Health N Wellness Blog

This article is only meant to be an introduction to natural remedies.

How many terms have you heard? In my library alone I have:

• The Green Pharmacy

• Natural Residence Remedies

• Residence Remedies from the Country Doctor

• The Healing Power of Food

• Miracle Medicine Food

• Back to Eden

• Nutrition Prescription

• Let’s Eat Right to Stay Healthy

• The Food Pharmacy

• The Herbal Drugstore

And the list goes on. I have a book case full and am continually adding.

What do all these books have in common?

Natural remedies encompass so much more than herbals. When you “treat” someone “naturally” there are many tools at your disposal. To name a few:

• Attitude – one’s attitude truly does make a difference in their well being

• Hope – where there is no hope even a healthy individual would give up and succumb to illness

• Meditation – clearing the intellect helps to relieve the body of stress

• Nutrition – We truly are what we eat. Whether you are eating unhealthy foods you will become unhealthy, by the same token, eating a proper diet helps to keep ones health in balance.

• Herbs – I will use this term loosely to include spices, bark, roots, leaves, flowers, and herbs. It will cover all vegetation that is natural without chemicals, preservatives and other man made additives. Herbs and spices are very vital because they are our best ally in combating the many additives and unhealthy things in our lifestyles.

• Aromatherapy – many herbs can be favourable by inhaling

• Massage therapy – the accurate skin stimulation can improve stimulation and heal the body. There are too a host of herbs and nutrients that can enter the body through the skin and pores.

• Acupuncture – Certain pressure points correlate with different parts of the body and can stimulate healing and pain relief

• Exercise – The ancient saying “use it or lose it” truly covers this. A body that remains sedentary soon will be excellent for nothing else.

• *Water – The proper balance of fluid intake is vital to life and there is too many types of treatments involving water.

• Fasting – This can be used as an effective way in eliminating toxins and impurities from the system.

Herbs are blessings.

Jethro Kloss in Back to Eden advises “What a blessing it would be to the homes of this land whether our children were taught the worth of raspberry leaves, thyme, sage, peppermint, yarrow, and dozens of other wayside herbs. More than half the sicknesses and deaths in early life would be unknown, and chronic sufferers would be a curiosity.” In fair a few pages past this comment, the herbalist, Jethro Kloss lists the benefits and uses of many different types of tree bark, fruits, leaves, and twigs.

*Water is a more healing agent than many other treatments.

In treating the ill we should use the maximum effective and minimum perilous ways to heal and water is one of the best. It is used for:

• To lower the heart rate – a cool bath can lower the heart rate in fair a few moments.

• To lower a fever – a cool or cold bath has been used many times to lower a raging temperature.

• To relax someone who is in pain or suffering from nervousness. Warm baths particularly with certain oils or fragrances can soothe and promote restful sleep.

• To relieve cramps and convulsions.

• To halt bleeding and swelling cold water or ice water is often used.

• To improve regularity

• To aid in flushing poisons and toxins from the system

• To aid in increasing blood circulation a warm bath can be used.

In maintaining health water too plays an vital role.

“Of all the vital nutrients you need to outlive, water is the one you simply can’t do without.” Super Life, Super Health by the Editors of FC & A Medical Publishing. To find out whether you are not getting sufficient water peruse Are You Dehydrated?

Water helps us to battle aging:

• It feeds and cleans your cells, moves in and out of cells, dissolves nutrients, carries them where they need to go, carries waste from our bodies.

• Water helps to soften our stools and keep our system regular

• Helps to eliminate heartburn, by washing acid out

• Helps to regulate our body temperature

• Aids in healing flushing bacteria from our bodies

• Conditions, lubricates, and cushions joints

• Moisturizes skin and lips

• Helps to halt the formation of kidney stones

• Helps to preserve weight

• Is used to wash absent germs on the external too

Some definitions that may come in handy found in Back to Eden:

• Alterative – to produce a healthful alter without perceptible evacuation

• Anodyne – a pain reliever

• Anthelmintic – an agent that expels worms

• Aperient – an agent that works as a gentle laxative

• Fragrant – spicy stimulant

• Astringent – causes contraction and stops discharges – example something that would arrest bleeding

• Antibilious – something that lessens bile production

• Antiemetic – stops vomiting

• Antieleptic – relieves seizures

• Anthilitic – prevents the formation of calculi in the urinary organs

• Antirheumatic – relieves or cures rheumatism

• Antiscorbutic – cures or prevent scurvy

• Antiseptic – combats putrefaction

• Antispasmodic – relieves or prevents spasms

• Antisyphilitic- works on curing or relieving venereal diseases

• Carminative – expels wind from the bowels relieving pressure

• Catharatic – evacuates the bowels

• Cephalic – used to treat diseases in the head

• Cholagogue – improves the flow of bile

• Demulcent – soothes, relieves inflammation

• Deobstruent – removes obstructions

• Depurative – purifies the blood

• Detergent – cleanses boils, ulcers and wounds

• Diaphoretic – Induces perspiration

• Discutient – dissolves and removes tumors

• Diuretic- increases the flow of urine

• Emetic – produces vomiting

• Emmenagogue – aids in causing menstrual flow

• Emollient – soften and soothes inflammation

• Esculent – edible as food

• Exanthematous – aids in treatment of skin eruptions and diseases related to the same

• Expectorant – To aid in breaking up phlegm and mucus

• Febrifuge – abates and reduces fevers

• Hepatic – used to treat liver diseases

• Herpatic – for skin eruptions, ringworm etc.

• Lithontryptic – dissolves calculi in the urinary organs

• Maturating – to ripen or bring to a head boils, tumors, and ulcers

• Mucilagious – soothes inflammation

• Nauseant – causes vomiting

• Nervine – allays nervousness

• Opthalmicum – treatment for eyes

• Parturient – to induce labor and childbirth

• Pectoral – relief of chest ailments and affections

• Refrigerant – cooling

• Resolvent – dissolves and removes tumors

• Rubifacient – increases circulation

• Sedative – acts as a tonic quieting the nerves

• Sialagogue – increase saliva

• Stomachic – improves and tones the stomach

• Styptic – arrests hemorrhaging and bleeding

• Sudorific – Increase perspiration

• Tonic – a remedy which invigorates and strengthens

• Vermifuge – expels worms

With all these definitions given for the use of herbs, doesn’t it make you amazement why we don’t use them more often?

Some words of caution before you take alternative medication:

• In researching herbs first seek out the scientific name and all other names the plant goes by.

• Whether you mean on growing it yourself be certain you have the right plant and be cautious to use secure products in its cultivation. For example whether you chose a pesticide be certain it is one recommended to use on products grown for consumption.

• Do not consume any plant whether you are unsure of its properties and always refer your physician or health care provider before adding any modern supplement to your diet.

• Start at the low conclusion of the recommended dosage first to test for allergies or side effects.

• Do not take herbs whether you are pregnant or nursing unless advised to do so by your physician.

• Do not manage herbs to children under 2 without first getting medical advice.

Alternative medication works with the body instead of against it.

Herbs, according to Linda B. White, M.D., Steven Foster and the staff of Herbs for Health, use the concept of “working with the body instead of against a sickness, as mainstream medicine does.” To find a compilation of my herbal articles you check out my blog Seeds 4 thoughts. Lets journey to a healthier lifestyle.