Herbal Legacy Articles

by Jo Francks, MH

We are getting a lot of calls about this topic – what to do if you’re pregnant and get sick with the flu.  Drug companies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others are targeting pregnant women and children for the swine flu shot.

Our students would rather avoid the flu shot and want to know what is safe and effective for the flu when pregnant.  What I see happening is that pregnant women are hesitant to take anything because of the warnings on products and from doctors that virtually nothing is safe to take during pregnancy (So why would they give a swine flu shot that hasn’t had sufficient testing to a pregnant woman?).

Of course, prevention is the key, but when you feel like something is coming on Echinacea can be taken in dosages of 2 capsules or 1-2 dopperfuls every hour.  Nip it in the bud before it gets bad.  Garlic and cayenne can be taken during pregnancy.  Garlic is the number one herb for flu. It can be eaten raw, blended in juice, mixed with honey and cayenne or taken in capsules. 6 cloves of garlic is the daily recommended dosage.

We encourage women to drink red raspberry leaf tea all through their pregnancy to help the baby and for an easy delivery.  We also recommend red raspberry leaf tea to be consumed in large quantities if a person is sick or around sick people.  We don’t encourage fasting during pregnancy, but do eliminate processed foods, dairy, meat, and sweets.

Eat whole foods like fresh juice, fresh fruits and vegetables and potassium broth (see recipe below).  Sweat baths are not recommended, but a foot soak in ginger tea is helpful while drinking red raspberry leaf tea or peppermint or calendula or a mixture of all three.

We don’t recommend enemas or harsh laxatives or emmenagogue herbs during pregnancy.  Prune juice would be better to use than a laxative to help the bowels eliminate.  Plenty of rest is a must!

Some formulas that would be okay to use during pregnancy would be Immucalm, Sinus Plus and the Lung and Bronchial Formula.  Some individual herbs that are fine to use during pregnancy are red raspberry leaf, yarrow, elder berries, Echinacea, garlic, rose hips, ginger, plantain, cayenne and cloves.
Definition:

Emmenagogues are herbs which stimulate blood flow in the pelvic area and uterus; some stimulate menstruation.  Women have used plants such as mugwort, parsley and ginger to prevent or terminate early pregnancy.

Printable Version: www.herballegacy.com/Pregnant_Flu.pdf

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From Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices
by N.W. Walker

Alfalfa is a particularly valuable leguminous herb, not only rich in the principal mineral and chemical elements in the constitution of the human body, but it also has many of the trace elements obtained from deep in the soil where the roots reach down 30 to 100 feet.

Of specific value, I would point out the rich quality, quantity and proper balance of Calcium, Mangesium, Phosphorous, Chlorine, Sodium, Potassium and Silicon in Alfalfa.  These elements are all very much needed for the proper function of the various organs in the body.

While Alfalfa is widely used as forage for livestock, it is nevertheless of immense value, in the form of juice using only the leaves, when it can be obtained fresh.
Because Alfalfa adapts itself to widely varying conditions of soil and climate, even thriving on alkali soil, there is no excuse for not growing it on one’s home grounds, as it is usually difficult to obtain when living in the city.

When we are unable to obtain fresh Alfalfa, we sprout Alfalfa seeds and eat the sprouts with our meals.  They sprout easily and they are very beneficial.

Vegetation miraculously transforms and vitalizes inanimate substances into living cells and tissues.

Cattle eat vegetation, raw, for nourishment.  They take into their system one living organism and convert it into a still more complex live organism.

Vegetation, on the other hand, whether vegetable, fruit, plant, or grass, takes inorganic elements from the air, water, and earth, and converts them into live organic elements.  To be specific, in order for vegetation to flourish, it needs nitrogen and carbon from the air; minerals, mineral salts, and more nitrogen from the earth in which it grows; and of course, oxygen and hydrogen from water.

The most vital and potent factors in this process of conversion are the elements and the life-giving influence of the rays of the sun which generate the chlorophyll.

One of the richest chlorophyll foods we have is alfalfa.  It is a food that builds up both animals and humans, all things considered, into a healthy, vital, and vigorous old age, and builds up a resistance to infection that is almost phenomenal.

The juice of fresh alfalfa is too strong and potent to be taken by itself.  It is best taken with carrot juice, in which combination the individual benefits of each juice are intensified.  It has been found very helpful in most troubles with the arteries and disfunctions connected with the heart.

Besides benefits to blood and heart conditions, chlorophyll is most useful in the relief of respiratory troubles and discomforts, particularly in the sinuses and in the lungs.  Mucus is the underlying cause of sinus infection and pains, as it is of bronchial and asthmatic conditions, including hay fever.

To carrot and alfalfa juice, lettuce juice may be added to enrich the combination with elements needed by the roots of the hair.

http://www.herballegacy.com/Alfalfa.pdf

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by David Christopher, MH, AHG
 

Printable Version: www.herballegacy.com/EchinaceaHerb.pdf

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Revised October 2009 by David Christopher, M.H.

When dealing with long-standing health problems we cannot expect to totally cleanse or cure the body with one or more three-day cleansing routines. Therefore, to rid the body of chronic conditions or to prevent their occurrence, an extended herbal cleanse is an excellent path to follow. This should be used in conjunction with the mucusless diet.

Upon arising take one or two capsules of Lower Bowel Formula. This would then be repeated one hour before lunch, and prior to retiring for the night. If you do not have regular bowel movements increase your dosage by a capsule per day until you have 3 regular bowel movements a day.

Along with the Lower Bowel Formula take three of the Kidney Formula capsules mid-morning and also mid afternoon.

This routine would be followed six days, resting on the seventh. Resume taking the herbs on the second week, adding two droppers of the Liver Gall Bladder Extract twenty minutes before each meal. Do this again for six days, resting on the seventh day.

Take these three cleansing formulas for 2 more weeks, and then on the fourth week add two capsules of the Blood Stream Formula one hour after each meal. Do this again for six days, resting on the seventh day.

This procedure would then continue every week for six weeks, after which we would rest one week. We would repeat these intervals for six months and then rest for one entire month. At the end of this seven month program we would assess our progress and determine if another seven month program would be beneficial.

QUESTION

What changes were made and why were they made?

Originally you started taking the Lower Bowel, Kidney and Liver Formulas the first week.  Now you wait a week before adding the Liver and Gall Bladder Formula.  Before you start cleansing the liver you need to be eliminating properly.  The delay of one week helps you to do that.

In addition on the old program you could use the Liver and Gall Bladder capsules.  This has been changed to the Liver and Gall Bladder Extract.  In order for the liver to effectively utilize the herbs in this formula the bitter herbs must be tasted.

On the old program you added the Blood Stream formula in week two.  Now you are instructed to wait until the fourth week.  This is because this formula is so effective in removing toxins from the blood stream that you need to make sure your bowels, kidneys and liver are eliminating properly so the toxins released by the Blood Stream Formula do not remain in your system.

Printable Version: http://www.herballegacy.com/Extended_Herbal_Cleanse.pdf 

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Yvonne L. Salcido, M.H.
 
There is a definite peace that comes from having a ready supply of herbs on hand for a sudden illness or emergency.

Recently I had a family member in another state call because she was very sick. She wanted to know what she could do. She had nothing on-hand in her house.  If the phones lines were down, even cell phones will not work in a major disaster. What if she could not call to get advice?

Most important is herbal education – this invaluable skill will bless many in circumstances that we cannot predict.  For the best herbal education we recommend The School of Natural Healing - (www.snh.cc).

Look around us – the world is having so many challenges from weather, earthquake, wars, etc. Becoming self reliant is becoming critical! Here is a list of herbs that I think every home should have on hand (you can customize it to your needs).  The following list is for a family of four for one year.   
 
Cayenne
extract
powdered 1 lb.
ointment
 
Lobelia
extract
cut 1 lb.
 
Garlic
whole cloves in vinegar or bulbs hung
Garlic oil 2 oz.
Super Garlic Immune* ANTI-PLAGUE
 
Complete Tissue & Bone* & Comfrey
powdered 1 lb.
cut 1 lb.
ointment
 
Yarrow
cut 1 lb.
 
Brigham Tea
cut 1 lb.
 
Chaparral
cut 1 lb.
 
Mullein
cut 1 lb.
oil
           
Nettle
powdered 1 lb.
 
Infection Formula*
powdered 1 lb.
 
Plantain (Stings & Bites)*
powdered 1 lb.
ointment 4 oz.
 
Red raspberry
cut 1 lb.
 
Echinacea
powdered 1 lb.
extract                                        
                       
X-Ceptic*
extract
 
Nerve Formula*
extract
                                                                                   
Ear & Nerve Formula*
extract
 
Catnip
cut 1 lb.
 
Cleansing Herbs
Lower Bowel Formula*, Liver/Gall Bladder Formula*, Kidney Formula* & Blood Stream Formula*
                                               
Anti-spasmotic*
extract                                   
 
Nutritional Herbs
Vitalerbs*, Jurassic Green*, Kid-e Formulas*, Herbal Calcium extract*
 
Slippery Elm
powdered 1 lb.
 
Licorice Root
powdered 1 lb.
 
Black Walnut
cut 1 lb.
extract
 
Pau d’ Arco
cut 1 lb.
 
Ginger
powdered 1 lb.
 
Herbal Eyebright*
extract & eye cup
 
Chasteberry/Mindtrac*
powdered 1 lb. or capsules

Oregano
oil
 
Black Ointment*
ointment

In addition, be sure to have any herbs on-hand for family members dealing with specific challenges.

Additional items: Raw honey and wheat germ oil

*Indicates a formula by Dr. Christopher.  You can find these formulas at an herb shop.  Find herb shops we recommend at http://www.christopherwebsites.com.

To learn how to use these herbs in an emergency we encourage you to pick up the book “Herbs to the Rescue” by Kurt King, M.H.  Even better, as part of the Family Herbalist course you study this book in depth.  To learn more about Level 100 – Family Herbalist go to http://online.snh.cc.  To purchase the book Herbs to the Rescue visit this link:

http://www.christopherpublications.com/King_Herbs_Rescue.html

PRINTABLE VERSION: http://www.herballegacy.com/Herbs_Supply.pdf

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Fortunately, a person can heal themselves–and their loved ones around them–with herbs and natural treatments.  As Dr. Christopher proved so often with his Incurables Program, even dreadfully sick people can heal themselves.

Dr. Christopher told story after story about sick people he helped with simple remedies, simple treatments.  For example, a man and his wife brought their daughter to Dr. Christopher’s office in Salt Lake.  This young lady was the sickest, saddest-looking person he had seen in a long while.  She had met a young man who came to love her very much, and he wanted to marry her.  But she refused, saying it wasn’t fair to him, being in her condition, so anemic and sickly.  He told her that he loved her enough to marry her and take care of her under any circumstances.

She was in a very serious condition, so they put her on the three-day cleanse and Mucusless diet .  She took extra cups of red clover combination tea, and drank a minimum of one pint of grape juice a day, chewing each mouthful.  When she could, she took even more.  She also ate plenty of raisins and grapes in addition to the juice.  She used the yellow dock as a tea, and soon she began to show improvement.  She exercised adequately, being careful not to overdo it, and changed her diet from mucus-forming food to the Mucusless diet, having lots of salads and fruits, emphasizing as much raw as possible.  She used the female corrective and hormone-estrogen formulas, and she also used the vaginal bolus and yellow-dock combination in the slant board routine.  She showed improvement from the very beginning.

The parents had brought her to Dr. Christopher in the spring, and by fall they sent him an invitation to her wedding, because she had cleaned up her system and was very happy to get married.  She was living a new life, healing it herself by following through on Dr. Christopher’s instructions.

Printable Version: http://www.herballegacy.com/SRST.pdf

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What is Mastitis?

Mastitis is an inflammation of the breast most often occurring while a mother is breastfeeding.  It is caused by blocked milk ducts and is relatively common.  Mastitis usually happens when bacteria enter the breast through the nipple.  This can happen when a nursing mother has a cracked or sore nipple.  Another cause could be from engorgement which happens when the new milk comes in or when there is a long period between nursing and not enough milk is expressed from the breast.

Symptoms

Symptoms may include breast enlargement on one side only, breast lump, breast pain, fever and flu like symptoms including nausea and vomiting, itching, nipple discharge, swelling, tenderness, redness, and warmth in breast tissue, tender or enlarged lymph nodes in armpit on same side.

Avoiding Mastitis

To help avoid mastitis, make sure the baby is latched on properly when nursing to empty the breast completely and avoid cracked nipples. 

Relief

Get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids.  Warm or cold packs on the painful breast helps bring relief.  Place a warm wet washcloth over the affected breast for about 15 minutes.  This increases the milk flow.  Breastfeeding usually helps to clear up infection, and nursing while you have mastitis will not hurt the baby.

Herbal Help for Mastitis

For herbal help we turn to Dr. Christopher’s Glandular Formula:  three parts mullein to one part lobelia.  Make a tea of this and use as a fomentation on the breast at night and use the oil or ointment during the day.  The tea can be drunk - 1 cup three times a day.  Also one would want to use herbs to fight infection:  Echinacea and golden seal, the lymphatic formula, garlic, myrrh, etc. The herbs should be taken every hour or two to help get rid of the infection.

Get plenty of rest and eat a healthy diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds.  Nursing is always the best thing for a new baby and its mother.  It is a time to bond and relax and enjoy a newborn.  Mastitis can be discouraging, but it is not a reason to quit breastfeeding if it is taken care of quickly.

Printable Version: http://www.herballegacy.com/Mastitis.pdf

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Ginkgo biloba
from the 100 Herb Syllabus

Description
 
Ginkgo comes from the Chinese word Ginkyo, meaning silver apricot.  Biloba is Latin, bi meaning double, loba meaning lobes.  The leaf is fan-shaped, with a split in the middle.  The seed has the size and appearance of a small apricot when mature, and has a silvery bloom on the fruit.  You can tell a Ginkgo from other conifers by its fan-shaped leaves.  The leaves can be between 5-8 centimeters wide.  They are a leathery leaf and have a wax layer on both sides. The Ginkgo has a vascular system where the veins divide in two.  This vein pattern is unique to the Ginkgo.
 
A Ginkgo tree can reach 100 feet in height, and 13 feet in diameter.  When the tree reaches 100 years old, its canopy starts to spread.  The male tree has a slim column form and is slightly longer, while the female tree had a wider crown and a more spread out form.

General
 
Ginkgo Biloba is one of the oldest living species on the earth.  It is the only living representative of the order Ginkgoales, which is a group of gymnosperms composed of the family Ginkgoaceae, dating back about 270 million years. 
 
It was one of the only plants to survive the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in Japan during World Ward II.  The tree budded after the blast with no deformities.  The temple that was next to the tree was destroyed, but the tree remained.  In 1994, the temple was rebuilt around the Ginkgo tree.  There are a total of 4 Ginkgo trees that survived the nuclear bomb.
 
Medicinal Uses
 
Ginkgo has been shown to help improve memory, concentration, mental alertness and mild mood disorders.  It has also been shown to help with Alzheimer’s disease.  Ginkgo helps bring oxygen to the brain, and has a mild, blood thinning effect.
 
The seeds are used in Eastern medicine; the leaves are used in Western medicine.  The seeds are said to help with asthma, coughs, irritability of the bladder, blenorrhoa and uterine fluxes.  Eaten raw, they are said to be anti-cancer.  Cooked, the seeds are said to be peptic and anthelmintic.  In Japan, they are used for digestion.
 
Other Uses
 
In China, the nuts were served at weddings, feasts, and as a substitute for lotus seeds.  In Japan, there were used at tea ceremonies for sweets and desserts, and were also pickled.  In the 18th century, Ginkgo nuts became a side dish used when drinking sake.  Today, they are served grilled or boiled as chawan-mushi (a pot steamed egg dish), or in nabe-ryori (Japanese fondue).

Cultivation, Collection, Preparation
 
Ginkgo is generally prepared in liquid extract, herbal capsules, or as tea.  Western herbalists utilize the leaves. Eastern herbalists also utilize the fruit.

Toxicity
 
The fruit of the Ginkgo is mildly toxic.  Caution is urged when using Ginkgo if on blood-thinning medication.

Dr. Christopher’s Combinations Containing Ginkgo
 
Memory Plus
MindTrac

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from “Safety of Herbs” - A Healthier You Radio Show with Master Herbalists David and Fawn Christopher

We have been effective dealing with strep throat with a very simple combination of herbs.  This is a very valuable formula that has saved us hundreds and hundreds of dollars in medical expenses and gotten us over these kinds of conditions quickly.

Here’s the formula:

* One tablespoon of pure honey
* ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
* Four cloves of garlic pressed through a garlic press

Those are the proportions, but you’ll need more than that, so take four tablespoons of honey, one teaspoon of cayenne pepper and sixteen pressed cloves of garlic, and mix that all together.  Take ½ teaspoon to one teaspoon of the formula every 30-60 minutes.

Don’t wash it down - let the honey coat the throat, then the cayenne, being a rubefacient, will bring blood into the area, and then your immune system will be stimulated with the garlic.  Garlic is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral, so anything that may be causing the sore throat the garlic, along with the cayenne and the honey coating the area, will take care of the problem.

How long does it take to get over strep throat with the standard medical procedure?  10 days.  This herbal remedy will generally get you over strep throat in 24 hours.

Let’s look at another thing - the doctor who wrote the book, “Don’t Drink Your Milk” (Frank Oski, M.D.) observed through his case studies that his patients who drank milk were the ones who got strep consistently, while his non-milk drinking patients did not get strep, so milk is certainly a factor in strep throat.

Garlic, cayenne, honey - another safe and effective herbal remedy with no side effects.  You know it is going to work, and it’s going to work nine days faster than the standard medical procedure.

(Note on the honey - it needs to be pure honey.  Most beekeepers feed their bees sugar, which weakens the bee’s immune system, so they get mites coming into the hives.  To prevent mites from coming into the hives they give them antibiotics, further weakening the immune system of the bees.  Find local honey where the beekeeper doesn’t feed the bees sugar and doesn’t give them antibiotics.  You can often find good results if you check with your local health food store.)

Printable Version: http://www.herballegacy.com/Strep.pdf

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by James A. Duke, Ph.D.
The Green Pharmacy

Okay, so you’ve got a big peppermint patch, or whatever, growing in your garden or on your windowsill.  Now what?

First you must harvest your herbs.  You can snip off leaves and use them as needed.  Taking a cue from the American Indians, the romantics among us like to thank the herb for serving us and apologize for mutilating it.

Down in Panama and Peru, I listened as Indian shamans sang long chants to the herbs they were about to harvest, often while facing the East.  When I’m not in a hurry, I remember that the plants, too, have lives, and that their lives sustain ours.

In fact, the more we clip the leaves of medicinal plants, the more medicinal they become.  This makes sense botanically because herbs’ medicinal constituents are basically part of the plant’s self-protection system.  Harvesting the leaves makes the plant respond as if it’s under attack (which it is), so it produces more of what protects it.  Studies have shown that infections, insect infestations and leaf-plucking, among other attacks on the plant, increase the levels of some of the same chemicals that we view as medicines.

Collection Times

Although some herbalists argue for harvesting herbs early in the morning while there is still dew on them, I disagree.  That dilutes the herb with water, meaning that it has proportionately more water and less chemical until it’s dried.  In my view, you get the greatest concentration of plant chemicals and the least water when you collect leaves during a hot, dry day, but before the leaves have wilted.

Roots are best collected in spring or fall.  Bark may be collected in spring, especially if the compounds you seek are in the living bark.  If you’re collecting seeds for food, I recommend that you get them before they have dried out and hardened.  But if you’re harvesting them to plant next year rather than to use immediately, you may want to wait until they’ve dried out.

Feel free to use herbs fresh, especially in cooking.  Fresh culinary herbs and spices almost always taste best.  You can also freeze them, dry them or use them to make tinctures.  (When harvesting fresh culinary herbs, I generally use a plastic bag to help retain the moisture.)

Preserving the Goods

If you intend to preserve your herbs for future use, it’s cheaper to dry them.  Collect them in a brown paper bag rather than a plastic bag, and write the name of the plant and the collection date on the outside of the bag.

If you don’t stuff it too lightly, many herbs can be dried right in the bag.  I always make a run through my herb garden with paper bags before the last killing frost, collecting herbs for my winter medicines, soups and teas.

Check your brown-bagged herbs after about a week, and if they are not clearly drying – becoming papery and crumbly – spread them out on newspapers or clean wood or screen in a dry, shaded area so that they can dry out before mildew attacks.

When it comes to success in drying, a great deal depends on your local weather conditions.  In arid weather, herbs may dry too rapidly, especially in direct sunlight.  In humid and especially in foggy weather, you may have to apply heat by baking the herbs in an oven to get the moisture out.

Once dried, herbs can be kept in paper bags or stuffed into plastic bags.  You can also use glass jars with lids.

Light, heat and oxygen are the enemies of herb potency, so store your herbs in a cool, dark place, like a cellar or cupboard far from any heat source.  To minimize the oxygen around stored herbs, fill your containers as full as possible and move the herbs to smaller containers as you use them.

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