Photos from my talk in Pavilion Garden Centre in Powerscourt April 21st. Had a lovely time!!

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Herbs-for-HealthHi guys! Please find below details of a public talk I am giving ….

Powerscourt Garden Pavilion
21/04/2017
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Cost: €5

In this talk fully qualified and practicing herbalist, Isobel Jordan Keeling will discuss local grown herbs and weeds and their medicinal uses. Learn how to use them to better your health and which ones help detoxify your body. Everything that grows naturally in our gardens and locally is meant for us and is what our bodies need. Learn how to make your own herbal tinctures, vinegars and an ointment for bruises and cuts. Handouts and samples will be given out on the day.

At this time of year, arranged like a carpet on the earth’s floor, you can smell them before you see them: Wild garlic, growing everywhere, and one of the most powerful medicines on the earth and all for free.
Ramsons (wild garlic) were considered an important food in early Ireland, and along with watercress and wild sorrel were regularly collected from the wild and then eaten raw, or cooked in a broth. If you stole it from someone’s land there would be a hefty fine.
All parts of this plant are edible.
Leaves are collected in early spring, eaten raw or cooked.
Flowers are eaten raw or cooked, and are stronger tasting than the leaves, and used in salads.
Bulbs can be harvested any time. The plant is dormant from early summer to winter. If harvested in early summer, they can be stored for at least 6 months.
Uses
Wild Garlic is a
• natural antibiotic, great for the immune system helping with coughs, colds, flu, asthma, bronchitis & even emphysema.
• It cleanses the blood of impurities for a gentle detox.
• It reduces High blood pressure and Cholesterol levels.
• It protects the heart and circulatory system.
• It is a tonic for the digestive system, used in the treatment of threadworms, diarrhea, wind & indigestion.
• The juice of the plant is used as a moth repellent and can be used as a general household disinfectant.
Wild garlic can be used to flavour soups, salads, pasta dishes, stews, breads, scones, savoury pies and tarts & mashed potatoes (creating a wild version of colcannon)
I’ve also dried the leaves so that I can keep them for the winter months to add flavour to my soups.
Get picking and make this lovely pesto.
Wild Garlic Pesto
Makes 250ml (1 cup)
I always make wild garlic pesto with a good squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavour, but feel free to leave it out.
50g (2 oz) Parmesan cheese
25g (1/4 cup) pine nuts
50g (2 oz) wild garlic leaves, stems removed
200ml (3/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Break off a 50g (2 oz) chunk of Parmesan cheese and cut it into a few slices. Place in a food processor and whizz until it’s roughly grated. Tip the cheese into a bowl and set aside. Place the pine nuts in the food processor and pulse until they’re roughly chopped. Tip into the bowl with the cheese. Doing it this way makes a pesto with some texture to it, which I love; if you’re not fussy about it, just blend the cheese, pine nuts and wild garlic together all at the same time.
Place the wild garlic in the food processor and whizz until it’s finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil until a thick sauce has formed (you might not need all the oil). Add in the lemon juice and pulse again to combine. Remove the blade from the food processor and stir in the Parmesan, pine nuts and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Taste the pesto and adjust the seasoning or add in more lemon juice if you want a little more zing.
Spoon the pesto into a clean Kilner jar (see note above) and store in the fridge for 1 or 2 weeks. This also freezes very well.WildGarlicPesto

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Christmas Hampers & Stocking Fillers for sale!!!

Please call me at 086 8837564 or wicklowherbalist@gmail.com and I can take your order!

Best wishes,

Isobel

brainfoods

Brain Foods
Almonds-increase blood flow to your brain.
Walnuts- Shaped like a brain, have a high omega 3 content.
Blueberries-Improve learning and motor skills.
Brussel sprouts-Has tytophan which converts to serotoinn.
Cauliflower-Assists in cleansing white matter of the brain.
Ginger-May help to protect from brain disease.
Apples-power food for mind,body, emotions.
Water melon-Targets brain function.
Lettuce-Helps increase blood flow to the brain, cleases blood plague.
Cantaloupe melon-supports the brain.
Pine nuts-Helps stimulate brain activity.
Coconut oil-Ketones in coconut oil cleanse, support, feeds brain.

starofbethlemham

One of the many areas that i cover as a Naturopath is the persons emotional state. I like to use the Bach Flower Remedies for this.
I do believe that shock, even let it be something that happened along time ago, has a bad effect on the persons health & wellbeing. Shock has a direct impact on your heart, keeping you from feeling fully present or properly nourished. Star Of Bethlehem is a core remedy for rebirthing out of long or short term shock. Releasing gently the shock, it can be released through a smile, a tear, or a dream. Also good to calm animals that have been ill treated. Star of Bethlehem is a tiny white lily or onion family that pushes itself out of the ground even through snow or ice. Its white colour indicates nourishment from spirit.

infantblend

There is a big difference between a baby been born through the birth canal or by a Caesarean section. And this has to do with Microbes.(bacteria) As a baby is been born through the birth canal, that babys first microbes will primarily come from his/her mothers vaginal micobiome. A healthy womans vagina primarily consists of Lactobacillus, which is a genus of bacteria containing many species that are important for human health. A baby been born through a Caesarean section will miss out on these benficial microbes, and instead of the babys microbes resembling the vaginal community, its first microbes will look more like those found on human skin. The vaginal microbiome are similar to the skin microbes, but there is quite a distinct differences in there community.
And this is were we see asthma, ecezma, and food allergies etc more so in Caesarean born babies.
How can we help?
1. The mum takes a good probiotic juring and after birth.
2.The mum gives the new born a probiotic, Udos choice and Opticbac do one for babies Or the mum takes one and it comes through the breast milk.

coconut-oil

Coconut Oil
• Medium chained fatty acid, which goes straight into the portal vein in the liver and used up straight away as energy.

• The ketones in Coconut Oil feed the brain. This makes it good for treating Alzheimers disease.

• Helps to lower cholesterol.

• Being used increasingly in sports nutrition as it boosts the metabolism and aids healthy weight loss, and provides energy.

• Its Caprylic acid action makes it antifungal which is used for the control of Candida albicans. Also for nail fungus and athlete’s foot. (Just rub on to the affected area)

HEALTH & BEAUTY
• Coconut Oil is rich in antioxidants and fatty acids and penetrates into the underlying skin so it is good as a skin conditioner, for stretch marks and can help premature aging of the skin. Also can be used as a makeup remover.

• Dry,sore,chapped skin. Helps to reduce chronic skin dryness, it aids the removal of the outer layer of dead skin, making the skin softer and smoother.

• Anti-ageing – because of its small molecular structure it is easily absorbed.

• Using coconut oil as a natural beauty product – Add a spoonful to your bath water for silky smooth skin great for babies and children.

HAIR CONDITIONER
• Softens the hair and conditions the scalp, can help to combat dandruff.
• Strengthens the structure of damaged, devitalised hair, and broken hair.
• Massage into scalp and take it out to the ends. Leave for an hour or two, or else overnight, and wash with two shampoo rinses.

Coconut oil can be used in cooking and baking, salad dressing, smoothies, as a dairy free spread, for stir-frying, and straight off the spoon.

flu-and-cold

 

♫ Tis the Season for Colds and Flus ♫

A cold is a healing reaction, where the body is attempting to regain balance after having been affected by physical or emotional stresses. Examples of physical stress are over-eating, over-drinking, viral infection, changes in temperature. Fever and mucus discharges are a way of ridding the body of external influences and waste build-up.
Colds do not require treatment, they are the treatment. You can speed up the healing process however, by encouraging the body to discharge the disturbance, and return to optimal health. I have listed some of my favourite tips for treating colds and flus below.

10 Naturopathic Tips for Colds & Flus

1. For a cold and ordinary sniffles- remain active, light exercise e.g. walking, as moving around helps to loosen built up mucus and fluids. This applies unless you have a fever.

2. Cut down on solid food for at least one day and drink plenty of fluids. Digesting food requires energy that the body might better utilize fighting viral or bacterial infection. Increasing fluids will thin the mucus, making it easier to expel and also prevent dehydration.

3. Herbal teas – Yarrow, ginger, lemon balm, thyme (helps rid the nasal passage of mucus and thins mucus out)

4. Manuka honey- 1 tsp in warm water (not boiling water as it kills the antibacterial activity of it), squeeze the juice of half a lemon (vitamin c), Grate ½ to 1 inch of ginger root add together and drink 2 to 3 cups per day. Manuka honey is antibacterial, antiviral, immune boosting and is a natural antibiotic.

5. Echinacea or Elderberry (tincture or tablet form). 1 tsp three times a day for adult. Both boost the immune system, and are antiviral & antibacterial. Elderberry contains antioxidant flavonoids that protect cell walls against foreign substances. Hold the Echinacea at the back of throat as long as possible, then swallow this is good for clearing up strep throat.

6. Vitamin C 500mg 4 to 5 times a day in divided doses. Helps to fight virus and boost the immune system.

7. Zinc lozenges- Boosts the immune system.

8. Garlic- Raw Garlic in food. Boosts the immune system, and is antiviral, antibacterial & antibiotic.

9. Salt water gargle- excellent for sore throats. Salt water soothes the throat and kills bacteria and virus. Add two teaspoons of sea salt per glass of warm water.

10. Eucalyptus essential oil-is helpful for relieving congestion. Put 5 drops in a hot bath or 6 drops in 2 cups of boiling water and inhale the steam, or 3 drops on a hanky and breath in deeply. (Rosemary or Sage oil can be added to the bath as both will aid in the clearing up of congestion.)

All of the above are Adult dosage, Check with a health care practitioner for dosage for children.

grain_free_chocolate_cupcakes_1

Super moist chocolate spiderweb cupcakes that are made grain-free and dairy-free – perfect for Halloween!

Prep Time: 15 minCook Time: 15 minReady in: 30 min
Yield: 8 cupcakes

Ingredients
Cupcakes:
40 grams (1.4oz, ~1/3 cup but please weigh!) almond flour or almond meal
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (52 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
65 grams (2.2oz / ~ 4 1/2 tablespoons) coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup (106 grams) honey
5 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting:
3 tablespoons (42 grams) coconut oil
1/4 cup (~64 grams) natural peanut butter
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (~25 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 tablespoons (40 grams) honey

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C and line 8 muffin cups with liners.
In a large bowl combine the wet ingredients and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients and add this to the wet ingredients. Stir in just until combined. Do not over mix!
Pour evenly into the muffin liners. If you want to make spiderwebs like I did, you need to be careful to not put too much batter in the liners because I’m guessing it’ll be more difficult if you have a slightly domed cupcake. My liners were a little less then 2/3 full.
Bake for 16 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out mostly clean. A few moist crumbs or a little stickiness is okay, just not raw batter. These are super moist so if it comes out totally clean, they’re probably overdone.
For the frosting, melt the coconut oil, natural peanut butter and cocoa powder together in a pot or pan over low heat. When it’s completely melted and smooth, take it off the heat and add the honey and stir until well combined. Let the cupcakes and frosting cool completely before icing. These are much better stored at room temperature and it’s okay to keep at room temperature even after frosting. My favorite way to enjoy them is to reheat them a little in the microwave. The topping melts and it gets so gooey. Definitely the most “regular” cupcake tasting in this form. 🙂