Prevent cancer through nutrition

(NaturalNews) Is there really such a thing as an anti-cancer food? According to The National Cancer Institute, roughly one third of all cancer deaths may be diet related. Recent studies show that there is not a single element in a particular food that fights cancer but overall eating patterns work towards preventing cancer. Eating a variety of healthy foods on a regular basis can fight and even reverse cancer. This article examines cancer fighting foods, drinks and spices to include in the diet.

How Cancer Starts

Cancer begins as a single abnormal cell that begins to multiply out of control. Soon, these rapidly multiplying cells form tumors that invade healthy tissue. Once cancerous cells begin, they rapidly invade surrounding tissue. Carcinogens from chemicals, radiation, smoke, pollution and foods can boost the development of tumors. Compounds known as inhibitors can keep the tumor cells from growing. Some vitamins and phytochemicals in plant foods are known to be inhibitors.

Foods that Prevent Cancer

Increase consumption of omega-3 rich foods, such as wild-caught cold-water fish like salmon, flaxseed oil, and walnuts.

Vegetables high in antioxidants and known to lower the risk of cancer are avocados, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, garlic, sweet potatoes, mushrooms and beans. Eat plenty of raw, unsalted nuts such as Brazil nuts, walnuts and almonds.

Fruits to add to the diet on a regular basis include grapefruit, figs, oranges, lemons, grapes, papayas, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, tomatoes and pears.

According to James A. Duke, author of The Green Pharmacy (St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1998), "a salad with cancer fighting properties would contain organically grown ingredients such as garlic, onions, red peppers, tomatoes, red clover flowers, chopped cooked beets, fresh calendula flowers, celery, fresh chicory flowers, chives, cucumbers, cumin, peanuts, purslane, and sage."

Adds James Duke: "I came up with a cancer prevention dressing to use with this salad. It includes flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil, garlic, rosemary, a dash of lemon juice, and that Latin American favorite, hot peppers."

Teas and Drinks That Fight Cancer

To help prevent cancer, choose teas that are rich in antioxidants, particularly polyphenols. Polyphenols combine with free radicals at the cellular level to prevent them from damaging cells and, worst case scenario, degenerating into cancer.

Rooibos tea (red bush tea), green tea, ginger and green tea and black tea are all rich in antioxidants.

Drink red wine in moderation for its antioxidant effects. Choose organic, sulfite free red wine.

Drink plenty of fresh, pure water on a daily basis to flush out toxins from the body.

Herbs and Spices

Spices such as turmeric, ginger, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and herbs such as rosemary, oregano, parsley and sage should be included in the diet as often as possible for their cancer fighting properties.

Sources:

http://www.west.net/~cure/cancer_fi...
http://www.naturalnews.com/000371.html
http://nutrition.suite101.com/artic...

Food actions for the body(Chinese medicine)

COLD

VEGETABLES:

Asparagus
Bean Sprouts
Bok Choi
Califlower
Celery
Chinese Cabbage
Chrysanthemum flower
Cucumber
Dandelion leaf
Eggplant
Seaweed
Snow peas
Turnip
Water chestnuts
White mushroom
White peony root
Zucchini

FRUITS:

Banana
Blueberry
Cantaloupe
Cranberry
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Lemon
Mango
Mulberry
Persimmon
Plum
Pineapple
Rhubarb
Tangerine
Tomato
Watermelon

GRAINS:
Wheat germ

MEAT:

Clam
Crab
Octopus
SPICES
Salt
White pepper.

MISC:
Soy sauce
Sugar cane
Tofu

COOL

VEGETABLES:

Alfalfa sprouts Artichoke
Bamboo shoots
Bitter Gourd
Button mushroom
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrot
Cooked Lettuce
Cooked Onion
Corn
Daikon radish
Endive lettuce
Lotus root
Mushrooms
Potato
Romaine
Snow Pea
Soybean Sprouts
Spinach
Swiss chard
Tomato

FRUITS:

Apple
Avocado
Black currant
Cherries
Fig
Lemon
Oranges
Pear
Prunes
Strawberries
Tangerine

GRAINS

Amaranth
Barley
Buckwheat
Millet
Wheat
Wild rice

SEEDS

Lima beans
Mung bean
Soybean

MEAT

Duck egg
Duck
Eggs
Fresh water snail.
Frog
Pork
Rabbit

SPICES

Cilantro leaf
Marjoram
Mint
Peppermint
Tamarind

MISC

Beer
Cheese
Green tea
Milk
Miso soup
Oolong Tea
Peppermint
Sesame oil
Yogurt

WARM

VEGETABLES

Bell pepper
Chive
Cooked Tomato
Fennel
Green bean
Green Pepper
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leek
Mustard green
Onion
Oyster mushroom.
Parsley
Parsnip
Pumpkin
Scallions
Squash
Sweet potato
Watercress

FRUITS

Blackberry
Coconut
Dates
Grapes
Hawthorn fruit
Kumquat
Litchi
Longan
Nectarines
Pomegranates
Quince
Raspberry
GRAINS
Oats
Quinoa
Safflower
Sweet/glutinous rice

SEEDS

Black bean
Chestnut
Lotus seed
Pine nut
Walnut

MEAT

Anchovy
Beef
Butter
Capers
Chicken
Eel
Fresh water fish
Ham
Lobster
Mussels
Pig tripe
Sheep & goat
Sheep's milk
Shrimp
Turkey
Venison

SPICES

Anise
Basil
Bay leaf
Caraway
Carob
Clove
Coriander (also known as Chinese parsley or Pak Chee, in Thai.)
Cumin
Dill seed
Fennel
Fenugreek
Fresh ginger
Jasmine
Nutmeg
Oregano
Rosemary
Sage
Spearmint
Thyme

SWEETENERS

Amasake
Brown sugar
Malt sugar
Molasses
Sorghum

MISC

Black tea
Coffee
Goats milk
Plum vinegar
Rice vinegar
Wine
Vinegar

HOT

VEGETABLES:

Garlic
Green onion
Raw onions
Red pepper

MEAT

Deep-fried or grilled meat.
Dog.
Grass fish.
Sparrow meat.
Turtle

SPICES

Black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Chili pepper
Horseradish/wasabi
Mustard

MISC

Chocolate
Cocoa

TASTE NATURE OF FOOD

You may have realised by now that Chinese food -- Chinese philosophy as well -- is all about balance. In Western/European cooking, everybody knows there are "five food groups" -- meat, fruit&veg, grains, nuts and dairy products. In Asia, however, there are many other categories of food groups. As well as temperature, foods are also classified by taste, five tastes for that matter: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and pungent. In Thai cuisine, every meal is prepared to have a perfect balance of each of these five taste groups.
The Five flavors refer to the concept of five kinds of taste of foods or drugs, ie, pungent, sweet, sour, bitter and salty, FIVE TASTE GROUPS:
Pungent: Ginger, scalllion, garlic, hot pepper, pepper, cayenne pepper, onion, leek, spirit.
Sweet: Potato, lotus root, wheat, polished rice, pea, milk, pork, chestnut, date, honey.
Sour: Tomato, tangerine, plum, lemon, grape, papaya, haw, cherry apple, pomegranate, vinegar.
Bitter: Bitter melon, almond, lily bulb, orange peel, tea, coffee, bitter green, arrow root, pig liver.
Salty: Barley, millet, dried purple sea weed, kelp, jelly fish, pork, beef, crab, table salt.
According to Chinese Food Therapy: "Each taste acts on or has direct influence on a specific vital organ... Sweet acts on the spleen and stomach helping digestion and neutralizing the toxic effects of other foods. Sour acts on the liver and gall bladder and controls diarrhea and excessive perspiration. Bitter acts on the heart and small intestine and reduces body heat and excessive fluids and induces diarrhea. Salty foods act on the kidneys and bladder and soften hardness of muscles or glands. Pungent acts on the lungs and large intestine and induces perspiration and promotes energy circulation."

MEDICAL USES OF FOOD

Apart from maintaining general health, foods can be utilised more specifically to deal with health problems and even medical emergencies. For example, eating an apple is recommended as a quick way to sober up after drinking too much alcohol. Some medical uses of food, compiled by Dr. David Chan:

STOP BLEEDING: Black fungus, chestnut, Chicken eggshell, cottonseed, cuttlebone, guava, lotus plumule, spinach, vinegar.
REDUCE STOMACH ACID: Chicken eggshell, cuttlebone.
STOP PERSPIRATION: Oyster shell, peach.
INDUCE PERSPIRATION: Cinnamon twig, coriander, ginger, green onion, marjoram, rosemary.
STOP URINATION: Raspberry.
PROMOTE URINATION: Asparagus, barley, Chinese cabbage, carrot, Chinese wax gourd, coconut, coffee, corn silk, cucumber, grape, hops, Job's tears, kidney bean, lettuce, mandarin orange, mango, mung bean, muskmelon, onion, pineapple, plum, star fruit, sugar cane juice, water chestnut, watermelon.
CLEAR TOXINS: Abalone, banana, bean curd, black soybean, castor bean, cherry seed, chicken egg white, Chinese wax gourd, clam (freshwater), cucumber, date (red & black), fig, honey, Job's tears, kohlrabi, radish, salt, sesame oil, small red bean, star fruit, vinegar.
TRANSFORM PHLEGM: Chinese wax gourd, clam (saltwater), longevity fruit, pear, radish, sea grass seaweed.
IMPROVE APPETITE: Green & red pepper, ham.
INDUCE BOWEL MOVEMENT: Castor bean, sesame oil.
LUBRICATE DRYNESS: Bean curd, chicken egg & yolk, honey, maltose, mother's milk, pear, pork, sesame oil, spinach, sugar cane juice, yellow soybean.
LUBRICATE INTESTINES: Bitter & sweet apricot seed, banana, milk, peach, soybean oil, walnut, watermelon.
LUBRICATE LUNGS: Apple, apricot, chicken egg white, ginseng, lily flower, longevity fruit, loquat, mandarin orange, peanuts, persimmon, strawberry, white fungus, white sugar.
PROMOTE BLOOD CIRCULATION: Black soybean, brown sugar, chestnut, eel blood, peach, saffron, and sweet basil, wine.
PROMOTE DIGESTION: Apple, coriander, ginseng, green & red pepper, hops, malt, nutmeg, papaya, pineapple, plum, radish & leaf, sweet basil, tomato.
PROMOTE ENERGY CIRCULATION: Caraway, chive & root, dill seeds, dry mandarin orange peel, fennel, garlic, kumquat, litchi, marjoram, radish leaf, spearmint, star anise, sweet basil, tangerine, tobacco.
PROMOTE MILK SECRETION: Common carp, lettuce.
QUENCH THIRST: Crab apple, cucumber, loquat, mango, muskmelon, persimmon, pineapple.
REDUCE FEVER: Muskmelon, star fruit, water chestnut.
RELIEVE ASTHMA: Bitter apricot seed.
RELIEVE COUGH: Sweet & bitter apricot seed, kumquat, longevity fruit, mandarin orange, tangerine, thyme.
RELIEVE DIARRHEA: Guava, sunflower seed.
RELIEVE HEAT SENSATIONS: Chicken egg white, crab, mung bean, sea grass.
RELIEVE PAIN: Honey, litchi, spearmint, squash, tobacco.
SHARPEN VISION (Brighten eyes): Abalone, bitter gourd, wild cucumber, freshwater clam, cuttlefish.
TONIFY KIDNEYS: Black sesame seed, string bean, sword bean, wheat, kidney.
TONIFY LIVER: Black sesame seed, liver.
TONIFY LUNGS: Job's tears, milk.
TONIFY SPLEEN: Beef, gold carp, ham, horse bean, hyacinth bean, Job's tears, polished rice, potato, string bean, sweet potato, yellow soybean.
RELIEVE DRUNKENNESS: Apple, ginseng, strawberry.

Chinese food therapy

http://www.dhyansanjivani.org/chinese_food.asp


Chinese food therapy dates back as early as 2000 BC. However, proper documentation was only found around 500 BC. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine also known as the Niejing, which was written around 300 BC, was most important in forming the basis of Chinese food therapy. It classified food by four food groups, five tastes and by their natures and characteristics.

During the Chau dynasty (16 BC), food therapy was established as a specialist field. The state even had a food specialist serving the emperor in the imperial court. It was during the Tang dynasty (608-906 AD) that food therapy became popular and the classic books on the subject were published.

Throughout Chinese history, healthcare was not the responsibility of the state but rather the responsibility of every ordinary citizen. People used their own resources to find cures when they became sick, which meant that most people could not afford to be sick. This is why preventive healthcare is so popular in China. Out of the four pillars of health - lifestyle, diet, exercise and mind - diet is most important because food is considered the primary cause of sickness as well as the main reason for living long and healthy.

Food plays a center role in Chinese culture. Cooking good food for family members is a lifelong profession for most women. Children are brought up with some knowledge of the nature of their daily foods. Dietary restriction is commonly understood and observed. Eating well and healthy is almost a national obsession and definitely the most valued activity of family life.

Herbal Medicine and Food Therapy
"Medicine and food are of the same sauce", the Neijing says. When the Chinese discovered farming and agriculture in the early days, they discovered the medicinal properties of food. Since then, food has been studied and analyzed for its medicinal effects on people. This knowledge enables people to use food as the first line of defense to ward off common sicknesses and diseases. It is only when food alone cannot solve the health problem that people seek the help from medical practitioners.

When treating sickness, Chinese doctors use herbal remedies initially to control the problem. They apply tried-and-true formulas with slight variations to meet the patient's specific conditions. Mixing herbs of similar properties increases the overall effectiveness. Mixing herbs of different properties can moderate the effects of the main herbs, complement the actions and/or minimize any adverse side effects. Some herbs can be as harsh as drugs, very forceful and effective but not to be taken continuously.

Herbal medicine comes from plants, animals and minerals sources. Plant sources are roots, stalk, and bark, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds of wild vegetation. Some can only be found in extreme climates and mountainous terrain. Animal sources include insects, marine products and game. Mineral sources include crushed stones, fossilized bones and crushed shells. Herbal remedies are mostly decocted into teas, to be taken warm and are very bitter in taste. They are used to control and treat the predominant symptoms of sickness. Once the sickness is under control, food therapy is used to continue the treatment.

This combination of foods and herbs to make medicinal dishes to treat sickness is food therapy. When herbs of similar, supporting or enhancing natures are added to food, they intensify the medicinal effects. When herbs of opposing natures are added, they lower the impact or change the effects on the body. Therapeutic foods are designed to assist the body in healing itself for permanent cure. The herbs used are superior herbs or food herbs with little or no adverse side effects.

Medicinal food is most effective when taken regularly for a few days or up to a few weeks. Patients going through the treatment gain a better understanding of their body's systems and know what to eat to prevent future reoccurrence. Some simple therapeutic recipes have become popular family dishes and the more precious ones are delicacies in Chinese cuisine.

The Four Food Groups
The four food groups in the Chinese diet are grains, fruits, meats and vegetables. Dairy products, especially cow's milk, are not considered suitable for humans.

The Niejing defines "grains for sustaining, vegetables for filling, fruits for supporting, meats for enhancing." Grains and vegetables are regarded as the basic foods necessary to sustain life. They should form the major part of our diet. Meats and fruits are supporting and complementary foods and should be eaten in moderation.

A balanced Chinese diet comprises 40 percent grains, 30 to 40 percent vegetables, 10 to 15 percent meats and the rest in fruits and nuts.

The Five Tastes
Foods are classified by the five tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and pungent. Each taste acts on or has direct influence on a specific vital organ. When each taste is consumed in moderation, it benefits the corresponding organ. Over-indulgence in any taste harms the organ and creates imbalance among the five vital organ systems.

Taste Sweet Sour Bitter Salty Pungent
Act on Organ System Spleen/Stomach Liver/Gall bladder Heart/Small Intestine Kidney/Bladder Lungs/Large Intestine


Sweet acts on the spleen and stomach helping digestion and neutralizing the toxic effects of other foods. Sour acts on the liver and gall bladder and controls diarrhea and excessive perspiration. Bitter acts on the heart and small intestine and reduces body heat and excessive fluids and induces diarrhea. Salty foods act on the kidneys and bladder and soften hardness of muscles or glands. Pungent acts on the lungs and large intestine and induces perspiration and promotes energy circulation.

The five organ systems control and support each other. Proper coordination only exists when there is no one organ stronger or weaker than the rest. Since the five tastes have direct influences on your organs, your diet should have a good combination of the five tastes in order to promote internal balance and harmony.

The Nature of Food
Chinese medicine defines the natures of foods as hot, cold, warm, cool, wet and neutral. It is the same definition as our body constitution.

Yang Yin
Hot < Warm < Neutral > Cool > Cold

Knowing your body's constitution and the nature of foods are necessary to eat right for your type. When the body is in balance, it is in good health and is more resistance to disease and external evils.

You are born with a specific body constitution determined by genes and the diet of your mother when carrying you. However, your diet can change its constitution after birth. Eating foods that are in contrast to your body's constitution is beneficial because it balances out the effects. This is why people of cold constitution can eat a lot of heat excess foods without getting sick and vice versa. So, what is good food for others can be bad food for you. You just have to eat according to your constitution.

The nature of food can also affect your moods. Too much hot or yang food brings about over excitement. Too much cold or yin food brings about sadness and fearfulness. Foods that are neutral in nature are good for everyone and they promote clear thinking and reasoning.

The Action of Food
The proper flow of energy around your body is most important in keeping your system in good order and healthy. Food affects the flow because of its movement characteristic. It can move energy outward, inward, upward and downward.

Food moving outward promotes the flow of energy from the center of the body to the surface. It induces perspiration and releases body heat. When the body is suffering from wind-heat attack resulting in fever, it is important to move heat outward. Inward-moving food promotes the opposite effects. When people are having profuse perspiration, night sweat, premature ejaculation and frequent urination, inward-moving food is used to contain the excessive outward movement. Upward-moving food controls diarrhea, prolapsed anus or uterus and falling stomach. Downward-moving food controls vomiting, food-rejection, constipation and energy obstruction.

It is beneficial to know about the movement of most common foods in order to use them to your health advantage.

The Seasonal Effects

Eat According to the Season
In Chinese medicine, all illnesses can be prevented if you constantly observe and maintain the balance of qi (vital energy) in your body. There is good qi and bad qi resulting from external influences - the weather, and from internal influences - our food. For example, a diet with too many spicy and deep-fried foods generates excessive heat and hot-qi. It dries up the internal body fluid, causes constipation and dries up lips and skin. It is worse in summer when the weather is hot and the body loses water through perspiration. To bring the body back to the right balance, you need to eat cool-food such as watermelon, citrus fruits or white turnips to counter the internal and external heat. If the imbalance is not rectified promptly, the body can develop a deficiency in protecting-qi and you become ill. Eating to counter the seasonal excesses or evils is a very effective way in staying well.

In spring, it is the season dominated by wind. When the pores of your skin dilate due to the warmer temperatures after the cold winter, it is easier for "wind-evil" to enter the body causing coughing, a stuffy or runny nose, headaches, dizziness and sneezing. It is important to eat food that can eliminate excessive wind in the body during spring.

In summer, it is heat / fire that dominates with symptoms such as excess body heat, profuse sweating, parched mouth and throat, constipation and heart palpitations. When summer heat combines with dampness, it results in abdominal pains, vomiting and intestinal spasms. Cooling yin foods will help, while overly hot yang foods should be avoided. Iced drinks are cool in temperature, but not cool in nature. They can damage the spleen and stomach causing more health problems.

In autumn, dryness dominates and can easily injure the lungs, causing heavy coughing, blood in the sputum, dry nose and throat and pains in the chest. "Inner-dryness" can be a result of profuse sweating, vomiting, bleeding or diarrhea. The symptoms are dry and wrinkled skin, dry hair and scalp, dry mouth and cracked lips, and dry stomach with hard and dry stools. Insufficient body fluid is harmful. You should eat more nourishing yin food to promote body fluid and soothe the lungs.

In winter, cold is a "yin-evil", which dominates and injures the body's yang energy. If cold enters the body through the skin, it produces symptoms of fever, cold, headaches and body pain. If it reaches the meridians, it produces muscle cramps and pains in the bones and joints. If it enters as far as the internal organs, cold excess causes nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pains, coldness in limbs and many other complications. To prevent the attack of cold, plenty of warming yang foods and slightly fatty foods should be included in the diet. And in extreme cold, a few warming yang herbal medications should be consumed regularly.

The external evils or the six excesses - wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, dryness and fire - affect everyone differently. They attack people when and where they are weakest. Healthy people with strong immune system are least affected. Eating to strengthen the body's resistance lowers the chance of catching seasonal sicknesses.

Body Constitution

Eat According to Your Body's Constitution
It is very important to understand your body's constitution or type so that you know what foods to eat that are complementary and what foods to avoid. Body constitution can be classified into five types: hot, warm, neutral, cool and cold. With neutral in the center, hot and warm are yang types, and cool and cold are yin types.

Yang Yin
Hot < Warm < Neutral> Cool > Cold

Body type is usually determined by the following characteristics: If you are always hot and have warm hands and feet even in winter, always energetic and almost restless, underweight by at least 20 pounds, and have a high sex drive, you belong to the hot type. If you prefer summer to winter, are normally not tired, fairly active and enjoy sex more than food, you are the warm type. On the reverse, if you are always cold, with cold hands and feet even in summer, overweight by at least 20 pounds, normally tired, easy going and quite patient and have a low sex drive, you are the cold type. If you prefer winter to summer, just slightly overweight, normally lazy and fairly relaxed, and enjoy food more than sex, you belong to the cool type. If you have a combination of cool and warm symptoms, you are likely to have a neutral body type.

Knowing your body type helps you choose foods to maintain good balance. A person with a yang body type should eat more yin foods and vice versa. A person having a yin body type and eating too much yin foods drives his or her body to a yin extreme. The body's natural defense mechanism will show signs of rejection, which western medicine describes as food allergies. If the imbalance is not rectified, the person will become ill.

Sickness Dependent

Eat According to the Nature of Sickness


Sickness has yin and yang characteristics as well. When you become sick, you should identify the nature of your sickness first and then use foods of the opposite nature to balance the yin and yang effects.

Usually, by observing the patient, it is quite easy to find out the nature of his or her sickness. If the patient feels better under warmer surroundings and enjoys warmer foods and drinks, the person most likely is suffering from yin sickness. Yang food such as ginger is effective. If the person is having a fever and a cooler environment and cold drinks gives him or her more comfort, the sickness is most probably of the yang type. Yin food such as mung beans and watermelon should be eaten to restore balance. If it is too damp causing water retention, drying foods such as broad beans and job's tears should be used. If the sickness is causing qi flowing in the wrong direction resulting in hiccups or vomiting, food with downward movement of energy such as ginger and chive should be used. If there is fever, food of outward movements helps to induce perspiration therefore lowering the temperature.

When we are sick, we need extra nutrition for the body to fight the sickness. A healthy spleen/stomach system is most important for digesting and absorbing nutrients from foods. We should avoid cold drinks, raw foods, hard to digest foods and oily and deep-fried foods, which add an extra burden to the digestive system. Easy to digest foods such as soups are most suitable.

Needs Driven

Eat According to Age and Needs
To stay healthy, you should eat according to your age and physical needs. Over-eating or under-eating are both harmful to your health.

Young children whose bodies are developing healthy bones and muscles need a diet rich in protein and calcium. They are highly active and should eat regularly to maintain their energy levels. Teens need a good quantity, well-balanced diet with lots of calories and nutrients as they develop toward maturity. Older people whose digestive system's are weakening and who are less physical active should eat less and easier to digest foods. Professional people, such as athletics or construction workers, should eat more, especially carbohydrates to maintain their energy. People whose profession requires them to think can nourish their brain with a protein-rich diet.

A diet that doesn't provide the necessary nutrition to support the physical demands or is in excess of what the body needs is harmful and could lead to serious health problems. Eating three meals a day at fixed times, in moderation and with lots of variety is recommended.

The Application
Eating food according to your constitution and in harmony with the climate is fundamental to staying well. Understanding common diseases, knowing how to read their early symptoms and knowing the nature and characteristics of foods are keys to eating right for preventive healthcare.

Chinese medicine believes that most diseases progress from initial stage with obvious surface symptoms or external conformation and develop into bigger problems with internal conformation. If we can identify problems at the initial stage and treat them with dispersing drugs, we can stop them from progressing further. When diseases turn internal, they become chronic in nature and are more difficult to treat. The treatment starts by treating the interior symptoms. When the interior problems are corrected, the surface symptoms disappear automatically.

During sickness, it is important to eat foods that are complementary to the treatment so that relief can be achieved sooner. Usually Chinese doctors explain the nature of the problem and give advice on what foods to eat and what to avoid during that time.

Most therapeutic food dishes are eaten as meals or with meals and repeated for days or sometimes weeks until the body has enough nutrition to repair itself. The results are more comprehensive and permanent. After recovery, repeating the recipe at regular intervals is recommended for maintenance purposes.

Eating purposely for health requires knowledge, time and effort. Investing in your food is an investment in yourself; health and quality of life will follow.

Alcohol as medicine

ALCOHOL, THE NATURE OF According to the Alcohol and Health website, "In TCM alcohol is characterized as sweet-bitter and hot, toxic. If drunk in small amounts it stimulates blood circulation, reduces haematomae, vitalizes blood, drives out "wind" and dispels "cold" symptoms, transports medicaments and disperses bad influences. In the clinical approach alcohol is often used to cure "wind", "cold" and pain, neuralgia, cold and painful chest and belly." Discussing the medical uses of alcohol, the site goes on to say: "Alcohol can not only be used as medicine, bur also to prolong life. Especially old people, when their "YANG-QI" lacks, their blood vessels became rigid, they often suffer from climatic attacks like wind, coldness, fog and cold rain. They should sip an appropriate amount of alcohol to drive out the wind, tonify the blood, lighten the body and lengthen their life. Some people say; drinking medical wine in the winter for a couple of times and stop when the spring begins will make you age-old and prevents a hundred diseases."

Alcohol Use in Traditional

Chinese Formulas

http://www.classicalchinesemedicine.org/cl...auf_alcohol.pdf

Historic records indicate that the chinese have used alcohol in medicine since the
invention of alcohol itself, an event that occurred approximately 4000 year ago during the recently archeologically verifi ed Xia Dynasty. The intricate relationship between alcohol and the healing arts has even been incorporated in the emblem of the Chinese medical profession: The term YI (medicine, doctor), initially coined to distinguish “scientifi c” healers from shamanist quacks, prominently features the pictogram “Wine.”

The earliest alcohol remedies in China were produced by including specifi c herbs such as Curcuma in the fermenting process of the traditional, low proof Asian rice wine. The nowadays common procedure of steeping herbs in strong white liquor was introduced around 500 A.D. The method of concocting herbs in wine or liquor was also introduced later and was widely used only during Chinas last dynasty,
the Qing.

Herbal remedies including alcohol as a catalyst are included in all major Chinese
works on herbal prescriptions, including the Neijing, the Shanghan lun, the Qianjin fang, and other classics. It is important to note, however, that the overall percentage of alcohol formulas is only about 1% of the entire amount of prescriptions listed in the respective works. Synthesizing the bulk of alcohol formulas introduced over the last 2,200 years, it appears that alcohol based formulas are reserved for a distinct and very limited range of diseases.

The Ershiwu bingfang, the earliest record of TCM formulas found in a pre-Qin (prior
to 221 B.C.) gentry grave, lists 30 alcohol prescriptions, mostly recommended for snake bites and skin diseases.

The Neijing, synthesizing Taoist healing systems before the Han dynasty into the
defi nitive theoretical foundation of Chinese medicine, mentions wine remedies in a
chapter heading. Dispersed throughout the entire book, several medicinal wines for the treatment of “meridian blockage,” sudden fainting, and tympanites are introduced.

The Han biography of the legendary acupuncturist Bian Que records two memorable healings involving alcohol: Once he rescued King Jizhao from a heart attack by prescribing Three Mineral Wine, and another time he saved the life of King Miaochuan’s favorite concubine with a birth inducing alcohol mixture.

Zhang Zhongjing’s formula classics, Shanghan lun and Jingui yaolüe, introduce
Honglanhua jiu (Carthamus Wine) for gynecolocical disorders involving
stagnating blood, and Gualou xiebai baijiu tang (Trichosanthes, Bakeri, and Rice
Wine Combination, mistakenly translated as Trichosanthes, Bakeri, and Vinegar
Combination by Hong Yen-hsu) for heart disease. Both of these 1850 year old formulas are still widely used today.

Since Zhang Zhongjing’s work defined the standards of Chinese formula composition for centuries to come, it is especially important to consider his use of wine in order to define the traditional applications of alcohol prescriptions. Zhang’s formulas are classic not only because of the precise positioning of each herb within the formula, but also because of the author’s exacting reflection on how and
when to prescribe a particular formula instead of just listing what ingredients it is composed of. His selective, yet highly effective use of alcohol formulas tells us two things: a) Zhang looked at alcohol as an adjunct herb, the properties of which had been defined in the chapter on food in the historical encyclopedia of the Han: wine is hot, reaches every part of the body, harmonizes blood and qi, opens the meridians, fosters yang and expells cold. Zhang used alcohol remedies exclusively if warming and blood vitalizing effect was desired.

Beginning late in the 6th century, the Tang and Song dynasties saw the usage of alcohol formulas extended to a much wider range of diseases, but the warming and blood vitalizing concept guideline still persisted. Sun Simiao mentions 80 alcohol formulas throughout his two classic compendia, Thousand Ducat
Formulas and Supplement to the Thousand Ducat Formulas (Qianjin yaofang, Qianjin yifang), and the host of Song dynasty compilations (Heji jufang, Taiping shenghui fang, Jisheng fang, Sanyin fang) list several hundreds, including prescriptions for pediatric patients.

The Song work, Comprehensive Recording of Sage-like Aids from the Zhenghe Era
(Shengji zonglu, 1122) includes a rare theoretical introduction about the general application of alcohol formulas, pointing out that due to the penetrating action of alcohol, wine formulas are superior to concoctions in heavy duty cases of meridian obstruction. Furthermore, the text particularly recommends alcohol formulas for
the following symptom complexes: a) blood deficiency and qi stagnation, cold syndrome, c) paralysis d) cramping and sudden fainting, thus reaffirming the ancient definition of alcohol formulas as either a emergency remedy or a meridian opener.

During the same time period, doctors began heating the alcohol in order to extract more medicinal components from the herbs steeped inside. The Song also saw the publication of books (Yanglao juqin shu, Yinshan zhengyao) that specifically recommend the consumption of small quantities of medicinal wines as part of a preventive regimen for the elderly.

Since the 14th century (during the Ming and the Qing dynasties), the practice of taking tonic wines became more and more prevalent in palace circles and among the affluent elite. The Ming compendium Puji fang, with 50,000 listings the largest formula compendium ever compiled in China, records 300 alcohol based
prescriptions.

As part of a general drive to standardize traditional Chinese medical knowledge,
PRC researchers have recently attempted to reevaluate the usage of alcohol formulas. A large scale clinical study with 222 arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis patients showed satisfying results, and another study involving 37 patients with high blood fat levels was also thought of as promising. Two recently published books on alcohol formulas (A Great Compendium of Chinese Medicinal Wines,
1991; Treating 100 Diseases with Medicinal Wines, 1990) list various forms of alcohol prescriptions for almost every major disease, but the editors point out that a lot of these formulas were often derived from singular, unorthodox sources: “Many of these formulas, of course, may reflect the experience of one doctor only. It still remains rather unclear whether or not we can really use them on a
wide basis.” Most formulas, clearly, fall into the traditional categories of blood vitalizing, warming, and meridian openers. The diseases most frequently mentioned are:

1) Internal medicine:
a. arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis
b. paralysis (apoplexy)
c. impotence
d. cough/asthma

2) Gynecology:
a. amenorrhea
b. dysmenorrhea
c. infertility
d. stagnating blood
e. post-partum disorders

3) Pediatrics:
a. Goulou bing (growth disorders due to
malnutrition)
b. epilepsy

4) External medicine:
a. obliterating phlebitis, arteritis

5) Dermatology:
a. eczema
b. neurodermatitis
c. psoriasis
d. leprosis

6) Orthopedics:
a. injuries
b. fractures
7) Others:
a. tooth ache
b. tinnitis
c. loss of voice

Alcohol has the marked advantage that it preserves the often very precious herbs, something that might have been an important factor in ancient China. Due to its
own medicinal properties, however, the use of alcohol based formulas is clearly limited to a rather narrow range of symptoms and constitutions. Also, patients with high blood pressure, liver disease, certain types of heart disease, and alcohol allergy should not take alcohol formulas, no matter what their symptoms are. Alcohol easily reacts with modern Western drugs such as diuretics, antidepressants,
and certain types of hypertensive medication.

It is important to note in this context that alcohol formulas as they appear in the Chinese literature are not tinctures, but require the administration of a fairly large amount of alcohol. Sun Simiao warned doctors and patients about the side effects of alcohol if consumed in excessive quantities, but he also mentioned that it was absolutely essential to drink as much of the respective potion until the effect of the alcohol could be felt. Modern Chinese medical books point out that it can be considered safe for a 130 pound person to consume 100g of 60% white liquor daily. The practice of manufacturing herbal tinctures from fresh plants is only utilized for laboratory research in China.

In urban China where the standard of living is rising considerably and the market
for “longevity” potions is booming, medicinal wines are known to cause problems since patients often buy the “healthful” factory products without consulting with a physician about their constitution or a particular problem first.

Alcohol formulas, in sum, should be considered limited to certain areas of
treatment. An interesting question which modern researchers have not been able to
answer yet is whether some herbs--particularly certain vines found in folk herbals--that seem to be exclusively used in alcohol formulas, can manifest their healing properties only in combination with alcohol (as many Taoist folk healers claim).

Parasites in the gut-natural anti-allergic means

(NaturalNews) Humans and gastrointestinal parasites might have co-evolved in such a way that the parasites actually help regulate to human immune system to prevent against allergies, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Nottingham.

Researchers believe that over the course of millions of years, gastrointestinal parasites have evolved an ability to suppress the human immune system as a survival mechanism. Because parasitic infestation has been so common throughout human evolutionary history, the human immune system has in turn evolved to compensate for this effect.

This means that if the parasites are removed, the immune system may actually function too strongly, resulting in maladaptive immune responses such as asthma, eczema and other allergies.

To test this hypothesis, researchers used drugs to eliminate hookworm infection in a 1,500 children between the ages of six and 17 who were living in a rural village in central Vietnam. This region was selected for its very low rates of allergies and high parasitic infestation rate. Two-thirds of all children in the area are infested with hookworm or other gastrointestinal parasites.

The researchers found that once the children were no longer infected with parasites, their rates of dust mite allergies significantly increased. This supports the hypothesis that parasites help regulate immune responses.

"The next step is to understand exactly how and when gut parasites program the human immune system in a way that protects against allergies, and for such studies, follow-up from birth will be essential," said researcher Carsten Flohr.

Researchers hope that understanding the relationship between parasites and the human immune system could lead to a better overall understanding of allergies.

"The prospects of further studies in this area are very exciting, as we could see groundbreaking treatments for asthma and other allergies developed as a result," said Elaine Vickers of Asthma UK, which funded the study.

Sources for this story include: news.bbc.co.uk.

Treat Mercury from vaccines with energy-medicine

NEW COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY CAN TREAT MERCURY POISONING REPOTS ULLA DANIELSON

Tuesday, 05 January 2010 11:43


The strain that mercury from vaccines and dental fillings put on our bodies can now be detected and alleviated by innovative computer-based energy devices, some of which have already been approved for use in the USA and Europe.



These devices can not only detect the mercury that other methods fail to find, but they can also help counter its toxic effects.



Ulla Danielson looks at the usefulness of energy medicine in treating mercury toxicity and finds out how the methods works in an interview with Dr Helge Volkmann.



ENERGYMEDICINE CAN DETECT IMBALANCES IN THE BODY

DANISH MEDICAL DOCTOR HELGE VOLKMANN EXPLORES THE WORLD OF MEDICINE BASED ON FREQUENCES



By Ulla Danielsen


From a young age, Danish medical doctor Helge Volkmann has explored alternative medicine to better understand its potential for patients. In the meantime, he is now occupied full-time with energy medicine.



This is a method of detecting and treating imbalances in the human body by connecting the patient with a computer and measuring the frequencies of a patient.



„When you work with frequencies, you measure the information that cells emit,“ explains Helge Volkmann, who is in his early fifties.



He works with three very different systems all based on computer technology. Though the equipment was quite expensive Helge Volkmann believes the money has been well spend.



„It is a very interesting approach and there are some very surprising results“, says Helge Volkmann, who has his clinic in the center of the Danish village Store Heddinge, an hour drive from Copenhagen.



Among other things the method has turned out to have advantages when it comes to motivating his patients to improve their livestyles.



„I can tell my patients what burdens there are on their body, and that turns out to be a very good way to convince them when something has to be changed,“ says Helge Volkmann.



THREE DIFFERENT SYSTEMS



The three maschines that he has learned to use are a French body scanning system, a Russian cell scanning system and an American treatment system.



„I detect imbalances with the French and Russian systems. This helps me to identify where treatment needs to be applied with the American system,“ explains Helge Volkmann when I meet him to talk about what energy medicine is.



When you meet Helge Volkmann face to face, the impression is of a friendly medical doctor with a calm and balanced temper. He is also curious in a positive way, driven as he is by an interest in what will benefit his patients. That is the impression he gives.



According to Helge Volkmann, energy medicine, like all other kinds of treatment, is a method with limitations.



You cannot repair something, which have broken down, for instance a joint which has been completely ruined by rheumatism, but apart from that, is it in principle possible to recreate the normal functioning of tissue with information treatment, says Helge Volkmann.



CELLS ARE EMITTING

INFORMATION



Simply put, energy medicine involves measuring the information that the cells of the body radiates. It focusses on the electromagnetic conditions in the cell membranes.



With energy medicine, a medical doctor can measure, whether the patient is fully supplied with the vitamins and minerals that particular person needs or whether the patient is lacking in nutritients.



The equipment can also measure ph-values, acids and alkalines in the body just as it can register to what degree the patient subjectively feels relaxed and comfortable.



Every change in a person’s psychological states brings with it a change in the energy load of cells.



This can be measured and afterwards and impulses can be sent into the body that correct the impulses and removes the unbalances, says Helge Volkmann.



He considers energy medicine to be an holistic from of treatment.



However certain strains are repeatedly observed in a majority of patients when the medical doctor uses his equipment to detect imbalances.



According to Helge Volkmann the most problematic strains are pollen, gluten and milk intolerance, mercury and other heavy metals and finally estrogenic active substances as for example plastic.



FACTS



Energy medicine is a method which can be used for diagnosing and in treating people with imbalances.



In simple terms, the system functions by sending electromagnetic frequencies into the body and receiving them back into the device, which is emitting the frequencies.



Passing through the body, the frequencies will change depending on what resistence they come across, and it is this principle which can be used to balance the body.



100 years ago energy medicine was an evolving research avenue inside medical science, but the method was suppressed by chemical research used for the development of pharmaceutical products and particularly in the western world energy medicine ended up on a sidetrack.



However when the computer emerged, ist technology enabled a true renaissance for energymedicine.



Computers make research easier to manage and the results became more precise.



Today there are about 40 different computer-based energy medicine apparatuses on the market. Some of them are approved for medical treatment.



In the former east european countries – as opposed to the West – there has been a tradition to treat of illnesses in this way, and east European medical doctors are very experienced in treating with energy medicine.



NAKED FEETS



When a patient is checked with this equipment, the person has to remove their shoes and socks etc. The naked feet are placed on a plate of metal on the floor. Hands, laid out flat, are also placed on a plate of metal.



The system, which is connected to a computer, sends an electric pulse into the body, which is then caught by electrodes. Those electrodes lead the electric pulses back into the system.



When an electric pulse is passed into the body, the energy medical equipment can find out about the status quo of organs and tissues.



The explanation is that the electric pulses change while running through the body dependent on the electromagnetic relationships in the cell membranes. The medical doctor also gets very precise information about how the patient feels at ease from a subjective point of view.



During an examination, a lot of different pulses are send into the body. The treatment consists in sending a reversed frequence into the body where an imbalance has been identified.



If patient is, for instance, under strain from a heavy metal then the medical doctor sends a reversed frequence into the body targeting the heavy metal in question. An infinite amount of frequencies have been programmed in advance into the computer.



Sidebar:



THE EQUIPMENT FINDS MERCURY IN SICK PATIENTS



It is common knowledge, that the mercury burden can be measured in saliva, hair, skin, urine and faeces. If you cannot detect mercury in these places, the patient will normally be informed that mercury plays no part in his or her pathological picture.

But according to Helge Volkmann that description of reality is incomplete.



„It is my conviction, that with information technology you also catch the mercury bound in the body, which will remain hidden, when tested in other ways,“ says Helge Volkmann.



The mercury may be hidden at the first measurement, but when the computer-based energy medical equipment has activated the cells, it will appear, and according to Helge Volkmann, you can particularly often measure mercury in the nervous system.



When Helge Volkmann finds, that a patient’s body is strained by mercury, he sends a reversed mercury frequence into the body.



Simultanously he uses the equipment to strenghten the patient’s detoxing organs.



Then you can measure how levels of mercury slowly level out, he explains.

According to Helge Volkmann, mercury is always playing a role in the pathological picture when the treatment of a patient is particularly recalcitrant.



Sidebar



APPROVED FOR MEDICAL USE



Some of the energy medical equipment on the market has been approved for medical use in line with, for instance, equipment for measuring blood pressure.



The so-called CE2A-approval is particularly important in the EU, but the American medical Board, FDA has also approved certain types of energymedical equipment.



The technology builds on well known physical and chemical processes in the body and is based on a broad field of research. Particularly at hospitals in the eastern part of Europe energy medical technology has been used extensively.



Dr Helge Volkmann hopes that one day comparative studies will be performed.



It would be interesting to find out, what actually happens when you treat a mercury burden. Why do the levels drop? Is it possible to see it together with other methods for measuring a patient’s improvement, says Helge Volkmann.



He estimates, that research in this area will lead to a better understanding of what mechanisms are activated when information technology is used to detoxicate the patient for mercury.

Pycnogenol prevents diabetes complications

(NaturalNews) A research study conducted by G D'Annunzio University in Italy evaluated the benefits of a popular form of pine bark extract in helping diabetics. Published in the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, findings revealed that people with diabetes can avoid developing retinopathy and maintain proper micro-circulation by supplementing with pine bark.

A total of 46 diabetic patients were involved in the randomized, controlled study. Twenty-four of them were treated with pine bark extract once a day for three months while the remaining 22 were given a placebo. All the patients had diabetes for at least four years and all were beginning to develop retinopathy. Seventy-five percent of patients in the pine bark group experienced improvement in their vision while none in the placebo group did.

Dr. Robert Steigerwalt, one of the lead researchers of the study, confirmed that not only does pine bark extract halt the progression of diabetic retinopathy, it can cause it to regress by sealing the leaky blood vessels in the eye that lead to the disease. Such results were witnessed in as little as two months. He also noted that diabetics in the early stages of the disease can prevent such complications from ever occurring by supplementing with pine bark extract.

Pycnogenol, the branded formula of the antioxidant plant extract derived from the French maritime pine tree, has proven itself time and time again to be a powerful protective nutrient, particularly for diabetics. When administered during the early stages of diabetes, many studies have shown that pine bark is effective at preventing and treating the diabetic retinal diseases.

Mediteranean diet-good for diabetes control

(NaturalNews) For the first time, a long-term health study has demonstrated that the Mediterranean diet may help diabetes patients control their blood sugar without the use of medication.

"A Mediterranean-style diet is a very important part in the treatment of diabetes," said endocrinologist Loren Greene of New York University Medical Center, who was not involved in the study. "We knew that, but there just hasn't been a good study to confirm this before."

In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers assigned 215 overweight, adult residents of Naples, Italy, to adhere to one of two diets. Participants in one group were assigned to follow a Mediterranean diet -- eating large quantities of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and certain healthy fats such as olive oil; favoring lean protein sources such as nuts, poultry and fish; and gaining no more than half their daily calories from carbohydrates. Participants in the other group were assigned to follow a low-fat diet similar to that recommended by the American Heart Association -- with no more than 30 percent of its daily calories from fat and 10 percent from saturated fat; low in sweets and high-fat snacks; and high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

All participants were instructed to limit their caloric intake to 1,800 calories per day for men and 1,500 per day for women. They were given regular nutrition counseling and urged to exercise regularly.

After four years, 56 percent of the participants in the Mediterranean diet group were able to manage their diabetes without drugs, compared with only 30 percent of those in the low-fat group. Participants eating a Mediterranean diet also maintained more weight loss and more improvement in levels of HDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglycerides.

Greene noted that as most patients dislike taking medication, the new study might provide an incentive for more diabetics to watch their diets.

"If you are told, 'If you don't want to go on medicine, stick to this diet,' then that's a pretty valuable tool at least for patient compliance," she said.

Sources for this story include: www.time.com.

Broccoli protects your arteries

(NaturalNews) The health benefits of broccoli and related vegetables may come in part from a chemical known as sulforaphane, which appears to activate a specific heart-protecting protein, according to a study conducted by researchers from Imperial College London and published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.

"We know that vegetables are clearly good for you, but surprisingly the molecular mechanisms of why they are good for you have remained unknown for many years," said researcher Paul Evans of the United Kingdom's National Heart and Lung Institute. "This study provides a possible explanation for how green vegetable consumption can promote a healthy heart."

Researchers carried out their tests directly on the chemical sulforaphane, which occurs naturally in vegetables in the family Brassicaceae, also known as cruciferous vegetables. In addition to broccoli, the cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, cauliflower, rapeseed (canola), radish, turnip, mustard greens and watercress.

Sulforaphane was found to increase the activity of the protein Nrf2, which is known to be inactive in areas of the cardiovascular system that are predisposed to plaque buildup. In these areas, which include bends and branches in blood vessels, blood flow is slowed or even disrupted entirely.

"What our study showed was that sulforaphane can protect those regions by switching on the Nrf2," Evans said.

"These fascinating findings provide a possible mechanism by which eating vegetables protects against heart disease," said Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation, which funded the study. "As well as adding evidence to support the importance of eating 'five-a-day', the biochemistry revealed in this research could lead to more targeted dietary or medical approaches to prevent or lessen disease that leads to heart attacks and strokes."

Because the study was carried out using pure sulforaphane, the researchers plan to repeat it in a way that closer approximates consumption of actual broccoli.

"We now need to go and test this with broccoli smoothies, as it were, and compare that with the effect of purified sulforaphane," Evans said.

Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com; www.nutraingredients-usa.com.

Use astralagus to boost immune system

(NaturalNews) Beginning of the school year, rumors of the swine flu sparked great fear around the world. As viruses and bacteria begin to spread like wild fire throughout our communities, you are probably searching for the best immune system supplements to protect your family in addition to a well-balanced diet. When trying to choose the best immune boosting supplement for your family, you need something that is simple to incorporate into your lifestyle. One of the best immune system supplements known throughout history is astragalus root.

You may be surprised that astragalus may also assist in reducing the following: cardiovascular disease, chemotherapy side effects, common cold, diabetes, HIV, and AIDS. Studies have shown that astragalus may actually further suppress cancerous tumors from growing. But astragalus is mainly known for its ability to boost the immune system.

Basics on Astragalus

According to drugs.com, astragalus has no known adverse effects. For those who take immunosuppressive medication you should be aware that astragalus should not be taken; it stimulates the immune system and may cause the medication to not be as effective. Also, astragalus should not be ingested during a fever.

There are many different ways to take astragalus. The root is usually created into a decoction by simmering the root in water for a couple minutes. Then you drink the decoction as you would tea. You can also purchase the extract or capsulated versions.

If you are looking to save money while boosting your immune system, purchase astragalus powder in bulk form. You can encapsulate it yourself or add the powder to your food as you cook.

Dosages for Astragalus

You should always follow the advice of a medical professional when determining the dosage for your body. Each variety of astragalus product may suggest different amounts depending on its strength. Follow the directions listed on the label.

Drugs.com says that the average recommended dose for an adult is 2-6 grams of astragalus powder. 4 grams of powder is equivalent to approximately 1 teaspoon for an adult. Since astragalus is almost tasteless, 1 teaspoon of astragalus powder can be easily hidden in different foods, like soups, sauces, or smoothies. You can also easily hide the strained decoction in foods.

How to Use Astragalus in Smoothies

Smoothies are convenient and many people, young and old, love them. It is usually easier to get your kids to drink an immune boosting smoothie than to swallow the capsules.

You have two main forms of astragalus to choose from when adding astragalus into your smoothies. The easiest way is to use the bulk powder. The second way is to create a decoction for the liquid of the smoothie. For your convenience, the recipes below use astragalus powder.

Astragalus Smoothie Recipes

Macadamia Vanilla Astragalus Shake
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, raw
1 cup water
8 dates, pitted
1/4 tsp stevia
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp astragalus powder
12 ice cubes
Blend the first three ingredients until smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend again.
Makes 2 - 1 cup servings

Strawberry Banana Smoothie
1 cup fresh strawberries
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup fresh fruit juice
2 tablespoons honey or 1/2 tsp stevia powder
1 tsp astragalus powder
8 ice cubes
Place the fresh ingredients under the frozen ingredients into the blender and blend until completely smooth. Makes 2 - 1 cup servings

Chocolate Peppermint Smoothie
1/4 cup cashews or macadamia nuts, raw
1 cup water or peppermint tea
8 dates
1/4 tsp stevia powder
1 tsp astragalus powder
1 tablespoon cocoa or cacao
1-2 drops peppermint essential oil
12 ice cubes
Blend the first three ingredients until smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend again. Makes 2 - 1 cup servings

Resources:

http://www.drugs.com/npc/astragalus...

http://www.smart-publications.com/t...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...

http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/691...

http://www.raisingchildrennaturally...

Green tea prevents H1N1 infection

Green Tea Confirmed to Prevent Infection by New Type of H1N1 Flu Virus

Press Release Source: Ito En, Ltd. On Thursday December 24, 2009, 6:43 am EST

TOKYO, Dec. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Joint research conducted by the Central Research Institute of ITO EN, Ltd. and Professor Takashi Suzuki of the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, showed that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), a kind of catechin contained in green tea, had an inhibitory effect against three types of influenza viruses, including the swine-origin H1N1 virus that caused pandemic flu in 2009, and that its effect did not depend on the type of virus. These findings once again suggest that green tea is effective in preventing flu.



- Background



Influenza viruses are highly contagious and susceptible to mutation. This is why flu spreads repeatedly each year. Recently, the swine-origin, new type of flu (H1N1) has become a pandemic, raising serious concerns. Gargling with green tea has already proved to prevent the onset of seasonal flu. It has become clear that catechin, a major type of polyphenol in green tea, plays a major role in prevention of flu infection, and that, among different types of catechin, EGCg displays the strongest antiviral activity. We conducted examinations to see if EGCg also shows antiviral activity against the new type of H1N1 virus, regardless of viral subtypes. (Patent applications were filled for related matters.)



- Research content



Solutions containing three types of viruses including the H1N1 virus were mixed with EGCg extracted from green tea. The mixture was added to cultured cells, which were thus infected. The cells were incubated for a set period of time, and the number of infected cells was counted. The concentration of EGCg at which virus infection was inhibited to 50% of the level of infection without EGCg was calculated.



- Results



The experiments showed that EGCg prevented flu virus infections at lower concentrations than Amantadine (a drug used to prevent and treat flu). A typical concentration of EGCg in green tea infused from a teapot is reported as 5,000-7,000 micromoles/L. Therefore, these results indicate that green tea diluted 1,000-fold or more is effective to halve infections by three types of viruses, including H1N1.



The study showed that EGCg contained in green tea has potential to inhibit flu infection regardless of its type, and suggested once again that green tea is effective in preventing flu.





About the Central Research Institute of ITO EN, Ltd.

President: Daisuke Honjo

Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Pistachios slash lung cancer risk

(NaturalNews) People who want to avoid the leading cancer killer have a pal in the pistachio. According to the latest research on this nutritional nut, pistachios help reduce the risk of developing lung cancer because of their high gamma-tocopherol content. Gamma-tocopherol is a form of vitamin E that has been proven to be an effective cancer deterrent.

The pistachio likes to keep a "low" profile. For example, Penn State researchers say a daily dose of pistachios "lowers" cholesterol levels by as much as 11 percent; nutritionists recommend them to people who want to "lower" their calorie intake (i.e., pistachios are the lowest calorie nut); and a 2008 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says pistachios "lower" the risk for cardiovascular disease.

How "low" can the pistachio go? Well, when it comes to how at risk someone is for lung cancer, pretty darn low.

Researchers from Texas Woman`s University in Houston supplied a group of 18 healthy participants (who were chosen at random) with two ounces of pistachios. The pistachios were to be eaten every day for a period of one month (two ounces = about 117 pistachio kernels). The other group of 18 did not eat pistachios but, other than that fact, ate the same diet as the first group.

Through various testing procedures that analyzed their vitamin E levels, the researchers found that the pistachio-munching group had higher levels of gamma-tocopherol. As aforementioned, prior studies have found gamma-tocopherol to be effective in protecting men from prostate cancer. And based on this latest round of findings, the gamma-tocopherol in pistachios are every bit as effective in warding off lung cancer.

Lung cancer kills more people per year than breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer combined.

Now, 117 pistachios per day may sound like a lot, but according to the study`s lead researcher, two ounces of pistachios should not lead to any significant changes in body mass.

If you`re not jazzed about the pistachio, there are other ways to get your gamma-tocopherol fill besides supplementing. Nuts are the most abundant source of gamma-tocopherol (both nuts and nut oils), but another especially rich source is wheat germ oil. One-hundred grams of wheat germ oil contains a whopping 215 milligrams! This is important to note, because even though gamma-tocopherol is the major source of vitamin E in the diet, the blood retains more alpha-tocopherol than gamma-tocopherol.

Sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/stat...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tocopherol
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocent...

Enjoy an antioxidant melange !

(NaturalNews) You want to make the Cranberry Melange Recipe. The dilemma is you are wondering how to perform some of the culinary techniques to make it? Also, you may be wondering the answers to questions like why to use salt in this sweet recipe? Wonder no more...

*Citrus - How to supreme...

Segmenting citrus, or to "supreme" in culinary vernacular, means to release the individual segments or sections of a citrus fruit from the membranes (that hold the fruit together). First, slice off the tops and bottoms of the citrus. With a small sharp knife (serrated works well), cut off the peel (cutting deeply enough that the white bitter pith is removed). This can be done either in a circular motion (moving around the globe of the fruit) or by slicing from the top to the bottom of the fruit (following the contour of the fruit). To catch any juice that is released, work over a bowl. Insert knife along one side of a membrane, and slice toward the center of the fruit (keeping knife as close to the membrane as possible). One side of the segment will now be separated. Do the other side of the membrane the same way (until segment is completely freed).

*Citrus - How to zest...

With its floral and tangy tones and a slightly and sophisticated bitterness, zest refers to the vividly colored and most outer peel of citrus fruits. This very outer peel contains natural, volatile and aromatic oils that intensify citrus sapor. The white portion (or called the pith - which lies just below the zest) is less desirable (because of its bitter taste). Try tangerine or blood orange zest with their exquisite flowery aromas. Use zest from only organic citrus fruit (to avoid waxes and chemicals). Always zest the fruit just before using the zest (because this is when the zest`s volatile oils are strongest). Use only citrus fruit with a beautiful appearance and drawing fragrance (for highest quality zest). Zest only uncut citrus fruit (for ease of zesting). Before zesting, always clean the citrus fruit.

*Nuts - How to soak and dehydrate...

Place nuts into a container. Add a little highest-quality unrefined unheated salt. Fill container with cool temperature filtered water to cover nuts by a few inches. Lid container. At room-temperature, soak nuts for the time specified in recipe. Drain off soaking water. In fresh cool-temperature filtered water, submerge and swish soaked nuts. Drain nuts. Dehydrate nuts: Place flexible mesh screen over top of rigid larger-holed tray. Arrange nuts in single layer. Set dehydrator at 95 degrees. Dehydrate nuts equal to or twice as long as soak time (depending on texture desired).

*The Cranberry Melange Recipe was tested using the English = Royal = Persian walnuts.

*Allspice comes from a single tree. It tastes like a mixture of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. If grinding allspice, about 5 whole berries = 1-teaspoon. If grinding cinnamon, 1 stick = 1/2-teaspoon. For a spectacular culinary result, preferred is to use Ceylon cinnamon.

*In lieu of highest-quality Himalayan pink crystal salt (unrefined and unheated) that is used in The Cranberry Melange Recipe, feel free to use any highest-quality unrefined and unheated salt of choice. The Hawaiian red clay salt is fabulous.

*Why is there salt used in this sweet recipe? The answer is because salt 1. Mingles flavors and 2. Increases the sweet taste in a sweet recipe.

*For health, it is important to use a honey that is pure, unprocessed, unfiltered and unheated. In addition, honey that is certified organic can be obtained.

Will you comment on the recipe?

Thanks for reading!

References:

Cranberry Nutrition:

http://www.naturalnews.com/001505_b...

Walnut Nutrition:

http://www.healingfoodreference.com...

Walnuts (culinary info):

http://www.foodsubs.com/Nuts.html

Children need more dirt to be healthy

(NaturalNews) Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, have found that children who are too clean are at a higher risk of developing inflammation and disease. Normal skin bacteria that act to balance immune response protect the body from overreacting to cuts and other injuries. Excessive cleanliness is actually impairing children's natural healing function and putting them at an increased risk for disease.

Published in the online edition of Nature Medicine, findings are confirming that germ exposure is beneficial to young children who need it in order to build immunity and prevent the onset of allergies. Being too clean is now implicated in causing increased allergies in developed countries around the world.

Staphylococci, the bacterial species studied by researchers, was found to play a vital role in blocking inflammation. It creates a molecule called lipoteichoic acid (LTA) that keeps skin keratinocytes balanced and prevents them from creating too much inflammation. As a result, a simple cut or scrape will not get overly swollen in the presence of staphylococci.

Overuse of skin soaps, body washes, and hand sanitizers is eliminating this important bacteria, leading many researchers to question hygiene methods that have become commonplace. Children are being restricted from "dirty" outdoor activities in the name of keeping them safe from germs, when in fact these restrictions are causing them more harm than good.

Several groups in the United Kingdom, including Parents Outloud and Allergy UK, believe that the research proves that children are being overprotected from germs and that exposure to elements like dirt and sand is a good thing for them. Since allergy rates have tripled in the UK over the past ten years, advocates of germ exposure hope that the findings will cause many to reevaluate their ideas concerning childhood health.

A rapid rise in allergies, asthma, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, and serious inflammation diseases are also being seen in the United States where the sanitation craze has also taken hold. Science has shown that the human body maintains health because of the presence of trillions of different microbes that keep each other in check. Antibacterial products and other sanitation products can cause the growth of super-bacteria that can cause serious problems.

Children who grow up on farms and are exposed to all sorts of bugs, worms and natural elements have demonstrably less allergies and autoimmune problems than urban children who spend most of their time indoors. Playing outside barefoot every now and again and digging in the dirt more often would do wonders for the health of today's youngsters.

Sources for this story include: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8...

Chinese food therapy

Chinese Food Therapy

http://www.allchinanet.com/chinese_medicin...d_therapy.shtml

Green Onion (Scallion)

As Chinese saying goes "no onions do not cook dishes," in daily life, the green onion (scallion) , while mostly used as seasoning, its nutritional value and health value can not be underestimated. Green onion (scallion) is regarded as “warm” in nature in Chinese traditional medicine. Chinese used it for dispersing chill, relieving congestion and relaxing muscle tension. Mixing scallions, ginger and brown sugar is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription for early treatment of cold. Green onions also benefits the stomach and lungs since green onions can promot digestion and destroy oral and respiratory bacteria.

Ginger

Ginger is widely used in Chinese cooking as seasoning. But its value is far beyond serving as the flavoring agent. In traditional Chinese medicine, ginger is “warm” in nature. Ginger is often used for treatment of abdominal bloating, diarrhea, nausea, headache, and bleeding. It is also used for treating of cough, common cold, help digestion, neutralize poisons in food, promote blood circulation, support cardiovascular health. In addition, ginger is commonly used for treatment of inflammatory joint diseases, such as arthristis and rheumatism. Its healing power has made it one of the most popular food remedy in traditional Chinese medicine.

Garlic

Garlic is another food with strong healing power. Like ginger, it is “warm” in nature in traditional Chinese medicine. One could found that lots of Chinese dishes contain generous amount of garlic. Chinese not only use it to promote the flavor, but believe it kills bacteria, help digestion, and prevents diarrhea. Researchers found that eating garlic on a regular basis lowers the risk of stomach and colon cancers. Other therapeutic functions have been found in garlic, such as being used as a remedy for hypertension, diabetes, hepatitis. It is recommended to eat garlic raw and crushed. It is found that fresh raw garlic when crushed has the most effectiveness to release it’s healing power.

Cucumber

Speaking of cucumber, many people like to eat it, but few people know it's pharmaceutical value. Chinese traditional medicine believes that the cucumber is “cool” in nature. It has the effect of detoxification and could help to ease throat pain causing by some illness. Modern medical researchers found that cucumber is rich in vitamin E, which helps fighting against aging. Women like to put cucumber juice or film on the face to smooth skin and reduce wrinkle. Cucumber also contains vitamin B1, which is essential tp brain and nervous system. Chinese traditional medicine believes cucumber has the effect to soothe the nerves and aid in the treatment of insomnia.

Peach

There is Chinese saying of “Longevity peach”, reminding people the connection of peach and the promise of longevity. Chinese medicine believes that peach is moderate “warm” in nature. Peach seed is widely used in Chinese medicine to improve blood circulation, dissolve accumulated blood clots, moisten the intestines and relaxes the bowels. Since peach is rich in iron, Chinese believes consuming enough amount of peach has the beauty effectiveness.

Grape

Chinese traditional medicine believes grape is neutral regarding to “warm” or “cool” in nature. Eating grape can tune the b lood, strengthen the bone, and promote urination. Because grape contains highly effective anti-cancer substances, it is a good food choice to prevent from cancer. Also, dried grape (raisin) is rich in iron, which is especially beneficial to children or people who has anaemia.

Tomato

Tomatoes are known to be a powerhouse of nutrition. Traditional Chinese medicine regards it as “cool” in nature. Chinese medicine believes that tomatoes have the effectiveness of detoxification, reducing blood pressure, preventing from cancer and aging. It contains a multitude of vitamins and minerals that promote the immune system and support health. In addition, tomato is high in nutrition, but low in calories, it is an excellent choice for weight loss diet.

Apple

As wisdom says “one apple per day keeps the doctor away from me,” traditional Chinese medicine found that apple is “cool” in nature and promotes various health benefits. Researchers found that eating 1-2 apples per day, the rate of suffering from heart disease can be reduced by half. Apple contains soluble fibre that help to prevent from constipation. The scent of apples helps people to relax and refresh their spirit. Apple cider vinegar helps digestion and reduces fat. Eating apple slowing in the mouth can be very effective to kill the oral bacteria.

Strawberry
Strawberry’s bright red color and delicious tastes have made it a popular fruit. Chinese traditional medicine believes that strawberry is “cool” in nature. It lubricates lungs, promotes body fruids, strengthens spleen and stomach, and detoxifies in alcohol intoxication. It also contains anti-cancer ingredients that prevent people from cancer and aging.

Ear infection- use home-made garlic juice

Stop feeding them mucus all day long whilst hurting their Kidneys forever. This is just filth plain and simple.

Ear Infections: Use a Home Remedy of Garlic Juice

Friday, December 18, 2009 by: Kim Evans
http://www.naturalnews.com/027761_ear_infections_garlic.html


Children are often plagued with ear infections and they're often taken to doctors who ply them with antibiotics. However, antibiotics destroy our healthy bacteria, which is our first line of immune defense. This leaves children, and adults, wide open for numerous health problems later in life after they've taken antibiotics. Ear infections are most often caused by a bacteria, virus, or fungus in the ear and the juice of a few cloves of raw garlic with a little water is an effective natural antibiotic, antiviral, and anti-fungal. This simple mixture can be placed right in the ear a couple times a day as an easy home remedy to beat common ear infections.

However, before you do this, you should know that with ear infections, it can be painful while the garlic is killing what needs to be killed. The pain, however, generally lasts just a few minutes and when the problem is eliminated, there will be no pain even with the same dosage of garlic water.

To make the mixture, juice a few cloves of garlic and strain the juice to ensure it's without chunks or solid residue. Then, add approximately five times as much purified water as garlic juice. Then simply tilt your head to the side and pour in some of the garlic water. Keeping your head cocked to the side, let the garlic juice remain in your ear for a few minutes or as long as you can stand. When you're ready, simply tilt your head to the other side to drain the remainder, and rinse your ear in your next shower. With young children, or if you have a low tolerance for pain, you may want to dilute the juice even further.

It generally takes just a dose or two before the pain - and problem - are eliminated. And most would agree that the momentary pain beats having your immune system compromised for the rest of your life - whether you're an adult or child - just because your doctor didn't tell you how to replenish your healthy bacteria after he or she gave you drugs that destroyed them.

If you've already taken antibiotics and are turning to home remedies as a back plan, it's important to also get started in replacing your healthy bacteria. Having an abundance of these friendly microbes in your gut will help you avoid many problems. Dr. Richard Anderson tells us that one dose of antibiotics can wipe out all of our healthy bacteria.

Healthy bacteria are found naturally in raw fermented foods, including sauerkraut, kim chi, and kombucha. Quality yogurts also contain plenty of healthy bacteria, but yogurt is also mucus-forming which contributes to clogged pathways in the body. In particular, mucus-forming foods contribute to clogged sinuses - and clogged sinuses are connected with ear infections. Due to this, it's better to get your healthy bacteria from vegetable-based sources. Healthy bacteria are also available as supplements known as probiotics. Just be sure to purchase a good brand - and one with at least as much of the Bifidobacteria strain as the Lactobacillus bacteria (acidophilus, etc.) strain.

More:

Cleanse and Purify Thyself, Book 1, Richard Anderson, N.D., N.M.D.
The Consumer's Guide to Probiotics, S.K. Dash, Ph.D.

Echinacea purpurea extract-efficient in swine flu

http://www.virologyj.com/content/6/1/197

Anti-viral properties and mode of action of standardized Echinacea purpurea extract against highly pathogenic avian Influenza virus (H5N1, H7N7) and swine-origin H1N1 (S-OIV)

Stephan Pleschka , Michael Stein , Roland Schoop and James B Hudson
Virology Journal 2009, 6:197doi:10.1186/1743-422X-6-197

Published: 13 November 2009

Abstract (provisional)

Background

Influenza virus (IV) infections are a major threat to human welfare and animal health worldwide. Anti-viral therapy includes vaccines and a few anti-viral drugs. However vaccines are not always available in time, as demonstrated by the emergence of the new 2009 H1N1-type pandemic strain of swine origin (S-OIV) in April 2009, and the acquisition of resistance to neuraminidase inhibitors such as Tamiflu® (oseltamivir) is a potential problem. Therefore the prospects for the control of IV by existing anti-viral drugs are limited. As an alternative approach to the common anti-virals we studied in more detail a commercial standardized extract of the widely used herb Echinacea purpurea (Echinaforce®, EF) in order to elucidate the nature of its anti-IV activity.

Results

Human H1N1-type IV, highly pathogenic avian IV (HPAIV) of the H5- and H7-types, as well as swine origin IV (S-OIV, H1N1), were all inactivated in cell culture assays by the EF preparation at concentrations ranging from the recommended dose for oral consumption to several orders of magnitude lower. Detailed studies with the H5N1 HPAIV strain indicated that direct contact between EF and virus was required, prior to infection, in order to obtain maximum inhibition in virus replication. Hemagglutination assays showed that the extract inhibited the receptor binding activity of the virus, suggesting that the extract interferes with the viral entry into cells. In sequential passage studies under treatment in cell culture with the H5N1 virus no EF-resistant variants emerged, in contrast to Tamiflu®, which produced resistant viruses upon passaging. Furthermore, the Tamiflu®-resistant virus was just as susceptible to EF as the wild type virus.

Conclusions

As a result of these investigations, we believe that this standard Echinacea preparation, used at the recommended dose for oral consumption, could be a useful, readily available and affordable addition to existing control options for IV replication and dissemination.

Foods to increase bone desity

Use Tips from David Wolfe to Increase Bone Density

Saturday, December 05, 2009 by: Barbi Trejo
http://www.naturalnews.com/027660_David_Wo...ne_density.html


The well-known author and supporter of the raw-vegan lifestyle, David Wolfe (www.davidwolfe.com) states that, "Calcium does not build bones. This is one of the biggest misconceptions ever." He states that silicon and magnesium are the keys to increasing bone density. So, stop taking calcium and start taking silicon and magnesium to increase your bone density.

Foods that contain silicon include bell peppers, soybeans, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, alfalfa, beets, brown rice, rice bran, rice hulls, rolled oats, nettles, hemp leaf and horsetail.

Magnesium is found in nuts such as cashews, almonds, macadamia and cacao. Foods like halibut, avocados, oatmeal, baked potatoes and spinach also contain magnesium. Make sure you are adding plenty of green leafy vegetables to your diet, as they are foods rich in magnesium. They are also a good source for calcium and silicon.

Raw chocolate and cacao are not only a great source of magnesium; they are also beneficial for the teeth, as chocolate destroys Streptococcus, the organism that causes cavities. According to David, the tooth's worst enemy is sugar; chocolate is beneficial.

David Wolfe's Super Foods:

David recommends including super foods and herbs in your diet by adding them (in powder form) to meals or by brewing teas with these beneficial herbs and foods. He recommends 1-3 capsules of silica from horsetail extract daily. The herbs and super foods contain all the vitamin, mineral and protein requirements, glyconutrient requirements, essential fatty acid requirements, immune system requirements and more.

David's top super herbs include: vanilla bean, pau d'arco, cat's claw, chanca piedra, camu camu berry and horsetail.

The top super foods include: goji berries, cacao beans (cacao nibs, cacao powder, cacao butter), maca (regular maca, red maca), acai, bee pollen, honey, blue-green algae, aloe vera, noni, yacon root (powder and syrup), hemp seed, Incan berries and kelp.

David Wolfe's Favorite Teas:

1. Horsetail, alfalfa, nettles and cat's claw.

2. Gogi berry, vanilla, pau d'arco, cat's claw, nettles and horsetail. According to Wolfe, "They are amazing."

3. Goji berry, vanilla bean and pau d'arco.

4. Mushroom tea consisting of reishi and maitaki. Mushroom tea is made using the same method as is used for herbal teas; the herbs or the mushrooms are not boiled.

How David Wolfe Makes His Teas:

David slowly heats high-quality water (preferably spring water) to no more than 170 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water cools, he adds the herbs. He suggests using a stainless steel pot.

David added, "Every herbalist that I knew when I was a kid - Chinese medical doctors said you have to boil it, you have to boil it. I never boil it and it's perfectly fine. In fact, it's the best ever."

In addition, David takes horsetail tinctures daily. MariaTrebens, (www.mariatrebens.com) offers the following recipes for teas and tinctures:

Tincture - Place 10gm of fresh horsetail in 50gm of vodka or whiskey. Place the mixture in the sun for 14 days. Shake the bottle daily.

Infusion or tea - Pour 1/2 liter of boiling water over 2 heaping teaspoons of dried horsetail.

The Swiss herbalist, Abbe Kuenzle says, "All people from a certain age on should drink a cup of Horsetail tea every day all year round and all pain caused by rheumatism, gout and nerves would disappear and every person would have a healthy old age."

Horsetail should be stored in a well-sealed container in a cabinet, away from the light.

Old, natural remedies for flu

http://www.nothinbutherbs.com/product_p/2402.htm

A Flu Virus’s Worst Nightmare

SAMBUCUS NIGRA AND OLEA EUROPAEA

SAMBUCUS NIGRA

Folklore tells us that during the Middle Ages, the English believed the Sambucus nigra tree to have mystical abilities and that to have these trees on one’s property meant good luck. The medicinal value of the black elderberry goes back to the 5th century BC and is mentioned in the writings of Hippocrates, Dioscurides and Plinius. The juice of the Sambucus nigra has been used for over 2,500 years as a remedy for flu and colds.

Dr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu, PhD, a virologist based in Israel, is credited with discovering how Sambucus nigra thwarts the invasion of the flu virus. In order for a virus to replicate itself, it must first invade existing living cells through tiny “spikes” on the surface of the virus that puncture the walls of the cell. In the lab, Dr. Mumcuoglu discovered that the active constituents of Sambucus nigra “disarm” these “spikes”, which prevent the virus from piercing the cell membrane.

In clinical studies conducted in Israel in 1992, half the flue patients participating in the studies were given four tablespoons of syrup containing the active Sambucus nigra ingredients combined with other natural components; the remaining patients were given a placebo. The results showed that within 24 hours, the flu symptoms had significantly improved in twenty percent of the patients taking the Sambucus Nigra syrup. After the second day, another 75% were improved and in three days, a complete cure was achieved in over 90%. Among the control group, only 8% of the patients showed improvements in 24 hours, the remaining 92% improved within 6 days or more.

With these and other results showing Sambucus nigra as a proven antiviral agent, other testing has commenced to understand the extract’s potential role in the remedy of other viruses, including HIV, herpes and Epstein-Barr.

The examination of the active phytonutrients in Sambucus Nigra reveals flavonoids, almost exclusively flavonols with rutin as the chief component, as well as isoquercitrin and astrogalin.

OLEA EUROPAEA
Another Flu Fighter

The ancient Egyptians may have been the first to make practical use of the Olea Europaea, using it in the mummification of their kings. In later cultures, Olea europaeas were used as a popular folk remedy to relieve fevers. The first formal medical documentation describing the use of the olea europaea to cure malaria appeared in the 1850’s. Other European researchers determined that Olea europaea increases blood flow in the arteries, relieves irregular heartbeats and prevents intestinal spasms. In Hungary, a clinical investigation led by the director of an alternative medicine clinic in Hungary established that Olea europaea is 98% effective in destroying the viruses, bacteria and fungi that causes many of today’s most widespread illnesses.

With its antioxidant properties, Olea europaea may play a role in preventing free radical generation and the resulting damage this causes in healthy cells.

In recent times, Olea europaea (oleuropein) has been rediscovered as having multiple health applications. It has been reported to enhance the immune system, have anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-parasite properties, increase energy, have internal cleansing action, lower blood pressure and reduce blood sugar. Olea europaea fights
viruses, such as colds and flu, by interfering with the critical amino acid production essential for virus reproduction.

Active molecules in Olea europaea have the ability to penetrate infected cells and stop viral replication. It can stimulate phagocytosis, an immune system response in which cells ingest and eliminate harmful micro-organisms and foreign matter.

Olea europaea may have powerful antioxidant properties. It has been shown to inhibit oxidation of low-density lipoproteins, the so-called “bad cholesterol” involved in heart arterial disease. With its antioxidant properties, Olea europaea may play a role in preventing free radical generation and the resulting damage this causes in healthy cells.

Researchers have determined that Olea europaea is a true anti viral, in that it selectively blocks the entire spectrum of viral growth and replication in the infected host. No pharmaceutical can accomplish this.

Dr. Tom has formulated for you 100% Sambucus nigra and Olea europaea in combination for maximum viral protection.

Call Nothin’ But Herbs today and get started protecting yourself from the multitude of viruses attacking our society.

Fasting for detoxification and weight loss

Fasting for Detoxification and Weight Loss

Posted by: Michael Tierra in weight loss, nutrition, herbs, diet, Ayurveda on Jan 17, 2009
http://www.planetherbs.com/index.php?optio...8&limitstart=10


We're already halfway through January! How are you doing with your health-centered New Year's resolutions? In my last post on diet and weight loss, I discussed exercise and making reponsible food choices. In this post I'd like to address another option for detoxification, balancing and weight loss: Fasting.

All fasting is essentially a process that gives the body a rest and restores normal metabolic function. There are generally two types of fasts: a more extreme detoxifying juice-only fast, and a milder yet still balancing and detoxifying fast based on legumes and grains.

Four-Day Apple Juice Fast

If you have previously overindulged in rich foods, meat, fat, dairy and so forth, you may reap remarkable benefits from a mono-fruit juice fast. For starters, I recommend the four-day apple juice fast.

Purchase or be prepared to juice the equivalent of at least a half-gallon of organic apple juice per day for three days.

The drill is simple: to maintain blood sugar levels, have at least one 8-ounce glass of warm or room temperature apple juice every two hours or anytime you feel like eating.

To maintain healthy fats during this (or any) diet I also recommend a teaspoon of olive oil three times daily.

After three days of taking apple juice only, you 'break-fast' on the fourth day. This day is the day that can either make or break the gains achieved by the previous three days. On that day, one can have warm vegetable soup with added beans and brown rice, accompanied by a wilted salad garnished with olive oil and Bragg's amino acids (an alternative to soy tamari sauce).

A "wilted" salad is the a traditional Asian dish made by chopping up salad greens and putting them into a cheesecloth bag and dipping them briefly into a pot of salted boiling water for 30 seconds or so. This is then placed on a dish with another dish on top and a weight to press out the excess water in the salad.

The nutrients in greens are encased in a cellulose-like bond that is difficult for our digestive fluids to dissolve. Heat dissolves this bond just as it will quickly crinkle any piece of cellophane passed over an open flame. Many may ask, "Don't you lose some of the nutrients through this flash-heating method?" Yes, but the loss is very little compared to what you will now absorb. The experiential test for this is how comfortable and good your stomach feels when you have your salads prepared in this way as opposed to greens that are raw.

Certain herbs will greatly assist the detoxifying weight loss process you are trying to accomplish with this fast. For this, I recommend Planetary's Triphala Garcinia Program, two to three tablets taken with the apple juice three times daily. This formula combines the legendary balanced detoxification properties of the three Ayurvedic fruits of Triphala with the thyroid supporting effects of kelp and L-Tyrosine, which all purify the blood and lymph. Also included in the formula are burdock and cleavers, which increase the elimination of excess fluid; Chinese white atractylodes, astragalus and ginger to help raise metabolism; and dehydrated apple cider vinegar, which regulates acid-alkaline.

It is important to note that no herbal formula will directly result in weight loss. Stimulants are used medically and do suppress the appetite to some degree, but should not be exclusively relied upon in place of dietary and lifestyle solutions such as the ones I discuss on this and previous posts.

This being said, a formula such as Triphala Garcinia Program can be a powerful aid to all the elements necessary for balanced weight loss. It can be safely used in an ongoing manner to assist the body's normal digestive, assimilative and eliminative processes.

After an initial four-day fast like the one mentioned above is a good time to implement or renew your New Year's diet principles and resolutions.

Kicharee Fast

For those whose diets are not so extreme in indulgences but still would like to detoxify and cleanse, a 10-day diet based on whole grains and beans with the judicious use of spices is recommended.

The most ideal fast that has been used for millennia is based on the Ayurvedic food called kichari or kichidi. This is one of the most satisfying and healing foods. It can be taken as a complete food for detoxification, purification, weight loss, weak digestion or recovery from illness. You may modify it as you wish, adding vegetables, using chicken stock, adding fish, and so on. However, it is pretty complete unto itself. Depending on the type of fast you would like to do, you may choose to have it once, twice or for all three meals of the day.

With the addition of some cooked vegetables, one can live on kicharee. Here is the recipe:

Kicharee (Indian Dahl and Rice)

You will need the following ingredients:
Split yellow mung beans (dahl)
White Indian basmati rice (or other white rice)
Ghee (clarified butter)

Spices are important to kicharee and have their own healing properties:
Ground turmeric
Ground coriander seed
Ground cumin seed
Sea or rock salt

The final product will be very soupy and not like normal rice and beans. You can choose to make it thicker or thinner by using more or less water in the beginning.

In a saucepan, cook one part rice and mung beans (can be a quarter to a half cup of each) in 7 to 10 parts water until rice is tender.

In a separate large skillet, heat a level tablespoon of ghee. Add and sautee ¼ teaspoon each of turmeric, ground coriander seed, ground cumin seed and ¼ to ½ teaspoon of salt.

This should only takes a few minutes to lightly brown so that the wonderful aroma of the spices begins to arise. Then mix in the precooked mung beans and rice.

During your fast, have a bowl as often as you like. The ancients said that if one eats only kicharee for 10 days, it can cure all diseases. True or not, it is certainly a wonderful foundation to healing. To enhance the detoxification process, take three triphala tablets twice a day with water before or after eating kicharee.

While it is best to make a fresh batch everyday during your fast, kicharee will keep refrigerated for three or four days. Don't forget that you can add vegetables or small amounts of organic meats to the above basic recipe to make it more like a stew.

I look forward to hearing what your experiences with either of the above fasts are in the comments section.

Dhal image by © Monkey Business Images | Dreamstime.com