Tag: Environment

Medicinal Garden Herbs For You And The Bees

Natural Remedies

There are many wonderful healing herbs or weeds which you can grow in your garden for the purpose of helping cure many of the common ailments which allay us.  They will also help the bees to make good honey and stay healthy.

note – this article was originally posted up around 2010 – mistakenly, it was moved onto another site – now restored to this one

Below I list some of the easiest ones to grow, and some of the most useful, which you can add to your garden, whether it is large or small.

Caution: I do not recommend that people try these remedies without consulting a herbalist. They are recorded here below for interest, and as a resource in the case of circumstances of emergency which might make doctors and conventional medicines unavailable.  See your doctor if you are ill.

Medicinal Uses of Aquilega vulgaris,  also known as Granny’s Bonnets,  or Columbine.
Aquilegia is a Ranunculaceae , commonly known as ‘Granny’s Bonnets’, or ‘Columbine’. These plants have lovely bell-shaped flowers which come in various shades of purple, pink, maroon, white, or yellow.
They look very pretty, rising up a couple of feet or so from the ground, with their delicate flowers hanging most voluptuously from their spindly, slender-stalks. Once you have them in the garden, they will self-seed and give you more of the same the following year. As it is a perennial, the old plant will surprise you.  After it has died down, it will come up again in the spring to flower again.

Aquilegia, or Columbine, is an astringent,diuretic, and diaphoretic.
One teaspoon of plant root can be steeped for several hours in cold water: of this, you can take one tablespoon at a time, from three to six times a day for diarrhea, according to John Lust.  Personally, I would lower the dose to only a teaspoonful, to be on the safe side.
Dr Lust recommends the flowers be used in wine to promote perspiration. He does not state the recipe for using the flowers, but I would use one teaspoon only, soaked in a glass of wine for three hours, taken a teaspoonful at a time.  The dose could be repeated from three to six times a day. Build up the dose to one tablespoonful if need be.
I would not continue this remedy for more than a day or two.

Aquilegia Lotion For Arthritic Pains:
A lotion to help the aches and pains of rheumatism and arthritis can be made from the root of aquilegia. This is a safe remedy to try, as it is only applied externally. Chop or grate a quantity of root and soak for two days in just
enough vodka to cover. Strain and bottle. Rub onto sore joints as needed.

Culpepper says that the Columbine is ‘an herb of Venus’; that Tragus recommended a drachm of the seed to be taken with saffron in wine, for treating conditions of the liver such as yellow jaundice. Culpepper recommends the seed in wine for ‘a speedy delivery of women in childbirth’.  You would use even less of the seed: only 5 seeds to a wineglassful of wine,infused for a few hours; the dose – one teaspoon every three hours for up to five doses, in my estimation.
I must say that I did not get around to trying this remedy for an easy childbirth when I had my children. But there you have it.

Golden Rod, Solidago virgaurea:

Otherwise known as European Goldenrod, this  is another beautiful, now quite rare, perennial to grow inyour cottage garden. It reaches about three feet tall when it is ready for flowering, taking up about as much room as a maize, or corn plant. Its flowers are golden yellow, as its name implies, and these are formed amidst a furry down, a little like thistle down: this acts as its parachute to carry it off on the breeze.

Medicinal Uses of Golden Rod:

Golden Rod is well known for its therapeutic properties. It is astringent and diuretic. It has been used for the treatment of kidney stones and other kidney ailments; nephritis and arthritis; menorrhagia;  whooping cough; and
eczema and psoriasis. It can be used both internally and externally.
Culpeper holds it in high esteem: apart from ridding the body of kidney stones, he recommends it for internal bruising and calls it’a sovereign wound herb, whereby green wounds and old ulcers are speedily cured’. He also
recommends it as a rinse for ulcers in the mouth or throat or ‘privities’, and for firming up loose teeth.
Venus rules this herb, according to Culpeper.
The leaves can be crushed and used as a poultice for insect bites and other skin abrasions.
Dose: Make a tea by simmering one tablespoon of flowers in a cup of water for three minutes. Strain, and drink when cooled. Take one cup a day as needed, for up to three days at a time, and then a break.
Use the same tea for external use.

Ladies’ Mantle, Alchemilia vulgaris.
This is an herb which has a place in every cottage garden because of its attractive foliage, as well as its medicinal qualities. It loves to grow in shady spots, beneath, say, the cover of a linden tree, or a mulberry.
It is ruled by Venus, so Culpeper tells us.
In Sweden, it is a folk-remedy for aiding sleep in restless children, a sprig being put under the pillow. It is a great wound herb, as it helps to coagulate the blood. It is useful for all inflammations and ruptures, and can be taken internally and used externally.
Culpeper says that ‘the Germans, who, in all wounds, inward and outward, drink the decoction thereof, and wash the wounds therewith…’, and that it quickly heals ‘green’ wounds and old sores.

It is a great ladies’ herb, of course. Culpeper claims it aids conception and helps mastitis conditions in breast-feeding mothers. A poultice of the infused leaves can be laid over the breasts, and a tea taken to help painful lumps of mastitis. It can be used in a bath to help prevent miscarriages. It is a traditional remedy for treating infertility.
It can be used both internally and externally for thrush.

Dose: Make a tea using one or two teaspoons of chopped fresh Ladies’ Mantle leaves.
A tea made with one teaspoon each of marigold flowers and Ladies’ Mantle is reputed to be good for period pain.
John Lust uses four teaspoons of dried herb, soaked in a cup of water for ten minutes. A cup a day can be taken for up to one week at a time.
I would prefer to use the milder option of one teaspoon of fresh herb with marigold petals in a tea.

Lemon Balm, Melissa officinalis
A small area in the garden should be given to this very useful and sweet smelling herb. Bees just LOVE it, which alone is a very good reason to grow it.
Medicinal Uses of Lemon Balm:
It may be taken freely as a refreshing and soothing tea. It aids sleep, and helps reduce anxiety.
Dose: Just add a few leaves to your pot of tea, or infuse on its own. Three or four cups a day of tea can be taken.
Take a cup before bed, sweetened with honey to help with attaining a good night’s sleep.

Feverfew, Chrysanthemum parthenium

This is also known as featherfew, or febrifuge plant.
This is a great little cottage garden plant: It is an attractive, small chrysanthemum which, when allowed to, will pop up along the sides of paths and between pavement cracks. It is not a menace by any means, as they pull up easily if you wish to remove some of them.

Medicinal Uses: Feverfew is carminative, an emmenagogue, purgative, stimulant and tonic.  It could be of use to the recovering alcoholic, or for people who have drunk to excess.
It is useful to cure migraines,fevers, help colds and flu, and indigestion.
John Lust, in ‘The Herb Book’, suggests it can be used for fixing the alchololic d.t.’s.
Dosage: Make a cupful of tea with one teaspoon of flowers or leaves. Take only one tablespoonful of this
mixture through the day, until the tea is finished.
Two cups per day is the maximum dose per day, taken always just a tablespoonful at a time.
Note: Do not use this tea every day, but only as is necessary, as a medecine.

Hollyhock, Althaea rosea:

Also known as Althea rose, malva flowers, and rose mallow.  It is related to the common Marshmallow, which is also a medicinal herb.

This is a lovely tall flowering plant which will add grace and charm to your garden.  It comes in colours similar to the Hibiscus:  peach, pink, crimson, white, cream, purple, and yellow.

Plant it alongside a wall, or in some sheltered, sunny spot where it will be protected from the wind. ‘The tall hollyhock has the most beautiful flowers which grow all along its upper length, giving the plant a spine of vivid colour’, to quote the eloquence of one herbal.  As it is economical on space, even if you have only a small patch of ground, there should be room in your garden for a hollyhock or two, perhaps outside a window.

It is very easy to grow from seed.  One plant will last for several years, coming up again from the ground after it has died down.

Medicinal Uses of Hollyhock:
Hollyhock is a demulcent, diuretic and emollient. It is a safe herb to use for helping bronchial complaints and chest infections, as it soothes the mucous membranes. I have used the flowers on many occasions to treat
chest problems in my children, and for myself, in combination with halibut liver oil.

Make a tea of one tablespoonful of flowers and covering with boiling water.  Leave to infuse for several minutes.  Drink the tea in sips over an hour.  Make some more tea if needed.  An adult could take 2 or 3 cups per day if necessary, whilst a child would take half this amount or less.
Note- see your doctor if your child is sick. You can safely use hollyhock in combination with any medication you might be given for a chest ailment.
Lavender, Lavandula augustifolia.
Lavender attracts bees into your garden almost all the year round, which makes it a ‘must’ to plant. Every good garden deserves at least one lavender bush.

It can be planted as a small hedge, or as border around areas of the cottage garden. There are many varieties to choose from.

Uses:
Lavender is an antispasmodic, carminative, cholagogue, diuretic, sedative, stimulant, and tonic.  But be cautious with using lavender.  It is a strong herb, and only a small amount is needed.
It is a calmative which can be helpful for reducing high blood pressure, anxiety and heart palpitations. It can help regulate menstruation.

The vapours of lavender can help to calm a woman during childbirth, and it can aid in expelling the placenta after childbirth if a compress containing lavender oil is laid over the abdomen.
A tea made of equal parts of lavender, chamomile and calendula is said to help restore a new mother to health and aid in the production of milk, so says John Lust.
Lavender oil is a natural insect repellant and a disinfectant. The oil kills head lice, and will deter fleas.
Lavender oil is known as the ‘mother of all essential oils’, as it is so verstile.
Lavender oil can be applied directly to burns, bites and stings, and used as an embrocation for sore joints.
The oil can be burnt in an oil burner, or a few dried lavender heads burnt in an oven-proof dish along with dried rosemary stalks.  Just a little of the ensuing smoke will deter mosquitoes and other insects.
It combines well with most other oils, such as bergamot,eucalyptus, rosemary and pine.
The flowers can be dried to use in pot-pouri, and put in lavender bags to deter moths from eating your clothes.

Dose: Use the leaves for an infusion. Steep one teaspoon of chopped leaves in half a cup of water for two hours.
This dose can be safely taken twice a day for several days to help anxiety, sleeplessness, nausea and vomiting, migraines, clogged intestines, and lack of appetite.
Cease taking the decoction once improvement has been noted.

Valerian, Valeriana officinalis
Culpeper gives Mercury as the ruler of Valerian. Merciry rules the intellect and communication.
This herb has attractive red, pink, white, or yellow flowers. It is great to grow on clay banks where little else
will grow. It will spread over time, so the root needs to be divided once in a while.
The white flowered valerian is the one with the highest medicinal value. The root is the part used.
Medicinal Use  Of Valerian:
It is used as a mild tranquillizer, and to bring on sleep.
It has also been used as a counter-poison. According to Culpeper, boiled in wine, it can be taken for venomous bites
and stings.It was used, in Culpeper’s time, as a remedy against the plague.
For improving  the sight, it was used externally by first boiling a little root in white wine for several minutes.
One drop only of the cooled mixture was used for each eye.
For Wounds and Bruises:  It is another great wound herb, both internally and externally. The leaves and root can be crushed and applied to help draw out splinters.

Note: Ask your naturopath or doctor about using Valerian. It can become addictive, so beware. Hitler was said to be a Valerian addict.

More to follow…..

Bibliography
Culpeper, Nicholas. Culpeper’s Complete Herbal. Arcturus Publishing Limited, London, 2009
Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, New York, 1974

My new book is available on Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Cancer-And-Good-Health-Notebook-ebook/dp/B01DHMH6DG/ref=zg_bsnr_157202011_15

Natural Insecticides Derris and Pyrethrum Not Always Safe

Beware as  these organic insecticides often have added chemicals.   Pyrethrum and Derris dust are advertised as being  ‘natural herbal’ insecticides, but this is sometimes misleading. Piperonyl butoxide is one of the chemicals which is sometimes added to pyrethrum.  Piperonyl butoxide is a synergistic chemical which makes the pyrethrum compounds more active, but this is a toxic poison.

And remember that herbal insecticides are likely, too, to affect the bees if it is sprayed on flowering plants.  So do not put any insecticide around flowering plants.

Many toxic chemicals are added to household pyrethrum sprays which are used to kill flies, spiders and ants in the house.  These spray-can  aerosol insecticides are very bad for the environment.  These poisons are potentially carcenogenic, and are weakening to the immune system.  Breathing these fumes weakens the lungs and may cause asthma and other breathing ailments to set in.  It is a bad thing that many people in the ‘civilized’ world have this mind-set about killing all insects in the house, as these insects are valuable to plant life.   Many of these insects are food in themselves for birds and animals. They all have a purpose and a right to live anyway, and we do not have the right, really, to go about killing these insects just for the sake of it.  The Buddhist approach is the one which we should be adopting:  The aim is not to kill any form of life at any time, for any reason.  Sometimes it is necessary to kill animals, or insects, but we need to be mindful about what we are doing.  It is best to save all creatures if it is at all possible.

Derris dust, which is derived from a plant, and is a natural insecticide, usually has chemicals added to it as well.  Both Derris dust and Pyrethrum are capable of killing bees,  ladybirds and butterflies or hoverflies, which is one disadvantage of using these ‘natural’ insecticides in the garden.  We should all be making a concerted effort to stop using any chemicals, herbicides and pesticides, which kill bees and other garden-friendly insects. .  Bee numbers, as well as those of  ants and many other pollinating insects, are declining because of the poisons used in agriculture and in household gardens.  Long-lasting potent chemical, which can be planted in the garden to kill ants and other insects, are promoted by the chemical companies:  These are VERY POISONOUS,  and are very bad for the environment.  It is an especially bad concept to kill all garden insects just because you can. You interfere with the natural food chain by doing so, and deprive a bird or another insect of its food in the process.

Killing all our pollinating insects is a very serious state of affairs for mankind, as many of our food crops are reliant upon bees, ants, spiders,  moths and other insects to pollinate our foods for us. The added chemicals are probably responsible for these ‘natural’ products killing bees.  Apparently, Derris and Pyrethrum preparations are also toxic to frogs and toads, and to tortoises and fish, so their use must be avoided near waterways and ponds.   Do not use  these  ‘natural’ insecticides anywhere near your fish pond or your tortoise tank.  In fact, it is better to use less harmful alternative methods to keep those insects at bay, rather than use derris or pyrethrum products.

Use Marigolds Instead of Pyrethrum and Derris Insecticides:  Marigolds are the heaven-sent deterrent to unwanted pests. Companion planting Marigolds amongst your tomatoes and cabbages, your potatoes and beans, is a far better solution to controlling garden pests than using derris dust or pyrethrum preparations.  Marigolds are a natural insecticide which will not harm bees or moths. It does not directly kill the troublesome insects, but instead it repels and discourages them.   Marigolds  will help to deter those unwanted garden insects such as white butterfly,  and wire worm in potatoes, but they are helpful in encouraging those other insects which are beneficial for the pollination of plants.  Bees love marigolds.

Home Made Lavender Lotion Insecticide

Risk of Using Rat Poison

Read merrilyn’s  ‘Organic Rat Poison’ for a homemade rat poison idea.  This post gives some organic solutions to  the problem of rats and mice.

About a week ago I saw a commercial pest eradication van leaving our hotel grounds in Glenfield. I hadn’t seen the driver at work, so I wasn’t sure what he was up to. Was it going to be a fumigation of our rooms, or was he here to lay poison for rats. Either way, I thought it would mean trouble. After a few days I could taste poison  around the hotel. My vision was affected. For days it was blurred and my eyes bloodshot and burning. I had terrible pain in the heart when lying down. This, for me, is  always a symptom of  chemical poisoning, usually rat poison. I had a serious headache, nausea and a runny nose. I also had several days with diaorrhea, brought on by the intestinal flora being upset and the acidophillus being killed off. My joints seemed frozen when I went to do my piano playing jobs. My mental function was also impaired. I could tell because piano pieces that I normally play well were a struggle to perform. The slowed up mental state and the frozen nature of my fingers and arms really was a big concern.

The poison  seemed to be everywhere – in the kitchen, and even out in the garden. I did my yoga-breathing exercise on the lawn- actually to alleviate the severe depression which had hit me this week. But yoga on the lawn, rather than improve the state of depression, was more effective in pin-pointing the reason for the depression which had come on for no apparent reason: No doubt now – this was for sure a chemically-induced state of depression due to  rat poison. I could taste it on my clothes.I could smell it on my hands. Touching my face after doing the yoga on the lawn caused a burning sensation on the face. Then I realized there were plastic containers which contained rat poison, in the garden, all about the property. One was situated only about 20 feet away from where I had been lying on the lawn for yoga exercises. I had seen a dead rat lying a few feet away from one rat-poison recepticle near the kitchen.

I showered and changed all my clothes immediately, although they were fresh just before doing the yoga. Now they were contaminated. I kept them apart from anything else I might touch or wear. Shoes were the vehicle for the transportation of the pesticide right through the hotel. After realizing this, I removed these before entering my room to avoid contaminating the carpet and everything in the room. Many people live here and walk to and fro the kitchen and other facilities, so before long, traces of the poison had been tramped all over the premises. Only a trace is needed for depression to set in.

I took care not to walk near the rubbish collection area – that seemed to be one of the worst places affected by the poison. I could taste it strongly in this area. Either there was more bait put around this area which I could not see, or rats were carrying the stuff here when they came about their inspections for the night.

Cats must surely be affected as they walk bare-foot over this territory. Birds must be afftected also, as they eat worms off the grass.

My guess is that many people have been suffering depression in our hotel this week. I have noticed that the mood generally hasn’t been as jolly as it usually is.

Now, about five days after putting up this post, I am sure the rodent man has put insecticide around the utility areas as well, which compounds the rat poison problem. These days, unfortunately, poisoning such as this is quite common in New Zealand;  Warehouses, shops, storage facilities, hotels, and other places of accommodation often use drastic methods  to kill insects and this outside method to kill rodents and insects as well.

I encountered  poisoning  such as this when I was in Australia, but at the time, New Zealand definately seemed cleaner and ‘greener’ as far as rodent killer and domestic insecticides went.  However, sadly, I think many Aucklanders  have become increasingly more like the Aussies in their widespread use of rat poison and ant and cockroach killer. We are conditioned by advertising on television and  the very existence of these chemical killer companies. The ‘spray and walk away’ approach teaches us to be generally uncaring and insensitive to our surroundings, our environment, and all the creatures who live in it. As I write this, people are hacking  out beautiful gardens and lopping down trees around Auckland to make less work for themselves and control nature, completely oblivious to the fact that the birds’ habitat is being destroyed and the wonderful colour of a garden is turned to dust. This kind of attitude seems to go hand in hand with toxic chemical usage.
Wellington, by comparison, seems to value its gardens and surroundings. While I was living in Wellington over a three year period, I never encountered problems with toxic chemicals. The cooler climate has something to do with it, but Wellingtonians do seem to be a more gentle, milder-natured lot who just love their city and its surroundings.

Just how one can educate people into respecting the beautiful environment we have here in Auckland, to take care of the gardens, instead of cutting them all out, for the benefit of all;  into not using poisons such as rat and ant and cockroach killers because of  detrimental effect on bird, animal and human life, is something which cannot be achieved in a day. Where are you, Helen Clarke?

Prevent Cancer

CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. – Keeping a clean environment, of course,  is extremely important. Toxic working and home environments should be avoided. The use of anything toxic  in the house, garden and work place  such as fly sprays, herbicides, fungicides and other chemicals should  never be used.

Merrilyn’s book on Amazon has more information on the subject of avoiding and treating cancer:

Many things which people use about the house and garden are used in good faith that they won’t hurt the user. Rat poison  is a good example. This is extremely toxic and contaminates the area in which it is laid even if it is not physically spread about. But rats and mice will spread it about anyway, which adds to the problem of contamination of food and clothing. This contamination is likely to upset the heart and blood pressure, apart from setting off other patterns of ill health.  People often leave rat poison lying about in a hidden place, just in case rats or mice enter the house, but this practice should not be continued. An example follows:

Recently, my son and I moved my gear, mainly boxes of books, records and music, out of storage where it has been now for several years. But since the items stored have been exposed to fumigation treatment and the laying of rat bait at the door of a previous storage unit, they were contaminated. Handling the boxes with bare hands caused absorption of these chemicals through the skin, which caused distressing reactions, including intense bone pain in the hands and up the arms, dizziness, vomitting and an ongoing painful headache. All the  food stored, even unopened cans of food, had to be thrown out.

Chemicals  which will deter insects for a long period, and rat poison, can  contaminate foods without touching them. This is because the vibration of the chemical is so strong that something of its aura changes the quality of the items nearby it. Everything in the vicinity is affected: foods, clothing, furnishings, your own body and that of your children and pets.

Imagine then, what effect a hidden pot of rat poison will be doing quietly to the health of you, your family, your pets, even if it is not opened.

For this reason,  no chemicals, household cleaners, even soaps, should ever be stored near food. Even cans of food will be affected by the storage of non-food items nearby. Affected foods, when eaten, can seriously undermine your health, because you are taking in the quality of the poison with it.

If rats and mice get into the poison, then there is an invisible trail of the stuff around on  the rat circuit inside the house. You and your poor bare-footed pet will be walking through this and spreading it around. Your pet will absorb poison straight through the skin on its paws.

Pet collars and sprays to deter fleas on cats and dogs are another hazard to the health of your pet, you and your family. The poor pet is likely to get cancer, or kidney failure, heart disease or arthritis because of the continual wearing of these collars. And every time you touch the collar, or the spot which has the flea deterent on it, you will be contaminating yourself and spreading the poison about to contaminate others. It gets into your food, and is absorbed through the skin of you and your pet.

If you must paint the house, or varnish floors, try to use a non-toxic product and you should still wear protective gear, including a mask. The family are best housed somewhere else if painting is being undertaken. Our health is already being tested by the numerous poisons in our environment – senseless to add anything to it which we can avoid or do without.

COSMETICS – These are best left alone. There are very few brands which don’t contain anything harmful such as petrochemicals, preservatives and colourings. Don’t be fooled just because the item says “With Vitamin E”, or “Aloe vera”, because, in most cases, a host of harmful chemicals  will also be added to the combination.  The “Weleda” brand, who also make homeopathic medecines, is one to be highly recommended. Their products are all made organically in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand,  and contain no petrochemicals or other harmful agents. I will post up any other reliable products on this site as they come to my attention.

NEVER USE HAIR DYE OR HAIR-SPRAY OR NAIL POLISH. These chemicals get stored in the liver, affect liver function, and lead to cancerous conditions, arthritis and other degenerative disease. Jacqui Davison who recovered from melanoma using Dr Gerson’s therapy, attributed her cancer mainly to the use of hair dye and nail polish.

ADEQUATE NUTRITION – The most important factor is ROUGHAGE. We need adequate fibre in our diets for our bowels to remain clean so that unhealthy organisms and toxins are not harboured there. Clean intestines also mean that you gain more nutrition from the food which you eat.This means that plenty of raw and cooked vegetables and fruits and whole grains such as brown rice should form the bulk of the diet. An adequate amount of protein, eggs, fish, nuts, pulses, should go with it. Meat eating should be moderate if it is eaten at all, and should not be eaten on a daily basis, as it putrifies in the bowel. So does cheese and  most other dairy products. This is why  vegetables, fruits and grains should form the bulk of the diet.

AVOID PROCESSED WHEAT FLOUR AND SUGAR. Use brown rice to replace bread eating. This has more fibre  and so is digested more cleanly. Brown rice is far  is more nutritious than wheat  flour. Even white rice has been used in the treatment of disease, but brown is preferable because of its higher nutritional value and higher fibre.

Use brown wheat flour if you must use flour, but try to minimise the intake of wheat.

It is best that our vitamin and mineral intake comes from the food we eat. But added vitamin and mineral supplements can aid immune function, prevent cancer and other degenerative disease, and enhance the quality and length of life. ANTIOXIDANTS, mainly Vitamins A, C and E are extremely important in counteracting “free radicals” and the effects of modern living. Vitamin E is reputed to be the king of the antioxidants, with Vitamin C next in line, and Vitamin A in 3rd place. These have been shown to be active in preventing cancer, and in reducing cancer growth.  Selenium, Zinc and Manganese are also important. Studies in Turkey have shown that a deficiency of zinc can lead to prostate cancer.

VITAMIN C – This is found in all vegetables and fruits, but much is destroyed with cooking. Raw fruits are the best way to get your vitamin C. All the berries, cranberries, blackberries, boysenberries, strawberries, raspberries, are especially high in Vitamin C.

Citrus fruits are very high, but not everybody can tolerate these – lemon juice in water is a good cleanser, rich in Vitamin C,  and is not usually problematic to people who can’t tolerate other citrus.

Grapes are a great  alkaline fruit to aid digestion and provide Vitamin C and iron. Most people can eat these in any amounts. The grape diet is an excellent one for cleansing the body of toxins. All you do is eat only grapes, as many and as often as you like, for one or several days. (Get some advice on this if you are on medication of any sort or have a heart condition)  Apples and stone fruits are all contain Vitamin C. Grated apple is another good cleanser. Pineapple, mango and paw paw are all good sources of Vitamin C.

Kiwifruit is extremely high in Vitamin C and is another excellent cleanser for the bowel. A meal taken entirely of Kiwifruit will cure an attack of constipation without any need to take a laxative. Eat a bulk of the fruit at one sitting every day until the problem is cured. This doesn’t usually take more than a day, but persist in the treatment if you don’t get results that soon.

Broccoli is high in fibre and still retains some of its Vitamin C after cooking. It is also high in iron and has been shown to help prevent cancer.

All the above fruits and vegetables, eaten plentifully and on a daily basis, will provide you with enough ROUGHAGE  and Vitamin C to help you prevent cancer and other disease.

CALCIUM ASCORBATE POWDER can be used as an extra antioxidant. 500mg twice daily is recommended by some practitioners. But 1000mg twice a day is the dose I used when treating myself for severe chemical and metal poisoning. I used this amount also when I was treating myself for a breast lump, along with a diet of predominantly raw food and the Gerson enema treatment. However, if you are healthy and are eating plenty of the above fruits and vegetables, you should not really need to take extra Vitamin C unless you are detoxifying or have some illness.

EXERCISE and ENJOYMENT of life are important factors in avoiding cancer. Dwelling on unhappy thoughts are very bad for the health, as we all know. Make the effort to do nice things with the family and friends. Appreciate the people who love you.

DEEP RELAXATION – YOGA NIDRA- is very beneficial for the health. It can help you with emotional problems so that you do not fall prey to disease, and improve the quality and enjoyment of your life.

See my post on YOGA NIDRA