An annual rite of spring, the Herb and Garden Fair has everything you’ll need to start having fun in your garden; from locally grown plants to lawn furniture and from goats milk cheese to one-of-a-kind garden whimsies that’ll make you smile. Fun, educational classes and an early morning bird hike are offered. Join us as we kick off the beautiful spring season.

Poplar Grove Plantation
10200 US Hwy 17
Wilmington, NC 28411

910-686-9518 x 29 / www.poplargrove.com

• whole wheat bagel
• soy or regular cream cheese, flavor of choice depending on fillings
• alfalfa sprouts or any other sprout of choice
• tomato slices, lettuce leaves, cucumber slices, or any other veggie or fruit slices of choice
• various seeds such as sunflower, optional
• salt, pepper, or other herbs and spices of choice

Toast the bagel as desired. Spread cream cheese on both slices. Add the fillings to taste. For a veggie bagel, add tomato and cucumber or even go wild and add slices of squash, radishes, etc. For a fruit bagel, add slices of various fruit such as strawberries, pineapple, and berries. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different seasonal variations and add lots of fillings to help get your daily veggie/fruit servings.

More Herbs Everyone Should Know, Grow and Use workshop at Pharsalia with Don Haynie. Add beauty to your garden and landscape with useful herbs. Lunch included.

Pharsalia
2333 Pharsalia Road
Tyro, VA 22976
(Nelson Co., Va)

Phone: (434) 277-5231 / Nelson County Visitor information: (800) 282-8223 / www.pharsaliaevents.com

One popular treatment as a preventative measure is the use of bee pollen. You’ll see varying opinions in your research on whether or not it matters where the bee pollen comes from or what kind of pollen the bee was collecting, but some swear by this to help lessen or prevent symptoms. It is recommended that you try just a few pollen granules at first, then gradually work your way up to a full dose to watch out for reactions. Around 1 to 2 teaspoons of the granules (about 4-8 capsules if you make them yourself) should be used daily. You can find bee pollen in health food stores.

The use of honey itself is also touted as a remedy for allergies for the same reasons as bee pollen. Be sure to look for local honey and it wouldn’t hurt to use raw honey. Add to teas or other foods or just take spoonfuls everyday.

Quercetin is another popular remedy and you will often see this in allergy supplement combinations. Quercetin is a chemical found in apples and black tea and it may help to prevent the release of histamine by the body. It is best used in supplement form for full effect and taken on an empty stomach. Quercetin may also be helpful in preventing hives from occurring. Recommended doses are around 200 to 400 mg several times daily.

Nettle leaf is an herb which has been used as an old folk remedy for allergies. It has anti-inflammatory qualities and may help reduce congestion. Nettle can be used in herbal teas or in capsules.

The addition of B6, B12, vitamin C, and niacin supplementation in an allergy sufferer’s diet are also recommended. Niacin itself may help reduce histamine, while vitamins B6, B12, and C help support the body during reactions. Be sure to add these to your daily regimens, especially around allergy season.

There are other things you can do to help prepare yourself for allergy season. Begin a fasting or detoxification program a couple of weeks or so before you would normally start to experience symptoms. This may help prepare your body by getting rid of toxins and starting you out with a clean slate. For those suffering from food allergies and sensitivities, certain foods may crossreact with certain pollens (such as being allergic or sensitive to wheat – in the grass family – may cause you to crossreact with grass pollen spring through fall). Research the food families your allergens are in and check to see if you should be more careful with your diet at certain times of the year.

Alicia discusses three different types of diets:  “Flirting” (just reducing your meat intake and cleaning up your diet – you may just eat a couple of meatless meals a week), “Vegan” (eating meatless, but still enjoying “convenience foods” such as frozen meals), and “Superhero” (based on the macrobiotic diet, but eating vegan and using fresh ingredients). In the first part of the book, she explains what really goes on in the meat and dairy industries and the myths they’ve led the public to believe about their products. She also discusses white sugar and why eating processed foods altogether is so unhealthy these days. Even though I already knew a lot about what she talked about, she explained things so well and referred to so many studies which have been done to back up the facts, I found it all very eye opening and began to look at my own diet and how it is affecting my body.

Next she explains the three diets she bases the book on. Alicia doesn’t try to force a vegan diet on anyone; rather she sounds more like she would prefer everyone ate that way, but wants people to be more aware of their unhealthy eating habits more than anything. She explains healthy changes you can make, handling cravings, how to eat at restaurants and when traveling, and what to do if you find yourself straying off the healthy path. She even touches on the importance of exercise in maintaining health.

The last part of the book is a collection of recipes she uses. The recipes aren’t bogged down by too many ingredients and even non-vegetarians/vegans can use many of them in their meals.

I want to point out that all through the book you don’t feel like you’re reading something written by a celebrity. Alicia spells everything out in a casual, easy to understand way. She discusses her own life growing up, how she ended up changing the way she ate, and how she has struggled with Hollywood’s persistence of counting every calorie and maintaining a certain body image, especially when she was starting to become famous. She doesn’t try to talk you into going out and spending a lot of money to change your diet and way of living – in fact, she discourages it and mentions all through the book ways to spend less and help cut down waste.

I can honestly say this is one of the best books I’ve read on living greener and more eco-friendly. It was very well written and I was so hooked just on the introduction I found it hard to put the book down. I think this is a great book for anyone to read who just wants to improve their health – if you just absolutely don’t want to think about cutting meat out of your diet, just ignore that part and look at the quality of what you eat after reading what goes into food.

For those who want to continue keeping up with Alicia after finishing the book, you can join up on her website, www.thekindlife.com. Alicia blogs about various resources for finding green products, shares recipes other readers post that she thinks looks good, and has a community forum you can join in on to discuss things with others.

Put on your gardening shoes, grab your little red wagon and come out to the Marketplace on the Lawn for everyone’s favorite gardening extravaganza! More than 50 plant and craft vendors from the mid-Atlantic region sell herbs, annuals, perennials, heirloom plants, vegetables, trees, herbal products, luncheon fare and more. Fun demonstrations and classes get you motivated to grow and use herbs. Fees vary for classes, advance registration is required. Admission Fee $3.00. Children welcome.

Maymont
1700 Hampton Street
Richmond, VA 23220

Phone: (804) 358-7166 / info@maymont.org / www.maymont.org

Compositae family

Boneset is an herb found in US and Canadian marshes which grows on average about 3 feet tall. Its earliest uses were for healing broken bones and breaking “bone-deep” fevers.

Use all parts of boneset which grow above ground. Boneset can be used in herbal teas or taken in capsule form. It is most well known for its ability to treat fevers in colds and flu. Boneset is also known for its cleansing effects on the body and is helpful in breaking up congestion. Use it in formulas as a mild laxative to cleanse the bowels and to help eliminate toxins in the liver and all other body organs. This herb is also useful as a muscle relaxant and can relieve pains of rheumatism.

Save Parkway Views is a FRIENDS signature project. There are two tree plantings per year. The spring planting on March 20 will utilize approximately 500-600 seedlings.

The goal of the Viewshed Restoration Program is to build natural ecological barriers of trees to buffer or block the view of developed land from the Parkway. The natural ecological barriers are actually “well-planned landscape designs” provided by landscape architects such as David Hill with Hill Studio, Roanoke,Virginia. The plans are carefully orchestrated to reflect the original design of the Parkway. In addition, the plans are approved by the Parkway staff to ensure view integrity. These events are cooperative environmental efforts uniting community involvement, education, businesses, students and children.

Blue Ridge Parkway
Milepost 121
Roanoke, VA

Shane Hawk: (540) 772-2992 / shane_hawk@FriendsBRP.org / www.blueridgefriends.org

There is natural relief for headaches

Headaches are one of the most common ailments people seek treatment for and come in different forms such as tension, sinus, and migraine headaches. They can be caused by stress, lack of sleep, not enough fluids, eye strain, diet, allergies, and many other factors such as precursors to illnesses and diseases. There are many ways to treat them by going a more natural route.

Trying to figure out the source of your headache is very helpful in treating it. If you suspect a dietary issue, keeping a food journal may help determine what you need to avoid in order to prevent them in the first place. Some people get headaches triggered by dairy products, wheat, chocolate, or other foods they are sensitive or allergic to. Sometimes doing a body cleanse will help by getting rid of toxins causing headaches. If you are dealing with a migraine, lying down in a dark quiet room may be helpful. For stress, relaxing the mind and creating inner calm may do wonders for headache relief. Take time to unwind, do some yoga, meditate, take up a relaxing hobby, or go for a walk.

There are also many natural remedies helpful in preventing and treating headaches. Below are some of the more common ones:

Basil acts as a mild sedative and can be useful for headaches caused by stress.

Black birch leaves have anti-inflammatory and analgesic qualities and are helpful for relieving headaches.

Black cohosh has sedative, nervine, and anti-inflammatory properties. It is great for relieving tension headaches.

Chamomile

Chamomile is a calmative, nervine, and sedative. Having anti-inflammatory properties, chamomile helps relieve headaches along with nervous tension, making it great for headaches induced by stress. It is a great addition to herbal teas, and is also useful for helping to calm the body for sleep.

Feverfew has been widely studied as a migraine headache preventative. It has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties and must be taken for a few months to show its effectiveness, so don’t consider this herb a quick fix. Chew one or two leaves a day. Do not use if pregnant. Feverfew also causes allergies for a lot of people.

Lemon balm leaves have mild sedative properties and are especially helpful in treating tension headaches.

Peppermint is good for headaches caused by stress as it helps to relax. Add this to herbal tea mixtures.

Rosemary is a nervine and anti-inflammatory herb. Add this to herbal teas to relieve headaches.

Sage has sedative properties and may help relieve tension headaches.

Skullcap has sedative and nervine properties. This is another great herb for tension headaches.

Valerian root is one of my favorite herbs for really bad headaches which are hard to get rid of. It has sedative, nervine, and calmative qualities and acts as an herbal Valium with side effects or chance of addiction.  It is very effective against tension and migraine headaches. Valerian should only be used once a day and for no longer than a couple of weeks at a time. Valerian can be added to herbal teas, although it has a really strong smell a lot of people can’t take, so it is best taken in capsule form.

The bark of white willow is well known for containing salicin, the source for aspirin. It is one of the most helpful herbs for pain relief and reducing inflammation. White willow bark is great for headaches.

The MAC Events Home Show – Richmond, featuring the Maymont Flower & Garden Show, Virginia’s long-standing harbinger of spring, will offer you the latest in horticulture, gardens, seminars and a marketplace filled with goodies that will have you dreaming of spring. The Maymont Flower Show attracts thousands of flower and garden enthusiasts annually from throughout Virginia, highlighting fabulous display gardens, the Garden Marketplace, top-quality seminars and so much more! The region’s top designers will be creating striking gardens with a bounty of flowers and an array of full-scale display gardens. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit macevents.com.

Admission Fee: $10 Adults $6 Kids

Greater Richmond Convention Center
403 N. 3rd St
Richmond, VA 23219