I began my natural health journey in 1994, by growing and making my own herbal remedies, nutritionally balanced meals, informed health decisions in the home and deeper discussions with Doctors.  This culminated in professional qualifications in Naturopathy 2014 and Health Science – Complementary Medicine 2019.
Web Ideas piping rock button. Naturopathy consult button.
Natural ingredients for home and health are everywhere.  From your garden and spice rack to online shopping.  We are all buying some natural products and here I share some of my favourite Australian brands and a global pocket friendly option with access for them to be delivered direct to your door. 
You may have seen Bossito products in supermarkets, if you still go to those, I certainly do. I was delighted to learn that Bossito products are grown and processed right here in Australia. You can find out more here: https://www.bosistos.com.au/
Thursday Plantation is another Australian owned and grown.  I visited their factory in Ballina 25 years ago when my love of growing and using plants for medicine began.  The Ballina factory unfortunately closed in 2020 but their products are still available in most chemists or supermarkets. https://thursdayplantation.com.au/our-heritage/
Australia’s Herbal Medicine Company Mediherb a SEQLD plant medicine manufacturer was founded by world leading researcher and clinician of Herbal medicine Kerry Bone.  Their textbooks are a staple of any formal training in Naturopathy or Herbalism both in Australia and abroad.  With standardised formulas these ‘prescription only’ products and liquid herbal tinctures contain a constant level of active phytochemicals from whole plants to treat or manage health conditions or just provide a preventative wellbeing tonic. https://mediherb.com.au/en-au/our-story-about-us
Whilst available in some pharmacies Eagle Natural Health is formulated for specific health needs and is one of my favourites.  This Australian brand combines nutrients and herbs to treat specific bodily functions from mood to bones they have designed an effective and reasonably priced Australian made therapeutic. https://eaglenaturalhealth.com.au/en-au/about-us 
Your individually tailored Naturopathic Prescription for Mediherb and Eagle Natural Health is accessed via the Integria Australia patient portal where you can browse Thursday Plantation, Weleda skin care, Nature’s Sunshine and more to be delivered direct to your door with your prescribed natural medicines.  https://www.integria.com/en-au/our-brands
https://www.obornehealth.com.au/brands
One that my Uncle bought whilst visiting Australia and that I absolutely Love is Beach Road https://www.beachroadnaturals.com/ Australian and Organic, their Rose Water Body Wash is the only product that does not irritate my skin and feels and smells divine.
Side note for delicate skin whilst not natural QV is the best skin care company for sensitive skins and skin conditions for our busy industry groove pals.
 
There are so many other great Australian Brands and many that I don’t know. Feel free to share yours in the comments. 😊
As a nature loving person and a devotee of the natural healing processes of the life force I most often give simple home remedy solutions for common ailments and recommend common herbs, time, rest, nutritious foods and the elements for restoration of health and happiness.  When these are insufficient or inaccessible there are a vast range of natural Practitioner Only medicines that I prescribe depending on your unique self, circumstances and need.  Preference, lifestyle, schedule and budgetary considerations are also discussed and considered.  
Following a Naturopathic consultation your unique prescription can be collected from my clinic in Upper Mount Gravatt, QLD or accessed by responding to your Patient Portal emails from either Integria or Obourne Health Supplies.
 
For some hard to get herbs and low cost vitamins check out Piping Rock where you can access Global Natural Health supplies https://au.pipingrock.com/?rwcode=HKM684&_slang=en-US
They have slippery elm powder which is a probiotic and heals the gastrointestinal tract among other Bulk herbs https://au.pipingrock.com/5htp?rwcode=HKM684&_slang=en-US
 
I bought some glass roller bottles and made my own perfumes with almond and essential oils.  

​petermarraacupuncture.weebly.com/

A great inspiration to me over the years has been my Uncle Peter.  He returned from one of his hitchhiking adventures around the Sub Continent bringing silk scarves and trinkets from India to out door when i was a small girl.  And I found one of his books about Hinduism in my Grandads book shelf when I was in my early teens.  Thus started my sojurn into "Spiritual" studies.  Since then I have had the pleasure to visit India myself and learn AYurvedic Mediicine, Yoga and Pranayam from my friend the Lovely Dr Prafullata.  
Similarly to Dr Prafu and her husband Arun whom provide community aid through the Beyond Borders Social Enterprise, my Uncle Peter Marra also is involved in projects overseas and at home that provide real grass roots benefit to people in need.  Peter built permaculture gardens for an orphanage in Peru, did a trial project of unpatented Quinoa seeds from South america that are drough hardy in the drought stricken Timor Leste (formerly East Timor).  

I ensure that there is time for an Acupuncture session with my Peter whenever he passes through Australia or I am in New Zealand.  
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I was introduced to the concept of Chakras around twenty years ago and those first lines and pictures in an old occult book, that my friend showed me in his furious Saturn Return knowledge integration and light bulb frenzy, turned out to be closer to the truth than most of the Chakra stuff that I have seen since.
                                                                                                  
I had the opportunity to visit India recently and I took the time to have private lessons with a Hatha Yoga teacher (Dr Prafullata).  

Yoga is Chakra work.  It is the method of purifying the energy systems and allowing the energy circuits to flow freely in their divine power and have union of the powers within and connection to the  Universe.  That great all pervading essence that just is life itself.

Yoga is Sanskrit for Union and Kundalini is the energy that you are born with and it sits in a coil at the base of the spine and provides nourishment and security throughout your life.

There are a lot of warnings about raising Kundalini and rightly so.  It is not a simple conjuring trick that unwinds a powerful sepent of energetic current from the base of your spine and then you are some kind of Cool Groovy Elite Awakened soul... It is a gently growing awareness and a move towards conscious action, thought, feeling and being that allows peace and calm balanced, thoughtful actions in the world and within.

The Chakra positions as explained to me by my Guru are that each is at the back of the body near the spine and with palm outstretched and fingers extended one can find each of ones own chakras by measuring from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the liitle finger along the central channel of the body.  Each of our chakric centres is alighned perfectly for us and our body proportions.  

During our Kundalini meditation masterclass my Guru described the base chakra as residing around the space of the perenium and the sacral chakra as being behind the top of the pubis.  The third Chakra is located at the navel or close by.  ​There is a large field that encompasses the solar plexus area yet this is also in the realm of the heart chakra and the inteplay of both will be significant in the manifestation, of this body areas energy field. 

This was a reminder and a revelation for me.  In that first description of Chakras that I read many years ago with a friend, this was the description and the crown was white not violet.  In the midst of my meditation I could tell that this description of the placement of the power centres made perfect sense and was the puzzle peice that had kept me from truly mastering Chakra knowledge and therefore a practice and method that could heal my world with implementation of chakra harmonizing practises.  

Each Chakra may be overly energized or of low ebb or so called blocked and each may even be both.  The Chakras are as small disks, spheres and as great radiating funnels that stretch from a singular point near the spine to large swirling vortices either side of the body - front and back.

The heart, throat, third eye and crown Chakras are a hand span above each to the next, yet attention to these is unwarranted until the grounded chakras are sturdy and secure.  

Yoga asanas (poses), Diaphahmatic breathing, relaxation techniques and healthy diet and lifestyle routines keep the whole body including the 108 Chakra points free flowing and balanced.  

Many of our Western depictions and concepts of Chakras depict the crown chakra as Violet.  The Chakras as with other colour reference symbolisms are different in different books and as they spread accross people time and cultures.  

The most important thing is that our Mind is able to calm and centre when we want it to and that our foundations are stable.  This is both physically and psychologically.  This understanding is why I chose to study Naturopathy.  Thinking is fantastic but the mind and chemically driven emotions function best when we eat, sleep and exercise well.  
​Namaste.

Origin: Egypt, Europe, Western Asia and Eastern Mediterranean.
 
Description: Family : Umbelliferae.Hardy annual, umbells of pinky - white flowers and feathery green leaves. Various chemotypes are found according to geographical location of same species.
 
Plant Parts Used: Seeds, leaves, Aerial Parts.
 
Properties: Narcotic ; mild laxative, digestive, carminative, appetite stimulant, analgesic, aphrodisiac, anti-oxidant, anti rheumatic, anti spasmodic, bacterialcidal, depurative, digestive, fungicidal, revitalising, stimulant ; cardial, nervous and circulatory, stomachic.
 
Metaphysical Associations: Mars; Ares; Male - Yang; Fire; powdered seed in chalice of wine - love/ lust potion. Aphrodisiac; Incense can infuriate the mind for destructive purposes; binding love potion; protects the home; promotes peace; purifies the blood.
 
Spiritual Qualities: Encourages longevity, cultivates an atmosphere of peace, cleanses emotional sphere.
 
Medicinally: Tea from seeds purifies blood, clears complexion, strengthens urinary system, bladder infections, indigestion and colic (one cup before meals each day), digestive aid, joint pain, anorexia, spasm, poor circulation, flatulence, dysentery, piles, measles, nausea, toothache, painful hernia, stiffness, arthritis.Steeped as a tea (drink no more than 3 cups per day)-bathing/hydro therapy- aroma therapy-topically-
 
Body Care: Spicy perfumes, eau-de-cologne, to cleanse and beautify the skin (poultice, cream, tea, bath), soaps, and toiletries.
 
Home Crafts: Pot pourri (whole dried seeds fix oils in pot pourri), satchet mixes, incense, fragrance masker and enhancer in creams and perfumes, flavours tobacco, and makes nice fresh flowers.
 
Culinary: Common ingredient in Indian curries, marmalade, gin, biscuits, pastry, mild garnish spice, gripe water, digestive remedies, liqueurs. Used by food industry especially meat products and by the pharmaceutical industry as a digestive and flavouring agent; ginger bread (dry seeds or roast to release sprey fragrance, marinades, meat, pickling spice, vinegars and oils, salads, and Mexican cuisine. Note: usually added to meals close to end of cooking process.
 
Cautionary Note: Narcotic / very weak tea for children’s colic and indigestion for the elderly.  Consult a Naturopath before taking large doses, especially when pregnant or lactating/breast feeding.
 
In the Garden: All varieties (with the exception of Iman) are frost tender, plant in an open, sunny situation in good moist soil. In sheltered areas plant in close proximity in beds; keep moist.  An unsuitable companion for dill or fennel; 
Shairin©7/2005.

This is a small travel article that I wrote some time after staying at the Rainbow Temple in Rosebank. 

  I had met many foreign travellers the year before whilst travelling and living in New Zealand,

​and took the opportunity to catch up again whilst they were in Australia near Byron Bay at the Rainbow Temple in Rosebank.  

Earth meets ocean and sky meets the sun of each new day in Australia.

The Conch shell call of freedom sounds, aloud. Amidst the usual backpackers, tourists and free-flowing locals, there is space to be yourself. In 2004 I had the pleasure of finding myself in Byron Bay’s hinterland, at ‘The Rainbow Temple’.

Walking up a windy mountain road, backpack on and guitar in hand, my mind was quieted by the beauty of the countryside.  Some kilometres later, covered in sweat, I emerged from the rainforest to see a four storey, brightly painted, solid wooden building, set into the side of a mountain, a breathtaking and magnificent spectacle. I was greeted by regulars and travellers going about the daily routine of cleaning, cooking and tending the gardens full of fruit, ornamentals and herbs.  I was directed to the owner and heartily welcomed by ‘Rainbow Guy’ to his oasis of peace and tranquillity. 

I felt right at home in the communal space and living of ‘Rainbow Temple’ life.  People from all, walks of life, visit this place for respite, relaxation, meditation and conversation.  A place where, speaking of angels, spirits elementals and god/dess-e/s is not shunned.  The interplay of energies in the world around us is acknowledged. The ‘Rainbow Temple’, building, is in a constant state of growth and change.  The design is based upon geometry of the interlaced triangles of spirit and matter, and the heights that creation can aspire to and reach through a balanced centre and steady climb up the spiral staircase of awareness. 
 
 
One of the tasks to perform each day, in exchange for room and board, was to keep the kitchen facilities clean.  As the hub of activity and the visitor reception and replenishment area, the dynamics of a clean and clear atmosphere were evident.  It gave me, a great sense of pride to put energy into a place where dreams can come true and ideals are made a reality.

I had many opportunities to become more aware of myself, my relation to others and the world around me.  The anecdotes of Rainbow Guy, Silver Feather, J.J. and Cam, along with the acceptance, friendship and love of these and many others, encouraged me to look at myself and be myself in a naturally conscious way. Life is in every moment giving us opportunities to learn and grow through experience, expanding our awareness of ourselves and of life itself. 
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Alas, the constancy of change urged me to move on.  As I continue moving and changing, I am thankful for these places and times, when life gives us the opportunity for growth.
In humble gratitude, may the wings of peace, fill our world with laughter.
 
Shairin©2006

The Council requires the owner to have structural work done to gain building approval you can sign the petition 

These adventures and many more, all contribute to my Holistic Health Coaching style and the many Interesting topics that we can discuss. :)

One drop of essential oil is equivalent to 30 cups of herbal tea.  And the recommended dose of Herbal teas is three cups of the same tea per day.

Remember to only use a few drops of essential oils to preserve our earths plant life as well as avoid the expense and risk of skin reactions occasionally including quite severe burns.  Never drink essential oils even diluted in water because their chemical structure damages the lining of your oesophagus.  This subtle damage may not be noticeable but it is an unnecessary injury to the delicate cells.  When foods and medicines contain essential oils they are encapsulated or combined with other ingredients to minimise damage to the mucous membranes of your throat and ensure delivery to the stomach for breakdown and intestines for absorption. 

Smelling essential oils is a straight to emotional brain centre and safer path. 
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The scent of a flower, leaf or spice is its essential oils emanating from the air.  Science calls them volatile oils because they rapidly disperse into the atmosphere and are combustible.   https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Essential_oil