My Favorite (online) Herbal School

Vintage Remedies.

Have you heard of Vintage Remedies?  The name rang a bell for me, when I first heard of this online school. I realized that I'd gotten a (e-book version of0 their Handbook of Vintage Remedies.   (Thanks Nikki! I didn't realize at the time just how amazing of a resource that little freebie would be!)

How Vintage Remedies Has Helped Me

Well, a year or three have gone by, and Vintage Remedies has become one of the most useful, helpful, and reliable sources I've been going to for all things health, healing and herbal over the past nine months. What happened nine months ago? I signed up for Vintage Remedies course Family Herbalist. I've had the benefits of the course itself, instructor input, the course materials (books, PDFs, audio info, etc), as well as access to the entire student library of videos and audio messages.

The student library is where I got facts on EBOLA, when the world around me -at least online- seemed to be in a panic; where I found  on ingesting EOs, to pass on to a pregnant friend who was just getting started with EOs; how to more effectively and safely share about herbs and health information; and many other helpful, relevant bits of information - and scientific studies and their results - that I could apply to my life right where I'm at, or pass on to others.

Through Vintage Remedies, I've been able to learn what exactly it is about sugar that makes it a negative thing to health - I've read and read some on this before, but they broke it down so simply in the first day of their (free) 8 Weeks of Real Food email series that started out the year. (It also included  step-by step actions to take so you could integrate the ideas from each week into you daily life, so it was very practical and not just more information to get bogged down with.) With what I've learned from Vintage Remedies I've been able to reevaluate what I write about on my blog, and be more conscientious about sharing wider range of information (contraindications and reasons someone may need to avoid specific remedies or herbs), rather than just basics of things I've been learning on my own for my own use.

Spicy Chocolate Headache Paste

This post is written by dear friend and former fellow dorm mother, Katie Mae Stanley. She has been a great source of insperation to me, as well as a teacher, helping me find the ideal homemade solutions to many formerly hazy subjects. A couple years ago she came up to a solution to a troubling headache of mine, today she shares the recipe with us!   

Do you suffer from headaches? Yes? Me too. I have been there more times than I can count.

When we get headaches it is a natural response to pop a pill and move on with the day. Unfortunately pain pills are horrible for your body. If you are anything like me you can't continue on with the day without treating a headache which could quickly become a migraine.

A couple of summers ago I visited Finaorlena when she was a teacher at the school run by mutual friends of ours in Sinaloa, Mexcio. She had a throbbing headache that would not go away. There were classes to teach, lice to pick, errands to run and a tea party to bake for. Her headache staying around was not an option. Plus she needed to hang out with me, right?

I decided to whip up a batch of my "spicy chocolate" that I had been making since that past spring to treat my own headaches.

This post contains affiliate links; that means if you buy something we've recommended we could get a small commission with no cost difference to you. :]

This simple spicy chocolate headache paste is a tasty, yet somewhat spicy way to ease the pain. What is the key ingredient you ask? Cayenne pepper. This vibrant red pepper (caspcium) increases blood circulation and equalizes blood pressure, reliving the headache. I first learned about using cayenne to treat headaches from Jill's Home Remedies.

My Migraine Made Me Cry {and how I got some sleep}

Let me tell you a story...

I was way down south, far from home. My job was teaching Deaf children, and our "off hours" were filled with Spanish speaking children, house chores, and sometimes a bit of fun. It was one of those evening when the children were in bed and the staff had some time to visit in the kitchen. Some of my favorite times were spent just that way. Then, out of nowhere, I realized a massive headache was crawling up and about to take over. Oh no. Even with a migraine I usually wouldn't notice it coming on so quickly; this was scary. Reluctantly - and rapidly - I parted, saying I could feel a nasty headache coming on. I practically ran for it, taking shelter in a dark room, pulling a blanket up, and cried. It was that bad, that fast. I've had headaches too bad to let me sleep, and so on top of the pain of it, I had the worry that I'd be awake all night too. Ugh. What about class? What about my friend visiting? Bad enough to miss the evening with the staff and my friend, but then there was the upcoming special Tea [affiliate link] we were going to bake for, and...all the rest of my ordinary chores would fall to another already busy staffer. Oh dear.

Then, oh gloriously, my friend Katie Mae came to the rescue! Praise the Lord for herbs and knowledge, and the research she'd been doing! She brought me this concoctions, and a glass of water. I asked her what the spoonful of goo was, and when she told me it had honey, cocoa and other things I'd like, I was sure I wouldn't need the drink. Wrong. She assured me I'd want it at hand, since the main active ingredient was very spicy! Gladly, I accepted. I got both down - and she was right, I definitely wanted something to wash it down with! - and then, to my amaze and delight, was able to drift off to sleep. Instead of a week of achy head and missing my responsibilities, I had an early evening, and a dull ache for a say or so. Sooo grateful for her quick thinking and concocting!

I later asked her what the formula was, and she had to do some testing! My tolerance for spicy is wayyy lower than hers (for example, I wouldn't even taste her spicy avocado hummus!), so she kept that in mind when she worked it out for me. Even still, if you should try this spicy paste, don't forget: it's spicy! :D

See tomorrow's post for Katie Mae's recipe:
 Spicy Chocolate Headache Paste!