Keeping Herbs Simple

WHAT IS A SIMPLE?

A "simple" is one herb used at a time. A "simpler" is an herbalist who generally uses herbs one at a time, rather than in combinations.

WHY USE SIMPLES?

Most herbalists - whether from China or Japan, Eastern or Western Europe, Australia or North America - use herbs in combinations. Simplers, don't. Why?

Well, its simply that herbal medicine is people's medicine. Make herbal medicine simple: as simple as one herb at a time. Because people worry about interactions between the drugs they take and herbs, I keep it simple: with simples, interactions are simple to observe, and simpler to avoid. Because empowerment in healthcare is difficult, It should be easy to use safe herbal remedies: and what could be easier, or safer, than a simple?

SIMPLES MAKE YOU THINK

If you are just getting started with herbs, one thing that could confounded you is the many choices you have when you begin to match symptoms to the herbs that relieves them. If someone had a cough you think, "Should I use garden sage or wild cherry bark or pine sap or mullein or coltsfoot (to name only a few of the many choices)?" One way out of this dilemma is to use them all. Some cough syrups can contain every anti-cough herb that you can collect. And they all work.

As you get more sophisticated in your herbal usage, and especially after studying up on the various herbs, you begin to see that each herb has a specific personality, a specific way of acting. you realize that you can't notice the individual actions of the herbs when they were combined.

Dare to use just one herb. Would wild cherry bark tincture all by itself be enough to quell that child's cough? Yes! Would mullein infusion alone really reduce a person's asthmatic and allergic reactions? Yes! Would sage soaked in honey for six weeks ease a sore throat? Yes! Each herb that you try as a simple can be successful. They all work, not just together, but by themselves.

The more you use individual herbs the more you come to know them as individuals. The more you use simples, the simpler and more successful your remedies can become. The more you use one herb at a time, the more you learn about how that herb works, and didn't work.

SIMPLES ARE INTIMATE

When we use one herb at a time, we come to know that herb, we become intimate with that herb. Just as we become intimate with each other by spending time one-on-one, simply together; we become closer to the herbs when we use them as simples.

Becoming intimate with an herb or a person helps us build trust. How reliable is the effect of this herb? When? How? Where does it fail? Using simples helps us build a web of green allies that we trust deeply. Simples help us feel more powerful. They help abate our fears, simply, safely.

SIMPLES ARE SUBTLE

Using one herb at a time gives us unparalleled opportunities to observe and make use of the subtle differences that are at the heart of herbal medicine. When we use simples, we are more likely to notice the many variables that affect each herb: including where it grows, the years' weather, how we harvest it, our preparation, and the dosage. The many variables within one plant insure that our simple remedy nonetheless touches many aspects of a person and heals deeply.

A Herbal apprentice, who tinctured motherwort flowering tops weekly through its blooming period,  reported that the tinctures made from the younger flower stalks had a stronger effect on the uterus; while those made from the older flower stalks, when the plant was going to seed, had a stronger effect on the heart.

SIMPLES GIVE ME POWER

• Using one herb at a time helps you feel more certain that your remedy has an active value, not just a placebo value.
• Using one plant at a time, and local ones at that, reassures you that your herbal medicine cannot be legislated away.
• Using one plant at a time allows you to build trust in your remedies.
• Using one plant at a time is a subversive act, a reclaiming of simple healthcare.

Combinations may erode your power, and might lead you to believe that herbal medicine is best left to the experts.

FROM COMPLEX TO SIMPLE

Take the challenge! Use simples instead of complex formulae. Rework some herbal remedies and get a sense of how simple it can be.

The great anti-cancer formula Essiac contains

• Arctium lappa (burdock),
• Rheum palmatum (rhubarb),
• Ulmus fulva (slippery elm), and
• Rumex acetosella  (sheep sorrel)
• Trifolium pratense (Red Clover blossoms)

Extracting the simple: Rhubarb root has no possible use against cancer; it is a purgative whose repeated use can "aggravate constipation". Slippery elm bark also has no possible anti-cancer properties and has no doubt been added to counter some of the detrimental effects of the rhubarb. Sheep sorrel juice is so caustic that it has been used to burn off skin cancers, but it would likely do more harm to the kidneys than to any cancer if ingested regularly. Leaving us with a great anti-cancer simple: burdock root. One that is found to be superbly effective in reversing dysplasias and pre-cancerous conditions.

But this herbal magnifies its power in the combination. Not only for cancer, this treatment can be used for almost anything. It is kind and gentle and good tasting. It has the most amazing healing properties. This brew is so easy to make and keep as a dried mix in the cupboard. If you get sick -any kind of sick, even gastro, it can be brewed up a cup at a time (1 teaspoon boiled slightly in pure water and cooled with a lid on to keep the delicate essential oils inside. then drink as a tea. It is mighty soothing and uplifting and can be kept down very easily.)

Simples are fun. Give them a try.

Footnotes

Among the many variables, you can especially notice that the tinctures that are made with fresh plants are many times more effective than tinctures made from dried plants. Some say that preparations of common plants growing in uncommon places will be stronger as well. Many herbalists are aware of certain areas of their land that nurture plants that are particularly potent medicines.

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Green Tea - A Treat (ment)

Did you know that tea is one of the top selling consumable drinks, only topped by water?  Drinking green tea provides all kinds of health benefits.

Green Tea has long been valued in China for its contribution to good health. Popularity of Green tea in the United States continues to grow, showing that green tea is a natural source of antioxidants. These antioxidants help protect the body from accelerated aging and increased risk of diseases. Decades of research show that green tea inhibits the development of undesirable cell colonies, thus making it the healthiest tea available.

Green tea has higher contribution to health than other teas, because of the way it is dried. Green Tea is organically grown and the traditional drying technique used with Green Tea prevents the tea from the negative effects of fermentation. Green tea products come in potency levels. Some supplements contain low potencies of the active polyphenols, while others go as far as using un-standardized green tea leaf powder.

It has been proven that green tea is bursting with health benefits. It acts as a powerful antioxidant, which has been known to help prevent cancer, recover from the harmful cholesterol, and protect against damage caused by free radicals.

Medical Benefits: 

Green tea has many medical benefits, and is known for prevention of the following diseases:

• Cancer,
• Rheumatoid Arthritis,
• High Cholesterol,
• Cardiovascular Disease,
• Infection, and
• Impaired Immune Function.

Other Benefits:

• Promotes weight loss- the leaves of green tea plants help raise metabolism in the body. By increasing the amount of calories burned in a 24-hour period, green tea promotes weight loss. 
• Prevent bad breath- an element found in green tea decreases the growth of odor-causing bacteria. It is said that drinking a cup or two of green tea may help maintain fresh breath.
• Reduce smoking risks- cigarette smokers who drink up to six cups of green tea daily reduces their susceptibility to risks caused by the toxins emitted in cigarette smoke. 
• Beauty remedy- green tea may be used to freshen up the face and sooth tired or strained eyes. It can be applied to spots and blemishes to lessen their visibility. 
• Antiseptic properties- Green tea is also known to treat minor cuts and rashes, and is an effective treatment for sunburn.
• Green teas inhibit the expression of antigens made by the body, substances that can trigger an immune response.
• National Cancer Institute reports that Green Tea has Cancer preventing abilities and Cancer fighting components add new life to the market.

People who have relied on expensive anti-oxidant products are finding that Green Tea is very economical and all natural. Tea is one of the top selling consumable drinks, only topped by water.

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7 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Coconut Oil

Summary:

It is a common misconception that coconut oil is bad for you. People all over the world are experiencing the healthy benefits of using coconut oil. It is actually one of the healthiest oils you can consume. Here are the top seven reasons why you should use coconut oil as an alternative to other common cooking oils.

It is a common misconception that coconut oil is bad for you. People all over the world are experiencing the healthy benefits of using coconut oil. It is actually one of the healthiest oils you can consume. Here are the top seven reasons why you should use coconut oil as an alternative to other common cooking oils.

1. Coconut oil doesn't turn to fat in your body.

Unlike many other common oils, like soy (vegetable) and corn, coconut oil won't make you fat. Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), which are an easy fuel for the body to burn, without turning to fat. Most other cooking oils and fats contain long-chain triglycerides (LCT). LCT's are usually stored as fat. Since coconut oil is a MCT, it is more easily absorbed and converted to energy quicker.

People in the tropics have relied on coconuts as a traditional staple in their diet for centuries. They consume large amounts of coconut oil every day. Instead of getting fatter, it helps them stay healthy, lean and trim. When they switch from coconut oil to our modern oils, they develop obesity and the health problems that our modern society faces.

Some other people who have known this truth for a long time are people who are in the animal feed business. When livestock are fed vegetable oils, they put on weight and produce more fatty meat. When they are fed coconut oil, they become very lean.

2. Coconut oil increases your metabolism.

Not only does coconut oil convert to energy quicker in your body, it increases your metabolism, which promotes weight loss. Because it boosts your metabolism, it helps your body burn fat more effectively.

Coconut oil may triple your calorie burn. Since coconut oil is a MCT, it is converted to energy so quickly that it creates a lot of heat. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, MCT's burn three times more calories for six hours after a meal than LCT's.

The February 15, 2005 issue of Woman's World magazine stated that coconut oil is the "underground high-metabolism secret."

This is great news for people who have thyroid problems, since coconut oil improves sluggish thyroids by stimulating the production of extra thyroid hormones. Most other common oils, like vegetable (soy) and corn have been shown to inhibit thyroid function.

3. Coconut oil has omega 3 fatty acids.

Most cooking oils contain omega 6 fatty acids, something we get way too much of in the United States. Our omega 6 to omega 3 ratio should be 1:1 but it is more like 50:1. We need to drastically cut back our omega 6 oils and consume much more omega 3 oils to be healthy. And coconut oil is filled with these healthy omega 3 fatty acids.

4. Coconut oil gives you energy.

Because of the healthy omega 3 fatty acids and the fact that it increases the metabolism, most people that switch to coconut oil feel a burst of added energy in their daily life.

This is because coconut oil is nature's richest source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT's), which increase metabolic rates and lead to weight loss. MCT's promote thermogenesis, which increases the body's metabolism, producing energy.

This is because coconut oil is nature's richest source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT's), which increase metabolic rates and lead to weight loss. MCT's promote thermogenesis, which increases the body's metabolism, producing energy. Many people with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia have found that adding coconut and coconut oil to their diet was helpful to them.

5. One of the best things you can use on your skin and hair is coconut oil.

Coconut oil one of the best things you can apply directly on your skin and hair. It gives temporary relief to skin problems like rashes. It aids in healing and restoring skin to a younger appearance. It has also been known to help with people who suffer from yeast infections in the skin, as well as many other skin problems.

Not only does is soften and smooth your skin, coconut oil has antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radical damage. Coconut oil makes excellent massage oil too.

6. Coconut oil has healthy benefits that most other oils do not.

Evidence is mounting that coconut oil has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects when both consumed and used topically on the skin.

Most oils oxidize and turn rancid very quickly causing free radical damage in our bodies. Coconut oil is not easily oxidized and does not cause harmful free radical damage like polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Free radical damage is thought to be responsible for many ailments in our body from arthritis to increased susceptibility to cancers.

Coconut oil also helps our bodies absorb other nutrients more effectively, such as Vitamin E.

7. Coconut oil is one of the best oils you can use for cooking.

It has a higher smoke point than olive oil, which means it can take higher temperatures better. There are several healthy omega 3 oils we can choose to consume, such as flax and olive oil, but they don't do well under the high heat we use for cooking. Coconut oil can be used in higher cooking temperatures.

It is harder for coconut oil to go rancid, unlike other cooking oils, which are usually rancid long before you even bring them home. Rancid oils cause free radical damage in the body, which is a leading cause of cancer. Coconut oil is stable for over a year at room temperature.

Because of the misinformation we have been given for years, we have lost out on the healthy benefits that coconut oil has given the people of the tropics for centuries. But now it has been rediscovered! Coconut oil is so effective, it won't be long before we see coconut oil supplements promoted, but you can get the jump on the popular crowd and start consuming and cooking with coconut oil today!