Last week I gave one of my plants a haircut. The leaves that came off this plant were put into a bowl on my counter and today I found that they were completely dry. They are ready to be put into a glass jar to keep them just the way they are.
This plant isn't a beauty but we sure like her. Her name is Stevia and she is a wonderful dessert for after dinner.
Dr. Duke's Database has outlined 30 components in this plant with Stevioside being 210 times sweeter than sucrose.
If that were all that Stevia had to offer it might be enough but on checking what other properties this plant has and what it is capable of doing, makes me wonder why we have SWEET & LOW or any of the other sugar substitutes.
I found the following things in this database. There are three properties in Stevia that are antiaging. Here is a reason to use this to sweeten foods. I found five constituents in this plant that have antialzheimerian properties. Seven things were antiarthritic, with five things being antiasthmatic. Seven of its 30 constituents were antidiabetic and yet it is sweet with no sugar in it. This should be on the American Diabetic Association's list but it isn't. What they have is cancer causing and yet I found Seven constituents in this plant that are cancer preventive. Everything that I have read about this plant talks about it being non-toxic and very safe to use.
Can you believe some of this? Eight of its constituents are cardioprotective. Well, I bumped into so much in this database on this plant that I even went back a third time to count how many of its constituents were anticataract agents. I found only six. But some of the other stuff that Stevia can do like being an antidepressant, antioxidant, antiviral, antispasmodic, antimigraine, Candidicide and vasodilator. I ran into one property that was antipapillomic. (This is a specific virus, of which there are 72 varieties that have been known to create cancers.) One constituent was even neuroprotective, it takes care of our nervous system.
I know that is a lot to take in on one plant but these guys are wonderful. You don't have to be taking pills for this or that but nibbling on some of these wonderful plants from time to time give the body so much to build on.
By the way, eating a leaf off the plant is a fun thing to do and most of my friends are surprised by its taste. People are so leary of everything, so I find that when I give a leaf to someone to taste, I usually have to put one in my mouth too. That way they know that it is safe.
Let's talk about how I can use my leaves now that they are dry. I can put them into an herbal tea that is bitter to sweeten it. I could make a tea out of just Stevia leaves and bottle that to be used as sweet drops when needed perhaps on my grapefruit. I could grind the leaves up and use them in baking, remembering that it will add a green color to whatever I am making. I must remember that it is sweeter than the same amount of sugar.
In my classes, I have my students taste a drop of processed Stevia. They find it rather bitter. I am not sure how it is processed commercially but when I let them taste the ground up powder that I make, they can tell the difference.
Try some Stevia today.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Fenugreek
My sister Betty spent the summer with us and we had a great time. Betty has diabetes so she has to keep checking her blood sugar all the time. I am glad that she does this to take care of herself.
Sometime in the middle of the summer, she noticed that her blood sugar was high and she mentioned this to me. I asked what she was going to do about this. She mentioned that she could take a walk and sometimes that brings the blood sugar down but if it didn't then I could give her a shot. Sorry, I don't give shots nor do I take them.
I have been taught that my body is hermetically seals. This means that I have a barrier between my blood and the outside. There is skin everywhere to keep me from being exposed to anything. I bleed out, not in so that my blood supply is protected from contaminates. To purposely put something foreign under my skin, breaking this protective barrier would not be in my best interest.
So the first thing that I did for my sister was to put some powdered Cinnamon into a glass of water. They don't like to mix so it takes a while to get the cinnamon wet. I told her to drink this when it got damp and in the meanwhile I would soak some Fenugreek. I went into my files to show her information about Fenugreek and that it has been known to bring the blood sugar down 54% in a little while. Not sure where that figure came from but I think it was in my notes from the School of Natural Healing.
To our surprise (Because I never had to use this before) after eating the fenugreek seeds, her blood sugar was down to normal. After that she wouldn't go anywhere without it.
The seeds themselves are very hard when dried but after soaking them for a few hours; they are soft and chewy like Millet. They have a grain flavor similar to oat groats or Wheat berries. Not a bad flavor at all. Everywhere that I read about fenugreek, they talk about a bitter taste but I have eaten it many times and have never tasted bitterness. My sister did have some soaking for many days and it got a bad taste so we dumped them and soaked some more.
In one article it did tell about the down side of this herb and that being if you eat too much, one of the many constituents, Sotolone will perfume both your sweat and urine. They will smell like maple syrup or curry, neither of which sounded like a major problem.
Not knowing a lot about this plant, I headed for Wikipedia to learn more about it. It goes by many names in other countries and is used extensively in Europe and Asia. In these countries they treat digestion problems, sinus, lung congestion and infections with this plant. It is also used to reduce inflammation and promote milk production in lactating women.
In Ethiopia and India, it is a natural Diabetic medicine.
I decided to find out what in it is helpful for Diabetes. Checking only the constituents of the seeds in Dr. James A. Duke's Database, I found that Arginine, Chromium, Fiber, Magnesium, Manganese, Niacin, Quercetin and Zinc all had antidiabetic properties. But then even that is a lot for tiny seeds.
Being antidiabetic isn't the only ability that these tiny seeds are capable of doing. There have been two recent studies (Baschel – 2003 and Srinivas- 2005) showing that this plant has major anticancer abilities. I found the seeds to be antioxident, antibacterial, antistress, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and much more…like helping the liver, lowering cholesterol, and triglycerides.
These seeds have been found in many archeological digs and have been carbon dated by to 4000 BC. They are linked to prosperity in the Jewish religion and are eaten at Rosh Hashanah to bring good fortune to the New Year.
If you haven't tried Fenugreek, don't do it because it will keep your blood sugar down but use it as a grain in stews and soups. I read once that where we used to eat a great variety of foods every year, we now eat the same few foods over and over. It is good to add something new to your diet, giving the body more choices and combinations to work from. As you know by the list that I mentioned for Diabetes, there is a lot of nutrition that you will be giving your body with this addition to your food supply. There were also 20 to 30 more things in these seeds that did other things than help with blood sugar.
Enjoy a new food.
Sometime in the middle of the summer, she noticed that her blood sugar was high and she mentioned this to me. I asked what she was going to do about this. She mentioned that she could take a walk and sometimes that brings the blood sugar down but if it didn't then I could give her a shot. Sorry, I don't give shots nor do I take them.
I have been taught that my body is hermetically seals. This means that I have a barrier between my blood and the outside. There is skin everywhere to keep me from being exposed to anything. I bleed out, not in so that my blood supply is protected from contaminates. To purposely put something foreign under my skin, breaking this protective barrier would not be in my best interest.
So the first thing that I did for my sister was to put some powdered Cinnamon into a glass of water. They don't like to mix so it takes a while to get the cinnamon wet. I told her to drink this when it got damp and in the meanwhile I would soak some Fenugreek. I went into my files to show her information about Fenugreek and that it has been known to bring the blood sugar down 54% in a little while. Not sure where that figure came from but I think it was in my notes from the School of Natural Healing.
To our surprise (Because I never had to use this before) after eating the fenugreek seeds, her blood sugar was down to normal. After that she wouldn't go anywhere without it.
The seeds themselves are very hard when dried but after soaking them for a few hours; they are soft and chewy like Millet. They have a grain flavor similar to oat groats or Wheat berries. Not a bad flavor at all. Everywhere that I read about fenugreek, they talk about a bitter taste but I have eaten it many times and have never tasted bitterness. My sister did have some soaking for many days and it got a bad taste so we dumped them and soaked some more.
In one article it did tell about the down side of this herb and that being if you eat too much, one of the many constituents, Sotolone will perfume both your sweat and urine. They will smell like maple syrup or curry, neither of which sounded like a major problem.
Not knowing a lot about this plant, I headed for Wikipedia to learn more about it. It goes by many names in other countries and is used extensively in Europe and Asia. In these countries they treat digestion problems, sinus, lung congestion and infections with this plant. It is also used to reduce inflammation and promote milk production in lactating women.
In Ethiopia and India, it is a natural Diabetic medicine.
I decided to find out what in it is helpful for Diabetes. Checking only the constituents of the seeds in Dr. James A. Duke's Database, I found that Arginine, Chromium, Fiber, Magnesium, Manganese, Niacin, Quercetin and Zinc all had antidiabetic properties. But then even that is a lot for tiny seeds.
Being antidiabetic isn't the only ability that these tiny seeds are capable of doing. There have been two recent studies (Baschel – 2003 and Srinivas- 2005) showing that this plant has major anticancer abilities. I found the seeds to be antioxident, antibacterial, antistress, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and much more…like helping the liver, lowering cholesterol, and triglycerides.
These seeds have been found in many archeological digs and have been carbon dated by to 4000 BC. They are linked to prosperity in the Jewish religion and are eaten at Rosh Hashanah to bring good fortune to the New Year.
If you haven't tried Fenugreek, don't do it because it will keep your blood sugar down but use it as a grain in stews and soups. I read once that where we used to eat a great variety of foods every year, we now eat the same few foods over and over. It is good to add something new to your diet, giving the body more choices and combinations to work from. As you know by the list that I mentioned for Diabetes, there is a lot of nutrition that you will be giving your body with this addition to your food supply. There were also 20 to 30 more things in these seeds that did other things than help with blood sugar.
Enjoy a new food.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Chickweed
I have read that there isn't any part in the world where Chickweed doesn't grow. Mrs. Grieves, a noted herbalist talked about it being native to all temperate regions, even into the arctic. It is one of the most common weeds and one that we pull out of our gardens regularly.
After reading about where it grows, one would think that this is a very hardy plant when in fact it is tiny and frail looking. Chickweed has leaves that are succulent and egg-shaped, about one inch long and one-half inch wide with a little point on the end of each leaf. The plant is usually pale green and smooth. The flowers are located by some of the upper leaves and these little white flowers look like tiny white stars, thus its latin name; Stellaria media.
Traditional Chickweed has been used for inflammations, boils, cough, eyes, hemorrhoids, hoarseness, rheumatism, skin disease, blood toxicity, bronchitis, colds, constipation, pleurisy, sores, tumors, burns, cancer, Crohn's disease, deafness, fever, wounds, abscesses, acne, allergies, asthma, bronchial congestion, cellulite, cholesterol, colitis, eczema, fracture, gout, hay fever, infection, itchy skin, mucus, obesity, plague, psoriasis, rabies, spasms, and stomach ulcers. All of this information was found in the Globalherb computer program by Blake.
I haven't tried for all of these conditions but I will tell you some of the ways that I have used Chickweed.
My eleven year old friend, James had large welts all over him where he had been bitten by mosquitoes while we were bike riding. When we got home, I put two handfuls of Chickweed into the bathtub and turned on the water. I told him not to pull the plug when he got out but to soak in this Chickweed tea. When I saw him next, the welts were gone and just the quarter-sized red circles were still all over him. The redness left within a few hours. He told me that when he stepped into the water, the itching stopped immediately. Chickweed had pulled out the toxin and allowed his body to start healing.
My Father-in-law was bothered by Shingles. If you have ever had them you know that they itch like mad. I told him that when I had Shingles, I used Chickweed tea. I had my husband bring in a handful of Chickweed that I then put into a kettle of water. I simmered this for a while and allowed it to cool. Using a cloth, I bathed the area that was bothering me and the itching stopped as the tea touched it. My Father-in-law was so happy to hear this. Chickweed only handles the symptoms of Shingles; there are other things that get it out of the body so that it can't reoccur.
I have two ragdoll cats. The younger cat has mattie eyes all the time. We think she has a chronic sinus infection. The Vet tells me that cats with long hair tend to have mattie eyes so we wash her eyes out from time to time with Chickweed tea. She doesn't like it but will put up with us. I decided to see if this tea stings or what she might not like about it. (I love to be a guinea pig on things like this.) I found out that it is so mild to the eyes; one could wash a sty on a baby if necessary. So it was just getting her eyes washed that she didn't like. One could use this as a wash for any facial swellings or redness. Because of its ability to pull fat and toxins out, it is perfect to use for sties.
There are many salves that are made with Chickweed in them for its anti-itching property along with being Antibacterial and soothing to the skin.
Chickweed is found in a lot of herbal loss weight products for this very reason. I attaches to fat in the intestinal tract and brings it along with it out of the body. As part of a salad, it has very little taste so can be combined with just about anything and with any dressing.
The Globalherb program also gave me a breakdown on some of the constituents in this little plant. I was impressed with the almost 50 things that they mentioned; Everything from Vitamin C (and the printout states "lots" behind this one as it does behind Vitamin A and B vitamins.), to Niacin, Calcium (lots), Iron (lots), Manganese and Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Protein, and Zinc. I can see that a salad make out of this weed, sure would give the body a lot of choices to build with.
The next time you are weeding in your garden and you come across this wonder plant, make sure that you set it aside to be taken into the house to be washed and ready for your next meal, salad or even in a sandwich. You will be doing yourself a big favor.
After reading about where it grows, one would think that this is a very hardy plant when in fact it is tiny and frail looking. Chickweed has leaves that are succulent and egg-shaped, about one inch long and one-half inch wide with a little point on the end of each leaf. The plant is usually pale green and smooth. The flowers are located by some of the upper leaves and these little white flowers look like tiny white stars, thus its latin name; Stellaria media.
Traditional Chickweed has been used for inflammations, boils, cough, eyes, hemorrhoids, hoarseness, rheumatism, skin disease, blood toxicity, bronchitis, colds, constipation, pleurisy, sores, tumors, burns, cancer, Crohn's disease, deafness, fever, wounds, abscesses, acne, allergies, asthma, bronchial congestion, cellulite, cholesterol, colitis, eczema, fracture, gout, hay fever, infection, itchy skin, mucus, obesity, plague, psoriasis, rabies, spasms, and stomach ulcers. All of this information was found in the Globalherb computer program by Blake.
I haven't tried for all of these conditions but I will tell you some of the ways that I have used Chickweed.
My eleven year old friend, James had large welts all over him where he had been bitten by mosquitoes while we were bike riding. When we got home, I put two handfuls of Chickweed into the bathtub and turned on the water. I told him not to pull the plug when he got out but to soak in this Chickweed tea. When I saw him next, the welts were gone and just the quarter-sized red circles were still all over him. The redness left within a few hours. He told me that when he stepped into the water, the itching stopped immediately. Chickweed had pulled out the toxin and allowed his body to start healing.
My Father-in-law was bothered by Shingles. If you have ever had them you know that they itch like mad. I told him that when I had Shingles, I used Chickweed tea. I had my husband bring in a handful of Chickweed that I then put into a kettle of water. I simmered this for a while and allowed it to cool. Using a cloth, I bathed the area that was bothering me and the itching stopped as the tea touched it. My Father-in-law was so happy to hear this. Chickweed only handles the symptoms of Shingles; there are other things that get it out of the body so that it can't reoccur.
I have two ragdoll cats. The younger cat has mattie eyes all the time. We think she has a chronic sinus infection. The Vet tells me that cats with long hair tend to have mattie eyes so we wash her eyes out from time to time with Chickweed tea. She doesn't like it but will put up with us. I decided to see if this tea stings or what she might not like about it. (I love to be a guinea pig on things like this.) I found out that it is so mild to the eyes; one could wash a sty on a baby if necessary. So it was just getting her eyes washed that she didn't like. One could use this as a wash for any facial swellings or redness. Because of its ability to pull fat and toxins out, it is perfect to use for sties.
There are many salves that are made with Chickweed in them for its anti-itching property along with being Antibacterial and soothing to the skin.
Chickweed is found in a lot of herbal loss weight products for this very reason. I attaches to fat in the intestinal tract and brings it along with it out of the body. As part of a salad, it has very little taste so can be combined with just about anything and with any dressing.
The Globalherb program also gave me a breakdown on some of the constituents in this little plant. I was impressed with the almost 50 things that they mentioned; Everything from Vitamin C (and the printout states "lots" behind this one as it does behind Vitamin A and B vitamins.), to Niacin, Calcium (lots), Iron (lots), Manganese and Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Protein, and Zinc. I can see that a salad make out of this weed, sure would give the body a lot of choices to build with.
The next time you are weeding in your garden and you come across this wonder plant, make sure that you set it aside to be taken into the house to be washed and ready for your next meal, salad or even in a sandwich. You will be doing yourself a big favor.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Stinging Nettle
Let me tell you about a most maligned friend of mine called the Stinging Nettle.
Here we have a 3 to 6 foot plant with nothing about it to show its value. It has no big pretty flowers; instead the flowers are tiny and green. In has no unusual leaves to give it a "must save" value. So to defend itself, it has stiff, stinging hairs on the outside of the leaves and on the stems.
I had an herbalist call me to her house once because she told me that her Stinging Nettle wasn't stinging. And I found that they were very gentle plants. I had to work to get it to sting me. (Talking to plants is a subject for another article.) What most people don't know is that it also has an antidote to its stings and herein lies the treasure.
The spine of the leaf contains this antidote. While on an herbal walk in Utah, our instructor showed us how to eat fresh Nettle leaves. You pick the leaf by touching the spine on the back of the leaf. The leaf is then folded into itself, exposing the back of the leaf and breaking the leaf's spine. The secret is the very last part, breaking the spine. The juice of this spine counteracts the Nettle's poison or stings. In fact, this juice will counteract the poison of other plants as well.
It will act on Poison Ivy and Poison Oak. A friend of mine had large blisters all over one foot and up his leg. He told me it was Poison Ivy. I suggested that he try Stinging Nettle Tea on it. He called later in the day and was very happy as the blisters started to go down as he applied the tea and within hours his leg was back to normal.
I have known of other people who have tried this and it took a couple of days. According to my teacher, Dr. Christopher, "Herbs work best on clean bodies." If the toxins get stopped on the way out of the body by a clogged-up lymph system or a malfunctioning liver or constipated bowel, they tend to be recycled in the body. Most of the time toxins try to get out though the skin and one gets a "new rash" in another place.
An old rhyme tells of another way to handle the sting of Nettle. "Nettle in, Dock out, Dock rubs Nettle out." They are talking about Burdock and Yellow Dock. There are other herbs that handle the sting of Nettle too such as Rosemary and Sage leaves.
According to Ritchason, "The Indians used Nettle as a counter-irritant when in pain, by striking the affected part with the branches." This would bring the blood to that area and allow the healing to begin.
An interesting thing about Nettle is that once you dry it or cook it, it no longer stings on contact, but the other properties that make this a wonderful medicinal plant will still be there. Some of the chemical constituents are: Formic acid (in fresh plants), mucilage, iron phosphate, potassium phosphate, magnesium phosphate and potassium chloride." The Potassium phosphate is the basic food for our brain and nervous system. The potassium chloride is nature's masterpiece solvent of fibrin. On reading about this last talent, I think of how many people complain of Fibromyalgia, which basically is that old muscle and skin fibers have not dissolved and been flushed away like they are designed to be. Perhaps Nettle could be used for this too?
I have read where decomposing wounds and ulcers have healed after using Nettle as a daily wash.
With all of these wonderful organic minerals, according to Ritchason, it has the ability to alleviate allergic symptoms such as teary eyes and running nose, as it is antiasmatic. Ritchason also mentioned that it improves functions in most body organs.
In the past Nettle tea was used to cure dandruff and bring back one's natural color.
One of the things I learned about Nettle was that its leaves are rich in iron which helps the formation of hemoglobin in the blood. It has been used to purify and rebuild the blood.
Ritchason mentioned that it was very beneficial for pregnant women due to being rich in Vitamin K. Vitamin K guards against excessive bleeding. He also mentioned that Nettle improves kidney function and prevents hemorrhoids.
On the fun side, Nettle beer has been made by combining it with other herbs. This was used for gout and rheumatic pains but it mostly was enjoyed as a refreshing drink.
The name Nettle means "textile plant". Nettle has been harvested like flax to be made into cloth. During the war many European countries grew and harvested it. It was thought (according to Ritchason) to be, "inferior to silk but much superior to cotton for velvet and plush."
I like a cup of Nettle tea a couple times a week. I like to add a little licorice root to my tea to sweeten it but as you can see, Nettle needs to be given a place of honor in your herbal medicine chest.
Reference - Ritchason, Jack, The Little Herb Encyclopedia, Woodland Health Books, Pleasant Grove, UT, 1995, 402 pgs.
Here we have a 3 to 6 foot plant with nothing about it to show its value. It has no big pretty flowers; instead the flowers are tiny and green. In has no unusual leaves to give it a "must save" value. So to defend itself, it has stiff, stinging hairs on the outside of the leaves and on the stems.
I had an herbalist call me to her house once because she told me that her Stinging Nettle wasn't stinging. And I found that they were very gentle plants. I had to work to get it to sting me. (Talking to plants is a subject for another article.) What most people don't know is that it also has an antidote to its stings and herein lies the treasure.
The spine of the leaf contains this antidote. While on an herbal walk in Utah, our instructor showed us how to eat fresh Nettle leaves. You pick the leaf by touching the spine on the back of the leaf. The leaf is then folded into itself, exposing the back of the leaf and breaking the leaf's spine. The secret is the very last part, breaking the spine. The juice of this spine counteracts the Nettle's poison or stings. In fact, this juice will counteract the poison of other plants as well.
It will act on Poison Ivy and Poison Oak. A friend of mine had large blisters all over one foot and up his leg. He told me it was Poison Ivy. I suggested that he try Stinging Nettle Tea on it. He called later in the day and was very happy as the blisters started to go down as he applied the tea and within hours his leg was back to normal.
I have known of other people who have tried this and it took a couple of days. According to my teacher, Dr. Christopher, "Herbs work best on clean bodies." If the toxins get stopped on the way out of the body by a clogged-up lymph system or a malfunctioning liver or constipated bowel, they tend to be recycled in the body. Most of the time toxins try to get out though the skin and one gets a "new rash" in another place.
An old rhyme tells of another way to handle the sting of Nettle. "Nettle in, Dock out, Dock rubs Nettle out." They are talking about Burdock and Yellow Dock. There are other herbs that handle the sting of Nettle too such as Rosemary and Sage leaves.
According to Ritchason, "The Indians used Nettle as a counter-irritant when in pain, by striking the affected part with the branches." This would bring the blood to that area and allow the healing to begin.
An interesting thing about Nettle is that once you dry it or cook it, it no longer stings on contact, but the other properties that make this a wonderful medicinal plant will still be there. Some of the chemical constituents are: Formic acid (in fresh plants), mucilage, iron phosphate, potassium phosphate, magnesium phosphate and potassium chloride." The Potassium phosphate is the basic food for our brain and nervous system. The potassium chloride is nature's masterpiece solvent of fibrin. On reading about this last talent, I think of how many people complain of Fibromyalgia, which basically is that old muscle and skin fibers have not dissolved and been flushed away like they are designed to be. Perhaps Nettle could be used for this too?
I have read where decomposing wounds and ulcers have healed after using Nettle as a daily wash.
With all of these wonderful organic minerals, according to Ritchason, it has the ability to alleviate allergic symptoms such as teary eyes and running nose, as it is antiasmatic. Ritchason also mentioned that it improves functions in most body organs.
In the past Nettle tea was used to cure dandruff and bring back one's natural color.
One of the things I learned about Nettle was that its leaves are rich in iron which helps the formation of hemoglobin in the blood. It has been used to purify and rebuild the blood.
Ritchason mentioned that it was very beneficial for pregnant women due to being rich in Vitamin K. Vitamin K guards against excessive bleeding. He also mentioned that Nettle improves kidney function and prevents hemorrhoids.
On the fun side, Nettle beer has been made by combining it with other herbs. This was used for gout and rheumatic pains but it mostly was enjoyed as a refreshing drink.
The name Nettle means "textile plant". Nettle has been harvested like flax to be made into cloth. During the war many European countries grew and harvested it. It was thought (according to Ritchason) to be, "inferior to silk but much superior to cotton for velvet and plush."
I like a cup of Nettle tea a couple times a week. I like to add a little licorice root to my tea to sweeten it but as you can see, Nettle needs to be given a place of honor in your herbal medicine chest.
Reference - Ritchason, Jack, The Little Herb Encyclopedia, Woodland Health Books, Pleasant Grove, UT, 1995, 402 pgs.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Peppermint
Most people know about Peppermint because it has been put in everything from candy to candles. I want to tell you what Peppermint can do for your body.
Because of its many properties, it does many jobs. One of them is to be a stimulant, let's start with that and talk about Peppermint's very high vibration. This means that compared to most other plants, Peppermint will create more benefits than a lot of herbs. It is included in a lot of formulas, perhaps to make them work harder? It tends to raise the level of the bodies pH to an alkaline state. (This is a very good because the body is happier when it is slightly alkaline as opposed to acid. Most of the foods that we eat such as meat, dairy, and "dead" foods tend to be acid. ) Having something that can adjust the pH before we even get started is wonderful.
I find that giving someone a cup of Peppermint tea before I start them on a program of herbs is like jump starting a car. The body is perked up and ready to do some work for me. As a stimulant Peppermint gets things moving faster to handle what needs to be done.
Peppermint is the most pungent in the mint family. At the Celestial Seasonings Tea Company in Boulder Colorado, Peppermint had its own store room as it would adulterate the other teas and tea combination in the main warehouse.
More exciting stuff in this same herb are the properties that are sedative, nervine and antispasmodic in their abilities. Peppermint has a calming effect on most people, even children. It can be used to sooth and make one sleepy. As a nervine, it will help rebuild nerve cells and as an antispasmodic, it is great for stomach problems, while aiding with digestion.
When I lived in the Los Angeles area, I met a lady from England. She told me that when people wanted to lose weight, they would drink Peppermint tea. It has a wonderful refreshing taste without any sweeteners added, it also cleans and tones the entire body.
My mentors have mentioned that one should never boil an herb that is as volatile as Peppermint. A lot of its healing is done with the oils in this plant. The best way to use Peppermint is as a tea by pouring hot water over the leaves that have already been put into a cup. Cover the cup and allow steeping for 10 min.
Peppermint oil is used a lot in aroma therapy. So I want to tell you about oils. It takes 50 pounds of most plant materials to make 1/2 oz of pure oil from a plant. When using oils it is recommended to put them in a carrier oil. Talk to an aroma therapist if this is the route that you choose to go.
Pure Peppermint oil can be toxic when used in large amounts as written up by I. Thorup in his paper called Toxicol. It seems that he did research on this oil and found that it would create lesions in the brain of rats when used in large amount. He mentioned that humans couldn't take enough oil internally to create this problem.
David Christopher, director of the School of Natural Healing talked about some studies like the one above by I. Thorup and how they test. He said that they give lab rats the equivalent of feeding a human a bale of something when they do this. The lab rat is taking in 100 or more times its body weight in whatever they are testing and when the animal gets cancer, they then decide that this substance is toxic. Perhaps our standards of testing products needs a change?
I have been reading THE HEALING POWER OF HERBS by Michael T. Murray N.D. and was surprised to learn that Peppermint has Antiviral activity. Dr. Murray mentioned that Peppermint inhibits growths of "Newcastle Disease virus, herpes simplex virus and vaccine virus." He mentioned that the properties most likely to do this can be found in a simple tea.
Do you think that the healing of Virus or bacteria could take place because of the energy in this plant? This subject is the basis of Dr. Theodore A. Baroody's book , ALKALIZE OF DIE.
Most people agree that the active ingredient is the menthol but with about 240 components in this one plant, it is hard to pin one thing down. Chemists want to take things apart to find out what does what but when you find a plant like Peppermint and know all the great things that it can do in just a tea cup, it is time to sit back, relax and enjoy the healing.
Because of its many properties, it does many jobs. One of them is to be a stimulant, let's start with that and talk about Peppermint's very high vibration. This means that compared to most other plants, Peppermint will create more benefits than a lot of herbs. It is included in a lot of formulas, perhaps to make them work harder? It tends to raise the level of the bodies pH to an alkaline state. (This is a very good because the body is happier when it is slightly alkaline as opposed to acid. Most of the foods that we eat such as meat, dairy, and "dead" foods tend to be acid. ) Having something that can adjust the pH before we even get started is wonderful.
I find that giving someone a cup of Peppermint tea before I start them on a program of herbs is like jump starting a car. The body is perked up and ready to do some work for me. As a stimulant Peppermint gets things moving faster to handle what needs to be done.
Peppermint is the most pungent in the mint family. At the Celestial Seasonings Tea Company in Boulder Colorado, Peppermint had its own store room as it would adulterate the other teas and tea combination in the main warehouse.
More exciting stuff in this same herb are the properties that are sedative, nervine and antispasmodic in their abilities. Peppermint has a calming effect on most people, even children. It can be used to sooth and make one sleepy. As a nervine, it will help rebuild nerve cells and as an antispasmodic, it is great for stomach problems, while aiding with digestion.
When I lived in the Los Angeles area, I met a lady from England. She told me that when people wanted to lose weight, they would drink Peppermint tea. It has a wonderful refreshing taste without any sweeteners added, it also cleans and tones the entire body.
My mentors have mentioned that one should never boil an herb that is as volatile as Peppermint. A lot of its healing is done with the oils in this plant. The best way to use Peppermint is as a tea by pouring hot water over the leaves that have already been put into a cup. Cover the cup and allow steeping for 10 min.
Peppermint oil is used a lot in aroma therapy. So I want to tell you about oils. It takes 50 pounds of most plant materials to make 1/2 oz of pure oil from a plant. When using oils it is recommended to put them in a carrier oil. Talk to an aroma therapist if this is the route that you choose to go.
Pure Peppermint oil can be toxic when used in large amounts as written up by I. Thorup in his paper called Toxicol. It seems that he did research on this oil and found that it would create lesions in the brain of rats when used in large amount. He mentioned that humans couldn't take enough oil internally to create this problem.
David Christopher, director of the School of Natural Healing talked about some studies like the one above by I. Thorup and how they test. He said that they give lab rats the equivalent of feeding a human a bale of something when they do this. The lab rat is taking in 100 or more times its body weight in whatever they are testing and when the animal gets cancer, they then decide that this substance is toxic. Perhaps our standards of testing products needs a change?
I have been reading THE HEALING POWER OF HERBS by Michael T. Murray N.D. and was surprised to learn that Peppermint has Antiviral activity. Dr. Murray mentioned that Peppermint inhibits growths of "Newcastle Disease virus, herpes simplex virus and vaccine virus." He mentioned that the properties most likely to do this can be found in a simple tea.
Do you think that the healing of Virus or bacteria could take place because of the energy in this plant? This subject is the basis of Dr. Theodore A. Baroody's book , ALKALIZE OF DIE.
Most people agree that the active ingredient is the menthol but with about 240 components in this one plant, it is hard to pin one thing down. Chemists want to take things apart to find out what does what but when you find a plant like Peppermint and know all the great things that it can do in just a tea cup, it is time to sit back, relax and enjoy the healing.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Black Walnut
Most people think of herbs as being little plants. I want to tell you about a very large one, the Black Walnut tree. Most people aren't happy having them growing in their yard because when the fruit falls, it makes a mess under the tree. The grass fights to grow under these large giants.
Black Walnut Tincture is on of my favorite herbs. According to what I have read, Black Walnut has the ability to burn up excessive toxins and fat. It helps balance blood sugar in the body. It is antiseptic and expels parasites. That is a lot for one plant to be able to do. It is the high organic iodine in the hulls of the fruit that does a lot of this. Isn't it amazing that most plants that are high in organic iodine are found close to an ocean? Black Walnut is found thousands of miles from the nearest sea.
Dr. John R. Christopher, founder of the School of Natural Healing in Utah said, "Black Walnut Tincture is one of the best known remedies for fungus. Use it externally and apply frequently."
There is nothing written about it being antiviral but I have witnessed it clearing warts from bodies. (A viral infection) My sister had warts all over her body so she was using this topically as well as internally on a daily basis. Within a short time (a few weeks) her warts fell off, right into the tub on toweling.
The Iodine in Black Walnut is what is credited for a lot of its healing properties and I have used it to treat a thyroid deficiency conditions. Along with Iodine, we find in a nutritional profile that this plant also contains high amounts of Potassium, Selenium, Iron, Magnesium and Calcium. Dr. Christopher suggested getting more Potassium into the families diet by put some of the Black Walnut Tincture into the soups or stews. The Alcohol will dissipate with the heat of the food, leaving only the good stuff that you want to get into your food supply.
Hulda Clarks suggests,".. take Black Walnut Tincture Extra Strength every week or until your illness is but a hazy memory. This is to kill any parasite stage you pick up from your family, friends or pets." This is not a bad idea and those of us who clean cat's litter boxes, perhaps we should take this to heart if we wish to stay healthy. That is not to say that we would do this every week but from time to time it is a very helpful thing to do.
As a dowser, there are times that have to I tell people that the problem they are having is caused by parasites. Most people do not want to think that they are hosts to anything like this. The fact is that most of us host some parasites from time to time. How about the wonderful pet dog that you have who loves you so much that he licks your face. I know, you have him on heart worm medicine and he has been dewormed but we all share this planet, even parasites.
As a fungicide, Black Walnut Tincture is wonderful. My daughter used it topically on a toenail infection and fungus. She also used it internally and in a month it was all cleaned up. When we use thing internally as well as externally, we are healing from the inside out and vice versa.
I had a peach tree that had peach tree fungus. So as an herbalist, I experimented. I took the end of branch and put garlic oil on the leaves. I labeled that branch. The next branch that I worked on, I used the copper antifungal solution that I got for this from the garden shop. I labeled that branch. The next one that I worked on, I diluted my Black Walnut Tincture and put it all over those leaves. Then that one got labeled. After giving this project some time, I checked to see what was handling the problem. The Copper solution wasn't doing anything, the garlic solution wasn't either but the Black Walnut Tincture had cleaned up the end of its branch. So I diluted my Black Walnut Tincture 1 to 4 with water and sprayed the whole tree. It worked. But the solution killed the St. John's wort that was living under the tree. The next year I put a plastic drop cloth over my small plants under this tree before I sprayed.
Trees are amazing. If the Black Walnut tree runs out of what it needs to stay healthy, it puts out hair root until it finds what is needed. This can be as deep as 50 to 75 feet below the surface of the ground. It really doesn't care what we do to the top few feet of ground (unless large amounts of chemicals are put there.)
This tincture can be used on cuts just like the old mercurochrome and it stings just like that did too.
Here are some interesting facts; tinctures get into the blood stream faster than herbal capsules do. They are carried there by the alcohol through the stomach wall and do not have to go through the digestive system. This makes them "fast-acting." Tinctures hold their healing properties for years. Dr. Christopher mentioned that he found some tinctures that were 40 years old and still did what he wanted them to do.
Black Walnut Tincture is on of my favorite herbs. According to what I have read, Black Walnut has the ability to burn up excessive toxins and fat. It helps balance blood sugar in the body. It is antiseptic and expels parasites. That is a lot for one plant to be able to do. It is the high organic iodine in the hulls of the fruit that does a lot of this. Isn't it amazing that most plants that are high in organic iodine are found close to an ocean? Black Walnut is found thousands of miles from the nearest sea.
Dr. John R. Christopher, founder of the School of Natural Healing in Utah said, "Black Walnut Tincture is one of the best known remedies for fungus. Use it externally and apply frequently."
There is nothing written about it being antiviral but I have witnessed it clearing warts from bodies. (A viral infection) My sister had warts all over her body so she was using this topically as well as internally on a daily basis. Within a short time (a few weeks) her warts fell off, right into the tub on toweling.
The Iodine in Black Walnut is what is credited for a lot of its healing properties and I have used it to treat a thyroid deficiency conditions. Along with Iodine, we find in a nutritional profile that this plant also contains high amounts of Potassium, Selenium, Iron, Magnesium and Calcium. Dr. Christopher suggested getting more Potassium into the families diet by put some of the Black Walnut Tincture into the soups or stews. The Alcohol will dissipate with the heat of the food, leaving only the good stuff that you want to get into your food supply.
Hulda Clarks suggests,".. take Black Walnut Tincture Extra Strength every week or until your illness is but a hazy memory. This is to kill any parasite stage you pick up from your family, friends or pets." This is not a bad idea and those of us who clean cat's litter boxes, perhaps we should take this to heart if we wish to stay healthy. That is not to say that we would do this every week but from time to time it is a very helpful thing to do.
As a dowser, there are times that have to I tell people that the problem they are having is caused by parasites. Most people do not want to think that they are hosts to anything like this. The fact is that most of us host some parasites from time to time. How about the wonderful pet dog that you have who loves you so much that he licks your face. I know, you have him on heart worm medicine and he has been dewormed but we all share this planet, even parasites.
As a fungicide, Black Walnut Tincture is wonderful. My daughter used it topically on a toenail infection and fungus. She also used it internally and in a month it was all cleaned up. When we use thing internally as well as externally, we are healing from the inside out and vice versa.
I had a peach tree that had peach tree fungus. So as an herbalist, I experimented. I took the end of branch and put garlic oil on the leaves. I labeled that branch. The next branch that I worked on, I used the copper antifungal solution that I got for this from the garden shop. I labeled that branch. The next one that I worked on, I diluted my Black Walnut Tincture and put it all over those leaves. Then that one got labeled. After giving this project some time, I checked to see what was handling the problem. The Copper solution wasn't doing anything, the garlic solution wasn't either but the Black Walnut Tincture had cleaned up the end of its branch. So I diluted my Black Walnut Tincture 1 to 4 with water and sprayed the whole tree. It worked. But the solution killed the St. John's wort that was living under the tree. The next year I put a plastic drop cloth over my small plants under this tree before I sprayed.
Trees are amazing. If the Black Walnut tree runs out of what it needs to stay healthy, it puts out hair root until it finds what is needed. This can be as deep as 50 to 75 feet below the surface of the ground. It really doesn't care what we do to the top few feet of ground (unless large amounts of chemicals are put there.)
This tincture can be used on cuts just like the old mercurochrome and it stings just like that did too.
Here are some interesting facts; tinctures get into the blood stream faster than herbal capsules do. They are carried there by the alcohol through the stomach wall and do not have to go through the digestive system. This makes them "fast-acting." Tinctures hold their healing properties for years. Dr. Christopher mentioned that he found some tinctures that were 40 years old and still did what he wanted them to do.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Garlic
How many people can predict the weather? Probably more than we think. Some people "feel" that a storm is heading our way with their bodies. This is real, they really feel when the pressure drops. The walls of their cells have hardened to the point that when a low pressure comes in, the cells balloon up and pinch the nerves around them. They feel the discomfort. The body wasn't designed to do this, then how can it be fixed?
We can fix this with our little friend, the Garlic. Garlic has the ability to soften the cell walls, thus allowing the pressure to equalize. When the cell walls are softened they can also get rid of toxins that are in each cell and take in the nutrition that it needs and wants.
O.k. so that is one of the many things that Garlic can do.
I had a friend asked me a few days ago, "What is the best herbal antibiotic." Of course my first reaction was to tell her Garlic but then I decided to see what Dr. James Duke had in his database on antibiotics. According to him, Onion was the highest, another member of this wonderful family.
While I was in Dukes Database, I decided to see what other things Garlic could handle and I wasn't surprise. With over 200 components in these little bulbs, it packs a wallop. Some of the components had perfume as its ability and we have to admit that Garlic does emit a powerful smell but it is allowed to do that because of all its other abilities. I picked out a few that had many (not less than 5 and sometime many more) components working on this particular ability. What I found was that it is Antibacterial, Antidiabetic, Antiflu, Antiinflamatory, Antileukemic Antioxident, Antiseptic, Antispasmodic, Antitumor, Antiviral, Cardioprotective, Chelates metals, is a Fungicide, Liver protective, Perfumery, Pesticide, and Vasodilator.
Now I have to tell a story about Garlic. I have a girlfriend who really believes in Garlic and felt that it kept her from getting sick. So she would eat a lot of it. Her business associates at work have asked her not to do this as they can smell it on her all the time. It got so bad that they suggested that she stay home until the smell is gone. She called me up and told me about this, wanting to know what would be just as antiviral as Garlic. I suggested that she could come to my house and pick a bouquet of Lemon Balm. She could put these into a vase on her desk and nibble on the leaves until they were gone. Then she was always welcome to get another bouquet.
When one uses Garlic and it is opening the cell walls, it doesn't know that you don't want the skin cells opened. Its job is to open cell walls so the garlic smell permeates everything. The bad part is that like a smoker, the person eating Garlic doesn't notice this smell. They don't know that everything they wear smells like that too. Eating some Garlic will not create this problem, it is only a problem when one does a lot of it.
Garlic has been associated with a lot of folk lore. My guess is that even vampires don't like the smell.
Some of the properties that are in Garlic but not in large amounts are able to handle other things. They are Antialzheimeran, Antiarrhythmic, Antiasthmatic, Anticataract, Antilymphonic, Antiparkinsonian, Antistroke, and it even had a couple of its many properties that were antiHIV. Plants really are designed to help us get and stay well.
It is my opinion that one should never take the same food all the time, and herbs are foods. One should vary what is being taken. I tell my classes that it wouldn't be a good idea to always have the same cheese sandwich for every meal. We need to vary our diet so that the components that are in one food/herb are not duplicated all the time. We need a variety of components in our bodies, this way our bodies get to choose what it wants and needs to stay healthy. The only exception to this would be when you are working on a specific problem. Let's say that you are working on the flu, and then you might want to use a lot of Garlic or whatever you have been using for this. Each food/herb gives the body choices of components to use for the benefit of keeping it in balance. The herbs/foods are in balance or they would not be healthy either.
There is a story about the European Plague. It goes something like this. It seems that people were dropping dead in the streets and no one wanted to move the bodies for fear of getting this plague. The police found that someone was touching the bodies and stealing all the jewelry and money on them. They finally caught the people doing this and told them that if they would tell how they could do this without getting sick, no charges would be brought. It seems that they had created a formula that they took. It was very high in Garlic. Dr. Christopher, one of my mentors created a formula based on this and called it his ANTIPLAGUE FORMULA.
I used this formula when I was treating my daughter. I didn't know what was wrong with her but she was very sick and had been for a week by the time she called me. She couldn't get her head off the pillow without a pounding headache. I gave her some peppermint tea (I will be talking about this herb in one of my later blog stories) and followed it up with a tablespoonful of Antiplague Formula. I did this every hour. (When treating a problem, herbs can be used every hour) By the fourth hour, she broke out with a major sweat; I bathed her and tucked her in for the rest of the night. I kept checking on her but she was sleeping so nicely that I didn't disturb her again. In the morning she was sitting next to my bed when I woke up. I asked if she wanted to lie down. She told me that it was so nice to be able to sit up and hold her head up and not feel sick but she thought that we would have to burn her nightie. She also told me that the formula was "God Awful". I don't agree with her but it did the job.
Sometimes we have to bring out the big guns to heal and Garlic is one of my Big Guns.
We can fix this with our little friend, the Garlic. Garlic has the ability to soften the cell walls, thus allowing the pressure to equalize. When the cell walls are softened they can also get rid of toxins that are in each cell and take in the nutrition that it needs and wants.
O.k. so that is one of the many things that Garlic can do.
I had a friend asked me a few days ago, "What is the best herbal antibiotic." Of course my first reaction was to tell her Garlic but then I decided to see what Dr. James Duke had in his database on antibiotics. According to him, Onion was the highest, another member of this wonderful family.
While I was in Dukes Database, I decided to see what other things Garlic could handle and I wasn't surprise. With over 200 components in these little bulbs, it packs a wallop. Some of the components had perfume as its ability and we have to admit that Garlic does emit a powerful smell but it is allowed to do that because of all its other abilities. I picked out a few that had many (not less than 5 and sometime many more) components working on this particular ability. What I found was that it is Antibacterial, Antidiabetic, Antiflu, Antiinflamatory, Antileukemic Antioxident, Antiseptic, Antispasmodic, Antitumor, Antiviral, Cardioprotective, Chelates metals, is a Fungicide, Liver protective, Perfumery, Pesticide, and Vasodilator.
Now I have to tell a story about Garlic. I have a girlfriend who really believes in Garlic and felt that it kept her from getting sick. So she would eat a lot of it. Her business associates at work have asked her not to do this as they can smell it on her all the time. It got so bad that they suggested that she stay home until the smell is gone. She called me up and told me about this, wanting to know what would be just as antiviral as Garlic. I suggested that she could come to my house and pick a bouquet of Lemon Balm. She could put these into a vase on her desk and nibble on the leaves until they were gone. Then she was always welcome to get another bouquet.
When one uses Garlic and it is opening the cell walls, it doesn't know that you don't want the skin cells opened. Its job is to open cell walls so the garlic smell permeates everything. The bad part is that like a smoker, the person eating Garlic doesn't notice this smell. They don't know that everything they wear smells like that too. Eating some Garlic will not create this problem, it is only a problem when one does a lot of it.
Garlic has been associated with a lot of folk lore. My guess is that even vampires don't like the smell.
Some of the properties that are in Garlic but not in large amounts are able to handle other things. They are Antialzheimeran, Antiarrhythmic, Antiasthmatic, Anticataract, Antilymphonic, Antiparkinsonian, Antistroke, and it even had a couple of its many properties that were antiHIV. Plants really are designed to help us get and stay well.
It is my opinion that one should never take the same food all the time, and herbs are foods. One should vary what is being taken. I tell my classes that it wouldn't be a good idea to always have the same cheese sandwich for every meal. We need to vary our diet so that the components that are in one food/herb are not duplicated all the time. We need a variety of components in our bodies, this way our bodies get to choose what it wants and needs to stay healthy. The only exception to this would be when you are working on a specific problem. Let's say that you are working on the flu, and then you might want to use a lot of Garlic or whatever you have been using for this. Each food/herb gives the body choices of components to use for the benefit of keeping it in balance. The herbs/foods are in balance or they would not be healthy either.
There is a story about the European Plague. It goes something like this. It seems that people were dropping dead in the streets and no one wanted to move the bodies for fear of getting this plague. The police found that someone was touching the bodies and stealing all the jewelry and money on them. They finally caught the people doing this and told them that if they would tell how they could do this without getting sick, no charges would be brought. It seems that they had created a formula that they took. It was very high in Garlic. Dr. Christopher, one of my mentors created a formula based on this and called it his ANTIPLAGUE FORMULA.
I used this formula when I was treating my daughter. I didn't know what was wrong with her but she was very sick and had been for a week by the time she called me. She couldn't get her head off the pillow without a pounding headache. I gave her some peppermint tea (I will be talking about this herb in one of my later blog stories) and followed it up with a tablespoonful of Antiplague Formula. I did this every hour. (When treating a problem, herbs can be used every hour) By the fourth hour, she broke out with a major sweat; I bathed her and tucked her in for the rest of the night. I kept checking on her but she was sleeping so nicely that I didn't disturb her again. In the morning she was sitting next to my bed when I woke up. I asked if she wanted to lie down. She told me that it was so nice to be able to sit up and hold her head up and not feel sick but she thought that we would have to burn her nightie. She also told me that the formula was "God Awful". I don't agree with her but it did the job.
Sometimes we have to bring out the big guns to heal and Garlic is one of my Big Guns.
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