Metabolism

Metabolism

The Unani Tibb system places great emphasis  upon diet. As Avicenna wrote, “Most illnesses arise soley from long- continued errors of diet and regimen.” The manner I which foods affect the body is viewed in Tibb from a simple yet highly interesting vantage point.

There are three aspects of metabolism of food: digestion, assimilation, and residue. Digestion here means the initial breakdown of foods in the mouth and stomach. Assimilation refers to the absorption of micronutrients into the blood- stream and cells. The evacuation of residue implies the amount of waste products that remain after a food is completely metabolised by the body. All three of these functions must be carried out efficiently.

Although there are many complex biochemical events that transpire during the digestive process. Avicenna suggests that digestion be viewed as a process by which foods are heated or “cooked” by the body. By this is meant that the foods are altered from their state when taken into the mouth, and refined or broken down into ever- smaller nutrient parts by the process of heating. A review of the digestive process will confirm this.

Humans preserve their lives through nourishment, which they obtain through eating. The digestive processes are applied unconsciously until food is assimilated into blood. Which then carried various other biochemical components to sites in the body, and these are manufactured into tissue, flesh, organs, and other body parts. Digestion means, then, that nourishment is changed inside the body by natural heat (cooked) until it actually becomes a part of the body or is eliminated. In Tibb this process of cooking by the body is called pokhtta.

Food that enters the mouth first comes into contact with enzymes, which create a type of heat. The food is chewed and masticated with the teeth- another form of heat, friction from grinding. The food is then swallowed into the stomach, where hydrochloric acid (an intense heat) breaks down the solids into a semi fluid mass called chyme- the essence of the food. The stomach sends this chyme via the small intestine (where additional enzymes create added heat and processing) to the site in the liver. At the liver, the finest parts are made into blood, and valuable nutrient components are carried out into the general system to participate in various chemical events that transform them into the myriad forms of the body.

Western biochemical medicine endeavours to trace each of these complex chemical interaction, and ultimately to discover when and where one or more of the biochemical exchanges are amiss. A medical pathologist, in searching for the cause of a disease, will often try to find which enzymes are functioning improperly. The pathologist can identify about twenty-eight enzymes present in each liver cell, although these same enzymes sometimes travel to far points in the body and are involved in complex processes not directly related to liver function or stomach digestion of foods. This approach might have validity if there were only twenty-eight  enzymes in the cells, but there are not. In fact, a pathologist knows that more than one thousand individual enzymes have been “identified” in each liver cell, yet only about twenty-eight of these are understood definitely in terms of their functions. What the other enzymes do is not known at all.

If the one thousand enzymes were the outer limit, there might be hope. But no one knows if there are one thousand enzymes in each liver cell: there may be thousands, or millions, or billions, or an uncountable number. The fact is no one knows. Not at all.

Even if we assume that the one thousand enzymes are the limit, this means that with knowledge and consideration of only twenty-eight of them, Western medicine makes decisions based upon somewhat less than 3 percent of the total number of affecting enzymatic agents in just the liver? Of course, there are thousands more biochemical components  that also affect sex, digestion,  thinking, breathing, and every other human activity. The number of biochemical interactions are virtually limitless, and new discoveries are being announced almost daily- leading to the discarding of prior theories and treatments. In fact, not even one medicine that is in today’s pharmacy was on the shelf as short a time as ten years ago.

Traditional healing, while taking some interest in these complex biochemical interactions, holds that ultimately we cannot know the total interworkings of the human body. There are many religious references to the fat that the human body has been created “infinitely more complex than the entire universe” (Hadith). Therefore, the Tibb system retreats to a comprehensible stance, which evaluates food and diet in terms of their ability to enhance or impede metabolism.

In Tibb, more than one single component of the food’s “action” or “value” is taken into account- just as Western medical dietetics evaluates not just calories but also fat, protein, vitamins, and so forth.

In Tibb, all food substances that are consumed for the primary purpose of nutritive value (as opposed to medicinal nutrients) are called aliment. These aliment substances are said to possess two functions besides mere nutrition: (a) rate of penetration, or absorption (rapid penetration: liquids; slow penetration or absorption: roast meats and fried meats); (b) compactness of the substance of the digestive products in the blood, and consequent retention (this is the feature of pork, for example); or “attenuation” of the substance, meaning very rapid dispersal (as with figs and many fruits).

A great many factors and considerations follow from the above, but one of the most important is that foods should be selected that (a) are in accord with the temperament of the individual and appropriate to the season, age, climate, etc; and (b) produce balance in the four humours.

Hot/ Cold

Hot/Cold

The hot- cold dichotomy can also be explained as one factor of the considerations regarding nutritive process. Absorptive ability of foods relates to their digestibility. The power of forcefulness of the digestive energy of the person will determine the assimilability of the foods. In Tibb, the nutritive value of a food is decided by how much of each humour it produces.

The physiological value specifically relates to the hot-cold value. It is a more general aspect and the first aspect we think of , and the part that anyone can understand, as opposed to the evaluation of more complex phenomena, which a hakim would undertake in deciding a regimen (the foregoing factors, their nostic signs: pulse, urine, feces, etc.).

The hot- cold assignment is due to whether an ash is left in the tissues after oxidation or not. Thus, humourally cold foods leave more ash, and humourally hot foods leave much less. The matter of formation of ash is significant because of the risk of its lingering in the body or even becoming firmly imprisoned within the tissues.

A confirmation of the scientific  validity of the Unani Tibb view of the metabolic efficiency of foods and digestion is found in recent research on enzymes. Edward Howell M.D., is the world’s leading authority on enzyme activity in food digestion. In Enzyme Nutrition (Avery Publishing Group, 1985), Dr Howell’s extensive research proves that 80 percent of enzyme activity is devoted  to the digestion of food. Since all enzymes contained in raw foods are destroyed by freezing, boiling, frying, and radiation, many people consume food that has no enzyme content whatsoever.

Dr Howell’s research also reveals that when spices such as ginger, cumin, and cinnamon- the heating spices- are consumed, the production of digestive enzymes by the body increases dramatically.

Even more important, whenever the body undergoes fasting, enzymes normally assigned by the body to digest food are freed to conduct healing functions, such as dissolving latent tumours.

Such respected scientific research proves the value of Unani Tibb “heating” foods and spices- they accomplish an increase in digestive enzymes, an increase in cellular metabolic function, and ensure complete assimilation of micronutrients with minimum metabolic waste.

In sum, then, by assigning a food a value as hot or cold, we mean that a heating food has the capacity to increase the metabolisms of the body (whatever they may be). Conversly, a cold food slows down metabolism. We recognize that it is the body itself that must perform the final healing, and we try to assist the body as much as possible in these endeavours. These facts can be discerned in terms of the results observed after taking in the foods, sometimes immediately, at other times over a period of time. If we had a thermometer that was measured in billionths of degrees instead of tenths, we could actually see the body temperature rise after eating a preponderance of hot foods. This idea is perfectly in accord with the laws of physics, which state that an increase in atomic velocity causes an increase in temperature.

Now, with all of the evaluations of temperament that were given in the preceding sections, one can easily determine whether a cold or hot imbalance lies at the root of disease signs.

The breakdown of nutrients as a process of the liver continues, and from this point the four humours and by- products of digestion are formed. The chart of the four humours presented in Chapter 2 may be reviewed to follow the fate of the foods through to the end of digestion and elimination.

Here is where we can begin to understand how and why disease arises.

Temperature

Temperature

Let us assume for a moment that we have a person before us complaining of illness (the symptoms are unimportant for the moment). The very first thing we do is take the temperature, to determine precisely how well this process of heating is carrying on. Let us also assume that the patient’s temperature is 97.6°Fahrenheit. Most people know that the “average” body temperature in healthy adults is given as 98.6° F. But it is important to understand just what this average means. An average is the middle point of many samples taken . In other words, to arrive at this statistical measure of normalcy, probably thousands of patients’ temperatures were taken. They were then arranged on a scale from lowest to highest, added together, then divided by the total number of persons in the sample. This is how an average is derived. Therefore, according to the rules of statistics, it is also true that less than 5 percent of the total sample of patients actually had temperatures of 98.6°. The rest fell above or below.

Why does the temperature matter so much? We may assume that 98.6° is the actual optimum temperature for healthy functioning of the body. Lesser or higher temperatures are signs that the metabolism is disordered. So, if the reading was 96.6°, it would mean that the person’s temperature was two degrees below the normal average. So what? There is a mental trick being played here, because of our decimal thinking, which assumes incorrectly that it is two degrees out of one hundred that is off. But it is actually two degrees out of the range that sustains life. We realize that life is carried on within rather narrow limits of temperature- 95° to 105°, that if the temperature goes outside those limits for any extended period of time, life will end. Therefore, a temperature two degrees deficient below normal means one that  is two degrees deficient within the ten degrees that sustains life- or that the body is operating at 20 percent lowered efficiency. If you tried to operate any machine with 20 percent of its power source gone, the other parts would become stressed and overheated, and the machine would break down and wear out much sooner than if it were operating at 100 percent of its energy levels.

This example holds true for the body. The process of heating is undermined when the “heat” (called innate heat, or vital power) of the digestive process is lowered in proper intensity. What happens is that many of the foods eaten are not fully broken down into the smallest nutrient components, and this places a great strain upon the body to deal with incompletely digested foods.

The thermal function of the body is admitted by Western biologists to be situated in the liver. It is true that other glands and substances may have ancillary effects on thermal maintenance  of the body. But without the liver , no one can survive for even a short period.

If we understand that each food has an inherent degree of heat or coldness- in other words, promotes or slows down metabolism- we can begin to select dietary items that can be learned, understood, and applied by virtually anyone- and which can be adjusted according to every possible factor of change or difference in life-style and life place. Moreover, the Tibb system of dietetics is the most widely practiced system of dietetics in the history of the world, and today remains in force for one-quarter of the world’s population. It is ignorant and unscientific to assert that the combined human experience and unified results of untold billions of people over thousands of years are based upon stupidity and erroneous thinking.

What happens when foods are not eaten  according to metabolic principles? The first problem is that the foods are incompletely digested. The body responds in many ways, but the result in that superfluous matters build up in the system. This may continue for long or short periods. In due course, the body will reach the limit of excess and move into a corrective mode. This is accomplished by the strange heat we call fever, which serves to rapidly refine, or “cook down,” the excess superfluous matters so that they can be eliminated by the body. This elimination is called the “healing crises” in Tibb, and it occurs in five specific ways and no others. One of these forms of crises is diarrhoea, which is no more or less than a rapid evacuation of superfluous (and toxic) by-products of incomplete digestion. The same thing is true of mucus and vomiting. Yet the entire approach of Western medicine is to end the fever, control the diarrhoea, and stem the nausea with drugs. Therefore, the very processes the body itself chooses to correct excess are halted, and these unnecessary and damaging effluviants are turned back in upon the body, to cause further and more complex diseases to arise.

The only correct treatment of diseases is to assist the natural functions of the body. Infants and children prove these concepts perfectly. First, the average body temperature of an infant is said to be about 99.0°. This higher metabolic rate is necessary to effectively process down all of the unusual amounts of by-products that result from the child’s great and rapid growth. Moreover, infants and small children exhibit vomiting, nosebleeds, diarrhoea, fevers, sweating, and frequent urination- precisely the forms of healing crises according to Tibb.

Later chapters will take up specific regimens of diet and herbs to correct imbalances after they have led to symptoms and imbalance. For now I wish to present a list of foods with their metabolic values. By constructing diet according to these principles, one can prevent a great proportion of the diseases of human-kind.

A few remarks about this list will add our understanding. The basic diet of the majority of Americans- milk, beef, potatoes, lettuce salads, refined white sugars, cheese, butter, margarine, etc.- is revealed as all cold foods. And cold foods lead to imbalance of the phlegm humour, first of all, and cause all of the list of complaints that are epidemic in America: migraine, headache, menstrual cramps, lung and chest problems, arthritis, constipation, etc., etc. And, as the indiscretion in food consumption is continued, in time the other humours become imbalanced. When such imbalance reaches the fourth stage of the black bile humour, the diseases called cancer, arteriosclerosis, emphysema, and others arise.

Moreover, if we consider those foods from the hot list- such as lamb, liver, goat, ghee, beet, lentils, eggplant, chick peas, dried fruits, nuts, honey, and spices such as cardamom, fenugreek, ginger, cumin, saffron, and cinnamon- we readily observe that these are among the least consumed foods in America. Even if they are consumed, it is usually part of some “exotic” experimental cuisine, not incorporated into the daily diet. These heating foods are necessary for the body to achieve and maintain a complete metabolic digestion of foods. This is a most elegant, useful, and refined manner of constructing diet and, if followed with sincerity, will provide the real basis for all people of all ages.

You will note that we have arranged all of the foods only according to hot and cold values, and not moist and dry. This is so because moisture is a function of heat, as heat drives off moisture. Therefore, the primary focus is on the hot-cold value of the food.

Degrees

Degrees

However, to facilitate use of all foods, and to use some as medicine and others simply as nutrients, Unani Tibb arranges the hot and cold foods into classifications by degrees. There are four degrees each of hot and cold, making a total of eight possible categories into which a food may be placed. Thus a food may be:

These degrees have the following effects:

First degree: Affects metabolism, but not in any way discerned by overt physical sensation. Slightest action. Water is an example of a first-degree substance.

Second degree: Acts upon the body, causing metabolic change, but in the end is overwhelmed by the body. All nutrients belong in this category. Among the actions caused by second-degree substances are opening of pores, initiation of peristaltic action, perspiration, and stimulation of digestion. Ginger is an example of the second degree.

Third degree: Not acted upon by the body, but acts upon the body. All medicinal substances belong to this category. An example is senna pods, which overwhelm the eliminative powers of the colon and force evacuation.

Fourth degree: Poisons. Cause cessation of metabolic function. Some herbs are used as medicines from this category, but only in the most minute strengths and under the direct supervision of a physician. Hemlock and belladonna are examples of the fourth degree.

The difference between these degrees in terms of hot and cold values is that a second-degree hot substance would speed up metabolism, while a second-degree cold substance would slow it down. In the extreme fourth degree, the difference would become more apparent, when a hot herb would cause an increase of metabolism beyond the limits that support life, while a fourth-degree cold substance would slow down metabolism to the point of death.

Cuisine

Cuisine

Virtually all dietary systems, including those considered alternative or natural, evaluate foods according to the various nutrient components- proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, amino acids, and so forth. In Tibb, the food is selected according to each food’s ability to enhance the metabolism of the body in general and specific organs in particular. The recipes have evolved from more than a thousand years of continuous use.

In selecting foods for yourself or your family, many factors have to be taken into account, for each person is unique and has specific dietary needs. This, in addition to evaluating diet in relation to the climate and humidity, season, geographical region, basic temperament, predominant humour, prevalent local  bacteria or parasites, and similar factors, one should try to obtain the best and purest quality of food possible. In today’s marketplace, this is no easy task.

Most foods offered for sale in a chain supermarket in the United States have been treated with chemicals and pesticides. The claim has been made that testing has proved these chemicals safe for human beings. But long-term effects may appear, as has happened with virtually every food additive initially approved by governmental agencies. Even if the small quantities added to one food, and tested alone, may be considered safe, when the cumulative effect of many hundreds of chemicals is added to the years and decades of consumption, it is fair to assume that the eliminative and detoxifying organs of the body are overwhelmed.

Besides chemicals added during processing, there are many toxic substances used in the growing of the vegetables, fruits, or meats, plus the preserving sprays used on items such as tomatoes, potatoes, apples, and dozens of other foods. Therefore, anyone seeking food of a high degree of purity must grow it at home. Possibly the greatest contribution to health that could occur in the United States would be for each family to begin growing a substantial portion of its own food according to organic principles, without chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

In particular, the meat offered for sale in supermarkets should not be considered safe for human consumption, owing to the addition of chemical drugs and other poisons used to control the growth cycles of the animals. This point has been elaborated in so many journals and articles by impeccable authorities that it needs no further comment here. Moreover, as a matter of economy, many growers feed their animals things that, frankly speaking, are garbage that is rejected for consumption for humans, and even for cats and dogs. I even knew personally of a beef-raising operation that bought candy bars that been damaged in freight train wrecks, and used this for cattle feed- paper wrappers and all. Any animal grown on such matter cannot be considered proper nourishment for a human being.

Many people desire to have an “ideal” diet that would be the once-and-for-all perfect blending of nutrients and food groups. Such a diet is impossible to formulate, for within each household are usually found five or six persons with widely varying needs. Infants, children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly cannot be expected to thrive on exactly the same foods.

The timing of meals is important. Breakfast means literally “breaking the fast” of the previous eight to twelve hours. Breakfast can be a substantial meal of whole grain cereals and breads, fruits, eggs, cheese, and tea. The best time for breakfast is shortly after rising from sleep but after performing the toilet and any prayer or meditation practices.

The noon meal is beast taken after the sun has passed the midpoint in the sky. There is no harm if it is delayed until one or two in the afternoon, but not much beyond that. This is probably the best time to take the largest meal of the day because metabolism is functioning at its highest rate for most people. Americans by habit allow the noon meal to become little more than a snack, but it is the main meal for most people in the world. The composition of this meal will depend on all of the foregoing factors and also on what kind of work one does. If you do consume your main meal at noon, it is best to take a short rest afterwards, a nap of not more than forty-five minutes to an hour. This interlude will provide an opportunity for the body to digest the meal, and you will arise with considerably renewed energy to work the rest of the day without becoming sluggish.

The evening meal should be taken just after sunset and should include meat or vegetable protein, wheat or other whole grains, little or no fruit, and little sweets. It is best to conclude all eating at least two hours before sleep.

By adjusting the mealtimes to the rising and setting of the sun, one is conforming to the cycles of nature and the motions of the stars and planets, all of which have an effect upon human physiological functions. The sun may rise as early as 4:00 AM in the summer and as late as 7:30 AM in the winter.

Another important consideration is to eat foods in season. You may be able to obtain all manner of foods throughout the year, but your body will accomplish these foods best if they are eaten mainly in the season when they are harvested. It upsets the temperaments to eat strawberries in winter, for example, for it is an early summer fruit. Likewise, cucumbers- a cooling vegetable- should be avoided in winter. The natural cycles of the region in which one lives support the biolife that is suitable for people living there. Eskimos seldom, if ever, eat bananas! The monoculture of America’s nationwide distribution system, along with methods of preserving foods, means we can buy and consume virtually any food on earth at any time. While this may seem to be a boon and accomplishment of technology, eating foods out of season confuses the temperaments and burdens the metabolism.

Also, whenever possible, one should eat foods grown in the locality in which one lives. This means that residents of California should not eat New York apples. The Hakims say that the onions, potatoes, and other root vegetables from ones own region contain antidotes for all of the bacteria and viruses that are common in your town.

The most important law regarding diet is this: never eat unless there is true hunger. When a true and ready appetite appears, the meal should be taken soon afterwards and not delayed, or the stomach will fill with putrefying digestive gases and digestion will be spoiled.

There is no greater harm than to eat to full satisfaction after going a long time without food. This places an unbelievable stress on the digestive powers and clogs up the channels through which the humours are dispersed. Many heart attacks occur after eating an overlarge meal.

After eating, it is best to take some light activity such as walking. This allows the food to move into the lower part of the stomach, where digestion can be carried on more readily. This is especially important to do if one has the desire to lie down or feels sluggish. Mental excitement, emotion, excessive exercise, and sexual intercourse all hinder digestion.

The amount to eat in a standard meal depends upon the general condition and activity of the person. A normal, healthy person should eat enough without producing a feeling of heaviness ort a sense of tightness in the solar plexus area. After eating, there should be no rumbling of the stomach of sloshing of the food on movement. Nausea, sour belching, a lingering taste of the meal are signs that the meal was too heavy.

Foods that are quickly and easily digested should not be taken along with foods that are hard to digest. The food that is digested first will, being lighter, float to the top of the undigested food, trapping it. Unable to enter the blood, it will be retained unnecessarily long in the stomach and begin fermenting, resulting in gas and belching.

All liquids taken simultaneously with food dilute the gastric juices and therefore are not recommended with meals. Nor should much liquid be taken after a meal, for it causes the food to leave the lining of the stomach and float about. If there is a great thirst after a meal, it is best to satisfy it with cold water- the colder it is, the less will be required to quench the thirst.

When the initial stage of digestion is over (about thirty minutes), evidenced by a feeling of lightness in the upper part of the diaphragm, some tea may be taken, preferably one that aids digestion, such as peppermint. Oranges are ideal to eat after a meal, for the citric acid helps digestion and the fruit satisfies any thirst.

There are many well-considered opinions about the eating of meat, both for and against. There is no harm in adopting a strict vegetarian diet, provided that one exercises great care in selecting those foods that will combine to manufacture vital amino acids and necessary enzymes.

It is my personal opinion that it is permissible from a moral point of view to eat meat. However, as has been stated, all meats from commercial supermarkets should be shunned. This means one should raise and slaughter animals for ones own consumption. For city dwellers this poses some problems, but by checking with the best health food stores and Muslim (halal) and Jewish (kosher) meat markets, you can discover sources of pure meats. However, do some questioning of the butcher. Just because meat has been slaughtered according to religious law does not mean it has been grown without chemicals. Regardless of the source of the meat, the quantity of meat consumed to remain healthy and promote growth is not as much as people consume in the united States. Eating reasonable portions twice or three times a week is more than sufficient. In any event, eating meat three times per day in huge quantities produces disease.

Some meats should not be eaten at all. These include pork and any animal that eats carrion (already dead) flesh, such as dogs, cats, most birds of prey, snakes, and many wild animals. The easiest meat to digest is that of fowl. All fish are acceptable, but you should prefer those that do not feed off the refuse on the ocean or river floors. Lamb is the best meat, and that of a male yearling is preferred over older sheep. The shoulder cut is the most nutritious.

Try to find others with whom you can share meals. Everyone knows the dull feeling of eating alone. Organize people in your neighbourhood, office, or club to prepare and eat meals together, at least once or twice a week. There is a saying in the East: “He who eats alone eats with Satan; he who eats with one other person eats with a tyrant, he who eats with two other people eats with the prophets.”

Food Values

Heating (Garmi) Foods:

Meat and Fish: lamb, liver, chicken, goose, duck, eggs, goat (male)
Dairy Products: sheep’s milk, cream cheese, cream, clarified butter (ghee)
Vegetables and Beans: asparagus, beet, radish, onion, mustard greens, kidney beans, leek, eggplant, chickpeas, red pepper, green pepper, carrot seed, squash, turnip, parsley
Fruit: peach, plum, lime, lemon, rhubarb, banana, red raisins, green raisins, dates, figs, olives, ripe grapes, all dried fruits
Seeds and Nuts: sesame, almond, pistachio, apricot kernels, walnut, pine nuts
Grains: thin grain rice, basmati rice, wheat
Oils: sesame oil, corn oil, castor oil, mustard oil
Beverages: black tea, milk
Herbs: basil, cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, garlic, marjoram, mint, celery seed, anise seed, rue, saffron, garam masala (blend), curry powder (blend), senna, frankincense, mustard medicine

Cooling (Sardi) Foods:

Meat: rabbit, goat (female), beef, fish (general)
Dairy Products: cow’s milk, mother’s milk, goat’s milk, butter, buttermilk, dried cheeses, margarine
Vegetables and Beans: lettuce, celery, sprouts (general), zucchini, spinach, cabbage, okra, cauliflower, broccoli, white potato, sweet potato, carrot, cucumber, soybeans, tomato, turnip, peas, beans (general)
Fruits: apple, melons (general), mulberries, peach, pear, coconut, fig, pomegranate, apricot, orange, carob
Seeds and Nuts: none
Grains: brown rice, thick-grain rice, barley, lentils
Oil: sunflower oil, coconut oil
Beverages: green teas, coffee
Herbs: coriander (dry), dill, henna, thyme, rose, jasmine
Other: refined sugar, vinegar, bitter things, sour things, truffles, water

Digestion times

DIGESTION TIMES OF FOODS*

*Source: Food Heritage, Companion and Facts about Foods (Mokelumne Hill, Calif.: Health Research, 1971).

Earth Therapy

Earth therapy 

Earth is a great provider, not only of food for people and animals, of shelter, of building materials, clothing, cooking pots and tools but also as medicine too- earth, clay, mud, and even sand have all been used as therapy in the past, and clay and mud are still in widespread and effective use today.

Sand/ Earth baths

Baths of sand have a long history: over 2000 years ago the Greek Herodotus warmly recommended them for asthma, respiratory infections, gout and paralysis. Modern naturopaths add sciatica, general weakness and every form of joint problem, including arthritis, lumbago and rheumatism.

Sand baths are taken on hot days: a shallow pit the length of the sick person is hollowed out in the sand and left to warm up. Then the patient is laid in it, covered with more warm sand and left for two hours or so, their heads well protected from the sun and their faces sponged with cold water from time to time.

During the centuries when seamen were often devastated by scurvy, there are accounts of dying sailors being carried ashore, buried up to their necks in fresh earth and making astonishing recoveries. This would not have surprised Native Americans, for whom burying up to their necks in earth for some hours was a commonly practiced therapy, and who believed that the healing power of earth was even greater than that of plants.

In nineteenth-century Germany, two famous naturopaths- Adolf Just and Emanuel Felke- both used earth baths to great effect, treatments still carried out today in some German sanitaria.

Adolf Just (1838- 1936) believed that sleeping in direct contact with the earth was especially curative: ‘the entire body is aroused from its lethargy to a new manifestation of vital energy, so that it can now effectively remove old morbid matter… and receive a sensation of new health, new life and new unthought-of vigour and strength.’

Supposedly both sand and earth draw on the earth’s own special magnetism for their curative powers.

Mud Therapy

Mud Therapy:

Add water and earth turns into mud. But there is mud, and mud- and the mud moistened by the waters of certain mineral springs can have as profoundly healing powers as the springs themselves. At spas throughout Europe, mud baths and mud packs are standard treatments, recommended for skin and joint diseases because of their ability to draw out toxins and remineralize the body.

Mud from the Dead Sea in the Arabia, which is fed by a number of mineral springs, is particularly rich in calcium and magnesium, minerals present in molecules small enough to be absorbed through the skin, plus other minerals that have well- documented anti- inflammatory and antiseptic effects, making both the mud from the sea bottom and the water itself powerful healers for diseases like psoriasis.

Neydharting Mor in Austria is the source of a mud so ancient that the Celts and Romans may have used it. Around 300 medicinal herbs, lipids, minerals and enzymes are among the constituents of a mud so richly healing that its products are used in many European hospitals. Therapists working with it have seen astonishing improvements in skin diseases such as acne, eczema and psoriasis, and in painful cases of rheumatism and arthritis. Treatment combines local applications of the mud with drinks of the mud mixed with water: a regime said to be deeply detoxifying and energizing.

Clay Therapy

Clay Therapy:

Of all the forms of earth therapy, clay is the most ancient.

A mineral- rich ash spewed out from the hot heart of the earth in volcanic eruptions, clay sifted back down to the soil to settle in moistened layers or veins later sealed in by rock. Subsequent movements of the rocks brought these veins closer to the surface.

In technical terms, it is colloidal hydrated aluminium silicate. It dries as a fine grit- free powder, which can be green, red or white in colour.

The Chinese treated summer diarrhoea and cholera with clay- kaolin is actually named after a mountain in China where it was first extracted. Clay was mentioned in the earliest western Materia Medica, that of Dioscorides, surgeon to the Roman armies in the first century AD. An observant dentist, Weston Price, who spent years early in the twentieth century traveling the world and studying the health of primitive tribes, observed people continents apart using clay in the same way: in the high South American Andes, in Central Africa and among the aboriginal people of Australia. It was their custom, he noted, to dip food before it was eaten in water containing a little of the dissolved clay, ‘to prevent sickness in the stomach’. In the 1920’s the son of a mining engineer working in Mexico noticed that the native Yucatan Indians used to slap a dressing of moist clay from a particular spot on wounds, bruises, cuts or insect bites.

And Europe preserved its long traditions of healing with clay. Father Sebastian Kneipp noted the use of clay in folk medicine and began trying it out on his patients late in the nineteenth century. He wrote of its healing powers with enthusiasm: ‘Clay takes away inflammation, draws putrid and dead matter to the surface and absorbs them, and in that way purifies abscesses or ulcers. It has also been shown to be an excellent treatment for head- or backache, inflammation, swellings, toxic conditions and srains…’

In the Balkan wars of 1910, the use of clay helped to reduce the predicted mortality from a cholera outbreak from 60% to 3%. At the tuberculosis (TB) sanatorium in Davos, Switzerland, in the1930’s, patients were given hot clay packs over the thorax- and credited with near- miraculous cures.

In 1961 a New York physician, Dr Frederick Damurau, who had come across stories like these literature, decided to conduct his own trial of clay. He picked 35 cases of acute diarrhoea from among his patients: in 18 of them, it was caused by a viral infection, in 8 food allergy, in 4 spastic colitis, in 3 mucous colitis, and in the remaining 2, food poisoning. The regime prescribed for most of them was two tablespoons of powdered benotite clay in distilled water three times a day. The results, published in the Medical Annals of the District of Columbia (vol. 30, no 6, June 1961) were astounding. Clay brought relief to 34 out of the 35 in an average of under four days. Those problems due to viral infection cleared up especially rapidly, some within 24 hours. No side- effects were noted.

How does clay bring about such rapid and effective cures? The answer seems to be the fantastic clean- up job it performs along the length of the digestive tract, mopping up toxins, viruses, bacteria, even the gases of excess intestinal fermentation, to carry them safely out of the body.

In our polluted age, clay’s detoxifying powers deserve to be more widely recognized.

Due to its high mineral content, clay is also strongly alkaline and thus able to neutralize acidic body wastes- a common cause of fatigue.

An American minerologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr Robert T. Martin, after long studies of bentonite clay, claims that it owes unique cleansing ability to its large and varied mineral content, which gives it a powerful negative electrical attraction for positively charged particles. Most diseases are accompanied by congestion- an un- eliminated accumulation of normal body wastes, on which viruses and bacteria can thrive. Most of these toxins, viruses and bacteria are positively charged. Clay particles are shaped like cards, with the faces negatively and the faces positively charged, so that they have vastly more negative than positive pulling power. That shape also gives them an enormous surface area- 800 square metres for a single gram of clay- allowing them to pick up, or absorb, many times their own weight in positively charged particles.

This extraordinary property of clay was tested with cultures of different bacteria by a Massachusetts bacteriologist, Dr Howard Lind. The bacterial culture, in high concentration, were added to a liquid suspension of bentonite clay. It took 90 minutes for the clay to mop up 91- 100% of Escherichia coli- a gram negative bacterium responsible for a rising toll of food poisoning cases today. The clay was only a third as effective against Staphylococcus aureus, a gram- positive organism, removing about 33%. In lower concentrations, even S. aureus was 100% removed by clay.

So powerful is clay’s ability to absorb wastes that even when applied externally, in the form of poultices, deep- seated toxins are gently drawn out through the skin, as in the case of the Davos TB patients.

But its detoxifying powers may not be the whole of the clay story, according to French clay expert expert Raymond Dextreit, who has been using it to treat patients for more than 40years. ‘Clay does not merely cure a case of constipation or diarrhoea, which is already an achievment,’ says Dextreit, ‘but acts upon every organ, upon the whole body. The same teaspoonful of clay can clear up an obstinate abscess- and a case of persistent anaemia. The abscess we can understand- but the anaemia?’ The mere presence of clay in the body, Dextreit believes, brings with it a powerful charge of vitality and energy which helps the body repair its deficiencies and heal itself. How else to account for the many miracles he has seen clay to perform?

Clay Therapy

Clay is available in several forms. If you need it in quantity- to poultice limbs, for instance- the cheapest kind is broken green clay. Clay is also available in the form of a more refined powder, in white as well as green, which is best for internal use. The French clay specialists, Argiletz, also supply a ready- mixed paste in a tube, a useful addition to the family medicine chest. If you do not buy a ready- mixed paste, the clay powder needs to be prepared before use. Put the quantity needed in a china or glass (not metal) bowl, and add enough water to cover it. Do not stir: allow to stand until all the water is absorbed- about one hour- and the clay has become a pliable paste. To warm it: stand the bowl in a container filled with hot (not boiling) water.

Insect bites or stings

Apply a thick layer of clay paste and leave until the pain has subsided to draw out the toxin. This even works for jellyfish stings.

Ear ache

Apply a thick layer of clay paste behind the ear, cover with gauze and leave for 30 minutes. Repeat until the pain ceases.

Bruises

Apply a thick layer of clay paste and leave on for several hours.

Splinters

Apply a thick layer of ready- mixed clay paste, bandage lightly and leave for two hours: if splinter cannot be removed with tweezers, repeat the clay treatment.

Burns or sunburn

If splintered, sprinkle with powdered green clay. Otherwise, apply a thick layer of clay paste to the inflamed area.

Verrucas

For a single verruca, apply a thick paste of clay, cover with gauze, tape into place and leave overnight. Two o three applications will probably be enough. For more serious infestations, combine 15 drops of thuja tincture (from homeopathic chemists), 20 drops of lemon essential oil and the contents of a garlic capsule in a little water, and use this to make up a paste with fine green clay. Apply to verruca with a cotton bud and leave on overnight. The mix should be kept in the refrigerator.

Hangover or jet lag

Stir one teaspoon of fine green clay powder into a glass of water (using a wooden spoon) and drink. Repeat the dose after two hours or so if you still feel under the weather. You may prefer to let the mixture stand until some of the clay has settled to the bottom.

Diarrhoea

Prepare as for a hangover, using one teaspoon of white or green clay. Repeat every two hours for three to four doses or until symptoms subside.

Acne

Clay paste to the affected areas three times a week, leave on until dry and rinse off. Dutch naturopath Marijke Vogel suggests the following facial wash: dissolve one teaspoon of powdered white clay in half a glass of skimmed milk, add two drops of rosemary (not recommended during pregnancy), camomile or lavender essential oil: shake this mixture. Wipe over your face morning and evening, leave to dry and then rinse off. The mix can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Caution

Clay should not be taken internally if you have just eaten a meal, if you are suffering from constipation or any other form of intestinal blockage, if you suffer from high blood pressure, if you are on prescribed medication or if you are following a course of chemotherapy. Clay which has been used for external treatment should be disposed of in our garbage, not flushed away. (For clay suppliers, see below)

Conscious Breathing

The power of conscious breathing.

Take a minute to observe your breathing. Is it hurried or leisurely? Shallow or deep? Regular or ragged? And how are you breathing- through your nose or through your mouth? Few people pay this kind of attention to their breath, and why should they, they might ask?

Breathing comes as automatically as- well, breathing, doesn’t it?

Unlike almost any other bodily function, breathing can be a conscious as well as an unconscious process. We can take charge whenever we want to, decide to hold our breath, to slow it, or to breathe more deeply. But most of the time breathing does indeed come automatically, directed for us by centers in the brain stem in response to changes in bodily levels of oxygen or carbon dioxide. The heaving chest of the ballerina, after her five minute solo, is her body’s automatic response to a desperate need for more oxygen.

Other factors influence our unconscious breathing patterns. Emotions such as rage, anxiety, grief and terror all produce characteristic distortions of breathing harmony. So do tensed shoulders and slouched posture, or breathing through the mouth rather than the nose, or drinking too much coffee, or working in a stuffy, poorly ventilated room.

Until quite recently, it has been the view of western science that these shifts and irregularities in breathing are of no great importance: the body continues to be supplied with enough oxygen to keep it going. Few western doctors question their patients about the way they breathe. But even at the purely physical level, it makes obvious sense that every single cell of our body receives a smooth and regular supply of oxygen on which we depend. Slow and rhythmic breathing does exactly that, improving your circulation to ensure a dependable supply of oxygen and nutrients to those billions of hungry cells. Heart, respiratory and digestive systems all function better. And the consequences are not only physical.

Advances in neuroscience have demonstrated, even to skeptics, that there is literally no boundary between mind and body. Both interact in what pioneer neuroscientist Candace Pert has described as a psychosomatic information network, linking psyche- mind, emotion and soul- to our material envelope of molecules and cells. Grief, rage, anxiety, love- all the emotions that swirl through our minds- are carried around the network by billions of neuropeptide messengers. There are receptors for these messengers not just in the brain but in the immune system. Thus changes in the rate and depth of your breathing can have a dynamic impact on your state of mind as well as your body- as anybody knows who has ever paused to slow their breathing at moments of acute stress, panic or pain.

In systems of oriental philosophy thousands of years old, proper breathing is considered so fundamental to health, and to life itself, that wise men have spent a lifetime in its study.

To them, breathing is far more than a gaseous exchange in the lungs, air far more than a mix of oxygen and nitrogen with a dash of carbon dioxide. Through breathing we take in life itself- the prana of the Yogi, the chi of Chinese Taoist, the cosmic energy which sustains and permeates all life, from the smallest blade of grass to universe itself.

The pranayama of the yogis means, literally, the extension or expansion of this energy through control of the breath. Chi Kung can be translated as ‘the cultivation of energy’. Instead of the jerky or gulping breathing so common today, the mind is conditioned to impose order, pattern and harmony on the process. Even unconscious breathing becomes slower and more harmonious. ‘Full use of this absorption and re-absorption of energy,’ wrote famous Yogi teacher B. K. S. Iyengar, ‘will allow one to live a hundred years with perfect health of body, clarity of mind, and equipoise of spirit.’

Yoga and Tai Chi (or Chi Kung) are forms of exercise designed to establish this control, to harness this cosmic energy through the rhythmic diaphragmatic, breathing patterns they impose. Anyone who practices one of these disciplines regularly will tell you how amazingly energizing to mind and body and hour of this exercise can be.

Breathing Techniques

Breathing Techniques

Even a few minutes a day of gentle attentive breathing can help you feel calmer, more clear headed, more in control of your life, and the best way to acquire good breathing habits is in the context of regular classes with a skilled teacher. Below are listed some of the most widely practiced breathing techniques; exercise is too strong a word for these slow, attentive practices, which need to be done when you have time at your disposal. Most of them, you will note, start with an out—breath, the exact opposite of the ‘take a deep breath’ school of physical training, which can encourage gulping breathing.

Diaphragmatic breathing

Find a quite place and lie down on a firm surface, with a cushion under your head. Focus on areas of tension in your body and try to release them. Breathe OUT gently, as slowly as possible, and don’t stop exhaling until your body spontaneously breathes IN for you. Gently and slowly breathe OUT again: exhalation should take twice as long as inhalation.

Alternate nostril breathing

According to yogic teaching, this will balance, calm and revive you. Sit on your heels on the floor or in a chair, back straight, eyes closed, left hand resting on your thigh. Breathe IN slowly, then use the thumb of your right hand to close your right nostril, while you breathe OUT through your left nostril, then breathe IN again. Now release the right nostril while you use your fore- and middle fingers to close your left nostril and gently breathe OUT through the right nostril. Breathe IN and repeat the entire cycle. All these breaths should be gentle and unhurried.

Relaxation breathing

Stand with your feet well apart and your arms by your sides. Breathe OUR slowly. Then breath IN slowly through your nose as you raise your arms above your head, palms facing each other. Slowly bend forward from the hips as you breathe OUT until your head, arms and whole top half are hanging down loose and limp, arms dangling like a rag doll. Relax everything. Now breathe IN again as you slowly uncurl, vertebra, letting your arms fall to your sides and bringing your head up last of all.

Abdominal breathing

Sitting with your spine straight, eyes closed, imagine your head is a ball held aloft on a jet of water, shoulders down and relaxed, breathe OUT slowly and deeply through your nose: you will feel muscles working all the way down into your stomach as you push out the last sigh of air. The breathe IN through your nose, slowly and quietly. Repeat seven times.

Humming breathing

Sit straight and breathe IN normally. Breathe OUT slowly and evenly through your nose, make a humming sound that you will feel vibrating at the back of your head and neck. The um should last as long as the out- breath. Breathe IN and OUT slowly without humming. Repeat the humming on alternate exhalations. This exercise will make you feel both alert and peaceful.

Traquillizing breathing

America’s favourite health guru, Dr Andrew Weil teaches this yogic breathing exercise to all his patients, asking them to do it at least twice a day, though not for more than four breaths at a time in the first month. In his book Natural Healing, Natural Medicine, he calls it ‘the single most effective relaxation technique I know’. Many people I know have benefited from this technique, claiming it gives them more energy and a sense of control. Although it sounds complicated, most mastered it within two or three days.

Sitting with your back straight, place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there during the exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue: try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.

Breathe OUT completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound. Close your lmouth and breathe IN quietly through your nose to a mental count of four. Next hold your breath for account of seven. Then breathe OUT completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight: this cycle is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times.

Essential Oils

Using Essential Oils

A professional aromatherapy massage is perhaps the most direct way to enjoy the benefits of essential oils, but even if you cannot spare the time or the money, there are till many ways in which you can exploit them for your health and well- being.

Steam inhalation

This is very effective for any respiratory problem, catarrh or blocked sinuses. Fill a basin two- thirds full with boiling water, add five to six drops of oil, and cover your head with a towel as you bend over the basin to stop vapour escaping. Inhale slowly and deeply for a few minutes. Choose from eucalyptus, thyme, peppermint, lavender or tea tree, used alone or in combination.

On a handkerchief or pillow

Sprinkle a few drops of oil on a handkerchief to be sniffed regularly: peppermint to ward off nausea or travel sickness; rosemary to keep you alert on a long drive; eucalyptus if there are colds about. You can also put a couple of drops of oil on your pillow to help fight off an infection (eucalyptus or pine), to stop a night- time cough (cypress), or to induce restful sleep (lavender, marjoram or neroli).

Oils & Bath Therapy

Bath therapy

Put up to eight drops of your favourite oil (or a blend of two or three) into a medium- hot bath. You can add them first to half a cup of milk, to disperse them properly, or to a specially treated castor oil called Turkey Red, available from specialist suppliers. If your skin is very dry, aromatherapist Franzesca Watson suggests adding them to a little jojoba oil instead. Use rosemary to get you going in the morning; jasmine for when you want to feel pampered; Scotch pine for its bracing, anti- cold properties; lavender at bedtime.

As a footbath

This is an excellent way to get the systemic effects of an oil if you don’t have time for a bath- and, of course, it is excellent for local problems such as athlete’s foot or chilblains. Add five to six drops of oil to a basin of warm water and soak for ten minutes. For sweaty, smelly feet, try cypress; for fungal infections such as athlete’s foot, thyme or tea tree; got hot, overworked feet, peppermint.

In a sauna

Add a few drops of essential oil to the water before you splash it on the hot stones.

In a burner or electric vaporizer

Use to freshen a room, battle the bugs in a sickroom or create an inspiring environment in your workplace. Cedar is rich and warming, basil and rosemary aid concentration, sandalwood and frankincense- are deep and rich; pine, eucalyptus or lavender are good sickroom choices.

Caution

Essential oils should be used only with help of a reliable guide. Many should not be used in pregnancy, some can have unexpected side- effects (clary sage combined with alcohol can give you nightmares, for instance) and all should be kept well out of reach of children. They should never be used directly on the skin: the exception is lavender, which is especially valuable in burns when- in all but the most severe cases- it can soothe pain, prevent scarring and inhibit infection.

The Water Cure

THE WATER CURE

THE WATER CURE

‘An Amazing Discovery,’ trumpeted he front page of The European newspaper in April 1993. ‘The Romans did it. Charles Darwin lectured on it… Now scientists have proved for the first time the therapeutic benefits of cold-water bathing.’ The article went on to document the studies being carried out by Professor Vijay Kakkar at the Thrombosis Research institute in London, England, with 100 human volunteers. While they bravely submitted to a carefully graduated series of cold baths, monitoring of these men and women had shown up some extraordinary changes. Levels of sex hormones- testosterone in men, oestrogen in women- had climbed significantly as they graduated to the colder baths. Circulation improved dramatically, and levels of an enzyme that prevents blood from clotting also rose. And white blood counts had climbed, indicating improved immune function.

For one volunteer in particular, the results of the trial were spectacular. She had been suffering for years from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME), spending up to 18 hours a day in bed and hardly able to crawl upstairs. She had been reluctant to join the trial, but was amazed by the effects of her daily icy plunge: ‘…as if it had freed my body from imprisonment in an iron jacket…. With each passing say, the feeling of well- being is increased.’

Professor Kakkar’s study had been prompted by his discovery that victims of ME have poor blood circulation, which reduces the supply of oxygen to the brain and muscles, while immune function declines. Cold- water therapy reversed these trends. How? Brace yourself.

Take a one-minute cold shower followed by a quick, brisk rub-down and you will feel, in rapid succession, a shocking sensation of cold, followed by a rushing return of warmth as you rub down, followed by a glow of energy and well-being.

That shock of cold closes skin- surface blood vessels, and blood is driven inwards, relieving congestion. The body’s thermostat reacts by rushing warm blood back to the surface, blood vessels reopen and tissues are flushed with fresh oxygen rich blood. And as an early nineteenth- century physician put it, ‘…the nerves, blood vessels and all the organs of the body are excited to a more healthy and energetic performance.’

By speeding up cutaneous circulation, the treatment also boosts elimination through skin of bodily wastes: an instant detox. When there is fever, the surface cooling is the therapy, as any mother knows when she sponges the limbs of a feverish child with tepid water.

Although the water cure- or hydrotherapy, to give it its proper name- is now being ‘discovered’ by modern medicine, there are records of thousands of years old of its use as a medical treatment by the doctors of ancient China and India, Egypt and Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome. Its spectacular renaissance in the early nineteenth century was fathered by a peasant farmer called Vincent Priessnitz from Silesia in Poland. Following local methods, Priessnitz had been treating his own animals with cold- water therapy when they were sick or injured. A fall under the wheels of a runaway cart left him with three crushed ribs. Priessnitz reset them himself and treated himself for weeks afterwards with ice- cold wet packs, drinking plenty of cold water. A year later he was completely recovered, and began treating his neighbours.

Gradually his circle of patients widened and in 1826 he opened a clinic in Grafenberg, Germany, for patients who needed long courses of treatment. Soon it was famous and fashionable all over Europe. Among the hundreds of patients taking the cure in 1841 were an archduchess, 10 princes and princesses, 100 counts and barons, military men, professors, lawyers and a number of doctors. The regime they paid to endure was Spartan in the extreme: straw beds in plain stone huts, coarse peasant food, day- long exercise in open air- and, of course, cold water.

Priessnitz’ favourite treatment was the wet pack: patients were stripped and swathed in a cold wet sheet while they lay down on a thick blanket. More covers were piled up on top and they were left to sweat for up to two hours, during which time fresh wet sheets were sometimes applied. The ‘disagreeable colour and smell’ of the sheets and bandages when removed were evidence of the heavy discharge of what Priessnitz called ‘the bad stuff’- as any modern mature- cure establishment, using the same technique, would verify.

Afterwards, patients were sponged down with cold water or put in the cold plunge- bath for a minute or two, then quickly dressed- without being dried first- and sent to take brisk outdoor exercise. It sounds like a sure prescription for pneumonia. But what Priessnitz knew- and other practitioners have verified- is that as long as the body is wrapped warmly enough to prevent chilling, continuing contact with cold water stimulates it to produce a delightful glow of well- being.

Other cold- water treatments included simple sponging- down with cold water, sitz- baths and douches constructed from local mountain springs trained through showers that fell from as high as 6m.

Priessnitz kept no records, nut his results in almost every disease imaginable were so spectacular that a regular procession of doctors turned up at Graefenberg to study his methods. Soon there were hydrotherapy institutions all over Europe.

Among Priessnitz’ many followers was the famous natural healer Father Sebastian Kniepp, whose work My Water Cure explained the principles and practice of hydrotherapy in clear, simple terms for laymen. It became a huge best- seller, and was translated into English in 1891. Kniepp considered cold- water treatment not just as a cure, but as a marvelous way to improve health and increase resistance: a process he termed ‘hardening’ couldn’t start too young. He suggested that babies should be given a quick cool or cold dip after their warm bath, and that children be encouraged to run about barefoot. Walking on wet grass, in newly fallen snow or in a bath filled ankle- deep with cold water were other suggestions.

In 1990 the Hanover Medical School ran a six- month study of the Kniepp ‘hardening’ theory with 50 student volunteers. Half the students took an early morning shower, the temperature of which was gradually reduced over the first weeks until it was cold; the other half took a daily warm shower. When the six months was up, the cold- shower volunteers were recorded only half as many colds as the control group, and those they did have were milder and cleared faster.

By the end of the nineteenth century, the water cure was subject of serious study at hospitals and in medical practices all over Europe.

Professor Winternitz of the University of Vienna in Austria ran a hydrotherapy clinic where he made dozens of careful observations of patients. The American Dr Baruch studied under Winternitz and went back to New York to apply and develop what he had learned.

At a time when infectious diseases were usually lethal, Dr Baruch claimed to have lost fewer than 1% of 1223 typhoid fever patients treated by his hydrotherapy method at Manhattan General Hospital in new York. He would wait until the patient’s temperature had climbed to over 38.3C, and then immerse him or her up to the chin in a cool-to-tepid bath(18c) for 15 minutes, followed by a rub- down. In a massive treatise called The principles and practice of Hydrotherapy, published in 1898 and written after years of applied hydrotherpay, Baruch lamented that the water cure had been so much neglected. In this he chose to ignore the nature- cure practitioners of the USA, who had been promoting hydrotherapy with enthusiasm for decades at sanatoriums such as the famous Battle Creek in Michigan, home to Dr Kellogg and his Corn Flakes.

Dr John Harvey Kellogg published his own 1193- page work, Rational Hydrotherapy, three years later in 1901. It was based, like Baruch’s, on years of practice and careful observation. Although it remains the outstanding text on the subject, it seems to have damned hydrotherapy in the eyes of the medical profession by association with ‘quackery’- an association already established by the spread of ‘Kneippism’, with its dozens of sanatoria in Europe and the USA.

Today, professional hydrotherapy treatment is only on offer at a few Kneipp ‘cure- houses’ in Europe, and apart from a limited use in physiotherapy, this wonderfully effective therapy has been consigned to near- complete medical oblivion. We can still profit in our own homes from its ‘hardening’ powers. To modern ears, the mere idea of cold showers, chilly baths and icy rub- downs seems masochistic in the extreme. But nobody feels cold weather more keenly than those who spend their lives cocooned in modern comfort. Moreover, central heating offers no pleasures to rival the wonderful tingle and glow of a cold shower followed by a quick rub- down and a brisk walk.{tab=The Therapeutic Bath}

The therapeutic bath

The therapeutic bath

Maybe it’s our unconscious memories of the time when we were rocked and cradled in the waters of the womb- but there is no denying the fact that immersion in warm water is as remarkably soothing to the spirit as it can be agreeable to the senses. At times of stress, many people agree, there’s nothing like a long hot soak, preferably scented with some natural fragrance, with candles and soft music as optional extras.

A bath can be actively medicinal, with the use of plant or aromatherapy oils. It can also be an excellent all- over skin and beauty treatment. But before you splash out on beautifully packaged and pleasingly coloured and scented stuff to add to your bath, remember that during long immersion in hot water any chemicals it contains may be absorbed through your skin, and that the sodium laurel sulphate which turns up in so many potions for adding to your bath enhances this absorption. Go for the pure natural stuff: check labels and packaging carefully. Robert Tisserand, one of the UK’s leading experts on aromatherapy, sees red when a bottle of cheap oil, highly coloured and scented with synthetic aromachemicals, is sold as an aromatherapy product. ‘And aromatherapy product’ he says, ‘should use only essential oils as its fragrance, otherwise it is no different from any other accented toiletry on the market’.

Temperature is a key factor in the therapeutic bath. A cold of very cool bath is bracing and invigorating, toning skin and muscles, increasing the metabolic rate and boosting the immune system. Tepid baths- warmed to blood heat- are best for a herbal medicine or aromatherapy treatment as essential oils evaporate fast if the bath is too hot. Hot baths relax you, soothe aching muscles and help to promote the skin’s cleansing action. But don’t overdo it: very hot baths are enervating, and especially bad idea if you suffer from high blood pressure, heart problems or varicose veins. End hot baths with a quick tepid or cool shower if your bath has a shower attachment, or by pulling out the plug, running the cold tap hard, and rinsing yourself with the rapidly cooling water. You’ll feel much more relaxed.

Before bathing, give yourself a quick head-to-toe scrub with a special dry skin brush or loofah, working upwards in a long seeping strokes from toes to neck: brush towards the heart area but not too near the heart itself, and if you have varicose veins, stroke over them very gently. Then wipe yourself all over with a flannel or sponge and warm water. Now you’re nice and clean and you won’t be sitting in your own dirt.

A friction rub with a loofah or rough mitt is a wonderful tonic for you and your skin and helps slough off dead cells. A sea- salt rub is an even more effective way of invigorating your skin: before you get into your drawn bath, add a cupful of sea salt to a bowl, add enough water to turn it into a sludge, and buff yourself all over with it before sitting down in the bath and letting it dissolve around you.

There’s a huge range of enjoyable or beneficial products you can buy to put in your bath: among the most useful are those based on seaweed and Dead Sea or Epsom salts, which are cleansing, bracing and revitalizing. Beauty guru Bharti Vyas is a passionate believer in the health benefits of Dead Sea salts in your bath. She believes that they encourage gentle detoxification of the system, reduce fluid retention, help combat stress, boost resistance and, at the end of a grueling day, induce restful sleep by quelling anxiety and restoring calm. Dead Sea salts are extremely rich in minerals, some of which are absorbed through the skin, which they also help to smooth and refine. You can buy packets of Dead Sea salts at most chemists.

Bath Ideas

Ginger for aching joints, stiff muscles or low spirits

Add two teaspoons of powdered ginger or a few centimeters of grated fresh root into a big pan of boiling water. Simmer until the water turns yellow, then pour it into your bath. This bath is very stimulating so don’t take it just before you go to bed.

Lime- flower tea to induce sleep

Make up a strong tea with a big handful of lime- flowers (or four or five tea bags) and add to a tepid bath. This is also highly effective for nervy children who can’t get to sleep, or for fretful babies, but two lime- flower tea bags will be enough for children.

Apple cider vinegar for dry, itchy skin

This softens and helps to preserve the acid mantle of the skin and it’s also a great tonic when you’re feeling tired and jaded. Add one cup to the bath. You can also make a herbal vinegar for your bath by half- filling a screw- top jar with aromatic herbs, filling it up with cider vinegar and leaving it to macerate in a quiet dark corner. Strain out the herbs and store the vinegar in a pretty labelled bottle. Sage is tonic and bracing, peppermint is wonderfully refreshing, marjoram is so sedative you might fall asleep in the bath and thyme is helpful if you feel a cold or chill coming on.

Oatmeal as a treat for the skin

If you have just arrived back from a happy holiday orgy of sunbathing, a handful of oatmeal flung into a warm bath will put some of the life and resilience back into your sun- dried skin and will soften the bathwater. Use the special colloidal oatmeal that is sold in chemists and good herbal suppliers. If you can’t get this, blend ordinary oatmeal to the finest powder. You can also use ordinary oatmeal in a bath bag made out of a square of muslin tightly closed with an elastic band: suspend it from the running hot tap, and use it like a sponge during your bath.

Marshmallow or comfrey for softer skin

This is also wonderful for tired, sunburned skin. Add one tablespoon of the powdered root of either marshmallow of comfrey to a pan with three cups of milk, stir well, heat slowly and simmer over the merest ghost of a flame for 15 minutes. Strain into your bath.

A warming pine bath

Pinecones can be collected during a country walk and can be used to make a wonderful bath for cold weather. Soak them overnight in a pan- full of cold water, and then bring to the boil, simmer for a minute, and leave to infuse for 15 minutes before straining the liquid to add to your bath.

An essential oil bath

A bath is one of the best ways to enjoy all the benefits of essential oils for general health, as well as for your skin: the warmth dilates the pores of your skin to allow the oils maximum penetration, while at the same time you breathe in the aromatic vapours. Most aromatherapy handbooks suggest five to eight drops for a bath, but Dr Jean Valnet who can be considered the founding father of modern aromatherapy, suggested 20 drops, although eight to ten drops will still give you a wonderfully aromatic bath. These should be diluted beforehand in a special oil base, since oils do not disperse in water, and direct contact with some essential oils could irritate your skin. There’s an excellent Bath Base in the Valnet Aromatherapy range or you can buy a specially treated form of castor oil called Turkey Red, to which you can add the essential oils of your choice: you will need about a tablespoon for a bath. You can also add essential oils to a cupful of milk, which will help soften the bath water into the bargain. The following are some of Dr Valnet’s suggestions for baths with essential oils, which can be blended with a tablespoon of oily bath base or a cup of milk.

Healing Baths

Healing Baths  

Healing Baths  

To boost circulation, or to relieve symptoms of the menopause:

Ten drops cypress; five drops juniper and five drops lemon.

For a soft satiny skin:

Fifteen drops geranium and five mandarin.

To help you unwind:

Fifteen drops Lavender and five drops sweet orange.

A tonic and aphrodisiac bath:

Fifteen drops rosemary (not to be used during pregnancy) and five drops ylang- ylang.

To ward off winter germs:

Five drops each eucalyptus, ravensara, niaouli and thyme.

To enhance the softening and cleansing effect of a salt rub:

In a small bowl, mix two tablespoons of coarse sea salt and enough almond, olive or jojoba oil to turn it into sludge. Then add two to three drops of a favourite essential oil- perhaps geranium or lavender. Mix well. Run your bath and, standing up in the bath, slather your body briskly with the mix, avoiding your face and genital areas, before you sit down.

Caution

Essential oils should be used only with the help of a reliable guide.

Photomedicine

Photomedicine

Photomedicine

Premature babies are often born jaundiced. Their bodies turn yellow as the bile pigment bilirubin accumulates in the skin and tissue, slowly poisoning them, instead of being broken down by the liver. Untreated, the condition can cause brain damage or even death, and the treatment until the mid- twentieth century was a traumatic total transfusion of the baby’s blood.

Then in the mid- 1950’s an observant nurse noticed that jaundiced babies who had been wheeled out into a sunny courtyard were recovering without being given any transfusion: in fact, the yellow pigment is harmlessly degraded by sunshine. Sunlight became an experimental treatment, well publicized when three of a famous set of famous set of quintuplets, the Kienasts, were born jaundiced. Cured by full- spectrum lighting, they went home to nurseries fitted with the same bright natural lights.

But sunshine is in short supply in big modern hospitals, so researchers went to work on those sunbeams. It was the blue wavelength, they found, that worked the miracle, and tiny jaundiced babies are today treated by being bathed in blue light: one form of light therapy that is widely accepted. Here and there, other wavelengths or types of lighting are being pressed into the service of orthodox western medicine.

Alighting expert, the father of one such jaundiced bay, was appalled by his tiny son’s screams of pain as nurses jabbed his heel almost daily to monitor blood bilirubin levels. He developed a scanner which shines a full spectrum of light on a baby’s skin, and computer software analyses absorption patterns to determine if bilirubin deposits remain. His device is now in use in hundreds of hospitals.

Despite its long association with skin cancers, light is today being used to treat a wide range of skin problems.

In my acne- ridden early twenties, the only treatment which actually worked for me was a weekly appointment in a clinic with an ultraviolet (UV) lamp. Gradually, instead of tactfully averting their gaze, my friends began to tell me how well I was looking and asking where I’d been on holiday. And when I did go on holiday, my skin always magically cleared up.

As paranoia about UV light mounted among dermatologists, the UV treatment for acne fell out of favour, but researchers at London’s Hammersmith hospital have recently found that the red and blue wavelengths in light seem almost as effective. In a trial reported in the British Journal of Dermatology, 100 patients who had had initial treatment with oral antibiotics were given a light box emitting the red and blue wavelengths to take home. They were instructed to expose their be goggled faces to it for 15 minutes a day. After 12 weeks there was a 76% decrease in the number of visible spots- a result that would have thousands of traumatized teenagers dancing in the streets. Dermatologist Dr Toby Chu, who developed the treatment, believes that the blue light kills the bacteria in the skin that cause acne, while the red wavelength speeds healing.

Urticaria, in which large itching wheals develop on the skin, and the disfiguring condition known as morphoea, characterized by hard flat white or reddish patches on the skin, have both responded well to UV treatment, as have some forms of eczema. In psoriasis, extensive areas of the skin- occasionally the head and the whole trunk- may become reddened and covered with thick silvery scales, a condition as devastating socially as it can be uncomfortable physically. Those who can afford to do so jet off to the Dead Sea in Israel, where the combination of strong sunshine and the salty waters works wonders. UV treatment works almost as well for many cases, however.

Sunshine is considered a high- risk factor for another disfiguring disease, Lupus erythematosus, in which a red blotchy rash often forms a butterfly pattern across the face. To the surprise of skin specialists, treatment with UV- A is proving successful in some cases.

‘When I rise my breakfast is solitary, the black dog waits to share it’, wrote Dr Samuel Johnson- the literary lion of eighteenth- century England who was cruelly subject to ‘melancholy’- ‘from breakfast to dinner he continues barking’. The victim of ‘black dog’- depression- in western industrialized countries are numbered in millions, with medical costs running as high as $44 billion in the USA alone.

Depression in characterized as ‘black’ and its symptoms include feelings of sadness and hopelessness, low esteem, low energy, suicidal thoughts, diminished sex drive and flagging mental drive. But there’s a subset of depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which kicks in hen the days begin to shorten in autumn, reaching its peak in midwinter, and declining in early spring as the days begin to lengthen again. For SAD victims, the need for sunshine becomes and overwhelming physiological need. They crave carbohydrates, and may put on up to 13.5kg in the winter months, to shed it again come summer. Unlike typical depressives, too, they can and do sleep for hours on end, up to 14 hours at a time, a heavy sleep from which they wake unrepressed. (One psychiatrist in Oslo, Norway, told of a patient who used to go to bed in October every year and sleep through till spring.) It is estimated that nearly 25 million people in the USA suffer from SAD and, as you might expect, incidence is particularly high in Scandinavia, where sunless days last for months, and the winter suicide rate is one of the highest in the world.

It was two American psychiatrists, Dr Alfred Lewy and Dr Thomas Wehr, who first discovered in 1980 that suppresses the secretion of melatonin, the ‘darkness hormone’. After Dr Norman Rosenthal first identified the condition and named it SAD, Drs Lewy and Wehr suggested that treating patients with hours of bright light might trick their bodies and brains into thinking patients with hours of bright light might trick their bodies and brains into thinking it was already spring, and the bright market in light treatment was born. The media took up the story, a brisk market in light boxes sprang into being and eventually the bright light therapy became mainstream.

The treatment calls for light of at least 2500 lux power (standard domestic indoor lighting is around 100 lux) and psychiatrists were impressed by the speed with which it worked. Patients usually started to feel better within three to four days, and were in total remission within a fortnight, as long as they continued the treatment. Conventional ant depressive drugs can take up to three weeks to kick in.

There have been changes to the therapy over the years. Initially patients needed to sit in front of their light boxes for up to two hours a day. Now if they are office workers they can have a 10,000 lux light fitted at their work- station at eye level. Or they can start the day- mornings are the optimum time for therapy- wearing light visors fitted with bright lights under the brim, as they get their breakfast of pack their children off to school. Or they can use a dawn simulator- a great way to start a winter day for any of us, actually- which works just like an alarm clock, except that half and hour before the alarm goes off, its great globe starts to glow, gradually filling your bedroom with light, until the alarm goes off and you wake into what looks like dawn.

Early in October every year, just as winter gets into its stride, the fashionable café Engel in Helsinki in Finland invites guests to a celebration breakfast, with pancakes and orange juice, to mark the switch- on of its 14 high- intensity full- spectrum sunlamps. The lamps at each of the windows will stay on from 7am to midnight every day, until the sun reappears in March. Hardly surprisingly, the café is packed all winter with people who come to bask in its marvellous light.

SAD

If bright light works for SAD, might it also work for classic, non- seasonal depression?

Psychiatrist Dr Daniel Kripke has been treating his depressive patients with bright light for a number of years now, with excellent results. Clinical trials have found the treatment as helpful in some cases as medication, and Kripke believes that patients should be started on light therapy at the same time as they begin a course of anti- depressive drugs- which could produce both faster results and lower costs.

SAD is not the only seasonal disorder. How will light work with menstrual problems? George Brainard reckons this will be a particularly hot topic over the next few years. If they can afford it, Dr Damien Downing advises women patients with irregular periods to take off for a sunshine holiday:’… once they’ve put in some sensible sunbathing and acquired a moderate tan,’ he says, ‘they’ll usually see an improvement almost immediately- though the effect may wear off after a few months.’

At Hammersmith Hospital in London, Dr David Norton gave 17 women with severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) an electronic eye- mask he had devised himself and christened the Light Mask. It was designed to be worn with the eyes closed and red lights flickered onto the closed eyes from inside the mask. The women were asked to wear it for 15 minutes a day through four complete menstrual cycles. At the end of that time, a report in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology revealed that 12 of the 17 no longer had PMS. Of the remaining 5, 1 had dropped out because her depression caused by PMS got worse, 1 reported no change, and 3 showed some improvement.

Agnus Castus

Agnus Castus.

Agnus castus has been used for thousands of years for its beneficial balancing effect on the female hormonal system. It is used to stimulate milk flow and to regulate the menstrual cycle when there is excessive bleeding, too frequent, or prolonged menstruation. It is found to benefit both PMS and menopausal symptoms. Other indications include: fibroids, inflammation of the womb lining, low energy, cramping, fibroid cysts, uterine healing after childbirth, and rebalancing after discontinued use of the contraceptive pill. Chaste Berry works mainly through the pituitary gland. It is useful to promote fertility, in women. Can use for pubescent boys with acne.

Apricot Kernal

Apricot kernel.

Apricot Kernel is one of the finest herbs for acute cough and bronchitis, a great pulmonary anti-biotic and moistens and lubricates air passages and the digestive tract. Dispels phlegm, relieves cough and asthma and moistens the bowel with the help of its high oil content to relieve constipation. Dosage of the raw processed form is about 10-15 pits for adults, and 5 pits for children. The purpose and effect in asthma is to eliminate infection, and thereby reduce inflammation and phlegm, which are asthma triggers. As a decoction: 3-9g is recommended (crushed before decocting). Be careful with this herb particularly with children as it is pretty potent, and can be slightly toxic if not used properly.

Bilberry Leaves

Bilberry Leaves.

Bilberry helps preserve eyesight and prevent eye damage, increasing night vision, reducing eye fatigue and helping nearsightedness (myopia). The action of Bilberry stabilizes capillary membranes and reduces their permeability - diabetics often have fragile capillaries, which can be effectively treated with Bilberry: varicose veins are another indication for the use of Bilberry.

Black Cohosh

Black Cohosh.

Black Cohosh is a traditional remedy of the North American Indians where it was used mainly to treat women's problems, especially painful or delayed periods and problems associated with the menopause. A popular and widely used herbal remedy, it is effective in the treatment of a range of conditions and diseases. It helps many forms of rheumatism in fact all cases characterized by that kind of pain known as "rheumatic" tense and dull. It has been found beneficial in cases of tinnitus.  Black Cohosh is an antispasmodic and sedative, relaxing and restorative for the nervous system and an heart tonic. Avoid during pregnancy.

Boldo

Boldo.

Boldo is a traditional remedy used by the Araucanian Indians of Chile as a tonic. The plant stimulates liver activity and bile flow and may provide the liver with protection against harmful chemicals and damaging free radicals. Today Boldo leaves are used to treat gallstones, liver or gall bladder discomfort, cystitis and rheumatism. It is normally taken for only a few weeks at a timeIt is often combined with other herbs such as Barberry. The plant should not be used by pregnant women.

Catuaba

Catuaba.

Only the bark is used which quickly grows back to leave the rainforest intact. Centuries ago the Indians from the Tupi-Tripe discovered the Catuaba tree and named it "The good tree". It is famous as a stimulant to the nervous system and brain and is used for nervous debility, neurasthenia and has been known to help failing memories. It helps eliminate restless sleep and insomnia from hypertension and used regularly for a quite long period, it promotes the blood supply in the whole body and raises the vital spirits.

Cat's Claw

Cat’s Claw.

Cat’s Claw is one of the sacred herbs of the South American Rainforest. The inner bark is harvested in an ecologically sound manner, so as not to destroy the plant. Cat’s claw has powerful immuno-stimulant and cleansing properties, which can help the body fight off infections and protect against degenerative diseases. Good for general debility, convalescence and promoting healing. This herb has a broad range of therapeutic applications, especially for the digestive and immune systems. It helps to heal numerous stomach/intestinal disorders, including asthma, arthritis, ulcers, Chron's disease, diverticulitis, leaky bowel syndrome, colitis, gastritis, haemorrhoids, fistulas, liver disorders and parasites. 

Cloves

Cloves.

This looks like a little brown nail. Aromatic buds that stimulate & warm the body, increase circulation, improve digestion, & aid in treating vomiting & diarrhoea. Cloves stimulate and disinfect the kidneys, skin, liver and bronchial mucous membrane. It is the most powerful of the aromatic and carminative herbs.

Elder Berry

Elder Berry.

Medicinally, the elderberry tree is known as nature’s medicine chest, and is best known as a fever reducer and blood purifier used in the early stages of colds. This versatile plant also has uses as a general detoxifier of the body and as a sedative for relief of pain. Elderberry builds the blood, cleanses the system, eases constipation, enhances the immune system, and acts as an anti-inflammatory. It also has powerful antioxidant properties.

Elder Flowers

Elder flowers.

Stimulate the body's ability to resist viral infections such as colds and influenza, also used to treat sinusitis, hay fever and other upper respiratory inflammations, protects the liver against damage from poisons.  Traditional herbalists consider it a wonderful blood purifier.  Elder flowers have mild diuretic action, the tea is used to "break" a fever by bringing on sweating, a cooled infusion can be used as a gargle for sore throat. A cold infusion of the flowers can be used as an eyewash for conjunctivitis, twitching eyelids, inflammation of the eyes, and as a compress for chilblains.

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus.

Eucalyptus leaves are a traditional Aboriginal herbal remedy. It is a powerful natural antiseptic. An infusion of the leaves aids colds, coughs & flu and relieves chronic catarrhal affections of the genito-urinary organs, the broncho-pulmonary mucous membrane, and the bladder, especially the latter. 25grams steeped in one pint of water makes a good bath for skin ulcers and rashes.

Guarana

Guarana.

South Americans have revered it for centuries as the sacred food of the Amazon Indians. It is a gentle excitant and useful where the brain is stressed or depressed by mental exertion, or where there is fatigue or exhaustion. It provides a wonderfully anti-depressive, natural energetic feeling with increased mental alertness.

Ginko Leaf

Ginkgo leaf.

Ginkgo is recognised as a brain tonic that enhances memory because of its positive effects on the vascular system, especially in the cerebellum. It increases metabolism efficiency, regulates neurotransmitters, and boosts oxygen levels in the brain which uses 20% of the body's oxygen. Benefits of enhanced circulation in the brain include improved short and long term memory, increased reaction time and improved mental clarity. Ginkgo has been shown to support an enhanced vitality level  and it’s high antioxidant activity is valuable for fighting age related conditions including mental fatigue and erosion of energy. It is also used as a treatment for vertigo, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and a variety of neurological disorders and circulation problems.

Hawthorn

Hawthorn Berries/Leaves.

Hawthorn is an extremely valuable medicinal herb. It is used mainly for treating disorders of the heart and circulation system, especially angina. Western herbalists consider it a 'food for the heart', it increases the blood flow to the heart muscles and restores normal heart beat, it dilates the coronary blood vessels, lowers cholesterol levels and restores the heart muscle. Hawthorn increases intracellular vitamin C levels and are also strongly antioxidant, helping to prevent or reduce degeneration of the blood vessels. Also used for sleeplessness, nervousness, poor digestion, and weight control.

Juniper Berries

Juniper berries.

Juniper fruits are especially useful in the treatment of digestive disorders plus kidney and bladder problems. Juniper Berries promote toxin elimination, help chronic arthritis, gout and rheumatic conditions and make an excellent antiseptic in conditions such as cystitis. They can be eaten raw or used in a tea. Due to it’s stimulating actions on the kidneys Juniper Berries should be avoided in any kidney disease. It should also be avoided in pregnancy.

Mate

Mate.

Maté is drunk mainly in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and southern Brazil. It is brewed from the dried leaves and stemlets of the perennial evergreen holly tree Ilex paraguayensis (“Yerba Maté”). Introduced by the Guarani Indians, Mate has many remarkable properties: It energises the body, stimulates mental alertness, aids weight loss, cleanses the colon, accelerates the healing process, relieves stress, relaxes muscles, calms allergies, fortifies the immune system and is said to increase longevity.

Mistletoe

Mistletoe.

Mistletoe is chiefly used to lower blood pressure and heart rate, ease anxiety and promote sleep. In low doses it can also relieve panic attacks and headaches, and also improves the ability to concentrate. The plant's efficacy as an anticancer treatment has been subject to a significant amount of research - there is no doubt that certain constituents of the plant, especially the viscotoxins, exhibit an anticancer activity.

Nettle

Nettle.

Throughout Europe Nettles are used as a spring tonic, strengthening and supporting the whole body and promoting general detoxification of the body.  This removal of waste material is an excellent treatment for some cases of rheumatism and arthritis. The cleansing power of nettles also benefits eczema in childhood and eczema related to nervous tension. Stinging nettles help bones retain calcium, contain vital minerals and are high in iron.

Pau D'Arco

Pau D'Arco.

Pau d’Arco was used by the ancient Aztecs and the Incas as one of their major medicinal herbs and is still used by shaman in Brazil. The Guarani and Tupi Indians call the tree tajy, which means "to have strength and vigor" and use the bark to treat many different conditions including malaria, anaemia, colitis, respiratory problems, colds, cough, flu, fungal infections, fever, arthritis and rheumatism, snakebite, poor circulation, boils, syphilis, and cancer. Pau d’Arco contains an antibacterial agent, which has a positive overall healing effect, and also exhibits numerous anti-viral properties. Considered a good blood alterative, it has application in numerous chronic health disorders and it is a powerful immune system builder, again relating back to its blood cleansing capabilities. Excellent for any de-toxification plan.

Raspberry

Raspberry Leaf.

Raspberry leaves are very helpful for all female organs & problems, They will help decrease the menstrual flow without stopping it completely and will ease menstrual cramping. Raspberry leaves have a long tradition of use in pregnancy to strength and tone the tissue of the womb, assisting contractions and checking any haemorrhage during labour. As an astrigent it may be used in a wide range of cases, including diarrhoea, leucorrhoea and other loose conditions. It is valuable in the easing of mouth problems such as mouth ulcers, bleeding gums and inflammations and used as a gargle it will help sore throats and tonsillitis. High in minerals & a good source of vitamins.

Rooibos

Rooibos.

The tea is grown and produced in the Western Cape region of South Africa. It contains a wealth of minerals essential to good health, such as iron, manganese, potassium, calcium and zinc. Most notable are reports of its effectiveness in relieving allergies, respiratory ailments (hay fever, asthma, etc.) and colic in infants. Rooibos can strongly be recommended for people suffering from irritability, headaches, disturbed sleeping patterns, insomnia, nervous tension, mild depression or hypertension, as it has a soothing effect on the central nervous system. Stomach and indigestive problems like nausea, vomiting, heartburn, stomach ulcers and constipation can also be relieved by drinking Rooibos. Rooibos tea reportedly relieves a variety of skin irritations, itching, eczema, nappy rash and acne when directly applied to the affected area.

Sarsaparilla

Sarsaparilla.

The root is alterative, demulcent, diaphoretic, diuretic, stimulant and tonic. This is one of the best depurative medicines and is used as a springtime tonic and general body cleanser. Its ability to eliminate toxins and to purify the blood makes it useful for, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic inflammatory disease, gout, psoriasis, colds and fevers.

Schizandra

Schizandra.

Schizandra has been used for centuries as a restorative and tonic herb in the Far East and in Scandinavia, much like Ginseng. It is an Adaptogen herb helpful in preventing allergy, cold & flu symptoms. Also helps protect the liver and tones the kidneys and helps ease coughing and asthma.

Siberian Ginseng

Siberian Ginseng.

This plant is a very commonly used folk treatment in China and Russia where it is used as a ginseng substitute. Siberian ginseng is a powerful tonic herb with an impressive range of health benefits. Unlike many herbs with a medicinal use, it is more useful for maintaining good health rather than treating ill health. Research has shown that it stimulates resistance to stress and so it is now widely used as a tonic in times of stress and pressure. Favourably affects the heart, circulation, nerves & lungs. Regular use is said to restore vigour, improve the memory and increase longevity.
This herb is not prescribed for children, and should not be used for more than 3 weeks at one time. Caffeine should not be taken when using this herb.

Slippery Elm

Slippery Elm.

One of those herbs that works well for many ailments. Believed to soothe and heal inflammation and damage to the digestive system. Internally it is used for inflamed membranes including sore throat, gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, enteritis, colitis and haemorrhoids. It is a mild bulk laxative that absorbs toxins from the bowel. It expands and should be taken with plenty of water. Normalizes bowel function. Cleans out the colon. Great for bad coughs & heavy phlegm conditions.

White Willow Bark

White Willow Bark.

Because of its pain relieving properties, it is most useful for minor aches & pains. A wonderful anti-inflammatory, analgesic and tonic Willow helps rheumatism and arthritis. It is usually considered to be the natural form and origin of the modern aspirin.

Wild Yam Root

Wild Yam Root.

Contains hormonal substances very similar to progesterone. Useful in place of Hormone Replacement Therapy and for many menopausal problems. This plant affords one of the best and fastest cures for bilious colic, it is especially helpful in treating the nausea of pregnant women and has been used to ease the pain of childbirth. It is also taken internally in the treatment of asthma, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis, gall bladder complaints and painful menstruation. The root is also a visceral relaxant.