Ever Had A Carob Almond Ball? Here's A Fantastic Recipe To Try!

These are decadent!!!

I haven't had the pleasure of making this recipe yet. (I'll be making it for my herb class though!) However, I did have the opportunity to eat SO much of it over my herb walk weekend. They are rich, sweet and addictive! Make with caution as you could eat the entire batch! :)

• 1 16zo Jar of Almond Butter (raw)
• 5 Tbsp Carob Powder
• 5 Tbsp Oats
• 5 Tbsp Finely chopped raw walnuts
• 5 Tbsp Agave Nectar or Honey (I prefer Agave)
• Approximately 1 cup fine grain raw sugar
• Mix Oats, Carob Powder & Walnuts in a food process, good blender or with a hand mixer. 
• Add in Almond Butter and Agave
• Once well blended roll in to bite size balls.
• Roll balls in raw sugar- Voila!
• ENJOY! 

Click to read more ...

Tell Me Your Juice-Story! - Here's Mine...

Tell me why you started juicing, how it's changed your health for the better and your favorite recipe!

I'll select parts of all of your comments for my upcoming eBook to be released in the fall. 

Juicing for me started in 2005 when I began working at Whole Foods Market in the Vitamin Department. Everyone in that department was so into eating naturally, we were all taking herbal tinctures of this or that, taking antioxidants and learning what we could about ways to be healthier. Our job was to help people find what they were looking for to be healthier themselves. It was a fun and exciting time for me. I was in my mid twenties and there was always something fun to do with my crew from "The Foods". 

Click to read more ...

Low On Iron? Try this Root for Anemia & Digestion Support

yellow dock in early summerYellow Dock is everywhere.

It's a subtle plant that has big benefits for our bodies. The root should be dug up in fall when the top of the plant has turned completely brown. It's roots are- not surprisingly, bright yellow (thus the name yellow dock) This key identifier is a good way to know you have the right plant.

Once the roots have been dug up, split them and cut them as soon as possible, waiting more than a day or two will give you a difficult task as they get hard quickly. 

It's high in organic food based iron and has the ability to correct anemia in a matter of days. Iron supplements don't compare as they are created in a lab and are not naturally recognized by the body as plants are. Plants do a better job of putting minerals into a usable form for animals and humans through the process of photosynthesis. Mother nature will not be outdone with her ability to make foods & plants that heal!

Click to read more ...

It's Allergy Season...Here's A Few Ways To Avoid The Crud!

Golden Rod in BloomIt's almost that time of year! For some of you, it already IS that time of year. What's making us sneeze and itch?

It's not the Golden Rod that's buggin', it has almost NO pollen! Your likely allergic to Ragweed which blooms at the same time and has alot of pollen. Golden Rod is not the enemy (I used to think I was allergic to it myself).  Interestingly enough, you might be able to use a tincture of this herbal extract to combat allergies. 

Golden Rod has properties that make it useful in cases of upper respiratory congestion or as they say in the herbal books, catarrh (pronounced ka-tar). It can be used in the same way for colds and flu's with those associated symptoms. It's astringency has been used for urinary tract infections, cystitis, urethritis & other inflammations of the renal system.

Maybe golden rod isn't so bad after all! Find out more from Susan Weed on the subject of Golden Rod. She's one of my favorite Modern Hippie Herbal ladies:)       I say it with much love:)

Greater Ragweed in it's beginning stages. Look for this uniquely shaped leaf to identify. There is also a "lesser ragweed" that has similar ability to make you sneeze!

Click to read more ...

Improve the Health of Your Gums- Improve the Health of Your Body!

Swollen or bleeding gums can be very bothersome and is a sign that something is not right. Either you're not flossing enough (which aggravates your gums and causes them to bleed) or you need some nutritional support. 

If you have common garden sage growing in your yard for culinary uses this is a great place to start. Sage is naturally antibacterial, antiviral and antimicrobial. It's healing and soothing to sore gums and sore throats! 

Click to read more ...

3 Habits of A Modern Hippie

Just entertaining the idea of hanging your clothes out on the line makes you a bit of a modern hippie. Resisting convenience of using a dryer for the simple pleasure of hung dry sheets:) Oh yeah! I try to do it whenever I can.

There's something sweet about it. Going out there in my bare feet, clothes-pins clipped on my shirt. I love how everything comes out looking like it was ironed, smells fresh and of course- not using any additional electricity using the dryer. I do admit the towels come out pretty crispy but if I really want them soft (as my hubby is a sucker for soft towels), I just pop them in the dryer for about 5 minutes and voila´!

Click to read more ...

Fluoride Effect on IQ

Last year I wrote a 30 page term paper on the subject of fluoride toxicity. It's nice to see some of the documentation I sited seeing the light of day on the news. If you have small children consider what fluoride may be doing to their ability to learn, focus and develop properly. 

To avoid fluoride purchase fluoride free toothpaste, decline fluoride treatments at the dentist and purchase reverse osmosis water or a water filtration system in the home that removes fluoride specifically. Those are the top 3 things you can do to ensure that they are not exposed constantly to this harmful neurotoxin. 

Fluoride also disrupts the the health of the thyroid gland, has been shown by Harvard University to increase chances of osteocarcomas in young boys and destroys healthy bacteria in the intestinal tract. 

Doctor Knows Best? An Experience With Antibiotics & UTI's

My Sister recently had a chat with her doctor about her recurrent UTI's, she was there for her yearly and it came up in coversation. She's had them for years. Now, she really likes this doctor. She is caring, she talks to my Sister at appointments (more than most MD's do), and she isn't as quick to write prescriptions as some. 

Sissy told her how I helped her stay out of the hospital for a serious UTI infection back in April 2012. It had moved into her kidneys in a matter of hours. She was extremely weak, disoriented, was running a fever, she had chills, shakes and her kidneys ached with infection. When I got to her, I was SO scared. This is my SISTER we're talking about here! 

Click to read more ...

Why You Should Try Herbal Tinctures

Homemade Black Walnut TinctureI recommend alot of tinctures to people. I even teach people how to make them. But I guess I should start over and tell you what a tincture is...

...Websters defines tincture (ˈtiŋ(k)-chər) as : a solution of a medicinal substance in an alcoholic or hydroalcoholic menstruum. The tinctures that I make are always herbal in nature and are steeped in a solvent of some sort, usually vodka. 

Water and vodka are both excellent solvents but the problem with water is it doesn't preserve herbal infusions (herbs steeped in water). Have you ever had a bottle of vodka go bad? Nope! These medicines can last indefinitely as long as they are kept away from heat, light and air. 

So why are tinctures so great? Aside from them keeping indefinitely?

Click to read more ...

Harvesting, Preserving & Making Herbal Medicines At Home

Just Harvested Chamomile- Beautiful!Looking for information on harvesting and preserving herbs? Interested in tincture making, teas and other natural medicines?

Here's a compilation of info I've discovered in books in the last 2 years. I used New Holistic Herbal by David Hoffman (which I highly recommmend). I think I use that book at least once a day. And a couple of other books as back up to make sure the info is consistant. Reach out to me with questions at desiree@modernhippie. Enjoy!

This document contains how to information on...

• Taking & making tinctures
• Taking & making teas
• Making Ointments and Herbal Oils
• Making Poultices
• Making Cough Syrups
• Making Earache Oil
• Recommended Reading

Click to read more ...