Beginning

This is the first time I wrote a blog title that actually felt very fitting and I wasn't struggling to figure out an apt title. Because, really, this is the beginning of a hopefully successful endeavor where Liv 4 Potions and I actually become semi-ok herbalists. Or, as we like to call ourselves: Healers.

Sometimes the beginning is always the hardest part. And if I feel like it’s hard now, I have no idea what I’ll feel when I actually start trying to attempt difficult recipes. My problem is that I just don’t even know where to start. We ordered three books: Herbal Healing for Women by Rosemary Gladstar, Organic Body Care Recipes by Stephanie Tourles, and Holistic Herbal by David Hoffman. So far I have only received two – Holistic Herbal and Organic Body Care.

Organic Body Care is definitely fun and I’m excited to try our recipes that are purely aesthetic. I feel like recipes for the body will yield results in a way we can see. With consistency, they are easier to track differences because of the basic ability to touch and look at our skin, hair, nails, etc.

At first I was intimidated by Holistic Herbal as it reminded me of a college textbook (which I have been trying so hard to avoid since graduating in May). There is a wealth of information in this book, more so than I expected when just reading up on the book online. But after getting over my initial hesitancy, I saw that there was so much history and background to the text that is not available in Organic Body Care. I feel I will read and reference this book before making any recipe as it will provide a solid background to why an herb(s) will provide results I want.

I am excited for the third book by Rosemary Gladstar because as I continue researching herbs, healing and herbalists online, she seems like a pioneer in the herbalist movement. Plus, being a woman makes me all the more eager to read up on herbs and specific problems for women that are probably more pinpointed than other standard herbalist books.

So, after this brief introduction (in which Liv might have taken a completely different course), I have decided to first begin with my health as it is now and areas where I want to improve. I also realized that I will probably have to start being more aware of what I eat and what I do during the days coming to decide if any of the herbs actually have an effect. If a recipe doesn’t work, is it because I ate something different recently, did not exercise during the week, etc?

My Health:
• Nutrition: I eat ok. Generally eat meat and salad for dinner, plus cold cuts in my sandwiches, and bagel with cream cheese everyday for breakfast. Weekends I deviate slightly with a more elaborate meal and breakfast. Overall, I could eat healthier and should be trying to. I try to keep my alcohol drinking to the weekends. I will drink beer if out with my husband, but wine at home. I rarely get full out drunk often, but I still do occasionally.

• Eyesight: Not great, but not terribly poor either. I feel more comfortable driving with glasses, but can do without.

• Hearing: Ah, well. I am practically completely deaf in one ear, which leads to quite a few socially awkward situations and many misunderstandings between my husband and I. I used to be able to hear fine, but freshman year of college I lost my hearing in the left ear (known as Sudden Hearing Loss, which happens with no apparent reason other than you are unlucky) and it was accompanied by extremely loud tinnitus (buzzing or ringing in the ear). When I say the tinnitus is loud, I mean it is annoying, frustrating, and never ceasing. Thankfully, my personality only lends itself to a day or two of sulking, so I was back on my feet in no time. It also helps me sleep, surprisingly. Not sure how I handle it because when I actually think about it, like now, it is so loud that I am not surprised that many people go into depression.

• Body: I am on the thinner side, but not so much so that I look unhealthy. I am very angular looking. I am starting to get wrinkles on my face and a little cellulite on my legs (eek bad thoughts), but overall I still look my age. Acne on my face occasionally, but generally it’s clear.

• Vitamins: Fish oil, vitamin C, Echinacea, calcium, vitamin D - 5x a week.

• Prescriptions: Nuva Ring – birth control.

• Disposition: I am a very, very energetic person. Also a morning person. Very Type A personality and I am uber organized, scheduled, and punctual. I do not have a good balance in my personality – I am an extremity, basically. It is hard for me to relax without a schedule…actually it’s hard for me to relax in general.

• Exercise: I tend to exercise often, mostly at the gym. I used to run, but since knee surgery, not so much anymore. I do weight training, elliptical, zumba, cardio kickboxing and yoga. It sounds like a lot, but it’s not. Yoga is the only thing I try to do every day, but even that falls to the wayside at times.

So knowing all this, I decided to begin by focusing on things I am most concerned about. Mainly my hearing and tinnitus, cellulite, clear face, stress levels/trying to relax, and woman issues (I get horrible cramps during my monthly friend). This will be my starting point for what recipes I will begin with.

Now, the next challenge: where do I get/find all these ingredients and which recipes will I actually use?