Natural AIDSTreatment?

I was watching Globetrotter this evening and of all the beauty and culture Mozambique has to offer the most fascinating thing about the show for me was a visit to an AIDS clinic. It showed many people taking a small cup maybe 1/2 cup volume of liquid. They said everyone there received the same treatment and many who came totally disabled by the disease were now able to be up and about and taking care of themselves.

When asked what the medicine was they were told it was a garlic based tea with lots of lemon and some salt. Not so tasty, but not too bad either according to one of the patients. I was totally intrigued that such a simple treatment could help so many.

I tried to look up such a remedy on the internet, but this is the closest thing I could find. In this context the tea makes sense. Garlic is highly antibacterial and disease can't live in a body that's the proper ph. Lemon raises the ph of the system. Salt helps balance the cellular fluids and continually exchanges clean fluid for toxic fluid, cleansing not only the blood and digestive system, but the cells also.

Preparing for Swine Flu

EK Sommers' blog, My Herbal Notebook brings up some controversy about licensing of herbalist and patenting plant medicines. Some herbalists feel that if they were licensed they would be able to practice more freely, but there's a lot of controversy about the control the government would have over those licensed herbalists and whether they would, indeed, be "free" to practice.

In the meantime, with the swine flu scare and the admission by the government that there won't be enough vaccine to go around, many people all over the world are relying on the tried and true botanical medicines of their culture.

In India the price of Tulsi (Holy Basil)and Bel leaves has shot up almost double because the demand for them has increased so dramatically. They are both strong immune builders and also fight many different illnesses.

The leaves of Tulsi are used for many different types of fevers including dengue and malaria. It removes catarrhal matter from the lungs, and addresses all the other symptoms of flu.

The bel also known as bilva or wood apple (Aegle marmelos) has medicinal properties. Its leaves make poultice for the eyes and are good for diabetes, and the roots help reduce fever. Its fruit is a remedy for dysentery.

Here in the United States herbalists and Alternative Medicine practitioners are turning to Colloidial Silver and such mixtures as garlic, onion, horseradish, ginger and hot peppers steeped in apple cider vinegar to boost immune systems. Of course the beautiful and potent Echinacea is not loosing any ground either. In your region there may be other native plants that will provide you with some protection from and relieve symptoms if you do contract the swine flu.

Remembering to practice good hygiene, eat a good diet with a variety of raw fruits and vegetables, and get plenty of exercise is the first step to prevention.

Regional Herbs

Every day I have my google bot sweeping for herbal news alerts. Every day it comes back with Chinese herbal medicine. Now don't get me wrong, Traditional Chinese Medicine is a centuries old, tried and true method of treatment, but I don't think we need exotic medicines from other countries to stay well and healthy.

I think Hannah Kroger had it right. Every region has all the herbs necessary to treat the ailments specific to that region. These herbs are "acclimated" to that region and are more likely to give you the relief that you need from the ailments commonly suffered in that area.

For instance, many people swear by uva ursa for kidney problems, but my property is teeming with dandelions. Should I buy uva ursa? I say no. The leaves of the dandelion are great for clearing and strengthening the kidneys.

Look around you. What grows in your area? Go to the library and pick up a field guide with pictures of various plants. Learn to identify what grows in your area. Join a herbal society or even a horticulture group that can help guide you. Many decorative plants are also medicinal.

The key to staying healthy naturally is education. If you're willing to take responsibility for your own health you can't stop at eating healthy and getting exercise, although those are extremely important to health. You need to educate yourself about the wild plants that grow in your area. Nature has planted them there for a reason. Learn about them, and take advantage of what nature has gifted you with.

The Roots of Our Unhealthy Nation

Our nations health problem is not going away. No matter what health care reform is instituted, if we don't break the link between pharmaceutical companies, fertilizer companies and big agri-business and start producing food that is actually nutritious, using nutrition as a prevention of disease, and stop belittling people who use natural health care solutions, we will continue to produce disease and chase it with drugs. Our nations health will continue to spiral downward.

In an article "Economic Slavery: Food, Fertilizers and Pharmaceuticals" written in 2007, Nkrumah Lucien drives this truth home in a factual and somewhat startling expose of how these elements are all linked keeping us all enslaved economically to the pharmaceutical companies.

I usually don't editorialize, just print the facts, but this really has me upset. In his book "The Betrayal of Health", Joseph D. Beasley, M.D. sites case studies as far back as 1964. His studies were done on poor people who couldn't afford a wide range of foods. Their poor nutrition had led to many health problems even some resembling mental retardation. When given a proper diet, no medical treatment was necessary to restore their health.

A few medical doctors are beginning to focus on prevention through natural means, but as far as the overall health of our nation goes, the pharmaceutical companies still rule. Food can't be patented, herbs can't be patented, so they aren't profitable to big pharma and unfortunately they subsidize the medical schools. It's up to every individual to decide if they want to take care of their own health through diet and lifestyle, or if they want to take the medical treatments subsidized by the government.

Japanese Knotweed

In her article "Urban Weeds Treat Urban Ailments", Melissa Sokulski points out an old folk saying that weeds grow where they're needed. This may be nothing more than coincidence, but I've always believed it to be true for the simple fact that some "weeds" grow on my side of our property and others grow on my son and daughter-in-law's side. On my side, dandelions which strengthen kidneys and liver (and do much more) are prolific and heron bill which is useful in treating respiratory ailments grow on theirs. There is only a drive way between us and given the way weeds travel, spread and proliferate it seems that all weeds should grow on both sides.

Another plant I'm finding more and more of on my side is knotweed. Studies have shown that the highly invasive, much maligned Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) is one of the higest natural sources reservatrol, an ingredient usually thought of as being found in red wine. Reservatrol supplements are being sold now in healthfood stores and it's not coming from red wine, it's coming from Japenese knotweed.

The benefits of reservatrol include antioxidant, blood thinner, benefits to the central nervous system, regulates hormones and has shown to benefit those with Alzheimer's Disease especially if it's taken with vitamins E and C. It has proven beneficial to those recovering from stroke and injuries to the spine.

Why not look around the next time you go for a walk and see what natural medicines may be disguised as "weeds" in your area?

What Do Those Veggie Lables Mean?

I'm going to veer away from herbs today and write about food in general. I just learned what those numbers on those sticky labels on fruit and vegetables mean. We all hate having to peel those labels off, but did you ever read them? What do they mean? My grandson used to work in a grocery store and I learned from him that they were PLU numbers that told the cash register what the item was, but I just found out that they tell much more.

Here's a rhyme that will help you remember: 4 is a bore, 8 you should hate, 9 is fine.

The 4 means that it's commercially grown and not organic.
If the four digit number is preceded by an 8 it means it is genetically modified (GMO).
If the four digit number is preceded by a 9 it means that it is organically grown.

Now I understand the pros of GMO - millions of people who would otherwise starve are fed because GMO produce makes a more abundant crop. But many scientists are concerned about the safety of GMO foods. There haven't been any long-term studies that show the effects of GMO's on the human body. Since our processed food doesn't have to signify if it's made with GMO's we don't know how much of this is in our system, and what effect it's having on our bodies.

I can't stress enough to read labels. Learn the significance of some of those words you can't pronounce. Learn what the numbers mean (like the ones on fruit and vegetables). Be an informed shopper. Your health is your responsibility. Protect it.