Why we need to drink water

We are all aware that we should drink water. Health magazines, newspapers and complementary therapists all advise us to increase our intake to around 6 glasses per day, but what is the reason behind this advice?

The human body comprises of millions of cells, each of which is filled and surrounded by a watery fluid. In a healthy, hydrated body, the water outside the cells is less concentrated than that inside, therefore allowing toxins to be drawn out of the cell through the process of osmosis. When the body becomes dehydrated however, the process is reversed and the water outside the cell becomes more concentrated than inside. This then interferes with the delicate process of osmosis, which ultimately leads to a build up of toxins, all of which can contribute to many serious diseases.

Happy drinking!

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Elements' by Carole Carlton

Bees: Health and History

Bees have been revered for at least 8,000 years, as evidenced in cave paintings and a carved gold plaque from Rhodes which now resides in the British museum.

The Myceaneans were so appreciative of the bee that they fashioned their tombs in the shape of a hive and the Priestesses who attended the Goddess Potnia who they referred to as 'The Pure Mother Bee' were all called Melissa, the Greek word for bee.

In Homer Hymn to Apollo we told that the 'Thriae', a trinity of Agean Bee Goddesses, gave Apollo the gift of prophesy, whilst both Achillies and Pythagorus were said to have acquired their gifts of eloquence from being fed on honey as children.

For humankind the benefits of bee products are manyfold:

• Honey

A vitamin packed boost of energy and because it is much sweeter than sugar you won't need as much to sweeten your food. An excellent expectorant.

• Bee Propolis

This is mainly gathered from tree resin and mixed with bee secretions that gives a gluey mixture which is excellent for wounds, rashes, cold sores, blisters and all round healer.

• Bee Pollen

Provides all the essential nutrients for a healthy immune system

• Royal Jelly

This is a concentrated superfood that is fed to the potential queens of the hives and helps with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME), skin, hair, nails, hormonal balance, sexual disorders, cardiovascular health, diabetes, blood pressure problems, asthma, hayfever and depressive disorders.

Mrs Darley, the title character in the Mrs Darley series of books always championed the bee and each year at the summer solstice, we would all eat honeyed toast after drumming up the sun at dawn. She would tell us that we should spare a moment's thought for this amazing creature of air, who provides us with such natural treasures.

Read more about the bee in 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers' and 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Elements' (out 6th July- pre order at Amazon)

Honey Bees

The plight of the honey bee in Britain is dire. The lack of clover fields and hawthorn hedges, the virulence of the varroa mite in hives and the mysterious 'Colony Collapse Disorder' (CCD) where some bees mysteriously leave the hive never to return and those that remain are overcome by fungal and viral infections are all serious contributors to the reduction of honey bee numbers. But why is this so important?

Einstein allegedly said: 'If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have 4 years of life left. No bees, no pollination, no plants, no animals, no man.'

Scientists have since said that this is rather an extreme view, nevertheless it highlights just how important honey bees are. An average hive houses around 50,000 bees that pollinate some 500,000 plants per day. For this to be done manually would be far from cost effective and almost impossible to achieve. In 2007 the government worked out the value of bees to the UK economy to be £200 million, whilst their retail value was estimated to be closer to £1 billion.

We can each do our bit however to encourage the bee population:

• Grow bee friendly plants such as alliums (onion family) flowering herbs, beans, sunflowers, foxgloves, hollyocks


• Look into bee keeping yourself or contact your local bee keepers assocaition and allow a bee keeper to keep a hive on your land.


• Buy local honey

In the next blog discover the history myth and legend of bees, the health properties of bee products and what Mrs Darley has to say about them in the latest 'Mrs Darley' book out soon.

The Cup that Revives

Tea, is one of the most popular drinks in the UK and approximately 2,000 cups are consumed annually by the average person. It is the drink we turn to when we need to be uplifted, relaxed or deal with a crisis and most teas have beneficial health properties as long as they are not smothered with copious amounts of milk and sugar.

Black leafed tea (PG tips/Tetley/Typhoo etc) however does contain high levels of caffeine which can make the drink somewhat stimulating, this is great during the day but not too good at night. By contrast green leafed tea contains far less caffeine which makes it a preferable night time drink and has a host of health benefits that connot be ignored. According to research carried out by the Japanese Cancer Research Institute, regular daily consumption of green tea could halt the growth of 87% of skin cancers, 58% of stomach cancers and 56% of lung cancers.

Many people however find green tea a little harsh but this can be combated by drinking one of the many flavoured green teas such as jasmine, alternatively white leafed tea might be more to your taste and it's low in caffeine, although the health benefits are not quite as good as the green variety. You can of course brew your own, especially as many herbs and flowers are now coming into bloom in British gardens. Try the following recipie for a citrusy spicy alternative:

2 Teaspoons loose Green Tea leaves (Gunpowder variety is good but any will do)
Approx 12 leaves lemon balm
3 Cloves

Place tea, lemon balm leaves and cloves in a tea pot and pour on water that has just gone off the boil. Stir and allow to infuse for 5 minutes before pouring.

Lemon balm is gently sedative and yet uplifts, a wonderful herb if you are under stress.It calms palpatations, soothes digestion and is antiviral, whilst the warming spice of clove helps ease pain and fights infection, these combined with the properties of green tea will shine a different light on the cup that revives!

Trusting Yourself

How a lack of understanding can deny people access to the wonderful gifts of the universe is often quite a sad state of affairs. Listening to others who think they know best, assumption, fear, and close mindedness are probably four reasons that prevent many of us from enjoying the many pleasures that life has to offer.

This week someone said that although they have now changed their opinion of Reiki healing through their own investigations they had, initially, avoided accepting a treatment because someone had told them that it would not be good for cancer sufferers due to the fact that it would spread the cancer cells around the body.

How sad that this rogue opinion could have stopped someone less determined from enjoying the benefits Reiki has to offer. This is a classic example of taking responsibility for your own health and your own path because the only person who knows what's right for you is you!