Nutrition Fridays

Last week, I asked you the question: “Are you ready to try something different?"

The image above is the current Food Pyramid, from the FDA site. It is much more balanced than the former food pyramid.  You will soon begin to see the difference between it, and the one I will be discussing next week!

Now, I’m not going to advocate that you throw in the garbage all the food in your fridge and in your cupboards.  Most of us could not afford to toss-out food and replace it.  Besides, you need more information!

There are two very well-known studies: The Seven Countries Study (which resulted in the well-known Mediterranean Diet) and The China Study...

We will begin with what was gleaned from the Seven Countries Study:

The countries studied were Greece, Italy, Croatia and Serbia (then both were a part of Yugoslavia), Japan, Finland, the Netherlands and the United States. The methodology was not through surveys, but by observation in the homes of those studied; through careful measurement of portions eaten and tests. The countries with the highest saturated fats in the diet were the United States, the Netherlands and Finland. Correlated to this information, they also had the highest rate of heart disease. The lowest rates out of all-causes, age-specific death rates were the lowest in the Mediterranean regions (Cloutier and Adamson, 25)”.

It is not just diet, of course, that stands-out in this study. It is the age of the person, blood pressure, and cigarette smoking. It is these and blood cholesterol that came to be known as “risk factors”. While a high-saturated fat diet was a clearly indicated factor, so did the life-style of the persons studied.

The life-style has to do with state of mind. A person can eat extremely healthy, but without lowering stress, living actively (exercise), having close family and community relationships, connection to nature, slower pace of life, enjoying the preparation of and eating food and the zest for living/loving a person may still have health problems.  

Just sit with this information and ponder it. 

Alternative Healing Wednesdays

I will discuss the preparation of tinctures, fluid extracts, and essences but first, those “constituents” will be defined.  I will drop a few terms, so stay with me.

ALKALOIDS - very potent, may have a poisonous effects, not suitable for home use. Ex: Morphine found in the Opium Poppy. Usually these are in Pharmaceuticals.

GLYCOSIDES – any of the numerous sugar derivatives that contain a non-sugar group bonded to an oxygen or nitrogen atom and on hydrolysis yield a sugar i.e. when mixed with water separate into sugar / and non-sugar. Some are mildly poisonous, and have a laxative action (ex: rhubarb)

SAPONINS – similar to glycosides but when they are put into water produce a soap-like lather. These assist the ability to absorb calcium and silicon, and used often in herbal teas. (Ex: licorice root)

ESSENTIAL OILS – all herbs have some essential oils, although some have more than others, They usually have a strong and most of the times pleasing odor.  To extract these the process of distillation is used. The essential oils are composed of an assortment of different constituents with various effects on the body.

BITTER PRINCIPLES – non-poisonous, usually are strong and bitter to the taste. If taken before eating they will assist the digestive process.Usually used in the form of an alcohol extract, tincture or a medicinal wine.

Calendula. 

 Photography by Donna Duncan, Copr. 2008

TANNINS – binds albumen in the skin and mucous membranes forming a protective waterproof layer, resistant to disease. Too much tannins can be irritating to the stomach lining and can cause liver damage. If a cold infusion is made, then just a small amount of the tannins will be absorbed in the body.

MUCILAGE – a sticky gel that forms a layer upon the surface of mucus membranes.  They act to calm and soothe inflamed tissue and protect the tissues from invading irritants. A good example is Marshmallow.

VITAMINS, MINERALS AND TRACE MINERALS – dis-ease is created by our diet lacking these substances. In the garden, plants may be deficient in them, but in the wild, herbs and weeds will grow where there is an abundance in the soil.

Herbal Mondays

The Echinacea plant is native to the areas west of Ohio, in America.  It belongs to the Aster (Asteraceae) family.  Echinacea can grow as high as 2-3 feet.  The leaves are “thick, rough, hairy, and broadly landscaped, 3-8 in. long (Hutchans, 113)…” The flowered head appears from July to October. The color of the flower ranges from white to a pale purple.

The Lakota used the Echinacea plant (freshly scraped root) for hydrophobia, and snakebites.  The Cheyenne used boiled leaves and stems making a yellow colored liquid to draw poison out of a snake bite and to relieve the itch of poison ivy.(James Stubbendieck, et al)

                                                                        

For Homeopathic use, the whole fresh Echinacea plant is tinctured.  It is recommended for Appendicitis, bites of rabid animals, blood poisoning, just to name a few.  Echinacea’s dried root homeopathic is used at a ratio of 1:2 which means 75% of the tinctured root to 25% water.  For the fresh root, it is used at a ratio of 1:5, meaning 50% tincture and 50% water[i]. 

I was taught that the volatile properties of the tinctures were reduced by continuous dilutions and succession (vigorous shaking). The author of the above information stated you should feel a “buzzing” on the tongue. 

With proper homeopathic dilution, you would take the tincture and dilute it with 99 parts of water and alcohol before each succession for 1C homeopathic solution or one part tincture to 10 parts water or alcohol for a 1X solution.  

Typically you would see the remedies labeled 6C, 30C, 200C, 1M (1,000C) or higher.  For home use 6C and 30C are what is usually recommended. 

As with Flower Remedies, Homeopathic Remedies use the “essence” of a plant, mineral, etc. That “essence”  is as Robin Hayfield states, “entering the realms of pure energy (15)”.  It is actually the signature of the plant, or other organism.  It acts upon the vital force of the body. 

References:

Hayfield, Robin.  The Family Homeopath: safe, natural, effective health care for you and your children.
     Healing Arts Press, 1994

Hutchens, Alma R.  Indian Herbalogy of North America.  Shambhala, 1991

James Stubbendieck, Stephen L. Hatch, and Charles H Butterfield.  North American Range Plants, 4^th Ed.
     University of Nebraska Press, 1992.

Weyers, Elisheva. http://elisheva-weyers.suite101.com/echinacea-a-natural-immune-stimulant-a236105

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[i] Use only spring water or distilled water. 

Nutrition Fridays

STUDIES HAVE SHOWN:

The best diet for healing is Veganism. 

The next best is Vegetarianism [in which there are numerous types]

The worst diet for good health is what the average American eats.

 Spirit of Place: If Nothing Ever Changed...
Collage Painting. Copr. Donna Duncan, 2012

Unlike what you hear from the beef industry, beef is the worst meat produced! Unlike what was grown 30 to 40 years ago, the beef produced today has been given feed that is GMO, unless labeled as “free-range” and “Grass-fed”, although I did find a site where concerns were expressed about GMO in alfalfa seed[i] . It is a well-known fact that chemicals are sprayed on crops grown for cattle feed, and that growth hormones are given via feed to cattle slated for the market.  Also, keep in mind that beef is a $74 billion industry as of 2010[ii]. 

If you have not seen the video “Fast Food Nation”, I advise that you go rent a copy.  You will never wish to go to Burger King or McDonald’s again! The new “healthier” menus are very interesting.  Processed yogurt, fruits that do not taste right (after eating organic for a year, you will understand what I am saying here), but definitely better than the old menus.

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to take the risk that what I eat may harm me.  Much less spoon or fork that food onto your children’s dinner plate!

It’s all about choices, EDUCATED choices. We can chose to be spoon-fed a bunch of hype from a billion-dollar industry. Nor should you allow the FDA to assist in your decisions, who do not require labeling of GMO food sources, but DOES require everything else to be labeled and has a former Monsanto CEO large and in charge.

The American public needs to understand how food affects health.  Remember that old adage “You are what you eat”? There is truth to that saying! If we stuff ourselves with empty calories, fats, low-vitamin and mineral (and “enriched” with only a few vitamins) content, possibly GMO fed meats, and sugar than what can we expect? 

High percentages of people diagnosed with Heart Disease, Cancer, Diabetes, Acid-Reflux, numerous digestive disorders, Chronic and Morbid Obesity, female and male hormonal imbalances, etc.

Are you ready to try something different?

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[i] http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/

[ii] http://www.ers.usda.gov/news/BSECoverage.htm

Alternative Healing Wednesdays

Balm of Gilead.
Watercolor. Copr. Donna Duncan, 2001

There are several ways in which herbal healing is administered.  These are: teas, infusions, decoctions, tinctures, fluid extracts, essences[i], fomentations, ointments, poultices, syrups, and capsules. We will discuss the method of making herbal teas, infusions and decoctions here[ii]:

Tea 
                             

Use fresh water (spring water is best, filtered water is next-best), and bring to a boil, shut it off.  Place 1 teaspoon of tea to 8 ounces of water. Cover the pot. Let steep for 5-15 minutes. Use a non-metallic strainer to strain the tea.

Infusion

Pour 1 pint of boiling water over a full ounce of herbs. For smaller amounts you can reduce, for example 1/3 ounce of herb to a full cup of water.  Then let it steep for 10-20 minutes (lid on). Then strain as instructed with tea.

Decoctions

Used for hard, and woody type of roots and / or stems. It is the bitter principles and mineral salts that are extracted through this process. First you would need to cut or crush a full ounce of herb. These are added to a full pint of water. Bring them to a boil, and then reduce the temperature to simmer until ¼ of the volume is gone.  Allow the liquid to cool, and strain (as before).  The decoction is intended to be taken in small amounts several times a day. The strained herbal liquid should be refrigerated and kept for only 72 hours.

What should you do with the herbs, after straining? Place them in your compost, or around your plants to naturally decompose.  DO NOT throw into the garbage or garbage disposal! Plants do sense our attitudes, and doing these two things would send the message we do not respect and honor their healing qualities. I always thank the plant when placing the used parts out in the garden.

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[i] Not to be mistaken with Essence Oils, or Flower Essences

[ii] The remaining methods will be covered in detail, in my course

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Herb of the Month-Echinacea

Since there are not many parts of the Echinacea plant that are used, other than the plant’s roots, I will cover the indications for its use.  The properties of the root are: cooling / drying, antiseptic, and immune enhancer. The indications for immunity issues are: “low immunity where the person has frequent infections; sepsis; allergies with marked inflammation; acute stage of mononucleosis; typhoid fever (Alfs, 53)”.

On the plains the Echinacea plant grows wild. “Plains Indians used these rugged plants as vegetables, symbolic and ceremonial foods, and for countless medicinal needs (Kavasch and Baar, 124).” The fresh roots would be dug up, washed, then “chewed for toothache relief (Ibid.)…” and of course a multitude of other purposes.

In our modern times Echinacea can be bought as a dried herb, crème, ointment, salve, sprays, and lozenges.  Teas, extracts, and tinctures can be made using the roots (chopped of course). Tinctures and extracts are usually the base used in crèmes, ointments, and salves.

The seeds were sometimes eaten by plains tribal people. These can also be processed for an oil. Early plains healers perceived the ovary-like flowering head, or cone as a sign from the earth as to its use. The seeds “heads” were used in fertility and love medicines. (Kavasch and Baar) Teas and decoctions were also prepared using the whole top of the Echinacea plant for childbirth and healing purposes.

In my research I found no flower remedies made from the flower of the Echinacea plant, and no notation as to its use as an essence oil.  But, I had not seen either used for the Mullein plant either (will be discussed at some other point). Yet the Echinacea plant was used both as a decoction and inhalant for mild forms of upper respiratory ailments using dried and chopped upper ground portions of the Echinacea plant.

Alfs, matthew.  300 Herbs: Their Indications & Contraindications.  Old Theology Book House, 2003.

E. Barrie Kavasch and Karen Barr.  American Indian Healing Arts.  Bantam Books, 1999.

Nutrition

A person can see a change in their health just by eliminating from their diet “empty calories”.  By this, I mean processed and refined foods such as “enriched” flour, white sugar, and pre-packaged meals. But to prevent disease, or slow down the process of a debilitating disease it means re-arranging your thinking about what you eat, and dietary change.

 Artichokes. Watercolor on paper. Copr. Donna Duncan, 2002

But keep in mind, that healing through diet is a slow process, taking a lot of determination and will-power.  It certainly was for me! I had to retrain my taste buds as I learned how to eat better.  

The American public is used to going to the doctor and getting a pill or shot for health issues.  But, what is interesting to me, not always feeling better after starting medication.  They often experience side-affects and are given “remedies” for the side-affects. 

We are a lazy society. Americans want instant gratification without any effort.  Overall, food preparation is left in the hands of food producers, in pre-packaged meals. We get instant packaged foods that you just “add water” to eat.

If you are not having health problems, than consider changing your diet as a preventative. You know the old adage: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? 

Let’s look at some facts about American health:

Statistics have shown that the rate of increase in cancer cases within the United States has increased 47% for males, 38% for women.  The worst part of this statistic is that the “rates at which we die from cancer are the highest in the world (Campbell and Campbell, 12)”.

Obesity is on the increase in the United States.  According to the National Center for Health Statistics 1/3 of the adults over 20 years old are obese!  A person is considered obese when a person is carrying a third or more weight above what is considered healthy.

Diabetes also has increased.  The increase in the 30-39 year old age range is 70%. What is more alarming is that 34% statistically may not even be aware they have the disease!

According to The China Study “…the most pervasive killer in our culture is not obesity, diabetes or cancer. It is Heart Disease (15)”.  Heart disease can be prevented by eating healthier, it can also be reversed.

-T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Thomas M. Campbell II. The China Study.  BenBella Books, 2005

Alternative Healing

Today I am going to discuss Herbal Healing, in general.  Herbal Healing deals with the therapeutic nature and properties of herbal plants. Herbs can be medicinal, culinary or both. An example of a medical herb is Echinacea. For an example of culinary herbs we may use something like Marjoram. For both culinary and medicinal we could use ginger root, as an example.

The active portion of the herb is called a “constituent[i]”.  This is the portion that scientists had isolated and synthesized to prepare medicine.  Unfortunately, this is not the whole aspect of healing with herbs! The whole plant or the active portion is necessary in order to get the full benefit of the herb, which is a living organism. The isolation of one part is not a natural harmonious act, and does not contain the effects of environment on the plant.  This is the reason that synthesized herbal parts have caused poisonous or even sometimes dangerous side-affects.

 Melissa or Lemon Balm, from my garden

Herbs can be gathered in the wild (wild-crafting), purchased from a store (usually in a dried form), or grown in the garden[ii]. Growing your own herbs can be a enriching experience.  You can plant the seed and watch its growth from seedling to mature plant.  If you purchase from a store, make sure you know where their herbals are harvested, and how they are grown. Do not wild-craft unless you are completely positive about the identification of the herbal plant.  Some herbals look very much like other plants that are poisonous! 

My suggestion is to begin by finding a good herbal supply store. While beginning to work with herbs, you can decide on a few herbs to plant in your garden or in pots (if you have no yard) and start growing herbs.

"Constituents" will be next week.

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[i] To be discussed in the next blog

[ii] Suggested book list will be in an upcoming blog