ТЕКСТ №3 Aloe Medicinal Uses
ТЕКСТ №1 DANDELION
Description Perennial with rosette of leaves to 30cm long. Smooth leaves are bright green with uneven, jagged margins of backward pointing teeth, and for this reason the plant has been given the name dandelion which comes from the French ‘dent de lion’, meaning lion’s tooth. Hollow flower-stem to 30cm with one terminal yellow daisy, which sets into a puffball-looking seedhead, with fluffy parachutes to carry each seed away in the wind, nature’s way of plant preservation.
Propagation is by seed, and dandelion will grow under almost all conditions, thriving in dry areas, just as well as it handles the wet conditions. Dandelion will also grow in shade, although this plant family, the daisy, is always considered a sun lover. True dandelion should not be confused with Hawkbit (Leontodon Taraxocoides) or several Cats’ Ears species (Hypochoeris glabra and radicata) which is easily mistaken and is often found in lawns. The identifying points of dandelion are: pointed leaves, only one flower per stem, hollow stems and no hairs on the plant. Note, too, that although some look alike plants are often eaten; long-term use is not advisable. Recently, I had a lady call seeking true dandelion, as it is a valuable herb for horse health. Together with her husband, they run equestrian courses throughout Australia. She said, false dandelions can cause string holt in horses, which shows as jerky movements, freezing of muscles and seizures, as the kidneys cannot flush out the effect of the weed.
Dandelion plants are said to breathe out ethylene gas. Although this can have an inhibiting effect on the growth of some plants nearby, this same gas is utilized by some farmers to accelerate the ripening process of crops. By scattering dandelion seeds under fruit trees, the ethylene gas given off can aid in the early ripening of the crop, which can bring a higher price for fruit early in the season.
Medicinal Uses
Dandelion is a valuable herb, originating in Europe, but now naturalised in many countries, largely due to wind disposal of the seed. This may be nature’s way of telling us it is readily available for us all to use regularly, as the plants’ properties are so valuable. Dandelion has been a revered herb throughout history, regarded as one of the very best herbs known for gall, spleen and liver complaints, and one of the safest and most active plant diuretics. The common name Piss-in-bed, which comes from the French word ‘pissenlit’, indicates the herb’s habit of giving the kidneys the urge to expel urine. Women, who find they puff up at the time of menstruation, may get considerable relief from bloating and breast tenderness, by drinking dandelion tea, as soon as they feel these symptoms.
A daily tea of dandelion root, or eating the leaves, is recommended for anyone with liver complaints. It can be eaten regularly as a preventative, helping to keep the liver at peak efficiency. As the green leaves are a valuable alkaliser to the body, eaten regularly they assist the body to reduce excess acidity; oxygenate, purify and build blood; cleanse and regenerate cells. The bitter principles stimulate the digestion (by salivation, and the production of stomach acids and enzymes); assist liver, spleen, gall and pancreas function, and make it easier to digest fats and oils. Dandelion has been found to stimulate mucus membranes, sooth the digestive tract, absorb toxins from the bowel, help friendly flora to thrive and inhibit unfriendly bacteria. Eating dandelion regularly has a reputation of relieving diabetes. The following blend of herbs put in 00 capsules, and one taken after each meal is found to be beneficial: 2 parts dandelion, 1 part fennel, 1/2 part ginger and 1 part elecampane. It is said that dandelion leaves consumed daily in salads can dissolve gallstones.
Dandelion is helpful for people who suffer from allergies, eczema and other skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, gout, rheumatism, gall stones, metabolic disturbances, bone disorders, low blood pressure, poor circulation, ulcers, anemia, halitosis (bad breath), constipation, malignant tumors, colds, lowering cholesterol, cardiac edema, heart burn, swollen glands, hot flushes, and as a sleep inducing night cap. Dandelion is a herb with fat metabolising properties. For weight loss several cups of dandelion tea can be sipped daily, adding 1-2 tablesp. of cider vinegar to each cup. Therapeutically, dandelion can be used as leaf or root tea, a tincture, or the fresh leaves blended with vegetables or fruit juices. An infusion of 1 teasp. of root to 1 cup of water may be prepared and taken freely (several cups a day). Sweeten with honey if desired. 5-6 fresh leaves to 1 cup of boiling water, left to steep 5-10 minutes, can be used similarly. A wash to relieve inflamed eyes and also applied to facial blemishes is made with dandelion leaves, stems and flowers. The white sap from the stems placed on warts several times a day will be a powerful way to tell them to shrivel and disappear.
ТЕКСТ №2FENNEL
Hildegard of Bingen, a herbal writer of the 12th Century, said fennel was a herb for strengthening the eyes, brain, hearing and heart, and that eating fennel made one happy. Fennel’s power of restoring sight was well known to the poet Longfellow, and he wrote, ‘above the lower plants it towers, the fennel with it’s yellow flowers, and in an earlier age than ours, was gifted with the wondrous powers, lost vision to restore’. Dr Edward Shook highly honoured fennel, and in his ‘Advanced treatise on herbology’ wrote how fennel was taken ‘to correct squinting, applied fairly hot to the eye that is affected or turned, more so than the other eye’. Another herbal writer went on to say the virtues of fennel ‘enabled the eye to see with clarity the beauty of nature’. For tired or inflamed eyes, boil a handful of leaves in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes. The decoction was soaked in lint and the lint placed over the eyelids for 5 minutes, or the decoction used as an eye bath.
Fennel FlowersFennel has been called the pearl of aphrodisiacs, and more recently, a popular British concoction of fennel seeds, licorice root and water was named the tonic for happy lovers. Fennel has featured for benefits to the lungs, liver, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, and to help dissolve stones. The herb increases gastric secretions, which has a beneficial action on digestion, and helps to regulate intestinal flora. It was traditionally used for: indigestion, gas, hiccups, colic, cramps, nausea, vomiting, excessive stomach acidity, sweetening the breath, gum disorders, diarrhea, increase peristalsis of the stomach and intestines, constipation, colon disorders, blood disorders and anemia, fatigue, lethargy and depression, giddiness of the head, frenzy, epilepsy, earache and toothache, kidney and bladder infections, bedwetting, difficult or burning urination, gout, rheumatism, aching joints, hoarseness, sinus, congestion, expel mucus, coughs, sore throats, bronchitis, shortness of breath, emphysema, recovery from strokes, convulsion, nervous disorders, headaches and migraines, sciatica, relieve period pain and morning sickness, hernia, pain in testes, intestinal worms, and to make the taste of yucky medicines more palatable.
For a herbal blood cleanser, mix equal quantities of crushed fennel seeds, ginger powder, dried catnip and peppermint. Drink as a tea made with 1/2 teasp. of the mixed herbs taken half an hour before meals, or taken encapsulated in two 00 size geletin capsules. This old recipe was valued as a herbal detox and for aiding the liver and gall bladder. Apply bruised leaves of fennel as a poultice to glandular swellings. An Arabian tradition used fennel as a poultice to break down old and hard tumours. Fennel has been used by cancer patients to counteract the unpleasant side effects of radiation and chemotherapy.
A formula for cleaning the liver was a tea combining 1 heaped teasp. dandelion root and fennel seed, and 5-6 slivers of green ginger or a pinch of ginger powder and 3 cups of boiling water, steeping for 5 minutes and strained, with 3 cups drunk a day. Use fennel for jaundice, hepatitis and other liver disorders. Fennel is said to restore damaged liver cells. For clammy skin, drink freely, a tea made with 1 teasp. of fennel seed or 2 teasp. of finely chopped fresh leaves to 1 cup of water. Fennel tea is used for inflammation of the uterus and vagina. Fennel seeds and oil are used as an oestrogen source to regulate menstruation, and relieve discomforts of menopause.
Fennel was traditionally known as the slimming herb as it has a stimulating effect on the metabolism. Chew seeds as a snack for hunger pangs, to depress the appetite and desire for sweets, chocolates and rich cakes. Eat the leaves, stems and seeds, or make a leaf or seed tea for weight loss. Fennel helps the liver and pancreas in the metabolism of fats and sugars. Also, it has been said, fennel helps to dissolve fat deposits of the body. One problem with the accumulation of fat in the body is that it must be mobilised into the blood steam before it can be burnt as energy. Anything which assists this process (which fennel is credited for) will help with weight loss, provided attention is also paid to factors of overall diet and exercise. Fennel as a diuretic herb, increases the expulsion of urine or a build up of fluid retention in the body. Fat cells store a lot of water and as the fat is broken down, this water is released and can pass from the body. Fennel can help with this process, particularly in the early stages of a weight loss program. Eat fennel regularly, preparing it like a vegetable, as it is low in calories. In the Middle Ages fennel seed was chewed during fasting days, as it was said to dull the appetite. A friend told me how she eats fennel seed whenever she has a craving for something sweet. Diabetes had affected many members of her family, and snacking on fennel was her practical way of cutting back on sugar-laden foods, and staying healthy.
ТЕКСТ №3 Aloe Medicinal Uses
Man has used aloe for over 5000 years. Egyptians first wrote of the healing powers of the plant on their ancient papyrus texts calling it the plant of immortality. Cleopatra and Nefertiti bathed in aloe juice to retain their youth and beautiful looks. Aloe is mentioned several times in the Bible. It was used in the burial of Jesus. History and legend tells that Aristotle convinced Alexander the Great to conquer the island of Socotra in order to collect aloe plants to use as medicine for his soldiers. Greek writer Dioscorides made detailed accounts of aloe’s uses. Aloe’s influence spread far and wide. In our century, we have the opportunity to read numerous books, hundreds of scientific papers and search the internet to discover the many benefits of aloe.
One of themost important functions of aloe is to aid the digestive system, as poor digestion can be responsible for many diseases. Our food comprises proteins, carbohydrates and fats that must undergo a process of digestion, which consists of breaking down complex substances into simpler ones so they can be absorbed and used by the body. Aloe is able to assist the body by providing the active properties of a large range of amino acids, monosaccharides, fatty acids and enzymes that act as catalysts in breaking down complex foods so the body can assimilate the nutrients more efficiently. Considerable in-vitro and in-vivo research has been done with the concentration of mucopolysaccharides (MSPs) found in aloe vera. MSPs are long-chained sugar molecules, which are found naturally in every cell of the body, however, around the time of puberty, the body stops producing them. When taken internally, they have been shown to have immune stimulating effects. The MSPs of aloe vera interact with the body’s immune system, enhancing rather than over-riding this system. MSPs interject themselves into the cell membranes of the body resulting in much greater cell fluidity and permeability, allowing toxins to flow out of the cells more freely and nutrients to flow in. These nutrients include electrolytes and water, so the MSPs are able to facilitate absorbtion in the gastro-intestinal tract. The overall effect on the body is a rise in energy and cell metabolism activity which leads to a feeling of wellbeing. MSPs also act to protect cells from invasion by microbes such as viruses by setting up a protective barrier, which forms a lining on the colon and keeps toxic wastes from entering the body. MSPs will also lubricate the joints and relieve pain by dilating capillaries, which increases the supply of oxygen and blood to the area. Aloe vera’s properties are extraordinary and have been used to treat man’s many ailments from A to Z. Its uses and the conditions it may relieve include: abscesses, abrasions, acne, allergies, AIDS, anemia, arterial insufficiency, arthritis, athlete’s foot, asthma, bad breath, baldness, blisters, bed sores, bladder infections, blood pressure, bruises, bronchitis, burns, bursitis, bunions, bed wetting, boils, bone fractures, candida, canker sores, cancer, carbuncles, cataracts, cramps, chilblains, chemotherapy side effects, chapped skin and lips, coughs, colds and cold sores, colic, constipation, cystitis, conjunctivitis, colon cleanser, complexion enhancer, chicken pox sores, lowers serum cholesterol, convulsions, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, dandruff, dysentery, depression, dry skin, dermatitis, denture sores, detoxifier, duodenal ulcers, oedema, Epstein Barr virus, earache, fevers, fungus, frost bite, fluid retention, gastrointestinal problems, genital herpes, gangrene, gingivitis, glaucoma, gynaecological diseases, gall ailments, heat rash, headaches, hemorrhoids, heart burn, high blood pressure, hang-overs, hives, heat exhaustion, insomnia, ingrown toenails, indigestion, insect bites, inflamed joints, jaundice, kidney infections, leprosy, laryngitis, lupus, liver ailments, leukaemia, lacerations, multiple sclerosis, mouth ulcers, moles, migraines, menstrual pain, nausea, nervous stress, nappy rash, obesity, psoriasis, prostatitis, pancreas problems, pimples, problems caused by protozoa (ringworm, fungi, virus), prickly heat, periodontal disease, radiation burns, rashes, scar tissue, skin lesions, stings, styes, sprains, sores, scalds, stretch marks, shingles, staph infections, sunburn, sore throat, stomach ulcers, sports injuries, sinus, sun spots, spurs, tonsillitis, tendonitis, trachoma, tuberculosis, tiredness, tropical ear, ulcers, vaginitis, venereal sores, varicose veins, worms, worts, wounds, X-ray burns, yeast infection and zoster (shingles).
Aloe vera has six antiseptic agents (sulphur, lupeol, salicylic acid, cinnamic acid, urea nitrogen and phenol) which act as a team to provide antimicrobial activity thus eliminating many internal and external infections. The pain relieving action is due to the effective analgesics in salicylic acid, magnesium and lupeol. Fatty acids also have a pain reducing, allergy and inflammation relieving effect, and work to lower harmful cholesterol levels.
ТЕКСТ №4 LICORICE Medicinal Uses Licorice is a very special plant with many healing properties. The rejuvenating and nutritive properties have made it one of the most universally consumed herbs; widely used by practitioners of eastern and western herbalism. Since earliest recorded history, licorice has been valued as an aphrodisiac, beautifying agent, used for vitality, and longevity, often called an elixir of life. The earliest clay tablets found in Mesopotamia, tell of licorice as a panacea potion. It is one of the oldest and best-known remedies for coughs and chest complaints. In Egypt, licorice water has been a popular sweet drink since the time of the pharaohs.
Roman legions considered licorice an indispensable ration for their long grueling campaigns. It was said soldiers could go up to 10 days without eating or drinking as the licorice properties helped to build stamina and energy, which allayed both hunger and thirst. In the year 1305, King Edward I, placed a duty on licorice sales, which went to help finance the repair of London Bridge. Ancient Hindus believed it increased sexual vigour when taken with milk and sugar. In traditional Ayurvedic medicine, herbs were used as special foods, serving to eliminate excesses as well as strengthen deficiencies, restore and rejuvenate. Licorice works on the digestive, respiratory, nervous, reproductive and excretory systems. It is an effective expectorant, often combined with ginger to help liquefy mucus and facilitate its discharge. Combined with cardamom and ginger it is considered a tonic for the teeth. Licorice is used to calm the mind, nourish the brain and increase cranial and cerebrospinal fluid, and to benefit vision, voice, hair, complexion and stamina. Licorice is a time-honoured herb in Chinese medicine, dating back thousands of years. Chinese doctors divided their medicinals into 3 classes, according to their reputed properties. Licorice was listed amongst drugs of the first class because it preserved the life of man. The first class herbs were considered not poisonous, so no matter how much you took or how often you used them, they were not harmful. This supreme group of herbs was used to strengthen the respiratory system, keep the body agile and alert, allowing one to age in years without ageing in body. One longevity formula was made of 20% licorice, 40% gotu kola, 30% ginseng, 10% cayenne, with 2-4g of the formula taken 3 times a day. Chinese medicine was often called the medicine of harmony, as the whole focus was on the creation and expression of harmony, a most meaningful basis of health care. Almost all Chinese herbs are used in mixed formulas that may combine 2 or more herbs. Licorice was in many of these formulas, as I was told by a Chinese herbalist, "You always throw a bit in, it helps to detoxify very strong herbs". Chinese herbalism applies the principle of prevention by emphasizing the use of tonics and adaptogen, using plants that regulate, strengthen and invigorate the whole body. Ten different bioflavonoids have been found in licorice, that have an effect of strengthening the immune system, fighting cancer cells, and protecting from cancer.
Licorice Products. Licorice has been given many remedial applications: coughs, colds, wheezing, lung complaints, hoarseness, mucus congestion, tonsillitis, abdominal pain, nausea, poor appetite, fatigue, food poisoning, fevers, fluid retention, edema, burning urine and kidney, bladder ailments, gall stones, allergies, cancers and melanomas, conjunctivitis, earache, toothache, age spots, senility, hyperglycemia, menstrual discomforts, vaginal thrush, endometriosis, infertility, candida, ankylosing spondylitis, muscular dystrophy, skin allergies, hemorrhoids, mouth ulcers, nervous tension, insomnia and anxiety, depression, hysteria, indigestion and gastritis, diabetes, drug withdrawal, malaria, inflammations, cramps, Addison’s and Parkinson’s diseases, epilepsy, poor circulation, to lower cholesterol, headaches, earache, herpes, wounds, burns, cold sores, psoriasis, carbuncles, syphilis, abscesses, shingles, and to fight staphylococci. Licorice infusion as a wash has been used on acne scars.
The intricate, multiplex chemistry in licorice gives it a wide-spectrum of properties and actions. Large numbers of studies have been carried out on its therapeutic benefits particularly for duodenal, and peptic ulcers, hormonal imbalances, respiratory and liver diseases. Studies show it assists the liver to neutralize toxins. Numerous trials have been done with patients with gastric ulcers in a number of countries. A twelve-week study of 874 duodenal-ulcer sufferers published in the Medical Journal, Ireland, showed licorice healed ulcers faster than the drug Tagament, with no hormonal side effects. Other studies showed relief to complete cure in 2-6 weeks with patients taking up to 20-25g daily. Licorice assists the healing of stomach ulcers by spreading a protective gel lining over the stomach wall, lowering acid levels, as well as easing painful spasms. Another report showed that the size of ulcers could be reduced 70- 90% in size in one month, and healing had occurred in patients who were not confined to bed, many even able to carry on working during treatment.