness requires an absence of unhappiness. Unlike a car that has a neutral position between Drive (forward) and Reverse, the human being only has an On or Off position when it comes to happiness. It is like a room without windows. The light is either on or off. This can be a useful realization.

What if happiness is always present within our being but not necessarily expressed? Even when it is not expressed, could we conceive that happiness is nevertheless latent, that it always exists in its potentiality?

It is just like a lamp in a dark room that waits to be turned on. If happiness is not expressed, it is not because it disappeared. It’s because we have unconsciously given in to some idea of unhappiness.

Conversely, if we can eliminate our unhappiness, wouldn’t it follow that we should naturally and normally express happiness? 

Why wouldn’t our emotions behave in the same manner as the functions of our physical body since when the cause of a disease is defeated or removed a state of health returns? 

The physical body benefits from self-regulating processes (homeostatic mechanisms) that will return the body to a state of equilibrium after it has been under any destabilizing inner or outer attack. It returns to homeostasis, a state of balance with normal physiological functions.

Experienced happiness is expressed happiness. 

You would have to make an effort to hide your happiness when you experience it. It is like a spring that has been pushed down momentarily and is ready to spring up the moment whatever holds it down is removed. That becomes a clue for achieving greater and more frequent states of happiness, but it has a requirement: the awareness of our state of unhappiness and what is causing it. 

Just as our physical attributes can be developed with sports activities or certain manual work, and just as our mental capacity can be increased by intellectual activities, we can learn what makes us happy and how to get there more of the time.

It merely calls for us to develop a greater emotional intelligence when it comes to our own emotions. It demands attention to our state of awareness.

This might not be an easy task for some people because very often many things are not what they appear to be. Who we thought might become a friend might reveal himself or herself to be an adversary. A pleasurable activity might turn out to have significant negative consequences. We must develop a certain degree of discrimination on what we accept as friendly or unfriendly to our innate sense of happiness. This is conscious awareness of who and what we are and consequently, what we will experience as positive or not.

Happiness is what reinforces our innate sense of our true self. It is when life brings to our experience people, things, places, and conditions that resonate with us on a deeper level—the level where there is peace, inner joy, and happiness. Happiness is also felt when the mind is at rest and free of worrying thoughts. 

Human beings generally tend to learn in three steps: 

• First, an idea comes to our awareness.
• Then we pass a value judgment about it: Is it true, practical, beneficial, and in keeping with our values?
• But when embraced, it is only with the third step that it becomes a factor in our experience: When we make it a part of our lives and living. Then it becomes no longer an idea but a personal ongoing experience.

Happiness is a deeper and more significant emotional state than what is referred to as joy. Joy is generally shorter lived, relying on outer factors such as receiving a gift, having an encounter with a friend, event, or place. 

Happiness is more akin to contentment. It is a deeper emotional state that makes a greater beneficial contribution to our physical and mental states of being. Peace of mind accompanies happiness which is not the case with a burst of joy. 

Unhappiness is often defined as a disconnection from or a lack of the things that make people happy in general and each one of us in particular. Consequently, moving toward happiness requires an awareness of what as an individual we need to reconnect with. Happy family life and rich friendships tend to promote happiness. The same applies to the presence and experience of beautiful natural scenes.

Conversely, having to experience ugly, polluted, miserable places, and finding ourselves with a lack of friendly human contact are barriers to the experience of happiness. The exception would require an exalted state of spiritual connectedness. 

Are there simple ways to promote happiness? 

In a recent article from Dr. Mercola’s newsletter of January 11, 2018, we read an attention-getting headline:

“Could Enhanced Wellness and Vitality Be Just a Whiff Away?”

The article states:

Aromatherapy—or the use of essential oils—has been embraced since early times to promote wellness and vitality. With exciting new research exposing its many potential benefits for emotional and spiritual well-being, its time has arrived.

This brings support to PHYTO5’s new “Beauty of Emotions” treatment. This leading edge treatment is intended to restore a state of happiness using the essential oil-rich quantum energetic PHYTO5 skincare products which are formulated according to the Five Element Theory of traditional Chinese medicine and in which both vital energy and emotions become balanced.

The treatment protocol assists the client to become aware of her or his dominating emotion and it helps remove any imbalance. 

Freed of negativity, latent happiness is restored.

A series of treatments with home use of the energetic serum (called Phyt’Éther) corresponding to each of the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) helps maintain the state of happiness.

Balanced emotions are key to inner health and vitality which reflects outward in the skin. The secret to a high quality of life, living, happiness and beauty is the balance of emotions. When we work with the body's physical matter, unseen vital energy and emotions, we create a very real and viable holistic strategy for successful beauty, vitality and longevity outcomes all of which are dependent on our ongoing state of emotional being which we hope is one of happiness most of the time.

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 ¹Positive psychology is "the scientific study of what makes life most worth living",[1] or "the scientific study of positive human functioning and flourishing on multiple levels that include the biological, personal, relational, institutional, cultural, and global dimensions of life".[2] Positive psychology is concerned with eudaimonia, "the good life," reflection about what holds the greatest value in life—the factors that contribute the most to a well-lived and fulfilling life.

Positive psychology began as a new domain of psychology in 1998 when Martin Seligman chose it as the theme for his term as president of the American Psychological Association. —Wikipedia reference for "positive psychology"

Image by ractapopulous on pixabay.com

Rosemary Essential Oil: A Principle Detoxifying Ingredient for Healthy, Luminous Skin

Rosemary essential oil is an excellent ingredient in skin and hair care products because of its antiseptic properties but rosemary provides other even more significant benefits from which everyone can benefit including detoxification, anti-cancer behavior and better nutrient absorption. The implications for healthier, more radiant, clarified skin as a result of incorporating rosemary essential oil into skincare are enormous.

Rosemary has an antioxidant ORAC value* of 11,070 which is roughly equivalent to the free radical scavenging power of Himalayan goji berries. Antioxidants not only promote better overall health, they help to keep the body younger longer. 

A bio-synthesized chemical compound found in rosemary known as carnosol is the primary factor contributing to rosemary’s incredible antioxidant action. Carnosol has additionally been found to be anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory. 

The journal Cancer Letters, an international journal that considers full-length articles and Mini Reviews in the broad area of basic and translational oncology, writes,

“Carnosol has been evaluated for anti-cancer property in prostate, breast, skin, leukemia, and colon cancer with promising results.”

Carnosol is scientifically observed to selectively target cancer cells without damaging other neighboring cells. This is very unlike chemotherapy which kills most cells in its path regardless of whether they are cancerous or not.

In addition to reducing the risk of cancer, carnosol also targets cells contributing to inflammation. It has the ability to help balance androgen and estrogen levels in the body, heals nerve tissue, and improves prostate health and even the growth of hair.

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Check out this page at our sister site at agelesslacure.com where you will find a comprehensive glossary of benefits of unique ingredients used in all PHYTO5 skin and hair care.

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As we’ve discussed in an earlier blog post:

“During Chinese medicine’s energetic Spring (February 5 to April 17), we focus on the Wood element and the liver and gall bladder organs and meridians.”

Rosemary essential oil actually promotes detoxification of the liver while improving gall bladder function therefore it is one of the most perfect and necessary essential oils in PHYTO5’s Wood element/Spring season skin and hair care products.

Research shows that supplementing with rosemary significantly enhances gall bladder’s function to promote proper flow of bile in the body which is so essential for the metabolism of fat as well as for detoxification. Rosemary also helps to reduce plasma liver enzymes, elevated levels of which have been linked to Diabetes mellitus type 2.

With bile flow better regulated, rosemary also encourages the healthy proliferation of microflora in the gut. Good peristaltic activity results, and in turn, so does better nutrient absorption and the reduction of toxic overload.

“The gut is the control center of the body, the place where health and death begins. Whatever happens in the gut will show up in the skin and dictate the health of your entire body… poor health within the gut starves the skin of the nutrients it needs to thrive; it causes an increase of inflammatory molecules in the body that directly and indirectly attack the skin, which causes faster aging and aggravates inflammatory skin conditions such as acne and rosacea. An imbalanced or unhealthy gut can also affect many of the hormones in the body which again has an effect on the skin.” —Nigma Talib, Younger Skin Starts in the Gut: 4-Week Program to Identify and Eliminate Your Skin-Aging Triggers - Gluten, Wine, Dairy, and Sugar

PHYTO5’s premium grade essential oil rich Wood element products reduce oiliness, detoxify and clear and lighten the skin. Rosemary essential oil is one of several essential oils proprietarily blended in optimum proportions to achieve the intended detoxifiying result.

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* ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. It's a lab test that attempts to quantify the "total antioxidant capacity" (TAC) of a food by placing a sample of the food in a test tube, along with certain molecules that generate free radical activity and certain other molecules that are vulnerable to oxidation. – Scientific American

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Sources:

Reinagel, Monica. “What Are ORAC Values?” Scientific American, 4 Aug. 2013, www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-are-orac-values/.

Talib, Nigma. Younger Skin Starts in the Gut: 4-Week Program to Identify and Eliminate Your Skin-Aging Triggers--Gluten, Wine, Dairy, and Sugar. Ulysses Press, 2016.

The Energy of Spring: How It Can Assist Us with Exercise Plans and Weight Loss

During Chinese medicine’s energetic Spring (February 5 to April 17), we focus on the Wood element and the liver and gall bladder organs and meridians. We may not realize it but if we work with the rebirthing energy of Spring it can actually assist us to make solid exercise goals, plans and follow through and to lose the excess weight we gained during Winter's hibernation period.

At this time we begin to spend a little more time outdoors. If we haven’t enjoyed the Winter cold, sleet and snow, our excitement grows as we think about lightening up on our clothing and even our diets. We practically feel compelled to go outside again, to clear the yard, start the garden, even give the house a good cleaning. The messllage we are feeling is: “Get moving!”  We’re intuitively responding to the energies of the season!

When we are in balance with Wood, we tend to be resilient. We are able to make decisions and adapt well to situations and challenges. When we are out of balance with Wood, we will tend to emotional responses of frustration, anger, and depression. For women, since Wood, particularly the liver, governs the menstrual flow and ovulation, out of Wood balance women will tend to irregularity of the menstrual cycle.

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Get Your FREE Download of an Easy Blender Kale Soup Recipe + These 33 Delicious Ways to Creatively Get More Healing, Cleansing Green Into Your Diet

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Both men and women who are out of balance with Wood, may notices more frequent occurrence of headaches and migraines, anxiety attacks, and gastrointestinal and cardiovascular issues. If that imbalance is left untended for a longer period of time, chronic fatigue and back and joint problems may result.

One way to help bring us back into balance with Wood is to turn to the fundamentals of diet and exercise. Food also is an integral part of maintaining the free flow of Wood chi and we’ll elaborate more on best eating practices for Spring in a soon upcoming blog post. (Please also refer to our February 12, 2018 blog post entitled, “It’s Energetic Spring! Here Are 33 Delicious Ways to Creatively Get More Green Into Your Diet.)

Take advantage of the energy of Spring and adopt a well established workout plan. If you’re looking for some ideas, try simple daily stretching, qigong, tai chi, yoga, cycling, walking, light cardio or calisthenics. Find the form of exercise you resonate with. And always remember to include exercise for the mind and spirit: meditation. It will amazingly bring more productivity to your days and believe it or not, time you never seemed to have before.

To emphasize, Wood element energy is a vital component of our ability to make plans and decisions. Use Wood’s energy to stick to a set exercise plan. Having a hit-and-miss schedule of sketchy workouts won’t bring us the results we want, not to mention we’ll become frustrated and give up.

Follow these simple tips to beautifully harmonize with the Spring season:

• Rest and go inward as much as possible. Your time to get up and go in Summer is just around the corner.
• If you'd like to lose weight, take advantage of Spring's natural easing of appetite and work with your body's desire to move energy with increased activity.
• Do a simple daily cleanse during the Spring for liver and gall bladder.
• Include bitter foods in your diet. (These are fruits, vegetables, and herbs having a sharp, pungent taste or smell but not sweet.)
• Nourish your liver daily or as often as possible with hot/warm water and lemon.
• Take daily walks in the morning sunlight.
• Apply Wood Phyt'ether to the liver and gall bladder zones on the face: between the eyebrows for liver and on the temple areas for gall bladder; also apply Yogi Body Gel  to the outside of the legs to stimulate circulation on the gall bladder meridian.
• Apply the Wood element Day Cream to reduce skin’s oiliness and to purify, clear and lighten the skin. Extract of wheat (gluten-free), and essential oils of lemon and rosemary activate the natural defenses of the skin to combat the effects of poor diet and/or lack of cellular oxygenation. Wood Day Cream contains unique ingredients that are antiseptic, toning and stimulating and it’s also excellent for protection from high and low pressures and windy and changeable weather associated with Spring.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published April 4, 2016 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

It's Energetic Spring! Here Are 33 Delicious Ways to Creatively Get More Healing, Cleansing Green Into Your Diet

Not only is green the color for the Spring energetic season and Wood element and the color of so many plants that sprout in Spring, it’s also the color of the foods that best align with the season and our vitality of self. Mind, body and even spirit are uplifted and nurtured whenever we take green foods filled with the rays of the sun into our beings.

Spring is a time associated with the bursting forth of life. The season is synonymous with the giving of life and also cleansing. We'll be super wise if we support ourselves with as many green foods during this season as we can.

During Spring, we focus on bringing the energies of the liver and gall bladder and corresponding meridians into balance and certain green foods are optimum for bringing liver energy into balance.

These liver supporting foods are:

• leafy green juices; add some cucumber and a bit of green apple for a delightful fresh taste;
• wheatgrass juice; try to drink an ounce or so of fresh-pressed when you can;
• chlorophyll-rich foods like barley grass, chlorella, spirulina, blue green algae, ceremonial grade matcha green tea, parsley, kale and spinach; add them to your smoothies for an easy way to get your cleansing green;
• hot mint tea for soothing the liver's chi energy;
• sprouts, especially alfalfa and sunflower both of which are very easy to grow yourself;
• green "bitters" like rye, romaine, asparagus, endive and dandelion greens; a bonus benefit is they help to alleviate springtime allergies.

Not everyone enjoys green leaves and vegetables so we’re offering you quite a number of novel and exciting ways below to make sure you amp up your diet with green and enjoy the deliciousness of it too!

While most of these ideas provide ways to creatively add greens and green foods to your entrées and side dishes, don’t ever be afraid to make green the main event. Green vegetables will provide protein contrary to popular belief. Per calorie, broccoli contains more protein than beef with about 4.5 grams per 30 calories. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database, one cup of raw broccoli  yields nearly three grams of protein while a cup of green peas will give you nearly eight grams of protein.

All plants contain protein and at least 14% of the total calories of every plant are protein. Broccoli contains more protein per calorie than steak and, per calorie, spinach is about equal to chicken and fish. Of course, you’ll need to eat a lot more broccoli and spinach to get the same amount of calories that you do from the meat. Multiple studies have shown that if you are meeting your caloric needs through plant-based nutrition, you will satisfy your body’s protein requirements. – Scott Stoll, MD, Yes, Plants Have Protein

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1. Scramble your eggs with cooking greens or add them to your frittata. 
2. Add fresh fruit like strawberries to make your highly nutritious spinach salad more interesting.
3. Make a batch of green pesto to have on hand for adding to dishes like pasta or for garnishing dishes like scrambled eggs, soup or roasted veggies.
4. Learn to sprout! It’s so easy to do right in your kitchen with some mason jars, cheesecloth and sprouting seeds. In just a couple days you’ve got green sprouts absolutely brimming with nutrition that you can add to salads, add as soup garnishes or throw in your smoothies.
5. Learn to identify wild edible greens and pick them. Some might be in your backyard or favorite local forest preserve.
6. Everybody loves nuts and seeds so improve your salads’ texture and nutrition by adding them to your salads. 
7. Add a handful of spinach or other green to your favorite smoothie to make it green. Spinach is quite benign flavor-wise. It won’t alter the flavor intent of your smoothie.
8. Don’t miss a chance to garnish your soups with parsley or cilantro.
9. Never miss adding a beautiful green leaf to your sandwiches. Have fun and experiment. Go beyond iceberg or romaine lettuce.
10. Garnish your sandwich plate or even top your salad with dehydrated kale chips. Depending on the sauce massaged into the kale before dehydrating, kids will love eating them instead of potato chips.
11. Add a handful of fresh basil, leaves and stems, to your blenderized soups for a subtle flavor enhancement and nutrition boost.
12. Add green legumes like peas, pea pods and green beans to your side dishes for color, texture, protein and vitality.
13. Learn to make a serious tabbouli. With the main ingredient being parsley, this minted salad is incredibly fresh tasting and you’ll feel so much better about yourself after eating it! You can substitute quinoa for the bulgur wheat, if you prefer, and it will taste just as great.
14. Fold finely chopped parsley or spinach into your mashed potatoes or alfredo sauce.
15. Mush some not overcooked broccoli into side dishes for texture, flavor and nutrition.
16. Make some avocado topped toast or spread your toast with a mélange of peas tossed with a small amount of olive oil, quartered grape tomatoes, and edamame. Avocado toast happens to be on-trend right now too!
17. Add shaved or grated courgette (zucchini) into your salad.
18. Have a nice spinach salad or other green leaf salad for breakfast. It’s a fantastic way to start the day.
19. Explore fresh green herbs (oregano, rosemary, basil, dill, cilantro, chervil, chives, tarragon) and learn how to add them to your dishes for an added dimension of healing and flavor.
20. Make fresh, raw green bean “fries” for an awesome snack. Toss washed whole green beans with a bit of olive oil, and then garlic granules, salt and pepper to taste, and munch!
21. Make your wrap sandwiches raw wraps using collard greens, bibb lettuce or swiss chard leaves; you can do the same when making tacos, too.
22. When puréeing your homemade hummus, throw in a half cup of spinach; it will lend a green hue to the hummus and give you added nutrition, but it won’t alter the flavor of the hummus.
23. Top your burger with lightly sautéed greens infused with your favorite herb for a more gourmet experience.
24. Make green dips; spinach-artichoke is always nice.
25. Make simple homemade green salad dressings in your blender; throw six to eight dandelion greens in the blender along with a cup of soaked raw cashews, a half cup of soaked raw sunflower seeds, a cup of water, a squirt of lemon juice, a half teaspoon of turmeric and Himalayan salt to taste and blend until smooth.
26. Double the amount of green vegetables and half the amount of animal protein in your dishes. You’ll enjoy the dish just as much and may well lose some weight.
27. Be a sneaky chef; purée some greens and add them to marinara sauce or grate or finely mince the greens and add them to your burger and meatloaf mix.
28. Join the Meatless Monday movement and make green foods the centerpiece of the day.
29. Wilt your greens like spinach, arugula, mustard and dandelion greens; you can add them to your favorite dish or eat them straight with a little salt and pepper and a dash of olive oil.
30. Gently sautée kale leaves stripped from their stalks along with garlic and bit of olive oil until they become just soft enough to eat. So delicious and hearty!
31. Save your kale stems after stripping the leaves for sautées or massaged kale salads and blend them (chopped) with some water, garlic, salt and soaked raw cashews for a wonderfully delicious, light and super healthy kale soup. Remember, the core of any plant packs the most power! Get your Easy Blender Kale Soup Recipe download here.
32. Slightly blacken bundles of bok choy, broccoli or asparagus spears for a unique taste and nutrition treat.
33. Get to know how to use ceremonial grade matcha green tea in your cooking and baking or simply drink it as tea. The Healthy Matcha Cookbook is an excellent source. You’ll get the incredible benefit of the most powerful catechin (a type of antioxidant) found in green tea–EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate)–which is believed to be a powerful anti-carcinogen. If you want to eat just one superfood a day and must choose among all of them, matcha green tea is the one you want because of its EGCG content. We’ll be devoting an entire blog entry to matcha green tea in an upcoming post.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published as two separate posts on March 27, 2016 and March 29, 2016 and has been combined and updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

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Stoll, Scott. “Yes, Plants Have Protein.” https: wholefoodsmarket.com, Whole Foods Market, 15 Jan. 2013, www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/whole-story/yes-plants-have-protein.

It May Feel Like Winter but Chinese Medicine Proclaims It’s the Beginning of Spring: Check Out These Best Practices for Living in Harmony with Energetic Spring

The weather may still feel like Winter because of the remnants of the Water energy of Winter according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Although the powerful energy of Water is no longer “pro-active,” its momentum continues for a period of time still producing the manifestations of Winter. As of February 5, however, the "pro-active" energetic season is the new energy of Wood and energetic Spring. As that energy is launched, it takes some time before we actually feel its manifestations. Nevertheless, nature begins to receive a new set of information resulting in progressive changes that we will begin to notice more or less rapidly depending on how strong the new Wood energy is. Just prior to February 5, we experienced an eighteen-day transition period of Earth between Water (Winter) and Wood (Spring).

In TCM, the element represented by Spring is Wood. 

To live in balance with the 5-Element Theory of TCM and for that matter, to live in balance with nature of which we are an inherent part, we’ll want to embrace the following attributes, characteristics and specific organ activity for the Wood element and Spring season.

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Here's a short list of best practices for Spring and the Wood element...

• The color for the Wood element is green. Freshen up your life by bringing green into it in all sorts of ways. Bring it into your diet and in your home decor.
• Liver and gall bladder are the organs associated with the Wood element. If you have liver or gall bladder issues and/or you have a Wood element imbalance, incorporate more of these tips into your daily life to help support these important internal organs.
• Indications of too much Wood chi which manifests as Wood imbalance include:
  • stiff muscles and joints
  • liver troubles
  • sallow or yellowish skin
  • panic attacks, hysteria
  • neck pain
  • stroke
  • anger, resentment, bitterness
  • lack of compassion
  • erratic behavior
  • low self-esteem
  • shouting, complaining, arguing
  • violence, abuse, incessant arguing.
• In addition to food, the following Wood element fragrances can be used and enjoyed to uplift and strengthen Wood chi and help create more balance in Wood:
  • lavender
  • orange, grapefruit
  • chamomile
• Certain green gemstones can also be used to assist the flow of Wood chi:
  • jade
  • emerald
  • green opal
• TCM-advised sound and breathing exercises for each element also help to bring balance where there was imbalance.  Since wind is the climactic element condition assigned to the Wood element, become more aware of your ‘wind’ by breathing more consciously.
  • Look into the qigong practice called “Marriage of Heaven and Earth” where liver and gall bladder organs receive healing and we become intimate with the primary energy principle known as pulsing. Pulsing teaches how all of creation including us pulses between yin and yang. The principle of pulsing is primarily linked to the Wood element where it is easiest to learn, embody and ground within us. 
  • For Wood, the healing sound is easy. It’s a long “Shhhh” – as in telling someone to be quiet. On the exhale of a deep breath, this sound will help to release anger and frustration. It can help to soften the person suffering with anger and at the same time assist to quell ailments in the liver and gall bladder. 
  • The five element healing sounds are actually breathing exercises that are best done every day at least five times a week, taking at least six deep breaths, the deeper the better. It is most beneficial to do the exercises outdoors where chi is fresh, preferably in the morning, with the sun shining on you from the East but they can most definitely be done indoors too.
  • You will want to inhale through your nose until your abdomen is full of fresh air and then exhale out through the mouth making the soft healing sound Shhhh. On the inhale, imagine positive chi entering your body and cleansing the negative chi and ailments in your body. On the exhale, imagine pushing out the negative chi and ailments.
• It is important to practice mindfulness and meditation at this Spring time of year to magnetize clarity of vision to ourselves, because the liver governs the health of the eyes and the clarity received applies both literally and figuratively. 
• The time is energetic Spring! Rise early with the sun and take brisk walks. Living in harmony with Spring will reawaken us after a long period of introspective, quiet and more slowly moving Winter.

Check out PHYTO5's Wood element skincare line to address imbalance in the skin such as oiliness, blackheads, hyperpigmentation, and issues of vital energy circulation.

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Sources:

Nguyen, Phil N. Feng Shui for the Curious and Serious. New Jersey: Xlibris Corporation, 2008. Print.

Thunderhawk, Denise, L. Ac. The 5-Element Guide to Healing with Whole Foods. N.p.: Lulu, 2016. Print.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published February 27, 2017 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

Last Days of The Current Earth Energetic Season According to Chinese Medicine: Our Awareness of Its Influences Can Help Us Live In Balance with It

The Earth element or between seasons period in Chinese medicine corresponds to what we might think of as the ending of each season and is related to the concept of transformation. Although the Earth element is often associated with late Summer or Indian Summer, it also occurs in late Winter, late Spring and late Fall. 

In other words, as the end of each of the traditional four seasons approaches, the “heavenly” (cosmic) seasonal energy goes back to the Earth for transformation into the energy of the next season.

According to Chinese medicine:

 “…its influence manifests for 18 days at the end of each of the four seasons and it does not pertain to any season of its own…” – The Classic of Categories (1624) by Zhang Jie Bin.

Earth is not unlike the center of the compass. It is a pivot point, so to speak, around which the four seasons and the other four elements spin, but occurring four times a year for 18 days each, these periods totaling 72 days and which bear similar characteristics are referred to as the Earth energetic season or fifth season of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

The current Earth energetic period ends on February 4.

An Earth imbalance creates any one of the following group of conditions affecting the skin:

• blemishes
• toxicity
• acne
• psoriasis
• enlarged pores and
• lymph circulation problems.

PHYTO5 has created a very specific skin and hair care line designed to help address these imbalances.

Unlike Wood (beginning February 5) and Fire elements (beginning May 6 and running to July 19) in TCM defined by a rising and peaking yang, and unlike Metal (August 7 to October 20) and Water elements (November 8 to January 17) with a rising and peaking yin, Earth represents a balance between yin and yang energies. As such, the Earth element represents warm, stable, grounded, loving, emotional characteristics. It is nurturing, comforting, calm, solid and stable.

Earth is all about family, community and gathering, eating now and gathering, collecting, holding and storing for later.

Earth energy type people are sentimental and maintain their attachments to other people, things, and places. Earth types tend to savor the sweetness of life and being human and they find enjoyment in all the comforts and pleasures of life, but as with each element, Earth types can become imbalanced and demonstrate physical and emotional challenges.

According to TCM, Earth is about ingestion and absorption, not just of food but of ideas and emotions. An Earth element imbalance in the body is the result of ingesting too much, or its opposite–stagnation, the slowing down of chi energy flow in the body, or an outright inability to consume or subsequently digest ideas, emotions, or food.

Earth types are thoughtful but can worry too much. They can feel sympathy, deeply allowing them to feel connected to others, but these same emotions taken too far can cause them to feel stuck, unable to act or think clearly, with an over-dependence on others for their opinions, counsel and advice.

Earth types are quite good at maintaining familial and social relationships. They love situations that require them to work with others. They enjoy teamwork and collaborative work environments.

Well-balanced Earth people usually have a healthy complexion, soft facial features, and a sturdy and balanced body frame, exhibiting an earthiness to their appearance.

The organs most closely associated with Earth are the spleen and the stomach and the digestive system as a whole.

The Discussion of Prescriptions from the Golden Chest (c. AD 220) by Zhang Zhong Jing says:

“During the last period of each season, the Spleen is strong enough to resist pathogenic factors.”

Earth also has influence over the pancreas, the large muscles of the body on the upper arms and lower legs, the abdomen, the middle back, the lymph system and the diaphragm. Of course, proper lymph circulation is important in keeping a strong immune system and a healthy complexion.

The Earth periods are the best time to address Earth conditions. They are also the times when Earth energy can make existing Earth imbalance in people worse, therefore balancing Earth energy during the Earth periods with Earth treatments and products is highly recommended, particularly for Earth type people.

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Sources:

• Maciocia, Giovanni. The Foundations of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text. Edinburgh: Elsevier, 2015. Print.
• Bridges, Lillian. Face Reading in Chinese Medicine. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier, 2012. Print.

How Rhythms Become a Vital Part of Us: Natural Cycles Are the Dominant Influential Forces of Our Lives

In a recent blog post we discussed the natural cycles driven by cosmic forces which impose a common set of energetic influences on all humans, animals and plants. This subject is foundational to all life and the premise of PHYTO5 skincare.

In a recent Guardian newspaper edition featuring a weekly column by Dr. Daniel Glaser, neurologist and director of Science Gallery at King’s College London, we find some important supporting assertions on this topic.

The title of Glaser’s article is How Rhythms Become a Vital Part of Us. Here are the key points:

• Whether it’s the physiological of a woman’s moon cycle or a plant’s seasonal cycle, the external world influences biology.
• Cells and systems in the brain and body have built-in mechanisms to enforce a 24-hour sleep–wake cycle, and light-sensitive cells in the eye and elsewhere keep this cycle synced to the earth’s rotation.
• Animals and plants regulate their activities on an annual cycle becoming frisky in spring and hibernating over the winter. Again, intrinsic mechanisms tend towards an annual cycle and sensors of various kinds nudge the cycle to keep track of the earth’s rotation around the sun.
• It is culture, particularly religious culture, that has lighted upon the seven-day cycle as an organizing structure for our lives. Once something is in the external world, however, it starts to invade our biology, particularly our neurobiology. 

Dr. Glaser makes two broad and relative points:

1. Along with plants and animals, we are subjected to the energetic influence of sun, moon and stars.
2. Our cultural habits, particularly when they repeat themselves on a regular basis, affect our biology.

Although we have no control over the rhythms affecting our lives, each of us can attempt to harmonize our lives with those rhythms like the good surfer who catches the wave rather than wiping out under the wave’s overwhelming power.

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Unfortunately, living as we do in an era that has so deeply forgotten its roots with its original, natural environment, it is striking to realize how unprepared we are to “catch the wave” and live harmoniously on and with Earth and all other living entities.

My daughter gave me two books for the holidays which I devoured and feel compelled to mention within this context:

• The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-than-Human World by David Abram
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Both written in the 80s and superbly written by very learned scientists with a poetic bent, they reveal the sentience of all nature and the essential relationship of reciprocity between humans and nature. These scientists love the Earth and lament our disconnection with it and its attendant dire consequences on our culture, our lives, our health, and (implied) on our future as a species.

Our choice for the “splendid isolation of technology” is detrimental both to the animate world (plants, animals and humans) and the inanimate world (our planet). Among the bodies of work of many others, theirs has contributed to the development of ecopsychology,* the understanding of which emerged in the 90s.

A search on the web for ecopsychology led me to the following excerpts at soulcraft.co:

Ecopsychology has a greater cultural project: to redefine the relationship of the natural environment to sanity in our time. Ecotherapists wish to heal the soul while engaging the whole. We wish to speak for the planet and its imperiled species. We wish to recall the long forgotten Anima Mundi and honor it in our relations and work… The planetary environment is the context for healing the soul because the two are inextricably bound by bonds that are sacred: life and consciousness. Implicit in this project is the need for a scientific paradigm that gives life and consciousness a new central status in the universe. Based upon such a paradigm, ecopsychology is more than a mere academic exercise; it is part of an ongoing and practical healing mission that recognizes and honors that the health of the individual human psyche depends upon the collective health of all the kingdoms of life on Earth.

From John Davis, Ph.D: The deep and enduring psychological questions—who we are, how we grow, why we suffer, how we heal—are inseparable from our relationships with the physical world. Similarly, the over-riding environmental questions—the sources of, consequences of, and solutions to environmental problems—are deeply rooted in the psyche, our images of self and nature, and our behaviors. Ecopsychology integrates ecology and psychology in responding to both sets of questions. Ecopsychology offers three insights:

1.  There is a deeply bonded and reciprocal relationship between humans and nature. 

2.  The illusion of a separation of humans and nature leads to suffering both for the environment (as ecological devastation) and for humans (as grief, despair, and alienation).

3.  Realizing the connection between humans and nature is healing for both.  

When we speak of our PHYTO5 Skincare method as holistic, based on the principle of traditional Chinese medicine, we speak of an approach whereby skin must be seen as:

• an integral and not isolated part of the body
• body as a part of being
• being as the sum of not only the physical, mental, psychological and emotional, but the spiritual as well
• individual being as a participating part of the natural environment, the planet, and the cosmos (even if only limited to our acknowledgement and thankfulness).

In our company, all these considerations are relevant–from product mission to formulation and manufacturing to application by our skincare professionals and consumers.

Why? Because our conscious awareness of who and what we are in relationship to others and to nature maintains us in natural cycles or rhythms from which we better function at all levels of our being and life experience.

The method respects the energetic seasons as much as the five phases of life (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) as well as the need to be balanced with our various realms of activity–the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual–with the goal of achieving wellness which essentially means we feel good both in our own skin and in our hearts.

Balance is promoted by PHYTO5 energetic products with their potential to balance vital energy. In addition, the Beauty of Emotions treatment enhances our awareness of our dominating emotion and promotes the positive emotion of happiness.

Surf image by Dimitras Vetsikas at pixabay.com

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*Ecopsychology studies the relationship between human beings and the natural world through the prism of ecological and psychological principles. The field seeks to develop and understand ways of expanding the emotional connection between individuals and the natural world, consequently assisting individuals to develop sustainable lifestyles and remedy their alienation from nature. Theodore Roszak is credited with coining the term ecopsychology in his 1992 book, The Voice of the Earth.

Sources:

Abram, David. The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-than-Human World. Vintage Books, 2017.

Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. Milkweed Editions, 2013.

Roszak, Theodore. Voice of the Earth: an Exploration of Ecopsychology: with a New Afterword. Phanes, 2001.

Tamanu, Aloe and Aquaxyl: A Match Made In Heaven for Ultra Skin-Soothing and Moisturizing in PHYTO5's Hydrating Body Milk

Because of a combination of natural premium grade essential oils and high techactive molecules extracted from natural plants, Hydrating Body Milk by PHYTO5 is remarkably efficient and produces excellent results. This spectacular hydrating skincare product is made of organic certified ingredients.

• Recommended for all skin types, especially dry and sensitive
• Hypo-allergenic fragrance made of natural plant extracts that opens on a note of white jasmine and blends into a core of peach, violet and mimosa, with a lasting pleasant aroma of sweet vanilla
• Anti-age and regenerating properties
• Principle unique ingredients: tamanu oil, aloe, Aquaxyl,® vitamin E

Tamanu oil: Tamanu is a traditional treasure from the beaches of Polynesia. Because it has very well known therapeutic properties, tamanu (Calophyllum Inophyllum) was considered as a sacred tree in Polynesia. Its wood was used for the creation of the “tiki,” the famous Tahitian totem. Tamanu, translated from Tahitian as “who eliminates negative energies” is considered “the tree of a thousand virtues.”

The tamanu tree grows mainly in Southeast Asia, India and the Pacific and Indian Ocean Islands. It bears green fruits that contain a nut from which is extracted the famous tamanu oil. 

This oil was used in traditions many thousands of years old by Polynesian athletes, warriors and fishermen to protect their skin, and by vahine (women of central Polynesia) to protect their children’s skin because of its remarkable healing and soothing properties. Tamanu was also used in compresses for the treatment of wounds. 

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Pharmaceutical properties of tamanu

Tamanu started to arouse the interest of the medical world in the 1930s when a nun observed that indigenous Tahitians used it to relieve leprous neuritis. An analgesic based on tamanu oil was later developed for use in intramuscular injections in Polynesian hospitals. Since then, Tamanu has been largely studied for use in the treatment of different types of wounds and scars as well as in the treatment of eczema, psoriasis and very sensitive skin. Pharmacological studies have shown that tamanu offers benefits like hydration, regeneration, anti-inflammation and healing.

Tamanu is also very rich in several anti-age and antioxidant molecules such as flavonoids and terpenoids which are very efficient free radical scavengers. This makes it an ideal ingredient to protect the skin from the effects of oxidative stress (pollution, smoke or ultraviolet rays). 

Moisturizing properties of aloe

It’s a daily challenge to ensure optimal water content for the skin when we are faced with aggressors like wind, climatic changes, pollution and air-conditioning in particular. Skin moisturization is the very first anti-aging routine to be applied to the skin on a daily basis and must be considered a priority.

Cactus and aloe are known for their ability to take up water from the depths of the earth and to store it. The high polysaccharide content of the leaves gives them the ability to store water from the earth enabling them to survive in extremely dry conditions.

Aloe is very rich in vitamins A, C and E in addition to antioxidants which protect the skin from oxidative stress. It also contains minerals such as calcium and potassium which regulate water and are vital to skin moisturization.

Aloe was used in ancient Egypt and China and in Ayurvedic medicine for its therapeutic properties. Its ability to store water makes it an excellent skin moisturizer. In addition, it creates a hydration film on the surface of the skin that protects the skin from external harmful aggressors.

Aloe soothes and heals as it lends very comforting anti-inflammatory properties. By acting on collagen, it is also an interesting anti-aging active ingredient. 

The high tech Aquaxyl® hydrating and restructuring molecules

Aquaxyl® is a combination of molecules extracted from wheat. This ingredient is founded on a hydrating concept promoting the skin’s own hydrous flow.  

1. It deeply hydrates to increase water reserves in the skin. It has been proved by corneometry analysis that Aquaxyl® improves epidermal water content and stimulate the synthesis of GlycosAminoGlycans (GAG) that are responsible for trapping water within the skin. This action delivers an immediate and long-term moisturizing effect. 
2. It also forms a protective film on the skin which prevents water from evaporating. In vivo clinical studies have shown that Aquaxyl® increases the synthesis of ceramides, the major constituent of the skin’s protective barrier. It has also been demonstrated that Aquaxyl® decreases trans-epidermal water loss. It makes the skin stronger and more resistant to harm from external influences.

The result of Aquaxyl® is that desquamation is normalized and the micro-relief of the skin is smoothed. This potent ingredient exhibits proven efficacy in hydrating and restructuring skin cells. The skin is better equipped to fight external aggressions when it is well and powerfully restructured and moisturized.

How to use Hydrating Body Milk

• Apply as a finishing product after a body treatment or at home once da day or apply twice a day in the case of very dry skin.
• Massage into the skin for a while as the natural white film absorbs giving the skin a soft and silky touch.

Written by Jean-Daniel Bartl, Director of Operations and Head Chemist, Laboratoire Gibro, S.A., Fleurier, Switzerland, for the Spanish magazine Vanguardia en Terapias Naturales 3/2010. Laboratoire Gibro is PHYTO5's world headquarters and manufacturing site.  

PHYTO5 Is World Leader in Energetic, Natural, and Holistic Skincare. Why?

PHYTO5 Swiss-made skincare is unique among all skincare products globally because for us skincare is so much more than a topical product designed to make skin softer, more toned and more beautiful. For us, skincare is all of that and MORE. Our whole philosophy is that since skin is a major organ of the physical body, skincare products must work at the most holistic, healthy and vitality-supporting level. PHYTO5 skincare is holistic because it doesn't look at skin conditions and body shapes in isolation but instead treats the skin within the wholeness of the being or person receiving treatment or benefit of the skincare.  In the formulation of our skincare products and in the treatments offered by PHYTO5 skincare professionals, we also very holistically consider the relationship between all beings and the rest of the universe. This is how PHYTO5 skincare is HOLISTIC.

This holistic consideration starts by recognizing that 1) our being is not simply body and mind, and 2) the body is not simply vital matter (skin, muscles, bones, organs), it is also largely unseen vital energy. 

Our holistic approach to skincare recognizes that each one of us is affected by the state of our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Our relationship to others and to our environment needs balance and harmony to avoid the tensions and aggressions that impair our ability to protect ourselves from or fight back against physical and emotional attacks be they from other beings (road rage being a good example), pathogens, and/or pollutants.

Based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the PHYTO5 method takes into consideration:

• the cycles of nature, particularly, the day–night cycle (resulting from the Earth’s rotation around the sun);
• the yearly seasonal cycle (the five energetic seasons resulting from the effect of the apparent annual movement of the sun over the earth);
• the life cycle (the duration of plus or minus 15 to 18 years which we spend in each one of the five elements of TCM). 

Each cycle defined by astronomical laws affects all lives on earth. They affect our amount of sleep, our diet, our emotions and even our relationship with others. 

• To learn more about these cycles, read Staying Healthy with the Seasons by Dr. Elson M. Haas concerning the importance of adapting our diet to the five energetic seasons of Chinese medicine.
• Refer to our May 2, 2017 blog post on how to enhance your wei chi to increase your well-being and also download our white paper on the topic of wei chi concerning the role our emotions play in the quality of our immune system and vital energy balance.
• Also check out our blog post on the life cycle (the five phases of life) according to TCM’s 5–Element Theory here.

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How PHYTO5 Skincare Is ENERGETIC

The fundamental idea of PHYTO5 is that each one of us is not only physically unique but also unique in the other dimensions of ourselves: mental, psychological, emotional, and spiritual. Furthermore, we each carry our own unique set of environmental and lifestyle idiosyncracies. Nevertheless, we are all subjected to the forces of nature and of our lifespan.

The TCM view is that the overwhelming force of nature affecting all life on earth is what they call chi. Chi is well translated as vital energy. Chi is involved in the energy of the seasons as it regulates the life and physiological functions of plants, animals and humans. Our health and well-being directly depend on the quality and flow of our vital energy.

Vital energy balance is the leitmotiv of all energetic treatments be they a medical or a spa treatment. Consequently, the mission of the five element line of PHYTO5 skincare is to balance vital energy as a by-product of the topical application of the skincare. In this respect, PHYTO5 is also unique because it is highly successful in this mission in very large part because of  our proprietary blends of high grade essential oils that deliver specific energy balancing properties and results.

These essential oil blends respect the formulation principles of the 5–Element Theory of TCM (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). All the products of each of the five element lines incorporate the balancing blend of essential oils in various levels of concentration according to their function, the five energetic serums (Phyt’Ethers) being the most potent balancing tool of each elemental line.

Since 2017, the formulations of all energetic facial and body products have been enhanced whereby their vibrational potency has been raised to reach the quantum level. At the quantum level, the products not only balance vital energy improving our physical condition, but they also balance our emotions to foster happiness and well-being.

• To learn more, please refer to our blog post on the Beauty of Emotions treatment, the quantum concept and PHYTO5 quantum products.

How PHYTO5 Skincare Is NATURAL

To make PHYTO5 products energetic it stands to reason that its ingredients must be of natural origin for the simple reason that the only alternative to natural ingredients is synthetic ingredients which, by definition, have no vital energy.

How PHYTO5 Skincare Is LEADER

From its premise over 40 years ago, PHYTO5 was among the few skincare companies relying on non-synthetic ingredients and one of even fewer relying on natural essential oils as their “active” ingredients. Over the years, we have steadily improved our formulations and increased our products’ potency. 

PHYTO5’s five energetic skincare lines are unique both for their premise and for the expansive content of the lines for face, scalp and body, but it is really for the products’ results that the energetic lines are unique.

Spa Management Magazine’s October 2010 issue refers to PHYTO5 as “The World Leader in Energetic, Natural, and Holistic Skincare.” 

We can safely say this is even more so since the introduction of our new generation quantum level of PHYTO5 energetic skincare lines in late 2017.

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Sources:

Haas, Elson M. Staying Healthy with the Seasons. Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 2003. Print.

Facial Clays and Multi-Masking: How Natural Essential Oils Enrich the Mask and Its Results While More Common Synthetic Essential Oils Leave Us Wanting

Your facial clay mask should not crack on your face!

A few thoughts from PHYTO5 USA's President, Jon Canas, on facial clays and multi-masking...

• About our clays and multi-masking:

Beauty industry pundits have been telling us that use of clay masks is on the increase which includes the “new” trend known as multi-masking. I have to smile because multi-masking with PHYTO5 five colored clays has been a signature treatment of our company since its inception over 40 years ago!

Because of the manner in which we target the facial reflex zones combined with the energy balancing properties of the blends of natural essential oils present in our clays, our 5 Clay Balancing Mask is a remarkably potent way to practice an effective facial reflexology treatment.

You may be one of many of our industry professionals who have recently received in the mail some beautiful printed material from a trade show company promoting “Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa“ conferences in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Florida. The cover picture is very artistic showing a beautiful face partly covered with some light and dark grey clays.

As beautiful as the picture is, most of the clay is drying and cracking in such a way that it has to make the mask uncomfortable which is fairly typical with most masks on the market.

In contrast, PHYTO5 clays are so full of essential oils that the clay remains very pleasant and comfortable for your client during the 10 to 15-minute application and they are easy to both apply and remove.

Clays are generally meant to contribute to hydration of the surface layer of the skin by attracting moisture from the deeper levels. In the process, it contributes to an elimination of toxins. The entire effect can be amplified with the addition of natural essential oils. This is why each one of PHYTO5 clays is rich in a specific blend of essential oils suitable to the function of each clay. This powerful hydration–detoxification effect enhanced by the naturally occurring vital energy balancing property of all our energetic products makes for a multi-mask that’s in a class by itself.

• About essential oils:

In his January 11, 2018 newsletter, 2018, Dr. Mercola states the following:

Could Enhanced Wellness and Vitality Be Just a Whiff Away?

Aromatherapy–or the use of essential oils–has been embraced since early times to promote wellness and vitality. With exciting new research exposing its many potential benefits for emotional and spiritual well-being, its time has arrived.

I wish he had specified “natural” essential oils, because many of the essential oils sold separately or as part of wellness products are actually synthetic rendering them aromatic but certainly not therapeutic.

Not only are PHYTO5 blends of natural essential oils natural, they’ve been formulated according to the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine and provide a proven vital energy balance.

• The Beauty of Emotions treatment:

The PHYTO5 serums of essential oils (Phyt’Ethers), like all the products of our five energetic skincare lines, have such a high level of vibrational potency that they operate at the quantum level. Their quantum nature makes them absolutely unique in the beauty and spa industry. 

It is this boosted potency–the quantum level–that also balances our emotions. This is the basis of our new groundbreaking protocol, the Beauty of Emotions.

The very specific blends of natural essential oils found in PHYTO5 energetic products are responsible for not only balancing our vital energy but for balancing our skin and our emotions too.

For these reasons, we can safely say that PHYTO5 quantum energetic skincare is a very viable path to feeling good, beautiful and happy!

Millet Extract: Consumed or Applied Topically in Skincare Is a Potent Therapeutic Ingredient for Soothing and Beautifying Skincare

Millet extract is a principal ingredient in many of PHYTO5’s Earth element line which is targeted to address the group of skin conditions that occur when there is an imbalance of the Earth aspect of vital-energy, namely: blemishes, toxicity, acne, psoriasis, enlarged pores, and lymph circulation problems.

The millet seed is known for providing many fundamental benefits to the skin:

• softening
• soothing
• nourishing
• stimulating
• revitalizing
• stimulating

Nutrient-rich millet contains a high proportion of essential vitamins and is close to 90% unsaturated fatty acids. One of very few alkaline grains, millet has a very rich protein and amino acid profile. At approximately 15% protein, millet contains lecithin and the essential amino acid methionine and minerals like iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. It’s also high in silica which is quite beneficial for bones and connective tissue.

Millet is rich in vitamins E, B complex, niacin, thiamin and riboflavin. In addition, phenolic compounds in millet provide potent antioxidant activity and benefits such as the slowing of signs of aging.

Millet is quite resilient being able to thrive even with a lack of water and can produce grain in conditions where other plants cannot grow. Millet is the grain which bears the highest mineral content some of which are iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.

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Though history shows that millet was known for making  hair, skin and nails beautiful, its positive beauty attributes have only been rediscovered relatively recently. With all of its nutritive attributes, millet actually motivates the skin to perform better. 

Millet extract is known to:

• support the skin’s natural functions
• beautify and smooth the skin
• improve the structure of the skin
• contribute to radiant skin tone

Here’s more of what millet can do for the skin and hair:

• Reduces acne: Lipoic acid, an antioxidant found in millet, increases cell metabolism and blood circulation and is an anti-inflammatory thereby reducing acne. 
• Improves elasticity and fights wrinkles: Amino acids L-lysine and L-proline help create collagen which provides structure skin tissue
• Fights aging of the skin: The antioxidants in millet neutralize free radicals which cause aging in the body helping to reverse the signs of aging which show up in the skin. Millet assists to rejuvenate skin cells. The ubiquinone content in millet is a known wrinkle-reducer.
• Improves overall complexion: Millet is rich in complexion enhancing and antioxidant vitamin E which penetrates the skin’s layers and aids in natural wound healing. Millet forms a protective layer in the skin which can keep free radicals away from the wound. Millet can be a lubricant to the skin. 
• Brings youthfulness to the skin: By consuming millet in our diet, we can assist the protection and strengthening of our cells and skin from the ravages of free radical damage thereby creating younger looking, more supple skin.
• Acts as a moisturizing agent: Consuming millet assists us to retiain the natural moisture content in our skin reversing dull and dry looking skin to vibrant and healthier looking skin.
• Reduces scarring: The antioxidant alium found in millet increases blood flow to scar tissue assisting the growth of new skin thereby minimizing scarring. Millet helps the skin to repair itself more quickly, and it protects and firms the skin.
• Protects the skin from sun damage: Millet’s selenium and vitamin C and E content are effective protectants against sun damage and skin cancer amplifying healthy fresh growth of new cells that bring youth to the skin and make it appear more radiant. It can assist to combat hyper-pigmentation.
• Strengthens hair follicles: Protein-rich millet is highly recommended for hair loss. Lack of protein is one factor contributing to hair loss.
• Is therapeutic for scalp conditions: The magnesium in millet reduces scalp inflammation and is beneficial for treating eczema, psoriasis and dandruff. Consuming millet may help in pacifying metabolic syndrome, a health condition which causes premature balding.
• Stimulates the growth of hair: Millet promotes the circulation of blood circulation in the scalp thereby promoting hair growth.
• Reduces hair loss: Increased cortisol levels in the body may lead to significant hair loss however the magnesium in millet may counteract it.
• Helps prevent premature graying of the hair: The antioxidant content in millet effectively prevents tissue oxidation and may assist with premature graying.

Get 20% off and save $77 when you buy the entire Earth element line of skincare. Go here to check it out. 

The Fifth Energetic Season: How Transition Periods Between the Seasons Work According to Chinese Medicine

January 17 is the end of the energetic season of the Water element associated with the Winter energy according to traditional Chinese medicine.

This means that the energetic influence of Water will, for the most part, cease to be pro-active from the 18th of January to the 4th of February when the seasonal energetic activity “returns to Earth” for 18 days before it reappears on the 5th of February as the energy of the Spring season (Wood element).

As keen observers of nature, the ancient Chinese realized that the transition from Winter to Spring, for example, would never happen in just one day but over a transitional period of time. They discovered that understanding the transitions from one season to the next held vital implications for the health and well-being of humans, flora and fauna.

The Chinese deduced that these transitional periods would necessarily happen four times a year–after Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter and the sum total of these periods constitutes what they called the fifth season.

On an average, with variations depending on what band of latitude we live in and given that a year has about 365 days, it can be calculated that each season would have 72 to 73 days each. If the between seasons period happens four times a year, each transition period would be about 18 days each.

It should be understood that even when the energy of a season ceases to be “pro-active” it has a residual effect from its momentum, with more or less effects according to where you live. That is the reason that the symptoms, or manifestations of Winter will continue for a while past the end of the energetic season of Water / Winter. But, the new Earth energy is what becomes pro-active, affecting all living organisms, until it ceases its activity in favor of the next energetic season; although, again, there is for a while a continuation of its effects super-imposed onto the ones of the new season. 

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CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ULTIMATE HOLISTIC BEAUTY CHECKLIST. GET IT FOR FREE.

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How does this movement into the between seasons period of Earth affect your skincare regimen and your choice of skincare products?

We need to remember that there is a lag time between the change of energetic influence and the visible consequences or symptoms of the change.

When the Water season ends, its climatic influence is still felt. At that time, the climate in most of the U.S. is still one of Winter, particularly in the Northern half of the country, and the need to protect against the cold and its effects on our skin is still present and should not be ignored. 

For most people it means that a continuation of the Winter regimen is quite logical as long as the Winter climate is in effect, but the people who have a predisposition to Earth conditions (pimples, blemishes or acne, and issues of lymph circulation) need to be aware that with the Earth season beginning January 18 their condition will worsen.

During the eighteen-day between seasons period of January 18 to February 4, Chinese medicine indicates it is the most beneficial time to address the issues of the Earth skin conditions. People with Earth imbalance are the ones who need to switch PHYTO5 skincare lines (and professional treatments) on time.

Using both the Water products and the Earth products might be called for depending on the individual’s condition and the climate at the time.

Because the Water products are also anti-aging products providing hydration and skin tone, given the age and skin condition of the individual, the Water line might be the right choice for most of the year. 

For many of our clients in the U.S., it is important to prolong the use of the Water line past January 17 unless their dominant concern is the set of skin conditions associated with the Earth element. In that case, switching to Earth is recommended. 

There are a total of four eighteen-day between seasons periods for Earth throughout the year. The other time periods are April 18 to May 5, July 20 to August 6, October 21 to November 7.

To better understand these between seasons periods or the fifth energetic season, visit our blog post entitled, “The Uniqueness of the Fifth Energetic Season,” posted August 29, 2016. Click here.

To view PHYTO5's Earth element line visit this link. For the Water element line, visit this link.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published on January 23, 2017 and has been updated here for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

Energetic Swiss Skincare Pioneer Makes Yet Another Breakthrough: Swiss-Based PHYTO5 Creates the First Quantum Skincare Line

November 1, 2017

Fleurier, Switzerland — Continuing its track as a pioneer in the field of natural energetic skincare, PHYTO5* has developed a new formulation process that elevates the vibrational frequency of its essential-oil-based products to reach the quantum level. This translates to quantum “leap forward” results for the skincare consumer of any age.

The Discovery

The sub-atomic level–the level where particles are smaller than an atom– is the quantum level, a level so profound and quintessential to optimum functioning of the human body, including skin, that rarely is it even approachable. PHYTO5 has discovered a way to access this level and imbue each of its Five Element* skincare lines with this high vibrational healing property.

This leading edge achievement is based on the fact that quantum particles carry vital life-enhancing information. By developing a technique using the theory of water memory while working with flower and plant essential oil ingredients, PHYTO5 is now able to intensify and activate the healing information carried by those plants.

Deepak Chopra, M. D., author, speaker, and holistic medicine advocate, puts it this way,

“Quantum healing moves away from external, high-technology methods towards the deepest core of the mind-body system. This core is where healing begins. To go there and learn to promote the healing response, you must get past all the grosser levels of the body–cells, tissues, organs, and systems–and arrive at the junction point between mind and matter, the point where consciousness actually starts to have an effect.”

This exciting breakthrough in skincare has met with outstanding results and has attracted the interest of many highly reputable European spas. Jennifer Bordeau, Spa Director of The Away Spa at the W Hotel in Verbier, Switzerland (the country’s #1 rated ski resort**) says,

“The Beauty of Emotions embodies the art of living and is truly essential for a demanding international clientele constantly on a quest for skincare results and well-being innovations.”

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Learn more about what true quantum skincare is by downloading our FREE white paper here.

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PHYTO5 Elemental line skincare (Phytobiodermie Certified) registers at the quantum level on the Bovis Scale.

The Claim to Quantum

PHYTO5’s claim to quantum is evidenced by the Bovis Scale device developed by French physician Anton Bovis for the purpose of determining the life force energy of foods. For example, life-sustaining food like fresh, organic broccoli tends to emit vibrations higher than 6500 Bovis units. Positive energies are regarded to be higher than 6500 Bovis units and negative energy below 6500.

For decades, PHYTO5 Five Element skincare products have registered very high on the Bovis scale–around 12,000 Bovis units, in exact alignment with the Bovis definition of ‘energetic’ (vibrating with vital energy, adding more life to life). PHYTO5’s new quantum products are registering in the 16,000 to 18,000 Bovis units range, placing them at the profound subtle level. Contrast this with conventional and other plant-based cosmetic products which register only in the 5,000 Bovis units range.

Quantum Energetic Skincare Products Foster Happiness and Not Just Radiant Skin

In keeping with the Five Element Theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the high vibrational properties of the PHYTO5 quantum products not only balance vital energy, they penetrate the deepest core of the mind–body system. Bypassing the grosser levels of the body and reaching the junction point between mind and matter, negative emotions are released, allowing positive ones to naturally surface. In a breakthrough new treatment protocol for spas named Beauty of Emotions, PHYTO5 offers an approach beyond beauty and physical wellness. It opens the door to happiness and contentment.

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*PHYTO5 stands for the Five Element skincare lines created by Phytobiodermie and which have now been taken to the quantum level. They are all natural, plant-based and the result of integrating ancestral knowledge of the five seasons and five elements from traditional Chinese medicine with leading edge Swiss research. Each line addresses a set of skin conditions associated with imbalance of the season the individual is prone to.

** W Hotel, Verbier, Switzerland:

• Switzerland’s Leading Resort 2017. WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS
• World's Best Ski Hotel 2016 and 2017. WORLD SKI AWARDS

About PHYTO5

PHYTO5 skincare is made exclusively by Laboratoire Gibro, S. A. in Fleurier, Switzerland. In addition to the Elemental skincare lines, the PHYTO5 label includes a line of phytoceutical skincare products and the organic-certified age-defying skincare line called Ageless La Cure. PHYTO5 also provides revolutionary proprietary equipment for lymph drainage, light therapy and biostimulation. Its award-winning Chroma-Lift™ facial is a comprehensive, non-invasive lifting facial using lymphatic stimulation and light therapy. Learn more about PHYTO5 at https://www.phyto5.us, https://www.phyto5pro.us and https://www.agelesslacure.com.

For further information: Jon Canas, President, PHYTO Distribution USA, joncanas@phyto5.us; Gina Cassisi Canas, Director of Education, PHYTO Distribution USA, gina@phyto5.us; 1-888-715-8008

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Chopra, Deepak. Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine. Bantam, 2015.

Black or Blue-Black Foods: Excellent Sources of Ultimate Black Food Nutrition During Winter Plus Bonus Cocktail Recipe

Chinese medicine’s health “encyclopedia,” the Neijing Suwen, translated as ”The Medical Classic of the Yellow Emperor,” says that the corresponding relationship among all the "fives" (seasons, elements, organs, flavors, moods/emotions, colors, etc.) gives clear guidance on how to maintain harmony of body, mind and spirit during the natural cycles of each energetic season.

The color is generally considered to be black for the energetic season of Winter which runs from November 8 to January 17.

So how do we harmonize with Winter with the color black?

One way is through the food we consume during this time.

Believe it not, the Neijing Suwen prescribes the consumption of black foods.

In Chinese medicine:

• black foods are the best for Winter,
• green foods for Spring,
• red foods for Summer,
• yellow foods for late Summer, and
• white foods for Autumn.

Black foods tend to be rich in inorganic salt and melanin:

• Inorganic salt can help promote fluid metabolism and it is a detoxifer.
• Melanin can help restrict nitrosamine (a carcinogenic compound) and thus prevent cancer.

IMPORTANT FYI: Foods containing nitrosamines include cured meats, primarily, cooked bacon, beer, some cheeses, nonfat dry milk and, occasionally, fish.

ANTIOXIDANTS

One thing you’ll notice is a common thread running through these foods: antioxidants! Antioxidants are very important for slowing the aging process. It is widely believed that oxidation of cells causes them to mutate thereby causing an acceleration of the aging process.

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Go here to request our free and most recent white paper entitled, Perspectives on Aging, in which the topic of antioxidants is discussed in greater depth.

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Black, deep purple, nearly black foods contain lots of antioxidants. They tend to be overlooked in our diets and are just as nutritious as eating green foods which are already commonly accepted as ultra healthy. 

“Black foods have more antioxidants than light-colored foods because of their high pigment content.” –Cy Lee, Ph.D., professor of food chemistry at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

ANTHOCYANINS

Black foods abound in natural plant pigments called anthocyanins (derived from Greek meaning “flower” and “blue”). This is what makes cherries red, blueberries blue, and blackberries black. 

Actually, most black foods are blue-black or almost black. The darker the pigment of the food, the more anthocyanins are present. Anthocyanins belong to the flavonoid class of molecules and are essentially, antioxidants. The seed coat of black soybeans, for example, contains the highest recorded amount of anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins actually prevent ultraviolet damage and oxidation of the plant. They are believed to protect the body against free radicals and major chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and more.

BALANCE

During energetic Winter, balance your black food intake with yellow-orange vegetables, tubers and gourds. Put the emphasis on eating warming foods. Warming foods tend to be yang, promoting circulation and metabolism and placing an upward, outward influence on the body.

Now’s the perfect time for stews and soups. Many of the following ingredients can be incorporated into your one-pot meals, especially black garlic, black lentils or beans, eggplant and black polished rice. Be creative and enjoy!

Some health benefits of anthocyanin in black or nearly black foods include:

    •    Combatting and prevention of cancer

    •    Anti-aging effect

    •    Reduced risk of hardening of the arteries

    •    A more efficient fat burning metabolism

    •    Decreased cholesterol and improved blood circulation

Here's More than a Dozen Nutritious Black Foods That Contribute to Health, Disease Prevention and Make Mealtime Infinitely More Tantalizing!

• Black sea salt (also known as Kala Namak): high sulphur content is very good for your skin
• Black pepper: stimulates food digesting enzymes
• Black tea: loaded with antioxidants
• Black polished rice or “Forbidden Rice:” called ‘forbidden rice’ because it once was reserved solely for the Chinese emperor and royal family, black Forbidden Rice contains loads of vitamin E for immune system support and eye health, anthocyanins, and antioxidants; rich in anthocyanins and more fibrous than white rice
• Black lentils: loaded with iron they are a great source of protein, lower cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar, help increase energy and facilitate weight loss
• Blackberries: may help reduce cognitive decline in older age and fiber rich
• Black currants: piquant deep purple black currants grow on a woody shrub in Central and Northern Europe and offer an entire array of nutrients not found anywhere else; in addition to an abundance of anthocyanins and antioxidants, they are antimicrobial (a story goes that French monks produced black currant liqueur to use for medical reasons such as treating snakebites); black currants strengthen the immune system, ease flu symptoms and soothe sore throats; the black currant is used to create the liqueur Crème de Cassis which could certainly also be quite enjoyably consumed for its nutritional benefits!; some nutritional supplement companies also manufacture encapsulated black currant oil.

⬇️ More black foods follow the bonus recipe below. ⬇️

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👉🏽 Bonus recipe for the cocktail known as Kir Royale Using Crème de Cassis made from ultra healthy black currants:

✨ Pour one part Crème de Cassis liqueur into a champagne flute; add four parts Mumm or Perrier Jouêt Champagne (or any of your favorite champagnes); garnish with a twist of lemon or a sprig of berries and enjoy! 

The Kir became popular in French cafés in the mid-nineteenth century and was popularized by Felix Kir. Shortly after World War II, the mayor of Dijon, Burgundy, France, served the Kir often to promote his region's fine products (wine and Crème de Cassis). You can use any favorite white wine to make a Kir and there are many variations, so have fun exploring the one that suits you best!

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• Black beans: full of bioflavonoids that protect against cancer
• Black soybeans and black soy yogurt: high in isoflavones, a class of phytochemical, and a type of phytoestrogen or plant hormone resembling human estrogen in chemical structure and found to be beneficial in treating womens’ health issues such as breast cancer, hot flashes, and the discomfort caused by premenstrual and menopausal symptoms
• Black quinoa: though quinoa originated in the Andes, a pair of Colorado farmers experimentally planted quinoa on their farm in the late 80s only to discover that after several months not only did the quinoa thrive, it had somehow cross-bred with the North American grain lamb's quarter to create a new variety of quinoa; it’s crunchier, more fibrous and bears a stronger flavor than other quinoas not to mention the health benefits from the anthocyanin content; it’s a complete protein, abounds in B vitamins, dietary fiber, vitamin E, iron, phosphorous, magnesium and zinc.
• Black sesame: enhances bone health and helps you sleep better; a great source of essential fatty acids so important for anti-aging 
• Black wheat flour (also known as blé noir in french or buckwheat flour: crêperies in France offer “galettes de sarrasin” for lunch or dinner which are crêpes made with non-glutinous black buckwheat flour; buckwheat is actually not a grain but a seed from the rhubarb plant family.
• Black vinegar: made from brown rice; believed to help lower blood pressure
• Black fungus (also known as wood ear): rich in iron and vitamin K, regular consumption can help prevent atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.
• Black garlic: contains twice the antioxidant levels as fresh garlic; it is made by heating whole bulbs of garlic over the course of several weeks, a process that results in black cloves, a process which appears to double its antioxidant content
• Eggplant: packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals
• Kelp: a major source of iodine, kelp helps regulate the thyroid gland
• Black mission figs: anti-cancer, fiber-rich, antibacterial

It may take some creativity to find some of the richly hued black and blue-black foods on this list. Go beyond your local grocery store and venture into health food and ethnic grocery stores, especially Asian, and the internet.

This article was originally published at this site in 2016 under the title, "Jennifer Juniper! Discover Juniper Berry Essential Oil, That Is!" and has been updated.

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Sources:

http://www.rd.com/food/fun/skip-the-greens-6-healthy-and-trendy-black-foods/

http://www.naturalnews.com/040968_black_tea_chronic_inflammation_foods.html

https://dailyhealthpost.com/top-7-black-foods-with-powerful-health-benefits/

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20471231,00.html

Hou, Joseph P. Ph. D. Healthy Longevity Techniques: East-west Anti-Aging Strategies. Authorhouse, 2010. Print.

Discover Juniper Berry Essential Oil Done Right: An Essential, Versatile and Multifaceted Healing Agent

Juniper berry essential oil, a unique ingredient in many of PHYTO5’s holistic and Swiss-made Winter energetic skincare products and hair care lines, is a versatile and many-faceted healing agent and should be an essential component of your holistic wellness and skincare regimen. Be careful, however, because not all essential oils are high integrity and premium-grade.

History shows that juniper berry has long been believed to have purifying properties for the body. It was used to fight the spread of plagues and contagious diseases. During a smallpox epidemic, French hospitals burned juniper wood to stop its spread.

Its aroma is distinctive, crisp, fresh, woody and herbaceous with a hint of sweetness. If it smells a bit like a cocktail to you, it’s because juniper berries are used to flavor gin. Swedish bitters, known for their health and vitality lending qualities, often include juniper and so does the famous Jaegermeister bitters alcohol beverage. A Swedish bitter beer known as Drikke (or Gotlandscdricka) also combines juniper boughs with berries still on them with malt, hops, yeast, water and sugar. 

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Have you downloaded PHYTO5's FREE white paper on Age, Agelessness and Anti-Aging? Get your copy now by clicking here.

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Juniper’s properties include anti-inflammatory, calming, anti-irritating and lipolytic but there’s a far more extensive list a couple paragraphs below.

With origins in Hungary, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Nepal and the U.S., evergreen juniper trees produce seed cones called berries. The berries tend to resemble blueberries. The sweetest oil comes from the berries of the tree, though inferior juniper oil can be harvested from the needles and twigs. Juniper berries take two or three years to ripen and only blue, ripe berries are picked for purposes of essential oil distillation.

Here’s a partial listing of the wonderful healing actions of juniper berry essential oil:

• Soothes rheumatic and arthritic pain
• Helps ease cramps from menstruation and assists to regulate the menstrual cycle
• Useful in treating yeast infection and vaginitis
• Alleviates symptoms of cystitis by adding a few drops of juniper berry oil in a warm shallow bath
• Relieves chronic gas trouble
• Lessens kidney stone discomfort when placing a compress with juniper berry oil on the lower back
• Stimulates sluggish body functions
• Purifies and detoxifies the blood
• Alleviates varicose veins
• Reduces water retention
• Helps to shrink both varicose veins and hemorrhoids
• Enlivens dull skin
• Tones the skin naturally by unblocking pores and balancing oily and blackhead- and acne-prone skin
• Regulates oiliness of the hair
• An actual tonic, it helps to tone muscles and tissues
• Provides relief for psoriasis and eczema when applied in diluted form
• Soothes skin eruptions when used in a cool compress
• Softens scar tissue
• Promotes nerve regeneration after injury
• Helps treat dandruff when used in a hair rinse
• Enhances the filtration action of the kidneys
• Flushes out free radicals from your system
• Promotes urination when necessary
• Speeds healing
• Provides relief for bronchitis, colds and coughs when inhaled gently
• Purifies the air, repelling insects
• Eases mental exhaustion and nervous tension acting as a sedative
• Acts as a grounding agent for anxiety
• Helps to sharpen memory when used in aromatherapy
• Dispels such negative emotions as guilt, loneliness and insecurity
• Releases suppressed anger and negativity when used in aromatherapy or during meditation

Check out PHYTO5’s holistic, energetic skincare seasonal lines especially those for the Winter season.

Juniper berry oil is non-toxic and non-sensitizing, although there are some people who have a reaction to it, so use it in moderation. Make sure you do a skin patch test before using juniper berry oil. Apply a diluted drop on your arm and see if any reaction occurs.

Because it can stimulate the uterine muscle, juniper berry oil should not be used during pregnancy. I do not recommend this essential oil to nursing moms and very young children as well. Those who suffer from any type of kidney or liver disease should refrain from using juniper berry oil. –Dr. Joseph Mercola, http://articles.mercola.com/herbal-oils/juniper-berry-oil.aspx

This article was originally published at this site December 7, 2016 under the title, "Jennifer Juniper! Discover Juniper Berry Essential Oil, That Is!" and has been updated.

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Sources:

Curtis, Susan, et al. Essential Oils: All-Natural Remedies and Recipes for Your Mind, Body, and Home. DK Publishing, 2016.

Rector-Page, Linda G. Linda Page's Healthy Healing: A Guide to Self-healing for Everyone. California: Traditional Wisdom, 2000. Print.

Calisto Media, Inc. Essential Oils for Beginners: The Guide to Get Started with Essential Oils and Aromatherapy. Berkeley: Althea, 2013. Print.

Lis-Balchin, Maria. Aromatherapy Science: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals. London: Pharmaceutical, 2006. Print.

Wilson, Roberta. Aromatherapy: Essential Oils for Vibrant Health and Beauty. Avery, 2002.

Energetic Winter and Transcending the Emotion of Fear: The Kidneys are the Root of Life, Regeneration and Vitality

The energetic Winter season is associated with the energetic aspect, or “element” of Water, and the associated organs are the yin kidneys and the yang bladder. When kidney is strong and in balance, we promote regeneration of the body, youth, vibrancy and vitality.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the kidneys are where our core vital energy is located. We could say that they contain our blueprint for health. They are considered to be the body’s most important receptacle of essential energy and they are known in TCM as the “Root of Life.”

Consider how important the kidneys’ function is by the following:

• they filter waste metabolites from the blood
• they control sexual and reproductive functions
• with the large intestine, they control the balance of fluids in the body
• they regulate the pH balance (acid-alkaline of the body by either retaining or filtering out certain minerals
• they control the growth and development of the skeletal system and nourish the bone marrow

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Get PHYTO5's FREE white paper on energetic skincare for an excellent understanding of why skincare is about far more than the skin you see on the surface by clicking here.

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The kidneys house the body’s willpower therefore willpower is the positive emotion of the kidneys. They control short-term memory and provide the capacity for strength and industriousness. When the kidney energy is strong, a person can work hard and diligently for long periods of time. When this energy is weak, a person may lack strength and endurance.

When kidney energy is strong we will have willpower and live life with focus and direction. 

When kidney energy is weak, we are susceptible to fear and anxiety. Fear is the primary emotion associated with the Water element and the energetic Winter season (November 8th to January 7th ).

“Kidney chi” is approximate terminology for the functional combination of kidney energy. It is almost never in excess but it is frequently deficient. 

A good lifestyle helps ensure good kidney health. Simply do all the things you would think are good for you and refrain from the things you know are not:

• keep hydrated
• eat healthily, especially fresh organic fruits and vegetables; aside from their nutritional content, they tend to have a high water content beneficial for the kidneys and entire body
• get an appropriate amount of exercise that is appealing to you
• get friendly flora into your intestinal system by taking probiotics daily
• drink green juices and smoothies
• detox in epsom salt baths to help detoxify the kidneys
• moderate your use of over-the-counter drugs
• refrain from smoking
• avoid sugar, salt and fat
• moderate your alcohol consumption

Causes of kidney deficiency may include:

• overwork over a long period of time
• too much brain work
• a long vitality-draining illness
• overindulgence in sexual activity
• acute fever
• prolonged hemorrhage
• overconsumption of drugs

During the winter months all things in nature wither, hide, return home, and enter a resting period, just as lakes and rivers freeze and snow falls. This is a time when yin dominates yang. Therefore one should refrain from overusing the yang energy. Retire early and get up with the sunrise, which is later in winter. Desires and mental activity should be kept quiet and subdued. Sexual desires especially should be contained, as if keeping a happy secret. Stay warm, avoid the cold, and keep the pores closed. Avoid sweating. The philosophy of the winter season is one of conservation and storage. Without such practice the result will be injury to the kidney energy… —The Neijing Suwen

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Sources:

Clogstoun-Willmott, Jonathan. Western Astrology and Chinese Medicine. Aquarian, 1985.

Ni, Maoshing. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine: a New Translation of the Neijing Suwen with Commentary. Shambhala, 1995.

The Emotion of Energetic Winter

There is a basic emotion for each of the five elements and five energetic seasons of Chinese medicine. Now that we are in energetic Winter running from November 8 to January 17, let’s explore the emotion associated with it and how we can best use this quieter, more introspective time of year to bring any out-of-balance emotion back to balance.

The emotion associated with energetic Winter is fear and the element is Water. How interesting that water has the potential to be a raging frightful destructive torrent, flood or tidal wave. It has the power to literally tear things apart, to wear down rocks and to take life away.

On the other hand, water is essential to life. It is used in feng shui as a calming element. Fountains and water walls bring the sound of gently trickling water to our senses to pacify and soothe us. When a person suddenly falls ill or becomes injured, if we can, we give the person a drink of water to nourish and heal her. When we want to relax and let go, we take a bath or a nice long shower.

Water has the potential to destroy and also to take us to a place we call zen. To be sure, it isn’t the only vehicle for achieving moments or periods of zen, but it provides us a most apropos metaphor for the discovery of the “zenitude” we all seek.

Zen is a method of rediscovering the experience of being alive… The aim of Zen is to bring about a transformation of consciousness, and to awaken us from the dream world of our endless thoughts so that we experience life as it is in the present moment. —Mark Watts, What Is Zen?

Zen is not a religion and is not centered on deity.

… Zen is a practice based entirely upon a certain kind of personal experience, and no complete idea of its truths can be given in words… it is a way of liberation that centers around the things that are basic to all mysticism: awakening to the unity or oneness of life, and the inward–as opposed to outward–existence of God… the word God can be misleading because … the idea of a deity in the Western religious sense is foreign to Zen. —Alan Watts, What Is Zen?

We have all had the experience of zen—those times when we lapse into the “zone” and everything just clicks without much effort at all. In those moments, we feel our innate mastery and both know and feel we can do no wrong. Everything just falls into place and we find ourselves in a place of ultimate serenity. 

Zen is responsible for the moments we witness when an Olympic ice skater skates flawlessly, when an artist paints a masterpiece effortlessly and beyond the reason of time, and when we sit before a sunset spellbound and motionless.

It can occur when we give absolute attention and concentration to the most mundane aspects of everyday life: sweeping, washing dishes, writing a book, or practicing yoga.

In zen, nothing is separate and it is that absolute attention and concentration on the mundane as well as the auspicious that takes us to the realization that all is one. We realize this oneness either consciously or unconsciously, we lapse into zen.

It is embracing and understanding that all is one—that you and I are one, that we are one with all that we don’t enjoy or prefer in this world, that we are one with the flora and fauna, that we are one with the seen and the unseen—that we have peace at last.

In zen, there is no problem in the world to solve and there is no enemy to conquer because we are all of it. Life is a flowing process in which the mind and consciousness are intertwined. They are inside each other.

… there is behind the multiplicity of events and creatures in this universe simply one energy–and it appears as you, and everything is it. The practice of Zen is to understand that one energy so as to ‘feel it in your bones.’ –Alan Watts, What Is Zen?

We can begin by simply being open to the idea of zen, by intending it in our lives. We may be amazed to find ourselves lapsing into zen moments in which we find a real reprieve from the chaos of the world.

Let PHYTO5 assist you in your quest for the serenity of zen. Gift yourself the gift of the some or all of Water element skincare line. The Phyt’Ether serum and body gel will stimulate your olfactory system located so close to and working in conjunction with the pituitary and pineal glands and amygdala in the brain (involved with the experiencing of emotions). If you are presently fearful and agitated you may well notice a shift to serenity in your emotional state.

Along the trail’s edge

beside a sparkling river

in the willow shade,

I lingered to take a nap—

lingered, and I’m still here. 

—A Japanese Zen Poem, translated by Sam Hamill

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Watts, Alan. What Is Zen? New World Library, 2000.

Hamill, Sam, and Jerome P. Seaton. The Poetry of Zen. Shambhala, 2007.

Quantum Medicine: A Modern Evolution of Energy Medicines

The key concept behind the various forms of energy medicines is that the body is not simply matter but vital energy as well.

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines ‘vital’ as:

1. indispensable to the continuance of life, and
2. full of energy.

It is vital energy that makes matter vital. Health requires a proper flow of vital energy. Blockages of vital energy flow cause not just physical discomforts but disease.

The key concept behind quantum medicine is that it is not cellular biochemical exchange that determines our state of health. It is actually the electromagnetic information that cells communicate with each other that has a direct bearing on our health.

This suggests two things:

1. Vital energy carries information.
2. The information is intelligent. 

This intelligence implies that a constituent part of our being knows. That knowledge is within the being. It can be understood as the knowledge of our Higher Self, the ultimate observer.

A disease is not simply a biological problem as generally seen by contemporary Western medicine but a lack or blockage in the information carried by the vital energy flow. 

Quantum medicine is informational in nature and calls upon the innate intelligence of that which directs and regulates our biological functions. That notion is reminiscent of the quantum physics thesis that the action of the observer in a quantum experiment will affect the outcome of the observation. There is an implied recognition that a non-material aspect, call it intention or consciousness, affects the outcome of both matter and energy.

Quantum medicine accepts and counts on a patient’s natural propensity for auto-regeneration. The restored flow of intelligent information promotes an energetic coherence that heals.

Albert Einstein's famous equation E=mc2 can be seen as a precursor to quantum medicine. It can be translated as “matter and energy are interchangeable,” and further that “matter is energy in motion.”

All things vibrate. Plants, animals, humans, rocks and rivers all vibrate. Our physical senses are not able to necessarily perceive the vibrational aspect of matter because of the speed of energy movement.

All matter is energy. Everything has a vibrational frequency which can be measured in hertz (Hz). These electromagnetic frequencies have been researched for over a century. As modern equipment continues to improve, the subtle energy of our vital energy can be measured more and more precisely with biofeedback equipment. 

Quantum medicine forces us to no longer see the body merely as a complex of organs and tissues each of which can be treated separately. Instead we can now view the body as a complex of constantly vibrating electromagnetic fields where trillions of biophoton particles of light circulate within our physical and energetic bodies to carry necessary information to maintain homeostasis (the ability of the body or a cell to seek and maintain a condition of equilibrium or stability).  

Quantum therapies use a variety of biodynamic frequencies (frequencies that promote our physiological functions) to reset the information flow. The process by which the vibrational correction is made is called bio-resonance.  

Quantum physics and the work of Albert Einstein concerning the nature and behavior of light focused on the subatomic realm, the level even more fundamental than the atom. There it was discovered that there are no smaller amounts of matter but rather there are small quantities of energy (quanta of energy) in constant vibration, thus we come to the conclusion that the building blocks of matter are energy in movement determined by specific frequencies. To each organ, each tissue, and each cell corresponds a specific energy (thus a specific frequency and electromagnetic field) just as each cellphone has its own number by which it can be identified and to which it can be connected.

The recognition that the building blocks of the vital matter of our body are small bundles of energy called quanta of energy has led to a new vision of the body, its illnesses, and energetic healing therapies.

That approach and its solutions have become what is called quantum medicine of which there are a variety of modalities. 

The findings of quantum physics influenced quantum medicine in a number of ways one of which is the acceptance of the effect of mind over matter. Practitioners of oriental martial arts and of yoga know that where their attention and intention go so does their energy. In like fashion, many quantum scientists believe that consciousness influences matter. This gives light to Deepak Chopra’s quote from his seminal book, “Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine:”

Quantum healing moves away from external, high-technology methods towards the deepest core of the mind-body system. This core is where healing begins. To go there and learn to promote the healing response, you must get past all the grosser levels of the body–cells, tissues, organs, and systems–and arrive at the junction point between mind and matter, the point where consciousness actually starts to have an effect.

Looking to the past: It is remarkable that so much of what is unfolding in the last few decades so completely justifies the precepts of ancestral energy medicines, particularly traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda of India. 

Caveat: Google searches on quantum medicine will suggest that it is pseudo–science, even quackery, but of course, we hear the same comments about chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, and reiki, for example, to this day. Science generally proceeds with new and disturbing empirical observations that can be proven only at a later date and which are generally slowly accepted. Many scientists continue to dispute quantum physics, yet without its findings, we would have no iPhones, smart televisons, or GPS in our cars.

Do You Feel Truly Comfortable In Your Own Skin?

It might be surprising but it’s a fact that most people tend to be less happy when they are young. In many cases, still too young to be able to realize that social norms we've been raised to live by are actually keeping us toiling in stress and duress, younger people can experience many obstacles to happiness.

For most people, it's only when they mature that they begin to realize none of that is either worth it or important. With maturity people seem to more easily "feel comfortable in their own skin."

Elena Holodny of Business Insider points to a very recent Nielsen study in which participants self-identified their levels of happiness:

“According to Nielsen, there is 'scientific evidence that people get happier as they get older. While there are differing theories as to why this is, most agree that it is an acceptance of aging that promotes contentedness. Logically, this acceptance is more apt to happen with older people.' In OECD* countries, more than half of 65+ cohort report to be in good health, which means that not only do the elderly have more free time, but they would be equipped to take advantage of it.”

With maturity we also learn that we have some control over our emotions and that whatever emotion we choose as the predominant one shapes our experience in many ways. It affects the quality of our relationships, and therefore our health, and resulting from our level of health and vitality–our appearance.

All negative experiences in our lives, including sickness and the physical decline we experience as we age, negatively affect our emotional state. Emotional negativity can result also from poor lifestyle habits. Emotional negativity has a propensity to feed on itself and left unattended will become a spoiler in our lives. A great deal of self-awareness and discipline are required to maintain emotional balance.

The good news is that simple and affordable solutions for addressing emotional negativity are available based on the potential to balance one's unseen vital energy, and beyond that, one's emotional state.

PHYTO5 quantum energetic skincare can help you balance your emotions. It can take you to that place where you can feel good with and within yourself.

A new and groundbreaking method of product formulation has raised the vibrational frequency of PHYTO5 energetic skincare products to reach the quantum zero-point within our being.

Deepak Chopra, M.D. in his book Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine, explains:

"Quantum healing moves away from external, high-technology methods towards the deepest core of the mind-body system. This core is where healing begins. To go there and learn to promote the healing response, you must get past all the grosser levels of the body–cells, tissues, organs, and systems–and arrive at the junction point between mind and matter, the point where consciousness actually starts to have an effect." –Deepak Chopra

PHYTO5 has discovered a way to access this level and impregnate each of its five element skincare lines with this high vibrational balancing property.

Premium-grade, uniquely blended natural essences raised to the quantum level and added to skincare products do more than work at skin level. Vital energy begins to flow throughout the body followed by emotional release and a profound sense of calm and well-being. These essences work to remove negative emotions and lift the positive ones to our awareness.

In the same way that all colors derive from three primary colors, in traditional Chinese medicine, all emotions derive from five basic emotions, each with a yang/positive and yin/negative aspect. This is why PHYTO5 brings to you five energetic skincare lines including Phyt'Ethers. 

PHYTO5's new Beauty of Emotions professional therapy delivers the full potential of PHYTO5 quantum skincare in a very specific protocol also utilizing PHYTO5 proprietary equipment and designed to easily and effortlessly bring the client to a state of elation and immense well-being in addition to heightened vitality of skin. And the effects are lasting when following a simple home regimen.

We recognize, however, that not everyone lives in the vicinity of a PHYTO5 professional trained in the Beauty of Emotions protocol. There is a way PHYTO5 customers can begin enjoying the benefit of the quantum products without experiencing the full Beauty of Emotions treatment. It is possible to achieve this sense of feeling comfortable in your skin, feeling better about who you are, even feeling a sense of elation and yes, feeling beautiful too! 

Start with one of our next generation quantum Phyt’Ether serums. Go here to order online.  You will start with the Phyt'Ether that corresponds to your current dominant emotion. Since most of us experience many different emotions at various times in our lives and even in the course of one day, by having all five Phyt'Ethers, you will be sure to always have the right serum on hand to balance your emotional state.

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*Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

Holodny, Elena. “This Chart Shows the Age When Most People Feel the Least Happy.” Business Insider, 16 May 2016, www.businessinsider.com/age-people-are-happiest-2016-5.

Chopra, Deepak, and Rudolph E. Tanzi. Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine. Bantam Books, 2015.