The Virtue of the Five Elements With Specific Exploration Into The Virtue of Wood

April 8, 2022 phyto5.us

While the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—exist as a harmonious collection of energies governing the functions of the human body, they are also manifested in action in the human psyche through what are known as the five Virtues of traditional Chinese medicine.

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The physicians of ancient China treated patients with acupuncture but they also very much examined their patients’ lifestyles and psychological states to assist them to determine the various changes the patient would need to make in order to achieve balance.

They saw embracing the Virtues of the five elements as a way for people to fulfill the potential of their five element ‘type’ and ultimately, achieve emotional health leading to holistic balance and well-being of not just emotions, but mind and body as well.*

Not only does each of the five elements in traditional Chinese medicine embody a Virtue, there exists within the element's energy the potential for its negative emotion, also called a poison.

These five element Virtues and their poisons are:

Wood
Virtue: patience, forgiveness, kindness [poison: anger, frustration, anxiety]

Fire
Virtue: politeness [poison: overbearing exuberance]

Earth
Virtue: integrity [poison: blame, overwhelm or over care-taking]

Metal
Virtue: innate ability to know right from wrong while not passing judgment [poison: grief, sadness, agitation]

Water
Virtue: wisdom and inner peace [poison: annoyance, worry]

Traditional Chinese medicine believes it very valuable to contemplate the presence or absence of these Virtues in our lives, but it’s particularly valuable to first examine our relationship with the Virtue of our constitutional element. Traditional Chinese medicine points out that we all tend to be one predominant constitutional ‘type’ from among the five elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, though no one is one hundred percent one constitutional type alone.

As any given Virtue erodes, an habitually occurring behavior arises depending on the presence of an excessive negatively expressed emotion. Put simply, the Virtues of our constitutional element most exalt us if we cultivate them or they can cause us to be very out of balance and ill if we do not.

According to the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine (the Nei Jing Suwen), if you are ‘sick’ you are not living according to the laws of nature which are the basis of the five elements and types. And if you live with Virtue—correct and authentic conduct—you will be less susceptible, illness will be lessened and you will live a long life of quality.

Virtue and knowing how to live according to your well adapted element type definition include the Virtues of compassion, responsibility, honesty and integrity, among others. The five Virtues can be avenues for personal growth and the unfolding of one’s unique path in life. A Virtue for your type is usually one which seems most difficult to accomplish yet what is very much needed in order to move beyond certain key limitations in your behavior, personality and character. In fact, when persons are maladapted or out-of-balance with their dominant element, the antidote for their maladaptive behavior can often be found in the Virtue for their element and type.

Virtues for Wood

Patience and forgiveness are virtues for the Wood type. These come from the innate and natural vision and insight of the Wood energy. These virtues of patience and forgiveness can neutralize the toxic emotions of the out-of-balance Wood type: frustration, anger, impatience and hostility.

The Wood Virtues can help create a path back to balance so the Wood type may more clearly see how to make necessary life and character changes and adjustments and how to create new plans and more realistic goals.

The practice of forgiveness, especially for the Wood type, can help resolve feelings of anger, resentment, frustration, and hostility. It allows a more positive experience of life by accepting responsibility for one’s perceptions and actions. By doing so, Wood becomes less of a victim of circumstances and the actions of others, because he takes responsibility for the manner in which he has responded to those events. The Virtue of forgiveness can ultimately lead to Wood’s feeling like she has a greater sense of control—the very thing Wood strives for most in life.

The Virtue of patience may actually assist the Wood type to prevent cortisol dysregulation when Woods allow patience to bring balance to their sense of time pressure and competitiveness that is common with this type.

Wood types should practice having patience with themselves first, breathing deeply when feeling any tension of time contraints, stress and resulting impatience. They should adopt an attitude of non-attachment to outcomes and they will tend to find that patience comes more easily. Wood types should be wary of projecting their own needs for things to change or to materialize quickly onto others, always aiming to simply give others a break in the spirit of non-judgment.

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Endnotes:

*We have published an article on the following five element types:
Wood Type Personality
Earth Type Personality
Metal Type Personality
Water Type Personality

Kirkwood, John. The Way of the Five Seasons: Living with the Five Elements for Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Harmony. United Kingdom, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2016.

Po-tuan, Chang. The Inner Teachings of Taoism. United Kingdom, Shambhala, 2001.

Image courtesy of Thirdman at Pexels (pexels-thirdman-6599730.jpg)

Scent, Flavor and Healing Are Found In All Plants Because of Terpenes

March 21, 2022 phyto5.us

If you’ve ever cleaned paint brushes from oil-based paints using turpentine, the strong fragrance of the solvent is because of turpentine’s terpene content derived from the sap of pine trees. Terpenes are aromatic metabolites found in the oils of all plants. In fact, scientists originally developed the name terpene from turpentine.

Almost without exception, when a plant produces a scent, that odor comes from the terpenes present in the plant. And terpenes can exist anywhere in the plant: leaves, stems, bark, roots, and flowers, most especially.

Similar to fauna, flora utilizes scent to attract mates or ward off predators which is why some terpenes can sometimes be so potently or almost aggressively pungent.

Terpenes aren’t only responsible for scent. They create flavor, too. The fragrance and flavor carrying terpene is carried in plant structures called trichomes—tiny scent=bearing hairs, outgrowths or appendages on aromatic plants. Glandular trichomes store and secrete terpenes on the plant’s surface as a first line of defense agains insects, pathogens and herbivores.

Any substance containing plants in any form will contain terpenes. In our previous blog, The Terpene: Most Fundamental Fragrance, Flavor and Healing Component of Essential Oils, we discussed how terpenes abound in essential oils. And by virtue of that fact, terpenes are plentiful in all PHYTO5 skin and hair care.

Our seven chakra oil blends are also rich in terpenes. Each one of these blends are composed of several essential oils which lend qualities and actions specific to the chakra for which it is formulated. (Read more about chakras in our article, 13 Tips for Balancing Your Chakras.)

Since March is the month of Spring and all things green and because the heart chakra (energy center/vortex) emits green light, let’s look at the terpenes found in our Heart Chakra Balancing Essential Oil Blend. Each terpene noted below is responsible for many health benefits however since the chakra oils are synergistically formulated more for etheric/spiritual upliftment, there is no point in listing the physical health benefits in this article. Nevertheless, we have indicated some very interesting facts about many of the oils’ terpenes in the paragraphs below. (Health benefits can be easily found online.)

Heart Chakra Oil

Rose essential oil: citronellal, geraniol, and nerol. (Geraniol lends a fresh, natural scent.)
Neroli essential oil: linalool, limonene, farnesol, geraniol and citral. (Farnesol is believed to provide an anti-aging effect. Read about the related topic of Nutrigenomics and Xenohormesis here to understand how this might be possible.)
Melissa essential oil: citronellal, citral, and geraniol. (Citral is a main component of citrus fruit's peel oil. It is especially found in orange peel and is actually a mixture of neral and geranial.)
Lavender essential oil: linalool, also found in birch and jasmine, linalool is responsible for lavender’s sedative effect.
Blue Tansy essential oil (aka Moroccan blue chamomile): pinene, chamzulene (responsible for dark blue pigment)

Terpene Tips

You can mentally escape to the woods with a whiff of borneol. Borneol has a pine woody camphor balsamic fragrance with a slightly sharp, earthy-peppery note. It is often used in perfumery.

If you have a citrus craving, you might satisfy it with a whiff of linalool. Linalool has complex odor and flavor properties. Its odor is similar to floral, spicy wood and somewhat resembles French lavender plants, bergamot oil or lily of the valley. It has a light, citrus-like flavor, sweet with a spicy tropical accent.

You can refresh your tastebuds with a tiny hit of pulegone. Pulegone is a clear colorless oily liquid with a pleasant odor similar to pennyroyal, peppermint and camphor. It’s used in flavoring agents, in perfumery, and in aromatherapy.

Terpenes and THC* (tetrahydrocannabinol) are complements to each other. Terpenes affect our endocannabinoid system just as much as THC and CBD (cannabidiol). In fact, terpenes interact synergistically with THC to affect the psychoactive area of the brain as well as the blood-brain barrier that moderates chemical outputs.

Find a plant strain with high levels of caryophyllene for anti-inflammatory and arthritis relief.

Consider taking in the fragrance of linalool if your skin is breaking out.

Reach for limonene if you're feeling blue.

More than 30,000 terpenes are believed to exist on this planet.

The Terpene Wheel—a multi-colored infographic—allows us to reference which terpenes are contributing to the unique aroma and/or flavor of our edibles or essential oil. The graphic wheel lists:
- every common terpene;
- in what plants each terpene can be found;
- whether the terpene is herbal, flowery or fruity; and
- whether the terpene is spicy, sweet, earthy or sour.

Pinene is probably the most utilized terpene in traditional Chinese medicine because of its anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, anticancer and “antibiotic” abilities.

Alpha-pinene, abundant in pine needles, is alerting.

Limonene found in lemons is, of course, sunshiney.

Beta-myrcene, found in hops (cumulus) is sedating.

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Endnotes:

* THC (tetrahydrocannabinol): a crystalline compound that is the main active ingredient of cannabis

Sources:

Wilson, Cathy. Terpenes, The Healing Connection Between Essential Oils and Cannabis. N.p., CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017.

Image courtesy of Maksym Golovinov from Getty Images via Canva

How the Liver is Directly Involved in Energy Flow, Emotional Balance and Life Planning According to Traditional Chinese Medicine

March 8, 2022 phyto5.us

A beautiful Asian woman sits with a vase of white flowers and green leaves

In traditional Chinese medicine one of the principal roles of the liver, the organ associated with the Wood element and energetic Spring, is to help chi (vital energy) and emotions flow smoothly throughout body and mind. Its physiological function is to dynamically bring smoothness to the flow of chi. If it doesn’t, liver stagnates causing mental, emotional and physical problems.

In additional to controlling free flow of vital energy, its functions include storing nutrients, governing detoxification and regulating the blood. It is related to vision (both literally and figuratively), the eyes, tendons, energetic and emotional ups and downs as well as the ability to make major decisions.

The liver is our body’s unsung hero. It works very hard to keep us healthy by getting rid of what we don’t need. It’s tasked with filtering everything we eat and drink including any pharmaceuticals we take.

“Liver symbolically represents choice and the execution of one’s life plan, vision, planning and action. In traditional Chinese medicine it gives the capacity for being goal oriented and resolute…” —Sandra K. Anderson in The Practice of Shiatsu
“Because the Wood element is associated with self-expression, assertiveness is a key aspect of healthy Wood. A person who is timid and shy is not able to engage in self-expression. Someone who is overly assertive, to the point of being aggressive, is out of balance to the other extreme.” —Sandra K. Anderson in The Practice of Shiatsu

Liver stores the blood giving us the fortitude to make decisions and feel supported. Liver blood deficiency will often show up as stagnancy in the form of eye problems, fatigue and lack of luster and color in the hair and nails.

Liver’s mission to elegantly flow chi energy throughout the body is actually characteristic of Wood’s tendency to grow and flourish. Wood represents new life and in the body the Wood element is responsible for action and expression of self as well as the smooth flow of chi.

Anger, frustration, anxiety and restlessness are the emotions associated with Wood and an out-of-balance Wood type.

“The color green correlates significantly to the Wood element’s emotional relationship with its main organs, the liver and gallbladder. You may have heard people say, ‘He’s “green with envy,” or ‘She’s “green” with anger!’” —Susan Levy, D.C. in Your Body Can Talk: How to Use Simple Muscle Testing for Health and Well Being

Traditional Chinese Medicine tells us when emotions remain unexpressed, repressed, prolonged and not brought to balance this toxicity of emotion has the very real potential to damage our health.

Excessive irritability, restlessness and anger can negatively impact the liver resulting in conditions like menstrual pain, headache, redness of face and eyes, dizziness, and dry mouth. An out-of-balance liver may also result in stormy moods.

Liver chi stagnation may also lead to overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, elevated cortisol levels and higher stress levels, and these, in turn, compromise the immune system.

Learn how to keep your vital energy balanced. Your vital energy always come first. It’s the fundamental generator of the body and of all your body’s other functions. Read how Wood is the energy of the energy in our blog, “Describing the Wood Type Personality…” here.

Ways to help keep Wood energy, emotions and liver balanced:

Use the Wood line of skin and hair care by PHYTO5; it’s quantum energetic and works on the level of not just skin, but vital energy and emotions. If you can choose only one product of the line, begin with Wood Phyt’Ether serum which is the most potent in the line. Learn more about Wood Phyt’Ether here.
Understand traditional Chinese medicine’s Wood element and its characteristics. It can help you to make balanced choices in your life and to live in harmony with Wood.
Work to keep your chakras balanced. They are powerhouses of vital energy. Balancing the seven chakras is essential to beautiful wellness and vitality.
Stay active through exercise. Balanced Wood enjoys being physically active.
To support and respect the liver, refrain from eating two to three hours before sleep. Late night eating causes the liver to stagnate preventing it from doing its detoxifying work and preventing our bodies from repairing themselves at night.
Keep in mind that overeating puts undue pressure on both liver and gallbladder. Do your best to stop eating when you feel 80% full.
You can support the liver by consuming whole grains like brown rice, barley, millet, quinoa, spelt, kamut, oats and wheat berries. Since crackers, bread, bagels, and cereals are baked and dry, they are not conducive to optimum liver function.
Eat leafy greens,* fresh herbs and berries which help to build liver blood.
Journal to get your angry emotions out.
Practice meditation which helps to keep emotions balanced, especially emotions of anger and restlessness.
Learn to let go, forgive and accept what is. Practice appreciation.
Learn to be assertive, not angry. Learn to be flexible, not rigid.

“The liver function is considered to be the grand architect for our vision of the future. The liver is the center of strategic planning. The gallbladder is thought to be the center of our ability to make decisions and judge wisely. From the functions of the liver and the gallbladder, we can plan and choose–we combine new future possibilities with the wisdom of the past and, as a result, are able to see the clear and appropriate course to take.” —Jennifer Dubowsky, LAc.

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Endnotes:

* bok choy, carrot tops, collards, daikon tops, dandelion greens, kale, leek, lettuces, mustard greens, nappa cabbage, radish greens, turnip tops, watercress

Press, Tsinghua University. Traditional Chinese Medicine: Theory and Principles. Germany, De Gruyter, 2015.Levy, Susan, and Lehr, Carol.

Levy, D.C. Susan. Your Body Can Talk: How to Use Simple Muscle Testing for Health and Well Being. United States, Kalindi Press, 2013.

Anderson, Sandra K. The Practice of Shiatsu. Malawi, Mosby Elsevier, 2007.

Stiles, Kg. Chinese Medicine Guidebook Essential Oils to Balance the Wood Element and Organ Meridians. N.p., Draft2Digital, 2020.

Image courtesy of Dziana Hazanbekeva at Pexels

Why You Should Use the Wood Line of Skincare During Energetic Spring Even If You Don’t Have the Wood Skin Conditi

February 15, 2022 phyto5.us

five women of different complexions each representing one of the five elements

All five energies according to traditional Chinese medicine—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water—are synergistically at work in the proper function of cells and healthy tissues. In traditional Chinese medicine, Wood is one of the five aspects of vital energy and is fundamental to the optimal function of the other four.

The body is not just matter made up of solids and fluids but unseen energy known as vital energy also courses through it. This vital energy is called prana in yoga and Ayurvedic medicine and chi in traditional Chinese medicine and by practitioners of Asian martial arts. This ancient concept is also a modern one as it is now demonstrated by quantum physics.

The skin is actually a vital organ possessing reflexive properties which correlate to the body’s organs. This is because vital energy connects all parts of the body to each other. PHYTO5 utilizes the reflexiveness of skin to practice facial reflexology demonstrated by the Five Clay Mask quantum energetic facial.

A Wood imbalance usually manifests as:

oily skin, blackheads, and hyperpigmentation
oily scalp and hair
issues of vital energy circulation meaning the flow of vital energy is either impeded or overactive
emotions of anger and/or anxiety.*

If you have any of these Wood imbalances, this means your body might be out of balance with its vital energy flow.

Any skin condition, for that matter, likely has a root cause in vital energy imbalance or blockage of vital energy flow. And your skin condition can actually help to pinpoint where you have that imbalance or blockage.

Traditional Chinese medicine tells us that in addition to five seasons, five elements, five basic emotions and five sets of skin conditions, the body is host to five major fluids, four of which are clearly matter:

the Fire element’s red blood
the Metal element’s blue blood
the Earth element’s lymph, and
the Water element’s water.

The other fluid of the Wood element is simply energy—vital energy.

You could say it is the energy of the energy because without Wood energy nothing else happens. This is why, in any series of esthetic treatments which follow the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, the Wood treatment is always the first one we do. It ensures that the initiating energy is balanced because it must be before we go on to balancing the other four fluids.

By stimulating vital energy flow we give energy to the cells. If cells aren’t properly nourished, including being nourished with vital energy, the body begins breaking down.

A burst of yang energy occurs during energetic Spring, the season of the Wood element, and it’s important to encourage this expanding and rising of yang whatever element ‘type’** we may be. During energetic Spring the burst of yang energy drives the growth and vitality of the body.

For these reasons, youth is associated with the vital energy of Wood.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the Wood element’s color is green—the color associated with Spring, new life, vitality and growth. PHYTO5’s Wood line labeling features this color. And green is prominent in our naturally colored quantum energetic Wood element green Clay Mask itself.

We want to make sure our vital energy is stimulated when it needs to be and kept in balance since it fundamentally supports the other four vital energies. An energetic deficiency left untreated for any length of time invites others, and problems will then accumulate exponentially.

For example, an imbalance of Wood vital energy causes sluggish Fire (both are part of strong yang with limited yin energies). Insufficient Wood and Fire allows Metal (growing yin energy) to be too strong, keeping Wood weak (since Metal is the break of Wood) while it augments Water which also maintains Fire weakness. But Water, being the peak yin energy, is not likely to strengthen the rising yang energy of Wood and so the original condition is maintained or even worsened.

The cure is a stimulation of yang vital energy and a diffusion of overbearing yin vital energy. And this is the reason why all esthetic treatments addressing a difficult situation should always start with a Wood treatment followed by a Fire treatment, then Earth, Metal and finally by a Water treatment, each treatment taking place two to three days after the previous one.

To support your balance at home of skin, vital energy and emotions, be sure to use the Wood line periodically and especially during the Spring energetic season which runs from February 5 to April 17 every year.

The entire Wood line is quantum energetic*** and will work to support your vital energy balanced flow, but if you have to choose only one product, choose Wood element Phyt’Ether serum, the most potent in the line.

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Endnotes:

* In traditional Chinese medicine, there is an ancestral knowledge that each major emotion has a seat within an organ. For example, anger is an emotion linked to liver. Chronically angry people will not, as a result, have healthy livers even if their diet is otherwise perfect. Consequently, they may display the physical symptoms of a Wood energetic imbalance as well as emotions of anger and/or anxiety.

**The five element ‘types’ are well described in a number of our blogs:

***In fact, all five element lines are quantum energetic.

The Spring Equinox. The Real New Year Is In Spring.

February 15, 2022 phyto5.us

For many ancient cultures the real New Year is in Spring. It happens at or around the time of the Spring Equinox every March 20 or 25. But in 1582 Pope Gregory XIII changed that for followers of the Church moving the start of the New Year back to January 1. He took the very natural rhythmic lunar-based calendar and made it an unnatural calendar misaligned with the moon that affects Earth so much.

Understanding the Spring Equinox Makes Sense that the Real New Year Is In Spring.

The Spring or Vernal Equinox 2022 happens every year on March 20 or 21. This special day, when the sun crosses the celestial equator, marks the middle point between the Winter solstice and the Summer solstice.

On the Spring Equinox day every spot on the entire planet experiences an equal amount of time in the light and in the darkness. From that day on in the Northern hemisphere, each day thereafter we leave behind more of the dark of Winter as we receive a greater amount of the light and warmth of the sun.

Now all of nature begins reviving in earnest after its Winter hibernation.

Although for huge swathes of the global population the New Year begins on the first day of January, some societies and cultures celebrate the real New Year at some point in early Spring.

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It’s logical that the real New Year is in Spring.

Spring—a season of rebirth and the planting of new crops—is a logical time to start the New Year for many people. It doesn’t make sense to celebrate the New Year in the middle of the dark, cold hostile Winter.

“March tests our faith. It can summon all the bluster of its namesake to convince huddled mortals that the power of winter, like that of any tyrant, is not soon or highly surrendered. On a night in late March the wind can blow with a force unfelt all winter. Fear not. Beneath the angry skies, fragile as parchment but as irresistible as time, crocuses push their shafts up through the damp earth.” —Michael Judge in The Dance of Time: The Origins of the Calendar.

Ancient cultures lived more in harmony with nature. It was logical to align their celebrations with lunar movements.

Somewhere around 2000 BCE, the Babylonian New Year began on March 25. Very many cultures in ancient times regarded their New Year as the traditional fixed date for the Vernal Equinox.

In ancient Persia and now present-day Iran, the new year, called nowruz meaning new day began and still begins on March 21.

For some native tribes the arrival of certain animals for the hunt or the appearance of certain shoals of fish marked the beginning of another year.

In some parts of the ancient Near East, the people celebrated the New Year in the Fall when rains ended the long drought of Summer.

For the ancient Egyptians, Sirius, the dog star, held its place unrivaled as the most important star in the sky. It formed the foundation of the Egyptians’ entire religious system. The Egyptian calendar system was based on the heliacal rising of Sirius that occurred just before the annual flooding of the Nile during Summer, signaling their start of a New Year and new life.

In the more ancient Northern hemisphere New Year celebrations were a way to rejoice in the resurrection of life. The people acted out the seasonal changes ritually—from the symbolic death of the earth in Winter to its resurrection vibrantly enacted through the sprouting and blossoming that came with Spring.

Throughout the ancient world New Year’s Day was quite logically and almost always celebrated in the Spring when the world seemed new once again. After months of long nights and short days, both day and night now lasted an equal amount of time. The people knew that on the Vernal Equinox the cosmic balance would now swing in favor of the sun.

Here’s When the New Year celebration date got changed.

Originally, the ancient Roman calendar had only ten months which we can see reflected in the names of many of our months derived from Roman numerals.

When a New Year began in March as month one of the year, they named the months very logically:

the seventh month | September meaning seventh (septem from latin meaning seven)
the eighth month October meaning eighth (octo from latin meaning eight)
the ninth month they gave the name November meaning ninth (novem from latin meaning nine)
the last and tenth month, they named December meaning tenth (decem from latin meaning ten).

Back then the calendar year was lunar-based and ten moons long, and the remaining roughly 70 days of Winter occurred without being assigned a month name. This is the time period we now call January and February.

The beginning of a New Year started the calendar afresh and signaled to farmers to trellis their vines, prune the trees, and sow spring wheat. On this auspicious first day of the New Year concurrent with the Vernal Equinox people could expect equal parts day and night. And the New Year observance always took place on the first new moon before the Spring equinox.

The Romans eventually transitioned away from a lunar to a solar calendar. It seemed to them a solar calendar better reflected the seasons. But as before, they still didn’t consider the remaining now roughly 60 Winter days part of the calendar.

Even Following a Solar Calendar, the Real New Year Was Still In Spring.

The calendar began each year with the first day of Spring falling a few days after the Ides(1) of March. This put the New Year at approximately the twentieth of March. The 60-day margin of Winter days which existed in a sort of limbo outside of the calendar is how the early Romans handled not truly knowing the actual length of a year.

In about 715 BCE, the months January and February were added to the Roman calendar.

Over time, many empowers continued to tamper with the calendar. They knocked the calendar out of synchronization with the sun.

In 46 BCE, this precipitated Julius Caesar to decree the start of the New Year the beginning of January. And so January 1 became a day of great festivities for all Roman people. But even though Julius Caesar decreed such a change, for some time Romans of city and country continued to celebrate the New Year with the onset of Spring. They felt nature was telling them more accurately than any calendar could that the Earth was about to be reborn.

But with Christianity taking hold, the Church outlawed their New Year celebrations, banning all Christians from participating in any festivities under threat of excommunication. The Church believed the celebrations were pagan and encouraged idolatry since the day’s festivities evolved from the feast of January’s namesake—the two-faced god Janus.

The Flip-flopping Church Made the Real New Year January 1 to March 25 and back again to January 1.

By 567 CE, the Christian Church’s power was massive and so, at the Council of Tours, they officially moved the start date of the New Year from January 1 back to March 25. They did this to remove potential for too many pagan celebrations. For centuries thereafter all European countries celebrated the new year on March 25.

But in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII was not to be outdone. He introduced our current and rather inaccurate Gregorian calendar. Once again, they officially moved the start of the New Year back to January 1.

Not all European countries adopted January 1 as the official opening of a New Year right away. The Catholic countries did so, but Protestant countries took their time. It’s only been a few hundred years that these northern European countries have observed New Year’s Day as January 1.

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Endnotes:

(1) Ides: (in the ancient Roman calendar) a day falling roughly in the middle of each month (the 15th day of March, May, July, and October, and the 13th of other months) from which other dates were calculated.

Strange but True: A Historical Background to Popular Beliefs and Traditions. N.p., Crux Publishing Ltd, 2014.

Judge, Michael. The Dance of Time: The Origins of the Calendar. United Kingdom, Arcade, 2012.

photo pexels-pat-whelen-6369229.jpg

How Plants Unlock Longevity: The Science Behind Plant-Based Skincare

January 31, 2022 phyto5.us

high-altitude-cold-weather-edelweiss-offers-its-genomic-information-to-skin

What if the secret to a longer, healthier life and radiant skin lies in the plants we eat and apply to skin? Two cutting-edge concepts, nutrigenomics and xenohormesis, reveal how plant-based solutions can transform our bodies inside and out. At PHYTO5, we’ve woven this science into our Swiss-made skincare, proving that anti-aging skincare isn’t just about looking good — it’s about living better.

Nutrigenomics: Food as Medicine for Longevity

Nutrigenomics explores how nutrition interacts with our genes to prevent or treat disease.

It’s a game-changer for aging.

In the U.S., life expectancy hovers around 77 years — 73.6 for men, 79.4 for women — but scientists now say we can push past that. Discoveries in molecular biology show that longevity genes exist, and certain nutrients can switch them on, enhancing health and extending life.

Ronald Klatz, M.D., who coined anti-aging medicine, predicts baby boomers and beyond could reach 120–150 years.

How? By fortifying our diets with plants rich in bioactive molecules — compounds that go beyond fuel to tweak hormones, metabolism, and even cellular repair.

Hippocrates nailed it centuries ago:

Let food be your medicine.

Nutrigenomics just gives us the why and how.

Xenohormesis: Plants Pass On Their Survival Secrets

Here’s where it gets interesting.

Xenohormesis (from the Greek xenos for stranger and hormesis meaning mild stress benefits) explains how stressed plants — like those battered by drought or frost — produce compounds that boost our resilience when we consume them.

Think of it as plants sharing their evolutionary grit.

For eons, plants have adapted to harsh conditions, creating molecules that humans and animals can borrow for survival. These xenohormetic compounds don’t just nourish, they activate our cellular stress responses, potentially outdoing modern drugs for longevity.

And it’s not just about eating them. The skin, the body’s largest organ, absorbs over 60% of what you put on it. This makes plant-based skincare a direct line to these benefits.

PHYTO5: Plant-Based Skincare Meets Science

At PHYTO5, we’ve harnessed nutrigenomics and xenohormesis to craft anti-aging skincare that feeds your skin — and vitality. Our Swiss-made products use high-grade essential oils from plants that have thrived against the odds, passing their resilience to you:

Lingonberry Seed Oil in Extreme Hydrating Cream: Sourced from Arctic berries surviving -50°C, it super-hydrates and protects skin in harsh winters.
Edelweiss in Face Gel Mask and Perfection Cream: Grown on treacherous Alpine cliffs, it regenerates and fights hyperpigmentation with centuries of stress-hardened power.
Ginkgo in Water Element Day and Night Creams: An ancient tree’s longevity secrets plump and firm mature skin.

These aren’t just ingredients — they’re living allies.

Like the “face” of a flower nourishing your own, as aromatherapy expert Erich Keller might say,¹ they deliver vital energy straight to your skin and bloodstream.

It’s plant-based skincare with a purpose:

longevity you can see and feel.

From Diet to Dermatology: A Growing Trend

Plants already shape medicine — 40% of Western drugs, including the top 20 U.S. prescriptions, come from them (USDA–Forest Service).

Meanwhile, over 9.7 million Americans now follow plant-based diets, up 9.4 million in 15 years (thebeet.com). Most don’t know xenohormesis, but they feel the health perks.

Why stop at food? Topical application amplifies the effect.

PHYTO5’s quantum-energy approach ensures every drop of our skincare communicates resilience to your cells, proving nutrigenomics isn’t just for your plate — it’s for your face too.

Rewrite Aging with Plants

Nutrigenomics and xenohormesis aren’t buzzwords. They’re blueprints for a longer, vibrant life.

Plants don’t just survive. They thrive under stress, and through PHYTO5’s plant-based skincare, they share that power with you.

From Lingonberry’s icy endurance to Edelweiss’s cliffside tenacity, our anti-aging skincare turns nature’s lessons into your glow.

Ready to let plants rewrite your aging story? With PHYTO5, quality longevity starts now.

…

Endnotes and Sources.

¹ Erich Keller reference here and link to other article

Hooper, Philip L et al. “Xenohormesis: health benefits from an eon of plant stress response evolution.” Cell stress & chaperones vol. 15,6 (2010): 761–70. doi:10.1007/s12192–010–0206-x

Konrad T. Howitz, David A. Sinclair, Xenohormesis: Sensing the Chemical Cues of Other Species, Cell, Volume 133, Issue 3, 2008, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2008.04.019.

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867408005114)

Cayuela Sánchez JA, Elamrani A. Nutrigenomics of essential oils and their potential domestic use for improving health. Nat Prod Commun. 2014 Nov;9(11):1641–8. PMID: 25532301.

Dhanjal, Daljeet Singh et al. “Plant Fortification of the Diet for Anti-Ageing Effects: A Review.” Nutrients vol. 12,10 3008. 30 Sep. 2020, doi:10.3390/nu12103008

Phytochemicals of Nutraceutical Importance. United Kingdom, CABI, 2014.

Swann G. The skin is the body’s largest organ. J Vis Commun Med. 2010 Dec;33(4):148–9. doi: 10.3109/17453054.2010.525439. PMID: 21087182.

Describing the Wood Type Personality According to Traditional Chinese Medici

January 31, 2022 phyto5.us

wood-type-personality-strong-confident-athletic-goal-oriented

At the time of our birth, the prevailing cosmic and telluric energies have an important effect on our personality. It can be said that at the time of birth these energies give us our own individual rhythms that seem to transcend our genetic makeup and upbringing. Traditional Chinese medicine embraces a fivefold concept known as the Five Element or Five Phase Theory that help explain these rhythms. Traditional Chinese medicine points out that we all tend to be one predominant ‘type’ from among the five elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, though no one is one hundred percent one type alone. In this article we discuss both the in-balance and out-of-balance (maladapted) Wood type personality.

Wood-in-balance types derive an enormous amount of energy and vitality through maintaining a vision of their ideal future and what they can do to make that happen. They have a tendency to create independent lifestyles and to control their own futures.

They are pioneers and visionaries. These are their archetypes.

Adapted or in-balance Wood type personalities are open to new ideas and trends and they recognize possibilities that others might never see. They make sure they are surrounded by a free environment that will foster their vision and creativity and support their breaking through to do things in their own way.

Balanced Wood type personalities know how to get around obstacles and part of their deft maneuvering includes establishing alternate plans and contingencies. Even when failures occur they usually and flexibly simply take another route or look for another direction—a tactic so supportive of change and transformation.

Balanced Woods know what works for them. They tend to be optimistic as they hold the vision of and hope for a future they’ve already seen.

Wood type personalities are self-directed and structured, organized and deliberate—qualities they find necessary to achieve their lofty goals. List and spreadsheet making are very often integral to their organization and planning although these can sometimes go too far with Wood where the need to plan and organize becomes excessive and annoying.

Seeing life as something to be conquered, instead of cooperating, Wood competes. But what Wood is really trying to do by competing is create a sense of control. Wood’s single most important ambition is to maintain a sense of control over life.

Out-of-balance Wood type personalities need direction and accountability to an authority figure. A mentor, teacher or leader who can provide maladapted Wood with a plan is often more than helpful as it provides this Wood type with much needed structure.

Frustration, anger, impatience, controlling behavior and combative conflicts are the toxic expressed emotions of the maladapted Wood type. Because Wood types are so hooked into their goals, they often abrasively confront or argue with anyone who they perceive is an obstacle on their path.

This personality aspect translates into Wood’s physical makeup which is often well muscled, strong and coordinated since Wood types cannot be swayed as they stand for what is right and just. Taken too far, Wood can be inflexible, sticking to a plan or belief no matter the cost. Trees may appear stiff and unbendable but they’re really quite flexible when they need to be and this is Wood’s challenge.

The Wood personality type is very often critical of everything but themselves. When Wood lacks this self-awareness, they cannot be honest with themselves. Should they feel they’ve been treated unfairly, they will neither forgive nor forget. They tend to hold grudges indefinitely. On the extreme end, this behavior describes a maladapted Wood type.

Wood types are often unable to tolerate injustice whether it is done to them or done to society as a whole. The Wood archetype is the Warrior which leads out-of-balance Wood away from angry outbursts and hostility into championing just causes. This helps Wood regain a sense of control in a world he views as uncertain and hostile. Warrior Wood works to right what is wrong and to forge changes that create hope for the future.

Wood’s virtues are forgiveness and patience. They stem from the innate vision and insight of the Wood type and they neutralize the negative angry emotions Wood can so easily feel.

The Warrior/Pioneer archetype is founded on the flourishing energy of the Wood element and the birth of yang energy in energetic Spring. Like well adapted Wood, yang energy is forceful and vigorous, warming and expansive.

From the new yang energy of Spring comes balanced Wood’s ability to initiate action, take decisive steps, express balanced emotion and to allow creativity to flow with new ideas, change, hope, vitality and optimism.

The Wood type personality is challenged to move from anger to insight and from frustration to patience. In order to do so, Wood must be flexible and honest with himself or herself.

Connect to the power of the Wood element this season of energetic Spring (February 5 to April 17) to rise above the chaos, reclaim your visionary self, see solutions where problems used to be and allow transformation to improve your life.

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Endnotes:

Moss, Charles A. Power of the Five Elements: The Chinese Medicine Path to Healthy Aging and Stress Resistance. United States, North Atlantic Books, 2011.

Image credit: pexels-ketut-subiyanto-4429136-2.jpg

The Power of Mantra: Utilizing Language to Create and Decree Our Hearts’ Desir

January 7, 2022 Purusha Radha

Mantras are a form of empowering spoken word we can utilize as creational incantations. 'Mantra' literally means 'instrument of thought.' And since our thoughts are instrumental in the creation of things, it might make sense to utilize mantras in your daily life for personal upliftment and even to manifest what you desire in life. An example of a mantra is one PHYTO5 would love every person to know and believe: “I am a beautiful person.” (Or in French, it’s “Je suis une belle personne.”) And because balanced emotion creates happiness and thus natural beauty that radiates from within, this mantra is the inspiration behind PHYTO5’s mini five element Phyt’Ether serum kit (right column) for balancing emotion, skin and vital energy.

Mantras can also be described as decrees, affirmations or incantations we make just once or repetitively. They can be formed in any language and when vocalized from the heart have creative energies embedded within them. It’s best only to recite a mantra if you feel it. Rote chanting and just going through the motions will cancel out what you wish to create.

You may be acquainted with ancient Sanskrit* and Tibetan* mantras that were composed to accomplish healing and protection. These mantras are a very important part of Hindu and Tibetan ritual and practice. They are treated as sacred and prayerful and are spoken, sung or chanted repetitively.

Here are a few examples of simpler yet very potent Sanskrit and Tibetan mantras transliterated into English:

The heart calming Buddhist mantra found at the end of the Heart Sutra**

Gate gate para gate para sam gate bodhi swaha

The Sanskrit looks like this: गते गते पार गते पार संगते बोधि स्वाहा

Tibetan mantra for purification

Om benza satto hung

Tibetan mantra for prosperity

Om zambala za len drah yeh soha

To learn how to pronounce these, you can easily find them in beautiful audio recordings by various artists, the Gyuto monks as one example. In addition to the words, Tibetan monks like the Gyuto monks chant mantras with deep guttural voices creating a vibration that pushes energy behind the words.

Concerning pronunciation of mantras in such sacred languages as Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese or Aramaic, the key to keep in mind if you’re American is not to use the short ‘a’ vowel sound ever. And an ‘e’ by itself or followed by an ‘h’ is pronounced like the long ‘a’ vowel sound.

Even if you don’t speak languages such as Sanskrit or Tibetan, learning to recite the various mantras in the language can be very effective since not knowing the language assists us to bypass the analytical ego mind. With the ‘monkey mind’ out of the way that always needs to analyze and even sabotage our creative effort, pure true thought and the mantra’s frequencies are now free to assist you to create your desire.

Very many Sanskrit mantras are taken from hymns found in the Vedas*** and were viewed since the earliest of times of Vedic recorded history as ‘sacred message' or 'text,' 'charm,' 'spell,' and ‘counsel.’

Perhaps the mantra’s ability to create is best expressed by Yogi Bhajan:

"Mantra moves the elements—all five elements, plus the heavens, plus the earth."

Probably the best known mantra or chant in the world is known as the “Compassionate Buddha Mantra.” The Buddha of Compassion is known by the Chinese as Goddess Quan Yin. Its six-syllable expression is:

Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ

This mantra translates to, "Hail to the jewel in the center of the lotus.”

The mantra is said to calm fears, soothe concerns and heal broken hearts and if you begin to chant this mantra for yourself you will discover this is true. This mantra has also been adapted into Chinese Taoism.

Learn to pronounce the sacred languages correctly if you are going to use them. Vocalizing sacred language mantras for purposes of creation is like placing a key into a lock. The words or mantras are the keys. If the key–the pronunciation–is not 'configured' correctly for the lock, the lock (manifestation desired) will not open.

Mantras are usually recited with feeling repetitively however to decree a mantra only once indicates a type of faith—a knowing that all it takes is to invoke the desire once and it is done.

Even one solitary powerful word, when invoked, can assist in your manifestations.

One word incantations can truly work:

Peace!

Still!

Vitality!

The last one word mantra in the short list above, Om, is known as the primordial sound of the universe, and though generally associated with Buddhism, has been often used by Taoists as part of their chanting practice.

Whether it’s English, French, Sanskrit, Tibetan or any other language, mantras exist and can be crafted by you to accomplish any goal: abundance, protection from dangerous weather conditions, removal of obstacles, liberation and enlightenment, improved digestion, sharper mental clarity, radiant feminine or masculine consciousness, better sleep, lucid dreaming, and the list is endless.

Our words have power but we rarely stop to think about how true this statement is. We actually are constantly creating by our choice of words and emotions behind them as we speak.

"All I need is a sheet of paper and something to write with, and then I can turn the world upside down.” —Friedrich Nietzsche

For the ancient spiritual initiates, writing and magic were considered the same thing. They understood the power of the word.

"The Word was in the beginning, and that very Word was with God, and God was that Word.” — John 1:1

Even though English or many other languages are derived and have somewhat degenerated from the ancient ones, there can still be power in our native tongue. This imbued power will happen by virtue of your intention.

May your new year composed of a succession of 365 new days be charged with the power of your consciously invoked word. Hopefully, one of your new mantras will be:

I am a beautiful person. Because you are.

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Endnotes:

*one of the five sacred languages and an ancient Indo-European language of India, in which the Hindu; the five sacred languages are Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, Hebrew, and Egyptian

** a set of rules in Hindu philosophy

*** the most ancient Hindu scriptures, written in early Sanskrit and containing hymns, philosophy, and guidance on ritual for the priests of Vedic religion; believed to have been directly revealed to seers among the early Aryans in India and preserved by oral tradition scriptures and classical Indian epic poems are written and from which many northern Indian (Indic) languages are derived

Hurtak, J. J. The Book of Knowledge: The Keys of Enoch. The Academy for Future Science. 1977. Los Gatos, CA.

Image credit: byheaven/Getty Images via Canva

February 1, 2022 Is The Chinese New Year of the Black Water Tiger: Here Are Portents for the Year and Strategies for Resilient Livin

January 4, 2022 phyto5.us

In Chinese astrology, February 1, 2022 will begin the year of not just the Tiger but the Black Water Tiger.(1) A Water Tiger year only occurs every 60 years.

China abounds in myth and legend of the Tiger. Anyone born in the year of the Tiger is believed to possess the traits of unpredictability and color, adventurousness, power and passion.

In China, the Tiger is at once a symbol of darkness/new moon and brightness/full moon.

There are five mythic Tigers in Chinese lore, each one symbolizing direction, season and element:

Blue Tiger: East, Spring and Vegetation
Red Tiger: South, Summer and Fire
White Tiger: West, Autumn and all Metals
Black Tiger: North, Winter and Water
Yellow Tiger is supreme among all five and ruler of the Earth and all energies upon it.

In Chinese astrology, the behavior of the Black Water Tiger is a forewarning for the year 2022 (as is any animal assigned to its year). Going far back to the ancient Chinese and their approach to health, vitality, ‘medicine,’ and life in general, we are able to see their uncanny knack for getting it right. Years and years of careful and astute observation annotated and proven out has coalesced to form a massive body of dependable information and data that repeats itself through the cycles of life.

Especially in these turbulent times, we might read what follows as a sort of intriguing “fortune-telling” for the year 2022, though it is based on real-live concepts which have also been lived out 60 years ago. Considering what follows might assist us to live with a proactive stance so that we can be resilient and joyful in life instead of being caught unaware.

The Black Water Tiger is a figure of awe and respect but it is combined with a hint of dread. Tiger indicates that the beginning of the year might be especially volatile and as a result, people will tend to take bold, spontaneous action, moving towards extremes.

Like Tiger, many people will be extra bold and cantankerous, making big life changes and many of them on a whim.

Where last year, people were forced to keep their noses to the grindstone and live life on the sidelines, now the Water Tiger energy springs onto the scene.

Feeling shut in, restricted, and relegated to rule after rule, 2022 will manifest a strong desire for fun and adventure. Many people are more than ready to cut loose and try new things. They may be willing to break perceived rules for the sake of having adventurous experiences just like Tiger.

Tiger’s courage comes into play in 2022 as it will be a risk-taking year with those taking the risks doing so to express themselves fully. Everyone has been through an awful lot since 2019 especially, and while much has not been resolved Tiger indicates a growing feeling that it’s time to let our hair down. But throughout 2022 there will also be quiet periods because like any cat, a Tiger needs his naps. Approaching year’s end things will begin to calm down as 2023 approaches with the energy of the peaceful Water Rabbit approaching.

Tiger is affectionate but with hidden claws and Tiger’s territorial. It could be that in 2022, the issue of national borders will become even more important.

Tiger’s ferocious roar will be reflected in changes in governments, party leadership and parties in power. There will be much roaring at each other with loud voices signaling dominance and shouting warnings of skirmishes and battles.

It could happen that deals and partnerships formed in 2021 become fragile and snap. Tiger jabbers a lot and the sound of squabbling will drown out cooperation as governments and corporations focus more on their own agenda rather than serve the common good. The silver lining is this ferocious, clawing-at-each-other energy has the strong potential to cause people to turn to smaller independent businesses many of whom are struggling to make it.

In your personal life, you may find yourself acutely aware of the need to have boundaries with others established. Chief among those to shut out are the Simi Valley data collectors. Protecting your data, passwords, and accounts becomes enormously important in 2022.

On the same vein as boundaries and territories, there will be many who feel to pick up and move to find the space or region of the world (their personal prairie) that truly speaks to them.

Tiger’s playfulness will be seen in many a get-together and celebration. People will hunt for that which satisfies them. And appropriately, Water will find ways into their lives in more ways than a shower or bath, this Tiger being the Water Tiger and the cat that can swim.

2022 will show more emphasis on parenting and the inherent rights of parents. Fights will ensue over a parent’s right to decide the medical care of their children and not the school system. More people, especially mothers, will either fight the school system or opt to homeschool their children.

Like the Tiger wanders the prairies in search of a good hunt, college-age students may more likely take time off school to go backpacking or become entrepreneurs. Those desiring more education will tend to opt for accelerated programs that end in certificates they need for new jobs and rewarding work.

Water Tiger is talkative and 2022 will be all about communication even if it’s dysfunctional. Battles concerning free speech and political correctness will not only continue into 2022 but become louder than before.

Tiger is known for passion and courage and success will come to those who embrace those traits in 2022. Pick a direction in 2022 and move forward quickly knowing that risk-taking will be rewarded even if your project doesn’t result as you wished it would. In a Tiger year, being active and moving is better than being still. You may not begin 2022 feeling all that strong or confident but the zodiac says you will be by the end of 2022 simply because of the new things you’ve done.

Create a life you are passionate about in 2002 even if it looks unconventional. Tiger loves excitement and the unconventional is exciting.

Colors will seem to be brighter and voices louder in 2022. When periods of intense energy come to you, take advantage and be active. This is the year of the active individual player.

In the year of the Tiger, you may find yourself making money (Water flows) because you are taking more risks. Many people will have more faith in themselves during this time than at any other and this is why they will succeed.

People are more passionate in a Tiger year but can also be less romantic. There may be more shallow relationships than deep and long-term ones established so those looking for long-term relationships need to be patient. Some people will find a lover who had been in their lives one day and vanished the next returns in 2022 as though he or she had never left at all.

A Tiger year makes it easier for you to recognize your anger and begin to deal with it appropriately but expressing problems in a relationship may not fall on friendly ears.

Tiger’s energy is dynamic which can work in everyone’s favor. It inspires more activity and exercise and less sofa-sitting. There will probably be a greater focus on gaining greater health and vitality by changing routines and eating habits.

The Water Tiger year can bring you the courage and sense of adventure you need to make significant changes in your life. And you can come to the end of 2022 feeling proud of what you accomplished and with a renewed sense of confidence.

The Water Tiger patiently stalks and strategizes for its hunt, moving with an easy grace through the jungle of life. We can emulate Tiger for this ease of grace for life and this world certainly seem like a jungle.

Call upon the Black Water Tiger to renew vitality and passion in your life in 2022. Invoke Tiger for a greater awareness of pace and stamina especially as we move through energetic Winter and the Water season.

…

Endnotes:

The Chinese astrology cycle follows a pattern of twelve years (an animal assigned to each) for each of the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) comprising a 60-year pattern. The twelve animals of Chinese astrology are said to hide in the hearts of those born during their year. Chinese New Year always occurs at the time of the second New Moon following the Winter solstice.

…

Sources:

Stellhorn, Donna. Chinese Astrology: 2022 Year of the Water Tiger. N.p., ETC Publishing, 2021.

Theitic, Andrew. The Witches' Almanac 2022-2023 Standard Edition Issue 41: The Moon — Transforming the Inner Spirit. N.p., Witches' Almanac, 2021.

Zakroff, Laura Tempest, et al. Llewellyn's 2022 Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2021 to Mabon 2022. United States, Llewellyn Worldwide, Limited, 2021.

Andrews, Ted. Animal Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great and Small. United States, Llewellyn Worldwide, Limited, 2010.

The Ancient Ginkgo Tree Passes On Its Knowledge of Survival and Longevity To You: Ginkgo Biloba Extract for Skin and Bo

December 21, 2021 phyto5.us

young-girl-holds-gingko-biloba-leaf-healing-for-skin — A young girl holds a gingko tree leaf

Native to China, Ginkgo biloba is the oldest living tree species on earth. Since antiquity, the extract of its leaves has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a variety of conditions. Ginkgo biloba extract is extremely beneficial for skin, especially skin in need of strengthening and moisturizing, and is therefore formulated in PHYTO5’s Water element Day Cream and Night Cream.

Ginkgo has a resilient ability to reduce inflammation, skin roughness and lines while increasing moisturization and smoothness of the skin.

Ginkgo biloba is very strengthening to skin because it stimulates collagen and elastin production in the skin by stimulating fibroblast cells(1).

Ginkgo biloba extract synthesizes the neurotransmitter dopamine in the skin.

“Dopamine is also involved in proper skin functioning and a healthy appearance as it supports an appropriate supply to the cells by increasing microcirculation through a noninflammatory mechanism(2) and improves recovery of the skin barrier.(3)” —Creating skin wellbeing by dopamine stimulation, Personal Care Magazine, September 2009

As an anti-inflammatory, Gingko biloba is known to mitigate a couperose condition of the skin by exerting a protective effect on blood vessel walls.

Ginkgo is well known for its antioxidant properties as a free radical scavenger and is therefore a highly beneficial anti-aging ingredient in skincare.

As an effective blood vessel dilator, ginkgo acts as a tonic, supports overall body blood circulation, and stimulates oxygen consumption by the tissues.

Gingko’s neuroprotective properties leads to better memory and concentration, even reduced ringing in the ears of the elderly.

Though the gingko tree has existed for approximately three hundred million years, their fossils having been found all over the world, it is one species of the tree—Ginkgo biloba—that has survived the violent climate shifts on the planet at the end of the Paleozoic era.

This long living tree has no known parasites or diseases and it lives a thousand years or more even in polluted areas. It survived the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. It was the first tree to resurface on the barren inhospitable site less than a kilometer from ground zero.

Ginkgo is somewhat of a sexual curiosity.

“While some plants possess both male and female reproductive parts simultaneously, ginkgo do not – individuals are either male or female. The stinky seeds for which the tree is famous develop only on females, appearing in the fall and dousing the ground with offspring.” —Oak Spring Garden Foundation, November 7, 2017

Traditional Chinese medicine makes use of the female tree’s seeds to fight asthma and other respiratory conditions.

Compiled about 206 B.C. to 220 A.D., the Chinese book on agriculture and medicine plants, the Shen Nung Pen T’sao Ching was first to recognize Ginkgo biloba’s positive effect on blood flow.

And the Dian Nan Ben Cao, the Materia Medica of Southern Yunnan, A. D. 1370, compiled by Lan Mao, seems to be the first to discuss the beneficial use of gingko leaves in skincare.

Since the discovery in 1932 of gingkolides, the biologically active terpenic lactones(4) present in Ginkgo biloba, gingko has been utilized in Western medicine—mainly for blood circulation support and memory stimulation—and the trees’ growth proliferated.

It’s no wonder that ginkgo is such a versatile and stalwart holistic ingredient in anti-aging skincare and remedies when you better understand the history and function of the tree. Gingko biloba passes on its eons-long records of survival and longevity information to your body and skin through its extract.

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(1) A fibroblast is a type of biological cell that synthesizes the extracellular matrix and collagen, produces the structural framework (stroma) for animal tissues, and plays a critical role in wound healing.[ Fibroblasts are the most common cells of connective tissue in animals.

(2) Shigetomi S., Fukuchi S. Recent aspect of the role of peripheral dopamine and its receptors in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Fukushima J Med Sci n° 40. 69-83, 1994.

(3) Fuziwara S., Suzuki A., Inoue K., Denda M. Dopamine D2-Like Receptor Agonists Accelerate Barrier Repair and Inhibit the Epidermal Hyperplasia Induced by Barrier Disruption. J Invest Dermatol n° 125. 783-789, 2005.

(4) Lactone: an organic compound containing an ester group —OCO— as part of a ring

T. K., Lim. Edible Medicinal And Non Medicinal Plants: Volume 3, Fruits. Netherlands, Springer Netherlands, 2012.

Tammaro A, Cavallotti C, Gaspari AA, Narcisi A, Parisella FR, Cavallotti C. Dopaminergic receptors in the human skin. J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2012 Oct-Dec;26(4):789-95. PMID: 23241131

DiNardo, Joseph C., and Michalun, M. Varinia. Skin Care and Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary. United States, Cengage Learning, 2014.

de Taillac, Victoire, and Touhami, Ramdane. An Atlas of Natural Beauty: Botanical Ingredients for Retaining and Enhancing Beauty. United States, Simon & Schuster, 2018.

Photo by Mieke Campbell at Unsplash

Natural High Tech Compound Easyliance: On Contact Skin Tightener and Smoothe

December 6, 2021 phyto5.us

Easyliance is a smoothing, firming and tightening agent derived from acacia senegal gum(1) and hydrolyzed rhizobian gum. The two ingredients together create a synergistic skin firming action. It offers a smoothing and visible lifting effect within five minutes. For this reason, Easyliance is often used in products dedicated to skin tightening and smoothing like the Five Secrets Cream in PHYTO5’s serum and cream kit duo for a 3-week cure .

The Ageless line of skincare by PHYTO5 reveals the five secrets to Ageless beauty and younger looking skin, one of which is the action of filling lines from within. Easyliance in Ageless Eye Serum not only works to help boost skin’s elasticity, resulting in firmer, younger looking skin, it just as importantly helps tighten skin so that fine lines and wrinkles begin to fade within minutes.(2)

Easyliance is particularly effective around the eyes and mouth since the skin in these regions is thinner, more delicate and more sensitive and therefore tends to be prone to developing crow’s feet, wrinkles and marionette lines around the mouth.

Once the Easyliance powder product is formulated into the Serum, it works by creating an elastic film that covers the surface of the skin. As the product dries, it retracts and tightens the skin so that fine lines and wrinkles seem less noticeable after several minutes, in most cases, five. Its effect leads to a visible and immediate decrease of wrinkle depth, thus causing skin to appear smoother with a fading of fine lines.

In clinical trials composed of a panel of twelve volunteers, Easyliance was proven to significantly decrease lines around the eyes for 96% of those who participated.(4) Their skin appeared firmer and younger with a noticeable and significant smoothing of the skin after one hour.

Located in Vernier, canton of Geneva, Switzerland, Easyliance’s manfacturer is Givaudan Active Beauty, a company dedicated to innovating sustainable solutions while showing its love for nature. The Easyliance product is created by means of a nature-respecting, innovative, proprietary and patented process.

Rhizobian gum
Rhizobian gum has elastic properties which produce a quickly perceivable lifting effect when applied in the eye contour area. It also improves the smoothness of skin. This hydrolyzed biopolymer is naturally produced by a microorganism living symbiotically in sunflower roots.

Acacia senegal gum
Acacia gum is a dried exudate(3) obtained from the stems and branches of the sub-Saharan African Acacia tree. It has always been sustainably utilized by the local population in a wide range of applications and is vital to the region’s economy. Acacia gum is harvested using good practices for sustainable production alongside educational programs reinforcing respect of the environment while harvesting.

Acacia gum used in Easyliance is naturally purified, preservative-free and is the same gum sustainably harvested from the region mentioned.

Acacia gum is also known as gum arabic, a gum exuded by some kinds of acacia, used in the food industry to thicken soft drinks, frozen desserts and candies. It is also a component in glue, watercolor paints and incense.

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Endnotes:

Genus Acacia, family Leguminosae: numerous species, including A. senegal, which yields gum arabic
Among other unique ingredients, beech tree bud extract is formulated in Ageless Eye Serum—a powerful extract formulated from naturally fallen beech tree buds which occur at a precise point in the more than 200 year old life of the tree; it's anti-aging, anti-wrinkle, moisturizing, revitalizing, firming, and protecting
A substance secreted by a plant
Clinical trial information detailed above is obtained by a .pdf fact sheet provided by the manufacturer.

Tormentil Extract for Skin and Body: Astringent, Antioxidant, Antibacteri

November 24, 2021 phyto5.us

Tormentil extract, obtained from the root of the tormentil plant (Potentilla tormentilla), is a potent procyanidin considered to be an excellent herbal astringent and for this and other reasons is often used in cosmetic creams, lotions, hair tonics and facial clays. Tormentil extract is formulated in PHYTO5’s Eye Cream.

Procyanidins are polyphenols (plant compounds) and natural antioxidants abundant in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and grains with a variety of chemopreventive biological effects in treating a variety of degenerative diseases. Within polyphenols, procyanidins are derived from proanthocyanidins, also known as condensed tannins. Procyanidins from tormentil possess potent antioxidant properties towards lipoperoxidation(2) and anti-elastase activity(3).

In other words, 1) tormentil’s procyanidins help prevent the process in which free radicals "steal" electrons from cell membrane lipids resulting in cell damage, and 2) they inhibit elastase activity in the dermis layer to maintain skin elasticity.

The name tormentil is derived from the Latin tormentum meaning pain because it symbolized the plant’s potential for relieving stomach aches very long ago. But the plant is also known simply as potentilla, the four- and five-petaled golden yellow flowering plant that belongs to the rose family. (The first time it blooms each year have five petals and then four petals bloom thereafter.)

The yellowish-white rootstock of the plant, the rhizome, grows powerfully (the name Potentilla itself means ‘powerful’), irregularly and horizontally with long branching stems underground and the plant sprouts stems above ground in the Spring sunshine. When the rhizome is cut, its yellowish-white color turns to intense red and the fragrance released resembles that of the rose.

In tormentil’s rhizome are more tannins than can be found in almost any other plant and these tannins are very astringent (skin tightening). For this reason, tormentil is a potent anti-hemorrhagic (stops minor bleeding) and is also very smoothing to skin. Tannin rich tormentil also helps reduce enlarged pores. It can also help speed healing of wounds, burns and frostbite.

Because of tormentil’s mild antibacterial properties, its extract is used for dental or oral care.

Tormentil extract is also widely known for its ability to treat hemorrhoids and acute and chronic-inflammatory types of diarrhea like Colitis ulcerosa.

Tormentil was used as a cholera and plague remedy in the Middle Ages and later was very well regarded by the Elizabethans. But tormentil was known even before those times for its healing abilities. Polymath Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) prescribed tormentil quite frequently for healing purposes, writing the following in her renowned tome, Physica:

“Tormentil is cold. Its coldness is good and healthy and prevails against fevers which arise from noxious food. Take tormentil and cook it in wine, with a little honey added. Strain it through a cloth, and drink it frequently at night, on an empty stomach, and you will become well.”

Modern day polymath Alexander McCowan in “Plant of the Week: Common treatment for cholera and plague used for stomach problems” writes this about tormentil in his October 2020 article published by Cyprus Mail (see citation below):

“The plant forms a protective coating over the mucous membranes and has been used by herbalists for centuries to treat diarrhea, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, enteric irritations, vaginal infections, piles, laryngitis, pharyngitis, bleeding gums, mouth ulcers, slow healing wounds and scrofula (swollen lymphatic gland of the neck).”

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Endnotes:

(1)Tannins (commonly referred to as tannic acid) are water-soluble polyphenols that are present in many plant foods. Tannins possess an anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic potentials of that may be related to their antioxidative property, which is important in protecting cellular oxidative damage, including lipid peroxidation(2).

(2) Lipid peroxidaton: the process in which free radicals "steal" electrons from the lipids in cell membranes, resulting in cell damage

(3) Elastase is a proteinase enzyme that can reduce elastin by dividing specific peptide bonds. Therefore, the inhibition of elastase activity in the dermis layer can be used to maintain skin elasticity. Materials that can inhibit elastase activity can be a cosmetic ingredient in dealing with skin aging. — N. S. S. Ambarwati et al in “Anti-elastase activity of methanolic and ethyl acetate extract from Garcinia latissima Miq.” (full citation below)

Bos, M A et al. “Procyanidins from tormentil: antioxidant properties towards lipoperoxidation and anti-elastase activity.” Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin vol. 19,1 (1996): 146-8. doi:10.1248/bpb.19.146

Ambarwati, N. S. S. et al. “Anti-elastase activity of methanolic and ethyl acetate extract from Garcinia latissima Miq.” Journal of Physics: Conference Series vol. 1402, issue 5, 055079; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1402/5/055079/meta

McCowan, Alexander. “Plant of the Week: Common treatment for cholera and plague used for stomach problems.” Cyprus Mail. October 16, 2020. https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/10/15/plant-of-the-week-common-treatment-for-cholera-and-plague-used-for-stomach-problems/

Michalun, M.Varinia, and DiNardo, Joseph C.. Skin Care and Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary. United States, Cengage Learning, 2014.

D'Amelio, Sr., Frank S.. Botanicals: A Phytocosmetic Desk Reference. United States, CRC Press, 1998.

Rue, Emily A et al. “Procyanidins: a comprehensive review encompassing structure elucidation via mass spectrometry.” Phytochemistry reviews : proceedings of the Phytochemical Society of Europe vol. 17,1 (2018): 1-16. doi:10.1007/s11101-017-9507-3

Chung, K T et al. “Tannins and human health: a review.” Critical reviews in food science and nutrition vol. 38,6 (1998): 421-64. doi:10.1080/10408699891274273

Von Bingen, Hildegard. Hildegard's Healing Plants: From Her Medieval Classic Physica. United States, Beacon Press, 2002.

Hildegard. Hildegard Von Bingen's Physica: The Complete English Translation of Her Classic Work on Health and Healing. United States, Inner Traditions/Bear, 1998.

Photo of tormentil by Ivonne Wierink through canva.com

Keep Yourself Healthy, Prevent Illness and Age Gracefully: Energetic Winter Is the Perfect Time to Replenish the Function of Your Adrenal Glands–Keys to Preserving Energy Reserves In The Body

November 17, 2021 phyto5.us

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the Water element is associated with the kidneys, bladder and adrenal glands. Considered the source of all energy or qi (chi) found within the body, the kidneys, with the assistance of the adrenal glands, store reserves of qi energy in the body to use later during times of stress and change. It is this balance of chi energy in the body that helps us to heal our bodies, prevent illness and age gracefully.

During the Winter months, we should allow our bodies to follow the cues of nature. These include rest, restoration, storage, conservation, reflection and meditation. One way to support our more mindful restoration practices at this time and to help promote a quantum healing response is to enjoy PHYTO5’s Water element quantum energetic line of skincare. Synergistic formulations comprised of high grade essential oils, plant extracts, minerals and vitamins are all designed to support many aspects of the challenges we face during traditional Chinese medicine’s energetic Winter.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the kidneys serve as the root of health all throughout our lives. They are the foundation of all yin and yang qualities in the body. Each kidney houses millions of tiny filters which diligently work to maintain proper balance of blood, salt and water in the body. The kidneys also produce waste as a by-product of this filtering process which becomes the basis for urine.

The Adrenal Glands

Of utmost importance to the function of the body are the adrenal glands which rest just on top of the kidneys and are only about the size of grapes.When the adrenals are supported, they allow for 1) balanced hormone flow throughout the body, 2) proper utilization of the hormones without over-expenditure, and 3) consequent prevention of depleting the body’s energy reserves.

In response to brain activity, the adrenal glands promote appropriate stress responses when we need them through the hormones cortisol,(1) adrenaline(2) and aldosterone.(3)

We might be depleting our stores of energy and exhausting our adrenal glands without even realizing it. We may find ourselves overreacting to negative occurrences in life, or we may often feel in overwhelm or paralyzed in response to life. Without an effective way to consciously and holistically respond to stress we leave the body on its own, unsupported, to deal with it purely physiologically. After many years of living in a constant state of stress this creates a persistent low-level release of these stress hormones into the body system and we can become exhausted and depleted.

To prevent this many years long activity of adrenal stress-response, it’s important that we periodically allow time for our adrenal glands to rest such as during energetic Winter. This season, of course, follows the many months preceding during which our bodies have had to deploy notable amounts of cortisol and adrenaline just to manage the daily stresses of life.

Women and Adrenal Fatigue

Especially for women who are mothers in the ‘modern age,’ women find they have to burn the candle at both ends to take care of their families. Not only do many women find they must pursue careers, they have to come home and make dinner, clean the house, wash clothes, and take care of children. It is safe to say that most women come in last on the list of who to take care of. There’s little time left for her to rest and restore.

This way of life requires an enormous expenditure of energy and it taxes the adrenal glands. By the time women enter menopause, they’re wrung out. At a time when they should be able to utilize their adrenal glands to help produce that extra estrogen output needed for the remaining years of their lives, they have no extra hormones left to use. And it is this depletion of the adrenal glands that makes the transition from menses to menopause so challenging for so many women.

If you suspect you have adrenal fatigue,

“The first step in optimizing adrenal health is to get to the bottom of how your adrenal glands are currently functioning. The best way to start on this process is to evaluate your symptoms, and if they appear to be related to adrenal function, request that your doctor order tests to measure levels of key adrenal hormones.” —Kathryn Simpson in Overcoming Adrenal Fatigue: How to Restore Hormonal Balance and Feel Renewed, Energized, and Stress Free

In her book mentioned above, Simpson goes on to list some of the ways in which adrenal fatigue might physically and emotionally manifest:

excessive fatigue, exhaustion, feeling run down, low stamina
difficulty recovering from exercise, stress, injury or illness
salty and sweet food cravings
feeling more energy in the evening
waking up tired after having slept well
interruptions in sleep
difficulty concentrating
being more highly susceptible to colds, flus and infections
extreme sensitivity to cold
consistent low blood pressure
more severe symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and highly problematic menopause
feeling unable to cope with stress
overwhelm

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Endnotes:

(1) a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex

(2) a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, especially in conditions of stress, increasing rates of blood circulation, breathing, and carbohydrate metabolism and preparing muscles for exertion; also called epinephrine

(3) a corticosteroid hormone which stimulates absorption of sodium by the kidneys and so regulates water and salt balance

…

Sources:

Counts, Mindi K. Everyday Chinese Medicine: Healing Remedies for Immunity, Vitality, and Optimal Health. United States, Shambhala, 2020.

Simpson, Kathryn. Overcoming Adrenal Fatigue: How to Restore Hormonal Balance and Feel Renewed, Energized, and Stress Free. United States, New Harbinger Publications, 2011.

Photo by Yan Krukov at Pexels

Super-Hydrator Aquaxyl Replenishes Skin with Necessary Moisture While Helping Skin Develop an Ability to Naturally Retain Moisture Over T

November 16, 2021 phyto5.us

Mitigating signs of aging in the skin is an important goal to help us look and feel our best. In answer to this demand there are a plethora of products promising to help making it challenging to know what is best. You can always feel not only safest but really good about yourself when you take a holistic and natural approach to, as naturally as possible, address signs of aging. Today, there are many leading edge companies dedicated to creating natural high tech compounds that can be formulated into skin condition mitigating products especially those concerning aging. One such compound is Aquaxyl utilized in very many PHYTO5 products including Water Yogi Body Gel.

“Aquaxyl [is] another ingredient that helps cells maintain moisture and prevents the skin from becoming dehydrated and damaged. Researchers have found that Aquaxyl not only replenishes moisture but helps the body learn to naturally retain that moisture over time. Cell water loss was reduced after one month of using Aquaxyl on the skin.” —Neil Sadick et al in The New Natural: Your Ultimate Guide to Cutting-Edge Age Reversal.

Aquaxyl is the trade name of a high tech natural super-hydrating compound composed of three plant-based sugars: xylitol, xylitolglucoside and anhydroxyxylitol. It’s developed by SEPPIC, a company out of Courbevoie, France. The compound is accepted as natural and authorized in organic certified skincare products (Bio).

Aquaxyl’s maker SEPPIC describes this carbohydrate derivate super-hydrator as optimizing skin's hydrous flow by helping to balance water circulation and control water reserves. This “anti-dehydration shield,” as they call it, reinforces the synthesis of essential lipids and proteins involved in the organization of the outermost layers of the epidermis.

Aquaxyl is proven to restructure and strengthen these skin layers known as the stratum corneum.*

Aquaxyl boosts all skin hydration elements including lipids, proteins, polysaccharides (naturally occurring dermal and epidermal hyaluronic acid), and very importantly the NMF of the skin—Natural Moisturizing Factor.

“Natural moisturizing factor (NMF) is essential for appropriate stratum corneum* hydration, barrier homeostasis, desquamation,** and plasticity.” —Marisa Robinson et al in Natural moisturizing factors (NMF) in the stratum corneum (SC)

Aquaxyl reinforces the skin’s natural barrier within 24 hours by limiting loss of water. Softer smoother skin with normal desquamation and smoothing of fine lines can be noticed within 28 days of its use.

Hydration regulator Aquaxyl also helps improve tone of the skin. It makes skin more visibly beautiful with noticeable results in eight hours according to SEPPIC. It also strengthens the beneficial action of glycerin while nullifying any of its negative effects.

Aquaxyl is the ideal moisturizing agent for hands and it’s found in PHYTO5’s Hand Cream. In a recent in vivo study on Aquaxyl’s use on hands, a positive 13.5% hydration effect was noticed after 24 hours and a negative 15.4% transepidermal water loss (TEWL) after eight days.

Xylitol, the most familiar component of the three that make up Aquaxyl, is a beneficial sugar alcohol which naturally occurs in many fruits, vegetables and even trees like birch and maple. Considered a healthy sweetener it has a prebiotic action and therefore can positively influence the gut microbiome if consumed as part of food.

But just as importantly, xylitol also offers proven skincare benefits. If you’ve ever applied moisturizer to your skin only to find it dry a couple hours later, this indicates your skin’s natural barrier isn’t functioning optimally. Xylitol helps replenish moisture in the skin and also helps to prevent it from evaporating by strengthening the skin barrier.

The other two components of Aquaxyl, anhydroxylitol and xylitylglucoside are natural, plant-derived humectants which, like xylitol, work to keep skin hydrated for longer.

Anhydroxylitol is a compound only relatively recently found to exist in the vegetal kingdom. It optimizes the skin’s natural stores of moisture by synthesizing glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)—substances such as chondroitin sulfate** which help naturally retain moisture in the skin. It supports synthesis of skin barrier ceramides*** and works to prevent loss of water through the skin.

Xylitylglucoside is made from two water-binding plant sugars, glucose and xylitol. This compound in itself also possesses a significant degree of skin moisturizing capability. It stimulates the formation of enzymes, proteins and ceramides*** necessary for a healthy skin barrier.

Aquaxyl enhances skin’s dermal water reservoirs making the skin better able to absorb more moisture and strengthen the skin barrier and its function so that water does not evaporate through the skin. It helps the body to produce its own hyaluronic acid, a key factor in skin’s hydration, elasticity, tone and firmness.

For all these reasons, PHYTO5 has chosen Aquaxyl to work in a number of its most hydrating and toning products. In addition to being formulated into Water element Yogi Body Gel and Hand Cream, super hydrator Aquaxyl can be found and enjoyed in PHYTO5’s Face Gel, Face Gel Mask, organic certified hydrating Body Milk and Ageless Extreme Hydrating Cream.

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Endnotes:

* stratum corneum: outermost layer of the epidermis

** in its negative sense, skin flakiness and scaling; in its positive sense, the absence of skin flakiness and scaling

*** an important structural component of cartilage; ceramides provide much of cartilage’s resistance to compression

Sadick, Neil, et al. The New Natural: Your Ultimate Guide to Cutting-Edge Age Reversal. United States, Harmony/Rodale, 2011.

Marshall, Samantha, et al. The New Natural: Your Ultimate Guide to Cutting-Edge Age Reversal. United States, Harmony/Rodale, 2011.

Rhode, Deborah L.. The Beauty Bias: The Injustice of Appearance in Life and Law. United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 2010.

Procedures in Cosmetic Dermatology Series: Cosmeceuticals E-Book. United Kingdom, Elsevier Health Sciences, 2008.

Robinson M, Visscher M, Laruffa A, Wickett R. Natural moisturizing factors (NMF) in the stratum corneum (SC). I. Effects of lipid extraction and soaking. J Cosmet Sci. 2010 Jan-Feb;61(1):13-22. PMID: 20211113.

Mohan, Narendra and Singh, Priyankia, Editors. Sugar and Sugar Derivatives: Changing Consumer Preferences. Germany, Springer Singapore, 2020.

Maibach, Howard I., and Lodén, Marie. Treatment of Dry Skin Syndrome: The Art and Science of Moisturizers. Germany, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2012.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels (pexels-karolina-grabowska-7321557.jpg)

Best Eating Practices and Tips for Eating During Energetic Winter According to Traditional Chinese Medicine

November 12, 2021 phyto5.us

According to traditional Chinese medicine, in energetic Winter, the season of the Water element, our energy moves inward. Quieter more passive yin chi is highlighted and active yang chi is subdued. Even in today’s world, we should find ways to hibernate and withdraw during Winter. One way to practice this inward movement is through food. Traditional Chinese medicine is very good at prescribing the particular foods to eat that will warm, sustain and nurture us all season long. And just as important is the manner in which we prepare these Winter foods.

Winter is the perfect time to allow our blood sugar to regain homeostasis by reducing our simple carbohydrate intake (carbohydrate calories made of starchy and sugary foods). We don’t require these like we did in the Summer. Moreover, we simply don’t need sugar-rich foods.

Winter is the season of storage. We want to look at buying more foods that store well in our homes for Winter like root vegetables, nuts and seeds. We have refrigerators and other methods for helping us to store and keep food from spoiling but this isn’t the whole reason for gathering foods that keep for longer periods of time. The reason is more so that these simply tend to be the foods we should be consuming more of during energetic Winter.

These storage type foods don’t just keep well, they create energy that our bodies can also store well.

In Winter, it’s beneficial to have a richer diet since cold temperatures and winds are very drying. The cold air and wind directly attack the skin and nose causing the lungs and your wei chi (immunity) to have to work harder.

If we allow ourselves to become run down during the Winter and Water element season, our lungs can become inflamed and we can catch a cold. In traditional Chinese medicine, kidneys, the organ of the Water element, are the ‘children’ of the lungs. When the lungs become weak, so do the kidneys, and this makes us more susceptible to colds.

When coldness seeps into our bodies in Winter it causes contraction and limits our movement, and as a result, we become even colder than we were before. Internal cold manifests as poor circulation, aches and pains, asthma, colitis or asthma.

During the energetic Winter season, focus on fat, protein and complex carbohydrates which tend to be very stabilizing and nourishing. The body will draw energy from such foods for a long period of time.

Black turtle beans are the most warming legume and they are very yin-building. You can further increase black turtle beans’ warming energy by adding fresh rosemary when cooking them slowly.

Other foods that will help warm you up are pine nuts, walnuts, chestnuts, anchovies, mussels, and trout. Encourage circulation and thus, warming, with ginger, cloves, fennel, cinnamon and anise.

The following are food prep principles to observe during energetic Winter according to traditional Chinese medicine:

Make all your food nutritious and warming. Cook everything.
Cook slowly over long periods of time but on lower heat. Leave the food unmoved during the cooking process. This will bring a calming effect to your food when you eat it. It will also help properly combine food essences which takes a long time. Although living uncooked food can be extremely healthy to eat, sometimes the body needs the certain kind of assistance that combining food essences through slow cooking can provide.
- If you need to concentrate for study or another task, eat warm simple two-ingredient meals.
- To enhance your sociable nature during the holidays, eat light meals made of several ingredients.
Incorporate salty foods into your diet.
Ingest nothing cold. Everything you consume during this season should be warm.
Avoid dairy foods.
Make nutrient-dense broths and consume them daily. Tie some star anise, licorice root, cloves, fennel seeds and a mandarin peel in a muslin cloth and let it simmer in your next broth. This can pack a punch.
Go no longer than four hours without eating. (Your sleep hours don’t count, of course.)
Eat lots of kidney-shaped foods like beans and seeds.
Enjoy lots of nuts at this time.
- Just like the season, Winter foods like grains, dehydrated foods and seeds and nuts have inward-moving energy.
Consume black and blue-black foods rich in anthocyanins like blueberries and black beans. For more info., read our comprehensive blogs on the topic, Black or Blue-Black Foods: Excellent Sources of Ultimate Black Food Nutrition During Winter Plus Bonus Cocktail Recipe and More Than A Dozen Oh So Nutritious Black Foods for Winter.
Make the winter squash family a nurturing hearty addition to almost any meal: acorn, butternut, delicate, hubbard, kabocha and spaghetti squash.
Bring lots of root vegetables into your Winter diet. They do well in slow cooked stews and soups. Root vegetables include beets, carrots, celery root, jicama, onions (yellow onions, green onions, leeks, shallots), parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, and sweet potatoes.
Season food with warm pungent herbs and spices which remove inner cold in the Winter: basil, black pepper, garlic, horseradish, turmeric, cinnamon and cloves.
Though alcohol is not generally recommended, it’s appropriate during energetic Winter to enjoy a small amount of spirits to warm your system up since they are ‘hot-warm’ in nature. They do promote circulation, stimulate the appetite and keep out the cold.

Winter is the season that plays host to holidays and celebrations for a number of cultures and traditions. Even celebrations can be more yin-like and subdued when they’re made cozy and intimate with low lights, soft music and plenty of warming, comforting foods served to the people you love.

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Endnotes:

Counts, Mindi K. Everyday Chinese Medicine: Healing Remedies for Immunity, Vitality, and Optimal Health. United States, Shambhala, 2020.

Wong, Lun, and Knapsey, Kath. Food for the Seasons: Eat Well and Stay Healthy the Traditional Chinese Way. Australia. Red Dog Books. 2012.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska at Pexels

The Water Type Personality According to Traditional Chinese Medicine: Understanding Your Archetype for Harmony and Balance

November 5, 2021 phyto5.us

At the time of our birth, the prevailing cosmic and telluric energies have an important effect on our personality. It can be said that at the time of birth these energies give us our own individual rhythms that seem to transcend our genetic makeup and upbringing.. Traditional Chinese medicine embraces a fivefold concept known as the Five Element or Five Phase Theory that help explain these rhythms. Traditional Chinese medicine points out that we all tend to be one predominant ‘type’ from among the five elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, though no one is one hundred percent one type alone. In this article we discuss both the in-balance and out-of-balance (maladapted) Water type personality.

The Mystery of Water

Water, hidden and unseen, is the deepest part of our energetic system. It’s the root of aliveness and vitality in the human body. Water is essential for the maintenance of life. It carries evolutionary memory and powers the activities of the body including healing and regeneration.

Traditional Chinese medicine has assigned a color to each of the elements and Water’s color is black. Appropriately, we begin our life’s journey in the unknown—in water, floating in amniotic fluid—our eyes closed creating black darkness in a womb which, too, is absent of physical light, it, too, mirroring that black darkness. The Water element is the most yin of the five elements.

The Primary Archetype

The archetype that best describes the Water personality in balance is the wise one or philosopher. The wise one strives to bring the dark black mysteries of life into the light. She knows when to be active and when to retreat. She understands the intricacies, paradoxes and enigmas of life and is able to astutely share these insights she has developed in order to help others live more fulfilled lives.

The Water personality is all about searching for meaning. Water runs deep and so do Water type personalities.

“The Sage, the Water element archetype, represents the power of the Water energy to transform fear and doubt to wisdom and trust and to promote acceptance of the unknown and the unknowable as part of life.” —Charles A. Moss, M. D. in Power of the Five Elements: The Chinese Medicine Path to Healthy Aging and Stress Resistance

This wise Water personality knows he has benefited from all the knowledge and experience he has garnered from generations before him. He loves applying the lessons he has learned from that history. At the same time, it takes all the wisdom Water has developed to maintain his or her equilibrium, grounding and balance in this type.

“The cafés in Paris, the hookah lounges in the Middle East, and the urban coffeehouses in America are filled with them. They love to sit with close friends, ruminating about life, waxing eloquent about all this is right and wrong with the world. They are great conversationalists, and the deeper the conversations, the better.” —Dondi Dahlin in The Five Elements: Understand Yourself and Enhance Your Relationships with the Wisdom of the World's Oldest Personality Type System

Water loves to plumb the depths of life, losing themselves as blissfully in the arts as they do grocery store aisles searching for just the right wine. Water takes life very seriously often not getting the jokes along the way.

Theirs is a slower rhythm. They take their time. They have patience. Hurry is not part of their consciousness. Calm is evident in their manner of speaking and speech, their gait, their breathing and their response to life. They find rituals, symbols and traditions alluringly poignant. You have to be well-read to keep up intellectually with an in-balance Water.

Water type personalities are very people oriented and will readily allow new people into their lives but tend not to initiate these relationships. Water loves to help other people succeed. If Water can help others succeed, then Water has succeeded.

A good listener, Water does not enjoy confrontation and will work to achieve harmony among people however he can.

Water must live a life that is fully aligned with his core values and beliefs. Deeply philosophical and profound, Water tends to see menial tasks as art. In fact, Water types are very artistic themselves. The most creative and artistic people the world has ever seen tend to have strong Water personalities. Their creations are awe-inspiring.

Water type personalities live in their minds. They prefer predictability. They need to make sense of life, but out-of-balance or maladapted Water will have difficulty reconciling a world that looks very warped to them. This causes them to feel depressed as the world looks murkier and quite different from what others perceive.

Two Types of Water

For most people Water is the most challenging of the five element personality types to understand. This is because there are two types of Water: 1) the wise philosopher archetype and 2) the new baby full of wonder, delight and playfulness.

The philosopher spends time reading, journaling, writing, studying, and contemplating life. The philosopher prefers time spent alone. He or she has a keen interest in the past and how it has influenced the present. Even when it comes to meeting a new person, the wise one type of Water wants to know everything about her new acquaintance's history so that she can better understand who is before her.

The second archetype, that of the playful new baby, is the adult who is still quite childlike, bubbly and radiant. This type of Water will follow a crowd or easily make new friends simply because she is curious and finds it fun and interesting. This Water type can be very endearing, delightful and even spontaneous.

Their primary challenge is that they have so many ideas they never follow through on many. They lack motivation to see their ideas through. They need someone to push them along.

Both archetypes of Water, the philosopher and the playful baby both have a yin energy. The influence of the strong yin energy is translated as intense inner focus. Both archetypes of the Water personality tend to be quieter than others, more introverted and more private.

Water-in-balance can be an enormously captivating personality with a zen-like air, but out-of-balance can have inhibitions, low self-esteem, a tendency to overcautiousness with a preoccupation for worry and agitation. False bravado is another of maladapted Water’s personality traits.

The maladapted Water type will tend to feel overwhelmed, agitated through crisis, resigned to what she cannot conquer, isolated and fearful.

She finds a pathway back into balance through tapping in to her innate sense of calm and wisdom where she can once again begin to confidently manage life’s crises. Regaining her balance by diving in to her core essence she will no longer feel alone but instead supported by the universe whether she has people around her or not.

Whether you are in- or out-of-balance as a Water type, embrace your wondrous archetype of wise one, philosopher and playful child. Stand in your essence of life. You are Water.

…

Endnotes:

Dahlin, Dondi. The Five Elements: Understand Yourself and Enhance Your Relationships with the Wisdom of the World's Oldest Personality Type System. United States, Penguin Publishing Group, 2016.

Moss, Charles A. Power of the Five Elements: The Chinese Medicine Path to Healthy Aging and Stress Resistance. United States, North Atlantic Books, 2011.

The Terpene: Most Fundamental Fragrance, Flavor and Healing Component of Essential Oil

October 18, 2021 phyto5.us

A brunette woman in her thirties wearing a golden yellow t-shirt holds a small amber colored dropper bottle of essential oil; a vase of cypress twigs nearby

One of the most important compounds present in essential oils is the terpene.* Terpenes are vibrantly fragrant molecules that occur naturally in plant life, especially in conifers, bearing pigment, scent and flavor. When applied to skin, terpenes in essential oils work to promote homeostasis (balance) not just in skin but throughout the entire body once they enter the bloodstream through the skin.

Terpenes are bioactive compounds which influence the body’s endocannabinoid system responsible for regulating various biological functions in the body such as immune response, appetite, metabolism, memory, respiration, sleep, stress response and more.

The effect of a terpene on the body will vary based on:

its concentration
its characteristics
the physical makeup of the person using it.

“The endocannabinoid system is a network of cell receptors that responds to chemicals like THC, among others. These receptors are mostly found in the brain but also show up in the immune cells, liver and lungs. This system is what helps with pain and inflammation regulation… Cannabinoids are a group of chemicals that interact with and bind to receptors in the brain, which can help regulate mood, sleep, appetite, and pain sensation… Cannabinoids are found in every person. What makes it different is the level of neurotransmitter that is present in a person's body.” — “The Endocannabinoid System for Dummies: 7 Facts.”

The term terpene was coined in 1866 by the scholar Fr. A. Kekulé. Later, German chemist Otto Wallach made a major discovery about terpenes noting a pattern of carbon to hydrogen atoms in all essential oils. Though the number of hydrogen and carbon atoms vary from terpene to terpene, the ratio is always the same: five carbon atoms to every eight hydrogen atoms. This “isoprene rule” earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1910 and he was literally dubbed the “Messiah of Terpenes.”

The isoprene rule is the basic concept of terpenes' molecular structure and their biogenesis.

The isoprene unit acts as monomer or single unit that builds up in repeating units to form groups of terpenes we find in essential oils. Their names usually but not always end in -ene.

“A terpene can fall into a number of given classes, including mono, sesqui, di, tri or tetra terpenes, all of which are found in nature. Isoprenes are bonding units, and a terpene is classified into one of these categories by how many isoprene [units] it contains. Think of isoprenes as the building blocks of terpenes.” Andrew Freedman in Terpenes for Well-Being: A Comprehensive Guide to Botanical Aromas for Emotional and Physical Self-Care

monoterpenes consist of two isoprene units
sesquiterpenes consist of three isoprene units
diterpenes: four units
triterpenes: six units
tetraterpenes: eight units

Terpenes are known to modulate mood and heighten our sense of well-being. Stimulation of our olfactory receptors which happens when we take in the fragrance of a flower, for example, often makes an emotional impact on us. But this isn’t the whole story. The chemical composition of the terpenes interact directly with brain cells to regulate and influence their activity, in turn interacting with the entire body.

Terpenes present with woody, earthy, floral, fruity, citrusy, spicy or sweet aromas. An example of the woody note is the terpene guaiacol, a component of guaiac wood essential oil found in Ageless La Cure Nourishing Cream (above) by PHYTO5. It also provides the woody notes, for example, to support the rose fragrance in Chanel No. 19. All PHYTO5 skin and hair care is extremely abundant in terpenes given that all products are essential oil rich.

Over 20,000 unique terpenes exist in nature but only a fraction of them have been explored. In addition to working to create stasis in the human body, they play a vital role in maintaining stasis in our ecosystem. As one example, scientists believe terpenes evolved to protect plants from pests by repelling them with an unpleasant odor, killing or luring them with their scent only to trap them in their resin. Still other terpenes give off a pleasant odor that attracts beneficial insects.

Alpha-Pinene is the terpene found in essential oils like peppermint, rosemary, sage and frankincense. Alpha-Pinene gives evergreen trees their aroma. It’s anti-inflammatory and is known to help improve respiratory function.

Basil, black pepper, cinnamon, clove, patchouli, oregano, lavender and rosemary contain the peppery smelling terpene beta-Caryophyllene. It’s anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and analgesic.

A final example of a common terpene is linalool. It exudes a calming fresh, floral smell and offers analgesic action as it promotes relaxation and stress relief. Lavender, basil, cilantro, clary sage, neroli and bergamot all contain linalool.

Terpenes are the constituents of flavors for spicing foods or creating distinct fragrances in perfumery. They equally serve as vital components in medical therapies and are hardly given the attention they deserve in most organic and pharmaceutical chemistry textbooks.

“Many of us think of aroma as a linear concept, a characteristic made up of easy to identify elements… but what really is the source of that aroma?” —Andrew Freedman

Terpenes are the building blocks of scent and flavor and layers of them create the aromas, the flavors and the healing properties we take for granted today. When you dissect what really creates combinations of scents and flavors, you become more aware of the majesty of nature. You become more aware of the enormous potential terpenes and essential oils have for your self-care, well-being and healing.

#####

Endnotes:

* You may have guessed that the word terpene is derived from the word turpentine. This is because terpenes are a major component of turpentine most of which is derived from coniferous trees.

Kreider, Heather. “Terpenes In Essential Oils.” Skininc.texterity.com, 7 Oct. 2021, https://skininc.texterity.com/skininc/october_2021/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=1730052&ajs_uid=5912I1544689E4Z&oly_enc_id=5912I1544689E4Z#articleId1730052.

Potter, Beverly A. Terpenes: The Magic in Cannabis. United States, Ronin Publishing, 2019.

“The Endocannabinoid System for Dummies - 7 Facts.” ShredCBD by PFX Labs, https://shredcbd.com/blogs/shredcbd/the-endocannabinoid-system-for-dummies.

Breitmaier, Eberhard. Terpenes: Flavors, Fragrances, Pharmaca, Pheromones. Germany, Wiley, 2006.

Freedman, Andrew. Terpenes for Well-Being: A Comprehensive Guide to Botanical Aromas for Emotional and Physical Self-Care. N.p., Mango Media.

Our Bodies’ Cells Sing! Discover How 'Singing Cells' Are the Foundation of Your Health and Vitality

September 30, 2021 phyto5.us

Living cells in the human body create sound as a natural aspect of their metabolic and life process. Each cell has a unique ‘song’ that changes in response to our thoughts and emotions. Our cells literally sing. ‘Singing cells’ have long been part of non-Western belief systems(1) and have recently been explored by modern Western scientists.

It has long been known that cells communicate with each other in nature: “Every living organism makes noise, but most of us aren't sensitive to it," says Bernie Krause, author of Wild Soundscapes: Discovering the Voice of the Natural World.

Every cell is in contact and continuous communication with every other cell and holds the unique imprint of YOU. The cells communicate without ceasing about the tasks they perform in order to establish harmony and balance in your body.

Every individual cell holds a unique vibrational tone which is light (intensity, color) and vibration (resonance, sound). This communication actually creates a chatter, a cacophony or a symphony depending on how we treat our bodies. Moreover, these cells are not just communicating with each other, they are communicating with and responding to you every second.

Our cells let us know when something is out of balance:

“… diseases in organisms are often the results of disturbed or damaged communication between cells.” — Joseph Seckbach in Biocommunication: Sign-mediated Interactions Between Cells And Organisms.

The cells of humans (and animals) may not be the only forms of life that emit sound or ‘sing.’ Plant life communication has been the focus of intensive research over the last 20 years.

"Sound is overwhelming, it's everywhere. Surely life would have used it to its advantage in all forms,” says Monica Gagliano, plant physiologist and acoustics researcher at the University of Western Australia in Crawley.
Further she says, “We have identified that plants respond to sound and they make their own sounds. The obvious purpose of sound might be for communicating with others.”

Vibration creates sound. Without vibration there is no sound.

The field of plant bioacoustics tells us that plants vibrate at various frequencies and thus emit sound: Plants emit audio acoustic emissions between 10–240 Hz as well as ultrasonic acoustic emissions (UAE) within 20–300 kHz.

Get your cells singing with PHYTO5 quantum energetic skincare. Help your body’s cells work in concert with your vital energy to create exhilarating aliveness and vitality.

PHYTO5’s five element quantum energetic skincare lines are known to vibrate at very high frequency which is proven in this video, therefore it might be said that the molecules of flower and plant essential oils comprised of cells that vibrate and ‘sing’ are what ‘speak’ to the skin and body. This form of plant cell to human cell communication creates the quantum healing effect provided the host accepts and allows it.

“All coordination between cells, organs, and organisms depends on successful biocommunicative processes. There are abundant cases of communication in the biological world, both within (intraspecific) and between (interspecific) single-cell and multicellular microorganisms and higher animal forms.” —Joseph Seckbach

Camilo Sanchez in Daoist Meridian Yoga: Activating the Twelve Pathways for Energy Balance and Healing tells us that information, which comes in a variety of forms, namely, light, electromagnetic radiation, and subtle energy, travel through the network of chi channels and they control the communication of biochemical messages between cells. These same channels of chi work like “magnetic vectors” that give direction to the flow of vital energy.

In fact, the entire premise of PHYTO5 is to balance vital energy, a precondition to overall wellness. This balanced flow of vital energy benefits the skin, in particular.

The study of cell sounds or ‘singing cells’ has been dubbed “sonocytology" by its founder, Jim Gimzewski, a UCLA chemist. He conducted the first sonocytology experiment(2) with yeast cells.

The researchers found that the frequency of the yeast cells remained roughly in the same high range, "about a C-sharp to D above middle C in terms of music," says Andrew Pelling of the UCLA Chemistry Department. They found that sprinkling alcohol on a yeast cell with the intent to kill it raises the pitch. Conversely, they found dead cells to give off a low, rumbling sound.

To view and listen to the video documenting this experiment, click here. You will also be able to witness a series of complex geometrical forms that comprise the yeast cell in motion.

“Cells can be observed and their sounds recorded but they can also be manipulated, which results in a change of sound. A ‘singing cell’ can be turned into a ‘screaming cell’ by altering its living environment.” —Anne Niemetz in her thesis, Singing cells, art, science and the noise in between

That living environment looks one way in the laboratory but in the natural laboratory called the human being, the manipulations of the cells equate to our thoughts and emotions, and still further, even to the nutrition we give our bodies and all the externals to which we subject them.

But our body’s cells can be energized and purified by the very thing they emit: sound.

Githa Ben-David, author of The Note From Heaven: How to Sing Yourself Into a Higher State of Consciousness presents a method for liberating the natural voice using what she calls ‘regressive cell singing.’ She says this method is one of the most direct ways to get in contact with the subconscious mind. She utilizes what she calls the ‘note from heaven’ to establish this contact.

Ben-David describes the ‘note from heaven’ as the tonal expression of the divine state—the quantum field. This field is inherent in all of us and we have the ability to contact it.

In the regressive cell singing method, the ‘note from heaven’ one sings acts like a tuning fork retuning cells to their former harmony. The cells not only sing, they dance, according to Ben-David and this causes a reorganization of cells and brings the body back to its original balanced matrix.

“We are all born in tune, with a beautiful composition in our cell.” —Githa Ben-David

We are constantly imprinting either our cohesive or chaotic thoughts and emotions upon our cellular structure.

The topic of ‘singing cells’ and how they relate to our mental, physical and emotional well-being should give us pause. It’s not just an interesting topic, it is a vital one.

Without managing our thoughts and emotions with awareness, we might negatively feed our cells in such a way that they respond to us darkly, emitting a base, droning tone without quantum spiral or cohesive ecstatic aliveness.

We should want to give our cells a positive frequency or radiation of light causing our cells to create a beautiful sounding symphony and incessant lovely chatter.

…

Endnotes:

(1) The indigenous of the Ecuadorian rainforest is one example.

(2) In 2002, Professor James Gimzewski and Andrew Pelling at the UCLA Department of Chemistry first made the discovery that yeast cells oscillate at the nanoscale. When they amplified this oscillation they found the resulting sound lies within the human audible range. They used an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) to ‘listen’ to the sounds of cells. The AFM isn’t exactly a microscope. The device ‘touches’ a cell with its small tip similar to a needle that ‘feels’ the bumps in a groove on a vinyl record. The AFM ‘feels’ oscillations taking place at the membrane of a cell. The researchers then amplify and distribute these electrical signals via speakers.

Niemetz, Anne. “Singing cells, art, science and the noise in between.” http://users.design.ucla.edu/~aniemetz/Niemetz_Thesis2004.pdf. MFA Thesis 2004, UCLA Department of Design/Media Arts.

Ben-David, Githa. The Note From Heaven: How to Sing Yourself Into a Higher State of Consciousness. Watkins Publishing. March 22, 2016.

Seckbach, Joseph et al. Biocommunication: Sign-mediated Interactions Between Cells And Organisms. World Scientific Publishing Company. November 2016.

Sanchez, Camilo. Daoist Meridian Yoga: Activating the Twelve Pathways for Energy Balance and Healing. Singing Dragon. October 21, 2015.

Krause, Bernie. Wild Soundscapes: Discovering the Voice of the Natural World. Yale University Press. May 24, 2016.

Trussell, Dianne, and BSc(Hons); 17 years in medical and biological research. “Singing Cells – Science and the Music of the Human Body.” Unimed Living, https://www.unimedliving.com/music/the-science-of-music/singing-cells-science-and-the-music-of-the-human-body-part-2.html.

Bright, Richard, et al. “The Rhythmic Sound of Living Cells.” Interalia Magazine, 14 Sept. 2015, https://www.interaliamag.org/blog/the-dark-side-of-the-cell/.

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Signal Discovery?” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Mar. 2004, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/signal-discovery-104663195/.

Image by agsandrew from Getty Images Pro via Canva.

Lemon Essential Oil For Skincare and Emotion

September 27, 2021 phyto5.us

Lemon essential oil, which is present in many Metal element line skincare products among many others by PHYTO5 is astringent, antibacterial and antiseptic making it perfect for skincare. Cleansing and stimulating, it is primarily and best used for 1) oily and/or acneic skin and for tired, sluggish and aging skin, and 2) the nervous system, however its benefits to our health do not stop there.

Lemon is one the most common oils and because of its abundant presence in nature, it is most often cold pressed. The more rare and expensive steam-distilled oil has an indefinite shelf-life and is the one most suitable for skincare.

Lemon oil clarifies and brightens the skin by removing dead skin cells from the surface as it gently and deeply cleanses. It provides tone, tightening and lifting the skin.

Lemon essential oil in skincare controls oil production in the skin and helps shrink large pores. It eases out blackheads as a result of its skin tightening ability and prevents blackhead formation by blotting excess sebum and shrinking the pores.

This versatile essential oil is known to help promote hair regrowth. Its presence in shampoos like PHYTO5’s Metal element Shampoo, Earth element Shampoo and Wood element Shampoo balances oil production dry itchiness in the scalp.

“Typhus germs may be killed in less than one hour; germs causing pneumonia in three to four hours and staphylococcus germs in five minutes. Its antiseptic properties will last for twenty days.”
— Susanne Fischer-Rizzi in Complete Aromatherapy Handbook: Essential Oils for Radiant Health

Antioxidant-rich, it can help prevent premature aging because of its citric acid and vitamin C content. It boosts collagen and helps the skin regain elasticity.

Lemon reduces scarring, makes the hair shine and balances skin’s pH.

A disinfectant and styptic, lemon can stop wounds from bleeding. It may be applied directly to insect bites to stop the itching and reduce swelling.

Lemon is also an antibacterial and acne fighter. Its antibacterial properties give lemon its potent germ-killing ability.

Lemon essential oil is excellent in treating colds and throat infections. By adding one or two drops per quart of water in a sponge bath, lemon oil relieves itchy eczema.

Lemon oil is perfect for destroying air-borne germs in well populated places when used in aroma lamps and diffusers.

Lemon also strengthens vascular tissue and is therefore beneficial for treating varicose veins. It strengthens the heart and proactively may prevent the onset of arteriosclerosis. It also promotes red blood cell formation.

Lemon stimulates the immune system. It cleanses the blood and activates white blood cell formation for the purpose of protecting the body during flu or any virus epidemics.

It has a tonic action on the lymphatic system supporting the movement of lymph, a colorless fluid containing white blood cells which bathes the tissues and drains through the lymphatic system into the bloodstream.

Lemon oil cleanses the body by stimulating the liver to flush out the essential oil along with toxins that have accumulated in the liver and blood.

Lemon can be a great heartburn remedy and can help balance sickness-causing high body acidity. By taking lemon essential oil orally, it can help counteract a high acid content in body fluids by stimulating the production of neutralizing potassium carbonate in the body. (Caution: Never consume more than one or two drops of any essential oil at a time because their composition is extremely concentrated.)

In massage, lemon essential oil can be a vital muscle tonic.

Lemon also stimulates the nervous system. Lemon lifts the spirit, balances mood, helps regulate mood swings and is excellent for both physical and psychological heaviness. It can be psychologically strengthening people who feel depressed or fearful.

In addition to improving sleep, lemon essential oil is known to increase concentration and the ability to memorize by activating the center of the hippocampus in the brain. It helps clears the mind and aids one in the decision-making process. Lemon is quite helpful in calming stormy emotional outbursts and when pursuing challenging intellectual tasks.

Lemon essential oil is present in the following products by PHYTO5:

#####

Endnotes:

Fischer-Rizzi, Susanne, and Jeanette Green. Complete Aromatherapy Handbook: Essential Oils for Radiant Health. Sterling Pub. Co., 1990.

Miller, Light, and Bryan Miller. Ayurveda and Aromatheraphy: The Earth Essential Guide to Ancient Wisdom and Modern Healing. Motilal Banarsidass Publishing, 1998.

Atkinson, Alicia. Essential Oils for Beauty, Wellness, and the Home. Skyhorse Publishing. November 3, 2015.

Photo by Sasha Pritchard via Canva.

Balanced Flow of Blood and Chi Are Essential for Beautiful, Younger Looking Skin

September 27, 2021 Purusha Radha

I recently received a series of non-invasive facelift treatments (called the Chromalift) performed by PHYTO5’s Director of Education. I’m at the point in my life where I’m actively working to counteract or reverse fine lines and some loss of elasticity in the skin. As Gina and I chatted while I was on the table, she said something that really struck me: people with red, ruddy, rather flushed looking skin—a sign of a little too much red blood circulation—don’t usually get lines and sagging later in life. This is because all that red blood marked by skin redness has been abundantly delivering nutrition to the skin cells all along. I learned in that moment how critical blood circulation is to beauty.

I’m sure people with red and hot skin don’t enjoy that skin condition either. Each of us has unique challenges. But since Gina told me that, I’ve been on the lookout for women whose skin tends to redness so maybe I can observe the effects in action. And I have to say I do admire the firmness and ‘lift’ they seem to more naturally enjoy.

Beautiful skin really does start with healthy clean blood and proper circulation. Improved blood circulation can prevent the formation of fine lines. It opens the capillaries in the body and improves oxygen uptake of the skin cells.

Still, lines and wrinkles are the result of a number of conditions and not always poor blood circulation. They can be caused by exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun, weak connective tissue, acidification of the body, metabolic disease, hormonal disorders, declining oil production of the sebaceous glands, poor nutrition, heredity, environmental insults, stress, an inactive lifestyle, alcohol and tobacco.

But the five fluids of the body system (vital energy, red blood, lymph, blue blood, water) are our deepest source of nourishment and detoxification and, ultimately, defense against aging. These fluids actually bathe our cells. If we don’t pay attention to the fluid environment of the body and work to support it naturally, the quality of not only our skin, but our organs and glands will suffer.

Beautiful skin and hair require that we support our internal organs. After all, they produce and constantly circulate blood. This is how we prevent inflammation and acidity.

Wrinkles, that rather awful sign of aging, are not only lessened or maybe even prevented by improved fluid circulation, but our flow of vital energy is tantamount to it.

Says Letha Hadady, D. Ac., renowned herbalist and acupuncturist:

“Wrinkles begin from inside due to weak chi originating from poor digestion and circulation. The Chinese medical texts explain this energetically.”

Hadady goes on to explain in her book, Asian Health Secrets: The Complete Guide to Asian Herbal Medicine, that chi becomes weak in certain acupuncture meridians located on the dorsal sides of both arms and hands. These meridians naturally flow upward to lift the face. When these meridians become weak, when what is called the ‘upper Yang’ deteriorates, wrinkles develop.

While you could visit an acupuncture physician to help remedy this, Hadady says you can prevent wrinkles and stay young and beautiful with blood and chi building herbs such as these:

elderberries
chicory root
burdock root
red clover flowers
comfrey
coltsfoot
rose hips
nettle
dandelion greens
parsley
watercress with a pinch of paprika

Refer to page 297 in Hadady’s book for the exact recipe to achieve beautiful skin with perhaps little incidence of lines according to the author.

“Chi is the invisible envelope that lifts your energy. You can lift your face by lifting chi. This is done with good nutrition and herbs.” —Letha Hadady

Finally, the issue of collagen depletion causing skin to get saggy and lethargic also contributes to lines and wrinkles. Collagen loss happens incrementally year by year until one day the percent of collagen loss is significant.

Hadady tells us an excellent approach to amplify collagen is by increasing our intake of herbal vitamin C.

Herbal vitamin C means you are ingesting herbs that are rich in naturally occurring vitamin C and these actually increase your chi. See the list above.

Herbal vitamin C cleanses the liver ensuring healthy calcium absorption and better blood circulation. Vitamin C rich herbs combine the vitamin with important minerals that work together to maintain healthy collagen and blood circulation. Moreover, the body is always going to accept nutrition from a whole food better than it will from an isolated nutrient.

The PHYTO5 Metal element skincare line is formulated with specific essential oils like rosemary, eucalyptus and niaouli that support better blue and red blood circulation. These cause the superficial capillaries to dilate and regulate temperature while an interchange of tissue fluids takes place increasing nutrition to the skin’s surface layers.

When you apply a skincare product you should always do it mindfully and in a way to increase the blood circulation of the face and neck. (I noticed when Gina gave me my facial treatments she used light circular motions with her fingertips to bring red blood into my face.)

Both PHYTO5 skincare plus your mindful application of the products can work synergistically to increase the local skin temperature and bring color to your skin.

Maybe do what I do. Approach your skincare from all directions:

the skincare products you put on your face and body
your vital energy flow
your nutrition
your lifestyle

When you understand what the skin and body need, you can get to work to give both the raw materials, love and kindness they deserve. And you can be a natural beauty no matter your age.

…

Endnotes:

Isla, Dr Jeremiah. Gua Sha: The Healing Guide On Using Gua Sha To Improve Your Skin Beauty. N.p., Independently Published, 2021.

Howard, Jackie, et al. Principles and Techniques for the Beauty Specialist. United Kingdom, Nelson Thornes Limited, 1993.

Kopf, Robert. Wrinkles - Prevention and Treatment with Homeopathy and Schuessler Salts (homeopathic Cell Salts): A Homeopathic and Naturopathic Guide. Germany, BookRix, 2018.

Hadady, Letha. Asian Health Secrets: The Complete Guide to Asian Herbal Medicine. United States, Three Rivers Press, 1998.

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Understanding the Spring Equinox Makes Sense that the Real New Year Is In Spring.

It’s logical that the real New Year is in Spring.

Ancient cultures lived more in harmony with nature. It was logical to align their celebrations with lunar movements.

Here’s When the New Year celebration date got changed.

Even Following a Solar Calendar, the Real New Year Was Still In Spring.

The Flip-flopping Church Made the Real New Year January 1 to March 25 and back again to January 1.

Nutrigenomics: Food as Medicine for Longevity

Xenohormesis: Plants Pass On Their Survival Secrets

PHYTO5: Plant-Based Skincare Meets Science

From Diet to Dermatology: A Growing Trend

Rewrite Aging with Plants

The Adrenal Glands

Women and Adrenal Fatigue

The Mystery of Water

The Primary Archetype

Two Types of Water

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Understanding the Spring Equinox Makes Sense that the Real New Year Is In Spring.

It’s logical that the real New Year is in Spring.

Ancient cultures lived more in harmony with nature. It was logical to align their celebrations with lunar movements.

Here’s When the New Year celebration date got changed.

Even Following a Solar Calendar, the Real New Year Was Still In Spring.

The Flip-flopping Church Made the Real New Year January 1 to March 25 and back again to January 1.

Nutrigenomics: Food as Medicine for Longevity

Xenohormesis: Plants Pass On Their Survival Secrets

PHYTO5: Plant-Based Skincare Meets Science

From Diet to Dermatology: A Growing Trend

Rewrite Aging with Plants

The Adrenal Glands

Women and Adrenal Fatigue

The Mystery of Water

The Primary Archetype

Two Types of Water

Skincare Professionals, click below to opt-in.

May We Help You?FAQsShipping PolicyReturns, Terms, ConditionsPrivacy

May We Help You?
FAQs
Shipping Policy
Returns, Terms, Conditions
Privacy