J. Douglas Bremner See book keywords and concepts |
A recent treatment study of patients with osteoarthritis showed that ginger actually worked better at reducing inflammation than ibuprofen, but there was no difference when it was tested against a placebo.22
DIET AND BEHAVIOR
One of the most common causes of osteoarthritis is obesity. Another common cause is a history of joint injury. Carrying around unnaturally large amounts of weight puts undue strain on the joints and cartilage of the body. The most important thing you can do for your joint pain if you are overweight is to lose weight. |
David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes See book keywords and concepts |
Use herbs that help create a synergistic effect, adding herbs to enhance absorption (spicy herbs such as black pepper, ginger, pippali long pepper, cayenne pepper) enhances the activity of everything else in the formula. Using several herbs that have complementary but different ways of working can be very useful. An example would be giving saw palmetto, nettle root, and white sage for prostate enlargement. Each has a different mechanism of action, and the three herbs combined are vastly more effective than any one alone.
5. For teas, add herbs to improve the flavor. |
J. Douglas Bremner See book keywords and concepts |
There are no risks or major side effects from taking ginger.
GINKGO
People have long believed that ginkgo biloba, a supplement derived from the ancient ginkgo tree of China, increases memory, energy, and concentration. It is used to treat tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and vascular disease, and is believed to be a neuroprotective agent and antioxidant. In Germany more than 5 million prescriptions are written for ginkgo every year, and sales in the U.S. are $240 million per year. |
Lester A. Mitscher and Victoria Toews See book keywords and concepts |
At that time, tea beverages were primarily prepared by boiling tea leaves in water and adding onion, ginger, and orange.
Besides its use as a food, beverage, stimulant, and medicine, tea had other uses in ancient China. Tribal people living in the interior of China would compress bricks of tea with primitive ox-presses and use these tea bricks as currency to exchange with other tribes. It is interesting to note that in ancient cultures the value of minted money generally decreased the farther one was from the place where it had been minted. |
David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes See book keywords and concepts |
Excessive doses of this herb can cause nausea; always combine it with carminative herbs such as ginger, cinnamon, and orange peel.
Herb/Drug Interactions: None known.
CHAMOMILE
Botanical Name: Matricaria recutita Part Used: Flower
Chamomile flowers have a very long history of use as a medicine and beverage tea. In Europe, chamomile tea is consumed by millions of people each day as a relaxing tea for relief from anxiety, upset stomach, irritability, nervous headaches, insomnia, and irritable bowel syndrome. |
Herbert Ross, DC with Keri Brenner, L.Ac. See book keywords and concepts |
Alternatively, you can put a 1- to 2-inch piece of ginger root through a juicer.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of high quality, organic, extra-virgin olive oil to the juice. Blend or shake until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
4. Take the drink in the morning and do not eat any food for 1 hour afterward.
5. After 1 hour has elapsed, drink 1 pint of an herbal blend that Dr. Hobbs calls "Polari Tea." To prepare Polari Tea combine the following dry herbs: fennel (1 part), flax (1 part), burdock QA part), fenugreek (1 part), and licorice (lA part). |
Other antifungal and antibacterial herbs used to treat candidiasis include German chamomile, ginger, cinnamon, gentian, and licorice. (Because certain compounds in licorice can be toxic at high doses, it's best to take deglycyrrhizinated licorice supplements).
Probiotics
A healthy growth of "friendly" bacteria in the intestines—particularly Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum—is the best defense against yeast infections. Cabbage is one of the best food sources of friendly bacteria; eat it raw or juice it daily. |
Long pepper, ginger, cayenne, and the Ayurvedic herbs tri-katu and neem are taken 30 minutes before meals to increase immune and digestive functions. Dr. Sodhi further recommends that patients cleanse toxins from their systems using the panchakarma program, which involves herbs and dietary modification (see "Ayurvedic Detoxification," opposite page). With Dr. Sodhi's approach, candidiasis can usually be eliminated in four to six months.
Eradicating Parasites
Like other toxins, parasites can make it harder for the liver, kidneys, and intestines to detoxify and eliminate wastes from the body. |
Gary Null and Amy McDonald See book keywords and concepts |
So we have green tea, ginger, radish, and something sour, like lemon. This helps balance and strengthen the digestion.
"The link between digestion and depression is very clear. When our digestion is weak, we can't process our foods, but neither can we process our emotions and our sadness. We feel overcome; everything is too heavy for us to deal with and we give in to an addiction, like ice cream—milk and cheese and cream—which makes it all worse, which makes our digestion weaker and sets us up for major problems. Barley soup helps clear away the kind of congestion that makes us feel heavy. |
David Steinman See book keywords and concepts |
On the other hand, herbs like turmeric and ginger safely modulate COX-2 but do so without delivering a knockout punch and therefore do not cause blood clumping or stomach problems.
Of course, I know about the widespread and often warranted public doubt and skepticism that surrounds anything natural and purported to be a "cure," especially a dietary supplement masquerading as a medical drug. The 1994 federal Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act specifically prohibits manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements from making claims that the supplements cure disease. |
Dan Buettner See book keywords and concepts |
Mugwort, ginger, and turmeric are all staples of an Okinawan garden, and all have proven medicinal qualities. By consuming these every day, Okinawans may be protecting themselves against illness.
Nave an attitude.
A hardship-tempered attitude has endowed Okinawans with an affable smugness. They're able to let their difficult early years remain in the past while they enjoy today's simple pleasures. They've learned to be likable and to keep younger people in their company well into their old age. |
Hyla Cass See book keywords and concepts |
Turmeric/Cur cumin
Indian food is well seasoned with turmeric, a pungent yellow member of the ginger family that is an excellent natural anti-inflammatory. The key active ingredient in this spice is curcumin, which gives turmeric its distinctive yellow color. Turmeric is also a potent antioxidant and helps to kill bacteria. It has no side effects.
Dose: Use curry powder liberally in foods—try it in chicken salad!—and supplement with 400-600 mg of turmeric, three times a day. |
Ron Garner See book keywords and concepts |
One or two glasses of fresh juice—carrot, celery, spinach, beet, ginger, parsley, apple (or some other appropriate combination), every day. ? Consume quality proteins and oils that your liver can use. Hemp foods are good examples.
Caring for Your Body
Make the following part of your lifestyle:
Regular, moderate exercise, such as brisk walking, swimming, and rebounding. Daily use of a Chi Machine is beneficial.
Some kind of weight bearing exercise three times per week.
As health and vitality returns, increase exercise to raise pulse rate and bring on perspiration. |
The best foods that help to do this are fresh vegetable juices made from carrots, celery, spinach, beets, parsley, and a little ginger. A healthy lifestyle includes adequate regular exercise to activate the lymph system and help burn stored calories, as well as a diet that supplies all the required nutrients and live enzymes. Supplements to clean the colon, plus enzymes and complete protein products are very helpful. An overweight body is actually starving for wholesome alkaline nutrition. A person with an acidic body cannot lose weight and keep it off. |
Large glass of freshly made vegetable juice from a combination of carrots (80-90%), celery, spinach, beet (small piece), ginger, parsley, plus others as desired. (Sip slowly; this is a meal in itself.) þLarge, mixed vegetable salad. Whole grain muffin with butter. Herbal tea. Homemade blender soup: One or more cups of mixed vegetables and greens, tomato, natural spices, natural sea salt, cup of boiling water, V2 teaspoon (2.7 milliters) unpasteurized apple cider vinegar (to release calcium). Blend at high speed for 30 seconds. (Can use vegetable, poultry, or fish stock. |
Hyla Cass See book keywords and concepts |
Add herbs and spices with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant punch such as curry powder, turmeric, rosemary, ginger, and garlic to your food as often as possible.
?Sip green tea once or twice a day. Try one of the many available varieties of green tea, which has strong antioxidant properties. A glass of red wine once a day is also heart healthy and full of antioxidants, as long as it doesn't interact with your medicines.
?Eat. . . chocolate? Dark chocolate has, in recent years, been found to be an excellent source of antioxidants—and may even directly lower blood pressure! |
J. Douglas Bremner See book keywords and concepts |
There are no controlled studies I know of using ginger for bowel symptoms.
CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE
Bowel disorders (and a number of other conditions) are traditionally treated in China with Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), which involves regular meetings with the CHM practitioner, who makes individualized adjustments targeted to the specific symptoms of each patient. It is the combination of the different herbs, rather than the individual herbs, that is believed to work for the specific disorder. |
Dr. Steven R. Gundry See book keywords and concepts |
Add the zest, ginger, and chiles, and stir briefly. Immediately add the chicken, the green beans, and basil. Stir-fry for 3 or 4 minutes, until done. Add the coconut milk and salt; mixture will be thick.
Serve over shredded cabbage.
VARIATIONS þStir-Fried Beef with Green Beans and Basil: Replace chicken with thinly sliced flank or round steak. þStir-Fried Pork with Green Beans and Basil: Replace chicken with thinly sliced pork tenderloin. þStir-Fried Shrimp with Green Beans and Basil: Replace chicken with shelled medium shrimp. |
David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes See book keywords and concepts |
Some herbalists add ginger or licorice root to American ginseng to increase its effectiveness and enhance the flavor of the tea.
American Ginseng Chicken Soup
Add two or three ginseng roots to your favorite recipe for chicken soup. Try it with beef or pork soup, too. Other herbs such as astragalus or lycium also may be added.
^#
Quail's Eggs with American Ginseng Dessert
Vi ounce dried tremella (white jelly fungus) mushrooms
V3 ounce American ginseng roots
V4 ounce fu ling (poria) mushrooms
3 rice bowls (600 ml or 2. |
Dan Buettner See book keywords and concepts |
There was the maranon, a red-orange fruit five times richer in vitamin C than oranges; anona, which looks like a misshapen, thick-skinned pear known to have selective toxicity against various types of cancer cells; and wild ginger, a great source of vitamin Bg, magnesium, and manganese. "All of these are antioxidant powerhouses associated with disease prevention and longer life," Eliza informed us.
"At the edge of the garden, Aureliano showed me the corn and bean field he tends and harvests twice a year. |
Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith See book keywords and concepts |
Remove the ginger, and add that water into a tub already filled with hot water. Other detox bath additives to consider include:
?apple cider vinegar: increases blood supply to skin, changes its pH
?hydrogen peroxide: used in warm water (not hot), increases oxygen at the cellular level
?clay: has drawing properties, alkalizing action
?oatstraw: good for skin conditions
?burdock root: helps the body excrete uric acid; useful when rashes are present
It helps to use a bath sheet or towel in the tub, soaking it and draping it over you as you would a bed sheet. |
Try chamomile, ginger, or lemon balm. Celestial Seasonings
TIP
Lots of children do not like drinking plain water. Try adding a small amount of juice, such as fresh orange or mango. For teens, keep individual bottled waters in the fridge or on the counter, as some may not like water ice cold.
Red Zinger, or the berry teas are really good choices. You can make these in large containers to store in your refrigerator to have ready to consume as you would iced tea.
Another great option is to splash some cranberry extract into your water. |
Hyla Cass See book keywords and concepts |
Cinnamon, cilantro, parsley, garlic, oregano, turmeric (cumin), ginger, and rosemary are just a few of the herbal superstars of the kitchen that have known healing effects.
The Salt Issue
Limit your intake of normal table salt. It is processed sodium chloride and is as bad for you as any other processed food. On the other hand, sea salt in its natural form is essential for good cellular function. It contains trace minerals, including iodine—the mineral usually added to table salt, important for the health of the thyroid gland—in a concentration that is more usable by the body. |
David Steinman See book keywords and concepts |
Hall had insisted early on that we send our reporters or, better yet, that I should come myself to visit Luna Nueva, the company's roughly two-hundred acre organic turmeric and ginger farm in Costa Rica, where several of the herbs in the formula were being grown.
Although Lewis and Hall were not medical experts and were clearly going to be perceived as biased since they worked for New Chapter, other medical experts had been impressed by the formula. |
David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes See book keywords and concepts |
I frequently use lemon balm along with other pleasant-tasting herbs (chamomile, hibiscus, ginger, linden flower, and fennel seed) as "beverage medicines." They are safe, tasty, and have gentle, health-promoting effects for children, teenagers, pregnant or nursing women, and the elderly.
Dosage and Safety
Tincture (1:2.5): 80-100 drops up to four times per day.
Tea: Add 1-2 tsp. dried leaf to 8 oz. hot water, steep, covered, for
15 minutes. Take two to three cups per day. Safety Rating: ? ? ?
Safety Issues: Lemon balm in large amounts is a thyroxin inhibitor. |
Hyla Cass See book keywords and concepts |
Fish oil: 1-2 grams (1,000-2,000 mg) daily
?Ginger: Up to 4 grams daily in powdered form, or eat it in foods
?Glucosamine/chondroitin: 1,500 mg of glucosamine sulfate per day alone to start; if you don't discern any benefit within three months, try adding 1,200 mg of chondroitin daily
?MSM: Up to 6 grams daily
?Turmeric: 400-600 mg three times daily
Don't forget to follow the diet and multivitamin recommendations from Chapter 2. All forms of arthritis respond well to natural treatments, including supplements. |
Michael T. Murray and Michael R. Lyon See book keywords and concepts |
Such foods include: þGarlic, legumes, onions, eggs, and other foods with a high sulfur content þGood sources of water-soluble fibers, such as pears, oat bran, apples, and legumes þCabbage-family vegetables, especially broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage þArtichokes, beets, carrots, dandelion greens, and many herbs and spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, red pepper, ginger, and licorice þGreen foods like wheat grass juice, dehydrated barley grass juice, chlorella, and spirulina. |
David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes See book keywords and concepts |
A tea made of holy basil with ginger or alone is good for digestion. With chamomile, it is good before bed. Licorice and gotu kola also can be added as well as chai spices and regular green or black tea. When sick, increase the strength of your holy basil tea. To lower a fever, use three to five tea bags.
Holy basil commonly is used in Thai and other Southeast Asian cuisines raw in salads, cooked as a potherb, or in soups and stir-fries and as a flavoring agent for fruit salads, sweet dessert breads, and preserves. |
Michael T. Murray and Michael R. Lyon See book keywords and concepts |
Skip gravy and rich sauces and enhance the flavor of foods by cooking with broth, stock, lemon juice, onions, and seasonings like garlic, ginger, cumin, spice blends, and herbs. þTrim away any fat on meat and go skinless with poultry before cooking.
Reduce portion sizes
For more information on portion control, see chapter 5.
Snacks
Snacking is a very good habit as long as you keep the portion size small and calorie count low. You are allowed up to three snacks per day to be eaten between breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner, and after dinner, if genuinely hungry. |
Gary Null and Amy McDonald See book keywords and concepts |
Herbs that Lower Cholesterol_
The most helpful herbs for lowering cholesterol and triglycerides are ginger, cayenne, raw garlic, and onions; also take ginkgo biloba, gotu kola as directed, and red clover as directed.
Mineral that Lowers Cholesterol_
Potassium is the superstar mineral for lowering hypertension and cholesterol. Generally taken at 500 mg a day, it will help significantly.
Phytochemicals that Lower Cholesterol
The healing phytochemicals in fruits and fruit juices are also very important. |