Ulcers

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I am worried about you. I remember something that Suzi posted some time ago by Dr. on using cayenne to heal ulcers. A story about a guy who wouldn't take cayenne for his ulcer because it sounds so ridiculous, and how one night, he felt so horrible, he decided to take a bunch of it so that it would just kill him, and he would be done with it. When he woke in the morning, it was the first good night's sleep he had had in a very long time. Maybe someone can find that and post it.

I also have been told that you can heal ulcers with cabbage juice. I got the following information from

http://www.bodyandfitness.com/Information/Health/uclers2.htm

Anti-ulcer Cabbage SoupHere's a basic cabbage soup that's chock-full of anti-ulcer compounds. You'll have to do a little experimenting to arrive at a flavor that pleases you. If you try the optional spices, use them sparingly. While they are delicious in cabbage soup, the flavor is rather exotic.

3 cups water2 cups shreddded cabbage1 cup chopped celery1 cup diced potatoes1/2 cup chopped okra1/2 cup diced onions1/2 cup chopped green pepperGround red pepperGround gingerGround black pepperGround cinnamon (optional)Ground cloves (optional)Dried licorice root (optional) Place the water, cabbage, celery, potatoes, okra, onions and green peppers in a soup pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmeruntil the vegetables are tender. Season to taste with the red pepper, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon (if using), cloves (if using) and licorice (if using).

Anti-ulcer Fruit Cocktail

Every one of the ingredients in this tasty, no-fat dessert contains significant amounts of stomach-soothing, anti-ulcer compounds. You'll probably have a hard time thinking of this scrumptious treat as potent medicine, but that's exactly what it is.

BananasPineappleBlueberriesGround cinnamonGround clovesGround gingerHoney (optional)Cut up the bananas and pineapple; the amount and proportions will vary depending on how many people you're serving and which fruits you like best. Place them in a serving bowl and add the blueberries. Season to taste with the cinnamon, cloves and ginger (try to be generous) and sweeten with the honey (if using).If you like, you can also make a between-meal anti-ulcer drink by blending blueberry juice, pineapple juice, a banana and the spices listed above. Garnish each serving with a peppermint sprig.

Folk Wisdom Vindicated Again

Here's a story I'd like to share with you about herbal folk wisdom and modern science. An old herbalist whom I respected, the late A. L. "Tommie" Bass,who had a little herb farmette outside Leesburg, Alabama, became the subject of a book, Herbal Medicine: Past and Present by K. Crellin and Jane Philpott,published by Duke University Press in 1989.

In this book Crellin and Philpott discussed some 300 herbs that Tommie recommended over the years. For each herb, the authors recounted what Tommie hadto say about the herb and then interpreted his account in the light of pharmacological research.

One herb that Tommie recommended for ulcers was yellowroot, which contains some of the same chemicals asgoldenseal.Here's what Tommie said about it: "More people are taking it now for ulcers than anything we know of. I've used yellowroot to help so many people with theirulcers. They come back to thank me and offer me money. But I'm not in the business for the money. I'm in it to help people. And yellowroot can help anulcer, more than that Tagamet. They throw away their Tagamet once they try the yellowroot."

But Crellin and Philpott noted that "little physiological evidence exists to suggest any specific activity on ulcers" from yellowroot's known active compounds,most notably berberine.

Perhaps they were understating the case. When I checked my database, I saw that berberine had, in fact, been reported to have anti-ulcer effects. In addition,Crellin and Philpott's commentary was written before the discovery that most ulcers are caused by bacterial infections. Yellowroot is a potent antibiotic,and berberine is a compound that has antibacterial effects even at very low concentrations, meaning that a few spoonfuls of tincture a day might well curean ulcer, just as Tommie claimed.

I'm including this story as yet another example of how often folk wisdom about plants turns out to be scientifically valid. It also serves as a reminderthat sometimes scientists need to take a second look at something that they've initially rejected as unscientific, especially when new data accumulate.The wisdom gained by long experience may prevail.

Hugs,

TerriLynne