Flowers, Chocolate, and Tinctracts®: Tantalizing Treats for Romance!
Jhoane Robinson, Herbalist, Co-Founder Cedar Bear Naturales
Let’s have some fun this month! In the heart of winter we can always rely on Valentine’s Day to lift our spirits and minds. It is a wonderful time to celebrate new love, honor and rekindle committed relationships, and to take time to recognize the love you have for your family as a whole. Kids and elders alike enjoy indulging in a little pampering and some sweet treats on this day meant for love!
We’ll delve into the fascinating history of this day reserved for love, then discuss ways to keep love alive in our lives. We’ve got some great Cedar Bear TrincTract® formulas to share that will support you on this mission, with lovely herbs including french rose, cacao nibs, damiana, and more!
A Little History
The history of Valentine's Day is a mix of mythology, legend, and cultural evolution. It has transformed from ancient rituals and practices into the modern celebration of love and affection we know today.
Valentine’s Day has roots in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated from February 13th to 15th. Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the legendary founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus.
The festival involved a matchmaking lottery where young women and men were paired up, sometimes even leading to marriages.
Interestingly there are several St. Valentines associated with Valentine's Day, but two generally stand out.
Valentine of Rome was a priest and martyr who secretly married off soldiers (who at the time were forbidden to be married in order to serve) to their beloved. He was later jailed and eventually executed for this act on January 14, 269 AD.
Valentine of Terni was a bishop who was also martyred for his Christian faith and is said to have performed miraculous acts, such as healing and performing miracles.
Saint Valentines’ martyrdoms made them a symbol of love, sacrifice, and devotion to faith. Over time, Christian communities began to venerate him as a saint, though there is no definitive historical record of when exactly he was canonized.
The feast day of Saint Valentine was established by the Roman Catholic Church and is observed on February 14th.
Saint Valentine’s connection to romantic love likely grew in the Middle Ages due to the medieval concept of courtly love and the association of this feast day with romantic and affectionate gestures.
Over time, the tradition of exchanging love notes, gifts, and flowers grew. Today, it is celebrated across faiths as a day to celebrate love and togetherness.
So let’s celebrate this Valentine’s Day Cedar Bear style with flowers, chocolate, and TincTracts®!
New Love
Ah, the feeling of springtime enshrouds this period of a budding relationship or marriage. It is exciting, new, and, well, sometimes downright exhausting! All that getting to know each other can culminate in late nights and unbalanced days as you ride on the waves of spectacular emotion.
This can be a wonderfully ecstatic time in life, especially when you feel deep down that you have found THE one. Just remember, if you feel you have found the one, this means you have an entire lifetime to get to know each other. It doesn’t have to happen overnight. Take a deep breath and enjoy every moment together.
A few quick tricks can get you both back in balance - together.
Don’t forget to eat (well). Butterflies in the stomach may make you forget a meal, and days filled with conversation and laughter may leave you forgetting to eat altogether! Instead of falling into this pattern, find some light, healthy food to have on hand.
Plenty of fresh fruit, balanced with light proteins such as boiled eggs, seeds, or poultry can top lovely salads anytime of day. Mix up a homemade dressing to keep in the fridge and really impress your new beau! Keep some dried apricots and walnuts or pecans on hand for long walks and late night snacks. And don’t forget a bit of dark chocolate.
Remember to sleep. In the early days make sure you protect your sleep time. Restful sleep regenerates your body and mind, boosts your immune system, and lets your organ systems heal. In other words, don’t skip it!
Find a new routine. Before entering a relationship or marriage, we all have our routines - be it healthy or not so much. Once you are spending your days and nights in rhythm with another person, it is imperative to make sure you are contributing to a new routine that suits you both. Mealtimes, bedtimes, workouts, alone time, even when you set the alarm, are all up for discussion. Find a routine that supports your highest health and wellbeing, together.
CEDAR BEAR HERBAL SUPPORT
Ginseng Vitality
Ginseng Vitality has five powerhouse health supporting herbs that have been used for centuries to maintain vitality, endurance, and health.
American Ginseng - invigorates your body, both physically and mentally, and is considered a more gentle adaptogen than Asian Ginseng. It helps boost physical and emotional vitality, benefitting athletic performance, and helps improve sexual function and energy.
Asian Ginseng - a rejuvenating herb that builds energy and vitality. It strengthens your immune system, improves circulation, enhances and restores energy, endurance, strength, and sexual virility.
Ashwagandha, Eleuthero, and Maca in this formula are also known for these qualities.
Energy & Stamina
Energy & Stamina is an all-natural herbal formula that has herbs that nutritionally support your health needs and has herbs with naturally occurring caffeine that give you a boost that is easier on your health than “energy” drinks, without the crash!
Ginkgo, Gotu Kola and Hawthorn Leaf help improve blood flow to the brain and heart and support overall heart and cardiovascular health.
Tongkat Ali Root - Is an adaptogen and anti-aging support that helps build energy, lift mood, and supports testosterone levels and male fertility, like the proverbial “fountain of youth”.
Love For the Ages
Let’s face it, no matter how bursting with excitement those first few years of being with your forever love can be, the excitement can wane as love matures and seasons. This is the natural course of good relationships, and can even signify longevity.
As the days and nights become comfortably routine, a deepening of souls occurs. Layers are peeled away, and a raw, beautiful vulnerability is discovered. This is humanity at its finest, and pure love can glow between two people, hearts intertwined on their journey together.
But let’s be honest, as life takes its course some days, weeks, or even months can seem like a never ending crawl day in and day out to get to work, pay the bills, put food on the table, teach the kids, care for the pets, fielding soccer games and dentist appointments, trips to the grocery store… and SO MUCH laundry.
When and where is there time to rekindle this incredible love you have for the person you chose to share all this crazy living with?! There’s only one real answer - you have to make the time! You have to prioritize your relationship, your partnership, your marriage, because this is where it all began.
A few tips from a seasoned (and well loved) Wife
Make time for each other each day. This can be as simple as an uninterrupted meal or a walk at sunset around your neighborhood. Make it easy and attainable so it happens.
Plan a weekly or monthly date. This can be anytime of day and cost zero dollars. Don’t wait for a “date night” together that doesn’t happen because you don’t have anyone to watch the kids at night or you don’t want to splurge on a fancy dinner or show. Take a few hours during the day to do something you both love. The only requirement for a good date is being alone together.
Never underestimate the power of spontaneity. Surprising each other with flowers and chocolate does not have to be reserved for Valentine’s Day and anniversaries! Pick some wildflowers on the way home one day. Make some hawthorn chocolate dipped strawberries (see below) on a random weekend morning. Wake up before sunrise and encourage your partner to head out to your favorite spot for some sunrise tea time, or yoga, or whatever it is that you love doing together.
CEDAR BEAR HERBAL SUPPORT
Revive Her Drive™
Revive Her Drive™ was specially formulated to lift the female libido, bring a sense of well-being, and increase energy levels and stamina. It also has herbs that help reduce anxiousness and nervous tension.
Among other herbs, it has:
French Rose - uplifting to body and spirit and supports skin health and youthfulness.
Cacao Nibs - known as “the food of the gods”, supports immune health, libido, fertility, and is a known aphrodisiac.
Damiana Leaf - an aphrodisiac, this strengthening herb uplifts mood and supports libido.
Revive His Drive™
Revive His Drive™ strengthens the male reproductive/hormonal system, helps maintain circulation to the lower extremities, builds energy and vitality, and benefits overall long-term sexual health, as well as supporting short-term performance.
One of the herbs in this formula, Maca Root, when taken regularly, is a health strengthening adaptogen herb that builds energy, strength, vitality, and supports healthy libido.
Single TincTract® Additions
Add any of the following singles to the formulas discussed here to add a personalized boost to your day:
Ashwagandha Root
Kava Kava Root
Maca Root
Tongkat Ali Root
Single TincTract® Spotlight: Hawthorn Berry
Tart, tangy, and slightly sweet, this herb retains all the elements of berry juice when extracted using our TincTract® method. Hawthorn Berry is THE herb for building heart health. Best taken regularly, add it to your Valentine’s Day festivities for flavor and know you're supporting your heart at the same time.
For Valentine’s Day (or any day of the year!) try Cedar Bear’s hawthorn chocolate dipped strawberries. Simply melt your favorite organic dark chocolate and add several dropperfuls of Cedar Bear’s Hawthorn Berry TincTract®. Dip organic, long stemmed strawberries in the mixture, place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or plate, and let harden in the refrigerator.
A simple, delicious, nutritious treat for your loved ones!
WHY CEDAR BEAR?
Cedar Bear is dedicated to following FDA (Federal Drug Administration) regulations in providing safe as well as effective herbal products. Each herb goes through careful systematic review and rigorous testing protocols from independent laboratories to assure they are indeed the correct herb and are free of any bad chemicals, bacteria, molds, or anything else. Only herbs on the USDA GRAS list (Generally Recognized As Safe) are used.
It’s not just the herbs that make our formulas so effective at revitalizing your health. Over 35 years ago, using ancient alchemical principles together with modern technology, Carl developed a process that was totally new and the most ‘synergy-enhanced’ of all liquid processed herbal products.
More than a TINCture, (no alcohol ever used) and much more than an exTRACT, and working better than either, Carl called his revolutionary process the TincTract®. From there, he began applying his training in phytopharmacology and biochemistry to formulate amazingly effective herbal remedies.
Cedar Bear’s TincTract® process makes herbs both bio-available and bio-utilizable, so every drop goes right to work supporting your health and well-being.
100% alcohol free and safe for all ages, what’s not to love? Best of all, the TincTract® process not only makes herbs work better, but they taste better, too!
Support your heart while boosting your libido and energy levels today with herbal products by Cedar Bear®!
Contributing Author: Aubrey Loretta Connelly, MH, NC
(These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.)
