March, 2011
He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herbs for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth...
HERBS AND HEIRLOOMS
Habanero and Cayenne
From The Herb Patch
Welcome to the March issue of Herbs and Heirlooms!
This month I would like to share some information concerning the vegetable and/or herb plants namely the habanera and cayenne pepper. These two ingredients are found in the Super Immune Tonic and Superblast! The habanera pepper which is usually hotter than most cayenne will also be found in the arthritis lotion that I am in the process of making. This is what I would like to focus on this month. The following information was taken from the website www.cayennepepper.info/health-benefits-of-cayenne-pepper.html which talked about the herbalist the late Dr. Christopher, so I found it fascinating and very informative and would like to pass this information on to my readers:
Cayenne Pepper and Heart Health
Yes, the effect of cayenne pepper on your body is dramatic, even literally instant and no more so than with the heart. Cayenne pepper's benefits is one of the things that brought you to this article so now let’s discuss the phenomenal healing properties of cayenne pepper with the human heart. Dr. John Christopher, the famed natural herbalist, was persecuted relentlessly by the government for his practice of herbal medicine all the while assisting patients in curing heart disease, cancer, tuberculosis, infertility, rheumatism, leukemia, and every other incurable under the sun. One of his greatest stories in his long career was how he could instantly stop a heart attack if he could get the patient to drink a glass of warm cayenne water. He said, "A teaspoon of cayenne should bring the patient out of the heart attack.” While this is not directly related to cayenne pepper and heart health, with internal hemorrhaging, if the patient can drink a glass of extra warm cayenne water, Dr. Christopher wrote, "...by the count of ten the bleeding will stop. Instead of all the pressure being centralized, it is equalized and the clotting becomes more rapid."
Perhaps now you can see why cayenne pepper is regarded as a true "miracle herb." With over 700,000 Americans experiencing a stroke each year and almost half a million dying yearly of either heart disease or related issues, believe it or not the cure is as close as your local health food establishment. How should you take cayenne? Ideally, orally in a drink. The cayenne pepper drink, when taken faithfully, will dramatically improve your heart health as well as your venous structure. Drink it with warm distilled water but if that is unavailable, purified water will substitute nicely.
Start by mixing about a quarter of a teaspoon in a glass of warm water. Then, down the hatch. Don't worry, you'll get used to it.
Another benefit of cayenne peppers is its antifungal properties. Cayenne pepper antifungal properties are significant although this is not its primary health benefit. Cayenne
Currently, cayenne’s immune system benefits are also the subject of studies conducted by many nutritional supplement companies and microbiologists. Let's get even more specific. Here is a comprehensive list of all the things cayenne can do for your health and why you should make it a regular part of your daily health regime. (I take this information from Dr. John R. Christopher's book School of Natural Healing.) By the way, the word "capsicum" is another term for cayenne pepper and is used interchangeably. That is how Dr. Christopher referred to cayenne in his book.
Key Health Benefits of Cayenne Peppers
•This herb is a great food for the circulatory system in that it feeds the necessary elements into the cell structure of the arteries, veins and capillaries so that these regain the elasticity of youth again, and the blood pressure adjusts itself to normal. It rebuilds the tissue in the stomach and heals the stomach and intestinal ulcers; in equalizing the blood circulation, Cayenne
•Cayenne
•Human circulation; it is warming; dilating; specific for varicose veins; equalizes the blood pressure in the arterial and venous system; equalizes blood pressure instantly actually.
•Cayenne
•Cayenne
•Great for heartburn.
•For atonic gout, in paralysis, in dropsy, in tympanitis, and in the debilitated stages of fever.
•For sore throats—gargle (prepare the gargle with honey); for spasmodic and irritating coughs; heartburn and diarrhea;
•Enables feeble stomachs to digest food; for atonic dyspepsia; specific for hemorrhoids; cures intermittent fever; Capsicum has the power to control menorrhagia; relieves sea-sickness;
•Capsicum is particularly efficient in tonsillitis, and the sore throat of scarlet fever and in diphtheria no application is so efficient as a strong gargle or wash made with Capsicum.
•Promotes digestion; relieves pains of the womb; removes obstructed menstruation; for quinsy; for all diseases of the throat; use as a plaster with honey for rheumatic pains, pains of the joints, gout, swellings, etc.; Use outwardly as a liniment, apply it warm or hot for arthritis and rheumatism; gargle for scarlet fever; use an infusion for ulcers in the mouth, strep throat or tonsillitis. (p.103)
•Cayenne
•Eases toothache; preserves the teeth from rotting, and when rubbed on the gums, stimulates them enough to prevent pyorrhea.
•Capsicum has a powerful action on the mucous membrane, and in hoarseness and sore throat, and in putrid throat a gargle made of Capsicum is particularly beneficial.
•By pouring hot vinegar upon the fruits of Capsicum all the essential qualities are preserved. This vinegar is an excellent stomachic.
•Capsicum can be used in the treatment of a snake bite.
•Cayenne
•Cayenne pepper is very soothing; it is effective as a poultice for rheumatism, inflammation, pleurisy, and helpful also if taken internally for these. For sores and wounds it makes a good poultice. It is a stimulant when taken internally as well as being antispasmodic. Good for kidneys, spleen and pancreas; wonderful for lockjaw; will heal a sore ulcerated stomach; Capsicum is a specific and very effective remedy for yellow fever, as well as other fevers and may be taken in capsules followed by a glass of water. (p. 119).
So, there you have it. Cayenne pepper is literally one of the greatest health secrets in the world. It's also remarkably inexpensive. I've seen it as low as $1.67 a pound and as high as $35 or so (it was organic certified), but even that $35 a pound figure was astonishingly low, in my view. Big Pharma hates medicinal spices and herbs as they are a powerhouse of nutrition and healing but they don't offer much with profits. It, therefore, takes the dedicated seeker of truth to find out for themselves–and that is why I put up this website.
For a while I have known that cayenne pepper can have dramatic effects in the body, but one day I got to find out first hand the ability for cayenne to stop bleeding. When my husband (Sam) was working out of town and I had a problem with my back, before he had to leave he reluctantly went outside to cut all the okra from the garden, which by the time he got back home would have been overgrown to the point of being uneatable. Instead of wearing his glasses to see while he was cutting, he decided to cut without them. He ended up cutting a small piece of his finger which by the time he got inside was bleeding profusely. He ran some cold water over it which made it hurt worse, and then asked me what could he do to stop the bleeding.
All of a sudden it came to me that I had read over and over that cayenne would stop bleeding, so I told him to shake some cayenne pepper on it. Within seconds the bleeding stopped and then we wrapped it up in clean cotton gauze and put some of my Me Me’s Butt Salve mixed with tea tree oil on it because it has ingredients in it to fight infection and he went to work thinking that the finger would be bleeding and he might have to go to the emergency room. Later, in the week he told me that the finger did not bleed anymore and that it did not hurt! Also, when he unwrapped it later it had formed a natural bandage from the cayenne and then scabbed over and later healed. It healed very quickly, even quicker than another finger he had cut slightly while working the week before. So, I was sold on the power of cayenne to stop bleeding!
All of a sudden it came to me that I had read over and over that cayenne would stop bleeding, so I told him to shake some cayenne pepper on it. Within seconds the bleeding stopped and then we wrapped it up in clean cotton gauze and put some of my Me Me’s Butt Salve mixed with tea tree oil on it because it has ingredients in it to fight infection and he went to work thinking that the finger would be bleeding and he might have to go to the emergency room. Later, in the week he told me that the finger did not bleed anymore and that it did not hurt! Also, when he unwrapped it later it had formed a natural bandage from the cayenne and then scabbed over and later healed. It healed very quickly, even quicker than another finger he had cut slightly while working the week before. So, I was sold on the power of cayenne to stop bleeding!
From the AMERICAN BOTANICAL COUNCIL AND THE HERB RESEARCH FOUNDATION
HERBS FOR HEALTH
EASING MUSCLE ACHES
by Steven Foster
Last summer, as I was stooping to photograph a plant, the muscles in my left shoulder and neck suddenly became locked. My head was frozen at a 45° angle, and a sharp pain radiated through my upper body. During the next two days, I took the muscle relaxants and painkillers prescribed by my physician, tried drinking a kava-root extract to relax the muscles, and even ventured to the chiropractor's for realignment—to no avail. My neck stayed as crooked and painful as ever. Finally, an acupuncturist relaxed my muscles and reduced their inflammation by inserting needles and rubbing my neck with a cooling menthol balm.
Muscle pain is one of the most complaints for which people seek advice from health-care practitioners. It may arise through overuse, injury, or disorders such as osteoarthritis, spinal tuberculosis, or kidney or liver disease. Sudden changes of temperature and humidity also can cause temporary stiffness and soreness. One time-honored approach to treating muscle pain is to massage the affected area with an analgesic salve, like the menthol preparation my acupuncturist rubbed on my neck. External analgesics provide an easy and effective way to cope with muscle pain; in fact, they have been the fastest growing nonprescription drugs since 1990, with sales increasing at about 11 percent per year.
Many popular over-the-counter topical pain relievers contain ingredients derived from plants, such as mustard seed, sweet birch oil, peppermint, and red peppers. These are all counter-irritants—substances that relieve pain by producing a lesser pain and sometimes also mild skin inflammation above the site of the aching muscle. Some suspect that counter-irritants also increase blood flow to the muscles, allowing the heat they product to penetrate the skin to deeper tissues.
Methyl salicylate
Drinking a tea made from the leaves of wintergreen has been a traditional American treatment for colds, headache, stomachache, and fevers; the same tea was also used as a wash for sore muscles. The essential oil of wintergreen is chemically nearly identical to that of black, or sweet birch, which has been traditionally used to treat rheumatism, gout, scrofula, skin eruptions, scurvy, bladder disorders, gonorrhea, neuralgia, and fevers.
The active and major ingredient in these oils is methyl salicylate, which is chemically related to aspirin but far more irritating to the stomach. Today, synthetically produced methyl salicylate is mainly used as a topical counter-irritant. It is found in ointments, liniments, and analgesic balms at concentrations of 1 to 30 percent. Products containing more than 5 percent methyl salicylate should not be used on children as it is rapidly absorbed through the skin and even small quantities can be fatal.
Menthol
Menthol is an alcohol comprising 29 to 48 percent of the essential oil of peppermint. One of the most widely used natural products, it is found in everything from candy and chewing gum to cigarettes, toothpastes, and liqueurs. At low concentrations in topical preparations, menthol helps to interrupt pain signals. At concentrations of 1.25 to 16 percent, it acts as a counter-irritant by first stimulating nerves that perceive cold and later nerves that perceive warmth while at the same time depressing nerves that perceive pain.
Apply menthol preparations no more than four times a day. Contact dermatitis is a rare side effect. Pure menthol is toxic and should never be ingested or applied to the skin.
Capsaicin
The pungent compound capsaicin, the “bite” of hot peppers, is used in over-the-counter and prescription topical creams to treat muscle pain as well as severe pain associated with shingles and (acute pain along a nerve following an attack of shingles), diabetic neuropathy, and arthritis. A single application of the cream to the skin results in the normal release of substance P. a protein responsible for relaying pain messages from nerve endings to the brain—along with the familiar burning sensation of cayenne. However, repeated applications over several weeks deplete supplies of substance P, bringing pain relief even when the underlying cause of the pain still exists. Pain relief with nonprescription capsaicin products usually occurs within two weeks but may take as long as six weeks. Do not try substituting cayenne or other red peppers in any form for capsaicin.
*I am presently working on a lotion that can be used for the pain and inflammation of the joints. Since I have a form of osteoarthritis and joint pain in my body at times, I know first hand that the items mentioned above can bring great relief! I intend to use wintergreen and peppermint as two of the key ingredients in this lotion. So, stay tuned for this invention.
Last month I talked about Genetically Modified Foods and avoiding them. The following is a list of product names that you can buy that are non GMOs. Some of these products can be found at Cascadian Farms Nature’s Path (Organic) Kashi Eden Organics Back to Eatin’ Newmans Own Annie’s Homegrown Earth’s Best Stoneyfield Organics Earthbound Farms Organic Horizon Milk Products Spectrum Garden of Life Clif (food bars) And others that I will write about next month! |
Until Next Month.....
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