Every spring I start out my spring house cleaning with me. I put a tablespoonful of Sassafras root into a kettle along with water and simmer it for a while. As this reddish-brown root simmers, the volatile oils permeate my house. When it has simmer for a while (So what is a while, maybe half an hour to a whole hour.) I allow it to cool enough for me to sip on it. Dr. Christopher mentioned that while it is hot it will act as a diaphoretic. Sometimes that is needed in a spring house cleaning to get all the skin pores cleaned out.
Everything I have read about this herb talks about using it to mask disagreeable and bitter tastes of other herbs by combining it with them. I have to tell you that of itself, it is not a wonderful tasting herb. It has the smell and taste of varnish. I do a lot of woodworking and I know what varnish smells like, have never tasted it but if it has a taste that is what it would taste like. (Although coffee smells great but doesn't have that great taste.)
Sassafras does more than just taste strangely. It goes to work to help the body in many ways. According to Dr. John R. Christopher founder of the School of Natural Healing, It is "an antidote for poisoning by acid or alkaline corrosives." He also mentioned that it kills protozoa, a single celled parasite that we can pick up from just about anywhere. Gardeners pick them up a lot.
Sassafras contains tannic acids, gums, albumen, starch, lignin, resin, wax, heavy and light volatile oils, camphorous matter and salts.
Dr. Christopher mentions all the things that it is capable of handling, such as: Skin diseases, rheumatism, scrofula, impure blood, syphilis, poison-ivy, poison- oak, tobacco poisoning, colds, amenorrhea, ophthalmia (Inflamed eyes), spasms, pain in the heart region, colic, flatulence, problems of the kidneys, bladder, chest & throat, and as a tonic after childbirth.
Dr. C. says that "it is a blood purifier. The safrole is a trace mineral extremely important and will clean the heart, arteries, veins and cut cholesterol while giving elasticity to the veins. It is to be used ONLY IN ITS WHOLESOME STATE of Sassafras Bark Tea. The safrole should never be used alone but as a whole plant. It is very good in a tea for edema as it steps up the circulation and makes the heart sound."
According to Jethro Kloss author of BACK TO EDEN, the oil of Sassafras is excellent for toothaches and is a great external wash for varicose ulcers. He also recommended it as a tonic for stomach and bowels.
Looks like I could be using this many times a year instead of just in the spring.
Let's jump back to the word WHOLESOME. A lot of chemicals are found in "health food stores" but they are not the whole herb, they are just one of the chemicals that someone thought was most active. When we pull things apart, we start to get side effects. When we use the whole herb, all of the constituents that comprise this plant work together to help us heal without side effects.
Everyone that talked about this herb had warnings about it. Dr. C. says, "Do not use over 6 weeks at a time, change to another like it, maybe Morman Tea or Red Clover Tea." Kloss on the other hand, mentions that it should be taken for no more than a week and he recommends it being taken as a tincture in water.
Now we get to have a look at the other side of this. There was a Lilly Distinguished Professor of Pharmacognosis at Purdue University. I have Dr. Varro E. Tyler's book HERBS OF CHOICE and I always check to see what he has to say coming from the Pharmaceutical perspective. Sometimes I believe that he is against all herbs but let's see what he had to say about Sassafras. "Sassafras root contains 5 to 9 % safrole shown to be a carcinogenic in rats and mice." He mentions that in 1976 the FDA prohibited its sale. He said that it is "Not safe" and compared it to Comfrey, Coltsfoot, Borage and Mistletoe. (I will be writing about some of these later. One of my favorites is Comfrey.) He mentioned that "Sarsaparilla and Sassafras are ineffective and dangerous."
You don't think that they tested only one of the chemicals on rats, namely Safrole and found that alone it is dangerous? Again I want to stress only using WHOLE plants and herbs to give the body what it needs to repair itself.
I checked Nova Scotia Museum's Poison Plant Database and could not find Sassafras listed.
I decided to check Dr. James A. Duke's Database on this and found 33 different components in the roots of Sassafras. He had many more in the leaves and stems of this plant but because I use only the roots, that is what I am writing about. With all the good stuff that these 33 things do such as being; antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, (I even found antistreptococcic), antisalmonella, antiviral, cancerpreventive, candidicide, cardioprotective and as a vasodilator; I would say that these are some heavy stuff. I did find four things that would make this an herb "a not to take while pregnant."
We have heard from all the "good guys" and as you can see, even they don't recommend anyone staying on Sassafras for a long period of time. I try to put both sides in my writings and think it is time to simmer some Sassafras tea for me to sip on today.
Before I finish this writing, I remembered that I had heard of Sassafras as being a blood thinner but haven't been able to confirm this as of yet. The most that I can find out is that in the spring, this plant puts out chemicals that thin the blood but in the fall its chemicals tend to thicken the blood. When buying Sassafras at a health food store, are you getting spring root or fall root?
Always use your good judgment. If you have a health care provider that suggests something, do the research and find out all you can about whatever they have suggested. We have become a society that wants someone else to be responsible for us and our health. We need to take back that power and help ourselves. I write these articles to give you more information so that you can make good decisions for your health and the health of your families.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Calendula
After the seed catalogues have been in our hands for months and we still haven't decided what to put in that little corner of the garden that needs a spot of bright color, let me suggest a marigold called Calendula.
Calendula stands out from the hybrid marigolds in that the flowers have a sunflower look. Other marigolds have many petals all over the composite head of the flower but Calendula has petals only on the fringe or outside of the flower head.
Here is an herb that can cheer us with its pretty orange flowers and do some healing at the same time. Add to that the fact that it can be used in salads and soups, as a pot-herb or just a lovely garnish. We are talking about the multi-pedaled orange-flowered marigolds that were also "used to color cheese" according to Mrs. Grieves, author of A MODERN HERBAL. The yellow color is extracted from the flowers by simmering them.
The flowers and leaves are used for culinary purposes in rice and fish dishes as a garnish. More than that, the flowers were put into broths. Grieves said, "No broths are well made without dried Marigold," and this was without exception in time of plague or pestilence.
Herbalists always refer to this marigold by it botanical name Calendula. These lovelies open to the sun around 9 in the morning and close up again in the afternoon. They can grow up to 28 inches tall with paddle-shaped leaves. The thing that I personally like about them is their hardiness. It seems that they thrive with so little care.
Culpeper mentioned, "The leaves, when chewed, at first communicate a viscid sweetness followed by a strong penetrating taste of a saline nature." It seems the juice containing this pungent matter helps the liver clean toxins out of the body. Plants are so helpful that way. Culpeper mentioned that by adding vinegar to the leaves, one could give instant relief to "Hot swelling when bathed with it."
Lesley Bremness, author of the EYEWITNESS HANDBOOK – HERBS, mentions that "research into the ray florets show depilatory effects, potentially useful in face creams." The oils extracted from the macerated flower are very expensive but great for skin problems. One book that I read mentioned that the petals yield a soothing eyewash. This might be because of it antiseptic and antifungal properties?
So far we have only mentioned it being great for the outside of the body but it is great for things like inflamed lymph glands and to stimulate the liver. I have read where one can use it to soothe stomach pains.
I checked Dr. James A. Duke's Database on Calendula and found that so many of the properties in this plant, but mainly in its flowers are: Antitumor or anticancer. He uses words like Cancer Preventive and Cardioprotective and Antiviral and Candidicide along with Fungicide. There are so many properties in this little sunny flower that one could use it to stay healthy.
David Christopher, Director of The School Of Natural Healing, has mentioned that if you are using Echinacea to activate the immune system for some problem, you should only take it for 7 days and then switch to something else like Calendula for the next week.
Many books told about all the things that Calendula could do, so I decided to find out what my herbal computer program has to say about this. The Globalherb program listed the following things that Calendula is good for: Fevers, Bruises, Toothache, Amenorrhea, Cancer, Flu, Mouthwash, Sprains, Bleeding, Burns, Corns, Cuts, Earache, Hemorrhage, Hemorrhoids, Jaundice, Lungs, Measles, Menses, Piles, Pyorrhea, Scrofula, Skin, Stomachache, Syphilis, Tuberculosis, Ulcerations and Warts. All of this from a package of seeds, a first aid kit in itself.
So how do we collect these lovely flowers? One of the nice things is that you are not stripping the whole plant when you harvest just the flowers. When they put new flowers out, we collect them in the morning just after the dew has dried. Then we dry then quickly in an area where they are not touching each other. I like to lay them on a lined cookie sheet and turn the oven on warm. I put a wooden spoon in the door so the moisture can escape. Another way is to put them in a food drier. I store them in a colored glass jar until I am ready to use them.
Maybe it is time to order your seeds and enjoy the "Sunshine" of the Marigold?
Calendula stands out from the hybrid marigolds in that the flowers have a sunflower look. Other marigolds have many petals all over the composite head of the flower but Calendula has petals only on the fringe or outside of the flower head.
Here is an herb that can cheer us with its pretty orange flowers and do some healing at the same time. Add to that the fact that it can be used in salads and soups, as a pot-herb or just a lovely garnish. We are talking about the multi-pedaled orange-flowered marigolds that were also "used to color cheese" according to Mrs. Grieves, author of A MODERN HERBAL. The yellow color is extracted from the flowers by simmering them.
The flowers and leaves are used for culinary purposes in rice and fish dishes as a garnish. More than that, the flowers were put into broths. Grieves said, "No broths are well made without dried Marigold," and this was without exception in time of plague or pestilence.
Herbalists always refer to this marigold by it botanical name Calendula. These lovelies open to the sun around 9 in the morning and close up again in the afternoon. They can grow up to 28 inches tall with paddle-shaped leaves. The thing that I personally like about them is their hardiness. It seems that they thrive with so little care.
Culpeper mentioned, "The leaves, when chewed, at first communicate a viscid sweetness followed by a strong penetrating taste of a saline nature." It seems the juice containing this pungent matter helps the liver clean toxins out of the body. Plants are so helpful that way. Culpeper mentioned that by adding vinegar to the leaves, one could give instant relief to "Hot swelling when bathed with it."
Lesley Bremness, author of the EYEWITNESS HANDBOOK – HERBS, mentions that "research into the ray florets show depilatory effects, potentially useful in face creams." The oils extracted from the macerated flower are very expensive but great for skin problems. One book that I read mentioned that the petals yield a soothing eyewash. This might be because of it antiseptic and antifungal properties?
So far we have only mentioned it being great for the outside of the body but it is great for things like inflamed lymph glands and to stimulate the liver. I have read where one can use it to soothe stomach pains.
I checked Dr. James A. Duke's Database on Calendula and found that so many of the properties in this plant, but mainly in its flowers are: Antitumor or anticancer. He uses words like Cancer Preventive and Cardioprotective and Antiviral and Candidicide along with Fungicide. There are so many properties in this little sunny flower that one could use it to stay healthy.
David Christopher, Director of The School Of Natural Healing, has mentioned that if you are using Echinacea to activate the immune system for some problem, you should only take it for 7 days and then switch to something else like Calendula for the next week.
Many books told about all the things that Calendula could do, so I decided to find out what my herbal computer program has to say about this. The Globalherb program listed the following things that Calendula is good for: Fevers, Bruises, Toothache, Amenorrhea, Cancer, Flu, Mouthwash, Sprains, Bleeding, Burns, Corns, Cuts, Earache, Hemorrhage, Hemorrhoids, Jaundice, Lungs, Measles, Menses, Piles, Pyorrhea, Scrofula, Skin, Stomachache, Syphilis, Tuberculosis, Ulcerations and Warts. All of this from a package of seeds, a first aid kit in itself.
So how do we collect these lovely flowers? One of the nice things is that you are not stripping the whole plant when you harvest just the flowers. When they put new flowers out, we collect them in the morning just after the dew has dried. Then we dry then quickly in an area where they are not touching each other. I like to lay them on a lined cookie sheet and turn the oven on warm. I put a wooden spoon in the door so the moisture can escape. Another way is to put them in a food drier. I store them in a colored glass jar until I am ready to use them.
Maybe it is time to order your seeds and enjoy the "Sunshine" of the Marigold?
Friday, December 12, 2008
Apple
Apple is a medicinal plant that grows just about everywhere. There are many varieties but they all contain the same medicinal properties.
When I was looking for some land to grow herbs, I told the gentleman that was helping me that I needed land that hadn't been chemically sprayed or fertilized for at least five years. We got into a discussion about medicinal herbs and the fact that it takes five years for the residue of chemicals to dissipate. Then when I use the plants to make medicine, I have no chemicals added to my formulas.
As we talked he asked if I could help him. He was unable to sleep at night in a bed. When he would lie down, his stomach acid would come up into his throat. For years he had slept in a reclining chair and still had the problem.
I suggested one tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar in 6 to 8 ounces of water, to be sipped on one hour before he went to bed. When mentioning apple cider vinegar, I don't mean the processed kind. We want the kind that isn't clear and has some "mother" in it. According to Jethro Kloss, author of BACK TO EDEN, "The ordinary apple cider vinegar is not fit to be used." But if you have the clear white processed kind, use it to clean windows and flower vases as it will dissolve the minerals on glass very well. The Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with some of the apple settled on the bottom of the jar will dissolve the minerals that are in the body that are being parked in the joints creating arthritis. It will clean up bone spurs but will not take the calcium out of teeth or bone as some people might think.
According to Dr. Christopher, most of us have gotten into the habit of not chewing our foods when we eat. He suggests that we "Drink our food and chew our liquids." This means chewing or mixing the saliva with our drinks as well as our food. This is the first step in digestion. It is also the first step in health as saliva will decrease the in-take of germs.
Germs have a very narrow range of pH. Saliva is alkaline and will kill the germs not happy in that environment. The stomach has an acid environment so the germs not liking that pH will be killed. By mixing the saliva, you have gotten rid of probable half of germs that you are taking in. Germs have a job and they are everywhere. We need to learn to live with them or in this case, around them.
What usually happens is that we make the stomach do all the work and by the time we are 40 or 50 years old, our stomach has the "acid making valves" set ON all the time. What do you think happens when we take an antacid? Right, it temporarily helps but then the stomach needs to get back to its natural state, which is acid, so it increases the amount of acid.
By sipping apple cider vinegar diluted in water, the stomach, getting a mild acid, recognizes this, it stops producing more. (Yes, our bodies are that smart!)
A couple of days after suggesting the remedy to this man, I got a call from him thanking me for the best sleep he had in years.
This is just some of the things Apples can do.
Hanna Kroeger, National Herbalist, talked about using Apple Peel Tea to pull toxins out of the body. I cut my organic apples peelings about 1/2 inch or more thick, dried these so when I wanted to use this tea, I boiled these peelings and served the tea that they make. (Children who want to taste my herbs are allowed to chew on these dried peelings. They tell me that my herbs are great.)
My Uncle Clarence told me how to keep the worms out of organic apples. Make a mixture of 50% vinegar and 50% honey. Put a little of this mixture in a wide-mouth jar and tape it to an almost horizontal branch of the apple tree just as the flower buds start coming out. Leave these jars on until the last petal falls off. You will have to clean the bugs out of the mixture several times, but they will not be laying eggs in the flowers, hence your new apples.
Kloss called Apples the "King of Fruits." He suggested that people who have too much acid, eat sweet apples and those with not enough acid should eat sour-green apples.
Even the very old and the very young do well on scraped apples. Kroeger suggested that "Whatever ails you; gallbladder trouble, liver trouble, diarrhea, tooth decay, constipation, loss of appetite, (even) good as poultices, too; when someone is very ill, take an apple and scrape the meat with a silver spoon. You will see them get better."
Kroeger was "big " on silver. She said that silver kills germs. When you toss a silver coin in the well, the whole village stays healthy as it is killing the bacteria in the well. (They are on their own for the happiness part.) I do not recommend Colloidal Silver for anyone. When you take silver into the body in large amounts, it is the same as taking a medical antibiotic. It kills off the good flora in the small intestines. Eating off a silver spoon will put silver into the body and the food that carries it but will not destroy the flora. She mentioned that when she was nursing in Germany, they had a box of silver spoons that all the babies and the very old were fed with.
According to Kroeger, silver also repels negative forces. I suggest that people wear this on their person.
Apple pectin is found to clean the bowels and has been put into many herbal formulas.
Dr. Christopher's Super Garlic Immune Formula is a formula that I have used with success to handle major problems. It contains: Garlic, Lobelia, Marshmallow Root, White Oak Bark, Black Walnut, Mullein, Aloe Vera, Gravel Rt., Skullcap, Plantain, Apple Cider Vinegar, and Raw Honey.
My daughter called and told me that she had been ill for a week and was not getting better. I took my herbs to her house, when I got there I decided to give her the Super Garlic Immune Formula. I gave her a tablespoonful every hour for three hours. Her fever broke and she slept, waking up feeling fine. This formula did the trick.
Herbs can be taken every hour when working on a problem. We are talking about food. Herbs feed the body what it needs to rebuild or get healthy. This is so contrary to what we have been taught about medicine. With chemical medicine, one can overdose with it but can one have too much pumpkin pie? I guess one could but it isn't dangerous just uncomfortable.
For more information on Garlic and how it works, go to my article about it.
Apple bark is very rich in Oxygen, Potassium, Sodium, Magnesium and Iron.
Kloss mentioned that apple tree bark is an old fashioned remedy for fever and as a tonic. When taken hot it causes perspiration. This helps with the liver, spleen, kidneys, boils, insect bites, toothaches, and digestion.
You have probably heard about "Food combinations" to increase our energy. This is when you combine some foods with one group of foods but not with another group. Example: Bread goes well with fruit but not as well with meats. (What do we eat for lunch but meat sandwiches and wonder why we have no energy in the afternoon?) According to Kroeger, apples go with anything you wish to combine with them. For more information on food groups, see Hanna Kroeger's book THE BASIC CAUSES OF MODERN DISEASE AND HOW TO REMEDY THEM.
"An Apple a day keeps the doctor away" – has new meaning after looking at all it can do. Enjoy Apples in any form.
When I was looking for some land to grow herbs, I told the gentleman that was helping me that I needed land that hadn't been chemically sprayed or fertilized for at least five years. We got into a discussion about medicinal herbs and the fact that it takes five years for the residue of chemicals to dissipate. Then when I use the plants to make medicine, I have no chemicals added to my formulas.
As we talked he asked if I could help him. He was unable to sleep at night in a bed. When he would lie down, his stomach acid would come up into his throat. For years he had slept in a reclining chair and still had the problem.
I suggested one tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar in 6 to 8 ounces of water, to be sipped on one hour before he went to bed. When mentioning apple cider vinegar, I don't mean the processed kind. We want the kind that isn't clear and has some "mother" in it. According to Jethro Kloss, author of BACK TO EDEN, "The ordinary apple cider vinegar is not fit to be used." But if you have the clear white processed kind, use it to clean windows and flower vases as it will dissolve the minerals on glass very well. The Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with some of the apple settled on the bottom of the jar will dissolve the minerals that are in the body that are being parked in the joints creating arthritis. It will clean up bone spurs but will not take the calcium out of teeth or bone as some people might think.
According to Dr. Christopher, most of us have gotten into the habit of not chewing our foods when we eat. He suggests that we "Drink our food and chew our liquids." This means chewing or mixing the saliva with our drinks as well as our food. This is the first step in digestion. It is also the first step in health as saliva will decrease the in-take of germs.
Germs have a very narrow range of pH. Saliva is alkaline and will kill the germs not happy in that environment. The stomach has an acid environment so the germs not liking that pH will be killed. By mixing the saliva, you have gotten rid of probable half of germs that you are taking in. Germs have a job and they are everywhere. We need to learn to live with them or in this case, around them.
What usually happens is that we make the stomach do all the work and by the time we are 40 or 50 years old, our stomach has the "acid making valves" set ON all the time. What do you think happens when we take an antacid? Right, it temporarily helps but then the stomach needs to get back to its natural state, which is acid, so it increases the amount of acid.
By sipping apple cider vinegar diluted in water, the stomach, getting a mild acid, recognizes this, it stops producing more. (Yes, our bodies are that smart!)
A couple of days after suggesting the remedy to this man, I got a call from him thanking me for the best sleep he had in years.
This is just some of the things Apples can do.
Hanna Kroeger, National Herbalist, talked about using Apple Peel Tea to pull toxins out of the body. I cut my organic apples peelings about 1/2 inch or more thick, dried these so when I wanted to use this tea, I boiled these peelings and served the tea that they make. (Children who want to taste my herbs are allowed to chew on these dried peelings. They tell me that my herbs are great.)
My Uncle Clarence told me how to keep the worms out of organic apples. Make a mixture of 50% vinegar and 50% honey. Put a little of this mixture in a wide-mouth jar and tape it to an almost horizontal branch of the apple tree just as the flower buds start coming out. Leave these jars on until the last petal falls off. You will have to clean the bugs out of the mixture several times, but they will not be laying eggs in the flowers, hence your new apples.
Kloss called Apples the "King of Fruits." He suggested that people who have too much acid, eat sweet apples and those with not enough acid should eat sour-green apples.
Even the very old and the very young do well on scraped apples. Kroeger suggested that "Whatever ails you; gallbladder trouble, liver trouble, diarrhea, tooth decay, constipation, loss of appetite, (even) good as poultices, too; when someone is very ill, take an apple and scrape the meat with a silver spoon. You will see them get better."
Kroeger was "big " on silver. She said that silver kills germs. When you toss a silver coin in the well, the whole village stays healthy as it is killing the bacteria in the well. (They are on their own for the happiness part.) I do not recommend Colloidal Silver for anyone. When you take silver into the body in large amounts, it is the same as taking a medical antibiotic. It kills off the good flora in the small intestines. Eating off a silver spoon will put silver into the body and the food that carries it but will not destroy the flora. She mentioned that when she was nursing in Germany, they had a box of silver spoons that all the babies and the very old were fed with.
According to Kroeger, silver also repels negative forces. I suggest that people wear this on their person.
Apple pectin is found to clean the bowels and has been put into many herbal formulas.
Dr. Christopher's Super Garlic Immune Formula is a formula that I have used with success to handle major problems. It contains: Garlic, Lobelia, Marshmallow Root, White Oak Bark, Black Walnut, Mullein, Aloe Vera, Gravel Rt., Skullcap, Plantain, Apple Cider Vinegar, and Raw Honey.
My daughter called and told me that she had been ill for a week and was not getting better. I took my herbs to her house, when I got there I decided to give her the Super Garlic Immune Formula. I gave her a tablespoonful every hour for three hours. Her fever broke and she slept, waking up feeling fine. This formula did the trick.
Herbs can be taken every hour when working on a problem. We are talking about food. Herbs feed the body what it needs to rebuild or get healthy. This is so contrary to what we have been taught about medicine. With chemical medicine, one can overdose with it but can one have too much pumpkin pie? I guess one could but it isn't dangerous just uncomfortable.
For more information on Garlic and how it works, go to my article about it.
Apple bark is very rich in Oxygen, Potassium, Sodium, Magnesium and Iron.
Kloss mentioned that apple tree bark is an old fashioned remedy for fever and as a tonic. When taken hot it causes perspiration. This helps with the liver, spleen, kidneys, boils, insect bites, toothaches, and digestion.
You have probably heard about "Food combinations" to increase our energy. This is when you combine some foods with one group of foods but not with another group. Example: Bread goes well with fruit but not as well with meats. (What do we eat for lunch but meat sandwiches and wonder why we have no energy in the afternoon?) According to Kroeger, apples go with anything you wish to combine with them. For more information on food groups, see Hanna Kroeger's book THE BASIC CAUSES OF MODERN DISEASE AND HOW TO REMEDY THEM.
"An Apple a day keeps the doctor away" – has new meaning after looking at all it can do. Enjoy Apples in any form.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Blue Cohosh
This lovely lady, and when you meet her you will feel the same as I do, is found in my Wisconsin woods. She has a fragile feeling about her. Her tulip-like leaves flutter eighteen to twenty-four inches off the floor of the forest. She prefers to be around mature trees where the leafy canopy is high over head, allowing small plants to thrive without much competition.
Her early flowers are in clusters and are hard to notice as they are greenish-yellow in color and blend in with the new foliage. By the time you notice Blue Cohosh, the "woodland spring flowers" have been in blossom awhile.
Blue Cohosh gets her name from the blue-green of her leaves and the bright blue berries that are found in the fall. Her common names are Squaw root, Papoose root, Blue Ginseng, and Yellow Ginseng, all of which you will understand as you read. Her leaves have three lobes ending almost the same length with the middle one sometimes having a two-toothed lobe. This gives the appearance of a blue-green tulip. I guess if I had been the one to name her, she would have been called the blue tulip plant.
The fruit of the flowers have "one or two seeds about the size of a large pea, which ripens in August," according to Mrs. Grieve in her A MODERN HERBAL, "these are sometimes roasted and boiled in water and given as a decoction resembling coffee." I usually harvest these blue berries and replant them in woody areas.
The roots are "hard thick, irregular, knotty contorted caudex (the base of the stem), one to several inches long, with slender radicles (roots) up to 8 inches long, externally yellowy brown, internally whitish to yellow, with a central pith running longitudinally" all according to Mrs. Grieves.
As a medicinal herb, Blue Cohosh qualifies. It is said to have estrogenic properties. Historically it was prescribed by physicians for cramps and chronic uterine diseases.
A study in India suggests that the roots may possess some contraceptive properties.
Blue Cohosh has been used to relieve childbirth pains when given at the proper time, which means that it should only be taken in the last month of pregnancy.
Although I have called this plant a she and so far have discussed her uses for women, she is very helpful for men as well.
Blue Cohosh has been used successfully for rheumatism, epilepsy, leukorhea, neuralgia, dropsy, hysteria, palpitations of the heart, high blood pressure and diabetes. I have read that it is also good for hiccoughs and whooping cough. A tea can be used for children with colic.
Jethro Kloss, author of BACK TO EDEN wrote, "Blue Cohosh contains the following vital minerals; potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, silicon, and phosphorus. These minerals help to alkalize the blood and urine. This herb can be quite irritating to mucus surfaces and therefore should be used with some caution. It should not be used during pregnancy and should be taken only one week at a time, one to three capsules daily."
When I went to Dr. James A. Duke's database, I found a lot of things that this plant has the ability to work on. Here are just a few of the many: Antibacteric, Anticancer, Antidiabetic, AntiHIV, Antiinflammatory, Antioxidant, Antispasmodic, Candidicide, Cardioprotective, Pesticide, Vasoconstrictor and Vasodilator. These last two are a reminder that even when a plant works in one direction, it also has the ability to work in another direction. It is the plant working with the body that does the healing. The body knows what of this plant is needed and the plant supplies it.
It has been my experience that most people using this herb combine it with other herbs in making formulas. When we put together a formulation, we are looking for that formula to do a certain thing. We combine the herbs that will help us in this manner.
One of the formulas contains Blue Cohosh is Dr. John R. Christopher's B & B Tincture. This formulation is used as a nerve and hearing loss/ earache formula. Due to the formulation, it is great internally and externally. In this formula Dr. Christopher combines Blue Cohosh with four other nervine herbs. Dr. Christopher says that this formula can be "Used to aid in nervous conditions, sore throat, hiccups and restore malfunctioning motor nerves." The combination is designed to go to the nerves that are in trouble and help with the rebuilding. When my thumb muscles didn't work without hurting after my arm was taken out of a cast, I dropped B&B tincture on the skin and allowed it to be absorbed. When the nerves had been relaxed, I manually worked those muscles and in a short time, I was able to use the thumb without assistance and discomfort.
According to Dr. Christopher in his Natural Healing Newsletter, Volume 5, no. 9, "Dr. King of the Eclectic School of Medicine employed Blue Cohosh for its benefits on the mucous membranes. Later Dr. Scudder believed Blue Cohosh effected its good through the hypogastric plexus, thus affecting the circulation, nutrition, and reproduction."
Herbs are designed to cleanse the help the body rebuild. They supply the building blocks and allow the body to heal.
Her early flowers are in clusters and are hard to notice as they are greenish-yellow in color and blend in with the new foliage. By the time you notice Blue Cohosh, the "woodland spring flowers" have been in blossom awhile.
Blue Cohosh gets her name from the blue-green of her leaves and the bright blue berries that are found in the fall. Her common names are Squaw root, Papoose root, Blue Ginseng, and Yellow Ginseng, all of which you will understand as you read. Her leaves have three lobes ending almost the same length with the middle one sometimes having a two-toothed lobe. This gives the appearance of a blue-green tulip. I guess if I had been the one to name her, she would have been called the blue tulip plant.
The fruit of the flowers have "one or two seeds about the size of a large pea, which ripens in August," according to Mrs. Grieve in her A MODERN HERBAL, "these are sometimes roasted and boiled in water and given as a decoction resembling coffee." I usually harvest these blue berries and replant them in woody areas.
The roots are "hard thick, irregular, knotty contorted caudex (the base of the stem), one to several inches long, with slender radicles (roots) up to 8 inches long, externally yellowy brown, internally whitish to yellow, with a central pith running longitudinally" all according to Mrs. Grieves.
As a medicinal herb, Blue Cohosh qualifies. It is said to have estrogenic properties. Historically it was prescribed by physicians for cramps and chronic uterine diseases.
A study in India suggests that the roots may possess some contraceptive properties.
Blue Cohosh has been used to relieve childbirth pains when given at the proper time, which means that it should only be taken in the last month of pregnancy.
Although I have called this plant a she and so far have discussed her uses for women, she is very helpful for men as well.
Blue Cohosh has been used successfully for rheumatism, epilepsy, leukorhea, neuralgia, dropsy, hysteria, palpitations of the heart, high blood pressure and diabetes. I have read that it is also good for hiccoughs and whooping cough. A tea can be used for children with colic.
Jethro Kloss, author of BACK TO EDEN wrote, "Blue Cohosh contains the following vital minerals; potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, silicon, and phosphorus. These minerals help to alkalize the blood and urine. This herb can be quite irritating to mucus surfaces and therefore should be used with some caution. It should not be used during pregnancy and should be taken only one week at a time, one to three capsules daily."
When I went to Dr. James A. Duke's database, I found a lot of things that this plant has the ability to work on. Here are just a few of the many: Antibacteric, Anticancer, Antidiabetic, AntiHIV, Antiinflammatory, Antioxidant, Antispasmodic, Candidicide, Cardioprotective, Pesticide, Vasoconstrictor and Vasodilator. These last two are a reminder that even when a plant works in one direction, it also has the ability to work in another direction. It is the plant working with the body that does the healing. The body knows what of this plant is needed and the plant supplies it.
It has been my experience that most people using this herb combine it with other herbs in making formulas. When we put together a formulation, we are looking for that formula to do a certain thing. We combine the herbs that will help us in this manner.
One of the formulas contains Blue Cohosh is Dr. John R. Christopher's B & B Tincture. This formulation is used as a nerve and hearing loss/ earache formula. Due to the formulation, it is great internally and externally. In this formula Dr. Christopher combines Blue Cohosh with four other nervine herbs. Dr. Christopher says that this formula can be "Used to aid in nervous conditions, sore throat, hiccups and restore malfunctioning motor nerves." The combination is designed to go to the nerves that are in trouble and help with the rebuilding. When my thumb muscles didn't work without hurting after my arm was taken out of a cast, I dropped B&B tincture on the skin and allowed it to be absorbed. When the nerves had been relaxed, I manually worked those muscles and in a short time, I was able to use the thumb without assistance and discomfort.
According to Dr. Christopher in his Natural Healing Newsletter, Volume 5, no. 9, "Dr. King of the Eclectic School of Medicine employed Blue Cohosh for its benefits on the mucous membranes. Later Dr. Scudder believed Blue Cohosh effected its good through the hypogastric plexus, thus affecting the circulation, nutrition, and reproduction."
Herbs are designed to cleanse the help the body rebuild. They supply the building blocks and allow the body to heal.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Catnip
Catnip or Catmint, as it is called, has been used worldwide for thousands of years as a medicinal herb. It was an emigrant from Europe where it was used as a beverage. In Old England it was the beverage of choice until the trade routes made green tea and black tea more prevalent. David Christopher, director of the School of Natural Healing, tells about a Mrs. Bardwell who writes in her book THE HERB GARDEN, "Catnip tea was more wholesome to the British Empire than the Black tea with all the sugar that they needed to make it palatable. Catnip has a mildly sweet flavor all by itself."
On page 260 of his book, THE SCHOOL OF NATURAL HEALING, Dr. John Christopher lists the therapeutic actions of Catnip as: "aromatic, relaxant, diffusive, stimulant, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, antispasmodic, nervine, sedative, carminative, anodyne, refrigerant, antacid." From all of that you can imagine that this little plant can handle a lot of problems. How do plants do this? They do this because they don't contain one compound like a drug would to handle just one thing; they are composed of a balance of nutriments. No, the active ingredient might not be in the amount that the pharmacist would prefer, but in its own subtle way it gets the job done. It might not do what it is supposed to do in 10 minutes but it will work without the side effects of inorganic chemicals.
This plant is so mild that it has been used by mothers of children for a very long time. By making a tea of Catnip and giving it to a baby even though it is only days or weeks old, it will relieve Colic. It can be given with a teaspoon to do its work. Mom and Dad can go back to sleep and so will baby. Dr. Christopher, found that by adding a little fennel, this tea worked even better for adults at dispelling gas.
Another use for Catnip tea is to rub some on the gums of babies when they are teething.
As much as it has a relaxing effect on people, it seems to have the opposite effect on cats. It is almost like a "fix" for cats but research has shown that only 2/3 of all cats are affected. This includes all of the cat family from house cats to tigers and lions. I dried some catnip in a plant press and found the press torn apart and the catnip broken into pieces by my cats. I guess mine are in that 2/3 percent.
According to David, the American Medical Association in JAMA 1969 (Their major publication) claimed that Catnip produced Marijuana-like effects. The wire service picked up this story and according to David, pet stores had a run on cat toys. Contrary to this claim, Catnip is not hallucinogenic.
Catnip was registered from 1842 to 1882 in the US Pharmacopia, thus registering it as a medicinal herb, as it should be. According the Daniel Mowrey in THE SCIENTIFIC VALIDATION OF HERBAL MEDICINE, it has been found to have antibiotic properties.
This is why it is so useful for Colds and Flu, but according to the Globalherb V2.0 computer program it can even be used to prevent Chicken Pox. This was a little strong for me but their reference for this came from Steven Horne's NATURE'S FIELD book published in 1991. David Christopher has suggested mixing it with Saffron to handle Smallpox and Scarlet Fever. Looks like Catnip is more powerful than we give it credit.
Another thing that Catnip tea is good for is to cut phlegm in the bronchial system. Native Americans smoked Catnip for asthma and bronchial problems. In Europe they would mix it with honey to create a cough medicine.
Catnip can be used to expel worms from the intestine by making an enema of the tea. Dr. John Christopher called this an injection.
Herbalist do not puncture the skin with needles. Once you break the hematic seal, your body is exposed to substances that are not in its best interest. (It is the job of the skin to seal the blood from foreign matter.) The premise is that the vaccines will get the immune system to "kick" in and try to get rid of the invaders. The bad part is that foreign proteins along with other things are introduced beyond the skin barrier and into the blood system. (For interesting reading on what is in vaccines read Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz's book called EMERGING VIRUSES, AIDs & EBOLA- NATURE, ACCIDENT OR INTENTIONAL?)
The foreign substances that are introduced into the blood system are not all killed. Some are parked or find their way to a specific organ and we have the beginnings of autoimmune diseases.
One of the cautions that I ran into regarding Catnip was that is shouldn't be taken during pregnancy as it promotes menses. According to David Christopher that is what all the books say but his wife, Fawn said that because it is a relaxant, when she was pregnant and started spotting, she made a cup of Catnip Tea and sat back to relax. The anti-spasmodic effects "Will calm the uterus and stop cramping during menstruation," according to the Christophers.
Along with all that we have mentioned about this little wild mint, (and it grows everywhere) it will also aid digestion. Many years ago a friend of mine from England told me that the way the British stay slim is to follow a meal with a nice mint tea. I guess that is because Catnip relaxes the body along with assisting with the meal. I have an idea that Catnip is now on the dinner mint list.
On page 260 of his book, THE SCHOOL OF NATURAL HEALING, Dr. John Christopher lists the therapeutic actions of Catnip as: "aromatic, relaxant, diffusive, stimulant, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, antispasmodic, nervine, sedative, carminative, anodyne, refrigerant, antacid." From all of that you can imagine that this little plant can handle a lot of problems. How do plants do this? They do this because they don't contain one compound like a drug would to handle just one thing; they are composed of a balance of nutriments. No, the active ingredient might not be in the amount that the pharmacist would prefer, but in its own subtle way it gets the job done. It might not do what it is supposed to do in 10 minutes but it will work without the side effects of inorganic chemicals.
This plant is so mild that it has been used by mothers of children for a very long time. By making a tea of Catnip and giving it to a baby even though it is only days or weeks old, it will relieve Colic. It can be given with a teaspoon to do its work. Mom and Dad can go back to sleep and so will baby. Dr. Christopher, found that by adding a little fennel, this tea worked even better for adults at dispelling gas.
Another use for Catnip tea is to rub some on the gums of babies when they are teething.
As much as it has a relaxing effect on people, it seems to have the opposite effect on cats. It is almost like a "fix" for cats but research has shown that only 2/3 of all cats are affected. This includes all of the cat family from house cats to tigers and lions. I dried some catnip in a plant press and found the press torn apart and the catnip broken into pieces by my cats. I guess mine are in that 2/3 percent.
According to David, the American Medical Association in JAMA 1969 (Their major publication) claimed that Catnip produced Marijuana-like effects. The wire service picked up this story and according to David, pet stores had a run on cat toys. Contrary to this claim, Catnip is not hallucinogenic.
Catnip was registered from 1842 to 1882 in the US Pharmacopia, thus registering it as a medicinal herb, as it should be. According the Daniel Mowrey in THE SCIENTIFIC VALIDATION OF HERBAL MEDICINE, it has been found to have antibiotic properties.
This is why it is so useful for Colds and Flu, but according to the Globalherb V2.0 computer program it can even be used to prevent Chicken Pox. This was a little strong for me but their reference for this came from Steven Horne's NATURE'S FIELD book published in 1991. David Christopher has suggested mixing it with Saffron to handle Smallpox and Scarlet Fever. Looks like Catnip is more powerful than we give it credit.
Another thing that Catnip tea is good for is to cut phlegm in the bronchial system. Native Americans smoked Catnip for asthma and bronchial problems. In Europe they would mix it with honey to create a cough medicine.
Catnip can be used to expel worms from the intestine by making an enema of the tea. Dr. John Christopher called this an injection.
Herbalist do not puncture the skin with needles. Once you break the hematic seal, your body is exposed to substances that are not in its best interest. (It is the job of the skin to seal the blood from foreign matter.) The premise is that the vaccines will get the immune system to "kick" in and try to get rid of the invaders. The bad part is that foreign proteins along with other things are introduced beyond the skin barrier and into the blood system. (For interesting reading on what is in vaccines read Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz's book called EMERGING VIRUSES, AIDs & EBOLA- NATURE, ACCIDENT OR INTENTIONAL?)
The foreign substances that are introduced into the blood system are not all killed. Some are parked or find their way to a specific organ and we have the beginnings of autoimmune diseases.
One of the cautions that I ran into regarding Catnip was that is shouldn't be taken during pregnancy as it promotes menses. According to David Christopher that is what all the books say but his wife, Fawn said that because it is a relaxant, when she was pregnant and started spotting, she made a cup of Catnip Tea and sat back to relax. The anti-spasmodic effects "Will calm the uterus and stop cramping during menstruation," according to the Christophers.
Along with all that we have mentioned about this little wild mint, (and it grows everywhere) it will also aid digestion. Many years ago a friend of mine from England told me that the way the British stay slim is to follow a meal with a nice mint tea. I guess that is because Catnip relaxes the body along with assisting with the meal. I have an idea that Catnip is now on the dinner mint list.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Cayenne
The pepper family is a wonderful herbal family that takes in all the members from Sweet Green Peppers to hot Cayenne Peppers. Some of the hot peppers have the ability to burn the skin but for the most part, what you purchase in the store will not be that hot and will give the body a lot of benefits. Dr. John R. Christopher once mentioned that a person could stand all day on a clove of garlic in bare feet and nothing would happen but if they stood on a hot Cayenne, they would find the skin affected.
Let's start with its ability to balance out blood pressure. In our family we use Cayenne Caps like other families use aspirin, to handle headaches. A lot of headaches are due to increased blood pressure and Cayenne will not allow the pressure to be more in one place (the head) than in another place (the legs.) Headaches come from a lot of different things so we will just talk about blood pressure at this time.
Dr. Christopher mentioned that this ability would be helpful for someone that had been injured and was bleeding. By giving that person a Cayenne Capsule or infusion, the blood pressure would balance and there would be more time to get the person to medical help with less bleeding. He also mentioned that if one were having a heart attack, by using Cayenne and balancing the pressure out, the damage would be minimalized before getting medical assistance. My family has a history of heart problems so I carry Cayenne Caps with me all the time.
I want to tell a story about the headache remedy that we use at our house. My husband called from work, it seemed that his secretary had a headache. All he had was Cayenne in his desk drawer. He wanted to know if he could give her one, she has ulcers. I mentioned that he could and that the Cayenne might kill the Heicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) bacteria that causes ulcers, in any case it might cauterize the wound. I did tell him to remind her that it would create some discomfort in her stomach most people don't want help that hurts.
Side story is that the H. Pylori doesn't like an alkaline environment but does like acid. The mouth with its saliva is an alkaline environment and would have killed this bacteria had it spent more time there than in the acid of the stomach. This person is not taking time to eat properly and chewing foods into small particles, thus allowing this acid-loving bacteria through. Bacteria have a very narrow comfort zone and if we can kill the acid-loving ones in the mouth and the alkaline-loving ones in the stomach, we will find that our bodies don't have to work hard at all to keep us healthy.
While attending classes in Utah, one of the things that students were asked to participate in was the Cayenne test. Powdered Cayenne was put into the palm of our hand, then we were told to cover one nostril with the other hand and snort the powder. This gets the Cayenne powder to the sinuses and starts the healing. Most of us have more mucus than is needed in the sinuses area. Cayenne cuts this and starts the healing process to these tissues. Yes, it is best to do this with a box of tissue because one's nose and eyes will run for a very long time and you will feel the mucus draining down the throat.
After doing this for a while, Cayenne is something that believe it or not, one gets used to and there are side benefits from this. The optic nerve is very close to the sinus area. I found that I didn't need my glasses after I cleaned the toxins from the sinus area.
In his book ALKALIZE OF DIE, Dr. Baroody Says, "Cayenne Pepper – A miracle food! Cayenne heals the body. Black pepper, an acid-former, irritates the stomach, while cayenne is especially good for stomach ulcers. It can be eaten in pods, as a powdered condiment, or taken as a nutritional supplement to stimulate the entire endocrine system. Take 1 to 2 capsules, 3 times a day. " On the Alkaline scale, it rates as a 7.0; this is very, very alkaline. Perhaps this is why it is good for a heart patient because when one goes to the hospital, they give an alkaline solution to the heart patients for the same reason that we suggested.
Cayenne is loaded with vitamins and minerals. I found over 200 different chemicals in this one herb. With all of them working simultaneously, is it any wonder that this herb is so powerful.
Cayenne has been used for Stomach problems, Gas, Gastrointestinal tract aches and Cramps. It has been used as a gargle for sore throats and as a counterirritant for rheumatic arthritic pain.
Because this herb has some powerful effects on the system, I feel it is ideal to talk about how to take herbs. A lot of people tell me that they can't "take" herbs and when I ask them why, they tell me that the herb "backs up" on them and they taste it all day. This is because no one has taught them how to take an herb. We are so used to popping a pill with a sip of water and expecting it to go to work for us. Herbs don't work that way. Let's say we just took a capsule of any herb with a sip of water. This capsule goes to our stomach and sits on top of the acid that is naturally there. The water that we sipped this with has filtered through the system. This capsule finally opens, leaving all of its contents just sitting there on top of the stomach acid. Little at a time this will assimilate into the acid but to properly take an herb, one needs to make a tea out of it.
To do this with a capsule is to take the herbal capsule with the sip of water, wait for a short time and then drink the rest of the glass of water. Now the herb will be made into a usable tea and will readily enter then rest of the body to go to work for us.
The major problem with herbal health is that we have never been taught about it in any of our education. We aren't even told about its benefits as foods, let alone the healing benefits.
This blog is to educate.
I cannot teach anyone anything.
I can only make them think.
Socrates
Let's start with its ability to balance out blood pressure. In our family we use Cayenne Caps like other families use aspirin, to handle headaches. A lot of headaches are due to increased blood pressure and Cayenne will not allow the pressure to be more in one place (the head) than in another place (the legs.) Headaches come from a lot of different things so we will just talk about blood pressure at this time.
Dr. Christopher mentioned that this ability would be helpful for someone that had been injured and was bleeding. By giving that person a Cayenne Capsule or infusion, the blood pressure would balance and there would be more time to get the person to medical help with less bleeding. He also mentioned that if one were having a heart attack, by using Cayenne and balancing the pressure out, the damage would be minimalized before getting medical assistance. My family has a history of heart problems so I carry Cayenne Caps with me all the time.
I want to tell a story about the headache remedy that we use at our house. My husband called from work, it seemed that his secretary had a headache. All he had was Cayenne in his desk drawer. He wanted to know if he could give her one, she has ulcers. I mentioned that he could and that the Cayenne might kill the Heicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) bacteria that causes ulcers, in any case it might cauterize the wound. I did tell him to remind her that it would create some discomfort in her stomach most people don't want help that hurts.
Side story is that the H. Pylori doesn't like an alkaline environment but does like acid. The mouth with its saliva is an alkaline environment and would have killed this bacteria had it spent more time there than in the acid of the stomach. This person is not taking time to eat properly and chewing foods into small particles, thus allowing this acid-loving bacteria through. Bacteria have a very narrow comfort zone and if we can kill the acid-loving ones in the mouth and the alkaline-loving ones in the stomach, we will find that our bodies don't have to work hard at all to keep us healthy.
While attending classes in Utah, one of the things that students were asked to participate in was the Cayenne test. Powdered Cayenne was put into the palm of our hand, then we were told to cover one nostril with the other hand and snort the powder. This gets the Cayenne powder to the sinuses and starts the healing. Most of us have more mucus than is needed in the sinuses area. Cayenne cuts this and starts the healing process to these tissues. Yes, it is best to do this with a box of tissue because one's nose and eyes will run for a very long time and you will feel the mucus draining down the throat.
After doing this for a while, Cayenne is something that believe it or not, one gets used to and there are side benefits from this. The optic nerve is very close to the sinus area. I found that I didn't need my glasses after I cleaned the toxins from the sinus area.
In his book ALKALIZE OF DIE, Dr. Baroody Says, "Cayenne Pepper – A miracle food! Cayenne heals the body. Black pepper, an acid-former, irritates the stomach, while cayenne is especially good for stomach ulcers. It can be eaten in pods, as a powdered condiment, or taken as a nutritional supplement to stimulate the entire endocrine system. Take 1 to 2 capsules, 3 times a day. " On the Alkaline scale, it rates as a 7.0; this is very, very alkaline. Perhaps this is why it is good for a heart patient because when one goes to the hospital, they give an alkaline solution to the heart patients for the same reason that we suggested.
Cayenne is loaded with vitamins and minerals. I found over 200 different chemicals in this one herb. With all of them working simultaneously, is it any wonder that this herb is so powerful.
Cayenne has been used for Stomach problems, Gas, Gastrointestinal tract aches and Cramps. It has been used as a gargle for sore throats and as a counterirritant for rheumatic arthritic pain.
Because this herb has some powerful effects on the system, I feel it is ideal to talk about how to take herbs. A lot of people tell me that they can't "take" herbs and when I ask them why, they tell me that the herb "backs up" on them and they taste it all day. This is because no one has taught them how to take an herb. We are so used to popping a pill with a sip of water and expecting it to go to work for us. Herbs don't work that way. Let's say we just took a capsule of any herb with a sip of water. This capsule goes to our stomach and sits on top of the acid that is naturally there. The water that we sipped this with has filtered through the system. This capsule finally opens, leaving all of its contents just sitting there on top of the stomach acid. Little at a time this will assimilate into the acid but to properly take an herb, one needs to make a tea out of it.
To do this with a capsule is to take the herbal capsule with the sip of water, wait for a short time and then drink the rest of the glass of water. Now the herb will be made into a usable tea and will readily enter then rest of the body to go to work for us.
The major problem with herbal health is that we have never been taught about it in any of our education. We aren't even told about its benefits as foods, let alone the healing benefits.
This blog is to educate.
I cannot teach anyone anything.
I can only make them think.
Socrates
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Hyssop
Hyssop is a small shrub like plant that is from the mint family. It tends to grow about 1 to 2 feet high with square stems like its cousins. The three varieties with Purple/blue, red or white flowers in whorls give the plant family away. The plants flower from June to October and make a very nice border plant. Hyssop has been naturalized in the United States having been brought here from Southern Europe. The hot spicy smell makes this a most agreeable plant. Its taste is somewhat bitter. These plants require cutting occasionally, but do not need much more attention according to Mrs. Grieve in her A MODERN HERBAL books.
Hyssop is spoken of in the Bible (Psalms 51:7) in connection with cleansing and purifying the body. "Purge me with Hyssop, and I shall be clean". Mrs. Grieve suggested that the Hebrew plant called "Ezeb" has been translated "Hyssop" and this is said to have grown out of the walls. According to her it is quite possible that the name is applied to several plants of similar properties.
The Greeks called it Hyssopos as a name of a Holy herb, because it was used to clean sacred placed. It seems that evil spirits hated it. I have used this plant to clear/clean negative energies out of my home. I even gave cuttings away to people that need to clean negative energies from their living and working spaces. I have found it will settle an unhappy person into someone who can be dealt with.
Hyssop was brought into a room where a blind person had become very cranky and was crying all the time. She was not aware that the Hyssop was there but it seemed to calm her down and she became herself again.
Hyssop is a most widely used purification herb in magic. It is added to baths in sachets, infused or sprinkled on objects or persons to cleanse them, and hung up in homes to purge them of evil and negativity, according to the Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs.
The tops and leaves are used in teas and tinctures and are valuable for asthma, colds, grippe and all chest afflictions and shortness of breath. It is also an excellent blood regulator as it increases the circulation of the blood and reduces blood pressure. It is a great tonic for mucus tissue of both the respiratory and the gastrointestinal tracts in all weakened conditions. "Serviceable in connection with hygienic herbs, scrofula, gravel, various stomach complaints, jaundice, dropsy, spleen malfunctions. (it) Has been used in herbal preparations for epilepsy." It has been used as a gargle with sage for sore throats." All according to Alma Hutchens in her book, INDIAN HERBALOGY OF NORTH AMERICA.
Hutchens also sights Plants Used Against Cancer, A Survey by Hartwell, for its mention as being used against sclerosis of the liver and tumors.
Medicinally it has been used as an expectorant, diaphoretic, stimulant and carminative. The healing virtues of the plant are due to the volatile oils. It has been used as a warm infusion mixed with horehound, Hyssop tea is a grateful drink for toning feeble stomachs, being brewed with the green tops. The leaves can be used externally for relief of muscular rheumatism and for bruises and discolored contusions. Bruised green herb will heal cuts promptly. Hyssop has been used in baths as part of the cure for rheumatism.
The flower-tops have also been used as a kitchen herb in salads and broths. If I remember right, Grieves mentioned that any household with an illness should include stews and soups with Hyssop tops for the health of the family. Herbs are food, enjoy.
Hyssop is spoken of in the Bible (Psalms 51:7) in connection with cleansing and purifying the body. "Purge me with Hyssop, and I shall be clean". Mrs. Grieve suggested that the Hebrew plant called "Ezeb" has been translated "Hyssop" and this is said to have grown out of the walls. According to her it is quite possible that the name is applied to several plants of similar properties.
The Greeks called it Hyssopos as a name of a Holy herb, because it was used to clean sacred placed. It seems that evil spirits hated it. I have used this plant to clear/clean negative energies out of my home. I even gave cuttings away to people that need to clean negative energies from their living and working spaces. I have found it will settle an unhappy person into someone who can be dealt with.
Hyssop was brought into a room where a blind person had become very cranky and was crying all the time. She was not aware that the Hyssop was there but it seemed to calm her down and she became herself again.
Hyssop is a most widely used purification herb in magic. It is added to baths in sachets, infused or sprinkled on objects or persons to cleanse them, and hung up in homes to purge them of evil and negativity, according to the Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs.
The tops and leaves are used in teas and tinctures and are valuable for asthma, colds, grippe and all chest afflictions and shortness of breath. It is also an excellent blood regulator as it increases the circulation of the blood and reduces blood pressure. It is a great tonic for mucus tissue of both the respiratory and the gastrointestinal tracts in all weakened conditions. "Serviceable in connection with hygienic herbs, scrofula, gravel, various stomach complaints, jaundice, dropsy, spleen malfunctions. (it) Has been used in herbal preparations for epilepsy." It has been used as a gargle with sage for sore throats." All according to Alma Hutchens in her book, INDIAN HERBALOGY OF NORTH AMERICA.
Hutchens also sights Plants Used Against Cancer, A Survey by Hartwell, for its mention as being used against sclerosis of the liver and tumors.
Medicinally it has been used as an expectorant, diaphoretic, stimulant and carminative. The healing virtues of the plant are due to the volatile oils. It has been used as a warm infusion mixed with horehound, Hyssop tea is a grateful drink for toning feeble stomachs, being brewed with the green tops. The leaves can be used externally for relief of muscular rheumatism and for bruises and discolored contusions. Bruised green herb will heal cuts promptly. Hyssop has been used in baths as part of the cure for rheumatism.
The flower-tops have also been used as a kitchen herb in salads and broths. If I remember right, Grieves mentioned that any household with an illness should include stews and soups with Hyssop tops for the health of the family. Herbs are food, enjoy.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Hawthorn
When Herbalist think of heart or heart problems, Hawthorn Berries come to mind and rightfully so, as you will soon see.
The Hawthorn tree usually grows from 15 to 30 feet in height. There are as many as 1000 species in North America. In my state I find the shorter variety. I find them in old farm fields as it is one of the first plants to start the change from the unused field back to forest. I find many people confusing the Buckthorn for Hawthorn and vice versa. There are two differences. One is the leaves; the other is how the berry is attached to the tree. Neither of these is visible in the winter when people are chopping down trees with large thorns on them.
When you find a Hawthorn, you will understand its Latin name; "Crataegus" is Greek for hardness –of the wood. "Oxus" means sharp and "akantha" means a thorn. All are referring to the needle long thorns found on the branches. Also according to Mrs. Grieves in A MODERN HERBAL, the word "Haw" is an old word for hedge. This tree is also found as hedge filler in many areas.
The white flowers appear in May and turn into a bright red fruit that dries on the tree in the fall. This dried fruit is dark purple/red. It resembles a miniature stony apple but it has two large seeds in relationship to its pea-sized fruit. It should resemble the apple for it is another relative of the Rose family along with Apples, Apricots, Quince, Wild Cherries, Raspberries and Blackberries.
Now let me tell you how Hawthorn works on the heart muscle. The heart muscle needs Calcium, Potassium and Magnesium. Hawthorn Berries are very high in the first two and sufficiently high in the third according to the constituents in Blake's Globalherb computer program.
Hawthorn has Chromium. It is said to lower bad Cholesterol (LDL) and raise the good cholesterol (HDL). "Studies done by the Chinese state that Hawthorn Lowers Cholesterol and triglycerides by improving excretion. It increases urination" according to Hanna Kroeger.
A lot of my students are surprised to find out that the heart doesn't make the cholesterol. This is made by the liver and the heart has to put up with this junk. By the way, low cholesterol reading on a serum blood test doesn't mean that you have low cholesterol. If all the cholesterol is attached to the walls of the veins and arteries, everything will look fine but your blood pressure will be high. The heart just has to work harder to get the blood through your narrowing "pipes." When there is high cholesterol or triglycerides, I tell my students to clean up the liver—a much better practice than using diuretics. This can be handled with "Liver" herbs like Milk Thistle.
Hawthorn also contains Selenium and is recommended for weak hearts. Selenium is very hard to find in our food because of the depleted farm soil but trees have the ability to put roots down 30 to 50 feet. They don't depend on what we do to the top three feet of the soil. When they want something to keep them healthy, they just extend a hair root and find what they need. This is why everyone needs to be using some form of herb. Our bodies need trace minerals. Herbs have trace minerals. They are called trace minerals because we don't need a whole capsule of something like Selenium.
Hawthorn, like its cousin the Apple, is very high in Vitamin C. When you combine Vitamin C with Selenium, you have two of the most important antioxidants in the nutritional world and they are said to protect against strokes. Vitamin C is very good at protecting the arteries against capillary breakage or leakage along with excessive clotting. It also helps to lower the cholesterol levels.
What we are doing with Hawthorn Berries is supplying the heart with all the elements that nourish it. In doing so we are allowing the heart to rebuild. I tell my students that you can't make a cake without flour and eggs in the house. When we nourish the body it does amazing things in the rebuilding area. With today's medicine we are in such a rush to transplant and drug the ill organ, when what we should be doing is supplying the body with what it needs to rebuild what we were originally given. Did you know that every organ can rebuild if 10% of the organ is healthy and you start to supply it with the right nutrition?
Hanna Kroeger, noted herbalist wrote, "Unlike digitalis, Hawthorn is not effective in correcting a complete failure as they don't contain the same compounds." Although she did use Blue Malva Tea to correct heart valve problems with much success.
The German equivalent to our FDA (Kommission E) published in there "Monograph Notes" that there were "No contra-indications from Hawthorn Berries. The German elderly used it as a tonic even without a heart condition according to Kroeger.
There have been studies made in China showing a marked relief from angina attacks when using Hawthorn. Laboratory studies suggest that Hawthorn's action "May be created through the effects on the central nervous system. Oxygen levels increase in the heart," According to Kroeger.
Other things that are seen as problems for the heart are, atherosclerotic (Artery plaque), arteriosclerosis (Hardening of the arteries), irregular heartbeats and palpitations, general tightness in the chest, difficult breathing and fatigue, all of which are treated in both China and Germany with the herb, Hawthorn.
Because of its ability to increase the force with which the heart contracts, it appears useful for congestive heart failure as suggested by Dr. Kim Vanderlinden in the Health Counselor, Vol.7, No. 4.
Dr. Shen, a Chinese herbalist, whom I met on the Internet, suggests Chinese sage (Dan Shen) 9gm, Safflower (Hong Hua) 9gm, Pseudoginseng root (San Qi) 3 gms and Chinese Licorice root (Zhi gan Cao) 6 gms. Slow boil the herbs in 4 cups of water for 40 minutes. Drink twice a day along with Hawthorne and Ginseng for "Remarkable recovery from by-pass surgery."
In my herbal classes, my students enjoy learning how to make a tonic and the one we make is a Hawthorn Berry Tonic. This is made by soaking the dried berries, then simmering them for 20 to 30 minutes, strain and return the liquid to a cleaned kettle. We add to this, raw sugar (SUCANAT), cool and bottle it. This is good for many months in the refrigerator. I like to add some Black Cherry Juice Concentrate for flavor but Hawthorn doesn't taste bad.
While making the tonic, we are struck by its dark red/purple color. This is the compound known as flavonoids. Hawthorn Berries have a large amount of this substance which is said to balance the body's hormones. "Flavonoids work with Vitamin C (Hawthorn being high in Vitamin C) to build bones, collagen, tendons, capillaries and strong teeth according to Kroger. Sounds like additional bonuses?
Flavonoids made the news a while ago when some French study came out exclaiming that a glass of red wine daily would help one to have a healthy heart. It is the purple skin in the grape that is loaded with Flavonoids as are the other members of the Rose family, namely the dark-skinned berries.
Hawthorn Berry Tonic is normally taken daily over time to reap the results that have been mentioned here, so it surprised me when one person told me of experiencing pain periodically in the upper left arm and by taking a dose of Hawthorn Tonic, was relieved within the hour.
There are many other herbs that affect the heart but none quite as effective yet mild and safe as Hawthorn.
The Hawthorn tree usually grows from 15 to 30 feet in height. There are as many as 1000 species in North America. In my state I find the shorter variety. I find them in old farm fields as it is one of the first plants to start the change from the unused field back to forest. I find many people confusing the Buckthorn for Hawthorn and vice versa. There are two differences. One is the leaves; the other is how the berry is attached to the tree. Neither of these is visible in the winter when people are chopping down trees with large thorns on them.
When you find a Hawthorn, you will understand its Latin name; "Crataegus" is Greek for hardness –of the wood. "Oxus" means sharp and "akantha" means a thorn. All are referring to the needle long thorns found on the branches. Also according to Mrs. Grieves in A MODERN HERBAL, the word "Haw" is an old word for hedge. This tree is also found as hedge filler in many areas.
The white flowers appear in May and turn into a bright red fruit that dries on the tree in the fall. This dried fruit is dark purple/red. It resembles a miniature stony apple but it has two large seeds in relationship to its pea-sized fruit. It should resemble the apple for it is another relative of the Rose family along with Apples, Apricots, Quince, Wild Cherries, Raspberries and Blackberries.
Now let me tell you how Hawthorn works on the heart muscle. The heart muscle needs Calcium, Potassium and Magnesium. Hawthorn Berries are very high in the first two and sufficiently high in the third according to the constituents in Blake's Globalherb computer program.
Hawthorn has Chromium. It is said to lower bad Cholesterol (LDL) and raise the good cholesterol (HDL). "Studies done by the Chinese state that Hawthorn Lowers Cholesterol and triglycerides by improving excretion. It increases urination" according to Hanna Kroeger.
A lot of my students are surprised to find out that the heart doesn't make the cholesterol. This is made by the liver and the heart has to put up with this junk. By the way, low cholesterol reading on a serum blood test doesn't mean that you have low cholesterol. If all the cholesterol is attached to the walls of the veins and arteries, everything will look fine but your blood pressure will be high. The heart just has to work harder to get the blood through your narrowing "pipes." When there is high cholesterol or triglycerides, I tell my students to clean up the liver—a much better practice than using diuretics. This can be handled with "Liver" herbs like Milk Thistle.
Hawthorn also contains Selenium and is recommended for weak hearts. Selenium is very hard to find in our food because of the depleted farm soil but trees have the ability to put roots down 30 to 50 feet. They don't depend on what we do to the top three feet of the soil. When they want something to keep them healthy, they just extend a hair root and find what they need. This is why everyone needs to be using some form of herb. Our bodies need trace minerals. Herbs have trace minerals. They are called trace minerals because we don't need a whole capsule of something like Selenium.
Hawthorn, like its cousin the Apple, is very high in Vitamin C. When you combine Vitamin C with Selenium, you have two of the most important antioxidants in the nutritional world and they are said to protect against strokes. Vitamin C is very good at protecting the arteries against capillary breakage or leakage along with excessive clotting. It also helps to lower the cholesterol levels.
What we are doing with Hawthorn Berries is supplying the heart with all the elements that nourish it. In doing so we are allowing the heart to rebuild. I tell my students that you can't make a cake without flour and eggs in the house. When we nourish the body it does amazing things in the rebuilding area. With today's medicine we are in such a rush to transplant and drug the ill organ, when what we should be doing is supplying the body with what it needs to rebuild what we were originally given. Did you know that every organ can rebuild if 10% of the organ is healthy and you start to supply it with the right nutrition?
Hanna Kroeger, noted herbalist wrote, "Unlike digitalis, Hawthorn is not effective in correcting a complete failure as they don't contain the same compounds." Although she did use Blue Malva Tea to correct heart valve problems with much success.
The German equivalent to our FDA (Kommission E) published in there "Monograph Notes" that there were "No contra-indications from Hawthorn Berries. The German elderly used it as a tonic even without a heart condition according to Kroeger.
There have been studies made in China showing a marked relief from angina attacks when using Hawthorn. Laboratory studies suggest that Hawthorn's action "May be created through the effects on the central nervous system. Oxygen levels increase in the heart," According to Kroeger.
Other things that are seen as problems for the heart are, atherosclerotic (Artery plaque), arteriosclerosis (Hardening of the arteries), irregular heartbeats and palpitations, general tightness in the chest, difficult breathing and fatigue, all of which are treated in both China and Germany with the herb, Hawthorn.
Because of its ability to increase the force with which the heart contracts, it appears useful for congestive heart failure as suggested by Dr. Kim Vanderlinden in the Health Counselor, Vol.7, No. 4.
Dr. Shen, a Chinese herbalist, whom I met on the Internet, suggests Chinese sage (Dan Shen) 9gm, Safflower (Hong Hua) 9gm, Pseudoginseng root (San Qi) 3 gms and Chinese Licorice root (Zhi gan Cao) 6 gms. Slow boil the herbs in 4 cups of water for 40 minutes. Drink twice a day along with Hawthorne and Ginseng for "Remarkable recovery from by-pass surgery."
In my herbal classes, my students enjoy learning how to make a tonic and the one we make is a Hawthorn Berry Tonic. This is made by soaking the dried berries, then simmering them for 20 to 30 minutes, strain and return the liquid to a cleaned kettle. We add to this, raw sugar (SUCANAT), cool and bottle it. This is good for many months in the refrigerator. I like to add some Black Cherry Juice Concentrate for flavor but Hawthorn doesn't taste bad.
While making the tonic, we are struck by its dark red/purple color. This is the compound known as flavonoids. Hawthorn Berries have a large amount of this substance which is said to balance the body's hormones. "Flavonoids work with Vitamin C (Hawthorn being high in Vitamin C) to build bones, collagen, tendons, capillaries and strong teeth according to Kroger. Sounds like additional bonuses?
Flavonoids made the news a while ago when some French study came out exclaiming that a glass of red wine daily would help one to have a healthy heart. It is the purple skin in the grape that is loaded with Flavonoids as are the other members of the Rose family, namely the dark-skinned berries.
Hawthorn Berry Tonic is normally taken daily over time to reap the results that have been mentioned here, so it surprised me when one person told me of experiencing pain periodically in the upper left arm and by taking a dose of Hawthorn Tonic, was relieved within the hour.
There are many other herbs that affect the heart but none quite as effective yet mild and safe as Hawthorn.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Stevia
Tonight a plant was screaming at me. They tend to do that when I'm too busy to give them the attention that they want.
This little plant is a real sweetie and I mean that literally. Her name is Stevia and tonight she was trying to get my attention to show me some tiny white flowers. No wonder she wanted water. She isn't hard to grow in a pot sitting on a windowsill most of the time and she gives me a leaf or two all the time.
Stevia has a substance called Stevioside in it that is said to be as much as 250 times as sweet as sucrose and 50 times sweeter than sugar. Tests show that the Stevioside is heat stable, pH stable and non-fermentable. Looks like I will have to stick with regular sugar to make my dandelion wines.
There are about 250 plants in this genus or of this sunflower family. They are found growing all over South America, Central America and in the southern part of North America.
All studies repeat that she is safe for diabetics to use as she contains no sugar. She will not interfere with anyone dealing with Candida either.
In the past I have contacted the American Diabetes Association and asked why they recommend aspartame for diabetics and their response came in a letter. They said basically, "There continues to be unsubstantiated claims that the non-nutritive sweetener aspartame (Brand name NutraSweet) poses health risks to people with Diabetes." The letter continued but it told me a lot.
Most countries recognize this sweetener and in Japan it makes up 40% of their sweetener market.
The United States has restricted it to being labeled as a dietary supplement but not a food additive. Both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are producing a commercial product and hope to be able to get the "Food Additive" label approved by the government.
Dr. James Duke's Database showed me things that are contained in this plant and are known to be Cardioprotective and Cancer-preventive along with a whole lot more.
When I give a person a leaf to taste, I always take one myself so that they know it is safe to eat. Most people are surprised by the taste. First comes the sweet taste and then it is balanced out. Nature never over does what is needed.
Try two Stevia leaves for dessert tonight or plan to adopt a member of her family.
This little plant is a real sweetie and I mean that literally. Her name is Stevia and tonight she was trying to get my attention to show me some tiny white flowers. No wonder she wanted water. She isn't hard to grow in a pot sitting on a windowsill most of the time and she gives me a leaf or two all the time.
Stevia has a substance called Stevioside in it that is said to be as much as 250 times as sweet as sucrose and 50 times sweeter than sugar. Tests show that the Stevioside is heat stable, pH stable and non-fermentable. Looks like I will have to stick with regular sugar to make my dandelion wines.
There are about 250 plants in this genus or of this sunflower family. They are found growing all over South America, Central America and in the southern part of North America.
All studies repeat that she is safe for diabetics to use as she contains no sugar. She will not interfere with anyone dealing with Candida either.
In the past I have contacted the American Diabetes Association and asked why they recommend aspartame for diabetics and their response came in a letter. They said basically, "There continues to be unsubstantiated claims that the non-nutritive sweetener aspartame (Brand name NutraSweet) poses health risks to people with Diabetes." The letter continued but it told me a lot.
Most countries recognize this sweetener and in Japan it makes up 40% of their sweetener market.
The United States has restricted it to being labeled as a dietary supplement but not a food additive. Both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are producing a commercial product and hope to be able to get the "Food Additive" label approved by the government.
Dr. James Duke's Database showed me things that are contained in this plant and are known to be Cardioprotective and Cancer-preventive along with a whole lot more.
When I give a person a leaf to taste, I always take one myself so that they know it is safe to eat. Most people are surprised by the taste. First comes the sweet taste and then it is balanced out. Nature never over does what is needed.
Try two Stevia leaves for dessert tonight or plan to adopt a member of her family.
Red Clover
One of the first introductions that I had to herbs was with Red Clover. These little plants have been around all my life. It is so surprising to find out just how powerful these soft red flowers are.
I first read about Red Clover while reading BACK TO EDEN by Jethro Kloss. He talked about being sent by his parents to gather the blossoms for their "postmaster, who had a serious cancer. He (The postmaster) lived to be a rather old man, without an operation." I think that is when I decided that herbs could do some very important things. Did you know that Kloss grew up in Manitowoc, Wisconsin? Herbs are so wonderful!
Kloss suggests that it is excellent for cancer on any part of the body. He even has a formula that is: 1 ounce Red Clover blossoms, 1 ounce Burdock seed, 2 ounces Wild Oregon Grape root, and 1/2 ounce Bloodroot root. He suggests mixing them in one pint of hot water and one pint of hot apple cider. Cover and let stand for a couple of hours, and then use 4 ounces, four times a day. With throat cancer, he suggests gargling with this formula four or five times a day and swallowing some of the tea.
I remember my mentor, Hanna Kroeger mentioning that four ounces of anything goes right into the blood stream. She said that more didn't.
Wherever the cancer is located on the body, that part should be bathed five to six times a day with this formula.
That wasn't the only reference that I found connecting cancer to Red Clover. The "Flower tea is drunk daily for breast cancer, and the whole plant is included in experimental treatments for diverse cancers," according to Lesley Bremness in the EYEWITNESS HANDBOOK – HERBS.
Research shows that there are compounds in Red Clover that inhibit some laboratory tumors. Scientists are trying to catch up with herbalist and prove things that are already so.
Kloss even suggested that Red Clover is splendid for handling Syphilis.
Red Clover is one of the great blood cleansers of the herbal kingdom. As a blood cleanser it doesn't screen the blood but cleans the cells that are loaded with toxins and gives them nourishment.
There has been some research that Red Clover is helpful for Thrombosis as an anti-coagulant.
Red Clover is good for Whooping Cough and Bronchial problems along with Arthritis and skin complaints.
When we think of a clear, hot tea doing all the things that have been mentioned here, it is hard to imagine, but herbal teas have been doing this for hundreds of years with amazing results. Why do we think that only "hard on the body" heavy radiation or chemicals will eliminate cancers?
Red Clover is so identifiable. The three oval leaflets have a chevron of light green on them. The red flower petals on the composite heads can be pulled off one at a time or in a group. The base of the petals are sweet. The bees know just what they are doing when they head for Red Clover.
Did you know that white Clover has been made into feed for animals and that the flowers were once made into bread? Herbs are food.
I first read about Red Clover while reading BACK TO EDEN by Jethro Kloss. He talked about being sent by his parents to gather the blossoms for their "postmaster, who had a serious cancer. He (The postmaster) lived to be a rather old man, without an operation." I think that is when I decided that herbs could do some very important things. Did you know that Kloss grew up in Manitowoc, Wisconsin? Herbs are so wonderful!
Kloss suggests that it is excellent for cancer on any part of the body. He even has a formula that is: 1 ounce Red Clover blossoms, 1 ounce Burdock seed, 2 ounces Wild Oregon Grape root, and 1/2 ounce Bloodroot root. He suggests mixing them in one pint of hot water and one pint of hot apple cider. Cover and let stand for a couple of hours, and then use 4 ounces, four times a day. With throat cancer, he suggests gargling with this formula four or five times a day and swallowing some of the tea.
I remember my mentor, Hanna Kroeger mentioning that four ounces of anything goes right into the blood stream. She said that more didn't.
Wherever the cancer is located on the body, that part should be bathed five to six times a day with this formula.
That wasn't the only reference that I found connecting cancer to Red Clover. The "Flower tea is drunk daily for breast cancer, and the whole plant is included in experimental treatments for diverse cancers," according to Lesley Bremness in the EYEWITNESS HANDBOOK – HERBS.
Research shows that there are compounds in Red Clover that inhibit some laboratory tumors. Scientists are trying to catch up with herbalist and prove things that are already so.
Kloss even suggested that Red Clover is splendid for handling Syphilis.
Red Clover is one of the great blood cleansers of the herbal kingdom. As a blood cleanser it doesn't screen the blood but cleans the cells that are loaded with toxins and gives them nourishment.
There has been some research that Red Clover is helpful for Thrombosis as an anti-coagulant.
Red Clover is good for Whooping Cough and Bronchial problems along with Arthritis and skin complaints.
When we think of a clear, hot tea doing all the things that have been mentioned here, it is hard to imagine, but herbal teas have been doing this for hundreds of years with amazing results. Why do we think that only "hard on the body" heavy radiation or chemicals will eliminate cancers?
Red Clover is so identifiable. The three oval leaflets have a chevron of light green on them. The red flower petals on the composite heads can be pulled off one at a time or in a group. The base of the petals are sweet. The bees know just what they are doing when they head for Red Clover.
Did you know that white Clover has been made into feed for animals and that the flowers were once made into bread? Herbs are food.
Lamb's Quarters
Lamb's Quarters not to be confused with Lamb's Ears is this little weed is often called Pigweed (Chenopodium album L.) It is the first thing that we pull out of our gardens when weeding. No one I knows cultivates it as it has so little appeal. There is only green; green leaves, green flowers, and green seeds. I have seen it growing up to 4 feet tall and taking over an area of the garden. It grows mostly where the soil has been disturbed, as in gardens or even new construction.
It has been used as a food for a long time as it is a cousin to Spinach. When the plants are less than 10 inches high they are tender and can be cooked as a pot herb. They have the taste of pea pods. They are very high in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Riboflavin and Niacin.
What I am finding in Duke's Database states that this plant has some things in it that are: Anticataract, Antiasthmatic, Antimalarial, Antidiabetic, Antieczemic, Antiparkinsonian, and Antipapillomic (This is the virus that they give young girls a vaccine for so that they can be "one less" but there are 72 papillomas and the shot takes care of only four of them. Even men can get this virus.) Hey, this plant isn't going to do it all if you nibble on a leaf here and there but it sure gives the body more than what we are getting in our food supply.
According to Dr. Christopher founder of the School of Natural healing, it is a very good source of usable calcium. I eat the leaves raw while I am in the yard or put them into a salad with tomatoes, celery, purslane, chickweed and add any dressing, my favorite being oil and vinegar. This is a great way to get my calcium with lots of flavors.
The American Indians used the leaves to treat stomachaches and prevent scurvy. Using the cold tea is known to check diarrhea. A leaf poultice is great for burns. As a folk remedy Lamb's Quarters is used for vitiligo, a skin disorder.
The next time you see this plant, taste a leaf, I think you will like it.
It has been used as a food for a long time as it is a cousin to Spinach. When the plants are less than 10 inches high they are tender and can be cooked as a pot herb. They have the taste of pea pods. They are very high in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Riboflavin and Niacin.
What I am finding in Duke's Database states that this plant has some things in it that are: Anticataract, Antiasthmatic, Antimalarial, Antidiabetic, Antieczemic, Antiparkinsonian, and Antipapillomic (This is the virus that they give young girls a vaccine for so that they can be "one less" but there are 72 papillomas and the shot takes care of only four of them. Even men can get this virus.) Hey, this plant isn't going to do it all if you nibble on a leaf here and there but it sure gives the body more than what we are getting in our food supply.
According to Dr. Christopher founder of the School of Natural healing, it is a very good source of usable calcium. I eat the leaves raw while I am in the yard or put them into a salad with tomatoes, celery, purslane, chickweed and add any dressing, my favorite being oil and vinegar. This is a great way to get my calcium with lots of flavors.
The American Indians used the leaves to treat stomachaches and prevent scurvy. Using the cold tea is known to check diarrhea. A leaf poultice is great for burns. As a folk remedy Lamb's Quarters is used for vitiligo, a skin disorder.
The next time you see this plant, taste a leaf, I think you will like it.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Bergamot
A couple of years ago I wanted a "Bee Balm" plant in my yard so one my friends gave me some of what she had in her yard. They were beautiful with their red tassels on the top of the plants. I put them in my back yard to add color. But while riding my bike on the bike trail, I noticed these same plants growing wild along the sides of the trail only they had purple tassels on the top. So I did some investigating and found that wild Bee Balm or Bergamot is purple.
As I usually do, I "liberated" a few of these plants and put them in my yard. My usual habit is to wait until the plants go to seed and then take the seeds for my yard but these plants are so "nondescript" that I thought I might not recognize them without their purple tops. I was right. They are hard for me to sort out among all the weeds growing along the trail.
Then I set out to learn about them.
The first thing that I learned was that this whole plant is edible. I also have a book written by a Native American, Tis Mal Crow called NATIVE PLANTS, NATIVE HEALING Traditional Muskogee Way. In this book Tis has a whole chapter devoted to this one plant, Wild Bergamot. If one is to believe this, the Muskogee tribe used this plant for everything, from Lung infections, Tuberculosis, Skin rashes, Stings and Bites, Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia, Burns, Fevers, Frostbite, Scar tissue, Digestion, Blood Infections, Ear Infections, Sore Muscles, Appendicitis, and even Love potions. He mentioned that it is called Sweet Leaf and related to the mint family. When they make a tea out of this plant it is called OSWEGO TEA.
I went into Dr. Dukes Database to learn more. I could understand why the Native Americans could use this plant for everything. He has a list of about 60 different constituents in this plant and they were loaded with abilities to handle things like; bacteria, inflammation, Candida, vermin, virus and some even mentioned that they were antioxidant and anticancer along with being sedative.
We just don't give enough attention to things that our bodies could use that aren't found in the food or drug departments anywhere.
As I usually do, I "liberated" a few of these plants and put them in my yard. My usual habit is to wait until the plants go to seed and then take the seeds for my yard but these plants are so "nondescript" that I thought I might not recognize them without their purple tops. I was right. They are hard for me to sort out among all the weeds growing along the trail.
Then I set out to learn about them.
The first thing that I learned was that this whole plant is edible. I also have a book written by a Native American, Tis Mal Crow called NATIVE PLANTS, NATIVE HEALING Traditional Muskogee Way. In this book Tis has a whole chapter devoted to this one plant, Wild Bergamot. If one is to believe this, the Muskogee tribe used this plant for everything, from Lung infections, Tuberculosis, Skin rashes, Stings and Bites, Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia, Burns, Fevers, Frostbite, Scar tissue, Digestion, Blood Infections, Ear Infections, Sore Muscles, Appendicitis, and even Love potions. He mentioned that it is called Sweet Leaf and related to the mint family. When they make a tea out of this plant it is called OSWEGO TEA.
I went into Dr. Dukes Database to learn more. I could understand why the Native Americans could use this plant for everything. He has a list of about 60 different constituents in this plant and they were loaded with abilities to handle things like; bacteria, inflammation, Candida, vermin, virus and some even mentioned that they were antioxidant and anticancer along with being sedative.
We just don't give enough attention to things that our bodies could use that aren't found in the food or drug departments anywhere.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Wild Violets
Living in Wisconsin, I would be remiss if I didn't take time to talk about this wonderful plant. It just happens to be the State Flower of Wisconsin.
The name of this plant is taken from the flower but there are wild violets with pink flowers and some with white flowers. Mrs. Grieves, author of A MODERN HERBAL mentions that the word Violet when broken down is a deviation of via or wayside. These plants tend to grow in areas that allow the eight inch plant to thrive without much competition.
The Violet flowers attracted my attention. I always knew that they were edible and that they have a sweet taste in their base but until I read what Dr. James Duke said about them, I didn't think they had a lot of medicinal uses. A couple of the things that Dr Duke talked about was that they could be used for varicose and spider veins. This is so exciting because a lot of people that I know are dealing with this very problem.
According to Dr. Duke, "Violet flowers contain generous amounts of a compound called rutin, which helps maintain the strength and integrity of capillary walls." The amount would be a half cup of fresh violet flowers, I guess that is why I like eating them and get my 5 to 10 flowers a day. Dr. Duke mentioned that one could eat as many as 100 flowers a day without any adverse effects.
Mrs. Grieves mentioned that, "Piny prescribed a liniment of Violet root and vinegar for gout and disorder of the spleen. She states that a garland or chaplet of Violets worn about the head will dispel the fumes of wine and prevent headaches and dizziness." That sounds like a prescription for a good old fashion hangover.
Violet flowers have been used in cooking for a very long time, both in the dish and as a garnish. I have used Violet flowers and find that most people pass them up instead of eating them. Maybe they just don't know what is good for them?
They have been used as a coloring agent and in the making of perfumes. They can also be candied as a dessert. A "Syrup of Violets" was made and was considered to be a nice dessert when added to lemon syrup or ice cream to be served in the summer months.
To get the best flowers from the plants means that they need to be thinned from time to time. When overcrowded, they tend to just grow a lot of leaves. They will also go to leaves when the soil is very rich.
A salad can be made by adding Violet leaves to any of the other garden greens. This salad might relieve a degree of pain as Violet leaves contain Salicylic Acid although not to the degree that can be found in Willow Bark or even Honeysuckle leaves. In fact, when I checked my resources, I found about 25 to 30 constituents contained in this little plant. Just think of the organic choices that one is giving the body when Violet leaves are included on the menu. When it is organic the body can use it or not as it wishes. When the body is given inorganic matter, it doesn't have those choices.
I read that one could cook the roots of this plant for food, so I decided to try that. The article suggested boiling them like potatoes. This was a very interesting experience as the roots have a slight bitter taste to them due to the alkaloid content. In the future I would cook them like acorns and do several rinses or changes of the water as they are being cooked. I have since read that medically they are used to incite vomiting. "They have occasionally been used as adulterants to more costly drugs, notably to ipecacuanha."
A tincture of the whole plant has been used for spasmodic coughing and Mrs. Grieves mentions that it can be used for rheumatism of the wrists.
We have deer that come into our yard mainly for the apples or the acorns but they also trim the tops off the Violet plants that are under the apple trees. Do they know something that we don't?
The leaves have been used to cure cancer. I believe the story goes that a nurseryman ate Violet leaves when he found out that he had cancer. He ate a lot of them and his cancer was cured.
Recently one of my friends asked me if we are responsible for all the cancer around us. I didn't have an answer at the time but when you look at all the things that nature provides us with to handle this very problem, my answer is, "Perhaps." Why the "perhaps"? I think it is because we keep eating the same foods over and over and over without taking advantage of what is really available to us. Violet leaves are wonderful for glands as a tea and even an ointment. When our glands are working the way they should, errant cells don't have a chance.
As you can see Violets aren't just for show. They might be shy plants but they do pack a punch.
The name of this plant is taken from the flower but there are wild violets with pink flowers and some with white flowers. Mrs. Grieves, author of A MODERN HERBAL mentions that the word Violet when broken down is a deviation of via or wayside. These plants tend to grow in areas that allow the eight inch plant to thrive without much competition.
The Violet flowers attracted my attention. I always knew that they were edible and that they have a sweet taste in their base but until I read what Dr. James Duke said about them, I didn't think they had a lot of medicinal uses. A couple of the things that Dr Duke talked about was that they could be used for varicose and spider veins. This is so exciting because a lot of people that I know are dealing with this very problem.
According to Dr. Duke, "Violet flowers contain generous amounts of a compound called rutin, which helps maintain the strength and integrity of capillary walls." The amount would be a half cup of fresh violet flowers, I guess that is why I like eating them and get my 5 to 10 flowers a day. Dr. Duke mentioned that one could eat as many as 100 flowers a day without any adverse effects.
Mrs. Grieves mentioned that, "Piny prescribed a liniment of Violet root and vinegar for gout and disorder of the spleen. She states that a garland or chaplet of Violets worn about the head will dispel the fumes of wine and prevent headaches and dizziness." That sounds like a prescription for a good old fashion hangover.
Violet flowers have been used in cooking for a very long time, both in the dish and as a garnish. I have used Violet flowers and find that most people pass them up instead of eating them. Maybe they just don't know what is good for them?
They have been used as a coloring agent and in the making of perfumes. They can also be candied as a dessert. A "Syrup of Violets" was made and was considered to be a nice dessert when added to lemon syrup or ice cream to be served in the summer months.
To get the best flowers from the plants means that they need to be thinned from time to time. When overcrowded, they tend to just grow a lot of leaves. They will also go to leaves when the soil is very rich.
A salad can be made by adding Violet leaves to any of the other garden greens. This salad might relieve a degree of pain as Violet leaves contain Salicylic Acid although not to the degree that can be found in Willow Bark or even Honeysuckle leaves. In fact, when I checked my resources, I found about 25 to 30 constituents contained in this little plant. Just think of the organic choices that one is giving the body when Violet leaves are included on the menu. When it is organic the body can use it or not as it wishes. When the body is given inorganic matter, it doesn't have those choices.
I read that one could cook the roots of this plant for food, so I decided to try that. The article suggested boiling them like potatoes. This was a very interesting experience as the roots have a slight bitter taste to them due to the alkaloid content. In the future I would cook them like acorns and do several rinses or changes of the water as they are being cooked. I have since read that medically they are used to incite vomiting. "They have occasionally been used as adulterants to more costly drugs, notably to ipecacuanha."
A tincture of the whole plant has been used for spasmodic coughing and Mrs. Grieves mentions that it can be used for rheumatism of the wrists.
We have deer that come into our yard mainly for the apples or the acorns but they also trim the tops off the Violet plants that are under the apple trees. Do they know something that we don't?
The leaves have been used to cure cancer. I believe the story goes that a nurseryman ate Violet leaves when he found out that he had cancer. He ate a lot of them and his cancer was cured.
Recently one of my friends asked me if we are responsible for all the cancer around us. I didn't have an answer at the time but when you look at all the things that nature provides us with to handle this very problem, my answer is, "Perhaps." Why the "perhaps"? I think it is because we keep eating the same foods over and over and over without taking advantage of what is really available to us. Violet leaves are wonderful for glands as a tea and even an ointment. When our glands are working the way they should, errant cells don't have a chance.
As you can see Violets aren't just for show. They might be shy plants but they do pack a punch.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Shepherd's Purse
One year I had an interesting weed growing in my garden. I decided to see who it was. I allowed it to continue to grow and when it was 18 inches high, it flowered. I still didn't know who he was. Then it had seeds and I knew. Who could mistake the seed pods of Shepherd's Purse? Their leaves look like wild lettuce but the seed pods dangle along the branches and they are flat and heart-shaped. They are a member of the mustard family and are found in waste lands all over my state.
My thought was to find out what part of this plant was used medicinally and harvest just that part. I thought I would be harvesting the seed pods or maybe the roots, but I was surprised to find out the "herb" is used. This means that the whole plant is used. The stalk, leaves, and seeds.
Alma Hutchins, talks about this plant in her book, INDIAN HERBALOGY OF NORTH AMERICA. The first thing that I learned from her was that the American Indians used this plant for food. They ate the leaves raw or cooked and the seed pods were collected and roasted. Sometimes they added them to another meal, perhaps ground up acorns and made a type of bread.
Out of the 60 constituents that I found in this plant, some of them have the ability to stop bleeding by coagulating blood. Dr. Mowrey talked about it lowering blood pressure in his book THE SCIENTIFIC VALIDATION OF HERBAL MEDICINE. Dr. Mowrey suggested using the fresh or dried whole plant as a tea.
According to Mrs. Grieves in her books, A MODERN HERBAL, in "The Great War", when medicine ran out, a tea a poultice of Shepherd's Purse was used on the soldiers. They even made an ointment of it "especially for head wounds."
Ointments are made by heating vegetable oil (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and simmering it with the herb in it. After it has simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, strain the herb out of the oil and return the oil to the pot. While still on low heat, add bees wax until a spoonful of this mixture can be tested in a cool place. (Refrigerate for 3 minutes.) The consistency will be just as it will be when it has cooled naturally. If it is too hard, add a little more oil. If it is too runny, add more wax.
Because of its ability to stop bleeding, it will check hemorrhoids. This can be done by putting the juice of Shepherd's Purse on cotton and inserting it or by making a little of the ointment with more wax and harden it into a suppository.
Dr. James Duke's database talks about all of its abilities and they surprised me. I would just like to mention a few of the things that this plant can do. In the Database I ran into its anticancer ability many times. I found cardio protection in there and anti-inflammatory along with antibacterial properties. Antioxident was there as was antidiabetic but one thing that really surprised me was pituitary-stimulant. I might in the future to go back into the database to find out what of the 60 properties had this ability.
In the folk medicine department I found that it had been used for stomach ulcers, kidney and bladder problems (especially when bleeding is involved), and lung problems such as tuberculosis, also as a tincture for typhus.
Our weeds are so valuable. Enjoy learning about them and making medicine with them.
My thought was to find out what part of this plant was used medicinally and harvest just that part. I thought I would be harvesting the seed pods or maybe the roots, but I was surprised to find out the "herb" is used. This means that the whole plant is used. The stalk, leaves, and seeds.
Alma Hutchins, talks about this plant in her book, INDIAN HERBALOGY OF NORTH AMERICA. The first thing that I learned from her was that the American Indians used this plant for food. They ate the leaves raw or cooked and the seed pods were collected and roasted. Sometimes they added them to another meal, perhaps ground up acorns and made a type of bread.
Out of the 60 constituents that I found in this plant, some of them have the ability to stop bleeding by coagulating blood. Dr. Mowrey talked about it lowering blood pressure in his book THE SCIENTIFIC VALIDATION OF HERBAL MEDICINE. Dr. Mowrey suggested using the fresh or dried whole plant as a tea.
According to Mrs. Grieves in her books, A MODERN HERBAL, in "The Great War", when medicine ran out, a tea a poultice of Shepherd's Purse was used on the soldiers. They even made an ointment of it "especially for head wounds."
Ointments are made by heating vegetable oil (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and simmering it with the herb in it. After it has simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, strain the herb out of the oil and return the oil to the pot. While still on low heat, add bees wax until a spoonful of this mixture can be tested in a cool place. (Refrigerate for 3 minutes.) The consistency will be just as it will be when it has cooled naturally. If it is too hard, add a little more oil. If it is too runny, add more wax.
Because of its ability to stop bleeding, it will check hemorrhoids. This can be done by putting the juice of Shepherd's Purse on cotton and inserting it or by making a little of the ointment with more wax and harden it into a suppository.
Dr. James Duke's database talks about all of its abilities and they surprised me. I would just like to mention a few of the things that this plant can do. In the Database I ran into its anticancer ability many times. I found cardio protection in there and anti-inflammatory along with antibacterial properties. Antioxident was there as was antidiabetic but one thing that really surprised me was pituitary-stimulant. I might in the future to go back into the database to find out what of the 60 properties had this ability.
In the folk medicine department I found that it had been used for stomach ulcers, kidney and bladder problems (especially when bleeding is involved), and lung problems such as tuberculosis, also as a tincture for typhus.
Our weeds are so valuable. Enjoy learning about them and making medicine with them.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Burdock
Everything that I write about Burdock, like all that I write, is not just for Burdock Major but the Burdock plant that is growing in your back yard.
Most of us hate the burs that our pets bring into the house attached to their fur but it is the most successful way that this plant has of spreading its seeds. This is obvious as we find Burdock growing everywhere.
Right up front, Burdock root is a blood cleanser. Does that mean that it goes in and screens the blood system? No, it means that it forces the cells to release toxins into the blood to be released from the system.
Burdock is such a wonderful blood cleanser that it is the main ingredient in Essiac. Essiac is a Native herbal cancer remedy. The story goes that Native Americans in Canada couldn't believe what was being done for cancer. They mentioned this herbal combination to a nurse and she started using it on her patients with much success. She was only a nurse and ended up in court for practicing medicine without a license even though what she had done had helped hundreds of people to live a longer and cancer free life. A Dr. Charles Brusch of Massachusetts came to her rescue and told the court that he would allow her to treat patients with this formula under his license. (This doctor, by the way become President John F. Kennedy's primary physician)
The formula was one that the nurse kept secret for a very long time and finally released it. The following is the combination:
6.5 cups – cut Burdock Root (52 measuring cup oz.)
16 oz - Powdered Sheep Sorrel
4 oz.- Powdered Slippery Elm
1 oz. – Turkey Rhubarb Root
When I read about the hundreds of people that she was able to help, even her mother was diagnosed with cancer and by giving her this combination in tea form, her mother lived for years without the disease. Many people testified on her behalf when she went to court but the law is inflexible.
At one time she had a research lab do tests with the formula on mice and the researchers said that it didn't work on mice. It was then that she found the plants that were being used were frozen and decided to be careful of who would get the formula. Finally prior to her death in 1978, she gave the formula to a Canadian company.
This is just one wonderful story about Burdock but I tell it only because it talks about just how powerful this herb is.
In the orient, Burdock is used as a food and could be here in the United States. Burdock root has a rather mild taste and even after cooking only adds to whatever is being made. In Wisconsin there is a company in the middle of the state that harvests and sells fresh Burdock. When I want to have my students taste it, I purchase fresh root from the produce department of a health food store in Milwaukee. My students are amazed at the taste. It can be added to salads or anything that one is eating.
The purpose of my class is to show my students how to use herbs in a different manner. They read all the books on what is good for what but even if it is growing in their backyards they don't know how to use it. So we start with the making of a tea. Teas are made from leaves. The second preparation is called a decoction. Decoctions are made from barks and roots. Teas are steeped. Decoctions are simmered. The difference is that the constituents are easy to pull out of leaves but harder to pull out of bark or roots.
Burdock is a perfect herb to taste and then watch a decoction being made from it. After the classes are over, I take the decoction of Burdock to my refrigerator and know that I have just created a vegetarian soup base for my family for the next meal. I can now add anything that I want to this wonderful broth.
The Global.herb V2.0 program found almost 70 different constituents in Burdock. That surely would give a body lots to choose to create a healthy environment in the body. This same program had a list of things that Burdock was able to help; Gout, Sores, Boils, Cancer, Rheumatism, Skin Diseases, Abscesses, Arthritis, Catharrh, Eczema, Fever, Cold, Hemorrhoids, Leprosy, Measles, Psoriasis, Sciatica, Tumor, Abscess, Bruises, Cough, Hair-tonic, Lymphatic congestion, Rashes, Snakebite, Swelling, Syphilis, Tonsillitis, Acne, Allergies, Asthma, Blood poison, Burns, Bursitis, Chicken Pox – Blood Cleanser, Chicken Pox-topical for itch, Constipation, Corns, Dandruff, Dogbite, Edema, Flu, Gonorrhea, Hair loss, Herpes, Hoarseness, Hyperglycema, Hypoglycema, Impetigo, Infection, Inflammation, Itching, Kidney Disease, Liver problems, Lungs, Parotitis, Pertussis, Piles, Pneumonia, Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Prurigo, Scarlet Fever, Scrofula, Sexual tonic, Skin Diseases, Skin Eruptions, Smallpox, Stomachache, Sty, Toxic Blood, Tumor – gland, Tumor - Spleen,and Water retention.
That seems like a lot of things to have this wonderful weed work on but in addition the seeds are used for some things and the leaves are used also.
For people who don't want this weed growing in their yard, I suggest that it be used. The root tends to grow up to 16 or more feet long so if you are lucky you might be able to dig the first foot of it and take it out before the second year's growth. The rest of this root will rot and create some very nice soil for the yard.
Another thing to be reminded of is that the first year this plant looks very much like rhubarb. I always tell my students that when one is harvesting this plant at the end of the first year. Make sure that a second year plant is nearby.
Burs only grow on second year plants. One might find the skeleton of a burdock plant that died a few years ago in the area with the new plants. Some of these have burs still on them.
As much as people dislike this plant, it has been put in our environment for our health.
Most of us hate the burs that our pets bring into the house attached to their fur but it is the most successful way that this plant has of spreading its seeds. This is obvious as we find Burdock growing everywhere.
Right up front, Burdock root is a blood cleanser. Does that mean that it goes in and screens the blood system? No, it means that it forces the cells to release toxins into the blood to be released from the system.
Burdock is such a wonderful blood cleanser that it is the main ingredient in Essiac. Essiac is a Native herbal cancer remedy. The story goes that Native Americans in Canada couldn't believe what was being done for cancer. They mentioned this herbal combination to a nurse and she started using it on her patients with much success. She was only a nurse and ended up in court for practicing medicine without a license even though what she had done had helped hundreds of people to live a longer and cancer free life. A Dr. Charles Brusch of Massachusetts came to her rescue and told the court that he would allow her to treat patients with this formula under his license. (This doctor, by the way become President John F. Kennedy's primary physician)
The formula was one that the nurse kept secret for a very long time and finally released it. The following is the combination:
6.5 cups – cut Burdock Root (52 measuring cup oz.)
16 oz - Powdered Sheep Sorrel
4 oz.- Powdered Slippery Elm
1 oz. – Turkey Rhubarb Root
When I read about the hundreds of people that she was able to help, even her mother was diagnosed with cancer and by giving her this combination in tea form, her mother lived for years without the disease. Many people testified on her behalf when she went to court but the law is inflexible.
At one time she had a research lab do tests with the formula on mice and the researchers said that it didn't work on mice. It was then that she found the plants that were being used were frozen and decided to be careful of who would get the formula. Finally prior to her death in 1978, she gave the formula to a Canadian company.
This is just one wonderful story about Burdock but I tell it only because it talks about just how powerful this herb is.
In the orient, Burdock is used as a food and could be here in the United States. Burdock root has a rather mild taste and even after cooking only adds to whatever is being made. In Wisconsin there is a company in the middle of the state that harvests and sells fresh Burdock. When I want to have my students taste it, I purchase fresh root from the produce department of a health food store in Milwaukee. My students are amazed at the taste. It can be added to salads or anything that one is eating.
The purpose of my class is to show my students how to use herbs in a different manner. They read all the books on what is good for what but even if it is growing in their backyards they don't know how to use it. So we start with the making of a tea. Teas are made from leaves. The second preparation is called a decoction. Decoctions are made from barks and roots. Teas are steeped. Decoctions are simmered. The difference is that the constituents are easy to pull out of leaves but harder to pull out of bark or roots.
Burdock is a perfect herb to taste and then watch a decoction being made from it. After the classes are over, I take the decoction of Burdock to my refrigerator and know that I have just created a vegetarian soup base for my family for the next meal. I can now add anything that I want to this wonderful broth.
The Global.herb V2.0 program found almost 70 different constituents in Burdock. That surely would give a body lots to choose to create a healthy environment in the body. This same program had a list of things that Burdock was able to help; Gout, Sores, Boils, Cancer, Rheumatism, Skin Diseases, Abscesses, Arthritis, Catharrh, Eczema, Fever, Cold, Hemorrhoids, Leprosy, Measles, Psoriasis, Sciatica, Tumor, Abscess, Bruises, Cough, Hair-tonic, Lymphatic congestion, Rashes, Snakebite, Swelling, Syphilis, Tonsillitis, Acne, Allergies, Asthma, Blood poison, Burns, Bursitis, Chicken Pox – Blood Cleanser, Chicken Pox-topical for itch, Constipation, Corns, Dandruff, Dogbite, Edema, Flu, Gonorrhea, Hair loss, Herpes, Hoarseness, Hyperglycema, Hypoglycema, Impetigo, Infection, Inflammation, Itching, Kidney Disease, Liver problems, Lungs, Parotitis, Pertussis, Piles, Pneumonia, Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Prurigo, Scarlet Fever, Scrofula, Sexual tonic, Skin Diseases, Skin Eruptions, Smallpox, Stomachache, Sty, Toxic Blood, Tumor – gland, Tumor - Spleen,and Water retention.
That seems like a lot of things to have this wonderful weed work on but in addition the seeds are used for some things and the leaves are used also.
For people who don't want this weed growing in their yard, I suggest that it be used. The root tends to grow up to 16 or more feet long so if you are lucky you might be able to dig the first foot of it and take it out before the second year's growth. The rest of this root will rot and create some very nice soil for the yard.
Another thing to be reminded of is that the first year this plant looks very much like rhubarb. I always tell my students that when one is harvesting this plant at the end of the first year. Make sure that a second year plant is nearby.
Burs only grow on second year plants. One might find the skeleton of a burdock plant that died a few years ago in the area with the new plants. Some of these have burs still on them.
As much as people dislike this plant, it has been put in our environment for our health.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Wood Betony
Here is an herb worthy of being in everyone's medicine chest. Wood Betony is a small plant that grows in Europe. I will have to see about getting seeds or a plant to keep in my garden window as it produces pink flowers on long stems coming from the shorter plant. The leaves of this plant are scalloped and a bit hairy but what this plant can do will amaze you.
I learned about this plant during a phone conversation with another herbalist. She mentioned that she had to hang up and get some Wood Betony as she had a headache. My first thought was that I would use something else for a headache but when I did my research on this plant, I was convinced that this was the right plant to use.
Wood Betony has been handling problems of the head for centuries. I read where the Greeks proclaimed that it would treat "No less than forty-seven diseases", this according to Christopher Hobbs in his book called STRESS. Hobbs also stressed that it was a "Valuable tonic and nervine". This means that it doesn't depress the nervous system as many of our medicines do but will furnish the building blocks to remake or heal the area that is in trauma.
Last night my husband came to the kitchen to get an aspirin. I asked him what was going on and he said that he had a headache from what he thought might be a stiff neck. He mentioned that it has been bothering him all day. That told me that he had been taking aspirin all day to try to deal with this. I allowed him to take his aspirin and then told him that I would like him to take a dropperful of Wood Betony tincture before he left the kitchen. He wanted to know why? I told him that the aspirin would block the pain but that the Wood Betony would calm and rebuild the area that was creating the problem.
In our society, we want to get rid of the symptoms before we have handled the problem. It would be like shutting off the door bell and not answering the door. The symptoms are the road map to the problem.
Wood Betony, as previously mentioned is great when the body is in stress also. My tincture is fast acting. When you take a pill, it has to be processed through the intestinal walls but when you take something in alcohol; it is absorbed through the stomach walls making it "fast acting."
I want to list the things that Blake put into his Globalherb V2.0 computer program. He shows Wood Betony as being good for: Anxiety, Cancer, Congestion-general, Cough, Cramps, Fatigue, Gout, Head-Diseases of the head, Headache, Headache-chronic, Hysteria, Insomnia, intellect, Jaundice, Migraine, Nervous disorders, Nervousness, Pain, Parkinson's Disease, Senility, Sores, Swelling, Twitching, and Worms. You will notice that this list does not just contain problems of the head but other problems that a body can have from Jaundice…a liver problem to Cramps…a muscle problem.
I read in Hobb's book, STRESS where people valued this herb so highly that there is "an old Italian proverb" , it says to 'Sell your coat and buy betony'.
The next time you have the chance to do something organic and natural for yourself, try Wood Betony.
I learned about this plant during a phone conversation with another herbalist. She mentioned that she had to hang up and get some Wood Betony as she had a headache. My first thought was that I would use something else for a headache but when I did my research on this plant, I was convinced that this was the right plant to use.
Wood Betony has been handling problems of the head for centuries. I read where the Greeks proclaimed that it would treat "No less than forty-seven diseases", this according to Christopher Hobbs in his book called STRESS. Hobbs also stressed that it was a "Valuable tonic and nervine". This means that it doesn't depress the nervous system as many of our medicines do but will furnish the building blocks to remake or heal the area that is in trauma.
Last night my husband came to the kitchen to get an aspirin. I asked him what was going on and he said that he had a headache from what he thought might be a stiff neck. He mentioned that it has been bothering him all day. That told me that he had been taking aspirin all day to try to deal with this. I allowed him to take his aspirin and then told him that I would like him to take a dropperful of Wood Betony tincture before he left the kitchen. He wanted to know why? I told him that the aspirin would block the pain but that the Wood Betony would calm and rebuild the area that was creating the problem.
In our society, we want to get rid of the symptoms before we have handled the problem. It would be like shutting off the door bell and not answering the door. The symptoms are the road map to the problem.
Wood Betony, as previously mentioned is great when the body is in stress also. My tincture is fast acting. When you take a pill, it has to be processed through the intestinal walls but when you take something in alcohol; it is absorbed through the stomach walls making it "fast acting."
I want to list the things that Blake put into his Globalherb V2.0 computer program. He shows Wood Betony as being good for: Anxiety, Cancer, Congestion-general, Cough, Cramps, Fatigue, Gout, Head-Diseases of the head, Headache, Headache-chronic, Hysteria, Insomnia, intellect, Jaundice, Migraine, Nervous disorders, Nervousness, Pain, Parkinson's Disease, Senility, Sores, Swelling, Twitching, and Worms. You will notice that this list does not just contain problems of the head but other problems that a body can have from Jaundice…a liver problem to Cramps…a muscle problem.
I read in Hobb's book, STRESS where people valued this herb so highly that there is "an old Italian proverb" , it says to 'Sell your coat and buy betony'.
The next time you have the chance to do something organic and natural for yourself, try Wood Betony.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Plantain
We are going to talk about what was an illegal substance. No, I'm not talking about Cocaine or Marijuana. I am going to discuss a weed called Plantain or Plantago major, not to be confused with the Plantain that looks like bananas.
This little weed grows in every yard that hasn't been sprayed. For those of you who are fussy about your yard, the bad thing about Plantain is that its wide leaves tend to spread out and when the plant is pulled out by its single root, it leaves a large bare spot about the size of a dinner plate. In my state, we mostly find the wide leaf variety but there is a narrow leaf variety also.
The spoon-shaped wide leaves are very identifiable by the fact that the leaf stem is an extension of the leaf. Its seeds are on a spike that grows 5 to 10 inches up from the center of this plant. These seeds are used as a laxative.
Before I tell you about the "miracles" this little plant does, let's go back to why it is illegal. In 1997 a company called RISE AND SHINE from the Northwest United States bought some Plantain and received Fox Glove by mistake. According to the source of this information, A Healthier You, which is a newsletter put out by David Christopher M.H., It was caught before anyone got hurt (Fox Glove is the source of Digitalis which affects the heart muscle.) The Food and Drug Administration decided that there was a big problem and in 1997 banned Plantain. Did they ban Fox Glove? According to David, they did not.
A few years ago the FDA banned Chaparral and sprayed large sections of desert where it grew. Chaparral is very effective as a blood cleanser, so much so that it is used with success for certain cancers.
Now, why is Plantain so exciting to herbalist? First, because it is very safe. It is so safe that it can be eaten like lettuce. Also, because it is the very best herb at drawing poisons out of the body. With a bug bite or sting, the crushed leaf of the Plantain will draw the poison, along with the stinger out promptly.
At a rally being held at an organic farm that I was attending, a couple of workers came running up to me telling me that there was a problem. It seems that one of the other guests had put a soda can down and when he went to drink it, he swallowed a bee. They wanted to see if there was something that could be done. I talked to the man and it seemed that he had been stung in the esophagus. So we went to the garden and pulled up some plantain. I told him to chew on the leaves but only swallow the juice of the leaves. While he was doing that, I got some Cayenne and water ready. After chewing on a few leaves and spitting them out, I had him drink the Cayenne water.
This did not make him happy. My next thing was to tell him that if at any time he was having trouble taking a deep breath or swallowing, he was to go to the local hospital about 5 miles away. I kept an eye on the man for the rest of the time that I was there and he didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. His family was playing around having a lot of fun.
A couple of weeks later, I asked the manager of the organic farm if he knew what had happened to that man. He said that he didn't know but gave me a phone number. I called and asked the man what had happened. He was so angry over the phone. He told me how terrible it was that I gave him the cayenne water as his throat burned all afternoon. I told him that I was sorry to hear that but I was smiling while I said this. After hanging up I knew that this man didn't have a clue how dangerous this was. The Plantain had pulled some of the toxin out of the area and the cayenne drew the blood to this area to clean up the problem. He could have had a real problem.
Dr. John Christopher recommending using Plantain to draw toxin out when one has stepped on a nail. He mixed the crushed or dried leaves with Olive Oil and applied it to the bottom of the foot. As the Oil dried or was absorbed, a fresh poultice of Plantain would be applied until the redness was gone.
Using this same factor, Sister Ann Marie contacted me about a foot problem. She has diabetes and one of her legs was already taken off years ago but she is fighting to keep the second one. I went to visit her and her foot was dark red and disfigured to the point of looking like a sweet potato. It was strange that the red and swelling didn't go up her leg but stayed only on the foot. She wanted very much to keep this leg. On the heal of this foot was an ulcerated sore, so my first suggestion was to apply Plantain salve to that area. I suggested that she could do this every night and because it would weep, she would have to make sure she had material that would absorb the liquid that would be coming out. During the daytime, I suggested that she get the circulation going in that foot and the way she was going to do it was to alternate between hot and cold water baths on the foot in the day time.
I didn't get back to see her for a month but when I did, the ulcerated sore was puckered white scar tissue and the foot was its normal shape and color. She told me that the doctor that checks her was amazed and told her to keep doing whatever it was that she was doing as it looked great.
The Christopher Herb Company makes an ointment that contains Plantain, called Black Ointment. I have used it on boils and staph infections to "draw them up" for identification. My sister showed me something on her hand and wanted to know what it was. I applied the Black Ointment and in three days I could tell her what it was and we could treat it. Usually it takes about three days of applying the Black Ointment to bring the boil to the breaking point. After it has opened one must allow the "anger" to weep by continuing to draw it out with the ointment. When this is done, it is time for healing and the drawing ointment is replaced with a healing ointment.
Ointments can be made by putting plant material into some Olive Oil and simmering it for a while, then straining the plant material out. In some cases the plant material can be left in the oil and when cooled, used for the purpose it was intended.
Plantain can be used in the winter by drying it and putting the dried material into clean glass jars with labels. Dried Plantain works as well as the fresh plant. Historically it was used to reduce swelling and it reduces the heat and pain of inflammation.
Having checked Dr. Dukes Database, I find that this plant contains almost 80 constituents to keep it in balance. Everything from Anticancer elements to some that are sedative and some that dilate the veins.
This little weed grows in every yard that hasn't been sprayed. For those of you who are fussy about your yard, the bad thing about Plantain is that its wide leaves tend to spread out and when the plant is pulled out by its single root, it leaves a large bare spot about the size of a dinner plate. In my state, we mostly find the wide leaf variety but there is a narrow leaf variety also.
The spoon-shaped wide leaves are very identifiable by the fact that the leaf stem is an extension of the leaf. Its seeds are on a spike that grows 5 to 10 inches up from the center of this plant. These seeds are used as a laxative.
Before I tell you about the "miracles" this little plant does, let's go back to why it is illegal. In 1997 a company called RISE AND SHINE from the Northwest United States bought some Plantain and received Fox Glove by mistake. According to the source of this information, A Healthier You, which is a newsletter put out by David Christopher M.H., It was caught before anyone got hurt (Fox Glove is the source of Digitalis which affects the heart muscle.) The Food and Drug Administration decided that there was a big problem and in 1997 banned Plantain. Did they ban Fox Glove? According to David, they did not.
A few years ago the FDA banned Chaparral and sprayed large sections of desert where it grew. Chaparral is very effective as a blood cleanser, so much so that it is used with success for certain cancers.
Now, why is Plantain so exciting to herbalist? First, because it is very safe. It is so safe that it can be eaten like lettuce. Also, because it is the very best herb at drawing poisons out of the body. With a bug bite or sting, the crushed leaf of the Plantain will draw the poison, along with the stinger out promptly.
At a rally being held at an organic farm that I was attending, a couple of workers came running up to me telling me that there was a problem. It seems that one of the other guests had put a soda can down and when he went to drink it, he swallowed a bee. They wanted to see if there was something that could be done. I talked to the man and it seemed that he had been stung in the esophagus. So we went to the garden and pulled up some plantain. I told him to chew on the leaves but only swallow the juice of the leaves. While he was doing that, I got some Cayenne and water ready. After chewing on a few leaves and spitting them out, I had him drink the Cayenne water.
This did not make him happy. My next thing was to tell him that if at any time he was having trouble taking a deep breath or swallowing, he was to go to the local hospital about 5 miles away. I kept an eye on the man for the rest of the time that I was there and he didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. His family was playing around having a lot of fun.
A couple of weeks later, I asked the manager of the organic farm if he knew what had happened to that man. He said that he didn't know but gave me a phone number. I called and asked the man what had happened. He was so angry over the phone. He told me how terrible it was that I gave him the cayenne water as his throat burned all afternoon. I told him that I was sorry to hear that but I was smiling while I said this. After hanging up I knew that this man didn't have a clue how dangerous this was. The Plantain had pulled some of the toxin out of the area and the cayenne drew the blood to this area to clean up the problem. He could have had a real problem.
Dr. John Christopher recommending using Plantain to draw toxin out when one has stepped on a nail. He mixed the crushed or dried leaves with Olive Oil and applied it to the bottom of the foot. As the Oil dried or was absorbed, a fresh poultice of Plantain would be applied until the redness was gone.
Using this same factor, Sister Ann Marie contacted me about a foot problem. She has diabetes and one of her legs was already taken off years ago but she is fighting to keep the second one. I went to visit her and her foot was dark red and disfigured to the point of looking like a sweet potato. It was strange that the red and swelling didn't go up her leg but stayed only on the foot. She wanted very much to keep this leg. On the heal of this foot was an ulcerated sore, so my first suggestion was to apply Plantain salve to that area. I suggested that she could do this every night and because it would weep, she would have to make sure she had material that would absorb the liquid that would be coming out. During the daytime, I suggested that she get the circulation going in that foot and the way she was going to do it was to alternate between hot and cold water baths on the foot in the day time.
I didn't get back to see her for a month but when I did, the ulcerated sore was puckered white scar tissue and the foot was its normal shape and color. She told me that the doctor that checks her was amazed and told her to keep doing whatever it was that she was doing as it looked great.
The Christopher Herb Company makes an ointment that contains Plantain, called Black Ointment. I have used it on boils and staph infections to "draw them up" for identification. My sister showed me something on her hand and wanted to know what it was. I applied the Black Ointment and in three days I could tell her what it was and we could treat it. Usually it takes about three days of applying the Black Ointment to bring the boil to the breaking point. After it has opened one must allow the "anger" to weep by continuing to draw it out with the ointment. When this is done, it is time for healing and the drawing ointment is replaced with a healing ointment.
Ointments can be made by putting plant material into some Olive Oil and simmering it for a while, then straining the plant material out. In some cases the plant material can be left in the oil and when cooled, used for the purpose it was intended.
Plantain can be used in the winter by drying it and putting the dried material into clean glass jars with labels. Dried Plantain works as well as the fresh plant. Historically it was used to reduce swelling and it reduces the heat and pain of inflammation.
Having checked Dr. Dukes Database, I find that this plant contains almost 80 constituents to keep it in balance. Everything from Anticancer elements to some that are sedative and some that dilate the veins.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Slippery Elm
Here is another not so little herb, Slippery Elm bark. I have put this on my "Big Guns" list because of all the wonderful things it is capable of doing.
Let's start with its ability to rebuild body parts. Dr. John R. Christopher, founder of the School of Natural Healing in Utah mentioned that Slippery Elm has the ability to rebuild the body. He went on to talk about how a poultice of Slippery Elm bark could be applies to hips or knees to rebuild these parts. What Slippery Elm does is supply all the building blocks to that area. He suggested keeping this poultice moist and allowing the body to absorb it. When it is absorbed it was suggested to reapply it. He mentioned that one would never need to take any of the old poultice off as the body was using this to rebuild the area where it was applied. I find that just amazing.
The American Natives used tree bark in a similar manner. They would cut a strip of bark off the tree and tie it to an injured area and go on with their life. The inner bark of a tree is where the tree's life blood is; so in putting this next to an injury, one is giving the body the benefit of a blood transfusion, so to speak from the tree. David Christopher, director of the School of Natural Healing mentioned that the difference between plant blood and human blood is only one thing. Sorry but at this point in my life, I don't remember what it is, Iron, Potassium or what.
Slippery Elm bark has the nutritional value in it equivalent to oatmeal. It can be used to support life at an early age. When a baby is not eating or gaining weight properly, Slippery Elm gruel can be given to it by making a very runny gruel. In the same manner, when an elderly person is not able to assimilate their food, Slippery Elm gruel can be eaten. The properties are able to rebuild the cells of the body. Slippery Elm bark powder does not like to combine with water easily so one has to create gruel by adding one drop of water to a pile of Slippery Elm at a time. Rolling this drop until it has collected some of the powder and then adding another drop until you have collected all of the powder. Now, one can make it into anything that is needed.
Slippery Elm powder can be made into suppositories to heal the vaginal area or to heal hemorrhoids. While checking Dr. Dukes database, I found one constituent in this herb that was "antivaginitic". (Dr. Duke's word.) I also found a lot of anticancer constituents. This herb is on my "big Guns" list for a lot of reasons.
A few years ago a lady called me. She was very upset because she had burned her arm while burning off the land behind her house. Her first thought (and we are trained to think this way) was to go to the doctor. He put a chemical healer on the burn and told her to come back in 10 days. She followed his advice and went back. She had just gotten back from the doctors this second time when she called me. Well, she had taken time to talk to a nurse who was a student of mine and the nurse suggested that she call me. She told me that at the doctor's office, they did a debridement ("Surgical removing of dead or contaminated tissue and foreign matter from a wound" from the Heritage College Dictionary – Third Edition.) They had removed the old scabs that had formed on top of the burned area. This is standard practice for handling burns in the medical field. When the body is in the process of healing a wound, it forms a scab. This is God's way of protecting this injured area from contaminates. Why would the medical profession know better than GOD?
I mentioned that she might want to start the healing with Slippery Elm on the raw flesh. Then I told her about the health food store in her area where she would be able to get the Slippery Elm. I mentioned that it needed to be kept moist and that she could call me anytime. She called back later that day and asked what to do next. Thinking that she had used Slippery Elm Powder, I suggested that she reapply it to the affected area. It seems that the Health Food Store sold her bark hunks as they told her that the powder would not mix with water.
Now she had to soak the arm and allow the bark to come out of the "trying to heal" flesh and then I gave her instructions on how to come to my house. When she arrived we made a paste of Slippery Elm Powder and spread it on the raw flesh, covered this with damp cotton and plastic to keep it moist. I gave her a small jar of Slippery Elm Powder to take home until she could get some of her own.
I told her that when this scabs over again, we will treat the area with something else.
I got a call from a lady from Plymouth. She told me that a friend had told her to call me to get help for her son. It seems that this four year old had fallen into a pile of burning leaves and had burned his lower legs. She wanted to know if I would be willing to help him. I asked her where he was and she mentioned that he was in the hospital. I told her that I would love to help but that I am not allowed to do anything in hospitals. She mentioned that it was killing her and her husband as they hug each other while the staff debrides their son's legs every other day and he is screaming even while under morphine. I also explained that if they were to take their son out of the hospital to give him a different care, the social system would take the child away from them as the only system of medical care that is recognized at the present time is from Doctors and hospitals. It was all that I could give her at this time.
Slippery Elm rebuilds flesh but it contains constituents that have the following properties; Candidicide, Anticancer, Antibacterial, Antiaging, Pesticide and many more.
Why is Pesticide important? Because we are constantly confronted with parasites in our water, our food and our environment. It is wonderful that some of our foods have the ability to take out these parasites and yes, herbs are foods. Actually, I believe that they make the environment in our bodies less attractive to the life cycle of parasites. Many plants have this ability but most of the plants that we eat are eaten cooked, so taking an herbal tea or capsule is most helpful from time to time.
Herbs are food so let your medicine be your food and your food be your medicine.
Let's start with its ability to rebuild body parts. Dr. John R. Christopher, founder of the School of Natural Healing in Utah mentioned that Slippery Elm has the ability to rebuild the body. He went on to talk about how a poultice of Slippery Elm bark could be applies to hips or knees to rebuild these parts. What Slippery Elm does is supply all the building blocks to that area. He suggested keeping this poultice moist and allowing the body to absorb it. When it is absorbed it was suggested to reapply it. He mentioned that one would never need to take any of the old poultice off as the body was using this to rebuild the area where it was applied. I find that just amazing.
The American Natives used tree bark in a similar manner. They would cut a strip of bark off the tree and tie it to an injured area and go on with their life. The inner bark of a tree is where the tree's life blood is; so in putting this next to an injury, one is giving the body the benefit of a blood transfusion, so to speak from the tree. David Christopher, director of the School of Natural Healing mentioned that the difference between plant blood and human blood is only one thing. Sorry but at this point in my life, I don't remember what it is, Iron, Potassium or what.
Slippery Elm bark has the nutritional value in it equivalent to oatmeal. It can be used to support life at an early age. When a baby is not eating or gaining weight properly, Slippery Elm gruel can be given to it by making a very runny gruel. In the same manner, when an elderly person is not able to assimilate their food, Slippery Elm gruel can be eaten. The properties are able to rebuild the cells of the body. Slippery Elm bark powder does not like to combine with water easily so one has to create gruel by adding one drop of water to a pile of Slippery Elm at a time. Rolling this drop until it has collected some of the powder and then adding another drop until you have collected all of the powder. Now, one can make it into anything that is needed.
Slippery Elm powder can be made into suppositories to heal the vaginal area or to heal hemorrhoids. While checking Dr. Dukes database, I found one constituent in this herb that was "antivaginitic". (Dr. Duke's word.) I also found a lot of anticancer constituents. This herb is on my "big Guns" list for a lot of reasons.
A few years ago a lady called me. She was very upset because she had burned her arm while burning off the land behind her house. Her first thought (and we are trained to think this way) was to go to the doctor. He put a chemical healer on the burn and told her to come back in 10 days. She followed his advice and went back. She had just gotten back from the doctors this second time when she called me. Well, she had taken time to talk to a nurse who was a student of mine and the nurse suggested that she call me. She told me that at the doctor's office, they did a debridement ("Surgical removing of dead or contaminated tissue and foreign matter from a wound" from the Heritage College Dictionary – Third Edition.) They had removed the old scabs that had formed on top of the burned area. This is standard practice for handling burns in the medical field. When the body is in the process of healing a wound, it forms a scab. This is God's way of protecting this injured area from contaminates. Why would the medical profession know better than GOD?
I mentioned that she might want to start the healing with Slippery Elm on the raw flesh. Then I told her about the health food store in her area where she would be able to get the Slippery Elm. I mentioned that it needed to be kept moist and that she could call me anytime. She called back later that day and asked what to do next. Thinking that she had used Slippery Elm Powder, I suggested that she reapply it to the affected area. It seems that the Health Food Store sold her bark hunks as they told her that the powder would not mix with water.
Now she had to soak the arm and allow the bark to come out of the "trying to heal" flesh and then I gave her instructions on how to come to my house. When she arrived we made a paste of Slippery Elm Powder and spread it on the raw flesh, covered this with damp cotton and plastic to keep it moist. I gave her a small jar of Slippery Elm Powder to take home until she could get some of her own.
I told her that when this scabs over again, we will treat the area with something else.
I got a call from a lady from Plymouth. She told me that a friend had told her to call me to get help for her son. It seems that this four year old had fallen into a pile of burning leaves and had burned his lower legs. She wanted to know if I would be willing to help him. I asked her where he was and she mentioned that he was in the hospital. I told her that I would love to help but that I am not allowed to do anything in hospitals. She mentioned that it was killing her and her husband as they hug each other while the staff debrides their son's legs every other day and he is screaming even while under morphine. I also explained that if they were to take their son out of the hospital to give him a different care, the social system would take the child away from them as the only system of medical care that is recognized at the present time is from Doctors and hospitals. It was all that I could give her at this time.
Slippery Elm rebuilds flesh but it contains constituents that have the following properties; Candidicide, Anticancer, Antibacterial, Antiaging, Pesticide and many more.
Why is Pesticide important? Because we are constantly confronted with parasites in our water, our food and our environment. It is wonderful that some of our foods have the ability to take out these parasites and yes, herbs are foods. Actually, I believe that they make the environment in our bodies less attractive to the life cycle of parasites. Many plants have this ability but most of the plants that we eat are eaten cooked, so taking an herbal tea or capsule is most helpful from time to time.
Herbs are food so let your medicine be your food and your food be your medicine.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Marshmallow
The Malva family is extensive as are most families but this family has a history of cleaning up "old wounds"
One member of this family is the Marshmallow. I have used Marshmallow to clean up major situations so I call Marshmallow Root one of my "big Guns" as it does what it says it will do.
Dr. John Christopher referred to this plant when he explained how to "cure" gangrene. Actually he was referring to a cousin of Marshmallow called Common Malva and it grows everywhere. As a small plant, it is found growing around outbuildings and in gardens. I find that it invades my front garden and has to be pulled out all the time. Another name for Common Malva is "Cheese its" as the seed pods look like cheese rounds. Dr. Christopher mentioned that Malvas are effective demulcents. (Having mucilaginous properties that are soothing and will remove rough skin, dandruff and dry scabs anywhere on the body.)
Christopher's plan to cure gangrene is to gather a handful of the whole plant of Common Malva and put it into a bucket. Fill this with water as hot as healthy skin can stand. Then put the gangrenous body part into this for 20 minutes. After that period of time transfer the limb to cold water for 10 minutes. Make another batch of the hot Malva tea and put the limb back into this for 20 minutes. Continue this process all day until ready for bed. The next day start all over. He suggested that within a couple of days you will see results. This is obviously not a one-person job.
I was on vacation when my sister called and told me what was happening to our Mother. I suggested a variation of this program as one foot and leg that was black with two ulcerated sores on the foot. After putting Slippery Elm on the ulcerated sores, Betty wrapped Mom's leg and foot with cotton strips and kept the strips wet with a tea made of Marshmallow Root. The sores scabbed over and the leg turned purple with pink strips within four days. Within a week, the scabs were working so the leg and foot turned baby pink. While doing something like this one needs to get the Marshmallow working on the inside as well as the outside. Teas and Capsules are great for this.
This was done not without problems. Mom's caregiver wanted to turn us into the health department for not getting proper care for our Mother. We asked her to give us two weeks and then she would be welcome to do this. What would they have done for Mother? They would have removed her leg to the knee. Can you believe that we are still in the dark ages? My husband's uncle had this same problem and they removed first his toes and then his leg.
Herbs were given to us by GOD. They work wonders if we know how to use them.
I had a call from a lady who had returned from Las Vegas. She had gone to her doctor to find out how to get rid of the diarrhea that she had since her return. After using the doctor's medicine for this for a couple of weeks and still having diarrhea, she called to see what I would suggest. I mentioned that Marshmallow Capsules might be helpful. She then told me that she would get some and try it as soon as the medicine ran out. I am not a doctor and not allowed to prescribe for anyone but I suggested that she start taking the Marshmallow Capsules that night and see if it made a difference. Not to take her medicine for the rest of that day but she could start again tomorrow if necessary. She called the next day and couldn't believe that her diarrhea had stopped after only taking 3 of the capsules of Marshmallow Root. I told her to continue taking the Marshmallow for another few days to clean up any residue problem.
Another cousin in the Malva family is the Hollyhock. Like all members of this family, Hollyhock leaves crushed and soaked can be used as a poultice on bed sores and healing happens more quickly than with the ointments that are presently used to protect these areas. Hollyhock leaves contain the nourishment required for rebuilding the skin.
The root of the Mallow has been used again tuberculosis as it is said to have anti-inflammatory properties and be a mild astringent. Dr. Varro Tyler mentioned that the Kommission E (the German FDA) "has declared them all (the Mallows or Malvas) to be good for things like coughs and bronchitis."
Both Steven Foster and James Duke mention that common Mallow Tea has been used for angina. This doesn't surprise me. Hanna Kroeger use Blue Malva flowers to rebuild heart valves. Her formula was, "1 cup twice daily for 6 weeks to rebuild heart valves." I suggested four drops of this tea for a new born that needed a new heart valve, four times a day. About a week later they called to tell me that they had to stop doing this. The child who had been limp as a dishrag was now so playful that he didn't want to sleep…I suggested cutting it back to four drops twice in the early part of the day. The parents told me that the child never had surgery as the doctors felt that he had out grown the problem. (Aren't these God given things wonderful?)
We had an old cat that was always hungry and never seemed to keep anything down for long. I mixed some Marshmallow root into her food and she didn't seem to be meowing (crying) all the time. Our animals can use herbs just like we do. The dosage is different as we gear to the size of the animal. Cats would only get one-fourth of a human dose. Small Dogs would get a half of a human dose and large dogs could have a full human dosage as would horses.
Two weeks ago a friend called to tell me that she was having a urinary tract infection (UTI) She told me what she was using herbally and that it was working from time to time but it didn't clear up. I told her that I would do some research and get back to her. I checked Dr. James Duke's Database and found that the third product down on the list for this was Marshmallow. They have a certain constituents that "hits" UTIs. I didn't recognize the top two herbs. She said that she would try that. I got an email from her and it is gone. Sometimes these herbs amaze even me as I am always learning. I would not have thought to use Marshmallow for this but it works.
Even the leaves of the Malvas when bruised will take away the pain, redness and swelling of insect stings.
Keep this "big Gun" ready for anything in the health department.
One member of this family is the Marshmallow. I have used Marshmallow to clean up major situations so I call Marshmallow Root one of my "big Guns" as it does what it says it will do.
Dr. John Christopher referred to this plant when he explained how to "cure" gangrene. Actually he was referring to a cousin of Marshmallow called Common Malva and it grows everywhere. As a small plant, it is found growing around outbuildings and in gardens. I find that it invades my front garden and has to be pulled out all the time. Another name for Common Malva is "Cheese its" as the seed pods look like cheese rounds. Dr. Christopher mentioned that Malvas are effective demulcents. (Having mucilaginous properties that are soothing and will remove rough skin, dandruff and dry scabs anywhere on the body.)
Christopher's plan to cure gangrene is to gather a handful of the whole plant of Common Malva and put it into a bucket. Fill this with water as hot as healthy skin can stand. Then put the gangrenous body part into this for 20 minutes. After that period of time transfer the limb to cold water for 10 minutes. Make another batch of the hot Malva tea and put the limb back into this for 20 minutes. Continue this process all day until ready for bed. The next day start all over. He suggested that within a couple of days you will see results. This is obviously not a one-person job.
I was on vacation when my sister called and told me what was happening to our Mother. I suggested a variation of this program as one foot and leg that was black with two ulcerated sores on the foot. After putting Slippery Elm on the ulcerated sores, Betty wrapped Mom's leg and foot with cotton strips and kept the strips wet with a tea made of Marshmallow Root. The sores scabbed over and the leg turned purple with pink strips within four days. Within a week, the scabs were working so the leg and foot turned baby pink. While doing something like this one needs to get the Marshmallow working on the inside as well as the outside. Teas and Capsules are great for this.
This was done not without problems. Mom's caregiver wanted to turn us into the health department for not getting proper care for our Mother. We asked her to give us two weeks and then she would be welcome to do this. What would they have done for Mother? They would have removed her leg to the knee. Can you believe that we are still in the dark ages? My husband's uncle had this same problem and they removed first his toes and then his leg.
Herbs were given to us by GOD. They work wonders if we know how to use them.
I had a call from a lady who had returned from Las Vegas. She had gone to her doctor to find out how to get rid of the diarrhea that she had since her return. After using the doctor's medicine for this for a couple of weeks and still having diarrhea, she called to see what I would suggest. I mentioned that Marshmallow Capsules might be helpful. She then told me that she would get some and try it as soon as the medicine ran out. I am not a doctor and not allowed to prescribe for anyone but I suggested that she start taking the Marshmallow Capsules that night and see if it made a difference. Not to take her medicine for the rest of that day but she could start again tomorrow if necessary. She called the next day and couldn't believe that her diarrhea had stopped after only taking 3 of the capsules of Marshmallow Root. I told her to continue taking the Marshmallow for another few days to clean up any residue problem.
Another cousin in the Malva family is the Hollyhock. Like all members of this family, Hollyhock leaves crushed and soaked can be used as a poultice on bed sores and healing happens more quickly than with the ointments that are presently used to protect these areas. Hollyhock leaves contain the nourishment required for rebuilding the skin.
The root of the Mallow has been used again tuberculosis as it is said to have anti-inflammatory properties and be a mild astringent. Dr. Varro Tyler mentioned that the Kommission E (the German FDA) "has declared them all (the Mallows or Malvas) to be good for things like coughs and bronchitis."
Both Steven Foster and James Duke mention that common Mallow Tea has been used for angina. This doesn't surprise me. Hanna Kroeger use Blue Malva flowers to rebuild heart valves. Her formula was, "1 cup twice daily for 6 weeks to rebuild heart valves." I suggested four drops of this tea for a new born that needed a new heart valve, four times a day. About a week later they called to tell me that they had to stop doing this. The child who had been limp as a dishrag was now so playful that he didn't want to sleep…I suggested cutting it back to four drops twice in the early part of the day. The parents told me that the child never had surgery as the doctors felt that he had out grown the problem. (Aren't these God given things wonderful?)
We had an old cat that was always hungry and never seemed to keep anything down for long. I mixed some Marshmallow root into her food and she didn't seem to be meowing (crying) all the time. Our animals can use herbs just like we do. The dosage is different as we gear to the size of the animal. Cats would only get one-fourth of a human dose. Small Dogs would get a half of a human dose and large dogs could have a full human dosage as would horses.
Two weeks ago a friend called to tell me that she was having a urinary tract infection (UTI) She told me what she was using herbally and that it was working from time to time but it didn't clear up. I told her that I would do some research and get back to her. I checked Dr. James Duke's Database and found that the third product down on the list for this was Marshmallow. They have a certain constituents that "hits" UTIs. I didn't recognize the top two herbs. She said that she would try that. I got an email from her and it is gone. Sometimes these herbs amaze even me as I am always learning. I would not have thought to use Marshmallow for this but it works.
Even the leaves of the Malvas when bruised will take away the pain, redness and swelling of insect stings.
Keep this "big Gun" ready for anything in the health department.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Dandelion
Did you know that there is a war going on in your neighborhood, and it is chemical warfare? Most of us haven't a clue what is happening right under our noses. Who is benefiting from this war, Mr. and Mrs. Perfect. Who is it hurting, almost everyone and everything thing in the neighborhood. Do you know people who are allergic to a lot of things? Maybe you know someone who has asthma? A lot of my friends have taken the carpeting out of their houses in favor of hardwood floors because of all the allergies but don't think twice about what they are doing to their lawns.
Today I want to talk about Dandelions. Most people have someone come in and spray to get rid of them. These companies do this at a rate of four or more times a summer to keep Dandelions from messing up their perfect yard. If they would only realize that Dandelions are helping the yard to stay healthy. These colorful plants are loaded with the ability to help everything around them, us included.
History teaches us that the new and smaller leaves can be used in salads. These salads are loaded with Vitamins A and C along with minerals such as organic Chromium, organic Calcium, organic Potassium and organic Selenium. You will even find organic Zinc in trace amounts. The leaves are a powerful diuretic and are used to treat urinary disorders without depleting the body of Potassium. These same leaves detoxify the blood and are therefore used for acne and eczema.
These leaves have trace amounts of all sorts of good things. The body does not need a whole capsule of Selenium or most of the other things that we get at the health food store, these leaves are perfect. We need traces to stay healthy just like these plants. If they get too much of something, they are out of balance just like we get when we do too much of anything.
Jethro Kloss, an herbalist that grew up in Wisconsin, mentioned that Dandelion "has a beneficial effect on female organs. Increases the activity of the liver, pancreas and spleen. " It is especially great when dealing with an enlargement of the liver or spleen.
The roots nourish and cleanse the kidneys, skin and even affect the heart, due to its blood purifying properties. Historically the root has been used to reduce inflammation, correct conditions in rheumatic joints and through the liver, clean up jaundice and gall stones.
At our house we use dried Dandelion roots like black pepper on our food. According to one of my mentors, when you use the real Black Pepper, be sure to use it after cooking as the heat changes its chemical properties.
When my mother had a stroke, she "balled" her hand into her shoulder. While doing some research, I found that Rosemary sprigs were placed in Dandelion Wine and made into a tonic to help Queen Victoria's Cousin who had a stroke. We did this and Mom relaxed her hand into her lap. (Rosemary heads for the brain.)
I make Dandelion wine out of the Dandelion petals. Spring is the best time to do this with the abundance of flowers, as one needs a gallon of flower petals. I made it once with the calyx (the green part on the back of the flower) and got a green wine so after that I pulled petals off the flowers. The next step is to pour a gallon of hot water over these petals and let them stand for 12 hours, drain them, saving the liquid and add to only the liquid, 3 pounds of sugar, the juice of one orange and two lemons and a package of yeast. (I use wine yeast for this and the packet tells me that it makes 5 gallons but I only make one so I seal the remaining yeast and refrigerate it for another time.) Now it is time to allow it to ferment.
I don't believe in investing a lot of money in small projects so I use plastic water gallon jugs to process this. I have found a beach balloon at the drug store that has a very large opening, so this is stretched over the mouth of the gallon jug. As my product ferments, the balloon fills with the gas that is being made. When the ball gets about 18 inches in diameter, I put a pin hole in the hard rubber nipple that was designed to tie a rubber band on. When my wine is not able to make enough gas to keep my balloon inflated, it is time to bottle.
At bottling time I taste the wine and decide if it needs help. This last spring I had two jugs going. One came out very dry and the other very sweet so when bottling, these were combined to make the perfect blend. The sterilized bottles and caps have been cooled and are ready to receive the wine.
The last process is to label. I am very big on labeling. I find that many times without labels we forget what we have. When I harvest leaves and dry them, they look nothing like what they did when I picked them and are hard to identify. So I put them into a paper bag and write on the bag that this is Dandelion roots or whatever it is. Labeling is so important.
I need to talk about the paper bag. Most people think that you dry herbs by hanging them upside down in a cool dry place. If I did that, I would be processing all sorts of bugs. I love bugs and they have a place in my world but not in the herbs that I plan to make medicine with. So my herbs get put into large paper bags and then I write what is in there and staple the top together. I shake this bag every so often and turn it to another surface of the bag. Bags have bottoms and four sides. The side that it is laying on will become damp as the moisture is being wicked out of the plant matter. The wet side is now up and will dry allowing more moisture to leave. This way when they are completely dry and I put the plant matter into glass jars for storage, they will not mildew. They have been completely dried.
Back to wine. Wine is great for cooking and drinking and healing. In the cooking process the alcohol is dissipated so even people who can't drink wine, can cook with it and get many benefits from the properties that are left in the foods. My students have sampled my Dandelion wine and I have had no complaints.
The late Hanna Kroeger used Dandelion flowers to clean up diabetes. In the Globalherb computer program, there is reference given from a book by John Heinerman called "Science of Herbal Medicine", for using Dandelions to heal the pancreas.
Dandelions can do so much more. They have been used to handle age spots, anemia, as an appetite stimulant, arthritis, asthma, blisters, blood cleanser, high blood pressure, gall bladder problems, hepatitis, hypoglycemia, kidney infections, skin problems and weight loss.
In many countries Dandelions are cultivated as a food. The roots are cooked as a vegetable.
For those who dislike the looks of Dandelion, perhaps taking a page out of David Christopher's book (the director of the School of Natural Healing) and eat the flowers early in the morning before the animals have been around would keep them from putting their seeds out and making more. If you try them you might understand why bees like them.
No matter how you use Dandelions, they are a harbinger of health. Usually they tell me that there are few if any toxins in the area where they are found. Even Dogs like our yard because we are not at war with the Dandelion.
Today I want to talk about Dandelions. Most people have someone come in and spray to get rid of them. These companies do this at a rate of four or more times a summer to keep Dandelions from messing up their perfect yard. If they would only realize that Dandelions are helping the yard to stay healthy. These colorful plants are loaded with the ability to help everything around them, us included.
History teaches us that the new and smaller leaves can be used in salads. These salads are loaded with Vitamins A and C along with minerals such as organic Chromium, organic Calcium, organic Potassium and organic Selenium. You will even find organic Zinc in trace amounts. The leaves are a powerful diuretic and are used to treat urinary disorders without depleting the body of Potassium. These same leaves detoxify the blood and are therefore used for acne and eczema.
These leaves have trace amounts of all sorts of good things. The body does not need a whole capsule of Selenium or most of the other things that we get at the health food store, these leaves are perfect. We need traces to stay healthy just like these plants. If they get too much of something, they are out of balance just like we get when we do too much of anything.
Jethro Kloss, an herbalist that grew up in Wisconsin, mentioned that Dandelion "has a beneficial effect on female organs. Increases the activity of the liver, pancreas and spleen. " It is especially great when dealing with an enlargement of the liver or spleen.
The roots nourish and cleanse the kidneys, skin and even affect the heart, due to its blood purifying properties. Historically the root has been used to reduce inflammation, correct conditions in rheumatic joints and through the liver, clean up jaundice and gall stones.
At our house we use dried Dandelion roots like black pepper on our food. According to one of my mentors, when you use the real Black Pepper, be sure to use it after cooking as the heat changes its chemical properties.
When my mother had a stroke, she "balled" her hand into her shoulder. While doing some research, I found that Rosemary sprigs were placed in Dandelion Wine and made into a tonic to help Queen Victoria's Cousin who had a stroke. We did this and Mom relaxed her hand into her lap. (Rosemary heads for the brain.)
I make Dandelion wine out of the Dandelion petals. Spring is the best time to do this with the abundance of flowers, as one needs a gallon of flower petals. I made it once with the calyx (the green part on the back of the flower) and got a green wine so after that I pulled petals off the flowers. The next step is to pour a gallon of hot water over these petals and let them stand for 12 hours, drain them, saving the liquid and add to only the liquid, 3 pounds of sugar, the juice of one orange and two lemons and a package of yeast. (I use wine yeast for this and the packet tells me that it makes 5 gallons but I only make one so I seal the remaining yeast and refrigerate it for another time.) Now it is time to allow it to ferment.
I don't believe in investing a lot of money in small projects so I use plastic water gallon jugs to process this. I have found a beach balloon at the drug store that has a very large opening, so this is stretched over the mouth of the gallon jug. As my product ferments, the balloon fills with the gas that is being made. When the ball gets about 18 inches in diameter, I put a pin hole in the hard rubber nipple that was designed to tie a rubber band on. When my wine is not able to make enough gas to keep my balloon inflated, it is time to bottle.
At bottling time I taste the wine and decide if it needs help. This last spring I had two jugs going. One came out very dry and the other very sweet so when bottling, these were combined to make the perfect blend. The sterilized bottles and caps have been cooled and are ready to receive the wine.
The last process is to label. I am very big on labeling. I find that many times without labels we forget what we have. When I harvest leaves and dry them, they look nothing like what they did when I picked them and are hard to identify. So I put them into a paper bag and write on the bag that this is Dandelion roots or whatever it is. Labeling is so important.
I need to talk about the paper bag. Most people think that you dry herbs by hanging them upside down in a cool dry place. If I did that, I would be processing all sorts of bugs. I love bugs and they have a place in my world but not in the herbs that I plan to make medicine with. So my herbs get put into large paper bags and then I write what is in there and staple the top together. I shake this bag every so often and turn it to another surface of the bag. Bags have bottoms and four sides. The side that it is laying on will become damp as the moisture is being wicked out of the plant matter. The wet side is now up and will dry allowing more moisture to leave. This way when they are completely dry and I put the plant matter into glass jars for storage, they will not mildew. They have been completely dried.
Back to wine. Wine is great for cooking and drinking and healing. In the cooking process the alcohol is dissipated so even people who can't drink wine, can cook with it and get many benefits from the properties that are left in the foods. My students have sampled my Dandelion wine and I have had no complaints.
The late Hanna Kroeger used Dandelion flowers to clean up diabetes. In the Globalherb computer program, there is reference given from a book by John Heinerman called "Science of Herbal Medicine", for using Dandelions to heal the pancreas.
Dandelions can do so much more. They have been used to handle age spots, anemia, as an appetite stimulant, arthritis, asthma, blisters, blood cleanser, high blood pressure, gall bladder problems, hepatitis, hypoglycemia, kidney infections, skin problems and weight loss.
In many countries Dandelions are cultivated as a food. The roots are cooked as a vegetable.
For those who dislike the looks of Dandelion, perhaps taking a page out of David Christopher's book (the director of the School of Natural Healing) and eat the flowers early in the morning before the animals have been around would keep them from putting their seeds out and making more. If you try them you might understand why bees like them.
No matter how you use Dandelions, they are a harbinger of health. Usually they tell me that there are few if any toxins in the area where they are found. Even Dogs like our yard because we are not at war with the Dandelion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)