Seeds are a staple of life. The hunters and gatherers, of time gone by, depended on them for survival. Today most people enjoy them as a snack, but they really deserve a seat at the dinner table. And here is why.

Sunflower seeds are rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant that stops the spread of free radicals that can cause cellular damage. Sunflower seed are an excellent form of fiber, which will give your digestive system a boost. Sunflower seeds provide a good supply of protein and carbohydrates. They are a store house of the minerals magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc and iron. These minerals help reduce chances of heart attacks, repairing cellular damage, distributing oxygen to the muscles and boost the immune system.

The recipe below is more nutritious and quicker to make than going to a fast food drive up and ordering a hamburger. The taste will be more appreciated too, as your body recognizes the needed supplies you are providing to keep it healthy and happy.

Here’s a nice alternative to soy, walnut or bean based burgers.

Sunburger Recipe

• 1 cup ground raw sunflower kernels\seeds
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Grind raw sunflower kernels/seeds in a food chopper, or any type a grinder you may have. Grind them just enough to break them up; you don’t want them to get to a powder consistency. Put into a small bowl and add the egg. Stir to blend the seeds and the egg. Next add the seasoning. This recipe will make 2 - 5” diameter patties. Cover the bottom of a fry pan with olive, sunflower, or canola oil. Fry the patties as you would a hamburger, they only take a few minutes to cook and get a light brown color.

Serve on a bun with your favorite toppings.

• Tomato
• Onion
• Lettuce
• Cheese
• Horseradish sauce

Sunburgers are good as a snack even eaten cold. A great food for the kids lunch box and very nutritious.

Most off the shelf drain cleaners can be very harsh. Most drain cleaners contain sodium hydroxide, also known as lye or caustic soda. This chemical is corrosive and can cause damage to any area of the body that it comes in contact with. The fumes alone from these products can cause upper respiratory tract issues, if inhaled. Why risk it.

Here’s an alternative to chemical based drain cleaners

Drain Cleaner

• ¼ cup baking soda
• ½ cup vinegar

Pour the baking soda in the clogged drain followed by the vinegar. Let sit 30 minutes. Flush with a pot of boiling water.

You will need to be careful if you mix the baking soda and vinegar together, remember the science fair projects?, that is why I pour them separately into the drain. When baking soda and vinegar are combined they form a new chemical called carbonic acid.  This chemical reaction is what makes it such a good cleaning product.

Benefits of using this type of drain cleaner

1. It gives off no fumes. 
2. It is inexpensive and 
3. It is better for the environment.

All good reasons to take the time to make your own drain cleaner. Cleaning will not feel like such a chore knowing you are not in danger of chemical burns or inhaling caustic fumes. Your little corner of the world will be a better place!

The harvest time for herbs (when collecting the leaves) is determined by the growing condition of the plant, rather than by a specific date or month. Most herbs are ready to be harvested just as the flower buds first appear but before they are fully open. The leaves contain the maximum amount of volatile oils at this stage of growth, giving the greatest flavor and fragrance to the finished product. It’s important to harvest herbs at the proper time of day. Gather the herbs early in the morning, just after the dew has evaporated and before the sun is hot. This is also a very peaceful and fragrant time to be in the garden, making the task an enjoyable one.

Marsh Mallow (Althaea officinalis) is a member of the Malvaceae family, it is related to hollyhocks and malva, or common mallow. The fleshy roots taste sweet and indeed were once the basis of the confection known as marshmallows. The primary component is mucilage, which soothes internally and externally. It coats the mucous membranes, providing a soothing effect from irritated bronchial tubes, urinary tract, intestines, stomach, throat and mouth. It helps relieve asthma, sore throats, gum inflammation, bronchitis, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, colitis, and cystitis. Externally, it is useful for healing inflamed skin, burns and wounds. Though the root contains the highest concentration of mucilage, all plant parts can be used and are effective. I primarily use the leaves and find them most effective. Below is a recipe for an herbal cough syrup containing Marsh Mallow.

Marsh Mallow Cough Syrup

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ quarts of distilled water
• 12 oz fresh cranberries
• 3 TBS dried Marsh Mallow leaves
• 3 TBS dried Slippery Elm Bark
• 3 TBS dried Mullein
• 3 TBS dried Peppermint leaf
• 3 TBS dried Irish Moss
• 3 TBS dried Bee Balm, leaf
• 1 ¼ cup honey

Directions:

Cook cranberries in distilled water bringing to a boil. Reduce temperature and simmer 30 minutes, gently mash the cranberries and then drain, saving the juice to another pot. Bring juice to a boil and add Slippery Elm Bark and Irish Moss. Simmer 10 minutes. Add remaining herbs and simmer another 10 minutes. Strain herbs from juice. Add honey to strained juice and mix well. When cooled pour into jars (I use mason jars), label and refrigerate. Keeps well and works great. When ready to use shake well; I take about 2 oz at a time at the first sign of a sore throat or cough.

How safe is your soap?

Store bought soaps typically contain chemical additives, preservatives and artificial fragrances that can damage, irritate and dry your skin. Our handmade natural soap is gentle and free of these unwanted chemicals, additives, and fillers. Continue reading to find out why natural soap offers you a safer, eco-friendly option for natural skin care…

9 Reasons to choose natural soap

At Belonger Botanicals we’re passionate about soap and natural skin care. We are on a mission to expose the nasty truth about commercial, store bought soaps and advocate the use of eco-friendly, socially responsible, natural handmade soaps.

1. Soothe Dry & Troubled Skin

The majority of commercial soaps on the market strip your skin of essential lipids and oils, leaving you with dry, cracked skin. Furthermore, products like body wash are not even “true” soaps - they are harsh synthetic detergents. Our natural soap is made from vitamin rich oils. We capture the moisturizing qualities of olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, and avocado oil into our soaps. Using natural soap can restore balance and health to your skin.

2. Use less Lotion and Moisturizer

In addition to using the finest organic oils, we also “super fat” (5%-10%) our soap - by adding a generous amount of extra vitamin and nutrient rich avocado oil. In our experience, we’ve found that after switching to a handmade natural soap you won’t require as much (or in some cases can eliminate entirely) hand and body lotion to moisturize your skin.

3. Reduced Allergies and Irritation

Even commercial soaps labeled as “unscented” often have a “masking fragrance” added. Our natural soap contains NO parabens, NO sodium laurel or laureth sulfate (SLS), NO synthetic coloring, NO artificial fragrances. NO detergents, NO alcohols, NO propylene glycol, NO mineral oil, and NO chemical preservatives. There is strong evidence that SLS and other chemical additives cause irritation in many individuals. Read your labels to see how many unpronounceable ingredients are in most soaps. The more ingredients, the greater the chance is that your skin will react in a negative manner. If you struggle with allergies, eczema, psoriasis, rashes, or dry skin, you could benefit from using natural handmade soap.* We use as few ingredients as possible and most are organic, hypo-allergenic* and always natural.

4. Get Your Glycerin On

Natural (real) soap is made by a process called saponification – the chemical reaction that takes place when oils, lye (sodium hydroxide), and water are combined. When the saponification process is complete, the result is soap and glycerin. (No lye remains in our final product.) Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to the skin. Commercial soaps extract the moisturizing glycerin that is naturally produced when making soap, and then sell the glycerin for use in lotions and other high-end products; the glycerin is often replaced with cheaper fillers, including synthetic detergents. Our natural handmade soap retains all of the natural glycerin created during the soap-making process.

5. Beneficial Pure Essential Oils

All of our soaps are crafted with natural plant essential oils. Essential oils are natural organic substances produced in various glands and sacs within aromatic plants. They can be found in flowers, leaves, stems, seeds, barks, roots, fruits, herbs, grasses, needles, twigs, and resins. We carefully choose and incorporate essential oils that add both aromatic and therapeutic* qualities to our soap. Our soaps are crafted at low temperatures (using cold-process saponification) to maintain the integrity of the essential oils. Our natural handmade soaps will never contain synthetic fragrances or perfumes.

6. Low Environmental Impact

From cradle-to-grave we keep the environmental impact of our soap-making business to a minimum. We start out by sourcing the best wild-crafted and organic raw ingredients, local when possible. That means materials grown without herbicides or pesticides and sustainably harvested by workers earning fair wages. Our handmade natural soaps are non-toxic, biodegradable, do not contain petroleum-based ingredients, and safe for groundwater, streams, rivers and oceans.

7. Cruelty Free & Vegan Friendly

Give bunnies a break by tossing your animal-tested soap and body wash in favor of our cruelty-free handmade natural soap. And since we don’t use any animal fats (like many commercial soaps) or animal by-products, our soap is Vegan friendly. We use only quality vegetable and nut oils in our soap and test only on our friends and family.

8. Support A Small Family Business

Ditch the big-box stores and corporations; join the slow body care movement. A movement centered around handmade, small batch, soap and skin care products produced by local crafters. Above all else, we care about your well-being and strive to deliver the highest quality handmade natural soap to you and your family. Support the little guy who favors your health over corporate profits.

9. The Choice Is Simple

With a back-to-basics approach our soap enables you to slow down (if even for a moment), reconnect with the natural world, and take in the love we infuse into each bar. You’ll enjoy healthier skin*, save money, and feel good about being kind to animals and the environment. Your purchase supports a small business and we're proud to share our creations with you. Here’s the bottom line... our handcrafted soap is natural, that’s all.

Check out our complete line of handmade natural soaps in our store.

Whole Foods has identified more than 300 ingredients unacceptable for Premium Body Care. These include parabens, polypropylene and polyethylene glycols, sodium lauryl and laureth sulfates. Their research also yielded crucial information about the effects of ingredients in several categories of public interest. You can download the PDF and take a look for yourself. You'll find that we don't use any unacceptable ingredients in Belonger Botanicals products.

"Preservatives are necessary in body care products, especially water-based products. Our Premium Body Care standard allows only milder preservatives. They must be shown to function properly, yet have a lower likelihood of causing cosmetic-related allergies and sensitivities.

Surfactants are used for cleaning, degreasing, emulsifying, conditioning and creating foam. They also remove essential fatty acids and may be irritating to the skin. Our Premium standard allows only the safest, most gentle types available.

Fragrance is a component that most people expect in premium products and, if naturally derived, may have aromatherapy benefits, as well. For philosophical and safety reasons, only natural essential oils and components of natural essential oils are allowed as fragrances in our Premium standard."

Borrowed from Whole Foods Premium Body Care^TM Quality Standards

Holistic Aesthetician, Traci Reazor of Whole Foods discusses the 3 basic skin types and how to care for them. You won't find our products at Whole Foods (yet), but the demonstration gives you a good overview of what types of products you should be looking for given a general skin type.

Read the full article at Whole Story (The Whole Foods Blog).

History

The olive tree (Olea europaea) is one of the oldest cultivated trees in the world. The exact place the olive tree originated is unknown, but it has a rich history in the Mediterranean Basin. The first cultivation took place in Crete, Greece. The first Olympic torch was a burning olive branch and the ancient Greek Gods were said to have been born under an olive tree. Today olive oil is principally grown in Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Tunisia, Morocco, and California.

Properties of Olive Oil

Olive oil is the oily fat from the fruit of the olive tree. Olive oil contains polyphenolic substances that have been found to be powerful antioxidants, these polyphenols are what set extra virgin olive oil apart from other oils and from other forms of olive oil. Olive oil is also high in the antioxidants vitamin A and vitamin E, which are known to neutralize cancer-causing free radicals in our bodies.

Types of Olive Oil

• Extra Virgin (first press - high vitamin and nutrient content)
• Virgin (higher acidity than extra virgin olive oil and may contain less than top grade olives)
• Pure (a blend of virgin oil and refined oil and has very little vitamin E content)

Extraction Methods

Pressed (Traditional)

You’ll want to look specifically for Cold Pressed. Olives are hand picked and sorted, then crushed to release the oil from the cells of the olive without heating (millstones are used for this process). Cold pressing protects the oil from thermal deterioration (no added heat) and retains more antioxidants and vitamins.

Centrifugation (Commercial)

The olives are crushed to a fine paste and then an industrial decanter is used to spin the olives down to separate oil , water and pomace. The quality of the oil is reduced by the addition of water. Additionally, centrifuging exposes the olives to higher temperatures and uses more energy.

Use in Skin Care Products

Many over-the-counter skin care products strip the skin of its natural oils. Our skin then needs to replace that oil, it tries to repair itself. We begin a cycle of stripping, drying out and adding moisture, the skin will continue to try to repair itself and keep producing oil. Oil dissolves oil, it makes sense to include an oil based product in your skin regime. Oil based vitamins need a fat to dissolve in the body and get to where it needs to go the same theory applies to skin care. Contrary to old tales, oils do not clog pores. Many factors contribute to clogged pores and blemishes, a few being hormones, bacteria and dead skin cells. Olive oil absorbs into the skin, allowing your skin to breathe while providing a natural moisture barrier, rejuvenation and repair of skin cells. Olive oil contains the vitamins and nutrients needed to repair damaged skin, revitalize dull skin and help slow the aging of skin by carrying those vital vitamins and nutrients to the source, the skin cell.

At Belonger Botanicals we use Organic cold pressed Extra virgin olive oil from a first pressing. Our salves are based in olive oil: in addition to promoting relieve from some skin aliments it is the carrier of the vital nutrients infused into our salve. All things natural, produced by nature, for our benefit work at the cellular level to heal, they don’t just treat symptoms. Olive oil is also a major ingredient in our My Vegan Soap collection. It's used to provide moisture, antioxidant protection from possible cell damage and leave your skin feeling smooth and clean with a healthy glow.