Month: March 2019

March 31, 2019 at 12:08PM by CWC The flowers are blooming and the days are getting longer—but the season this year is also amplified by the cosmos, says astrologer Jennifer Racioppi. Here’s why springtime renewal is getting an extra celestial boost—and how to tune in to its power.  As we settle into the post-Mercury retrograde reality (Mercury initially went retrograde on March 5, and after a few weeks of a tumultuous ride, the planet of communication stationed direct on March 28) we do so with Mars, the planet of action, now in the sign of Gemini. Mars moving into Gemini on March 31 opens the doors to a fresh start. Think of it this way: We find ourselves in Aries season—the sun travels in Aries from March 20 to April 20—and Mars rules Aries, the sign of new beginnings and fresh starts (hello astrological new year). So, as we go through this season of awakening, Mars’ location in the sky tells the story of how we’ll do during this time of emergence. Gemini, a sign famously known for a fickle disposition, can influence Mars in such a way that things feel unsettled—decisions that felt solid are now up for review. Up until now, Mars has traveled in Taurus, a fixed earth sign—Mars entered Taurus on Valentine’s Day—and Taurus is not its favorite part of the zodiac. Think of it this way: Mars likes speed and action, and Taurus doesn’t. Mars traveling through Taurus can bring feelings of frustration, as our

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March 31, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC If you’ve ever gone on a hike and seen funky-looking fungus growing on trees, you were probably staring right at usnea, a type of lichen with purported health benefits. (A lichen, btw, is basically when a fungus and an algae fuse together to make a symbiotic life form.) According to the Institute of Traditional Medicine, the lichen—also known as “old man’s beard” because of its hairy appearance—has been used for hundreds of years as a healing compound in Native American, Chinese, and European medicine. Today, you can find usnic acid (basically the active ingredient in usnea that’s largely responsible for its purported benefits) in toothpastes, mouthwashes, sunscreens, and deodorant. Are there any potential usnea benefits? Real talk: There’s not a ton of concrete research out there on usnea or usnic acid. The one benefit that’s generally agreed upon are usnea’s antibacterial properties. Usnic acid shows up in a lot of hygiene products because it has been shown to slow and prevent the growth of certain kinds of bacteria and fungi. A 2005 in vitro study also showed that the acid has some antioxidant potential, too. Take that with a grain of salt—the study wasn’t done on live subjects so it’s unclear how this would affect the human body. The whole antibacterial thing likely is part of the reason why the lichen has a traditional rep (and usage) as a cold-fighter. It also contains mucilage, which—stay with me—is a slimy, gooey substance that can

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March 31, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC I refused to drink kombucha for a very long time. Not because it has a funky, acquired taste… but because it has a weird glob floating around in it that can easily sneak into your mouth. I’m shuddering in utter disgust just thinking about it. That glob is called a scoby, and it’s actually how kombucha—the gut-friendly wellness beverage that delivers a healthy dose of probiotics to your system—is made. BTW, it’s not just a weird name for the hell of it (although “scoby” does kinda match what it looks like IRL)—it’s actually an acronym for “symbiotic culture of bacteria.” Not that it makes it any more appetizing. Anywho, I bring up the mysterious, bacteria cultured-item because I’ve been hearing murmurs in the beauty world about people slathering scoby onto their skin for a… glow. After vomiting, I began thinking about it, and it started to make sense in my skin-care obsessed brain. First of all, probiotics on your skin is a good thing. They support the healthy microbiome that keeps your skin barrier in tact and thriving. And fermented beauty makes skin-care products more bioavailable. So a scoby is just a perfect mix of the two that’d only bestow your complexion with radiance, no? “Topically applied probiotics can have a really positive effect for many skin conditions by helping regulate the pH and by balancing the appropriate bacterial flora on the skin,” says Rachel Nazarian, MD, a board certified dermatologist with Schweiger Dermatology.

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