Candles are made by boiling the naturally occurring wax from the berries, and then putting it into whatever candle form one decides to use…simple instructions are found here on eHow.

As for the health benefits, the source that I get medicinal Bayberry from uses the dried bark from the root of the plant. It has been used for a number of body systems, from the reproductive system to the liver and immune system. In contains astringent properties. Even though it has been historically used for the reproductive system, do not use it without consulting with your doctor or health care provider.

I have used it as part of a prepared herbal combination where it works in synergy with other herbs…the particular combination benefit:

• The Immune, Digestive and Respiratory System
• The Lymphatic and Respiratory System (you have more lymphatic fluid in your body than blood)
• As part of a natural, herbal eyewash.

Please contact me by leaving a comment (they are moderated so information requests will remain private) if you would like more information about any of the three combinations listed above.

Image by oakum on Flickr.

The plants are not hard to grow, and there is no excuse for them not being in my garden, so as I sit here with some snow outside and temperatures of 18 degrees, I dream of planting some in my garden when the warm weather comes.

I am so focused on the medicinal properties, especially of Echinacea Purpurea, that it took a visit to coneflowers.com to make me realize that there are many varieties and beautiful colors to these plants. Vibrant oranges, purples, pinks, yellows, reds and a variety of different petal shapes.

Generally the plants are not hard to grow, and though I prefer heirloom plants when possible, the hybrid varieties available are more suited to some gardens, or containers, as heirloom plants tend to get very large. I noticed that there were hybrid Cone Flowers from some of the top growers.

I hope you are enjoying this time of year when we dream and plan our gardens, do you have Cone Flowers in your garden?

Medicinal properties are said to be in the roots, leaves and hulls.

Greeks and Romans used Black Walnut for skin conditions such as fungal infections, and Chinese use it for pain in the lower to mid-back, constipation, asthma and other uses that show this plant has a number of medicinal qualities. It promotes healing of sores in the mouth and throat. It is also a parasitic.

What Science shows:

• The hulls are high in tannins which is why some use it to rid the body of intestinal worms/parasites.
• Studies in U of Missouri in 1960′s seemed to show it helped with blood pressure and had some properties that may have anti-tumor affect.
• Black Walnut hulls are quite high in Vitamin C
• Past studies with an extract form showed it showed it contracted smooth muscles of rat and guinea pig intestines.  Such activity is helpful in the elimination process
• Please contact me if you would like references for any of the above.
• Black Walnut can be purchased in capsule and extract form.

If you would like a fact sheet about any of the items marked in red, please send me an email. Thanks!

 Image from http://www.marietta.edu

We spent the night in Kittery, Maine, and then headed out taking the Route 1 coastal route, absolutely beautiful spots to stop along the way, and then inland a bit to 95 to make quicker time, then spent a night in Bangor, and finally headed to our favorite location to spend some time, Bar Harbor and the Acadia National Park.  We had vacationed here many times in Black Woods Campground with our children, it was nice to see the old spots again and remember.

Once again, the garden isn’t the only place where green things are growing.

Kelp grows in both the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and other oceans throughout the world. It is a fast-growing plant, and the leaves have little air pockets or blisters in them that cause them to float to the top of the water.

Orientals have used Kelp for centuries to treat the genito-urinary tract. They have also used it to soften hardened masses such as cysts and tumors.

Kelp is a source of Iodine, when is helpful in treating Goiter and some causes of obesity. Historical uses include treating constipation, bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, indigestion, ulcers, colitis, gallstones and reproductive problems in both males and females.

What Science Has to Say:

One of Kelp’s main components is algin, a gelatinous fiber whose product include sodium alginate and alginic acid. Algin absorbs most nutrients and toxins from the digestive tract. This results in less blood and tissue absorption of toxins and a lowered caloric intake. Because of this, algin is able to help treat obesity, atherosclerosis, and is a blood purifier. I have a lot more I could write on Sodium Alginate, and if you’d like more info, ask, and I’ll post more in a comment. But know this, Sodium Alginate greatly reduces absorption of environmental pollutants and heavy metals…such pollutants contribute to diseases like leukemia, bone cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, anemia, and decreased production of blood cells.

I don’t want to lose you, there’s a lot more to share on Kelp, so I’ll add more in a later post.

Added 12/30/08 – I forgot to add the following on Kelp:

More Scientific information:

Iodine is another important constituent of Kelp. It is well known for its effects on the endocrine system. It stimulates the production of several iodine-containing hormones. Disturbed function of the endocrine glands is believed to be major underlying cause of atherosclerosis and subsequent heart disease.

Iodine is an important nutrient for the thyroid gland, which produces a hormone called thyroxin, which may be involved in the regulation of blood cholesterol levels. Metabolism is increased aiding in weight loss.

An industrial innovation for improving lipid metabolism has recently (actually some years ago now) been developed which prevents hyperlipemia and treats diabetes. The way it works is that kelp is fed to chickens which biologically incorporate its iodine in their eggs. The eggs are then a dietary source for diabetics and people with hyperlipemia. (of course this Nutritionist is wondering why the diabetics don’t just take kelp .

The thyroid has several other functions, and the thyroid is benefited by iodine which is found in kelp. Let me know if you’d like me to scan and email in pdf format more information, with the bibliography for the information provided in these posts. If you would like a fact sheet about any of the items marked in red, please send me an email. Thanks!

What Science Has to Say:

Milk Thistle contains silymarin, a mix of bioflavonoids that have properties that protect the liver. German scientists isolated silymarin in 1968, and it is now one of the most researched and prescribed herbs in European medicine. It also contains high amounts of chromium, fat, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, tin and zinc.

How do the medicinal properties act on the liver? It changes the structure of the outer liver cell membrane, preventing liver toxins and poisons from entering the interior cell. It stimulates protein synthesis in liver cells which generates DNA and RNA, helping to regenerate liver cells, but interestingly, DOES NOT stimulate growth of malignant cells.

Salymarin also inhibits the enzyme lipoxygenase, which forms leukotrienes from oxidized polyunsaturated fats that damage the liver. As an antioxidant, silymarin is at least ten times more powerful than vitamin E. The gluthathione (GSE) content of the liver is increased with salymarin. GSE detoxifies hormones, drug and chemicals. An easy way of saying this, is that it is very helpful in cleansing the liver of environmental toxins.

Studies in Germany find that the herb is highly effective with few side effects. It approves use during lactation and pregnancy as there are properties that promote lactation.

There are several other studies I could share with you, and if you want the references for the studies mentioned, please so email me.  I can send fact sheets about Milk Thistle as well, just ask.

Myrrh is available in essential oil form and is associated with inspiration, strength and endurance, something Jesus Christ needed and inspired during his physical life on earth. Perhaps this was the symbolism behind this gift brought to Jesus by the Wise Men. I use a combination of herbs that is good for the upper respiratory system that contains myrrh, especially when I have a sore throat, as it has an affinity for the throat. I tried using the exact same combination that contained Golden Seal in place of Myrrh, and it did not work nearly as well in my case for an upper respiratory infection that involved the throat.  Though it is good to be very careful with a case of strep throat, it has been known to remedy this as well, but please, don’t use it for this unless you know what you’re doing…and especially in the case of children, take them to your health care provider if you suspect strep.

Please contact me through a comment if you would like fact sheets about any items marked in red…I moderate comments and will not post a personal request if you prefer.

Mullein

The botanical name for the Mullein I am fond of for medicinal purposes is Verbascum thapsus L. It’s medicinal use is focused on the respiratory system. The ancient Greeks and Ayurvedic physicians used and use it as a cough remedy. During the Civil War, the confederate army is said to have used it for respiratory problems.

Historically, it has been used for such disorders as asthma, bronchitis, coughs, influenza, colds and tuberculosis. As I type this, my son is taking my absolute favorite herbal combination, ALJ, (comment and ask for a fact sheet about it) that contains Mullein for his allergies. It works like a charm. It has also been used to soothe the intestinal tract and acts as a very mild diuretic.

Scientific Support:

The plant contains two to three percent mucilage (polysaccharides, which absorb water) which provides the demulcent action (soothing intestinal tract). The expectorant properties are believed to come from saponin components. Other active substances include flavanoids and tannins. The German Commission Erecommends mullein for catarrh of the respiratory tract and describes it as a soothing expectorant. Scientists have found the methanolic extract of mullein displayed a strong effect against the influenza viruses A2 and B in chick fibroblast cultures and chick embryos. One source claims the mucilage in the herb protects mucous surfaces, inhibiting the absorption of allergens through the membranes.

As always, contact me if you would like me to send you the source information for these studies from my reference list. It is a lot to type here, but I have it readily available.

Contact me if you would like fact sheets about items marked in red, I moderate comments and will not post requests for information if you prefer.

What better way to begin the season than with a good internal cleansing, something that many should be doing on a regular basis. In some areas you may have seen advertising on television for “Dual Action Cleanse”, a natural, herbal cleansing formula that helps the body eliminate toxins from the digestive system. As a Nutritionist who loves medicinal herbs, I know the importance of ridding the digestive system of accumulated waste, and such unpleasant things as undigested matter and mucous build up in the colon.

Usually, after a good Body Detox you feel renewed energy, refreshed and ready to face the challenges of the new season to come. Visit the “body detox” link for more information about “Dual Action Cleanse” and to see the special they are offering right now.

The medicinal properties of the herb..actually a South American tree..are found in the bark. As a “folk remedy”, it has been used for years for boils, colitis, diarrhea, dysentery, fever, wounds, cancer, ulcers and the list does do on. But is there any scientific basis for these claims?

The Science Behind the Herb:

I will share with you what studies have shown, for the sake of time, I have withheld references, but have them at my fingertips if you’d like to contact me by email or through posting a comment.

Analysis of the bark shows that it contains volatile oils, resins, anthraquinones and naphthoquinones. The most significant property is a naphthoquinone derivative known as lapachol. In 1968 lapachol was shown to have activity against the Walker 256 carsinosarcoma.

Other studies found that it also acted against other cancers, including Yoshida sarcoma and Murphy-Sturm lymphosarcoma. Effective levels given to humans lead to the discontinuance of human trials as side effects included moderate to severe nausea, vomiting, anemia and the tendency to bleed.

Being related to vitamin K, it can thin the blood. However, the head of the study claims that political and economic pressure lead to the discontinuance of studies more than side affects. Later studies in the 1970′s showed evidence that lapachol was active against lymphocytic leukemia.

My personal interest in the herb is more related to it’s antimicrobial activity, not taking it in the amounts needed for conditions like cancer. Some of the organisms shown to be affected by this activity include candida, staphylococcus, trichophyton, malaria, tuberculosis and dysentery. Lapochol and xyloidine, other actives from the pau d’arco, have shown significant anti-fungal activity. Studies have continued, and more positive findings have surely come in since the documentation I have been using for this post.

This is one of the very first herbs I started to use when I first discovered the health benefits of herbs.

Please contact me with a comment if you would like fact sheets about the following, I moderate posts and will not publish the post if you prefer.

Pau d’Arco Capsules

Paw d’Arco Extract

Taheebo (Pau d’Arco) Tea

About 11 years ago, a little after Mother’s Day I was just leaving a retreat for women, and received a call that my Mom had been rushed to the hospital in pain. Her blood work was terrible, liver swollen, lungs holding fluid, and more, and to make a long story short, within 24 hours she was diagnosed with acute leukemia. For weeks she was in the hospital, and for some time after received treatment for this cancer, but the ending of our story is a happy one. She went into a complete remission, and is still with us today, thanks to good care from her doctors, and answers to many prayers.

I am sure that there is not a single person reading this that has not in some way been touched by cancer, if not personally, than by knowing someone with this disease.

I do not have any quick or magic cures to offer you, but I do have something to tell you about that has been helpful. First, know that I am not a doctor, and that I focus on things from the perspective of nutrition. I also believe God answers the prayers of those who put their faith and trust in the One true God, our creator, who knows more about our bodies than we ever could.

Among the many plants that God has given us that benefit our health, He has provided a wonderful plant called Paw Paw. Paw paw contains properties that deprive cancer cells of the energy they need to grow and reproduce, and unlike chemotherapy, it does this without harming healthy cells. This is not just another “magic bullet”, it is something that has been studied for many years.

Paw paw contains compounds called “annonaceous acetogenins” that, in layman’s terms, “convince” cells to self-destruct. When you use Paw paw, it has to be used correctly, there are herbs and supplements you should avoid while using it, and if you are already in treatment, that has to be taken into consideration. I do have a lot more information, including more scientific explanations, about this wonderful herb that I can send to you by email…the information is in pdf format, opened by Adobe which most computers have. Please click here to email me and I will be glad to send you this information.

The Paw-Paw product I suggest is Paw Paw Cell Regulator and can be found popular Parasite Cleansing Program.  Please contact me for a fact sheet on these items at nutritionist[at]happynutritionist.com.