JUNE 28, 2023 GINSENG
There are eleven different species of ginseng. It is a primary adaptogen Other ginseng like Siberian and Indian ginseng are similar to ginseng but have different properties. Ginseng contains the alkaloid ginsenosides which the other two do not have. These ginsenosides decrease inflammation and pain from chronic disease Chronic disease for example is neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, and cardiovascular heart disease.
I love ginseng for enhancing mental focus and helping concentration issues . It has been studied in patients who have Alzheimer’s disease. It helps the body cope with stress. It reduces anxiety and promnotes a sense of calmness.I use it for treating chronic fatigue
It is great for sexual wellness and sexual performance in both men and women This is one herb that most individuals should take
Until tomorrow…
JUNE 27, 2023 NIGELLA ( BLACK CUMIN )
This is one interesting herb with many antioxidant properties. I have used many times especially for patients with pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. Nigella ( Nigella sativa) seeds historically were found in ancient Egyptian tombs.
I have seen this herb lower cholesterol as well as alleviating inflammation of the body. It protects the liver. I have also seen it regulate bloodf sugar kevels in patients with diabetes,
The other name you might know is Black Cumin. Its blooms vary in color from white to pink
I feel it is a herb that we do not use nearly enough
Until tomorrow…
JUNE 26, 2023 DEPRESSION
I rely on two flower essences for comfort in the elderly. One is Cherry Plum and the other is Sweet Chestnut. The former is for "fear of the mind being over strained" while the other is for the "person who is anguished and stretched beyond endurance." In the field of homeopathy I prefer Ignatia for depression from a loss. I have seen many older individuals who have lost their spouse and more upsetting is the loss of a child. I know some homeopathic remedies and utilize them as often as I can.
The amount of herbs I use for depression and anxiety vary from individual to individual. I love the nervines in this regard. I use lemon balm (Melissa officiales) borage, limeflower, rosemary and vervain.
Ginseng is an herb I use for depression. It is useful for memory and confusion as well. I am careful not to use too much ginseng in the elderly as I have seen my reverse reactions.
Two remedies I learned from an elderly herbalist include using sage and cloves for lifting the mood. Both can be used as teas or can be added to food. As far as sage, I like the taste. When it comes to drinking clove tea, I usually add some chamomile, wild flower honey and even peppermint to help the taste. I am not fond of plain clove tea.
A gift for an elderly friend: A FRAGRANT POMANDER
1. Push cloves into an Orange or grapefruit
2. Attach a piece of ribbon and hang up for them when you visit.
3. It will freshen anyone's home and senses.
Until tomorrow…
JUNE 22, 2023 29 YEARS and PROPOLIS
I always want to celebrate my sober anniversary. Yesterday I celebrated twenty nine years sober. As far as I am concerned it is the single most accomplishment that I am most happy with. I am not saying that graduating different levels of education are not important. These accomplishments are also proud moments. For me my biological/birth and my sober birth are in the same month- JUNE. June for the longest time kept me frozen. It was the month that I performed CPR on my mother forty one years ago. It held me in guilt for a long time. June is also the month my parents were wed. Unfortunately they never celebrated their twenty five anniversary together, but now in a better place without suffering . I truly miss both of them ! It was difficult for my father to understand why anyone would destroy themselves with an addiction. But it happens . I am not unique. Anyone who is not in a twelve step program does not understand the importance of another year of sobriety.
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As an addict in recovery, I can speak for many people that sobriety anniversaries are extremely important. They are major accomplishments! I cannot express the utter amazement I experience every passing year of continued sobriety. As my anniversary month was approaching I began to reflect on the past twenty nine years. I am proud of myself for the work I have done. It was NOT just stopping the addicted substance. It was working the twelve steps of a recovery program. It has been utilizing all the steps in my daily life.
Sobriety birthdays are an event that is nothing like a regular birthday: it's not something we dread as we get older, but rather it's another year of freedom from addiction. Another 365 days of rebuilding our lives and going from complete self-loathing to find meaning and purpose. I have found meaning in my life and the life around me. I am peace. I have a purpose.
For me happiness could be the first spring rain. Happiness is spending time doing nothing with a loved one. Happiness is saving the bee population and using its hive products to heal individuals. Propolis is one of those bee products that have been used for million of years. There have always been bees and there have always been beekeepers. Propolis is a sticky resin which seeps from the buds of certain trees. The bees gather propolis, and it is sometimes called " bee glue" The worker bees ( which are always females) take the resinous material and add salivary secretions and wax flakes to it and use the be propolis is two ways. First, they use the bee propolis to reinforce their wooden hives boxes, and second it is used to protect the hive from bacterial and viral infections. Every part of the hive which is made from bees are used. This includes the bee propolis, the bee wax, the bee pollen, the royal jelly, and course the honey.
Propolis consists of 55% resinous compounds and balsams, 30% beeswax, 10% aromatic oils and 5% bee pollen. Propolis is not as simple as it sounds on paper. It is a complex structure which contains potent terpenes and benzoic, caffeic, cinnamic and phenol acids. It is very high in flavinoids which as humans we find very helpful as an anti oxidant. Most plants which contains medicines contain flavinoids.
Save the bees !
JUNE 21, 2023 HERBAL BALLS
You never know what you are going to learn when you listen to a lecture by Rosemary Gladstar. For sure it will be innovative, educational, invigorating and different. What do you think of when you hear the word 'herbal'? I used to think of tinctures and teas. I never thought of herbs as food nor food as medicine until I read Adele Davis, Carlton Fredericks, Marion Nestle, Andrew Weil and many others. Medicinal herbs can be made into soups, sprinkled on salads, and even drank as a 'Green Shake'. When I was a child the fennel was brought to the table to settle the stomach in between meal courses at our usual 20 person Sunday meal. I love fennel.
I learned from Rosemary how to make HERBAL BALLS. At first it didn't sound appealing or inviting. She uses them for children as well as the elderly. In reality, the elderly person who is chronically ill can behave like a child. Rosemary has HERBAL BALLS galore!
HERBAL THROAT BALLS
The following are approximations, she suggests to adjust the flavor to your own personal taste or your child's taste.
1. 1/2 tsp. of goldenseal powder
2. 1/2 tsp of echinacea powder
3. 1/2 tsp. of myrrth powder
4. 1/2 tsp of chaparral powder and comfrey root powder - enough to thicken into paste
5. Carob powder for flavor (if you like the taste of carob)
6. Honey to flavor (I naturally would prefer raw, unfiltered honey from your region)
7. Peppermint oil to flavor (I still prefer honey)
8. Water
Mix the first 3 powders together. Add enough water to make a paste. Add the flavor of your choice - I prefer honey -do you get the point? Add the comfrey or slippery elm to thicken. For those who bake they will get this part - Knead the 'herbal mix' as if it were dough. Thicken to your liking by adding more comfrey and/or slippery elm.
Roll into marble size balls. These are your Herbal Throat Balls. Keep in the refrigerator. The taste will be a little peppermint and soothing your throat
Thank you Rosemary ....
Have fun making your balls---I did !
JUNE 20, 2023 ADAPTOGENS
I had a relaxing weekend in West Palm Beach. I saw family and friends. I visited my Uncle Henry who is 98 . I went to Pan’s Gardens . I swam I stitched and I meditated.
I am sure you remember the I Love Lucy episode when she does a commercial for Vitameatavegamen. It is so funny. Google it . By the end of the skit - she is tipsy from the alcohol content and ' Are you unpoopular "
I have substituted Vitrameatavegemin for Ashwaganda.( Withania somnifera )
Hello friends.
I'm your VitameataASHWAGANDA man
Are you tired, run-down, listless?
Do you poop out at parties?
Are you unpopular?
The answer to all your problems is in this little bottle.
Vitameatavegamin. I propose withania somnifera
Yes, Vitameatavegamin withania contains
No Vitamins
No Meat
No Vegetables
and No Minerals.
It is an herb
Yes, with Vitameataashwaganda, you can spoon your way to health
All you do is take a great big tablespoonful after every meal.
Mmmmmmm.....
It's so tasty, too!
Tastes just like candy!
So why don't you join all the thousands of happy peppy people and get a great big bottle of ASHWAGANDA tomorrow!
That's ASH -WA- GAN -DA ( WINK!)
Ashwaganda is an adaptogen. It has many properties. It is anti-inflammatory, an anti oxidant, a hypoglycemic agent as well as an immune supportive herb. There are many botanical adaptogens. Most of what I have learned about adaptogens comes from David Winston, RH lectures and his books. He loves adaptogens as much as I do. He is the father of adaptogen use. The uses of this herb are many ranging from asthma, arthritis to adrenal support, cancer and failure to thrive in children.
The best asset of this herb is that it improves and conserves adaptive energy.
With all the stress in this world and your every day life, your adrenal glands are truly "pooping' out. You have adrenal fatigue. For those of you that do not know this - the adrenal gland is on top of each kidney. It releases the stress hormones for your life. After much usage of this gland and its hormones it begins to get tired and poop out. This is called Adrenal Fatigue.
The good news is that you can take ashwaganda. There are clinical trials and studies to support the use of this herb for anxiety, cognitive and neurological disorders as well as Parkinson's disease.
I love it as it increases my stamina. I do not think I need more stamina than I have but a little extra is always good. I find it terrific fort memory and cognition. There are studies for this herb for energy.
Try it!
You will like it !
JUNE 15, 2023 BACOPA
There are many supplements I use for neurodegenerative diseases. Some include Lion’s Mane, Prevagen, Vinpocetine and Bacopa. A recent review was ;published int he American Botanical Council’s HerbalGram
Bacopa (Bacopa monnieri, Plantaginaceae), known as Brahmi in Ayurvedic medicine, has been used for centuries to promote calmness, to treat epilepsy, and to enhance memory and learning. Bacopa is used particularly by the elderly for its antioxidant properties that help protect the brain against oxidative damage and cognitive decline. Bacopa extracts have been studied for their nootropic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and analgesic properties. In this review, the authors highlight the health benefits and mechanisms of action of bacopa extracts, focusing on the benefits for patients with cancer or neurodegenerative diseases.
The results were not suprising since there are other studies with the same benefits for Bacopa. The results of the studies include significant improvements in speed of visual information processing and learning; reduced state anxiety; increased accuracy and memory consolidation; improved memory performance and retention, working memory, and cognitive processing; reduced stress and improved mood; increased cognitive function
I take Bacopa and Lion’s Mane everyday I have seen it sharpened my memory .
The full article is printed in Fatima U, Roy S, Ahmad S, et al. Pharmacological attributes of Bacopa monnieri extract: current updates and clinical manifestation. Front Nutr. August 18, 2022;9:972379. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.972379.