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

๐’๐‡๐ˆ๐‹๐€๐‰๐ˆ๐“ rich in benefits,is a resin substance formed from the slow decomposition of ancient plants and other organic ma...
08/29/2025

๐’๐‡๐ˆ๐‹๐€๐‰๐ˆ๐“ rich in benefits,
is a resin substance formed from the slow decomposition of ancient plants and other organic matter, under layers of rock. It is a complex mixture primarily consisting of fulvic and humic acids and various minerals, along with trace amino acids, fatty acids and other organic compounds.
Intense heat causes the pure shilajit to seep from high mountain rock crevices, where its collected(most often Himalayan harvested).
Benefits stem mainly from the fulvic acid and minerals.
Some of its wonderful offerings:
*Antioxidant rich
*Antiinflammation
*Energy-boost and metabolism
*Hormone balance(both men and women)
*Well-known for its testosterone support males
*Exercise performance and stamina
*Bone health
*Fatigue fighter
*Fertility fighter(men and women)
*Cognitive function
*Collagen synthesis
*stress
*detoxification
*aging
*nutrient transport
Available in capsule, powder, and liquid form!!

๐‘น๐‘ฌ๐‘ฝ๐‘ฐ๐‘ฝ๐‘ฌ ๐‘ต๐’†๐’˜ ๐‘บ๐’–๐’‘๐’‘๐’๐’†๐’Ž๐’†๐’๐’• ๐‘ณ๐’Š๐’๐’†Therapeutic medical-grade, effectively formulated and dosed, high quality ingredient supplemen...
08/22/2025

๐‘น๐‘ฌ๐‘ฝ๐‘ฐ๐‘ฝ๐‘ฌ ๐‘ต๐’†๐’˜ ๐‘บ๐’–๐’‘๐’‘๐’๐’†๐’Ž๐’†๐’๐’• ๐‘ณ๐’Š๐’๐’†
Therapeutic medical-grade, effectively formulated and dosed, high quality ingredient supplements!!

*๐๐‘๐€๐ˆ๐: -mental clarity and energy
- neural processing and cognition
- focus and motivation
- promotes general sense of well-being
*๐‹๐ˆ๐๐ˆ๐ƒ: - healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels
- support endothelial health
- cardiovascular health and support
*๐†๐‹๐”๐‚๐Ž๐’๐„: - blood sugar balance
- insulin response
- nutrient absorption
- fuel muscle energy and promote glycogen storage

No artificial colors or flavours, vegan friendly, gluten-free, 3rd party tested, and doctor formulated.

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐ˆ๐ง๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐๐ข๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐‡๐ž๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ž๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐‚๐€๐’๐“๐Ž๐‘ ๐Ž๐ˆ๐‹1) Natural Moisturizer- rich in ricinoleic acid, a healthy monounsaturated...
08/22/2025

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐ˆ๐ง๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐๐ข๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐‡๐ž๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ž๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ
๐‚๐€๐’๐“๐Ž๐‘ ๐Ž๐ˆ๐‹
1) Natural Moisturizer- rich in ricinoleic acid, a healthy monounsaturated fatty acid, that seals in moisture. Good for cracked skin and extreme dryness. Also, antioxidants in castor can help fight free radicals that contribute to aging.
2) Wound Healing- stimulates growth of new tissue, counteracts dryness, prevents buildup of dead skin cells, heals burns and abrasions.
3) Anti-inflammatory- applied topically for relieving pain and inflammation.
4) Antibacterial and Antifungal- for various such infections on the skin, mouth, etc.
5) Healthy hair and scalp- good spot treatment for dry scalp and dandruff, or for split ends
6) Draws out infections, abscesses, and disease(castor oil packs)- cysts, boils, eye-styes, liver packs, etc.
7) Grows hair and eyelashes- apply a little to root for follicle nourishment and hair growth(after washing hair). Scalp massage.
8) Known as a natural laxative for occasional constipation. It works by stimulating muscle movement in the intestines.

Cooling Topical Fast Relief!๐˜พ๐˜ฝ2 ๐™๐™ค๐™ฅ๐™ž๐™˜๐™–๐™ก ๐™‹๐™–๐™ž๐™ฃ ๐™๐™š๐™ก๐™ž๐™š๐™› ๐™Š๐™ž๐™กFast absorbing liquid delivers powerful relief exactly where you ...
08/15/2025

Cooling Topical Fast Relief!
๐˜พ๐˜ฝ2 ๐™๐™ค๐™ฅ๐™ž๐™˜๐™–๐™ก ๐™‹๐™–๐™ž๐™ฃ ๐™๐™š๐™ก๐™ž๐™š๐™› ๐™Š๐™ž๐™ก
Fast absorbing liquid delivers powerful relief exactly where you need it. Simple hygenic pump for easy application.
Contains extra strength menthol and Cannanda CB2 terpines derived from plant essential oils which act on endocannabinoid receptors in your body to combat pain and inflammation.

๐๐ž๐ฐ ๐‡๐ž๐ซ๐›๐š๐ฅ ๐‡๐ž๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐Œ๐’ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐๐š๐ข๐ง๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐๐ฌPremenstrual syndrome (PMS) and dysmenorrhoea (painful period) are common iss...
08/15/2025

๐๐ž๐ฐ ๐‡๐ž๐ซ๐›๐š๐ฅ ๐‡๐ž๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐Œ๐’ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐๐š๐ข๐ง๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐๐ฌ
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and dysmenorrhoea (painful period) are common issues that significantly affect quality of life. But, as with so many womenโ€™s health issues, they do not receive enough attention or research and are commonly overlooked by public health. Natural health can help.
PMS usually occurs in the week before menstruation and can include bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, palpitations, depression, irritability, fatigue, poor concentration, mood swings and even suicidal thoughts. It affects 48% of women of reproductive age.
Dysmenorrhoea starts just before menstruation and can last from 8 hours to as much as 3 days and is experienced as lower abdominal or pelvic pain.
A body of research is beginning to establish curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, as a helpful herbal treatment for PMS and painful periods.
Curcumin may help because it is anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and a pain killer. Studies have found that curcumin can reduce the intensity and duration of painful periods. It can reduce oxidative stress, support hormonal balance and enhance serotonin and dopamine.
A triple-blind study found that curcumin significantly reduced period pain by 64% compared to 53.3% on a placebo (Phytother Res. 2021;35(12):6954โ€“62). Another triple-blind study showed that curcumin outperforms placebo for increasing free-radical scavenging activity and antioxidant potential in women with PMS and painful periods (Chonnam Med J. 2024 May;60(2):113-119).
Curcumin is also a powerful antidepressant. One study found that curcumin significantly improved PMS symptoms, including both physical symptoms and mood (Complement Ther Med. 2015:23(3):318-24).
Now a new study has added to the evidence. The double-blind study included 62 university medical students. Half were given a placebo, and half were given 500mg of curcumin. They started taking their treatment 7 days before menstruation and continued to 3 days after menstruation for 2 menstrual cycles.
The women taking the curcumin had significantly greater improvement on the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool than the women taking the placebo. The scores in the curcumin group dropped from 52.7 to 42.6, while those in the placebo group only went down from 49.7 to 44.1.
Curcumin also led to significantly greater improvement in painful periods, with self rating for pain dropping from 5.4 to 4.3 compared to 5.6 to 4.9 in the placebo group. The improvement was significantly better than placebo in the second and third cycle.
The curcumin was also safe with no adverse effects being reported.
The researchers conclude that โ€œThis study highlights the increasing evidence that curcumin is an effective natural treatment for PMS and dysmenorrhea.โ€
J Pharm Health Care Sci. 2025 Jul 16;11:61

๐‹๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐‹๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐›๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ฌSome excellent top picks to help out this powerhouse organ that does so much for you, ...
08/15/2025

๐‹๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐‹๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐›๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ
Some excellent top picks to help out this powerhouse organ that does so much for you, especially during times when you may be endulging a little(or alot) more...
1) Milk Thistle- high in silymarin, an important antioxidant that protects and optimizes liver function and detoxification
2) NAC(N-Acetyl-Cysteine)- potent antioxidant and precursor to our body's master antioxidant Glutathione(also available in bioavailable form), can reverse liver failure by damage done by excessive alcohol or environmental pollutants.
3) Artichoke leaf- contains cynarin which increases bile production in liver helping to digest fat and thus unburdening the liver, and makes detoxification more efficient, also contains silymarin(works well with milk thistle in a formula)
4) Turmeric root- a favourite powerful antiinflammatory, and antioxidant that helps reduce fatty-liver, is a free-radical defense for whole body
5) Dandelion root- protects liver cells and helps bile production, removal of toxins and great to aid a high-fat diet(drink tea often for this)
6) Beetroot- phytochemical and mineral rich, contains potassium, manganese, folic acid and more, detoxification and nutritive tonic, fiber content helps move digestive tract waste and remove toxins
7) Ginger- digestion and nausea, antiinflammation, aids NAFLD, rich in therapeutic gingerol and shogaol
8. Choline- macro form of phosphatidylcholine, choline is required for proper transport of fats from liver cells throughout body for utilization, also prevents toxic buildup
9) Selenium- important trace mineral lacking in our soil, required by body for glutathione production, a top antioxidant vital for preservation of liver tissue, supports healthy hepatic elasticity and circulation
I highly recommend doing a liver support regimen every few months to twice a year. We are happy to speak with you and make some supplement recommendations!
Some top picks at the store-
*Milk thistle TINCTURES/EXTRACTS from Orange Naturals or St. Francis or Huber Liquid milk thistle or NEW Salus herbal milk thistle
*HEPATO DR daily liver tonic tincture from St. Francis
*other excellent MILK THISTLE COMBOS in CAPSULE form if preferred.

Happy and healthy liver to you!

๐™Ž๐™ช๐™ข๐™ข๐™š๐™ง ๐™Ž๐™ช๐™ฅ๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š๐™ข๐™š๐™ฃ๐™ฉ๐™จ!๐Ÿ๐Ÿ–๐Ÿ’›Here are some key things that will come in handy:1) Trace Minerals and Electrolytes- important for...
08/08/2025

๐™Ž๐™ช๐™ข๐™ข๐™š๐™ง ๐™Ž๐™ช๐™ฅ๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š๐™ข๐™š๐™ฃ๐™ฉ๐™จ!
๐Ÿ๐Ÿ–๐Ÿ’›
Here are some key things that will come in handy:
1) Trace Minerals and Electrolytes- important for metabolic and brain functions. Replace vital electrolyte minerals lost from extra heat, activity, and sweating. Add them to your water! Available liquid form minerals and powder electrolytes. Beet powder also great after activity/exercise.
2) Skin health- protect from sun damage and dryness. Hyaluronic acid or aloe vera internal and/or topical for dryness and burns. Biotin for brittle nails and hair. Antioxidants C and E, green tea extract or matcha, greens powder, COQ10, and Astaxanthin are all great for sun-damage defense from within, along with cancer preventative.
3) Inflammation and allergies- Look into serrapeptase, quercetin, and curcumin/turmeric extract. Nettle tea is wonderful to sip.
4) Chlorophyll- liquid chlorophyll or greens superfood powder. Great to flush out heavy metals and are cancer preventative, providing antioxidants. Detoxifying, refreshing, and cooling to the liver! Add to your water or smoothie.
5) Gut-health- for digestive woes and healthy assimilation, digestive enzymes and probiotics. Aloe vera is soothing and helps mend the tract, as does Glutamine, Slippery elm and marshmallow root are herbs for soothing and repair. Activated charcoal is good to keep in the cabinet for food poisoning and digestive toxins.
All of these suggestions are available here at the shop!

Be extra well, and have fun!!
Tinalee Foster, RHN

08/05/2025

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

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—œ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ฆ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐˜† ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜„๐˜€ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฝ๐˜€ ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ช๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฏ๐—ฐ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐——๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป.Recent research is firmly establishing saffr...
08/01/2025

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—œ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ฆ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐˜† ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜„๐˜€ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฝ๐˜€ ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ช๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฏ๐—ฐ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐——๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป.
Recent research is firmly establishing saffron as a leading safe and effective treatment for depression. But many of us feel depressed or have low mood without actually being clinically depressed. This large study shows saffron helps these people too.
Saffron is a leading treatment for depression that is strongly supported by the research. More than 20 controlled studies have been published on saffron and depression, and several meta-analyses have demonstrated that it is superior to placebo and at least as good as antidepressant drugs. Whatโ€™s more is that saffron is extremely safe.
But many people who are feeling depressed do not meet the criteria for being diagnosed with depression. They may have subclinical depression.
Subclinical depression may be diagnosed when a person has some depressive symptoms, including either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure.
Three facts stand out about subclinical depression:
As many as 11% of people experience subclinical depression
Mortality rates in subclinical depression are comparable to rates in people with major depressive disorder.
Meta-analysis shows that pharmaceutical antidepressants do not help people with subclinical depression.
Previous research has shown that saffron can help people with subclinical depression (Front Nutr. 2021 Feb 1;7:606124).
This new study of saffron for subclinical depression included 202 people, making it the largest study ever done on the antidepressant effects of saffron. The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, and it lasted 12 weeks. Everyone in the study was experiencing subclinical depression, and they were given either a placebo or 14mg of saffron extract twice a day.
The people taking the saffron had greater improvement on the depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale โ€“ 21 than the people taking a placebo. 72.3% of those taking saffron had a clinically significant improvement of 7 points or more versus 54.3% of those taking a placebo.
In people who had more severe sleep problems, saffron also led to greater improvement in sleep disturbances.
Importantly, there were no serious adverse events in the saffron group.
This large, well designed study adds, generally, to the evidence for saffron as a safe, natural treatment for depression and, specifically and importantly, to the evidence that saffron can also help the many people who are going through subclinical depression.
The Journal of Nutrition. July 2025;155(7):2300-11.

๐๐€๐Š๐€ ๐๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐’๐ค๐ข๐ง๐œ๐š๐ซ๐žNew from Naka, for your beautiful face:1) Vitamin C Serum 20% provides high antioxidants to fight ...
08/01/2025

๐๐€๐Š๐€ ๐๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐’๐ค๐ข๐ง๐œ๐š๐ซ๐ž
New from Naka, for your beautiful face:
1) Vitamin C Serum 20% provides high antioxidants to fight environmental damage, brightens skin, combats hyperpigmentation/dark spots, stimulates collagen
2) Resurfacing Retinol serum for lines and wrinkles, acne, evens out skin tone
3) Collagen face cream with vitamin C, retinol, and hyaluronic acid, for increased firmness and elacticity, antiaging antioxidants C and A, sh*ttake mushroom, grapefruit essential oil, deep moisturizing HA, and panthenol. A multibenefit face moisturizer, perfectly pairs over serums or on its own!
4) Vitamin C Advanced Brightening Cream, in a lavender orange scent(essential oils) features a good dose of that topical vitamin C that does wonders for your skin along with soothing aloe vera and other moisturizers, and green tea extract.

๐Œ๐๐ Milk Basic Protein for BONE STRENGTHMBP is an active protein complex from whey in milk. It acts on bone cells to rei...
07/25/2025

๐Œ๐๐ Milk Basic Protein for BONE STRENGTH
MBP is an active protein complex from whey in milk. It acts on bone cells to reinforce the bone itself. This increases osteoblasts(bone-building cells) while reducing osteoclasts(break-down bone). MBP also produces more collagen which is important to the bone matrix. MBP helps bones to retain and use calcium more effectively.
AOR MBP is isolated from whey powder in milk of New Zealand cattle, grass-fed and pesticide and GMO free, as well as adhering to the strictest animal herding laws(NZ).

๐™‰๐™€๐™’ ๐™‰๐˜ผ๐™†๐˜ผ ๐˜ฝ๐™€๐™€๐™ ๐™๐˜ผ๐™‡๐™‡๐™Š๐™’ ๐™ˆ๐™ค๐™ž๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™ช๐™ง๐™ž๐™ฏ๐™š๐™งFor face and body, sourced from ๐™‚๐™๐˜ผ๐™Ž๐™Ž-๐™๐™€๐˜ฟ cattle. Especially useful for dry skin and ric...
07/25/2025

๐™‰๐™€๐™’ ๐™‰๐˜ผ๐™†๐˜ผ ๐˜ฝ๐™€๐™€๐™ ๐™๐˜ผ๐™‡๐™‡๐™Š๐™’ ๐™ˆ๐™ค๐™ž๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™ช๐™ง๐™ž๐™ฏ๐™š๐™ง
For face and body, sourced from ๐™‚๐™๐˜ผ๐™Ž๐™Ž-๐™๐™€๐˜ฟ cattle.
Especially useful for dry skin and rich in Vitamins A, D, K, E, and B12.
Deep hydration and moisture for whole body. Natural vanilla-lemon scent.

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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