Keep your cold remedy in your handbag with your lipstick!

Be prepared this winter, so that if that dreaded cold strikes you have your plant friends at hand to pick you up. Essential oils are concentrated and very convenient natural medicines packaged in bottles so small you can carry them as easily as a lipstick. A few drops of oil pack quite a punch and all essential oils are antiseptic and can form part of a natural first aid kit.

Eucalyptus is the best essential oil for steam inhalations. Essential oils evaporate at different rates, according to their chemotype and viscosity. Eucalyptus evaporates very readily straight up our noses! Useful sprinkled on a tissue to inhale when you're on the go.

Want to find out more? Our aromatherapist, Alex Martin explains how to use steam inhalations and many other tips for winter colds and coughs in the Autumn issue of Harvest magazine. Subscribe today!

Crystal Deodorant - WIN yours to try!

We have received quite a few comments about our article on natural crystal deodorants which featured in the Autumn 2014 issue. For the article we got three testers to give them a go. It seems our intrepid explorers really fascinated and amused many of you with their stories and experience. When we contacted them a few months after the trial, we were impressed to learn that all three of them are still using natural alternatives.

If their comments and results impressed you too, or at least made you think twice about your current deodorant, why not try one now? We've teamed up with Crystal Spring so you can win an award-winning Salt of the Earth Crystal Deodorant to explore at home! They have got five to give away. Simply visit the link below and submit your details – but hurry, the draw closes on 30 November 2014.

WIN with Crystal Spring

Let us know how you got on – are you our next intrepid explorer?

The Paleo path - sneak peek

Think of the Paleo diet and you might picture neanderthals sitting round a fire in loincloths, tearing hunks of meat off the bone. Ceri Jones is here to show us that there is far more to the Paleo lifestyle than this; it can be a simple, delicious and modern way of living.

Extract from Issue One

"The basic concept of the Paleo diet is eating food in its most natural state - as humans would have done in the Palaeolithic or caveman era. Obviously we don't know everything about how cavemen really did eat, since there were no books or records then. However we have a pretty good idea that they ate indigenously and only ate foods that were available to them - meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.

With the Paleo diet (or lifestyle as is often preferred) a strong emphasis is placed on the quality of the ingredients - grass-fed meat, free-range poultry and eggs, cold-pressed oils, organically grown and produced where possible. This is particularly important since agriculture and modern farming developments with pesticides and growing hormones have greatly affected the quality of 21t century food - cavemen didn't feed their chickens a little pill to make them grown quicker and fatter, or feed them cheap mass-produced grains."

See Issue One for full article

Some sage advice - sneak peek

We delve into our kitchen pharmacy with sage, a herb that is so much more than a sausage seasoner.

Extract from Issue One

"The best way to absorb the powers of herbs generally is to ingest them. However, sage is certainly not a shy herb - if it's in a dish, you'll know it's there. If you're not a fan of its strong taste, there are still some benefits you can coax out of it without having to eat it as part of a meal.

Decongestant
Sage can soothe many symptoms of a cold, such as blocked sinuses and a sore throat. In pastille form, it can help to soothe a sore throat, while as a herbal steam it can both decongest sinuses and loosen mucus in the nose and lungs. To make a sage steam, pour boiling water into a medium-sized heatproof bowl and add some fresh or dried sage leaves. Lean your head over the bowl and drape a towel over your head to create your own steamy herbal tent. Breathe in the vapour for five to ten minutes, stopping for breaks if you start to feel overheated or uncomfortable."

See Issue One for full article

Looking for spiritual inspiration? WIN Geoff Thompson's 'The Caretaker'

Harvest magazine is delighted to be offering you a chance to WIN signed copies of ‘The Caretaker’ from the BAFTA award-winning writer Geoff Thompson. We have two printed books and two audio books just waiting to inspire you on your spiritual journey.

To be in with a chance of winning, just email your details to caretaker@harvestmagazine.co.uk and specify in the subject your book preference; printed or audio. Closing date: 10 December 2014. 
Good luck!


More about Geoff Thompson
Geoff Thompson’s bestseller ‘Warrior – a path to self-sovereignty' features as the Editor’s choice in our Autumn issue of Harvest, the UK’s first in-depth natural lifestyle magazine. Subscribe today to be inspired, stretch your mind and improve your life.
www.harvestmagazine.co.uk/mag/join.html

Happiness MOT - sneak peek

Our resident life coach Annabel Sutton gives us a series of exercises to help us understand our deepest personal values and ensure that these align with our current lifestyle.

Extract from Issue One

"Personal values"

Taken literally, they're what we really value in our lives: the things that are of utmost importance to us, that make our heart sing. You know you're living in harmony with your personal values when you feel happy, fulfilled and in the zone; when you feel most fully yourself and alive. And when you're not, nothing feels quite right, your energy is depleted, and there's a dissonance you can't quite put your finger on.

For example, do you feel most fulfilled when you're mentoring someone? Then maybe helping others, inspiration or generosity is one of your personal values. or does being part of something bigger than you fill you with enthusiasm? If so, perhaps community is one of your personal values. Maybe you feel most alive taking risks or travelling solo? If so, consider whether adventure or independence or freedom is one of your values. What about creativity, spirituality, beauty, being in nature? There is no one right answer - your values will be unique to you."

See Issue One for full article