Author: Dara Dietz

Dara D Dietz is co-founder with her Husband of H.E.A.L. Marketplace, a private Natural Healing Association. As a teacher and counselor she has been supporting the members of H.E.A.L. with Natural Healing information and herbal supports since 1998. She continues to maintain strong ties to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Since healing her own kidney ailments she has assisted thousands of people in discovering and using natural herbal remedies. Dara has written and compiled numerous articles on a wide variety of natural healing topics. Drawing from her own healing experiences and borrowing from the vast wisdom of natural healers long departed, she continues to provide H.E.A.L.’s international membership with down to earth natural healing wisdom in H.E.A.L.’s bi-weekly newsletters. Dara and her husband currently reside in Rutherfordton, North Carolina.

Fall color on Grandfather Mountain from the Blue Ridge Parkway

1 Corinthians, Bible Studies, Spiritual Healing

Free to Choose

October 5, 2026 Dara Dietz

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 10:23

“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” (1 Corinthians 10:23, KJV)

When I laid this verse out across my translations this morning, something unusual showed up. The translators split almost evenly between two readings. Some take it as being about what our choices do to us: not everything is good for us, not everything builds up our character. Others take it as being about what our choices do to others: not everything is good for others, not everything helps them grow stronger, not everything helps the building of the community.

So which is it? I believe Paul means both, and he deliberately moves us from one to the other. The word translated “expedient” means profitable or beneficial, and in the very next verse Paul says, “Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.” He ends the chapter with the same word turned outward: “not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many” (10:33). What benefits me and what builds up others are not two separate questions. They meet in the heart.

A Time and a Place Under the SON

In God’s universe we have the freedom to do anything we want, but not everything is healthy or in harmony with God’s design. There is a time and a place for everything under the sun. This from Solomon, the wisest and most foolish man to live under the SON.

The intent of the heart is the key to the benefit or harm of our actions, upon ourselves and upon those in the sphere of our influence. Our intentions, coupled with the wisdom that comes from maturity in our relationship with the Lord, allow the mind of Christ to be in us. The actions that flow from a wise and loving heart and mind will always build up those affected by them. Evil actions are the evil of the heart flowing out in the works of the hands.

The same action, seen through a different understanding of the heart behind it, can prove to be either a curse or a huge and lasting blessing. And if this is true of our actions, it is even more true of God’s. How we read what God has done depends on whether we know His heart.

The Flood Through the Eyes of Love

The history of God’s dealings with this fallen world gives us an example. One action in particular has been used to put God’s character of Love in the worst light: the worldwide flood that destroyed every living thing on the planet, except for eight souls and the animals safely riding out the destruction in the ark.

How could this be anything other than God throwing up His hands, saying “I give up!” and in a hot temper killing off His entire creation? Or do the eyes of Love see our loving God holding on until the last possible moment, the moment when only one human heart on the entire planet was willing to work with Him? Only one human left for God to pour His healing, restorative truth into. He had to keep the door open for Christ to come, be born, and restore humanity to a healing relationship with God.

For 120 years the entire world was warned that it was destroying itself. Just like the nation of Israel later in history, they absolutely refused to hear, or were so sealed in their hearts against God that there was nothing more He could do. So He let them go. The God of Love withdrew His protection, and the results of all their choices came crashing down upon them. Whether they brought it on themselves, or God withdrew His hand from nature and allowed the waters above to come down upon the earth, the result was the same: the destruction of every breathing thing that had not entered the ark.

This was the only way forward for our loving God. The heart of Love could see no other way to save humanity from destroying itself, so in Love He changed everything. God had the same freedom each of us has, and in His freedom of choice He chose the only action that would preserve the opportunity for each soul on earth to choose for himself to live or die. He chose this knowing He would be misunderstood, knowing Satan would strut around gloating, “I told you He could not be trusted! I never said He was not powerful, but can we trust Him with all that power?”

Free to Choose, and to Live With It

So the story of humanity goes on. The ability to choose is still ours; the ability to become who we will be is still up to each one of us.

Yes, you have the right and the God-given ability to choose to do anything. You also have the right and the God-given ability to live with the results of all your choices. You cannot avoid the results, the truth of who you are and what you have chosen to do with your life. You can only delay the day you deal with yourself.

If you deal with yourself here and now, while there is still the opportunity to overcome and grow up into the truly great creation God made you to be, the rewards are truly fantastic: heaven here on earth, and a never-ending eternity to keep growing and discovering even more. Or you can choose to deny, to blame others for your sorry life, and to develop a heart and mind that would find an eternity of Truth and Love everywhere to be pure hell.

So yes, there is a time and a place for everything under the SON. Everything is good in its proper place when it comes from a heart intent on blessing itself and everyone in its sphere of influence. The good or bad of a thing is all in the timing and the intent of the doer of the deed.

Laws for the Immature Heart

Concrete laws are for the immature in heart and mind, those who cannot yet be trusted to do right regardless of the cost to themselves or what others will think of them. Paul calls the law our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24), and tells Timothy that “the law is not made for a righteous man” (1 Timothy 1:9).

The mature do what is right because it is right. They have a real, deep relationship with their Creator, whom they have known by experience can be trusted. To break faith with God, with Christ, the One who gave you life and then restored that life to you again, is to break faith with yourself and with every creation in the vast universe. All of creation is pulling for each and every lost soul on this sick planet.

The Freedom Love Requires

In the things God has left to our freedom, our personal choices and what we choose to believe, He will not manipulate us, for to force the will would be to destroy the very person He created. You cannot force someone to love you. You can love them and create an environment that makes them as comfortable and happy as possible, but you cannot make them love you; that has to come from them. We are free to choose what we will.

When we stop believing that someone has our best interests at heart, as Adam and Eve stopped believing that God had theirs, the circle of Love and trust is broken, and the immediate result is fear and selfishness, the need to protect self. Adam’s first words after the fall were “I was afraid, and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10).

The whole history of mankind is God showing us in every way possible that He can be trusted, that He is not the manipulating, vindictive God Satan has claimed He is. And in that freedom, nothing is evil except the intentions of the evil heart.

Cleansing & Flushing, Herbal Healing

Clearing Heavy Metals from the Body

October 4, 2026October 8, 2026 Dara Dietz

Heavy metals and other pollutants get trapped in our systems from the world around us and from what we put into our bodies. Clearing them is not a quick job, but it can be done. It takes an herbal combination that draws the metals out, a routine of hot mineral baths, and a bowel that is open and working so the metals have a way out of the body.

That last part matters more than most people realize. The bowel vacuum, the absorbing fiber blend in A 911 for Vomiting and Diarrhea, should be used the entire time you’re working to clear heavy metals. People using it found their hair samples showing a decrease in heavy metals within a few weeks.

What a Good Heavy Metal Formula Contains

A good heavy metal formula might contain these three herbs:

Bugleweed, 3 parts. The lead herb, long used to draw out minerals, drugs and other pollutants trapped in the system.
Yellow Dock Root, 3 parts. A strong blood purifier that helps the liver and bowel carry the waste out.
Lobelia, 1 part. Relaxes and opens the body, and carries the other herbs where they need to go.

“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, that’s 3 ounces each of Bugleweed and Yellow Dock, and 1 ounce of Lobelia.

It is paired with a Chaparral extract. Chaparral is one of the strongest blood-cleansing herbs there is.

Putting It Together

The heavy metal extract: Put the dry herbs in a glass jar and pour in 80-proof vodka. Once the herbs have settled, you want about 60% herb sediment on the bottom and 40% liquid on top. Shake the jar every day. The traditional timing follows the moon, from the new moon to the full moon, about two weeks. I prefer to let my extracts sit a full three months, which makes them good and strong. Then strain and bottle the liquid.

The Chaparral extract: Make it the same way, but use a 50-50 mix of 80-proof vodka and apple cider vinegar instead of straight vodka. A few herbs respond better to that mix, and Chaparral is one of them.

How to Use It

The tea: ½ teaspoon of the heavy metal extract and 1 teaspoon of the Chaparral extract in a cup of hot water, three times a day.
The baths: every other day, soak in a tub of hot water with 1 to 3 pounds of Epsom salts. Keep up the baths for three weeks, then rest from the baths for a week while you keep taking the tea. See The Detox Bath.
The bowel vacuum: keep it going the whole time, with your lower bowel formula alongside it so the bowels keep moving well.

Two or three cycles of baths is a good place to begin. How many you need really depends on how bad things are, and on whether you’ve cleaned up your life so the cleansing is actually working.

Lay the Foundation First

Before beginning the baths, the foundational work should already be in place:

Bowel cleansing. See Helping Sluggish Bowels Move Again.
Boosting with Echinacea, so the immune system stays on top of the die-off as the metals come out. See Echinacea: Telling the Immune System to Gear Up.
The food program, with Superfood and fresh juicing to give the body the massive nutrition it needs to clear waste and rebuild. See Superfood: Raw Material for Healing.

It’s also good to have at least one week of liver flushing and kidney flushing under your belt. See Week 2: Liver Flushing and Kidney Flushing Light to Intense.

Then, all the way through the program, do at least one ELF liver flush a week. It keeps the liver cleared so the waste can move out freely, and leaves the liver free to pull toxins effectively.

For the full routine as I taught it in class, see Clearing Heavy Metal Class.

This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.

Digestion & Gut, Herbal Healing, Skin, Wounds & First Aid

A 911 for Vomiting and Diarrhea

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Dara Dietz

This fiber blend does two very important jobs. In a bowel cleansing program it is the bowel vacuum, pulling inflammation from the bowel walls and carrying out the waste the body releases as it heals. And every home should have a jar of it on the shelf for the middle of the night, when a stomach bug or a bad bit of food has the body purging from one end or the other. Then it soaks up the acid, bacteria and poisons that are causing the trouble, and it soothes the raw tissue while it works.

What a Good Absorbing Fiber Blend Contains

A good absorbing fiber blend might contain these nine ingredients, all powdered:

Psyllium Husk Powder, 8 parts. The bulk of the blend. It swells into a gel that firms up loose stool and carries waste out.
Flax Seed, 2 parts. Soothing, lubricating fiber.
Apple Pectin, 2 parts. A gentle, binding fiber long used to settle diarrhea.
Bentonite Clay, 2 parts. Draws toxins and bacteria to itself and carries them out of the body.
Activated Charcoal, 2 parts. One of the great absorbers. It soaks up poisons and gas in the gut.
Slippery Elm Bark, 2 parts. Coats and soothes raw, irritated tissue all the way down.
Marshmallow Root, 2 parts. Another soothing, coating herb that calms inflamed membranes.
Peppermint, 1 part. Settles the stomach and eases cramping.
Plantain, 1 part. A healing, drawing herb for irritated tissue.

“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every ingredient. By weight, that’s 8 ounces of Psyllium, 2 ounces each of the next six, and 1 ounce each of Peppermint and Plantain. Mix the powders well and keep them in a tightly closed jar.

The Bowel Vacuum

This is the blend’s most important work. As part of a bowel cleansing program it acts as a bowel vacuum. It pulls inflammation from the bowel walls, and it helps carry out the toxic waste the liver dumps when the body is going through a healing program.

Because it is so absorbing, it needs a lower bowel formula working alongside it, or it can stop you up with a brick in your bowels. So the lower bowel formula of your choice comes first (see Helping Sluggish Bowels Move Again). Spend about a week finding your number of capsules, and if your bowels still aren’t regulated, give it another week before moving on.

When your bowels are moving well, increase your capsules by 1 or 2 the night before you begin the vacuum the next morning. Someone already taking 10 or more capsules may need 2 or more extra to pass the vacuum well. It all depends on the person, their size, and the state of disease in the body. Then take 1 rounded teaspoon about every 3 hours through the day, which comes to five doses a day, for a two-week bowel cleanse. A rounded teaspoon is right for almost everyone. For someone very large, or with serious bowel disease, a bit more may prove helpful. If your bowels seem too tight at the end of the day, add another capsule. If they’re a bit too loose, drop one. You are in charge. The lower bowel formula keeps the bowels moving well while the vacuum does the heavy cleansing and healing work.

Drink plenty of liquid during the cleanse: an extra glass of water after each dose, and lots of pure water, herb teas and diluted juices through the day. It makes the whole program work better.

And what are we aiming for? A healthy bowel moves once for every meal you eat. If you eat three meals, you should have three bowel movements.

For someone with Crohn’s disease, colitis or irritable bowel syndrome, where loose, irritated bowels are the problem, it may be necessary to back into the healing program by starting with this blend first. Sometimes the lower bowel formula isn’t used at all, because the bowels are so sick and loose that they just need this blend. Taken daily, it soothes the bowel and firms up the stool. Some find one teaspoon a day does the job, others need three, and it can be used for as long as it’s needed.

I know this one firsthand. In the late ’90s I was working in social service, and my own bowels were a real mess: horrid cramps one day and constipation the next. That’s when I first discovered this blend. I took it for nine months. I wasn’t perfect with the dosing, but at the end of those nine months the cramping and constipation stopped. My bowels have never worked quite right, but they are healthy now, and I don’t suffer, as long as I take my poop pills.

In an Emergency

The blend thickens fast. Put it in water or juice in a jar with a lid and shake it. Don’t expect to stir it, because it won’t stir. Then drink it all at once, before it sets up. Water or juice is fine either way. If blood sugar is a concern, water the juice down.

Cramping bowels. If the bowels are crampy, even if you’re not passing anything (the old folks called it griping), shake one rounded teaspoon in about 6 ounces of water and drink it down. In about ten minutes your bowels will be right as rain.

Wet, crampy stool. If you’re passing wet, solid stool with cramping, take the same rounded teaspoon each time the bowels produce the crampy stool. Usually one dose clears it, but if you need more it is not a problem.

Watery diarrhea. If you’re passing water from the bowels, shake a full tablespoon in 12 ounces of water and drink it all at once. Repeat each time you pass water. This can be repeated as long as needed to tighten the bowels back up. Drink extra water along the way to replace what you’re losing.

Don’t get ahead of the problem. Don’t anticipate and take more than you need, because it can over-tighten the bowels. Take another dose only when the bowels produce the problem.

For Vomiting

Shake a full tablespoon in 12 ounces of water and drink it all at once. It absorbs the acid or bacteria in the stomach that is making your insides want to purge. Either it settles the stomach, or it comes back up. Most people throw it up rather quickly, but it comes up like applesauce and is not harsh on the tissue in the throat.

Once it has come back up, the stomach-settling herbs will now work very well. Peppermint tea, an ounce of ginger root juice, or a teaspoon of a good digestive tonic in a cup of hot water all help. The digestive tonic can also be mixed in equal parts with a liver and gallbladder formula. See Fast Relief for an Upset Stomach and Cleansing the Liver and Gallbladder, and Clearing Parasites.

For Children

Dose children by weight. Put the child’s weight over 150 pounds, and give that share of the adult dose. I round their weight to make it easy: a 50-pound child gets a third of the adult dose, and a 75-pound child gets half.

My Own Night of Food Poisoning

I had a case of food poisoning myself over twenty years ago. I ended up using nearly an 8-ounce jar of this blend during the night, taking a dose each time my bowels let go, and drinking extra water since I was dumping so much from my bowels. Finally, around 5 a.m., I passed solid waste, and that was the end of the event. I was exhausted, but my bowels were fine all day. I was not constipated, and there were no leftover issues in my bowels at all.

For everyday bowel support, see Helping Sluggish Bowels Move Again and A Fiber Blend That Heals While It Works.

This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.

Cleansing & Flushing, Digestion & Gut, Herbal Healing

Helping Sluggish Bowels Move Again

October 4, 2026October 5, 2026 Dara Dietz

Everything we eat that the body can’t use has to leave through the bowel. When the bowel is sluggish, that waste sits. If you hold a cesspool in your middle, the blood that travels through every part of you picks up that poison and carries it throughout your entire system. What can you expect but to develop issues in every part of the body? Supporting the body to remove its waste every day is one of the most basic, most important things we can do for our health.

Over the years I’ve come to rely on two bowel formulas. The first is fashioned around the formula Dr. Schulze used to make. The second I put together for myself nearly twenty years ago, fashioned around Dr. Christopher’s lower bowel formula. So many people have come to love it that it’s made right alongside the first.

What a Good Lower Bowel Formula Contains

A good lower bowel formula might contain these eight herbs:

Curacao and Cape Aloe, 2 parts. A strong bitter that wakes up the muscles of the bowel wall and gets things moving.
Cascara Sagrada Bark, 2 parts. Tones the muscle of the bowel and helps it find its own natural rhythm again.
Senna Pods, 1 part. A dependable bowel stimulant, the gentler part of the senna plant.
Senna Leaves, 1 part. Adds the stronger push of the senna leaf.
Ginger Root, 1 part. Warms the bowel and eases the cramping that can come as it starts to move.
Barberry Root Bark, 1 part. Stimulates the flow of bile from the liver, which is the body’s own natural laxative.
Garlic, 1 part. Cleanses and fights the bacteria and parasites that thrive in a sluggish bowel.
African Bird Pepper, 1 part. Brings fresh circulation and carries the other herbs where they need to go.

“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, that’s 2 ounces each of Aloe and Cascara, and 1 ounce each of the rest. Powder the herbs, mix them well, and fill capsules.

With or Without the Cayenne

I make this formula two ways, with the African Bird Pepper and without it. If you find you need more than five capsules a day, the cayenne can upset your stomach or burn a bit. It can feel like acid reflux, especially if you take the capsules without food in your stomach. For anyone who needs a larger number, leave the pepper out.

An Extract for the Very Sensitive

Some people can’t swallow capsules, and some bowels are so sensitive that even a small amount of the powdered herbs sends them into cramps. For them, the same formula without the cayenne can be made into an extract.

I had a woman who could not move her bowels, but even a quarter of a capsule would rip her up. She’d be in horrid cramps. We made the extract, and she needed only one or two drops a day. Without that little bit of help her bowels were just too tight, but with it she was fine.

Put the dry herbs in a glass jar and pour in 80-proof vodka. Once the herbs have settled, you want about 60% herb sediment on the bottom and 40% liquid on top. Shake the jar every day. The traditional timing follows the moon, from the new moon to the full moon, about two weeks. I prefer to let my extracts sit a full three months, which makes them good and strong. Then strain and bottle the liquid. Start with a single drop a day and adjust from there.

A Second Formula: Heavier on the Cascara

Senna has been given a bad name over the years, and some people find it harsh. Some simply respond better to a different set of herbs. For them, a good alternative formula might contain these five herbs, with no Senna and no cayenne:

Cascara Sagrada Bark, 4 parts. The heart of this formula. When I built it for myself I tripled the Cascara, because that was what my body responded to. It appears a good many other people like it too.
Barberry Root Bark, 1 part. Gets the bile flowing.
Ginger Root, 1 part. Warms the bowel and eases cramping.
Curacao and Cape Aloe, 1 part. A bitter that wakes up the bowel wall.
Turkey Rhubarb Root, 1 part. Moves the bowel, then gently tones it afterward.

By weight, that’s 4 ounces of Cascara and 1 ounce each of the rest.

How Much and How Often

Both formulas are used the same way. Take 1 capsule with dinner the first day, 2 the second day, and 3 the third day. Keep adding one capsule a day until you find your number, the amount that gives you good, easy movements.

The average person lands between 3 and 5 capsules a day. There are a few poor souls who need 10 or more. I need many times the average myself, and my body is grateful for every one. There is no limit. The goal is to support your body in removing its waste, however many capsules that takes.

Working Alongside the Fiber Blends

These formulas get the bowel moving. Fiber gives it something to move. In a bowel cleansing program, a lower bowel formula is always established first and kept going, so the bowel keeps moving well while an absorbing fiber blend, the bowel vacuum, does the heavy cleansing work. For a healing fiber blend, see A Fiber Blend That Heals While It Works, and for the bowel vacuum itself, which doubles as a 911 for vomiting and diarrhea, see A 911 for Vomiting and Diarrhea.

If capsules are hard for you to swallow, or the taste is too bitter, see Bowel Formula Squares: An Easier Way to Take Your Herbs.

This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.

Herbal Healing, Weight Loss

A Steady Herbal Help for Weight Control

October 4, 2026 Dara Dietz

This is not a crash program for fast weight loss. It is a formula for gradual, steady loss that doesn’t rob the body of the nutrients it needs, the way so many fad diets do. Combine it with the mucusless diet and you have a winner.

It works on several fronts at once. It purifies the blood, helps the kidneys release excess fluid, feeds the body to relieve the nervous tension that dieting so often brings, takes the edge off the appetite, and feeds the thyroid and other glands, so the body can settle into a healthier state for holding its weight.

What a Good Weight Formula Contains

A good weight-control formula might contain these eleven herbs:

Chickweed, 6 parts. The lead herb, long known as the classic herb for weight loss. It helps the body break down and clear fatty deposits.
Safflower Flowers, 4 parts. Supports digestion and the body’s use of fats.
Burdock Root, 3 parts. One of the best blood purifiers in nature, and a gentle help for the kidneys.
Parsley Root, 3 parts. Helps the kidneys release excess fluid.
Kelp Blend, 3 parts. Atlantic Kelp, Irish Moss and Dulse in equal parts, feeding the thyroid, the body’s metabolic engine. See Kelp: Food from the Sea for the Thyroid.
Licorice Root, 2 parts. Supports the adrenals and steadies blood sugar.
Fennel Seed, 2 parts. Takes the edge off the appetite and keeps digestion comfortable.
Echinacea, 2 parts. Supports the immune system and the lymph while the body clears waste.
Black Walnut Leaves, 2 parts. Cleansing and toning, and rich in organic iodine.
Papaya Leaves, 2 parts. Aids digestion.
Hawthorn Berries, 1 part. Feeds and strengthens the heart.

“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, that’s 6 ounces of Chickweed, 4 of Safflower, 3 each of Burdock, Parsley Root and the kelp blend, 2 each of the next five, and 1 of Hawthorn.

Putting It Together

How Much and How Often

2 to 4 droppersful morning and evening. If you find you need more or less, adjust to what works best for you.

Several of these herbs gently move water through the kidneys, so drink plenty of water while using this formula. If you feel foggy or drained, cut back the dose. Some people, especially those already on a very clean diet, may simply need less.

For a gentler formula that steadies the appetite without any fluid-clearing herbs, see Taking the Edge Off Between-Meal Hunger, and for the bigger picture, my weight-loss series starting with The Weight Behind the Weight.

This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.

Herbal Healing, Pain, Joints & Injuries

Clearing and Rebuilding Painful Joints

October 4, 2026October 27, 2026 Dara Dietz

Arthritis seems to be everywhere right now. A joint that has become hot, swollen and painful is usually a joint where waste and mineral deposits have built up: calcium the body accepted but never assimilated, settling where it doesn’t belong. Clearing that takes time, but it can be done.

This formula brings together herbs that detoxify; herbs that act as a solvent for those calcium deposits; herbs that relieve pain; herbs rich in organic calcium the body can actually use; and herbs that fight fungus and infection. Relief is not immediate, because there is a long rebuilding job to do. Gradual relief can come, and full recovery, if the program is followed faithfully. Dr. Christopher taught that it should be made both as a salve and as an extract, and we make it both ways.

The salve is our A&R (Arthritis & Rheumatism) Salve. See A&R Salve for Painful Joints for how to use it.

What a Good Joint Formula Contains

A good formula for arthritic joints might contain these thirteen herbs:

Hydrangea Root, 6 parts. Dr. Christopher called it the solvent of solvents; there was no greater aid, he taught, for getting rid of stones and inorganic mineral deposits throughout the body.
Yucca Root, 4 parts. Long used to ease arthritic pain and reduce swelling and inflammation in the joints. See Understanding Yucca, An Herbal Support.
Mormon Tea, 4 parts. An aid for reducing swelling and inflammation, long used as a blood purifier and for rheumatism.
Chaparral, 4 parts. A strong blood purifier and anti-rheumatic.
Black Walnut Hulls, 3 parts. A powerful cleansing herb rich in organic iodine, antiseptic and antifungal.
Burdock Root, 1 part. One of the best blood-purifying herbs in nature; it increases the flow of urine and relieves congestion in the lymph.
Sarsaparilla Root, 1 part. A tonic blood purifier, useful in rheumatism that stems from impure blood.
Wild Lettuce, 1 part. A mild, calming herb long used to ease pain.
Valerian Root, 1 part. A nervine that calms and feeds frayed nerves and eases pain.
Black Cohosh, 1 part. A nervine and antispasmodic that feeds and strengthens the nervous system.
Lobelia, 1 part. Removes obstructions and congestion within the body, especially in the blood vessels.
Wormwood, 1 part. The most bitter herb there is, a stimulating tonic and antiseptic for the whole system.
African Bird Pepper, 1 part. Brings fresh blood to the joint and carries the other herbs where they need to go.

“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, that’s 6 ounces of Hydrangea, 4 each of Yucca, Mormon Tea and Chaparral, 3 of Black Walnut, and 1 ounce each of the rest.

Putting It Together

The extract: Put the dry herbs in a glass jar and pour in 80-proof vodka. Once the herbs have settled, you want about 60% herb sediment on the bottom and 40% liquid on top. Shake the jar every day. The traditional timing follows the moon, from the new moon to the full moon, about two weeks. I prefer to let my extracts sit a full three months, which makes them good and strong. Then strain and bottle the liquid.

The salve: fully extract the herbs in extra virgin olive oil in a 150-degree oven for three hours, swap the spent herbs for fresh, and do it three times through. Strain and thicken with beeswax.

How to Use It

The extract: ½ to 1 teaspoon in a cup of hot distilled water, two to three times a day.
The salve: apply as a pack over the painful, inflamed joint. Spread the salve on flannel, lay it over the joint, and hold it in place with Press’n Seal wrap. Dramatic results often appear when the pack is left on overnight.
Kidney bean pod tea: 1 to 2 quarts a day.
Apple cider vinegar: a tablespoon in a glass of water three times a day helps clear uric acid from inflamed joints, and soaking the joint in hot water with apple cider vinegar brings relief.

This formula takes down the inflammation so healing can begin; the bone, flesh and cartilage formula in Knitting Bone, Flesh and Cartilage Back Together knits the damaged joint back together. The two work very differently, and together. Pair them with the mucusless diet and the foundational programs; see Arthritis.

For an overview of how I use herbal salves as topical applications, here is my video:

This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.

Herbal Healing, Skin, Wounds & First Aid

Two Herbal Helps for Healthy Teeth and Gums

October 4, 2026October 19, 2026 Dara Dietz

Bleeding gums, loose teeth and gum infections don’t have to be the slow slide they so often are. Two simple herbal formulas, one a rinse and one a powder, work beautifully together to bring circulation back into the gums, tighten loose teeth and clear infection from the mouth.

The idea behind them is an old one. Native Americans would place thin strips of inner oak bark between the gums and lips and leave them there through the day or night, and it would heal sores of the gums and tighten loose teeth.

The Tooth and Gum Rinse

This formula increases the circulation to the teeth and gums. Used regularly, it helps tighten teeth and gums and stop the bleeding that comes with plaque buildup and gingivitis. It is antibacterial and antifungal, and goes after oral infection on contact.

A good tooth and gum rinse might contain:

Echinacea, 20 parts. The largest part, a strong immune herb that fights infection in the mouth on contact.
Bayberry Bark, 8 parts. A strong astringent that tightens and tones spongy, bleeding gums.
White Oak Bark, 4 parts. One of the great astringents, long used to firm the gums and tighten loose teeth.
Cayenne (Habanero), 2 parts. Drives fresh circulation into the gums and the roots of the teeth.

Tea Tree, Peppermint and Clove essential oils are stirred in after the herbs are extracted. Tea Tree is antibacterial and antifungal, Clove soothes and numbs, and Peppermint freshens.

How to use it: for best results, use a water pik. Put 4 to 6 droppersful in the reservoir with warm water and use the strongest setting you can tolerate; used daily, gum bleeding often stops within about a week. Or add 2 droppersful to 2 ounces of water and rinse thoroughly, swishing and straining the water through all the teeth. It can also be massaged directly into the gums with a cotton swab.

The Tooth Powder

This powder helps strengthen the gums against bleeding and pyorrhea-type infections, helps tighten loose teeth, and brightens the teeth’s luster. A good tooth powder might contain these seven powdered herbs:

Comfrey Root, 6 parts. The largest part, valued for soothing and knitting tissue back together.
White Oak Bark, 3 parts. Firms the gums and tightens loose teeth.
Horsetail Grass, 3 parts. Rich in silica, which the body uses to build strong bones and teeth.
Peppermint, 3 parts. Freshens the mouth and gives the powder a clean taste.
Oatstraw, 1 part. A gentle, mineral-rich food for bones and teeth.
Cloves, 1 part. Soothes sore gums and helps fight infection.
Lobelia, ½ part. A small amount to relax and carry the other herbs into the tissue.

Mix the powders well and keep them in a tightly closed jar.

How to use it: to brush, wet your toothbrush, dip the damp bristles in the powder and brush as usual. For problem gums, mix about a tablespoon of powder with a little distilled water into a firm, fairly dry paste, pack it under the gums and around the teeth on the upper and lower jaws, and leave it on all night. If it won’t stay in place, wrap the paste in gauze. For severe cases, pack it six nights a week, while brushing regularly, until there is clear improvement, then go on brushing with the powder.

“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every ingredient.

A Word About Black Walnut and the Teeth

A member once asked about a “Dr. Christopher dental formula” made mostly of black walnut hulls. I searched Dr. Christopher’s material and could not find it; the tooth powder above is the only one he wrote of. I would also have great reservations about putting black walnut directly on the teeth. Black walnut is an excellent dye and could likely dye the teeth black. It is the strongest herb in nature for clearing fungus, and it is high in calcium, so if it is found of value for the teeth, take it as an extract in a cup of tea rather than applying it to the teeth.

For more, see Infection: Teeth, Gums & Mouth and Herbal Aids for Clearing an Infection in the Teeth and Gums.

This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.

Brain, Nerves & Sleep, Herbal Healing, Herbs & How to Use Them

A Few Drops for Spasms, Cramps and Shock

October 4, 2026 Dara Dietz

This is Dr. Christopher’s antispasmodic tincture, and it is one of the most powerful formulas in the herb kingdom, used just a few drops at a time. It has long been used in cases of convulsions, lockjaw, delirium, tremors, fainting, cramps and every kind of spasm.

It has also been an effective aid for kidney stones. It helps relax the smooth muscle wall around the stone so the stone can pass more freely. And it has been used effectively after the body has been through a major physical trauma, such as a car accident, to calm the whole system down.

What a Good Antispasmodic Formula Contains

A good antispasmodic formula might contain these six herbs:

Lobelia Seed, 1 part. The heart of the formula and the strongest relaxant in the herb kingdom; as an antispasmodic it is regarded as second to none.
Skullcap, 1 part. One of the most trusted nervine herbs, calming nervous tension and spasm in the nerves themselves.
Skunk Cabbage, 1 part. A strong antispasmodic and nervine, long used for cramps, spasms and nervous excitement.
Gum Myrrh, 1 part. A strong cleansing and antiseptic resin that also helps carry and preserve the formula.
Black Cohosh, 1 part. A nervine and antispasmodic that feeds and calms the nervous system and eases muscle tension.
Cayenne, ½ part. Drives the formula quickly through the circulation to where it’s needed.

“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, that’s an ounce each of the first five and half an ounce of Cayenne.

Putting It Together

How Much and How Often

One to several drops as needed, on the tongue or in a little water. A small bottle goes a long way.

For more on Lobelia, the backbone of this formula, see Lobelia, and for spasms in the muscles themselves, Mullein and Lobelia: Letting Locked Muscles Go.

This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.

Herbal Healing, Infection, Colds & Flu, Organs & Glands

Soothing and Strengthening the Lungs

October 4, 2026 Dara Dietz

The lungs take a beating. Smoke, pollution, colds that settle in and won’t leave, old congestion that never fully cleared: over time the tissue of the airways becomes raw and irritated, and mucus collects where it shouldn’t. This is a formula for the whole respiratory tract. It soothes that irritation, helps the body bring the old mucus up and out, and strengthens the lungs and bronchial tubes so they can do their work.

It has long been used for every kind of lung and bronchial congestion, including bronchitis, asthma and emphysema, and it is a formula to take steadily over time rather than only in an emergency.

What a Good Lung Formula Contains

A good formula for the lungs might contain these five herbs, in equal parts:

Comfrey Root, 1 part. Soothes irritated tissue faster than almost anything I know, and helps loosen old, stubborn mucus so it can come up.
Mullein, 1 part. Has a special affinity for the respiratory organs and the glands, calming inflamed, irritated tissue in the lungs and bronchial tubes.
Chickweed, 1 part. A cooling, soothing herb used to calm irritated lungs and help dissolve congestion.
Marshmallow Root, 1 part. Coats and soothes raw membranes and helps the body move mucus out of the airways.
Lobelia, 1 part. An antispasmodic that relaxes tight airways and helps open the lungs and move material out of them.

“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, that’s simply equal ounces of all five.

Putting It Together

How Much and How Often

2 to 4 droppersful, three to five times a day.

For a cough that hangs on, see Clearing a Cough That Won’t Let Go, and for the bigger picture, Lungs & Respiratory System Class.

This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.

Herbal Healing, Organs & Glands

Food for the Glands

October 4, 2026 Dara Dietz

Mullein and Lobelia together were what Dr. Christopher called his glandular formula. It was built to support the glandular system as a whole. It has long been used to ease the congestion and swelling that can come with an over- or under-active thyroid, and to bring comfort to mastitis and other glands that aren’t working as they should.

This is the formula taken by mouth, as food for the glands. The same two herbs also make a topical, which does a good deal more as a relaxant for locked muscles and joints; see Mullein and Lobelia: Letting Locked Muscles Go.

What a Good Gland Formula Contains

Just two herbs:

Mullein, 3 parts. A gentle, deeply calming herb with a special affinity for both the respiratory system and the glands. It eases pain and quiets irritated, inflamed nerves, and it is counted among the most important herbs for healthy glandular function.
Lobelia, 1 part. An antispasmodic and mild sedative, valued for easing pain and calming irritation throughout the body. Its great strength is removing obstruction and congestion.

“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for both. By weight, that’s 3 ounces of Mullein to 1 ounce of Lobelia.

Putting It Together

How Much and How Often

2 to 4 droppersful (½ to 1 teaspoon), three times a day.

For the thyroid in particular, see Kelp: Food from the Sea for the Thyroid, and for worn-out adrenals, where Mullein and Lobelia also play a part, Rebuilding Tired Adrenals.

This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.