Category: Herbs & How to Use Them

A Quick Look at the Health Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric is one of the most nutritionally beneficial herbs in nature. A strong opening statement but the facts speak for themselves.  Not a few high quality studies have shown Turmeric provides major benefits to the body and brain.

The first question to answer is what makes this root such a powerful healing support.  Turmeric Contains Bioactive Compounds which have powerful medicinal properties. The most important of these compounds is curcumin.

In this article I want to offer some of the benefits Turmeric can offer a body & mind.

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.  Unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream. It helps to consume black pepper with it, which contains piperine… a natural substance that enhances the absorption of curcumin by 2000%.

A pinch of black pepper added or swallowing a few whole peppercorns along with the Turmeric, is an excellent way to enhance absorption.

Curcumin is also fat soluble, so it may be a good idea to take it with a healthy source of fat, try using Flax or Coconut oil added to the turmeric paste or directly into the liquid mix before drinking.

Turmeric contains curcumin, a substance with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Working as a natural anti-inflammatory compound Curcumin aids in clearing chronic inflammation from the body. It is now believed that chronic, low-level inflammation plays a major role in almost every chronic disease. This includes heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and various degenerative conditions. Therefore, anything that can help fight chronic inflammation is of potential importance in preventing and even treating these diseases.

Curcumin has powerful antioxidant effects. It neutralizes free radicals on its own, then stimulates the body’s own antioxidant enzymes.

Curcumin Boosts Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Linked to Improved Brain Function and a Lower Risk of Brain Diseases

Curcumin boosts levels of the brain hormone BDNF, which increases the growth of new neurons and fights various degenerative processes in the brain.

Curcumin Leads to Various Improvements That Should Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease

Curcumin has beneficial effects on several factors known to play a role in heart disease. It improves the function of the endothelium and is a potent anti-inflammatory agent and antioxidant.

Curcumin May be Useful in Preventing and Treating Alzheimer’s Disease

A key feature of Alzheimer’s disease is the buildup of protein tangles called Amyloid plaques. Studies show that curcumin can help clear these plaques.  Curcumin can cross the blood-brain barrier and has been shown to lead to various improvements in the pathological process of Alzheimer’s disease.

Studies Show That Curcumin Has Incredible Benefits Against Depression

Curcumin has shown some promise in treating depression.  Depression has been linked to reduced levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and a shrinking hippocampus. Curcumin boosts BNDF levels, potentially reversing some of these changes. Evidence has shown curcumin can boost the brain neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine.

The question of alcohol consumption comes up often since so many of our members, including myself, choose not to consume alcohol.  Below is my answer to this concern.

In the Bible we are told that there is a purpose for “everything under the sun” this would include alcohol.  Although alcohol has been an abused substance since the flood it does have properties that have proven extremely useful in the healing arts.  When looking at the value of alcohol for the making and long term storage of medicinal herbs it can been seen there is no other substance under heaven that can do this job.

Alcohol is a “preservant” “extratorant” and “solvent”. When the herbs are added the alcohol dissolves the fibers, extracts the properties and preserves them for hundreds of years just the way God put them together.  When ready to use the extracts the alcohol is easily removed by adding hot water.  The alcohol is evaporated, removed,  from the portion in the cup when hot water of at least 170 degrees is added.
When it is not desirable to consume the alcohol add the dose to be use to any tea cup, then pour boiling water in on top the extract to “shock” the alcohol off.  You will often see a puff of white smoke rising from the cup.  This is the alcohol being removed.  Allow the brew in your cup to cool to a comfortable drinking temperature, add honey if needed and enjoy.

The herb alfalfa is good for man or beast.  Alfalfa is a plant we can use with complete safety.  It is non-toxic, non-poisonous and non-habit forming.  This qualifies it as one of many herbs which are beneficial for mankind.  It is “seed bearing” and a green herb, fulfilling the Biblical specifications in Genesis 1:29 and 30.

It is only in recent years that we moderns are rediscovering its valuable nutritive properties, which include organic minerals of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, plus all the known vitamins including Vitamin K and the recently discovered Vitamin B-8 and Vitamin P.  Alfalfa’s organic salts are among the richest known, the depth and spread of its roots enabling it to absorb its valuable nutrition as far as 125 feet below the earth’s surface. This deep growing plant is seen from Maine to Virginia and westward to the Pacific Coast in the United States.

Vitamin D & B12: Alfalfa is one of the few vegetable sources of Vitamin D. Although the sun is generally regarded as the best source for getting this vitamin there are about 4740 International Units of Vitamin D per pound of Alfalfa.  Another important element in Alfalfa is vitamin Bl2. Most nutritionists claim that it is only present in animal products, dairy products, or sewage.

Significant Source of Protein: Alfalfa, along with other foods, is known to help remove cholesterol from the system. Alfalfa has a significant amount of protein–18.9%, as compared with 16.5% in beef, 3.3% in milk and 13.1% in eggs. Eating the sprouts can add a significant amount of important protein into a vegan’s food program whose diet may include so many grains and beans that concentrated proteins are difficult to obtain.

Alfalfa was discovered by the Arabs and is one of the first known herbs.  They called it the “father of all foods.”  An amazing label to apply when one considers the only obtainable herbal wisdom was use and observation.  There were no testing facilities to determine the dense nutrient value within the herb.  Their only knowledge of alfalfa came by evidential experience.

Alfalfa is helpful for every condition of the body whether it be maintaining or regaining health as the contents are balanced for complete absorption.  Each nutrient perfectly supports absorption, enabling 100% usage of the dense nutrients found in this plant.  Alfalfa may be used by itself or blended with other herbal teas with or between meals.

Alfalfa and Pregnancy

Alfalfa is an important herb to take throughout pregnancy. For morning sickness a daily green drink consisting of Alfalfa, comfrey and fresh red-raspberry leaves has been used with great success.  The fresh green drink is much more effective than a  tea made of the same substances.

Green Drink: Make in a blender using Alfalfa, comfrey, and fresh red-raspberry leaves.  The addition of pineapple juice, fresh or canned, may enhance the flavor.  Lamb’s quarter may also be added for extra nutriments.

If the mother-to-be would make use of this God-given herb, she would provide the growing infant with nutrient rich blood, the best raw materials for building a healthy body.

Alfalfa also contains hormones.  These hormones are utilized by the pituitary gland.  This is the gland which regulates labor.  It is essential to have this gland in top condition.

Clotting Factor: Vitamin K, present in alfalfa, is the substance which has been called “the clotting factor.” Many unnecessary hemorrhages can be prevented by the daily ingestion of alfalfa tea, capsules or tablets during pregnancy.

After delivery, the ingestion of alfalfa will facilitate the healing of the uterus.  Pregnant women would do well to take no less than 15 alfalfa tablets or capsules daily.

Rich Milk: Alfalfa is also thought to dramatically help bring the milk in for the nursing mother. It certainly enriches the quality of the milk and is much preferable to other hot beverages, such as regular tea, which can pollute the breast milk. It can be flavored with mint, orange peel, and honey.

Dr. Christopher speaks about the Elder’s great healing powers.  The Elder is an indigenous shrub growing in all parts of the United States and Canada  “The great herbalist, Henry Box of England, stated, “For colds, influenza, fevers, inflammation of the brain, pneumonia, inflammation of stomach, bowels, or any other part, this is a certain cure.  I have never known it to fail, even when given up and at the point of death.  It will not only save at the eleventh hour, but at the last minute of that hour.  It is so harmless that you cannot use it amiss and so effectual that you cannot give it in vain”.

“Elder’s most famous effect lies in its cure of colds, fevers, flu, etc.  Dr. Shook noted that since upwards of six million people died of influenza after the last World War, it would be an important remedy to store and use.  He explained that all forms of catarrh are caused when fibrin is not dissolved properly; it is thrown into the blood as a stringy, insoluble mass which forms an excess of phlegm and catarrhal mucoid matter.  Potassium chloride keeps this fibrin in solution, but when the body lacks enough, the fibrin blocks the circulation of the blood.

“Potassium phosphate, on the other hand, activates and feeds the skin and mucous membranes, and potassium sulphate acts similarly to iron as an oxygen-carrier and oil-former to lubricate and feed the sebaceous glands and the epithelial covering of the mucous membranes.  All three of these potassium compounds are found in the Elder plant.  Potassium chloride and sulphate are contained in its inner bark.

“The Potassium phosphate, chloride, and sulphate are found in the flower (which, incidentally, is the part most used in colds and flu), and potassium sulphate and nitrate are found in the leaves.  The fruit contains a number of potassium compounds besides the above mentioned compounds.  These potassium compounds are one chemical reason that the Elder so effectually removes colds and flu.

“Since the Elder flowers are emetic and sometimes nauseating to some people, they are often blended with Peppermint to use in this flu remedy.

“The Elder effects diaphoresis and helps the body eliminate toxic material from the body through the pores of the skin.  The Elder-Peppermint tea should be made in the proportions of one ounce of the herb to a pint of water, and drunk as hot as possible, drunk in bed or just before taking a hot bath, so as to sweat out the cold or flu.  You can cover a hot water bottle with a cloth or towel dipped in vinegar to place near the feet.  This tea will also induce sleep, while the patient sweats, and allow for a complete cure.”

One of the most amazing discoveries about chaparral is that it contains a tremendous amount of Manganese, copper, and zinc.

These are organic, living, readily assimilable minerals—not the deadly inorganic type that you can purchase in tablets at the local vitamin store.

While the inorganic minerals may have an immediate reaction on the human system, they only serve to mask the problem while temporarily alleviating the symptoms. These inorganics are only a crutch which will lead to greater problems later as organs are weakened from the deadly residue they leave behind.

The organic forms of minerals found in fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds (this list includes the herbs) are the only type of minerals we need in our bodies. We have repeated this principle many times. The point needs to be understood that people have to use organic minerals. Only plant life can utilize the inorganics.

Even though this fact has been presented again and again, we still see folks eating rock tablets for calcium supplements and heavy metals for the rest of their minerals. Once they understand the truth of the matter, they will stop doing damage to their bodies.