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.

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.

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

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

In early February when traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) tells us energetic Spring starts, it still feels very cold and wintry. The remnants of the Water energy of Winter potently linger. The powerful energy of Water is no longer proactive, but its momentum continues to produce manifestations of Winter even though we start to feel the energy of Wood and energetic Spring.

February 5 marks the start energetic Spring season and the new energy of Wood. As that proactive energy initiates, 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).

Partake of the mystique of quantum energetic formulated plant-based skincare for your exalted natural beauty and well-being. Subscribe for a discount promo code, plus get truly unique beauty tips and offers.

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.

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.

Partake of the mystique of quantum energetic formulated plant-based skincare for your exalted natural beauty and well-being. Subscribe for a discount promo code, plus get truly unique beauty tips and offers.

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.

What is the Cycle of Life? It's a Composition of Natural Rhythms.

What is the Cycle of Life? It’s the sentience of all nature. Unfortunately, many of us have no or little connection to this sentience where we feel at one with the natural world. We’re unprepared to live harmoniously with our natural rhythms. But traditional Chinese medicine’s (TCM's) Five Element Theory can teach you how. You'll end up loving the natural rhythms of life and excited to live it and its cycles.

Cosmic forces drive our natural rhythms and cycles. They energetically influence humans, animals and plants. These influences get the more aware person’s attention. You find yourself asking, What is the cycle of life? Truly?

What is the Cycle of Life? It’s the symbiosis of natural rhythms.

Natural rhythms coalesce to form a never-ending cycle brimming with life. Nature will not have it any other way.

These natural rhythms provide the foundation to all life and also to PHYTO5 skincare.

In an article by Dr. Daniel Glaser(1) at The Guardian, we find important supporting assertions on this topic.

His article, How Rhythms Become a Vital Part of Us,(2) offer key points answering the question, What is the cycle of life?

• 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 enforce a 24-hour sleep–wake cycle. 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. They get frisky in Spring and hibernate in Winter. 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's culture, particularly religious culture, that established the seven-day cycle 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 about how the cycle of life and natural rhythms influence us:

1. Along with plants and animals, the sun, moon and stars energetically affect humans too.

2. Our cultural habits, particularly when they repeat themselves on a regular basis, affect our biology.

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

What is the Cycle of Life? It’s the sentience of all nature.

Unfortunately, many of us have no or little connection to this sentience where we feel at one with the natural world. We live in an era disconnected from the roots of our original natural environment. We’re unprepared to catch the wave and live harmoniously with our natural rhythms.

My daughter gifted me two books 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(3)

• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer(4)

Both written in the 80s and superbly written by very learned scientists with a poetic bent, they reveal the sentience of all nature.

They discuss the essential relationship of reciprocity between humans and nature. Such reciprocity affirms we understand natural rhythms. We can easily answer the question, What is the cycle of life?

Both authors, Abram and Kimmerer, love the Earth and lament our disconnection with it. They lament its attendant dire consequences for our culture, lives, health, and (implied) future as a species. Among the bodies of work of many others, theirs have contributed to the development of ecopsychology(5) in the 90s.

They observe we seem to choose the “splendid isolation of technology.” And it’s detrimental both to the animate world (plants, animals and humans) and the inanimate world (our planet).

I found this excellent definition of ecopsychology at soulcraft dot 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.

And 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.  

What is the Cycle of Life? It’s understanding natural rhythms all the way down to how we treat our bodies and skin as their first defense.

Our company, PHYTO5, offers you skincare plus a holistic method based on the principle of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). We see skin as an integral and not isolated part of the body.

We see the body as a part of being and being the sum of physical, mental, psychological, emotional, and spiritual.

And we see the individual being as participating part in the natural rhythms of life. We all participate in the natural environment, planet, and cosmos (even if only limited to our acknowledgement and thankfulness).

In our company, we find all these considerations relevant. We found our product mission, formulation, manufacturing and application of the skincare by consumers and professionals on these considerations.

Why? Because our conscious awareness of who and what we are in relationship to others and to nature supports us to live in concert with natural rhythms. And when we do we live better on all levels.

The PHYTO5 method of skincare respects balance of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. And through this balance we achieve wellness which essentially means we feel good in our own skin and in our hearts.

Our method respects the natural rhythms and cycles of life through TCM’s five energetic seasons and five phases of life: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. We acknowledge the movement of the heavens and celebrate the cycles of life ushered in by the equinoxes, solstices, new and full moons.

When one of the five seasons of TCM arrives, we honor the natural rhythm and cycle of life it represents. And we celebrate each season with its corresponding element.

These natural rhythms remind us to live in concert with the change in energy we feel with each season. We embrace the colors, foods, exercise practices, emotions, skin balancing, organ nourishing, fluid movement and more that each season in the cycle of life brings.

When you understand TCM’s Five Element Theory and its Phases, it leads you to love embracing the natural rhythms of life. You get more excited about life as each cycle of life arrives. And by living in concert with natural rhythms, you not only answer your question, What is the cycle of life? you love the answer and live it.

…

Endnotes:

1. Dr. Daniel Glaser is neurologist and director of Science Gallery at King’s College, London.

2. “How Rhythms Become a Vital Part of US | A Neuroscientist Explains.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 14 Jan. 2018, www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jan/14/how-rhythms-become-a-vital-part-of-us-a-neuroscientist-explains.

3. Abram, David. The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World. United Kingdom, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2012.

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

5. 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.

Image courtesy of Dimitras Vetsikas at pixabay

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

Tamanu oil, aloe and high tech natural compound Aquaxyl combine to create an ultra skin soothing, moisturizing and beautifying trio. This is why PHYTO5 formulates our organic certified hydrating Body Milk with these three hero ingredients (and a few more).

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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. 

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.

We recommend hydrating Body Milk for all skin types, especially dry and sensitive. It possesses:

• 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

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

Beauty industry pundits tells us clay mask use is on the increase and that multi-masking is a new trend. That’s interesting because multi-masking with PHYTO5 five colored clays (green, red, yellow, white and black) has been a PHYTO5 signature treatment since our company’s inception in the late 70s.

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.

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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. Your facial clay mask should never crack on your face if it’s a good one.

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!

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

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. 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.

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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. 

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.

For example: The energetic influence of one of the four major seasons will, for the most part, cease to be proactive for 18 days between that season and the next. The seasonal energetic activity “returns to Earth” before it reappears when the next energetic season commences.

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.

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

Continuing its track as a pioneer in the field of natural energetic skincare, PHYTO5 has developed a new formulation process resulting in revolutionary skincare. PHYTO5’s chemists at our factory in Fleurier, Switzerland found a way to elevate the vibrational frequency of our five element essential oil rich skincare to the quantum level. This is a quantum leap forward skincare consumers of any age will find especially intriguing.

The Discovery

The sub-atomic level where particles are smaller than an atom is the quantum level. This is a deeply profound space within the human body and it contributes to the body’s optimum functioning.

Accessing this quantum level within the body is rarely even approachable. But PHYTO5 found a way to access this level and vital life-enhancing information the quantum particles hold.

Then our chemists impregnated our five element lines of skincare with this quantum energy. This quantum energy is beyond the level we all commonly accept as high vibrational.

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PHYTO5 uses the theory of water memory working with flower and plant essential oil ingredients to create quantum energetic skincare. We’ve developed a leading edge technique to intensify and activate the healing information carried by the plants whose essential oils we use in the skincare.

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.”

For skincare professionals, we offer a protocol called The Beauty of Emotions which is based on our quantum energetic product formulations. This is because our quantum energetic skincare works not just at the level of skin but at the level of emotions as well. Each of our five element lines balances one of the five basic emotions according to the traditional Chinese medicine.

Wood: anger and lack of confidence; transform these to kindness and confidence

Fire: joylessness or over-the-top expressions of joy; achieve joy-in-balance

Earth: overwhelm from over-caretaking and a feeling of being stuck; feel more free to finish unfinished projects and express yourself creatively

Metal: worry and regret; know that all is well

Water: fear; achieve a sense of zenitude

The Beauty of Emotions has met with outstanding results and 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.”

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

The Claim to Quantum Energy, Quantum Health, Quantum Beauty

We see evidence of PHYTO5’s claim to quantum on the Bovis Scale. This is a device developed by French physician Anton Bovis to determine the life force energy of foods.

For example, life-sustaining food like fresh organic broccoli generally emit svibrations 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. They’ve consistently registered at 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 five element skincare now elevated to quantum registers in the 16,000 to 18,000 Bovis units range. This puts 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: Fostering Happiness and Not Just Radiant Skin

In keeping with the Five Element Theory of traditional Chinese medicine, PHYTO5 quantum skincare achieves many goals.

They balance skin conditions and vital energy penetrating the deepest core of the mind–body system.

Bypassing the grosser levels of the body and reaching the junction point between mind and matter, the products assist you to release negative emotions. Now positive ones naturally rise to the surface.

…

Source:

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 Medical Classic of the Yellow Emperor (the Neijing Suwen), discusses the corresponding relationship among all the fives of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM): seasons, elements, organs, flavors, moods/emotions, colors, and more.

The Yellow Emporer’s Classic tells us how to create and keep harmony of body, mind and spirit during the natural cycles of each energetic season of TCM. The color TCM associates with energetic Winter is blue-black. And one way to be harmonious with Winter is through the food we consume, especially black and blue-black foods.

Energetic Winter runs from November 8 to January 17.

And the Neijing Suwen advises we consume black foods.

TCM principles tell us:

• 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 helps promote fluid metabolism and it’s a detoxifer.

• Melanin helps restrict nitrosamine (a carcinogenic compound) thus preventing

Foods containing carcinogenic nitrosamines include:

• cured meats

• cooked bacon

• beer

• some cheeses

• nonfat dry milk and,

• occasionally, fish.

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Antioxidants abound in naturally occurring black and blue-black foods.

We age faster when cells oxidate and mutate. And antioxidants very importantly slow the aging process.

Black, deep purple, and nearly black foods contain lots of antioxidants. We overlook using them in our meal preparation. But they’re just as nutritious as the green produce we all commonly accept 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 contribute to the blue-black pigment.

Black foods abound in natural plant pigments called anthocyanins (derived from Greek meaning flower [antho] and blue [cyan]). Anthocyanins are 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 present are anthocyanins.

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 protect the body against free radicals and major chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Balance different types of food during energetic Winter with an emphasis on black and blue-black foods.

During energetic Winter, balance your black food intake with yellow-orange vegetables, tubers and gourds. Emphasize eating warming foods. Warming foods tend to be yang energy foods. They promote circulation and metabolism and influence the body upwardly and outwardly.

Energetic Winter’s the perfect time for stews and soups. Incorporate many of the below listed ingredients easily into your one-pot meals, especially black garlic, black lentils or beans, eggplant and black polished rice.

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

• more efficient fat burning metabolism

• decreased cholesterol and improved blood circulation

These Super Nutritious Black Foods Contribute to Health, Disease Prevention While Making Meals Tantalizing.

• black sea salt (also known as Kala Namak): contains high sulphur content very good for skin

• black pepper: stimulates food digesting enzymes

• black tea: loaded with age mitigating antioxidants

• black polished rice, also called ‘forbidden rice’ because it once was reserved solely for the Chinese emperor and royal family; with 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 and 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; 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; abundant in anthocyanins and antioxidants; antimicrobial (a story goes that French monks produced black currant liqueur to use for medical reasons such as treating snakebites); immune system strengthening; good for flu symptoms and soothing sore throats; used to create Crème de Cassis liqueur also nutritionally beneficial; some nutritional supplement companies also manufacture encapsulated black currant oil.

• 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; found to be beneficial in treating womens’ health issues like 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 black quinoa; crunchier, more fibrous and bears a stronger flavor than other quinoas not to mention the health benefits from the anthocyanin content; a complete protein; B vitamin rich; lots of dietary fiber, vitamin E, iron, phosphorous, magnesium and zinc.

• black sesame: enhances bone health and improves sound sleep; great source of essential fatty acids 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 level of fresh garlic; made by heating whole bulbs of garlic over the course of several weeks, a process that results in black cloves; process 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.

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.

…

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.

Zen: The Opposite of Winter's and the Water Element's Emotion of Fear

Over centuries of observation, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) astutely associates a basic emotion to each of five elements and five energetic seasons. The emotion of fear corresponds to TCM’s energetic Winter and Water element. The quieter more introspective aspect of Winter (November 8 to January 17) can help you balance this emotion if you tap into its gifts.

Water Can Be Frightening But Balances Fear with Life

How interesting that water can be a raging frightful destructive torrent, flood or tidal wave. It can literally tear things apart, wear down rocks and take life away.

On the other hand, water is essential to life.

Feng shui utilizes water as a calming zen type 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 revive.

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.

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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. It isn’t 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’ve all experienced zen—those times we lapse into the zone.

Everything just clicks without much effort at all.

In those moments, we feel confident and masterful. We both know and feel we can do no wrong. Everything just falls into place and we feel serene.

Zen is in those moments an Olympic ice skater performs flawlessly, when an artist effortlessly paints a masterpiece 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 from us. Your absolute attention and concentration on the mundane as well as the auspicious helps you realize all is one. Consciously or unconsciously, we lapse into zen.

Zen is peace at last—the opposite of fear.

You have peace at last when you embrace and understand that you’re one even with all the things you don’t enjoy or prefer in this world. You have peace at last when you begin to notice you’re one with the flora and fauna, the seen and the unseen.

In the state of zen, you find no problem in the world to solve. You have no enemy to conquer because all of us are all of it. Life is a flowing process in which the mind and consciousness are intertwined. They exist 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?

Open to the idea of zen. Intend it in your life.

You may soon be amazed to find yourself lapsing into zen moments. There you find a real reprieve from the chaos of the world.

PHYTO5 can assist you in your quest for zen serenity.

Give yourself the gift of quantum energetic Water element skincare line especially if fear is a predominant emotion in you.

Water element Phyt’Ether serum and Yogi Body Gel will balance not just dry skin losing elasticity. Because they’re quantum energetic they’ll bring your emotions to balance too. Transform fear into a sense of zenitude.

Your olfactory system is located close to and works in conjunction with you pituitary and pineal glands and amygdala in the brain. The amygdala is involved in the experiencing of emotions. Our proprietary formulation of the products and the natural fragrance of high grade synergistically blended essential oils affect your emotional state directly.

If you’re fearful and agitated you’ll probably notice a shift to a state of zenitude.

…

Sources:

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

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

Photo by Martin Reisch on Unsplash 

Quantum Medicine: A Modern Evolution of Energy Medicines

The building blocks of the body’s vital matter are small bundles of energy called quanta. When we understand the body’s made of quanta, we see with a whole new vision. We look at illness with new eyes. And we understand the practice and outcomes of energetic healing therapies on a more profound level. We seek to match quantum medicine with a quantum body and that makes a great deal of sense.

Quantum Medicine: Foundation of All Energy Medicine Practices

Energy medicines understand 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’s vital energy that makes matter vital. Health requires a proper flow of vital energy. Impede vital energy flow and you cause not just physical discomfort but disease.

Cellular biochemical exchange doesn’t determine our state of health. Our cells exchange electromagnetic information with each other bears directly on our health. And this kind of communication is the essence of quantum medicine.

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Quantum Medicine: Informational In Nature

All things vibrate. Plants, animals, humans, rocks and rivers all vibrate. Our physical senses are not able to 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).

Scientists have researched electromagnetic frequencies for over a century. As modern biofeedback equipment continues to improve, researchers are able to more and more precisely measure the subtle energy of our vital energy.

Quantum medicine suggests two things:

1. Vital energy carries information.

2. The information is intelligent. 

This intelligence implies that some part of our being knows. That knowledge is within ourselves. It’s the knowledge of our Higher Self, the ultimate Observer.

A disease is not simply a biological problem as generally seen by Contemporary Western medicine views disease as a biological problem. In fact, quantum medicine indicates it’s a lack or block in the free flow of information exchange carried by vital energy flow that creates disease.

We all possess an innate intelligence that directs and regulates our biological functions. And quantum medicine draws on and responds to that innate intelligence.

A non-material aspect, call it intention or consciousness, seems to affect the outcome of both matter and energy. The action of the observer affects the outcome of the observation. Quantum physicists have proven this in the laboratory.

Quantum medicine accepts and counts on a patient’s natural propensity for auto-regeneration. Once you restore the previously obstructed flow of intelligent information, an energetic coherence occurs and it heals.

Quantum Medicine: Biodynamic Healer

We see Albert Einstein's famous equation E=mc2 as precursor to quantum medicine. Translate it as: “Matter and energy are interchangeable,” and further that “Matter is energy in motion.”

Quantum medicine forces us to no longer see the body merely as a complex of organs and tissues where we treat each separately.

Quantum medicine pushes us to see the body as a complex of constantly vibrating electromagnetic fields. Trillions of biophotonic particles of light circulate in these electromagnetic fields within our physical and energetic bodies.

They carry necessary information to maintain homeostasis (the ability of the body or a cell to seek and maintain a condition of equilibrium or stability). This is their purpose. 

Quantum medicine therapies use a variety of biodynamic frequencies (frequencies that promote physiological functions) to reset the information flow. This vibrational correction we call bio-resonance.  

The subatomic is the realm even more fundamental than the atom. Quantum physics and the work of Albert Einstein concerning the nature and behavior of light focused on this level.

They discovered there aren’t smaller amounts of matter but small quantities of energy (quanta of energy) in constant vibration.

This enables us to conclude that the building blocks of matter are energy in movement determined by specific frequencies.

To each organ, tissue, and cell corresponds a specific energy (thus a specific frequency and electromagnetic field). An analogy is the mobile phone assigned its own number for purposes of connection and identification.

Quantum Medicine: Influenced by Quantum Physics

The findings of quantum physics influenced quantum medicine in a number of ways.

The Observer concept mentioned earlier is one. It requires us to accept the effect of mind over matter.

Practitioners of oriental martial arts and yoga know that where their attention and intention go so does their energy.

Similarly, many quantum scientists believe 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.

So many quantum mechanics finding over the last few decades hold strong implications for quantum medicine. They completely justify ancestral energy medicine precepts, particularly those of traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda of India. 

Quantum Medicine: Pseudo Medicine?

Google searches for quantum medicine will often suggest quantum medicine is pseudo–science or quackery.

Remember that we’ve all heard the same comments about chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, and reiki which are well accepted today.

Science generally proceeds with new and disturbing empirical observations that can be proven only at a later date. This is why, in general, they’re 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.

…

Source:

Chopra, Deepak. Quantum Healing (Revised and Updated): Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine. United Kingdom, Random House Publishing Group, 2015.

Emotional Balance Makes You Comfortable In Your Own Skin

It might surprise you but it’s a fact. Most young people are less happy than their older counterparts. The social norms we’ve all been raised to live by keep us in constant stress. It’s only after decades of duress that most people come to realize so few of these norms are actually important in life. Without the benefit of years of experience, younger people, though smart, experience many obstacles to the happiness that comes from wisdom.

With maturity people seem to more easily feel comfortable in their own skin.

Elena Holodny of Business Insider points to a 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.”

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With maturity we also learn we have a great degree of control over our emotions. We learn that whatever emotion we choose to be the predominant one in our lives shapes our experience in many ways.

Emotional balance affects the quality of our relationships and our health. It even affects our appearance.

Emotional Negativity

All negative experiences in our lives, including sickness and the physical decline of aging, negatively affect our emotional state.

Emotional negativity can also result from poor lifestyle choices and habits.

And left ignored emotional negativity will feed on itself and spoil our lives.

We need to develop much conscious self-awareness and mental discipline to maintain emotional balance.

One way to help maintain emotional balance is to keep your unseen vital energy flowing and in balance. It will positively affect your emotional state, balance and well-being.

PHYTO5 quantum energetic five-element lines of skincare can help you balance your emotions. PHYTO5 discovered a proprietary formulation method that takes these products to the level of quantum high vibrational frequency.

In the words of Deepak Chopra, MD:

“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.”

PHYTO5 quantum energetic five element skincare is able to reach that quantum zero-point of your body and being. PHYTO5 found 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.

In quantum energy balancing, vital energy flows throughout the body provoking emotional release. A profound sense of calm and well-being ensue.

Just like all colors derive from three primary colors, in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), all emotions derive from five basic emotions. Each of the five basic emotions of TCM embody a yang/positive and yin/negative aspect.

PHYTO5's Beauty of Emotions skincare therapy delivers the full potential of PHYTO5 quantum energetic skincare. Our trained professionals apply a specific protocol utilizing PHYTO5 proprietary equipment for this signature treatment.

We created the Beauty of Emotions treatment to easily and effortlessly deliver:

• a state of elation and enormous well-being

• heightened vitality of skin.

And the effects are lasting even when if you follow a simple home regimen we’ve adapted to this treatment.

We recognize not everyone lives near a PHYTO5 professional trained in the Beauty of Emotions protocol.

There is a way you can enjoy the benefits of our quantum energetic products without experiencing the full Beauty of Emotions treatment. 

Begin simply with one of our next generation quantum energetic Phyt’Ether serums.

• Oily skin and sluggish vital energy flow: Wood element Phyt’Ether

• Irritated, sensitive, red, overheated allergic skin and out-of-balance energy of red blood circulation: Fire element Phyt’Ether

• Toxic skin with acne or blemishes and enlarged pores; sluggish flow of lymph: Earth element Phyt’Ether

• Dull congested skin with surface flakiness and fine lines and compromised energy of blue blood circulation: Metal element Phyt’Ether

• Mature dehydrated skin losing elasticity with lines and wrinkles and out-of-balance moisture retention: Water element Phyt’Ether.

Simply start with the Phyt'Ether that corresponds to your current dominant emotion.

• Wood: anger and lack of confidence; transform these emotions to kindness and confidence.

• Fire: joylessness or the opposite over-the-top expression of joy; bring your joy into balance.

• Earth: overwhelm and a feeling of being stuck from over-caretaking of others; find your way to feel more free to finish unfinished projects and express yourself creatively.

• Metal: regret and worry; come to a sense that all is well.

• Water: fear; develop an sense of zenitude.

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.

One convenient way you can prepare yourself for any emotional eventuality is by keeping the PHYTO5 mini Phyt-Ether serum home balancing kit on hand.

…

Endnote:

*Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

Source:

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.

Healthiest Fall Foods Are White Foods

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), color doesn’t only reflect the energy of each of the five energetic seasons. Color indicates ways and gives us clues about how we can live in harmony with the season. TCM’s colors of energetic Fall are blue (yang energy) and silvery white (yin energy aspect).

The colors for all five seasons of TCM are:

• Spring: warm green and teal

• Summer: red and purple

• Between seasons(1): yellow and ochre

• Fall: blue and silver white

• Winter: deep violet and black.

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White foods are Fall Foods.

White foods will help fortify your health during energetic Fall.

The white foods we mention here we suggest as complements to your diet or as seasonal replacements for certain fruits and vegetables.

TCM is all about balance so keep this concept in mind when you’re in the throes of Fall food prep. And just because white foods are optimal during Fall, don’t eat white foods to the exclusion of most others.

The organs of Fall in TCM are lung (yin) and large intestine (yang).

Our skin is so closely associated with the element of the season, Metal, and particularly associated with the lungs that TCM refers to the skin as our third lung. Lung needs to be strong enough to keep the dryness-causing wind out during Fall.

White foods nourish the lungs. TCM considers white foods clear foods which are very beneficial for skin and for nourishing the lungs at a time when our bodies need good lung energy the most. 

Pear is just about as efficient as apple in Autumn. Its nature is cold and nourishing, balancing the yang in our bodies and helping to prevent dryness and coughing. Its properties are particularly activated when adding white flesh pear to warm soups.

White or snow fungus is one of the most popular fungi in the cuisine and medicine of China and is very nourishing to the skin. It can also help reduce lung damage caused by smoking. It has a refreshing taste and is best used in sweet soups along with pear mentioned above.

Some flower bulbs can be eaten and are enormously nutritious. The lily bulb is one of them. These bulbs can be gathered in Autumn, cleaned and sun-dried. The lily bulb’s nature is moist and it helps to pacify emotional anxiety and uneasiness as we transition from one season to the next. Consume sun-dried lily bulb with white fungus and honey or sautéed with garlic and celery.

Lotus seed has strong properties for healing colds and reducing fevers. Use less than a handful of lotus seeds (purchased in Chinese grocery stores and pharmacies) and make a warm, sweet soup with the above-mentioned ingredients (pear, white fungus and lily bulbs). Cook all together with some crystallized cane sugar (not common refined sugar) on low heat.

The water chestnut is very good for clearing the lungs and again, very beneficial for people who smoke. 

White beans are very detoxifying and rich in minerals. They also contain a little known trace mineral, molybdenum responsible for manufacturing a number of detoxifying enzymes. They fight against the storage of energy as body fat and their high antioxidant content provides anti-aging properties.

Abounding in vitamin C, lotus root helps to maintain the integrity of blood vessels, organs and skin. (Vitamin C is both antioxidant and an important component of collagen.) Lotus root can be steamed, stewed or fried.

To treat dryness that comes with Autumn, here is a more exhaustive list of white foods that can be very effective. They can help clear heat, promote fluid production and moisten the lung.

• almonds

• apple

• bamboo shoots

• cauliflower

• hempseed kernels

• jicama

• sun-dried lily bulb

• lotus root

• lotus seed

• pear

• pine nuts

• rice

• tofu

• water chestnut

• white bean

• white fish

• white fungus

• white mushrooms

• white radish

• winter melon

…

Endnote:

(1) Between seasons relates to the four 18-day transitional periods of the year sandwiched between each of the four major seasons. Earth is the element of these between seasons periods of the year.

Source:

Liu, Zhan-Wen, et al. Health Cultivation in Chinese Medicine. Peoples Medical Publishing House (PMPH), 2012.

Tips for Your Vitality In Fall and Winter

According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), energetic Fall and the season of the Metal element run from August 7 to October 20. Energetic Fall’s the time to gently immerse yourself in the quieter, more introspective energies of the season. It’s a time of harvest and preparation for the upcoming energetic Winter. Here are tips for making a smooth transition from energetic Summer to Fall and beyond.

Autumn is a time of establishing a rhythmic order. There is a downward energy, grounding our bodies, minds and even our food into the earth. It is the ideal time to focus on the colon as life energy contracts and will prepare for a dormant state in the winter. Autumn is associated with white, and also the time of year our ‘white’ foods are at their peak. They are the digestives and immune boosting foods such as: apples, pears, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic and leeks. – Kate Kennington, Cleansing with Kate

As you prepare yourself for Winter (season of the Water element), get yourself more organized at this time of year. Establish more order in your life.

Throughout energetic Summer (season of the Fire element), you probably feasted and fested. You might have been more physically active enjoying vacations, social events and holidays.

But the season of Autumn provides you the new opportunity to retreat within body and mind and reflect on your life positively and productively.

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What can we learn from the past two seasons in a way we can constructively apply throughout Fall and Winter?

If you have unfinished projects you started in Spring and Summer, energetic Fall is the perfect time to complete them. The energies of the Fall season will support and encourage you to begin indoor projects that involve more mental and introspective processes. 

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The lung and large intestine are the internal organs associated with Fall and the Metal element.

Lung is associated with the emotion of letting go. The very act of conscious breathing enables us to let go of what we don’t want as we fully and deeply exhale.

Some people so love Summer that Fall can be a challenging time for them. Now they have to give up longer days, warm weather and some outdoor social activities.

Utilizing the lungs to practice slowing down the breath helps you come to your center and the now moment. It will help you focus gratitude for the Summer which has passed and the Fall which has arrived.

Slower deeper breathing helps you maintain your physical vigor throughout both Fall and Winter. It can improve mental clarity and a nicely balanced emotional state.

Soul and spirit should be tranquil to keep lungs pure… – The Neijing Suwen

TCM finds the lung to be the "tender organ” since it’s the uppermost organ in the body making it particularly susceptible to wind and cold. As the temperatures change, be proactive with your health and dress appropriately for the weather.

Proper sleep encourages Fall vitality. The ancient medical text, the Neijing Suwen, advises we should retire early at night and rise with the crowing of the rooster during Autumn.

“There was temperance in eating and drinking. Their hours of rising and retiring were regular and not disorderly and wild. By these means the ancients kept their bodies united with their souls, so as to fulfill their allotted span completely, measuring unto a hundred years before they passed away.


The wise man will surely conform to the changes of the four seasons, adapt himself to the cold of winter and the heat of summer, neutralize joy and anger and live a regular life.

”

— Both passages from the Neijing Suwen

…

Sources:

Maciocia, Giovanni. The Foundations of Chinese Medicine E-Book: A Comprehensive Text. 3rd ed., Elsevier Academic Press, 2015.

Kennington, Kate. Cleansing with Kate: A Whole Food Guide to Nourishing Your Whole Self. 3rd ed., Kennington, 2014.

Photo courtesy of Daiga Ellaby at Unsplash

What You Need to Know About Essential Oils

An essential oil is a natural volatile material typically obtained by distillation. It emits the characteristic fragrance, flavor and/or action of the plant or other source from which it’s extracted.

Essential oils are found in various plant parts: leaves, stems, flower buds, open flowers, peels, barks, fruits, roots, needles, twigs, and resins. 

When you utilize an essential oil for your well-being and vitality, the oils bombards you with a wide array of beneficial chemicals. Chemically, an essential oil is a complex mixture of 30 to 100 or more phyto-chemicals or plant compounds.

There are three primary ways to get the benefits of an essential oil:

1. through topical application

2. by inhalation, and

3. by ingestion.

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TOPICAL APPLICATION

You can enjoy essential oils’ benefits by topically applying directly to skin. But you must always apply an essential oil in a carrier oil. Fractionated coconut oil is one example.

You need to use a carrier oil to prevent burning, irritation or other very uncomfortable effects. This is because essential oils are extremely potent.

For example, it takes about 60,000 roses or 200 pounds of petals to make one ounce of damask rose essential oil. Similar factors hold true for all essential oils. So never apply an essential oil directly to skin unless it’s suspended in an appropriate carrier oil.

You can also diffuse essential oils in bathwater asanother way to apply the oils topically.

To increase aborption effectiveness, gently massage the area first to improve circulation in that area. Applying a drop of an essential oil blend on warmed skin will also enhance circulation and in turn enhance absorption. 

Take advantage of proven and appropriate proportions and blends of essential oils in reputable PHYTO5 Swiss-made skincare products.

This is how you can ensure you get the benefit of enormously potent essential oils without irritating skin.

European made products like PHYTO5 Swiss-made skincare must comply with strict European regulations limiting the type and concentration of natural essential oils in skincare products. The U. S. makes no such requirements for your protection.

INHALATION

Inhale the fragrance of essential oils. It’s another way to realize their healing benefits. Inhalation affects the body through several systems and pathways.

It can occur:

• by breathing the fragrance of the oil through the nose or mouth, and

• aromatherapeutically via diffuser or in a bath.

Do these two things to activate essential oils’ energetic properties:

1. warming the oils slightly, and

2. tapping the bottle first two or three times.

All the physical organs or cells which relate to the sense of smell make up your olfactory system. When you inhale the fragrance of an essential oil, airborne molecules interact with your olfactory organs and reach the brain almost immediately through a variety of receptor sites.

One of these receptor sites is the limbic system,(1)–what some refer to as the emotional brain or the smell brain.

The limbic system is a group of deep brain structures that are involved in the sense of smell and the experience of emotions… The limbic system works in coordination with the pituitary gland** and the hypothalamus*** area of the brain to regulate the hormonal activities of the endocrine system… [it] also influences immunity. Through their action on the limbic system, essential oils can have a positive impact on all of these functions by bringing balance to the body. – Roberta Wilson, Aromatherapy: Essential Oils for Vibrant Health and Beauty

When you inhale the scent of an essential oil its microscopic molecules travel to the lungs and interact positively with your respiratory system.

INGESTION

You can also internally ingest essential oils but again, because of their potency you must be very careful. Don’t overdo. One or two drops in a tall glass of water is all you need.

One or a few drops of essential oil doesn’t look like very much, but because they’re so powerful ingesting more could actually be detrimental. It could throw you into a healing crisis.

If you want to consume essential oils through the mouth, you really should consult an expert in essential oils for your safety. In France, for example, trained physicians and pharmacists prescribe and dispense essential oils as remedies.

Take these reasons for caution when ingesting essential oils seriously:

• Some essential oils can be toxic to the liver or kidneys when ingested.

• A chemical breakdown of essential oils during digestion can so alter the effects you may not achieve the results desired.

Sometimes quality of essential oils is questionable.

Be aware that just because you find essential oils in your local department or even grocery store, it doesn’t necessarily follow the quality is high. In some cases, they might even be synthetically created. They may smell great to you but have no wellness benefits whatsoever.

It’s smart to incorporate the use of essential oils into your holistic lifestyle. At the same time, do your due diligence to learn about every aspect of essential oils. Become a well informed consumer and get what you believe you’re paying for.

When it comes to essential oils in skincare (which is a profoundly therapeutic way to introduce essential oils into your system), rely on the vast knowledge and experience of chemists well trained in the appropriate dosages, blends and use of the oils. PHYTO5 skincare is formulated by expert chemists trained in the proper use of essential oils.

…

Endnotes:

(1) a complex system of nerves and networks in the brain, involving several areas near the edge of the cortex concerned with instinct and mood. It controls the basic emotions (fear, pleasure, anger) and drives (hunger, sex, dominance, care of offspring). –The New Oxford American Dictionary

(2) A pea-sized body attached to the base of the brain, the pituitary is important in controlling growth and development and the functioning of the other endocrine glands. It is the major endocrine gland. –The New Oxford American Dictionary

(3) a region of the forebrain below the thalamus that coordinates both the autonomic nervous system and the activity of the pituitary, controlling body temperature, thirst, hunger, and other homeostatic systems, and involved in sleep and emotional activity. –The New Oxford American Dictionary

 …

Sources:

The New Oxford American Dictionary

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

Photo courtesy of Ksenia Makagonova at Unsplash

Relief for Sensitive, Hot, Irritated Skin: Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Known as a beauty oil, ylang ylang (pronounced “ee-LUNG-ee-LUNG") is analgesic, anti-anxiety, anti-depressant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, aphrodisiacal, cooling, a nervine, sedative, and antispasmodic. In PHYTO5 skincare, it helps prevent signs of aging, protects skin cells from oxidative stress and DNA damage and works to restore skin’s glow.

Ylang ylang is the flower of a tree native to Southern India, Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands. The blossoms are powerfully scented and must be harvested from the trees at dawn or they will become bruised and discolored and rendered useless for fragrance and essential oils.

Romantic and aphrodisiacal, ylang ylang flowers are strewn on the beds of newlywed couples in Malaysia. Ylang ylang, translated as 'flower of flowers,’ is a principle ingredient in such legendary perfumes as Chamade by Guerlain, L'Air du Temps by Nina Ricci, Jean Patou's Sublime, Opium by Yves Saint Laurent and the iconic Chanel No. 5 created by Coco Chanel. Its scent is sweet, spicy, floral and intoxicating.

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Ylang ylang’s aroma is distinctly feminine or yin. When we find ourselves in an excessive masculine (yang) state, we can balance it by using an essential oil such as ylang ylang. This flower is often a component in men’s fragrance because it has been found to be healing and balancing to the male psyche.

Ylang ylang stimulates and supports the emotion of joy, the most prominent emotion of energetic Summer. It assists to relieve depression and its cooling properties are extremely beneficial to skin conditions associated with the Fire element/Summer season (according to traditional Chinese medicine). As outlined below, ylang ylang can provide significant anti-depressant properties.

The array of benefits ylang ylang can holistically offer our lives, both physically and mentally, is impressive:

• helps prevent signs of aging

• protects skin cells from oxidative stress and DNA damage

• assists to restore a healthful glow to the skin

• fights the development of skin cancer cells and melanoma

• regulating and balancing to the skin and excellent for all skin types

• helps tone skin and hair

• calms and soothes sensitive, blotchy, allergic skin and couperose

• maintains the skin's moisture

• assists to reduce redness and irritation with antimicrobial properties

• prevents and controls acne

• naturally regulates sebum and is good for oily skin

• soothes dry, itchy scalp and repairs split ends

  • Check out Sweet Almond Oil Shampoo containing ylang ylang

• stimulates new hair growth and prevents hair loss

  • Have a look at Hairlixir Shampoo with ylang ylang 

• helps relieve symptoms of PMS

• balances hormones

• supports kidney and adrenal function; good for bladder control

• promotes healthy intestinal function

• calms and de-stresses (it’s aphrodisiacal); assists as an antidepressant and helps to maintain good temper; calms over-excited states

• helps diffuse feelings of fear, anger and tension

• assists with panic attacks by deepening cellular respiration and normalizing breathing

• improves ability to fall asleep and sleep well and peacefully

• increases blood circulation

• soothes tachycardia and hypertension

• comforts the heart after grief, trauma, shock and challenges to the nervous system

• helps to create a romantic environment: exotic, sensual, sweet, floral

• fights parasites

As always, for all essential oils, do your research on how best to use them whether it’s aromatically, topically or internally. Essential oils are very potent and not all of them can be taken internally. Most that can be ingested must be infused with a carrier oil and then only in very small amounts. Premium essential oils perfectly and precisely mixed in PHYTO5 skin and body care is a safe way to enjoy many of the benefits of a whole array of essential oils.

…

Source:

Stiles, K. G. The Essential Oils Complete Reference Guide: Over 250 Recipes for Natural Wholesome Aromatherapy. Salem, MA: Page Street, 2017. Print.

Big Pharma Knows Plants Heal

Approximately half of the top ten prescription medications in the U.S. might not exist if it weren't for the spectacular biodiversity of the wild natural world.

Even so and despite all their promise, fewer than 10 percent of tropical forest plant species have been examined for their chemical compounds and medicinal value. Beyond the tropical, there could be plants growing in your own backyard or in your local park or preserve that are part of nature's most exquisite healing benefactors.

We haven't even scratched the surface of the cornucopia of healing gifts Earth has to offer. It's all there waiting for us to discover.

With earth was the human being created. All the elements served mankind and, sensing that man was alive, they busied themselves in aiding his life in every way. And man in turn occupied himself with them. The earth gave its vital energy, according to each person's race, nature, habits, and environment. –Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), Medieval polymath

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Professor Sir Ghillean Prance, FRS, Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, London says:

Modern pharmacopoeia still contain at least 25% drugs derived from plants and many others which are synthetic analogues built on prototype compounds isolated from plants. Since so many of our modern medicines were also derived from plants and such a small percentage have been accurately analyzed chemically, it is certain that there are many more to be discovered.

The world's developing countries rely more on "traditional medicines" or plant remedies rather than medicinal drugs. Sir Gillian Prance goes on to say:

The World Health Organization has estimated that 80% of the population of developing countries rely on traditional medicines, mostly plant drugs, for their primary healthcare needs.

The drug cortisone comes from wild yams from Mexico and Guatemala and is the active ingredient in birth control pills. Vincristine, derived from the Rosy periwinkle, is used to treat childhood leukemia. Pacific yew, a conifer native to the Pacific Northwest, is the origin plant of a somewhat new medicine for cancer.

Dr. Jim Duke, author of The Green Pharmacy, headed the USDA program seeking anti-cancer drugs in the rainforest for many years with pharmacists and physicians in the rainforests of Costa Rica. What MedicineHunter.com says about Dr. Duke encapsulates the story of natural healing with plant remedies.

Dr. James A. Duke's preeminent contribution to USDA and the world is his integrated view of using plants for food, medicine and fuel; informed by his lengthy study of how people in remote jungles successfully use plants for all aspects of their economic existence. You might say that the author of the popular The Green Pharmacy was 'green' before the rest of the world recognized our need to use resources more efficiently. Another important contribution of note: Dr. Duke showed that almost all edible legumes contain estrogenic isoflavones, key cancer modulators.

PHYTO5 Swiss-made skincare takes nature’s lead too.

We rely almost completely on flower and plant essential oils and extracts for our skincare formulations. Synthetic chemical formulations don't make sense to us when nature is so abundant with every healing, nourishing, restoring gift imaginable. 

Some of the unique and natural ingredients in our seasonal Fire element line for Summer for example, include:

marine algae, essential oils of lavender, lemon, cypress, sweet marjoram, thyme, ylang ylang, corn seed, rosemary, Sylvester pine, grapeseed, jojoba, avocado, rose hips, and peppermint, plus extracts of capsicum and rosemary.

Visit the seasonal line of your choice and click through the product image for the list of unique ingredients specific to that product and their health and wellness benefits.

…

Sources:

Bingen, Hildegard Af, and Priscilla Throop. Hildegard Von Bingen's Physica: The Complete English Translation of Her Classic Work on Health and Healing. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts, 1998. Print.

United Kingdom. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Global Initiative for Traditional Systems of Health. Medicine Plants for Forest Conservation and Health Care. Ed. Gerard Bodeker. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1997. Print.

State of Mind Is Crucial In Healing

Nature offers so many healing gifts in the diverse flora that thrives all over the world that pharmaceutical companies often go to the rainforests to harvest them. Sadly, they adulterate the healing flora as they formulate their product.

The developing world mainly relies on nature for remedies and healing. We may see them as less developed or poor but maybe their lack of access to pharmaceuticals is really an advantage for them. Their healing from nature’s herbs and flowers will be real and true where pharmaceuticals only mask symptoms.

PHYTO5 relies almost completely on nature's flora for its unique ingredients abounding with life-enhancing vital energy. 

For any healing to be effective—holistic or conventional medical—another important component must be present. The companion to the medicine, natural or unnatural, is the mind.

As we’ve all experienced, healing or management of disease and physical pain doesn’t solely rely on taking natural remedies, synthetic analogs to nature or other drugs.

Studies show that 18 to 80% of the time, people taking placebos (including fake procedures) completely recover from their condition. This is without adding any other drug, remedy, medical procedure or therapy.

The placebo effect indicates the mind is a principal component in our health, healing, and wellness.

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Humankind has evolved long enough to have realized that our thoughts are powerful actors in our human experience. We’ve learned that when we think a thought, we immediately conjure a related emotion or feeling. The more clear and powerful the mind the more new circumstances take shape.

Sometimes the result of our thought is almost immediate. But most of the time a lag time exists between the thought, the emotion, and the manifestation.

This time lag between thought and manifested result actually provides the space for healing to occur. It allows us to realize an error in thought and correct it before an unwanted event results. Of course, this can only occur for those who are aware of the power of their minds and who seek to gain mastery of it.

This time lag is a sort of fail-safe mechanism that does into action by default. This is until we gain greater control of our mind and emotions.

This helps us to see illness or other limitations as potentially constructive experiences. We can emerge from them with a better understanding of ourselves.

Of course, this can only occur for those aware of the power of the mind and for those who work to gain mastery of it.

When it comes to self-healing, our state of mind is crucial.

Our state of mind demonstrates itself in the quality of our thoughts and emotions. Essentially, we either entertain positive thoughts and emotions or negative ones.

Experience shows the positive ones contribute to healing and the negative ones do not. In fact, the negative thoughts and emotions worsen the sickness or condition.

The more we practice dominion over our thoughts and emotions, the more effective creators we become. With a sustained practice, eventually the need to use thought and emotion to create healing will be gradually replaced by homeostasis. Eventually we’ll no longer need to seek healing because equilibrium will be our natural state of being.

Tons of self-help books have said it over and over again: What we focus on, expands.

This message is repeated so much because most of the authors have proven it out in their lives.

The more energy we give a thing, the bigger and more prominent it becomes in our lives. We need to look at where we place our focus and energy.

Focus is the key.

As long as we contemplate a certain desire outcome we create a preponderance of that thought in the mind. This makes our desire outcome likely to occur (though it may not always happen with the exact expected outcome). This is considered a law of the universe.

Our mental practice doesn't have to be rigid, dogmatic, absolute, complete and total focus. But if we can come close establishing that preponderance of positive thoughts about the healing we desire, our lives shift to reflect this new state of mind.

This can't help but feel good. And so we create a mental and emotional loop that creates physical bodies in closer alignment with our higher nature.

The ultimate book on the power of thought, As a Man Thinketh, written in 1902 by James Allen says it beautifully:

“They [men and women] themselves are makers of themselves by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master weaver both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness.”

As a Man Thinketh is in the public domain and you can download a free copy by going to Project Gutenberg here. The booklet is also for sale by booksellers quite inexpensively.