You don’t have to go very far to keep yourself healthy. Eating right (stick as close as you can to Mother Nature), and exercise (walking is free) are two of the cheapest things you can do, and when you need a boost, just open your kitchen cabinet (or look in your yard) for some of the best, natural ways to help.
Though, the FDA doesn’t make any claims to herbs healing, and you should not use this information to treat yourself when a doctor is needed, we do know that foods are necessary for survival. The herbs listed here are foods. Foods provide healing. Certain foods help certain areas of the body. They may aid in many ways. Use at your own discretion. I, in no way make claims to them, but offer you suggestions. You can decide if it is for you.
Hippocrates, called The Father of Medicine, who laid the cornerstone for modern medicine (431 BC), said “Let foods be thy medicine.”
Dr. Victor G. Rocine, (circa 1930s) a Norwegian homeopath states, “If we eat wrongly, no doctor can cure us; if we eat rightly, no doctor is needed.” I do believe that doctors are needed, though, as many things can go wrong for many reasons, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take care of ourselves, naturally, too.
Cayenne can stimulate every system and cell of the body, but primarily, the digestive and circulatory systems. It can help with feeding the heart, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, cleansing blood, relieving pain, inducing sweating, healing ulcers, has stopped hemorrhaging, easing congestion, and rebuilding damaged tissues. It has been shown to inhibit cholesterol absorption. The redder the pepper, the more vitamin A, and the mildest form, paprika, has the highest content of vitamin C. It contains beta-carotene, and is high in minerals, such as, iron, sulfur, calcium, and magnesium. Cayenne can boost the powers of garlic, making it a fantastic home remedy antibiotic.
Cinnamon can help lower blood sugar. I can, personally, attest to this. I use it, daily, to keep me from being a pre-diabetic. I have been pre-diabetic before, had gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy, and it runs in both sides of my family. I do not want diabetes. When I take 2000 mg, daily, I can keep my sugar below 100 – it was 89. I stopped taking it for about three months, had my sugars tested and they read 131. Alarmed, I went back on it and tested about six weeks later, and it had dropped to 99. I will never stop taking it, again. The best cinnamon to use is the Ceylon variety. It is lower in coumarin, which in high doses, may be toxic. It is high in anti-oxidants, is an anti-inflammatory, has helped in neurodegenerative diseases, and can aid in weight loss.
Garlic has been beneficial to the immune, digestive, respiratory, urinary, and circulatory systems. It is high in iodine and sulfur, protein, and vitamins A and C. Hippocrates used it to treat infections, wounds, intestinal disorders, and toothaches, and it has been shown to have antibacterial properties. Louis Pasteur, 1850s, first recognized this. It can work on both internal, and external infections. Many times, it is coupled with cayenne. Garlic has been known to keep mucus moving through the lungs; therefore, can aid in bronchial issues and asthma. It can help with worms, and as an enema (mixed with water) can help eliminate pinworms.
Ginger/ginger root has been used in Chinese medicine for years. It aids in digestive disorders, nausea, fever, coughs, can forestall flu, thin blood, and is used in many Chinese formulas to tell the other herbs where to go. Externally, it can help treat dandruff, the oil can cool inflammations, ease earaches, and help in motion sickness. Studies conducted in Japan, have shown that ginger can block cell mutation that can lead to cancers.
Dandelion, though not typically an herb used in the kitchen, and many people keep trying to kill this wonderful herb, is one of my favorites. It belongs to the sunflower family. It furnishes large quantities of nectar and pollen, necessary for feeding young bees. (Kill dandelions, kill bees?) They are high in vitamin A, potassium (which makes the leaves taste bitter), aids in the flow of bile, and cleanses the liver and toxicities. Best of all, they are everywhere, and are free. You can eat the leaves, cooked, raw, or as tea.
Parsley is a good blood purifier. and stimulator for the bowels. It is high in iron, copper, and manganese, vitamins A, B, and C. When dried and used as tea, it has a diuretic action. It builds blood and stimulates brain activity. It can allay the kidneys, but too much can irritate them, as well. Mixed with garlic, it can help high blood pressure.
This blog was meant to get you interested in how you can help yourself, and by no means is an all inclusive listing. I would suggest obtaining a book on natural remedies to further your knowledge. Doing so will make you proactive in your health, and to me, that is the first major step. You are what you eat!
Mary has a private practice in Acupuncture and other alternative practices. She is the owner of Rapha-El Alternative Therapies, LLC, and dba BeautifyNaturally Facial Rejuvenation and BodySculpting.
http://www.BeautifyNaturally.com
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