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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Let the Juices "Move" You

Organic fresh made juices have cleansing and laxative action, which will help you eliminate constipation. Taken regularly they will help you have daily bowel movements.

Organic juices contain loads of mineral, bioflavonoids, vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants, and other nutrients. Citric fruits have citric acid and the more tart they are the more acid they have.

Fresh juice is a fast way to get all types of nutrients into the blood quickly. As juice nutrients get into your blood, they suck out toxins and build up tissues. In your colon they destroy bad bacteria, feed wall tissue, pull out toxins, and have laxative action.

Even though juices provide helpful action throughout the body, it is best to limit their use and drink them in larger quantities only when trying to accomplish certain health benefits.

If you use natural foods with laxative effects, their laxative effect diminishes after long-term use.

If you have diabetes or adrenal fatigue, limit your use of fruits and juices when you first wake up in the morning. However, exercise in the morning will help you tolerate drinking some juices in the morning

When juicing fruits and vegetables, the more fiber that is left with the juice the better results you will get with your constipation.

It is always best to use fresh juices, but as a last resort using frozen juices will be better than not drinking anything.

Apples and Apple Juice

Apples are good for eliminating constipation because they are high in pectin, a soluble fiber, have many minerals, and contain sorbitol - a natural sugar, which stimulates peristaltic action. Pectin helps to detoxify the intestines and promote regular bowel movements.

The fiber in apples adds weight and bulk to your fecal matter and helps draw water from your colon into the fecal matter keeping the stool from becoming hard and thus preventing constipation.

Apples are one of best fruits to eat because they are high in minerals, which provide alkaline electrolytes to your body. What electrolytes do is neutralize acids that are created during illness, anxiety, anger, exercising, breathing pollution, and improper eating. Body acid is a major reason we get deadly diseases as we age

Make eating apples or drinking fresh apple juice a daily habit. They are also effective in liver and gallbladder problems. 

Here’s what to do.

Use crisp and hard apples such as granny smith, Fuji, or gala apples for juicing.

Drink three glass of apple juice during the day - morning, noon, and evening. In combination with drinking fresh apple juice, eat 3-4 apples each day to get fiber. The combination of eating and drinking apple juice will activate your colon to start moving stagnant matter.

One-day apple and apple juice fast

You can also do a one-day or two-day apple and apple juice fast by, eating 3-4 apples during the day. Drink apples juice every two hours. Don’t eat anything until the next morning. Then, start changing your eating habits as listed in some of my other articles.

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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 to grow your own organic vegetable garden

 

During the last decades there has been a change towards mechanization and homogenization of farming, which uses pesticides, additives, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers and mass-production techniques. All this is clearly affecting mankind's health, and new diseases are spreading rapidly amongst humans and animals.

The World Health Organization produces reports to show how the use of chemicals and other products on food, coupled with the manufacturing processes involved, are actually a threat for our health.

If you have space for a few pots or even a small piece of land, it is a wise decision to grow your own organic vegetable garden. Today I'm presenting you with seven reasons for doing this:

1. You will have no additives in your vegetables. Research by organic food associations has shown that additives in our food can cause heart diseases, osteoporosis, migraines and hyperactivity.

2. There will be no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers used. These chemical products are applied to obtain crops all the time regardless plagues or weather conditions, and affect the quality of the vegetables. Besides, pesticides are usually poisonous to humans.

3. Your vegetables will not be genetically modified (GM). Antibiotics, drugs and hormones are used on vegetables to grow more and larger ones. One of the consequences of this practice are vegetables which look all the same and are usually tasteless. Besides, we end up consuming the hormones that have been used on the vegetables, with the potential risks for our health.

4. Eating your own organic vegetables will be much more healthy for you. They will not contain any of the products or chemicals named above, and they will be much more natural than any ones you would find at the supermarket. Your health will not be at risk because you will then know that nothing has been added to your vegetables.

5. Your own organic vegetables will be much more tasty. The use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, hormones and antibiotics make vegetables grow unnaturally and take the taste away from them. With organic vegetables, your cooking will be enhanced as their flavour will show fully.

6. Organic farming is friendly to the environment. Because you won't use pesticides or other equally harming products on your vegetables, you will not damage the soil or the air with the chemical components.

7. When you grow your own organic vegetables you are contributing to your own self-sustainability and the sustainability of the planet. Small communities have been founded where members exchange products that they grow naturally, thus contributing to create a friendly and better place for us all.

In the end, eating organic products only means that we do not add anything else to them than they would naturally have. As you can guess, additives, fertilizers, pesticides or hormones are not components of naturally grown food. To better care for your health, grown your own organic vegetables -and a few pots is all you need.