Essential Remedies

Essential Remedies We are a specialty health food and supplement store located in Downtown Duncan, serving the greater Cowichan Valley for over 50 years.
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Formerly Mercia's Vitamins. We carry a wide variety of nutritional supplements, natural cosmetics, oils and snacks. 141 Craig Street
Duncan, BC
V9L 1V8

Formerly Mercia's Vitamins

More And More Research isShowing Saw Palmetto HelpsHair Growth in Men & WomenThe science is quickly building supporting ...
12/22/2025

More And More Research is
Showing Saw Palmetto Helps
Hair Growth in Men & Women

The science is quickly building supporting the use of saw palmetto berry extract
to reduce hair loss and enhance hair growth in both men and women. This new
study adds to the growing evidence.
Though often thought of as a male problem, thinning hair is a big problem for
women too. 80% of men will experience male pattern hair loss by the age of 80;
40% of women will experience female pattern hair loss by the age of 50.
This new study included 30 men and 30 women. They were all between 25 and
65. 20 of them were given a placebo for 90 days, while the other 60 were give a
saw palmetto berry extract containing 160mg of concentrated bioactive fatty
acids.
Digital imaging of a 1 cm 2 target site on the front of the scalp and on the back of
the scalp allowed the researcher to actually measure how many hairs were
gained or lost.
At the end of 90 days, while the people in the placebo group lost an average of
2.7 terminal hairs in the front target site, the people in the saw palmetto group
increased by 11.3 terminal hairs. In the back the difference was a 0.5 hair gain in
the placebo group versus a 12.1 gain in the saw palmetto group. Terminal hairs
are the thick, fully developed hairs. The difference between the 2 groups was
significant.
Women who are premenopausal or menopausal experience hormonal changes
that affect hair loss and hair growth. But this study found that the 15 women in
the study who were in this subgroup had a significant 7.7% increase in terminal
hairs at the front of the scalp. They also had a significant 70.7% reduction in hair
shedding.
The study also found that saw palmetto berry group shed significantly fewer hairs
in the hair pull test than the placebo group.

Importantly, especially when you consider the pharmaceutical treatments for hair
loss, the saw palmetto was safe: there were no adverse events.
This study adds to the evidence that saw palmetto berry extract safely and
effectively reduces hair shedding and promotes hair growth in both men and
women.
J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025 Nov 30;24(12):e70585.

๐Œ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐–๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ž ๐๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐–๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ   All medicinal mushrooms offer incredible benefit to the body including Immune system...
12/05/2025

๐Œ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐–๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ž ๐๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐–๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ

All medicinal mushrooms offer incredible benefit to the body including Immune system support, anti-inflammation, and abundant antioxidants, much stemming from compounds like beta-glucans and triterpenoids found within.
Here are some of the popular mushrooms and their most common uses/benefits that they are taken for. Look for mushroom in a proper hot water extract and/or microionized, which will extract the beneficial properties and improve absorption...

*๐™๐™€๐™„๐™Ž๐™ƒ๐™„- "mushroom of immortality", antiaging
- adaptogen for stress
- calming, relaxation, sleep
- cardiovascular
- blood sugar manage
- liver protection

*๐™‡๐™„๐™Š๐™‰๐™Ž ๐™ˆ๐˜ผ๐™‰๐™€- brain health and cognitive function
- contains compounds that stimulate nerve growth factor(NGF) synthesis, supporting memory, concentration, and nerve tissue regeneration

*๐™๐™๐™๐™†๐™€๐™” ๐™๐˜ผ๐™„๐™‡- profound immune boosting capabilities
- used in cancer treatment, comprehensive therapy

*๐˜พ๐™Š๐™๐˜ฟ๐™”๐˜พ๐™€๐™‹๐™Ž- energy, stamina, performance enhancement
-promotes healthy blood flow and oxygen utilization
- used by athletes and active individuals
- fights fatigue
- enhances libido

*๐˜พ๐™ƒ๐˜ผ๐™‚๐˜ผ- antioxidant powerhouse to fight free radicals, reduce inflammation, and support skin health
- traditional medicine for stomach disorders and boosting immunity

12/05/2025

15% off Purica Mushrooms for entire month of DECEMBER

๐Œ๐„๐ƒ๐ˆ๐‚๐ˆ๐๐€๐‹ ๐Œ๐”๐’๐‡๐‘๐Ž๐Ž๐Œ ๐“๐‡๐„๐‘๐€๐๐˜Medicinal mushrooms are used to enhance your well-being, as adaptogens for stress, immune func...
11/28/2025

๐Œ๐„๐ƒ๐ˆ๐‚๐ˆ๐๐€๐‹ ๐Œ๐”๐’๐‡๐‘๐Ž๐Ž๐Œ ๐“๐‡๐„๐‘๐€๐๐˜
Medicinal mushrooms are used to enhance your well-being, as adaptogens for stress, immune function, energy and vitality, and more! They are also useful for certain ailments as they are antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral. They help to recharge the adrenal glands and hormones, are liver-protective and act as a prebiotic which feed the good probiotic bacteria in your intestines.
We carry some excellent blends, two of which are locally produced.
PURICA IMMUNE 7 support blend to strengthen, rebuild, and maintain. This is very complimentary to other therapies, and provides broad-spectrum immune protection, useful for colds/flu, speeding recovery, reducing nausea, and increasing energy. It contains a proprietary certified organic micronized full-spectrum mushroom extract along with Nutricol, a bioflavanoid concentrate of green tea and grape polyphenols. The mushrooms in this formula are sun mushroom, cordyceps, red reishi, maitake, shiitake, and coriolus.
PURICA Zensations UNIVERSAL HARMONY Cacao Mix with 8 Mushrooms and Ashwaghanda for mind wellness and relaxation!
*Indiviudal Mushroom Extract also available!!

NEW STOCK๐‹๐Ž๐‚๐€๐‹ Beeswax AND scented Soy ๐‚๐€๐๐ƒ๐‹๐„๐’Festive shapes and scents, votives, tapers and tealights, and lovely glass...
11/21/2025

NEW STOCK
๐‹๐Ž๐‚๐€๐‹ Beeswax AND scented Soy ๐‚๐€๐๐ƒ๐‹๐„๐’
Festive shapes and scents, votives, tapers and tealights, and lovely glass jars with amazing scent blends....

11/21/2025

15% Off Customer Appreciation FRIDAY!!

11/18/2025

Customer Appreciation day today 15% off! ๐Ÿ˜Š

New Study ๐’๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐•๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ง ๐Š ๐…๐จ๐ซ ๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ž๐ฌThough it gets a lot less attention than calcium or vitamin D, without vitami...
11/14/2025

New Study ๐’๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐•๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ง ๐Š ๐…๐จ๐ซ ๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ž๐ฌ
Though it gets a lot less attention than calcium or vitamin D, without vitamin K, your bones would be like chalk. This new study helps explain why.
Your bones need calcium, but they also need a hormone called osteocalcin. Osteocalcin helps attract and bind calcium to your bones. And osteocalcin is produced by vitamin K.
This new systematic review and meta-analysis of the role of vitamin K included 9 controlled studies of 2,570 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. The form of vitamin K used was K2, a form of vitamin K that is produced by bacteria in the gut.
The meta-analysis showed that vitamin K significantly increased osteocalcin compared to a placebo, indicating that vitamin K can promote bone formation. Vitamin K also significantly increased bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, a key marker of bone formation.
This study supports the role of vitamin K in improving bone formation in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

๐‘ฐ๐‘ด๐‘ท๐‘น๐‘ถ๐‘ฝ๐‘ฌ ๐‘ซ๐‘ฐ๐‘ฎ๐‘ฌ๐‘บ๐‘ป๐‘ฐ๐‘ถ๐‘ต, ๐‘ฐ๐‘ต๐‘ช๐‘น๐‘ฌ๐‘จ๐‘บ๐‘ฌ ๐‘ฌ๐‘ต๐‘ฌ๐‘น๐‘ฎ๐’€!!When the digestion system is bogged down, it can leave us feeling just like that. By...
11/07/2025

๐‘ฐ๐‘ด๐‘ท๐‘น๐‘ถ๐‘ฝ๐‘ฌ ๐‘ซ๐‘ฐ๐‘ฎ๐‘ฌ๐‘บ๐‘ป๐‘ฐ๐‘ถ๐‘ต, ๐‘ฐ๐‘ต๐‘ช๐‘น๐‘ฌ๐‘จ๐‘บ๐‘ฌ ๐‘ฌ๐‘ต๐‘ฌ๐‘น๐‘ฎ๐’€!!
When the digestion system is bogged down, it can leave us feeling just like that. By improving your digestion, your tummy will not only feel better, but you will be improving your whole body and the way you feel! Take off extra burdens on the digestive process with these simple measures, and free up your energy for the rest of your life!
1) ๐€๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž ๐‚๐ข๐๐ž๐ซ ๐•๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ ๐š๐ซ- Raw and unfiltered, simple apple vinegar from your cupboard. Take a tablespoon in the morning in water to start your day for liver and digestive health, increase energy, boost metabolism, body alkalization, and as a pain remedy. Taking it about 20 minutes before a meal will stimulate gastric juices and digestion, thus aiding in breaking down your foodstuffs and absorption of the nutrients. Also aids bloat and discomfort.
2) ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐›๐ฌ/๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐š๐ข๐๐ฌ- some include dandelion root and Chinese gentian. These act as a digestive tonic and bitter to help stimulate appetite and aid digestion. Gentian is often included in bitter tonics that you can take pre-meal to stimulate your gastric fluids and bile flow. Also helps relieve digestive disturbances/dyspepsia, prevent nausea, and especially good for breaking fats down. Turmeric is a wonderful herb/root whose wide range benefits include liver and digestive health. Ginger, peppermint, dandelion, licorice, and chamomile teas are wonderful especially post-meal to assist digestion and ease discomforts.
3)๐ƒ๐ข๐ ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐ž๐ง๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ž๐ฌ- Include proteases, amylase, and lipase to assist in breaking down protein, carbohydrates, and fats in to their smaller components for enhanced absorption and assimilation of nutrients. Can also prevent gas and bloating caused by improper digestion.
4)๐๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ฌ- are important for intestinal bacteria balance for improved digestive health and assimilation of nutrients, amongst the myriad of benefits.
5) ๐ƒ๐ข๐ž๐ญ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ can include avoiding food for some time, and poor food-combining sensitivities, processed fats and sugars and junk non-foods, excess alcohol, and overeating(especially late-night and before bedtime). Drinking a lot of water during your meal will dampen your stomach acid and decrease digestive efficiency(especially cold water). Drink water around meals, throughout the day, and take small sips only if you must drink with your food. Eat a whole foods, natural diet rich in fiber and vegetables! Save treats for occasionally.
6) ๐‹๐ข๐Ÿ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฅ๐ž improvements include stress management, as stress especially while we eat will cause upset. Eat your meals in a relaxed and safe environment. Thorough chewing is vital for digestion. Mindful eating and appreciation will enhance your food experience and increase satisfaction. Exercise every day for increased circulation including to the stomach and intestines. It will also increase your energy and mood!
Essential Remedies in downtown Duncan carries a range of herbal tinctures and capsules, enzymes and probiotics, and other aids and remedies to assist you in your digestive health or whatever is ailing you.
BE WELL,
Tina Foster RHN

11/04/2025

Customer Appreciation day 15 percent off!๐Ÿ˜Š

๐‘ฝ๐‘ฐ๐‘ป๐‘จ๐‘ณ ๐‘ฉ'๐’”๐Ÿฅฆ๐ŸฆดB Vitamins are water-soluble and work together in the body for energy metabolism, nutrient utilization, catal...
10/30/2025

๐‘ฝ๐‘ฐ๐‘ป๐‘จ๐‘ณ ๐‘ฉ'๐’”๐Ÿฅฆ๐Ÿฆด
B Vitamins are water-soluble and work together in the body for energy metabolism, nutrient utilization, catalysts for many different enzymes, nervous system, energy levels, - just about everything that happens in the body requires B vitamins! They are rapidly used, and the more active and/or stressed a person is, the more Bs will be required daily(as with C and magnesium). B vitamins are also heat and light sensitive, so cooking or food processing will deplete much of it from food.
Deficiency of one or more of the Bs is common, and it is a good idea to top up with a good B-complex(at least 50mg), in addition to eating a whole foods natural diet. Stress management is also important too. Here is a little breakdown of the different Bs and just some of the functions they serve in our bodies. Remember that they work synergistically together, so a combination complex is best to supplement, although for therapeutic uses a single B can be taken for some time. If unsure, take a complex also for good measure.
๐•๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ง ๐๐Ÿ
Also known as thiamin, vitamin B1 helps convert food into energy, plays a role in muscle contraction, and supports normal nervous system function. Additionally, it is often called an โ€œanti-stressโ€ vitamin because of its ability to protect the immune system.
Can be found in: whole grains, beans, spinach, kale, yeast, nuts, sunflower seeds, meat.
๐•๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ง ๐๐Ÿ
Also known as riboflavin, vitamin B2 helps your body break down and use the carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in your diet. It is important for body growth and red blood cell production.
Can be found in: almonds, wild rice, eggs, Brussels sprouts, spinach, broccoli, salmon.
๐•๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ง ๐๐Ÿ‘
Also known as niacin or niacinamide, vitamin B3 helps the digestive system, skin, and nerves to function. In addition, it supports cellular energy production and boosts HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).
Can be found in: beef, poultry, fish, legumes, nuts, eggs, beans, and green vegetables.
๐•๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ง ๐๐Ÿ“
Also known as pantothenic acid, vitamin B5 is needed for our bodies to break down fats and carbohydrates for energy. In addition, is necessary for our bodies to produce hormones, as well as being needed for growth.
Can be found in: just about every food group โ€“ its name even says so. Pantothenic comes from the Greek word pantothen, meaning โ€œfrom everywhere.โ€ Rich sources include organ meats, egg yolk, whole grains, avocados, nuts, lentils, broccoli, kale, and yogurt.
๐•๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ง ๐๐Ÿ”
Involved in over 100 cellular reactions throughout the body, vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, is instrumental in keeping various bodily functions operating at their best. It helps the body metabolize amino acids from our food, build new red blood cells, and is involved in mood and sleep patterns because it helps the body produce serotonin, melatonin and norepinephrine.
Can be found in: meat, poultry, eggs, fish, bananas, berries, peaches, carrots, spinach, sunflower seeds, and brown rice.
๐•๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ง ๐๐Ÿ•
Known as the โ€œbeautyโ€ vitamin, vitamin B7, or biotin, is especially known for supporting healthy hair, skin and nails.
Can be found in: strawberries, organ meat, yeast, chicken, fish, cauliflower, egg yolks, and nuts.
๐•๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ง ๐๐Ÿ—
Also known as folate, vitamin B9 is most commonly known for its role in fetal health and development because it plays a critical role in the proper development of the babyโ€™s nervous system. It additionally fosters the growth of red blood cells.
Can be found in: dark green leafy vegetables, organ meats, beets, dates, avocados, beans, salmon.
๐•๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ง ๐๐Ÿ๐Ÿ
This B vitamin, also known as cobalamin, is a team player. It works with vitamin B9 to produce red blood cells and help iron do its job โ€“ create the oxygen-carrying protein, hemoglobin. Vitamin B12 also helps regulate and maintain a healthy central nervous system.
Can be found in predominantly foods of animal origin such as chicken, beef, fish, pork, and clams, and some in spirulina and seaweeds. Because vitamin B12 is not adequately naturally occurring in plant foods, vegetarians and vegans might not get enough in their diets and may need to take a B supplement. As we age, our ability to absorb it becomes less so, so good idea to supplement and in its methyl-form, as it does need to convert to this form to be utilized in the body.
Be Brain smart, and take your Bs!!!๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿซ
Tina Foster, RHN
Essential Remedies

๐€๐’๐“๐€๐—๐€๐๐“๐‡๐ˆ๐The Super antioxidant from the sea...Astaxanthin is actually the red pigment from Haematococcus pluvialis, a ...
10/24/2025

๐€๐’๐“๐€๐—๐€๐๐“๐‡๐ˆ๐
The Super antioxidant from the sea...
Astaxanthin is actually the red pigment from Haematococcus pluvialis, a type of algae (that which makes salmon, shrimp, and flamingos pink). Being a type of super-ketocarotenoid and xanthophyll (an oxygen-rich plant color), it is a superb and potent antioxidant!
As a carotenoid, astaxanthin is a fat-soluble pigment with powerful antioxidant properties that plays a role in protecting your cells from free radicals and oxidative stress. Carotenoids are known for their ability to neutralize reactive oxygen, on the inner and outer layers of cell membranes. Consuming this algae has countless benefits, some of which are:
*Immune system support
*Antiinflammatory
*UV skin protection(from the inside out!)
*Cognitive enhancement and support
*Heart and blood vessel health
*Vision and eye health
*Male fertility
*Glowing skin
*Exercise and workout support
*Free-radical protection
and yes, we could all use more support and protection from free-radicals and oxidative damage.
Increase your whole body wellness and reach for Astaxanthin!

Address

141 Craig Street
Duncan, BC
V9L1V8

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

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