Multivitamins help you to stave off holiday stress

By Jonathan Evans Herbal Information Specialist /Business Representative for the Herbarium Special to PRIME Wow! It is the end of the year already. Happy Hanukkah, Happy Winter Solstice, Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa, in that chronological order. December is a very busy month on so many levels. Try to remember to take your multivitamins and minerals. Between the stress of the holidays, and the eating on the run, it is now very important to keep up your nutrition. One last reminder for the year: Get a high potency multi- and mineral supplement. Theragram, One-a-Day, Centrum etc. are not high potency vitamins. Quite the contrary. The levels of vitamins in these common brands is so low as to be nearly useless, in my opinion. Please remember the recommended daily intake is based on the minimum amount of a nutrient needed to maintain cell function. I do not know about you, but I do not live in a minimum world. Our soft gel multivitamin has been our main vitamin for more than 25 years, because people felt the difference in taking a real high-potency vitamin. We have lots of information available for you to do your own comparison. It's free of charge, so stop by the store or send a SASE for our sheets. Speaking of needing extra nutrients, many people do not realize how important the proper nutrients are to hair growth. Vitamin A may regulate the synthesis of retinoic acid in the hair follicles, thereby promoting hair growth. Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron, which is needed for hair growth. Vitamin D stimulates hair follicles and cells that form the hair shafts, and vitamin E builds capillaries believed to improve blood flow to the scalp. Just in case you missed this in the news, Paul Stamets the founder of Fungi Perfecti, a company specializing in medicinal mushrooms, recently presented information to the Environmental Protection Agency on how oyster mushroom mycelium can break down oil and gas hydrocarbons in contaminated land and salt water. Oyster mushrooms also help to lower cholesterol. Can you imagine? A simple mushroom capable of doing this, cleaning up the marshes preserving the environment, and cleaning out your arteries. What a gift from the Creator. It is getting dark early now, and many of our regular customers are commenting on feeling blue. Whether it is regular winter blues or seasonal affective disorder, there are some things we have been working with that are helping. Extra B complex is very important for depression , anxiety and stress. Herbarium Kava Gold and St. Johns Tonic are very helpful. St. Johnswort is a primary herb for depression while Kava has been used quite effectively for anxiety. We have always liked formula when working on complicated conditions. People who are using prescription medications and are wary of herbs can use some of Kathy Duffy's aromatherapy blends, such as Calm Heart, Blues Away or Energizing blends. Whatever your New Year's resolution may be, don't be discouraged if you do not succeed the first time around. Keep trying. Next month we will answer your questions about detoxing from your holiday revelries. Happy and healthy New Year to all. -Jonathan Please send your questions on botanical remedies to Natures Rx : Jonathan Evans via e-mail at info@theherbarium.com, or by regular mail at The Herbarium, 264 Exchange Street, Chicopee, MA 01013. If you are requesting additional information from Jonathan, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope.