I've always has strong healthy nails until a few years ago. Horizontal ridges grew deeper and deeper across my nail bed and so I experimented with vitamin supplementation to no avail. I just excepted it with each manicure buffing out the ridges myself. The last few months, however, I unknowingly rectified the problem with a daily power smoothie that I want to share with you!

It all started with achy joints. My body was in constant pain and that prompted me to research causes and remedies for joint pain. I had started taking a anti-stress multi-vitamin that emphasized vitamin A and I started feeling better. During this time I learned vitamin A helps regulate the thyroid. Then a friend left a book on my doorstep called Collagen Myths and Misconceptions. I read the book within a few days and had found a link to achy joints, body pain, thyroid issues, and a host of other ailments related to depleted collagen. The remedy was easy enough and I started taking the recommended 1000 mg vitamin C and lysine- taken internally to turn up our own collagen production. I knew that collagen keeps our skin firm and wrinkle free, strengthens bones, teeth, and hair, but I learned a myriad of other vital functions that collagen is the precursor for in our body. You see, you can't eat collagen or apply it topically to your skin. You have to manufacture it from within. Vitamin C and lysine turn on our internal collagen production. We think of our bodies as mostly water, but my new view is that this "water" flowing around our body is where the collagen is, lubricating all of our joints and carrying the signals for vital functions to our endocrine, cardiovascular, skeletal and other systems- like nothing happens without collagen. Since our collagen production decreases with age it only made sense to start pumping up the collagen. 

Not wanting to swallow pills everyday, I decided to open up the capsules into a smoothie for easy consumption. Mmm, mmm, easy! I started feeling better within the first week.

Shortly thereafter, I was diagnosed with a tear at the apex of my patellar cartilage in my right knee. This was a wake up call that my joints and tendons were really weakening and, again, a friend to the rescue found out about 
an herb called eucommia. A yang herb that has natural latex qualities that translate to the tendons, ligaments, cartilage and skeleton. Upon reading the article I was immediately interested by this excerpt alone:
Eucommia has long been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a treatment for different types of arthritis and bone injuries. This is in part due to its qualities as a Jing tonic, beneficial for increasing the pliability and elasticity of the joints, ligaments and muscle tissue.

I bought the herb off Amazon and my smoothie recipe evolved. 2 months later all of my joints feel better and my constant body pain has subsided (tendonitis in elbow, a swollen pinky knuckle, achy neck and shoulders, etc).
​The added bonus? Smoother nails without ridges! So with nothing to loose, you might want to try stimulating your collagen production and focusing on your skeletal system to ease what's ailing, you just might be surprised at what get's better!

TART AND TANGY SMOOTHIE
Organic and made to taste. The above pic shows the brands I use for the ingredients.
In a blender:
1 banana
about 1/2 c. kefir
about 1/8 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
1 dropper ashwaghanda
1-2 grams eucommia
1000 mg vitamin c
1000 mg lysine
100 mg stabilized R-lipoic acid
1-2 tsp. maple syrup
1 TBS grated frozen lemon
2-3 ice cubes

The left over banana peel? I rub the inside all over my face for a morning banana facial before my bath. Super moisturizing to the skin:)

​Feeling scattered and off-centered? Balancing poses improve focus and concentration that stimulate our third eye, the ajna chakra, offering both physical and mental benefits. Strengthening and elongating our muscles connects us to our center of gravity teaching us how to align ourselves, improve the function of equilibrium receptors in the body, and learn the importance of getting grounded. Keeping our attention focused, undeterred by external stimulation, and staying steady in one place for a while, clears the mind and builds equanimity by instilling a deep sense of calm even though we are experiencing intense, unwavering alertness. Through this mental clarity, we can activate the ajna chakra - a visionary center of signs, symbols, dreams, intuition, and even psychic capabilities. Clearing the way to see the true nature of reality, dispelling illusion to better navigate our lives. Aligning ourselves in balancing poses translates to better alignment and awareness in our everyday standing and walking, improving the way we do everyday activities. This awareness transcends into our thought patterns and further into our emotions bringing a sense of mental clarity, calm, and balance on and off the mat.