From The Forest

This soft-set ointment is lubricating, antibiotic and antiseptic for use around the vaginal area. It relieves itching and irritation due to yeast or vaginal infections. Usnea sp., Laetiporus sp.

Usnea, also known as old man’s beard, is not a plant but lichen — a symbiotic relationship between an algae and a fungus. The entire lichen is used. Usnea looks like long, fuzzy strings hanging from trees in North American and European forests, where it grows. This particular species of Usnea, common to our area, is medium-sized tufted shrub lichen, pale yellowish green in color. It is highly branched, bearing numerous short side branches, reinforced by a tough, white, central cord. Usnea grows over trees and shrubs, preferring old growth forest conifers in shady areas.

Usnic acid, which gives usnea its bitter taste, acts as an antibiotic.

Constituents: Usnic acid, mucilage.

Sulphur Shelf (also known as Chicken of the Woods), grows on a variety of hardwoods and softwoods throughout much of North America. The mushroom is a popular edible, and easily recognized by its color, soft texture, and absence of gills. The young rosettes and the tender edges from mature clusters are more palatable than the older, tougher specimens.

The brilliantly colored fungi produces antibiotics and has been noted to consume E. coli upon contact. The fungus is also know to speed healing of burns, both first and second degree.

Extracts of cultures of this mushroom are currently the subject of in vitro scan investigations for antibacterial properties based, in part, upon a long history of folkloric use in the Russian Far East.

Ingredients: Dried Laetiporus sulphureus mushrooms infused in olive oil and thickened with beeswax.

Constituents: N-Phenethylhexadecanamide, eburicoic acid.

Orthopedic aid – Bone growth involves the process of adding calcium for hardness, plus increasing collagen. Silicon is essential for both of these processes. An important study conducted at the School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) shows that silicon-supplemented bones have a one hundred percent increase in collagen when compared with low-silicon bones.

Silicon works by chemically binding the structures of surface tissues and those that connect the bones. Silicon not only promotes growth, bone, and tooth formation, but also has inhibitory effects on coronary heart disease and arteriosclerosis. Silicon is found in mother's milk, in the fiber faction of brown rice, in leafy greens and bell peppers, and Equisetum arvense.

Horsetail's predominant element, silicon, is no doubt responsible for the majority of its curative properties. Horsetail tea has been recommended for years for the regeneration of fingernails. Organic silicon should be distinguished from nonorganic silicon. Organic silicon will recalcify; inorganic silicon will not. In many cases Horsetail has also been found to ease the pain of rheumatism and to stimulate the healing of torn ligaments.

Horsetail Constituents: Horsetail contains up to 70% silicon (silica). Other constituents include alkaloids, including nicotine, palustrine and palustrinine; flavonoids such as isoquercitrin, campesterol, a saponin equisitonin, dimethylsulphone, thiaminase and aconitic acid.

Stinging Nettles have square substantial stems covered with little hairs. The leaves are luxuriant, green and with subdued but pronounced veins. The green colored inconspicuous flowers, which mature into small green seeds, droop from the upper leaf pairs at the stem, in close clusters. Stinging Nettles prefer moist, rich soil and range at sea level to elevations over 9,000 feet.

Tonic: In this combination, Stinging Nettles, being is a very high source of digestible iron, works with the Horsetail to improve overall health. Nettles also stimulates hair growth as well as strengthens the hair shaft.

Stinging Nettle Constituents: Two-methylhepten-(two)-on-(six), five-hydroxytryptamine, acetic-acid, acetophenone, acetylcholine, apha-tocopherol, beta-carotene, betaine, bromine, butyric-acid, caffeic-acid, calcium, chlorophylls, choline, chromium, ferulic-acid, fluorine, folacin, formic-acid, glycerol, histamine, koproporphyrin, lecithin, mucilage, p-coumaric-acid, protoporphyrin, scopoletin, serotonin, SFA, silicon, sitosterol, sitosterol-glucoside, violaxanthin, and xanthophyllepoxide.

Menopause is a definite physiological milestone in a woman’s life, heralding the end of fertility (not the end of life or productivity) and is the beginning of a powerful new phase of growth (teacher, mentor, maven). But are we well prepared for this journey?

I believe that it is time for From the Forest to have a separate line of products for menopausal women. Since I have been “over the moon” for nearly five years, I have some personal experiences associated with this change. Drier skin had been a particular problem for me. This herbal mask, followed by a light application of the jojoba oil ended the problem.

Dandelion is one of the most valuable general tonic herbs. It can be taken in large quantities over a long period of time since it has never been know to produce toxic effects. As a general tonic for overall health--but specifically the liver, blood and urinary system. The usual effect of a drug stimulating the kidney function is a loss of vital potassium from the body, which aggravates any cardio-vascular problem present. With Dandelion, however, we have one of the best natural sources of potassium. It thus makes an ideally balanced diuretic that may be used safely wherever such an action is needed during menopause.

Trillium contains a natural precursor of the female sex hormones, which the body may utilise or not, thereby having a normalising effect. It is used for menorrhagia and metrorrhagia. It is considered to be a specific for excessive blood loss associated with menopausal changes.

Mugwort is used as a calming herb, which reduces stress induced hot flashes.

Sweet Cicely is used in this formula for its stomach calming and digestive action.

Baneberry rhizomes are used in the treatment of menopausal symptoms and menstrual dysfunction. The herb is similar in action to Black Cohosh.

Wild Ginger acts as an adaptogen. AN adaptogen is a natural herb product that increases the body's resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety and fatigue.