JUNE 26, 2018 – VIOLETS

What do you think of when you think of violets? Do you think of fragrance? beauty? or even death?

The purple violets and marigolds
Shall as a carpet hang upon the tomb
While summer days doth last. 
Pericles, 15:67-69
Yes this is Shakespeare. Remember him.

Marina is the daughter of Pericles and Thaidsa. She carried violets to the grave of her mother who she believed died during childbirth. Shakespeare often associated violets with death as in Hamlet when he wrote he wished violets sprang from the grave of his sister Ophelia.

I think violets are nice to smell and look at. I am sure he meant that also. but upon reading The Shakespeare Botanical, I was struck by the association of violets and death.

Until tomorrow...

JUNE 25, 2018 – VERVAIN

Vervain has one of those plants of Venus aspects. It teaches us that plants have many layers of energy. They surely do. Every herbalist knows what I mean when I say this: Vervain has a relation to birds as does the planet Venus. Pigeons were considered by the Greeks to feed on vervain.

It is also noteworthy that the Venus herbs can treat the skin. This is vervain's specialty. In ancient times, this herb was used to treat tuberculosis. I find this herb very effective for many disorders.

I find that most herbs have some allure to magic. It is suggested to pick vervain before sunrise on the first day of the New Moon.

Read about all these herbs in The Witching Herbs by Harold Roth.

Until tomorrow...

JUNE 24, 2018 – ORANGE BLOSSOM

The fragrant white blossoms of the orange tree (Citrus sinensis) can produce orange water and a very expensive essential oil, neroli. Neroli is used as a perfume. The reason for its cost is that it takes one ton of orange blossoms to produce a liter of oil.

Orange blossoms were used in water in Sicily in sixteenth century. You would think that it would be lemons (as on the Amalfi Coast). It was used in making candies or sweets. For some reason, bitter orange caught on, which I will never understand.

Orange blossom water became famous from the Seville Orange (as orange trees lined the streets of this city) which is also in a French pastry called gibassier.

Orange blossoms are associated with fortune and fertility. To add to this, Greek mythology tells that Hera received orange blossoms before marrying the god, Zeus; as did the Roman goddess Juno when she married Jupiter.

Orange blossoms are one of the many edible flowers present of this Earth.

Until tomorrow...

JUNE 23, 2018 – THE TREASURE PLANT

More than 80% of people across the world now use herbal medicine as a means to help their diseases. I even know some conventional MD's who now call me asking about plant medicine. It is encouraging. Possibly before I turn 100, plant medicine will be part of mainstream conventional practices.

A patient recently gave me a plant called Ashitaba that she has been growing and using with a doctor for the treatment of diabetes. There are many herbs used in diabetes such as Gymnema, Bitter Melon, and Cinnamon. There are also many supplements such as chromium, vanadium, and alpha lipoic acid that can be used. 

Ashitaba is often called the treasure plant, or the longevity plant. This plant is native to Japan and called Angelica Keiskei Koidzmi. Ashitaba means "earth growth " as it has regenerative properties. I have been reading about the benefits of this plant since I was given a cutting in a cup. I placed it on my terrace out of direct sunlight.

It is sometimes mistaken for celery and has been used since ancient times. It has many great benefits. Some of these include: increasing metabolism, fighting constipation, helping all gastrointestinal problems, fighting infection, helping with sugar metabolism, helping with fertility problems, and being a good nerve growth factor.

More needs to be researched about this amazing plant.

Until tomorrow...

JUNE 22, 2018 – NATURAL PDE5 INHIBITORS

If an herb helped erectile dysfunction, would it be a big money maker? It would be not as huge as the success of Viagra, Levitra and or Cialis. These natural herbs are called PDE5 inhibitors. They block the breakdown of cAMP inside the corpus callosum tissue of the penis making it possible for a man to have an erection.

Sometimes they work for some men and sometimes they do not.

Some of these PDE5 inhibitors are Horny goat weed (Epimedium), Forskolin from the coleus plant, Tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia), and Black ginger (Zingiber kaempferia).

I have never prescribed Black Ginger. I have seen Artichoke extract prescribed for ED, but I use Artichoke more for blood pressure and cholesterol issues.

One supplement I came across in my reading was an herb from Thailand – Butea superba. I have never used this herb, but I have seen it sold as Kwao krua daeng.

Until tomorrow...

JUNE 21, 2018 – SLEEP INDUCING FOODS

We all need to sleep a bit more. It has been estimated that Americans do not sleep enough, especially for those that live in Manhattan, New York. There are a lot of distractions.

I advocate many different remedies for sleep. This includes CBD oil by Canbiola, herbal teas such as Skullcap and California Poppy, and even some magnesium in higher doses. As a beekeeper, I advocate the use of natural raw honey. There have been studies that have indicated that honey can increase our own melatonin production.

There are some helpful foods that can also help you sleep. One is tart cherry juice – I recommend drinking one 6 oz glass in morning and at bedtime for two weeks. Some of my patients have reported a better night sleep. One teaspoon of raw honey at bedtime will NOT increase your blood sugar, but release your own levels of melatonin for a better nights sleep. The last tidbit is eat walnuts before bedtime as walnuts contain a higher dose of tryptophan.

Check out Botanical Bounty for their Calmly tea – a special blend of nervine herbs for sleep.

Call or visit:
115 E 57th St, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10022
(646) 723-1823

Also available on their website: www.botanicalbounty.org

Until tomorrow...

JUNE 20, 2018 – MANGOES

I love the taste of mangoes. I don't eat them as often as I should due to the high sugar content. Research has shown that the antioxidants in mangoes have been found to protect against certain cancers such as colon, breast, and prostate. The compounds in mangoes have been identified as quercetin, fisetin, gallic acid, and astragalin. Scientists at the University of Palermo Italy reported added benefits to mangoes in regards to improvements in cognitive decline and even diabetes.

The Texas A&M researchers did their own in house study studying 300 patients with Crohn's disease. Each of the participants ate between 200-400 grams of commercially available mangoes for 8 weeks. The group that ate the mangoes had fewer digestive symptoms and improved inflammatory biomarkers.

Eat your mangoes today.

Until tomorrow...

. 

JUNE 19, 2018 – ATLANTIC MENHADEN

Recently I spoke to a patient about Wild Fish Oil which uses Atlantic menhaden as its source. I decided to look into it myself.

There are a few statements that intrigued me. It is caught in the United States, certified by Friends of the Sea, and lab tested. People who use this source have also been said to burp less.

I found that every batch is tested for purity with Good Manufacturing Practices, does not contain artificial colors or flavors, no gluten, no soy, no dairy, and no GMOs. Each gel cap contains 240-300 mg of fatty acids. 

While there are other fish oils I also utilize in my practice (and personally), I will be giving Wild Fish Oil a try in the future.

FACTS:

• Atlantic menhaden—Brevoortia tyrannus—constitute the largest landings, by volume, along the Atlantic Coast. They rank second in the United States for landings behind only pollock on the West Coast, Alaska.
• Menhaden are a major source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to cut risks of heart disease and possibly other diseases, such as Alzheimer's.
• Menhaden play an important role in the Bay's ecosystem as both a forage fish for striped bass, weakfish, bluefish, and predatory birds such as osprey and eagles as well as serving as a filter feeder because they feed on phytoplankton and zooplankton at various life stages

Until tomorrow...