**REVIEW** Plantation Brand Blackstrap Molasses

Let me start this by pasting in what I shared on Google Plus back on the 18th of February:

The fatigue has been serious for a few weeks now. The ferrous sulfate docs give me causes constipation (yeah, sorry). 
Today, while at the infusion center, another patient (older lady visiting from Georgia) reminded me of an old remedy for "tired blood". 
Her: Where are you from, baby? Me: Texas, but raised here in Alaska. Her: Your mother from Texas and you never heard of using 'strap? Me: (Thinking of whoopings I got) Yes, ma'am. Strap, switch, belt... Her: No, honey. Blackstrap Molasses! 
And then I did remember! And I_hated_ that ' strap as much as I hated whoopings. I have learned in the past few years how to mask the taste of things that are good for me. 
I dragged my behind to the store after treatment and picked up some 'strap! 
I swear this is the same slavery time brand my mother used! 😲
I got home and slept for 4 hours, woke up and made some coffee and added a spoon of the 'strap (and I'm always going to call it that!) 
Still dog tired, but I'm going to keep adding 'strap to my coffee and see if it helps.

I'm drinking some in black tea now. After this, bed. 😴😴😴

#fatigue#chronicdisease#sarcoidosis #lifeisstillbeautiful#iamblessed#iamjoyful#nothingsgoingtobreakmystride#naturalhealthremedy#workedformymama #plantationblackmolasses #plantationseriously#evenauntjemimagotamakeover


Yes, it was like that. Here is the brand of molasses I'm talking about:

Okay, aside from my jabbing at the brand's name, I have to tell you what an impact this product has made on my life.

The very next day (after taking that first dose of 'strap), I put another 1/2 tablespoon in my morning coffee. Even though I felt much better than I usually do after an infusion, I knew I was going to have to find another way to get my 'strap dosage. It was not bad in coffee, but made it a little heavy tasting. Later, while looking up more information about molasses, I ran across a more delicious way to get my daily dose:

Tablespoon of the molasses in bottom of a coffee cup
Couple of drops of hot water to cover the molasses (to soften/thin it)
Stir the water and molasses
Add 8 ounces (or more) of your choice of cold dairy or soy (I use vanilla soy)
Stir well and enjoy
(Of course, I modified the recipe and will sometimes drop in a frozen cube of coconut milk! )

To me, the taste is like chocolate. Like I said, I have added a cube of coconut mile, but I also enjoy this as a warm drink before bed. At any rate, mixed with the soy, the molasses takes on a whole new (better) flavor. I bet parents could probably get their kids to drink it. Check with your doctor first!

The best thing about getting my energy from the molasses is that I don't get the constipation that iron pills cause. I thought it might be because of the added dairy/soy, but I found that BSM is used as constipation reliever. Also, it's just nice not to have one more pill to deal with.

Even if you're not concerned with fatigue, there are lots of uses for 'strap (I kind of knew about baked beans, but forgot all about BBQ sauces!):

• Considered an affordable "superfood"
• Uses of, varieties of, and other info on BSM
• 11 ways to use blackstrap (BBQ sauce included here)
• Cookie and bread recipes
• Light vs Dark molasses. Some info for cooking.
• Using for hair. Unsulphered vs sulphered molasses
• A recipe using cocoa powder.
• Blackstrap is vegan, apparently.
• Some vegan recipes (including a BSM one)
• As a remedy for acne (stroll down)

The brand that was available at my local health food store was Plantation (yeah), but I did find a more affordable brand (with slightly different nutrient levels) on Amazon. As far as I can tell, 'strap will "keep" for  up to 4 months or more without losing quality.

Plantation label

Golden Barrel label

Since there are several brands, I am going to be making future purchases based on nutrition labels (I've order the Golden Barrel brand), taste, and price. Availability here in Anchorage is limited to our health food stores (as far as I know) but, depending on where you live, you might be able to find it in grocery stores. I'm pretty sure my mother and grandmothers living in Texas weren't hitting Whole Foods in the '60s and '70s!

If you know of more information about 'strap, let me know.

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** 100% PureTea Tree Oil by Apothecary Extracts

This is the first time I have actually used a tea tree oil. Me. The person who has tried oils with names that I can't even pronounce correctly. This one was nothing like what I expected. It's a 100% pure therapeutic grade Tea Tree Oil by Apothecary Extracts.

Nice-looking bottle too.

 First, it doesn't stink. Matter of fact, I really like the smell of it. My regular blog readers know how I am about that.

 

 Also, I'm crazy about the packaging of this product. Not only is it pretty, but the label includes specific information about the oil itself and about the uses (and warnings). That's nice. I've seen lots of products that include a lot of hype and no real information. Check it out on Amazon.

Like I said, I've never tried tea tree oil before. I was a little nervous about trying it because most of what I've heard is how strong it is. When I gave this one the sniff test, I was really pleased with the scent. It's strong but not overwhelming.

Since I am cautious about what I use on my skin, I decided to start easy with this. After I checked out the package label and a few websites indicating all the ways it can be used, I tried it on my chapped lips. I combined a drop of it with a drop of some argan oil (which is heavier and richer than some of my other oils) and used the mixture as a balm. Results: very nice. There was a sensation much milder than when applying mentholated balms, but I got immediate softness. The best thing is that after my lips sucked up all that oil, they didn't dry out. The relief is lasting and I think I am going to have to make a mixture to keep in a tin for my purse.

I don't have problems with acne, so I don't want to test this on my already dry and moody skin. What I do have is a stubborn corn on my left foot. I read somewhere that I can use the tea tree oil to get rid of that problem. So... I tested it out tonight by wetting a Q-tip with some tea tree and some of the argan oil. I dabbed that on and, since my toe didn't fall off or burst into flames, I'm going to repeat the process every night and soak my foot in warm water every morning until I get rid of the corn. Where was this stuff when I needed to get rid of old boyfriends and ex-husbands?

To be honest, I'm still finding ways to use the oil, but here are some uses I've heard about:

• As an antiseptic and an alternative to chemical-based cleaners
• Treat Athlete's Foot, fungus, etc.
• Used in homemade toothpaste recipes (though not safe to ingest!)
• Various household uses as listed here
• To get rid of mold
• For making a natural household disinfectant
• Using in laundry care

A couple of warnings that stood out for me as I searched around were not to use on young children and not to ingest.

I think that there can be lots of ways to include this in your beauty routine. This is a list of a variety of ways to take care of your nails, hair and skin with it. This site is a bit more specific to beauty care using tea tree oil. The main thing I noticed when checking out ways to use tea tree oil is that diluting with a carrier oil is best until you know what your skin and hair can tolerate. 

This is one of the more expensive oils that I have tried, but I need to mention that the price works out to be cheaper than it looks. Because the oil is often meant to be diluted and used in combination with carrier oils and other ingredients (for instance, when making cleaning solutions), I think of the 4 ounces as being equal to 16 ounces of other oils. For instance, I use a lot of coconut oil but that's because I don't dilute it.

Since the brand offers a 100% "No questions asked, money-back" guarantee, you can feel secure in giving this tea tree oil a try.

For me, I have found a new staple to add to my oil collection for natural body and beauty care. By the way, I'd love to hear from anyone that knows of other uses for it.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free in exchange for a fair and honest review using BrandBacker Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.