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.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
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.
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