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.

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

I learned something that I didn’t know before…or it had been lost somewhere in the storehouse of herbal knowledge I’ve acquired, and that is that Juniper Berries, though available as a single herb, are best used in an herbal combination.

It’s the little berries from the juniper plant that you see pictured that are used. The bush is an evergreen that grows in various places throughout the northern hemisphere…somewhere I have a picture Paul took of me with a Juniper Berry bush either in Maine or Colorado, I’ll have to find it to share with your.

The botanical name for the plant is Juniperus communnis. You’ll find this herb in combinations for the digestive and the urinary system. I use an herbal combination called JP-X, a combination formulated by the late and great herbalist, Dr. Christopher. As with many herbs, it is the oil in the juniper berry that contains the actives that have been attributed with benefiting kidney health, prostate health, and blood purification. It also is said to be antiseptic to the gastrointestinal system. The German Commission E recommended the herb for the treatment of indigestion.

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

Need references for any of these claims? Please email me and ask!

But what about today?

What does Science have to say?

Marshmallow is mainly made up of starches, pectin, sugars and mucilage. It is the mucilage that is that has the protective qualities of coating the throat and the stomach, as well as the intestinal and benefits the urinary tract. It is for this reason that it is commonly used for upper respiratory conditions such as colds, coughs and intestinal discomfort.

Please contact me through a comment (they are moderated, I won’t publish a personal one) if you would like me to email you a fact sheet about Marshmallow.

The day came to go home, and when we got to the airport, and went through customs, I was asked if I had any plants or animals, so I showed them the Noni fruit, only to find that I could not take it home with me. How disappointing. So this picture is the next best thing to being able to show you my noni fruit.

If you know much about supplement companies at all, you will know that there is one that is completely devoted to one type of Noni. I am not involved with that company, but do have available to me, and to my clients, Noni, or Morinda citrifolia fruit juce.

The medicinal properties in the juice made from the fruit are said to benefit the Immune, Structural, Nervous, Digestive, Intestinal, and Respiratory system…wow, that is a lot! It contains many phyto-nutrients which nourish the cells, organs and tissues, and antioxidants that battle against free-radical damage. This is beneficial to the skin and joints, and to the body as a whole.

This source of Noni Juice is sold as 2 32 oz. bottles (likely not from the company you may be thinking of) and lasts a long time, as you don’t consume a lot each day.

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

2 years ago, my husband and I traveled to Colorado and up through the Dakotas for a visit to family and our vacation. Along the way, we pulled off at a deserted roadside, and here was a large Prickly Pear plant. My husband assured me it would be okay to bring home a piece, so I came home with a 3-section piece of the plant. We didn’t plant it right away, set it aside for the winter, on a plate in a quiet location. This summer, living only on the humidity in the air, I noticed it was putting out two new “sections”, so quickly planted it in a large pot, and put it out in a hot, sunny location. It is doing very well.

Scientific Information:

The medicinal properties of this plant are found in the gel from the pads of the cactus. Also called Nopal, they contain many phytochemicals, pectin, mucilage and gums that aid the digestive system. Nopal contains nutrients that prevent the bowel from absorbing dietary fat and excess sugars. In addition, it has been found to strengthen the liver and pancreas, improving the ability of insulin to stimulate the movement of glucose from the blood into the body cells to be used as energy. A study on rabbits showed that the Nopal lowered the blood sugar level in the blood. Another study found that it reduced total cholesterol and triglycerides…all of these things are beneficial to those suffering from diabetes. There are even studies showing some promising findings on reducing cancer growth and immune building properties. As always, please click here to write to me if you would like me to cite these studies for you. It’s a lot to type here.

Sources of Nopal, click Nopal and Sugarreg.

I thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day!

Papaya, (Carica papaya) is a small tree that grows in tropical climates. It may also be called a papaw or melon tree. Historically the leaves AND fruit were used medicinally, but for our purposes, anything that I will be sharing in this post will be related to the fruit.

The fruit of the Papaya tree is rich with an enzyme that aids in digestion, papain. As we age, the need for digestive enzymes increases, and they are necessary to break down the food so that the nutrients are in such a form a to be filtered into the blood stream and throughout the body.

In the tropics, this is a favorite breakfast food. It is a great companion to Pineapple which also contains digestive enzymes.

What does Science tell us:

Papain is a mixture of proteolytic enzymes that have a broad spectrum of activity. This wide range of activity accounts for the use of papain for digestive disorders, particularly those associated with protein-rich foods. Papain hydrolyzes not only proteins, but small pepticides, amides and some esters. It also aids in digestion of carbohydrates and fats, and has been shown to be active over a wide pH range (not destroyed in high acid conditions). If you would like the studies, click here and me know and I’ll send them.

Personally, I LOVE papaya fruit when it is readily available, and use a chewable Papaya that contains mint after meals when the fruit is not as easy to come by.

Some sources of Papaya:

Papaya Mint Chewable
Anti-Gas Formula
Stomach Comfort

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

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

This is what medicinal herbalists call a “mucilaginous” herb. That means that when water is added, the powder absorbs the water and swells, and becomes slippery or “slimy” to the touch, though not unpleasant. It is this property that makes it beneficial to those who take it for intestinal health.

The perennial weed grows low to the ground and produces small white flowers. Each seed from the plant is enclosed in a husk. Some of the varieties of Plantago used are Plantago indica, Plantago ovata, and Plantago psyllium. The plants are native to the Mediterranean, North Africa, and Western Africa.

Chinese medical literature from 220 BC mentions the use of psyllium for medicinal purposes.

Science Behind the Herb:

Many OTC products contain psyllium because of the ability of the herb to increase in volume in liquid, increase the volume of fiber in the colon, and thereby increase the peristalsis of the colon (the muscle activity of the colon that causes it to eliminate waste – many have sluggish colons and need this additional help). Studies show it decreases the incidence of colo-rectal cancer, which is true of any high fiber diet, and has the ability to lower cholesterol levels.

Contraindications:

If you are allergic to psyllium dust, you should avoid this herb. If you have strictures in the colon, you will want to avoid this herb in order to avoid blockage. Since it has strong absorbent properties, it may be better to take separately from vitamin supplements, or medications, as it will absorb the needed properties and they will pass through the colon unused. If you have IBS, it may be best to use psyllium that does not contain the husks, or slippery elm as an alternative.

Here are a few sources of Psyllium:

Bowel Detox
Dieter’s Cleanse
Fat Grabbers
LOCLO
Psyllium Seeds
Taio He Cleanse

Thanks for reading, and have a happy day!