Dandelion Pharmacy
Excerpt from pages 151 - Healing Wise
Dandelion Wine à la Laughing Rock
Our year's supply...
2gal/8 liter crock
3-5 qts/3-5 liters blossoms
5 qts/5 liters water
3 pounds/1.5 kg sugar
1 organic orange
1 organic lemon
1 pkg/8 grams live yeast whole wheat bread toast
DIRECTIONS:
Find a field of dandelions in bloom on a glorious shining day. Follow the honeybees to the finest flowers. Pick them with a sweeping motion of your parted fingers, like a comb. I leave the green sepals on, but get rid of all stalks.
Back home, put blossoms immediately into a large ceramic, glass, or plastic vessel. Boil water; pour over flowers. Cover your crock with cheesecloth. Stir daily for three days. On the fourth day, strain blossoms from liquid.
Cook liquid with sugar and rind of citrus (omit rind if not organic) for 30-60 minutes. Return to crock. Add citrus juice. When liquid has cooled to blood temperature, soften yeast, spread on toast, and float toast in crock. Cover and let work two days. Strain.
Return liquid to crock for one more day to settle. Filter into very clean bottles and cork lightly. Don't drink until winter solstice.
Preparation time: A week's worth of effort yields a drink not only delightful but good for your liver, as well.
Well, maybe next year. I need a couple of crocks. It's another addition to an already excedingly large list. Tootles.
Cheers,
Alli
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Pine Needle Tea; by Susun Weed
The warming air of this verdant May morning touches my senses with pine. In the sweet-scented shade of a towering white pine much like the one I now sit under, the Peaceful Nations buried their weapons. I breathe deeply, asking their ancient wisdom to flow into me with the refreshing pine smell.
The nations of the Adirondacks (a word which means "tree eaters") ate the inner bark of White Pines as one of their primary winter foods.
I slice a strip from the underside of a small limb, thanking the tree for its gifts of nourishment. The antiseptic sensation in my throat as I chew brings to mind "Pine Brothers' Cough Drops." I feel my lungs open, my throat open, my sinuses open, warmed and stimulated by White Pine, lofty yet generous tree.
Europeans didn't eat White Pine (at least, not at first). They cut the straight, tall trees (150 feet was not an uncommon height and there are records of 200 and 250 foot trees) and sent them to the shipyards, where they masted huge sailing ships.
But eat Pine they did. Old records reveal numerous English settlements where virtually all of the colonists died of scurvy (lack of vitamin C) during their first winters in the "New World." Compassionate Native Americans suggested a daily tea of Pine needles, one of Nature's richest sources of vitamin C, and saved the colonists' lives. Pine needle tea has become one of my winter favorites, as well, staving off not only scurvy, But colds, congestion, and the flu.
The sticky sap I pry loose from the pine cone near me was chewed, no doubt, by Indian youth. It contains an (FDA approved) substance nearly 2000 times sweeter than sugar. I savor its surprising intensity, remembering winter sore throats soothed and sore gums strengthened. (Myrrh is a distant relative.) Mixed with grease, the sap is a superb sealant for canoes and water vessels.
As I close my eyes and savor the sweet, pungent taste and smell of Pine, I remember a story I heard from a woman who guides canoe trips. One of the participants ran his aluminum canoe into a rock, splitting the canoe and gashing his thigh deeply from knee to hip. Emergency care was 4-5 days away. They bound his thigh with limber strips of fresh White Pine bark and continued on. "I still marvel," she told me, "at the speed and ease with which That very nasty cut healed."
"Pine Tar Salve" reads the label. Looks black, like my hands when I handle fresh cut pine, or my clothes when I sit on the wrong stump. "Works like heck," says my neighbor. "Put It on dog sores, cat fight wounds, boils, ulcers, blisters. Draws out splinters, stys, and pimples. Soothes burns, hemorrhoids, and itchy bites. Even cures you of poison ivy. Give It a try."
I'll be in good company if I do. The Native people of North American valued no single healing/nourishing plant more highly than Pine. They used not only the sap, But also the boiled mashed inner bark, to heal the inevitable injuries of an outdoor life.
Icelanders of the fifteenth century took the sap mixed with honey to ease lung troubles.
Oriental herbalists use knots from their pines as medicine, especially praising the decoction (with Tang Gui) as a remedy for arthritis.
Is there a Pine growing by you? It's very likely. Take a moment; to the Pine, great tree of peace, tree of healing. Joyously feel the blessing of the trees. Breathe in the calming yet exhilarating scent of Pine. Truly, the trees shall heal us.
More......
http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/Weed_letter_Dec-01.htm
The nations of the Adirondacks (a word which means "tree eaters") ate the inner bark of White Pines as one of their primary winter foods.
I slice a strip from the underside of a small limb, thanking the tree for its gifts of nourishment. The antiseptic sensation in my throat as I chew brings to mind "Pine Brothers' Cough Drops." I feel my lungs open, my throat open, my sinuses open, warmed and stimulated by White Pine, lofty yet generous tree.
Europeans didn't eat White Pine (at least, not at first). They cut the straight, tall trees (150 feet was not an uncommon height and there are records of 200 and 250 foot trees) and sent them to the shipyards, where they masted huge sailing ships.
But eat Pine they did. Old records reveal numerous English settlements where virtually all of the colonists died of scurvy (lack of vitamin C) during their first winters in the "New World." Compassionate Native Americans suggested a daily tea of Pine needles, one of Nature's richest sources of vitamin C, and saved the colonists' lives. Pine needle tea has become one of my winter favorites, as well, staving off not only scurvy, But colds, congestion, and the flu.
The sticky sap I pry loose from the pine cone near me was chewed, no doubt, by Indian youth. It contains an (FDA approved) substance nearly 2000 times sweeter than sugar. I savor its surprising intensity, remembering winter sore throats soothed and sore gums strengthened. (Myrrh is a distant relative.) Mixed with grease, the sap is a superb sealant for canoes and water vessels.
As I close my eyes and savor the sweet, pungent taste and smell of Pine, I remember a story I heard from a woman who guides canoe trips. One of the participants ran his aluminum canoe into a rock, splitting the canoe and gashing his thigh deeply from knee to hip. Emergency care was 4-5 days away. They bound his thigh with limber strips of fresh White Pine bark and continued on. "I still marvel," she told me, "at the speed and ease with which That very nasty cut healed."
"Pine Tar Salve" reads the label. Looks black, like my hands when I handle fresh cut pine, or my clothes when I sit on the wrong stump. "Works like heck," says my neighbor. "Put It on dog sores, cat fight wounds, boils, ulcers, blisters. Draws out splinters, stys, and pimples. Soothes burns, hemorrhoids, and itchy bites. Even cures you of poison ivy. Give It a try."
I'll be in good company if I do. The Native people of North American valued no single healing/nourishing plant more highly than Pine. They used not only the sap, But also the boiled mashed inner bark, to heal the inevitable injuries of an outdoor life.
Icelanders of the fifteenth century took the sap mixed with honey to ease lung troubles.
Oriental herbalists use knots from their pines as medicine, especially praising the decoction (with Tang Gui) as a remedy for arthritis.
Is there a Pine growing by you? It's very likely. Take a moment; to the Pine, great tree of peace, tree of healing. Joyously feel the blessing of the trees. Breathe in the calming yet exhilarating scent of Pine. Truly, the trees shall heal us.
More......
http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/Weed_letter_Dec-01.htm
Monday, August 30, 2010
Looking for Paprika info by D.C. Jarvis; notes on Cayene and D. C. Jarvis
http://www.jcrows.com/cayenne.html
D. C. Jarvis unpublished notes $49.95
http://www.jcrows.com/jarvisnotebook.html
Digestion
Cayenne can rebuild the tissue in the stomach and the peristaltic action in the intestines. It aids elimination and assimilation, and helps the body to create hydrochloric acid, which is so necessary for good digestion and assimilation, especially of proteins. All this becomes very significant when we realize that the digestive system plays the most important role in mental, emotional and physical health, as it is through the digestive system that the brain, glands, muscles and every other part of the body are fed.
Heart
Cayenne has been known to stop heart attacks within 30 seconds. For example, when a 90-year-old man in Oregon had a severe heart attack, his daughter was able to get Cayenne extract into his mouth. He was pronounced dead by the medics, but within a few minutes, he regained consciousness. On the way to the hospital, he remained in a semi-conscious state, but the daughter kept giving him the Cayenne extract. By the time they got to the hospital, he had fully recovered and wanted to go home and mow the lawn. The doctor asked what she had given him, as he said it was the closest thing to a miracle he had ever seen.
If a heart attack should occur, it is suggested that a teaspoon of extract be given every 15 minutes or a teaspoon of Cayenne in a glass of hot water be taken until the crisis has passed. Dr. Anderson also knew of a doctor who rushed out into the parking lot and put cayenne tincture into the mouth of a man who had died of a heart attack while he was parking his car. Within a few minutes, the man’s heart starting beating again.
According to Dr. Richard Anderson, using cayenne and hawthorn berries together has a most incredible effect upon the heart. He believes that a regimen of cayenne and hawthorn berries for several months will greatly strengthen the heart, and possibly prevent heart attacks. He states further that if an attack were to occur in someone who had followed this regimen, chances are very good that no damage would occur. He tells the following story about his mother:
“I had her taking hawthorn berries and cayenne when she had a heart attack at the age of 79. Her diet had not been the best, and she was in an extremely stressful situation. While in the hospital, they found three blocked arteries and wanted to operate immediately. They did not think that she could survive for more than a few weeks if they didn’t operate. (How many have heard that story!) The doctors thought it would be very risky to operate, but they had her there, and there was a lot of money to be made. So they decided to take some tests in the hopes that they could find an excuse to operate. In spite of the fact that she had been taking lots of aspirin for her arthritis, smoked like she was the reincarnation of a boiler factory, and had just had a heart attack, they found that her heart was incredibly strong. In fact, they felt that her heart was stronger than most people in their 30’s! The good news was that not only did she survive the operation, but also she stopped smoking! Well worth the operation, don’t you think? In my opinion, that was the best thing the doctors ever did for her. Well, that is what hawthorn and cayenne can do for the heart, and every good herbalist knows it; every good doctor should also know it, but very few do.”
Emergencies
It is a good idea to always have some Cayenne extract on hand for emergencies. Dr. Anderson carries capsules of cayenne with him in the car and whenever he goes hiking, backpacking or mountain climbing. He says, “You never know when you may find someone having a heart attack or some other emergency.”
The following stories demonstrate only a few of the remarkable emergency uses of cayenne.
If a hemorrhage occurs in the lungs, stomach, uterus or nose, it is suggested that a teaspoon of extract (or a teaspoon of cayenne powder in a cup of hot water) be given every 15 minutes until the crisis has passed. The bleeding should stop in 10-30 seconds. The reason for this is that rather than the blood pressure being centralized, it is equalized by the Cayenne, and the clotting action of the blood becomes more rapid. For external bleeding, take cayenne internally and pour cayenne directly on the wound.
Dr. Anderson, author of Cleanse and Purify Thyself, tells of one time when he was on the beach and a man began passing a kidney stone . The man took some cayenne, which relieved his pain almost immediately.
A person known to Dr. Anderson had a severe toothache in the middle of the night on a weekend. He tried many things to relieve the pain. Cayenne was the only thing that helped.
One of the youngest persons to take cayenne was a six-week old baby who was born with chronic asthma. Dr. John Christopher administered the cayenne using an eyedropper, and it then became possible for the baby to breathe normally.
Dr. Christopher has used cayenne to eliminate allergies, varicose veins, cramps, constipation, and to increase energy.
Dr. Anderson recommends cayenne to help cleanse the body, increase body heat, improve circulation, and strengthen the eyes. But above all, Dr. Anderson feels that cayenne is exceptionally beneficial for the heart.
Rich Anderson published the first Cleanse and Purify Thyself in 1988. It became one of the most popular books on cleansing ever written. With almost no advertising, this book spread around the world and was translated into several languages.
Dr. Richard Schulze - "If you take cayenne pepper in capsules, you may be wasting your time and never getting the cures I got with my patients."
Historical or traditional use
The potent, hot fruit of cayenne has been used as medicine for centuries. It was considered helpful for various conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, including stomachaches, cramping pains, and gas. Cayenne was frequently used to treat diseases of the circulatory system. It is still traditionally used in herbal medicine as a circulatory tonic (a substance believed to improve circulation). Rubbed on the skin, cayenne is a traditional, as well as modern, remedy for rheumatic pains and arthritis due to what is termed a counterirritant effect. A counterirritant is something which causes irritation to a tissue to which it is applied, thus distracting from the original irritation (such as joint pain in the case of arthritis).
D. C. Jarvis unpublished notes $49.95
http://www.jcrows.com/jarvisnotebook.html
Digestion
Cayenne can rebuild the tissue in the stomach and the peristaltic action in the intestines. It aids elimination and assimilation, and helps the body to create hydrochloric acid, which is so necessary for good digestion and assimilation, especially of proteins. All this becomes very significant when we realize that the digestive system plays the most important role in mental, emotional and physical health, as it is through the digestive system that the brain, glands, muscles and every other part of the body are fed.
Heart
Cayenne has been known to stop heart attacks within 30 seconds. For example, when a 90-year-old man in Oregon had a severe heart attack, his daughter was able to get Cayenne extract into his mouth. He was pronounced dead by the medics, but within a few minutes, he regained consciousness. On the way to the hospital, he remained in a semi-conscious state, but the daughter kept giving him the Cayenne extract. By the time they got to the hospital, he had fully recovered and wanted to go home and mow the lawn. The doctor asked what she had given him, as he said it was the closest thing to a miracle he had ever seen.
If a heart attack should occur, it is suggested that a teaspoon of extract be given every 15 minutes or a teaspoon of Cayenne in a glass of hot water be taken until the crisis has passed. Dr. Anderson also knew of a doctor who rushed out into the parking lot and put cayenne tincture into the mouth of a man who had died of a heart attack while he was parking his car. Within a few minutes, the man’s heart starting beating again.
According to Dr. Richard Anderson, using cayenne and hawthorn berries together has a most incredible effect upon the heart. He believes that a regimen of cayenne and hawthorn berries for several months will greatly strengthen the heart, and possibly prevent heart attacks. He states further that if an attack were to occur in someone who had followed this regimen, chances are very good that no damage would occur. He tells the following story about his mother:
“I had her taking hawthorn berries and cayenne when she had a heart attack at the age of 79. Her diet had not been the best, and she was in an extremely stressful situation. While in the hospital, they found three blocked arteries and wanted to operate immediately. They did not think that she could survive for more than a few weeks if they didn’t operate. (How many have heard that story!) The doctors thought it would be very risky to operate, but they had her there, and there was a lot of money to be made. So they decided to take some tests in the hopes that they could find an excuse to operate. In spite of the fact that she had been taking lots of aspirin for her arthritis, smoked like she was the reincarnation of a boiler factory, and had just had a heart attack, they found that her heart was incredibly strong. In fact, they felt that her heart was stronger than most people in their 30’s! The good news was that not only did she survive the operation, but also she stopped smoking! Well worth the operation, don’t you think? In my opinion, that was the best thing the doctors ever did for her. Well, that is what hawthorn and cayenne can do for the heart, and every good herbalist knows it; every good doctor should also know it, but very few do.”
Emergencies
It is a good idea to always have some Cayenne extract on hand for emergencies. Dr. Anderson carries capsules of cayenne with him in the car and whenever he goes hiking, backpacking or mountain climbing. He says, “You never know when you may find someone having a heart attack or some other emergency.”
The following stories demonstrate only a few of the remarkable emergency uses of cayenne.
If a hemorrhage occurs in the lungs, stomach, uterus or nose, it is suggested that a teaspoon of extract (or a teaspoon of cayenne powder in a cup of hot water) be given every 15 minutes until the crisis has passed. The bleeding should stop in 10-30 seconds. The reason for this is that rather than the blood pressure being centralized, it is equalized by the Cayenne, and the clotting action of the blood becomes more rapid. For external bleeding, take cayenne internally and pour cayenne directly on the wound.
Dr. Anderson, author of Cleanse and Purify Thyself, tells of one time when he was on the beach and a man began passing a kidney stone . The man took some cayenne, which relieved his pain almost immediately.
A person known to Dr. Anderson had a severe toothache in the middle of the night on a weekend. He tried many things to relieve the pain. Cayenne was the only thing that helped.
One of the youngest persons to take cayenne was a six-week old baby who was born with chronic asthma. Dr. John Christopher administered the cayenne using an eyedropper, and it then became possible for the baby to breathe normally.
Dr. Christopher has used cayenne to eliminate allergies, varicose veins, cramps, constipation, and to increase energy.
Dr. Anderson recommends cayenne to help cleanse the body, increase body heat, improve circulation, and strengthen the eyes. But above all, Dr. Anderson feels that cayenne is exceptionally beneficial for the heart.
Rich Anderson published the first Cleanse and Purify Thyself in 1988. It became one of the most popular books on cleansing ever written. With almost no advertising, this book spread around the world and was translated into several languages.
Dr. Richard Schulze - "If you take cayenne pepper in capsules, you may be wasting your time and never getting the cures I got with my patients."
Historical or traditional use
The potent, hot fruit of cayenne has been used as medicine for centuries. It was considered helpful for various conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, including stomachaches, cramping pains, and gas. Cayenne was frequently used to treat diseases of the circulatory system. It is still traditionally used in herbal medicine as a circulatory tonic (a substance believed to improve circulation). Rubbed on the skin, cayenne is a traditional, as well as modern, remedy for rheumatic pains and arthritis due to what is termed a counterirritant effect. A counterirritant is something which causes irritation to a tissue to which it is applied, thus distracting from the original irritation (such as joint pain in the case of arthritis).
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Herbs that Ease Anxiety and Fear; Nettle, Oatstraw, Motherwort, and more...
In this series of articles adapted from her best-selling book New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way (available through www.ashtreepublishing.com, herbalist Susun S Weed shares her favorite herbs and home remedies for dealing with fear, anxiety, nervousness, grief, depression, rage, fatigue, and sleeplessness. Her Wise Woman remedies are simple and safe to use, easy to find and buy, and amazingly effective.
Fear and anxiety are closely linked, but quite different. Fear is focused, anxiety is diffuse. Fear is health promoting and protective: It keeps us from jumping off cliffs. Anxiety can destroy health and increase our vulnerability: It shortens our breath, narrows our blood vessels, and interferes with the functioning of the immune system. Fear is useful energy; it calls to our courage. Anxiety is useless; it promotes feelings of insecurity, helplessness, weakness.
Notice the difference in yourself between fear and anxiety. Whenever possible, find the fear hidden in your anxiety and let it call forth your strength and power. The following remedies can help you make this transformation.
Bach flower remedies are easy to carry and use. A dose is 1-4 drops, taken as needed. One or more of the following may ease your anxiety: Aspen (anxious about the future); Mimulus (anxious about the past); Red Chestnut (anxious about the safety of others); Elm (overwhelming anxiety); Rock Rose (anxiety that escalates into panic).
The smell of roses has been used for centuries to ease anxiety. A touch of rose essential oil on the seam of your sleeve will wrap you in calming fragrance all day. To magnify the effect, have a massage with rose-scented balms. Even one massage can cause a marked decrease in anxiety for weeks afterwards.
Yoga postures, yoga breathing, and quiet, focused meditation are excellent ways to tonify (and soothe) the sympathetic nervous system. Regular practice alleviates anxiety, often permanently. If you feel so anxious you think you might burst, try the lion pose. Open your mouth very wide; even wider! Stick your tongue out; even further. Open your eyes really wide; bigger. Rotate eyes left, then right. Breathe deeply and exhale fully up to ten times. Keep the shoulders and the forehead relaxed. This pose unblocks the throat, releases facial tension, relaxes the breathing muscles, and relieves anxiety.
Stinging nettle infusion strengthens the adrenals: relieving anxiety and building focused energy. Depleted adrenals often over-react, giving rise to sudden sensations of anxiety, fear, and nervousness. Use bulk herb, not tea bags, not capsules. Put one ounce by weight (about a cup by volume) of the dried nettle herb in a quart jar. Fill the jar to the top with boiling water and cover tightly. Let steep for at least four hours; overnight is fine. Strain herb out and drink the remaining liquid. Iced nettle infusion is particularly good. The taste is green, like spinach broth, and is better seasoned with salt than sugar or honey. Refrigerate your nettle infusion after straining it and drink it promptly as it is likely to ferment is kept for more than two days.
Oatstraw infusion is another favorite of those who want to feel less anxious. Preparation is the same as for nettle infusion; remember to avoid tea bags and capsules. The taste of oatstraw is softer and more mellow; you will enjoy it warm with a little honey. Green oat tincture is much more powerful than oatstraw infusion. It is especially useful for those whose anxiety is combined with excessive nervous energy. Or try a hot bath with lemon balm or oatstraw; an ancient remedy for bad cases of the “nerves.” Ahhhh. . . .
Motherwort tincture is my favorite calmative. It is not sleep inducing nor mind numbing. A dose of 10-20 drops can safely be taken as often as every ten minutes, if needed, to calm and soothe sore spirits. "Like sitting in my mother's lap," one satisfied user commented. Motherwort tea tastes terrible and is not very effective; likewise the capsules are not useful. Motherwort tincture can be taken every day if you wish, but you will find that you don't need it as you have used it for a while.
A dropperful of St. Joan’s/John's wort tincture is the remedy to reach for when you are on edge and feel like anything will push you over it. The dose can be repeated safely several times an hour if needed. This nerve-nourishing and nerve-strengthening herb relieves the immediate anxiety and helps prevent future distress as well.
Herbal tranquilizers are safer than prescription tranquilizers, but are best reserved for occasional use. Valerian is the best known. Because its action can be quite strong, it is best to begin with a five-drop dose, which can be repeated every 10-15 minutes until you are calm (and probably asleep). To avoid addiction, use valerian root as a tea or a tincture, not in capsules, and take it for no more than three weeks. Skullcap tincture is less addictive and often more effective. The dose is 10-20 drops of fresh plant tincture or 1-2 dropperfuls of dried plant tincture. Skullcap can also be sleep inducing, but it is rarely habituating.
Exercise is a ready remedy for overwhelming anxiety. If you feel like running away from it all, running or skating or walking briskly might be the very thing to do. Fifteen to twenty minutes of heart-pounding exercise will use up your excess adrenalin and “eat up” your stress.
Extreme fear or anxiety may lead to hyperventilation. If you are breathing rapidly and shallowly and feel spaced out you can 1) breathe into a paper bag until normal breathing resumes or 2) hold your breath (you can actually put your hand over your nose and mouth) for a count of 20; then breathe out as slowly as you can.
Calcium keeps the nerves steady. A glass of warm milk is an old wives' trusted ally for relieving anxiety. Stinging nettle is an excellent source of calcium when brewed as an infusion; one cup can contain as much as 500 mg of calcium. Oatstraw infusion is also loaded with calcium, with one cup containing up to 300 mg. Soy beverage can have the opposite effect -- that is, it may increase anxiety -- due to its ability to disrupt thyroid functioning and interfere with calcium metabolism. One herbalist who consumed large quantities of soy "milk" and soy protein bars wound up in the hospital with an irregular heartbeat and severe anxiety. If you think you are lactose intolerant, drink no more than four ounces of milk at a time, or use yogurt instead of milk. (Yogurt is generally free of lactose.)
Of course you don't want to do all these things at once! But you could join a yoga class, use nettle or oatstraw infusion daily, and have a bottle of motherwort or skullcap tincture handy for times when you are exceptionally anxious. By working with strengthening herbs and exercises, you not only relieve the bothersome symptoms but improve your overall health. That's the Wise Woman Way.
This article appeared in the December 2001edition as the first of a featured ongoing column by Susun Weed at http://www.awakenedwoman.com/
more on motherwort from Susun;
http://www.susunweed.com/Article_Motherwort.htm
TY my dear friends for sharing you insights and herbal introspective and more...
With much gratitude and love,
Allison
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Susun Weed and Skullcap; indirectly ~ my adventures ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And thanks be to my wonderful friend who introduced me to Susun, indirectly through some of her work such as this excerpt. If you are whimsically inclined you will for sure enjoy her writing. If you are more traditional thinking, you may come away with some criticisms. This is my journal entry. It is not a critical analysis.
Namaste~~~
With much gratitude, Alli
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Skullcap
Herbal Adventures with Susun S Weed
by Susun S. Weed
I promised to meet you deep in the woods during a summer thunderstorm. That's my favorite time to pick one of my favorite mints: mad dog weed, also known as skullcap. I always keep a bottle in my firstaid kit, just in case. Here, you take the basket and scissors, I have the vodka; let's make some skullcap tincture.
If you're going to come with me to hunt for skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), may I suggest you take off your shoes. Skullcap grows in wet places and the mud feels nice between your toes. No sense in searching for her until the nights are warm. I usually harvest skullcap in August here in the Catskills, when she is at the peak of her growth and flowering.
I'm blessed to have skullcap in my wet woods. She is somewhat rare, and difficult to find. She's very shy. And likes to hide. Most people who look for skullcap come away empty-handed. But if you don't find her, you will very likely find Lycopus, wolf mint, sometimes called mountain mint.
Where skullcap is sprawling and lanky, hardly trying to stand up, wolf mint is erect and short. Skullcap has blue-purple flowers, while wolf mint has little ruffs (whorls) of white flowers around the stem. Despite these differences, Lycopus is considered an excellent substitute for skullcap.
These mints need to be tinctured fresh. Drying skullcap or wolf mint evaporates most of the delicate components that make these plants so gently effective. So I use only the very freshest plant material. That's why we're taking the vodka to the skullcap. We're going to make our tincture in the woods. Even a short delay between harvesting and tincturing weakens the final product.
If you can't find skullcap, you may want to try growing her. She is fussy, and very demanding. Unlike most mints, she likes rich earth, but not too rich. She wants wet soil, but not too wet. And she likes dappled sunlight but not too shady, and not too sunny either, please.
Let's sing as we walk to the skullcap "swamp." Singing is my favorite form of prayer. And I want skullcap to hear us coming and welcome us. Aha! Here we are--feel the squishy warm mud underfoot?
See if you can find the skullcap among the life root (Senecio aureus) and forget-me-nots. Look not only for her blue-violet flowers but also for her strangely shaped seed pods. They are said to look like skulls, but you will have to use your imagination to see the resemblance. Perhaps she got her name from her ability to relieve headaches. Or because, if you take enough skullcap, your head droops like her flowers and you sleep.
Because there is so little skullcap, even where there seems to be a lot of it, and because drying it makes it nearly worthless as a medicinal plant in my estimation, I don't make tea or infusion with it. Remember that even if we harvested a pound of fresh skullcap, it would dry down to a mere four ounces. Instead, I preserve and maximize skullcap's properties by tincturing her. And since I use skullcap primarily for pain relief, it's great to have a fast-acting tincture.
I find a small dose (3-5 drops of fresh skullcap tincture) takes the edge off a simple tension headache in a few minutes. A larger dose (10-15 drops), taken three or four times at the beginning of a major headache, can often stop it from coming on or moderate its pain and length. A really large dose (a dropperful or 15-25 drops) will make you very sleepy. So, be very cautious.
But you don't need to take skullcap tincture by the handful to get to sleep. As little as ten drops in a cup of warm milk (or hot chocolate) is quite effective. Lighting a candle, cuddle up in bed, drink your skullcap nightcap, and get ready for pleasant dreams.
People addicted to sleeping pills (and other addictive substances) find skullcap tincture an ally when they are ready to get off drugs. Make sure there's a glass of water with another dose of skullcap already in it next to your bed, in case you need it. Then blow out the candle, say your prayers, and good night.
Skullcap tincture relieves almost any pain, especially when the nerves are involved. Try skullcap when bothered by sciatica pain, neuralgia, toothache, eye twitches, or ringing in the ears.
Skullcap was a powerful ally for me when I sprained my wrist far from home on a camping trip. The pain was so intense I thought I wouldn't be able to sleep. But a dropperful of skullcap put me out. Every time the pain woke me--probably a dozen times that first night--I took another dropperful and went back to sleep almost instantly.
Skullcap works well with St. Joan's wort (discussed in a previous SageWoman). These friends, taken together, ease migraines, relax stiff muscles, and relieve pain throughout the body.
If I'm in a stressful situation, I take 1-2 drops of skullcap in the morning, right after I get up. It seems to strengthen my nervous system, and doesn't make me at all sleepy.
If you buy skullcap tincture, and it is made from dried plants, multiply my doses by ten to get the same effects.
Listen to that thunder roll across the mountains. They say it's Rip Van Winkle playing at nine pins with the wee folk. Time to head back to the house, where we can pull out the last two remedies in my first-aid kit. And we'd better move fast or more than our feet will be wet.
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Question and Answer:
Dear Susun,
Thank you for your wonderful article on comfrey leaf in SageWoman. I ordered a pound of comfrey leaf from Frontier, assuming it would be the cultivated kind. But it was labeled Symphytum officinale. I spoke to someone there, but she didn't seem to understand my question, and said that even if it was the cultivated type they would still stand behind their warning of "external use only."
This spring I will plant comfrey so I won't have to rely on Frontier, but in the meantime, I would like to begin the infusion. Should I trust the label and assume it is the wild variety, or should I just go for it and hope that it has no toxins? By the way, your website is awesome.
Nicole
Dear Nicole;
I think the Frontier comfrey leaf is mislabeled. I think everybody's comfrey leaf is mislabeled. Symphytum officinale--a small plant with yellow flowers--is rarely grown in North America, and never sold, so far as I can determine. So, despite the label, what you have bought is most likely an S. uplandica cross.
I'm not surprised there's so much confusion. I was taught the comfrey in my garden was Symphytum officinale, and passed on that misinformation for many years. That's what all the books say. But when I got involved with the Henry Doubleday Research Foundation in England, I learned that I was wrong. And when I finally saw wild comfrey growing (in Germany), it was obviously different from the big pink-purple flowered plant in my garden--and every garden I've been in.
I did once see wild comfrey in a garden. I was called in to help them get rid of it; unfortunately, an impossible task.
So I sincerely believe that the comfrey leaf you bought from Frontier is uplandica, whether they know it or not. I buy the very some organic comfrey leaf from them. That's what I use during the summer when the apprentices, students, and I go through 3-5 gallons of infusion a day. During the winter, when I'm alone, I use my home-grown comfrey.
To maximize alantoin content, I harvest the flowering stalks of my comfrey: that's the stalk, leaves, and flowers. I store the dried herb whole, but take the time to cut it up as small as I have patience for when I brew it into nourishing herbal infusion.
If you want to play it safe, or if you sense that you shouldn't use the comfrey you bought, then you could add it to your compost (the worms love it). Instead of comfrey, you could use mullein infusions and linden infusions.
There are so many green blessings.
Susun
PHOTO COURTESY OF;
Mollie Kellogg
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Living With Remarkable Gratitude
Living with remarkable gratitude. I am not a victim. There are no lost causes. ""I've been there, done that, and know suffering -- but it's all good."" I'm still standing. ""Can't touch this."" Self-pity is an excuse to do nothing. To appeal to sympathy for pity's sake is to seek affirmation of the choice to do nothing. I am empowered by the spirit and support of meaningful experience and I transform with silent resilience."
Photo courtesy of Dana Driscoll
Friday, July 30, 2010
The Cure for Everything is Salt Water by Mary South
A little on Mary;
Here is a quote at the beginning of chapter three of said book;
Struck me, very interesting indeed Watson;
If wishes were fishes the ocean would be all of our desire.
Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American writer who spent most of her life in France, and who became a catalyst in the development of modern art and literature. Her life was marked by two primary relationships, the first with her brother Leo Stein, from 1874–1914, and the second with her partner Alice B. Toklas, from 1907 until Stein's death in 1946. Stein shared her salon at 27 rue de Fleurus, Paris, first with Leo and then with Alice. Throughout her lifetime, Stein also cultivated significant relationships with well-known members of the avant garde artistic and literary world.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sunday Salutation,,,
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iUPb7y0hgE
My Mode Podge
Solar Energy is in the West;
Sun was shining I attest;
Smell the wonder of another summer;
Join the free full festival, mother (Earth)!
This time of year has me energized!
I have discoveries, realizations~reversion and frustrations;
Communications, lack of communication, and education;
Let going~letting go, and seizing of the moments;
Controlling uncontrollability;
Attraction, resistance, acceptance, disillusionment;
Reverence, contempt, sympathy and selfishness;
Self determination and restrictions;
Am I alone in this? IDK~~~Undecided
Life
©Allisonians
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Plant of the Day; Linseed
http://parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/EwerbyandEvedon/imageDetail.asp?id=57973
below from wiki;
Linseed oil, also known as flax seed oil, is a clear to yellowish oil obtained from the dried ripe seeds of the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum, Linaceae). The oil is obtained by cold pressing, sometimes followed by solvent extraction.
Linseed oil can polymerize and the reaction is exothermic, and rags soaked in it can ignite spontaneously. Due to its polymer-like properties linseed oil is used on its own or blended with other oils, resins and solvents as an impregnator and varnish in wood finishing, as a pigment binder in oil paints, as a plasticizer and hardener in putty and in the manufacture of linoleum. The use of linseed oil has declined over the past several decades with the increased use of alkyd resins, which are similar but partially synthetic materials that resist yellowing.[1]
It is an edible oil, but because of its strong flavor and odor is only a minor constituent of human nutrition, although it is marketed as a nutritional supplement
Monday, July 12, 2010
Another article I found from Lynn Spirit that I wanted to share, to remember, and for reflect. I hope you enjoy it...
A true leader helps people remember their own power.
*******************
The beautiful and magnificent threefold Celtic Goddess graces many an Irish legend with tales of athletic prowess and queenly distinction, not to mention curses and battlefield victories. She often took the form of a horse, as well as shape-shifting in any variety of forms needed to meet the occasion. Macha was also identified with the fairy queen Mab, whose name means mead, a red drink made by fermenting honey and water. Any reference to a magical red mix is surely associated with menstrual blood, the "wine of wisdom." The Red Queen is a menstrual monarch.
http://lynnspirit.blogspot.com/2010/07/daily-goddess-for-july-12.html
*******************
The beautiful and magnificent threefold Celtic Goddess graces many an Irish legend with tales of athletic prowess and queenly distinction, not to mention curses and battlefield victories. She often took the form of a horse, as well as shape-shifting in any variety of forms needed to meet the occasion. Macha was also identified with the fairy queen Mab, whose name means mead, a red drink made by fermenting honey and water. Any reference to a magical red mix is surely associated with menstrual blood, the "wine of wisdom." The Red Queen is a menstrual monarch.
http://lynnspirit.blogspot.com/2010/07/daily-goddess-for-july-12.html
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Just another list; Just Wishin' and Hopin' and Lovin' and Movin', Dreamin' and Workin', it's not just a dream, it's an ambition too live true
Teas and Rinses
Black Berry Tea
Raspberry Tea
Calendula
Rosemary
Wild Rose
Mint
Lemon Balm
Lavendar
Yellowdock
Feverfew Rinse
Rose
Lemon Balm
Lavendar
Salads
Leaf lettuce
Iceberg
Chickweed
Dandelion*
Nastertium
Soup Stocks
onion
lentils
bulgar
Blackberry shoots (dethorned, ya know)
Kelp
Other Kitchen Staples
Oats
Barley
Beans
Peas
rice
quinoua (sp)
In other words;
that old familiar children's song comes to mind;
Oats, Peas, Beans, and Barley Grow {repeat}
My Goodness, this bread is going to be my downfall; I slowed way down on my bread intake, but this stuff is going to make that really difficult!
Artisan Bread in five Minutes Watercress style! Just my style, but I am getting into the craft of making things from the start. We have a grist mill near here, so I am totally serious about from the "start"...
Title ticking redirects to the link; I just copied this for my notes~~~~Caio people! Hope your summer is going well!
By Jeff
Family camping trips are a great time to make sure we all stay connected with each other. There are no distractions (from each other!) so this is nothing like the ”real” life of work, running a household, and schoolwork. My family is addicted to it and though we only go once a year, none of us can imagine doing without it. We camp in the blufflands of Southern Minnesota, a unique and beautiful part of the state. It’s actually quite a rolling terrain, not like the flat prairie that most people associate with the Upper Midwest. This year, we camped 30 steps from an chilly stream, and it was teeming with wild watercress, growing all along the shallows at the stream’s edge. Bingo!
After the park ranger assured me that yes, it was edible watercress, and that it was legal to pick, I started to think about using it in bread. Watercress has a sharp, peppery, flavor that goes well in all kinds of salads and savory dishes. I love it, but it’s often very difficult to find in supermarkets. So this was really a gold mine. If you can’t find watercress, this recipe would work with any kind of savory green. Arugula comes to mind if I were to buy something for this from the supermarket.
We were a bit squeamish about eating the greens raw in salad (the river water isn’t considered drinkable), but sauteed watercress, when nicely salted and garlicked up, makes a fantastic savory addition to bread, along the lines of our Spinach Feta Bread (page 110 in the book). After I got some help harvesting a bunch with a kitchen shears (above), I cut away the tough stems and roughly chopped the cress with an Opinel folding picnic knife (everyone who goes to France seems to buy for one of these for rustic picnics, but I have to admit that my wife got our Opinel from Amazon). It’s an old-fashioned knife, made of a relatively soft carbon steel that is very easy to sharpen, so this thing is always razor-sharp for camping trips:
Then fire up a Coleman camping stove , liquid-fueled or propane (or whatever brand you like, so long as it provides a strong heat source that’s comparable to your home stove). Saute a clove or two of chopped garlic in about a tablespoon of olive oil until fragrant and just beginning to turn color. Add a big bunch of chopped watercress and saute over medium-high heat until wilted. Salt to taste and remove from heat. I like a cast-iron skillet for this job.
Now, cut off a chunk of pre-mixed stored dough–enough to cover the bottom of your skillet when you roll it out to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness (it may take some trial and error, but it’s usually about the size of a peach for a pan this size). On the camping trip, we store basic dough from the Master Recipe in a cooler packed with ice that we stow in the car at night (OK, we had a lapse and left it out in the open for “a while” and a racoon stole our organic watermelon out of it. Could have happened to anyone. We’ve been camping for years and never did this. Some subtle recipe advice: DON’T LEAVE YOUR COOLER OUTSIDE UNATTENDED IN THE WOODS!
Anyway, roll, stretch, or flatten the dough into a round; for this trip I just brought along a silicon mat and used that as my work surface with a little flour and my hands. No rolling pin on this trip. Which would have come in handy when I tried to intimidate the racoon using nothing but a flashlight. Once the dough is flat and round, scatter the surface with your sauteed watercress:
Then roll up the whole thing into a cylinder like so:
I love this method, because it allows you to use a very basic dough and add in something that radically changes the nature of the bread, just for this one loaf (you can go back to plain bread next time). This technique works well with greens, nuts, raisins, or just about anything. Chocolate, for example. But I digress.
Form the rolled-up cylinder into a ball by tucking the ends underneath, shape the ball briefly and then flatten it again with your hands and/or a rolling pin to form a flat round
Pre-heat your skillet over medium-high heat with about a tablespoon of oil, add your dough round and then lower the heat to medium-low and cover closely to trap steam. The heat setting you want will take some trial and error; if it’s too high the bottom will burn before the flatbread is set, if it’s too low it takes forever and you get an unappetizing pale result.
If you’ve set the heat right and keep the lid on the skillet, you should get good caramelization like this with about five minutes on a side (flip the flatbread using a spatula when the underside is browned to your liking), but this all depends on the thickness of the dough and the power of your camping stove;
We devoured this thing after cutting it up with the kitchen shears– we used the pieces as improvised hamburger buns. They split well, even though this method doesn’t encourage puffing.
Camping season is rapidly drawing to a close here in the great North– wherever you are, your season is probably longer than ours, so enjoy, and consider having fresh bread every night in your campsite with your family. And of course, if you’re not a camper, you can do this on your kitchen range. If you like that sort of thing.
So this was just like being there without the mosquito net! Thank you Jeff!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's another interesting Watercress recipe;
Watercress Soup Shots
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
1 lb. watercress, cleaned
1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 leek, white part only, halved lengthwise, thoroughly washed and julienned
8 cups (64 oz.) chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
Whole milk plain yogurt for garnishing
Salt to taste
Preparation:
1. In a large pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the diced potatoes; cook until softened, about 20 minutes.
2. Melt the butter in a large pan, add the onions and leeks, and sautee until softened and translucent. Season with a pinch of salt.
3. In a separate pot of boiling salted water, blanch the watercress for 30 seconds. Shock it in an ice bath to stop the cooking, drain, roughly chop it into small pieces, and set aside.
4. Add the onions, leeks, and watercress to the large pot of chicken stock. Simmer until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes.
5. Using an immersion blender, or working in batches with a standing blender, puree the soup until smooth. Mix in the cream, and season with salt to taste.
6. This soup can be served hot or chilled. Before serving, garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt
YUM~~~
cut and paste from this wonderful site; http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2009/05/06/watercress-soup-shots/
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Happy Summer Tidings! I am not very close to my computer this summer season. I will be back once the rain is insatiable.
Par Non~
Vous êtes le seul ~
FAE le jardin nous guide
et tous ces secrets à l'intérieur de nous.
©Allisonians
Vous êtes le seul ~
FAE le jardin nous guide
et tous ces secrets à l'intérieur de nous.
©Allisonians
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
John Hopkins Update - Good article
Highly recommended to read!!!!!
For those of you who may not know, Johns Hopkins is a highly respected health institution and does incredible research. Because I care about YOU, I would like you to take the time to read this and PLEASE, PLEASE.. Heed the advise.
John Hopkins Update - Good article
AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.
Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins :
1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.
3 When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.
6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply..
*CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
A. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.
B. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.
C. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
D. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
E. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.
12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.
13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells.. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.
15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.
1. No plastic containers in micro.
2. No water bottles in freezer.
3.. No plastic wrap in microwave.
Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Cast le Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Pa per isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.
This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life.
For those of you who may not know, Johns Hopkins is a highly respected health institution and does incredible research. Because I care about YOU, I would like you to take the time to read this and PLEASE, PLEASE.. Heed the advise.
John Hopkins Update - Good article
AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.
Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins :
1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.
3 When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.
6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply..
*CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
A. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.
B. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.
C. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
D. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
E. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.
12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.
13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells.. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.
15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.
1. No plastic containers in micro.
2. No water bottles in freezer.
3.. No plastic wrap in microwave.
Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Cast le Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Pa per isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.
This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life.
Monday, June 21, 2010
HAPPY SUMMERTIME~~~~AND THE LIVIN' IS EASY!!!
MY Monday music song is;
tah tah da dahh~~~
SUMMERTIME~~~
It moves me to the root of my soul and the core of my bones. I have heard a version or two that is beautifully etched in my memory, mind and soul/spirit..
Hope your's is amazingly etched on your soul too!
Cheers,
Allsion
tah tah da dahh~~~
SUMMERTIME~~~
It moves me to the root of my soul and the core of my bones. I have heard a version or two that is beautifully etched in my memory, mind and soul/spirit..
Hope your's is amazingly etched on your soul too!
Cheers,
Allsion
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Dance, dance, dance All Night Long~~~It's bella bella~~~Thanks Steve Miller~~~
sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still),
Summer Solstice and Winter solstice are the most common names. However, these can be ambiguous since seasons of the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere are opposites, and the summer solstice of one hemisphere is the winter solstice of the other. These are also known as the 'longest' or 'shortest' days of the year.
Northern Solstice and Southern Solstice indicate the direction of the Sun's apparent movement. The northern solstice is in June on Earth, when the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere, and the southern solstice is in December, when the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere.
June Solstice and December Solstice are an alternative to the more common "summer" and "winter" terms, but without the ambiguity as to which hemisphere is the context. They are still not universal, however, as not all people use a solar-based calendar where the solstices occur every year in the same month (as they do not in the Islamic Calendar and Hebrew calendar, for example), and the names are not useful for other planets (Mars, for example), even though these planets do have seasons.
First point of Cancer and first point of Capricorn. One disadvantage of these names is that, due to the precession of the equinoxes, the astrological signs where these solstices are located no longer correspond with the actual constellations.
Taurus solstice and Sagittarius solstice are names that indicate in which constellations the two solstices are currently located. These terms are not widely used, though, and until December 1989 the first solstice was in Gemini, according to official IAU boundaries.
The Latin names Hibernal solstice (winter), and Aestival solstice (summer) are sometimes used.
Dance, dance, dance all night long!
Here's to the days of light!
And here's to hoping your's is bright!
Namesta,
Allison
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
I was touched by chaos; Excerpt from a book of Robert Fulguhm's
“Aspirin. We don’t know everything about how it works. We know what it does, but we don’t know how.” So said a medical researcher to me during the making—small--talk part of a dinner party. Wait a minute. This guy is a Ph. D. and an M.D. and has government grant money running out his pockets, and he doesn’t know about aspirin? This is not small talk. But it’s true. He doesn’t know-nobody else know-not even the guy in the TV ad dressed up to look like a doctor. Big mystery, which has been around for a long time. Chinese doctors prescribed it a thousand years ago. “Chew up some willow bark and call me in the morning” is what they said back then. Willow bark has acetylsalicylic acid in it. That’s aspirin, which is easier to pronounce and easier to get down your gullet than willow bark.
There’s some comfort in knowing that the Ph.D. and M.D. types are thrown by something so common and simple as aspirin. Mystery remains as close at hand as my medicine cabinet.
In my working journal there is an old list under the heading: “Ordinary Things We Don’t Know About.” The list got started when I read a statement in some science magazine to the effect that “we don’t know how water moves from the ground up through the trunk and out to the leave of a tree.” Amazing! I thought we had trees figured out.
So I started the list. Every time I read of an expert saying we don’t know about his very simple ordinary thing or another, it went on my list.
Homing pigeons came next. Then the common cold. Followed by hair loss. But when I read about Heisenberg’s Principle of Uncertainty in a physics course, I realized my list was a fool’s task. Electrons are everywhere, and we not only don’t know if they are a wave or a particle, we can’t know. If electrons are a problem, well, everything is.
So I began a new list. “Signs of the Cosmic Glitch” is the heading. The information about electrons pointed at a basic untidiness. Example: The earth wobbles seventy-two feet off center. Like a top spinning on its axis somewhat cockeyed. Right this very minute we are all wobbling just a little. If you ever feel kind of queasy for no particular reason, it may be the wobble.
Now. We learned that the earth is slowing down, so we have to mess with the clocks and throw in a leap-year from time to time-and we know why this is. But the Wobble? Lots of theories, but nobody can explain it. Cosmic Glitch.
Science has tended to dismiss such matters as being in the range of permissible error. In almost all research in almost every field, there has always been some persistent little inconsistency. The Glitch. And it has always been easier to build it into an equation and discount it rather than try to explain it.
It’s like knowing that no matter how carefully and long you may stir your hot breakfast cereal, there will always be at least one small lump of dried, uncooked cereal hiding somewhere in the mix. After a few years you learn to expect and accept the lump and assume it just goes with the territory. But the WHY is the interesting part, as it turns out.
For suddenly science has become very interested in the behavior of your breakfast cereal. This pattern that always seem to include the unmixed lump has become the business of something called “Chaos Science,” the most important shift in scientific thinking since Einstein’s little formula.
Chaos Science is the study of the Cosmic Glitch. And the Glitch is in every field of science and every realm of experience. Chaos Science suggests that the problem has not been one of small errors, but one of larger information. The pattern of existence turns out to be far more complex and complicated than we thought—on every level.
Chaos Science has led researchers back tot the most fundamental everyday matters—the formation of clouds, the mixing of paint, the flow of traffic, the spread of disease, and the freezing of water in pipes. The cycles of earthquakes and the eruption of volcanoes fits into Chaos Science, too, which is pretty important these days if you live in California or in the Cascade Mountains. The problem of the larger pattern pervades every activity we know of.
The language being used to label the new fields of study is itself appropriately glitchy. When I attended the 155th national meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in San Francisco, I heard discussions in the field of Chaos Science about such topics as “fractal fingering,” “strange attractors,” “dangling bond defects,” “folded-towel diffeomorphisms,” “Eden growth,” “smooth noodle maps,” and “lattice animals.” There’s more poetry and metaphor in Chaos Science, and I think it’s because we’re talking about something so far out on the edge that even though we sense a mighty truth, we don’t have language symbols to accurately nail down what we sense.
So we call it Chaos Science. By “Chaos” we mean simply what we can’t understand.
It’s as if we were the most numerous and oldest and most established ant colony in Chicago. And every once in a while, some of the most brilliant ants wander out together and take a look at Chicago—or what they can see of it. The farther away from the ant heap they get, the more mysterious thing seem to be. Recently they happened to be standing alongside a formerly quiet area in their universe when there was a mighty tremor, a huge darkness, and a mighty blast of wind. They had not predicted such activity. They sensed something unimaginable was going on. And reported a new condition of the universe when they returned to the anthill—something that would force a revision of their understanding. Some wanted to call this Chaos. Some wanted to call it the Mysterium Tremendum. Others, the Backfire of the Big Bang. The Wrath of God was also suggested. A new science—a new chapter in the Great Book of the Way It Is. Little did they know that they had happened onto a seldom-used railroad siding when a freight train passed by.
The bad news is that the ants will never ever comprehend Chicago. The good news is that they sense they are right in the middle of something infinitely wonderful and the more they try to understand it, the more amazing it seems to be. Seems to be in the nature of the ants to keep going out and pushing the limits of the known until they come to a new edge. Naming what’s beyond seems to help accommodate that which cannot be understood. It is the ants’ way.
Chaos Science is the study of process—that which won’t hold still. The study of that which is still becoming, rather than of what is.
Chaos Science is my kind of science. I like knowing that no matter what, there is this cosmic untidiness—an unexplainable hiccup in the order we thing we perceive, an unpredictability, a mutational inclination, a glitch in the works that anchors mystery and wonder to the center of being. And that the aspirin I hold in my hand and the clouds overhead remain as mysterious to the experts as to me.
Chaos. I can relate to that. My life is chaos most of the time. I am in turn with the universe. It feels like home.
by Robert Fulghum
"It was on Fire When I Lay Down on It"
1989, Villard Books, a division of Random House, Inc. New York.
There’s some comfort in knowing that the Ph.D. and M.D. types are thrown by something so common and simple as aspirin. Mystery remains as close at hand as my medicine cabinet.
In my working journal there is an old list under the heading: “Ordinary Things We Don’t Know About.” The list got started when I read a statement in some science magazine to the effect that “we don’t know how water moves from the ground up through the trunk and out to the leave of a tree.” Amazing! I thought we had trees figured out.
So I started the list. Every time I read of an expert saying we don’t know about his very simple ordinary thing or another, it went on my list.
Homing pigeons came next. Then the common cold. Followed by hair loss. But when I read about Heisenberg’s Principle of Uncertainty in a physics course, I realized my list was a fool’s task. Electrons are everywhere, and we not only don’t know if they are a wave or a particle, we can’t know. If electrons are a problem, well, everything is.
So I began a new list. “Signs of the Cosmic Glitch” is the heading. The information about electrons pointed at a basic untidiness. Example: The earth wobbles seventy-two feet off center. Like a top spinning on its axis somewhat cockeyed. Right this very minute we are all wobbling just a little. If you ever feel kind of queasy for no particular reason, it may be the wobble.
Now. We learned that the earth is slowing down, so we have to mess with the clocks and throw in a leap-year from time to time-and we know why this is. But the Wobble? Lots of theories, but nobody can explain it. Cosmic Glitch.
Science has tended to dismiss such matters as being in the range of permissible error. In almost all research in almost every field, there has always been some persistent little inconsistency. The Glitch. And it has always been easier to build it into an equation and discount it rather than try to explain it.
It’s like knowing that no matter how carefully and long you may stir your hot breakfast cereal, there will always be at least one small lump of dried, uncooked cereal hiding somewhere in the mix. After a few years you learn to expect and accept the lump and assume it just goes with the territory. But the WHY is the interesting part, as it turns out.
For suddenly science has become very interested in the behavior of your breakfast cereal. This pattern that always seem to include the unmixed lump has become the business of something called “Chaos Science,” the most important shift in scientific thinking since Einstein’s little formula.
Chaos Science is the study of the Cosmic Glitch. And the Glitch is in every field of science and every realm of experience. Chaos Science suggests that the problem has not been one of small errors, but one of larger information. The pattern of existence turns out to be far more complex and complicated than we thought—on every level.
Chaos Science has led researchers back tot the most fundamental everyday matters—the formation of clouds, the mixing of paint, the flow of traffic, the spread of disease, and the freezing of water in pipes. The cycles of earthquakes and the eruption of volcanoes fits into Chaos Science, too, which is pretty important these days if you live in California or in the Cascade Mountains. The problem of the larger pattern pervades every activity we know of.
The language being used to label the new fields of study is itself appropriately glitchy. When I attended the 155th national meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in San Francisco, I heard discussions in the field of Chaos Science about such topics as “fractal fingering,” “strange attractors,” “dangling bond defects,” “folded-towel diffeomorphisms,” “Eden growth,” “smooth noodle maps,” and “lattice animals.” There’s more poetry and metaphor in Chaos Science, and I think it’s because we’re talking about something so far out on the edge that even though we sense a mighty truth, we don’t have language symbols to accurately nail down what we sense.
So we call it Chaos Science. By “Chaos” we mean simply what we can’t understand.
It’s as if we were the most numerous and oldest and most established ant colony in Chicago. And every once in a while, some of the most brilliant ants wander out together and take a look at Chicago—or what they can see of it. The farther away from the ant heap they get, the more mysterious thing seem to be. Recently they happened to be standing alongside a formerly quiet area in their universe when there was a mighty tremor, a huge darkness, and a mighty blast of wind. They had not predicted such activity. They sensed something unimaginable was going on. And reported a new condition of the universe when they returned to the anthill—something that would force a revision of their understanding. Some wanted to call this Chaos. Some wanted to call it the Mysterium Tremendum. Others, the Backfire of the Big Bang. The Wrath of God was also suggested. A new science—a new chapter in the Great Book of the Way It Is. Little did they know that they had happened onto a seldom-used railroad siding when a freight train passed by.
The bad news is that the ants will never ever comprehend Chicago. The good news is that they sense they are right in the middle of something infinitely wonderful and the more they try to understand it, the more amazing it seems to be. Seems to be in the nature of the ants to keep going out and pushing the limits of the known until they come to a new edge. Naming what’s beyond seems to help accommodate that which cannot be understood. It is the ants’ way.
Chaos Science is the study of process—that which won’t hold still. The study of that which is still becoming, rather than of what is.
Chaos Science is my kind of science. I like knowing that no matter what, there is this cosmic untidiness—an unexplainable hiccup in the order we thing we perceive, an unpredictability, a mutational inclination, a glitch in the works that anchors mystery and wonder to the center of being. And that the aspirin I hold in my hand and the clouds overhead remain as mysterious to the experts as to me.
Chaos. I can relate to that. My life is chaos most of the time. I am in turn with the universe. It feels like home.
by Robert Fulghum
"It was on Fire When I Lay Down on It"
1989, Villard Books, a division of Random House, Inc. New York.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
From Natural News; New research: flavonoid quercetin fights viral infections, protects against chronic lung diseases
(NaturalNews) Asthma, cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are serious and even life-threatening conditions. However, these health problems share something with a usually minor infection -- the common cold. The connection? Rhinovirus (RV), a single-stranded RNA virus from the picornaviridae family, causes the majority of colds and RV is also known to trigger exacerbations of CF, asthma and COPD.
But now University of Michigan at Ann Arbor scientists have found that a natural substance, the flavonoid quercetin, puts the brakes on the ability of RV to replicate. It also fights inflammation. According to their research just presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2010 International Conference held in New Orleans, quercetin could be a treatment for rhinovirus-caused infections and could be particularly beneficial for people with serious underlying chronic lung diseases.
That's great news not just for people looking for a possible cure for the common cold but especially for those suffering from conditions like COPD and CF that rob them of the ability to breathe. For example, COPD (which includes emphysema and chronic obstructive bronchitis) causes coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and other symptoms. According the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, COPD is a major cause of disability and the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. CF is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the US. It causes the body to produce a thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and can lead to life-threatening lung infections.
For their study, the University of Michigan research team decided to test quercetin on cells infected with RV. A phytochemical found in the skins of apples, red onions and other foods, quercetin is known to be a powerful antioxidant with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties. So the scientists hypothesized that quercetin might reduce the ability of RV to spark an inflammatory response. That's important because inflammation causes oxidative stress which can disrupt the function of epithelial cells (cells that line cavities and structures) inside airways, negatively impacting the ability to breathe.
Their lab experiments with RV infected cells showed that the researchers were right. The results suggested that quercetin actually inhibited the ability of the virus to replicate. The flavonoid also appeared to reduce the RV-triggered immune system response that can cause cytokines (proteins that are secreted by specific cells of the immune system) to induce excess inflammation. "Therefore, quercetin may be beneficial in the treatment of viral infections, particularly in patients with underlying chronic lung disease," the researchers stated.
As NaturalNews has previously reported, evidence has been accumulating over the past several years that shows phytonutrients such as quercetin are powerful protectors of health (http://www.naturalnews.com/027409_f...). For example, the flavonoid may protect brain cells and help prevent dementia (http://www.naturalnews.com/002509.html). A study by University of South Carolina research found quercetin can boost exercise endurance, too (http://www.naturalnews.com/026591_q...).
But now University of Michigan at Ann Arbor scientists have found that a natural substance, the flavonoid quercetin, puts the brakes on the ability of RV to replicate. It also fights inflammation. According to their research just presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2010 International Conference held in New Orleans, quercetin could be a treatment for rhinovirus-caused infections and could be particularly beneficial for people with serious underlying chronic lung diseases.
That's great news not just for people looking for a possible cure for the common cold but especially for those suffering from conditions like COPD and CF that rob them of the ability to breathe. For example, COPD (which includes emphysema and chronic obstructive bronchitis) causes coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and other symptoms. According the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, COPD is a major cause of disability and the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. CF is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the US. It causes the body to produce a thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and can lead to life-threatening lung infections.
For their study, the University of Michigan research team decided to test quercetin on cells infected with RV. A phytochemical found in the skins of apples, red onions and other foods, quercetin is known to be a powerful antioxidant with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties. So the scientists hypothesized that quercetin might reduce the ability of RV to spark an inflammatory response. That's important because inflammation causes oxidative stress which can disrupt the function of epithelial cells (cells that line cavities and structures) inside airways, negatively impacting the ability to breathe.
Their lab experiments with RV infected cells showed that the researchers were right. The results suggested that quercetin actually inhibited the ability of the virus to replicate. The flavonoid also appeared to reduce the RV-triggered immune system response that can cause cytokines (proteins that are secreted by specific cells of the immune system) to induce excess inflammation. "Therefore, quercetin may be beneficial in the treatment of viral infections, particularly in patients with underlying chronic lung disease," the researchers stated.
As NaturalNews has previously reported, evidence has been accumulating over the past several years that shows phytonutrients such as quercetin are powerful protectors of health (http://www.naturalnews.com/027409_f...). For example, the flavonoid may protect brain cells and help prevent dementia (http://www.naturalnews.com/002509.html). A study by University of South Carolina research found quercetin can boost exercise endurance, too (http://www.naturalnews.com/026591_q...).
Monday, June 7, 2010
Yoga of the Day
Aloha and welcome to hathaYogalesson.com. The webs No. 1 Yoga Website. I'm Avananda, Philosopher, Yogi, and Creator of my beginning
"Animated Yoga Asanas".
Now students can learn beginning yoga positions or beginning yoga poses with
70 FREE Online Yoga Animations
all with clear and accurate instructions.
Namaste,
This is totally worth your time to check it out!
Peace out!
Tick the title to be redirected there.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
High Five; Twice ~~~~~ ~~~~~Two Hands
Everything I touch nourishes my soul.
Thank you to all who have helped me!!!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Seaweed is also my friend, my friend
When the Ocean calls me
It's not just the breeze
The smell of the ocean
The call of the seas,
The taste of it's vegetables
Always contents
When spending some time
In the old circumvent
Eat them,
greet them in the mother’s aquarium
Row them, through them
Dry them fast.
Don’t wash them with plain water, they won’t last
Life’s the dulse palmaria
©Allisonians
Some Tasty Kinds;
Bullwhip Kelp (Nereocystis leutkeana):
The World's Tastiest and Easiest Kelp To Eat
This scrumptious easy to eat beautiful green annual kelp grows only in moving cold water of the Northeast Pacific Ocean, from northern California north to southeast Alaska.
It forms dense 'kelp forests' in areas of fast currents usually in channels between the islands. Its long strong stipes grow from attached holdfasts on rocky seafloors at depths of up to 100 feet. Its many 6-12 inch wide thick tender leaves grow out of a large hollow bulb at the top of each solitary stipe; these leaves can grow to 60 feet in length. The bulb is filled with Carbon Monoxide for flotation.
Only the leaves are harvested, very carefully, one at a time by hand; the leaves are not rinsed, but do drain off all of their surface seawater as they dry in full sun hanging from stainless wire for 6-8 hours. Any salt or salty taste on this kelp comes from within the kelp, and, is predominantly Potassium, rather than sodium. The leaves' mineral content is 25-50%; they contain all necessary trace elements.
This kelp can be eaten and enjoyed as is; it can also be added to salads, soups, baked or steamed vegetables, oatmeal, and any cooked dish from cookies to pancakes to scrambled eggs to ice cream.
This particular batch was harvested from a cluster of small uninhabited islands near the US-Canada border.
This kelp is very sensitive to moisture. To keep it from becoming less crunchy or even damp, it MUST BE STORED IN COMPLETELY AIRTIGHT CONTAINERS. because of its very high mineral content it is extremely hygroscopic; it will pull moisture out of seemingly dry air if left out. The plastic bag in which this kelp was shipped is no longer airtight. Many small holes were punched through the plastic bag by the sharp dry kelp pieces.
When this kelp becomes even a trifle moist, it can be easily dried placed in an open pan in a low (110-140 degrees F) heat oven for about 30 minutes. Use or store quickly. ENJOY !! ~~Ryan Drum~~
And one of his amazing insights; {I am no seafaring stranger, wish, wish}
The terms "seaweeds" and "sea vegetables" are used interchangeably herein and refer to the large, visible macroalgae growing attached to each other, rocks, and the seafloor in the intertidal zone and shallow seawater. Microalgae, phytoplankton, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and eel grasses are not included. The term "sea herbs" is not used and not recommended since it compromises the true cryptogamic identity and phylogenetic classification of the macroalgae, even though it is used affectionately by herbalists. The term "seaweed" is a bit misleading: with a few notable exceptions, seaweeds are actually saltwater-tolerant, land-dependent plants growing almost exclusively at the narrow interface where land and sea meet. Most must be firmly attached to something to stay in the "photic zone", where they can receive sufficient sunlight.
All seaweeds are photosynthetic. The best-known truly "pelagic" seaweed (pelagic means living and growing at sea, independent of land) is Sargasso weed, a prolific brown seaweed of the genus Sargassum. This lush plant covers an area of 7000 square miles near the Bermuda Triangle, with a floating layer 1-2 feet thick; modest wave action sorts it out into long even rows that resemble a carefully-planted field on land. After several days of slowly chugging through the Sargasso Sea while taking transatlantic transect vertical plankton tows, I experienced a common visual hallucination and urge to jump off the boat and walk around on the Sargasso weed as had many mariners before me. The urge was compelling. I nearly had to be restrained.
~Ryan Drum~
This link redirects you to the rest of the article. (There is some interesting info on bulk harvesting vs. hand harvesting,,,Hmmmm)Anyhow,,, you decided :)
http://www.ryandrum.com/seaxpan1.html
Respectfully yours~Allison
Resources;
Here's one of the experts I've read on the subject
Ryan Drum
http://www.ryandrum.com/
Island Herbs
P O Box 25
Waldron, WA 98297-0025
& another
Susun Weed
& another
John Kallas
http://www.botanicalmedicine.org/Tapes/Bios/Drum.htm
It's not just the breeze
The smell of the ocean
The call of the seas,
The taste of it's vegetables
Always contents
When spending some time
In the old circumvent
Eat them,
greet them in the mother’s aquarium
Row them, through them
Dry them fast.
Don’t wash them with plain water, they won’t last
Life’s the dulse palmaria
©Allisonians
Some Tasty Kinds;
Bullwhip Kelp (Nereocystis leutkeana):
The World's Tastiest and Easiest Kelp To Eat
This scrumptious easy to eat beautiful green annual kelp grows only in moving cold water of the Northeast Pacific Ocean, from northern California north to southeast Alaska.
It forms dense 'kelp forests' in areas of fast currents usually in channels between the islands. Its long strong stipes grow from attached holdfasts on rocky seafloors at depths of up to 100 feet. Its many 6-12 inch wide thick tender leaves grow out of a large hollow bulb at the top of each solitary stipe; these leaves can grow to 60 feet in length. The bulb is filled with Carbon Monoxide for flotation.
Only the leaves are harvested, very carefully, one at a time by hand; the leaves are not rinsed, but do drain off all of their surface seawater as they dry in full sun hanging from stainless wire for 6-8 hours. Any salt or salty taste on this kelp comes from within the kelp, and, is predominantly Potassium, rather than sodium. The leaves' mineral content is 25-50%; they contain all necessary trace elements.
This kelp can be eaten and enjoyed as is; it can also be added to salads, soups, baked or steamed vegetables, oatmeal, and any cooked dish from cookies to pancakes to scrambled eggs to ice cream.
This particular batch was harvested from a cluster of small uninhabited islands near the US-Canada border.
This kelp is very sensitive to moisture. To keep it from becoming less crunchy or even damp, it MUST BE STORED IN COMPLETELY AIRTIGHT CONTAINERS. because of its very high mineral content it is extremely hygroscopic; it will pull moisture out of seemingly dry air if left out. The plastic bag in which this kelp was shipped is no longer airtight. Many small holes were punched through the plastic bag by the sharp dry kelp pieces.
When this kelp becomes even a trifle moist, it can be easily dried placed in an open pan in a low (110-140 degrees F) heat oven for about 30 minutes. Use or store quickly. ENJOY !! ~~Ryan Drum~~
And one of his amazing insights; {I am no seafaring stranger, wish, wish}
The terms "seaweeds" and "sea vegetables" are used interchangeably herein and refer to the large, visible macroalgae growing attached to each other, rocks, and the seafloor in the intertidal zone and shallow seawater. Microalgae, phytoplankton, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and eel grasses are not included. The term "sea herbs" is not used and not recommended since it compromises the true cryptogamic identity and phylogenetic classification of the macroalgae, even though it is used affectionately by herbalists. The term "seaweed" is a bit misleading: with a few notable exceptions, seaweeds are actually saltwater-tolerant, land-dependent plants growing almost exclusively at the narrow interface where land and sea meet. Most must be firmly attached to something to stay in the "photic zone", where they can receive sufficient sunlight.
All seaweeds are photosynthetic. The best-known truly "pelagic" seaweed (pelagic means living and growing at sea, independent of land) is Sargasso weed, a prolific brown seaweed of the genus Sargassum. This lush plant covers an area of 7000 square miles near the Bermuda Triangle, with a floating layer 1-2 feet thick; modest wave action sorts it out into long even rows that resemble a carefully-planted field on land. After several days of slowly chugging through the Sargasso Sea while taking transatlantic transect vertical plankton tows, I experienced a common visual hallucination and urge to jump off the boat and walk around on the Sargasso weed as had many mariners before me. The urge was compelling. I nearly had to be restrained.
~Ryan Drum~
This link redirects you to the rest of the article. (There is some interesting info on bulk harvesting vs. hand harvesting,,,Hmmmm)Anyhow,,, you decided :)
http://www.ryandrum.com/seaxpan1.html
Respectfully yours~Allison
Resources;
Here's one of the experts I've read on the subject
Ryan Drum
http://www.ryandrum.com/
Island Herbs
P O Box 25
Waldron, WA 98297-0025
& another
Susun Weed
& another
John Kallas
http://www.botanicalmedicine.org/Tapes/Bios/Drum.htm
Thursday, May 27, 2010
here's the latest off of Comcast news; More BP FOR SURE~~~What else is there, right?
By GREG BLUESTEIN and BEN NUCKOLS, AP
ROBERT, La. — As BP labored for a second day Thursday to choke off the leak at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, dire new government estimates showed the disaster has easily eclipsed the Exxon Valdez as the biggest oil spill in U.S. history.
The company announced late in the day that it had suspended shooting heavy drilling mud into the blown-out well 5,000 feet underwater around midnight Wednesday so it could bring in more materials.
The procedure known as a top kill was expected to resume Thursday night, but it could be late Friday or the weekend before the company knows if it has cut off the oil that has been flowing for five weeks.
As the world waited, President Barack Obama announced major new restrictions on drilling projects, and the head of the federal agency that regulates the industry resigned under pressure, becoming the highest-ranking political casualty of the crisis so far.
BP insisted the top kill was progressing as planned, though the company acknowledged drilling mud was escaping from the broken pipe along with the leaking crude.
"The fact that we had a bunch of mud going up the riser isn't ideal but it's not necessarily indicative of a problem," said spokesman Tom Mueller.
Early Thursday, officials said the process was going well, but later in the day they announced pumping had been suspended 16 hours earlier.
The top kill is the latest in a string of attempts to stop the oil that has been spewing since the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20. Eleven workers were killed.
If the procedure works, BP will inject cement into the well to seal it permanently. If it doesn't, the company has a number of backup plans. Either way, crews will continue to drill two relief wells, considered the only surefire way to stop the leak.
A top kill has never been attempted before so deep underwater. BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said the company is also considering shooting small, dense rubber balls or assorted junk such as golf balls and rubber scraps to stop up a crippled five-story piece of equipment known as a blowout preventer to keep the mud from escaping.
The stakes were higher than ever as public frustration over the spill grew and a team of government scientists said the oil has been flowing at a rate 2 1/2 to five times higher than what BP and the Coast Guard previously estimated.
Two teams of scientists calculated the well has been spewing between 504,000 and more than a million gallons a day. Even using the most conservative estimate, that means about 18 million gallons have spilled so far. In the worst-case scenario, 39 million gallons have leaked.
That larger figure would be nearly four times the size of the Exxon Valdez disaster, in which a tanker ran aground in Alaska in 1989, spilling nearly 11 million gallons.
"Now we know the true scale of the monster we are fighting in the Gulf," said Jeremy Symons, vice president of the National Wildlife Federation. "BP has unleashed an unstoppable force of appalling proportions."
BP spokesman Steve Rinehart said the previous estimate of 210,000 gallons a day was based on the best data available at the time. As for the new figures, he said: "It does not and will not change the response. We are going all out on our response."
The spill is not the biggest ever in the Gulf. In 1979, a drilling rig in Mexican waters — the Ixtoc I — blew up, releasing 140 million gallons of oil.
In another troubling discovery, marine scientists said they have spotted a huge new plume of what they believe to be oil deep beneath the Gulf, stretching 22 miles from the leaking wellhead northeast toward Mobile Bay, Ala. They fear it could have resulted from using chemicals a mile below the surface to break up the oil.
In Washington, Elizabeth Birnbaum stepped down as director of the Minerals Management Service, a job she had held since last July. Her agency has been harshly criticized over lax oversight of drilling and cozy ties with industry.
An internal Interior Department report released earlier this week found that between 2000 and 2008, agency staff members accepted tickets to sports events, lunches and other gifts from oil and gas companies and used government computers to view pornography.
Polls show the public is souring on the administration's handling of the catastrophe, and Obama sought to assure Americans that the government is in control and deflect criticism that his administration has left BP in charge.
"My job right now is just to make sure everybody in the Gulf understands: This is what I wake up to in the morning, and this is what I go to bed at night thinking about. The spill," he said.
Obama said he would end the "scandalously close relationship" between regulators and the oil companies they oversee. He also extended a freeze on new deepwater oil drilling and canceled or delayed proposed lease sales in the waters off Alaska and Virginia and along the Gulf Coast.
Fishermen, hotel and restaurant owners, politicians and residents along the 100-mile stretch of Gulf coast affected by the spill are fed up with BP's failures to stop the spill. Thick oil is coating birds and delicate wetlands in Louisiana.
"I have anxiety attacks," said Sarah Rigaud, owner of Sarah's Restaurant in Grand Isle, La., where the beach was closed because blobs of oil that looked like melted chocolate had washed up on shore. "Every day I pray that something happens, that it will be stopped and everybody can get back to normal."
Charlotte Randolph, president of Louisiana's Lafourche Parish, one of the coastal parishes affected by the spill, said: "I mean, it's wearing on everybody in this coastal region. You see it in people's eyes. You see it. We need to stop the flow."
"Tourism is dead. Fishing is dead. We're dying a slow death," she added.
The Coast Guard approved portions of Louisiana's $350 million plan to ring its coastline with a wall of sand meant to keep out the oil.
___
Associated Press Writers Seth Borenstein, Matthew Brown, Jason Dearen, Andrew Taylor and Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
~~~
OH, and there's a video so you can really get the feel...Can you hear me sarcasim?
Not joking, just wondering~~~
Ticking the title will redirect you to the article...
ROBERT, La. — As BP labored for a second day Thursday to choke off the leak at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, dire new government estimates showed the disaster has easily eclipsed the Exxon Valdez as the biggest oil spill in U.S. history.
The company announced late in the day that it had suspended shooting heavy drilling mud into the blown-out well 5,000 feet underwater around midnight Wednesday so it could bring in more materials.
The procedure known as a top kill was expected to resume Thursday night, but it could be late Friday or the weekend before the company knows if it has cut off the oil that has been flowing for five weeks.
As the world waited, President Barack Obama announced major new restrictions on drilling projects, and the head of the federal agency that regulates the industry resigned under pressure, becoming the highest-ranking political casualty of the crisis so far.
BP insisted the top kill was progressing as planned, though the company acknowledged drilling mud was escaping from the broken pipe along with the leaking crude.
"The fact that we had a bunch of mud going up the riser isn't ideal but it's not necessarily indicative of a problem," said spokesman Tom Mueller.
Early Thursday, officials said the process was going well, but later in the day they announced pumping had been suspended 16 hours earlier.
The top kill is the latest in a string of attempts to stop the oil that has been spewing since the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20. Eleven workers were killed.
If the procedure works, BP will inject cement into the well to seal it permanently. If it doesn't, the company has a number of backup plans. Either way, crews will continue to drill two relief wells, considered the only surefire way to stop the leak.
A top kill has never been attempted before so deep underwater. BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said the company is also considering shooting small, dense rubber balls or assorted junk such as golf balls and rubber scraps to stop up a crippled five-story piece of equipment known as a blowout preventer to keep the mud from escaping.
The stakes were higher than ever as public frustration over the spill grew and a team of government scientists said the oil has been flowing at a rate 2 1/2 to five times higher than what BP and the Coast Guard previously estimated.
Two teams of scientists calculated the well has been spewing between 504,000 and more than a million gallons a day. Even using the most conservative estimate, that means about 18 million gallons have spilled so far. In the worst-case scenario, 39 million gallons have leaked.
That larger figure would be nearly four times the size of the Exxon Valdez disaster, in which a tanker ran aground in Alaska in 1989, spilling nearly 11 million gallons.
"Now we know the true scale of the monster we are fighting in the Gulf," said Jeremy Symons, vice president of the National Wildlife Federation. "BP has unleashed an unstoppable force of appalling proportions."
BP spokesman Steve Rinehart said the previous estimate of 210,000 gallons a day was based on the best data available at the time. As for the new figures, he said: "It does not and will not change the response. We are going all out on our response."
The spill is not the biggest ever in the Gulf. In 1979, a drilling rig in Mexican waters — the Ixtoc I — blew up, releasing 140 million gallons of oil.
In another troubling discovery, marine scientists said they have spotted a huge new plume of what they believe to be oil deep beneath the Gulf, stretching 22 miles from the leaking wellhead northeast toward Mobile Bay, Ala. They fear it could have resulted from using chemicals a mile below the surface to break up the oil.
In Washington, Elizabeth Birnbaum stepped down as director of the Minerals Management Service, a job she had held since last July. Her agency has been harshly criticized over lax oversight of drilling and cozy ties with industry.
An internal Interior Department report released earlier this week found that between 2000 and 2008, agency staff members accepted tickets to sports events, lunches and other gifts from oil and gas companies and used government computers to view pornography.
Polls show the public is souring on the administration's handling of the catastrophe, and Obama sought to assure Americans that the government is in control and deflect criticism that his administration has left BP in charge.
"My job right now is just to make sure everybody in the Gulf understands: This is what I wake up to in the morning, and this is what I go to bed at night thinking about. The spill," he said.
Obama said he would end the "scandalously close relationship" between regulators and the oil companies they oversee. He also extended a freeze on new deepwater oil drilling and canceled or delayed proposed lease sales in the waters off Alaska and Virginia and along the Gulf Coast.
Fishermen, hotel and restaurant owners, politicians and residents along the 100-mile stretch of Gulf coast affected by the spill are fed up with BP's failures to stop the spill. Thick oil is coating birds and delicate wetlands in Louisiana.
"I have anxiety attacks," said Sarah Rigaud, owner of Sarah's Restaurant in Grand Isle, La., where the beach was closed because blobs of oil that looked like melted chocolate had washed up on shore. "Every day I pray that something happens, that it will be stopped and everybody can get back to normal."
Charlotte Randolph, president of Louisiana's Lafourche Parish, one of the coastal parishes affected by the spill, said: "I mean, it's wearing on everybody in this coastal region. You see it in people's eyes. You see it. We need to stop the flow."
"Tourism is dead. Fishing is dead. We're dying a slow death," she added.
The Coast Guard approved portions of Louisiana's $350 million plan to ring its coastline with a wall of sand meant to keep out the oil.
___
Associated Press Writers Seth Borenstein, Matthew Brown, Jason Dearen, Andrew Taylor and Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
~~~
OH, and there's a video so you can really get the feel...Can you hear me sarcasim?
Not joking, just wondering~~~
Ticking the title will redirect you to the article...
The lowdown from DNR on Tuesday’s earthquake near Carnation
By Ear to the Ground
It wasn’t DNR’s mapping that caused it of course, but, just by coincidence, a geology team from the department had recently completed seismic mapping in the area of last Tuesday’s minor earthquake east of Seattle.
On Tuesday morning, May 25, at 5:21 a.m., a moderate 3.4 magnitude earthquake rattled residents near Carnation in eastern King County. We have heard no reports of damage or injuries, though there were stories of family pets acting oddly shortly before the quake occurred (but if you own cats, how can you tell?). A lot of people slept through the quake. The epicenter was about 3 miles east of Union Hill Rd. and Novelty Hill Rd., at a depth of 3.9 miles below the ground on a segment of the Rattlesnake Mountain fault.
It just happens that at least one homeowners’ association we know of in the area has an aggressive program of earthquake preparedness. The Trilogy at Redmond Ridge homeowners’ association takes part in the Map Your Neighborhood program from the Washington State Emergency Management Division. They have trained and educated 68 percent of residents in the community’s 1,600 homes. Tonight, Timothy Walsh, DNR chief hazards geologist, is speaking to Trilogy residents at a previously scheduled emergency preparedness meeting. Tim is one of the experts featured on a four-part series on earthquakes in the Northwest, “On Shaky Ground,” scheduled to air June 8 through 11th on KUOW-FM.
More about earthquakes is on the web page of the DNR Division of Geology and Earth Resources, which maps and assesses earthquake faults so homeowners, businesses and goverments know where the risks are.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
My Tale for Tuesday; Is Sad, But, I fear, True!
NATION:
by Doug Simpson
titled
Relatives Fear the Dead Oil Rig Workers Are Forgotten
~~~and I infer here
The 11 who lost thier lives the day that the Gulf of Mexico Died~~~
Adam Weise, 24;
Jason Anderson, a father of two;
Aaron Dale Burkeen, 37, of Philidelphia;
Karl Kleppinger Jr., 38, of Natchez;
Shane Roshto, 22, of Liberty;
Dewey Revette, 48, of State Line;
Gordon Lewis Jones, 28;
Donald Clark, 49;
Stephen Curtis, 39;
Roy Kemp, 27;
Blair Manuel, 56;
God's Speed~~~
here's the link;
http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/relatives-of-dead-deepwater-horizon-oil-rig-workers-feel-forgotten-in-the-spill/19488058?icid=main|main|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Frelatives-of-dead-deepwater-horizon-oil-rig-work
by Doug Simpson
titled
Relatives Fear the Dead Oil Rig Workers Are Forgotten
~~~and I infer here
The 11 who lost thier lives the day that the Gulf of Mexico Died~~~
Adam Weise, 24;
Jason Anderson, a father of two;
Aaron Dale Burkeen, 37, of Philidelphia;
Karl Kleppinger Jr., 38, of Natchez;
Shane Roshto, 22, of Liberty;
Dewey Revette, 48, of State Line;
Gordon Lewis Jones, 28;
Donald Clark, 49;
Stephen Curtis, 39;
Roy Kemp, 27;
Blair Manuel, 56;
God's Speed~~~
here's the link;
http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/relatives-of-dead-deepwater-horizon-oil-rig-workers-feel-forgotten-in-the-spill/19488058?icid=main|main|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Frelatives-of-dead-deepwater-horizon-oil-rig-work
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SOURDOUGH STARTER with WILD YEAST
Wild yeasts exist in the air around you and to some extent on the wheat berries. There are wild yeasts on grapes (unsulphured) and apples and other fruits. It is those wild yeasts which are 'captured' to make a sourdough starter. The process takes from 3 to 5 days. I wish I had specific amounts for you, but you could start with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour and mix in enough warm (not hot) water to make a thin paste. DO NOT make it too soupy. That, in fact, is the trick to a good starter, according to the French bread makers, and I think they should know. And after you've fooled around with the flour and water thing, you might wish to branch out into adding those unsulphured grapes, apples, sour milk, etc as a catalyst in order to capture other strains of yeast. Each of these strains has a slightly different taste. In fact if you move to another area, you might end up with a starter that produces an entirely different flavor. For instance, San Francisco sourdough bread is well known and has a distinct taste due to the wild strains in the air there. On day one you mix the flour and water (and add any catalysts to encourage fermentation) and place in a warm spot. After 3 days, the dough should be moist, inflated, and slightly sour. More flour and water is added (mixed in) and left to sit in a warm spot. After 2 days the process is repeated. Then the next day it is done again. Note the order: 3 days, 2 days, 1 day. At this point you should be able to make a loaf of bread using part of the starter and adding back what you took out in the form of more flour and water. Rule of thumb: Use about 10% starter to size of loaf. In the case of a 2 lb loaf this is a bit over 3 oz of starter (3.2 to be exact). For a 1 lb loaf 1.5 oz would be used. A book that describes this process in great detail is The Village Baker by Joe Ortiz, copyright 1993, published by Ten Speed Press, Berkley CA. If it's not still in print, try the used books stores, that's where I got mine. Or try your local library. If they don't have it, they might be able to get it for you. ©2008 by Ernestina Parziale
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