I hope your summer is off to a great start! One of the best things you can do to keep your body running optimally is to keep it hydrated.  Drink cooling teas like lemon balm, mint, and hibiscus. If you don't have herbs that you can easily harvest on your own there are many different brands that are high quality herbal teas. Personally this is a great time of year for my Loving Heart tea with rosehips, linden, and hawthorn berries.  If you don't find yourself out my way, one of the store brands that I like is Pukka.  They have some clever ways to make your herbal hydration a bit more fun with popcicles and sparkling water recipes you might like to try.  https://www.pukkaherbs.com/your-wellbeing/blog/2017/07/10-delicious-pukka-infused-recipes-to-help-you-beat-the-summer-heat/

If you want to try a delicious summertime spritzer you can head over to Myrtle and Cypress next door as they are offering my elderberry syrup as a cool spritzer drink. They also carry many delicious varieties of tea by local neighbor Artemis Teas. 

If you are struggling to keep yourself feeling calm and cool this summer come in for an appointment.  Many common issues I see this time of year are insomnia, sluggishness and inability for the body to properly cool you down.  You don't want to waste your summer dragging!

Just as a heads up if you are needing a refill or follow-up appointment I will be out of town from June 30th through July 8th so be sure you get in to see me before then!

Also just a reminder there are fun Friday night markets with live music and free activities for children across the street from my shop every Friday starting at 5:00. 

And last but not least Sheri is offering free yoga classes this summer at OWL! ​

The warmth of summer is welcomed in June but by late July and August when the intense heat begins we are just looking for some relief.  If you have suddenly begun hiding from summer let me share some body cooling tips.  Besides the basics of covering your body with light, thin clothing another easy tip is to carry a bottle of water and a handkerchief with you. It is amazing what a slightly drenched cloth applied to your face of placed on the back of your neck can do to cool you or your child down.  Bringing along snacks of light and cooling foods like cucumber and watermelon will help to keep you well hydrated as well. The final tips are ways to use herbs to your benefit in the summer.

There are 3 main types of herbs that come to mind when I think of herbs with cooling energies. The first is diaphoretics. Diaphoretics are herbs that help to open your body's pores and help you to sweat to cool down.  Mint is a wonderful diaphoretic and a glass of fresh mint tea on ice will do more to cool you than a plain glass of water.  Other tasty diaphoretics are Lemon balm and Elderflower.

The next category of herbs that I look to are nervines.  Nervines help us to stay emotionally cool and collected.  Herbs like Skullcap or Linden are very nice summertime nervines.  Holy basil is a diaphoretic and nervine that can also replenish the mind and is a great base for teas. Mix up a cooling tea of diaphoretics and nervines for your next picnic!  

The final herb category that I turn to is bitters. Most bitters are cool to cold energetically speaking. Many are not that tasty but Chamomile is a mild bitter that fits all three of these categories and is still tasty.  One of my most favorites herbs for summertime is Yarrow. It is not the tastiest to drink but I have found that if you have a kiddo that overheats easily in the summer (you know those flushed cheeks!) then a few drops of Yarrow tincture on the back of the neck is perfect for decreasing their body heat in just seconds.  Try it out!

Download this cheat sheet of information to help with bug bites, overheating, and more! Check back soon for the second page of summertime cheat sheets!

As the end of summer looms near I know that many feel compelled to soak up every last bit of summertime energy that they can. It is good for our soul to be in tune with the seasons and it is good for our health as well. 

Summer is the time of expansion and also the season of the heart so many will feel emotionally a bit off as the summer goes on if the heart energies aren't recharged and if they may not be fully balanced.  How does this show it itself?  Well for some it is mania which feels good expanding us out and pushing us to our limits but it is ultimately depleting.  For some it might be a touch of depression or an unexplained feeling of the soul simply feeling weary and worn down.  It can manifest as complaints or oversharing your burdens with everyone around you. Now these feelings can be year round for some people but for some they are just inexplicably popping up now. 

What can you do to clear that energy?  Slow down and do heart nourishing activities.  It is time to swing in hammock and dip your toes in a river.  Speaking of water it is one of the most healing ways to refresh your mind and body quickly.  Go for a swim at a local lake or walk a stream bed where the rocks will massage all the reflexology spots in your feet.  Be sure to hydrate well to help your body eliminate any toxins that it can.  You will feel so refreshed that you might find your body regularly craves such excursions.  Take a quiet moment to journal or listen to music in a soothing place in nature.  Or just sit and BE if you can manage.