If you are making a transition from conventional medicine to an all-natural, organic approach to wellness, it helps to know which items to stock up on so your medicine chest and first aid supplies are ready for action.

Many of the items you will need are likely to be found in your pantry or refrigerator. Try to keep extra on hand – especially the essentials.

Items for a Well-Stocked, All Natural Medicine Cabinet

Raw and Fresh

• Garlic
• Ginger root
• Aloe vera

Dry Stuff

• Baking soda (non aluminum, organic)
• Sea salt
• Cayenne pepper
• Eyebright tea

Bottles and Jars

• Raw, organic honey
• Organic coconut oil
• Apple cider vinegar
• Alcohol
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Argan Oil

Essential Oils

• Eucalyptus
• Tee tree oil
• Neem oil
• Cinnamon oil

Vitamins

• Vitamin C
• B-complex
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin A

Other

• Epsom salts

Bandages

• Rolls of gauze
• Squares
• Butterfly bandages
• Finger gauze
• Tape
• Band-Aids

Hardware

• Eye cup
• Droppers and bottles
• Neti pot
• Hot water bottle
• Ice packs
• Tweezers
• Magnifying glass
• Scissors

Tonics and Supplements to Buy

• Total Tonic
• Spanish black radish
• Echinacea

First Aid

First aid doesn’t have to be complicated. That said, there are many alternative treatments for the same problem. Don’t hesitate to do the research to learn a variety of treatments.

Burns– Immediately cool the area by running it under cold water. Follow with ice. Cover with aloe vera, bandage if desired.

Scrapes – Wash the area with organic soap, rinse and pat dry. If you feel the need to further cleanse the area, pour on a little hydrogen peroxide. Pat dry. You can use raw honey for a dressing or 1 teaspoon coconut oil with 4-8 drops of essential oil (tee tree oil, cinnamon, etc.) or cover with argan oil.

Eyes – If you get something in your eye an eyewash can be very helpful. Make a saline solution with pure water (distilled is best) and salt. Boil the water, even if it is distilled. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of boiling water. Allow the water to cool to lukewarm before using. (Very important! Do not use hot or cold water in your eye!)

Use a sterilized eyecup or dropper. If you keep extra solution, sterilize the jar or bottle.

If you accidently splash a chemical in your eye, don’t wait; flush with tap water immediately – for 20 minutes.

Bug bites – Use apple cider vinegar, cinnamon oil, aloe vera, tea tree oil and others. Remember to use a carrier oil with essential oils. (Mix 4-8 drops of essential oil with one teaspoon of coconut or other oil.

Infections

There are four types of infection: bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitical. In order to be healthy, your body needs a strong immune system. Diet is the most important element to health. Your body requires a full array of nutrients for every system in the body. Minimizing exposure to toxins and helping the body eliminate waste and toxins is the next step. Good sleep, exercise, sunlight, and grounding are all important as well.

If you eat a truly healthy diet, you will rarely get sick. When you do, your immune system will respond quickly and efficiently. You still might want to help it along now and then.

Viral Infection – At the first sign of a viral infection, gargle with pure apple cider vinegar. The more you gargle, the better. This lessens the viral load, killing off those nasty bugs so your immune system doesn’t have to battle so many. Gargle enough (every hour!) and you will definitely experience a milder illness or you may just nip it in the bud. Total Tonic can also be a great help. To learn how to make your own, check out Natural Remedies for Colds, Flus, and Other Common Viruses for the recipe.

Fungus (Athlete’s Foot or other skin infections) – First try straight apple cider vinegar. Just pour it on or use a cotton ball to squeeze it on the effected area. Tea tree oil (4-8 drops with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil) can be applied to skin or fingernails and toenails.

When you have a fungal infection, you can bet you have an overgrowth of fungus in your gut. Check out How to Kill Candida and Balance Your Inner Ecosystem.

Parasites – No parasites are not limited to third world countries. A truly healthy diet with plenty of raw food (80% at least!) helps the body rid itself of parasites. See Common Parasites and How to Kill Them. You definitely don’t want uninvited critters feasting on your body.

Bacterial Infection – Gargle with apple cider vinegar for a sore throat, too. Yes, it burns like crazy, but afterwards, the pain is usually gone. Spanish black radish is remarkable for bacterial infections of all kinds – bronchitis, pneumonia, strep throat, tooth infection, etc. Garlic is also a time-honored cure. To strengthen the immune system for viruses and all other parasites, check out Make Your Immune System Bullet Proof.

How to Use Other Items in Your Medicine Chest

Ginger – Use ginger to settle the stomach. It’s great for nausea. Use it for migraines. Make fresh juice at the first sign of a migraine. Apple/carrot juice with ginger is awesome. It knocks migraines out before they can get going. More on Ginger.

Garlic – Garlic is one of nature’s strongest antibiotic, anti-parasitic, anti-fungal, and antiviral substances. Eat it raw, but know that this practice, while great for killing viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites, might make you throw up. Try chasing it with a ginger shot to keep it down. You can also use garlic topically to kill warts and eliminate skin tags. More on garlic.

Baking Soda and Salt – Make a saline solution to wash the sinuses with a neti pot at the first sign of infection or when pollen becomes a problem. For instructions, check out How to Use a Neti Pot for Sinus Infections.

Eyebright Tea – Eyebright tea knocks out pink eye and relieves eye inflammation. Be sure to thoroughly strain the tea so that no plant particles remain in the solution. Use an eye cup and rinse the eye with the solution. (Remember solutions for the eyes must be lukewarm, not hot or cold). Be sure to check out Shillington’s Eyebright Formula.

Epsom Salts – Use Epsom salts for a variety of muscle or skin issues, including muscle cramps. To learn how to properly use Epsom salts, read The Health Benefits Of Epsom Salt Baths.

As you learn more about natural remedies, it might help to keep a notebook. There is much to learn and many homemade recipes you will want to remember. As you do, your natural medicine chest will grow.

Further Reading:

• How to Optimize Curcumin Absorption – With Golden Milk Tea Recipe
• Cayenne and Capsaicin, Natures Miracle Medicine

Cinnamon comes from the bark of evergreen trees of the genus cinnamomum. When cinnamon is harvested, the bark is stripped and sun dried. As it dries, cinnamon curls into a well-known shape, called quills. If not ground, it is then sold as whole cinnamon or cinnamon sticks.

Contents

• Tales of Cinnamon’s Origin

• Wars and Exploration for Cinnamon

• Cinnamon Varieties – Ceylon vs. Cassia

• Coumarin in Cinnamon and Liver Damage

• Health Benefits of Cinnamon

• Ways to Use Cinnamon (with recipes)

Cinnamon was once one of the most highly sought after commodities on the planet. This spice has been in use for thousands of years as a medicine, as an embalming agent, as a means of preserving food, and as a flavoring enhancing spice. The earliest reports of cinnamon date back to ancient Egypt in 2000 B.C. The Egyptians used both cinnamon and the related spice, cassia, as embalming agents. Cinnamon was also used in the Old Testament as an ingredient in anointing oil.

Tales of Cinnamon’s Origin

Europeans were aware that cinnamon was shipped from the Red Sea through the trading ports of Egypt, but where exactly it came from was a mystery. In an effort to maintain their trade monopoly, Arab traders wove elaborate stories about the origins of cinnamon. These stories further helped to justify cinnamon’s scarcity and exorbitant prices.

Sier de Joinville believed the fanciful stories he was given of cinnamon’s origin. Joinville told his king in 1248 that cinnamon was pulled up in nets at the source of the Nile, all the way out at the edge of the world.

An Arab, Herodotus, came to believe that the mythical cinnamologus birds gathered cinnamon sticks from a distant unknown land. The cinnamologus birds made their nests so high in the mountains that no one could climb them. According to this myth, the method of collection was to leave large chunks of ox meat below these nests and wait for the birds to collect them. When the birds gathered the meat into the nest, the increased weight would cause them to collapse, enabling people to gather the cinnamon sticks at the base of the mountain.

Another wild cinnamon origin story claimed that cinnamon was harvested within deep canyons, relentlessly guarded by monstrous snakes.

The 1^st century Roman philosopher, Pliny the Elder, reasoned that cinnamon hails from Ethiopia. Cinnamon, he reasoned, was carried on rafts bereft of oars or sails and propelled by “man alone and his courage.”

Wars and Exploration for Cinnamon

Exploration of the new world was primarily motivated by a desire to expand the spice trade. At the time of Columbus’ expedition, cinnamon was at the height of its demand. Expanding the spice trade was one of the primary reasons for Columbus’ expedition. Columbus sent back what he thought was cinnamon from the New World. It was not cinnamon, however. Cinnamon country had yet to be found.

European efforts to find the source of cinnamon fell short until 1518 when the Portuguese located cinnamon at Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka). With ruthless precision, the Portuguese conquered the island kingdom of Kotto and enslaved the population in order to monopolize the cinnamon trade.

The Portuguese maintained control of the region for a century, until the occupied people allied with the Dutch in 1638 to wrestle control of the region away from the Portuguese. Their combined efforts were successful, and they eliminated Portuguese control of the region. The Dutch made the island kingdom beholden to them for their military aide. The island people traded one European oppressor for another. The Dutch held the cinnamon monopoly for the next 150 years.

The British later conquered Ceylon in 1784. However cinnamon had begun to be cultivated in other parts of the world, and by the year 1800 it was no longer the rare precious commodity it once was.

Cinnamon Varieties

There are hundreds of types of Cinnamon, but there are only four varieties used for commercial purposes. The cinnamon known as “true cinnamon” is Ceylon cinnamon. This is the only variety that many other countries refer to as cinnamon. Other varieties are known as cassia.

Other cinnamon varieties, which are much more common in North America, are easier to produce and less expensive than Ceylon cinnamon. Cassia (Chinese) cinnamon, Saigon cinnamon, and Korintje are typically all lumped in together and referred to as cassia cinnamon, though they are each distinctively different. Each of these three closely related spices are much stronger and more pungent than Ceylon cinnamon.

In North America, when cinnamon is used as an ingredient or sold on the shelves as simply “cinnamon”, it is typically Korintje or cassia (Tung Hing).

	Ceylon	Cassia	Korintje	Saigon
Other Names	Cinnamomum Verum, Sweet Cinnamon, True Cinnamon, Mexican Cinnamon, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum	Chinese Cinnamon, Tung Hing	Padang Cassia, Indonesian Cinnamon	Vietnamese Cassia, Vietnamese Cinnamon
Scientific Name	Cinnamomum Verum	Cinnamomum Aromaticum	Cinnamomum Burmanni	Cinnamomum Loureiroi
Country of Origin	Sri Lanka (90%), India, Madagascar, Brazil, and the Caribbean	China	Indonesia	Vietnam
Taste	Mild, sweet	Spicy, bitter	Spicy, pungent	Spicy, slightly sweet
Color	Light to medium reddish brown	Dark reddish brown	Dark reddish brown	Dark reddish brown
Aroma	sweet, complex	Intense, pungent	Intense, spicy, pungent	Spicy
Price	Expensive	Cheap	Cheap	Medium
Coumarin	0.017 g/kg	0.31 g/kg	2.15 g/kg	6.97 g/kg

Ceylon Cinnamon

Ceylon cinnamon is grown in Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Brazil, India, and the Caribbean. This variety is more popular in much of Europe, Latin America, Mexico, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. Indian curries and desert recipes of the lighter variety that call for cinnamon are typically referring to Ceylon cinnamon. Ceylon is the sweetest and mildest tasting and the lightest in color. It’s also three to four times more expensive than the other varieties.

Ceylon has less coumarin than the other varieties, and is often recommended above others by the alternative health community and many conventional doctors as well, since coumarin can cause liver damage in high dosages (more on that below).

Cassia Cinnamon (Chinese Cinnamon)

It can get a little confusing here since all three non-Ceylon varieties are often referred to as cassia cinnamon, while the Chinese Cinnamon is often referred to as cassia cinnamon. In other words, Cassia cinnamon may refer to Chinese cinnamon or it may refer to one of the other non-Ceylon cinnamons: Saigon cinnamon or Korintjr cinnamon.

Today, Tung Hing, the Chinese cinnamon is mostly grown in China, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. This variety is spicy, bitter and very intense.

Saigon Cinnamon

Known as Vietnamese cinnamon or Vietnamese cassia, Saigon cinnamon’s scientific name is Cinnamomum Loureiroi. It comes from an evergreen tree indigenous to Southeast Asia. Saigon cinnamon is closely related to Chinese cinnamon. Saigon cinnamon has around 1-5% essential oil content and 25% cinnamaldehyde in the essential oil, which is the highest of all the cinnamon species.

Saigon cinnamon’s bark is similar to that of Tung Hing, but with a more pronounced and complex aroma. In Vietnamese cuisine, Saigon cinnamon bark is an important ingredient in many dishes including pho, the well-known noodle soup.

Saigon cinnamon has a volatile oil content of around 7%, which gives it a very bold and robust flavor that is ideal for cooking and for use in sauces.

Korintje Cinnamon

Fragrant Korintje cinnamon is as intense and spicy as Chinese cinnamon, but it is also a bit smoother. Korintje cinnamon from Indonesia accounts for most of the cinnamon imported into the U.S. Although lacking the depth of Chinese cinnamon, the flavor is smoother. Korintje cinnamon is a common choice for commercial bakeries in North America because of its good flavor and lower cost.

Coumarin in Cinnamon and Liver Damage

Ceylon cinnamon benefits are marketed as superior to the less expensive Cassia spices primarily due to Ceylon cinnamon’s ultra low levels of a chemical called coumarin, a blood thinner that is toxic to the liver and prevalent in much higher levels in the three cassia spices. It’s not anything most people need to worry about; the risk for any damage with normal or even much higher than normal consumption of cassia cinnamon is negligible.

For flavoring food, go with any and all varieties and discover what works best for each food. As a medicinal supplement though, if you want to take regular, relatively large doses, it may make sense to stick with Ceylon cinnamon for this purpose.

It should also be known that any cinnamon in very large doses will make one sick. Check out the cinnamon challenge; the objective is to film oneself swallowing a spoonful of ground cinnamon in under 60 seconds without drinking anything:

We don’t recommend trying it. The cinnamon challenge is a little risky. If you are taking cinnamon as a supplement in capsule form, it’s typically a good idea to take it with food, and don’t overdo it.

Health Benefits of Cinnamon

While there are definitely color, taste, and texture variations between Ceylon, Cassia, Korintje, and Saigon cinnamon, the differences in respect to health benefits are minor.

Nutrients – One teaspoon of Cinnamon Powder has up to 16% of the U.S. recommended daily allowance for Manganese, 5% for fiber 3% for iron, and 3% for calcium.

Cinnamon, Blood, and Inflammation Reduction

Cinnamon helps reduce unwanted blood platelet clotting, which can result in inadequate blood flow, and is a common symptom of various diseases and overall poor health. Cinnamon inhibits the release of arachidonic acid (an inflammatory fatty acid) and reduces its formation. Cinnamon also removes blood impurities and helps to improve blood circulation due to the presence of a blood-thinning compound.

Cinnamon Is a Powerful Antimicrobial Spice

Cinnamon is antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic.

Cinnamon can be used as a food preservative. Just a few drops of cinnamon essential oil to approximately 3 ounces of carrot broth inhibited the growth of the food-borne pathogenic Bacillus cereus for at least 60 days in the refrigerator. When the broth was refrigerated without the addition of cinnamon oil, the bacteria flourished.

Multiple studies have shown cinnamon’s effectiveness with a multitude of viruses including but not limited to HIV, herpes, and the adenovirus. Cinnamon even shows promise with cancer.

Cancer Preventer

Studies have shown that cinnamon and cinnamon oil shows promise with treating tumors, gastric cancers, melanomas, leukemia, colon cancer, and lymphoma cancer.

Antioxidant

Cinnamon a powerful antioxidant. In a study that compared the antioxidant activity of 26 spices, cinnamon wound up as the clear winner, even outranking “superfoods” like garlic and oregano. In another study, cinnamon, anise, ginger, licorice, mint, nutmeg, vanilla, and artificial preservatives were looked at to see which compounds prevented oxidation most effectively. Mint came in first; cinnamon came in second.

Blood Sugar, Diabetes, and Cinnamon

Cinnamon stabilizes blood sugar levels, which can help with weight loss, and can also prevent, and even help reverse, diabetes and hypoglycemia. Cinnamon actually slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar after eating. Cinnamon also stimulates insulin receptors and inhibits an enzyme that inactivates insulin receptors while it enhances muscle cells’ insulin-signaling pathways, which increases the body’s ability to properly utilize glucose.

One study found Cassia cinnamon was almost twice as effective as the same amount of Ceylon cinnamon for controlling blood sugar. On the other hand, if you are concerned about coumarin consumption, you could double your Ceylon cinnamon dosage and not even come close to the high Coumarin levels found in Cassia Cinnamon. The general consensus is that approximately 1/2 of a teaspoon a day of cinnamon is effective for normalizing blood sugar.

Lowering LDL Cholesterol and Triglycerides

Studies have found that regular consumption of cinnamon is associated with a statistically significant decrease in levels of LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and an increase in HDL cholesterol (known as the good cholesterol).

A controlled study was done with 60 people with type 2 diabetes. One group received cinnamon daily while the other group was giving a placebo. Forty days later, all of the cinnamon group showed reduced blood sugar levels down by 18-29%; reduced triglycerides, down by 23-30%; reduced LDL cholesterol, down by 7-27%; and reduced total cholesterol, down by 12-26%. The placebo group saw no significant changes.

Cinnamon and the Brain

Folklore says the smell of cinnamon can cure the winter blues. No studies support this except for an interesting study that found the scent of cinnamon reduced driver irritability.

Cinnamon boosts the activity of the brain and removes nervous tension and memory loss. Researchers have proven that cinnamon improves cognitive abilities such as attention span, virtual recognition memory, working memory, and visual-motor response. Just the aroma or just the taste of cinnamon, can stimulate cognitive function.

Cinnamon consumption may delay the effects of, slow the effects of, and even reverse some of the effects of Alzheimer’s. In addition, some parents are using cinnamon to treat their children with ADHD.

Ways to Use Cinnamon

There are various essential oils extracted from various parts of the tree (not just the bark), and various species (as mentioned above) to choose from.

Cinnamon Stick Tea

• • 1. 5 cups water in a metal pot or glass kettle
    2. Add one cinnamon stick (3 inch length)
    3. Cinnamon sticks should be boiled slowly. Set the heat setting to as low as possible to sustain a low, slow boil and cook 15 to 25 minutes.
    4. Let it steep/rest for 15 minutes.
    5. You may reheat before serving. It yields just over a cup.

Enhanced Golden Milk Tea Recipe

This is a new twist on an ancient way of experiencing the benefits of turmeric. Ideally, use all fresh, unadulterated herbs whenever available.

• • • 1 cup of warm Coconut Milk
    • 1 tablespoon of freshly grated turmeric with skin
    • 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger with skin
    • 1 pinch of black pepper
    • Pinch of cayenne pepper

Mix it all up and drink. I you prefer to drink it warm, only heat the coconut milk; be careful not to cook the other ingredients. Add the other ingredients when the coconut milk is cool enough to drink to preserve enzymes and other fragile micronutrients.

Household Disinfectant and Odor Neutralizer

Cinnamon has been proven to be good at killing bacteria including, e-coli and salmonella. Cinnamon oil kills bacteria that create odors as well.

Mix 10 drops of cinnamon essential oil in 2 cups of water in a spray bottle and use to disinfect counter tops, sinks, cabinets, doorknobs, toys etc.

Place three drops of cinnamon essential oil mixed with water on a diffuser to neutralize odors in a large room within minutes.

Tooth and Gum Health

Antibacterial properties of cinnamon remove harmful bacteria without damaging teeth or gums. Try using cinnamon with homemade mouthwash and toothpaste recipes. Also, try oil pulling with coconut oil and a few drops of cinnamon oil. See Homemade DIY Oral Health.

Insect Repellant

Cinnamon essential oil can be used for head lice treatment and to repel (or kill) ants, bed bugs, dust mites, roaches, and mosquitoes.

Skin Infections Like Athlete’s Foot

Try cinnamon oil on any topical skin infection, including athlete’s foot. It’s antimicrobial properties make quick work out of fungus.

Digestion

Cinnamon is very effective for treating indigestion, nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, diarrhea and flatulence. Cinnamon eliminates excess gas from the stomach and intestines, removes acidity, kills pathogens and acts as a diuretic to stop diarrhea. It relieves irritable bowel syndrome, reduces morning sickness, and is often referred to as a digestive tonic.

Menstruation

Cinnamon has been shown to provide relief from menstrual discomfort and cramping.

Breastfeeding

Regular consumption of cinnamon after childbirth delays menstruation, especially when combined with breastfeeding. Many believe that cinnamon promotes healthier breast milk as well.

Massage

Cinnamon is also an anti-inflammatory substance that combined with carrier oil for massage, and when consumed, can help soothe and remove stiffness in muscles and joints.

Wound Healing

Cinnamon oil acts as a coagulant to stop excess bleeding and kills infectious pathogens, facilitating the healing process.

Conclusion

The cinnamon in your pantry is most likely many years old, stale, and of little potency. Stale cinnamon has reduced flavor and health benefits. It may be time to go cinnamon shopping. Be sure to check out garlic, turmeric, ginger, and more below.

Further Reading:

• • • The Amazing Herbal Power of Ginger
    • Turmeric – Learn More about This Ayurvedic Herb
    • Garlic – The Most Amazing Herb On The Planet
    • How to Optimize Curcumin Absorption – With Golden Milk Tea Recipe
    • Spices
    • Foods, Vitamins, and Herbs That Kill Cancer

Sources:

Theme sponsored by: Adderall website where you can buy Adderall online buyadderall.com and learn about how Adderall and how phentermine works. You can learn about how to buy phentermine online from USA and how phentermine works. Also find out how Modafinil works when you are planning on buying Modafinil online

• • Cinnamon, ground – World’s Healthiest Foods
  • Cinnamon Health Benefits – Livestrong
  • Health Benefits of Cinnamon Oil – Organic Facts
  • Ceylon or Cassia? Cinnamon Benefits Not a Matter of Variety – The Home Economist
  • 20 Health Benefits of Cinnamon – Cinnamon Vogue
  • 11 Health Benefits of Cinnamon You Need to Know – Organic Authority
  • What is the difference between cinnamon and cassia? – The World’s Healthiest Foods
  • Cinnamon’s Spicy History – History
  • All About Cinnamon – In Depth Info
  • Myths and Legends About Herbs and Spices – E How
  • Cinnamon: Potential Role in the Prevention of Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome, and Type 2 Diabetes – US National Library of Medicine
  • Antidiabetic effect of Cinnamomum cassia and Cinnamomum zeylanicum in vivo and in vitro – US National Library of Medicine
  • Herbs and Spices in Cancer Prevention and Treatment – US National Library of Medicine

What if you could treat and prevent a wide range of illness just by drinking tea or by swallowing a few drops of a powerful herbal extract? It turns out that you can, and this natural medicine has been in use for centuries.

Pau d’arco is said to treat numerous conditions including, cancer, Candida overgrowth, constipation, fibromyalgia, diabetes, lupus, bacterial infections, viral infections, and various parasites. Pau d’arco strengthens the body’s immune system, detoxifies the liver, treats various ailments, contains many antioxidants, and is said to promote overall health.

What is Pau d’Arco?

Pau d’arco is a large canopy tree indigenous to tropical regions of South America, from the Bignoniaceae family, the Tabebuia genus, and the impetiginosa species. These flowering trees are often chosen in tropical landscaping for their beauty and durability. They can grow up to 30 meters tall and 3 meters wide. Pau d’arco trees only grow in tropical regions, so they can only be grown in the U.S. in Hawaii and southern Florida.

Pau d’arco has definitely been used for centuries, and its use may go back further. It may predate the Inca. Throughout South America, tribes living thousands of miles apart have used the tree bark for the same medicinal purposes. The Tupi and Guarani tribes refer to the tree as tajy which means to have vigor and strength.

The name pau d’ arco is Portuguese, and it was the Portuguese name for the herb that has come to use in common parlance. Pau translates to wood and arco translates to bow – one of the common uses for the wood.

History of Pau d’Arco Use by the Western World

The Portuguese learned that the bark was useful in treating tropical diseases, including the problematic schistosmiasis caused by flatworms. After this, the incorporation and use of pau d’arco within traditional herbal medicine spread to Europe and later North America. Widespread knowledge of pau d’arco was not seen until the late nineteenth century when scientists isolated one of the active ingredients, lapachol, and identified its chemical structure. Lapachol was first synthesized in the 1920s.

More than seventy-five years after lapachol was first identified within pau d’arco, the herb once again caught the attention of scientists working to identify its medicinal properties. In the 1960s, a Brazilian physician’s research revealed pau d’arco was useful as an anti-inflammatory and for pain relief, which then led to further research.

There are many names commonly used to refer to this tree including ipe, roxo, lapacho, tahuari, taheebo, trumpet tree, ipe-contra saran, tabebuia ipe, and tajy.

Natural Remedies with Pau d’Arco

Pau d’arco has been used as a traditional medicine for more than 1,500 years. Multiple studies have proven it accelerates wound healing.

Pau d’arco is used in many forms including:

• Tincture
• Liquid
• Tablets, softgels, capsules
• Powder
• Herb
• Ointment
• Tea

Pau d’arco is said to cleanse the blood and body and stimulate the immune system and the production of red blood cells. It contains the following properties:

• Analgesic
• Antioxidant
• Antiparasitic
• Antimicrobial
• Antiviral
• Anti-inflammatory
• Antibacterial
• Antifungal
• Astringent
• Laxative

The leaves and bark have been used by traditional folk healers of the Caribbean to treat wounds, snakebites, backaches, and toothaches. It has also been used traditionally by indigenous people to treat malaria, respiratory problems, colds, flu, fever, Lupus, infectious diseases, prostate inflammation, boils, ulcers, STDs, poor circulation, anemia, arthritis, rheumatism, and cancer.

In Western medicine, pau d’arco has been used as an herbal remedy for the following:

• Liver disease
• Hodgkin’s disease
• Osteomyelitis
• Parkinson’s disease
• Herpes I and II
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Inflammation
• Pain
• Asthma
• Influenza
• Poliovirus
• Vesticular stomatitis virus
• Skin inflammations
• Psoriasis
• Hemorrhoids
• Vaginal fungal infections
• Eczema
• Athlete’s foot
• Pernicious anemia
• Fungal infections of the nails and skin
• Warts
• Hepatitis

Combining Echinacea and pau d’arco in a tea is useful for combating tuberculosis. Some herbalists recommend pau d’arco to strengthen immunity, especially in cases of HIV /AIDS or cancer.

Pau d’Arco and Cancer

Like many natural remedies, especially those with claims to heal cancer, information found is contradictory. There are reports of widespread use to heal cancer with miraculous shrinkage and elimination of tumors and reports of curing leukemia countered with warnings that claim the dosage needed to cure cancer would be toxic and may cause internal bleeding.

The National Cancer Institute in the U.S. has declared its side effects are too dangerous (in the high doses it says are necessary to combat cancer). Meanwhile, it is used in South America by doctors with great results. Argentina dispenses it freely to all patients with leukemia or cancer and Brazil sells it in herb stores and regular pharmacies.

Pau d’Arco Research Issues

One problem with most of the scientific research on this herb is the focus on the isolated compound, lapachol, typically a synthesized version. Pau d’arco contains other helpful compounds such as quinoids, benzenoids, flavonoids, and beta-lapachone. The side effects of the isolated lapachol are more intense than the side effects of the whole pau d’arco herb.

Pau d’Arco Warnings

There are strong warnings against using pau d’arco when pregnant or lactating and not giving it to children. These warnings are not generally explained, but large quantities are known to cause digestive upset and bleeding. Be wary of prescription drug interaction, especially with blood thinners. Others warn that too high a dose could weaken immunity. There are also warnings that not all supplements claiming to be pau d’arco contain the correct herb. Obviously, if using pau d’arco to treat a serious disease, consulting a knowledgeable and experienced naturopath will help you determine the correct dosage and schedule and help you source a reputable brand.

Pau d’arco, the “Divine Tree,” is now threatened. Hopefully humanity will recognize it for the gift that it is and protect and cultivate it for future generations.

Pau d’Arco Recipe For Vaginal Yeast Infections

DIY Rosemary Gladstar’s Anti-Yeast Douche

• 1 quart water
• 1/2 oz anti-yeast tea herb mix from the following herbs:
• 1 part black walnut hull powder
• 1 part chaparral powder
• 1 part echinacea root powder
• 1 part goldenseal root powder (organically cultivated)
• 1 part marshmallow root
• 1 part pau d’Arco powder
• 2 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 drop tea tree oil

Boil water then remove from heat, stir in the herbs and let steep for 1 hour then strain.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Let cool to warm.  Pour herbal liquid into douche bag and use it to gently douche the vaginal area. Be sure to check out

Related Products:

• Pau- d’Arco

Related Reading:

• How To Prevent and Treat Vaginal Infections Naturally
• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
• Candida, Gut Flora, Allergies, and Disease
• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases

Sources:

Theme sponsored by: Adderall website where you can buy Adderall online buyadderall.com and learn about how Adderall and how phentermine works. You can learn about how to buy phentermine online from USA and how phentermine works. Also find out how Modafinil works when you are planning on buying Modafinil online
• Welcome to the Forest – Raintree
• Search Results –Whole Health Chicago
• Pau d’Arco – Web M.D.
• Pau d’ Arco – Mountain Rose Herbs
• Pau d’ Arco – Pau d’ Arco.Org
• Pau d’Arco – University of Maryland Medical Center
• Prescription for Natural Cures, James F. Balch, M.D. & Mark Stengler, N.D.
• Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
• Family Herbal A Guide to Living Life with Energy, Health and Vitality, Rosemary Gladstar
• The Green Pharmacy, James A. Duke PhD

Turmeric is a bright yellow root with a tan skin that is typically used in Middle Eastern, Northern African, and Southeast Asian cuisine. Turmeric is one of the main ingredients in curry spice blends and it makes a great addition to soups, meats, salads, stir-frys, and more. It’s a very versatile herb that enhances the flavor of a great many dishes.

Curcuminoids are the beneficial compounds within turmeric. Specifically, curcumin, one of these specific compounds, is considered to be the most potent, medicinally powerful, cancer-killing component of turmeric. Curcumin helps to detoxify and rejuvenate the liver, reduces negative effects of iron overload (and this is important because iron with sweet wormwood is a powerful cancer killer, too), increases antioxidant capacity in the body, regenerates brain cells and improves cognitive function, reduces likelihood of and treats Alzheimer’s, is anti-inflammatory, reduces heart disease risk, reduces depression, and fights premature aging.

How does curcumin kill cancer? It literally kills cancer.

The Murderous Aspect Of Curcumin

The human body contains approximately 10-13 trillion cells. We replace these cells at the rate of approximately 100 to 130 billion each day. A tightly regulated, cell- suicide process known as programmed cell death or apoptosis destroys cells.

Cancer cells don’t suicide. They turn off the suicide genes.

Curcumin activates the death receptors through many different means, ways we are still learning. One of the more interesting ways is by activating enzymes that literally chop up the proteins within the cells. It is believed that one of the reasons cancer cells do not develop some sort of resistance to curcumin like they do with chemo drugs, is due to the fact that curcumin activates the cells death in so many different ways. We also don’t know exactly why curcumin doesn’t kill normal healthy cells, but it doesn’t. It seems to simply target the cells that were supposed to have already died.

Our bodies want to dispose of most of the curcumin we eat. Without help, our ability to absorb curcumin would be very low.

How to Increase the Bioavailability of Curcumin

The only problem with curcumin is that our liver, in an effort to prevent excessive drugs and supplements and such, inhibits most of the absorption of curcumin (a process called glucuronidation), which makes the compound much less effective than it could be. But there are ways to increase the body’s ability to absorb curcumin.

Mix Turmeric With Black Pepper

Piperine is the alkaloid responsible for the pungency of black pepper. This compound inhibits certain enzyme metabolism functions, which normally cause the disposal of what the body considers to be excess curcumin (this effect is not limited to curcumin, black pepper can increase the absorption of other supplements, too). Curcumin absorption increases up to 2,000% or more with just a small amount of piperine.

Consume Turmeric with Beneficial Fats

Curcumin is fat-soluble. Without fat, the compound doesn’t dissolve properly, and then curcumin has a tough time getting into the gut and being absorbed into the bloodstream and then into the cells that needs the compound.

Try consuming turmeric with healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, and coconut oil.

Eat Turmeric With Quercetin

Quercetin is a plant flavonoid that inhibits the enzyme that deactivates curcumin.

Foods High In Quercetin

Foods high in quercetin include red wine, red grapes, green tea, onions, apples, cranberries, blueberries, black plums, red leaf lettuce, raw kale, chicory greens, raw spinach, sweet peppers, snap beans and raw broccoli. The best whole food source of quercetin is capers.

Enhanced Golden Milk Tea Recipe

This is a new twist on an ancient way of experiencing the benefits of turmeric. Ideally, use all fresh, unadulterated herbs whenever available.

• 1 cup of warm Coconut Milk
• 1 ounce of turmeric juice, or 1 tablespoon of freshly grated turmeric (both should be with skin)
• 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
• 1 ounce of ginger juice or 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger (both should be with skin)
• 1 pinch of black pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper

Mix it all up and drink. For the drink to be warm, warm up the coconut milk only, but be careful not to cook the other ingredients. Add them in when the coconut milk is not too hot to drink so as to preserve enzymes and other fragile micronutrients.

I love this drink and do not feel the need to sweeten it (I prefer not to feed Candida). I have not tried adding quercetin into the mix, but I’m going to next time I make the drink. I’m thinking of either adding capers, which I think is going to taste really strange. I’ll drop a comment below when I try this addition and let you know what it tastes like.

Conclusion

For maximum potency and absorption, we recommend fresh, raw turmeric root with its skin, taken as mentioned above, as well as cooked turmeric with skin. Try juicing and using as a spice with meats, salads, and soups. Incorporate both into your healthy diet and you’ll get the most benefit. Also check out these recipes on Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included and see Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases for more on how to eat optimally for health and healing.

Recommended Supplements:

• Curcumin 500 with Bioperine – Pure Encapsulations (Turmeric, black pepper, vitamin C)
• Shillington’s Liver/Gallbladder Formula (contains wormwood and supports the liver)
• MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations (kills parasites, balances gut, contains wormwood)
• Reishi Extract – Host Defense
• Chaga Mushroom Extract – Host Defense

Further Reading:

• Cinnamon – Ceylon Vs Cassia, Health Benefits, and Other Interesting Facts
• Turmeric – Learn More About This Ayurvedic Herb
• The Health Benefits of the Curry Spice Blend
• Foods Vitamins and Herbs that Kill Cancer

Sources:

• Turmeric Kills Cancer Cells – Green Med Info
• The innate immune system condemns weak cells to their death – Medical Xpress
• Curcumin and Cancer Cells: How Many Ways Can Curry Kill Tumor Cells Selectively– NCBI
• Curry spice ‘kills cancer cells’ – BBC News
• Turmeric, Curcumin Shown to Prevent Numerous Cancers in Many Studies – Natural Society
• QuercetinFod Chart – Quercetin.com
• Black Pepper – Examine.com

Root vegetables are exactly what the name implies – they are the root of the plant. The most common root vegetables have become family staples: potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, beets, and radishes. Some are treasured spices: garlic, ginger, horseradish, and turmeric. And then there are the more adventurous root vegetables that you may or may not have cooked or eaten: daikon radishes, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, Jerusalem artichokes, celeriac, kohlrabi, yuca, jicima, maca root, and more.

Due to their ability to absorb vitamins and minerals from the ground, root vegetables grown in rich soil are full of nutrients and are an excellent source of fiber. Many are high in vitamin C, B vitamins, and vitamin A. Many are antioxidants. Several have remarkable healing properties.

Contents

Unfortunately, root vegetables absorb toxins from the ground as well, making organic the best choice.

In choosing the best root vegetables, all should be firm, never soft, and blemish free. If the tops are still attached, you want to choose fresh leaves, not only as a means to choose the freshest vegetables, but the tops of many root vegetables are eaten as well as the root.

In the past, we stored root vegetables in the root cellar, a dark, cool, humid space. If you choose to store any root vegetables in the refrigerator, cover and seal them in plastic or paper and place them in a drawer or they will soon become soft. (Do not refrigerate regular onions or potatoes.)

Many root vegetables can be eaten raw, steamed, sautéed, baked, roasted, stir fried, or fried.

Potatoes

The number one food crop in the world, potatoes are a nutritious vegetable unless they are fried or loaded down with butter and sour cream. They are a good source of antioxidants, vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, copper, and pantothenic acid.

There are around 100 varieties of potatoes with varying skin colors (red, brown, yellow or purple-grey). The flesh is white, yellow, or purple. Potatoes also come in all shapes and sizes from the giant russets to tiny fingerlings.

Do not store potatoes in the refrigerator or in sunlight. A cool, dark place is best. Do not leave them in a plastic bag that will trap moisture. Store in paper bags or burlap. Do not eat potatoes that have turned green or sprouted.

Potatoes are one of the “dirty dozen” with the highest pesticide residues. Choose organic potatoes to avoid these toxins.

Potatoes can be baked, roasted, steamed, boiled, or fried. A common favorite way to cook baked potatoes is with rosemary.

Recipe: Rosemary Potatoes

Bake small potatoes (or 4 large potatoes) in the oven at 360 degrees until they are 3/4 of the way done. Remove from oven, cut in half (peel and dice large potatoes) and mix with the following:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil or ghee
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon spicy red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric

Return to the oven and continue cooking until done.

Carrots

Most of the time, the carrots we see in the grocery store or farmers market are a bright orange color, but carrots come in a variety of other colors: white, yellow, red, and purple.

Carrots are a well-known and proven aid to eye health, including glaucoma and cataract prevention. Newer studies reveal their ability to prevent colon cancer and cardiovascular disease. They are an excellent source of vitamin A, with one cup of carrots providing more than the daily requirement. They are also a good source of vitamin C, B vitamins, vitamin K, vitamin E, manganese, potassium, and more.

If the carrot tops are attached, cut them off before storing the carrots and the tops in the refrigerator. Tops can be eaten; try adding them to your salads.

Carrots can be eaten raw or cooked in a variety of ways; however, steaming is said to retain the most nutrients and provide the best taste. Cut in 1/2 inch slices and steam for 5 minutes.

Recipe: Carrot Slaw

A delicious carrot slaw can be made with three ingredients: carrots, pineapple, and raisins (or dried cranberries).

• Cut one fresh pineapple into small pieces – retain juice.
• Add shredded carrots. Judge the amount by the pineapple and pineapple juice. You want the juice to moisten all of the carrots. (You can always add a little extra juice.)
• Add raisins or dried cranberries. Stir and eat immediately or cover and refrigerate a few hours to let the flavors mingle.

Sweet Potatoes

There are about 400 varieties of sweet potatoes. Their flesh may be nearly white, cream, yellow, orange, pink, or purple. They are anti-inflammatory, have antioxidant properties, and they help maintain blood sugar levels.

The leaves of the sweet potato plant have antioxidant properties and are often added to soups. Purple sweet potatoes contain an antioxidant ability more than 3 times that of blueberries. They are also a very good source of vitamin C, B vitamins, manganese, phosphorus, copper, potassium, and pantothenic acid.

Sweet potatoes can be baked, roasted, stir fried, fried, boiled, or steamed. Like carrots, steaming retains the greatest nutrients, though boiling retains plenty of beta-carotene. Baking or roasting doubles the glycemic index.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Pie

• 4 medium sized sweet potatoes. (The dark orange kind)
• 1 fresh pineapple, chopped into small pieces.

If you bake the sweet potatoes, bake them slowly in a 350 degree oven. If you slice and steam them, you may want to add a little honey after mixing all the ingredients.

• Mash or whip cooked sweet potatoes with coconut oil or ghee
• Add spices to taste: cinnamon, cumin, allspice, nutmeg, and salt.
• Add fresh pineapple when the sweet potatoes have cooled enough to not kill the pineapple’s enzymes.

Onions

Onions support the cardiovascular system, benefitting both the heart and the blood vessels. They help increase bone density, support ligaments, and are an anti-inflammatory. Onions have also been shown to help prevent cancer and are antibacterial. Rat studies are showing onions help balance blood sugar. They are a very good source of biotin and a good source of vitamin C, copper, B6 and B1, phosphorous, potassium, and folate.

There are two important things to keep in mind when dealing with onions. 1. Do not over peel! The outer layers are more nutrient dense than the inner layers, so peel as little as possible. 2. Let onions sit for 5 minutes after chopping or slicing before cooking them. Again, this has to do with nutrients and the chemical process that takes place within the onion when it is cut.

Green onions can be stored in the refrigerator along with bagged scallions. Other onions should be stored at room temperatures, away from potatoes and bring sunlight. Wire baskets or other methods that allow for ventilation are good.

This amazing recipe comes to us from Julie Kinch and Debbie Fraser of Cooks With Cocktails (See link below).

Recipe: Gluten Free Crispy Baked Onion Rings

Ingredients

• 1 large Sweet Onion (I like Vidalia, but you can really use whatever)
• Olive Oil Spray

For The Dry Mix

• ½ cup Arrowroot Powder
• 2 tsp Paprika
• 5 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 5 tsp Sugar (optional)

For The Wet Mix

• ½ cup Coconut Milk
• 1 Egg

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
3. Mix together the two wet ingredients.
4. Slice the onion to make rings that are about ¾ of an inch wide. Peel the skin from each ring and carefully separate the rings from each other.
5. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
6. One at a time, take each ring and dip it into the wet mix. Then drip it into the dry. Coat it well, but make sure to tap all the excess back into the bowl. Place the ring on the baking tray.
7. When all the rings are ready, spray the rings with olive oil spray. You want to coat them, but not get too much. Flip them over and spray the other side.
8. Pop them into the oven. Check them after 9 or 10 mins and flip them over. Cook for an additional 4 mins or so.
9. Take them out and serve them right away.

Leeks

Like onions and garlic, leeks are an allium vegetable. And like onions and garlic, they should be allowed to sit for 5 minutes or more after cutting before you cook with them in order to receive the greatest nutritional benefit. However, raw leeks are delicious with a milder taste than onions.

Leeks are an excellent source of vitamin K; a very good source of manganese, vitamin B6, copper, iron, and folate; and a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, magnesium, vitamin E, calcium, and omega-3 fats.

Leeks provide support for the cardiovascular system due to their antioxidant qualities and their ability to lower homocysteine levels.

Store them in the refrigerator without cutting or washing them before use. To use them, cut off the root and peel the outer layer around the base. You can slice the lower part in whole slices, but as you near the greens you must slice it in half to wash out the dirt that always accumulates.

Cock-a-leekie soup is a delicious traditional Scottish recipe for those who eat chicken.

Add them to any recipe where you would add onions. You can stir fry or steam them, or add them to soups and salads.

Beets

Beets provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support. They are especially good for the nervous system and eye health. They help prevent heart disease and cancer, and their fiber is especially healthy for the digestive tract. Beets contain folate, manganese, potassium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin C, B6, and iron.

Beets can be eaten raw, baked, roasted, boiled, or steamed, but the most nutritious way to eat them is raw or lightly steamed. (If you cut them into quarters, they should steam within 15 minutes. Cooked beets can be easily peeled after cooking by rubbing the skin off with a paper towel. Nutritious beet greens can be eaten raw or cooked.

To store beets, cut off the tops, leaving 2 inches of stem. Place tops in one plastic bag, the roots in another, and store them both in the refrigerator.

Raw Beet Salad

• Three medium to large beets.
• 2 limes
• Honey to taste

Use a spiralizer to make beet ribbons. Juice the limes. Mix honey into the lime juice to taste. Pour over ribbons. (If you do not have a spiralizer, use a peeler or grate the beets.)

Yams

Yams are also root vegetables, distinctly different from sweet potatoes. Yams, which are native to Africa and Asia, are rarely found in U.S. grocery stores, though they may be found in an Asian market. The peels are brown and are not smooth–rather they look like they are covered in small roots.

There are two main types of sweet potatoes. The one with a deep orange colored flesh is often called a yam, just to differentiate the two.

True yams are a good source of potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6. As far as recipes go, you can cook yams like a sweet potato but know that they are drier and not as sweet. Try yams in place of the sweet potatoes for these fries:

Radishes

The health benefits of radishes are truly impressive. They are said to be good for the liver and stomach, the kidneys and bladder, the lungs, the cardiovascular system and the immune system. They purify the blood and eliminate waste, detoxify and are an anti-congestive. They are used to treat cancer, jaundice, constipation, urinary tract and kidney infections, skin ailments, and more.

Radishes come in varying shapes and sizes from large to small, from long to round, and in colors that include white, black, yellow, green, pink, red, or purple. All are a great source of vitamin C.

Daikon radishes come in all shapes and sizes, though the ones sold in the U.S. market generally look like oversized white carrots. The tops are edible and have a peppery taste; they are often added to salads.

Smaller radishes are more nutritious because nutrition is pulled from the root to the tops as the vegetable matures.

Daikons are an excellent source of vitamin C. They also contain vitamin B6, magnesium, and calcium.

To store, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate.

Grate them raw and add to salads, slow cook, steam, roast, bake, or pickle them. You can frequently find a daikon radish salad made with rice vinegar in Asian buffets. But here is a recipe for a real treat:

Recipe: Spicy Radish Kimchi

From Reviving the Tradition of Fermented Foods (See link below)

Yield: 1 quart

Ingredients

• 1 large (12-16″ and 3″ diameter) daikon radish
• 2 baby leeks OR 4 scallions (green onions)
• filtered water
• sea salt
• 4-6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2-inch piece of ginger
• 1 oz. red pepper powder (more=spicier)
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce (to taste); optional
• 1 Tbsp tamari or shoyu (soy) sauce

Instructions

• Soak the Veg
• Cut off greens from radish and peel outer layer off with a peeler. Use greens for another purpose.
• Cut radish into 1 inch cubes, or slice into rings.
• Dissolve 3 Tablespoons salt into 1 quart of water in a half-gallon (or larger) container. Avoid using a metal container.
• Add radish cubes to brine and soak for up to 6 hours.
• Drain the veggies through a colander. Reserve 1 pint of brine when draining.
• Make Paste
• Roughly chop the garlic and ginger. Add to bowl of a food processor bowl. If you don’t have a food processor, dice the ginger and garlic so it’s almost a paste, and add to a mixing bowl.
• Slice leeks or scallions into ½” pieces and add to mix.
• Add pepper powder, tamari and fish sauce to mixing bowl. Vegan variation: omit fish sauce.
• Stir and mash contents (or pulse with food processor) together until a paste forms.
• Wearing a latex or plastic glove to protect yourself from the heat of the pepper, mix the paste thoroughly with your hand into the drained radish cubes. You can mix everything directly in the fermenting container, or in a separate large mixing bowl. Mix until the cubes are coated nicely with the paste.
• Ferment
• Even out the cubes in the container. Next, right on top of the mixture, place the largest object (usually a plastic lid or plate) you can find which will fit inside the diameter of the container.
• Add a weight (such as a wine bottle or other glass bottle) on top of the lid/cover.
• Liquid will continue to create a brine while the veggies are weighed down.
• Check the container in 1 day. If the contents are not sumberged in brine, add the reserved brine.
• Cover with a cloth and rubber band to keep flies out. (If using airlock skip this step).
• Place in a cool spot (out of direct light) for 14 days. The larger pieces take a little longer to ferment than smaller diced styles of kimchi. Note: Your house will smell like kimchi.
• Move to refrigerator, where the taste will develop slowly. Will keep for up to 6 months

Turnips

Turnips are an ancient food for humans. Evidence shows they have been eaten since prehistoric times. They have also been used as fodder for animals for 600 years or more.

Turnips are a good source of vitamin C, while the greens (the tops) are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, and calcium.

Some people find turnips too bitter to eat due to a genetic sensitivity to the cyanoglucosides they contain.

Turnips can be eaten raw – just grate them up and add them to salads. Generally, they are eaten in the many ways we eat potatoes. You can boil them, fry them, steam them, mash them up with milk and butter or add them to soups, stews, and other dishes.

Rutabagas

The origin of the rutabaga is an interesting one: they are a cross between the turnip and cabbage. In many countries they are called turnips, yellow turnips, or Swedish turnips along with other names such as neeps.

Rutabagas are an excellent source of vitamin C.

Like turnips, rutabagas contain cyanoglucosides. To those who have inherited 2 genes that detect a particular bitterness receptor, rutabagas are inedible due to their bitterness.

Rutabagas are eaten in a variety of ways. They can be baked or boiled and eaten alone or mashed and combined with other root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots. Rutabagas are also added to soups and stews.

Parsnips

Parsnips look like white carrots. Like turnips, they were once used as a regular staple before the popularity of potatoes took their place.

Parsnips are a good source of vitamin C, folate, and manganese. You can cook them any number of ways from grating them and adding them to salads raw to using them instead of carrots in a cake.

Below you will find two recipes; one is sweet, the other not. These recipes are from Seasonal Chef. (See link below).

Recipe: Orange-Glazed Parsnips

• 8-10 medium parsnips
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbl butter or margarine
• 2 tbl honey
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 tsp grated orange peel

Instructions

1. Peel parsnips and cut into quarter-inch-thick sticks. Cover parsnips with water and simmer until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in saucepan, melt butter, stir in honey, salt, orange juice and peel. Heat to boiling. Turn off heat, add drained parsnips and gently stir to coat pieces.

NOTE: For maple-glazed variation, try using ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ tsp prepared mustard, salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe: Kale and Parsnips

Ingredients

• 1 cup sliced onions
• 1 cup halved and sliced parsnips
• 1 tbl corn oil
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbl ginger, minced
• 1 bunch kale, veins removed and cut into bite-sized pieces

Instructions

1. Saute the onions and parsnips in oil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add the water and ginger. Cover and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Add the kale and continue cooking 4 to 5 minutes longer. Stir occasionally but otherwise keep the saucepan covered.

Jerusalem artichokes

Jerusalem artichokes, also known as sunchokes, are a plant native to North America that was cultivated by Native Americans. The plant is in the sunflower family, and it grows tall beautiful sunflowers. The root is similar to ginger root or fingerling potatoes.

The skin of the sunchoke root may be light brown to tan or pink to reddish in color. The inside may be white, cream colored, tan, or purple. They are high in fiber and a good source of iron, potassium, and thiamin.

There are many recipes, various kinds, for sunchokes, from soup to chips. As a matter of fact, there are many recipes on the web for chips. Just slice them thin and cook in oil. Sprinkle with herbs. But be careful, they’re apparently delicious. Don’t eat too many. Sunchokes have quite a reputation for flatulence when eaten in excess.

The following recipe is from The Fruit Guys. (See link below.)

Recipe: Pan-Fried Jerusalem Artichokes in Sage Butter

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 3 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, coarsely torn and divided
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Preparation

• Melt 1 tablespoon butter with olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add Jerusalem artichokes and half of the sage.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until brown and just beginning to soften, turning frequently, about 10 minutes.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer Jerusalem artichokes to shallow serving bowl.
• Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and sage to skillet; fry until sage darkens and begins to crisp, about 30 seconds.
• Add lemon juice; simmer 1 minute. Pour lemon-sage butter over Jerusalem artichokes in bowl, tossing to coat.
• Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.
• Serves 4–5. Prep time, 15 minutes; cook time, 15 minutes.

Celeriac

Also known as celery root, turnip rooted celery, or knob celery, is a variety of celery. Celeriac is an excellent source of vitamin K and a good source of vitamin C, Vitamin B⁶, and phosphorus. The big brown bulbous root is eaten raw or cooked and tastes similar to celery, or some say, celery and parsley combined.

The following recipe is from Sylvia Fountaine of Feasting at Home. (See link below.)

Recipe Celeriac Fennel Soup

Prep time, 15 mins. Cook time is about 20 mins. The recipe yields 8 Cups Soup

Ingredients

• 1 large fennel bulb, cored and diced ( about 1 ½ cups)
• 1 C white onion, diced
• 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 grapefruit-sized celeriac- peeled and diced ( about 4-5 cups)
• 8 Cups Chicken or Veggie stock
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• salt to taste
• ¼ cup creme fraise or sour cream for garnish ( optional)
• Parsley oil (optional, for garnish – see recipe below)

Instructions

In a large heavy bottom pot, saute diced onion in 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil, over medium high heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add fennel. Turn heat to medium-low and saute until fennel begins to caramelize, stirring occasionally about 12 minutes. Add celeriac, pepper and 8 cups chicken stock. Turn heat to high, bring to a simmer, lower heat, cover, and continue simmering until celeriac is very tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Using a blender, blend until smooth -in batches, only filling blender 1/2 full. (Remember when blending any hot liquid, cover the blender lid firmly with a kitchen town, and only fill blender 1/2 full, and start on the lowest speed, to prevent a blender explosion.)

Return to the pot. Taste for salt. When serving, garnish with a swirl of creme fraise, (or sour cream) and a little parsley oil.

Recipe Parsley Oil

• 1 Cup packed Italian parsley ( stems ok)
• ½ Cup olive oil
• ½ clove garlic
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• Pulse all ingredients in a blender or food processor until combined.
• 1 white onion diced

Kohlrabi

You know how tomatoes are actually fruits? Kohlrabi isn’t actually a root vegetable. The bulb is actually a part of the stem that grows above ground. It is probably considered a root vegetable due to both its name and its appearance, as it looks like a cross between a turnip and celeriac, and its name is a German word that is literally a combination of cabbage and turnip.

Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family, though it is said that its mild taste is more like broccoli. This vegetable, once a favorite of European nobles, has never lost its popularity in Europe.

It is high in fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and calcium.

It can be eaten raw, as a matter of fact, it is eaten raw like a piece of fruit by many Germans. Choose small bulbs; large bulbs are woody, tough, and require peeling. Small bulbs can be eaten peel and all.

There are two varieties: one is purple, the other green. The purple one is sweeter.

Here is an interesting salad from Vegetarians in Paradise. (See link below.)

Kohlrabi Siam Chopped Salad

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 medium kohlrabis, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) chopped Napa cabbage
• 1/4 pound (115g) snow peas, chopped
• 1/2 to 1 fresh pasilla (poblano) pepper, diced or 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into fine julienne about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons organic canola oil
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 inch (1 cm) piece ginger, peeled and grated
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• Dash of rice vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Black sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons minced green onions

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients, except the black sesame seeds and green onions, in a large bowl and toss well to distribute the seasonings evenly.

Transfer to an attractive serving bowl or platter and garnish the top with the black sesame seeds and minced green onions.

This salad is best if made several hours ahead to allow the dressing to penetrate the vegetables. Serve as a salad course or a side dish.

Cassava or Yuca

Cassava, also known as Yuca, maniac, Brazilian arrowroot, tapioca, and many other names, is an important staple throughout the world. Yuca has a high carbohydrate content and is high in vitamin C, phosphorus, and calcium. An amazing variety of traditional dishes are based on this root vegetable from alcoholic drinks to a vegetable used like potatoes or flour to make bread, cakes, and crackers. In the U.S. cassava is mostly sold as tapioca for pudding.

Cassava is a rot generally 2-4 inches in diameter at the top and approximately 6-12 inches long. The brown skin is rough; the inner flesh is white to yellow. Cassava is an excellent source of calcium, vitamin C. The leaves are edible as well and are a good source of protein.

Cassava root must be properly prepared or it will be toxic.

Tapioca Pudding

• 3 cups of goat milk or nut milk
• 2 eggs – whisked
• ½ cup tapioca
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ to ½ cup (more or less to taste) of honey

Instructions

Soak tapioca in cold water overnight.

Drain tapioca and add to milk and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring.

Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes. Continue to stir.

Remove from heat. Whisk a cup of mixture into beaten eggs, a little at a time. Once it is all blended, stir it back into the pot.

Simmer over medium-low heat for 2 or more minutes, until it thickens. Remove from heat and add honey and vanilla. Stir and taste. Add more honey if needed.

Serve hot or refrigerate and serve cold.

Jicama

Jicama, also called Mexican yam or Mexican turnip (among other names), is actually a relative of the bean family. Like regular potatoes, the vines and leaves of this plant are poisonous.

Jicama is a good source of fiber and an excellent source of vitamin C.

The flesh is white with a papery yellow/brown peel. The sweet, crunchy flesh is often cooked in soups and stir fries, but it usually eaten raw with a dip.

An easy dip is made by adding a bit of honey and lime juice to yogurt. But any dip you use for raw veggies is a good match for jicama from spinach and guacamole to the hummus and gourmet combinations. Many just squirt lime and sprinkle chili powder on jicama strips. Here is a great recipe that utilizes the dehydrator.

Recipe: Spicy Lime Jicama Chips by Ilene of The Colorful Kitchen

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 medium jicama
• 2 tbs gluten-free tamari
• 1 tbs + 1tsp agave
• juice of 2 limes
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

Combine tamari, agave, lime juice and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl.

Peel jicama and cut it in half. Slice into strips 1/8″-1/4″ thick. You can do this by hand or with a mandolin slicer.

Place jicama strips in a medium bowl and coat thoroughly with marinade. Make sure each piece of jicama is completely covered.

Place strips on dehydrator tray. Dehydrate at 110° for 4 hours, then flip jicama over, rotate trays and dehydrate for another 4-6 hours. Your chips are done when they are crispy on the outside but not shriveled. Enjoy with salsa, guacamole or your favorite dip!

Maca Root

Maca root is also known as Peruvian ginseng. It’s not surprising, considering the medicinal properties attributed to it and the fact that it is known to be an aphrodisiac. It is eaten as a food in the areas where it is grown and it made into flour. But most of its use in the U.S. is as a supplement.

Maca root is said to increase energy; boost brain power, endurance (both athletic and sexual), stamina, libido, fertility, and general health. It balances hormones (both male and female), reduces stress and anxiety. It stabilizes mood and mood swings, aiding in depression. It improves health of teeth and bones, strengthens hair and reduces hair loss. It alleviates symptoms of menopause and PMS. It is also said to clear acne and blemishes. Wounds heal faster.

Maca is rich in B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, zinc, iron. Magnesium, phosphorus, and amino acids.

The hypocotyl, the bulb between the stem and actual roots, can be one of many colors: cream, gold, red, green, blue, purple, or black.

Maca Root Contraindications

• Do not use if pregnant or lactating.
• Do not use if you have hormone-related cancer or polycystic ovary syndrome.
• Use with caution if you have thyroid problems. Lighter colored maca inhibits iodine uptake, while darker maca contains natural iodine.

There are also warnings to start slow, with no more than ½ to 1 teaspoon a day; 1 tablespoon is the average daily dose for a few days followed by a few days abstinence. Too much may disrupt your hormones.

These are most of the better-known root vegetables. There are more, of course, some familiar, many not, but all are worth discovery. If you have any favorite recipes, please share them.

Further Reading:

• 8 Easy Steps To Health 
• Total Nutrition – Make your own Homemade Multivitamin and Mineral Formula
• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases
• Hypothyroidism – Natural Remedies, Causes, and How To Heal the Thyroid

Recommended Supplements:

• Total Nutrition Formula
• Maca Bulk Powder – Wise Woman Herbals
• Maca Root Capsules – Gaia Herbs

Sources:

• Maca Root Can Increase Libido and Help Treat Sexual Dysfunction
• Multiple Articles – World’s Healthiest Foods
• A Guide To Root Vegetables – Oh My Veggies
• The Ultimate Crispy Baked Onion Rings (Gluten Free) – Cooks with Cocktails
• Health Benefits of Radish – Organic Facts
• Spicy Radish Kimchi – Reviving the Tradition of Fermented Foods
• Turnip – Alternative Field Crops Manual
• Turnip – Wikipedia
• Rutabaga – Wikipedia
• A Dozen Ways To Use Parsnips – Seasonal Chef
• Real Food Right Now and How To Cook It –Artichokes – Grace Communications Foundation
• Pan-Fried Jerusalem Artichokes in Sage Butter – The Fruit Guys
• Celeriac Fennel Soup – Feasting at Home
• Celeriac – Wikipedia
• Kohlrabi Strives for Comeback – Vegetarians in Paradise
• What is Kohlrabi? – Wise Geeks
• Cassava – Wikipedia
• Pachyrhizus erosus – Wikipedia
• Spicy Lime Jicama Chips – The Colorful Kitchen
• Lepidium meyenii – Wikipedia
• 7 Top Health Benefits of Maca – VegKitchen
• What Is Maca Root? – Young and Raw
• Shallots vs. Onions – Good Housekeeping

While everyone knows that prevention is the best defense against cancer, many people don’t know that studies have shown that certain foods, herbs, and various supplements can actually reduce and reverse cancer as well.

Raw Fruits and Veggies

A diet consisting of a variety of raw fresh vegetables is the best prevention and also a potential cure for cancer, depending on how far cancer has progressed and how easily the body can digest and properly assimilate nutrition. Berries, grapes, broccoli, leafy greens, sprouts, avocados, red and yellow peppers, red cabbage, dandelion, beets, and many more foods have been proven in numerous scientific studies to not only prevent but to also destroy cancer cells. If we did research on every single piece of produce we eat, we’d probably find that almost all of them, if not all of them, prevent and fight cancer in some way or another. This is what the modern diet is missing, fresh raw produce. Early humans ate pounds of it a day, all day, every day.

Related: Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections

Do not underestimate the miraculous healing properties of whole, raw, fresh, organic, uncooked, unadulterated produce. Believe it or not, it’s the foundation of almost all of the best remedies for ailments, and it is the only path to true health. Eat a wide variety of raw produce every day. Cooked produce has benefits, but raw produce heals. Make big salads every day with lots of produce. Make sure that 80% of your diet is raw produce. I can’t stress it enough!

Related: Stop Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet

Mushrooms

Certain types of mushrooms, including, but not limited to, turkey tail, reishi, hen of the woods, and agaricus blazei have been shown in studies to benefit people fighting cancer and to improve the overall immune system. Reishi is a great source of anti-oxidants. It can inhibit some malignant tumor growth, and it has a massive amount of other, amazing health benefits. Agaricus also contains strong anti-tumor properties. Countries like Japan and Brazil use it in cancer treatment protocols. Current research of turkey tail mushrooms reveals their cancer-killing effects, while hen of the woods (also know as maitake), provides anti-viral support and reduces blood pressure and blood sugar.

Herbs and Spices

Garlic, oregano, cloves, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and ginger have been shown in multiple studies to fight cancer. Spice up your meals, especially those big salads. Fresh raw produce works synergistically with herbs and spices. In other words, the combination of garlic, oregano, and a bunch of vegetables is more powerful than garlic and/or oregano alone.

Related:

• How to Optimize Curcumin Absorption – With Golden Milk Tea Recipe
• Cinnamon – Ceylon Vs Cassia, Health Benefits, and Other Interesting Facts
• Garlic – The Most Amazing Herb On The Planet
• Cayenne and Capsaicin, Natures Miracle Medicine

Speaking of combinations, turmeric and black pepper make a powerful cancer-killing duo. Most of you have heard of the incredible benefits of turmeric and it’s cancer-killing properties. Turmeric is known to actually outperform many pharmaceutical drugs for various diseases. The only problem with turmeric is that the beneficial component to which all the hoopla is about, curcumin, is not easily absorbed by the body. Black pepper contains piperine, a chemical with powerful antioxidant properties. Pepper and turmeric together inhibit the growth of cancer cells without destroying healthy cells.

When people eat a considerable amount of turmeric, within an hour, there’s a slight increase of curcumin in the blood, but the liver actually tries to get rid of it. When taken with a small amount of black pepper, the curcumin levels skyrocket. Reports range from a 200% increase to over 2,000%! It’s no coincidence that two of the main ingredients in curry powder are black pepper and turmeric. Come to think of it, ginger and cinnamon, two other powerhouse herbs, are also almost always found in curry spice blends as well. It’s no wonder…

Just like produce, raw herbs and spices are best (as opposed to powdered and processed). Cook with them all you like, but before eating a cooked meal, try throwing in some more flavor with freshly grated, crushed, or ground spices. This practice will not only increase your health, it will radically improve the taste of your food as well.

It should be noted that while I am a fan of whole foods, there are extracts and other supplement forms of foods that can be much more powerful for certain conditions and ailments.

Herbal Supplements, Vitamins, and Minerals

Getting a wide range of vitamins and minerals should be easy when you’re eating lots of produce, but it’s not always that simple. Our soil is so degraded even organic produce doesn’t have the nutrition it used to have. If you cannot grow your own produce in the most optimum conditions with the best soil, we recommend a primarily food-based nutrition powder from a source you know and trust. Not “whole food sourced”, we mean actual food like rose hips, lemon peels, chlorella, etc. When these nutrition formulas are done right, the enzymes are left intact.

Related: Chemotherapy Detox

One mineral deficiency can lead to other minerals being out of balance, causing an array of problems, including an inability to assimilate vitamins. In most cases, this is why taking one or two specific minerals for a long period of time is not recommended, unless under the supervision of a well-informed naturopath. Incidentally, the same is true for many vitamins. Get the bulk of your nutrition from raw food, first and foremost. Let food be your foundation.

Vitamin C is one vitamin that you can take a large amount of for a short period of time without worrying about it offsetting other nutrients, but taking large doses of vitamin C and assimilating lots of vitamin C are two different things. We recommend Liposomal vitamin C. The best way for most people to take vitamin C as a daily supplement is within a good nutrition formula as previously mentioned and from a wide variety of produce such as red and yellow peppers, pineapple, citrus foods, and many others.

There are a ton of herbal tinctures, extracts, and other supplements that kill cancer cells. Echinacea, oil of oregano, clove oil, goldenseal, berberine, astragalus, pau d´arco, red clover, and skullcap are a few of the many plant-based herbal supplements that kill cancer cells. Study after study shows that many of the right plants and plant extracts have more power to kill off cancer cells than conventional treatments.

Wormwood is a very powerful herb that is often used to kill parasites and Candida. Wormwood, more specifically, artemisinin, the active ingredient in sweet wormwood extract, kills cancer cells.

Interesting Information On Wormwood

A new study has shown that a derivative of the wormwood plant, artemisinin, turns deadly in the presence of iron. Breast cancer cells have high levels of iron. When artemisinin senses these higher than usual levels of iron, it destroys the cancer cells with little damage to the surrounding healthy cells. This results in an herbal killing machine that killed 98% of the breast cancer cells present within 16 hours!

Although this study is in its first phase in a lab with Petri dishes, artemisinin tablets are “widely and successfully” used to fight malaria for the same reason, the parasite responsible for malaria uptakes a large amount of iron, just like the breast cancer cells. Artemisinin zeros in on the iron and destroys the parasite.

We don’t recommend taking iron with cancer. Iron feeds cancer, and the administration of iron in the study was carefully done by researchers in a very specific way. But wormwood is known to be one of the best herbs for killing a number of parasites, and it is anti-microbial and anti-fungal, making wormwood a great addition for people who need to heal their gut and heal from a variety of ailments.

Finally

Healing starts in the gut. Healing the body cannot happen without healing the gut. Check out How To Heal Your Gut. Also be sure to check out the recipes in Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting.

Recommended Supplements:

• Curcumin 500 with Bioperine – Pure Encapsulations (Turmeric, black pepper, vitamin C)
• Shillington’s Liver/Gallbladder Formula (contains wormwood and supports the liver)
• Shillington’s Liver/Gallbladder Tea
• MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations (kills parasites, balances gut, contains wormwood)
• MycoCeutics MycoPhyto Complex (mushrooms)
• Shillington’s Blood Detox Tea
• Berberine 500mg – Thorne Research
• Liposomal C • 300mil – DaVinci Labs (liposomal vitamin C is much more easily absorbed)
• Mother Earth Organic Root Cider – Barrier Island Organics (read the ingredients, you’ll see why)
• Formula SF722 – Thorne Research (kills fungus, mold)

Further Reading:

• Budwig Cancer Cure
• Cure Cancer Naturally
• What Is a Cyclic Ketogenic Diet
• Smoking Marijuana to Cure Cancer
• Dr. Max Gerson

Sources:

• Wormwood Extract Kills Cancer Cells – ScienceMag.org
• How to Optimize Turmeric Absorption for Super-Boosted Benefits – Natural Society
• Seven Easy to Find Foods That May Help Fight Cancer – WebMD

Cranberries Are Good For…

Cranberries are well known for treating urinary tract infections, but they do much more – from cardiovascular protection to cancer prevention.

Contents

• Nutrition Composition of Cranberries

• Natural Remedies and Prevention With Cranberries

• Cranberry History and Culture

• Cranberry Agriculture

• Things You Didn’t Know About Cranberries

• How to Store Cranberries So They Last Longer

• Cranberry Recipes

Nutrition Composition of Cranberries

Cranberries contain lots of fiber, vitamin C, and manganese.

Nutrition Facts For 1 Cup of Chopped Cranberries		% DV
Calories:	50.6	3%
Total Fat:	0.1 g	0%
Saturated Fat:	0.0 g
Trans Fat:	~
Cholesterol:	0 mg	0%
Sodium:	2 mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate:	13 g	4%
Dietary Fiber:	5 g	20%
Sugars:	4 g
Starch:
Protein:	0 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A	66.0 IU	1%
Vitamin C	14.6 mg	24%
Vitamin D	~	~
Vitamin E	1.3 mg	7%
Vitamin K	5.6 mcg	7%
Thiamin	0.0 mg	1%
Riboflavin	0.0 mg	1%
Niacin	0.1 mg	1%
Vitamin B6	0.1 mg	3%
Folate	1.1	0%
Vitamin B12	0.0 mcg	0%
Pantothenic Acid	0.3 mg	3%
Choline	6.0 mg
Betaine	0.2 mg
Minerals
Calcium	8.8 mg	1%
Iron	0.3 mg	2%
Magnesium	6.6 mg	2%
Phosphorus	14.3 mg	1%
Potassium	93.5 mg	3%
Sodium	2.2 mg	0%
Zinc	0.1 mg	1%
Copper	0.1 mg	3%
Manganese	0.4 mg	20%
Selenium	0.1 mcg	0%
Fluoride	~	~
Glycemic	Load	2

 

Natural Remedies and Prevention with Cranberries

The phytonutrients in cranberries include phenolic acids, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and triterpenoids. It has long been known that cranberries can prevent and cure urinary tract infections. The proanthocyanidins in cranberries inhibit bacteria from latching onto the lining of the urinary tract. These proanthocyanidins also prevent bacteria that cause ulcers from latching onto the stomach lining.

Cranberry extracts support the immune system and have been proven to reduced the risk of colds and flu. Cranberries help the entire digestive tract from aiding in gum health in the mouth through supporting the balance of bacteria in the gut.

Cranberries are both an anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant, especially when the berries are eaten as a whole food. The anti-inflammatory properties reduce inflammation in the stomach, the colon and the cardiovascular system. In the vascular system, these properties inhibit the formation of plaque on the vessel walls.

Studies have confirmed that cranberries help prevent cancer, specifically breast, colon, prostate, and lung cancer.

Native Americans used cranberries in a poultice to stop bleeding and for their antibiotic qualities.

Cranberry History and Culture

Cranberries were grown by Native Americans before Europeans came to the continent. Colonists exported cranberries to England in the early 1800s. Cultivation spread across the northern area of what is now the United States and Canada to Scandinavia and Great Britain. Cranberries are grown in Europe and Northern Asia as well as Chile.

Cranberry Agriculture

Cranberries grow on low-lying vines in very particular soil conditions: a bed of sand, covered with gravel, covered with peat, covered with sand. These soil conditions can be found in the northern United States wetlands where glaciers once carved the land. Cranberries are often raised in bogs and harvested while floating on water.

Are there Genetically Modified Cranberries?

Cranberries are not genetically modified; however, cranberry juices and dried cranberries are often sweetened with either high fructose corn syrup or beet sugar and 90% of corn and the sugar beet crops are genetically modified.

Organic Versus Conventional Cranberries

Proponents of conventional farming methods for cranberries state that the bogs used to raise cranberries are rife with natural pests and that the wetlands encourage fungi. The What’s On My Food? website reveals 13 pesticides found on cranberries. Of these, 3 are known or probable carcinogens, 6 are suspected hormone disruptors, 5 are neurotoxins, 1 is a developmental or reproductive toxin and 6 are honeybee toxins.

It is interesting to hear from the other side. Cranberry Hill Farm, an organic cranberry grower, had this to say about their organic production:

We are willing to accept lower yields and do not ”push” our vines into high yield production with chemical fertilizers. This keeps the soil and the insects in balance, we welcome the presence of our helpers: such as spiders, wasps, bees, birds and other residents of the bog.

In the spring we flood the bog with clean spring water to retard the development of pests and  weeds.  We put on a layer of sand to bury some insect eggs and improve the surface of the bog.  We feed the vine with fish emulsion and other organic nutrients, and weed, weed, weed by hand.

It is a lot of work and we hope that the spirits of the Native Americans who lived here before us  and appreciated the cranberry harvest, see us and approve of how we manage our bogs.”

Fair Trade Cranberries

We did not find an fair trade issues for Cranberries. The U.S. is the leading grower of cranberries in the world.

Cranberry Human Rights Issues

We found no human rights issues regarding cranberry agriculture, but there are certainly environmental issues and human repercussions to the extensive pesticide use for commercial growers.

Things You Didn’t Know About Cranberries

There are only 3 commercially cultivated fruit crops that are native to North America. Cranberries are one of the three.

Cranberry vines do not need to be replanted each year. If properly cared for, vines last for years. Many cranberry farms produce crops each year from vines 150+ years old.

How to Store Cranberries So They Last Longer

Be sure to sort, removing any damaged or shriveled berries before refrigeration. Berries can be refrigerated for up to 20 days. Frozen berries can be kept for several years. Do not thaw the berries until you are ready to use them.

How to Pick Good Cranberries

Choose firm, plump, dark red berries. They should not be bruised, broken, shriveled, tough, or sticky.

Things to Consider

There is one contraindication for adding cranberries to your diet. If you suffer from kidney stones, especially calcium-oxalate stones, cranberries may exacerbate your condition.

Remember that the benefits of cranberries can be negated with pesticide consumption, GMO consumption, or sugar consumption. Look for organic dried berries sweetened with juice, organic unsweetened juice which can be sweetened with stevia or other juices, and organic fresh or frozen whole berries.

Whole berries pack a much greater nutritional punch than juice.

Raw Cranberry Relish Recipes:

The following recipes come courtesy of Raw Chef Dan.

Raw Cranberry Relish

The following is a recipe from Raw Chef Dan for Raw Cranberry Relish.

• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 4 Medjool dates
• 2 Tbsp chopped ginger
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• ½ med orange
• ½ juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup loose mint leaves
• 1/2 red apple

Simply blend the ingredients in a food processor.

Spiced Cranberry Slaw

 

 

Further Reading:

• Garlic – The Most Amazing Herb On The Planet
• Everything You Should Know About Bananas 

Sources:

• Raw Chef Dan
• Cranberries – The World’s Healthiest Foods
• Cranberries, raw – Self Nutrition Data
• How Cranberries Grow: “Cranberries 101” – An Introduction – Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association
• Growing Organically – Cranberry Hill Farm
• Cranberries – What’s on My Food?
• S. Rep. McGovern Joins Kerry, Brown to Launch Bipartisan Senate Cranberry Caucus – Congressman Jim McGovern