Rooting in Silence

 

 

I love to walk along the path during the winter months.  It is so quiet and peaceful.  It is a time of rooting down and resting like our plants relatives.  I rest in gratitude over the last year and contemplate the promise of new beginnings.     One of my favorite plants in the winter is the White Pine.  I love the smell mostly.  It brings a calm serenity to my mind.

 Besides the lovely aroma, the White Pine is wonderful for Cold remedies.  It has 10 times more Vitamin C than an Orange.  One year when I was struggling with a lingering cold, I wanted to use a plant that was available, so I turned to the white pine.  I gathered the fallen fronds, packed them into a jar, covered them with cold water, added 1 TB. fennel and let it sit for 6 hours.  After removing the matter, I drank the juice.  My cold disappeared rather quickly.   Thank you White Pine!

Other plants I look for in the winter are Chickweed and Burdock.  Chickweed is a highly nutritious emerging first in early Spring, disappears during the hot weather and reappears when the weather cools again. It is a welcome surprise because most the of the wild edibles are dormant until next Spring.  I suggest when you find a patch, pick it, eat it raw, or blend in smoothies or make it into a pesto.

The Burdock Root is best harvested in the late fall.  Burdock root is a wonderful blood cleanser which is great this time of year after all the rich holiday treats. It can be taken orally or used topically as a remedy for skin disorders.   I like adding it to soups, and Chai Teas dried or fresh. 

Thank you and Namaste to all my Zen FriendsJ

www:zenjenskin.com               Like me on Facebook        zenjenskin@gmail.com   828.777.8044

 

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I am proud to announce that Zenjenskin products are now sold locally at:

South Asheville

Katuah Market- Local by Nature located is Biltmore Villiage Asheville

www.katuahmarket.com

Downtown

French Broad Coop Food for people- Not for profit is located downtown Asheville

www.frenchbroadfood.coop.com  

 

 

 

                                

 

 

 

 

 

Honeysuckle for love and passion

Honeysuckle flowers invoke dreams of love and passion
Living in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I have the privilege of enjoying many botanical delights. We have numerous wild, invasive plants and when I hear that a plant is invasive my interest peaks because it means it’s plentiful and if it’s plentiful to me that’s nature’s way of saying, “I’m available for you and your health. Come get me.”Let me introduce you to one of my favorite wild invasive plants.
If you have ever walked past honeysuckle vines, which are plentiful in our area, a sweet, pungent aroma will fill your senses.   Perfume companies have long recognized the pleasant aroma and have used it in potions for many years.   The honeysuckle flower has a reputation for being associated with love and the bonds of love due to its sweet aroma and the fact that its flower looks like two lovers intertwined. The scent of honeysuckle is said to cause dreams of love and passion.  Oh la la!
 Plucking off a flower or two and sucking the honey at the base of the flower is an experience like no other. It is one of my favorite childhood pastimes that has continued into adulthood. Wild honeysuckle (Japanese Honeysuckle or Lonicera Japonica) contains sweet nectar that’s just like… you guessed it…. honey.  Honey bees like it too, but their bodies are too large to get inside the horn shaped flower, so they poke holes in the outside of the flower and take honeysuckle nectar without pollinating the blooms. The task of pollinating is left to the long tongued moth.
The flowers of the Honeysuckle have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-bacterial, and astringent properties.  The nutrients in Honeysuckle are many, including Vitamin C, Bioflavonoids, Antioxidants, Quercitin, and Salicylic Acid.
Skin Care Benefits
Vitamin C:  protects and supports collagen in the skin.
Bioflavonoids: powerful antioxidants which give protection from free radical damage and boost the action of Vitamin C.
Antioxidants:  fight free radicals and protect your skin from oxidative damage
Salicylic Acid:  a gentle exfoliator which reduces buildup of dead skin cells and products on skin
Anti-inflammatory:   calms inflammatory conditions common in sensitive skin
Anti-bacterial:  helps fight infection common in acneic skin conditions
Astringent:   tightens the pores of the skin

Coming Soon:  Honeysuckle Toner for all skin types especially Sensitive Skin.  Visit
Zenjenskin.com  for more details.

Other benefits

The actions of Bioflavonoids, Vitamin C and the antiviral properties of the honeysuckle flower make it a good choice for cough and flu remedies.  An infusion of the flowers can be used as a tea for coughs and colds as well as upper respiratory tract infections.  In addition, the combination of Quercitin, and Vitamin C has anti-viral properties and is helpful is reducing the histamine reaction common in allergies and asthma.

Honeysuckle Sore Throat Remedy

Ingredients:
2 cups honeysuckle fresh edible flowers (and leaves)
1 quart purified water
1 cup honey
Directions:
1. Gather two cups of leaves and flowers from wild Honeysuckle vines (make sure they haven't been sprayed).
2. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil and add the two cups of honeysuckle leaves. Gently simmer for 10 minutes and strain.
3. Add the "tea" back to the pot and add 1 cup of honey, bring to a boil and boil for one minute and remove from heat.
4. Store in fridge up to a month or freeze in small batches and take out as needed.
5. Dosage: 1 oz every two hours for children.
More honeysuckle recipes can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/back-to-the-basics-hope-for-the-best-prepare-for-the-worst/honeysuckle-heres-some-recipes-to-try-next-time-they-bloom/10150290286345242

Purifying properties of cinnamon

Reveal the natural glow of your skin with the purifying properties of cinnamon.

This sweet, savory spice which is often associated with the warmth of the holidays, but I use cinnamon almost every day.  I sprinkle it on yogurt, oatmeal and add it my homemade Chai (recipe below)  Loving this spice,  I was especially excited to find that you can compound it into your skincare as a safe, natural skin lightening agent as well as a super antioxidant.  It balances skin tone leaving you with a flawless complexion.

Many traditionally used skin lighteners such as, hydroquinone and corticosteroids have effectively been used to reduce hyperpigmentation.  However these synthetic products have been associated with negative effects, such as cell toxicity, the reason why they are tightly regulated or banned. This has led to the search for more natural and safe plant based skin solutions.  Cinnamomum was found to have significant natural skin lightening properties due to its impact on melanin levels.

Because of Cinnamon’s potent antioxidant properties and its ability to naturally lighten and even skin tone, I have incorporated  it into ZenJen Skin Perfecting Sweet Orange Lotion.  So now I get the benefits of cinnamon from the inside out.   Skin Perfecting Sweet Orange Lotion

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Chai Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup either, Dandelion Root, Burdock Root, or Chaga (either ground and/or

chopped finely)

1/2 Tablespoon Ginger (dried and sifted)

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon (chips)

1/2 teaspoon whole Cloves

1/2 teaspoon Black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon Cardamom pods

1/4 cup Low fat milk

Honey to taste

A pinch of Nutmeg

Bring water to a boil in a medium pan. Add

All the spices and roots, cover and simmer for about

40-45 minutes then strain and set aside.

Stir in honey, top with frothy milk and sprinkle

with nutmeg.

About Me

Welcome to my blog and join me along the natural path as I discover natural remedies from Mother Nature as it relates to the skin inside and out.

My name is Jen and I am the founder and creator of an organic anti-aging skincare line.  My journey  began  about 6 years  ago when I was blessed to move to the mountains of North Carolina.  My home is in Asheville where I spend many hours walking in the mountains with my best friend Ray (dog) discovering the many plant and trees useful for food and medicine.  

I chose Asheville because I love the mountains and wanted to live in an area where natural healing is taught and the residents are very knowledgeable.   When I arrived, I enrolled in a 9 month herbal medicine course where I began learning all about the healing powers of plants.  Soon after, I enrolled in a class working towards a diploma in Holistic Health.  My classed ranged from Physiology and Anatomy, Nutrition, to Essential Oils.  Three years later, I received my diploma. 

During that time, I learned how to make tinctures, medical teas, healing salves, nourishing oils and extracts.  As my passion grew, I focused on how nutrition and more specifically plants nourishes and supports the skin.  Out of all these experiences grew my anti-aging skin care line, Zenjenskin.

Follow me along the natural path as I share with you articles, recipes, and stories as they relate to Skin food from Mother Nature.

 

View zenjen's products at zenjenskin.com

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Carrots in and Carrots Out

Get your glow on with Carrots In - Carrots on!

Have you had your dose of carrots today?    Carrots in the body and on the body, improves your health and your skin will noticeably be softer, smoother and firmer.   French girl’s say that carrots are the least expensive and most effective way to improving the condition of your skin.  I don’t know about you the word “inexpensive” got my attention!

Hardly there is in the world, more studied and usable plant as the carrot.  Its outstanding qualities as a food and cosmetic product have been known and used from ancient times until today. Everyone knows that carrots are extremely healthy.. But the wide reputation of carrots comes from their vitamin content: carotene, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, folic acid, inositol, vitamin C, E, and K.

Benefits  you can see

Vitamin A is essential for tissue growth in the body. Carrots contain vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, is an excellent natural antioxidant.   Antioxidants slow down the process of aging by scavenging on free radicals. These free radicals cause many health problems like eczema, dermatitis, wrinkles and even rashes.  The best thing to know is that Vitamin A increases the skin’s immunity against sun acting as a natural sun block.   Thus, vitamin A in carrot juice plays a major role in skin care helping protect and condition the skin

Vitamin C in carrots helps in collagen production in the body. Collagen is an essential protein for skin elasticity. Collagen helps to prevent wrinkles and locks the process of aging.

Other benefits :  Helps you see in low light conditions,  good functioning of immune system, skin growth, hair, teeth and gums, maintain healthy the cell membranes and outer layers of the tissues and organs, improves breathing, cleanse the liver and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases ,balance the blood sugar levels, reduce the risk of cancer and the formation of stomach ulcers, digestive disorders.

I am sure by now you are all motivated to ingest major doses of carrots and slather it on your face.   Me too!   But too many carrots can turn your skin orange(not permanent) ,although it might look like a nice tan for some of you.   So if you’re ready to start feeling and looking healthy, here are a couple of simple carrot recipes to do the magic. 

Recipes

Carrot Juice: B2 organic carrots, ½ apple, a handful of parsley, and enough purified water to achieve the consistency desired.  Drink in all that goodness!  For more recipes visit http://www.carrotjuice.com.

Carrot Mask:  finely chopped or grated carrot and blend with one yolk, lather on your face, leave for 20 minutes and remove with warm water, wash your face with cold water, then moisturize with your favorite lotion or crème.

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Vitamin A Night Creme