Better Health Naturally

One of my favorite herbs is cilantro.  I almost never make a vegetable salad without fresh cilantro, and I always grow it in my garden so that I will have fresh all summer.  Cilantro is actually the small leaves of the young Coriander plant and is sometimes called Chinese cilantro.  Did you know that it is mentioned in the Bible, and it was used as early as 1550 BC for culinary and medicinal purposes.

            Ethiopians chew the leaves to relieve colic and stomachaches.  The Lebanese use coriander as a spice and for gas and as a stimulant.  The Unani consider coriander seed as an aphrodisiac and a tonic to the brain, heart, and liver.  Ayurvedics recommend coriander for dysentery.  Iranians smoke coriander fruits for toothaches and chew the leaf for headaches.  Be careful with coriander seeds though, because, eaten in excess they may have a narcotic affect.

            I think the most valuable health use is one that modern research has discovered for us.  Cilantro has proven effective in chelating (removing) minerals and heavy metals from the body, especially mercury and iodine. Also, like many carrot-related spices, coriander contains coumarins that have blood-thinning properties.  I use cilantro capsules for this purpose frequently.  But, most of all, I like to just stroll through my garden in the evening and pick a few leaves and chew them.

I just received a phone call from a chiropractor in Colorado and we were discussing the epidemic that we both are seeing.  More and more people are suffering from allergy symptoms such as sinus infection/drainage, itching, dry skin, blotchy, red skin, headaches, brain fog and aching, sore joints.  We both had in the past just treated the symptoms with allergy treatments using a method called NAET.  NAET uses muscle response testing using hundreds of vials, determining the specific allergies, and then using a low level laser on acupuncture points while holding the vials to desensitize the person to the allergens.

            Even though we both have seen amazing results with this proven method, we have realized that we are only treating the symptoms and not the underlying cause of these allergies.  I no longer lead with this treatment, but test to see what infections are in the body.  It is amazing how many people I see with mold, mildew, fungus or yeast infections.  These infections can migrate to any inherent weakness in the body and cause inflammation and pain.

            In chronic cases the immune system is so over worked that the person is experiencing fatigue at a very deep level.  If you add to this a low thyroid function, you have someone who feels sick and tired all of the time, with many seemingly unconnected symptoms.

            The good news is that this can all be reversed, because we are created to be self-healing machines.  As always, food is your first medicine.  I believe that part of the reason for this epidemic is the standard American diet that feeds this infection like pouring gasoline on a fire.  You must start by eating only real food, not the processed facsimile, drink enough good, clean water, take the right herbs or homeopathics to destroy the infection, and find a strong pro-biotic to replace the good bacteria that helps to rebuild your immune system and to rediscover Better Health, Naturally. 

Are herb safe and what exactly are they?  In Ezekial 47:12 the Bible tells us that the leaves of the trees and plants are for our healing.  Some plants are too strong to use for food, such as rosemary, but can be used for seasoning in small amounts.  Many can also be used for natural medicine.

            Most drugs are simply synthetic copies of the natural chemicals in the plants.  The chemicals in the plants are in the colors and the essential oils.  That is why essential oils must be used with caution and with knowledge of the chemicals they contain and what affect they have on the body.  Along with the natural chemicals in plants that stimulate healing, God also place natural buffers that keep us from taking too much.

            One such herb is lobelia.  Lobelia is what is known as a “thinking” herb.  It simply “knows” where it is needed in the body.  It’s major function is to open tubes in the body.  It may help open bronchials in one person and arteries and veins in another.  If you accidentally take too much, you will automatically throw up and rid your body of the excess.  This would be considered a side effect, but a good one and certainly not dangerous.

            One herb that was given a bad reputation through mis-information is ephedra.  Ephedra is a plant that contains chemicals that stimulate bronchial dilation.  Taken as an herb or as a tea (the tea was never taken off of the market) it is perfectly safe.  The products that were proven dangerous were the weight loss products.  The companies would extract about 40 times the amount of stimulant found in one dose of ephedra and put it in one pill along with caffeine and others herbal stimulants.  If taken along with a poor diet and extreme exercise it was very dangerous.  Also, Sudafed and other cold medicines were put behind the pharmaceutical counters.  Instead of banning the processed products that were dangerous, the court banned the herb ephedra, which had never killed anyone.  Fortunately, a later court overturned that decision.

            Plants in nature that are poison are not harvested and sold to the public.  That would be insane, wouldn’t it?  Those that are available promote Better Health, Naturally.

“I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.” Psalm 37:35.  Bay Laurel is another herb that was popular in Bible times.  King David was so taken with the power and beauty of bay laurel tree that he used the aromatic bay wood for paneling his personal rooms and the bay leaves in emblems and motifs to decorate the Temple.

            Bay leaves can be used to flavor meats, fish, poultry, vegetables, soups and stews.  They are used in pickling and vinegar. The essential oil is used for baking and flavoring food products as well as in perfumery.  The fat derived from the fruit has been used in soap making and veterinary medicine.

            The leaves have been twined into wreaths since the ancient Greek and Roman Olympic games and now decorate kitchens for their aromatic and decorative beauty. 

            The essential oil from the fruit has bactericidal and fungicidal properties and historically has been used during times of epidemic to avoid infections.

            In Lebanon bay leaves and berries are extracted to relieve flatulence and act as a stomach tonic.  They also steep bay leaves and berries in brandy in the sun for several days and use the residue, after distillation, as a liniment for rheumatism and sprains.  The distillate acts to stimulate menstrual flow.

            The fruit is used in various preparations and used for facial growths or moles; fibrous tumors of the uterus and liver; hardening of soft tissue in the joints and tumors of the eyes.

 Why not grow a bay tree in your back yard?  They are beautiful, smell wonderful, taste great in soups and may offer you health benefits some day. 

Have you ever thought about the first home God ever made for man and woman?  It was a garden.  In my back yard I have a space that is my prayer garden where I grow most of my herbs.  I have a plaque in that garden that reads “Time Began In  a Garden”.   I love that.  What it reinforces for me is that God is very interested in what we eat and drink.  He spent time with Adam and Eve explaining what was for their food in the garden and what was not for their food.  Man’s fall came as a result of eating something God didn’t intend to be eaten.  Food and water are God given for the sustenance and healing of man and the right to choose what we eat and drink should be a God given right. 

         He has created such a variety for us and not only is it enjoyable to eat, but it beautiful to look at and as a side benefit, it heals us.  On April 30^th a vote will be taken that could, again take freedoms from us that change all of that forever.  As a young adult I would never have dreamed that prayer in schools would be banned, or that Christian people would allow the infanticide of unborn babies. 

           Please join me this week in praying  that our liberty to decide what to drink, what to eat, or to pray for healing in hospitals and in public forums as well as using lotions, oils, vegetable juices and herbs for safe healing as an alternative to drugs and surgeries  on APRIL 30^TH will not be slowly taken away.

I know we’ve been absent for awhile but we’ve been undergoing some big changes around here. I’ve had a lot of people ask for my back newsletters and I plan to put them all up when I have time, please be patient with me.