Cilantro helps detox heavy metals

Natural News
Mike Adams
Monday, November 09, 2009

Heavy metals are extremely toxic to human neurology. Mercury, lead and cadmium all contribute aggressively to the deterioration of neurological function. Fortunately, there’s a simple, natural way to detox your body and remove these toxic substances from your tissues.

The solution is cilantro. It’s that magical-tasting herb often used in Mexican food recipes. As it turns out, cilantro not only taste great, it also binds to heavy metals and helps remove them from your body.

Below, we’re collected some important research on this remarkable ability of the cilantro herb. Read them all to learn more, then whip up your own delicious recipes using raw cilantro in your own kitchen!

Food, after all, is really potent medicine. You can also purchase cilantro liquid extracts from places like Baseline Nutritionals (their product is called “Metal Magic”) or other vendors of quality superfood supplements.

Cilantro removes heavy metals
Supplements helpful in the detoxification process include: cilantro, Vitamin C, selenium, garlic and others. Eating a clean diet, free of pesticides and hormones, is a must for a detoxification program. I encourage my patients to eat whole foods, with adequate amounts of protein. Eliminating the “whites”– refined sugar, refined flour, and refined salt will help any health condition and help any detoxification program. The glycemic index of carbohydrates can be a helpful guide on which carbohydrates to eat and which to avoid.
- The Miracle of Natural Hormones by David Brownstein

Add cilantro to meals; it can help remove heavy metals. Add dark green leafy vegetables, which contain chlorophyll, a helpful detoxifier. Get curcuminoids from spices such as turmeric. Try herbal detoxification teas containing mixtures of burdock root, dandelion root, ginger root, licorice root, sarsaparilla root, cardamom seed, cinnamon bark, and other herbs.
- Ultraprevention : The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life by Mark Hyman, M.D.

There are several natural chelation products that use only the cilantro and chlorella to extremely positive effect supporting the basic premises being put forth here. The addition of ALA brings in the leading work of Dr. Andrew Hall Cutler, who is one of the world’s leading experts on mercury detoxification. His extensive and successful use of ALA has won him a large devoted audience.
- Transdermal Magnesium Therapy by Mark Sircus

Metal Magic is made from two simple herbs: cilantro and chlorella. Alone, each of these has the ability to bind with heavy metals, and together they make a very powerful metal detoxification substance that can literally pull mercury, lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals right out of your body, thereby sparing your body the damage that would normally be caused by those heavy metals. This is potentially a life-saving product, and it can certainly save the health of a fetus, if you happen to be pregnant or you plan to have a pregnancy in the near future.
- Natural Health Solutions by Mike Adams

Eat more foods that contain Vitamin C, such as the supergrain Chia, or red-colored fruits and vegetables, for about ten days. Use cilantro leaves and green leafy vegetables in every main meal to help clear mercury and other metal deposits from the body. Drinking several cups of Pau d’Arco (Lapacho) tea per day, or taking four capsules of its extract three times daily for two weeks may greatly assist you in the detoxification of the blood, liver and kidneys.
- Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation: Unleash The Natural Healing Power That Lies Dormant Within You by Andreas Moritz

Since 1 couldn’t afford $9,000 for those treatments, I intensified my detoxification program by taking in more wheatgrass, the sea vegetable chlorella and cilantro, reputed to be a good heavy metal chelator. Fasting is also effective at reducing the body’s toxic burden. Third, make sure you get enough sleep. Studies show that people who don’t sleep enough have intensified appetites due to a lack of the hormone leptin. I have also found coconut oil or butter to be extremely helpful in burning fat. Coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids, or triglycerides (MCTs).
- The Live Food Factor: The Comprehensive Guide to the Ultimate Diet for Body, Mind, Spirit & Planet by Susan E. Schenck

As you can see from the following recipes, I adore cilantro! It is said to be a good heavy metal chelator to aid in detoxification. I put an entire bunch of it in almost anything that is not a dessert. Feel free to reduce the amount. You could also use parsley or your own favorite herb as a substitute. When I first started preparing raw dishes, I omitted many of the fresh herbs because I didn’t want to pay two dollars for some fresh organic herbs when the recipes called for so little of them.
- The Live Food Factor: The Comprehensive Guide to the Ultimate Diet for Body, Mind, Spirit & Planet by Susan E. Schenck

We helped him detoxify from this mercury poisoning with foods such as kale, watercress, and cilantro; herbs such as milk thistle; nutrients such as selenium and zinc; and chelating medications that helped him overcome his genetic difficulties getting rid of toxins. We lowered his cholesterol with diet, herbs, and exercise. We lowered his homocysteine with high doses of folate, B12, and B6 to overcome his weak MTHFR gene. And we added an extra, special form of folate called methyl folate, the active form that bypasses the ineffective gene.
- The Live Food Factor: The Comprehensive Guide to the Ultimate Diet for Body, Mind, Spirit & Planet by Susan E. Schenck

Initial studies indicate that fresh cilantro may be extremely effective in helping flush heavy metals out of the blood. Taking 400 mg of cilantro a day can pretty much clean heavy metals out of the body in just 2 weeks. Dr. David Williams has a great recipe for cilantro pesto in his June ‘98 Alternatives newsletter. Process one cup packed fresh cilantro and six tablespoons of olive oil in a blender until the cilantro is chopped. Add one clove garlic; a half cup almonds, cashews, or other nuts, and two tablespoons lemon juice. Blend to a lumpy paste. (Add a little hot water if necessary.)
- Whole-Body Dentistry: Discover The Missing Piece To Better Health by Robert C. Atkins MD

Cilantro stimulates the body’s release of mercury and other heavy metals from the brain and CNS into other tissue. Cilantro’s postulated mechanism of action is to act as a reducing agent changing the charge on the intracellular mercury to a neutral state allowing mercury to diffuse down its concentration gradient into connective tissue.
- Transdermal Magnesium Therapy by Mark Sircus

The amount of cilantro varied by individual because some subjects did not like either cooked or raw cilantro, but the researchers found that cilantro worked synergistically with antibiotic drugs and rapidly reduced symptoms and infection. They also found that cilantro accelerated the elimination of mercury, lead, and aluminum through the urine. They hypothesized that certain infectious organisms somehow use mercury or lead to protect themselves from antibiotics or that deposits of heavy metals somehow make antibiotics ineffective.
- Disease Prevention and Treatment by The Life Extension Editorial Staff

Organic foods decrease the toxic burden that pesticides cause. Cilantro, parsley, dark leafy greens help to bind up toxins, such as heavy metals, for excretion. Goat milk, yogurt and cheese are more readily digested than cow dairy products. Rice and soya milk are alternatives to goat or cow milk. Cottage cheese and plain cow milk yogurt are acceptable. Oatmeal, buckwheat, quinoa and brown rice are healthy grains that do not contain gluten. Sometimes oatmeal is cross-contaminated with wheat, which contains gluten. If you are a celiac, be careful with oats.
- Your Drug-Free Guide to Digestive Health by Heather Caruso

Oral chelators such as zeolite, cilantro, chlorella, the sulfur amino acids – methionine, cysteine and cystine – plus all sulfur containing foods, are preferred from a strictly natural health point of view. Exercise that produces perspiration, saunas, and steam baths in combination with the foods indicated above, are also helpful in eliminating heavy metals. Synthetic chemicals and their combinations pose a serious threat to health. It is reported that 80,000 chemicals are in use today, and that this number increases yearly.
- Conscious Health: A Complete Guide to Wellness Through Natural Means by Ron Garner

The essential oils of cilantro are considered to have antifungal and antibacterial properties (Omura et al. 1995; 1996). In studies at the Heart Disease Foundation (New York), Omura et al. (1995; 1996) found that antibiotics used to treat infection were not effective in the presence of heavy metals such as mercury and lead. These metals appeared to coexist with infections such as Chlamydia trachomatis and Herpes simplex, as well as with cytomegalovirus and other microorganisms, including viruses responsible for cancer.
- Disease Prevention and Treatment by The Life Extension Editorial Staff Full article here…

Aren’t green beans supposed to be good for you? New study of BPA in canned food says maybe not…

GreenAndSave.com
Sarah Janssen
Friday, November 6, 2009

Yesterday, Consumer Reports released a study of the levels of bisphenol a (BPA) in food products. They found that nearly all of the 19 canned food products they tested contained levels of BPA which have been associated with harm in laboratory animal studies. These included name-brand products like DelMonte green beans and Progresso vegetable soup, which had some of the highest levels measured. Other popular brands like Chef Boyardee, Campbell’s, Green Giant, and Hormel also contained concerning levels BPA. Even more alarming, organic canned food and other brands labeled as “bpa-free” had detectable levels of BPA, including Annie’s Organic and Eden Foods. None of the contaminated foods list BPA in their ingredients list because it isn’t intentionally added to the food but rather leaches from the lining of the can into the food.

Because this was a small study, this study is just a snapshot of what people eating canned food might be exposed to, but we can assume that, in general, most canned food contains some level of BPA. The bad news is that you can’t know for sure which canned foods are most contaminated.

The good news is that it is possible to eat your vegetables and have them be BPA-free. Tests of frozen food or food packaged in box or pouch contained much lower or non-detectable levels of BPA. Curiously, Hunt’s canned tomato sauce contained low BPA levels – similar to those found in frozen food – which suggests it is possible to can food with little to no BPA contamination.

Why am I concerned about BPA? BPA is a hormone disrupting chemical that acts like the female sex hormone, estrogen, and can interfere with normal development and function of the body. In animal studies, developmental BPA exposure has been linked to prostate cancer, breast cancer, pre-diabetes (insulin resistance), changes in fat metabolism, and changes in the way the brain develops resulting in behavioral abnormalities. Emerging human research has found similar evidence of harm. And all of us are exposed; over 90% of Americans tested by the CDC were found to have residues of BPA in their bodies.

The Consumer Reports study rightly points out that BPA exposure from eating canned food represents a risk to human health. Their study has been disputed by the chemical industry who cling to the results of flawed studies they funded.

The FDA relied on these same industry studies when concluding that current levels of BPA exposure are safe. However, the FDA is currently re-evaluating the safety of BPA after their own scientific advisors sharply criticized them for doing an “inadequate” analysis. FDA is expected to announce an updated of this process at the end of this month and in December the EPA is expected to announce their “action plan” for evaluating the toxicity of BPA.

While it is great that many companies and retailers are voluntarily replacing their use of BPA in consumer products like baby bottles, sippy cups and maybe even some food packaging, we should not assume that just because a product is “BPA-free” means that it is safe.

Often we have little to no information about the replacement chemicals being used and the current law intended to protect us from toxic chemicals is so weak and broken, there is no functional system in place to protect us from toxic chemicals! Fortunately, there is a momentum building to reform this broken law and put in place a new law that will prevent us from having to worry about whether the replacements are really safer.

In the meantime, NRDC recommends that everyone, especially pregnant women and young children, reduce their exposure to BPA as much as possible.

We have more information BPA and recommendations for avoiding exposure on our website. These include:

* Limit your consumption of canned food by eating fresh or frozen produce and buying processed food in “brick” cartons, pouches or glass.

* Limit your consumption of canned soda and beer – where possible choose glass as an alternative.

* If you have a newborn, avoid baby bottles or sippy cups made of polycarbonate (hard, clear, shatterproof) plastic. They are marked with the recycling symbol #7, and sometimes labeled “PC.” (Not all #7 plastics are polycarbonates-the only way to know for sure is to call the manufacturer.)

* Use a BPA-free reusable water bottle, such as an unlined stainless steel bottle.

* Don’t allow your children to have dental sealants made from BPA (or BADGE) applied to their teeth, and don’t have these sealants applied to your teeth while you are pregnant. Ask your dentist to provide BPA-free treatments. Full article here…

New research from Japan: Green tea fights blood and liver cancer, as well as pneumonia

Natural News
S. L. Baker
Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Three new studies by Japanese scientists add even more evidence to what already is an astounding mountain of data showing green tea protects and heals the human body. All of the research is based on findings from the huge Ohsaki National Health Insurance Cohort Study in Japan which involved 41,761 Japanese adults between 40 and 79 years of age. None of the research subjects had a history of cancer when the study started and their diets, along with other lifestyle factors and any health problems they developed, were followed for about ten years.

In a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, Dr. Toru Naganuma of Tohoku University School of Medicine in Senda and colleagues reported that drinking at least five daily cups of green tea was found to slash the risk of blood cancers by 42% and lymph system cancers by 48%. What’s more, these enormous reductions in cancer were consistent in both men and women and in people with various body mass sizes.

While Dr. Naganuma was looking at blood and lymph cancer rates, another research team in the Division of Epidemiology in Tohoku University’s Department of Public Health and Forensic Medicine was also searching the Ohsaki National Health Insurance Cohort Study and they discovered yet another link between green tea and cancer prevention. Their study, published in the September issue of the journal Cancer Causes and Control found that green tea consumption was inversely associated with the incidence of liver cancer. The study documented that the more green tea consumed, the more the risk plummeted — five cups or more offered the most protection from liver malignancies.

Yet another study of the Ohsaki data by scientists at the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, published in the September edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found a strong link between drinking green tea and protection against pneumonia in women. The researchers noted in their paper that experimental and animal studies have previously shown that catechins, antioxidant phytochemicals found abundantly in green tea, are active against infectious agents — so that could be a possible explanation for green tea’s apparent pneumonia-fighting ability.

They excluded any research participants who were missing information on their green tea consumption or who had reported a history of cancer, heart attack or stroke. In all, the scientists followed the research subjects’ health for over 12 years. The results showed, at least for women, a dramatic reduction in the risk of pneumonia for green tea drinkers. Once again, drinking five or more cups a day appeared to offer the most benefit. Full article here…

Mediterranean Diet Shown To Prevent Depression

UK Medix
Jane Tucker
Friday, October 30, 2009

Feeling blue? Well, new research shows that maybe all you need to do is change your diet. A study done by the national medical research agency in Spain shows that the Mediterranean diet can have a big impact in improving your mood and can be regarded as a natural remedy for depression. Over 10,000 mentally healthy Spanish people were monitored for almost five years and told to follow a Mediterranean diet. Those individuals who stayed on the Mediterranean diet for the whole term of the study were 50 percent less likely to suffer from depression as those individuals who did not stay on it.

The Mediterranean diet which consists of a whole range of different fruit and vegetables, natural products, olive oil and fish is not only good for the mind but also for the body. In fact because of the positive health benefits especially to the heart and the circulatory system it is likely the lack of depression experienced could be due to good physical health as opposed to the Mediterranean diet having a direct positive effect on the mind.

On the other hand however, Dr. Miguel Angel Martinez-Gonzalez who led the study explained that consuming a healthy form of fat is essential for the production of good neuron membranes. The Mediterranean diet is full of natural fat which is less likely to clog the arteries and cause heart disease. Fat is also a requirement for the production of healthy levels of hormones which also regulate mood and well being.

The other thing about the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle is that it allows you consume a large variety of tasty food which should be consumed over a leisurely period and preferably on a veranda overlooking the sea with plenty of sun and a gentle breeze ( : , and that should be enough to keep you in a good mood.

The research was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Vegetable Juice Helps Promote Weight Loss

Natural News
David Gutierrez
Thursday, October 29, 2009

Daily consumption of vegetable juice may not just help increase vegetable consumption, but also improve the effectiveness of weight loss strategies, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of California-Davis and presented at the Experimental Biology Conference in New Orleans.

The study was funded in part by the Campbell Soup Company.

The researchers conducted the study on 81 adults with metabolic syndrome, three-quarters of them women. Metabolic syndrome refers to a cluster of symptoms — central obesity, high blood levels of trigylcerides and fasting glucose, high blood pressure, and low levels of HDL (”good”) cholesterol — that significantly raise a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. All the participants were advised to follow an American Heart Association-recommended diet high in fiber, fruit, vegetables, minerals and low-fat diary, and low in salt and saturated fat. They were also told to drink 0, 1 or 2 cups of low-sodium, high-potassium V8-brand vegetable juice daily.

After 12 weeks, participants who drank either one or two cups of vegetable juice per day lost an average of four pounds, while those who drank no vegetable juice lost only one pound. The researchers also found that people in the vegetable juice groups had significantly higher vitamin C and potassium intake, and a significantly lower intake of carbohydrates.

Drinking vegetable juice also made people significantly more likely to reach the recommended intake of five fruits and vegetables per day. Among those not drinking vegetable juice, less than 25 percent reached the daily fruit and vegetable goal, in contrast with more than 50 percent of those in the one-cup-per-day group and 100 percent of those in the two-cups-per-day group.

“What we found in this study is that drinking vegetable juice seemed to address some of the key barriers to vegetable consumption such as convenience, portability and taste, so individuals were more likely to meet their daily recommendations,” researcher Carl Keen said. “Furthermore, vegetable juice drinkers reported that they actually enjoyed drinking their vegetables, which is critical to adopting dietary practices for the long-term.”

Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com; timesofindia.indiatimes.com.

10 Ways Herbal Remedies can help protect you against Colds and Flu

Best Syndication

October 28, 2009

The typical signs of the common cold are a runny or blocked nose, a sore throat, sneezing, cough, headache and mild fever.

Symptoms of the Flu are similar, however the fever is usually higher, and alternates with chills and is accompanied by sweating, aches and pain and fatigue.

Why do we get the cold and flu ?

There are many different viruses that can cause colds and flu. They are passed from person to person by inhaling infected droplets that have been sneezed or coughed into the air or by touching an area with live infection.

Infection is most likely to occur when the immune function is low because of tiredness, stress, poor diet and digestion function, lack of exercise or smoking.

What are the different treatments for cold and flu ?

People spend billions of dollars every year trying to fight off the misery of the common cold.

Want to try something different?

Here are 10 natural ways to help protect yourself against colds or flu using herbal remedies.

1. Eat plenty of leeks and green onions.

These herbs and foods have powerful cold fighting properties. Leeks provide a good source of fiber, folic acid, vitamins B6 and C, manganese, and iron.

Onions are a very good source of vitamins B6 and C, chromium, biotin, and fiber. They are also a good source of folic acid and vitamins B1 and K. The health benefits provided by onions are also due to their content of several organic sulfur compounds. You can eat healthy vegetable soup with leeks or green onions in it.

2.Take a large clove of Garlic, peel and keep it in your mouth.

Bite down every so often to release the natural juices. Replace with a new clove every four or five hours. Cold symptoms are usually gone in twenty four, to forty eight hours.

Garlic provides an excellent source of vitamin B6. It has vitamin C, manganese, and selenium. Garlic also contains sulfur-containing compounds such as allicin. Allicin has been shown to be effective against common infections such as colds, flu, stomach viruses, and candida yeast.

3.Your nose all stuffed up?

Try eating some hot or spicy foods which should open up those blocked nasal passages and you won’t have to take too many nose drops!

4. Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm tea promotes sweating. This is good for feverish colds as it helps to eliminate the toxins from the body.

5. Chest congestion can be effectively cleared up by breathing a mixture of hot vinegar, or white wine. Breathe in the vapors for a few minutes, and you should get relief

6. Coughs and sore throats can be controlled with several home remedies.

A classic remedy requires a large lemon. Start by slowing roasting it until it just splits open. Now take up to half a teaspoon of honey with the juice from the lemon. Repeat at hourly intervals until the cough is under control.

7. Feel better with elderberry or elderberry tea to treat respiratory infections. Now scientific evidence suggests that taking a standardized elderberry extract can shorten the length of time you’re sick by 50 percent.

8. Soothe a sore throat – Drink a tea made of mucilaginous herbs such as marshmallow or slippery elm, which coat the throat.

9. Stop the cough – When you can’t quit coughing, drink hot ginger tea. Ginger stimulates circulation and helps clear your sinuses and lungs of mucus. You may also get some relief with the natural cough suppressant, bromelain, which is an enzyme that comes from pineapple.

10. Breathe easier – One of the best ways to open clogged sinus and bronchial passages is to breathe warm steam to which you’ve added essential oil of eucalyptus. Full article here…

Flexibility exercises like Pilates and yoga could prevent, treat stiff arteries

Natural News
Mike Adams
Saturday, October 24, 2009

From a sitting position, how far can you reach past your toes? Especially if you are middle-aged or older, the answer could indicate how flexible you are — and also how flexible your arteries are. However, if you are stiff and can’t reach too far, don’t despair. New research suggests stretching exercises that increase flexibility could prevent or reverse stiffening of arteries.

In a study entitled “Poor trunk flexibility is associated with arterial stiffening”, just published in the October edition of the American Journal of Physiology, researchers found that how well people age 40 and older performed on a sit-and-reach-past-their-toes test was an accurate way to assess the flexibility of their arteries. So, because arterial stiffness often precedes cardiovascular disease, this simple, non-drug, non-invasive test could become a quick measure of a person’s risk for early death from heart attack or stroke.

“Our findings have potentially important clinical implications because trunk flexibility can be easily evaluated,” scientist Kenta Yamamoto of the University of North Texas and the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Japan said in a statement to the media. “This simple test might help to prevent age-related arterial stiffening.”

Healthy blood vessels are elastic and that flexibility helps to moderate blood pressure. But as we age, arterial stiffness often increases, upping the risk for cardiovascular disease. In previous studies, scientists have documented that physical fitness can delay age-related arterial stiffness, although exactly how that happens in the body is not understood. Because people who exercise and are fit are usually more flexible than those who are out of shape, the researchers hypothesized that a flexible body could be a quick way to check for arterial flexibility.

To test this idea, the scientists investigated 526 healthy, non-smoking adults between the ages of 20 and 83 who had a body mass index (BMI) of less than 30. Then the research subjects were divided into three age groups: the young (20 to 39 years old), middle-aged (40 to 59 years old) and the elder (60 to 83 years old).

The research participants were asked to perform a sit-and-reach test by sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall and legs straight. The volunteers bent at the waist and slowly stretched, reaching their arms forward. Depending on how far they could reach, the research subjects’ flexibility was rated by the scientists. The research team also recorded the participants’ blood pressure and measured how long the pulse took to travel between the arm and the ankle and between the neck and the leg. Other measurements were collected from some of the research subjects, too, including their cardiorespiratory fitness, endurance and muscle strength.

Overall, the scientists discovered that trunk flexibility was the best predictor of artery stiffness among those who were middle-aged and older but not among the younger participants. In the middle-aged and older groups, the systolic blood pressure (the top number of a blood pressure measurement that indicates the pressure as the heart contracts) was higher in those with poor flexibility than in the people with good flexibility.

Why is arterial flexibility related to the flexibility of the body in middle-aged and older people? The scientists say that remains unclear but one possibility is that stretching exercises like yoga and Pilates may put into motion physiological reactions that slow down age-related stiffening of the arteries. Moreover, they cited additional recent research that found middle-aged and older adults who began a regular stretching exercise program significantly improved the flexibility of the carotid arteries in their necks.

“Together with our results, these findings suggest a possibility that improving flexibility induced by the stretching exercise may be capable of modifying age-related arterial stiffening in middle-aged and older adults,” Dr. Yamamoto said in the press statement. “We believe that flexibility exercise, such as stretching, yoga and Pilates, should be integrated as a new recommendation into the known cardiovascular benefits of regular exercise.” Full article here…

Medicinal mushrooms like reishi, maitake can help fight cancer

Natural News
Mike Adams
Friday, October 23, 2009

The cure for cancer already exists. But it wasn’t created in a lab, and it wasn’t funded by pink-ribbon products or walkathons. It was created for free by Mother Nature, and it exists as a collection of literally thousands of powerful anti-cancer phytonutrients found in medicinal mushrooms.

Medicinal mushrooms contain some of the most potent medicine in the world. They are living pharmaceutical factories, but they file no patents and ask for no royalties. They just mind their own business, manufacturing healing medicines day by day, and waiting for someone wise and humble enough to come along and pick them.

Here, we’ve assembled a unique collection of supporting statements about medicinal mushrooms and cancer from some of the top authors in the industry. If you (or someone you know) suffers from any form of cancer, make sure to send them this information so they can learn what their conventional cancer doctor won’t dare tell them… that medicinal mushrooms make chemotherapy virtually obsolete!

Beating cancer with the help of medicinal mushrooms
Many of the medicinal mushrooms, including chaga mushroom, maitake mushroom, ganoderma mushroom, and cordyceps mushroom, contain cancer-preventive and cancer-fighting actions. Research has focused on the polysaccharides with beta 1,3 glucan linkages. Indole-3-carbinol is a nutrient found in large quantities in cruciferous vegetables. It is a potent antagonist of breast cancer, reducing formation of cancerous compounds from hormones and participating in blockage of cancer cell progression.
- The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese, Western, and Ayurvedic Herbal Treatments by Alan Keith Tillotson, Ph.D., A.H.G., D.Ay.

Other mushroom extracts that have been shown to have clinical effectiveness against human cancers are D-fraction extracted from the Maitake mushroom, and extracts from the split gill, turkey tail and Reishi mushrooms. In 1998, Maitake Products received FDA approval for an Investigational New Drug Phase II pilot study of maitake mushroom extract in the treatment of advanced breast and prostate cancer. There is also some evidence that the consumption of mushrooms in the diet may ward off cancer.
- You Don’t Have to be Afraid of Cancer Anymore by Bill Sardi

As with many of the medicinal mushrooms, Shiitake has been shown to be of benefit as an adjuvant cancer therapy. It has been shown to improve specific immune markers (including natural killer cells, tumor necrosis factor, T-helper cells, and a variety of interleukins), and patient outcomes.
- The Health Benefits Of Medicinal Mushrooms by Mark Stengler

Reishi is one of the most versatile medicinal mushrooms. It has long been used in Asia as an energy tonic to promote longevity and overall health. Studies indicate that reishi is an antioxidant and contains polysaccharides and other compounds that may boost the immune system. Reishi is taken to counter bacteria and viruses and has shown promise as an agent to help prevent or treat cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other conditions. Russian researchers at the Cancer Research Center in Moscow have had positive results using reishi extracts to boost the immunity of cancer patients.
- The Health Benefits Of Medicinal Mushrooms by Mark Stengler

Cancer patients may also wish to investigate medicinal mushrooms (such types as reishi, shiitake, cordyceps, maitake, agaracus, and coriolus) as immune-boosting companions to chemotherapy. These medicinal mushrooms are sources of antitumor and immunity-modulating polysaccharides (a type of carbohydrate) that have been extensively researched. Formulas containing concentrated extracts of medicinal mushrooms are available; talk with your oncologist about which he or she might recommend.
- Supplement Your Prescription: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Nutrition by Hyla Cass, M.D.

Like many other medicinal mushrooms, reishi mushroom can be used to treat cancer patients due to its ability to activate NK cells, macrophages, T-lymphocytes, and cytokines, all important immune system components. Kee Chang Huang reports that reishi “exerts a synergistic effect with other anticancer chemothera-peutic agents or radiotherapy, to augment the clinical therapeutic effect in the treatment of cancer patients.”
- The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese, Western, and Ayurvedic Herbal Treatments by Alan Keith Tillotson, Ph.D., A.H.G., D.Ay.

It takes about 15 pounds of reishi mushrooms to produce 1 pound of the powdered concentrate. Medicinal mushrooms make a significant contribution to the healing process by enhancing and stimulating the body’s own immune system. This is a very important factor in diseases like cancer and HIV, which have components unique to each individual. In my protocols for people with cancer, I always include one or more medicinal mushroom extract products. Descriptions of some of the more frequently used mushrooms follow.
- Herbal Medicine, Healing and Cancer: A Comprehensive Program for Prevention and Treatment by Donald R. Yance, j r.,C.N., M.H., A.H.G., with Arlene Valentine

Although the Mayo Clinic regards the use of medicinal mushrooms as more traditional than scientific, they operate in a manner similar to prescription drugs known as monocle. Cancer patients need to understand the disconnect between the supposed mission to cure cancer and the objective of the companies that make monoclonal antibodies, which appears to be profits above delivery of an effective treatment. The total therapeutic monoclonal antibodies market was estimated at $296 million in 2002, and was projected to surge to $2.8 billion by 2010.
- You Don’t Have to be Afraid of Cancer Anymore by Bill Sardi

In another study, researchers exposed mice to a known urinary bladder carcinogen, N-butyl-N’-butanolnitrosoamine (BBN), every day for eight weeks and then fed them medicinal mushrooms, including maitake, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms. All of the mice treated with BBN developed bladder cancer. While each of the mushrooms reduced the number of bladder cancers, maitake was clearly most effective (carcinomas were observed in 46.7 percent of the maitake-treated mice compared to 52.9 percent and 65 percent for shiitake and oyster, respectively).
- Natural Cancer Cures: The Definitive Guide to Using Dietary Supplements to Fight and Prevent Cancer by Freedom Press

There have been 150 species of medicinal mushrooms found to inhibit the growth of different kinds of tumors, especially cancers of the stomach, esophagus, and lungs, but chaga seems to stand out from the rest. I learned about this mushroom from herbalist David Winston, who told me it has been used traditionally to treat different forms of cancer in Siberia, Canada, Scandinavia, the United States, and Russia. Chaga is a fungal parasite that draws its nutrients out of living trees, rather than from the ground.
- The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese, Western, and Ayurvedic Herbal Treatments by Alan Keith Tillotson, Ph.D., A.H.G., D.Ay.

Japanese products containing LEM, a polysaccharide-rich extract from the shiitake mushroom, and similar extracts from maitake are currently undergoing trials in Japan and the U.S. to test their effectiveness in treating various forms of cancer. They show promise for treating people suffering from various forms of cancer and AIDS and are currently in strong demand in Japan.
- Medicinal Mushrooms: An Exploration of Tradition, Healing, & Culture (Herbs and Health Series) by Christopher Hobbs

Goro Chihara notes that medicinal mushrooms such as shiitake can play an important role in augmenting “intrinsic host defense mechanisms” – boosting the body’s inherent abilities to fight off invading agents. He says that such “host defense potentiators” should be a more important focus for cancer research than the current fascination with cell-killing substances. Shiitake and reishi are the most common medicinal mushrooms in the United States today, though other varieties are beginning to become available either in fresh or packaged forms.
- Medicinal Mushrooms: An Exploration of Tradition, Healing, & Culture (Herbs and Health Series) by Christopher Hobbs

In Japan, pushcart vendors on the streets still sell medicinal mushrooms to the average citizen who uses them to maintain health and promote longevity. Some Japanese people have even been said to travel hundreds of miles in order to collect wild mushrooms that only grow on very old plum trees – such as the Reishi – renowned as a cure for cancer and degenerative diseases. Likewise, for over 3,000 years the Chinese have used and revered many fungi for their health-giving properties, especially tonics for the immune system (Liu and Bau, 1980; Yun-Chang, 1985).
- Medicinal Mushrooms: An Exploration of Tradition, Healing, & Culture (Herbs and Health Series) by Christopher Hobbs

Often called the “king of mushrooms,” shiitake is just one of a number of medicinal mushrooms currently under study at research centers in Germany, the United States, Japan, and China. Shiitake is being used for a wide variety of conditions involving depressed immune function, from frequent colds to cancer. In Japan, physicians prescribe shiitake in two different forms to treat many health conditions, including asthma, hepatitis B, ulcers, high cholesterol, AIDS, kidney inflammation, herpes, and various skin problems.
- The Encyclopedia of Popular Herbs by Robert S. McCaleb, Evelyn Leigh, and Krista Morien

In the 1980s, Japanese researchers began to investigate the folklore behind medicinal mushrooms and found that many had truly remarkable properties. For example, maitake mushroom stimulates the immune system by activating T-cells, the body’s natural defenders against viruses and cancer cells. Recent animal studies have shown that maitake extract can shrink tumors in mice even better than a common chemotherapy drug.
- Earl Mindell’s Supplement Bible: A Comprehensive Guide to Hundreds of NEW Natural Products that Will Help You Live Longer, Look Better, Stay Heathier, … and Much More! by Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.

Here is a brief summary of published studies on medicinal mushrooms and beta glucans: Mushroom polysaccharides have remarkable anti-tumor activity. Mushrooms have anti-hyperlipidemic, hypotensive, and hypoglycemic actions. Beta-glucan from maitake mushrooms may induce apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. Shiitake extracts have reduced cholesterol and have anti-viral effects. Mushrooms are high fiber and function as prebiotics, antioxidants, and antibiotics.
- The Anti-Aging Solution: 5 Simple Steps to Looking and Feeling Young by Vincent Giampapa, Ronald Pero, and Marcia Zimmerman

As with most of the medicinal mushrooms, unique polysaccharides present in H. erinaceus have immune-enhancing properties, and preliminary studies are demonstrating some anticancer effects. The most intriguing potential of H. erinaceus is that it may stimulate the production of a substance known as Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). This specialized protein is necessary for the growth of sensory neurons. An in vitro study found that an extract from Hericium erinaceus mushroom promoted myelin sheath growth on brain cells.
- The Health Benefits Of Medicinal Mushrooms by Mark Stengler

Two species of medicinal mushrooms employed for healing purposes by Mazatec Indian shamans in southern Mexico have gone extinct in the past half century. And tribes themselves continue to disappear. This is just as great a tragedy, because almost every plant or plant derivative employed for medicinal purposes by Western society was investigated scientifically after being observed in use by “primitive” cultures. Everything from codeine for pain to quinine for malaria to podo- phyllotoxin for cancer is based on plants discovered by ancient healers.
- Medicine Quest: In Search of Nature’s Healing Secrets by Mark J. Plotkin

Shiitake and reishi offer a diverse range of potential health benefits. You can take all of these supplements in perhaps eight to ten pills or capsules daily. If you take just three or four of these natural supplements at breakfast and the same number later in the day, you will have substantially increased your energy levels, boosted your immune system, lowered your risk of heart disease and cancer, and strengthened and balanced your overall system.
- Medicine Quest: In Search of Nature’s Healing Secrets by Mark J. Plotkin

People’s Pharmacy: Curry may soothe psoriasis

The Buffalo News
Joe and Teresa Graedon
Thursday, October 22, 2009

Back in the dim days of black-and- white television, one over-the-counter product that was frequently advertised claimed to help “the heartbreak of psoriasis.” The phrase is no longer heard in commercials, but the heartbreak is still there.

For reasons that are still somewhat mysterious, an inflammatory immune reaction triggers rapid skin-cell turnover in some people. This results in reddish raised plaques with silvery scales.

Knees and elbows are common hot spots, but plaques of psoriasis may develop on the scalp, back, genitals or other places on the body.

There are many treatments, but there is no cure. And surprisingly, some medications may actually trigger a psoriasis outbreak or make an existing situation worse. Powerful immune-system modulating drugs like Enbrel and Remicade used to treat rheumatoid arthritis can set off a new attack of psoriasis. Paradoxically, such drugs are sometimes prescribed for hard-to- treat psoriasis cases.

People with psoriasis often receive a smorgasbord of therapies. Moisturizers, coal tar creams and topical steroids are cornerstones of treatment. Light therapy (PUVA) also can help, and in tougher cases, oral medications like methotrexate are frequently added to the regimen.

Patients sometimes get frustrated with the cost or the complications of standard therapies. That’s why we often hear from readers who have experimented with alternatives:

“In 2007, I developed psoriasis on about 30 percent of my body. I felt overwhelmed at the age of 47.

“My internist was open-minded when I told him I did not want drugs making my condition worse. Nothing he did helped.

“My psoriasis was painful, with raised and flaky patches. He wanted to try steroids and lots of other drugs. I said no and tried turmeric and bromelain three times a day.

“Within a short time, all my psoriasis was gone. I was tested to make sure I had psoriasis, and it was confirmed both before and after I took turmeric that I had psoriasis.

“The doctor was shocked, and now this is what he uses first on his patients with psoriasis. I only need to take turmeric once or twice a week now.”

Not everyone will benefit so dramatically, and many may get no response. Some readers have reported that the effects of turmeric eventually wear off.

There is science to support this natural approach (Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, February 2009). There are, however, some potential side effects to this remedy.

Turmeric is generally considered safe, since it is a spice commonly used in Indian cooking. It is the yellow spice in curry and also is part of the formula for yellow mustard. Nonetheless, some people develop allergies to this spice. When used medicinally, it may affect liver enzymes. If they begin to rise, turmeric should be discontinued.

We also are concerned about the potential for interaction with anticoagulants such as warfarin (Coumadin). Several readers have reported a dramatic increase in INR (a measure of blood clotting) when they started taking turmeric as well as warfarin. This could lead to a dangerous or even lethal bleeding episode, so no one on warfarin should take turmeric or its active ingredient curcumin.

Stinging Nettles: So Many Cures that You Will Lose Count

Natural News
Barbi Trejo
Wednesday, October 21, 2009

If the world knew all the true healing benefits of stinging nettles, they would be rushing to store it by the tons in their basements and they would be growing it instead of grass in their back yards. Stinging nettles is a greatly misunderstood herb that has been put aside for way too long. The entire plant is of value including the leaves, roots, stems and flowers. Stinging nettles would have been eliminated years ago from the many insects and animals eating this marvelous plant, had it not been for the stings.

In ancient Greek times, the stinging nettle was used mainly as a diuretic and laxative. Now the plant is used for many cures; illnesses include cancer and diabetes.

By simply drinking one cup of stinging nettles tea a day, a mother of seven was relieved of her headaches and eczema. The stinging nettles are a blood purifier and thus clean eczema internally. It is the best blood purifier available and has an influence over the pancreas. Stinging nettles also assist in lowering blood sugar.

Stinging Nettles has anti-inflammatory properties and treats illness of the urinary track. The best way to take nettles is early in the morning before breakfast. Make a habit of purifying your blood at lease twice a year by drinking this tea every day for one month. You will feel revived with tons of energy and able to work like never before.

Benefits of the stinging nettle plant:

The benefits of stinging nettle are so many that you too will lose count. It is a diuretic; it is used to treat anemia, and it is used for arthritis and rheumatism. Stinging nettles is used for respiratory and urinary problems. It aids in the recovery of eczema, asthma, sinusitis and rhinitis. It protects against skin disorders and aides in the treatment of benign prostate. It diminishes susceptibility to colds. It is also a good deterrent for pests in the gardens.

Stinging nettles protects against hair loss, kidney stones, allergies, hay fever, osteoarthritis, internal bleeding, uterine bleeding, nosebleeds and bowel bleeding. Stinging nettles protects against enlarged spleen, diabetes, endocrine disorders, stomach acid, diarrhea, dysentery, lung congestion, cancer and anti-aging, and it is used as a general tonic. It is a blood purifier and it is useful with wound healing. Stinging nettles is used for muscle aches and pains also.

Benefits of the stinging nettle root:

1. Urination problems related to prostate problems include nighttime urination, going to the bathroom too often, pain when urinating, not being able to urinate and bladder infection.
2. Joint problems
3. Diuretic and astringent

David Wolfe`s advice on making tea with stinging nettle:

During an interview with Kevin Gianni and David Wolfe, the values of stinging nettles were discussed. David said, “Stinging nettles have been eaten by the druids in the U.K. for thousands of years and it`s one of the most important foods to eat, if you know how to do it or if you juice it or you can just dry it and make a tea out of it, which is what I`m recommending; horse tail, nettle, oat straw. The oat seed of the oat grass has a little straw around it. It has a little coating. It`s the seed capsule. That oat straw is one of the richest sources of silicon. You can buy it in health food stores. You can get it as extracts in health food stores.”

David suggests a cocktail of herbs to make a tea with. They are horse tail, oat straw, alfalfa and of course stringing nettle. From the days you start drinking this tea, your bones will increase in density. He states that it is the silicon in stinging nettles that increase the bone density. Sounds like a good idea for sure. French researcher Louis Curvan, who was nominated for the Nobel Prize, wrote 5 books on the subject of calcium and silicon and how they are related to each other. Because Louis Curvan spoke French, the books and the research never reached the nations who spoke English.

How do you make nettle tea:

Take one half liter of water and bring to boil. Remove from the stove and add in 1 tablespoon of each herb. Cover the tea pot and let it steep for 30 minutes. Note: It is not necessary to add all four herbs to the tea if they are unavailable to you. You can get many health benefits from the nettle tea alone. It is necessary to drink the tea without any sweetener.

Hives and allergy remedy:

What exactly is nettle rash? It is a patch of red and itchy weals or swellings in the skin. It is similar to the same type of weals which may result from contact with the stinging nettle. Stinging nettles grows wild in fields and may cause allergic reactions when a person comes in contact with the bush.

Nettle`s Rash may be caused by:

1. Food, eggs, wheat, strawberries and seafood, just to name a few of the culprits.

2. Pollen and fungal spores.

3. Medicines, antibiotics and NSAID`s.

4. Bites by insects.

5. Virus, bacteria or infections.

6. Contact with the stinging nettle plant.

But amazingly the same plant which causes hives can also cure hives. Dr. Andrew Weil, Natural Doctor and Herbalist, suggests, “Using freeze-dried nettle leaf extract to treat hives and allergies. This might sound illogical, but the plant apparently doesn`t contain enough histamine to be a problem when it`s taken orally, and it does contain substances that help heal hives.”

Amazing, there is a difference in touching the plant and ingesting it. There is news also that the root is more potent than the leaves. If you can get some fresh nettles, handling it carefully, dry the roots and then make the dried roots into a tea.

Recipes:

Infusion: Place 1/2 liter of boiling water on the stove and add in 1 tablespoon of dried stinging nettles. Cover the pot and let set for 30 minutes. This is a glorified tea recipe.

Baths: This is good for sciatica. Place a large amount of the herbs including the roots in cold water over night. The next morning boil the concoction and place in the bathtub. Soak in the herbs for as long as you feel comfortable. This may also be used as a foot soak.

Shampoo wash: Place one half cup of the dried herbs in a huge 5 liter pot. Bring the herbs to boil slowly. Remove from the stove and keep covered for an additional 10 minutes. Add in some shaved olive oil soap and bring to boil. Cool to a warm mixture and wash your hair with this.  Full article here…

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