Step Up Your Wellness Game with Organic Plants

Medicinal plants are considered to be among the wealthiest resources of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. In fact, these plants are among the most commonly used ingredients in drug development, which speaks volumes about their effectiveness. Barley grass is one such powerful and healthy medicinal plant that you can use for improving your overall well-being.

The organic barley grass powder is considered a superfood and can be used as an ingredient in juices and smoothies. As the name implies, barley grass is the leafy part of the barley plant which humans started using for its great nutrients. It’s said that dried organic barley powder is a great source of fibre, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, polyphenols and flavonoids. Many studies have been made, and most of them show that barley grass plays an important role in keeping chronic diseases at bay.

What Is Barley Grass Powder Good For?

The wholesome and tasty organic barley powder has several potential health benefits from which everyone can benefit. It’s said that it may reduce blood sugar levels thanks to its insoluble fibre that doesn’t dissolve water. It’s also said that this powerful plant powder may support heart health because of its saponarin, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and tryptophan. All of them are associated with reduced inflammation and blood pressure, as well as with improved overall heart health.

Being low in calories but high in fibre makes organic barley powder the perfect addition to a healthy weight loss diet. Since fibres are moving slowly through the body, they’ll keep you fuller for a longer period of time which will significantly reduce cravings. As you can see, the benefits of consuming it are many, just keep in mind that the key to receiving all of them is if you invest in the plant’s purest organic form.

Stay Active

Staying physically active is essential for staying in shape without a doubt. But the most important thing of all is that staying active can also reduce stress and can improve your overall well-being. That’s because physical activity produces endorphins which are chemicals in the brain known as natural pain killers. In return, after your workout (be it exercising in the gym, walking, running, doing yoga, etc.), you’ll feel more energy and less pain which will result in reduced stress and improved sleep.

Use Lavender Essential Oil

Derived from plants and being natural, essential oils are other commonly used natural remedies for improving health. Through aromatherapy, essential oils are able to provide you with numerous health benefits that can be obtained naturally, without the use of any drugs. Essential oils are so powerful that they can reduce stress and improve sleep, and it seems that essential lavender oil is perfect for this use.

Carefully extracted from the Lavandula Angustifolia plant, lavender essential oil promotes relaxation and treats insomnia, anxiety, and depression. This essential oil can also treat eczema, nausea, allergies, menstrual cramps, and infections of different kinds. All in all, it can improve your overall health and well-being which is crucial these days.

The secret behind lavender oil’s effectiveness lies in its numerous properties. Pure lavender oil has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, however, it also has detoxifying, analgesic, sedative and hypotensive effects. The properties and benefits of using this essential oil are many, and being natural makes it even more tempting for people. Quite often, the benefits of essential oils like lavender are obtained through aromatherapy with the help of ultrasonic diffusers.

Aside from being able to help you instantly, by using it that way, your whole family could enjoy in its benefits since the whole home will be filled with the pleasant lavender smell thanks to these diffusers. If you prefer, you can also use them the conventional way, i.e. by inhaling them directly from the bottle whenever needed. You can apply the oil directly on the skin too (but only if mixed with a carrier oil) or by applying a few drops of it on your pillow for maximum effect. That way, you’ll be able to feel the smell of lavender throughout the day/night.

Use Quality Bedding

Bedding can play a huge role in your sleep. While synthetic bedding might be more affordable, most synthetic bedding can trap heat, making you feel uncomfortable. Unfortunately, a great number of these materials can even cause skin irritations and rash which can lead to restless sleep.

Not being able to have good sleep can lead to stress and anxiety which can have long-term effects on your health and lifestyle. That’s why you should rely on the use of sheets and bedding made of natural materials like cotton. Soft, gentle to the skin and appealing, cotton is the most popular and commonly used type of natural fabric since ever.

Unlike synthetic fabrics, cotton is a breathable type of material that doesn’t retain heat or moisture. Thanks to this, you’ll be able to retain the needed body temperature while not feeling any itchiness or discomfort while sleeping because of its antimicrobial, antibacterial and hypoallergenic properties. Feeling no discomfort, cotton sheets will contribute to having a good night’s sleep which will result in reduced anxiety and stress levels. This will positively impact your overall health and daily productivity and energy levels.

Being hypoallergenic, this durable fabric makes an ideal bedding option for allergy sufferers and even for little children. If possible, you can even choose bedding made of organic cotton, which means that you’ll receive the purest bedding option. This fabric isn’t treated with any chemicals and synthetic dyes, hence it’s the perfect option even for newborns.

Practice Reading

Nourishing your mind is the last but not least thing you can do for reducing stress. And the easiest and fastest way to achieve this is by reading. Books are the ideal food for our brain, so feeding it on a daily basis is the best thing you can do, and in return, your brain will become clearer, more relaxed and stress-free. Instead of reaching for your phone in order to waste your time scrolling through social media, it’s better for you to grab a book and get lost between the pages.

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Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy involves the use of essential oils for therapeutic purposes. The scent molecules go from the olfactory nerves straight to the brain and impact the amygdala, which is the emotional centre of the brain. Just notice how some scents make you feel great (rain, sea, your favourite perfume).
Essential oils can be absorbed through your skin. You can add a couple of drops of essential oil to a carrier oil (coconut oil or almond oil) and rub it onto your skin.

How Scents Affect Your Mind and Body

You know how smelling a certain perfume brings memories from a certain event from your past? It could remind you of your childhood, a dear person, happy moments with your loved ones. Human’s sense of smell is connected to the brain’s centres of memory and emotion. The cells in your nose will detect the smells in the environment and send info to your brain through the olfactory nerve.

Also, the cluster of cells at the top of the throat will detect the scent from the food we eat and will transfer that info through the same olfactory channel to the brain. The info about a scent will absorb in the limbic system of the brain where the amygdala is placed (it controls emotional reactions and memory). That info then goes to other parts of the brain such as the thalamus that works as a station that passes sensory data to other brain parts. Out of all senses, only the sense of smell can move to the brain’s centre for emotions and memory.

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Essential Oils for Better Sleep

When having troubles sleeping even though you feel tired, you need to calm and soothe your mind. Then your body will follow. For centuries, people have used essential oils to relax their minds and bodies. Luckily for us, today we can find essential oils in almost every chemist and drugstore at fairly affordable prices. When it comes to using essential oils for sleep, certain oils (lavender, jasmine) can help you relieve insomnia and get a good night’s sleep.

How to Use Essential Oils for Sleep

There are several ways to use essential oils. It’s important that you follow the instructions on the box and never try to use the oils in any other way than instructed.

Diffuser

One of the most popular ways of reaping the benefits of these goodies is by using an essential oil diffuser for sleep. If you want to have a quality uninterrupted night sleep, drop a few drops into the diffuser and let the scent spread through the room. The relaxing and soothing smell will come to your nose and will send information to your brain to relax and get ready for rest. Putting just three to five drops of lavender into the essential oil diffuser for sleep can do wonders for your night rest. No more waking up in the middle of the night, checking the time – just refreshing eight hours of sleep.

Bath

Another great way to use essential oils is to drop a few drops in your bathwater. The warmth and scents will help your body and mind relax at the same time. Soak in the bath for as long as you want (or as long as the water is hot); then put your pyjamas on and go to sleep.

Directly on Your Body

Many people like the idea of rubbing essential oils onto their skin. This can be done during a massage, or you can rub them on your wrists, temples or neck. Pick your favourite scent of essential oils for sleep and use a carrier oil to mix it. This is done so the strong essential oil doesn’t irritate your skin. Apply one or two drops into the carrier oil and then rub it gently onto your skin. You can even use it for a full body massage, which could work really therapeutic before sleep.

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The Best Essential Oils for Sleeping

Lavender

This is one of the most popular essential oils. People love its smell and besides for sleeping, it’s also used to reduce anxiety and depression.
Its scent isn’t too strong yet it’s pleasant and relaxing. If you don’t feel like spreading the scent around the room, rub it onto your skin or drop a few drops into your bathwater, you can always put one or two drops on your pillow (for a better and long-lasting effect).

Vanilla

If you’re a fan of the sweet vanilla scent, we have great news. Vanilla can have sedative effects on your body such as easing restlessness and hyperactivity, it can soothe your nervous system and can lower blood pressure. If you like the scent of vanilla cookies bringing memories from your childhood days, vanilla essential oils might be a great choice for you.

Jasmine

The floral scent of jasmine has some serious sleep-promoting abilities. It reduces restless sleep and increases daytime alertness. It’s also known to lower anxiety.

Citrus

There are various citrus essential oils such as bergamot or lemon oil. These can help you fall asleep faster and relax. However, this scent can be too much for some people. If this scent is stimulating or too strong for you, avoid using it before sleep. You can use the oils during the day if you want to feel refreshed and more relaxed.

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Among other things, aromatherapy utilizes the power of smell to help us improve our wellbeing, both physical and mental. For that very reason, having a few roller bottles for essential oils, with a scent that you enjoy, can help boost your mood and help you sleep better.

How Do We Perceive Smells?

The part of our brain responsible for detecting and processing smells works by perceiving many odour molecules that come out of something, processing them, and putting together the gathered information. When someone is cooking, for instance, our sense of smell detects all the different odour molecules, it processes the information and we can hint what’s cooking.

In fact, thanks to the huge number of smell receptors in our noses, our brain can detect more than one trillion different smells. Our sense of smell allows us to enjoy the smell of beautiful things, and it protects us by warning us when something can make us sick.

Our sense of smell is the oldest and most primitive out of all five senses. It’s also different because it is the only one that has a direct connection to our brains, so it processes smells really fast. Unlike sight, sound and taste, when we smell something, we first have an emotional reaction, and after that, we identify the scent. This is why we can smell winter, we can feel places we’ve been to and we feel a certain way when we smell particular fragrances.

How Can We Use Scents for Our Wellbeing?

Though not completely proven yet, according to certain studies, aromatherapy has a plethora of health benefits. Essential oils are one of the main instruments used in aromatherapy. The idea is to utilize pleasant smells from different plants as a way to help ourselves with physical and mental health problems.

What Are Essential Oils and How Can You Use Them?

Essential oils contain many healthy ingredients that may have an impact on different processes in our bodies. They can help with our mental health, or even repel bugs. If you use an essential oil rollerball to apply essential oil on your skin, for example, your skin will hastily absorb it.

Lavender, chamomile, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemon, grapefruit, sweet orange, tea tree, rosemary, patchouli, ylang-ylang, oregano, clove, ginger, or any combination of these can be found in the form of drops or roller bottles for essential oils. Essential oils used in aromatherapy are usually extracted from different parts of a range of plants, which are afterwards distilled. They can be used directly – by applying them to your skin with an essential oil roller bottle or as drops, by inhalation, or by adding them to lotions, bath salts etc.

Inhalation

The simplest way to use essential oils is to open the bottle and simply smell your preferred scent, as you would with a perfume. You can add 2-3 drops of your essential oil to steam inhalation, often used to help against sinus congestion.

Diffusers and Vaporisers

It may seem that the primary function of an aromatherapy diffuser or vaporiser is to simply spread a pleasant smell across the room. However, there are many indications that this method of dispersing small particles of essential oil through the air, can be beneficial for yours and your families’ health as well.

Topical Use

Using essential oils in skincare is nothing new. You can apply them in various ways. By rubbing the oil on your skin, by adding some drops into your cosmetic products, such as serums or toners, or into your bath cosmetics, like your shampoo or body wash, etc. However, some essential oils can be too strong for your skin. This is why you should always dilute them with a carrier oil before using them in any way. Or, you could buy essential oils or blends of essential oils that are made to be safely applied to the skin. To get the most out of your aromatherapy efforts, you could have a couple of essential oil roller bottles with you at all times, to be able to rub them on your wrists, your temple, etc. as needed.

What Can Essential Oils Do?

Essential oils are believed to have a plethora of positive effects on many aspects of our lives. They can help people who have troubles falling asleep, people dealing with stress, anxiety and depression. In aromatherapy, essential oils are used to relieve headaches, colds, sinus congestion, infections, nausea, skin conditions, they are even believed to promote better libido, focus, and digestion. They are believed to calm nerves, boost energy, improve mental health, mood, and quality of life for people with chronic pains, etc.

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Luckily, today you can easily find natural bug repellent essential oils that can help you keep mosquitos away from you without causing any harm to your health. These oils are considered a kind of green pesticides. They are extracted from plants and are complex compounds that feature strong odour. Natural bug repellent essential oils are antibacterial, antifungal and free of dangerous DEET (N, N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) which is the main ingredient in synthetic repellents and one that is affecting the human’s nervous system. Here are some of my favorite ones.

Citronella oil

This is one of the most popular natural bug repellents. Often used at a concentration of five to ten per cent, this natural repellent offers protection for about two hours and then evaporates. There are some other natural options that use a blend of citronella, tea tree and eucalyptus and these blends are more effective in keeping mosquitos at bay for about 4 hours. The natural ingredients help reduce itching and preventing infection from bites.

Lavender oil

This essential oil is known to repel mosquitos and heal their bites. Lavender is considered a safe choice for kids, so whenever you’re camping or just walking outdoors, make sure to have lavender oil at hand in case your little ones start complaining about mosquitos. Natural repellents that are a blend of lavender and sandalwood will keep mosquitos away while green tea, chamomile, cucumber and aloe will provide you with a soothing effect.

Lemon eucalyptus oil

Lemon eucalyptus oil is another natural solution known for its insect-repellent properties. The main component in this extract is PMD, the main by-product of lemon eucalyptus hydrodistillation. According to many studies, this component is as effective in repelling mosquitoes as the harmful DEET found in synthetic products. Having in mind that this is a completely natural product, it’s time to put your lab-produced repellent in the trash and switch to lemon eucalyptus oil to protect yourself from mosquitos and enjoy its effect.

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