Amaranth is a seed that has been part of the Aztec diet for more than 8000 years, when the Aztecs would collect the seeds in the wild. They also used the seeds to make flour for baked images of their gods during festivals and for tributary payments. The plant began to be cultivated in Mexico approximately 4000 B.C.E. and continues to be a native Peruvian crop.
I first came across turmeric in our family kitchen as a child. My mother had printed out a recipe for curry cauliflower, and while the curry powder gave the roasted cauliflower its delicious taste, turmeric was responsible for the subtler taste and stronger hue. Since then, I’ve seen turmeric in everything from egg and tofu scrambles to salad dressings to cookies–I kid you not. Most recently, I stumbled upon a recipe in Meghan Telpner’s The UnDiet CookBook for Jamu Juice.
The cucumber is often overlooked, but this valuable veggie has a lot of healing qualities that should certainly not be ignored. It’s full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and so many other things that help to nurture the body. From the skin to the seeds, here are 10 amazing healing qualities of the so very cool cucumber.
1. Cleaning Out Toxins
I’m sure you’ve heard how important it is to drink enough water. The question is, though, what kind of water should we be drinking? We are becoming chronically dehydrated and contrary to popular belief, the answer isn’t to simply “drink more water.” In order to get your body hydrated, you need to start thinking quality over quantity.
Again, I would like to critically comment on a frequent observation in my energy work practice. I will get straight to the point: There seems to be a common misconception in the new age/esoteric/spiritual scene that the purpose of the spiritual journey is to transcend the body and ‘lower’ emotions by ignoring them and solely focusing on our 'higher' chakras and ‘ascension’.
Growing up, there were a few different honeysuckle bushes around the neighborhood. They were like a kid magnet – we would all gather around them and wonder how a flower tasted so sweet, picking the little blossoms and sipping their sweetness. I had no idea at that age that these nectar-filled blossoms were actually good for me or that they held any sort of medicinal properties. Mother Nature's Medicine Cabinet is full of surprises and they are all really amazing.
I am an incredibly sensitive person and when I started using crystals, my whole life was thrown into a loop. I wasn’t able to sleep, my dreams were crazy, I felt…weird — then I realized that I was using the wrong crystals.
You might be pooping wrong. That is, you’re probably pooping wrong if you aren’t using a squatty potty on your traditional toilet. These are big claims, especially if you’ve been pooping your whole life (which you have).
Traditional toilets cramp our intestines, making it harder for our stool to pass through. Squatty potties, on the other hand, allow our insides to straighten out–which is how we’ve been pooping since the beginning of humanity: by squatting.
Black beans are a species of the common bean and are native to areas in Central and South America. They were brought to Europe in the 15th century and became a major crop in India and China. Today, they are a staple in many international cuisines. Black beans are rich in nutrients and are used to prevent many diseases. Ayurveda uses black beans to regulate Pitta and Kapha doshas and recommends they be avoided by those with Vata dosha.
