Glycerin has totally transformed my skin in less than a week. I purchased a bottle last week and added it to my raw shea butter. Stirred it up just a bit and applied it to my very very (alligator scaly) dry skin. This week, no scales to be found! I had been having trouble for years with my skin, and this has definitely helped. I live in a city with more cold months than warm so my skin gets really dry very often making it where I have to exfoliate during cold seasons at least every other day. Even when I do this, I still have scales. This was a particularly dry winter for some reason. My skin was so dry, it was painful to lay in my Egyptian cotton sheets! How about that?

I would try to stretch the skin out with my fingers and then rub oils in this way, but it was too much work. I almost went back to lotion! I do not care for lotion because of the many many ingredients. I prefer not using any product that has too many ingredients. It seems poisonous (I’ve done research). So normally I just use shea butter and coconut, olive, castor, & jojoba oils mixed together (sort of expensive) but I like the natural feel of them. However, my skin was not taking anything until now.

PRICE

$6

HOW DOES IT FEEL?

It felt sort of thin and WET when I applied it by itself. When I mix it w/ shea, it feels less wet, and my skin is extremely smooth. My skin looks and feels wonderful. No visible cracking dryness. 

WHERE DO I PURCHASE GLYCERIN?

You should be able to get it at the drugstore. Maybe some hair & beauty stores, but I am not a fan of so-called “hair & beauty stores” because they are normally owned and operated by people who have no real interest in hair & beauty, only profit, and will sell you anything to make a dollar- so may I suggest the drugstore? At least there’s no facade or stereotypes.

WHERE DO I GET SHEA?

Hopefully you have an Afrikan store in your city. If not, you can order it from the internet from africaimports.com.

HOW OFTEN DO I APPLY?

I am applying it once a day before bed or whenever I bathe (afterwards). I rub it on my body, excluding my face. However, the product that I use on my face is primarily composed of glycerin (it’s the #2 ingredient).

TIMELESS BOOK   

African Holistic Health by Llaila O. Afrika

About the cover: The shape of Afrika you are witnessing on the cover is the correct shape. It is very rare to see a correct depiction of the shape of the continent. In the top left corner, the statuesque figure you see is Imhotep- the Father of Medicine. Slightly underneath Afrika, you see the Caduceus which is the symbol for health practitioners.

What’s in the book? 

• Herbs, vitamins, minerals, aminos, glandular and food
• Recipes
• Sexual Personality Types
• Foods to Avoid
• Self Diagnosis Charts (so important)
• Male Cycles
• Anthrax, Aids, & Cocaine Addiction Remedies (yes, you can deal with these issues wholistically)

So I read this book- actually, it’s not a book you would read straight through. I have been thumbing through it for some time.

It’s excellent. Honestly, I don’t have A+ health insurance so my options are normally holistic (wholistic) remedies. Even if I had wonderful healthcare, I probably would not want to run to the doctor every time I was feeling ill. I have respect for doctors, but I don’t always get the results I need when I go. I believe that we should explore preventative health measures so that we don’t have to rely on another man or woman to tell us things about our bodies that we should already be aware of.

The last time I saw a physician, I told her that I was experiencing severe pain in a part of my body and her response was, “awe, I’ll take a look at it. You are very young and it’s probably nothing.” She took a look, but did not do any X-rays which may have been the better option (glad she didn’t, though- too much radiation). That was 2 years ago. I still have pain in that area once in a while. I deal with it in holistic ways. I had seen another doctor right before I saw her. This doctor was very young and good. I told her about it and she actually said that she couldn’t find anything wrong and advised me to take a mild sedative when I felt the pain. At least she tried to help. She called me on the phone with test results and sent me brochures and made suggestions on things I could do to keep the area of body that was in pain healthy. It’s sort of hit or miss with doctors. They are only human just like us and they do not have all the answers. This is why holistic health is important.

I keep a thorough health log. This is a calendar that I make daily notations in. I like keeping track of the supplements I take, any ailments or changes I notice. I also record any activities that I take part in that may affect my health- this includes exercise, etc. It has been very helpful for me.

DEFINITION

Wholistic and holistic can be used interchangeably. When you hear these terms, it means that you are dealing w/ remedies that are representative of the spirit, mind and body.

Dis-ease: When the body is not at-ease, it is dis-eased. That means that the spirit, mind and body are ill. In orthodox medicine, disease usually means that you are physically ill. In Afrikan and holistic medicine, it means spirit mind body are ill. With that in mind, how many sick people do you know?  The book is great because it addresses European methods of dealing with health which aren’t necessarily bad, they just don’t promote prevention and continued healthiness. They are geared more towards chemical solutions and such. The author defines European as: a mixture of Caucasian ethnic groups that are called French, Spanish, Scandinavian, English, Dutch, Italians, Mongolians, Goks, Barbarians, Franks, Russians, Portuguese. Prussians, Bravians, etc. The ethnic groups have common rituals and ceremonies and a common ethnic. This definition will suffice and I believe it to be accurate.

I encourage all people who care about this topic to purchase this book. Although Afrikan holistics are too vast a science to be covered in one book, this is a start and a great reference. Definitely check it out at your library or on Google books where it is cheapest. $13.

Honestly, this SIMPLE fact is true: EUROPEAN MEDICINE IS FOR PEOPLE OF EURO DESCENT, AFRIKAN MEDICINE IS FOR PEOPLE OF AFRIKAN DESCENT. Maybe some things can be interchanged, but I would trust wholistic care over radiation and chemicals any day.

For each disease that the doctor deals with, he suggests supplements, amino acids, herbs, foods, homeopathic care, and tissue salts to take. I will list only the herbs, which I am most prone to taking.

Here are some remedies that I found interesting:

ABSCESS burdock root, dandelion root, echinacea, yellow greens

ACNE burdock root, echinacea, english walnut, marigold, wild strawberry

ADRENAL STRESS AND DISEASE black cohosh, cleavers, ergot, garden violet, garlic, hawthorn, onion, parsley, wild black cherry

AIDS burdock, chaparral, dandelion root, gingko, ginseng, milk thistle, red clover, st. john’s wart, saw palmetto,

AGING alfalfa, bilberry, burdock, echinacea, fo-ti, ginseng, goldenseal, milk thistle, st. john’s wart

OTHER diseases the doctor addressed:

ALCOHOLISM, ALLERGIES, ALZHEIMER’S, ANEMIA, APPETITE, ARTERIOSCLEROSIS, ARTHRITIS, ASTHMA, ATHLETE’S FOOT, AUTISM, BACKACHE, BAD BREATH, BED-WETTING, BLADDER INFECTION, BOIL, BREAST CANCER, BREAST SELF-EXAMS (MEN/WOMEN), BROKEN BONES, BRONCHITIS, BRUISING, BRUXISM (TOOTH GRINDING), BURNS, BURSITIS, CANCER, CANDIDA, CHICKEN POX, CHLAMYDIA, CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, CHOLESTEROL, CIRCULATION, COCAINE ADDICTION DETOX, COLDS/FLU, COLITIS, COMPUTER RADIATION, CONSTIPATION, CROHN’S DISEASE, CROUP, DIABETES, ENEMA, EYE PROBLEMS, GOUT, HAIR (LOSS OF), HEART DIS-EASE, HEMORRHOIDS, HERBAL ABORTION, HYPERTENSION, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE & STRESS, HYPOGLYCEMIA, KIDNEY DISEASE & GALL BLADDER DIS-EASE, MARIJUANA (CANNIBIS SATIVA), MENOPAUSE, MUSCLE & MENSTRUAL CRAMPS, OBESITY, PREGNANCY & CHILDBIRTH, PROSTATE PROBLEMS, SICKLE CELL ANEMIA, STOMACH ULCERS, TOOTH DECAY, VARICOSE VEINS, VITILIGO, WATER RETENTION (EDEMA), WOMEN’S SEX ORGAN RELATED DIS-EASES (HERPES, VD, ETC.), WORMS, YEAST INFECTION

The list is great. All common issues.

The herbs that I am most familiar with and have used with great results are:

1. burdock root
2. dandelion root
3. echinacea
4. ginger
5. ginseng
6. garlic
7. myrrh
8. milk thistle!
9. red raspberry
10. aloe vera
11. chamomile

Many of these seem to be used for a lot of the different health issues. Some of the most popular herbs (outside of those above):

1. anise
2. st. john’s wart
3. alfalfa
4. goldenseal
5. gingko
6. hawthorn
7. chaparral
8. devil’s claw
9. feverfew
10. ragwort
11. rosemary
12. cat’s claw
13. red clover
14. chickweed
15. cayenne
16. white oak bark
17. fo-ti
18. cloves
19. thuja

Herbs I will be purchasing:

1. bennet
2. cloves
3. feverfew
4. goldenseal
5. marigold
6. lungwort
7. catnip (I’ll be sure to take it when my cat’s aren’t around!)
8. red clover
9. grape seed oil
10. uva ursi
11. fo-ti
12. saffron
13. tansy
14. black cohosh

The author ends section 1 with this fact:

The Caucasian junk foods are destroying African Americans. At the current rate of dying, African Americans could be near extinct in 100 years or less.

I will pray for strength from eating these foods. I can do it! Actually, I did it in 2006- no junk food, no microwaved food. Sadly, I started consuming these products again because I had adopted a fast- paced lifestyle and they were easily accessible. However, it’s time I gave them up for good. It’s really nothing. There are plenty of other things WE can eat to satisfy cravings, sweet tooth, etc.

Let me know what you think.

Peace & Love,

Queen Duafe for African Essence