Author Archive

Amish black healing salve

Article reprinted from: Education of Soul: http://educationofsoul.com/2017/05/07/black-healing-salve-amish-people-used-centuries-treat-almost-skin-problem/

The Amish are known for their rejection of modern technology and medicine. For centuries, they have been using natural remedies to treat their health problems, and one of the oldest and most powerful ones is the black healing salve. This salve is a mixture of activated charcoal, essential oils and other helpful ingredients which create a powerful remedy that can treat numerous skin problems. Activated charcoal is one of the most effective remedies against any kind of skin disorder – it can accelerate the healing and keep the skin healthy.

If you search the internet for black salve, you will find websites claiming it can treat skin cancer. However, this salve isn’t the Amish remedy we’re speaking of. The black salve is a controversial skin cancer solution that is yet to be confirmed as effective. The salve is made from corrosive agents known as escharotics. Its main ingredient is bloodroot, a natural remedy used against squamous cell or basal carcinoma, although there’s no scientific evidence to confirm its efficiency. Don’t confuse this treatment with the Amish black healing salve – they are completely different.

Here’s how to prepare the Amish mixture:

Ingredients

  • ½ a cup of castor oil
  • ½ a cup of coconut oil
  • 2 teaspoons of beeswax
  • 3 teaspoons of activated charcoal
  • 3 teaspoons of bentonite clay
  • 10 drops of calendula oil

Preparation

Mix the bentonite clay with the essential oil and activated charcoal, then melt the beeswax in a pot and warm the calendula oil in a double boiler. Now, mix everything together in a jar, then close it tight and leave it to cool down. Keep the jar away from sunlight in order not to spoil the ingredients.

As you can see, the Amish black healing salve contains completely natural ingredients and is recommended against minor skin problems. The black salve we mentioned above has a more powerful formula which includes powdered bloodroot and chloride zinc, and is commonly used to treat skin cancer.

In conclusion, we can say that the Amish black healing salve is a great natural remedy for a variety of skin disorders and for detoxifying the body of toxins. Try it yourself and you will be amazed by the results!

 

Source : http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/black-healing-salve.html?t=SNTHS

Before you think about ‘dieting’

With the spring comes thoughts of swim suits and losing weigh.  Before you start, consider this:

  1. Set up long-term goals (weight, dress or pant size) and make them realistic.
  2. Change your dietary habits for life, not just for weight loss.  Most diets fail and weight gain comes back within three years.
  3. Drink lots of water to help fill you up and clear you out.
  4. Take a dietary fiber like chicory root, acacia, etc. to help fill you up.

Diet sabatogers.

  1. There’s nothing like alcohol to relax you and decrease your will power. My advice—stay away!
  2. Another sabatoger. Notice that, after a stressful day, is when you tend to eat/drink more? However, since we cannot avoid stress, let’s support the body.

Herbal support.

  • Herbs like licorice and Rehmannia root support the adrenals, which (among other things) are our “fight or flight” gland.
  • Herbs like American skullcap, passionflower and chamomile help support the central nervous system and can help relax us.
  • Herbs that “clean you out” like cascara sagrada and senna can be used for short term detoxing and dandelion root is great for the liver.
  • Kudzu (taken as a tea) has been reported to curb the desire for alcohol.
  • Gymnema has been shown to curb sugar cravings.

Good luck and remember, if at first you don’t succeed, keep trying!

Fire Cider or should I say ‘Fyre’ Cider?

Fire Cider is an old recipe brought to new life by the doyenne of herbal medicine, Rosemary Gladstar. (Unfortunately a company recently trade marked the name ‘fire cider’ so now no one but they can use it–terrible!!!).   Anyway, this warming formula was often used when there was too much mucous in the nasal or respiratory passages, but it was also used when bouts of rheumatism and arthritis flared up or when someone just wanted to warm themselves up in the cold winter months.  Generally, it is made in September so it’s ready by November. This recipe is based on a quart mason jar but as always in the folk tradition, you can modify it any way you wish.

Ingredients:

  • Ten cloves of garlic – peeled, mashed and finely cut
  • ½ cup of freshly grated horseradish*
  • ½ cup of grated organic ginger root
  • Spicy peppers: Jalapeño, Serrano, Habanero, and Cayenne — the amount will depend on which one you use you and your spice tolerance.   One can substitute ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  • Enough organic apple cider vinegar to fill the jar
  • Raw honey to taste

Optional ingredients:

  • Juice of one lemon and zest
  • ½ teaspoon of paprika powder
  • One teaspoon of turmeric powder
  • One medium onion finely chopped

Other things you will need:

  • Quart mason jar
  • Wax paper
  • Cheese cloth or cotton sack
  • Bowl

* If you have never grated horseradish, please be careful! It is very pungent and should be done in a well-ventilated area.

Directions:

Place all the vegetables in the mason jar and cover them with organic apple cider vinegar. Cover the jar with the wax paper and the put the lid on tightly. Be sure to label it with the date and the ingredients, or note it elsewhere. This is important for refining your recipe the following year. Traditionally, the cider is then buried in the ground where it is cool and dark –just remember to note where you buried it! Of course the more modern storage is simply a cool, dark place in your home or apartment.

Let the cider sit for at least four weeks. When you are ready, pour the contents into a bowl or another jar through a cheese cloth or cotton sack. It is important to squeeze all the juice out of the vegetables so press firmly. One this is done, you can compost your “mark” or the vegetables that made your fire cider. Then, take the strained cider and put it back in the mason jar and add the honey –slowly– to taste. Be sure to shake the jar well each time you add the honey.

How to use fire cider. Fire cider can be taken straight–just shake the bottle well and pour out a teaspoon full–you can take it several times a day. Of course it can be mixed with water or juice to temper the taste although some even use it as a condiment.

Taking a look at the ingredients.

Garlic. By now most people know the healing properties of garlic. Garlic (Allium sativum), which is in the onion family, is both warming and drying and thus used in many formulas to help with the afflictions of the respiratory system. Juliette de Bairacli Levy, a famed French herbalist, once said that garlic was one of the most powerful antiseptic herbs ever. Indeed, research has shown the constituent, allicin, to have high levels of antimicrobial activity. Garlic is also an effective an anti-inflammatory, a circulatory enhancer, a liver protector, a worm eradicator and has even been shown to reduce hypertension! (Braun & Cohen).

Horseradish root. Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana), is one of the oldest known herbs and is originally one of the five bitter herbs of the Bible. Known for its pungency, the mustard oil within horseradish gives it is drying and heating properties and thus, its use in many respiratory and sinus formulas. Horseradish is also a circulatory stimulant and the peroxidase enzymes have been shown to assist in wound healing. According to Sauer’s Herbal, the Pennsylvania Dutch used this common condiment to expel kidney stones (Weaver). Finally, Horseradish has been shown to lower cholesterol and has helped with various inflammatory disorders (Braun & Cohen).

Ginger root (Zingiber officinale). Pulling out my very first herbal book ever (purchased 1978), Jethro Kloss, in Back to Eden says this about ginger. “…prevents griping, good for diarrhea, colds, la grippe, chronic bronchitis, dyspepsia, gas and fermentation, cholera, gout and nausea….” (Kloss). Scientific research not only corroborated much of what Kloss wrote in 1939 but went on to find that ginger has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antioxidant, immunomodulation, hepatoprotective, anti-fibrotic properties as well (Braun & Cohen).

Cayenne pepper. The use of cayenne pepper dates back over 7000 years where we believe it was first discovered in Mexico. However, we know that cayenne was a popular herb in the Ayurvedic tradition as well. Along with its heating properties, cayenne is also both stimulating and drying which is why it was used in many instances of respiratory illness, and as a peripheral circulation stimulant. It contains vitamin A, C, B complex, E and, pantothenic acid. Due to the oleorisein content, cayenne acts as a catalyst for other herbs and the capsaicin helps to increase the body’s metabolism. (Standard Process). Jethro Kloss waxes on about cayenne calling it “one of the most wonderful herb medicines we have” and said it was used as much externally (for wound healing) as it was for its internal properties (Kloss).

Apple cider vinegar. We know that vinegar has been around since at least 5000 BC where Babylonians used date vinegar to preserve food, and as a medicine. Apple cider vinegar has been used in this country for hundreds of years as a preservative, a natural medicine, a condiment, and even as a cleaning/disinfecting agent.  Apple cider vinegar contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, as well as dietary fiber, and because of these nutritive values along with its preserving qualities, apple cider vinegar makes a great liquid to hold the juices from the fire cider’s vegetables.

Honey. Before you write off honey as just another form of sugar, consider this. In 2012, the International Journal of Biological Science published a study on honey (Honey-a novel antidiabetic agent), the findings of which demonstrated its beneficial effects. These advantageous effects included such areas as the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), the gut microbiota, the liver, and the pancreas. It also concluded that honey is able to help reduce blood glucose levels and that it might be useful in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. But early makers of fire cider probably only knew that it was a great preservative and that it tasted good!

So, now that you know how good everything that goes into fire cider is, why not trying making some? Every year, you can continue to perfect it until you make your own signature fire cider.

References:

Herbs & Natural Supplements: An Evidenced Based Guide, Braun & Cohen

Int J Biol Sci. 2012;8(6):913-34. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.3697. Epub 2012 Jul 7.

Honey–a novel antidiabetic agent.

Back to Eden, Jethro Kloss

Standard Process literature

Sauer’s Herbal Cures, William Woys Weaver

Common Herbs for Natural Health, Juliette de Bairacli Levy

Apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com

Cacao (cocoa)–nature’s superfood

Cacao (cocoa) beans (or nibs) are indeed a super food. It has been used for thousands of years by indigenous tribes in central and south America for its health properties. According to a 2014 article on cacao, researchers purported that the polyphenols in cacao are both highly anti-inflammatory and extremely cardio protective. In fact, cacao is one of the richest food in polyphenols. They key is however, not to process the cacao, for once it’s processed (into cocoa), the polyphenol benefits drop dramatically.

Also found in cacao is theobromine (hence the scientific name Theobroma), one of two methylxanthines (the other is caffeine more predominantly found in coffee). Methylxanthines act on adenosine receptors in the central nervous system with the effect of enhancing arousal, mood, and concentration levels, as well as having a diuretic, cardiovascular and metabolic effect. Methylxanthines can even help the bronchials relax and increase secretion of gastric acids.

The flavonals in cacao have also been shown to inhibit lipid (fat) peroxidation. In fact, in one experiment, cacao had been shown to reduce obesity-related inflammation in high fat-fed mice.

I use cacao nibs in yogurt and in smoothies—they are great with bananas, so enjoy this, low calorie, super food!

Nutrients 2014, 6, 844-880, Review: “Cocoa Polyphenols and Inflammatory Markers of Cardiovascular Disease”

Nutrients 2013, 5, 4159-4173; Review; “Health Benefits of Methylxanthines in Cacao and Chocolate”

Making your own insect repellent

Insect Repellent Spray: Always shake well before using!

  1. Purchase a plastic 4oz bottle with a spray nozzle (you can find these at many drugstores).
  2. To the bottle, add the following:
  • ¾ ounce of vodka (alcohol helps disperse the essential oils)
  • One ounce of organic sesame, soybean or Neem infused oil (if neither is available then use any carrier oil)
  • Two ounces of witch hazel water (I prefer Thayer’s) (or distilled water if you don’t have witch hazel)
    • Ten drops of either lemon eucalyptus or eucalyptus
  • 40 drops of any of the following combinations:

basil, catnip oil, clove, fennel, geranium, lavender, lemon, lemon grass, rosemary, yarrow and ylang-ylang

Always shake well before using.

Making your own lip balm

Why pay a lot of money for something that is so easy to make?  Here is a quick and easy recipe for making your own lip balm.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ounce of carrier oil
  • ½ ounce cocoa or shea butter
  • ½ ounce beeswax (pastilles are easiest to use)

Other oils you might like to add:

  • Vitamin E oil
  • Essential oils (10-20 drops depending on oil)

This makes about 10 tubes of lip balm in a .15oz (some oil is lost to the beaker).  You can also put it into small empty jars, so start saving those now!

Warm the oil and the beeswax together—temperature should be warm enough to have the beewax melt, but no more.

Once melted, add the essential oils and stir (I use a chop stick).  To test the consistency, dip a spoon in the mixture and the put it in the freezer for on minute.  Take it out and see if you like it.  If it’s too thick, add a bit more oil, if it’s too thin, add a bit more beeswax.

Tired Eyes?

Sometimes we just need to take a couple of moments and relax our eyes.  Make this tea ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for up to a week if your eyes are feeling tired and red.

Equal parts of:

  • Greater celandine
  • Elder flower
  • Eyebright
  • Plantain

Bring water to boil and add herbs; let steep for 20 minutes. Strain thoroughly.  Let cool in the refrigerator.  Dip clean cloth into the tea and gently ring out the excess tea.  Close the eyes and cover with the cloth for 5-10 minutes.