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Healing Herbs, Flowers and
Roots
Remember...HERBS ARE MEDICINE and
should be taken seriously and treated with respect!
Check with
your doctor, an herbal specialist or research the herb thoroughly before
starting treatment. Herbs should not be
used alone to cure serious illness or injury. If sickness or major side
effects occur, try taking with
food, diminish dose or cease use. When asked by your doctor
what other medicines you take, always include herbs on the list, as many herbs interact with pharmaceutical
drugs. If you have any questions about herbs, please email
us! udsohl@yahoo.com
Burdock Root
Spring cleaning for your body
and blood
Uses
Root and seeds used for skin
disorders (acne, boils, cysts). Relieves gout symptoms. Purifies the
blood, restores liver and gallbladder function, stimulates immune system. Caution:
burdock root interferes with iron absorption when taken internally.
Dosage
300-400mg daily.
Can be taken as a tea, eaten raw with salads and other recipes, or taken in pill
form. Take daily for no more than 30 days, then cut back the dosage to
every other day or twice a week.
Where can I get
it?
Newark
Natural Foods (behind East End Cafe on Main Street) or at most
health food stores. Newark Natural Foods is best place to get this herb and carries
the most forms and is inexpensive. Melissa's
note:
I tried
everything for my acne - face washes, antibiotics, topical gels - but nothing
worked. Until I got on Burdock Root. Within a month of starting my
Burdock Root, a saw a difference in my face. Within 3 months, my acne had
reduced significantly. This herb, coupled with Dandelion root (yeah, that
pesky weed isn't as pesky as you thought) and a healthy diet filled with
vegetables, whole grains, fruits and water, can really do wonders for your skin.
Echinacea
Root
Go out now
and get it for the cold and flu season!
Uses
Bitter herb used for
colic, colds, flu, infections, snake bites. Has antibiotic,
antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. Good for the immune system, lymphatic system and glandular
swelling. Note: Alcohol tincture may destroy polysaccharides in the Echinacea
that stimulate the immune system, although other active
ingredients remain intact. Freeze dried form is preferred. According to studies, taking
it for extended periods of time does NOT make your immune system
stronger. So therefore you should only use it when you feel like
you are coming down with a cold or flu.
Dosage
Fresh, freeze dried,
dried, tea, capsule or salve. Take every two hours for acute
inflammation and decrease dosage accordingly. Best way to take it is either in capsule form mixed with
Goldenseal (another great herb for fighting cold/flu/infection) or
as a tea.
Where can I get
it?
Newark
Natural Foods (behind East End Cafe on Main Street), Happy
Harry's, Trader Joe's, and other health food stores.
Newark Natural Foods is best place to get this herb and carries
the most forms.
Caution
As noted above, do not
take for extended periods of time. As written by Dr. Daniel
Mowrey's in Next Generation Herbal Medicine, "In the
absence of conclusive experimental findings, it is both safe and
wise to assume that the constant, unremitting use of echinacea
could be stressful on certain aspects of the immune system. During
breaks, the immune system will adapt and increase in natural
strength." Taking it everyday for years would also be a
waste of your money.
Melissa's
note:
The minute I
start to feel a cold or the flu coming on, I take Echinacea (and
Goldenseal) and 500mg of Vitamin C 3-4 times a day. Vitamin C is a natural immune booster and attacks viruses and
bacterial infections. If I do this remedy early enough, I do
not get sick. I also take Vitamin C and Echinacea with me when I travel, when I will be around
children who might be sick, when my boyfriend or a close friend or
family member is sick, etc. Eating a healthy, balanced diet, drinking lots of water and taking
vitamin supplements keeps me healthy and prevents sickness, but if
a cold or the flu ever tries to creep up on me, Echinacea definitely helps.
Click
for more
details on Echinacea
Questions about this herb or other herbs? Email Melissa!
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