Recipes: Passion Hot Chocolate

 

Recipes: Passion Hot Chocolate

Ingredients (for 2):

4 cups whole milk/skim milk/2% milk/ OR almond, rice or cashew milk

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon maca root extract

1 pinch of red pepper flakes

2 tsp raw honey

pinch of mineral or sea salt

1 vanilla bean scored or 1 tsp organic vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

40 drops damiana extract or 40 drops of ginseng extract or 40 drops herba epimedium grandiflorum

AKA horny goat weed

Directions:

In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, slowly bring the milk, vanilla, salt and nutmeg to a gentle simmer for about fifteen minutes. Slowly add in the cocoa powder and honey. Use a whisk to blend in the cocoa powder and honey, making sure they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add in the 40 drops of herbal extract and pinch of red pepper flakes. Let simmer another 1-2 minutes. Serve with stiff whipped cream and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

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Elements of Celtic Healing

 

Good Morning!

Elements of Celtic Healing

First and foremost, The Celts were and are a remarkable, inventive and long-enduring people, versed in rituals and protocols of nature, a strong connection to the earth and sea and a reputation for mystery, myth and magic. It is from these elements that we can learn, understand and incorporate each facet into our everyday healing practices! 

1. Water: including lakes, streams, rivers, springs and wells, have been held in deep respect, honor and places to visit on pilgrimage. The power of water has refreshing, hydrating and rejuvenating powers that call, the Celts (and most every other culture) to their healing banks and shallows to gather, drink and bathe in the ever sacred waters! Water is considered a fertility symbol, found in the Culdron of Daghda, in the Baths and Sanctuaries of Sulus, on the shoreline of the Boyne River and flowing along Brigid's Well. 

2. Sacred Herbs: found in burial sites and ritual shafts, handed down in folklore and stories, and made available from the hand-me-down recipes and tales of intrigue, tell a story of the plants and perennials that have made their way through Celtic history. From Bilberry and burdock to mistletoe and willow bark, herbs were utilized not only for their healing properties but for their taste, color and metaphysical healing aspects, as well. 

3. Stones: were seen as tools for divination, objects of protection and luck and places of worship and blessings. From the standing stones at Carnac and megaliths at Stonehenge to the Winter Solstice tomb at Newgrange and the looming mound in Glastonbury, stones have been used to mark territories, honor grave sites, invoke seasonal ceremonies, revered as touchstones and used as altars or "mass rocks" for centuries. The Lia Fail (Stone of Destiny) is often referred to as the Coronation Stone or Jacob's Pillar and is where many high kings of Ireland where crowned. The Turoe Stone in Galway, Ireland is considered the omphalos or "navel" stone. This "earth navel" is considered the meeting place between living mortals, the gods and the dead. 

4. Fire: has been used for its powerful healing, purging and cleansing properties. Offered as a tool of celebration in many of the major holidays and seasonal transitions, fire, smoke and ashes were deemed to have protective properties. Cows were driven between two pillars of fire as a cleansing ritual, while tribes would jump over bonfires to achieve fertility, prosperity and protection, fires lit to represent stages of the sun and its light are all good examples as to how fire plays a major role in ritualistic aspects. 

5. Music: and songs are elements of storytelling, the expressing of one's emotions and a way to connect with people and the past. Music's magic and mystical connections are undeniable and there is no better way to recall memories, honor life's transitions and bring hope to anyone seeking enlightenment. The lithful melodies of the harp of Daghda, were played as a passing of the seasons. 

6. Nature: and all its power, glory and destruction where feared and honored as a way of understanding it's approach through the rhythm of the seasons, from the attention payed to natural locations and to the tides of the moon and weather divination. Trees were seen as revered, ancient elders whom gathered in sacred groves on ancient hilltops and used as divination tools. The trinity of water, fire and earth were also respected as nature's way of washing, purifying and honoring. 

7. Symbols: are the binding which holds together cultural beliefs, religious significance and etheric ideas. Every symbol is a message from some deeper unconscious part of ourselves to the more conscious everyday part of ourselves expressed in a language that needs to be learned and understood. The symbol has been called the royal road to the unconscious. Another way to say that symbols are the window to the soul. There is a very small number of original, natural symbols that make up the countless millions of symbols in existence today. 

8. Storytelling: has always been the way in which the Celts would teach lessons, entertain their tribe and make as one of the cornerstone beliefs within the society as a whole. Stories gave people an identity. It was a way to keep a communities' self image, uniqueness and trbal psyche together. Stories were told of shifting backwards and forwards between two worlds, this world and the Otherworld. Storytelling would glide along the edge of history and sometimes, blurring the line, but the main purpose of the story was always the message it had within it. The greatest Celt stories would wander between warriors and giants, fairies and lovers, gods and goddesses and traditional local lore. 

9. Dieties: have played a major role in the construction and fabric of the Celt cultures. The common denominator in all religions is the belief in the spirit world and life after death. Priests or shaman have always been the inter-mediators between the material and spirit worlds. 

10. Rituals: give us the opportunity to start anew, refresh and reboot our lives, our intentions or goals. Not much has been recorded about the healing rites and rituals of the Celts. What is known is based on the literature recorded by early Christians, the Greeks and Romans and archaeological evidence. 

Okra Health Benefits

 

 

Okra: A-OK not only for diabetics

WELL-BEING By Mylene Mendoza-Dayrit (The Philippine Star) | Updated February 10, 2015

I have written how okra helped normalize my blood sugar levels May of last year, but since then, I have been receiving questions and feedbacks about the topic. I love okra and had I known its many benefits back then, I would have included it in my daily diet.

News about how it is helping a lot of people, such as myself, encourages me to write more about the topic of medicinal plants and herbs. One 46-year-old reader, Roland of Cavite, wrote, "I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus last January 8. Luckily, I kept a copy of your column 'How okra normalized my blood sugar.' My fasting blood sugar, when I was diagnosed, was 146. After two weeks of taking my medicine, diet, exercise, and okra water, my blood sugar, went down to 105. Should I still continue taking okra water?"

My answer is yes, by all means. I have been taking okra water in the morning after waking up for one year now! This is completely natural. With continuous use, chances are you can request your doctor to decrease the dose of your maintenance medication. 

Alfred, my husband's diabetic driver, was religiously preparing his okra water every night for consumption the following morning but he made a grave mistake, which I immediately corrected. He told me he places the covered okra water in the ref! That won't work. It is best to keep the okra water covered in room temperature (not even in an air-conditioned room). 

In fact, I noticed that during these cooler months, the slimy sap of the okra doesn't mix with the water as well as during the warmer months. My husband discovered that after drinking okra water, you can still drain all the slimy goodness of the okra by putting hot water over the soaked cut pieces.

For those reading this for the first time, okra water is prepared by cutting the ends of two okras, then soaking them in a glass of warm water, covered overnight. It is best to put a slit on the middle of the okra or cut it into pieces. The covered glass of water with soaked okra should be kept overnight in room temperature. The okra water should be taken in the morning on an empty stomach and preferably 30 minutes before breakfast. To celebrate my one year with okra, I am sharing more facts about this amazing vegetable.

Author and nutritionist Dr. Sylvia Zook of the University of Illinois published the following insights about okra:

• The superior fiber found in okra helps to stabilize blood sugar as it curbs the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract.

• Okra's mucilage (gummy or gelatinous substance) not only binds cholesterol but bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver. But it doesn't stop there.

• Many alternative health practitioners believe all disease begins in the colon. The okra fiber, absorbing water and ensuring bulk in stools, helps prevent and improve constipation. Fiber, in general, is helpful for this, but okra is one of the best, along with ground flax seed and psyllium. Unlike harsh wheat bran, which can irritate or injure the intestinal tract, okra's mucilage soothes, and okra facilitates elimination more comfortably by its slippery characteristic many people abhor. In other words, this incredibly valuable vegetable not only binds excess cholesterol and toxins (in bile acids), which cause numerous health problems if not evacuated, but also assures easy passage out of the body of same. Unlike some prescription and over-the-counter drugs for this, this veggie is completely non-toxic, non-habit forming (except for the many who greatly enjoy eating it), has no adverse side effects, is full of nutrients, and is economically within reach of most.

• Further contributing to the health of the intestinal tract, okra fiber (as well as flax and psyllium) has no equal among fibers for feeding the good bacteria (probiotics).

• To retain most of okra's nutrients and self-digesting enzymes, it should be cooked as little as possible, e.g. with low heat or lightly steamed. Some eat it raw. However, if one is going to fry it (and it is undeniably delicious prepared that way when rolled in cornmeal and salt), only extra virgin olive oil, or unrefined coconut butter is recommended (this is not the unhealthy partially hydrogenated product found in processed foods.) Organic ghee used by gourmet chefs has the oil and flavor of butter without the solids — excellent for frying okra (does not burn like butter), and may be obtained from the health food store.

 While generally known worldwide as okra, it's called bendi in Malaysia, okura in Japan, and qui kui in Taiwan. Okra is good for those feeling weak, exhausted, and depressed. It also helps neutralize acids being very alkaline, helps heal ulcers, and helps keep joints limber.

For acid reflux and constipation, adding six pieces of raw or lightly steamed okra in one's daily diet helps. Some make okra tea by putting okra pieces in a mug, then pouring hot water over it to extract the slimy juice.

Half a cup of cooked okra with 460 IU of vitamin A may lower the risk of cataracts, they said. In a research conducted by Dr. Zook, a study group with high low density lipid (bad cholesterol) was fed oats, barley, psyllium, okra, and eggplants and showed the same reduction in LDL as those given medication.