Time to get out my little soap box.  A good friend sent me a diet video to watch this weekend. Most of these things drive me nuts, but this time I really liked this woman’s approach. And now I will tell you why.

First off that commercial on TV about corn syrup? DON”T LISTEN TO IT! That has to be the worse commercial ever made! Horrible. Drives me crazy. High fructose corn syrup has to be one of the most terrible things in the world for you. It is highly processed and it is in everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING! Start reading your labels. Do you NEED high fructose corn syrup in your hot dogs? Not that I eat hot dogs, but really do you???

The only thing they get right is when they say, “with moderation”. Sugar, any form of sugar, is not the best thing in the world for you. But if you are going to use it, use the natural alternatives. Not highly processed, nutrients sucked out of it high fructose corn syrup.

The next thing is those sugar substitutes. We are going organic and as local as we can. We are trying to get rid of those toxic chemicals in our diets. To be really honest the sugar substitutes are making people FAT. That is right FAT. You may think you are doing the right thing by picking up that diet soda or tea instead of regular, but have you noticed you aren’t losing any weight? Chance are not.

I like to tell people that making soap from scratch is where it all started for me. But in reality that isn’t where living green started, but we are just going to save that for another article. Today we are going to start with making soap from scratch.

My passion is making soap from scratch. What does this involve? Well soon I will be able to direct you to my site Soap of Course, but for right now I am just going to give you a short version.

Soap is actual a chemical reaction between an acid and a base. That would be the science geek in my by the way.

You find your oils. These can range from the grocery store variety of olive, soybean and canola to the type you have to get at your health food store such as coconut and palm oils. These are the basic oils, but then you can add such things as cocoa butter and bees wax.  You can get really into soap making and get things such as grapeseed, apricot, sweet almond oil and butters such as mango and shea.

But no matter what oils that you use you have to have the right combination. These oils and butters are measured out by weight and put into a formula.

Herbal teas have been used for centuries. The healing properties of the herbs used are infused into the teas.

Ginger tea is one of the herbal teas that has many benefits.

Ginger tea is made with the ginger root. You can purchase it as you do with any other tea. You can also make it yourself with fresh ginger root.

Purchase a 2 inch piece of ginger root. Peel the outer skin layer and slice into thin slices. 2 inches of ginger root should make about 4 cups of tea. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the sliced ginger root. Steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Strain the tea mixture. You can add honey and lemon to taste.

Now that you have your all natural ginger tea, what is it good for?

Ginger tea has long been used to help with stomach ailments. From upset stomachs, naseau, motion sickness, and even morning sickness.

Ginger tea can also help freshen your breath. Ginger is an anti-fungal and anti-spasmodic. It can also act as a aphrodisiac. See? Ginger can help in several aspects of your life.

Ginger is an herb and an essential oil that can be helpful in your life. Try some today. Even if you don’t want to use the root to start from scratch, try the bagged or loose leaf ginger tea. While it has a strong tangy flavor many people enjoy it. You can also use honey and lemon to make it taste more to your liking. Remember to always use local honey and fresh lemon it you can.