FLY,FLY AWAY- HERB PROPERTIES CONCLUSION

April 26, 2010 Monday

" The essence of all growth is a willingness to transform and then a willingness to accept whatever responsibility this requires" Thanks KM

Who doesn't want to transform? Certainly the caterpillar wants to transform into the butterfly. Does the addict want to transform? It is one thing to be willing to transform, yet it is another to accept the responsibilities it will require. Are you ready to accept this challenge? I was willing, able and ready . I have been told an important three words--awareness, acknowledgement, and acceptance. Although willingness and acceptance are two different words, they are sometimes confused and used interchangeable. They should not be. Think about it!

On the blog April 22nd, we ended with the herbal property of nervines. I promised I would finish this area. Oxytocics: These herbs stimulate uterine contractions (this cannot happen in a male subject) to assist and induce labor. Most of us think of magnesium for inducing labor. The herbs that do this are angelica, black cohash, juniper berries, wild ginger and squaw vine. I have never heard of squaw vine so I have a homework assignment tonight.

Parasiticides: These are substances that destroy parasites in the digestive tract. I have used cloves, black walnut, and artemesia (wormwood). Others are garlic, thyme oil, chaparral and rue. I will have to research if placing thyme oil on your skin will distract ticks. This could be a great help to those in Fire Island.

Rubefacients: these are substances that increase the flow of blood at the surface of the skin and produce a redness when they are applied. These draw out inflammation. For the last few years I have worked with a healer from Transylvania. He actually asked a patient to apply cabbage to a infected wound. Instead of soaking in the usual Epsom salts, the patient applied cabbage leaves. The pus filled infection opened, drained and healed after 3-4 applications. This is different than the rubefacients which are used to draw inflammation in the case of rheumatoid arthritis, joint problems and spurs. These herbs include mustard oil, thyme oil, eucalyptus oil and pine oil. My own father used to rub vinegar on his joints and soak them in vinegar. He once purchased a book from the TV Guide, "All that Vinegar Cures". I only remember it was a yellow, soft-covered book. The vinegar worked.

Sedatives: These herbs quiet the nervous system. These include valerian, kava kava, catnip, skullcap and hops. Do not forget the chamomile tea before bedtime.

Sialagogues: these stimulate the flow of saliva. They also aid in the digestion of starch. Well, for those of you who consume high quantities of bread--do not take this literally. The herbs used here are ginger, black pepper, and echinacea.

Stimulants: These herbs increase the energy of the body. We all use coffee or some caffenated drink as a stimulant. The stimulants I include here are cayenne, ginseng, ginger, anise, garlic, astragalus, and sage. There are others that I have not used. Tonics: This is the largest group since these herbs promote the functions of the system of the body. There can be heart tonics, as well as the nervines already discussed. There are also urinary tonics, as parsley, and gravel root. There are biliary tonics that stimulate the production of bile as rhubarb, wild yam and goldenseal. There are liver tonics as dandelion, stone root, and mandrake.

As a child I often wondered why I saw so many people picking dandelion in fields of upstate New York. My grandfather explained the use of dandelion. It is now used in many salads.

Of course, there are even sexual tonics. These are damiana, ginseng, dong quai, and burdock.

I think I have covered most if not all of the herbal properties. I hope you learned something.

ATTENTION: For blog followers, if you pick a topic related to dietary lifestyle or a disease that diet can affect, I will blog about it.

The needle point above is not completed. It is a painted canvas of a simple butterfly. I wanted to show you how simple a canvas can be. I will change the colors, add maybe beads or feathers, and even buttons. I will have Rick photograph it when completed.

Until tomorrow...