Tag: natural remedies

Natural Remedies To Help Pre Menstrual Tension

Herbs, Homeopathy and Vitamins  For PMT

Pre-Menstrual Tension: Many women suffer from pre-menstrual tension.  According to Russell Setright, who wrote the “Get Well” book in 1990, 70% of women experience the symptoms which are related to pre-menstrual tension.

What Are The Symptoms of Pre Menstrual Tension? The typical symptoms are headache or migraine, mood swings,  anxiety, depression and fatigue.  Other  symptoms which you might experience before the period are: painful and swollen breasts, pain in the stomach, water retention, and cystitis.

Rule Number One: To prevent PMT, or pre-menstrual tension,  make your diet more alkaline.  This means eating more fresh vegetables and fruit, brown rice instead of bread, and eating less of wheat products, sugar and dairy foods.  Celery and alalfa and mung bean sprouts should form part of your daily diet, as these things are very alkaline.   Often, a gluten-free diet helps people with PMT.  Many people are sensitive to gluten in wheat flour and other products, and they do not realize it.  So experiment – do without bread, cake and pastries for a week, and avoid all products which may contain gluten and preservatives or chemicals of any kind.  This just could do the trick.

Supplements To Help Pre Menstrual Tension: For the emotional and mental symptoms, Vitamin B is helpful, especially B6 and B12. Another very helpful supplement is Evening Primrose Oil, which is  useful in calming the nerves, giving a good night’s sleep,  and in counteracting depression.  Evening Primrose Oil has been scientifically proven to alleviate the symptoms of Pre-Menstrual Tension.

Dandelion:  Blood Purifier and  Diuretic Herb: Most herbs  which encourage urine flow are useful in counteracting pre menstrual tension.  This is because toxins are expelled from the body through the urine.  Dandelion helps to remove  toxins, as well as excess water from your system:  If you get swollen legs, or swollen fingers, or a distended stomach before your period, then dandelion can help to reduce this fluid.  Dandelion is a great blood-purifier, which also has a beneficial effect on the liver:  It helps the liver to de-toxify, and  can help prevent gall-stones.  It is rich in many vitamins and minerals.   Dandelion is the herb which is most used in PMT.  Drink dandelion root coffee instead of that real coffee to help PMT.

Alfalfa Tea:  Alfalfa is a great detoxifier of the blood.  It is also highly alkaline which is healthful for the body.  A body which is too acidic can result in pre-menstrual tension.  You can drink up to five or six cups per day.  To make alfalfa tea, simply put a teaspoon of alfalfa seeds into a large cup, and pour on boiling water.  Let cool, to warm, then drink.  You can use the ‘grounds’ for a top-up before taking fresh seeds for another cup.  Again – drink less coffee, and more of the herbal teas such  alfalfa and dandelion root coffee to help pre menstrual tension.

Liquorice, or Licorice, is recommended by Russell Setright:  His dosage is 500mg per day, taken 5 days before the period. Liquorice can help soothe the nerves and detoxify the liver and intestines. However, in my experience,, while I just love liquorice, it has a tendency to lower the blood pressure.  If you are like me, and you have LOW blood pressure anyway, then too much liquorice will further lower your blood pressure, and this can make you feel terrible, and your depression worse.  So go easy on the Liquorice.

It is best to begin taking your supplements seven days prior to the period:  These will help stabilize your system, and aid it in its  natural production of  hormones.  Aldosterone is a hormone which is is linked to the menstrual cycle, and this is secreted seven days prior to the period.

It is best to avoid drinking coffee for AT LEAST  three days prior to the period.  Coffee depletes Vitamin B and other nutrients from the body, so it is good to limit your coffee drinking while you are suffering PMT.

Toxins in the body and the blood are usually the reasons that people get PMT.  Some chemicals which are used as preservatives, and herbicides and pesticides – even plastics – get into our blood-streams and cause havoc with our hormones. It is helpful to many sufferers  of PMT to fast on just fruit and vegetables for three days prior to the period.  This helps to reduce toxins in the body:  Being free of these toxins can have a remarkable effect in the curing of  pre menstrual tension.

Homeopathic Remedies which might be useful for pre-mensrual tension are:  Aconite, Bryonia, Chamomilla, Coffea, Nat. mur, Pulsatilla,  Sepia.  Of course, unless you know your remedies well, you should seek some advice from a health professional who understands Homeopathy.

I would recommend Homeopathic Remedy Coffea if you are especially irritable and cannot sleep, or if  you drink too much coffee.  In Homeopathy, the remedy Coffea comes from Coffee, but it actually has the opposite effect to coffee, in that it is a mild sedative.  Homeopathic Coffea can be helpful in reducing the desire to drink coffee.

One Homeopathic remedy which I have found to be useful in helping to dry up excess fluid in the body is Homeopathic Bryonia.  This can help depression and morbid thoughts too.  It is a useful remedy to have in the house for chest infections and phlegmatic illnesses, as it dries up fluid.   Worth a try if you think this might be suitable for you:  I would take the Bryonia a week before the period is due, and take it for only three days, three doses per day of just a few drops.  If you should feel worse, then stop taking the Bryonia.

Pulsatilla is a good one for PMT if you are excessively weepy and sad.  Again, I would take this about a week before the period, but you could try taking it as soon as you have the pre-menstrual symptoms.

Different remedies work for different people:  The professional Homeopath will take all your symptoms, and consider all sorts of things about you, your day, and your life before deciding on a remedy.  But there are some fairly standard remedies for some conditions which will generally work for most people.

Garlic For Treatment of Infections

Herbs For Healing: Garlic

Allium sativum, or Garlic, has been used for thousands of years as a healing medicine, as well as a food condiment.  It has a history as long as your arm, and in the last century much has been recorded about its use.   It is listed in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia as an effective treatment for sinusitis, common cold, and upper respiratory tract infections.  However, Garlic is also useful for many other infections and conditions.

Garlic is a powerful anti-oxidant which has the ability to neutralize toxins in the body and strengthen the immune system.

Garlic is a natural antibiotic. Louis Pasteur discovered the antibiotic effect of garlic, or allium sativum.  Since then, garlic has been widely used in the treatment of infection: Albert Schweitzer used garlic in Africa to treat amoebic  dysentery and cholera.  Garlic was reportedly used  on wounds during the first and second world wars as a preventative of gangrene.

Garlic has recently been found to be effective in treating ‘untreatable’ illnesses such as AIDS, which is a viral infection resulting from a suppressed immune system.  Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, CFS, is another difficult illness which is helped by garlic. There are many viruses and conditions  which do not respond to prescription antibiotics and other allopathic medicines, but which will often respond to Garlic, allium sativum.

The active ingredients of Garlic are its sulphur-containing compounds. The most important of these is thought to be Allicin. It also contains diallyl disulfide and diallyl trisulfide, which are also sulphur-containing anti-viral substances.  Allicin causes the strong odour in Garlic:  Since this is the most potent anti-viral ingredient in Garlic, it is thought that using Garlic fresh is better than using deodorized capsules.

Garlic is capable of helping difficult viral conditions such as herpes simplex, coxsackie viruses, rhinovirus, influenza B, and Candida albicans.  The healing compounds in garlic inhibit the growth of staphylococcus, streptocuccus, bacillus, Brucella and Vibrio, which covers all these illnesses.  It is also useful for treating childhood illnesses such as chicken pox, mumps and measles. 

In herbal medicine Garlic is  made more effective  for the treatment of some conditions when it is used in combination with other herbs, and other modalities. One of the herbs it is often used in conjunction with is Echinacea. Echinacea and Garlic together make a powerful anti-viral and immune-enhancing  medicine.


List Of Common Childhood Illnesses and Vaccination Alternatives

Common Childhood Infectious Diseases

These listed childhood illnesses are common amongst children under the age of ten.  In fact, the earlier that children get these infectious diseases, the less likely they are to suffer complications and adverse side effects.  My mother always thought that it was best if we were exposed to these illnesses at an early age, and she made no effort to protect us against getting them, as we were never so sick if we had them young.  And, once you had the virus, your immune system was made strong naturally, through combatting the disease, and so we never had a recurrence.

The common childhood illnesses came just once.  We welcomed getting the common infections  such as Mumps, Chicken Pox and Measles as a child,  because if you escaped getting these diseases as a youngster, then you could expect to have an incredibly strong and debilitating dose of the disease if you got it when you were an adult.

Should I Vaccinate My Child Or Not? This is a serious question, and it should be carefully considered before charging ahead with vaccination.  One good alternative is Homeopathy.  Consult your Doctor, your Homeopath, your Ayurvedic medicine practitioner, or another health professional to help you decide.

These days, vaccinations, or immunisations,  have complicated things.  Children’s immune systems are weakened by having these innoculations, and immune systems become lazy  when they are repeatedly bombarded with vaccination bugs.  Also, having the vaccination does not necessarily mean that your child will be protected from the disease.  I have heard of many instances, where the child has had a severe infection straight after having the vaccination for it:  The vaccination actually brings on the condition in some people.

The List of Common Childhood Diseases is as Follows. I have listed some Homeopathic alternatives which are worth consideration in the treatment of these illnesses.  Homeopathy is a safe, more natural method  of combatting these illness than vaccination.  Homeopathic Treatment will not cause long-lasting damage to the immune system.

Chicken Pox:  This has red spots which turn to blisters.  The ‘pox’ begins on the trunk, like Scarlet Fever, and then spreads to the face and limbs.  Its incubation period is between 17-21 days after coming into contact with the virus.  Isolation is recommended for around two or three weeks after the onset of the infection, which is when you can expect the scabs to come off the sores, and the skin to heal.  The Chicken Pox is an itchy infection, and children should be discouraged from scratching themselves, as this will make things worse.

Diphtheria:  This is characterized by a sore throat, like Scarlet Fever.  It also has a coated tongue, like Scarlet Fever in its early development.  Bad breath, sickness and choking, and difficulty breathing are symptoms of Diphtheria.  Its incubation period is between 1-5 days after contact.  The isolation period recommended in the old household medical books is about 6 weeks.   Your doctor will advise you on this.

‘German’ Measles:  This is characterized initially by a cold in the nose with a sore throat.  After two days of these symptoms, an irregular rash appears over the body.  Swollen glands, sore neck, and conjunctivitis may be present.  The incubation period for German measles is anything between 2 to 4 weeks.  The isolation period for German Measles is given as  3 weeks in the old text books.  It is important to prevent expectant mothers from coming into contact with the German Measles, as it could have serious consequences.

‘English’ Measles: This type of Measles was more mild than the German variety.  It is characterized by  a rash which appears in small areas of pink patches, after about the 4th or 5th day of being exposed to the disease.   The pink patches grow gradually larger and spread over the body.   Other characteristics are a feverish cold with a runny nose, which usually develops after the rash has appeared.   The eyes become irritated and red.  Small white spots appear inside the mouth on the cheeks.  Isolation should be for about two weeks after the onset of Measles.

Mumps: This condition also affects the throat to begin with.  The throat is sore and there will be difficulty in chewing and swallowing, resulting in loss of appetite.   Other symptoms are likely to be:  Swollen neck glands, pain under the ear, and sore inner ear. The Incubation Period may be between two to four weeks after coming into contact with the disease.  A period of around 4 weeks isolation for Mumps is recommended

Scarlet Fever: Of course you should see your doctor.  But  Homeopathic Belladonna has been proven to be effective in preventing Scarlet Fever in times of an epidemic.  It can also help alleviate the symptoms, and quicken the recovery,  if your child should succumb to this disease.  This illness is characterized by a sore throat in the initial stages.  The tongue starts off white and furry, but changes to a bright red after a couple of days.   Temperature, fever, vomiting, pains in the stomach are symptoms of this disease.  The red rash, which appears within 24 hours of the onset of the disease,  appears first on the trunk of the body, then spreads to the limbs, and finally, to the face.  This rash is made up of tiny red spots.  The Incubation period is between 2 to 5 days.  Isolation is recommended for around 2 weeks after the rash first appears.

Whooping Cough:  This is another of the Childhood infectious diseases.  It often begins like flu,  with a head cold and running nose with the eyes red and streaming.  Loss of appetite and vomiting may accompany the condition   However, the condition is much more serious than simple flu.  Young children, and babies especially, can ‘go down’ very quickly with whooping cough. Babies can easily die of Whooping Cough, so it is important to have treatment handy, and to head for the doctor if you suspect Whooping Cough.   Whooping Cough can come on very suddenly, in the wee small hours of the night when most doctors surgeries are closed.   Your child suddenly finds it difficult to breathe, and makes a wheezing, whooping sound as he or she fights to breath in, and this frightens the life out of you. Of course, you MUST see a doctor, or another health professional such as a homeopathic doctor, or get to the hospital immediately.  But as soon as the alarm has been set off, and you realize that your child has whooping cough, then you can immediately start giving them Homeopathic Drosera. By the time you get to the hospital, you might find that the Drosera has already worked, and that there is no need for further medication. The disease often ends as quickly as it began, with Drosera.   I used the Homeopathic Remedy Drosera for these occasions, and it never failed me.  Drosera is one of those magic Prophylactic remedies for Whooping Cough, which means that it is a preventative of the disease.  Because it is a Prophylactic, you can give your child several doses of this, over several days, the minute that you realize there is a Whooping Cough epidemic around.  Taking Homeopathic Drosera as a preventative can mean that your children may avoid getting Whooping Cough in times of an epidemic.  Keep it in your medicine cupboard, to use in times of emergency, and for the periods when the Whooping Cough virus is going around the schools.

Linden Tree Tea To Soothe Nerves

Linden Tree

The Botanical Name of the Linden Tree is  Tilia cordata. The Linden Tree is also known as Tiglio.

The flowers of the Linden Tree  are beautiful – lemon-cream in colour, and highly fragrant.  Many poems and songs have been written about the lovely Linden tree with its alluring fragrance and welcome shade.

Linden Tree flowers contain a valuable  essential oil.  Linden Tree flowers have been used for centuries to make a soothing herbal tea to calm frayed nerves. Linden Tea, and the essential oil,  have a mild sedative effect, and calm the emotions.

The main active ingredient in Linden Tree flower oil is farnesol.  This substance, as well as the flavanoids, gallic and catechnic tannins present in Linden Tree flowers, make the essential oil also very useful in the making of cosmetics.

Aubrey Hampton discusses the use of Linden Flower essential oil in his book called “What’s in Your Cosmetics?” In this book, he discusses both natural and synethetic ingredients, and of course, Linden Flowers are one of the healthful,  non-toxic, natural ingredients which are used in the making of some cosmetics.

Test Purity Of Water With Lovage Herb

Lovage Essential Oil

Levisticum officinale is the Botanical name of Lovage. Lovage is a sweet smelling and calming herb.  It has several common Folk names, some of which are:   Old English Lovage, Smellage, Smallage, and Maggi Herb.

All parts of Lovage contain medicinal properties.  The  volatile oil  of Lovage contains some well known substances which are used in cosmetics, such as:  angelic acid, phthalides, glucoside, gum and resins.

Lovage oil also contains Ligulin which is a colourant, and it is this Ligulin colourant which is the magic ingredient in our water-purity test.  I discovered this water test in Aubrey Hampton’s wonderful book “What’s In Your Cosmetics?”  This book was published in 1995 by Organica Press, Florida, USA.

Aubrey says that he uses Lovage Oil to test the purity of water.  He recommends dropping just one drop of lovage oil into the water to be tested.  The Ligulin component will cause the water to turn a bright crimson red if the water is pure.  If the water is impure at all, then the red will turn to blue.

I have not tried this formula out, but I should think that you would use only a small amount of water – say a quarter of a cup full.  Otherwise the Ligulin in the Lovage Oil may be too diluted to have an effect at all.

Of course, it will be necessary to purchase a pure essential oil of Lovage.  Any synthetic equivalent will not do.  But having purchased your Pure Essential Oil of Lovage, you could entertain your children with this  water-testing experiment.

Show them how it works yourself by dropping one drop into various types of water:  Try sea water to see what happens.  Try the  water from a near-by stream.  Try tap water, try rain water,  and try bottled water. Use the same volume of water for each experiment so that you can judge the colour differences.

Note:   Do not give the Lovage Oil to your children to play with, as Essential Oils can be very potent and should be kept away from children and guarded carefully.

Lovage  is used in Folk Medicine as a diuretic, a stomachic and an expectorant.  It is a common flavour enhancer in foods and drinks.  Because of its soothing and non-irritating effect, it is useful as a de-sensitizing agent for certain skin conditions.  It is supposed to be good for acne.

Its ability to soothe the skin make Lovage a valued cosmetic component.