What is an herbalist? According Merriam-Webster online dictionary an herbalist is “a person who practices healing by the use of herbs” pretty simple. My nutrition group this month featured a very nice young woman who is an expert in herbal remedies. She gave a very informative talk on the properties of herbs as an aid in healing the human body. A very important point not to be over looked is, no outside substance or procedure can heal the body. The body heals itself. All we can do is provided material it can use in the process. And the material it uses comes from nature. Our body is made from the earth and uses the earth to repair itself when damaged. We were not made in a factory as most pharmaceuticals are, most pharmaceuticals don’t help the body in the healing process, they usually only relieves symptoms.
This young woman was from a South American country where she had learned how to use the earth to aid the body in the healing process. This wisdom was handed down to her from the older women in her life; mom, grandma and aunts. She also experienced the healing properties herself as a young child. Sadly, she told us about how these arts are being lost, even in remote villages due to adopting the of Western lifestyle of convenience around the world. But it was good to see the young woman have such passion about the earth, and the desire to educate and help people learn for themselves.
Herbal remedies come in many different shapes and sizes and can aid anywhere from a skinned knee to respiratory infections. And many of the things you need can be found in your refrigerator and your backyard garden.
Onions can be used for cough, eye infections, earaches and is one of the herbal remedies for arthritis. The juice of the white cabbage can be used to remove warts and the leaves can help relive chest congestion. Ginger can be used to soothe the stomach. And, garlic well there are too many uses to mention in this small article. Plants from the backyard such as comfrey can be used on wounds or rashes and plantain is very good at taking the sting out of a bee sting. And this is just a scrap of the surface.
You are what you eat. I am not referring to the diet program aired in United Kingdom in 2004 to 2007 or even the 1968 American documentary film. I am merely referring to the fact that one who eats horrendously, is not astoundingly sick compared to one who eats healthily. The food that gets into the mouth and down the stomach for food processing becomes the body’s medical supply like water reserve in a camel’s humps. Feed your body with the wrong stuff and the insides go chaotic. Feed it with better food and you experience body wellness. This, however, is just the beginning.
Healthy diet is favored but regardless of whether good or bad food lands on your internal grinding machine, it is recommended that at least once a day, you get to move your bowels. Less than this leads you to becoming a “sick man (or woman) walking”. A lot of waste will be derived from three meals’ worth in a day. Missing one day will stack up with another batch of meals the following day. The colon is our body’s sewer system so the longer the waste matter stays on our bowels, the more we expose ourselves to a variety of diseases. Decaying matter becomes the source of bacterial growth and may cause the transfer of harmless flora to other parts of the body. Upon transfer, these harmless floras may become dangerous and disease-causing. To cut the story short, everything that goes into our bowels are converted to toxins, thus, the need to flush them out.
A very good way to restore the normal flow of bowel movement is through cleansing of the intestines. It is often the very first step recommended in the body detoxification process. Laxatives are the drugs of choice in constipated cases but there are also natural means to purge your colon out of destructive particles. It involves the incorporation of medical herbs that may either contain good bacteria or enzymes that instigates the colon to move bowels. To name a few, peeled and dried roots of rhubarb contain glycosides that function as a mild laxative in high doses of one to two grams. It may function as a standalone drug or in combination with other medical herbs. The motility of the colon is done through the inactivation of certain enzymes responsible for the slow movement. The “transit time” becomes faster as a result. It is not recommended for more than two weeks of usage as it may lead to the swelling and discoloration of the colon.
Another laxative that exhibits the same effect is the Cascara Sagrada. Not only does it relieve constipation but it also invigorates the muscles in the intestines. Coriander leaves, garlic, mint and onions may be eaten in trace amounts for the purpose of colon cleansing. Each herb has its own independent therapeutic effect apart from its ability to rid the colon of toxins. Fennel seeds, ginger and lemon may be mixed with lukewarm water and triphala, an herbal powder, to formulate black tea.
