... but I’m not speaking of autumn, I’m speaking of harvesting rose petals. There’s a brief window of opportunity when roses bloom and are at their best, and it all begins in May. Anyone who considers themselves a rose lover, and who doesn’t have “Go to the Bulgarian Rose Festival” on their bucket list, is not a true rose lover! I went with my sister and father in 2013, and it was definitely a memorable experience. Bulgaria is the home of the Kazanlak rose, which is named after the valley where it grows prolifically. The soil, climate and altitude are simply just right for these roses, and they produce the most exquisite scent. Along with red wine, Bulgaria’s main exports are rose products. As well as rose oil and rose water they produce rose honey, rose liqueur, rose-flavoured sweets and delicacies and, of course, all manner of rose skin care items. It’s not easy to get hold of Kazanlak roses in the UK. I did manage to obtain some when I lived in France but, to be honest, I haven’t tried since returning to the UK as the climate has to be right for them to perform at their best. But it’s possible to make rose water and rose oil infusions out of any roses that have a beautiful, strong scent. Rose water is, in correct terms, a “hydrolat” or “hydrosol”, meaning it is a water distillation of rose material. It is the “flower water” that remains after steam distillation of rose petals for the extraction of the essential oil. When petals are distilled, steam passes through them and carries with it their volatile aromatic compounds (including essential oil), as well as whatever water-soluble components are present. The steam is then cooled and, as it condenses, the liquid drops into a collecting container, creating two end products: the essential oil (which separates and floats) and the hydrolat – the rose water. Rose petals contain very little essential oil, and in fact rose essential oil is, by weight, typically more expensive than gold. Pure rose essential oil is one of the most expensive essential oils due to the large quantity of rose petals needed to produce a small amount of oil. On average, you might find yourself paying around £40 for 5ml (a teaspoon) of rose essential oil. High-quality rose essential oil can average out at approximately £60 for 5ml. However, prices can go even higher for certified organic or sustainably sourced rose essential oils. “Rose absolute” is cheaper, costing around £25 for 5ml / £40 for 10ml. Rose absolute is a concentrated essential oil derived by placing the petals in a solvent, such as hexane, to extract the aromatic compounds. The solvent absorbs the fragrance of the petals. This solvent is then evaporated, leaving behind a waxy substance known as "concrete" that contains the concentrated fragrance. This is then mixed with alcohol and chilled, causing waxes to solidify and separate. The remaining liquid is then vacuum distilled to remove the alcohol, leaving the pure rose absolute oil. Steam distillation is more traditional, and a more commonly used method for extracting essential oils. It is generally considered more sustainable and environmentally friendly than solvent extraction methods. When looking for rose oils, you may come across an oil called Rose Otto Damask. This is typically an oil combination of 5% solvent-extracted rose oil in 95% of a carrier oil such as jojoba or almond etc. This, whilst still smelling lovely, is significantly cheaper as the volume of pure oil is tiny. It is usually sold in a minimum volume of 10ml, and will cost as little as £5. Rose water, by comparison, is far cheaper. So much of it is produced during the process of extracting the essential oil that it is usually sold in volumes of 100ml upwards. At the Rose Festival, during the carnival procession, the watching crowds are repeatedly sprayed with rose water from pumps as large as fire extinguishers! I have a hobbyist’s still for making the rosewater for New Leaf products. If you love flower waters and want to spend the money these now come in at approximately £200 and are obtainable from home brew shops. Their intended use is for making beer and spirits, but they can be used for any flower water (chamomile, lavender etc.) and can be used to distil other parts of aromatic plants, not just the flowers. (Note to self: I must have a go at distilling rosemary.) But the results can sometimes be surprising. For instance, calendula water smells like cabbage water! New Leaf products that contain rose extracts are: Rosewater moisturiser for face Rosewater body cream Rosewater hand cream Rose facial oil Rosewater toner Double Cream rich moisturiser Rose & Palmarosa body cream Rose & Elderflower shampoo for dry hair Ice Cream replenishing eye cream The steam-distilling process can be quite time consuming. With the Air Still you can at least just plug it in, switch it on, and go away and do something else for the next hour or so. But it’s possible to make rosewater without a still. You simply have to have a method of steaming the petals, catching the steam and condensing it into a container. The following method is a bit Heath Robinson-esque but it works. It uses a fair bit of ice, and, just as when using a still, it’s a slow process. The difference being that you must attend to it quite frequently. So! To distil rose water at home you will need: You will also need: • A heat source • Water • Ice • Rose petals It’s a good idea to put all your petals on some kitchen paper and leave them for a short while to allow any bugs to leave. I often find earwigs and other stowaways, like this tiny caterpillar. Instructions: When it’s all melted, after a minute or two, use a sponge to suck up the water and squeeze it out. It will still be cool, so there is no risk of burning. Fill the lid with more ice and repeat the procedure. What is happening is that as the water inside the pan heats, it produces steam that goes through the petals and rises to the upturned lid. The ice cools the steam which condenses it to water and it runs down the slope of the lid to the handle, and drops into your collection container. It may not be easy to open the pan, you may need to insert a knife in order to raise it. Do this very carefully, with oven gloves on, as the pan will be full of steam. It is a good idea to check the inside at least once, to monitor progress, and also to see how much water is left in the large pan. You don’t want it boiling dry. Once you have distilled about 2/3 of the volume of water that you put in, that may be a good time to stop. But use your initiative! Don’t be put off by the strange smell of your rosewater. Fresh rosewater emits certain chemical vapours for the first few days. Store it in a bottle with the lid off, but covered loosely with a piece of kitchen towel. This allows the chemicals to evaporate. Once it smells 95% good it is time to close the lid. Your home-made rosewater will keep at room temperature but it will keep longer if stored in the fridge. Let me know how you get on! More blog posts from New Leaf Naturals: Chocolate & Roses Spotlight on Borage Curriculum Vitae Natural Skincare for Acne & Problem Skin Teasing Out Lyme Disease Spotlight on Marshmallow Why Use Herbs in Natural Skincare? Handmade Versus Factory Made Why Choose Natural Skincare Products?

Aromatic magic... Whenever a customer takes the lid off a tester pot, their primitive brain kicks into action. The first thing they will do is put the open pot to their nose and smell the cream. Only after having done that will they explore it further, checking texture, permeability and general feel. In the recent covid outbreak many people lost their sense of smell. As they say: you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. We take it for granted until it’s temporarily absent, and then we realise how perpetual it has been, to the point where we generally overlook it. Our sense of smell evolved differently to the other four main senses because it was closely tied up with survival. More primitive air-breathing creatures depended on it in order to source food, and to know if something was good to eat or poisonous. We’ve all experienced the phenomenon of catching a whiff of something that immediately sends us back to childhood – somebody’s perfume; pipe tobacco; a particular cooking smell; even something as basic as the smell of a new pencil! Odour-cued memories are known as the “Proust phenomenon”, since Marcel Proust described his vivid memory of Sunday mornings with his aunt that was triggered by eating a madeleine cake that he’d dipped into a cup of tea, just as he used to do in his childhood. Without getting too technical, our other senses deliver information to the brain through a relay system. When we see, touch, or hear something, signals travel first to the thalamus, which then refers them on to the relevant part of the brain that specialises in processing the sensory information. Eg: when we look at something, information gets sent from the eyes, to the thalamus, which interprets it as visual information, and it then sends it on to the back of the brain where the visual processing centre is. The sense of smell, however, shortcuts this process. Not only does it not depend on a relay system, but the olfactory (smell) nerve is also the shortest nerve in the head, allowing smell information to travel and be interpreted much faster than any other sensory information. This olfactory info gets split and some of it goes directly to the centre for olfactory processing, while the rest goes directly to the amygdala. The amygdala performs a number of functions, a major role being the detection of danger. It interacts automatically with our fight or flight response, and it is this which is responsible for our dramatic recoil away from horrible smells. The amygdala is also closely linked to our memory centres as we need to recognise and remember information about what is dangerous or safe. It is because of this close relationship that smells can evoke immediate recollections from the past. Smell and taste are called "chemical senses" because both respond to molecules in the food we eat or in the air we breathe. When we experience the flavour of a food, we are really responding to the food’s taste, and its smell, together. But enough of the complicated stuff! Let’s talk about chocolate... “Chocolate or cocoa is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste” (Wikipedia) The botanical name for the cocoa tree is Theobroma cacao. Theo – meaning God, Broma – meaning food (Greek), therefore Food of the Gods. This implies that even hundreds of years ago cocoa was both valued and revered. According to a BBC article women crave chocolate twice as much as men do, and despite research into the constituents of cocoa there is no conclusive evidence that explains why chocolate is the most craved food in the West by women before and during menstruation. One main constituent, Theobromine, has an effect on the nervous system a little like caffeine in that it boosts energy, alertness and cognitive function. It boosts blood flow to the brain, but doesn’t cause the sort of caffeine rush that strong coffee would. As well as this beneficial effect on brain function, chocolate • Enhances immunity, by being anti-inflammatory and by helping in antibody production • Reduces blood pressure • Balances cholesterol • Supports the lungs and helps to calm respiratory distress Apart from these good excuses to indulge our guilty pleasure, there are other reasons why chocolate may be such a comfort to us. Firstly, it contains an amino acid called Tryptophan. The more tryptophan we have available the more serotonin we can produce. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in mood regulation and is known to be a key factor in overall mental health. Low levels of serotonin can cause depression, anxiety, insomnia, and other mental health conditions. But to make serotonin from tryptophan we need carbs. So a slice of chocolate cake, (made with organic wholemeal flour of course) will be more effective than a couple of pieces from your favourite bar. Especially as the eggs in your cake recipe also contain tryptophan. Secondly, alongside tryptophan another beneficial chocolate molecule is Anandamide. This affects the same receptors in the brain that are affected by cannabis, and are linked with endorphin production. An article on bebrainfit.com calls anandamide the “bliss molecule for happiness & mental balance” and states that chocolate is its no. 1 food source. So there are numerous reasons for our positive relationship with chocolate. I think I have only come across one person who has told me they categorically dislike it. One or two people say they can take it or leave it, but nearly everyone else expresses … keenness… to a greater or lesser extent, regardless of age or gender. Truth be told, there’s not a lot of chocolate in New Leaf products! I do use cocoa butter in the Wintergreen Cream as it is more of an ointment, so cocoa butter’s richness contributes to the balm-like texture. I use cocoa butter frequently in soap recipes too. But the main product where it is featured is Choc Chip arnica balm It gives weight and richness to the cream, but - more than that – it offers comfort by way of its chocolatey smell. As mentioned in a previous blog post, wherever possible New Leaf products have light-hearted names that imply that they are good enough to eat. Choc Chip is so called because I created it when I was living in France. The French word for a bump or bang is “Choc”, as in shock. My hands were tied! What more appropriate title could I give a cream that treats bumps, bangs (and more serious physical shocking injuries) than Choc Chip? And what we always need to “make it better” is consolation and comfort. The smell of the cocoa butter actually helps to calm an upset child (of any age ;-) ) A New Scientist article states “Eating a bar of chocolate may cheer you up, but sniffing it calms you down, says a British psychologist. Among several food smells tested, only chocolate had a significant calming effect on the brain.” The smell of chocolate reduces theta brain waves and encourages a sense of calm. This BBC Bitesize article states: “Chocolate has chemical compounds present in it that make us feel good. It releases endorphins in the brain so just the smell can make you feel better.” Recent German research has shown that the mouth-watering aroma of chocolate is down to the same chemical that contributes to the fragrance of roses. Beta-ionone - found in perfume and essential oils – has only recently been identified in chocolate. Adding all of this up, it’s no co-incidence then, that chocolate and roses are classic gifts that express affection, love and caring. When we sniff something and experience its scent, we are taking a chemical vapour into our body. These inhaled chemicals trigger brain and body response. There is increasing interest in the use of essential oils in pharmacology. The internet is littered with studies about how essential oil components benefit both the nervous system and various bodily functions. An advantage of inhaling your medicine is that it doesn’t get digested and then broken down by the liver, it can access parts of the body far more directly and far more intact. In the quest for treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, research is ongoing into how oils such as rosemary benefit the memory centres of the brain and help with mental acuity. Rosemary is an essential (pardon the pun) ingredient in the New Leaf spot-on: “Inspire”, a blend of oils known for their ability to focus the mind. Dr Chris Van Tulleken, from "Trust Me I’m a Doctor" fame, has written a feature on rosemary and generously states: “Traditional healing practices weren't all quackery. Modern medicine of the kind I practise in London may have many sophisticated treatments but it comes with side effects and can leave people feeling disempowered. We have spent many years rubbishing alternative treatments but there is, I believe, a real benefit in allowing people to take control of their own health with treatments that make them feel better - even if we haven't been able to prove how.” So again, my mantra: don’t underestimate the power of nature! We take the idea of natural fragrances as being something common or garden… Yet the beautiful scent of a rose is the result of up to 300 volatile compounds. That’s quite miraculous! Engaging with flowers – how they look and how they smell - can stimulate the production of several chemicals like dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin in our brains. These are the ‘happy’ chemicals. I’ve mentioned serotonin above, and most of us are familiar with dopamine, but oxytocin is also very important for our sense of wellbeing. It is sometimes referred to as the ‘bonding hormone’ or even the ‘cuddle chemical’. That’s because oxytocin creates the feeling of trust and love. When we smell a rose, we trigger the same chemicals in our brain as when we are in love. No wonder the red rose has been the symbol of love since time immemorial. More blog posts from New Leaf Naturals: Spotlight on Borage Curriculum Vitae Natural Skincare for Acne & Problem Skin Teasing Out Lyme Disease Spotlight on Marshmallow Why Use Herbs in Natural Skincare? Handmade Versus Factory Made Why Choose Natural Skincare Products?

A Super Plant, in more ways than one. Borage is native to the Mediterranean and to North Africa, but has spread and naturalized in many other areas. It can be found throughout Europe and North America. Along with Comfrey it is a member of the forget-me-not family Boraginaceae. It grows easily in the UK but is not often found growing wild. If you sow it in your garden you should find it comes back year after year. It’s a very low maintenance plant and fairly pest- and disease-resistant. It has a cottage-garden character, and is visually attractive with its striking blue star-shaped flowers. There was a trend a while ago to rename it as “Starflower” – for obvious reasons - but most people still know it as borage. As we know, bees depend on flowers for their survival. There are two main components here: nectar and pollen. Sugars in nectar provide carbohydrate energy for bees' flight and all their busyness, whereas pollen is their primary source of proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals for building muscular, glandular and skeletal tissues. Not all flowering plants produce nectar. If a plant can have its pollen transported via the wind then it doesn’t have to rely on insects for pollination. And it's not only bees who need pollen. Many other creatures including some ladybirds, various beetles, flies, some spiders, and even some fungi feed on pollen. Why every garden needs borage! Borage flowers are particularly attractive to bees. According to Gardener’s World, after a bee has visited a flower, the flower refills with nectar within two minutes. I remember reading somewhere that the borage flower is pretty much the fastest flower to refill with pollen too, completing this task in about twenty minutes - as opposed to two hours, which is common for other plants. This ready supply of both pollen and nectar, along with its long flowering season, makes borage one of the best pollinator-friendly plants. Not only is borage a super-food for bees and other creepy-crawlies, it is great for the garden too. It is very efficient at drawing up and storing nutrients (such as potassium). Just like comfrey, a mulch of borage enriches the soil, adding trace minerals. So borage is great for the compost heap or for making liquid manure. These days Borage’s main medicinal use is the oil extracted from the seeds. Borage oil can be taken internally as a supplement, or applied externally in skin-care preparations. It is significantly more expensive than oils such as almond or sunflower, so the market is not flooded with borage oil products. If a label promotes its product as ‘containing borage oil’, check the list of ingredients and see how far down the list borage comes. You will rarely find it towards the top, so, once again, don’t be fooled. Borage seed oil is noted for its high GLA content, of which it is the richest known source. It contains 2-3 times more GLA than its closest rival: Evening primrose oil. Gamma-Linolenic Acid is Omega-6. It is anti-inflammatory and for this reason benefits conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease and - topically - eczema. Eczema and dermatitis don’t seem to benefit from oral supplementation with borage oil, but do benefit from topical application. Taken internally, borage oil can help balance hormones and help with PMS or menopausal symptoms and other health problems. So, take capsules to help with systemic health problems, but for skin conditions such as eczema or acne apply products containing borage oil, such as New Leaf Expresso (so named because it brings express relief to itchy uncomfortable eruptions) or SpotTea. The Omegas are well known to benefit brain function and can play an important role in supporting people with ADHD etc. As well as its high Omega 6 content, borage oil also contains omegas 3, 7, 9 and various other fatty acid compounds. There are on-going studies and research into the benefits of borage oil. One study found that it helps lower bad cholesterol. Another study states: "Recently, interest in borage has been renewed because its seeds are considered as one of the best sources of GLA. This unusual fatty acid is an intermediate of indispensable compounds in the body such as prostaglandin E1 and its derivatives. Borage seed oil has been promoted as an effective treatment for different pathologies, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, diabetic neuropathy and menopause-related symptoms. It has also been shown to decrease inflammation, improve bone health, and exhibit beneficial effects on the function of the skin and on the regulation of lipid [fat] metabolism." But enough of all this scientific talk! Borage flowers are very pretty and it’s sad that they have fallen out of fashion over the last century or so. In the past it was common to use the flowers in salads or to decorate cakes and freeze in ice-cubes to prettify drinks. The flowers have a sweet, honey-like taste. Leaves taste fresh, a bit like cucumber. As mentioned, the leaves are a rich source of minerals. Young leaves can be used in salads, but older leaves become quite hairy and are better added to soups or stews. For a useful list of ideas and recipes click here. So, all in all, borage is an amazing gift. It can help our bodies and delight our taste buds, as well as keep the bees and the garden happy. Including parts of the borage plant in your culinary practice will not only add a nice flavour to dishes but will also contribute to your good health, apparently not just physical… John Gerard’s Herball, first published in 1597, says of Borage: "Those of our time do use the flowers in salads to exhilarate and make the mind glad. There be also many things made of these used everywhere for the comfort of the heart, for the driving away of sorrow and increasing the joy of the mind. The leaves and flowers of Borage put into wine make men and women glad and merry and drive away all sadness, dullness and melancholy, as Dioscorides and Pliny affirm. Syrup made of the flowers of Borage comfort the heart, purge melancholy and quiet the frantic and lunatic person. The leaves eaten raw engender good blood, especially in those that have been lately sick." More blog posts from New Leaf Naturals: Curriculum Vitae Natural Skincare for Acne & Problem Skin Teasing Out Lyme Disease Spotlight on Marshmallow Why Use Herbs in Natural Skincare? Handmade Versus Factory Made Why Choose Natural Skincare Products?

Why choose natural skincare products? What is wrong with a daily skincare product you can pick up off the shelf in Boots, or Lloyds, or Superdrug, or…? Well, it’s not really about right or wrong, it’s about choice and preference, and what works for you. So the first thing I consider is does the product do what I want it to do: does it moisturise adequately, does it help the elasticity of my skin, does it make my skin feel good, does it help my skin look healthy and vibrant? And if I don’t use it one day does my skin still look and feel good? A good product will not only moisturise when you use it, but nourish your skin on a daily basis so that it is not short of important vitamins such as A, D and E. Just as you can go a day without taking your multivit and it won’t seriously deplete your health, so too you should be able to manage a day without your moisturiser. Your skin may feel a little tight straight after cleansing but it should then start to feel more comfortable. I’m not suggesting you won’t notice a difference without your moisturiser, but it shouldn’t set you back significantly. If you can’t go a day without it, then it is propping you up artificially without actually feeding your skin. Of course as skin ages it performs differently. We stop producing the sebum that keeps it supple and we become more prone to developing fine lines and wrinkles. Nothing can prevent this from happening. BUT, the process can be slowed down if we choose daily skincare products that feed, support and repair. I have two main problems, two main objections, to factory-produced skincare products that are widely available throughout all those well-known pharmacies. And also, for that matter, many that are available in places such as Holland and Barrett, and the like. (Read the labels!) My first problem is that despite whatever is screaming at you on the front of the label about the product’s natural ingredients, essential oils, organic herbs etc etc, these “goodies” will generally only make up a very small amount of the finished product, sometimes as little as 1%. The rest will be ingredients such as bulking agents, preservatives, artificial perfumes, solvents, acrylics, stabilisers and other contents that ensure the product will be uniform in its consistency, appearance and smell, it will survive the machine production methods and have a long shelf life. The use of these ingredients also ensures a substantial profit margin for the manufacturers. Why does this matter? What we often overlook is that the skin is a living and breathing organ of the body. It is an organ that excretes, and it absorbs. Our body detoxes through our skin and our skin takes in substances that are applied to it. We know that a warm bath with magnesium-loaded bath salts will help our tired and aching muscles. We know that a nicotine transdermal patch will reduce our cravings if we are trying to give up smoking. "Transdermal" means "through the skin". The contraceptive patch releases synthetic oestrogen into our bloodstream through our skin in order to prevent pregnancy. The skin is not an impermeable barrier like a plastic onesie or a wetsuit! Quite frankly I don’t want to be feeding my body – at whatever depth of penetration – with substances like phenoxyethanol ethylhexylglycerin, benzyl alcohol, propylene glycol (those are just a few preservatives), petrolatum, behentrimonium chloride, hydroxyethyl palmitamide, dimethicone, ethylparaben – in fact the list of acceptable chemicals seems endless so I won’t go on and on with it. All I’m trying to say is that these are not skin food, and in reality we don’t know what long term use of them may do to us. I react to a number of chemicals widely used in skin and hair products, I get blotches, puffy eyes, and my skin feels like it’s crawling. And if that’s what they do to my outside, what might they do to my inside? There is another consideration when you think about all these chemical substances. Whatever doesn’t get absorbed into our body will get washed down the drain and access our water courses. The consequences of this do not bear thinking about. What are we doing to our wildlife, especially marine, with all these antimicrobials, synthetic chemicals, preservatives, plasticisers etc? So my first problem is that I don’t want to be offering my body and the wider environment all these chemicals on a daily basis. My second problem is a simple one. I want to use products that actually contain a good serving of nutrients. If the average skincare product is mostly chemicals and bulking agents then it is not packed full of nutrition. All skincare products (other than body butters and heavy oily preparations) contain a fair proportion of water. This is normal and necessary. We are moisturising our skin. Moisture means water. We want a combination of water and oil, so that the water can penetrate, and the oil can carry its nutritious load for the skin to absorb. Then it will leave a light covering, which helps prevent the moisture level from evaporating and drying out. The water content may also carry nutrition depending on the ingredients. For instance in New Leaf “Single Cream” I include aloe vera as an ingredient. This is water soluble, so it will access the skin via the water content of the cream. The almond oil in the recipe is naturally full of vitamins A, D and E, so it is the oil that delivers these nutrients to the skin. Single Cream contains approximately 70% water (some of which is lavender water, which contains various nourishing components), approximately 20% almond oil and approximately 10% aloe vera. In new Leaf “Double Cream”, one of the ingredients is Jojoba. Although jojoba is fluid it is considered to be a wax. It performs in the same way as sebum, so it is particularly good for skin which is more mature, or very dry and lacking in sebum. As well as vitamin E, jojoba contains various minerals such as silicon, chromium, copper and zinc – all necessary for a healthy skin. Double Cream – as its name suggests - is richer than Single Cream. It contains approximately 70% water (some of which is rosewater, which – like lavender water - contains various nourishing components) and approximately 30% apricot kernel oil and jojoba. These are healthy helpings on your dinner plate! I would be happy to consume food that contained aloe vera, almond oil, apricot kernel oil etc. The way I see it, if I’m not happy to eat it then I shouldn’t be happy to put it on my skin. And if I’m not happy to take it into my body, then I certainly won’t have a clear conscience about sending it out into the wider environment. So, as I said at the beginning, it’s about choice and preference, and what works for you. New Leaf works for me on every level. More blog posts from New Leaf Naturals Spotlight on Borage Curriculum Vitae Natural Skincare for Acne & Problem Skin Teasing Out Lyme Disease Spotlight on Marshmallow Why Use Herbs in Natural Skincare? Handmade Versus Factory Made

What’s the difference between a handmade natural skincare product and a product that has been made in a pharmaceuticals factory? Apart from the obvious difference between the ingredients, (see my previous post), natural products can feel and behave differently. Creams A factory-made cream is likely to feel lighter, more whipped, more refined. It may have a sheen to it from a chemical pearlising additive. Its perfume will linger longer. It will usually be absorbed very quickly. It may need to be reapplied after several hours. The pot may well be elegant and the labelling printed directly onto it. It may be packaged in a box for additional presentation. Its overall image is as important - or more so - as the product itself, which justifies the extra cost. A handmade cream will feel somewhat richer and possibly heavier. Its scent will not hang around for long because it will usually be derived from essential oils which are volatile. It may sit on the skin for half a minute or so before being absorbed. One application will usually last all day. The pot is likely to be recyclable plastic as glass is heavy for posting. It will usually be a functional rather than pretty shape, as this makes it possible to attach home-printed labels. Although the overall image is important, the emphasis is more on the quality of the contents. Shampoos A factory-made shampoo will foam plentifully. Sodium laureth sulfate is usually high up on the ingredients list. This is a definition from Wikipedia: “Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), also called sodium alkylethersulfate, is an anionic detergent and surfactant found in many personal care products (soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, etc.) and for industrial uses. SLES is an inexpensive and very effective foaming agent.” SLES has received a lot of bad press over the years regarding its safety. Unfortunately the only studies I have come across that declare it to be totally safe have been funded by manufacturers of cleaning products that have a vested interest in promoting it. There is equally a lot of bad science out there that insists it is carcinogenic and causes damage to eyes, hair and skin. I don’t know what the truth is, it probably lies somewhere in the middle, but as with all chemical additives my view is that if it is not essential then why include it? The foam in shampoo is there to convince us we are washing our hair thoroughly. It contributes very little to the actual cleaning process. New Leaf shampoos don’t contain SLES so they foam less than an off-the-shelf product. If you live in a soft-water area this won’t be a problem, but if your water is hard it may take a little while to get used to the difference. Apart from being better for you because of what they don’t contain, New Leaf natural shampoos are good because they don’t strip the hair of its important oils. You can check out the ingredients for each New Leaf shampoo, compare with your own shampoo label, and decide for yourself which you would be happier using. There’s something special about small batch making. It is far more personal than factory production. And where a cream is made bespoke for a customer and posted on the same day, you can be sure you won’t find a fresher product. Here are two short videos of making New Leaf Double Cream (rich moisturiser). In the first I have prepared the water-based ingredients and the oil-based ingredients separately and I am combining them in the emulsification process. The second is the finished article. What about packaging? It’s simply not possible to transport products from the factory to the shop shelf without involving a fair bit of packaging, usually in the form of plastic wrap and/or virgin cardboard. A handmade product that goes direct from the kitchen worktop into the mail bag can avoid excess packaging. New Leaf customers are very used to not knowing what sort of wrap their item will have. Nearly all my packaging is repurposed – I collect from friends and neighbours and I re-use boxes and padded envelopes wherever possible. And the difference between ingredients? If we're comparing handmade versus factory made, generally speaking the choice of ingredients for mass produced personal care products will be driven by potential profit margins whereas artisanal products' ingredients will tend to be chosen with care. In mass production, as long as each ingredient is deemed safe and acceptable the cheapest versions of those ingredients will always be sought. RARELY will fairtrade ethics be a consideration. RARELY will a superior quality ingredient be selected (eg: a cold-pressed organic oil as opposed to a heat extracted non-organic one). And where a good quality product is used, the quantity of it is likely to be minimal because of the cost. Cheap ingredients will be shipped from China, India or Indonesia and although they will be well certificated we are not likely to see behind the scenes to the origin of the supply chain. Back in 2016 Amnesty International put out a report “Global brands profiting from child and forced labour”. They said Unilever, Nestlé and Procter & Gamble were among nine household names contributing to labour abuse. “The world’s most popular food and household companies are selling food, cosmetics and other everyday staples containing palm oil tainted by shocking human rights abuses in Indonesia, with children as young as eight working in hazardous conditions”. It is a sad fact that the temptation of profit very often wins out. By contrast, I use ingredients that I know are from trusted sources. A supplier I have used for many years is Naturally Thinking. Here’s what they say about their argan oil: it “is produced by a women's cooperative that shares the profits among the local women of the Berber tribe. The cooperative has established an ecosystem reforestation project so that the supply of Argan oil will not run out and the income that is currently supporting the women will not disappear. The money is providing healthcare and education to the local women, and supporting the entire community as a whole.” That’s enough reading for now. Let’s let the pictures tell the rest of the story: a few ingredients used in mass production and in small-batch handmade natural products. More blog posts from New Leaf Naturals Spotlight on Borage Curriculum Vitae Natural Skincare for Acne & Problem Skin Teasing Out Lyme Disease Spotlight on Marshmallow Why Use Herbs in Natural Skincare? Why Choose Natural Skincare Products?

Herb definition, (Merriam-Webster): a seed-producing annual, biennial, or perennial that does not develop persistent woody tissue but dies down at the end of a growing season. There are thousands of different plants across the globe (approx. 400,000 at the last official tally) and many of these have been used medicinally since caveman times. Herbal medicine certainly pre-dates our current Western medicine! For the majority of human life on the planet, herbal medicine has been the medicine used globally, throughout every culture, race and country, with specific herb choice differing according to the indigenous plants available to the people of each local area. Western medicine as we know it today is a relatively, extremely young science. Herbal medicine derives its stock from herbs, as defined above by Merriam Webster, but also takes substances from parts of trees (bark, leaves, flowers) and seeds and roots of plants that may not technically be considered herbs. Medical herbalism is a holistic therapy, so whatever the presenting health complaint the person will be looked at as a whole. In Chinese herbalism there are approximately 365 herbs to choose from in the treatment of eczema. The choice of which ones to use will depend on the individual patient’s general condition and the specific characteristics of their eczema. Western herbalism also includes a wide variety of possible eczema herbs, and of course there are plants for treating all the other skin conditions known to humankind too. But you don’t have to have a degree in plant based therapies to be able to dip into what Mother Nature offers us. There are some classic herbal remedies that help with itching skin rashes, cleansing and detoxing the skin, calming the sensory nerves (such as when you get a cut like a paper cut and it feels so sore for such a little wound), skin healing, helping reduce scar tissue, and aiding the general health and wellbeing of the skin. Many of us have experienced the benefits of our “Grandmother’s wisdom”, handed down through time, where we instinctively look for a dock leaf to soothe a nettle sting. But how and why can herbs help us? The simple answer is that they provide beneficial phytochemicals (plant chemicals) and micronutrients needed by the body for maintenance, balance and healing. The main difference between plants used for food and plants used for medicine is that medicinal plants tend to taste strong, they may be bitter or even unpleasant, which is due to the phytochemical make-up of the plant. All culinary herbs are full of phytochemicals too, but even herbs that taste good would not necessarily make a good helping as a vegetable. A few sprigs of mint go very well with new potatoes but I don’t know anyone who would want mint as a portion of greens on their plate. The phytochemicals in culinary herbs don’t just add flavour to food, they also have an effect on the body. For instance, mint tricks our mouth (or anywhere else it is applied) into feeling cold even though it isn’t. This is due to the action of the phytochemical menthol. Menthol molecules act on sensory receptors that inform the brain about our temperature, and – cutting a longer story short – they distort the temperature sensation, exaggerating the feeling of coolness. If what we’re after is a mint ice cream then that is a real success story, but using mint in a preparation to reduce inflammation and pain is equally impressive. (Think of those mentholyptus sweets for soothing sore throats and helping you breathe. Menthol from mint and eucalyptol from eucalyptus work together to cool and calm the tissues.) Each plant used in herbal skin care preparations is chosen for its natural chemical action on the skin. For example, calendula contains (amongst other things) compounds called triterpenes. These accelerate skin healing, stimulate collagen production, are anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. For other bits of info on calendula see the “Did You Know” sections on the New Leaf Organic Calendula Oil and New Leaf Organic Calendula Tincture pages. And while on that subject the Gold Top organic calendula cream is worth a look too! Nettles aren’t fully understood yet and in my opinion they are vastly underrated. Cooking them neutralises the sting, and they are an absolute powerhouse of nutrients – vitamins, minerals, and very high protein levels too. Their sting comes from chemicals at the roots of the hairs on their leaves. One of these chemicals is formic acid – the same culprit found in red ants’ saliva. But the magic of nettles is that they contain their own antidote: chemicals that are antihistamine, anti-inflammatory and anti-itch. They are a principle ingredient in New Leaf Expresso anti itch cream, which is for itchy rashes and eczema. Does anyone remember Germolene? It is still available but not widely so. That classic smell, that is so reminiscent of childhood scrapes and scratches, originates from the Wintergreen herb. Wintergeen has a naturally high content of salicylic acid, the same ingredient that is in Aspirin. It is a painkiller and an anti-inflammatory. As a cream, Wintergreen can work wonders on the discomfort of fibromyalgia and other tissue, muscular or joint pains. It can be really helpful after overdoing it in the gym, or if you’ve sprained an ankle or wrist. Think of it also for after a fracture. In New Leaf Wintergreen cream a second major player on the field is Rue : Ruta graveolens. Rue has a beneficial effect on cartilage, on joints and on the periosteum (lining) of the bones. Aloe Vera is a plant that is known to just about everyone these days. It is reported to contain about 150 nutritional ingredients which all work together synergistically to speed healing and improve general health. A study published in the National Library of Medicine showed that burns healed 50% more quickly when Aloe vera was applied daily. That’s why New Leaf After Sun lotion contains a healthy dose of Aloe vera. The main active parts of the plant are amino acids, anthraquinones, enzymes, minerals, vitamins, lignins, monosaccharides, polysaccharides, salicylic acid, saponins, and sterols. So I’m sure you get the picture. When we eat plants we assimilate their life-sustaining phyto-nutrients. When we turn medicinal plants into preparations for the skin, those life-sustaining, healing, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, collagen-producing chemical compounds can act directly on the skin, without going through our digestive systems. And I’ve only touched on some of the magic, believe me, it is endless… More blog posts from New Leaf Naturals Spotlight on Borage Curriculum Vitae Natural Skincare for Acne & Problem Skin Teasing Out Lyme Disease Spotlight on Marshmallow Handmade Versus Factory Made Why Choose Natural Skincare Products?

The name Althaea comes from ancient Greek and means “To heal” The marshmallow sweets that we’re all so familiar with are a modern invention which replaced the earlier practice of mixing pieces of pulped root with honey and boiling it until it thickened. The resulting mixture, after straining off the root pieces, was used medicinally as a treatment for sore throats and coughs. Children would also chew on the root, which is a bit spongy and mildly sweet. We can thank the French for developing the recipe into a confectionary product. They whipped the sap with other ingredients into a sort of spongy meringue-type dessert. Much later, cornflour was introduced into the mix, and soon after this the Americans replaced the mallow root with gelatine, and marshmallow sweets became very popular. Marshmallows that are widely available today have no hint of Althaea officinalis in them. They now tend to be made of sugar, water and a gelatine/ egg-white aerator. The medicinal use of marshmallow, like that of most herbs, dates back millennia. Traditionally it is predominantly the roots which are used, but the leaves also contain active compounds that are of benefit for various conditions. As with most uncultivated plants, bees love the flowers. Roots are harvested in winter when its mucilage content is highest. There is no need to feel guilty about pulling up a whole plant to get at them. As you can see in the photo there is already new growth starting, and with careful handling this can be transferred to pots or planted directly in the soil, ready for the following year’s growth. These little sprouts will grow to 1-1.5 metres in height within a short space of time. They prefer damp soil (hence “marsh” mallow), but will grow in regular garden soils too. The sap, which is found mainly in the roots but also the leaves, is the magical element of marshmallow. It is mucilaginous – which means slimy! But it’s not a sticky slimy, it’s actually a very soft and easily absorbed liquid. Homer referred to it as a “slippery herb”. This mucilage is responsible for many of Marshmallow’s healing properties. It acts by forming a protective coating over mucous membranes and skin. The leaves contain a phytochemical called scopoletin, which is a coumarin – a chemical compound believed to have anti-tumour, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial actions. Tincture is made by harvesting, rinsing and chopping the roots, then packing them into a storage jar with a tight-fitting lid and completely covering them with alcohol. They need to steep for six weeks, and be stirred daily. When ready, they are strained and filtered. The resulting liquid looks a little like whiskey, and smells pleasant, but don't take it neat! The sap softens the skin, which is why marshmallow root tincture is an ingredient in New Leaf hand sanitiser. Its addition protects the skin from the high alcohol content, which would otherwise be very drying. It also conditions and softens hair, which is why it’s an ingredient in New Leaf hair conditioner. As a herbal medicine it is used for a number of ailments. Apart from helping coughs and sore throats it is anti-inflammatory and also treats kidney stones, acid reflux, stomach ulcers, other digestive problems and skin conditions. I found this recipe for home-made cough medicine online. I haven’t tried it, but I will! If you fancy making this, you could consider adding some capsicum next time (cayenne pepper). This is a common ingredient in cough medicines. And a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil wouldn't be a bad idea either. As we train our spotlight on Marshmallow, you can see we shouldn't underestimate its healing potential! It's a punchy little plant! The 17th century herbalist Nicholas Culpepper wrote: "You may remember that not long since there was a raging disease called the bloody flux; the College of Physicians not knowing what to make of it, called it The Plague in the Guts, for their wits were at ne plus ultra about it. My son was taken with the same disease; myself being in the country, was sent for; the only thing I gave him was Mallow bruised and boiled both in milk and drink; in two days it cured him, and I have here to shew my thankfulness to God in communicating it to his creatures, leaving it to posterity." So next time you’re standing round a bonfire toasting a marshmallow, spare a thought for its namesake, and maybe consider planting some Althaea officinalis in your garden or on your balcony in the spring. More blog posts from New Leaf Naturals Spotlight on Borage Curriculum Vitae Natural Skincare for Acne & Problem Skin Teasing Out Lyme Disease Why Use Herbs in Natural Skincare? Handmade Versus Factory Made Why Choose Natural Skincare Products?

Unmistakably majestic, teasels are easily identified against a blue sky backdrop. Prickly customers, you either love them or hate them. They perform an important role in nature, being loved and well used by bees, butterflies and birds. But they have another important role - they hold a fairly vital natural medicine, one that can help us win the battle against Lyme Disease. Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne human infection in England and Wales. (A vector is an organism, typically a biting insect or a tick, that spreads parasites or bacteria.) Lyme's spirochetes (spiral-shaped bacteria) are transmitted by ticks that are mainly shed by deer and sheep. Studies suggest that climate change has contributed to the spread of ticks, increasing the risk of Lyme disease. Changing weather patterns mean ticks are active earlier than usual and spreading faster. Although Western medicine can treat Lyme disease with antibiotics (if it is caught in time), some Lyme patients suffer with long-term symptoms, such as fatigue, muscle and joint pain and cognitive issues. Long term disease may be called “post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome”, or more simply “chronic Lyme disease”. Initial symptoms may include a localised circular bullseye-type rash at the place of the bite, but this does not always occur. The rash is not generally very itchy or very tender. There may be fever or headache, but again this is not always the case. Joint pains and flu-like symptoms take a little longer to develop. Since 2010 every laboratory that tests bloods in the UK is required to notify the UKHSA of all confirmed cases of Lyme disease. Official numbers have steadily increased, rising from 936 in 2013 to 1639 in 2019. (2020-2021 shows a slight drop, which is likely to be due to people staying at home more during the Covid pandemic.) However, these are just the confirmed cases. It is estimated that the true figure is at least 6 times the number of confirmed cases, as most patients are treated without recourse to a blood test. Even with this data it is impossible to be accurate because many cases can be misdiagnosed as other conditions such as fibromyalgia. What makes it hard for GPs is that a tick bite can easily go unnoticed, and symptoms can take up to 8 weeks to develop. Not all ticks carry the Borrelia (Lyme disease) spirochete. When I lived in rural France my nightly “tick check” of my dog resulted in the removal of literally hundreds of ticks over a number of years. He got very used to this procedure and would willingly lie or sit absolutely still while I removed the latest stowaway. He never developed Lyme disease or any other ill effect. But that is no reason to be complacent because it only takes one infected tick... Removing an embedded tick is actually quite easy. Every vet stocks packets of small two-pronged fork-type tools called Tick Twisters. These can be used on humans too! I tried various other approaches such as putting strong essential oils on ticks but nothing worked as well as simply removing them with the twister. I hope you’re not too squeamish - yuk alert -: ticks bury their heads below the skin and you have to remove them with their heads intact, so with the Twister you basically catch them around the neck and slowly twist the body whilst pulling gently and gradually pulling harder. In a short while the tick has to let go, because it doesn’t want to lose its head. It is really important to kill the tick and that’s not easy because their body is a hard shell. Next yuk alert -: I used to sandwich them in a folded piece of paper towel, place them on a hard surface and, using the side of a knife, squash them until they popped. Yukky stuff I know, but if you don’t do it they’ll just climb out of wherever you dispose of them and move on to the next host. Why is there so much angst about Lyme Disease? Probably the simplest answer to that is because since the development of antibiotics in the mid 20th century we have come to rely on them to deal with all bacterial infections, and if Lyme is not diagnosed in its very early stages then it can be too late for antibiotics to be able to help. This can leave doctors at a loss as to how to help their patients, and it leaves patients fearing there is little that can be done. Antibiotics are carried through the blood stream, but the spirochetes corkscrew themselves out of the blood vessels and into deeper tissues such as cartilage and muscle, causing ongoing inflammation and pain. They hide away in body structures that don’t get reached by antibiotics, rendering the main weapon in Western Medicine’s arsenal ineffective. Lyme disease is not yet fully understood by modern science so there is no immediate answer for the classic symptoms of brain fog, fatigue, flu-like state and chronic joint pain. However, herbalists all over the world have been treating Lyme ever since it’s been around, so I suspect that modern medicine will aim its research more and more towards these successful plant based treatments, in order to develop drugs that can work in tandem with antibiotics. As with all holistic healing therapies, herbal treatment is usually determined by the sufferer’s individual whole state, not just by the name of the illness. But where Lyme disease is concerned there are one or two herbs that are the mainstays in the herbalist’s tool box. The one that has gained most fame is Teasel. Teasel is a biennial plant, producing just a rosette of leaves in its first year, and then shooting up in the second year with its unique stems of leaves and flowers. The second year is hugely dramatic compared to the first year, but that is because prior to shooting upwards most of its activity is going on, invisibly, underground. Its roots are growing and gathering power, and it’s in these roots where we find the answer to Lyme disease. Teasel roots are harvested after they have developed over the first year, and before any of their energy has gone into growing their shoots, which starts in early spring of the second year. They contain major compounds such as glycosides, saponins, phenols and iridoids. Teasel root tincture has long been used in herbal medicine and has many health benefits. Inulin - a type of soluble fibre - absorbs water, which makes teasel a diuretic, aiding the kidneys. The roots also contain a scabicide – a chemical used to treat scabies (which is spread by small mites, another skin-burrowing type of parasite.) Teasel root is used for a variety of health benefits. You can find many online references. Here is just one. Following the growing awareness of Teasel’s role in treating Lyme, I read one lab study that decided to compare its action with that of Japanese knotweed root. Japanese knotweed is very successful in killing the Borrelia spirochete, but access to this plant in the UK is strictly prohibited due to its invasive tendency so I haven’t yet been able to get my hands on any and make a tincture. The study concluded that Japanese knotweed did kill the Borrelia in the lab’s petri dishes, but the Teasel root did not. The easy assumption to make is that therefore all the "hype" about Teasel is just more fake news. But they were looking in the wrong place, performing the wrong experiment!! Teasel root doesn’t kill Borrelia. We never said it did! 😀 I found references to studies showing it can significantly inhibit Borrelia growth, sometimes up to 95%, so that is additional good news, but it won’t kill it. And even though Japanese knotweed has been proven to kill Borrelia, if you administer it to someone who is not responding to antibiotics, they will probably not respond to Japanese knotweed either. This is because the Borrelia has hidden itself away out of reach. The role of Teasel root is to kick the Borrelia back into the blood stream - literally teasing out Lyme disease - so that the immune system, with the help of other medicinal preparations (Japanese knotweed, antibiotics, or anything else that is known to be effective) can access it and clear it out of the system. How does it do this? My honest answer is that I don’t actually know. Maybe it’s an action of the scabicide? General supposition is that it makes the environment (wherever the Borrelia has taken up residence) somehow less hospitable. This disturbs the Borrelia, which then mobilises itself back into the bloodstream where it is visible and vulnerable. A word of warning: if you, or someone you know, decides to try teasel root tincture in combination with antibiotics or Japanese knotweed etc, be aware that because it will very likely be effective it is possible to trigger a Herxheimer effect. This is when you take something that kills off a lot of bacteria and you may experience healing aggravation symptoms from the waste products. You can read about how to dose with teasel root tincture and how to manage a Herxheimer reaction on my Lyme Disease page. A little more about Teasel: WILDLIFE LOVE IT... Many people believe that Teasel is a carnivorous plant. Darwin himself first made this suggestion, because rainwater collects at the base of the pairs of leaves that grow up the flowering stems, and insects drown in these “Venus pools”. However, it has since been concluded that they are not carnivorous. But don’t ever forget, modern science is peopled by the always super-confident “We-used-to-believe-X-but-now-we-know-Y” brigade… If you have some time to while away, you can read the study here. Teasel has also been used in the production of natural dyes as an indigo alternative, and the heads have traditionally been used to card wool. I have an early memory of my grandmother (who used to make hats for a shop) using a spiky metal tool to fluff up an angora beret that she’d knitted. She told me this tool was called a teasel. I can still see it in my mind’s eye, but despite a fair bit of searching I cannot find an example of what she had. They seem to have gone out of fashion. Fashions may change, but Herbal wealth and wisdom is deep-rooted and enduring. *** Addendum For anyone with an interest in biochemistry or medicine, Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), despite being much maligned because of its invasiveness, is actually an amazing plant. It has a wide range of actions. It is a long list, but worth citing here: antibacterial, antiviral, antischistosomal, antispirochetal, antifungal, immunostimulant, immunomodulant, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiatherosclerotic, antihyperlipidemic, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, antineoplastic, vasodilator, inhibits platelet aggregation, inhibits eicosanoid synthesis, antithrombotic, tyrosine kinase inhibitor, oncogene inhibitor, antipyretic, cardioprotective, analgesic, antiulcer (slightly reduces stomach acid and protects against stress ulcers), haemostatic, and astringent. (taken from Beneficialbotanicals.com) More blog posts from New Leaf Naturals Spotlight on Borage Curriculum Vitae Natural Skincare for Acne & Problem Skin Spotlight on Marshmallow Why Use Herbs in Natural Skincare? Handmade Versus Factory Made Why Choose Natural Skincare Products?

Treating Spots, Blackheads and Acne Naturally - What is really going on and why are antibiotics not the answer? Part 1 = introducing the basics. Part 2 = the small print – how skin survives and works for us; what happens in acne. Part 3 = the best way forward. Part 4 = parts 2 and 3 put simply in bullet points. PART 1 (If you’ve already read the problem skincare page on the website you can skip part 1.) To understand what happens with problem skin, the first step is to look at the skin itself and how it all works, so just a couple of paragraphs with some technical details and interesting facts! Under Cover The skin is actually the largest organ in the body. It is dynamic and capable of adapting rapidly – to temperature and light etc. It measures 2 square meters in the average adult. Being the outermost structure we - more often than not - view it superficially, in a purely cosmetic way. We cover ourselves in makeup in order to try to look healthy and vibrant; we inject inky tattoos to decorate ourselves; we shave; we wax; we pluck and we plump; we have surgery to stretch out the wrinkles and make ourselves look younger; we sunbathe or get air-brushed to deepen our colour; we do everything we can think of in order to appear healthier and younger than we really are. Yet the most attractive-looking skin is that of a make-up-free, healthy, dynamic and vibrant person. We know this; we envy those people; and... we do very little to try to achieve this for ourselves. It’s quicker and easier to buy and apply makeup. Instead of taking our skin for granted maybe we should find out a little about how it works and how we can take better care of it? Skin-deep Details Skin consists of layer upon layer. Some people consider the skin to have two layers, other people think in terms of three. It rather depends on what you consider to be skin! The outer, soft covering of our body is divided into the epidermis, the dermis and the hypodermis. Each section has its own layers. The epidermis is the outermost layer and the thinnest. Its own top layer is comprised of dead keratinocytes – dead skin cells that protect us from damage by heat, light, pathogens and minor scrapes. Melanin is synthesised in the epidermis (another protective function) and fats are contained here, which help to regulate hydration and water loss. The epidermis is nourished by the dermis, the next layer in. The dermis contains blood vessels, sweat glands, hair follicles, lymphatics, nerves, fat cells and cells that fight bacteria. Collagen and elastin fibres are found here. Sebaceous glands around the hair follicles secrete sebum, an oily/waxy substance that lubricates the hair and skin. The hypodermis connects our dermis to our muscles and bones. This is the subcutaneous layer, which actually means “below the skin”, which tells us that the first two layers are actually what we think of when we talk about the skin, and this third layer is what lies below. It is mainly comprised of fat, connective tissue, nerves and blood vessels. It insulates, helping to regulate body temperature. It stores fat and it acts as padding, protecting our inner organs from impact. PART 2 Like every other part of the body, skin is self-regulating. It secretes oil when it needs, it releases or takes in water when it needs, it nourishes itself as and when it needs and it cleanses, detoxes and repairs itself when it needs. It appreciates a bit of help with soap and water or an Elastoplast (not to mention delicious natural skin care products), but generally speaking it carries on fairly well when left up to its own devices. And like every other part of the body the skin can lose its balance. Although this can be caused by topical applications and environmental factors it is very commonly kicked off by internal imbalance such as poor diet or hormonal fluctuation. When this happens we may develop problems such as acne. Hormones Hormonal fluctuation happens all the time. It is only an issue when the ebb and flow is happening to excess. The main culprits that upset the skin are testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone - male and female hormones, all three of which are produced by both males and females. Typical times in our lives when the sea can get a bit choppy for these hormones are: adolescence, pregnancy, peri-menopause and menopause. There are various medical conditions that influence hormones too, but these are too complex for the purposes of this post. Hormone production is regulated in the brain, so if you have a skin condition that is hormone related this is really a signal that there are deeper issues going on. Although your skin can be helped by a wise choice of skincare products, you may need to look at nutrition, life-style and stress factors in order to tackle the root cause of the imbalance. Testosterone Puberty is a time when boys start to produce large amounts of testosterone. Testosterone stimulates the sebaceous glands to produce sebum. Adolescent girls, too, start producing more testosterone and it is actually an extremely important hormone for women’s health. There are testosterone receptors in almost all tissues of the body. Females produce smaller amounts of male hormones than males do, and males produce smaller amounts of female hormones than females, but we all need a good balance of all of these hormones. Too much male hormone (androgens) in a female can cause (or be the result of) polycystic ovary syndrome, which can upset the skin as it often causes excess hair growth and acne. Methods of removing excess facial hair can aggravate already sensitive skin. Too much testosterone can result in acne in both sexes. Acne is a condition involving three main factors: inflammation, clogged pores, and bacteria. It’s a bit of a vicious circle in that inflammation causes a build-up of sebum and skin cells which creates the perfect environment for acne-related bacteria such as Cutibacterium acnes [C. acnes] – not cute at all!) Bacteria benefit from the conditions, multiplying freely and causing further inflammation. For a long time it was thought that excess oil and skin cell production caused the blocked pores, leading to colonisation of C. acnes. More recently though, science has started seeing it differently. Instead of inflammation being the end result it is now being considered to be a causative factor that gets exacerbated as the bacteria multiply. So why does the inflammation happen in the first place? To answer this question we have to look at the skin microbiota. The Cutaneous Microbiota C. acnes is just one bacteria found on the skin. There are actually hundreds of species of bacteria and other organisms including viruses, fungi, and mites that inhabit the healthy skin, forming its microbiota (flora). The main ones are Staphylococcus, Cutibacterium, and Corynebacterium. Just like the microbiome of the digestive sphere, these organisms help maintain skin health and prevent infections, by feeding on potentially dangerous microorganisms. Put simply: just like good gut bacteria keep bad gut bacteria in check, good skin bacteria keep bad skin bacteria in check too. The skin microbiota also breaks down sebum, making it usable, freeing up the fatty acids which help in the battle for health as they are toxic to many pathogenic bacteria. The balance of microorganisms on the skin is determined by how well it is moisturised and lubricated – its level of water and oil. Disruption of the delicate balance between host and microorganisms can result in skin disorders or infection. The healthy skin depends upon this symbiotic relationship between resident microbial communities and host tissue. Too much male hormone can trigger an over-production of sebum, too much for the microbiota to handle, and this leads to the scenario outlined above. As the outermost layer, microbial communities are “first responders” to negative changes in the skin environment. They transmit signals to the immune system, triggering an immune response. The immune response is how the body recognizes and defends itself against bacteria, viruses, and substances that it considers to be foreign and harmful. One part of the immune response is inflammation. This occurs when tissues are injured by bacteria, trauma or toxins etc. The damaged cells release chemicals including histamine, bradykinin, and prostaglandins. These chemicals cause blood vessels to leak fluid into the tissues, causing swelling. This helps to isolate the foreign substance and prevent it from causing deeper damage. This process attracts white blood cells (phagocytes) that "eat" germs and dead or damaged cells. When there’s nothing left to feed on the white blood cells die off. Pus is formed from a collection of dead tissue, dead bacteria, and live and dead phagocytes. This process can go on anywhere in the body, and where the skin is concerned, that is what is happening in acne. So, for instance, during adolescence when there is a surge of testosterone and the skin becomes oily because it has produced excess sebum, its whole environment changes. There is a shift in the balance of microorganisms, allowing some to thrive and causing others to decrease. The excess bacteria are deemed potentially dangerous by the skin’s immune cells which pretty soon dial 999 and call in the paramedics who trigger the protective response of an inflammatory reaction. The inflamed follicles, because they are swollen, restrict the release of the sebum which then builds up, and dead skin cells which are not being flushed away become trapped in the pores along with the trapped sebum. As mentioned above, bacteria such as C. acnes are able to take advantage of these environmental factors and they multiply, further triggering the immune response. What usually happens at this stage is the adolescent becomes painfully embarrassed about their skin and invests time and money in products that are antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, oil-stripping and opaquely masking. All of these products are imposing specific actions on the skin. What needs to happen is for the microorganisms to return to their normal ecological balance but they can’t achieve this when substances are being applied which knock out many strains of bacteria and interfere with the natural rebalancing mechanism of the skin. As well as the bacterial imbalance, fungi such as candida can proliferate because the bacteria which normally keep it in check have been eradicated by these skin treatments. The teenager finds that they now have some patches that are dry and other patches that are oily, patches with spots and patches that are clear, sore acne spots in some places, blackheads in other places, etc etc etc. Everything feels out of control and their morale dips because teenage is a time when appearances are crucial. With lowered morale the emotions become less stable which can affect behaviour such as comfort eating. Turbulent hormones can cause sugar craving, which feeds any excess skin fungi, making the situation worse. High blood sugar levels can lead to insulin resistance, which is another contributing factor in excess androgen production - the last thing that is needed at this point! The young person may cover up the imperfections with concealers, which not only run the risk of causing more clogging, but also reduce the amount of sunlight that reaches the skin. Of course we all know that excess sun can be damaging and it causes skin to age, but sunlight also triggers the availability of Vitamin D, which is another essential component for healthy skin. So… when the plate-spinning process of hormonal balancing really needs help, the typical reaction is to view its end results superficially and march in with a bleach equivalent in an effort to deep clean the skin and strip it back down to a clean slate. This would be fine if the skin were inanimate like a kitchen worktop, but that is simply not the case. PART 3 So how do we address this situation in an alternative, more natural, gentler and more helpful way? The truth is we can’t simply provide the correct microorganisms in the correct balance. We don’t even know what proportions of bacteria, fungi, mites etc each individual skin needs. It’s not possible to walk into the chemists and buy a pot of skin microbiota to apply as a healing salve. It’s time to start trusting in our body’s ability to heal itself. All we have to do is two simple things: provide the components that feed, nourish and support, and avoid the items that contribute to further imbalance. As stated above: The balance of microorganisms on the skin is determined by how well it is moisturised and lubricated – its level of water and oil. Disruption of the delicate balance between host and microorganisms can result in skin disorders or infection. The healthy skin depends upon this symbiotic relationship between resident microbial communities and host tissue. So, choose skincare products that contain a good helping of nutrition in the form of oils and botanicals (see my post Why Choose Natural Skincare Products? ), and that encourage moisture retention. Avoid products that advertise themselves as being chemically anti-bacterial and oil-reducing, and READ THE LABELS. Synthetic fragrances, petroleum ingredients and pearlising chemicals are foreign to the natural skin microbiota. Although your skin may not be allergic to these ingredients, they do not contribute to your skin’s health in any way and may add to a toxic overload. All preservatives are able to preserve the product because they are anti-microbial. Products created by factory mass-production are intended to have a long shelf life. These need strong anti-microbial preservatives. The anti-microbial chemicals in the product will also kill organisms on the skin, and the problem here is that they won’t differentiate. Just like antibiotics wipe out healthy gut flora, anti-microbials in skincare products will wipe out healthy skin flora. Choose natural products whose active components are essential oils. Essential oils contain phyto-chemicals which do address excess bacteria and fungus and can kill mites, but they work in a different way to man-made antibiotics. They are life-affirming components of plants that don’t only clear excess unwanted organisms but also encourage healing and rebalancing. It seems to be the case that bacteria don’t build up resistance to essential oils, whereas they do become resistant to antibiotics. When considering natural skin care for acne and other skin problems it is also important to consider diet. Not only to avoid excesses but also to eat organically produced food as much as possible. Non-organic animal-derived foods such as meat and dairy will all contain antibiotics, vaccine components and often hormones. If you eat these foods you are also eating these medications and chemicals which may contribute to a toxic overload. My Problem Skin Care page gives more information about the skin being an organ of detoxification and how to support blood cleansing. See my Problem Skin Care page also for the New Leaf Naturals treatment routine for acne, using Crème Fresh, SpotTEA and Maskapone Magic. Finally, trust in nature. Nature will always rebalance itself, given the right components. The only thing we need to add is patience. PART 4 The skin is designed to be self-regulatory Internal and external factors can derail its balance A common culprit is fluctuating hormones, which can happen at classic times of development such as adolescence The three main factors in acne are inflamed skin, clogged pores and bacteria The skin is covered in good bacteria and other good organisms that help to keep it healthy, this is called the 'microbiota' The microbiota depends on adequate water and oil Healthy skin depends upon this symbiotic relationship between resident microbial communities and host tissue. Ruthless acne treatments that strip oils and wipe out bacteria disrupt the microbiota and make it harder for the skin to recover its balance You need to provide the components that feed, nourish and support the skin, and avoid the items that contribute to further imbalance Choose simple skincare products that are truly nourishing Avoid skincare products that contain a lot of chemicals Consider your diet and choose organic food as much as possible Avoid sugary and refined foods Good company, fresh air, exercise, sleep and simple eating - the things that create a healthy body-mind also create healthy skin Give your skin what it needs and then be patient, give it time to find its way back to health More blog posts from New Leaf Naturals: Spotlight on Borage Curriculum Vitae Teasing Out Lyme Disease Spotlight on Marshmallow Why Use Herbs in Natural Skincare? Handmade Versus Factory Made Why Choose Natural Skincare Products?

After a lengthy gap due to much distraction (some of it the 4-legged variety but no excuse since then!) here is my long overdue next post. I am not someone who feels comfortable in the spotlight but have succumbed to much gentle persuasion to post my history, both in the field of natural health and in my life choices. The argument being that a basic “show and tell” can enable people to see a depth of experience and commitment, which – hopefully – gives a context and encourages confidence in New Leaf products. What follows is my CV. Curriculum vitae literally means “the course of life”, but if you are not interested in the ins and outs of it all and just want to check out my credentials there is a summary in list form at the end. The details: My career began unintentionally in 1974 when I was blindly wondering where I was going in life and I got a job in a shop, to “buy some time”. It wasn’t any old shop though, it was Holland & Barrett. In those days customers were truly into natural health (no tins of muscle-building fluorescent whey powder on the shelves then). It was an era when wholemeal bread was only available in health food shops, and if you ate brown rice you were considered eccentric and expected to wear sandals 24/7. Holland and Barrett turned out to be absolutely the best and most right place for me. I’d entered a world that I knew nothing about, and it fascinated me. My lunch breaks were spent reading the books from the bookstand. I hoovered up the information obsessively - and I haven’t looked back. Nutrition, diet, shiatsu, herbal wisdom, aromatherapy, iridology, colour healing, acupuncture, naturopathy... you name it, I read it. In the late ‘70s I trained in massage, reflexology and Metamorphic Technique. I did a couple of counselling trainings including bereavement counselling, and volunteered at the Women’s Advice and Counselling service in Deptford. In 1980, due to my own health problems, I discovered the healing effects of homeopathy. I was so impressed by what it had done for me that I decided I wanted to study and become a homeopath. My situation didn’t allow that so by 1983 I had to accept that for the time being an evening class in homeopathy was as close as I was going to get. Finally, in 1988, I was able to start the 4yr professional course at the College of Homeopathy at Regent’s College in London. I graduated in 1992 and have been in practice ever since, holding my doors wide open or semi-closed, according to circumstances. In 1989, whilst at college, I started work at Helios Homeopathic Pharmacy where, amongst many other things, I learned the techniques of making herbal creams, ointments, tinctures and oil infusions. Towards the end of my college training I took over teaching a homeopathy evening class, which I ran for a further three years. I was fortunate to be involved in the setting up of a complementary therapy department at Lewisham Hospital in S.E. London, and lucky to be one of the two homeopaths who practised there for the whole of the three years that it was in existence. As with much of the NHS there were massive funding problems and, sadly, the unit suffered from a “Last In First Out” policy and had to close. For six years I took part in a European survey collecting cases of vaccine damage, having been roped in when a volunteer was needed. In 2005 we (the EFVV ) presented our findings to the European Parliament. As a result of this work I learned a lot about the vaccination issue and have since treated many children and adults with vaccine-related concerns. In 1999 I trained in Brain Gym and in 2000 I started the Kaleidoscope Programme - a holistic approach to helping children with learning difficulties. I went on to take the “Brain Integration 1” training with Dr. Charles Krebs (a pioneer in brain research) and following on from that I was invited to a number of schools to run teacher training sessions. In 2000 I invested in a QXCI biofeedback screening device which scans the body in intricate detail. It was, for many years, a valuable asset to my practice. I still use it from time to time but it is now very antiquated and, at this time in my life, I don’t consider it a priority to fork out thousands to replace it with an upgrade. Around this time I took one or two minor courses of study, to consolidate learning that I had accumulated over time. This included a course in nutrition. From 1992 - 2001 I practised homeopathy in various clinics, moving from London to Hastings in 1995. From 2001 I worked from home, moving out of the lounge (to the relief of my children!) into my new garden office, installed in 2005. In August 2007 I extended the mortgage on my house in order to purchase a 5.5 acre plot of land. This was in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, totally organic, and in the summer was covered in orchids and other wild flowers. The field had plenty of space for sowing dense patches of native UK wildflowers and some medicinal herbs and (drum roll!) 2008 saw the launch of New Leaf… This is what 800 saplings looks like! : ...donated at the very end of 2008 by the Woodland Trust and planted in the nick of time, with the help of friends and volunteers. This increased the local woodland by about 2 acres. Over time, a further 200 trees were planted, bringing the total up to 1,000. In 2008 I became a part time relief worker for Autism Sussex (now “Aspens”), a charity that provides housing and support for adults with autism. For many years - in my ‘free time’ (!) - I ran an acapella singing group, writing all the vocal arrangements and putting on performances to raise money for charities such as Macmillan Cancer Support and the local hospice. Sadly we ‘retired’ in 2011 as there are only 24 hours in the day and unfortunately I was beginning to need at least 30! However, in the lead up to the following Christmas I was asked to run a small choir for Autism Sussex to do some Christmas carols, so music was still a part of my life at that time. In 2012 new legislation was introduced that resulted in major restrictions on the availability of herbal products and the legal right of practitioners to prescribe them. Homeopaths often prescribe herbal tinctures for therapeutic use, but only qualified herbalists would be allowed free rein to dispense common herbs such as St John’s wort. There was much concern amongst natural health practitioners about this new legislation approaching on the horizon. We had plenty of warning, but the effects were to be far-reaching and we had no power to influence them. Throughout this period, my favourite place to spend time was my field, with the new woodland, the wildflowers and my medicinal herbs. I used to camp out there with my dogs when I could, but inevitably always had to return to my home, a small house in a Victorian terrace, with neighbours who weren’t always friendly; and finding somewhere to park was as competitive as musical chairs – never enough spaces and simply tough if it was your turn to be “out”. Much as I appreciated my position and all my blessings, I found it harder and harder to go from the idyll of the field, and to return home to my little Victorian box. Planning laws would have prevented me from moving onto the field, quite rightly, so I started trying to work out an alternative way of life where I could combine my daily living with being in nature, not necessarily on a scale of five and a half acres but where I could step out into nature rather than onto concrete. After much deliberation, in 2013, I moved to France, where it was possible to buy a house on a plot of land at a similarly low price as the monetary value of my field. Not a bad exchange! And it came with some woodland! There followed seven years of operating New Leaf in France, selling products in the markets and learning French terms and names. New Leaf continued to evolve with new products, one of which is New Leaf Arnica Balm, affectionately known as Choc Chip. Wherever possible New Leaf products have names that imply that they are good enough to eat. Choc Chip is so called because the French word for a bump or a bang is “choc”, as in “shock”. It was an unmissable opportunity to exploit the effect of chocolate on our senses and nervous system. (I will do a blog post on this later.) Another odd interesting fact is the French common name for calendula is “Soucis” which means “worries”. I wonder if it is so called because it can dispel any concerns about skin emergencies? My time spent in France was rich in learning and saturated with birdsong, and it was with sadness that I finally decided to return to the UK in 2020. The bureaucratic and practical complications of Brexit resulted in separation between myself and my family who were now on the opposite side of a divide, rather than just across the water. In the midst of Covid I moved to a small village in North Devon, where I plan to stay until it becomes impractical and ill-advised! (My house is built into a hillside so life involves many steps.) If anyone fancies a visit I have Airbnb accommodation I didn’t rush into setting up a homeopathic practice here as life wasn’t “normal” when I arrived, and everything was happening more slowly than usual. As well as the effect of Covid on general life there was something else that slowed me down. Having moved into a new house I did a lot of decorating and as a result of being over-exposed to fumes from acrylic paints I developed horrible vertigo, which plagued me and compromised my health profoundly. The up-side of this is that I did my own research into the natural treatment of vertigo and, through homeopathy and nutrition, have alighted on an approach which appears to provide a complete cure. To further this research I am now particularly interested in treating people with chronic vertigo and affections of the autonomic nervous system, and am offering reduced rates for patients with these conditions. Whilst having to be fairly sedentary due to the vertigo I took up two further courses of study. I obtained a Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences and a Diploma in Counselling. I still feel a bit of a newbie in the North Devon community and am hoping to gradually widen my circle of friends here. I’m involved in a small local group called “Earthkind” which is all about anything eco and environmentally sympathetic. We recently obtained permission and funding to replace the grass verge at the top of the village with native wildflowers. A work in progress, watch this space… For my own New Leaf herbs and wild flower ingredients I have my back garden. I still derive huge pleasure from taking a herb from start to finish – from watching it sprout in the spring, to harvesting it several months later, and infusing it in oil or alcohol and then using it in a recipe for a cream or other skincare product. Nature is so miraculous… There is some satisfaction in the knowledge that the calendula (old English marigolds), now established in my garden, has descended from ancestor seeds that I bought online from Devon, way back in 2008. I fell in love with Devon when I first visited at the age of eleven, but I never dreamed I could live here. Like my marigolds, it feels like the closing of a circle. The short version: 1974-75 Shop assistant Holland and Barrett, studied alternative therapies, diet etc. 1976-77 Went to music college to do ‘A’ level but left after one year. 1977-78 Travelled within Europe, qualified in massage, reflexology and metamorphic technique. (ITEC Diplomas from the Churchill Centre, London.) 1981 Motherhood began! 1983-87 Counselling training, volunteer counsellor at a women’s project in Deptford, S.E.London. 1988-92 Homeopathy training, Licentiate of the College of Homeopathy (LCH) 1989-2007 Worked for Helios Pharmacy. 1991-1994 Taught homeopathy evening class. 1992 Began homeopathic practice. 1994 Enrolled as a Member of the College of Homeopathy (MCH) (next level up from LCH.) 1994-97 Complementary Therapy Department, Lewisham Hospital, S.E.London. 1995 Moved to Hastings. 1999-2005 Member of European Forum for Vaccine Vigilance. 1999 Trained in Brain Gym. Certified by the Educational Kinesiology Foundation. 2000 Started Kaleidoscope Programme for children with learning difficulties. 2000 Started using QXCI biofeedback machine. Trained and certified by the College of Bioresonance. 2001 Did “Touch For Health” through the International Kinesiology College. 2002 Did “Brain Integration” training with Dr Charles Krebs, Melbourne Applied Physiology. Ran teacher training sessions at INSET days in schools. 2007 Purchased land near Brightling for planting trees and growing organic herbs. 2008 Developed New Leaf, a range of natural, herbal skincare products. 2008-2013 Did relief work with Autism Sussex. 2011 Obtained Level 4 Diploma in Herbalism. NCFE, Ofqual regulated. 2013 Moved to France and started selling New Leaf products in French markets 2020 Admitted post-Brexit defeat and returned to the UK, landing in North Devon. 2020 Set up Airbnb accommodation 2022 Obtained Level 2 in Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences. NCFE, Ofqual regulated. 2022 Obtained Diploma in Counselling. NCFE, Ofqual regulated. If you stuck it out to the end you deserve a medal ;) Thank you. More blog posts from New Leaf Naturals: Spotlight on Borage Natural Skincare for Acne & Problem Skin Teasing Out Lyme Disease Spotlight on Marshmallow Why Use Herbs in Natural Skincare? Handmade Versus Factory Made Why Choose Natural Skincare Products?

By guest writer: Bren Paton. With all the recent focus on fuel shortages and energy costs, perhaps 'energy' has become quite a scary word for many people. Here I'm going to talk a bit about the most un-scary qualities of energy and its power in our everyday lives. If you have arrived at this site and blogs, you will know that Lesley is a qualified homeopath. I became interested in homeopathy almost half a century ago, long before she and I met. I learnt about the basis of treating 'like with like' and that the more diluted a remedy was, the more powerful and potent it became. I can't say I understood it all back then, but results spoke for themselves, and so I became a convert. Many years later I trained as a hypnotherapist and a practitioner of energy techniques, and suddenly the penny dropped. The final magic ingredient in homeopathic remedies is energy. With every dilution there is also succussion, which just means that the container is tapped against a hard surface, and the energy from the succussion becomes an integral part of the remedy. It seems quite magical, perhaps because the how of it is not yet fully understood. In my view, though, we can let nature take charge and be grateful. The more dilutions and succussions, the more energy, until a point is reached when not even a molecule of the original remains, only its energy imprint. That is powerful stuff, just like energy itself. It's invisible, mysterious, we're all made of it. Even if you can believe only what you can see, it doesn't really matter - it's all in and around you nevertheless. When I talk about Bundles of Energy, I'm thinking about how full of energy each of Lesley's natural organic products are - a bit like the people or pets we usually attribute the term to. With every step Lesley herself takes in the production of these products, she uses her own energy, which contributes to the final result. I know from talking to her that she loves doing this so much that all the energy she puts in is positive and joyful. Then of course the products themselves are chock full of the plants' pure energies, unadulterated by pesticides or herbicides. They are simply energy powerhouses, which means they give so much more to you, the user, than you could even realise or expect. It doesn't stop there either: energy comes from all the organisms that live in the soil; from the pollinators, insects, birds, even animals and people brushing against the flowers - and did you know that plants emit an electrical, [i.e. energy,] signal to let bees know which flower is ready for them?; and from the sun, the rain and the wind. And so it goes on and on. With all this talk of energy, here is one final point. The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed in form - or transferred. Which is where we came in, all those Bundles of Energy being transferred to you courtesy of New Leaf Naturals. The GUEST POST category is a space for anyone to contribute their related writings. Please send posts to newleafnaturals@protonmail.com New Leaf Naturals reserves the right to decline any inappropriate submissions.