Flower Pot Herbs

It’s not exactly fast food, in fact, it could take most of the summer to get your herbs to the point you can begin harvesting them but I thought it was well worth the wait. With only the most rudimentary of tools, a little space on my kitchen counter and some unsaturated elbow grease, I sat up my own countertop herbal garden indoors and start growing herbs in pots for beginners.

Indoors or out gardening is a rewarding hobby. It was nice to see the beauty of my herbs take root, and begin to grow all summer long. For me, it was a joy to fulfill one of my favorite wishes to grow my own herbs. My plan originally was not to grow them indoors but everything worked out so well I ended up being glad that I did. Oregano, Sage, Parsley, Cilantro/Coriander, Tarragon, Mint, and Rosemary were my herbs of choice.

An indoor gardener can grow his or her own herbs, making it as simple or complicated as he would like. In many ways the oregano is like me, it doesn't tolerate the winters very well, but oregano does very well on your kitchen countertop. Oregano can grow just as well from cuttings or seed I found out.  Sage makes a great indoor plant whether you live in a hot, or cold climate.  Parsley grows best from seed and its ability to withstand a wide range of temperatures makes Parsley a good indoor herb to grow too.

My next flower pot contained cilantro some times called coriander it's best grown from seed. You need to make sure the seed germinates quickly so it's a good idea to cut the seed for cilantro in half I learned. It only took about one week to see my cilantro growing, and it is one of those herbs you can grow all year round. Tarragon can tolerate frost very well when it's grown outside so countertop gardening with Tarragon is a breeze when it came to temperature consideration. Mint grows well from the root, or cutting I used the root method. Mint tastes great in drinks or tea, it dies back in winter, but for the rest of the time mint grows like a weed. Placing a rosemary cutting in water until the roots sprouted, which seemed almost immediately, in a day or two so less than 4 days later it was ready to be planted in my countertop flower pot and my countertop garden was complete. There are a few things you should consider when thinking about gardening indoors.

The first consideration when growing herbs indoors is light, in my kitchen, the plants on my countertop were situated right next to the window and since they were in pots I could rotate the seedling or sprouts that needed the light the most. When the weather changes even when placed next to a window overcast, and clouds can still cut down on the light your plants need so it's a good idea to have a grow light standing by just in case you live in an area where the sun can disappear for days at a time.

The next consideration is to try and figure out what plants you want to cook with? What are your favorite herbs? Do a little research or question the people at Home Depot, or the Nursery you go to about the herbs you want to grow and try to learn how each of the herbs you want to grow need to be treated when it comes to watering, feeding with fertilizer, and tending to with regard to different pest who also love the herbs in your indoor garden. You can even learn which herbs to plant together. I chose not to grow my herbs in 4-inch pots and used a little over foot long pots so I could grow more than only one herb in each flower pot, for example, my mint and oregano roomed together a move that overall did save me some countertop space.

I even found it fun figuring out which ceramic herb pots to use for the kitchen because of all the extra information I collected from the gardening experts. You'll need potting soil and some organic water-soluble fertilizer to feed your plants every 10 to 14 days. A few hand tools for digging and working your mini-countertop-farm potting soil, I also added a pair of rubber gloves for the days I don't feel like getting my fingers dirty. Be careful not to over water your plants make sure your pots have holes in the bottom to allow water to drain and not collect in the bottom of the flower pot and you should be off to a good start.

Nourishing Your Skin

This post takes a look at some of the foods that nourish the largest organ on the human body, your skin. I will also share information about a list of foods that have been scientifically proven to boost the strength, health, the appearance of your skin. And some interesting details about the Walnuts, Yellow Bell Pepper, Raspberries, Pomegranates Chickpeas, and Salmon that have been proven to help you maintain healthier skin with fewer wrinkles.

The best way to maintain that healthy skin glow is to eat healthily, and maintain a healthy diet so here are some of the ways to protect the skin you're in. Our body's protective covering of skin is under constant attack from the sun, the gazillions of good and bad bacteria that call the surface of our skin home and from within. Most of the time if you're not healthy on the inside, it will show on the outside, your skin.

So let's start with Walnuts, unfortunately for us, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are not made in our bodies but walnuts are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acid and when you eat them walnuts can help our body make collagen that is necessary for healthy skin. Inflammatory skin diseases like acne and psoriasis can be reduced by the helpful anti-inflammatory qualities of the omega-3s that can also be found in other foods like ground flax seeds, flaxseed oil, tofu, chia seeds, and canola oil.

Chickpeas are also good for your skin, the zinc in chickpeas is important for your skin mainly because it supports the regeneration of new skin cells. A benefit most noticeable in skin repair associated with the healing of wounds. Studies have shown that zinc can inhibit propionibacterium overgrowth, Propionibacterium is just one of the gazillion skin-dwelling residents mentioned above that contributes to acne. Zinc-fortified cereals, oatmeal, poultry, tofu, oyster and beans are all good sources of dietary zinc when it comes to keeping your skin healthy.

One of the building blocks of protein is amino acids and amino acids are believed to be related to collagen synthesis in our skin. I have noticed that when I highlight information like that in my blog posts about half the people who read it and share their thoughts with me say something like, "I tried it and I actually believe it works! While the other half shares why they don't believe it worked for them. To me, this sounds about right since not every cookie-cutter health idea fits everyone.

That is also one of the reasons I caution everyone interested in trying something new "health suggestion wise" to be sure to consult with your doctor before stepping off the healthy path your doctor may have laid out for you. The food medicine ideas that I try and work for me might not work for you, especially if you are taking prescription meds. Anyway, back to the amino acids---salmon contains all of the essential amino acids that play a role in skin health. Researchers found that consuming a combination of essential amino acids significantly increased the rate of collagen syntheses in mice suffering from ultraviolet light damage.

In my research, I found that eating a well prepared, grill cooked, salmon meal left me feeling full and very fulfilled and while I do suffer from bouts of dry skin some days I still can't tell if it's the hard water my city provides for bathing or the fact that I don't have salmon as often as I might like that contributes to my dry skin. I do know that salmon is a good source of monounsaturated fat that was found to be a positive associated with skin elasticity in older women in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Carotenoids the antioxidant pigments that give a lot of fruits and vegetables their bright orange, yellow, and red colors can be found in sweet potatoes. Carotenoids help keep our skin cells healthy and go well with fat-soluble foods to help them be better absorbed, so for a boost to your skin health that tastes good add some nuts or a little olive oil to your sweet potato. In the article, I consumed about carotenoids the people whose faces were rated as healthy looking by others around them had consumed 2.9 carotenoid laced fruits and vegetables a day.

To end this post let me mention how Pomegranates and Raspberries can help keep your skin looking healthier and more attractive. These two fruits are high in ellagic acid and research has shown that ellagic acid can significantly reduce collagen breakdown from UV light exposure. To me, it's been eye-opening to see the role nutrition plays in the prevention of collagen breakdown, wrinkle reduction, and other skin damage. For better-looking skin make as many of the above fruits and vegetables mentioned above a part of your skin healthy diet.

Manuka Honey

Back in 2009, an encouraging finding published in a European Journal showed some promise in the war against the so-called superbugs and that Jelly bush honey from New Zealand also called Manuka Honey was succeeding where many of the worlds top antibiotics were failing. The article in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases explained how manuka honey had grown in popularity so much that New Zealand producers were being forced to seek trademark protection to combat fake manuka honey being sold in places where the original product was sold out.

Manuka honey is made by bees that forage the New Zealand manuka bush for the nectar of the Leptospermum Scoparium and tea trees native to New Zealand and Australia. According to a report by The Australian (Australia's national daily newspaper), Australian researchers though experimentation had found out that manuka honey killed every pathogen or bacteria they tested it on and it did not seem to matter whether the manuka honey was taken internally or applied topically to help fight skin infection from insect bites and cuts.

One of the most exciting discoveries about the use of manuka honey was that this brand of honey prevented the superbugs it was tested against from building up an immunity to its healing properties, a fact that set manuka honey apart from the antibiotics in use today whose shelf-life is most often shorter than most bacterias super ability to attack quickly and during its attack become resistant.

You can find Manuka Honey online and in health food stores but be on the lookout for counterfeit, or fake manuka honey scams. On any honey purchased from the health food store, it would be wise to look for some sort of certification. For manuka honey look for the UMF (Unique Manuka Factory) certification. The phytochemical property derived from the manuka bushes that gives manuka honey its unique properties are regulated by the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association of New Zealand.

Because of the methylglyoxal found in manuka honey that seems to work in concert with other unknown compounds found in manuka honey to destroy bacteria more research needs to be done. With what is already known about manuka honey means that this food's ability to defeat one of the biggest health challenges humanity faces in the war against bad bacteria is off to a very promising start.

The healing properties of honey are one of the reasons I believe so strongly in protecting the earth's bee population. Imagine a natural treatment source that lowers cholesterol, prevents heart attack, even boosts your immune system not coming from the pharmaceutical laboratory, but from mother nature herself. I plan to explore more of the wonderful abilities of honey, and share with you what I find out in future blog posts, this blog post was all about manuka honey, so stay tuned.

Honey and Baking Soda

As natural remedies become more popular for providing a health-boost and in many cases a natural home treatment for infractions, this post was put together to provide the recipe and information about using the combination of honey, and baking soda.  These two ingredients honey and baking soda, which is also sometimes called bicarbonate of soda, work just as well today as they did when the Romans used this natural medicine hundreds of years ago to destroy parasites, bacterial infections, as well as viral and fungal infections. The Baking Soda alkalizes the body and cleanses toxins from the digestive system reducing inflammation in the body. Honey is a natural sugar and more easily absorbed by the body than processed sugar. Processed sugar can worsen cancer and contribute to more inflammation and pain. The health benefits from this combination of honey and baking soda have the potential to fight cancer.


One of the reasons this combination of ingredients is often used as a natural remedy for cancer is that it does not interfere with prescription medication. This combination of ingredients is said to work best when you reduce your overall use of sugar, wheat, and dairy products. By avoiding sugar, wheat, and dairy there will be a more complete lowering of the inflammation in the body, avoiding sugar, wheat and dairy will also give your body the best chance to absorb all of the nutrients from the honey baking soda mixture. Bringing down the inflammation in the body allows cells to begin more naturally healing themselves. Important note, be sure to only use baking soda, and not baking powder like the person writing this blog post did.

The oxidative stress, an imbalance between the production of  free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract or detoxify their harmful effect on the body, can also be reduced using this mixture of ingredients and that can boost brain function to provide you with the feeling of more energy and give your bodies metabolism a boost. The mixture of honey and baking soda can also be used to treat cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and to treat autoimmune disorders. Your skin will look healthier due to the honey mixed with baking soda combination's ability to reduce the effects of aging by diminishing free radicals. You can help this process along by keeping your body well hydrated by drinking your daily recommended amount of water or at least try to replace the amount of fluid you urinate on a daily basis with the same amount of H-2-0 (water).

So here is what you will need: one tablespoon of baking soda, three tablespoons of organic honey or the highest quality honey you can find. Remember don't use baking powder, use baking soda. You'll also need a small clean jar with a top. It's best to make this mixture fresh daily, add the above ingredients to a saucepan, heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, without allowing it to boil. Let the mixture cool before placing it into your glass jar. Take the mixture for one month, take one tablespoon, four times a day. As always and even though this combination is said to be safe with or without prescription drugs, let me say again, let your doctor make the final judgment with regard to any new treatments or remedies you decide to take on especially if you are already taking prescription meds.

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Healthy Facts about Honey

Honey is the best known apicultural product; it is a substance that the bees produce through a complicated process of absorbing nectar into their stomach where acid and albumen are added to the nectar to ferment the mixture while it's delivered to the beehive. Honey contains over 180 different nutritional ingredients including essential mineral that our body needs. Beekeeping to harvest honey goes back to ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece and is also mentioned in the Bible. Honey was considered sacred and was also used to pay taxes and debts back in the good old days. Besides all this, honey was used to draw and to paint. The proteins, essential minerals and vitamins contained in honey elevate our body’s energy level and are also known for its medicinal and therapeutic assets. 

Honey is a food that is easy to digest and that makes honey a great energy food, however, there is a caution. More than once I have come across warning stating that honey should NOT be given to children under the age of 12 months. So moms take heed, I have also never met anyone who claimed to have an allergy to honey. So let me just say that honey has been proven (by me) to do all of the wonderful things above, in my lift, especially the energy boost, but not for babies under 12 months, or those with food allergies the includes honey.

Honey consumed as food is important for the balance of the biological process that can lead to good health. This nectar from the bees contains glucose and fructose, which goes directly into the blood, becoming an energetic product. For a long time, I used honey as a natural sweetener in my coffee and as a medicine for minor burns because of its antibacterial properties. Eaten regularly honey can assist in the control of rheumatism and arthritis, and has even been known to prevent all types of respiratory illnesses and helps in the digestion. Honey is good for the skin and is an ingredient for some shampoos. It is used extensively in the cosmetic industry as well (creams, cleanness facemasks, and tonics) because of its astringent and softening abilities honey is good at hydrating the skin.

Eating honey will improve your quality of life since it stimulates and increases physical resistance to infection. Used regularly honey can act as a mild sedative, discouraging insomnia; and as mentioned, because of its antiseptic qualities helps with the healing. Nigerian doctors were able to cure serious wounds, burnings, and ulcers of the skin in 59 patients, using honey and nothing else. Skin injuries that were submitted previously too conventional treatment with antibiotics without any satisfying results; honey was applied on the infected skin. One week later, no microorganism appeared after a laboratory examination. Honey's bacterial agents, slightly acid, extremely viscous and absorbs water, cleaned the burn wounds, diminished their size and protected the patients from new infection. 

I have only been able to experience some of the healing health benefits of honey but here is a list of conditions honey is said to help. My hope is that you will be just as successful in your experimentation with his medicine from the bees. Honey has been indicated to prevent, control or cure the following illnesses:  Respiratory diseases, Cramps, Intestinal disturbances, Digestive disturbances, Throat irritation, Urinary irritation, Irritation of the eyes, Dental caries, Illnesses of the liver, Rheumatic pains, Physical Fatigue, Insomnia, Skin burn, and Stomach ulcer.

The flavor, aroma, and color of the honey differ according to its botanical origin, in accordance with the flowers from where the bee has collected the nectar to manufacture this nature produced food. The climate, humidity and even the altitude will affect the characteristics of the honey. That is why honey can range in color from dark brown to nearly colorless. The darker the color of the honey the stronger it is in minerals and proteins.

Light or dark honey seems to maintain all of its healing properties. I really can say that I have a honey color preference, the darker honey is the most intense in honey flavor and the sugar in honey generates fat on the body less that of processed sugar. 1 teaspoon or 5g of honey = 16,4kcal. Biologists looking into the amazing properties of this nature grown food say honey is the best source of carbohydrates and energy for athletes and adults.

Food Medicine

Seven Key Nutrient-Rich Fruits


Most people know that calcium is good for bones, fiber is beneficial for the digestive system, and iron makes up part of the hemoglobin, a protein needed to transport oxygen from the lungs to our body tissues is found in spinach, beans, and broccoli. So let me take you beyond the basics. When I was in school, college to be exact, it seems that every time information was about to be dispensed that was worth remembering, or bound to show up on a test, was always followed by the words "there will be a quiz." The information in this post is about some of the key fruits we eat that are healthy steps to looking and feeling better and in my opinion, worth remembering and worth taking note, information so useful I feel like using the words, there will be a quiz!


Fruit is a great way to start eating more nutrition and eating at least five to nine servings can make a big difference in the way you feel. We'll take a look at some of the most nutritious fruits and why they are so good for you starting with the apple.  A is for Apple and that's good enough for me remembering the old Sesame Street days. We have all heard the expression, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". This might not be entirely true, but eating apples is a great way for you to get the fiber we all need in our diet. Apples are delicious and available all year around. This fruit also contains pectin and that aids in lowering bad cholesterol. They are also known to contain flavonoids that are beneficial in fighting cancer. It is better to eat a fresh apple rather than drink apple juice. The reason behind this is that some of the nutrients and important minerals may be lost during the apple juice processing.



Apricots also start with the letter "A" but there was no Sesame Street song about this one so let's move on. The apricot is loaded with zinc, folic acid, vitamins A and K, calcium and protein. They are also very high in beta-carotene, potassium, and fiber. Apricots are often found on the top ten lists for fruits and you can find them freshly picked, canned or dried. Eating dried apricots will provide you with an excellent source of essential nutrients. Use caution when purchasing dried apricots, it is good to read the label to avoid those dried apricots that are laden with chemicals and preservatives. The best place to purchase dried apricots or any other dried fruit is from a health food store or a natural market. Apricots can provide you with the valuable nutrients you need in order for your body to perform in peak condition.


What makes a fruit a fruit are their seeds so you'd be surprised at how many people mistakenly think of avocados as a vegetable when in reality they are a fruit too. In fact, an avocado is considered a "super fruit" and is loaded with zinc, riboflavin, thiamin, and niacin to name just a few of the important nutrients that an avocado has. Avocados are great for growing kids. Those who are conscious of their weight may want to forgo avocados because of their high-calorie content. They also have a high fat count, but it is the heart-healthy monounsaturated fats such as the Omega 3 fatty acid, an important brain food. Avocados can be eaten fresh after they have been peeled or can be made into guacamole, just add a little garlic, onions, and tomatoes.


Bananas make great food medicine because are high in potassium and can help those of us who take such medications as diuretics which are known to deplete the potassium from your body. They are easily mashed for easy consumption for babies and toddlers and because you have to peel one before you eat it, they will not contain the pesticides that many other fruits are vulnerable to. A banana is a handy snack for eating on the go and keeping a supply of them in your home will make snack time a snap.


For many years, blueberries have been thought of as a tasty summertime treat. We now know that blueberries can pack a lot of punch because of the anthocyanin, a cancer-fighting antioxidant that can be found in the skin. They are a tasty addition to any health-conscious person's diet and can make many other foods even tastier with their addition. You can add blueberries to a salad, cereal or ice cream or use them to make your fruit smoothie even more delicious. Adding blueberries to your diet whether fresh or frozen is a great nutritional step for you to take.


Cantaloupes are not only juicy and delicious; they are high in potassium, vitamin C and beta-carotene. Melon that is fresh can be enjoyed in a variety of ways and is nutrition that is tasty as well as good for you. There are other varieties of melon, but cantaloupe is a melon that you can trust to give you the healthy nutrients you need.



Eating grapefruit has long been a staple of dieters. It is a fruit that is high in fiber yet low in calories. The best grapefruit for you is the red or pink type. So if you have a choice, opt for these instead of the white variety. There is a lot of fiber packed into the strings that attach the grapefruit segments, so do yourself a favor and don’t use a spoon to scoop out the tasty flesh.


I suppose if there was a quiz, from me to you about these food medicines it would simply be to find out which of these fantastic fruits best suits your personal body chemistry? Listening for any sign of allergy and if there are none say try to incorporate each of these nutrient-rich fruits listed above into your diet. Should you need more information about the fruits listed above today's technology even makes quizzing me unnecessary and okay to cheat. Google it.  :-)

Reason Marijuana Should be Legal

A lot of people feel that Marijuana, also referred to as cannabis and pot, is helping fund the war on terror, but making a war on drugs and keeping Marijuana illegal has not stopped millions of Americans from smoking pot on a daily bases. However, if you focus only on the negative you lose sight of the good cannabis does regularly like the pain relief, appetite building, and cancer-treatment qualities medical marijuana has. 

So what is the answer?  Let me start by saying that I have never used marijuana for medical or any other purpose, but I can't help but feel that if at some point in my life this drug did become necessary, for medical reasons, I would hope there would be no legal hurdles standing between me/my doctor and this already tested alternative treatment.

First, why is Marijuana illegal? Well, it seems that in the 1930's, News Paper Publisher William Randolph Hearst, who had significant financial interests in the timber industry testified to Congress on the evils of marijuana, saying things like marijuana can make people insane and commit acts of cannibalism? Where the heck he got his data no one knows, but what is known is that back in the 1930's very few knew what cannabis/marijuana was. Anyway, to stop people from going insane and cannibalizing each other Congress decided to make the use of marijuana illegal.

It's been my experience that you don't need to use cannabis to know a cannabis user so in my lifetime (especially when I lived my life as a musician) I have known many marijuana users and not once have I ever heard of any of them cannibalizing or scarfing down anything but snack food. And to date, I have heard of no report that tells of anyone using medical marijuana going insane. I would guess though, that for every person that uses medical marijuana legally, and in the right way, there are abusers who abuse this drug. 

In Mr. Randolph Hearst's case, I found out that he was actually driven by an ulterior motive. His reason for dissing cannabis may have been because many paper manufacturers at that time were thinking of changing from using trees to make paper to using hemp because it was cheaper and easier to grow, not to mention better for the environment.  Hearst stood to lose millions so he used his influence and testimony to help get marijuana, the source of hemp, banned in the U.S.

So now that we know why marijuana was made illegal I think we should also keep in mind that alcohol was once made illegal and like the drug kingpins of today, back then people like Al Capone became rich and famous selling unregulated, untested bootleg alcoholic beverages. Once alcohol was legalized the bootlegging empire collapsed on a commercial scale. 

I theorized that the same thing would happen when cannabis is made legal on a federally commercial scale, and not only result in putting drug smugglers of cannabis out of business, but we could avoid the cutting down of millions of trees every year for paper products that can be made better from hemp, which by the way comes from the same plant as cannabis. And what about the medical benefits that come from marijuana?

Cannabis is an effective pain reliever and cancer treatment, the herb has also been proven to slow down the spread of Alzheimer's in the elderly and relieves the pressure behind the eye from glaucoma. There is even proof that marijuana provides relief from migraine headaches. Hemp, one of the byproducts of cannabis, was used during WWII for the rigging on parachutes, and as material for uniforms. Hemp can be used to make rope with thousands of other potential uses affected by the prohibition on cannabis; making it hard to exploit hemp's potential because of marijuana's illegal status.

If you've been here on earth for a while you probably know that marijuana is not illegal everywhere, several states have laws that legalize cannabis use, however, marijuana is still outlawed due to federal laws creating a problem for state legalized cannabis businesses. Banks are regulated by the federal government limiting business' in the cannabis industry to relatively few banks that will accept their business, with some of those banks forced to do business under another company name. The problems for marijuana businesses, medical and recreational, extend to their insurance and payroll because these business necessities also follow federal law and must operate in fear of losing government contracts, being penalized, or shut down due to serving cannabis businesses. 

The truth of the marijuana matter is that legalization is inevitable. The attitude of people has changed so drastically over the last 30 years that hopefully eventually, the federal prohibition on marijuana will go the way of the federal prohibition on alcohol with younger generations of Politian’s starting to take over. Marijuana will eventually become legal because the younger generation will understand the truth, cannabis can be a good source of federal income, while at the same time putting drug smugglers out of business and freeing up law enforcement forces to focus on terrorist and other villains. 

Hopefully, their collective wisdom will also show them that just like the ban on alcohol; putting a ban on something only makes the market for it stronger.