Each season has its own share of skin, beauty and health woes. As we all know!  Whether you are going abroad or staying at home, these are the natural products and plant based holistic remedies for summer health & beauty. Things to take with you to get you through the summer.

Think of it as your go-to summer first aid kit (or something like that!). But after suffering with sunburn along my hairline, and a few bug bites of my own this month I thought some natural & holistic plant remedies for summer would be useful.

The very early days of Spring are the first time we see wild herbal plants after the Winter. Nettle, cleavers, chickweed and dandelions are some of the earliest wild plants you can find growing, These herbs also happen to be some of the most beneficial for Spring health and wellbeing.

As we step into Spring after the cold and dark days of Winter. Days which were hard on both our minds and bodies, it is a perfect time to refresh and renew.

We all know and understand that the weather changes as we move through each of the four seasons, but we don’t always stop to think about how those changes affect us. Both physical and mental health, as well as our emotional and spiritual well-being.

Often, without realising it, our habits, and the activities we choose to do, will change with the seasons, sometimes for the better, sometimes to the detriment of our health and well-being.

I am a huge advocate of herbal and holistic treatments for health and wellbeing. But I can tell you if you are taking herbal medicines while also weekly drinking alcohol, eating highly processed foods, takeaways, food high in salt, sugar, and neglecting the whole fresh foods (like fruits and vegetables) that are full of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, then you are wasting your time!!

One of the many joys and benefits of Seasonal living is that it encourages and helps us to embrace every season. To adapt and change our routines and habits to reflect what is happening in the world around us, and to remain flexible and adaptable.

Not to mention the benefits it brings to our bodies and minds when we are able to adapt to the natural ebb and flow of our energy and what our bodies are capable of in each season.

Seasonal living is a constant practice of adjusting our daily routines and habits in accordance with the changing seasons and natural rhythms of the earth. This approach to living recognises that our bodies and minds are interconnected with the natural world, and that we can better optimise our health and wellbeing by aligning ourselves with the patterns of nature.

One of the key areas where seasonal living can have a profound impact on our overall health and wellbeing is our circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is the internal 24-hour clock that governs our sleep-wake cycle, a process that is controled by the release of hormones that tell our body either ‘it’s time to wake up’ or ‘it’s time to sleep’, and it is influenced by a variety of factors including light exposure, meal timing, and physical activity to name a few.

As we step into May the plant world around us is bursting into life, the hedgerows are full of Hawthorn blossoms, and this means the seasons Elder flower blossom isn’t far behind.

This is one of my favourite times of year, and elderflowers gentle healing and energy is one of my favourites to work with, and is always highly anticipated …

In this post I've included tips on elderflower foraging, its properties for health and healing AND a simple recipe for making elderflower cordial.

Humans are not built to produce the same amount of output every day, day after day, like a production line machine. We cannot produce both quantity an𝘥 quality work at this rate either…

and yet, we seem to be permanantly fixated on how ‘productive’ we have been.

This toxic form of productivity has to stop. Do we even know what true productivity means anymore?

The key is finding the balance between action and rest. Being able to see rest as an equal partner to action. A balance on the opposite side of a continuous cycle.

Have you ever thought about how different men and women’s bodies are, how we function and (as that famous book tells us) act as if we are from different planets?

Have you ever looked at your male friend, sibling, relative, or partner and wondered how, when you are so different, we are all treated the same by out health system?

What’s so important about womens health you may ask? Can it be so very different?

When so much in this world is designed and tested around the male body and composition womens health and wellbeing is very much lagging behind…

As we move from Winter to Spring it is time to reawaken our minds and bodies from Winter slumber.

Energetically this is a shift from the cold hard earth of Winter to the light and airy Spring. The earth is warming and re-awakening as the sun returns, and we too must slowly revive our bodies and adjust to the changes in momentum.

The Energy of Spring

Spring is the energy of Air, the archetype of the Maiden; young, new, the birth of new life.

All of that, the light energy after the heavy and darkness of winter, can feel very heady and exciting. Spring is a season, four reigniting passions, projects, and hobbies set of lain dormant over the winter, all the last year.

Allergies and allergic reactions can make life really uncomfortable! If you’re dealing with any autoimmune illness one of the side effects can be an elevated immune system, meaning that your body’s response to irritants (like pollen) can trigger off the charts reactions from hives + rashes to swollen itchy eyes, excessive congestion and running nose, and even flu like symptoms.

Depending on what you are allergic to allergies can start as early as February with tree catkin pollen, but it’s usually the summer months that tends to be the time when allergy symptoms are worst.

(If you are unlucky enough to suffer from tree, grass, AND flower pollen, or find a whole host of irritants cause you an allergic reaction, you may spend the better part of 5 months to a year with allergy symptoms).

In this post I will cover the Natural remedies, not just for Hayfever, but that address the root causes of the body’s immune response, as well as covering some of the best natural remedies for relieving allergies and their symptoms.

Although it sounds pretty ironic considering plants are causing the symptoms, plants can be used as a cure too!