Cayenne to the rescue!

Cayenne

 Arguable, the most valuable single herb in your natural first aid kit.

When you think of Cayenne, note the color RED and remember that this herb's greatest benefit is on the CIRCULATORY SYSTEM; boosting, toning and regulating.  Many herbs have the wonderful ability of helping the body come into balance.  Cayenne is one of these 'smart' herbs.  That is why cayenne is the preferred  remedy for stopping bleeding as well as improving circulation, guarding against hypothermia and bringing people out of shock. 

Probably cayenne's most important life-saving property is its ability to STOP HEART ATTACKS.  In the case of a sudden onset we are taught to use a teaspoonful of cayenne in a cup of hot water, and

have the person drink the full cup.

Some other valuable uses for cayenne are  :

STOPPING BLEEDING (taken internally or powder right on the wound - crazy I know, but I tried it and it doesn't hurt and does in fact stop the bleeding!  Sterilizes the wound too:)

Stopping bloody noses (Same methods used.  Also, keeping calcium levels up will tone the blood vessels and help prevent against frequent nose bleeds.)

Regulating BLOOD PRESSURE
Improving circulation (cold hands and feet, etc.)
Colds and flu (prevention and getting well faster)
Exhaustion
FROSTBITE
Gangrene
HYPOTHERMIA
Pneumonia
SHOCK
Sprains
Tetanus
Ulcers

And by the way, NETTLE acts like a mild cayenne and can/should be used if cayenne is not available (like up at the cabin). It also is full of valuable trace minerals.

TO BOOT: Cayenne is a good source of many minerals and vitamins such as; iron, magnesium, sulfur, phosphorus, zinc, Vitamins A, most B's and C.  It also AIDS IN DIGESTION by stimulating production of hydrochloric acid .

FOR THESE REASONS, and probably more, it is recommended by many that one take cayenne daily as a natural supplement (in capsules, on or with food), and have some on hand in tincture and powder form for emergency first aid. 

I love cayenne!



PRID: Homeopathic Drawing Salve

I had the most amazing experience this morning.  

But, let's back up.  About a month and a half ago, I stepped on some graphite from a mechanical pencil that Abraham had left out in his room.  It really killed.  When I went to take it out, the top broke off in my hand.  I tried to get it out with tweezers, no luck.  I tried basically every imaginable way to get it out.  As far as I could go in my foot, the graphite was still there.  I could only scrape at the tip of it (which I could see), but that didn't solve anything.
I also tried to ignore it, but that didn't work.  I had no idea how long it was, but it wasn't coming out on it's own.  I finally gave in and went to the doctor in preparation for a weekend in NY that was going to require a lot of walking.  The foot doctor wasn't really that helpful.  She also scratched at it until it hurt, and then told me to get an x-ray to see how long it was.  That sounded like surgery prep.  I didn't like it.  So I tried the "ignore approach" again.  It didn't work.  My foot was getting sore all over because I was walking on it funny, and I started to think about a life devoid of serious exercise, and probably lots of back pain.  Thankfully, however, it didn't ever get infected.
Weeks passed, and I went to a nice relief society activity.  Long story short, I happened to mention to my RS pres about my predicament.  She told me about PRID!

I ordered it online, and told Andrew to (again) put off calling another doctor.  I applied PRID on twice in 24 hours.  I noticed the spot on my foot was getting sore, so the PRID was at least agitating the spot.  This morning, after soaking my foot, I pricked the skin with a pin and released some fluid.  As I was pressing my foot to release the fluid, guess what else emerged!

Fully intact and about 3/4 in long.  I was so happy I cried.  That was a few hours ago, and I can walk straight without feeling anything at all!  I am so grateful.
My take away lessons?  Going to the doctor may or may not be helpful, but going to Relief Society definitely is.  And use PRID. 

Free Webinar Courses

Okay, so they're free to pique your interest and get you excited about signing up for their courses (which I have done :) but these free introductory courses are also very helpful in their own right!  I find their information not only useful but essential for anyone who has a sincere desire to understand the workings of herbal healing as it assists in restoring a healthy balance to the human body. 

http://www.treelite.com/articles/webinars/advanced-herbal-training-preview-classes.html

http://www.treelite.com/courses/class/AHT/previews/index.php

Food For Thought

A few more random suggestions:



*  Celery juice for hay fever

*  Cabbages for ulcers

*  Carrots for heartburn

*  Green vegetables for inflammatory skin disease

*  Onions for respiratory issues

*  Parsley root for kidney stones

*  Garlic for ear troubles

I Love Ya Honey! (plus fevers, teething, ants)

Here are a few of my new favorite honey remedies:

Comfrey Healing Paste (for burns)

To equal parts liquid (heated) honey (organic) and wheat germ oil blend in freshly chopped or powdered comfrey leaf or root to make a heavy spreadable paste.  Apply thickly over burned or scalded area and cover.  Using in combination with BF&C also works very well.  Keeps well in air tight jar. 

Old Time Cough Syrup 

Chop up large onions, place in pan or crock pot and cover with liquid honey to at least 1/2 inch over onions.  Add one of the following herbs if desired; licorice root powder, horehound or wild cherry bark (one ounce per pint of honey).  Simmer on low heat (130 degrees or below) for several hours. Strain and press out liquid.  Take every 15 - 30 min. as needed, holding it in the mouth and letting it trickle down the throat.  Great expectorant and demulcent and aids in clearing out the lungs and bronchials. 

Strep Throat

Add to one tablespoon honey 1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne and 3-4 cloves pressed garlic bits.  Down the hatch! 



Other tidbits coming to mind:

To reduce the strain and feverish discomfort of teething give the child plenty of Dr. Christopher's calcium tincture (see my post of Feb. 21 ) as needed.  Also good for reducing the incidence of bloody noses, varicose veins and muscle spasms. 

For fevers, give plenty of yarrow and/or red raspberry leaf teas with hot bath to open pores and promote perspiration (cleansing). 

And FINALLY, ants won't cross over a line of cinnamon or chalk - just FYI! 

Three Day Juice Cleanse

Here's a good way to rid the system of built-up toxins and waste materials.  Cleanses have become so popular these days!  This one is from Dr. Christopher, whose natural healing course I am taking.  It's simple and seems effective. 

Start off each morning with 16 oz. of prune juice, which draws toxins from the tissues and organs (and eliminates them quite well too!) 

Through the course of the three days drink only one kind of fruit juice.  Apple is the best.  (Don't use frozen.)  Carrot and grape are good too.  Swish and "chew" each swallow slowly.  Through the course of each day you should take in about one gallon.  (Does this sound ridiculous?)  Sipping on purified water through the day is okay. 

Three times a day, take 1-2 Tbs. olive oil.   

You will definitely feel the toxins coming out of your lymph system!  This is a good thing.  Give it a try!!  Dr Christopher recommends doing this once a month.  A couple times a year is good enough for me.  :)  

Nancy 

Natural Laundry Detergent

Anna found some great recipes for natural laundry detergent and suggested I pass them along.  Great idea!  There are quite a few of them at tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/ that might be fun to try.  Our family just uses white distilled vinegar in our dishwasher these days.  Works for us!  And there's no residue.

Anna's idea reminded me of a suggestion we received about soap "nuts" (They're really a fruit) from Amy Jones.  She loves these natural alternatives to the chemical compound we usually dump into our washing machines.  And she said they work well...even on heavily soiled diapers!  I will definitely give them a try.  Here is a website that may be useful.  (And there are others.) www.buysoapnuts.com/

Herbal Calcium Supplement

I am so excited to try this new (to me) herbal supplement for calcium.  I found it in Dr. Christopher's manual on herbal home health care.  It calls for six parts horsetail grass, four parts comfrey root, three parts oat straw and one part lobelia.  We know that most adults lack adequate calcium from their diets, especially women...and even more especially pregnant and nursing women.  Heavily processed foods have been robbed of much of the calcium they once had, and inorganic sugars and starches further leach out calcium stored in the body.  These herbs can be purchases from mountainroseherbs.com, or I'm sure many other sources. They can be made into a tea or put into capsules.  I'm planning to make a tincture for Bekah since she likes that form best.  This is very safe for all, including pregnant and nursing mothers, and is assimilated much more easily into the body.  I have been taking inferior calcium supplements for years!  Can't wait to try this one!!  Much love, Nancy 

Free Herbal Newsletter

Here is a newsletter that I have enjoyed.  It gives delightful, seasonal recipes and suggestions for daily home use of natural herbs and ingredients.  Hope you enjoy it!  Nancy

LearningHerbs (HerbMentor News) <news@herbmentor.com>

Please Join Us

I'm so excited to start a family blog all about health and happiness!!  I'm hoping we will share our knowledge and wisdom with each other about all things bright and beautiful, especially with the idea of family health and quality of life in this amazing, natural world we've been given.  I have several resources I would like to share, websites and free internet classes and such, as well as recipes and health tidbits I have learned over the years.  I'm sure you have some of the same!  I will be so gratefully for your valued contributions to this blog! 



I'll start with a recipe for a great breakfast food that I got from Dr. Christopher - wheat berries.  Wheat contains all of the potential nutrient values needed in the human body.  The wheat herb or wheat grass especially is a complete food, as it provides you with protein, calcium and all the needed enzymes, vitamins, minerals, etc to rebuild and regenerate the cell structure of your body.  The grain is alive until it is killed in some chemical storage procedure or high heat. 

A simple method of preparation is to take a wide-mouth thermos, fill it in the early afternoon or evening 1/3 full of high-protein turkey red wheat (or whatever fresh wheat you have); then finish filling the thermos bottle with boiling water shaking the container once or twice so that the wheat at the bottom gets treated.  (Boiling the wheat in the water raises the temp. too high and kills the living food.)  In the morning add spices and such to taste and enjoy! 



With lots of love, Nancy/Mom/Aunt Nancy