The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition

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stimulate the body and thereafter produce sleep. This is especially wise if
you rely on sleeping tablets, and it could well help you fi nally to do
without them.
Nerves are dependent on blood and circulation for proper function;
therefore maintain a good blood supply via exercise and hot and cold
showers. Saunas alternating with cold showers also create a beautifully
relaxed state.
Skin brushing will stimulate the nerve endings and is a great
rejuvenator, especially to those who are low, depressed, and sluggish. And
try using nerve sedative and nerve stimulant essential oils, as appropriate,
in massages.
Creativity through, for example, dancing, painting, singing, or writing
is an important expression of emotion, and the nervous system will thrive
when pursuing such activities with pleasure and in a relaxed manner.
In times of extreme nervous stress, use equal parts of skullcap leaf,
black cohosh root, and lobelia leaf powders to make a poultice. Place it
over the head and neck and down the entire length of the spine. For a
more instant version, simply put lobelia tincture over these areas.
Add a few drops of chamomile, frankincense, or geranium essential oil
to your bath — or a couple of chamomile tea bags. A very good sedative is
hop essential oil. This is useful for insomniacs, and it is well worth the
high price you’ll need to pay for it. Lavender is another (and much
cheaper!) soothing essential oil, and is suitable for children and most skin
types.
Liver and colon cleanses will be vital for the good health of the
nervous system. These alone have made particularly overwhelming
situations radically improve.


The Skin


The skin is the outer covering of the body, protecting us from external
infl uences, such as toxins, infections, dirt, light, heat, and cold. It is our
external immune system and ecobarrier.
Skin is also a very important excretory organ when it is functioning
properly. It helps us rid ourselves of a quarter of our waste products. If
the skin is inhibited by eczema, psoriasis, or other conditions, this
function will be only partially carried out. Should the skin be
underfunctioning, the lungs, kidneys, bowel, liver, and bloodstream will
have to deal with the burden. When skin is unable to excrete, these
organs will, in turn, feel the strain. It must be remembered, however, that
these organs and systems could be the cause of skin problems, their own
dysfunction giving rise to a stagnated skin.


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