Northamptonshire, England and brought over here by ship with my mother who was a WWII War Bride. My English
grandparents were avid gardeners. They had a vegetable garden in the back of their home, and they rented an
"allotment" which is a parcel of land set aside for people who want to grow large gardens and don't have the room in
their yards. My grandmother, born in 1890, kept many housekeeping books from those days which are full of interesting
recipes not just for cooking, but for the use of herbs and plants in healing.
I didn't know about those books when I began growing and studying herbs in the late 1970s, but it most probably is in
my blood. I love the feeling of digging in fresh dirt and seeing little plants pop through the soil. It is, to me, a miracle of
God that such little seeds can produce such wonderful things. It was a natural step for me to go from growing and
studying the plants to making products from them. Most of my recipes originate from those very old, very cherished
books that belonged to my grandmother, which are a wealth of information. I believe there is a plant out there to handle
all our physical problems. My job seems to be to focus on skin problems. It is an ongoing study, which is why I write the
HealThy Skin Newsletter to help everyone stay abreast of what I am learning and what is new in the medical world
concerning their condition.
Since this is about me, you might like to know that I have spent my entire career as a writer and editor. Some of my
most exciting and fruitful years were with famous and well-loved Christian authors like Catherine Marshall (1979-1983)
and her husband Leonard LeSourd (1979-1996). Since that time I have been director/owner of The Prayer Garden,
which is a garden of plants mentioned in Scripture to which people come to pray and read the Bible (by appointment). I
also (for fun) write novels, two of which have been published!
HEALTHY SKIN NEWSLETTER
In this issue:
WINTER DRY SKIN
THE HEALTHY SWEET TREAT
BEANS FOR YOUR HEART AND SKIN
FEND OFF COLDS AND FLU AND BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
WINTER HERBAL REMEDIES
BLESSINGS IN LITTLE PACKAGES
A YEAR’S WORTH OF TOPICS
IT’S THE CHRISTMAS SEASON; a time of family gatherings, lots of food and hopefully plenty of good memory-building times. At
our house, Christmas means a celebration all wrapped up in much family tradition, beginning with the setting up of a Nativity set.
More than 37 years ago, before my oldest son was born, his grandmother gave us a Nativity Set hand made by a friend. Each
year on the first Sunday in Advent while the children were growing up, I would bring out the box containing all the fragile pieces
and they would carefully unwrap each piece, excitedly trying to be the one who found the Baby Jesus. I remember the days when I
was concerned that little hands might drop and break something, but thankfully I ignored those feelings and let the tradition of
creating that manger scene unfold. Did you know that the first manger scene was created by St. Francis of Assisi to help him
teach children about the birth of Christ?
No matter how it is that you celebrate this wonderful, magical time of year, I hope you are building happy memories
for your family.
WINTER DRY SKIN. How easy it is during the warm, humid months to forget the annoying itching and cracking skin
that comes with dry winter air. I hope all my customers have Comfrey Therapy or Big Jim’s Cream on hand because
both stop itching and heal the cracking quickly. If you do not have it, try moisturizing with a little olive oil. If you take
tub baths, mix a tablespoon of olive oil in a cup of whole milk and add it to the water. Avoid harsh detergent soaps
and lotions that contain alcohol, petroleum products and excess water (water being the first ingredient).
THE HEALTHY SWEET TREAT. In the early 1990s, I discovered that my migraine headaches were triggered by chocolate. Since
that day of discovery, I haven’t eaten any chocolate. People told me about carob, which they said was similar to chocolate, but I
had loved chocolate – especially good, expensive chocolate; I wasn’t interested in a substitute.
But times change. On the checkout counter of my local natural mercantile store one day was a carob bar. Out of curiosity, I
bought and ate it. It was good! “I presume this is good for me,” I joked to the owner of the store but believed it couldn’t have any
food value.
I was wrong. Carob, which comes from a tree, is actually a legume. It is 80 percent protein and contains vitamins A, B, B2, B3
and D. It is high in calcium, phosphorus and magnesium and contains iron, manganese, barium, copper and nickel. PLUS it is
sweet without adding sugar!
Carob can be purchased in chip form (like chocolate chips), or in powder (like cocoa). It can be used in any recipe that calls for
chocolate. In baking, some people like to use half chocolate and half carob for more chocolate taste, but for those of us who can’t
have chocolate, carob is great!
If you are concerned that you are eating too many empty calories in the sweets you consume, try adding nutritional carob to
some of them. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
BEANS FOR YOUR HEART AND YOUR SKIN. Legumes (beans and peas) are rich in soluble fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium
and folate, all of which have been associated with lower cholesterol and heart-healthy eating as well as healthy skin. This holiday
season, add beans to your menu and give your system an extra healthy boost. Want a healthy soup that takes only minutes to
make from scratch? Try Chickpea Soup (from “Reader’s Digest Eat Well, Stay Well”).
Bring ¾ cup chicken broth to a boil over moderate heat. Add two thinly sliced carrots, three cloves of minced garlic, a half
teaspoon of sage and a fourth teaspoon of pepper. Cook for five minutes or until carrots are tender. Add ¾ cup water and two
cups of cooked chickpeas. Return soup to a boil and simmer, covered for seven minutes. Stir in 4 cups of fresh, torn spinach or
watercress leaves. Adjust seasoning to taste.
FEND OFF COLDS AND FLU AND BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM. People who suffer with skin diseases often have
compromised immune systems, so eating well and supplementing some of the immune-boosting vitamins can be
doubly important. Here are some suggestions from Jean Carper, contributing editor to USA Weekend: 1,000 mg
Vitamin C daily can cut colds short by a day and possibly reduce symptoms. New Japanese research says taking 500
mg daily can cut the odds of getting three or more colds in a five-year period by 66 percent. 200 IU of Vitamin E daily
can help especially older people have fewer colds according to a study at Tufts University. Taking Zinc in the form of
gluconate glycine lozenges like Cold-Eeze within 24 hours of a cold’s onset can cut its length and severity according
to a study at Case Western Reserve University. Zinc should not be taken in high doses long-term. Taking about a
tablespoon of standardized extract or syrup of Elderberry reduced flu symptoms by three to four days in studies in
Israel. In test tubes, elderberry fights ten different strains of flue virus. (Try Elderberry tea, too!) In new Canadian
research, Echinacea boosted immune response and ended colds sooner. Subjects took eight 4-milliliter doses of
Echinacea the first day symptoms appeared and for the next six days they took three doses. Important note:
Echinacea becomes ineffective if taken continuously. Take it only for a week or two at a time, then stop awhile.]
WINTER HERBAL REMEDIES. Illness and discomfort result in stress and stress is bad for your body and your skin. Try
warding off physical problems with simple, natural remedies (make sure all ingredients are natural, not chemicals or
“look and smell like the real thing” oils): Digestive troubles: Eat a candy cane. Or try one drop natural peppermint oil
in a four ounce glass of water will reduce nausea and promote digestion. Headache: Smell the rosemary! If you don’t
have your own plant, buy some fresh at the grocery store. Squeeze the leaves to get the full effect of the oil, or brew
some up as tea and inhale. Also try applying 1 drop of lavender, peppermint or rosemary oil to the back of your neck
and temples. (For sensitive skin, dilute in a tablespoon of olive or canola oil.) Tension: For a pleasant, relaxing
experience, try holding a sachet of pure lavender flower buds near your nose while you lie down with your eyes
closed in a cool, darkened room. Allergy, stuffy head and/or sinus relief: Add a few drops of eucalyptus, lavender,
sage or wintergreen oil to a pot of boiling water or vaporizer or inhale natural peppermint oil. Skin abrasions: apply
one drop of sage or lavender oil to speed healing. Or make a tea of comfrey leaf and/or root. Wash the area with the
tea and then apply a compress of the wet cooked leaf/root. Neuralgia spasms or pain: add several drops of natural
lavender oil to your bath. Or apply comfrey compress as above. Sunburn (even in winter!): One part tea tree oil to
one part Aloe Vera gel (from the leaf; not an Aloe Vera gel product) and apply gently. Or apply comfrey compress as
above. And bathe the area regularly in the comfrey tea. Sore nose from too much blowing? Chapped lips? Rough red
hands? Try Comfrey QuickFix, Big Jim’s Therapy Cream or Comfrey Therapy Cream, or use olive oil.
BLESSINGS IN LITTLE PACKAGES. For me, there is no greater joy than helping someone with a skin problem,
especially a child. That’s why I make my products. It started because I wanted to help members of my family who were
suffering and were not getting relief through traditional medicine. These days, many people write and tell me of their
experiences and I am grateful. It confirms my faith in God’s care, and my belief that He planted the herbs we need for
our well-being; it is just up to us to find what works best for our particular need.
The most recent letter I received about my products was from a young woman who had approached me at the Falls
Church Holiday Craft Show, my last of the season. She was desperate to help her child, who had eczema. I am sharing
the letter she sent me because she asked me to.
Dear NCS (Nature’s Common Scents),
I am writing to extend my eternal gratitude for what your products have done for my six-year-old daughter. She has suffered
allergy induced eczema all her life. We have tried every prescription and over-the-counter creams and treatments and none have
been successful.
I purchased Big Jim’s Therapy Cream at a craft fair in Falls Church last weekend and you so graciously gave me a Comfrey
Therapy Bar if I agreed to discontinue my daughter’s bleach baths for a week and try your product for one week. It’s been only two
days and her eczema has cleared up and her scabs are almost completely healed! Her body is usually 96 percent covered in
scabs and bumps, and two days of your product has reduced that down to around 3 percent. The few scabs she has left are well
on their way to healing.
My little girl is well on her way to entering a crucial time in her life where appearances are important. I am beyond words since
using your products on her, and am completely confident that she will have no worries among her peers this year. You saved my
little girl’s skin and future self-esteem.
Sincerely Amy Pike.
What a wonderful, uplifting Christmas gift this was for me!
A YEAR’S WORTH OF NEWSLETTER TOPICS: If you missed any of the topics in this past year’s newsletters and would like to see
them, let me know and I’ll send them to you: Spring issue: “Spicy” Health; Spring Skin Refreshers; Comfrey/Regenerates Cell
Growth; Healthy Skin year Round; Eat your Greens; Dry Skin? “New” Medicine?; Starting Your Own Herb Garden. Summer issue:
Vitamin ABCs for Skin Care; Topical Products for Aging Skin; Chapped lips or Cheilosis?; Eating for Healthy Skin; Moles / Good,
Bad and Indifferent; Natural Recipe for Deterring Insects; Healthy Urine; What Good is Soy Milk?; Men and fungus; Herbs in Pots.
Autumn issue: Herbal Medicine Chest; Natural Insect Repellents; Psoriasis Information; Help for Difficult skin Conditions; Sore and
Inflamed Muscles; Adult Acne; Abdominal Pain; Add Some Spice to your Life; Dermatitis? Is That What You Have?
YOUR NEXT HEALTHYSKIN NEWSLETTER WILL COME IN MARCH. Have a wonderful and healthy winter. Remember, if you have
questions concerning your skin, if you would like to place an order, or if you want to add a friend to the mailing list, contact me by
phone or e-mail. Until the next newsletter, remember – almost everything you put on the outside of your body goes inside and what
you put inside will ultimately affect the outside!
Many blessings, Sondra Johnson
[REMEMBER THE CHRISTMAS CUSTOMER DISCOUNT OF TEN PERCENT APPLIES THROUGH THE END OF JANUARY, WHEN
SOME PRICES MAY HAVE TO CHANGE DUE TO INCREASED PRICES FROM MY SUPPLIERS.]
Nature’s Common Scents / We make in our home kitchen old fashioned, easy-to-understand therapeutic skin care products to
heal troubled skin, believing you should be able to understand and pronounce everything you put in and on your body. Sondra
Johnson is not a doctor; recipes and facts in this newsletter are researched from many areas and passed on for informational
purposes. People with any health problems should consult qualified medical personnel.
Feel free to forward this newsletter to friends.
To discontinue this newsletter, e-mail me at SondraBJ@shentel.net putting the word “discontinue” in the subject line.
www.naturescommonscents.com or
www.therapybar.com
sondrabj@shentel.net
