Plantain Won’t Make You Weak in the Knees

If none of the other factors noted for joint injuries seem to fit you, weak knees may indicate a weakness in the kidneys, believe it or not! Supporting your urinary system with herbs such as parsley and uva ursi can be helpful for this problem. In the meantime, the herb plantain may just be just what the doctor didn’t know to order! Plantain (Plantago major) is similar to comfrey in its abilities as a healer. It is rich in minerals and vitamins C and K. Plantain also is a mucilaginous herb, which makes it soothing to the tissues and kidneys. You can take this plant externally as well as internally because it is mild and considered safe to use.

Down on Your Knees

If you’re weak in the knees or are experiencing any type of knee problems, such as inflammation or problems with the knee joint itself, read the previous section on joint injuries; the information on digestion and pH balance may apply to you also.
Other structural problems, such as poor shoes, may be contributing to knee problems. See your podiatrist (foot doctor) to help you. Your chiropractor also can help if you are misaligned. Sometimes the hips can rotate and can eventually affect your knees. If you have a growing boy or girl who is having pain in the knees, he or she may have an overactive thyroid or other gland that is that is resulting in abnormally fast growth and straining the joints. Have your doctor check for any endocrine imbalances.

Peach Bark: When Your Kidneys Are Not Feeling Peachy

When dealing with a kidney inflammation or infection, peach bark (Prunus Persica) is another helpful ingredient used in herbal remedies. The bark and leaves of the peach tree serve as a diuretic and will help flush out toxins from the urinary tract. Peach bark is high in phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium and can be used for problems with the bladder, the uterus, water retention, and the respiratory system (for coughs and bronchitis). If you are fighting a kidney infection, you should also drink lots of water to help your body flush out toxins—add lemon to the water to help purify your system. A spoonful of black strap molasses has proven useful as well.

Parsley: More Than a Plate Decoration

Clean your plate—then eat your parsley! Parsley (Petroselinum sativum) is a green, bushy herb commonly served on restaurant plates as a garnish. This is more than just a pretty piece of leaf, though: Parsley is excellent for the urinary system, and it also aids digestion and helps cut garlic breath.
Parsley also serves as a mild aphrodisiac. The word is derived from two Greek words, meaning “rock celery,” and it is rich in chlorophyll, to help get rid of excess water retention in the body without depleting potassium, as diuretic drugs can. Some of the same herbs used for bladder infections are also great used here; these include uva ursi, dandelion, chamomile, cornsilk, and liquid chlorophyll.

Hydrangea: Like a Rollin’ Stone

A kidney stone, a calcification of mineral deposits, is a painful ailment. The pain of having or passing a kidney stone has been described as one of the most painful conditions known to man! The stones can crystallize and cause very sharp, burning pains in the body. They can even be life-threatening if one gets stuck along your urinary tract and inhibits the natural flow of body fluids. Most occurrences of kidney stones happen in the summer time. This is thought to be linked with not drinking enough water to keep the kidneys flowing and stones from forming (during hot weather, the body’s need for water increases due to the excess evaporation from the skin).
Fortunately, the herbal kingdom has a stone-solvent herb for us to help break up these little rocks. Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) leaves and root have been used for the entire urinary system for bladder infections, kidney infections, gallstones, gout, kidney problems, calculi, and other renal irritations. This herb seems to be able to lessen the pain associated with passing kidney stones and also helps prevent them from forming in the first place. Furthermore, hydrangea is known to help back pain associated with kidney problems and has been used to help enlarged prostate glands.
When peeled, the bark of the hydrangea plant displays seven different colors. Thus, it was nicknamed “seven bark” by our ancestors, who used it as a folk medicine.
A Harvard University study showed that the following program prevented kidney stone formation:

• Vitamin B6
• Magnesium
• Hydrangea
• Pure water
• Extra lemon water

Cure for Kidney Problems

Supporting your digestion and getting the right minerals will take you a long way toward keeping your urinary system healthy, but let’s take a look at some herbs that can support that system anyway.
The kidneys are responsible for a lot more than just filtering out waste products. They are also linked to the circulatory system and help keep a mineral balance in the body. They filter out uric acid waste products, so when you eat foods that cause you to be more acidic, you are putting excess stress on the kidneys. Every food we eat is broken down and leaves an acid or alkaline residue.
Ideally, our diet should consist of 80 percent alkaline-forming foods and 20 percent acid forming foods. Here’s a table of some foods that are considered acid and alkaline. How well are you doing to stay in balance?
You can see by the table that most of the acid-forming foods are proteins (meat, cheese, beans, nuts). Therefore, in general, a high-protein diet is not as healthy for your kidneys because they have to filter out the excess acid left over from these foods. For general support for the kidneys, eat more alkaline foods. Also drink liquid chlorophyll daily in your water because it is alkalizing and good for the entire body.

Healing Is a Joint Effort

If you are continually getting joint injuries, you may have some other issues going on that could be aggravating your problem. Consider a hair analysis to determine if you could have too much calcium in your body or some sort of great mineral imbalance that needs attention. Yes, too much calcium is possible.

• See your joint specialist, and get his or her assessment.
• If there is a misalignment in the joints, a chiropractor can help.
• If there is some significant deterioration in your cartilage or other joint

tissues, you may be having a problem with digestion that could be creating a problem in your structural system. Proper digestion is essential for absorbing the minerals and nutrients needed by our structural system.
Let me explain. Our internal chemistry lab is a very complicated system that requires balance for perfect health. One of these balances is our pH balance between acidity and alkalinity. If the body is too acidic, it can harbor the overgrowth of bacteria, parasites, and fungus—and it even can make a perfect environment for growing cancer. On the other hand, being too alkaline is just as dangerous—and being severely too alkaline means death. Needless to say, balance is important. Diet and physical or emotional stress can throw this pH balance out of kilter.
Pain usually results when the body is too acid, just like in fibromyalgia, arthritis, rheumatism, osteoarthritis, and recurring joint injuries. This is because the body tries to compensate for the overacidity in the body by neutralizing the acid with calcium. Calcium is alkaline and is stored in the bones.
So why are you overly acidic? Here are a few clues:

• Your digestion is poor (usually the cause for the overacidity in the first place).
• You are not getting enough calcium in your diet.
• There is a mineral imbalance in the body (minerals all work together in an intricate balance).
• Your absorption of minerals is poor due to mineral imbalance, improper diet, and poor digestion.
• You’re experiencing high levels of stress.
• You’re getting lots of physical exercise.

These factors can make it difficult for the body to properly utilize the calcium that you do ingest. In its attempt to compensate and keep you alive, your body takes its alkaline calcium from your largest storehouse of calcium: your bones. This process will eventually weaken your entire structural system, and you will see more injuries and displacements, such as back misalignments, stiff necks, injuries, and aching muscles and joints. I see this happen with the elderly too often; their hips finally give out and they fall, shattering the already weakened bones.
When this calcium-robbing business continues, the body also needs sodium to keep calcium in the blood stream. Guess where it gets the sodium? From your joints! Your joints contain one of the largest stores of sodium in the body. So, now you can see why you would want to support your digestion for the prevention of joint injuries—or any structural problems, for that matter.
Herbs and supplements that support digestion include:
➤ Papaya
➤ Peppermint
➤ Spearmint
➤ Liquid chlorophyll
➤ Food enzymes with or without hydrochloric acid
➤ Ginger
➤ Catnip
➤ Marshmallow
➤ Pepsin