July 2010 | Page 3 of 6 | Natural Health with Merrilyn Hope

Benefits of Avocado

The Avocado Plant, Persea Americana from the Lauraceae family, has been widely used in Guatemala and parts of Africa and South America for centuries by indigenous peoples. The benefits of avocado to the health are now widely appreciated in the Western world, where avocado salad has become a popular health item to add nourishment to a meal.

Avocado essential fatty acids are known to benefit the hair, skin, teeth, bones and nails, and make it a great nerve food. The benefits of avocado oils on the brain and eyes has also been fairly well established.

Avocado is rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients which are of huge benefit to maintaining a healthy immune system and a strong body. Avocado also contains vitamins A, B6, C, D, and E. It contains protein, fats, folate, potassium and traces of zinc. It is thought by many that avocado fruit and its oil may help to prevent cancer, although no test tube experiment has yet been conducted which proves this for a fact.

The Benefits of Avocado as a cancer preventative are espoused in: Natural Remedies That Really Work: A New Zealand Guide, written by Dr Shaun Holt and Iona MacDonald. This is published by Craig Potton publishing, P.O. Box 555 Nelson, N.Z.

In this book, the authors state ‘

‘This paper summarises the many studies that indicate that certain chemicals found in avocado act on many pathways in the cancer process. Although not yet proven, it follows that avocado in the diet may prevent cancer’. (p.183)

The authors go on to say that phytochemicals from the Hass avocado had a favourable result on ‘multiple signalling pathways’ of precancerous cell lines, and increased the amount of ‘reactive oxygen’ to these areas: One would assume that this whould decrease or halt the growth of cancer. The phytochemicals derived from the avocado did not seem to harm normal cells.

The authors of Natural Remedies that Really Work warn about complications which might arise if you eat avocados while you are taking medication. Some foods react adversely with some drugs such as blood thinners, and psychiatric drugs and anticonvulsants. You need to ask your doctor or health professional about including avocados in your diet if you are taking medication.

Important: The following list is of Avocado Benefits is for information only and is not intended to serve medical needs. Go to your doctor or health professional for advice if you are sick.

List of The Main Benefits of Avocado to the Health are:

The pulp is an excellent source of protein to add to the diet. Avocado contains about 25% protein.
Avocado pulp is rich in essential fatty acids.
The pulped avocado flesh can be applied to wounds or burns or sores to assist healing. It can be applied as a poultice in these cases, and fresh applications put on three times a day.
Avocado Oil benefits the skin: The mashed pulp can be applied to the skin as a natural organic facepack to improve its texture. It can be left on for half an hour and then rinsed off. This has a cleansing and rejuvenating action on the skin.
Avocado is high in Vitamins A, B1 and B2 and Vitamin E.
The fruit has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels.
The fruit has been used in traditional medicine as an aphrodisiac.
Compounds extracted from the leaves, which are astringent,have been used to treat the herpes simplex virus, which includes cold sores and genital herpes.
The astringent leaves and bark have traditionally been used to bring on menstruation. Preparations can also be made from the leaves to help diarrhoea, and stomach complaints, coughs and liver disfunction.
NOTE the leaves and bark of the avocado should not be used for any reason by pregnant women, as this could cause a miscarriage.
Gout can be helped by using special preparations from the leaves: the leaves have compounds in them which reduce uric acid from the body.
The rind is used as a worm expellant by native peoples in Guatemala
The seeds are used by native peoples to treat diarrhoea.
It is used externally as a stimulation for hair growth. The pulp of the fruit can be applied, or oil extracted from the seed used to massage into the hair.
Some quirky information: Avocado leaves and bark contain flavanoids, tannin and the volatile oil methylchavicol, alpha-pinene. The pulp, aside from those vitamins and elements listed above, contains sesquiterpenes.
Read more about the Benefits of Avocado in the Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants by Andrew Chevallier, 1996 and 2001, publishers Dorling Kimberley, Sydney, Australia.

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Gluten Free Banana Bread has always been a favorite with my family.

This high fiber banana bread recipe is entirely gluten free, and so is a good alternative for people with the coeliac condition, for people who have an allergy to wheat, or simply for people who want to avoid eating wheat for the betterment of their health.

This bread is highly nuitritious, with the added health bonus of flaxseed, or linseed for added fiber. It is ideal for those school lunches or for your work lunch box. It is a great picnic item, as this moist bread slices easily.

Gluten Free Banana Bread With Flaxseed.

Pre-heat the oven to 325 F or 180 C.

3/4 cup brown sugar
3 free range organic eggs
1/2 cup of coconut milk or dairy yogurt
3/4 cup olive oil or grapeseed oil
1 large ripe mashed banana
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
3/4 cup ground linseed/flaxseed
3/4 cup chick pea flour
1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup fine rice flour
1/4 cup arrowroot flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Beat together the oil, eggs, mashed banana, sugar and coconut milk or yogurt. Add the chick pea flour, rice flour, cornmeal and arrowroot flour with the baking powder and soda. Stir until smooth.

Line 2 loaf tins with butter paper, or oiled greaseproof paper. Pour the mixture into the loaf tins.

Bake for 3/4 hour, or until the loaf has turned brown and the loaf is firm.

Let cool with the paper still on the loaf. This is best left for a day before cutting, but you can use it right away.

Fast Home Remedies for Acne

Fast Home Remedies for Acne

Merrilyn’s Three Day Porridge Cleanse. This treatment works mainly by healing the acne from the inside by cleansing the liver – you eat porridge to help assist cleansing, and nourish the body whilst you are doing it. With this treatment, determination is the key factor, as its success relies on your persistence in avoiding other cooked foods and dairy products.

This treatment is designed to rid the body of all those harmful poisons which it is harbouring, as it is these, essentially, which make you sick. The theory is that if you cleanse the intestines, which cleanses the blood, and you provide nourishing and cleansing foods to the digestion after that, then the skin and all other organs should function normally again.

The following procedure is a treatment which has been successful with some poeple. However, you should visit your doctor or health professional for advice if you have an ongoing problem with acne. Sometimes an antibiotic, Chinese medicine, a traditional Tibetan Buddhist remedy, homeopathy, or some other modality might be needed to treat the acne, especially if there is some underlying inherent cause such as a hormonal imbalance.

Day One: Eat the following high fiber food at breakfast, between 7 and 8 am each day. It is good to get into a routine for breakfast. Try to keep to the same time, as this helps the digestion.

Oatmeal Porridge: Make up a big plate of oatmeal porridge for breakfast- about a cup or two of porridge. Grate a large apple up whole, preferably an organic apple, and put this on top. Add four or five chopped dates for sweetening. Add two tablespoonsful of olive oil, or grapeseed oil, or a knob of butter, and a tablespoonful of ground linseed/ flaxseed and a tablespoon of sesame seeds. Eat the lot without any added sweetening or milk. If you add milk or sugar to this porridge, you spoil the cleansing effect.

The high fiber of this breakfast provides the start of your cleanse. If you are still hungry after this, then fasting on apples will enhance the effect of your cleanse. Eat another apple, or some grapes. But no more cooked food for the day.

On the first day, at ten o’clock take one tablespoon of castor oil, followed by a cup of black coffee. If you like, you can use a herbal tea instead, like chamomile or pepperment. If you feel nauseous after the castor oil, then drink more herbal tea. Peppermint tea helps to quell nausea.

On the hour, every hour through the day, eat an apple, eat some grapes, or take a glass of carrot or apple juice.

Of course you can do this cleanse without using enemas, but enemas are strongly recommended, especially if the body has become very toxic. Auto intoxication can occur from eating too many processed foods, and not enough fiber or raw food. Or you may be sensitive to the gluten in wheat which can cause the bowel to malfunction: this causes toxicity in the body. You might have been exposed to chemical poisons over the years which have accumulated in your liver.

You really need to use an enema within five hours of taking the castor oil. Dr Max Gerson found that using an enema quickened up the healing process, because it ridded the body quickly of all the poisons which begin to escape from the liver once you take the castor oil. Home enemas are inexpensive and easy to perform. However, if you really cannot bring yourself to irrigate your own bowel, then go to see a professional for a colonic irrigation.

For lunch, make up a big salad of any raw vegetables that you fancy. Lettuce and sprouted mung beans, avocado, grated carrot, grated beetroot, chopped spinach – any of these is good. You can take a glass of carrot juice or apple juice with this.

For tea, make another big salad of raw vegetables. Take another glass of carrot juice or apple juice.

Day Two: Follow the same procedure as for day one, but do not take any castor oil on the second day.

Day Three: Follow the same procedure as for day one, but increase the castor oil dose to two tablespoonsfuls.

Fourth Day – How to break the Three Day Cleanse: Keep eating the oatmeal porridge in the morning. Start eating brown rice at meal times. Keep eating plenty of salads at midday and for the evening meal, but add good quality protein to the meal, with the addition of cooked green vegetables.

Aim at eating more protein in the diet, with plenty of green vegetables, and less of the grain carbohydrates.

Try to stay off dairy products, except for butter. Dairy products create mucous in the body which clog up the digestive system. Avoid wheat products, especially bread which is risen with yeast. Bread eating in Western diets is another cause of so much illness.

Avoid all products which have yeast added, or which are fermented. This includes all alcohol, vinegar, and products which have yeast added, like soy sauce, tofu and tempeh. Tomato sauce is made with vinegar, so it is best left alone until you recover properly.

Substitute rice for bread: Eat a plate of brown rice with some protein, oil, and some vegetables instead of munching on a slice of toast or bread. Have some brown rice ready cooked ready in the fridge to use each day as a wheat substitute.

Eggs are good for the skin. Eggs contain protein, and lots of vitamins. Eat several each week, unless you have an allergy, or your doctor has instructed you not to eat them. Raw egg yolk is even better than eating the whole egg when you are on a diet of maximum nutrition. Egg yolk contains natural lecithin, which helps you to digest fats.

Fish is nourishing to the skin hair and nails. Sardines, mackerel, salmon, tuna, are all good as tinned fish, but you can eat any fresh fish- hopefully it comes from clean unpolluted waters.

Eat plenty of green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, silver beet, cooked cabbage, raw lettuce and sprouted grains and seeds.

Eat several pieces of raw fruit a day.

Eat a handful of sesame seeds at least once a day for extra calcium. One heaped tablespoon contains about 1200mg of calcium and magnesium.

Avoid drinking too much coffee. Avoid drinking tea made with milk in it, as milk becomes hard to digest once it is mixed with milk. This causes strain on the liver, and the result is undigested protein material which polllutes your bowels and your skin. Black tea is better. Drink more green tea and herbal teas.

Avoid alcohol and other drugs.

Drink several glasses of water during the day, or freshly pressed carrot or apple juice diluted with water.

Herbal Teas and Hot Water: Drinking medium-to-hot water on its own, or in a herbal tea, or a green tea, helps to cleanse toxins out of the system, and is very beneficial for acne. If you drink three or four herb teas or green tea in a day, then you can drink less tap water. Vary your teas a little – two cups of green tea in a day is enough. Try some chamomile or rose hip for variation.

Treat the acne affected area with probiotic yogurt or fresh kiwifruit juice. Put either of these on the skin each day and leave for at least an hour if you can. Continue with daily treatments, while you follow your special acne cleansing diet above, until the acne has cleared up.

Herbal Steambaths can be helpful in treating acne, in combination with other treatments such as the liver cleanse above. Use fresh or dried herbs such as sprigs of lavender or rosemary or calendula. Put between 1/2 to 1 cup of fresh herbs in a bowl. Pour over boiling water. Leave to cool for a minute, so that the water is not actually boiling. Then use as a steam bath: cover your head with a towel, and keep the head several inches over the bowl so that the pores of your skin will benefit from the steam. This cleanses the pores, and the steam and the active herbal vapours help to reduce infection.

Take care not to get too close to the hot water – you do not want to burn either your lungs or your skin. Steambath for about 5 minutes, or less if it is uncomfortable.

Flaxseed Health Benefits

Flaxseed, or Linseed has many, many health benefits. For a start, it is one of the most beneficial foods for preventing heart disease. But just take a look at the list of flaxseed health benefits below……

Linseed oil, now more commonly known as flaxseed oil, has been used for centuries in the palette of the artist, but it is only fairly recently that flaxseed, or linseed, has become widely used in other palettes: it is now recognised in westernised countries for its valuable health giving properties and used as a health-giving addition to the diet by many people all over the world.

Ground linseed, or flaxseed is beneficial to the heart.
Linseed is high in omega-3 fatty acids which help to lower ‘bad’ cholesterol in the body.
Flaxseed taken daily helps reduces the incidence of stroke, blood clots, and heart disease.
It helps prevent atherosclerosis.
It increases the metabolic rate of the heart muscle.
It is regarded as a cancer preventative and as a beneficial addition to the diet for those who have cancer. This is because the omega-3 fatty acids have an effect on the body’s manufacture of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are necessary, but if you produce too many, then this can lead to tumour growth. Linseed regulates the prostaglandin making process.
Another of the flaxseed health benefits is that it acts as an antioxidant. This helps the heart, helps prevent cancer and other disease, and improves your immune system.
It is beneficial to the kidneys
Flaxseed in the daily diet has been known to help lupus sufferers to restore their kidney function.
Omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed or linseed help the nervous system to stay healthy and function well.
Flaxseed is good brain food: Omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed have a valuable effect on the nerves, and well nourished nerves help you to maintain good vision and an alert brain.
High Fiber: Flaxseed, either ground or whole, provides great fiber for your intestines. High fiber in the diet definitely reduces the risk of getting colon cancer. High fiber also keeps cholesterol levels balanced and keeps your intestines clean of effete matter.
Another flaxseed health benefit is that it improves the skin. It sometimes works to heal long-term skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema and acne, when other treatments seem to fail. This is partly due to the better functioning of the bowel when flaxseed is included. An application of flaxseed oil, used externally on the skin, has been effective in treating some skin conditions, as well as taking the ground flaxseed in the diet daily.
It is helpful to the growth of the hair. Taking flaxseed every day in the diet will help you regrow hair and improve your skin, bone and nail tissue.

Note: The flaxseed, or linseed must be ground up in your blender, or coffee grinder for it to be truly efficacious. Taking whole linseed provides good fiber for the intestines, for sure, but you get more nutrients and oils out of the seeds when they are ground.

See merrilyn’s post entitled Gluten Free Banana Bread for a nutritious banana bread with added flaxseed.

The Best Foods and Vitamins for Hair Growth

In Chinese Medicine, there are foods which strengthen the digestive Qi, or Chi. These same foods are recommended for encouraging hair growth by many other health professionals who use other modalities of healing. Many of these same foods, used in Chinese medicine to enhance Chi and to promote hair growth, also appear in Ayurvedic medicinal texts, as being some of the best foods for hair growth. In Western medicine, we would term these foods as being alkaline, rather than acid-forming.

Photo by Merrilyn on Holly’s camera, 25th December, 2012.

Ayurvedic medicine attributes hair loss to over active Pitta: this causes an excess of heat in the body. Excess heat in the body causes stress, and this stress can make the hair fall out. Alkaline foods help to produce Qi, or Chi in Chinese Medicine. This is the vital life-giving force in the body, which helps the body stay strong and cope with stress. A body which is deficient in Qi will warn you with early tell tale signs: These signs are often the falling, or thinning of the hair, and brittle nails which break easily. This is the time you really need to improve your diet with all those foods which will help to nourish it back to health and strength.

Most of these foods listed below are classified as cooling, but it is best to get professional advice from your Ayurvedic practitioner on the best foods and herbs for your body type and condition: or seek advice from a practitioner of acupuncture, Traditional Tibetan Buddhist medicine, or naturopathy on what foods will best suit you.

Here is a list of some of the main foods which are high in vitamin content, and which are recommended for improving digestive function and for encouraging hair growth. In Ayurvedice medicine, most of these foods listed below are classified as cooling. In Chinese medicine, they are generally regarded as benefitting digestive qi and the nervous system. They are universally regarded as helpful for the growth of hair, teeth, bones and nails.

These foods are:

Alfalfa sprouts

Almonds

Aniseed

Apple: Apple contains potassium, phosphorous, iron, calcium, fructose, malic acid, tannic acid, pectin. It promotes digestive Qi , which helps the spleen and stomach, and helps all functions, including hair growth. Its high fiber content nourishes the digestive tract including the colon.

Apricots contain carotene, which is an excellent vitamin for the hair and the general health. It also contains vitamins B, C, and iron, calcium and phosphorous.

Avodaco is especially good for the hair. Avocado is high in essential fatty acids, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and folate, potassium, and fiber. It contains the Vitamins A, B6, C, D and E. and other minerals and vitamins which benefit hair growth, and also help to prevent cancer. Note: Avocado is not recommended for people who are on medication.

Banana: Banana contains potassium, phosphorous, iron, pectin, calcium, vitamins A, B, C, E. It is high in fiber, good for the intestines, and helps lower blood pressure.

Broccoli

Banana

Brazil Nuts, which come mainly fromBolivia, actually, are an extremely good source of silenium, magnesium and thiamine, and are rich in essential fatty oils. Silenium, especially is recommended for improving the hair growth, as deficiencies are common. Eating about four or five brazil nuts each day is supposed to provide you with enough silenium in the diet.

Brussels Sprouts

Brown Rice

Butter

Cabbage

Cardamon

Carrots

Cherries

Chicken

Cinnamon

Comfrey – This is especially high in silica and is wonderful for the health and the hair. Eating a leaf a day cooked with spinach improves the hair, and the general health in combination with other therapies. Unfortunately, because comfrey is such a wonderful healer, it has made drug companies very jealous of the profit they are missing out on, and so it has been banned in most parts of the western world.

Cornmeal Polenta

Dates

Duck

Evening Primrose Oil is good for hair growth – DO check with your health professional regarding dose before using evening primrose oil. Check also to see if it might affect other medications which may make it unsuitable for you.

Fennel

Figs

Flaxseed, or Linseed – high in essential fatty acids and Vitamin E.

Ginger

Grapes, especially red grapes – Grapes promote Qi in the body. They are high in iron, and are good for the blood.

Grapeseed Oil – essential fatty acids and Vitamin E.

Hazelnuts – these contain selenium, Vitamin E, calcium and essential fatty acids.

Kale

Leeks

Linseed – or flaxseed, is high in essential fatty acids and Vitamin E.

Mackerel

Millet Porridge

Nectarines

Nettles – the sort which grow around chicken yards – are rich in minerals, includig silica, which is one of the best vitamins for hair growth. You can safely eat nettles by adding a handful or two to your silver beet or spinach. Cook them on their own with just a little water to make a silica-rich tonic to massage into the hair.

Oatmeal Porridge – High in silica which is needed for hair growth. It is best to eat your porridge without dairy milk, or even soy milk, which is highly processed. Use either a knob of butter, or some olive oil or grapeseed oil instead, with dates added for sweetening instead of sugar.

Olive Oil is good for hair growth and for the health of the skin. It is high in essential fatty acids ad Vitamin E.

Olives, preferably black olives, are very good for the hair.

Onions

Parsley

Parsnips

Peaches

Pears – These contain phosphorous, calcium, iron, and the vB1, B2, and A. They contain the complex sugars fructose, sucrose, glucose, and also malic acid, and pectin.

Psyllium husks

Pumpkin

Pumpkin seeds

Rice short grain

Salmon

Sardines

Sesame Seeds – These are rich in calcium – 1200mg per heaped tablespoon They also contain 60% fatty acids, including the unsaturated fats oleic acid, linoleic acid and arachidic acid. These compounds benefit the eyes, brain, and production of hair teeth and nails. Sesame seeds benefit the kidneys, the liver and are strengthening to the Qi.

Sunflower Seeds – These also have calcium and essential fatty acids, and Vitamin E.

Sweet Apples

Sweet Potatoes (Kumara)

Trout

Tuna

Vanilla

Walnuts

Watermelon: Watermelon helps the heart, stomach and kidney and bladder functions. Good kidneys usually mean a good head of hair. It contains potassium, phosphorous, fiber, and vitamins A, B, and C. It is high in glucose, fructose and sucrose – complex sugars. (not for diabetics). It contains the proteins citrulline, alanine, glutamic acid and arginine. Watermelon is a very cooling food, and is thus good for treating acne.

Acid-forming Foods: It is best to avoid the heating foods, or acid producing foods. These are, generally speaking, the red meats, wheat products, especially bread, dairy foods, and polyunsaturated fats.

Eat healthy fats such as olive oil, canola oil, and grapeseed oil, which are monounsaturated fats. Butter is still a good fat to use, and it does not spoil as readily as oils do when it is heated. Many people who have food sensitivity to dairy products can eat butter and ghee to the benefit of their health.

Omega-3 fatty acids are great for hair growth and are essential for good health and brain function. To get your daily requirement of this important compound, you can get a supplement with omega-3 fatty acids, or

You can eat linseed daily. Eat a tablespoon of ground linseed daily. It is great blended into drinks, or added to your oatmeal porridge in the morning.
You can take a tablespoon of canola oil daily. This is high in omega-3 fatty acids, and Vitamin E, which also nourishes hair.
Fish, especially the oily types of fish such as sardines and salmon, are high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Dark green leafy vegetables such as silver beet, spinach, and broccoli and the brassicas, also contain some of the omega-3 fatty acids.
Avodado is especially high in omega-3 fatty acids.

Vitamin Supplements could include extra calcium, taken in the form of Dolomite powder, or bone broth, or sardines eaten daily, or merrilyn’s special home made calcium/magnesium tonic. (see post for recipe) A generous tablespoonful of sesame seeds will give you 1200mg of extra calcium and magnesium- eat some every day. The oil from sesame seeds is also nourishing for the hair.

Zinc is also necessary for good, healthy hair, bones, teeth and nails. Zinc is found in most foods, but is especially high in onions, leeks and garlic. Alfalfa sprouts and pumpkin seeds are also good sources of zinc. Shell fish are a good souce of zinc and other minerals: Oysters are especially high in zinc. Shellfish, though, are heating foods, rather than cooling, to the Pitta condition.

Iodine is another necessity in strengthening the hair growth. Again, shell fish are a good source. Any sea food is rich in iodine, and that includes the sea weeds such as kelp. If you are vegetarian, or you have an aversion to eating fish and shell fish, then you could take some kelp powder every day. Two teaspoonsful taken every day should give you your daily requirement of iodine, and other trace minerals which are needed for the hair and for good health.

Iodine Applied to the Scalp This is another alternative for taking iodine into the system. By painting iodine straight onto the scalp, you are giving the hair roots an immediate boost of this vital mineral. By painting it on the scalp, say three or four dabs twice a week, then you are ensuring that your whole body gets the benefit, as iodine is absorbed through the scalp tissues. Iodine on the scalp will enter the blood vessels and thus be carried around the entire body.

Essential Oils for Hair Growth – Either Pimiento, Horseradish, or Clary sage essences or oils can be added to coconut oil, or grapeseed or soya oil to use as a massage hair treatment.

A good combination for head massage is to use 4 teaspoons of oil, one teaspoon of rum, 6 drops of horseradish and 5 drops of clary sage essential oil. Massage into the hair and leave on overnight.

Homeopathy for Hair Loss: It is best to get professional homeopathic advice before assessing your own needs, but some homeopathic remedies for the hair might be: (generally, only one remedy is to be taken at a time. A practicing homeopath might combine remedies, but this is not recommended without expert advice)

Homeopathic Fluoric ac.: Use 6c every 12 hours for a month if hair is brittle and falls when brushing. Another good remedy is Calc. fluoride, which comes in a homeopathic cell salt.

Homeopathic Lycopodium : Use 6c every 12 hours for a month to help restore hair after childbirth, for premature balness and greying.

Homeopathic Selenium: Use 6c every 12 hours for a month if the scalp is sore and sensitive.

Homeopathic Sepia: Use 6c every 12 hours for a month if hormonal changes are a factor in your hair loss. This is a good ‘woman’s remedy’, as it is often useful to restore hormonal function after childbirth, or during or after menopause, especially if the subject is inclined to be depressed or disinterested in life.