Ah, the great outdoors: fresh air, rustling leaves, sunshine, and—ouch! whack!—bugs! From flies to mosquitoes to stinging bugs, there’s not much we can do about living with these things. Bugs are part of our environment, and I remember my parents telling me that all creatures on earth have a purpose. (I still cannot figure out what purpose biting flies serve, however, except to help humans create new curse words!) Read on for some herbal help on keeping some bugs at bay. And to fight off allergic reactions to bites and stings, a mixture of blessed thistle, pleurisy root, skullcap, and yerba santa will help you through. Another mixture rich in organic minerals includes alfalfa, marshmallow, plantain, horsetail, oatstraw, wheat grass, and hops. For allergic reactions, I also recommend taking pantothenic acid and high doses of vitamin C. Activated charcoal will help internally and externally as well.
Until the chlorophyll and charcoal kick in, you can use a dab of pure peppermint oil on your tongue to refresh your breath. Peppermint is stimulating and will give you a little lift, too. I like to carry a small bottle of peppermint oil with me wherever I go because I like it so much; I put a dab on my finger and rub it on my gums so my whole mouth feels refreshed. Peppermint also is an activating herb that is used as a flavoring in hard candy. Not only does it aid digestion by stimulating digestive juices, but it also has been useful in stimulating mental alertness.
Chlorophyll, the green pigment of the plants, works as one of the best natural deodorizers for the body. Liquid chlorophyll can be swallowed straight, put in water or juice, or taken in capsule form. Liquid chlorophyll takes the smell out of the body and neutralizes acids in the body that can make you smell. It’s also good for helping to cleanse the bowel, which is where many waste materials are harbored.
Liquid chlorophyll has been used for various conditions and has been useful in:
- Deodorizing the body
- Building up blood count in cases of anemia
- Stopping bleeding when applied externally to wounds
- Supporting the digestive system
- Restoring minerals in the body after depletion
- Clearing up skin conditions
- Providing energy
- Easing sore throats when used as a gargle
- Speeding the healing of canker sores
You don’t have to eat onions to have bad breath. And you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to realize that if everyone around you backs away when you talk to them you probably need an oral odor eater! Local infection such as gum disease (also known as gingivitis) harbor bacteria and can give a foul odor to your breath. (See Chapter 12, “G:
Great Remedies,” for more help with gingivitis.) Sinus drainage can be another localized factor. If no localized problem exists, and if you haven’t had onions or garlic lately, bad breath is probably a result of a toxic bowel or sour stomach. When bad breath is due to a sour stomach, food enzymes will help support your digestion and get to the cause of the problem. Enzymes will also help you break down your foods better so that you are eliminating more efficiently. Enzyme tablets are best taken before meals.
Remember our zinc rhyme? If you stink, take zinc. A client told me once about a friend’s son’s feet that smelled terrible all the time. His mother took him to a naturopath, who told him to take zinc. After taking zinc for two days, the smell was gone! Activated charcoal is another absorbing remedy that will absorb toxins and their smells from the body. Charcoal is used for other things as well, such as filtering harmful pollutants from drinking water. Taken internally, charcoal helps neutralize your bad odors, including body odor.
The blood of the alfalfa plant is sometimes used to make liquid chlorophyll, which helps keep your body from losing calcium. A combination of herbs and supplements to help with arthritis symptoms includes bromelain, hydrangea, yucca, horsetail, celery seed, alfalfa, black cohosh, catnip, yarrow, capsicum, valerian, white willow, burdock, slippery elm, and sarsaparilla.
Other supplements that support digestion and that have been helpful to my own arthritic clients have been B6 supplements and food enzymes with hydrochloric acid.
If you have arthritis, consider these complementary treatments as well:
- Externally, you can apply pure birch essential oil to painful areas to increase blood supply to the area and help ease pain.
- Sodium-rich foods are helpful when suffering from any type of arthritic or structural problem. Juice and drink daily raw carrots, celery, parsley, and okra—all sodium-rich foods used to help relieve or correct arthritis.
- Getting and keeping the circulation flowing will help maintain or bring back flexibility in the joints. Reflexology offers great relief for arthritic feet and hands by stimulating circulation and lymphatic movement. Massage also helps all joints and circulation, along with lymphatic flow. Massage and reflexology might be slightly painful at first but will usually bring relief shortly into the treatment.
The alfalfa plant (Medicago sativa) should be the first herb you think of when you think arthritis. The Arabs first discovered alfalfa’s beneficial uses and referred to it as the Father of All Foods. Alfalfa is very rich in organic minerals: Its deep roots penetrate the earth and find the minerals it needs to thrive; in turn, it provides us with generous amounts of minerals and vitamins when we consume it. Your dosage will vary depending on how minerally deficient you are; start with the dose recommended on the bottle and work your way up. You can take plenty of alfalfa without doing any harm.
Alfalfa has been used to neutralize uric acid in the body (arthritis sufferers are commonly over-acidic in body chemistry due to weakened digestion). In addition, alfalfa seems to prevent cholesterol accumulation in the veins, cleans deep in the cells, provides enzymes for better digestion and assimilation, rebuilds decayed teeth, and helps relieve pain and inflammation. What a helpful little rascal alfalfa turns out to be!
By Laura Ragain, Eye on Your Health
sOUTHWEST FLORIDA - In just about every magazine and on just about every late night cable television network you will find ads for herbal supplements. But do they really help?
Some herbal supplements can make a medication more potent, less effective or even produce harmful side effects.
Mark Collum, Pharm.D. Lee Memorial Health System says, “An example include Ginkgo Bolova which can affect blood thinners such as Aspirin and Coumadin. And ginseng which can increase blood pressure.”
Herbal supplements may also harm organ systems such as the liver, kidneys or GI tract.
“They can alter the metabolism in the liver, they can increase or decrease the absorption from the GI tract, or they can have an effect on the kidneys or increase or decrease the excretion of the chemical compounds, " says Collum.
Generally, it's a good idea to avoid herbal supplements, especially if you're also taking medication to treat diabetes or that affects your liver or heart.
“Another example is Eccanacea which can increase or decrease the effectiveness of heart medication, " says Collum.
If you’re pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breast feeding, your doctor will probably advise you to avoid herbal supplements. You should also talk to your health care provider if you drink green tea, because it has active ingredients that can interact with quite a few common medications.
Arthritis is an inflammation of one or more joints. Many different diseases can cause arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, tuberculosis, and other infections. Arthritis involves painful symptoms, but the good news is that many have gotten relief by using herbs to heal the core problem. Many herbalists believe the main problem is linked directly to a lack of minerals or improper absorption of minerals due to weak digestion.
One particular combination used to support lung function includes marshmallow, Chinese ephedra, mullein, passion flower, catnip, horehound, and slippery elm. Many of these herbs have nourishing and mucilaginous qualities, which means that they serve to moisten the tissues of the body. If the lungs are all dried up, as Dr. Batmanghelidj’s research seems to prove, these herbs will help put moisture back into them.
Dr. Batmanghelidj’s research on healing with water suggests that asthma is nothing more than a disease brought on by dehydration. The lungs lose water every time we exhale, and he describes this as a drought condition in the body, similar to hard, cracked moisture-lacking soil. Drinking more water will help replenish that water for the lungs—and it could just be your least-expensive remedy! Also consider having your blood sugar checked if you have asthma, as plummeting blood sugar levels can often trigger asthmatic reactions. Furthermore, take note if you are having trouble breathing when you haven’t eaten in several hours; then note whether your shortness of breath comes after you have ingested sugary foods. Licorice root is one of the best herbs to take to help bring blood sugar up and keep it steady throughout the day. Try two to four capsules between meals. Also take note if you tend to get short of breath when dealing with a certain person. If so, you might need to get to the core of the emotional issue before any herb can help.
Consider eliminating milk, dairy products, and sugary foods that can increase mucus in the lungs and sinuses and make your asthma symptoms worse. Ginkgo and grape seed extract have also been added to herbal programs designed to combat asthma. Both help by decreasing the sensitivity to allergens and lowering the histamine response.
