Coconut oil is full of healthy benefits. Next to motherÂ’s milk, it is natureÂ’s highest source of medium chain fatty acids (MTCÂ’s), which raise the bodyÂ’s metabolism, leading to weight loss. It has fatty acids such as lauric acid and monoglycerides, similar to motherÂ’s breast milk.

When lauric acid is consumed in the body, whether through motherÂ’s milk or coconut oil, it enhances the immune system to help the body fight infections, diseases, bad bacteria and yeast invasions. Lauric aid is known to be anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial.

Coconut oil raises the metabolism, which helps people who are trying to lose weight and people suffering from thyroid problems. Coconut stabilizes the blood sugar levels, helping with diabetes. It also protects the heart cells from damage.

Coconut oil helps relieve the symptoms of menopause, and pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS). Many women who suffer the effects of PMS have found the symptoms lessened when coconut oil was consumed often in their diet.

Coconut oil does not raise cholesterol. Studies have shown that people who use coconut oil have lower cholesterol than those who do not, even when the people consuming coconut also eat other high cholesterol foods like eggs and meat.

Coconut oil smells good, tastes pleasant and is so good for our bodies that some people consume it straight, by the tablespoon, and use it in place of other oils on their salads. Many people also use it as an ingredient when juicing or making smoothies.

If all this good news isnÂ’t enough, coconut oil one of the best things you can apply directly on your skin and hair. It not only gives temporary relief to skin problems like rashes, but 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, and there is solid research that shows the MCTs in coconut oil do overcome yeast infections. Coconut oil also makes an excellent massage oil.

By Dianne Ronnow. © 2005 Mohave Publishing. All rights reserved. Coconut-Oil-Diet.com.

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Dianne RonnowÂ’s best selling book, “Coconut Oil Diet Secrets” reveals how thousands of people are losing weight and getting healthier with coconut oil diets. For a limited time, we are offering this ebook FREE at Coconut-Oil-Diet.com. Check out the site now and start losing weight today!

To have a sustainable flow of chi, Chinese medical philosophers devised several ways. Some of the best and eminent techniques are listed in this article.

· The flow of chi can be systematized by pinching small needles in the human body at specific points. This treatment or technique was termed as acupuncture. The basic principle behind acupuncture is to open the blockages to have a constant flow of energy throughout the body. The acupuncture needles are meant to puncture or open the points known as acupuncture points. This treatment primarily affects the nervous system of the individual. It helps in secreting some crucial hormones and other chemicals that are not adequately produced but are required by the body. Many diseases like asthma, problems in vision, paralysis, alopecia etc. find acupuncture a satisfying and good remedy. The diseases might not be completely eliminated but they are definitely controlled through the Chinese developed acupuncture therapy. The best point of acupuncture is that it has no side-effects, its harmless to go for it

· Chinese traditional herbal remedies are meant for hypertension and other cardiac problems. In case of hypertension a mixture of hawthorn, linden blossom, yarrow and valerian is given. The yarrow here is a diuretic while the rest act as relaxing agents. The hypertension with headache is treated with an additional wood betony while stress involves the usage of Siberian ginseng and skullcap.

· Arthritis and Inflammation also find a good treatment in Chinese herbs. Medicines like shosaikoto, sinomenium acutum and scutellaria baicalensis are found to be tremendously effective in this area.

· Chinese doctors have always emphasized the importance of exercise. They also worked out a special method or style of exercising. This method was named as ‘qigong’. Qigong is deemed to bi-function as a fitness developing and enhancing scheme and also as a springboard for superior martial arts. A set of qigong exercises has acted as perfect medicine in many cases.

· The Chinese herbs have something to offer in case of common cold, flu, fever and influenza etc. Astragalus belongs to the pea family and is found to stabilize the immune system. Schisandra vine functions in multiple ways like in preventing diarrhea, cough, stress, aids in producing of fluids by the body. Echinacea is beat in averting cold or flu. It is a purple colored coneflower that stimulates the production of infection resistant white blood cells in the body.

This however is not all. Chinese herbs and other remedies like exercises have a record-breaking significance in human life. They have largely contributed to the maintenance of a perfect health.

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Mansi gupta writes about chinese medicines . Learn more at www.chinesemedsbook.com

In the meantime, you are expecting all kinds of things from your body. You might want it to deliver, but your inputs are just not creating the right outputs. Feeling lethargic, with a lack of energy and stamina is a sure sign of loss of natural nutrients in the body.

Many natural health remedies will help you fight all these issues with which your body is faced. A natural health regimen will incorporate the right eating habits, which means your body will get the right food to help you keep fatigue and lethargy at bay.

Natural health remedies come in many forms; these can be natural health products for internal and external use, natural health medicine or natural health tonics. As a consumer, you have a number of options. You should start with one product, build a regimen, and then move on to the next.

A natural health remedy can also involve using natural health products to help you keep your body as healthy as you possibly can. Natural health remedies will help you maintain wellness, not simply treat the symptoms, as is the case in most of modern American medicine.

Your body is like a car. It needs the right fuel, in the proper amounts, so that it can keep running at maximum performance. Natural health remedies will give you a helping and natural advantage in all the little everyday ailments that you are faced with. As a consumer, you have a number of options. You should start with one product, build a regimen and view the results, and then move on to the next.

In addition to using natural health remedies, you should also learn what to eat and in what proportions, so you can prevent stress and fatigue. Changing your diet will have benefits that last beyond the day or the week; changing your diet will have a lifelong impact on your energy level and productivity.

Many of the natural health remedies are praised for their fast and effective means of dealing with many of today’s ailments. Their long history is something that cannot be denied. Chinese herbal medicine has been around for centuries, and in the Western world, folk medicine is being proven by modern science to be based in fact. No longer is folk medicine viewed as an archaic tradition from the hill country of the Southern states. It is joining the mainstream of modern America because people are sick and tired of not only the cost of pharmaceuticals, but because many feel that doctors are simply “throwing” medicine at a problem instead of finding a cure.

My own experience is an example of this. After knee surgery 3 years ago, I developed serious allergies that caused me to break out in hives on a daily basis. Nothing a prominent allergist or my family doctor has done can find the reason for these daily attacks, yet they “keep me going” by prescribing huge doses of Allegra and Tagamet. Out of pocket expenses for these medications, if I did not have co-pay, would be outrageous.

This experience has caused me to become interested in natural herbal remedies and all things related to natural medicine. My quest for a cure has begun with research. I have developed a website, http://www.naturesherbalremediesonline.com , to address the issues facing people today who are seeking answers.

The website is designed to be interactive, with a form on the home page designed for the reader to ask for more information and to give suggestions for topics. I urge everyone interested in natural herbal remedies to visit today, and leave your feedback.

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Alden Smith is a published and award winning author who’s website www.naturesherbalremediesonline.com informs and educates the person wanting to learn more about natural remedies. A martial artist, he focuses now on healing & natural cures.

Before continuing with this article, it must be stressed that the following is for general information only and is not intended in any way to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professionals if you have any concerns about your health—particularly during the flue season. These natural cures may not be applicable to everyone and could be detrimental to your overall health if not discussed with your physician as to possible interaction with any prescribed medication you may be taking.

Some of the time-honored natural cures that have been used for centuries to prevent colds and flu, reduce symptoms, or shorten the duration of colds and flu are showing promising results in research studies. There are a variety of herbs, supplements, and food remedies. Listed below are five that have received favorable results.

1. Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Kefir, and Yogurt

Kimchi (pronounced kim’-chee) is a Korean spicy fermented side dish that has been getting a lot of press since the BBC published a report by scientists in Seoul, Korea who found that 11 of 13 chickens infected with the avian flu started to recover after they were fed an extract of kimchi. It is important to note that there have been no published reports of its effect on people affected with the new strain of avian flu. The key ingredient is thought to be a natural organic acid called lactic acid, that’s also found in sauerkraut, milk, yogurt, kefir (a yogurt-like effervescent beverage), meat, and beer. In
fact recent reports also show sauerkraut being used to treat chickens.

2. Elderberry

Another one of the natural cures that has attracted a lot of attention is the berry extract from elderberry (Sambucus nigra) which contains more than one compound that’s active against flu viruses. One of the many ways it works is by preventing the virus from attacking cells. A study found a 50% reduction in the severity and duration of symptoms in adults and children
after taking an elderberry extract.

Health food stores carry elderberry juice, syrup, and capsules suitable for adults and kids. Only commercially prepared elderberry products made from the berry extract should be used, because the fresh leaves, flowers, bark, young buds, unripe berries, and roots contain cyanide and can result in cyanide poisoning. This is definitely not a do it yourself natural cure that you can prepare!

3. Ginseng

The herb ginseng, used in Asia for over 2000 years, made headlines recently after a double-blind placebo-controlled study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that a ginseng extract reduced the number of upper respiratory infections by 25% during a four month period. The treatment group took two 200 mg capsules of a ginseng extract every day for
four months and reported reduced symptoms, duration of infections, and infection recurrence.

Ginseng can have hormonal effects. Some studies suggest that ginseng can boost estrogen levels, so it should not be on the list of natural cures for women with breast cancer. Ginseng should also be avoided by people taking blood sugar medication or antidepressants known as MAO inhibitors, by children, people with high blood pressure, or by pregnant or nursing women.

4. Astragalus

Astragalus doesn’t come with nearly as many warnings as ginseng. The dried root of astragalus is a popular ingredient in traditional Chinese herbal formulas. It’s now used in the United States to strengthen the immune system and prevent colds and flu. Herbalists recommend it as an immune tonic for people who tend to catch colds frequently.

Preliminary research has shown astragalus can stimulate immune function in humans. It can be found in capsule form at health food stores or as a dried root in Chinese herbal shops and some health food stores. Because of its mild taste, the dried root can be added to soups. The dried root is light yellow and the size and shape of a tongue depressor. A typical daily dose is 9 to 15 g of the dried root, which equals about 3 to 4 slices. Traditionally in Asia, people took astragalus soup once a week throughout the winter. The dose is individual, and people with increased exposure or compromised immune systems may require more. Note: Herbalists do not recommend taking astragalus if you’re already sick.

5. Ginger

Another on the list of popular natural cures: A cup of hot ginger tea is not only invigorating , it is also a great cold fighter. Ginger contains compounds that have been found to be active against rhinoviruses, the most common group of cold viruses. Ginger is a diaphoretic, meaning it fights colds by gently raising body temperature and promoting perspiration.

Note: Ginger is also a blood thinner. Talk to your doctor before taking it if you are taking blood thinners.

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Rita Hutner is a copywriter for Catalogs.com. Catalogs.com is the Internet’s leading source for print and online catalog shopping – and a growing hub of original content and “how to” information at www.catalogs.com

To treat and prevent cancer, new ideas are being thrown out there everyday, but all of them are based on living a healthy lifestyle. Going on a detox diet is a newer form of cancer prevention that has really taken off.

Preventing cancer is possible if you keep your body healthy and free of toxins. Eating healthily is always advisable no matter what disease you are fighting. The reason for this is that healthy foods contain vitamins and have properties that make your body function better. A body that functions properly and at an efficient level stays healthier. That brings us to exercise. Exercise helps your body to burn fat and keeps your muscles toned. It also helps your heart and lungs work better which allows your blood to flow better and keeps waste moving through your body properly. Keeping a healthy lifestyle prepares your body to be healthy.

A detox diet helps your body organs to work at its optimal level and without obstruction. It helps help to remove toxins from your body and remove waste more efficiently. A detox program usually involves lots of fiber and water, and giving your body organs a break. Fiber helps your body to remove waste, which frees up your system to digest food better. This in return gives you more energy. Water has an overall effect on your energy levels and how your body functions. Instead of letting waste build up and causing loads of problems, the detox diet rids your body of waste that frees up your colon. In a nutshell, the detox diet lets your colon get back to work and for your colon to work optimally once again. A colon that is not working can only result in cancer.

Because all the causes of cancer are unknown, but just taking the time to become healthier in cancer prevention can do a lot for your health and future outlook.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Sandra Kim Leong posts information on colon cleansing, liver cleansing, kidney cleansing, detox diet , juice fasting and alcohol detox on her site. For updates and more articles, please visit www.Detox-Cleansing.com.

For a beginner to juice fasting, it is important to start out slow and to try it out for one day. By juice fasting, you are limiting your intake to juices only. Fruit juice is high in sugar, so if you are a diabetic or otherwise in need of monitoring your sugar intake you should be cautious of trying a juice fast with fruit juices. Anyone just starting out with fasting should always speak with their doctor first. Also, do not juice fast for prolonged periods like more than 3 days, not unless your doctor agrees that it is safe for you to do so.

The following are sample recipes that can help give you an idea of combinations of fruits and vegetables to use together:

Recipe 1: Vegetable Juice Combo
2 Swiss chard leaves
1/2 beetroot
2 or 3 sprigs of watercress
3 carrots
1 celery stalk
Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

Recipe 2: Carrot-Apple Juice
2-3 Green Apples
1 carrot
Fresh basil leaves
Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

Recipe 3: Carrot-Vegetable Juice
A handful of dandelion leaves
1 kale leaf
4 carrots
Fresh mint, basil or coriander leaves
Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

Recipe 4: Peach Juice
2 or 3 peaches
Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

There are many different types of juice fasts. Some diets call for fruit juices while others used less sugary vegetable juices. You can always come up with your own unique combination of fruit and vegetable juice diet recipes.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Sandra Kim Leong posts information on colon cleansing, liver cleansing, kidney cleansing, detox diet , juice fasting and alcohol detox on her site. For updates and more articles, please visit www.Detox-Cleansing.com.

Dandelion – This is an herb that is good for the whole body, specifically the immune system. It works to eliminate toxins from the cells in the body. It also increases bile and helps it move along. It is credited with boosting white blood cells thus strengthening the immune system.

Licorice Root – This herb has properties that work like an antioxidant, fight viruses and helps the body produce antibodies.

Cascara Sagrada – This herb works like a laxative. It helps the bowels move.

Black Walnut Hulls – This herb also works in the bowels. It works against parasites and removes them from the intestines. It also helps remove fatty material and toxins.

Garlic – Garlic is the classic kitchen-pharmacy remedy and has been used for centuries as an antiseptic. It detoxifies the gut and helps the bowels function properly. It works like a laxative in making the bowels move regularly.

Goldenseal – this herb is well known for its cleansing power. It can rid the body of toxins and help to remove obstructions.

Psyllium – This herb also works to help move the bowels.

Here are some Chinese herbs that are used for detoxification.

Lian Qiao – Lian Qiao is the forsythia flower. It has a cleansing action and helps to clear heat and toxins.

Ju Hua – Otherwise known as the Chrysanthemum. This is a pungent herb that should not be overcooked, or it will lose its potency. It has cleansing properties.

Pu Gong Ying – Pu Gong Ying is the dandelion plant. It is the parts of the plant above the root that is being used as a remedy. It is effective as a detoxification herb.

It is important to know that the main point of detoxification is removing toxins from the body, usually through the bowels. Using herbs is gentler on your system than other methods and you get additional benefits from the nutrients that herbs supply.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Sandra Kim Leong posts information on colon cleansing, liver cleansing, kidney cleansing, detox diet , juice fasting and alcohol detox on her site. For updates and more articles, please visit www.Detox-Cleansing.com.

The thyroid regulates the rate of energy production in the bodyÂ’s cells. Thyroid disorder reduces the bodyÂ’s metabolism and makes you feel sluggish.

Reason 2

Thyroid disorder also increases your risk of degenerative diseases such as heart disease, cancer and arthritis and your risk of widespread infection. In severe cases, the energy level in the bodyÂ’s cells cannot even sustain a basic level of metabolism, creating a life-threatening situation.

Reason 3

One major problem with thyroid disorder is that itÂ’s often missed in diagnostic tests. Even if tests show that you do not have a thyroid disorder, you might still be at risk. If your body is highly acidic, your risk of thyroid disorder increases.

Reason 4

Thus, even if you havenÂ’t been diagnosed with thyroid disorder, itÂ’s important to check your bodyÂ’s overall pH level and take dietary and other steps to reduce the acid level in your body.

Reason 5

You will not only reduce your chances of developing thyroid disorder or making an existing thyroid disorder even worse. You will improve your health overall and reduce your vulnerability to degenerative disease.

THE RISK

Accumulation of acids in your body, due to insufficient digestion of food, food allergies and consumption of acid-forming substances, can cause thyroid disorder. Acid-related causes of thyroid disorder also include exposure to heavy metals and toxic chemicals in the water supply and in highly processed food. When your bodyÂ’s acid level rises too high, your thyroid function will be depressed and your metabolism will slow.

Lack of digestive enzymes, also caused by over-consumption of processed foods, further causes your thyroid disorder. Your bodyÂ’s ability to neutralize acids is further reduced. As you get older, the more toxins you’re exposed to, the more likely you will develop a thyroid disorder if you haven’t already.

THE DAMAGE

With a thyroid disorder, your bodyÂ’s cells and organs will not metabolize as quickly as they should. The presence of excess acid only makes the problem worse. Your cells and organs will become overrun with acid that they need to eliminate, but your thyroid disorder will reduce their ability to deal with these acids. The acid, in turn, will perpetuate or worsen your thyroid disorder.

For example, a sluggish thyroid reinforces the digestive problems that cause acid to accumulate in your body. Because a thyroid disorder slows your cellular metabolism, it reduces your bodyÂ’s ability to eliminate acid waste. The more acid-forming substances you consume, the more this cycle repeats.

Thyroid disorder also reduces your immune system function, leading to chronic infection. With the accumulation of acid in your body, infection will spread quickly, further reducing your bodyÂ’s ability to neutralize acids.

As with other organs, the thyroid needs glucose and oxygen to function. When acid waste accumulates in the bloodstream, these vital substances cannot get through. Without adequate oxygen and glucose, thyroid function is reduced. The resulting thyroid disorder further reduces the bodyÂ’s ability to clear the bloodstream of these acids that prevent the oxygen and glucose from getting through.

THE BENEFITS OF A BALANCED pH

Because thyroid discover causes so many other degenerative diseases, a thyroid that functions properly can restore health in so many other areas of your body. When you neutralize the acids in your body and eliminate acid-forming substances from your diet, you give your thyroid a chance to heal. Improved thyroid function will, in turn, help your other body organs function properly.

To neutralize acids and restore your bodyÂ’s pH balance, you need to reduce or eliminate consumption of acidic foods and other acidic substances. Adding more alkaline foods and minerals to your diet can help restore thyroid disorder. As your acid level falls, you’ll find that your thyroid function will increase. Your bodyÂ’s metabolism will increase as a result, and you’ll be able to neutralize acids even further. The end result will be restored health, higher energy, and a decreased risk of thyroid disorder.

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Learn how to relieve and treat thyroid disorder. Get free 7-day email mini course that shows you how to make your body alkaline and relieve thyroid disorder.

Visit this link for details: www.pH-health.com/getreport.html

What is the active ingredient in herbal medicines?

Most herbal medicines contain hundreds of chemicals and there is often no agreement as to which is potentially active. An example is garlic, comprised of many sulfur compounds, several of which are candidates for possible therapeutic activity.

How can one be sure that herbal medicines contain what is on the label?

The only regulatory requirement in The US markets is that all products intended for medicinal use, including natural health products, are issued a Drug Identification Number. However, these numbers are not required for raw materials such as bulk herbs. Herbal medicines are not required to pass any regulatory analysis to be sold as a health food supplement. There are many examples of herbal medicines that have been adulterated with other (more toxic) herbs, potent drugs (e.g. phenylbutazone, synthetic corticosteroids and other prescription drugs), or heavy metals.

How are herbal medicines standardized?

The chemical constituents of plants vary depending on the species, variety and part of the plant, with conditions of growth (soil, water and temperature), and with the age of the plant. These complexities and variations of chemical content make standardization essential. In some cases standardization is attempted, but it is difficult and seldom accomplished.

Plants are rich sources of chemicals and potential sources of effective herbal medicines. However, more research, regulation, and standardization are required before herbal medicines can be recommended as effective and safe therapies.

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For more information, visit The Herbal Remedies Guide and

The Herbs Info Center

David Chandler

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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 I have met – whether from China or Japan, Eastern or Western Europe, Australia or North America – use herbs in combinations. Simplers, like myself, don’t. Why?

Because I believe that herbal medicine is people’s medicine, I seek to 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, I want to offer others easy, safe herbal remedies: and what could be easier, or safer, than a simple?

SIMPLES MAKE ME THINK

When I was just getting started with herbs, one thing that confounded me was the many choices I had when I began to match symptoms to the herbs that relieved them. If someone had a cough 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 was to use them all. I made many cough syrups that contained every anti-cough herb that I could collect. And they all worked.

As I got more sophisticated in my herbal usage, and especially after I completed a course on homeopathy, I began to see that each herb had a specific personality, a specific way of acting. I realized I couldn’t notice the individual actions of the herbs when they were combined.

It felt daring at first 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 I tried as a simple was successful. They all worked, not just together, but by themselves.

The more I used individual herbs the more I came to know them as individuals. The more I used simples, the simpler and more successful my remedies became. The more I used one herb at a time, the more I learned about how that herb worked, 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, tête-à-tête, 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.1 The many variables within one plant insure that our simple remedy nonetheless touches many aspects of a person and heals deeply.

One apprentice tinctured motherwort flowering tops weekly through its blooming period. She 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 me feel more certain that my remedy has an active value, not just a placebo value. Using one plant at a time, and local ones at that, reassures me that my herbal medicine cannot be legislated away. Using one plant at a time allows me to build trust in my remedies. Using one plant at a time is a subversive act, a reclaiming of simple healthcare.

Combinations erode my power, activate my “victim persona”, and lead me to believe that herbal medicine is best left to the experts.

FROM COMPLEX TO SIMPLE

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

The anti-cancer formula Essiac contains Arctium lappa (burdock), Rheum palmatum (rhubarb), Ulmus fulva (slippery elm), and Rumex acetosella (sheep sorrel). 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 I have found superbly effective in reversing dysplasias and pre-cancerous conditions.

A John Lust formula for relief of coughs2 contains Agropyron repens (witch grass), Pimpinella anisum (aniseed), Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice), Inula helenium (elecampane root), Pulmonaria officinalis (lungwort), Thymus species (thyme herb), (murillo bark)3, Chondrus crispus (irish moss), Lobelia inflata (lobelia herb). Witch grass has little or no effect on coughs; it is an emollient diuretic whose dismissal from this group would leave no hole. Anise seeds are also not known to have an anti-pertussive effect; although they do taste good, we can do without them. Lobelia can bring more oxygen to the blood, but is certainly not an herb I would ever add to a cough mixture, so I will leave it out here. Licorice is a demulcent expectorant that can be most helpful for those with a dry cough; however, I do use it for a variety of reasons, among them its exotic origins and its cloyingly sweet taste. Lungwort is, as its name implies, a pectoral, but its effect is rather mild, and its place in the Boraginaceae family gives me pause. How much pyrrolizidine alkaloid might it contain? Thyme, and its more common anti-cough cousin garden sage, contains essential oils that could both quiet a cough and counter infection in the throat. A strong tea or a tincture of either could be our simple. Irish moss is, a specific to soothe coughs and a nutritive in addition, would also make an excellent simple. But it is elecampane that I would crown. It is not only a specific to curb coughing, it counters infection well, and tonifies lung tissues. Several small doses of a tincture of elecampane root should quiet a cough in a few hours.

Simples are fun. Give them a try.

Footnotes:

1. Among the many variables, I have especially noticed that the tinctures that I make with fresh plants are many times more effective than tinctures made from dried plants. My elders tell me 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.
2. John Lust. The Herb Book. 1974. Bantam.
3. Note that this formula, as is frequently the case, contains an “exotic” herb which Mr. Lust does not include in the 500+ herbs in his book, nor does he give us a botanical name for the plant, leaving us literally unable to prepare his formula as presented.

Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081

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Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often profoundly provocative.

Susun is one of America’s best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women’s health. Her four best-selling books are recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and are used and cherished by millions of women around the world. Learn more at www.susunweed.com