Khataji. Common Sense Natural Health
Here you will find our musings on many topic concerning common sense natural health. Welcome! Sit, read, and stay a while. Let us know what you think, too.
I am so excited. I just found out that chia seeds (salvia hispanica) are now available at Wholefoods in the bulk food section. Prior to knowing that I bought them at amazon.com.
For those of you who don’t know, chia seeds are the latest craze in raw, superfoods. They were used by Aztec (?) messengers long ago because they provide lots of energy and endurance. Today they are used by athletes, health food nuts, and people who want to lose weight.
They may help with weight loss because once they are wet, they expand and are coated with this jelly like stuff (kinda like bubble tea). It slows down your food absorption so you feel fuller longer. This may help you to eat less. (It works for me. I don’t feel hungry at all.)
They are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Some claim they have 15 times more Magnesium than Broccoli, 6 times more Calcium than whole milk, nearly 9 times more Omega 3 than Salmon, more fiber than flax and bran flakes, nearly 3 times more Iron than spinach, and
more Protein than soy. An added benefit is that there is no plant estrogens or cholesterol.
Some of the benefits attributed to chia seeds are that they acts as a detoxifier. They absorb toxins and clean the colon. They may stabilize blood sugar. They may help with arthritis as they have anti-inflammatory properties. They boost brain power and help to protect the heart.
As for taste, they are pretty tasteless so if you don’t like drinking them, you can add them to your food and not even know it’s there.
Click here for the article They got a few things wrong (we don’t have a $75 minimum order for retail), but we were really glad to be featured with a full page article!
Castor oil is incredibly rich in antioxidants, minerals, proteins, vitamin E, anti fungicide, and antibacterial properties. Naturally, this means that it’s good for the skin. Whether you use it directly on the skin or buy products that contain castor oil, you will be delighted with the results.
The best type to get is organic, cold-pressed, hexane free. If it’s not organic, it could contain insecticides or other chemicals that are harmful to the body. If it’s not cold pressed, it might have the beneficial properties removed.
For wrinkle reduction, place a small amount directly on your skin before bed. It will be thick and sticky, so make sure you don’t get it on your linens as it may stain. You will notice a difference in a few weeks.
For scars, add directly to the scar. I was holding a rabbit and a dog ran by scaring the rabbit. The rabbit was trying to get away, so I held it tighter. In the process, the rabbit deeply scratched my arm and stomach. I started putting castor oil on the arm scar because it looked like I tried to kill myself! The scars on my arms were deeper than the ones on my stomach, but so far, the ones on my arm are healing faster. This isn’t an overnight cure. It doesn’t even go along particularly quickly, but it’s better than having a life long scar. It even works on old scars.
Other benefits of castor oil are that it can help oily skin produce less oil. It can improve acne. When put on your eye lashes, it is said to help them grow and thicken. (I have done this but without success, but it may be because I didn’t do it long enough). It is also a skin softener.
Be sure to shop Khataji for natural skin care products containing castor oil!
The coming of cold weather and bringing in the harvest always makes me think of making syrup. It’s not yet time for that, but if you have never done it, now is a good time to get the appropriate supplies and read up on what it takes to tap and process the sap. Once you see how easily it can be done, you will never want store bought syrup again!
Here is the short version of how it works.
* Assemble your supplies.
* Select the trees you want to tap. The best are: Sugar, Black, Red, and Silver maple (in that order). You want trees that are at least a foot in diameter, have good sunlight exposure, and appear healthy.
* Wait for the right weather conditions. This is somewhere between mid-February and mid-March when daytime temperatures are above freezing, but night time temperatures are below freezing. This will create conditions for the sap to flow.
* Tap the trees about 3 feet high on the south side of the tree, but not within 6 inches of where it was previously tapped. Ideal locations are above a large root or below a large branch. Drill 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep at an upward angle. Insert the spile by gently tapping. DO NOT POUND IT INTO THE TREE. If the sap is flowing, it should start coming out immediately. (It looks like water).
* Hang your bucket and wait. Monitor the bucket because it may overflow it not emptied daily.
* Filter sap into a 5 gallon bucket. It takes 10 gallons of maple sap to make one quart of syrup, so keep collecting!
* Store sap between 34 and 38 degrees.
* Within 5 days of collecting, start to process your sap. To do this, place sap into a container and boil out the excess water. This creates a lot of steam and is not recommended as an indoor activity until the volume has reduced significantly and the sap starts to look like syrup. You don’t have to boil all the sap at once. You can start with a half to 3/4 full stock pot and boil until the contents is reduced by half, then add more taking care not to stop the boiling action. Be careful not to add too much as you don’t want the pot to overflow.
* Once the boiling is finished and your final product looks like syrup, filter it into sterilized storage containers. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
You can continue collecting sap until the temperatures remain above freezing or buds can be seen on the trees. As you can see, this means that northern climates are more suitable to maple syrup making, but if you have enough trees and weather like we’ve had for the last few winters, those of you in southern areas could make a decent amount of syrup too.
I know the weather is turning colder and many are thinking about winding up their gardening activities, but it’s actually the perfect time to start some of them because the weather is cooler and there is less fear of your plants drying up due to the heat or frosting over.
Planting crown vetch is a great way to protect your slopes from erosion. It prefers open sunny areas and grows well in the northern two-thirds of the United States. Crown vetch has the advantage of being a flowering plant (thus is nice to look at) from May to August. DO NOT PLANT IN LAWNS OR GARDENS as it is considered invasive. The plant is spread by rhizomes and windblown seeds.
Hairy vetch is planted by organic farmers to naturally replenish nitrogen in the soil that was used by plants in the previous growing season. Unlike chemical fertilizers, hairy vetch (and other green manures) keep the beneficial microbes and earthworms alive so that your crops grow better. Having a winter crop in your garden also holds moisture and nutrients in the soil that might be washed away by winter rains. There is the added bonus of reducing weeds. All you have to do it plant the seeds, then in the spring just before you are ready to plant your crops, you turn the hairy vetch over to decompose in the soil. Plant the new seeds among the vetch roots and watch your garden blossom like never before.
I noticed some bug holes in my vegetables and was looking for a product that would stop the bugs, but leave my bees alone. I was helped by a salesperson in the store and called the manufacturer to confirm that the recommended product was indeed bee friendly and natural. The product contained Neem, which I know to be natural and a good insecticide. However, upon closer examination of the label, I also saw a “BEE HAZARD” warning that said it is toxic to bees. The active ingredient was also pyrethrins. Pyrethrins can be natural or synthetic (usually natural), but are also harmful. Obviously something that can kill an insect has the potential to be harmful to other organisms. It is considered safe because it rapidly degrades when exposed to oxygen or sunlight. It is also said to be “safe” when used according to label instructions; however, I don’t want to take a chance on contaminating my well water or myself on a substance that can cause low birth weight, vomiting, seizure, tremors, convulsion, and death. The bottom line is, don’t trust salespeople or call center employees to be knowledgeable about what you are using. It’s up to you to educate yourself. Had I used this product and killed all my bees, that would have been a disaster!
I got a tip from a friend that red Kool Aid will clean stains from the toilet bowl better than industrial strength toilet bowl cleaners. I had to try it out and here is what I discovered. First, it works! You just wet the inside of the bowl. Sprinkle a packet of unsweetened Kool Aid in the toilet and let it sit over night. Swish around a toilet brush in the morning, and voila! A sparkling clean bowl. But wait. What is so natural about that? Well, it turns out that the “active ingredient” is citric acid. You don’t have to use Kool Aid at all. And it doesn’t have to be red. You can’t use just any drink mix, however, because not all drink mixes contain citric acid. So, you can use just plain old citric acid, lemon juice or Kool Aid, whichever is more convenient!
I just found out from a customer that our Guy Passion Potion (aromatherapy spray) is a natural stink bug repellent! Yes, that’s right. It’s made with essential oils that insects just don’t like. Apparently, if you spray it on windows and doors, the little buggers fly away. I don’t really have a stink bug problem- probably because I have guineas and chickens. I do have a stink bug “irritation.” I have about 5-6 per day instead of the hundreds or thousands other people report having. Still, I sprayed it throughout the house and it left the house smelling nice. I haven’t seen any live stink bugs, but I wasn’t seeing many to begin with. Anyway, try it. See if it works for you. Available at http://www.khataji.com Since stink bugs have no natural enemies in the USA and they don’t seem to be too affected by insecticides, it’s worth the try.
Petroleum jelly is used by many women for dry skin because it’s cheap, easy to apply, and holds moisture in the skin. However, it’s not really a moisturizer because it doesn’t bring any moisture in. It just prevents the moisture that is already there from escaping. That said, there are some concerns about it’s safety because several studies say that it is linked to an increase in tumors in mice. It is also said to be heavy and could clog pores, so it’s generally not recommended for those with sensitive or oily skin. Is Petroleum jelly a cancer causing agent? It’s hard to say. Check out the studies for yourself and see what you think. Khataji doesn’t avoid it for that reason, but feels that there are other yummy oils that are much better for the skin without the controversy, so we never use petroleum jelly in any of our products.
I have to admit that even with all the attention I pay to keeping my body, house, and environment as healthy and natural as possible, I didn’t put a lot of thought into natural make-up until now. I just found out that most mascaras are made with pigment (oxides, usually), waxes, stabilizers, and preservatives (parabens). Now, I can’t imagine having to make my own mascara, but I also don’t want parabens that close to my eyes! Guess it’s time to start researching natural make-up companies!
