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May Schedule for MedicineRoom Services
In May we will be at Eumundi Markets every Saturday for our free clinics. Please check the mobile phone 0409 765033 if you need specific confirmation.
The Planting Festival at Woodfordia
We are at The Planting Festival from the 9th till the 11th May. Dom is presenting twice on the Sunday 11th. The Medicineroom stall will be there are we are open from 5pm on Friday the 9th May through the weekend. we will have some sensational Lavender herbal honey syrup on stall as a planting treat. Limited amounts so if you want to preorder please email me. They are 250ml for $15 each.
10am Herbal Honey workshop at The Duck where we will work through the herbal honey recipes in my book THE MAGIC OF FOOD AS MEDICINE. Yes its a little herbal cooking class and will be lots of fun. We love cooking classes and we love sharing the energy and medicinal properties of our beautiful herbals.
At 1pm come and join Dom in a presentation on ” Developing your Wellness Philosophy” In this space we will explore what is your health priorities? what do you want and also where are you now? what changes need to take place for you to feel optimally healthy? Its all about you and lets get on with getting you feeling awesome.
We look forward to seeing you if you come to The Planting.
Seasonal Foods are so important to keep you in good health. Staying in tune with the seasons is the most natural and healthy way to live. We change our diets and our lifestyles as we flow with the seasons. Or do you? Its really important to get a large variety of foods in your diet and its natural to have variety as the year changes. here is a recipe for Aged Garlic which we just love and also some ideas on Autumn health care as we plunge into May which i the last month of Autumn. Get ready for winter health now!
Garlic is one of the best foods you can eat at this time of the year. Why? because it meets all the needs of the Autumn season. It is nourishing, it is restorative, it is eliminative, it is protective and it helps you through any transitions and changes that your body experiences as the seasons change. Garlic is really good for the aspects if Autumn health too. It is great for the lungs and it is very healthy for the large intestine/ colon. It is in tune with the metal element ( in Chinese medicine practice) foods that traditionally are used at this time of the year.
Tam took this picture of the gorgeous local russian garlic at eumundi markets at the stall next to us. It inspired me to tell you about why garlic is so awesome at this time of the year and to encourage you to treat your body well and to particularly focus on respecting the change of seasons in your daily life.
Lets go straight to the recipe for aged garlic, and then lets talk about other ideas for great health
Dom’s aged garlic recipe. What you need? 1kg or more of local organic Australian garlic and 100ml of apple cider vinegar for every kilo of garlic you are using. ( if you live in Australia) if you live somewhere else get local garlic. Your vegetable juicer and a glass bottle or jar to store it in. ( yes, thats all you need!)
How do make it? Wash the garlic well and make sure there are no remains of dirt on it. Cut of the roots and tough end of bulb. Then juice the cloves skin and all. Add a little apple cider vinegar to the garlic as it travels through the juicer to add extra moisture. Then pop in your glass jar or bottle and pop in the fridge for at least six month. Ignore it for this time frame at least. In fact the older and longer the garlic stays in the fridge the more it becomes concentrated and teh actives just meld together in a beautiful garlicy medicine.
Why is Garlic good for you at this time of the year? Apart from all the evidence based academic research showing that garlic reduces risk factors for cardio vascular disease including arteriosclerosis, cardiac issue, cholesterol lowering benefits for High Density lipoproteins ( HDL the disease exacerbating fatty acids). and blood cleansing. There is also so much traditional usage of garlic for blood cleansing and strengthening, energu restorative, preventative for all ailments, immunity boosting, and restorative and regeneration for cells and respiratory conditions such as coughs, colds and flus. Garlic helps remove toxins from the body with a pure cleansing and releasing effect. This is why its so great at thhi time of the year when the body systems that needs regeneration and repairing are the eliminative Lungs and Large intestine. In traditional Chinese medicine these are known as the Metal element organs and they are specifically looked after at this time of the year. And in every other cultural medicine I know of from Persia, to English to French, German, and everywhere that garlic grows, its is such a highly valued medicine for all of the things mentioned here.
How Garlic helps the lungs? Strong clean blood circulating through the body and travelling to your lungs where the tip of every red blood cell has a little space with an iron molecule sitting there waiting for an oxygen molecule to attach itself and travel to your body providing good oxygenation. the source of all life in your body and the source of good health. Garlic gets into the tree of life, which is the bronchial tubes and the little gorgeous sponges that make up your lungs and removes any microbes, cleasning them and keeping them strong. That is why you want lots of garlic. To protect your blood and lungs and to help this process create a beautiful body on every level. With the lungs being such a special eliminative organ. Remember we breathe in our newness every breathe we take and we breathe out and release what no longer serves us. So to do this with pure lungs is such a blessing. The lungs are your life blood. source. They directly transfer to the venous system and that is eliminated through the kidneys and the urinary cycle. So all of this is beeufited from your intake of such a beautiful gift of the mother natures garlic.
How Garlic Helps the large Intestine? The academic evidence base for garlic on the digestive tract is that is is one of the most powerful prebiotics in the body. It helps create and develop good flora and fauna making your assimilation of nutrients a easy flowing process. If you have a great diet of prebiotics and these are all the white metal foods for this season such as cabbage and cauliflower and onion, then you will not need to eat the commercial pro biotics.and you will have the beneifit of stronger immunity. Traditionally garlic in its antimicrobial role will kill parasites in the large intestine, getting rid of what no longer serves us and removing toxins. I know its a horrible topic, but putrification in the digestive tract can lead to so much disease and illness especially chronic diseases such as arthritis, obesity, chronic fatigue and also conditions like diverticulitis and bowel cancer can be side stepped with garlic and healthy foods. Garlic works on the digestive tract in the elimination of faeces by purifying it all and giving the digestive tract space to eliminate what it needs to eliminate and helps avoid the build up of toxins and putrid matter that is taken it out through faeces. When you have a bowel movement you are releasing the old and allowing space fo rthe new and vital to enter your body. It is important to have regular bowel movements and to make sure you are hydrated with water and fluids in the body so that you do not get constipated at this time of the year which is also represented by dryness. How amazing is garlic in this season of metal when we are releasinga nd eliminating what no longer serves us freeing up the body to become a clean beautiful vessel for the winter where we will be healthier because we have done this.
So add garlic to your day. Add it to soups, sauces, everything. Add it to juices, cook with it, and also make my recipe for aged garlic. Its a wonderful way to protect your body and to get heathy and nourished for the coming winter. We make a fabulous garlic extraction in the herbal dispensary that we can mix into blends for you. It is super strong and effective. A small amount is equal to a lot of garlic cloves. Also dried garlic is lovely sprinkled on foods. Pickled garlic and put some in your fermented foods that are so good at this time of the year as they are prebiotics and help immunity.
and did I mention Garlic honey…. honey… well we will be making that at our workshop at The Planting Festival. yes, our own little herbal honey making bliss.
Sat Nam With love as Always Dominique Liv Kamal
MHlth Promotion, Bch Health Science ( Complementary Medicicine) ND, naturopath, herbalist, nutritionist and Dip Journalism. and constant student. Available for my free clinics at Eumundi Markets Weekly to schedule. Author THE WELLNESS ZONE and THE MAGIC OF FOOD AS MEDICINE, Visit me on facebook Facebook medicineroom page Shop online at The medicineRoom web site link to sign up to this newsletter which I send as I am inspired to write for you.