A Herbal Grimoire

GARLIC

Garlic is one of the most multifaceted plants.

-Respiratory problems: Cold, flu, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis, strengthens the immune system
-Digestive problems: Stomach ulcer, diarrhea, amoebic dysentery, worms, parasites
-Heart problems: Atherosclerosis, post-heart attack therapy, post-stroke therapy, claudication, Lower your cholesterol level, lowers high blood pressure
-Skin problems: Acne, boils, eczema, fungal infections, insect bites and stings

CHAMOMILE

It is a welcome tea for nerves and menstrual cramps. Chamomile is also used internally to treat inflammation and spasms of the digestive tract. Chamomile helps rejuvenate the texture of the hair and skin. It is a soothing sedative with no harmful effects. It is useful for small babies and children for colds, stomach trouble, colitis, a gargle and externally for eczema and inflammation.

also...
-Bronchitis
-Colds
-Cough
-Fever
-Skin inflammation
-Sore throat
-Tendency to infection
-Wounds and burns

i have used herbs for years for all sorts of afflictions. many times a medical doctor will tell you to go home, drink water and go to bed. after all most medical doctors just make guesses as to what is wrong with us. whether they are educated or uneducated guesses is your guess is as good as mine.

the chinese and other eastern religions as well as many Pagan, Wiccan, American Indians, etc. have used herbs long before there was pharmacology. they each had specific people, called apothacaries, medicine men, witch doctors, etc. that knew what herbs did what and when to use them.

i found that when you use these herbs in combination, they make a super immunity system tonic that helps with many things. i get teabags of the specific herbs and use the infusion method, where you put all the teabags in a large bowl and pour the boiling water over them and let them steep for a while.

the herbs are:

astragalus root
ginger root
panax ginseng (korean)
siberian ginseng (now called Eleuthero root)
echinacea (angustifolia and purpurea)

on occasion i use rheishi and shitake mushrooms, but they are kinda bitter and gives the tea a bite. i use a regular teabag of orange and black pekoe tea in with these to mellow the flavor

these herbs are from whats called the \"adaptogen\" group of herbs. they tend to have a normalizing effect on the body. what ever is high and shouldn't be, is lowered, what ever in the body is low, and shouldn't be, tends to go higher.

MUSTARD

This well known spice has its use in medicine as a stimulating external application, it increases circulation, opens pores, stimulates sweat glands and helps draw impurities from the skin. The rubbing in of mustard causes a mild irritation to the skin, stimulating the circulation in that area and relieving muscular and skeletal pain.

ECHINACEA

Echinacea is well known for its anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. This is used to treat infections (eg. superficial infected wounds of the skin such as insect bites, burns, measles, skin ulcers, herpes sores...) and strengthens the body's immune system. It has been shown effective for treating conditions such as influenza, colds, upper respiratory tract infections, urogenital infections and other infectious conditions.

LAVENDER

Lavender is an aromatic, tonic herb with a sweet scent. It relaxes spasms, benefits the digestion, stimulates peripheral circulation and the uterus and lowers fever. Lavender is used internally for indigestion, irritability, anxiety, exhaustion, tension headaches, migraine and bronchial complaints. As an oil, lavender can be diffused, sprinkled or applied directly to irritated skin including burns, wounds, acne, sores, rashes, bruises, minor cuts and sores.

SAGE

Sage is used to reduce excessive lactation in nursing mothers, excessive sweating, stomach upset (indigestion), appetite loss, anxiety, depression, female sterility. It also used to boost the functionality of the liver. Sage is also used for insect bites, throat, mouth, gum and skin infections.

ARNICA

It is mind blowing what healing potential Arnica has for mind and body:
• mental or emotional symptoms,
• stupor, forgetfulness, memory loss,
• delirium
• hopelessness and indifference
• a fear of being struck by others or of being touched
• vertigo
• severe headaches
• mechanical injuries resulting from concussion, skull fractures or compression of the skull
• meningitis after concussion, bruising or falling where there was partial paralysis of the tongue, iris or limbs
• eye inflammation
• retinal haemorrhage
• eye troubles resulting from blows and injuries
• hardness of hearing since concussion
• nose bleeds
• toothache
• bad breath
• vomiting blood and soreness after injuries
• indigestion
• offensive flatulence
• diarrhoea and bladder problems
• fevers
• dysentery
• acid urine
• swollen penis and testes after injury
• threatened abortion from falls or shocks
• soreness after labour and birth
• sore nipples
• asthma from fatty degeneration of the heart
• coughing causing bloodshot eyes or nosebleeds
• pleurisy after injuries
• strain of the heart from violent running
• fatty degeneration of the heart
• low pulse rate
• paralytic pains in all joints while moving
• feeling too hot or too cold between frequent attacks of violent convulsions
• general sinking of strength
• sleep apnoea
• chills
• malaria
• Typhoid conditions
• concussions and contusions
• septicaemia
• gout and rheumatism
• skin tender when touched
• sprains
• bee or wasp stings
• compound fractures
• pressure from stitches
• boils
• recent or remote trauma
• sore muscles
• neuralgia
• twitching tendons and muscles
• osteomyelitis,
• surgical operations,
• anguish attacks
• angina
• easily frightened
• ear problems
• stomach cramps
• impotence
• breast tumours after injury
• respiratory ailments
• palpitations
• neck pain
• hand strength
• bed sores
• sleeping problems
• nightmares
• fever
• chills
• travel sickness
• tumours following injury
• violent coughing and sneezing
• chronic bronchitis
• bitter taste in mouth
• baldness
• toothache
• stiffness weariness of the limbs.

Written by Cardinal Bishop Tom Whiteman D.D.
Monday, 08 October 2007
issue Date: November 18, 2001 Scientific sources for this article
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The most potent health drink ever

It's tea time, say intriguing new research findings.
Recent studies in leading medical journals declare tea a potential heart tonic, cancer blocker, fat buster, immune stimulant, arthritis soother, virus fighter and cholesterol detoxifier. Not bad for a lowly shrub soaked in a little hot water.

\"Tea is beating all scientific expectations as the most potent health beverage ever,\" says researcher John Weisburger at the American Health Foundation. \"The many ways tea can promote health is truly astonishing.\"

Bottom line: Each day you should drink three to six 8-ounce cups of tea. It can be black or green, hot or iced, decaf or not.

Here's how tea helps your health:

Saves arteries. Drinking black tea helps prevent deadly clogging of arteries and reverses poor arterial functioning that can trigger heart attacks and strokes, two major new studies have found. In a large 10-year study in the Netherlands, men who consumed the amount of antioxidants called \"catechins\" found in three cups of black tea were 50% less likely to die of ischemic heart disease, caused by narrowed clogged arteries, than were men who consumed only the catechins in half a cup of tea. In another recent test, Joseph Vita, M.D., of the Boston University School of Medicine, had heart patients drink either plain water or four cups of black tea daily. In a month, impaired blood vessel functioning (a risk factor for heart attack and strokes) improved about 50% in the tea drinkers.

Inhibits cancer growth. Tea has long been tied to a lower risk of stomach, colon and breast cancer, although the connection is not proven. Now lab studies find that tea chemicals actually may stop cancer growth. Rutgers University researchers showed that a compound in black tea called TF-2 caused colorectal cancer cells to \"commit suicide\"; normal cells were unaffected. \"The effect is quite dramatic,\" said Rutgers professor Kuang Yu Chen, who speculates that the chemical might one day be made into an anti-cancer drug.

Tames inflammation. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University gave arthritis-prone mice either green tea or water. The human equivalent of four cups of green tea daily halved the mice's risk of developing arthritis. Also intriguing: TF-2, the newly discovered anti-cancer compound in black tea, suppresses the Cox-2 gene that triggers inflammation, says research at Rutgers. That's the same way the drugs Vioxx and Celebrex work. Also, in a UCLA study of 600 Chinese men and women, drinking green tea halved the risk of chronic stomach inflammation, which can lead to cancer.

Wipes out viruses. Previous tests prove tea can neutralize germs, including some that cause diarrhea, pneumonia, cystitis and skin infections. New research by Milton Schiffenbauer of Pace University finds that black and green tea deactivates viruses, including herpes. When you drink tea, he says, chances are good you will wipe out viruses in your mouth. Flu viruses, too? Possibly. A recent Japanese study showed that gargling with black tea boosted immunity to influenza. Recent research at Harvard indicated that tea chemicals stimulated gamma-delta T-cells that bolster immunity against bacteria and viruses.

Burns calories. Most surprising, green tea's antioxidant EGCG stimulates the body to burn calories, notably fat. In a Swiss study, a daily dose of 270mg EGCG (the amount in 2 to 3 cups of green tea) caused men to burn 4% more energy - about 80 extra calories a day. Green tea did not increase heart rate, and the calorie burning was not due to caffeine.

Plus: Canadian researchers block cavities in mice by replacing their water with tea. Indian eye researchers have retarded cataracts in rats by feeding the animals tea extract. Israeli scientists block Parkinson's-like brain damage in mice by giving them green tea extract or pure EGCG. W

For the best benefit ...
Drink both black and green tea, the regular kind sold in bags or leaves in grocery stores. Their antioxidants are equal. But green tea boasts special-acting EGCG.
Bottled tea and instant tea have few antioxidants, research shows.
Herbal teas do not have the same health properties as real tea (Camellia sinensis).
Tea with caffeine has slightly more antioxidant activity.
Steep tea leaves or bags in hot water 3 to 5 minutes to thoroughly release antioxidants.
Adding milk to tea does not block absorption of antioxidants, new Dutch research finds.
Don't give much tea to kids. Tea \"chelates\" iron, removing it from the body. That may help combat chronic disease but can cause anemia in young people.