Thistle Cottage Blog

Good Morning, Class. CLASS? CLAAAAAASS!!!!! Thank you.

Most of us remember Dana Carvey portraying Church Lady on Saturday Night Live as this pathetic woman who had lost control of her life and was totally stressed out. Now maybe your stress level doesn’t make you act quite like this but sometimes I feel like screaming my head off when that o-n-e little, and I do mean little, thing sends me over the edge.

Hello Braveheart Sisters! I was on the Prosperity Hormone call last night (and joined the Core Circle!!!!) and was inspired to write on cortisol and my passion...herbal remedies (see my profile, #2012). As I was watching my coffee drip into the pot this morning in my shiny tiny kitchen, I was thinking about what I had to do at work today and started to feel a little bit stressed. I realized I was just a little edgy, even before coffee! So what happens when we’re stressed? Some of us produce Cortisol in large amounts within our body when stress levels are high which can lead to adrenal imbalance within the body systems. I make and sell a Stress Cocktail that helps counteract these affects by bringing the body back into balance through reduction of stress hormones, and by decreasing overall stress levels. I make up a tea of Valerian Root (works well as a natural sedative and is used to counterbalance the effects of stress), Holy Basil (has been credited with the ability to balance sugar levels in the blood and decrease overall stress levels), Ginseng (attributed to balancing hormonal levels and decreasing cortisol overproduction/ combats many stress-related ailments), and sometimes, if I’m really shaky about an upcoming public event, I’ll add in Saint-John's-Wort (used as an antidepressant and is thought to decrease anxiety due to its sedative properties). I’ll drink it twice a day for three days. Here’s something to remember about herbs – these are not powerful pharmaceuticals that you can take one time and you’re all better…herbal remedies must be taken over a period of time to be effective. Oh – and always consult your physician before starting any herbal regimen.

Dr. Sugar, I’m not a medical expert so if I’ve misstated anything, please let me know.

You can also see my blog entitled Herbs, Spices and Tales From My Tiny Kitchen at: CathyThorne.blogspot.com