Lana Farson, M.S., L.Ac., Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist

Category Archives: Healthy Lifestyle

Detox Indoor Air with Plants

Certain plants can help reduce various pollutants in the air, like formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and benzene. To reduce the concentration of air contamination in the house, place one plant for every 100-200 square feet. Hidden Formaldehyde Sources: Formaldehyde may be present in our homes in the following ways: Synthetic Carpet Foam insulation Particle board Plywood Some […]

Gentle Detox with Braised Burdock, Mushroom and Seaweed

Burdock Root is called ‘Gobo’ in Japanese and is often sold under this name. It’s cooked in a similar way to a carrot and looks a little like one too (except it’s brown on the outside and white on the inside). The taste of burdock is pleasant and a little earthy. In many parts of Asia, burdock is a normal everyday root vegetable that is seen as being very good for the health, especially for the liver and the skin.

whole burdock

Indian Chai Tea – With Warming & Healing Herbs

Chai Tea is a tasty and healthy beverage that is especially balancing on cold days in the fall and winter.  Many of the herbs that are used to make chai tea have the medicinal value of warming & increasing the metabolism of the internal organs, and pushing out the coldness that tries to enter when the temperatures drop.  We can use the internal warmth from the herbs to increase our vital energy throughout the day.

Chai Tea Ingredients - cinnamon and fresh ginger

Immunity Soup

This recipe is especially good to increase strong digestion (known as healthy ‘Spleen Qi’) and to reduce water & damp retention. In fact, strong ‘Spleen Qi’ digestive energy is the basis of  good immunity and overall health.  Keeping your spleen strong ensures that your digestive system will have the ability to extract all the nutrients […]

Remedies for Food Poisoning

Food poisoning can occur when one consumes spoiled food containing microbes that the belly is not used to.  There are various remedies for food poisoning depending on the pathogenic cause.  Some safe food-based herbal remedies are listed below: Umeboshi Plum (called ‘Ume’ in Japanese, & ‘Wu mei’ in Mandarin) has antibiotic effects against various bacteria […]

Tasty Detox with Mung Bean Cookies

Mung beans (called ‘Lu Dou’ in Mandarin) are a very valuable remedy for detoxification.  They are commonly used for skin toxins such as carbuncles, pimples, sores and ulcers. Mung beans are an effective antidote for the intake and overdose of many toxic substances, such as pesticide poisoning, drug poisoning and food poisoning.  Mung beans also […]

Hydrogenated Oil

Hydrogenated oil is the process of forcing hydrogen gas into oil at high pressure & temp. It’s used to take the place of butter in many baked items because it makes the oil solid at room temperature & prevents it from going rancid. Hydrogenated oil contains toxic trans fatty acids, which contribute to heart disease, […]

Longevity food – Goji berries

These lovely red berries are also called wolfberries or ‘Gou Qi Zi’. Botanical name:  Lycium barbarum Goji berries, with their sweet taste, enter and work in a moistening and strengthening way upon the channels of the kidney and liver.  The energetic temperature of these berries is neutral, which means that they can easily be used […]

Never Give Up

Never Give up No matter what is going on Never give up Develop the heart Too much energy in your country Is spent on developing the mind instead of the heart Develop the heart Be compassionate Not just to your friends But with everyone Be compassionate Work for peace in your heart And in the […]

Are you using Dangerous Pesticides?

Pesticides have been a source of water pollution and health problems for decades.  The runoff from rainfall, as well as from lawns and gardens, washes fertilizers and pesticides into local water.  Pyrethrin is now one of the most popular classes of household pesticides, despite the fact that there are many effective pest control methods that […]