“The skin serves many purposes, mainly it protects us from the environment, manages hormones and temperature, and signals the nervous and immune systems when problems arise. Those signals allow receptors to activate anti-microbial peptides, lipids, also inflammatory cytokines to help bring things back to normal. One of those signaling systems involved with skin homeostasis and regeneration is the heavily studied cutaneous endocannabinoid system. Studies have found that the cannabinoid system has an impact on dry skin, hair growth, keratin, inflammatory skin disorders, and well, skin cancer. Notably, cannabis is not the only plant with cannabinoids, other plants that react with cannabinoid receptors include not only echinacea (Echinacea spp.) and its compound N-alkylamide, turmeric (Curcuma longa) contains the cannabinoid curcumin, but also other plants that contain β-caryophyllene..”

Cannabis essential oil

A relatively new area of research is surrounded around Cannabis sativa essential oil, which is the product of steamed distilled live, fresh leaves. So far, we know that β-caryophyllene is the major compound in Cannabis essential oil, and the compound directly linked to the CB2 receptor. Researchers have reported that 𝛽-caryophyllene may be useful in treating neuropathic pain, anxiety, and depression. Other compounds in the essential oil include myrcene, limonene, pinene, terpinolene, ect., individually showing a unique mix of relaxant, sedative, antioxidant, or anxiolytic benefits.  

Like many essential oils, Cannabis essential oil has shown exciting antibacterial properties. Though the research is still unfolding, Cannabis essential oils have shown to have a relaxing effect on the nervous system. Researchers in Italy took it a step further and initiated the research on the effect of Cannabis essential oil on the brain, measuring brain wave activity, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and temperature.  The subjects felt more calm, relaxed, energetic, and were in a better mood with an increased appetite after the study, remaining fairly consistent with the effects of consuming or using any type of cannabis product, except without the psychoactive effects of THC of course. This was a small study, but expect to hear about more research on the benefits of Cannabis essential oil over the next few years to decade.

This is part of a Tahoe Petrichor published article was Featured in the August 2020 issue of Tahoe Cannabis & Vegas Cannabis magazines.

Check out the full feature here

Let’s face it, baths are awesome! They are hygienic, they make us happy, they allow us some time to ourselves, they help us relax, and help us get better sleep. Adding the right dose of herbs, or essential oils to the bath can do wonders for stress and pain management, but what is really going on in our bodies?

Read the full article here

Type of baths

There are so many different types of baths depending on your personal, individual, and perfectly unique situation.  There are foot baths, herbal baths, neutral baths, ice baths, aromatic baths, facial and yoni steams.

The herbs

With the right combination of healing herbs, baths can be sleep-inducing, pain-relieving, stimulating, anti-infectious, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, beneficial for the skin, or any combination thereof.  Of course, as an herbalist, my best advice is pure, plant-based everything is best.

This is part of a Tahoe Petrichor published article featured in the October 2020 issue of Tahoe Cannabis & Vegas Cannabis magazines.

Read the full article here

“The musculoskeletal system consists of the muscles, joints, cartilage, and connective tissues. Inherently these areas are prone to pain and stiffness, overuse, strenuous physical activity, injuries, chronic conditions, or from being human. In fact physical and mental stress is often the cause of the physical symptoms of tension, spasms, and pain.  Removing the stressful stimuli and finding healthy coping mechanisms is the first step to relief. However, to combat pain multiple approaches should be made to find symptomatic relief including rest, relaxation, massage, and compression. Utilizing heat therapy to increase blood flow and muscle flexibility can be done by using a heat pack, or immersing in an herbal bath, hot spring, or sauna. Apply a + topical after using heat to enhance the benefits into the localized area. Inflammation is the body's response to stress, yet to reduce pain, inflammation must be reduced. Applying cold therapy via ice pack, or cryotherapy, [or jump in the lake], should combat inflammation.”

“Herbal medicine is the art and science of using herbs and natural modalities to enhance health and wellbeing. Taking past and traditional medicine practices and applying that to modern-day science and this becomes the greatest time ever for understanding plants as medicine.  Using teas, tinctures, topicals, essential oils, and combining them with all-natural lifestyle practices that balance the diet, herbs, vitamins & minerals, exercise, mind-body therapies. Drinking tea is probably the simplest and gentlest way to get started into the world of plant healing. If you are a cannabis user, if you already drink a lot of herbal tea, or if you have used essential oils, you have already experienced herbal medicine in some sense.”

This is part of a Tahoe Petrichor published article was Featured in the July 2020 issue of Tahoe Cannabis & Vegas Cannabis magazines.

Read the full article here

featured In the June issues of Tahoe Cannabis & Vegas Cannabis Magazine, I highlighted some of the best tips and healing hacks for keeping your head in the right space.

The practice of alternative medicine involves a combination of natural methods for balancing the mind, body, and spirit to support health and well being. In reality, therapy hardly ever consists of just one method, therefore herbalists use plant medicine, supplements, dietary adjustments, bodywork, and lifestyle changes to enhance healing. During a stressful event, the brain triggers a series of reactions to different regions of the body. The body then responds by initiating the commonly known fight-or-flight response, where we experience some of the unpleasant effects of stress. Long-term stress can affect the central nervous system by draining vital energy leading to premature aging, exhaustion, deficiencies, and/or poor health.

To combat these effects, it is so very important to integrate healthy coping strategies to maintain a balanced physical and mental state. The belief that all healing is inherently found in nature is at the foundation of herbal medicine. Taking that belief system and applying it to modern-day science, researchers are able to identify naturally occurring plant compounds and observe the physiological reactions on the body, similar to the research on the terpenes found in cannabis. Speaking of, although cannabis is the goddess of all plant medicines, it is just one of the thousands of plants that are part of the nature cure…

Read the full article here

Read the full magazine here

“The belief that all healing is inherently found in nature is at the foundation of herbal medicine.”

Regular Massage

Getting a massage can improve your mood, wellbeing, relaxation circulation, and pain relief.

Aromatherapy Massage

A common use of aromatherapy is during massages to promote relaxation and stress reduction. Essential oils can be used in blends created for fragrance, as in many natural products.  However, the benefits and uses of essential oils as a therapeutic modality go much further. Using aromatherapy in baths, inhalations (steam, diffusion, spritzing), vaporizers, and topically for therapeutic purposes can be useful as part of a CAM plan for certain conditions.  Blends can be created that work synergistically with other oils for a specific purpose and applied in an intentional manner can be beneficial for achieving homeostatic balance.

The CBD Releaf Rollie makes for a perfect addition to a therapeutic massage. Ellie is the perfect person to deliver both. Call Ellie today (775) 842-7515 or click here to reserve your Tahoe Petrichor CBD massage.

Cramps can be caused by muscle overload due to strenuous activity.  The flow of blood may become restricted causing pain, prolonged spasms, and involuntary contractions within skeletal muscles. Over-excitability, contractility, extensibility, and elasticity of muscles coupled with the loss of water, vitamins, and minerals during exercise can lead to inflammation and imbalance of nerve, ionic, and neurotransmitters. Complementary alternative medicine indicates that stretching and warmups before exercise allows for sufficient blood flow to the muscles before physical exertion. For extra relief, stretch after exercise, and before bed, and upon rising. Stay hydrated and supplement with vitamins, minerals, and anti-inflammatory herbal medicine. Consider taking warm baths post workout, getting regular massages, integrating a regular yoga practice and applying analgesic topical salves (shop CBD Releaf Rollie).

Research suggests taking the following vitamins, minerals, and herbs for cramps.

• Calcium magnesium (300mg) supplement daily, especially on exercise days. 

  • Eat foods rich in these elements such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chives, raspberry, cayenne, and salmon.

• Increase uptake of chlorine and sodium for water balance, blood pressure, and nerve function. 

  • Using a himalayan salt (contains 84 minerals) or sea salt (contains potassium, zinc, & iron)

• Increase uptake of phosphorus, selenium, glutamine, quercetin, potassium and zinc (Ulbricht & Basch 2010)

Combinations of herbs, teas, and tinctures may be used to regulate muscle cramping.

• Balance blood flow and circulation: hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata), black currant (Ribes nigrum), and red clover (Trifolium pratense)

• Cramp relief: Cramp bark (Viburnum opulus), cherry (Prunus spp), and chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

• Sleep and relaxation: Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) and hops (Humulus lupulus)

Things to integrate into your athletic practice 

• Regularly stretch muscles and warm up before excessive workouts 

• Incorporate daily walks to activate muscles

• Hydrate and increase uptake of electrolytes 

• Take daily, high quality vitamin supplement

• At night, soak in an epsom salt bath with added medicinal herbs or essential oils like wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) and valerian (Valeriana officinalis)

• Consider heat pads and ice packs to create blood flow and reduce inflammation

• Consider switching shoes or testing your arches

• Consider kinesiotaping and compression clothing during strenuous exercise

• Consider relaxation techniques such as meditation

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References:

ACHS. (2018). Clinical Correlate: Cramps [online lecture]. Retrieved from  https://achs.instructure.com/courses/1177/pages/clinical-correlate-psoriasis?module_item_id=125151

Marieb, E. & Hoehn, K. (2018). Human Anatomy & Physiology (11th ed). Boston, MA: Pearson. ISBN: 9780134756363

Ulbricht, C. & Basch, E. (2010). Natural standard: Herb & supplement guide. Maryland Heights, MO: Elsevier Mosby. ISBN:978032307295-3

Since we have full creative freedom to personalize the environment of our homes, we can choose to set the atmosphere of our lives.

When we want to feel healthier, we immediately want to think of hydration, food, and exercise. While I will never dispute these intrinsically important elements of health, I think it is important we search (our homes, work, behaviors, and habits) for areas that are subject to toxicity. Sometimes, we are just unsure about where to look.

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these small hacks can help detox your routine in a big way

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1. Eat foods we were designed to eat, which is not necessarily foods we want to eat.

2. Eat raw a couple of days a week or just skip meat a couple of days a week.

3. Feeling like you a need a body restart? Try a detox. We have created our own based off of current research, experience, and academia. We call it the “Combination Detox” and you can learn more here.

4. Try switching to green (matcha), black, white, yerba mate or oolong tea rather than coffee or energy beverages for cleaner feeling energy. Try switching to loose leaf or high-quality herbal teas instead of sodas, sugar-dense electrolyte drinks for a health boost (see our favorite local tea shops).

5. Move your body, every day. Doesn’t matter what time of day, or what sort activity, but get out there. Use Tahoe as an excuse to explore, hike, bike, and romp around. Even if you are local, there are still places out there you have never seen, go see them! Try stretching first or advance into some yoga classes. (yoga studios we love).

6. Try a new sport or hobby every month to stay active, learn something new, and challenge your body (and mind). There are plenty of places to rent mountain bikes, paddleboards, climbing gear, or try wakesufing, backpacking, camping, hiking, or biking.

7. Substitute chemical products with plant-based products, not only are they generally a lot more gentle for the air, surfaces, and your skin, but (depending on the source) they can come packed with benefits.

8. Turn off the TV and/or social media for a week, a month, a day even. This will give you more time to start a new hobby or complete the other things on this list!

9. Rather than spending time on the newest show on Netflix or taking personality quizzes on Facebook, listen to audiobooks and podcasts to get your knowledge growing (we have a list of them we think are pretty special

10. Integrate a morning routine, is it that you drink a glass of water or stretch as the first thing you do to greet your day? Or is it making a to-do list while sipping coffee? Whatever it is, you can find time for things you have been meaning to do, if you take some time to write out and organize your am/pm routines.

Avoid heat, moisture, light, & oxygen

• Heat - Ideally, essential oils should never be stored above 65*F. This means, they should never be left it your car, in your bag at the beach, or anywhere else that may be exposed to the warmth of the sun. For most plant-based products, you can prolong the shelf life by storing them in your fridge (like the CBD Releaf Rollie).

• Moisture -  Keep herbal and plant-based products away from steam & intense humidity.

• Light - Keep away from direct light, especially sunlight.

• Oxygen - Seal immediately after use.

ALWAYS seal completely and store in a cool, dark, dry place, out of reach of children.

Since we have full creative freedom to personalize the environment of our homes, we can choose to set the atmosphere of our lives.

When we want to feel healthier, we immediately want to think of hydration, food, and exercise. While I will never dispute these intrinsically important elements of health, I think it is important we search (our homes, work, behaviors, and habits) for areas that are subject to toxicity. Sometimes, we are just unsure about where to look.

---

these small hacks can help you detox your space in a big way

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1. Throw away expired products. Is this better in bold? Throw away expired products. Because I very much mean it. Take an hour or two to go through each part of the house, find all the expired products and junk every last one of them. Products degrade with time, bacteria, fungus, and harmful micro-organisms can breed over time causing potentially harmful adverse reactions.

   This includes, but is not limited to cleaning products, skincare products, pharmaceutical medication, dietary supplements, vitamins, herbal products, cooking oils, cooking spices, coffee, tea, and condiments. You would not keep spoiled milk in the fridge, so do not put spoiled products on your face or dangerous moldy spices in your food. This also includes anything that has a missing or broken cap, functioning caps that were not replaced properly, and basically anything that has not been stored correctly (learn about how to store plant-based and natural products).

   This is also a great opportunity to introduce new, natural, chemical-free, or plant-based products into your home. Tips: Consider buying loose leaf teas and spices (we like these local stores), the herbs are usually fresher and higher quality. Try using one or two multi-purpose cleaning natural products maximum, no need to get every type of harsh cleaner out there to stash under the sink (a chemical warfare).

2. Test your drinking water. You have removed plastic water bottles from your life, vowed to never go back, meticulously stickered your hydroflask; you always remember to bring it with you, you wash it regularly, you are hydrated, and you are glowing. And yes, we are blessed in Tahoe with some truly pure water, but that doesn't mean you are drinking truly pure water. At-home water testing kits are cheap, simple, and easy to do, and the results can either offer you areas of improvement or give you a sigh or relief. Either way, it is best to know (here are some recommendations on kits and places to purchase them).

3. Purchase air purifying plants from the local nursery (we like these stores too). Not only does the presence of plants bring joy and life into your space, but these plants are useful for air purification. Speaking of space, in 1989 NASA cleared a number of plants to use on the space stations, and since these and many other plants have demonstrated the ability to filtrate potentially toxic organic chemicals. Some of these plants include heart leaf (P. oxycardium) and elephant ear (P. domesticum) philodendron, golden pothos (S. aureus), and spider plants (C. elatum). You can read the full NASA trial here.

4. Organize junk drawers & cabinets (the pantry and closet storage too) and you might just find those items you were looking for or next time you know where to find x, y, z. The goal is to clear out the drawers to free up some free space, throw things away, do not just move things from one drawer to another.

5. Clear clutter

   1. Take all the knick knacks, candles, hair ties, and extra things in your bedroom, office, kitchen, or on nightstands and collecting on tables, and put them in a container for a week. If the smalls lying around aren’t enough, take anything without a distinct home or placement, and put it in a container. Make your house look like a hotel (temporarily) with only the necessities exposed. After a week, reorganize (or place stuff in your newly organized drawers). Hopefully, by living with zero clutter for a week, it will be uncomfortable to want any difficult-to-part-with clutter back.

References:

Wolverton, B., Douglas, W., & Bounds, K. (1989). A study of interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement.  National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/nasa_techdoc_19930072988