#23 ©July, 2001 ••••••• Don Harthcock, Editor
OpinionSoup may contain language and topics unsuitable for children.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." ~Benjamin Franklin
IN THIS ISSUE:
FORAGING WILD FOOD (JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE) - Personal from Donny
CUBEB - Piper cubeba...should it be Piper pubeba?
VITAMIN D - You will never have another ricket!
ECHINACEA - "It keeps you from getting sick." ~G.H.
EGGPLANT - Please don't eat the leaves.
EPIZOODIX - "Go away and leave me alone!"
LUTEIN - Was Popeye a visionary?
MAGNESIUM SALICYLATE - Doan's Pills
MONDO GRASS - Give that lawnmower to Goodwill, and rock on!
NORMAL - Donny is not normal.
WHOLE-GRAIN FOODS - Mikey likes it! Donny and Jonnie, too!
YERBA MANSA - Southwestern Soggy Bottom Miracle Herb
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FORAGING WILD FOOD - JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE
Jerusalem Artichoke is the tuberous root of Helianthus tuberosus, an American wild Sunflower. Tubers of this herb, also called Girasol, have a HIGH INULIN CONTENT AND ARE RECOMMENDED TO THOSE WITH DIABETES OR A TENDENCY TO DIABETES.
Jerusalem Artichokes were cultivated by Native Americans. Medicinally, they also treat asthma, constipation, and low libido; they are said to increase the production of semen. They contain calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and Vitamins A and B.
They are excellent raw, sort-of like Chinese water chestnuts, and they can also be cooked like potatoes. Steamed is better than boiled, but in any case cook them quickly - after ten minutes or so, they can become tough and unpalatable.
Jerusalem Artichokes aid in disorders of the Liver, Lungs, Kidneys and Pancreas.
These plants are common ditch weeds in Mississippi, blooming in October. Growing very tall and sporting beautiful yellow flowers (like ordinary Sunflowers, but smaller), they are one of my favorite wildflowers. As far as I know, nobody in Mississippi forages them except me.
Additionally sad is my supposition that few Mississippians forage ANY wild plant, or would know how to do it if they wanted to, which they don't. It's too "old-fashioned" for these modern, lazy folks, who, like their pets, could not live in the wild. Many people of my acquaintance are actually somewhat ashamed of their grandparents' and great-grandparents' herbal and wildcrafting knowledge, now lost. In their ignorance, they imagine themselves to be far too sophisticated for such things. It's pitiful.
They even laugh at me for gathering wild garlic, because "at the store it's so cheap," and few people here cook with garlic in the first place. They don't pick wild blackberries or dewberries anymore; they don't gather wild plums, muscadines or hickory nuts; some people don't even pick up pecans from their own back yards. Most of them wouldn't eat dandelion greens if you held a gun to their heads.
They do, however, buy packaged junk food by the ton and throw their car trash out the window without a care.
Hank Williams, Jr. sang "A Country Boy Can Survive," but I doubt it. That was wishful thinking, Hank. You were just having nostalgic thoughts about your own country boyhood, which was none too deprived, I imagine.
Today's "country boys" are all show and no substance. They drive brand-new pickups bought by their Daddies; they wear their caps backward, sport earrings, and chew tobacco or dip snuff because they think it looks cool; they ambush deer from tree stands with high-powered rifles (and call that "hunting"); they watch a lot of TV and play a lot of video games. Not one in ten could survive in the woods, I'm sorry to say.
I suspect that I won't be taken seriously, but Donny urges you to consider that at some time in the future, food may not be so cheap or so readily available as it is, now. You need to learn for yourself and to teach your children that milk is not manufactured like Cola, that fish are neither square nor shaped like sticks, and that fresh produce does not come from the back room of the IGA. You might also want to find a delicate, non-Donny way of telling them that eggs come from a chicken's ass.
I suggested to the Department of Human Services (DHS) that classes in foraging edible wild plants be made available to the public, and that all citizens be encouraged to learn what was available in the wild, edible and free. Their response was not just negative; it was downright hostile!
"Do you want poor people to have to eat roots and twigs?" I was asked by a stuffy bureaucrat, who possibly thought that my suggestion somehow threatened her job. Maybe she honestly thought I was suggesting that people in financial trouble should be turned away and told to eat grass.
On reflection, I think maybe I should have made this suggestion to some other agency; the Mississippi DHS is extremely uptight. Not coincidentally, the DHS is also an object lesson in mismanagement, if not outright malfeasance.
At the root of my idea was the desire to help people become self-sufficient. Items as important as self-sufficiency and personal dignity make a very short list.
My suggestion that folks be taught how to forage for wild, free food is perhaps not feasible in large cities, but for Yazoo City, Mississippi, I thought it deserved more than a hostile, out-of-hand rejection.
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CUBEB
- for "crotch rot"
Piper cubeba, related to Black Pepper and Kava, is a tropical southeast Asian vine with spicy fruits. The dried, unripe fruits are used in flavorings, perfumes, and pharmaceuticals.
Cubeb is common in Java and Sumatra, where it grows wild. It is also cultivated on some coffee plantations, climbing the shade trees which are necessary to coffee growing. Before Black Pepper became a cheap and common imported spice, Cubeb was sometimes substituted. It is an inferior substitute, as it is quite bitter. Cubeb's chief use is in medicinal preparations made from the volatile oil of its bitter seeds.
Medicinally, Cubebs are mildly stimulant, expectorant, stomachic, and carminative. They are famed for their power to greatly reduce mucous discharges, both bronchial and urethral. Extracts from this spice are commonly used to treat phlegmy coughs and colds, as well as urethral discharges associated with gonorrhea.
Cubebs have been used for centuries for all bladder problems, as they greatly increase the flow of urine. Use of this extract will cause your urine to darken and take on the characteristic, spicy aroma of Cubeb.
In Ayurvedic medicine, Cubeb has been used to treat gonorrhea, leucorrhea, chronic inflammation of the bladder, prostate abscess, chronic laryngitis, bronchitis, and severe indigestion.
Western herbalists have prescribed Cubeb for chronic inflammations of the urinary tract, as well as vaginal yeast infections and the "scalding urine" often experienced during menstruation.
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VITAMIN D
- The Sunshine Vita-Hormone
Necessary to Calcium and Phosphorus utilization, Vitamin D promotes strong bones, gums and teeth, it prevents rickets (what's a ricket?), it works to maintain good health and vitality, it protects against muscle weakness, and it helps regulate the heart (through Calcium absorption).
VITAMIN D IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR NORMAL BONE GROWTH IN CHILDREN, AND IT MAY PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS IN THE ELDERLY.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin occurring in several forms, especially Vitamin D2 (a crystalline compound produced by ultraviolet irradiation of Ergosterol, also called Calciferol, Ergocalciferol) or Vitamin D3 (a crystalline compound found in fish-liver oils, irradiated milk, and all irradiated animal foodstuffs, also called Cholecalciferol).
The sun's UV rays irradiate certain sterols in your skin (if you've been eating the right foods), transforming them into precursors of Vitamin D. Irradiation of sterols found in dairy products, egg yolk, fish (especially tuna), fish-liver oil, and milk, produces Vitamin D. It is most effective in the presence of Vitamins A and C, Choline, Calcium and Phosphorus.
Vitamin D supplementation is necessary when a person cannot be exposed to sunlight, or as part of a directed treatment for arthritis, menopausal symptoms or osteoporosis.
Many nutritionists place Vitamin D in the "Vitamins That Are Not Really Vitamins" category, because (1) our bodies can make it, upon exposure to sunlight, and (2) its action in our bodies is more like a hormone than a vitamin.
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ECHINACEA (Purple Coneflower)
- Road Warrior of infection-fighters!
Also known as Black Sampson, Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea, E. angustifolia, E. pallida) is the Road Warrior of infection fighters, boosting the immune system to an astonishing degree for an over-the-counter, easy-to-obtain herb. Take it for blood poisoning, fevers, infections, insect bites, and allergies. Marker compound and basis of standardization is Echinacosides (Cichoric Acid).
Echinacea is known to boost the production of interferon and also to boost the activity of T-Cells, by the action of its polysaccharides. It "works" in a number of different ways, also directly attacking bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses.
This perennial herbal antibiotic is native to the American prairie. Native Americans of that area have used Echinacea for centuries as a remedy for toothaches, snakebites and insect stings. It was first commercialized in 1870, and it was promoted as a cure-all both in the United States and in Europe.
Take it before you get a full-blown cold, and you won't get one. Take it after your cold is full-blown, and the duration of your illness will be shorter.
Both roots and flowers are used; Echinacea root also contains nutrients for the prostate. IN MY TOP-TEN OF MUST-TAKE SUPPLEMENTS, Echinacea is especially important for your family during the winter months. This herb is available in all the usual commercial forms, but most herbalists agree that Echinacea Extract is the most potent.
A good pair of personal "defensive linebackers" during the colds and flu season is offered by many herb outlets: Echinacea and Goldenseal Root together, in one product. See Goldenseal.
Zinc lozenges are praised elsewhere in this work for their value in fighting colds...look for Zinc With Echinacea Lozenges (Donny has lingering doubts about the efficacy of the small amount of Echinacea in this product). See Zinc.
Echinacea is approved as an over-the-counter drug in Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. About 400 scientific studies have confirmed the immune-enhancing properties of this Native American herb.
Purple Coneflower is also a beautiful plant for your borders, and if you have a vacant lot you want to turn into Wildflower Heaven, Echinacea will quickly become a perennial. This plant is a big favorite of butterflies and bees. Goose Egg Park on Grand Avenue here in Yazoo City MS is beautifully a-bloom right now, and its Purple Coneflower borders really stand out (a project of my neighbor's Garden Club).
I first heard of Echinacea some years back from a fellow croupier named G.H. (we were dice dealers and supervisors at the Lighthouse Point Casino in Greenville MS, the only casino either of us had ever worked for that didn't give drug tests).
After work one night, we were planning to go to the Jubilee Casino next door and lose all our money, but first G.H. wanted to pick up his "medicine," he said. The casino shuttle dropped us off at the employee parking lot, about 140 miles away, and G.H. then retrieved a container from the glove box of his Jeepish Toyota. I noticed that the label said Echinacea.
"What's 'etchy-natia?'" I asked.
G.H. got that satisfied look on his face that people always wear when their friends have just said something stupid.
"It's 'Echinacea,'" he smirked, pronouncing it correctly.
"Whatever," I retorted, giving it my best Archie Bunker imitation. "So, what's it for?"
"It keeps-you-from-getting-sick," G.H. told me. Mr. Verbosity elaborated no more, but I was to learn how right he was.
By the way, if you know G.H. and you know where he is, tell him to call me. Last I heard, he was in Mexico hiding from the IRS.
P.S. If you are contemplating taking massive amounts of Goldenseal for any reason, throw in some Echinacea.
CAUTION: IF YOU ARE BEING TREATED FOR AIDS, DIABETES, LUPUS, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS OR TUBERCULOSIS, TALK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TAKING ECHINACEA. DO NOT TAKE ECHINACEA IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO FLOWERS OF THE DAISY FAMILY.
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EGGPLANT (Aubergine)
- sidetracks the cholesterol in fatty meals
Solanum melongena is said to have originated in India. It is one of the so-called "Nightshade" vegetables; therefore, the foliage is toxic, but not the fruit.
If Eggplant is served with foods high in fat or cholesterol, the cholesterol seems not to be assimilated.
Eggplant is said to be anticonvulsant. Its protease inhibitors are believed to help prevent cancer.
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EPIZOODIX
- "What's wrong, honey...you got the epizoodix?"
PMS. Most often used with "the" (a Southern way of speaking, as in "I've got the stomach flu," or "I've got the sick headache," or "I've got the Epizoodix."
This is old, Southern dialectical for "Episodics," or Monthlies. It was told to me by Sue Ellen, a friend who made me swear not to use her last name, for fear that someone will think that she knows me.
Did Ethel Waters use this word in The Sound and the Fury? Maybe I heard Hattie McDaniel say it in Gone With the Wind?
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LUTEIN
- "I'm strong to the finach, 'cause I eats me spinach." ~Popeye
image courtesy of diamondorganics.com
Antioxidant Lutein is the most abundant carotenoid. There is compelling evidence of the antioxidant activity of Lutein in blood serum. Deterioration of Lutein has been linked to the onset of "macular degeneration," the leading cause of blindness in adults over forty.
"Lutein" is taken from Latin luteum (egg yolk), from luteus (yellow). This yellow carotenoid is found in alfalfa, egg yolks, fruits, marigold flowers, vegetables (esp. spinach), with somewhat less of it contained in many other plants. The origin of the name was not actually chicken eggs but the corpus luteum, a part of the ovaries.
More important is the presence of Lutein in the macula of the eye. Our bodies do not "make" Lutein...we depend entirely on dietary sources or supplements.
Lutein ingestion is not a CURE for macular degeneration...it is, rather, a preventative. It has been shown to improve vision, however; it can also slow down the progression of damage that has already begun.
In a study linking Lutein to macular degeneration, Stuart Richer, O.D., reported "improvements in visual function in as little as three months. Often striking improvements in vision were detected through follow-up tests, even when the patient did not report subjective vision changes."
Supplementation is recommended, because most people simply will not maintain a Lutein-rich diet. Some folks most at-risk, particularly older people in nursing homes, do not have any options concerning their diet.
NOTE: a little fat or oil in the diet helps the body assimilate Lutein.
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MAGNESIUM SALICYLATE
- regarding Doan's Pills, the FDA, and Ciba
Used mostly for backaches and painful joints, Magnesium Salicylate is available over-the-counter as Doan's Pills®.
This product used to be entirely herbal, containing Buchu and other plant extracts, before the FDA demanded that they "prove" their pain-relieving claims. Such proof as the FDA desires, when its pharmaceutical company buddies want a competitor off the market, would cost millions of dollars to deliver, so the Doan family just copped out and sold their product name to Ciba.
Magnesium Salicylate is available in stronger dosages by prescription, as Salsalate® and Mobidin®. Why? The FDA claims that these high dosages are "dangerous for children," as if a child could not ingest several of the weaker OTC pills. Donny maintains that this is an issue of economic power.
Salsalate and Mobidin are often prescribed for the symptomatic relief of arthritis, bursitis, and other rheumatic pain. Donny warns you that such meds may actually WORSEN your arthritis. See Glucosamine.
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MONDO GRASS (Lilyturf)
- Grow cough drops in your front yard!
Ophiopogon japonicus, looking (to me) very much like what everybody around here calls Monkey Grass, is an accent plant...a border plant, good around stones. It makes a perfect ground-cover if you have a tiny, shaded front yard you don't want to have to mow (intersperse with narcissi and such, also rocks and irises, with astilbe and caladiums rearmost; water frequently). Donny recommends a mulch of cedar shavings.
Tiny spikes of lilac flowers appear in the fall, followd by blue-black berries. Liriope platyphylla, similar but showier, is also called Lilyturf.
An extract from the root of Mondo Grass has been used to break up heavy phlegm. For the same condition Osha is easier to obtain. See Osha.
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NORMAL
- In 25 words or less, what IS it, relatively speaking?
Ralph Nader is not normal. Therefore, he could not be the President.
Let Donny warn you about the word "normal." When reading, listening or talking, think about this: what exactly is "normal?" Who says?
We're always hearing about "the Norm" and "deviating from the Norm." Whose Norm? Be careful with "normal." It is a dangerous word that can lead you into exclusivity from that which is not considered to be normal, but which might be wonderful.
Richard Nixon led this country into glorifying the "Normal American." Since then, we have dumbed down our schools and begun glorifying the "C-Student." In time, our nation may reject all that is brilliant, because brilliance is not normal, you see?
We just elected the most normal guy in America to run the country, so there you are.
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WHOLE-GRAIN FOODS
- "Oatmeal sticks to your ribs." ~Everybody's Mom
Whole-Grain Foods are great nutritional bargains, because they satisfy three of your dietary needs: they are rich in Fiber, Minerals, and Vitamins. Refined, white flour and white bread contain no Fiber.
Whole-Wheat Bread should say "100% Whole Wheat" on the label, or it's not. Whole-Grain Cereals and Brown Rice are nutritional best-buys, also.
Unrefined Whole-Grains contain a wide range of Trace Minerals, including Selenium and Zinc. They also contain B Vitamins, complex carbohydrates, Vitamin E, EFAs, and good-quality protein.
For your good health, Donny urges you to eat Whole-Grains and Whole-Grain products every day...think Barley, Brown Rice, Corn, Millet, Oats and Wheat. Whole-Grain Products include Bread, Pasta and other products made from Whole-Grain flour.
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YERBA MANSA (Lizard Tail)
- Injun medicine
photo courtesy UCLA
Anemopsis californica, native to all of the Southwest and Mexico, is a perennial, aromatic herb that loves an arid climate and lots of water. Often called an "aquatic plant," it prefers bogs and marshes.
Popular with Mexican and Native American healers, Yerba Mansa has a history with the Chumash, Pima, Shoshone and Yaqui peoples. It is used for coughs and congestion, diarrhea, dysentery, indigestion, and infections (influding urethritis). A powder of the dried root can be applied topically for athlete's foot, diaper rash or jock itch.
An infusion of the root produces an anti-inflammatory, diuretic tea that flushes uric acid; therefore, this herb is recommended for gout and other rheumatic afflictions. The tea is used as a douche for urethral inflammations and to lessen post-partum bleeding; also for sitz baths to heal tissue damage incurred during childbirth. It has even been recommended for uterine cancer.
As the growing season progresses, splotches of red appear on the leaves; by autumn, the entire plant will be brick red. "Yerba Mansa" is Spanish for "tame herb" or "calm herb," and I have no idea why this plant has that popular name.
Yerba Mansa's marker compound appears to be methyleugenol, an antispasmodic oil similar to that found in nutmeg.
OpinionSoup is published by Don Harthcock. OS#23 ©July, 2001, Don Harthcock & Brian McLeod. Reproduction of any part of this copyrighted publication for commercial purposes is prohibited. Taping to refrigerators, posting on bulletin boards & emailing to friends is waycool, highly-recommended, and much appreciated.
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