Make Sarsaparilla aka Smilax ornata Soda at Home and More with this Tonic Herb

In old Western movies or TV shows you will sometimes find a person asking for a Sarsaparilla at the local bar. The original drink was a fermented drink using ale yeasts.
 
The source of the delicious flavor in this drink is a perennial vine, and the flavor is in the roots. 

The botanical name for the plant is Smilax ornata.

S. ornata vines have long prickly stems and shiny leaves, and numerous reddish-brown roots. It is the deep roots of this plant that are harvested and prepared for brewing this delicious drink, or tonic, with the flavor similar to root beer, but with the distinctive flavor of anise. People enjoyed this beverage before another popular root-based drink was developed, Root Beer, which used to be made from Sassafras and Sarsaparilla root until a chemical in Sassafras was found to be poisonous.

The vine grows in tropical areas, temperate zones, places like Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America or Central America. It is native to Mexico and Central America. 

Sarsaparilla has been used historically, and by some currently, to support the circulatory system and the liver with claims to it's ability to purify the blood. It is called a "Spring tonic" by some because of it's cleansing properties, and Spring is a popular time for health enthusiasts to do internal cleansing and detoxification of the body. It also has tonic properties and has been used traditionally for skin support. It may also promote normal digestion and appetite. One popular site that offers Sarsaparilla encapsulated (affiliate link - use search feature) offers it as Glandular System support.

How to Make Sarsaparilla Soda at Home

eHow.com offers a simple way to make some Sarsaparilla Soda at home. It skips the process of extracting the flavor and beneficial properties from the roots by suggesting that you use Sarsaparilla extract. You will also need sugar and sparkling water or club soda. For the full recipe and how to make Sarsaparilla Soda at home, visit this link. 

Here is a link to >> another recipe that uses more traditional means of getting the "fizz" into the soda, which included using ale yeasts. This recipe uses Sarsaparilla, when I try to make it, I would probably use the encapsulated form of the plant mentioned above.

The following video gives you a recipe for craft brewed root beer, which also contains Sarsaparilla. You will want to pay close attention to the alternative to Sassafras, and if you have high blood pressure, use natural Licorice with caution or don't use it at all.

Updated 11/21/18

Image Credit: Free to use Image by makamuki0 on Pixabay 

A Burn Remedy You Can Eat

Once when cooking in my kitchen, I took the cover off a casserole and got a steam burn on the tender skin inside of my wrist. For 5 hours I had an ice pack on it, taking it off now and then to see if the pain had stopped, and it hadn't. It was getting close to bedtime, and I knew the pain would keep me awake.

I decided to put out a quick question via social networking, and received several suggestions, most of them were natural burn remedies.

Here are the suggestions I received:

1. Toothpaste
2. Butter
3. Aloe Plant
4. Ice Packs
5. Burn Cream
6. Egg Whites
7. Apple Cider Vinegar
8. Raw Honey
9. Vitamin E
10. ....I'll keep you guessing for a bit more.

And here's what I did and learned:

1. Toothpaste we later determined was a remedy for something else.

2. Butter, not at all a good idea on a burn, fat holds in the heat.

3. Aloe plant - I slit a leaf from mine and applied the juice, it wasn't enough this time, though it can be for lesser burns.

4. Ice packs - I had been doing that, and it helped, but wasn't a permanent solution, just felt good while on ice.

5. Burn Cream - a neighbor walked over with some of that, but before trying it, I had already had success with...

6. Egg Whites! - I cracked a cold egg open and applied it to the burn and the pain subsided immediately. When it dried I applied more, and then put a loose gauze over the area and went to bed.

I did use the burn cream later, because my neighbor was so kind to bring it, but the pain was gone by then.

(Image: Pixabay)

I didn't get to try:

7. Apple cider vinegar

8. Raw Honey or

9. Vitamin E - I know Vitamin E is wonderful for the healing process of the skin and to avoid scarring, and have put a hole in a gelcap with a pin in order to apply it to things like this, but didn't have any available to try on the burn after it happened.

Oh, and the mystery remedy....

10. This was suggested to a friend by a missionary, they have to learn ways to remedy things naturally as they are often in parts of the world where there are no medicines. They use fresh urine which takes away the pain and heals it without scarring. As unpleasant as that sounds, it isn't the first time I've heard of using it as a remedy, it is useful for various things, but truthfully, you'll never catch me using it unless I have absolutely no other alternative.

The best thing I found to do was get it on ice. I didn't apply ice directly to the skin, or it would add an "ice burn" to my already burned skin, but used an ice pack covered with cloth. Then the simple but amazingly soothing egg whites!

Oh, and the next morning I used the remaining egg to make scrambled eggs for breakfast.

You may also be interested in "Natural Sunburn Remedies plus Vitamin D" 

Updated 11/21/18 

Olive Oil Nutrition and Health Benefits

The only oil in my kitchen cabinet is Olive oil. I love it for it's health and nutrition benefits. I add it to anything that requires some oil.

Olive Oil was called "the great therapeutic" by Hippocrates of ancient Greece, the father of Medicine. 

Homer called Olive Oil "liquid gold" and ancient Greek athletes ritually rubbed it all over their bodies.

The health benefits of Olive Oil that had been known and applied for centuries in ancient Greece and other parts of the ancient world are now being rediscovered by modern day researchers.

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A study published in the March 2004 issue of Medical Science Monitor reported that 2 tablespoons a day of olive oil added to an otherwise unchanged diet in 28 outpatients, ranging in age from 64 to 71, resulted in significant drops in total and LDL cholesterol. If you visit the highlighted link to Medical Science Monitor you will find other more current articles on Olive Oil. 
  
Published studies link the judicious use of olive oil to reducing the effect of a growing list of ailments. For example, Greek women have a 42% lower rate of breast cancer than women in the U.S.
 
Olive oil is recognized as important in maintaining metabolism and contributes to the development of the brain and bones in children. It is also recommended as a source of vitamin E for older people. A natural anti-oxidant, olive oil slows down the natural aging process. It also slows down acid overproduction in the digestive system thereby reducing the risk for ulcers and other gastrointestinal problems.
 
There is also a low incidence of skin cancer among Mediterranean populations, and olive oil consumption could be a contributing factor to this low skin cancer rate. Olive oil contains significantly higher amounts of Squalene than other seed oils, and Squalene is to a large extent transferred to the skin. German researchers believe that this transfer mechanism is probably accomplished by scavenging singlet oxygen generated by ultraviolet light. Japanese scientists also claim that virgin olive oil applied to the skin after sunbathing could protect against skin cancer by slowing tumor growth.
 
Pamper yourself, inside and out, with natures gift from the olive trees.

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Updated 11/6/18

Image Credit: RitaE on Pixabay

 

Natural Acne Home Remedy Treatments

In our home, a family member experienced baby acne, then nothing during childhood, only to have teen acne during the high school years.  This included facial acne, back acne, and chest acne.  This condition can be both embarrassing and uncomfortable for people who struggle with it, but in most cases, you outgrow the condition.  There are many everyday things around the house that you can use as simple acne home remedies. Here are some remedies for you, that should be safe for all ages...unless otherwise noted.

1) Baking soda and toothpaste


While many find that baking soda and toothpaste work like a charm, others have negative reactions, so use them with care. Also, how well toothpaste might work will depend upon what ingredients are found in them...I would suggest a very basic blend as newer blends have things added to them depending upon what they are designed to do. Maybe it would be best to just try baking soda, as this may be the ingredient in toothpaste that helped.

Mix a little baking soda/water paste or plain toothpaste (DO NOT USE gel or whitening toothpaste), then dab it on your blemishes. Leave it for fifteen to twenty minutes, then gently wash it off. Don't try leaving it on overnight before you know how skin will react. Some find this treatment tingles or burns a bit, but if causes real pain, wash it off immediately because it can leave burn marks or even scars on some skin types.

If you have no reaction to toothpaste or baking soda, you may want to try this acne facial treatment home remedy overnight on more than just your face...it should work on your back and chest as well if acne is present.  

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2) Mint 

Mint works as a gentle and quick home remedy for acne, and it smells nice, too. Pick up some fresh mint leaves from a grocer or farmers' market, or from your garden...mint is easy to grow. Squeeze the juice from the leaves and apply it to your face before you go to bed. If you have trouble getting the juice out, mash the leaves into a paste with water and leave this paste on your face for around 15 minutes.

3) Lemon and Rose Water

Lemon is another natural home remedy with a pleasant scent. Simply rub a piece of lemon on your face, applying juice from the lemon that way. For a stronger treatment, mix fresh-squeezed lemon juice (from a lemon, not from a bottle) with rose water, which can be found in Middle Eastern foods shops, and apply to affected skin. Leave this on for half an hour, then rinse it off. Lighter cases of acne may clear in a few days, while tougher cases may take a few weeks to completely disappear. Some people mix in cinnamon or coriander, but use these spices with caution as they can irritate sensitive skin.

4) Green tea and Carrots

Green tea has anti-bacterial properties and the antioxidants it contains have a proven ability to prevent acne. To take advantage of this, boil a carrot (also known for their antioxidant properties) until it's soft enough to mash. Then make a cup of green tea and mix the tea and mashed carrot to form a paste. Put this paste on your blemishes and leave it on for approximately 15 minutes.

 5) Oranges and eggs

Orange peels can be a quick home remedy for acne - grind the peels and mix them with water to form a paste. Apply this paste to the affected parts of your face and leave it on twenty or thirty minutes. Another acne treatment using oranges is a mix of orange juice (again, from an orange, not a bottle) and egg white. Apply this to your face for 15 minutes to help clear the pores.

6) Strawberries

This berry makes a great quick home remedy for acne that occurs in spring and summer. Just mash 2 or 3 strawberries into a paste, spread this over clean, dry skin and leave it for five to 10 minutes.  Some are highly allergic to Strawberries when they eat them, in this case, it would be best to avoid using strawberries.

7) Garlic

Garlic both disinfects and acts as an astringent, but it doesn't have the pleasant smell of some of the remedies mentioned above. This natural treatment works even on persistent forms of adult acne. Just cut open a garlic clove and rub it gently on your skin to cover the blemishes with juice. It may take a few treatments for the acne to disappear, but you should see improvements within days.

These quick home remedies for acne will get rid of the symptoms (pimples), but with a more holistic program, you can stop acne outbreaks completely. Contrary to the popular assumption, acne is not just something you have to put up with until you grow out of it. Once you get at the cause of the problem, you can get rid of acne whatever your age. Acne is not something you should ignore, either. If you leave it untreated, you could end up with permanent scars and acne breakouts occurring into your forties and fifties.

Because acne is more than just a skin problem, topical treatments and acne medications may not have any lasting effect. Simple, natural dietary and life-style changes, however, clear up acne faster than you might think. Using these methods also means you won't be wasting money on chemical treatments that only harm your skin. Try a quick home remedy for acne temporarily, but also take time to learn about how caring for of all aspects of your health can stop acne quickly and permanently, so you can get your self-confidence and your life back.

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Based on an article written by: Kathy Aral, who writes about natural treatments for teen and adult acne because she knows through first hand experience how frustrating the condition can be. 

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Some acne solutions you may be interested can be found by searching for them using the search field at this link, they are:

1 - ACNE REMEDY - HOMEOPATHIC
2 - ACNE TREATMENT GEL
3 - AYURVEDIC SKIN DETOX

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Updated 11/4/18