THE MEASURE OF love IS TO love WITHOUT MEASURE-
Saint Augustine
I do not know who has the better quote- Saint Augustine or yesterdays Pope John XXIII. Love is a F-O-U-R letter word . Some people may use it too loosely while others use it wisely. There is also unconditional love. This love is unique and cannot even be described in words. A child of 2 hugging his mother, your dog running to the door and licking your face, or possibly your aged father as you help feed him Sunday dinner. I quote about LOVE more often than any other topic.
Perhaps it is because I feel LOVE for life. I couldn't say that twenty years ago. As I have grown older, I have begun to look at love in a different way. What do you love? My affinity for plants as living creatures has changed me. When I look, touch, and feel a flower or a plant, I do it as if I were its father. I do it gently and tenderly. It is a creation of someone greater than myself. The bees see to its pollination and reproduction. The sun, rain and wind keep it alive. Do you ever think like that? Do you appreciate these things in life? Or do you sweat the small things. There are some who seem incapable of love. I know individuals who have fear of intimacy and fear of love. Fear of committing to the love of only one other human being. Some equate love and sex. These are two very different ideals. Think about love today. What do you actually LOVE?
It's medicinal properties were first recorded in the 1st century AD. Pliny and Galen talked about it but never its medicinal use. It is cited in Duke's Medicinal Plants of the Bible. The eclectic physicians of the 1800's discussed it medicinal benefits. I have used it since I first started practicing. It is Hawthorne (Cratageus oxyacantha), the most popularly used herb throughout Europe for the heart. All of its parts are used and the berries are even used to make jam.
Since 1994, there have been human studies on its efficacy and benefit in patients with heart failure. Compared to ACE inhibitors as captopril there is no difference in exercise tolerance. So why not take this plant for heart failure? Just for you to know--these human studies are not with small study groups. One study had greater than 1400 patients while other studies sometimes only have 30-40 patients. I would like to see more studies done with Hawthorn since most of the studies were performed in the 1990's.
The animal and in vitro studies are more numerous, but again many were performed in the 1990's. I have personally used hawthorn in patients for blood pressure control, heart failure, and abnormal rhythms. I have had much success with hawthorn through the last 15 plus years.
So you want to make jam? You need to pick or buy hawthorn berries. The time to collect the berries has already gone this year, so save this recipe and make plans for next year. The time to pick is September to early October.
HAWTHORN BERRY JAM
Pick 1.5lbs of hawthorn berries (This will make 1 jar of hawthorn jelly )
Make sure that you remove the stalks. A good way is to simply roll a clump of berries (stalks and all) in between your hands, and you’ll find they just roll off. It’s certainly easier than individually pulling off each stalk.
Now wash your berries (they look like cranberries) and then drain.
Put the berries into a heavy saucepan, and cover with 1.5 cups of water.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. Mash the berries with a potato masher every 20 minutes.
Now strain the mixture over night using some muslin, or as I did, a jelly bag.
To keep the jelly clear do not squeeze the jelly bag, just let the juice drip. If you’re not concerned about your hawthorn jelly being clear, then squeeze away.
For every 1 pint of juice measure out 1lb of sugar. (I would prefer you use stevia or xylitol.) You can even use raw wildflower honey
Now squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon.
Mix the sugar and lemon juice into a heavy saucepan along with the hawthorn juice. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved.
Now rapid boil for 10 minutes until the jelly has reached setting point.
Skim off any foam from the top of the jelly liquid, and pour into sterilized, warm jars and screw on the lids.
Eat at will. There is no need to leave the hawthorn jelly for a month or so
No comments:
Post a Comment