March 2001

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Contents

Herbs to Become Certified by U.S. Pharmacopia

Defusing the Bomb: A Spring DeTox Plan

Fragrances & Chemicals: The Impact on Our Environment and Health

Andrographis Effective Against Colds

Herbal Profile: Red Clover

Recipes: Leek and Potato Soup and Colcannon

Book Reviews

Book Recommendations

Music Selections

Chat Schedule

Marketplace

Herbal Conferences

Herbs to Become Certified by U.S. Pharmacopia

The U.S. Pharmacopia (USP) has announced that it will immediately initiate a voluntary pilot program to assess the quality of herbs and supplements and form national guidelines in conjunction with the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).  The pilot program will involve supplement manufacturers of varying size and will afford the opportunity to evaluate and implement the following criteria:

This is great news for consumers!  Once past the pilot stage, the UPS will launch a national program that will encourage manufacturers to participate and comply by granting them the use of a proprietary USP certification mark designed to protect public health and to ensure product integrity.  The appearance of the USP certification mark guarantees that the product has been evaluated for quality and that it contains the amount(s) of ingredients claimed on the label.  The national program is expected to launch later this year.

Defusing the Bomb: A Spring DeTox Plan

by Sheila Wright

My body is a bomb and every now and then it blows up. Somewhere along the line I
got a Chronic Fatigue Syndrome diagnosis. Then later a rheumatologist said I had fibromyalgia. Whatever they want to call it, the bottom line is I blow up occasionally.

As anyone with an immune-system ailment knows, the doctors can’t help too much and you’re pretty much left to your own devices. Several years ago I began developing digestive problems. The homeopathic nurse practitioner I have come to rely on thought it might be my gall bladder. Treatments were tried but nothing seemed to help.

Then, kaboom! One day, my right side had the gravitational pull of a black hole, and I could barely stand up. So an expensive ultrasound was performed but the gall bladder looked fine—of course. The answers don’t come easily when your body’s a bomb.

The pain ebbed and flowed for almost two years—increasing when I consumed fat,
decreasing when I didn’t. In addition to my homeopathy, I tried over-the-counter
medications like Tagamet (which helped, but can ultimately increase the problem), and various vitamins and minerals. But even these became suspect because my stomach would cramp up—it could only abide the simplest foods.

Then about a year ago I picked up a book advocating a raw-food diet. I read that the gall bladder’s PH can become acidic from a diet too high in processed foods. Through a cycle that includes the liver, the acidic gall bile enflames the duodenum (where the small intestine meets the stomach), creating pain and possibly ulcers.

This made sense to me. I decided I needed an herbal formula that would target my gall bladder and liver. I certainly wasn’t ready for a raw-food diet. So I picked up my herbal reference book, "How to Be Your Own Herbal Pharmacist" by Linda Rector Page, and put together an herbal combination of roots, flowers and leaves.

The constant pain was gone within two months. I still get stiffness to my right side when I eat to much processed food, but it’s manageable. I drink my tea and the ache goes away. Of course I’m slowly improving my diet. I’ve reduced cheese, cut out sugar, increased raw and cooked veggies and unfortunately have said good-bye to Mexican food (a very sad day, I can assure you).

The deep cleansing diet I would like is somewhere in my future. I have two children, ages 6 and 3, who require all my attention and energy. But someday I will get there. In the meantime, my goal is to increase my dependence on raw foods, and decrease it on processed foods. It’s simple, manageable, and so far it seems to be working—with the help of my herbs, of course.

My herbal formula *:

Primary herbs (2/3s roots formula)

Black cohosh root (An estrogen precurser, this is also used in the treatment of
rheumatoid pain.  Note: This herb should not be used during pregnancy.)
Licorice root (anti-spasmodic, blood cleanser, anti-bacterial, helpful in
gastro-intestinal disorders)
Milk thistle seed (a toner for liver and specifically for gall bladder)
Valerian root (soothes nervous system—aids in sleep)

Secondary herbs (1/3 of root formula)

Dandelion root (liver cleanser and soothes digestive tract)
Burdock root (blood and liver cleanser; aids in arthritic conditions)

Catalyst (5-10 percent of total)

Ginger root (all around great thing)

Directions: boil roots for 20 minutes then let stand to cool. Steep any other leaves, flowers and grasses you want to add to the formula. Let cool. Poor into jars and keep refrigerated while drinking a cup or more a day. Should use up within 3-to-5 days. (I add a commercial tea bag of strong tasting, pleasant herbs per cup to help cover the taste of an otherwise rather bitter flavor.)

* All descriptions of herbs are partial, and are drawn from How to Be Your Own Herbal Pharmacist, Linda Ricter-Page, 1998.

Sheila Wright is a freelance writer who lives in Aptos, Calif. Watch for her website, thewritepassage@domainvalet.com, in the coming weeks. Or you can e-mail her at maywrite@hotmail.com.

Fragrances & Chemicals: The Impact on Our Environment and the Animals

by D.A. Colvin

Years ago, I was introduced to natural living.  Although painful and tedious, I'm much better for it.  I learned things that you won’t hear from the mainstream media, but rather by participating in health-conscious events.  I remember the first time I heard the concept “natural vs. synthetic or petro-chemical”.  Being brought up with a mindset that only cared about fat-free and SPF 30 made that sound like a foreign language, but that didn’t stop me from educating myself. I came up against a lot of resistance, but I learned that that is to be expected when delving into a subject that is new and controversial.  It made my journey far more stressful.  

My journey led me to vegetarian whole food potlucks and hours of study on healthy living.  Then, I was stymied and angry.  The information explained the benefits of herbs and essential oils and the detriments of petro-chemicals.  Then, the most painful truth nearly paralyzed me.  From childhood until my early 20’s, I was bathed and beautified with petro-chemicals that are known to be carcinogenic!  The so-called moisturizer my dear mother had used on our faces had mineral oil and fragrance.  We’d been moisturizing with gasoline!  I was shocked, but I continued. 

Then I was introduced to organic essential oils and learned about unadulterated products. With so many products from laundry detergent to sink whitening bleach, the environment takes a hard hit. I’ve done extensive research and have learned some disturbing information. There are millions, of people in the world who are suffering from MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) and are “in the closet”.  I say this because no precedence has been set to show the damaging effects of petrochemical fragrances. There are people throughout the world trying to cope with this “illness” and many live in natural living “safehouses”. They maintain environmentally sane homes and won’t allow any toxins to enter. 

If people enjoyed the natural look or solely herbal-based products, their wallets and their health would improve! We use 100% organic unadulterated essential oils and love to share them with the world! I know that we’ve saved in every respect and feel so much better.  This contributes to my youthfulness and vibrant appearance.  I believe that people need to turn off their entertainment systems and empower themselves with the “real truths” in the world. 

For more information on nontoxic living:

The Naturally Clean Home: 101 Safe & Easy Herbal Formulas for Non-Toxic Cleansers

The Herbal Body Book : A Natural Approach to Healthier Skin, Hair, and Nails

The Safe Shopper's Bible : A Consumer's Guide to Nontoxic Household Products, Cosmetics, and Food  

D.A. Colvin is a veteran animal and environmental rights activist and consultant, working with groups such as Greenpeace and Earthsave.  She and her husband have studied natural living, natural medicine, and environmental awareness issues for 10 years and have made it part of their daily life.  Upon seeing the dramatic positive results from her choices, D.A. decided to share her knowledge, wisdom, and experience with the world.  Hawaiian Eyes, the Quest For True Health, is a splendid adventure in paperback and contains accurate and advanced information about bettering our lives through wiser choices, both dietary and planetary all put in a way that is easy to digest and a pleasure to read.  Her second novel, which is about environmental awareness and freedom, will be published and available very soon!  To learn more about D.A., her life, and her work, please visit the web sites below.

Where you'll find an excerpt, a brief summary, and bio.:

http://www.xlibris.com/hawaiianeyes.html

http://natural.koolhost.com

Where you'll find the first three chapters, a synopsis, some poetry and prose, and personal information:

http://www.aurawords.com

___________________________________

Herbal Profile...

Andrographis Effective Against Colds

Echinacea has always been the herb of choice for fighting the common cold.  But, another herb is showing some very promising results that may even surpass the efficacy of echinacea.

Andrographis paniculata was the subject of a double-blind, placebo-controlled study recent published in Phytomedicine which involved 158 cold sufferers.  Those treated with andrographis experienced significant relief from symptoms such as runny nose, sore throat and earache.  This study follows another in which 250 subjects participated and had similar findings. 

The most interesting thing to note about andrographis is that it not only seems to ease the symptoms of a cold, but may also prevent the onset of a cold as well.  Echinacea  does not prevent colds.

1. Caceres DD, Hancke JL, Burgos RA, et al. Use of visual analogue scale measurements (VAS) to assess the effectiveness of standardized Andrographis paniculata extract SHA-10 in reducing the symptoms of common cold. A randomized double blind-placebo study. Phytomedicine. 1999;6(4): 217-223.

2. Koytchev R, Alken RG, Dundarov S. Balm mint extract (Lo-701) for topical treatment of recurring Herpes labialis. Phytomedicine. 1999;6(4): 225-230.

Leek and Potato Soup
 

1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 large leeks, cleaned and chopped
4 potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp green pepper sauce
1/4 tsp salt
sour cream or plain yogurt
snipped chives for garnish

 In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add leeks and cook for about 5 minutes until just tender. Add potatoes and cook 5 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth, green pepper sauce and salt. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. In food processor or blender, puree soup in batches. To serve, garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and top with chives.

Colcannon

Cook the kale or cabbage in a large pan of boiling water until very tender, then drain and keep warm. Put the milk or cream in a small pan with the leeks or spring onions and simmer until soft. In another saucepan, cook the potatoes until tender, then drain and mash.

Blend in the leeks or onion tops and enough cream to get a creamy consistency. Add the kale or cabbage and season with salt, pepper and mace. Drizzle with the melted butter and serve.