A big reason for our passion here at Shen Blossom for herbal formulas and functional foods is self-sufficiency. In addition to our focus on prevention of illness through proactively cultivating radiant health, which is the first goal of Japanese herbalism, we choose to prepare ourselves and our families for whatever life may bring our way to handle any unforeseen situation with ease and know-how.

Doctors and hospitals are wonderful for true emergencies, but with the right knowledge and resources, many health issues and physical crises can be handled safely and effectively at home.

This takes creating a well-stocked first aid kit and medicine cabinet, along with the knowledge of how and when to use the diverse components therein. Generally, a first aid kit is for quickly and effectively handling traumatic injury, and a medicine cabinet is for assisting in the healing process of injuries, but also for other common physical complaints like viral/bacterial illness, allergies, local and systemic inflammation, pain and much more.

There can definitely be an overlap in a first aid kit and medicine cabinet, as it’s usually most effective in the case of an injury to begin utilizing the healing influence of medicines almost immediately. We like to keep first aid kits + medicine bags in our vehicles, plus a more elaborate set of supplies in easy to access places in our home.

In addition to all of the wonderful functional foods and nutritional and adaptogenic herbs Shen Blossom offers to supplement your diet for radiant health, several of our products are a fantastic addition to your custom built medicine cabinet.

Here are our top ten.

Aka Hinoki (wound sanitizing and blood purification)

Made from a combination of exotic and aromatic tree resins, Aka Hinoki is a potent blood purifier. This property makes it excellent for sanitizing wounds. Just add one drop to a fresh wound that has already been cleaned with pure water, to kill any unwanted bacteria that may be lingering in the area that would prevent the wound from properly healing, or cause infection.

It can also be used if a wound is already in the healing stage, but has become infected. Add a drop to the area several times daily to help resolve the infection.

Another way we like to use it is to take a couple drops in the mouth with a small bit of warm water and gargle with it. This is great if you have any unwanted bacteria or soreness lingering in the back of your throat or to help with bacteria in the gums and mouth in general.

This is a great medicine cabinet item, because it’s so useful yet takes up so little space! One tiny bottle will last a very long time when used this way.

Hawaiian Noni Honey (healing wounds)

Did you know that high quality organic raw honey is one of the best topical wound treatments? With its high enzyme content, antiviral activity and naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide, plus the moisture which helps seal and hydrate the wound and create new tissue, raw honey is an indispensable item for both your first aid kit and medicine cabinet.

It can be used immediately after cleaning a fresh wound, or even in place of water as a cleansing agent, after the wound has bled a little bit. The initial purpose of the blood that comes from a fresh wound is to wash out bacteria and debris, but its vitally important second purpose is to turn into new tissue, so it’s good to allow it to do that. Coating the area with raw honey will create a moisturizing seal that will allow the tissue to begin regenerating immediately. Ideally put a bandage on top of the honey to hold it there, then replace the honey and bandage several times daily until the healing process is well underway.

We have personally experienced wounds healing astonishingly quickly just using raw honey!

Also, raw honey is fantastic for helping the body recover from illness and soothe the throat and mucous membranes. Add a spoonful to a warm medicinal tea for an immune boost, a soothing effect and a quick relief of symptoms.

All of the above is true of any well-sourced, single origin raw honey, and our high grade Hawaiian Noni honey is one of the best quality and most healthful honeys we know of!


Mend • Turmeric Formula (anti-inflammatory & pain relief)

This highly concentrated sake extract features turmeric, plus over a dozen other synergistic herbs meant to enhance the benefits of turmeric to stimulate a healthy inflammation response, help with pain management, and help achieve whole body wellness and longevity.

Much more potent and effective than taking turmeric on its own as a food or supplement, this is a very strong formula, and we recommend starting slowly with just a few drops, and work your way up to the standard dosage.

For daily use or for helping to resolve long standing conditions involving pain and inflammation, take 5-7 drops under the tongue 3 times daily. For acute support in the case of injury, take 15 drops under the tongue 3 times daily with plenty of pure water.

Muscle Root Balm (topical pain relief)

Topical relief for sore or strained muscles, tendons, bruises or sprains, as well as general aches and pains. This is a comprehensive herbal formula in an oil and beeswax base, for long lasting relief of localized physical complaints. Reduces inflammation, soothes neck pain and headaches, increases circulation and aids in general recovery. MRB can also be used for menstrual pain and general discomfort.

Just massage Muscle Root Balm anywhere you feel soreness, while taking care to avoid contact with the eyes.

Potent-C (vitamin C formula for immune power)

This is a truly unique formula, unlike any other vitamin C supplement on the market! A synergistic combination of plant based collagens from fermented seaweeds, plus several vitamin C rich concentrated ingredients, this formula is specially designed to be easily delivered to the brain, which contains more vitamin C than any other area of the body.

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that we need to consume daily, ideally in natural forms, not from synthetic ascorbic acid. There are co-factors contained in high vitamin C foods and herbs that are necessary for proper absorption and utilization of the vitamin C itself. This formula is completely natural and made only from foods and herbs, with no fillers.

We know vitamin C is essential for immune system optimization and preventing and fighting colds, flus and other viral illnesses, but you may not know that vitamin C is vital to the functioning of every other body process, as well! It’s especially important for the health of our skin and connective tissue, wound healing, improving circulation, brain function and alertness, and supporting the health of the digestive tract.

This is a concentrated formula in a whole food form, so all you need is ¼ teaspoon, 1-3 times daily. You can mix it into water and drink it, or ideally place it directly on the tongue and chase with water. It has a spicy kick.

Protect • Ninniku Immune Throat Spray

An herbal formula in the form of a very potent throat spray, Protect is designed to ward off a wide variety of aggressive pathogens and to quickly ramp up your immune system. This highly concentrated, therapeutic grade throat spray produces instant, noticeable results, and is a staple of our medicine cabinet.

Protect is formulated to work while you are experiencing acute symptoms of a cold or flu, yet it is balanced enough to be taken to boost your immune system in a preemptive wellness strategy or as a daily immune tonic.

This is your go-to formula you can count on if you are under the weather or stressing your immune system with overwork, traveling, and being in environments where you are more susceptible to pathogens.

In addition to how versatile it is in not just strengthening your immune system as a preventative while also hitting viral and bacterial invaders hard the instant you need it, it has several other valuable uses in a medicine cabinet.

It’s great for countering histamine reactions from allergies, opening the lungs and allowing relief. You can spray it on your toothbrush to freshen breath and improve the health of your oral environment. We recommend the mint formula for this!

Using it topically, it can help soothe itching and irritation from bug bites, and be used as a scalp tonic to improve the health of your hair and scalp. You can make it into an instant tea by spraying a couple sprays into hot water. Inhale the steam to soothe and open up your sinuses, then sip the tea afterward to get additional benefits.

Ninniku Immune Throat Spray comes in three distinct formulas. The difference is not just their dominant flavor, but each formula has slightly different ingredients to serve different purposes.

• Mint is ideal for sinus congestion, allergies and a stuffy nose, and for topical use for histamine reactions on the skin. It is cooling and drying, and you will feel this one the most as it moves up your sinus cavity and provides an instant cooling decongestant effect.

• Garlic thyme is great for colds and flus with its high concentration of garlic and thyme, which are both strong natural antivirals and antimicrobials. Also excellent for the cardiovascular and lung systems. This one is more warming, and has a slight numbing effect in the back of the throat, which is soothing for conditions like strep throat.

• Turmeric stimulates the immune system, reduces inflammation, promotes detoxification, purifies the blood, and has pain reducing qualities.
  
  

Use 1 to 2 sprays on the back of the throat as needed.

For acute conditions, you may use 1-2 sprays every hour until symptoms subside.

Protect Cough Syrup

This rich and soothing cough syrup is based on the same potent herbal formulation as our Protect Ninniku Immune Throat Sprays, but transformed into a syrup to support your throat health if you have a cough or sore throat.

It can be used for any type of cough, whether dry or phlegmy. It boosts your immune system while helping you recover from illness. It can also be used to soothe the irritation of a histamine response from allergies.

When needed, take 1/8 to ¼ tsp (or just dip a chopstick into the jar for a perfect dose!) every couple hours until symptoms subside.

Re-leaf (natural topical analgesic)

Powerful support for pain, inflammation, sore muscles, menstrual pain, bruises and external injuries. Re-leaf formula is a great partner with Muscle Root Balm (listed above), as you may prefer one or the other depending on the situation. Re-leaf is water based, and far more penetrating and fast acting, whereas Muscle Root Balm is oil/beeswax based and is more of a long lasting, slow release formula.

Re-leaf works from the outside in to first effect the skin, muscles and fascia. It starts by stimulating the Qi of the skin, which brings to the surface blood flow and energy. This increases circulation and supplies the damaged area with fresh blood, nutrients and oxygen while helping to remove and flush out damaged tissue to prevent fluid stagnation, helping the body to heal and recover quickly.

Pump as much of the formula as you need into the palm of your hand, and apply to anywhere you have pain or an injury (while being careful to avoid the eyes and open wounds).

Sanity (hand sanitizer)

This is a great product to keep in your purse or pocket, or in your car within easy reach at all times. A highly upgraded replacement for conventional hand sanitizers made with distilled alcohols and harsh chemicals, this formula is antibacterial, antiviral and antiseptic, but it won’t disturb the important natural biochemical balance of your skin or dry you out.

It’s also versatile, and in an emergency can be used to clean or sterilize wounds, or can be used anytime needed to help heal skin or scalp imbalances caused by yeast/fungal/microbe overgrowth by reducing harmful microbes while not disturbing beneficial bacterial colonies.

The silk peptides contained in Sanity are phenomenal for the skin and hair and people often use it on their scalp and hair for the nutrients it provides.

Sanity comes in a 10 milliliter spray bottle for convenience. Take it with you and use a spray anytime you need it!

Sea 7 Flush (bowel regularity)

This formula is designed to be used as an occasional cleanse for the gastrointestinal tract, to bind and sweep away debris that may have been lodged there for too long, increasing the health and efficiency of your digestion.

It is also a useful addition to your medicine cabinet to relieve occasional constipation. If you are stopped up and need some relief, try taking 4-5 capsules at night before bed, with a glass of pure water with some fresh lemon juice squeezed into it. This should help stimulate a full bowel movement by morning. We consider 4 caps a starting dose, so if you need more, feel free to increase your dosage!

More Great Medicine Cabinet Products Coming Soon!

These ten amazing products will surely upgrade your medicine cabinet in a big way. Here at Shen, we are continually developing new products to round out the medicine cabinet. We also encourage you to think of creative uses for our other products. While the above products are our top ten, quite a few more can be used to support the body in various unexpected circumstances.

We always strive to offer the highest quality formulations from non-commercial sources and go the extra mile to offer unique, top of the line formulations you won’t find anywhere else.

Have you used any Shen Blossom products in your medicine cabinet in creative ways? We would love to hear from you!