Tag: wellness

MICROGREENS: GREAT THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES

Freak of Natural Staff

  Microgreens are essentially the young edible versions of various vegetables and herbs. They are nutrient-dense packages of goodness, loaded with enzymes, vitamin content, and minerals. To top it off, they are full of antioxidants to protect cells against free radicals. Indeed, we can easily call them SUPER FOOD! Microgreens Compare to Sprouts? Sprouts and microgreens are often grouped into the same category. There are significant differences between the two, from where the seed is planted, to what parts of the plant are eaten. Surely, there are health and flavor benefits…

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE: Properties, Uses and Benefits

Freak of Natural Staff

Common Name: Jerusalem Artichoke, Sunroot, Sunchoke, Topinambour Species: Helianthus Tuberosus Family: Asteraceae   Jerusalem artichoke is a herbaceous perennial related to sunflower and native to North America. Today it’s widely cultivated across the temperate zone for its tuber, which is used as a root vegetable, eaten both raw and cooked. Other uses come from Industry being tuber a great source of biomass, as well as high quality alcohol is extracted from tuber fermentation. CULTIVATION Needing plenty of space to grow, this perennial is ideal when planted as a windbreak or screen. Its stem…

WHAT FREELY NATURE PROVIDES US

Freak of Natural Staff

  Yet we have so disconnected ourselves from the natural world; the rise of technology and industry may have distanced us superficially from nature, but it has not changed our reliance on the natural world: most of what we use and consume on a daily basis remains the product of multitudes of interactions within nature. There is no question that Earth has been a giving planet. Everything humans have needed to survive, and thrive, was provided by the natural world around us.  Food, water, medicine, materials for shelter, and even…

EMBRACE YOUR SOUL CONNECTION TO NATURE

Freak of Natural Staff

  In a world full of hustle and bustle in our busy high tech lives we have become disconnected from Mother Earth and more reliant on our mobile phones and less connected to Nature. This is creating in us always more common feelings of apathy, depression, weakness, and nothing good really. A separation not only with Mother Earth but also with our authentic self and basic needs. Our soul needs a few fundamental things and one of those is the need for sacred space. It also needs harmony with the…

GET OUTSIDE – Why it’s important to walk in nature

Freak of Natural Staff

    Get Outside! Regular walking has a tremendous impact to human health, but there is an additional benefit if you do it in nature. We often tend to give for granted what is obvious. Fact is that people have a higher tendency of being physically active when they have easy access to green spaces. There is just something about taking a walk in the park that helps relieves stress and improve a person’s overall well-being and mood. If you think you can’t afford to take a break to go…

TULSI: The Golden Remedy of Ayurveda

Freak of Natural Staff

  Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Ocimum Common Name: Ocimum Tenuiflorum, Holy Basil, Tulsi, Sacred Basil   Tulsi is an aromatic perennial plant in subtropical regions, while became an annual in cold and temperate climates, indoor can be grown all year round independently. losely related to Basil, it is widespread and cultivated throughout all Asia, for its religious and medicinal purposes. Tulsi shrub grows up to 50 cm in height and boasts stems which are covered with fine hairs. Leaves are opposite and ovate, ranging from green to purple depending upon the variety, and have slightly…

HEALING HERBS: HOW TO MAKE MACERATED OILS

Freak of Natural Staff

  If you’ve got herbs growing in your garden or locally, why not try making herb-macerated oils and replace some of those cosmetic products full of petrol-chemical that are not missing in our cabinet? Macerated oils, also called infused oils, are carrier oils used to extract the therapeutic properties of a certain plant or plants. Using infused oils in any skin care preparation is extremely therapeutic, as they contain the nutritive properties from  both the carrier oil and the herbs or flowers. When making macerated oils, the most commonly used…

CALENDULA OFFICINALIS: Not Just a Bless for Your Skin and Garden

Freak of Natural Staff

  Common Name: Pot Marigold, Common Marigold, Calendula Species: Calendula Officinalis Family: Astareaceae   Calendula Officinalis is an annual short-life aromatic plant native to the Mediterranean, but widely spread around the globe and cultivated for centuries as food and for its medical many uses. Calendulas are considered by many gardening experts as among the easiest and most versatile flowers to grow in a garden, especially because they tolerate most soils and climates. CULTIVATION Seeds have a distinct curved shape almost looking like little worms, and are sown in spring in temperate climates…

BEAR’S GARLIC: The Best Spring Natural Detox

Freak of Natural Staff

  Family: Alliaceae Species: Allium Ursinum Common Name: Bear’s Garlic, Wild Garlic, Bear leek, Broad-leaved garlic   Bear’s Garlic is a wild plant relative to chives. and well-known for being a true spring treat for bears that have just woken up from their winter slumber, also a favorite of wild boar. It’s a bulbous perennial herbaceous plant that reproduces primarily by seed. The narrow bulbs are formed from a single leaf base and produce bright green elliptical leaves. The inflorescence is an umbrella of several white flowers. It’s native to…

SANSEVIERIA: The Bedroom Plant that Purify Air

Freak of Natural Staff

  Species: Sansevieria Common Names:  Mother-in-law’s Tongue, Devil’s Tongue, Bowstring Hemp, Snake Plant, Snake Tongue   Sansevieria is an evergreen, succulent, perennial plant producing long, narrow  sword-shaped leaves, up to 75cm long from a rhizomatous root stock. The plant is cultivated for its fiber in several tropical countries, but is more commonly grown as an ornamental in tropical and subtropical regions, and as a pot plant in many other areas of the world. CULTIVATION Sansevieria can be propagated by leaf cutting and root division, as plants grow much faster from…

YARROW: Properties, Uses and Benefits

Freak of Natural Staff

  Family: Asteraceae Species: Achillea Millefolium Common Name: Yarrow, Milfoil, Thousand-Leaf, Achillea, Woundwort   Achillea Millefolium is an erect, herbaceous, perennial plant that produces one to several stems. It’s leaves are almost feathery and  and arranged spirally on the stems. The inflorescence consist in a flat-topped cluster white to pink in color, visited by many insects because of their strong scent. Yarrow is a common weed, an herbaceous perennial plant native to the Northern hemisphere that grows freely in grassland, roadsides and other sites with well draining ground. Easily recognizable for…

GOLDENBERRY: Benefits of a South American Super Fruit

Freak of Natural Staff

Family: Solanaceae Species: Physalis Peruviana Common Name: Ground Cherry, Goldenberry, Inca Berry, Cape Goosberry   Physalis Peruviana is a perennial plant closely related to Tomatillo and the Chinese Lantern plant, also members of the same genus. This variety native from the Andes, is nowadays called in various names and commercially grown around the globe. Its flowers are yellowish five petals and will bear fruit quick enough about two months from transplant, usually around August, continuing till frost. Goldenberry plant are generous and can bear up to 300 small fruits each.…

CHINESE LANTERN PLANT: More than just Ornamental

Freak of Natural Staff

  Common Name: Alkekengi,  Chinese Lantern Plant, Winter Cherry Species: Physalis Alkekengi Family: Solanaceae   Chinese Lantern Plant or Physalis Alkekengi is closely related to Physalis Peruviana (Ground Cherry) and Physalis Philadelphica (Tomatillo). This annual/perennial plant grow in warm temperate and subtropical regions. The real delight is their large, red-orange, inflated seed pod from which the plant gets its common name. These papery pods contain a fruit that is edible and nutritious, while the leaves and unripen fruit are mildly poisonous. CULTIVATION These plants can grow in partial shade, but especially in colder…