Healing breakthroughs

Ayurvedic practitioners across the globe are out to prove that herbal medicine can win over allopathy, leaving no side effects on the patient. But authenticity in their voice can prevail only when those like Nick Polizzi (Founder of The Sacred Science) create more and more of the powerful scripts like this:

CHAMOMILE, THE BITTERSWEET HERB

What is the first herb you learned was actually medicine?

It's easy to get caught up in all the articles and new studies on promising natural remedies, but what about that first piece of herbal knowledge you ever came across? Maybe in your grandma's kitchen... or in a novel you read as a teenager?

For me, it was chamomile. When I was little, this bittersweet herb was given to me as a bedtime tea when I was exhausted or had a stomach ache. I didn't think about it much as a kid. I just trusted the magic in the cup and accepted its healing with child-like faith.

But as I began to study this common flower, I learned just how powerful chamomile is.

The first use of chamomile goes all the way back to ancient Egypt. And they used it in the same ways we do today: teas, oils, and baths... Chamomile's relaxation benefits were also recognized by the wanderers of modern-day Germany and all throughout the markets of ancient Rome. And guess what - they all used chamomile in the exact same ways.

So how could they all know that chamomile was a calming remedy? Their cultural lifestyles, spiritual practices, culinary processes and languages were all so different- yet this healing plant spoke to them in the same way. Crazy, right?

Well, the answer seems simple enough to me. If these very different ancient groups came to the same conclusions about this little white flower, it has to be what we call "empirical-based" medicine.

Thousands of years of practice and experience with chamomile back up these ancient claims, but modern science has taken it one step further. Researchers and healers have been studying chamomile and it's no surprise that this ancient wisdom is being proven out in modern laboratories. Turns out, our ancestors knew a thing or two...

So what have scientists discovered about chamomile so far?

Chamomile is a potent medicine.

When you break chamomile down into its chemical constituents, its two most notable attributes are volatile oils and flavonoids. The volatile oils are responsible for chamomile's sleep-time reputation - they relax muscles and calm the mind, while the flavonoids (specifically apigenin) have been proven time and time again to bring down anxiety and soothe depressive feelings.

In addition to that, studies have shown that chamomile is one heck of a pain killer. Not only does it work topically to relieve aches and pains, bring down inflammation, stop muscle spasms, and heal wounds - you can take it internally as a tea, tincture, or syrup and get the same results.

And here's the real kicker - chamomile is incredibly safe. (So safe in fact that it is traditionally used for teething or fussy children.)

It's no wonder this herb is a total "go-to" remedy for people across the world, young and old alike.

Most people can take chamomile every day for the rest of their lives with no side effects - and many of my friends do! You'd just get the gifts of deeper sleep, a strengthened immune system, and a balanced stress response.

Please note - it is quite rare, but some folks who have an allergy to ragweed, daisies, marigolds, or chrysanthemums might also experience an allergy to chamomile.

A tasty tip: my favorite way to drink chamomile in the summer time is to make a big jar of tea using heated spring water and a big handful of the dried flowers. Once it steeps, I then put it in the fridge overnight to cool off. Chamomile iced tea with a little bit of honey is a heavenly beverage on a hot day!

If you haven't already added this special plant to your herbal repertoire, make sure to give it a try. After thousands of years, this flower continues to be a household name and science can now back its safety.

- Nick Polizzi

We usually think of sight and hearing as our main senses. But what we smell has the strongest impact on our emotions. The olfactory receptors in our brain connect directly to the limbic system, where emotions begin.

That may be why essential oils -- the distilled essence of various plants and flowers -- are so potent.

There are over 90 types of essential oils, all with unique impacts on the body and mind. And they are extremely concentrated. For example, it's estimated that it takes roughly 220 pounds of lavender flowers to produce a single pound of lavender oil!

People use essential oils for all kinds of things. Some essential oils boost energy, while others relieve pain, kill germs, reduce stress and anxiety or soothe the skin.

One of my favorite applications for essential oils is to prepare my bedroom before I sleep - in order to get beautiful and restorative Zzzs.

It seems like everyone's sleep is a little off-kilter these days, and a lot of people's internal rhythms could use some TLC.

So without further ado, here are 2 essential oils to help you catch some better Zzs and sleep like a baby!

1. Lavender Oil

Lavender oil not only helps you fall asleep. Studies have shown that it can also improve the quality of your sleep.

Even for people with insomnia, this heaven-sent aromatherapy oil can increase the amount of deep, slow-wave slumber that a person gets.

Lavender oil has the added benefits of relieving anxiety, stress and depression - all of which are related to sleeping difficulties.

Physiologically, lavender oil also lowers your blood pressure and heart rate, which in turn relaxes you.

Wonderful stuff.

2. Bergamot Oil

Bergamot is a citrus fruit that grows in the tropics and in the warmer climates of Europe. It's a hybrid of bitter orange and lemon, according to the genetic researchers.

Bergamot essential oil is a fantastic calming agent, lowering heart rate and blood pressure - and reducing anxiety. Many people say it puts them right to sleep. I know it does that for me when I need it to.

One word of caution: You must use essential oils correctly. Never swallow essential oils. If you do, you may actually get sick.

Here are some of the most popular - and correct - ways to use essential oils:

Use an oil diffuser. An oil diffuser is a device that disperses the molecules of an essential oil into the air of a room. There are different types of electronic oil diffusers out there that use different types of technology, but they all work pretty well. You can also create your own oil diffuser of sorts if you want to be informal. Just put half a cup of water and four or five drops of oil into a spray bottle, shake it around a little, and off you go.

Inhale it from the bottle. Simple and straightforward. And you'll know immediately if it's too overpowering!

Apply it to your body. Use moderation if you do this - just a drop or two here and there. Do not slather! Most people will place drops on their wrists or neck or behind their ears - traditional pressure points.

Use it in the bathtub! Ooh, this is luxurious. Put several drops into your bathwater and then settle in for a nice, loooong soak. You will mellow out blissfully.

Put a drop or three on your pillow. This is my personal favorite.

Put a drop or three on an eye pillow. I love this one too.

When you start experimenting with essential oils, remember to pay close attention to how they make you feel in your body and mind. Scents are subtle and complex. Your experience of an essential oil will be personal and unique to you.

If you use them correctly, essential oils should not harm you or give you side effects.

They are natural and safe, strong but gentle.

And the ones I have recommended will help you sleep!

- Nick Polizzi