Tag Archives: dry brushing

Fall Self Care Package Recipes

Fire Cider
Fire Cider was originally developed by Rosemary Gladstar in the early 80s. This recipe does not contain cayenne pepper so its a little milder if giving to children. You can add it in if you want the extra heat.
You can take 1-3 Tablespoons a day as prevention or up to 1 tablespoon an hour if you are trying to ward off a cold. Dilute with a little water and add honey to taste.
To make more at home:
1 cup minced yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped horseradish (I got at miejer in the produce section)
15 cloves minced garlic
one small knob of ginger chopped
2-3 black peppercorns
1/2 lemon sliced thin
3 cups of apple cider vinegar with the mother
Add your ingredients to a glass jar and cover with vinegar. Stir well and let sit 2-3 weeks shaking the jar once a day for the first few days.
Strain out the vinegar, refrigerate and use within a year.
Your fire cider was mixed on Friday Oct 13 so you can strain in 2 or 3 weeks whenever you prefer. You can add honey to the vinegar or just add the honey when you use it. Add 1/4 c honey if you choose to add to vinegar.
Huang Qi Chai
Isn’t that fun to say? This is an immune boosting chair recipe with no caffeine created by Rosalee De la Foret. You can drink it as is, or add a black tea bag if you’re more traditional. I like mine with some coconut milk and honey and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Your tea bags have powdered ginger and you might like to add a few slices of fresh ginger when you brew yours at home.
10 small slices of astragalus root (huang qi) you can buy online or in herb shops
1 tablespoon dried orange peel
2 teaspoons minced or fresh ginger
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon chips (the sticks work too or even powdered)
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 cardamom pods (powder works too)
2 whole cloves
On stove top add all ingredients to pan with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes covered. Strain and add milk and honey as desired. Drink within 36 hours
Slow cooker method: Place all ingredients with water in a slow cooker on low heat overnight covered. If water looks low add more. Strain and drink how you like.
Dry brushing is great to do as a fall ritual. I like to do it right before a shower.
Here is some info for dry brushing as well. http://www.sarahcanga.com/2014/09/25/natural-remedy-for-dryness/

Natural Remedy for Dryness

The pathogen that is most active in the fall is dryness. Interestingly enough, the lungs which are associated with the fall also control the skin and this is a common place to experience dryness starting in the fall and carrying into winter.

I have talked about dry brushing in the past as well as home made Epsom salt spray. Recently I started combining the two. The results so far have left my skin feeling smooth and polished like I just spent the day at the beach without the sand.

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My routine is to dryness brush before a shower and then during the shower I will spray my skin with the Epsom salt spray and massage for a gentle extra exfoliation and then continue my shower as usual.

To read more about the benefits of dry brushing and Epsom salts click on the respective links. Let me know what you think!