Healing and connecting with Jahmu Chai

By Carlie Currier

 

               

Jahmu Chai is “an instant turmeric and ginger chai tea inspired by the traditional Indonesian elixir, jamu, and the ancient Indian healing beverage, golden milk.”

Jahmu products stand alone as the world’s first instant turmeric-ginger chai tea mixes. The company, a public benefit company, aims to spread the awareness and availability of turmeric, ginger, and other healing foods through their turmeric ginger spice blends and tea mixes. It’s not only been highly acclaimed as a powerful anti-inflammatory, but its creator, Jessica Filkins, hopes to improve lives by making the conscious consumption of jamu part of a daily routine.

The origins of Jahmu PBC began in Jessica’s post-college years when she suffered from digestive problems from too many antibiotics. In 2012, she discovered jamu while attending yoga teacher training in Indonesia. Although it was always made from a blender mixture of raw ginger, turmeric, raw egg and honey, every woman she encountered seemed to make it differently, and each batch tasted different as well. Jessica discovered that the common denominator in every batch of jamu was the distinct bright orange color and how it eased her stomach pain.

    



Jessica Filkins, founder and owner of Jahmu Chai

When Jessica returned to the United States, she studied as a health coach at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, and worked at a health co-op in Wakefield. She wished to continue making the signature drink for herself but had trouble finding raw turmeric. Instead, she created a new blend with powdered turmeric and almond milk. She began sharing it with coworkers and family, especially her grandmother who, with the addition of the drink to her diet, claims to be cured of all stomach pain.

“I never measured and it always came out the same. Things like fenugreek were just added because I felt they needed to be there, and then I realized their health benefits later”, Jessica explains.

According to Jessica, much of her ideas come through intuition. She was called to sell her recipe alongside other spices at Block Island farmers markets that summer. This blend she made with raw turmeric to create a ginger-like lemonade people loved. She found the easiest way to package the mixture was in Ziploc bags, which explains the unique packaging that the company uses today.  

Soon after, Jessica continued to follow her intuition to start Jahmu Chai in 2014. Her brother recognized the potential and became her business partner, advising her to create a public private corporation. They managed to raise $5,000 through Kickstarter, which really helped spread the word.

Jahmu Chai caters to customers suffering from a variety of different ailments. It has received some very strong testimonials, from people claiming it helps with Lyme’s disease, completely diminishes arthritis in hands and encourages better sleep. Jessica even performs reiki on every batch.

“Instead of just a supplement, you have to take the time to drink a whole cup of it, so you have this conscious connection,” Jessica states.

This speaks to the placebo effect and power of intention in Jahmu’s success, Jessica said.

Jahmu is a healing and flavorful tea that offers connection to one’s own body and self, and connection with others when shared amongst friends. The reiki Jessica performs on every batch amplifies this and Jahmu’s other healing effects.  Speaking with anyone in Jessica’s company compounds this connection, as they are all down-to-earth individuals who are interested in their customer's experiences and the world at large. Consider Jahmu a beautiful and healthy gift idea this season.

Jessica has recorded some guided “tea meditations” to listen to while drinking a cup of tea, coffee, or warm water. She claims they help her feel more focused throughout the day, and remind her to eat, drink, and speak more mindfully. She plans to offer these recordings so that they can be available for anyone to use to provide a sacred moment to every morning, whether or not they're drinking Jahmu.

Jahmu’s four proprietary varieties include Jahmu Chai with Caffeine, Caffeine free Jahmu Chai, Sweet Jahmu Chai, and Golden Milk. They also offer Matchai, Jahmu with organic macha green tea, and Jahmu Cocoa, a chocolate chai mix.

Looking for a great holiday gift idea? Check out the Jahmu Chai Sampler Pack, complete with samples of each tea mix (31 servings in all).

The Jahmu Chai Grand Sampler is also available. Includes four resealable stand-up pouches of each type (144 servings of tea in total!). Save $10 off normal pricing and get free First Class Mail Shipping).

Jahmu Chai Grand Sampler

Jahmu also has a monthly shipment club, which is not only a great gift idea, but allows for additional saves. The first shipment of a jar of tea. Then, once a month, you get a packet of tea to refill the jar. Club members also receive many free samples to enjoy or share with friends. Membership starts at $15/month and can be cancelled at any time. Membership saves you about 25% off the normal price of the tea plus you get free shipping. Click here to learn more and sign up.

Jahmu is also teaming up with Mind Key to provide even deeper discounts. Receive 10% off any order over $25 (including the first charge for the monthly shipment club) by typing “MINDKEY” in the coupon box. This discount is good until the end of the year. Regular (three-day) shipping includes anything in stock, and priority is shipped out by end of the next business day.  

Discover Jahmu PBC

www.jahmu.com

401-294-1480

jess@jahmu.com

Facebook

Instagram: @jahmu_pbc

Wear your best health: Amy Cousin Jewelry

By Lisa Avila

Crystal Herkimer Chakra collection by Amy Cousin Jewelry

It is my great honor to write about my close friend and artisan, Amy Cousin Jewelry. Amy has been a jewelry wire artist for some time now, skillfully wrapping semi precious stones using gold, silver, and copper wire into pieces of therapeutic, wearable art.

Amy began with what she describes as an "extreme affinity for creative endeavors." She realized many years ago that she required a creative outlet that worked with her particular time restraints.

"I was always looking for a physical point of focus to help me ground amidst chaos in my life," Amy said. "I found gemstone energy to be so important: tap into it, and it will carry you through, but it won't do the work for you."

Amy incorporates the meditative action of bending wire and working with stones and crystals in the creation of her jewelry. This energy, combined with that of the stones offers the wearer a means of working through all levels of abuse and bullying: physical, sexual, emotional, verbal.

Amy's jewelry has a lack of mainstream vibe. All of Amy’s pieces are all either custom made or limited edition runs.

"I don't have a large and cohesive collection that is easily identifiable,” Amy said. “I don't follow fashion trends and I don't guarantee a large collection of the same items--not right now, at least..."

Lisa's Italy necklace, custom made for her by Amy Cousin

I have worn Amy's jewelry almost daily since we met about 12 years ago. Before I took a powerful and life-changing trip to Italy about nine years ago, I spoke with Amy about where I was in my life.  Certain stones resonated with her as I spoke, and she used stones that called to those stories to create a stunning personalized necklace. She sent this beautiful, therapeutic necklace overnight to ensure that I would get it in time, and I wore it every day of my trip. True to Amy's description, the stones facilitated the shift I was experiencing. From my perspective, the necklace from Amy was prescriptive. I consider Amy one of my practitioners--she taps into my energy and makes a lovely piece of wearable art that is also therapeutic for me in my moment of need.

"I listen to the person, the stones and the metals,” Amy said. “and I create whatever is the right piece to create."

A recent trend at Amy Cousin Jewelry is flowing with the integration, grounding and alignment of feminine and masculine energies within each one of us.

"The gems are saying address the feminine/masculine energy as it relates to women,” Amy said. “I have heard them say to address men as well, so I got some fantastic stones that are suitable for both sexes. I am really feeling that now is the time for women to connect with gemstones that vibrate more on the masculine spectrum--pyrite, lapis lazuli, labradorite, and onyx keep calling me for women. We have the feminine energy mastered, mostly. So now it is time to tap into the masculine energies and use them in our feminine way. That's the message."

The  Mind Key Etsy Shop now proudly sells a number of Amy's limited-edition, pre-made pieces of beautiful and therapeutic jewelry.  Visit www.amycousinjewelry.com to discover even more of her work, or contact Amy directly at amy@amycousinjewelry.com  and tell her what is on deck  at this moment. Amy will take that information and interpret it into your choice of earrings, bracelet or necklace, within your stated budget, that will help you more effectively navigate the issues at hand for you in your life.

Crystal Egg in Apatite

The custom process is quite simple.  Amy will ask a few questions, then dig deeper, discovering the energy, feel and colors that works best for you, or your loved one. Having the right design and color scheme to make the piece wearable for the owner is just as important as the inherent energy of the stones.

“I can find stones that are in the range of stones of what they feel comfortable wearing,” Amy said. “Energy is energy, and sometimes there is a color association but it doesn’t always have to be that way.”

Once the stones are decided, Amy sends some design ideas and combinations, as well as an estimated payment, half of which is due prior to beginning work to cover the cost of materials. Throughout the entire process, Amy sends pictures of the work being completed, and is open to design changes as well.  When the piece is completed, Amy will send it with a detailed description of each stone, and how their energies are connected to the individual for whom the piece was made.

Discover these Amy Cousin originals in the Mind Key Store:

Kyanite silver and gold pendant

SunMoonStars Necklace1

Crystal Herkimer Chakra collection is featured above. Find each chakra pendant in the Mind Key store:

7th Chakra 

5th Chakra 

4th Chakra in green 

4th Chakra in rose

3rd Chakra 

2nd Chakra 

1st Chakra 

The 6th Chakra pendant and full, discounted collection are coming soon... sign up for our newsletter and be the first to know when they become available.

Discover Amy Cousin Jewelry

AmyCousinJewelry.com

Amy@AmyCousinJewelry.com

facebook.com/AmyCousinJewelry

twitter.com/AmyCJewelry

instagram.com/amycousinjewelry

Natural Remedies for Cold and Flu

by Paola Scaduto

Photo courtesy of Dr. Doni

Tired of missing work, canceling plans, walking out of your classroom or workplace coughing and/or simply being under the weather? I know we are!  In researching this informative article, we found that we don't know/can't tell the difference between allergies, a col or the flu.  While allergies and a cold react similarly, flu symptoms can be very different.

Do you know the difference between allergies and a cold?  

Allergies are immune responses to substances in our environment (dust, mold, dander.) Colds are immune responses to fight off a virus.  The healthy immune response of a cold encourages cytokines (inflammatory signals) to be released that cause symptoms throughout the body. Symptoms of a cold tend only to last 3-14 days, according to Dr. Ruth Gold, allergist at Allergy and Asthma Specialists in Riverdale, NJ. Allergies, on the other hand, can last much longer, depending on the environment.

Regardless, whether it is a cold or allergies, Dr. Gold said greenish yellow phlegm means that it is no longer an easy fix and proper drainage may be required to avoid infection.
In regards to the flu,Naturopathic doctor, Doni Wilson, says that if you have contracted the flu you could have sudden onset fever, chills, aches, weakness, headache, cough, runny nose and nasal congestion. You may also experience sneezing, vomiting and diarrhea.

In her article, How to Avoid Colds, Flu, and Other Infections This Winter Dr. Doni uses the acronym “CARE” to represent the four key elements of healing:

• Clean eating
• Adequate sleep
• Reduce stress
• Exercise at your own speed

Even after her C.A.R.E. treatment, she recommends drinking plenty of fluids to stay hydrated. Treating the body at the first sign of illness is also very important, as is reaching out to a doctor if you are not recovering.

Dr. Doni recommends the following supplements (found in her store) for boosting the immune system:

For Adults

EHB, HMC, Triple Flu Defense, Vitamin D, Vitamin A, probiotics, olive leaf extract, oregano oil, colostrum, Larch arabinogalactan, mushroom extracts

• If it becomes bacterial (presence of green or yellow phlegm):  Plant based Berbercap or Berbine-500, or Argentyn23, which is a nano-particle form of silver.

• If Pregnant, it is safe to use Triple Flu Defense for a short duration. Doni recommends resting often and gargling with salt water, but to also consult with your doctor or midwife.

For Children (non-capsule)

Respiguard liquid, Immune Glycerite liquid, Liposomal, Vitamin C, Berry immune, arabinogalatan powder.

Tips:

Want to keep your nasal passages clear and prevent virus growth? Here are a few tips!

• When showering; at the end, run the water as hot as you can tolerate for 30 seconds, then turn the water cold for ten seconds.  Repeat these steps 3 times, and finish off with cold water.
• Adding eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil is great to drop into your bath water.
• Hot tea, Herbal Medicinal’ T throat coat and Yogi’s Echinacea immune support are great herbal teas. - Add honey and freshly squeezed lemon for healthy soothing benefits.
• Eat Spicy foods.
• Avoid: Dairy, Alcohol, fatty foods, and sugar.

Remember to always wash your hands and cover your mouth when sneezing and/or coughing!

Harvesting plants from outside the garden walls

A shamanic healer’s own hurt often gives her/him the power to heal and to work with spirits and to assist the healing of others. The healer seeks healing to model health and well being for clients. Oftentimes, these hurts are what hold us back from being the best version of ourselves, and can be not only physically debilitating, but mentally and emotionally so. Especially when they keep us from moving forward in our career and life path. Many plants we see every day can help us in this healing process.

Photo courtesy of PlantNet

In my pursuit of all things shamanic, I am learning about the multitude of medicinal plants I can see from my kitchen window, or sitting in my spice cabinet, that can heal quickly, safely and inexpensively. I recently discovered a phone app called PlantNet, sort of “Shazam” for plants, that allows me to take a picture and find the name of any plant in my backyard and then research it. This isn't the only app of its kind, in fact here are many other apps that do this. A full list can be found here.

Plantain - Photo courtesy of Wild Edibles

For instance, the common plantain (plantago major), not the banana-like plant but the herb, grows wild all over my backyard. It creeps up in sidewalks cracks, thriving in the most inhospitable conditions.  Plantain has several uses. It is an amazing healer and can stop the itching of mosquito bites or any rash.  Rip off a leaf, crush it and rub the liquid on your skin. The herb plantain is also great for stomach upset.  Native peoples used it for a lot of things. Wellness Mama, a site for which I am particularly fond, gives detailed instructions how to prepare and use this herb and many others.

Through a course called Secrets of the Ancient Healers, I discovered herbs from around the world, their medicinal uses and preparation.  For example, anti-inflammatories that I can easily find in my garden or spice cabinet include thyme and pumpkin. Antifungals include garlic, mint, pumpkin, and oregano.  Pumpkin and lavender are also used as antidepressants. Two tablespoons of dried, chopped basil with a ¼ cup of olive oil soothes sore muscles when applied topically.  

My favorite of the many recipes I've found in my investigations is an invigorating body scrub of old coffee grounds, bergamot oil and olive oil that fights cellulite and water retention, improves circulation and lymphatic flow, and smells and feels delicious.  

Photo courtesy of Simple Bites

Sweet summer corn has more health benefits than you could imagine.  The Secrets of the Ancient Healers course, which includes many videos of shamanic healers preparing and using the plant remedies, says that native peoples have long used corn as an anti-inflammatory, astringent and diuretic that treats ailments of the urinary tract, such as bladder infections and kidney troubles. It has even been used for hangovers, prostate health, liver ailments, lymphatic infections, bruising, skin conditions, arthritis, gout, bed-wetting, gonorrhea (holy cow) and diarrhea.  Who knew that the delicious stuff might aid your health in so many ways?

Coincidentally (oops there are no coincidences, refer to my blog in August), I recently met a gal named Heather Houskeeper, who wrote a book called “A Guide to the Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Finger Lakes Trail.”  I bought the book and started finding things like wild turnips and carrots in my backyard.  If you live within a certain area, Heather will set an appointment and come to your property to help you identify the herbs and plants available to you in the wild, although she declined to walk my entire 12 acres.  

I enjoyed learning about and using these plants, and intend to harvest more than just the regular vegetables I grow each year.  These herbs and plants have been here since we moved here five years ago but I have just awakened to their uses.  I guess, if I had to, I could stay at home and just graze my 12 acres along with my horse to not only survive, but be healthier to boot.

Photo courtesy of The Botanical Hiker

This set me pondering, have I missed anything else to which I should have paid attention? Do I have all the tools right here needed to live a good life? What else can I harvest from my land, my life and/or my relationships to help me in the future?    

To generalize a lesson from my discovery of the benefits of these plants that grow so close but which have been overlooked until now, I could say that life is like that, too.  The answers are just under our noses.  Even the negative “bad” stuff we experience is instructive, both physically and spiritually.  With that in mind, I am enjoying the continuing journey toward wellness, this foray into the use of medicinal herbs and plants being the latest installment. Stay tuned.  More to come.

To learn more about the physical and energetic healing inherent in our native plants, or to set up an herbal consult for your personal health concerns, contact our resident herbalist, Danielle Rose at danielle@mindkey.me. 

************************

Vera Remes

Vera's Rave'n - The many aspects of Shamanism

When what you harvest isn't what you worked toward

Whether it’s working toward a new career, a new relationship, or a new goal of personal growth, sometimes when you want something and you work to make it happen, it manifests in its own time, not in yours. When it does appear, and it is time to reap what you have sown, it either: no longer fits; is not at all what you thought you wanted; doesn't feel the way you thought it should; or it never comes at all.

If it no longer fits, that is usually a moment of "yay, you!" It often means that you have evolved to another level mid-way through the manifestation process, that there were some "Ah-ha!" moments followed by an internal shift that caused a redirection of your personal ship. That's wonderful news.

The internal work that would go with this outcome is to go back inside and think about what has changed for you the six to 12 months or since you started the manifestation work. What is different about your viewpoint regarding what you wanted? Think about what changed the end goal for you. Where was that therapeutic moment, and what were the details around it? Answering these questions will often give you a solid redirection on your goals for the near future.

A woman I took care of some years ago had come to me for intestinal issues. Over years in my practice, I’ve found that dis-ease in the small intestines usually relates to feeling lost, left behind and abandoned. Since all of her friends were married and starting families, and she was the only single woman in her group, this emotional theme rang very true for her. While I treated the physical, we started to also address the emotional. She really felt it was time to find a man, settle down and be married. This was her goal, but her ideas of what she wanted in a partner were a bit nebulous; she wasn't clear on the details of what she was looking for, only that she was ready for him right now. Because she wasn't clear, she had been dating men who also weren't clear. They were sort of in the relationship, but kind of not really. One said he wanted to get married but, you know, maybe someday… As her intestinal function started improving, we also began to carefully outline what she really wanted for the long term, bearing in mind that if she wanted to marry someone, these traits had to go the distance, so to speak. She made her outline, did her homework, and was engaged within the year, happily married within a year and a half. And with great digestive function, I might add.

The next scenario is one we have all seen so often: you want something so badly, you work hard  to make it happen, and then when you get there, it has a certain kind of bad-plastic-like feel to it. Perhaps on paper, it was a great achievement; perhaps society gives its full approval to this goal. (there's a red flag right there, spiritually speaking, to take a closer look at your motives....) For these situations, the teaching moment comes after the fact, at the finish line or shortly afterward. There can be a sense of sadness and almost loss that you did indeed climb your mountain but once at the top, looked around to say..."meh"...

For these instances, we need to process the fact that the goal didn't feel like it "should" have. Why is that? What is missing? Here, the "should" factor is enormous. I have often seen this situation manifest around money and loneliness, two very big subjects that society has much judgment about. I have lost count of how many lawyers I have met who work only to indulge their need to write, or leave the field entirely to become a restaurateur, or open a yoga studio. Anything not to be a lawyer anymore. For those that fall into this category, the work is about helping them to redefine their next step. There are also those that feel locked into their situations in life because they don't want to lose the corresponding status and/or lifestyle.  

There is one more instance of the harvest being not what you wanted: when the harvest doesn't come at all. You really worked: you cleared, you prepared, you planted, you nurtured, you focused, you aligned. Nothing. This can be one of the more critical life lessons for garnering trust and patience, through the experience of being utterly out of control of events.  Time, in this instance, is still your friend although one must come to peace with the fact that, for whatever reason, you are not meant to have what you want right now. This is the moment where you learn to exercise patience.  The information will, I guarantee you, come and inspire you to give thanks for unanswered prayers.

Once mastered, once you’re able to sit in that uncomfortable silence, in a place of acceptance for the present moment, a situation has greater life lessons than the others discussed.   To exist in this space is to understand a depth of poetry and finesse about the course of life that makes us more successful as human beings, more graceful, and less at the mercy of the ego’s wants  constantly marching through all of our minds, at all times.

As always, I do hope that my thoughts and opinions are helpful for you, so that when you go forth and manifest, whatever the outcome, you are fully equipped to manage it successfully.

Lots of love to you....

***********************

Lisa M Avila

Notes from the Apothecary - Bridging the Disconnect

Don't stop until you harvest your goals

We all have goals that we want to achieve, whether they are personal, financial or professional. We always start out with altruistic intentions and feel positive that we will do what it takes and stay the course until we get the result we set out to achieve. However, so many times along the way we give up because it becomes too difficult, not realizing that often we are just steps away from achieving what we set out to accomplish.

        Most of us try to stretch ourselves by setting a goal that we feel is possible and others have achieved before, but I had an ultimate test of goal setting and achievement when I set out to find my healing puzzle pieces to regain from health from what I was told was an incurable disease.  I had no road map or guideline to go by, just my belief that there had to be a way back to health and out of the rabbit hole where I had found myself.

        I achieved some results early on by going to see Dr. Atkins at his Complimentary Health center in NYC. I had challenges staying on course because it was a good amount of work and effort to eat healthier as it took added time to prepare with so many dietary restrictions. I had to make all my condiments and sauces from scratch because I couldn’t have white vinegar or preservatives. In addition, I had to rotate grains and couldn’t have yeast, sugar, caffeine, alcohol or dairy except for freshly made cheeses like fresh mozzarella.

        During the week I would be diligent and be feeling good, then on the weekends I would self-sabotage by ingesting things on the "do not eat" list. This continued for a few years until I realized I needed to add some pieces to my puzzle by working on my mind and emotions and spirit to discover why I was self-sabotaging and allowing myself to slide down the mountain after working hard to make progress climbing up the mountain of health, happiness & joy.

        Slowly, I did start to make more progress, even if I slipped back down I wouldn’t go as far. But then, I had a really significant setback and slid all the way down into the mud at the base of the mountain of my health goal. Sometimes we have to come to a drastic fork in the road where we have to decide if we’re going to give up and stay a victim to our circumstances or take one more full out effort to achieve our goal and triumph and shine our full radiant light to be the best we were born to be.

        It was during this low point where I started to doubt if I would ever achieve my goal and be well again. I even asked God to take me to the other side because I weighed 85 pounds and had severe pain from vaginal-rectal abscesses from the profuse diarrhea. This is the point where we can choose to give up and not allow ourselves to get over the last hump and reap the rewards of our efforts. Thankfully I had the unconditional love and support of my late husband to give me the strength to make that one last ditch effort and stick to my original belief that there had to be a way back to health and that I could do it. I have been off medicine now for about 20 years and am in the best shape of my life at age 53.

No one said our hero/heroine journeys were going to be easy, but they are sure worth it when we allow the full harvest of our efforts to take place by having the patience, confidence, conviction and put forth the effort and do the actions required to complete our goals and dreams. Wishing you all success in overcoming your challenges and obstacles to achieve your goals and dreams to live a fully radiant life of health, happiness and joy! If you need any help along the way, feel free to reach out to me.

Barbara Steingas    

Radiant Life Coach: Health, Happiness & Joy    

908-391-4463

www.RadiantLifeCoach4u.com

Barbara@radiantlifecoach4u.com

******************************

Barbara Steingas

Live a Radiant Life - Tips to improve your health, happiness & joy