Skinfeed Oil

Featuring:

Skinfeed Oil - a natural blend of sesame, olive, avocado, and almond oils, vitamin A, and vitamin E.

Made fresh in our shoppe; sells for $15/bottle (4 fl. oz)

SPF 3

Nourishes and feeds the skin and hair.


Some of the beneficial qualities of the ingredients are as follows:

Sesame Oil
Sesame oil has natural sun block and sunscreen properties. Application of sesame oil on body parts exposed to the sun can help prevent tanning and other damages caused by the harmful UV rays of the sun. The soothing and healing properties of sesame oil also proves useful in the repair of damaged skin cells and for skin rejuvenation. Application of sesame oil improves blood circulation which helps repair damaged skin cells and gives the skin a healthy glow.
Olive Oil
Olive oil contains at least four different antioxidants, which can help neutralize damaging free radicals that can lead to skin aging and skin cancer. Olive oil can also provide relief for damaged hair.
Avocado Oil
Fatty Acid content in avocado oil helps protect the skin. 
Almond Oil
Almond oil contains natural antimicrobial properties, which help prevent the spread and growth of bacterial infections responsible for acne, wounds or other skin infections. It will also help reduce and lighten dark spots and other facial scars. Its emollient property will rejuvenate and tighten the skin. It also heals sunburn and helps to even out the skin tone.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E oil may help prevent sunburn by protecting the top layer of skin from UV rays. It may also help the skin look younger by reducing roughness and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is anti-bacterial and helps with proliferation and regeneration of cells.

When the Universal Mother Speaks to Me

When the Universal Mother speaks to me, she speaks through the sky, sun, moon and stars. 
She speaks through the Earth, oceans, rivers, lakes and streams.

And she speaks through the mountains, trees and meadows.

She speaks to me through all her natural creations. They all carry her voice.

All of Nature is her utterance.
Each time I stop my busy mind, my heart overflows with love for her,  like water from a mountain spring, pure and clean.

Without a mother’s love, a child cannot smile and an adult cannot mature.

Mothers are the first to teach love to the lives of the young. 

A mother's unconditional love is the foundation of all love. 

A mother is the gentle, sweet spirit that makes unhappiness and worries disappear.

The world is full of suffering because people do not see the true nature of a mother's love.   
They lack insight into the interconnectedness of all beings and things. 

The all-pervading love of Nature is the inter-beingness that connects through and with all.

The beauty of the Hue River embraces and deeply inspires me. 

The water of the river, running forever, is  like my love for the world and its people.

Though this river may live outside of me, I have a life river inside of me.

Though all beautiful waters impress me,

They are but the semblance of the river inside of me.

The river that impresses me most deeply is the river of life.

It has no beginning and it will have no end.  It is always there.

So many streams have entered it, nourishing and supporting the flow of life.

The river of life is always transforming.

Although its face may change from time to time, its original purpose is always there, providing continuous support to all forms of life to grow and thrive.

It is the stream of my life to be more than alive.

When I allow my life to be with Nature’s vastness,

I touch deeply each life and each thing I encounter.

I walk mindfully along the path of life and understand the need to help others who are but parts of the one, whole being that is inside and outside of me.

There is deep compassion and kind love that runs forever like the continuous flow of rivers.   
My life speaks from the range of its own being through the deep support of the Mother Universe.

- Hua-Ching Ni and Maoshing Ni, Love of Mother Universe, page 202

Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup

Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup

        One of the most common ways to use tonic herbs in China is cooking them in a soup with chicken and vegetables. This is because chicken is thought to bring out the Chi tonifying and blood nourishing aspects of the herbs. Generally speaking, tonic herbs have a pleasant taste which does not adversely affect the flavorful aspects of mealtime soups.

Ingredients:

Huang Qi                  Astragalus
Hei Mu Er                Black fungus
Dang Shen                Codonopsis
Shan Yao                   Dioscorea
Kun Bu                      Kelp
Long Yan Rou          Longan
Lian Zi                      Lotus seed
Gou Qi Zi                 Lycium fruit
Yu Zhu                      Polygonatum
Hai Zao                    Seaweed         

Xiang Gu                  Shitake mushroom

       
        The herbs astragalus, codonopsis, and dioscorea are classified by Chinese herbalists as chi tonics. They are reputed to benefit digestion, aid the absorption of nutrients, and enhance energy. The two dried fruits, lycium and longan, are classified as blood tonics. They are reputed to treat anemia, reduce fidgeting, and benefit sleep. Black fungus and seaweed add a satisfying texture to the soup. Polygonatum is traditionally classified as a yin tonic, which restores moisture. Lotus seed is a mild sedative useful to relieve hyperactivity; it is rich in proteins.
        For individuals recovering from serious illness or other debilitating experience, the soup can be taken daily for about one week to restore strength. Others may wish to enjoy this dish about once a week for a great energy boost.

        To make the soup, place 1 to 2 pounds of chicken with skin removed in a medium-sized pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and remove any residue which floats to the top. Add the whole package of herbs, two cloves of crushed or grated garlic, two thin slices of fresh ginger, and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a slow boil, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.
        Add sliced fresh vegetables, such as carrots, cabbage, and celery at this time, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes to soften them. Then add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon of wine (optional). Remove from heat. All the herb materials are edible except astragalus (the long, flat herb), which is too too fibrous and should be removed before serving.

To order, call us at 434-973-1700 or e-mail us at info@greenlakehealing.com!

Welcome to our new blog!

          We're excited to be growing and going through some big changes. We've recently launched our new website (which you can view here). It's really fun when you have a dream and you finally make that dream come true. This blog has been something that we've wanted to do for quite some time- so here we are! We thought we would use this blog to keep you informed of what we're doing and what we're excited about, and also just to share with you ideas and tips for staying fit and healthy.
          Here at the Green Lake Healing Center, we are the home to the practice of Paul and Lisa Olko. You can read more about us in our bios. We serve the community through several natural healing modalities. Paul's work focuses around Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathy, Herbal Medicine, Natural Healthcare Consultations, and Tui Na (traditional Oriental body work). Lisa's work focuses on FirstLine Therapy (a therapeutic lifestyle program, designed to address the underlying cause of many common health problems, and therefore improve health). She works with people who are wanting to maintain a healthy weight and a healthy body through healthy eating and lifestyle, and stress management.
          We have an herbal pharmacy stocked with over 850 herbs in all forms. We service our own patients with customized herbal formulas as well as other practitioners in the area. We have a lot of products (such as linaments, salves, and therapeutic herb formulas) that we make ourselves from scratch from high quality, mostly organic ingredients. We ship daily and we're open 9 am to 5 pm Monday - Friday.
          We're having fun keeping very busy. Just this week, Katalin, one of our herbal assistants, mixed up a fresh batch of Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup Mix, which the next blog post is going to feature.