Holy Basil, Bat Man!

Wedge Worldwide's Organic Auyervedic Shanti Tea has already developed a following from our customers across the country. The main ingredient is Holy Basil, known as Ocimum sanctum in Latin, or as Tulsi in Ayurvedic medicine (an ancient system of natural health care native to India). Holy Basil is a well-known sacred plant in India that has been used medicinally for thousands of years. In fact the Tulsi plant is an important religious symbol in the Hindi tradition. One legend states that this plant was originally the nymph, Tulasi, who was loved and revered by the Indian god, Krishna. To this day many Indian women begin their day by offering blessed water to their Tulsi plants in order to bring blessings from this goddess into their homes. These plants are usually found in Hindu households and temples and the Holy Basil leaves are used in worship practices. The woody stems of the plant are made into prayer beads for rosaries used in the Hindu tradition.

Tulsi has been called “The Incomparable One,” the “Queen of Herbs,” and “The Elixir of Life” for good reason. It has an impressive array of health benefits that westerners and modern scientific research have recently become aware of. Holy Basil is perhaps best known for its ability to regulate and protect the body from stress. This herb supports normal cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is a hormone that can become elevated when we are continually stressed. This can cause our body to lose it's balance, making it difficult to return to a place of physical and psychological health. Research has shown that Tulsi can aid in returning stressed physiological systems to a normal state. The additional actions of Tulsi are numerous, and I will only mention a few more of them here. Holy Basil improves energy levels, stamina and endurance, it offers significant antioxidant protection and helps the body to protect itself from disease, it boosts the immune system, is anti-inflammatory and gives heart and vascular support which aids in lowering dangerous cholesterol and high blood pressure. It also has been said to be helpful in moderating blood glucose levels in diabetics. This herb falls under the category of an adaptogen, which is a nontoxic herb that helps the body defend itself from stress. Adaptogens have a regulating influence on the body, have the ability to balance the adrenals, the endocrine hormones, the immune system and support the body in maintaining overall homeostasis.*


Organic Auyervedic Shanti Tea is not only good for you, it's a delightful treat for the taste buds. The flavor is mild and pleasant, yet it has an invigorating, herby, spicy aroma and taste. This mildly sweet and cooling blend also contains fennel, orange peel and spearmint. Luckily our Shanti Tea comes in one pound bags so you'll have plenty of nurturing, beautiful cups of tea to look forward to.

Perhaps some of the most compelling aspects of the lore surrounding the sacred Holy Basil plant are that it is not only known for being able to elevate the spirit, it also has been said to assist in balancing the energetic systems of the body and soul known as the chakras. It is reported as being conducive to meditation and in the Ayurvedic tradition has been noted as an herb that helps one to attain enlightenment. For myself, Tulsi is an herb that I have enjoyed for many years and continue to be impressed by. I have noted its calming properties when I have taken it over a period of time and I've been interested in its ability to help me feel a greater sense of openness, peace and interconnection. The Bulk Organic Auyervedic Shanti Tea is is a wonderful way to get to know this special herb and be uplifted by its spiritual and healing powers.


*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product and these statements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

Evanhealy Facial Care For Sensitive Skin

My skin is ultra particular about what I can put on it. Many of even the highest quality, all-natural facial creams cause my sensitive skin to easily break out and become red and irritated. That's why I love this cream from evanhealy called Blue Chamomile Day Moisturizer. It's moisturizing, yet it soaks in quickly and is not at all oily. This cream also incorporates the healing properties of essential oils like blue chamomile, excellent for inflammation, redness or puffiness, and lavender which has great toning and pore cleansing properties.

My face has combination skin that can tend towards both oiliness and dryness. It's hard for me to find a moisturizer that can treat the dryness without clogging my pores. I often recommend Blue Chamomile Day Moisturizer to customers who are looking for a natural alternative to traditional drug-store-type non-comogenic (non-pore clogging) facial creams. This evanhealy product is great for all skin types, not just sensitive folks like me! Others who may be interested in trying it would be those who suffer from eczema, psoriasis or rosacea.

I feel that this moisturizer is an excellent choice for men, too, especially those who tend to have irritated skin or ingrown hairs from shaving - and also teenagers or any of us who are prone to acne. (Speaking of break outs, I’ve tried, tested and given my thumbs up to evanhealy's Tea Tree Gel Cleanser.)

If you want to pamper and give your skin even more TLC, try adding evanhealy's Lavender Facial Tonic Hydrosol into your daily facial care routine. Simply spray this product on in the morning and evening after you wash your face, then your skin is ready to be moisturized. I press the tonic into my face and allow it to air-dry which only takes a few seconds. Toning the skin in this way helps to keep your pores clean and your complexion healthy and vibrant.

Here’s a tip for those with dry skin. Spray a tiny puddle of toner into one of your cupped palms, add a few drops of evanhealy's Blue Chamomile Rosehip Treatment Facial Oil, rub your hands together and gently press this mixture into your face. The oil and water absorb instantly into your skin adding a light, protective layer of moisture. This is an ideal way to nourish your face any time throughout the day. I also often use this method during dry winter days in addition to the cream I put on in the morning and evening or in the hot summer months when I want an extremely light moisturizer. In addition, adding a few drops of Rosehip Treatment Oil into a dollop of your face cream is a wonderful way to bring some extra moisturizing oomph to your skin when it is in need.

For dry or aging skin, I recommend evanhealy's Rose Vetiver Day Moisturizer, Rose Geranium Facial Tonic Hydrosol and Rose Vetiver Rosehip Treatment Facial Oil.

Fair Trade Food Goods From the White Earth Reservation

Winona La Duke is a renowned Native American activist, environmentalist, economist and writer, and she’s also a part of the Anishinaaabeg (Ojibwe) community at White Earth in northwestern Minnesota. She and her community have worked together to conceive and begin the White Earth Land Recovery Project whose mission is “to facilitate the recovery of the original land base of the White Earth Indian Reservation, while preserving and restoring traditional practices of sound land stewardship, language fluency, community development, and strengthening (their) spiritual and cultural heritage.” The retail face of this project is Native Harvest, a business that offers naturally harvested foods and hand-made crafts. At Wedge Worldwide, we carry Native Harvest’s wild rice, maple syrup and maple butter. This enterprise was started in order to provide more income for those within the White Earth reservation community through Fair Trade labor and also as a way to share their traditionally made natural food with the general public.

Native Harvest and Winona La Duke are the original Fair Traders in Minnesota. Native Harvest called their domestic, Minnesota-grown products Fair Trade, because they charged what they needed to charge to cover cost of goods and give their tribal members a decent return on their investment. They’ve boldly pioneered Fair Trade in this state, and I feel great about making their foods available on Wedge Worldwide.

Even better, the White Earth Land Recovery Project and Native Harvest are involved in many wonderful environmentally and socially responsible initiatives that make me feel excited about supporting them through purchasing their yummy products. They are committed to caring for their land and using environmental practices such as renewable wind energy, working to save their and all wild rice from becoming cross pollinated with GMO wild rice strains, they are passionate about the bio-diversity of their Anishabee agriculture and work to create heirloom varieties of endangered species of corn, beans and squash and they also harvest maple sugar sap from their bio-diverse land in a sustainable manner that has been certified under the Forest Stewardship Councils. In addition, White Earth and Native Harvest have initiatives to provide healthful traditional foods to the Native Americans in their tribe that are living with diabetes, they teach Ojibwe language classes within their community, and offer a variety of cultural heritage learning programs to their young people.

Wedge Worldwide is proud of the fact that Native Harvest is their first partner for the Wedge's domestic Fair Trade program. One way in which people are seeking to protect small and mid-size farmers from the creeping industrialization of sustainable agriculture is the introduction of Fair Trade into U.S. agriculture. Fair Trade is a trading partnership based on dialog, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers.