I have a memory like an elephant, enabling me to dredge up the most mundane details of seemingly unremarkable events that took place years and years back, right down to what everybody was wearing and what song was playing on the radio. So it would seem that I’d have no use for ginkgo biloba, the supplement that’s usually touted as some kind of memory-boosting miracle herb. But turns out that ginkgo’s not just for keeping your memory sharp: The herb helps maintain the health of your blood vessels, which in turn increases blood flow to the brain. It’s also a powerful antioxidant, and benefits the nervous system by delivering oxygen and blood sugar to nerve cells. And a recent study from the Journal of Neuroscience suggests that taking ginkgo may protect against some of the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

ThisNexter ExLibris includes the supplement in her Writers Survival Kit list, recommending that we writerly types “keep ginkgo biloba around for when you’re low on brain cells. It’s better than coffee (though it doesn’t taste as good).”

...continued: The thinking man's herb

ThisNexters Kristy Choo and Fanny The Fairy both adore Jurlique Arnica Cream for its divine moisturizing powers. “I always have dry hands - and can’t stand it,” says Fanny. “This cream is a great moisturiser.” Kristy also slathers on the cream to nourish dry hands, one of the occupational hazards of serving as pastry chef for the oh-so-lovely Jin Patisserie.

But arnica’s benefits go beyond its dryness-relieving effects. Often used internally in homeopathic medicine, arnica helps control bruising and reduce swelling for those who’ve suffered injury. So should you happen to take a nasty spill while out on the ski slopes, hiking trails, or elsewhere in the outdoors this season, rub in some arnica-based cream to help speed up healing.

Probiotics - the beneficial bacteria that help keep your gut healthy and your immune system strong - can be hard to come by unless you’re taking supplements or getting lots of yogurt in your diet. But thanks to products like Carpe Diem carbonated teas, now you can drink your good bugs - which is a lot more yummy than it sounds. According to ThisNexter Liz Oakes, Carpe Diem serves up “totally refreshing carbonated teas and waters which are a treat,” with the most probiotic-rich products found in the Kombucha and Kefir teas. Although they’re not exactly short on sugar (delivering at least 25 mg per bottle), both drinks are loaded with healing herbs, cultures, and probiotics that could boost your body’s natural defenses and keep you from getting sick this season.

While I was home for Thanksgiving, my mom asked if I knew anything about Monavie, some new miracle juice her friend had just discovered with a little help from Oprah. And even though I’m in the business of constantly researching and writing about natural products like miracle juice, Monavie was a total mystery to me till I tracked it down on ThisNext. There I found thedelicious’s Monavie Active Acai product pick, in which our shopcaster shares that “acai extract + pomegranate juice = extreme jungle juice that is scary high energy…but scary in a good way.” Meant to be downed in just a one- or two-ounce shot twice a day, Monavie gets a good deal of its health-enhancing superpower from the antioxidants, amino acids, and omega-3s found in acai (the chocolate- and berry-flavored fruit of Amazon palmberries). Those energizing, disease-fighting components can also be accessed by drinking a cup of Sambazon Acai with Mango Juice, another recommendation from thedelicious: An “all natural super energy from the Amazon, Sambazon Acai Juice will have you swinging through the corporate jungle vines at top speed,” she promises.

Although Sambazon’s blend should be sweetly sipped like a morning glass of OJ, most of the new superjuices pouring into the natural foods markets are taken like a supplement — just one quick hit a day, usually no more than a couple of ounces, and we’re good to go (a good thing, since most bottles cost at least 30 bucks).

...continued: Strange fruit

I still go all cringey and gaggy-feeling upon remembering that wretched Chloraseptic stuff my mom used to give me to treat sore throats when I was still wee. Luckily I grew into a somewhat health-obsessed adult with slightly hippie tendencies, thus enabling me to discover remedies such as Traditional Medicinals’ Throat Coat tea. A must-have for the winter season, the soreness-easing, scratch-soothing blend includes licorice, slippery elm, and marshmallow root. Says shopcaster missbloom:

“I’m a singer and after tons of rehearsals and performances my voice gets pretty tired. Anytime my throat starts feeling irritated I reach for a big, well-steeped cup of this tea. The slippery elm root is very soothing for scratchy, tired throats and the taste is sweet and mellow (though it takes a little getting used to at first). Almost every other vocalist I know also swears by the stuff.”

It’s not even December yet and I’ve already begun my first self-created detox program of the holiday season (lots of green tea and vegetarian sushi to hopefully counteract the effects of way too many Thanksgiving leftovers). And for a little extra help, I might pick up the Biggs and Featherbelle Detox Box recently recommended by ThisNexter modish. Available at Cut + Paste (home of all things D.I.Y. and divine), the collection of handmade self-care stuff includes an Achy Muscles Massage Bar (good for when you’ve overexerted yourself whilst gift-shopping), a detoxifying muscle soak (yummy bath salts), and a dry skin brush (really amazing for stimulating circulation and getting a little energy boost, especially in the early morn’).

Modish suggests picking up the Detox Box to “pamper someone you love,” but it’s never a bad idea to go ahead and pamper yourself in preparation for all the overindulgence that’s yet to come…

One of my favorite product discoveries of the past year is the Get Gorgeous tea from Republic of Tea’s Be Well line. Ever since I started drinking the herb-infused red tea, my skin’s become much clearer, which probably has lots to do with the hormone-balancing red clover and de-stressing chamomile. I haven’t gone a day without a cup of Get Gorgeous in forever, and I’m seriously considering ordering the 250-bag package next from Republic of Tea. ThisNexter evastars, on the other hand, recommends the Be Well line’s Get Lost tea, which blends appetite-suppressing cinnamon and sweet-tooth-taming carob to help curb cravings and promote weight loss. “I don’t know if it will help you lose weight,” says evastars, “but it’s warming and delicious!” And over at the blog Quiet Yoga, Lee recently tested out Republic of Tea’s Get Clean, a detoxing tea featuring liver-stimulating herbs like milk thistle and dandelion root. “I was feeling kind of bloated and heavy and I drank this for 2 days and I think I felt better,” says Lee, giving me hope that my post-Thanksgiving food hangover won’t be as grueling as usual this year.

And you thought oregano was just for pasta sauce. Turns out that, in oil form, oregano acts as a super-potent germ-killer that can help knock out colds and other infections. The oil’s got antibacterial and antifungal effects, making it a reliable natural remedy for athlete’s foot. In fact, ThisNexter Ptor claims that Young Living’s Essential Oil of Oregano is “all I really need in the first aid kit.” Mariko, meanwhile, is a fan of the entire Young Living line, noting that “they are so potent that just a drop or two go a long way. I have been using them for my yoga classes for years, and people just love to be enveloped in the aroma.” And Loquacious D blogger Diane recently discovered Oreganol - an oregano and olive oil blend that her mom swears by - and found that the formula helped her kick a nasty cold. One word of caution: Since it’s so powerful - and can even cause headaches and liver trouble at high doses - health experts say that oregano oil is only safe for short-term, low-dose use.

While so many of us have chugged Emergen-C-infused water to kill a cold, sprayed Rescue Remedy to help ease stress, or sought out cancer-fighting antioxidants in everything from acai to Armando Manni Olive Oil, there are some natural health products that remain slightly mysterious even to those who linger longer in the Whole Foods supplement section than a beauty junkie in Sephora. Luckily, ThisNext has been recently graced with Cosmicopia’s My Body Is My Temple list, a collection of lesser-known remedies that really work. Cosmic C., a nutritional therapist in training, first recommends BioCare Rhodiola supplements for their stress-relieving and mood-boosting benefits (“Unlike some supplements that seem to take ages to kick in, Rhodiola feels as though it takes effect after a couple of days,” she adds). Next we’ve got Bioforce Valerian Tincture, an herbal sleeping-pill alternative that Cosmic C. calls her “wonderdust, even though it’s a liquid.” To help soothe her overactive mind, our shopcaster takes 30 drops in water just before bed, which “ensures a delightful and thorough nights sleep.” And lastly there’s Jurlique’s Day Care Face Cream, a “a nice thick dewy cream” that’s uber-healthy in more ways than one: “Jurlique pride themselves on being free of toxic ingredients, being kind to your skin and also to the environment,” Cosmic C. points out.

Anyone whose mom ever prescribed flat ginger ale for an upset stomach knows at least a little about ginger’s healing and soothing effects. But the spicy herb possesses other medicinal properties as well: Used for 2,500 years in Traditional Chinese Medicine, ginger’s said to treat inflammatory joint diseases (such as arthritis), prevent colds and flu, help with morning and motion sicknesses, and possibly strengthen heart health and protect against cancer.

Still, ginger’s nausea-relieving effects are probably its most common reason for use, with Dr. Eddy’s Integrative Medicine Blog recommending that parents give ginger-based foods and drinks to carsick kids. Dr. Eddy suggests keeping the car stashed with candied ginger or ginger snaps, such as the organic variety found in Country Choice Naturals Ginger Snaps. Likewise, Tim at Herbs And More swears that ginger tea – such as the Traditional Medicinals Organic Ginger tea selected by ThisNexter Kimberly Charles - “works better than the pink stuff” for easing tummy troubles like indigestion and heartburn.

...continued: A spoonful of ginger

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always gotten sick less frequently than my family members or anyone else around me – apparently, I’ve been blessed with some sort of superhuman immune system, for which I always feel extra-grateful during fall and winter. But there are those times, especially in the midst of the approaching cold and flu season, when something breaks down and I dissolve into a sniffling, sneezing, hacking mess whose only comfort can be found in veggie pho from the nearest Vietnamese restaurant and back-to-back episodes of Freaks and Geeks and/or Sex & The City.

When such dreadful moments arise, I head to Whole Foods and reach for Nature’s Way’s Umcka Coldcare, a cherry-flavored syrup containing some traditional Zulu medicine remedy that helps shorten the duration and severity of colds. I first discovered it during last year’s cold and flu season, and it totally works - without bringing on that spaced-out, crazy feeling you get from downing DayQuil.

...continued: Natural cold and flu fighters

We’ve got to give Brian at Hey Guess What credit for coming up with a saucy-sounding header for a post about, of all things, homeopathic medicine. In an entry titled “Huh, I’d like to pulse her tilla,” Brian gives the lowdown on some homeopathic remedies that work “just as well, if not better, than conventional drugs for treating just about anything that you would normally take a pill for.” There’s arnica montana (“Great for bruises and sore muscles”), nux vomica (“good for stomachaches, indigestion and all around ickiness due to overeating or overdrinking”), and - of course - pulsatilla (sometimes given to expectant moms who are presenting breech; also great for relieving some types of earache).

Yikes - turns out that the roll-on headache treatment HeadOn contains an ingredient that’s “used in developing photos and should not come into contact with skin,” Kerrie at The Daily Headache has just discovered. For a safer and more lovely-scented alternative, Kerrie - who’s lived with chronic daily headache and migraine for nearly 20 years - recommends the Peace of Mind On-the-Spot Treatment from Origins.

We readily confess that part of the reason why we’re so intrigued by Dr. Joseph Mercola’s post about beautyberry at Health Blog is that we find the plant’s name really lovely. Added benefit: Callicarpa americana contains three compounds - callicarpenal, intermedeol and spathuleno, to be exact - that may help keep mosquitos away, according to a new study. A traditional folk remedy involves rubbing the plant’s leaves on one’s arms to repel bugs, but there are no beautyberry-containing repellants currently on the market. For those seeking a natural mosquito-fighter in the meantime, Dr. Mercola recommends using an citronella- and aloe-vera-based gel or - for the far more adventurous and far less squeamish - building a bat house in your backyard.