Natural Bug Spray

Make your own DEET-free repellent by blending five drops of patchouli essential oil, 2 ounces of witch hazel, and eight to 10 drops of cedarwood essential oil in a spray bottle. Find all your discount essential oils at EdibleNature.com

Beat Summer Allergies

Seek out a natural antihistamine such as quercetin, a type of antioxidant found in onions and citrus fruits. Available in supplement form, 1,000 milligrams of quercetin taken three times daily throughout the season should help you stay symptom-free.

Natural Bee & Sting Remedy

Natural remedies like clay, baking soda, lavender oil, plantain, and tobacco contain properties that fight against pesky summer insects. To treat bee stings and mosquito bites, apply a paste made from baking soda and water to neutralize the bug's venom. Take five pellets of homeopathic apis (at 30C strength) three times daily until the itchiness subsides. And a drop of lavender essential oil applied to the bite can take out the itch and sting.

Summer Travel - Reset Your Clock

If you change time zones you can reset your body clock by taking 1 to 3 milligrams of melatonin -- a hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle -- 30 minutes before bedtime. When you wake up, look at the sun for 10 minutes. This will send a message to the part of the brain that coordinates the body's rhythms through changes in lighting detected by the eyes.

Summer Travel - Stress Rescue

In the Air: Try a Stress Rescue with Bach Rescue Remedy -- the famous flower-essence drops -- improves the body's ability to handle stress and strengthen its natural energy reserves. Restoring emotional vitality, Rescue Energy is all natural, non narcotic, and non habit forming.

Summer Travel - Go Pro!

Probiotics boost good bacteria in the gut. If you're worried about stomach problems, take them every day while you're on the road. Immunity boosters may help fend off illnesses created by travel stress.

Boost Your Immunity

Vitamin C helps strengthen the immune system. Vitamin C is one of the most well researched vitamins that supports your immune system. So to keep your immune system revved up this fall, be sure to take enough vitamin C.

Diabetes & Vitamin D

Studies have shown the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the general population to be around 36 percent. But the prevalence among diabetic subjects is so much higher — almost 200 percent higher — that a link between diabetes and vitamin D look likely.  Have you tried these dissolvable Vitamin D Dots-no pills to swallow :-)

Get Energized

B vitamins provide a natural energy boost. How? Vitamins of the B complex help breakdown foods into energy. This is where the energy boost comes from. Kapow! B vitamins are needed every day to keep you healthy, so replenish them often.

Replenish Electrolytes

People often know they need electrolytes in the heat of summer. But your body’s need for electrolytes doesn’t stop when fall begins. Electrolytes aid in rehydration, so get plenty of them all year.  Try Emergen-C ElectroMIX - it's the ideal addition to virtually any beverage, providing the electrolytes your body needs.

Revitalize on a scorching summer day with a spritz of this refreshing herbal spray. This one’s good for oily skin, which can feel especially overactive on a hot day.

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons (total) of any of the following: nettle leaf, parsley leaf, peppermint, rose flowers and petals, rosemary leaf, sage leaf, yarrow

Boil water, then pour over 1 tablespoon of the herbs. Steep for 20 minutes, then strain. Combine with the vinegar and place in a spray bottle. Store in the refrigerator, to keep fresh and for extra vim!

Herbs on Ice - Summer Teas

For nourishing refreshment, nothing quenches better—or is easier to prepare—than herbal iced tea.  Make your own with the help of the sun. Use your favorite herbs alone or in combination. Drink them plain or sweetened, or mixed with juices, sparkling waters, or natural sodas.

Citrus Hibiscus - This colorful beverage brings a vacation on the beach to mind.
1 tsp. peppermint 2 cups water
1 tsp. rosehips 1 cup orange juice
1 tsp. orange peel 1 cup cold sparkling water
2 tsp. hibiscus 2 Tbsp. honey (or to taste)
2 tsp. lemongrass

Steep peppermint, rosehips, orange peel, hibiscus, and lemongrass in the two cups of water. Strain. Add orange juice and refrigerate. When ready to serve, pour over ice cubes and add a splash of sparkling water to each glass. Sweeten if desired.  Find ready to steep teas and use the natural steeping power of the sun
http://www.ediblenature.com/store/c/33644-Herbal-Tea.html

Grilling Good Times This 4th

Who doesn't love a good grilled burger while watching fireworks?  This Fourth of July why not mix-it up a bit and try some grilled pork chops to really wow your family and friends...

GRILLED CALYPSO PORK CHOPS


Ingredients
4  boneless pork loin chops, about 1/4 lb. each (organic preferably)
2/3 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp dark rum (optional)
1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp lime juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp brown sugar
1  clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions-Prepare grill. Combine all ingredients in a heavy, sealable plastic bag. Seal bag and marinate in refrigerator 4 to 24 hours. Remove chops from marinade, discarding leftover marinade. Grill chops for 10-12 minutes over indirect heat on covered grill, turning once to brown both sides.