It Could Be Anything!
OpinionSoup may contain language and topics unsuitable for children.
"We are kept from the experience of Spirit because our inner world is cluttered with past traumas." ~Thomas Keating
IN THIS ISSUE:
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE - It's "complementary," not really "alternative" at all.
ANTIOXIDANTS - the authentic, actual, genuine, "man's best friend"
CINNAMON - personal aromatherapy of Queen Hatshepsut
CLOVE - OK, Cloves
JOE PYE WEED - No sweat?
MINT - Oh, fiddle-de-dee!
MISO - prepared by nearly-naked Japanese men
MISTLETOE - I'll add the secret Druid stuff later.
NUTMEG - I'm thinking Eggnog.
VERVAIN - Verbena
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The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated any of the statements made in this publication, nor is that likely ever to happen. This publication is not meant to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Since this publication is not intended to be diagnostic or prescriptive, the authors assume no responsibility for any adverse reactions resulting from the use of any information contained in it.
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
Personal from Donny
Donny wholeheartedly endorses and recommends the books of Jean Carper, especially The Food Pharmacy and
Miracle Cures: Dramatic New Scientific Discoveries Revealing the Healing Powers of Herbs, Vitamins, and Other Natural Remedies (ISBN 0-06-018372-1, HarperCollins, New York, 1997). You should urge your Public Library and local Health Food Store to obtain her books. Click on the blue to order from Barnes & Noble, $12.60.
In Miracle Cures, Ms. Carper quotes Dr. James Gordon, a Washington, DC psychiatrist and a clinical professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine:
"One reason people turn to 'alternative' medicine is that our mainstream medical system is failing. The fact is, we are in the midst of an epidemic of inadequately treated chronic illness. Sixty million Americans have hypertension, 40 million suffer from arthritis, and 23 million of us have migraine headaches. A million Americans each year are being diagnosed with cancer, and close to 40 percent of us will, at one point or another, have this terrifying and often deadly disease. The prevalence of asthma, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, immune deficiency syndrome, HIV, and a host of other debilitating conditions is increasing. Conventional biomedicine - so strikingly successful in the treatment of overwhelming infections, surgical and medical emergencies, and congenital defects, has been unable to stem the tide of these conditions."
Any form of medical care that is outside the mainstream of the dominant, i.e. conventional medicine, is definitively Alternative. That's all "alternative" means, that it's not part of the dominant, conventional medical protocols. It doesn't mean "second-rate." These days, as a matter of fact, alternative healthcare has become so popular that the term could almost be called a misnomer. Many herbalists, Donny included, prefer the terms "traditional medicine" and "complementary medicine."
Many doctors of your own personal acquaintance will tell you that all Alternative Medicine is dangerous or at least risky, and often smacks of quackery. That would be Ignorance talking, most of the time. That would be arrogant, elitist bullshit, usually.
Truth be told, just as some doctors are crooks and quacks, there are also Alternative crooked quacks who preach nonsense. Nonsense should be self-evident to you, and I urge you not to let mainstream physicians paint all Alternative therapies with the same brush.
Remember that the AMA roundly condemned Homeopathy, from its beginning in the late 1800's, until it nearly died out. Yet it was a Hahnemann contemporary, Dr. Edward Jenner, who discovered and gave to the world, the gift of vaccinations for smallpox.
Andrew Weil tells me that modern Homeopaths are opposed to immunizations, and I found this fact a bit disturbing until just recently. Need I remind you of the recent world-wide furor over immunizations? We have taken it for granted all these years that immunizations were miraculous gifts from God, via medical science. Now, some of us know better.
The AMA claimed, as it still does, that there was simply not enough "scientific evidence" of the efficacy of Homeopathic principles. They should have been concerned, as doctors and doctors' spokespersons, only with the fact that patients were getting well! The underlying objection of the AMA to Homeopathy (or any Alternative) was ECONOMIC, and it still is.
These days, however, many doctors are no longer "members" of the AMA and consider it to be antiquated, bureaucratized, ineffective, and corrupt. As an example of more light in the darkness, Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge IL is now offering medical students and doctors courses in acupuncture, herbal remedies, homeopathy, and mind/body integration, at its new Center for Complementary Medicine.
Some examples of Alternative Medicine therapies are Acupressure, Acupuncture, Aromatherapy, Ayurveda, Biofeedback, Body Work (Feldenkrais, Rolfing, Shiatsu, Trager), Chiropractic, Cranial Therapy, Dance Therapy, Guided Imagery & Visualization, Herbal Medicine, Holistic Medicine, Homeopathy, Hypnotherapy, Massage, Meditation, Naturopathy, Osteopathic Manipulation, Reflexology, Religious Healing, Tensegrity®, Therapeutic Touch, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Yoga.
For information on Alternative Medicine Organizations, Publications, Schools, Environmentalists, and Related Subjects, click here. This page will help you find in-depth answers to other questions you may have.
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ANTIOXIDANTS
- combatting Free Radicals
Current understanding of the aging process is that cellular breakdown, or damaged DNA, is the beginning of it. Highly reactive molecules called free radicals are known to oxidize cell walls and damage DNA. Free Radicals come from several kinds of pollution and from the body's own normal processing of oxygen.
Antioxidants are protection against these Free Radicals. Some well-known Antioxidants are Vitamins A, C and E, Selenium, Zinc Picolinate, Glutathione, CoEnzyme Q-10, Quercetin, and the various Bioflavonoids and Carotenoids. Before you spend your entire paycheck (possibly unnecessarily) on a carload of supplements, find out which natural foods contain these Antioxidants and adjust your diet wisely.
For the good health of your DNA, drink Green Tea, which contains Antioxidant Polyphenols; eat cooked Tomatoes and Tomato Sauce, which contain Antioxidant Lycopene (very little Lycopene is absorbed from raw tomatoes). See Free Radicals.
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CINNAMON
- good for more than breakfast rolls and chewing gum
These evergreen trees of the Laurel family, especially Cinnamomum verum, C. zeylanicum and C. loureirii, are native to Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The dried, aromatic inner bark is ground and used as a spice; it is also cut into squares and tightly rolled while wet, to make "sticks" for hot beverages. Most commercial Cinnamon these days is actually mahogany-red Cassia bark (C. cassia), a close relative but still considered by purists to be a substitute for the real McCoy, reddish-tan C. zeylanicum.
It is one of the world's oldest spices (mentioned in the Bible and in Sanskrit writings), and it is hugely responsible for the establishment of world trade. In 1500 BCE, Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt used Cinnamon in perfumes. Moses, another Egyptian, was instructed by God to use Cinnamon in preparing holy anointing oil, according to the Bible. Cinnamon was one of the chief spices monopolized by Dutch traders of the 17th century CE.
Cinnamon is the most important of the "baking spices." It is also used in pickling and preserving, in curries and meat stews, in beverages (especially tea, mulled wine and hot punch), in apple dishes, in stewed fruits, and for many other uses. Cinnamon aids absorption of nutrients, so maybe we should use more of it.
Medicinally, Cinnamon is a bronchodilator used for asthma relief. Its greatest fame is for its
carminative (gas-releasing) power. It will settle upset stomachs; it is analgesic, antiseptic, antisposmodic, astringent, diaphoretic, expectorant, hemostatic and a stimulant; it is a treatment for arthritis, cramps, diarrhea, the flu and nausea. It will increase your appetite and aid digestion, and it may prevent "food poisoning" and diseases carried in foods.
Cinnamon Bark is an herbal aid to good vision and is often recommended by herbalists and naturopaths for urinary tract infections. Essential Oil of Cinnamon is used in aromatherapy to relieve tension.
Recent research at Tufts University indicates that Cinnamon can TRIPLE insulin's efficacy in metabolizing blood sugar! Dr. Jim Duke of the USDA discovered that Cinnamon increases the body's leukocytes (immune cells that fight viral infections). Cinnamon for AIDS? Could be.
Cinnamon is approved as an over-the-counter drug in Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
CAUTION: ESSENTIAL OIL OF CINNAMON SHOULD NOT BE INGESTED. IN FACT, NO ESSENTIAL OIL SHOULD BE INGESTED. CINNAMON SHOULD BE AVOIDED DURING PREGNANCY
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CLOVE
- Does Clove remind you of baked ham, or the dentist?
Caryophyllus aromaticus, Syzygium aromaticum, is an herbal nutrient for the Liver. This evergreen tree is native to the Moluccas; also from Pemba and Zanzibar. It is widely cultivated (Brazil, Indonesia, Mauritius, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, West Indies) for its aromatic dried flower buds, used whole or ground as a spice. It is said that five to seven thousand Clove buds are required to make just one pound of dried Cloves. It was introduced to Europe in the 4th Century CE.
Oil of Cloves is used throughout the world as a topical anesthetic, especially in dentistry. Aromatic Clove is anodyne, antiemetic, powerfully antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitumor, aphrodisiac, carminative, expectorant, germicidal and stimulant. Medicinally, the power of Cloves is in its volatile Oil. It can ease flatulence, nausea and vomiting. Traditionally used as a digestive aid, modern herbalists still recommend Cloves for this purpose, as well as for maintaining good circulation. If you have a toothache in the middle of the night, go to your spice rack; a couple of whole Clove buds next to the sore tooth may help, if the pain is mild. Oil of Cloves is far better. Of course if you've got benzocaine in the medicine cabinet...
Clove adds a wonderful flavor to your Tea (believe it or don't, Tea is good food), and is a must for baked ham. Celestial Seasonings uses Cloves in their Bengal Spice®, and Mandarin Orange Spice® herb teas.
Teach your young children how to make Christmas pomanders with Oranges and Cloves; it's fun to do, an educational family activity which also boosts their self-esteem and beats the hell out of purchasing presents for them to give.
CAUTION: DO NOT INGEST OIL OF CLOVES. DO NOT SMOKE CLOVE; INGESTION OF CLOVE IN THIS MANNER CAN BE VERY TOXIC, MORE TOXIC THAN TOBACCO.
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JOE PYE WEED (Gravelroot, Sweet Joe Pye)
- For sweating the small stuff, Joe Pye
rocks out.
This tall, North American perennial, Eupatorium purpureum, gets its common name from the Native American herbalist who used it to treat typhus fever (it causes profuse sweating). Its Latin name honors the 1st Century CE herbalist Eupator, King of Pontus. Joe Pye Weed has beautiful, rose-pink flowers which bloom in early autumn. It is a swamp and roadside plant.
A decoction of the dried root is used to treat kidney stones (hence the common name "Gravelroot"). It has also been used for lower back pain, arthritis, and as a sudorific (causing sweating, to "break" fevers). In large doses, Gravelroot (sometimes called Queen of the Meadow) is emetic.
This plant can be a beautiful addition to your herb garden border. Plant it in any soil, in sun or partial shade.
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MINT (Spearmint)
- for juleps on the veranda, and so much more
A member of the Mint Family (!) with aromatic foliage and oils used for flavoring, in teas and in potpourris, Mentha spicata will relieve indigestion, abdominal cramps, constipation and GAS. Dr. Jim Duke of the USDA reports that Mint increases your antibacterial phagocytes, which can destroy cancer cells (if you don't mind having a bunch of phags hanging around).
If you grow only one Mint in your herb garden, this is The One. Plant it where you will brush up against it, releasing its fragrance. Bees love it.
Native to Eurasia, Mint was used by the ancient Assyrians "in religious rituals," I have read. That could mean just about anything, considering that that particular book was not written by an Assyrian. Marijuana is used "in religious rituals" in Jamaica and elsewhere...I wonder if "history" will record it that way.
Mint is mentioned in the New Testament (Matthew 23:23). It was named by the Greeks after the mythical character Minthe. This herb has quite a literary history, hasn't it?
North American Wild Mint was used by Native Americans to flavor dried meat and to disguise their human scent when hunting (Ban Unscented had not yet been invented). It is widely used to flavor liqueurs.
Mint is available as flaked dried leaves or in extracts. Use Mint in tea, dessert sauces, juleps, Mint jelly, split pea soup, vinaigrette, lamb stew and on lamb roast. Fresh or dried Mint leaves are excellent for decorating and flavoring desserts and confections.
Decoct one tablespoon of Mint and let it cool, to relieve winter-time chapped hands.
Other popular varieties of Mint are Peppermint (M. piperita), Wooly Mint (M. rotundifolia), and Variegated Applemint (M. gentilis variegata). All love lots of moisture, are easy to grow, and all Mints except Pennyroyal will spread like crazy.
Suddenly, I can't get the song Wooly Bully out of my head.
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MISO
- It's not gross.
A paste of Soy Beans, Barley, Water, Sea Salt and fermented Koji Rice, Miso is made into soup and eaten daily in most eastern Asian countries, usually for breakfast. Miso is high-energy food, anticarcinogenic, and a digestive aid. For your good health, Miso is at least as valuable as any other Soy Bean product.
I have always thought it most curious that Americans will eat Miso in a Japanese-American restaurant or when they visit Japan, but they won't prepare it in their own homes or try to get their children to eat it. Changing one's diet, especially when it involves culture, is a difficult thing, part of our national xenophobia.
Donny invites you to give Miso a try. It's not like I'm asking you to eat something gross, like grubs.
"Have you ever eaten grubs, Mr. Harthcock?"
"No."
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MISTLETOE (Golden Bough)
- "Gimme a little kiss, will you, huh?"
You may have heard that an extract of the berries of Mistletoe (Viscum album) is being used in Europe to help cancer patients overcome the miserable side effects of brutal chemotherapy. This is a wonderful accomplishment for scientists at the University of Bern (Switzerland), and wonderful news for people with treatable cancers. It doesn't mean, however, that you can go out gathering Mistletoe berries and eating them. ML-1 is an extract, and all parts of Mistletoe, especially the berries, remain poisonous.
It is one of the wonders of Botany that plant substances can be nutritious, healthful, medicinal, and poisonous, and you can become very educated in this area with half a brain and lots of good books. But when you get to alkaloids and extracts from deadly poisons, you are in one of the creative arenas of God's Most Serious Secrets...so leave this to the people with lots of initials behind their names and huge research facilities.
Strangely, Jethro Kloss extolled the virtues of V. flavescens (American Mistletoe) as a specific remedy for cholera, convulsions, hysteria, delirium and heart problems. I am unable to question him or any of his patients about this, as they are all dead.
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NUTMEG
- Let's go, baby; I've had seventeen Eggnogs!
Nutmeg is an evergreen tree (Myristica fragrans) native to the Molucca Islands, now cultivated in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and the West Indies for its aromatic seeds, which are grated or ground as a spice. Trees can grow to more than fifty feet and can bear seeds for more than fifty years. Nutmeg is used commercially to season sausage and luncheon meats. At home, Nutmeg is used in eggnog, fruits, meats, and in baked sweets.
The actual fruit of Nutmeg looks something like a peach. Its seed, of course, becomes the spice Nutmeg, while the orange-red aril, or seed case, is used to produce the spice Mace.
In its homelands, it is common knowledge that both Nutmeg and Mace have phychoactive potential. The seed is widely used for this purpose, even though large doses are known to be toxic. Nutmeg contains the potentially dangerous hallucinogen Myristicin, which, in combination with other agents, in large doses, can cause violent illness and even death. Nutmeg also increases the intoxicating and soporific effects of alcoholic beverages.
Nutmeg is good for the digestion and will spark your appetite, but use it sparingly, as it is quite strong. It is antiemetic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and carminative. Nutmeg is an Ayurvedic treatment for asthma, fever, and heart disease. It has been used for digestive problems since the 7th Century CE, in the Arab world, especially for nausea and flatulence.
Nutmeg has a "clinically unproved" reputation in Yemen and other countries for increasing and maintaining sexual vigor. What would it take to prove it? Can you picture the testing?
Essential Oil of Nutmeg is used in fumigants, hair oil, perfumes, soaps and tobacco. Nutmeg Butter is used in skin creams.
CAUTION: NUTMEG IS A MILDLY HALLUCINOGENIC CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM STIMULANT. IT CAN CAUSE CONVULSIONS OR HEART PALPITATIONS IN LARGE DOSES.
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VERVAIN (Verbena, Herb of Grace, Herbe Sacree, Herba Veneris)
- It gets you hot, but not like Nutmeg.
photo by Hugh Wilson
Verbena officinalis, V. hastata; extremely sudorific, perennial Vervain is
unexcelled at breaking fevers.
The name "Vervain" is derived from the Celtic Ferfaen, meaning "to drive away stones," as it was used by the ancients to treat kidney stones. The name "Verbena" comes from the Latin Verbena, meaning "sacred foliage." Verbena was the common Roman name for "altar plants" in general, and specifically for this species.
For inscrutable reasons, this herb has suggested mystical power to many cultures; the Anglo-Saxons, the Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans, even Druids ascribed "powers" to this little plant. Druids included Vervain in lustral water, and it was much used by magicians and sorcerers. Used by Aristotle in love potions, dried Vervain was also used as a charm. An infusion of Vervain was called Juno's Brew and was used in housecleaning, to banish malevolent spirits along with the dirt and dust.
Medieval herbalists recommended bruised Vervain as a necklace, to cure headaches. It had a reputation for healing venomous bites, and it was thought to bring good luck. According to legend, Vervain was first found at Calvary, where it was used to stanch the wounds of Jesus.
Vervain is a digestive aid, a diuretic, and a mild sedative. It is astringent, diaphoretic, and
antispasmodic. It will bring on menstruation and has been used by herbalists for Liver ailments and urinary tract infections. Gargle Vervain tea for sore throats; a poultice is good for minor wounds and tired eyes. Vervain has also been used effectively for depression.
In Jamaica, V. jamaicensis is used as a diuretic and as an anthelmintic for "wormy" children. It also has use as an emmenagogue, and as a wash for irritated eyes. Also in the West Indies V. lappulaceae is used as a vulnerary, even in cases of severe bleeding wounds.
V. hastata, Blue Vervain (photo, right), also called Wild Hyssop and Simpler's Joy, is an American variety that is used as an emetic and expectorant...it also has been used for Kidney stones and to expel intestinal worms.
CAUTION: DO NOT USE VERVAIN IF YOU ARE PREGNANT.
OpinionSoup is published by Don Harthcock. OS#12 ©November, 2000, 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 cool.
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