Ten Honorable herbs

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TEN HONORABLE HERBS

This issue of the newsletter will be a lesson on some of the others of Dr. 's favorite herbs. He used about 100 herbs in all his formulas. It's very good to obtain herbs from your own locale, perhaps even in your own yard. To become familiar with local "weeds" is an art that is both fun and valuable.

There are many books that can aid in identification of plants. Among the better ones are Herb Walk by LeArta Moulton, and The Herb Book by Lust. Max Barlow has written From The Shepherd's Purse, a field manual as well as an herbal. The local libraries often have a few herb books on the shelf but these are rarely in because of the resurgent interest in botanic medicine.

When collecting herbs, always remember to gather them from places that have not been sprayed with chemicals. There is an earlier edition of Dr. 's newsletter which explains when and how to collect and store herbs properly.

Dandelion

Dandelion: (Taraxacum officinale) The bright yellow flower that heralds the beginning of spring is the most berated and overlooked of all the herbs. People are constantly pulling them up from their lawns and discarding them as nuisances. Not only are dandelion greens a zesty addition to a spring or summer salad, but the roots are wonderful blood purifiers. The Good Lord must have known that we needed many cleansers for the blood because dandelions are so very prolific. The name dandelion is derived from "lion's tooth", referring to the shape of this plant's leaves. These leaves are very high in Vitamin A. The dandelion also contains five valuable mineral salts. The plant has been known to be beneficial to the kidneys, bladder, and urinary tract. It promotes the flow of urine and also helps prevent kidney stones in addition to aiding in expelling them. The entire plant can be used, even the flowers may be eaten or made into

tea.

The roots are often roasted and used alone or combined with roasted chicory root for a caffeine-less, coffee-tasting drink. The milky juice in the stem may be applied to warts, which eventually dry up and fall off. When collecting roots, take only large, fleshy roots from two year old plants. Dandelion is a stimulant to the gall bladder and a digestive aid. It is also one of the important sources of food for honey bees.

Red Raspberry

Red Raspberry: (Rubus idaeus) Dr. always extolled the virtues of red raspberry leaf tea. Red raspberry leaves are a great aid in times of cold and flu and provide the body with iron in an absorbable form. It is high in calcium, making it an important tea for the pregnant or nursing woman. Throughout the history of American Botanic Medicine, red raspberry leaves are mentioned as a tonic for the female reproductive system. Its astringent properties help strengthen the uterus. Dr. Coffin, of the early American Botanic Medicine School mentions red raspberry leaves extensively for every phase of pregnancy. Jethro Kloss states in Back to Eden that red raspberry leaves will allay menstrual cramps and promote a painless labor. Dr. has always advised nursing mothers to drink marshmallow root tea to increase milk flow and red raspberry leaf tea to enrich the milk. In the booklet The Cold Sheet Treatment and Aids

for the Common Cold, Dr. explains how to conquer the cold by fasting on red raspberry leaf tea. The leaves contain fragrine, a substance that affects the muscles of the pelvic region.

The astringent and nutritive properties of red raspberry are employed in Dr. 's lower bowel formula, the female corrective formula, and the herbal eyebright combination. The great medical botanist, Dr. Thomson used red raspberry in his patented system of medicine. Lobelia was first given as an emetic, then cayenne was administered to restore heat to the body and red raspberry was taken as a tea to remove canker from the digestive tract. Red raspberry leaf tea may be used as a gargle for sore mouths and throat canker, according to the English Herbalist, Maude Grieve. Externally the tea can be used as a wash on ulcers and other wounds. The herb also aids in settling the stomach.

It was known about since the time of Dioscorides, an ancient Greek physician. This plant grew abundantly on Mount Ida in Asia Minor, hence the Latin name idaeus. The wild variety is smaller than the cultivated type. Red raspberry can be easily cultivated. It should be planted in the spring from suckers taken from plants that are a year old. The suckers can be set three feet apart with six to eight feet between rows. The soil needs to be moist and the plants should be exposed to full sun. Red raspberry leaf tea should be kept on hand for women and women-to-be. A mother should give a young girl a cup of red raspberry tea every day as she approaches puberty. This will make the transitional period much smoother.

Slippery Elm

Slippery Elm: (Ulmus Fulva) The inner bark of the elm tree is so nutritious that it will sustain life itself! We have had many cases of people with wasting diseases that have maintained their bodies by drinking a few cups of slippery elm tea when nothing else could be kept down. Slippery elm is high in protein and is healing as well. It can be made into a paste or gruel sweetened with honey, and fed to infants as their first food. It is a demulcent herb-this is one that is very soothing to inflamed mucous membranes. This herb is quieting to irritated bowels, urinary tracts, and sore throats. We have used it to heal ulcers and bedsores. The tea has a pleasantly sweet taste.

Slippery elm was once used as a poultice for gout. Some old herbals have used slippery elm in formulas as an injection for diarrhea. Slippery elm is an herb that can be used to remove excess mucus from children's digestive tract when cayenne will not be taken.

Slippery elm was used in cases of typhoid fever. The bark is also wonderful for any type of bronchial disorders. Maude Grieve gives a remedy for pleurisy: 2 oz. each of pleurisy root, marshmallow root, licorice root, and slippery elm bark. Simmer in three pints of water down to 1/2 the volume. Take 1/2 teaspoonful every half hour. The mixture should be ingested warm. Slippery elm is one of the herbs which should be stored for times of need. It is a concentrated food which can be handy for survival. One author states that slippery elm tea can be used for hernias. It should be taken with meals.

Sassafras

Sassafras: (Sassafras officinale) Here is an herb that is the finest spring tonic known to man. It thins the blood as it cleanses old sludge from the bloodstream. We have used it successfully for people who have suffered from blood clots and formerly needed to take toxic blood-thinning drugs. There is an active ingredient in the herb called safrole, which is said by the FDA to be dangerously toxic. It is only dangerous in its isolated state. In its wholesome state, within the herb, it is perfectly safe when combined with other constituents of the plant.

Dr. frequently stated that he was raised by Hoosiers (people from Indiana) who weren't intellectuals so they didn't know about safrole but they always had a pot of sassafras tea on the stove during the springtime. As a result, the children didn't get the usual colds during the change of weather from winter to spring. Black pepper contains safrole and as long as it isn't cooked, it is safe to use. No one would think of taking black pepper off the market, but yet sassafras has long been a target by the FDA. This aromatic herb has been used as a stimulant, a diaphoretic and an alterative.

Because sassafras destroys protozoa, it is favored for healing the alimentary tract. It is an antirheumatic herb. The oil in small doses is an antidote for poisons by acids and alkaline corrosives. Oil of sassafras can be used to relieve toothaches. Sassafras should be taken in a course for six weeks and then quit drinking the tea for six weeks so the blood will not thin too much.

Mullein

Mullein: (Verbascum Thapsus) Mullein is an indispensable herb. It grows wild in mountainous areas and we have seen it volunteer in yards in the city. Dr. used it as one of the herbs in the glandular formula, three parts mullein and one part lobelia. It is a biennial plant that can be easily recognized by its taperingly tall flowerhead. In ancient times, mullein was dipped in tallow and used as torches.

Mullein is excellent for any type of bronchial problems. The oil of it can be dropped into the ears for earache. Legend has it that mullein protected Ulysses from the goddess Circe, who turned men into pigs. Dr. always used mullein and lobelia for swollen glands such as mumps and on a case where a small boy fell on a trailer tongue and split his scrotum. The mullein and lobelia fomentation was used on the boy and the testicle healed even though the regular family physician said that there was no treatment but castration.

Mullein has pain-relieving properties without being poisonous. The herb is helpful in cases of rupture as a fomentation to prevent the escape of precious body fluids.

The respiratory formula developed by Dr. , contains mullein, an herb which is often used for its fine effects upon the respiratory system. It soothes the lungs and helps with bringing up phlegm.

Horsetail Grass

Horsetail Grass also know as Shavegrass: (Equisetum Hyemale) One of Dr. 's favorite herbs was horsetail. He made it one of the main herbs in the calcium formula because of its high silicon content (3.1 mg/pound). This silicon is converted to calcium in the body through the process of "biological transmutation", phenomenon investigated by the French scientist, Louis Kervan. The theory is that the body is like a great biochemical laboratory and is able to transmute elements. Horsetail can be used anytime calcium is needed: for growth, proper muscle junctioning, pregnancy, lactation, etc. Horsetail is a diuretic to the kidneys and can be used as a tea during any urinary tract disorder. The plant also has anti-hemorrhage effects. According to Hirschhorn, in a very comprehensive book called The Home Herbal Doctor, he states that horsetail can "help control nasal, lung, stomach, bladder, and uterine bleeding." The

herb encourages tissue elasticity and resilience, and stepping up of resistance. Horsetail baths are also suggested to relieve neuralgia, rheumatism, gout, neurodermatitis, eczema and post-thrombotic swellings. The plant can be found in moist areas near streams or water ditches. It was once nick-named "scouring rush" because of its abrasive properties and usefulness in scrubbing pots and pans before scouring pads were invented.

Marshmallow

Marshmallow: (Althea officinalis) Marshmallow herb and root are both high on Dr. 's list of herbs to keep on hand. The plant is high in lime and calcium and the roots are high in oxygen and pectin. It is a demulcent herb, soothing, healing and nutritive. It can aid in any type of inflammation in the intestines, respiratory system and urinary tract. Dr. used marshmallow very successfully to arrest gangrene. A concentrated marshmallow root bath was prepared and the patient soaked the affected part in the warm bath for 1/2 hour. An alternate cold water bath was used. Then the marshmallow bath was repeated. This was done around the clock until relief from the flesh with gangrene began to heal.

Marshmallow plant is one that can be used for food. It contains a substantial amount of vegetable protein in addition to gums, starch, natural sugars and minerals. The marshmallow root will increase the flow of mother's milk. If the root is powdered and placed on a running sore, it will help draw out moisture. Several of Dr. 's formulas contain this herb. The comfrey, marshmallow and marigold ointment, the prostate formula, the kidney and bladder formula, the respiratory formula, the B F & C formula, the hay fever-asthma combination, and the bedwetting formula. Children can recognize the marshmallow plant by the little round buds they call "cheeses" which they like to eat.

Apple

Apple: (Malus communis) Ever since the Garden of Eden, the apple has enjoyed great popularity as a food and a medicine. The old phrase, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", is not just an empty adage. Dr. taught his students that the apple's juice was so amazing that thyroid germs would be dead by the time they reached the bottom of the glass. High in oxygen, the apple transported precious nutriments to the cells. The apple contains 37,000 IU of Vitamin A per pound. This vitamin helps fight infection while it maintains a healthy body. The B Vitamins are also present along with Vitamins C, D, and E.

Dioscorides mentions the apple in his herbal. He used it as a laxative and an anti-gas treatment. Apples were used as a food during pioneer days because they kept well during long journeys. Apple juice is an integral part of Dr. 's Three Day Cleansing Program. It helps clear out the toxins from the bowel and lymphatic system. This juice should be freshly squeezed for the best results. Otherwise it is cooked and dead. Apple cider vinegar has always been a part of Dr. 's program. The formula for equalizing hydrochloric acid production in the stomach is: 1 T apple cider vinegar 1 T raw honey in 8 oz distilled water and taken 1/2 hour before meals.

Apple cider vinegar is a favorite for salad dressing. Mix with olive oil and herbs. After the cold sheet treatment (the next morning) the patient is sponged off with apple cider vinegar to clean away toxins sweated out through the pores. A child suffering from the itch of chicken pox or measles can be sponged with a solution of 1/2 apple cider vinegar and 1/2 distilled water. The B & B tincture routine is followed on the 7th day by syringing the ears out gently with apple cider vinegar and distilled water 1/2 and 1/2. Apples contain stone solvents and neutralize acids due to gout. This noble fruit is very easy to digest. Dr. told of an experiment in which students were divided into two groups. One group had candy for snacks and the other ate apples. The apple eaters came out tops in energy and grades.

Red Clover

Red Clover: (Trifolium pratense) This beautiful blossom is one of the powerful blood purifiers. Dr. made this herb the base of his Red Clover Combination which is a must in any condition of cell deterioration to clean up the blood stream. It has been used historically as a poultice on tumors, gout and cancerous growths. The tea alone, used internally is a stimulant for the liver and gallbladder.

In cases of acne, a 6 week course of 3 cups of red clover tea a day, alternated with two weeks of burdock root tea, will bring good results with even the most stubborn cases of acne. The red clover plant is in the alterative class of herbs. This means that it changes the morbid state of a body to that of a healthy state--usually working through the digestive tract. Red clover is a good remedy for whooping cough in children and adults. It soothes irritation of the air passages. Many of the old American Botanic Physicians used a red clover syrup for whooping cough.

Red clover contains 1.34% calcium and 1.40% potassium. There are 18,333 international units of Vitamin A per pound. It has .9 mg. of B-1/pound, 7.1 mg. of B-2, and 16.9 mg. of B-3/pound. It is also high in pantothenic acid. There are those who will contend that there is no Vitamin D in vegetable sources, but they are uninformed. There are 868 IU of Vitamin D in a pound of red clover. All these vitamins are readily assimilated by the body. Vitamin E and B-12 are also present. Vitamin E helps oxygen get to the heart and is an antioxidant--that is, it prevents regeneration.

Skullcap

Skullcap: (Scutellaria lateriflora) This is an herb that is a specific for the spinal cord. At the base of the skull, the medulla oblongata houses the motor nerve. Skullcap is wonderful in any disorder of the spinal cord or the motor nerve. When this nerve is congested, messages cannot reach the rest of the body. Skullcap can correct this. Dr. used skullcap in the nervine formula, the B & B tincture (used for epileptics), the anti-plague formula, and the B F & C formula.

Skullcap has been used historically to treat hydrophobia. It is a tonic, nervine, and slightly astringent. When a headache occurs from coughing, a cup of skullcap tea will aid and relax the victim. Because the Herpes virus is seated in the spinal cord, the herb skullcap is being used in the cold sore relief remedy formulated by Dr. 's graduate students. There are many herbs that are overlooked because people are not aware of their healing properties. We need to educate ourselves as far as identification of herbs in the field, not only their therapeutic uses. A bottle of herb capsules from the health food store is no substitute for your knowledge of how to recognize, collect, prepare and store herbs. This was Dr. 's message. It is a much greater experience to prepare your own herbal formulas from plants you have grown or gathered, than to use drugs which mask symptoms.

Suzi

Senior Moderator

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.

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