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"Above all else, do no harm"- Hippocrates |
Abscesses: Internally take Echinacea powder, chaparral powder, marshmallow root, and cayenne pepper 2 capsules every 2 hours. After infection has subsided, take 2 capsules every 4 hours. Externally make a poultice of plantain leaves comfrey leaves cayenne pepper and marshmallow root powder.
Acne: Acne / Skin Problem Steam and Acne / Skin Problem Tea. Skin problems are often related to ailments of the lungs or colon. They are also caused by an imbalanced diet of too much red meat consumption, white sugar, denatured flours, eggs, and stimulants (including spices). Change to a whole grain, fresh vegetable, fruit, and complete protein diet. Internally take capsules of Echinacea, red clover, kelp, burdock, dandelion root, and licorice or take a tea of sassafras, sarsaparilla, dandelion, burdock, and licorice. Externally use the aromatic steam from elder flowers and eucalyptus leaves. Steam for no more than five minutes.
Boils or Carbuncles: Take red clover and yellow dock.
Bruising: Arnica, Arnica / St. John Salve (Note: can not be applied to open wounds or where there are tears in the skin)
Bug bites: Chickweed salve or oil. Better yet, prevent the bites with Insect Repellent oil.
Burns: Make a paste of comfrey leaves or roots, lobelia, wheat germ oil, and honey. For third degree burns wash the area thoroughly, and apply with a bandage. Do not disturb the dressing for three days to allow new skin tissue growth to take place. Honey keeps the burn from getting infected. Calendula oil is also helpful.
Cuts, Scrapes, wounds: Healing salve. An excellent all purpose healing tool.
Eczema: Chickweed salve or oil. Tea tree. Use red clover to help clear the liver. Triphala in the evening is also helpful for complete and regular elimination.
Itching: Chickweed salve or oil.
Poison ivy/ oak/ sumac: Green clay as a poultice. Astringents such as witch hazel or white oak bark. Grindelia sassafras tincture, I have found, is superior. It does stain clothes, but it is well worth the relief.
Psoriasis: Chickweed salve or oil. Use cleavers and tea tree. Also, take yellow dock or red clover. Avoid sugar, spices, caffeine, alcohol, and stress.
Rashes: Healing salve and/ or chickweed salve.
Stretch Marks: Belly salve. For use during pregnancy to reduce stretch marks on the stomach and breasts.
Sunburn: Aloe Vera gel.
Varicose veins: Collinsonia works well on toning.
Allergies: This is a single term given to a very broad spectrum of ailments. I have found diet to be a key component to regulating and alleviating allergies. To alleviate symptoms, take nettle, eyebright, or butcher's broom in a tea or caplets. If ragweed is the item that you are allergic to, drink golden rod tea. For more thorough results, change diet to a whole grain rather than processed carbohydrate diet. Do a 3-4 day cleansing fast with apple juice and caplets of cayenne with olive oil (to stimulate the release of toxins from the liver, kidneys and adrenals). This is done in combination with a catnip or red raspberry leaf enema each morning. Triphala is also helpful in getting rid of excess toxins without causing imbalance. This can then be followed with Ginseng and Rehmannia to tonify the organs.
Cataracts: Eat Bilberry berries freely. Also, the sterilized juice of dusty miller is useful for clearing the eyes and treating cataracts.
Conjunctivitis: Use Triphala as an eyewash. Another alternative would be to place a warm tea bag over the eye. The pH of the tea helps to kill bacteria and sooth the irritated eye. If you know your plants, chickweed as a fomentation placed over the eye will sooth and cool.
Dark circles under eyes: Is usually an indication of poor kidney function. See under kidneys for more information.
Diabetic retinopathy: Eat Bilberry berries freely. They have been known to help improve nighttime vision and helps in the treatment of many eye disorders including cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy.
Tired eyes: Make an eyewash of goldenseal, eyebright, bayberry bark, and red raspberry leaves.
Vision: To strengthen or to have clearer vision, make an eyewash of Triphala or Dusty Miller.
Ear infection / earache: Put Garlic Mullein oil into the ear and place a cotton ball to keep oil in overnight. This is great for soothing the pain. Also, grapefruit seed extract is good for killing bacteria in the ear and alleviating pain.
Dandruff: Apply Ginger-Sesame oil to the scalp and leave on overnight. Wash the hair in the morning. Tea tree also works very well.
Depression: Peppermint tea or chamomile tea. Change diet to whole grain based diet. Add sea vegetables (Kombu etc.) to get lacking minerals that have been linked to depression. Exercise regularly.
Fever: Use elder flower or yarrow flower in a tea and perform sweating therapy to stop the disease from getting more deeply imbedded.
Hair care: Chamomile makes an excellent rinse for those with blond hair.
Headache: Headache is usually caused by a number of combinations. 1) They may be caused from bowel and stomach disorders. 2) They may be due to stress or tension. 3) They may be due to weak kidneys or sluggish liver function. The bowels and digestion should be regulated via a laxative or a lower bowel tonic. Applying Ginger-sesame oil to the temples and forehead works in cases of nervous tension. Another option is to try a tea of skullcap, rosemary, chamomile, and peppermint.
Insomnia: Valerian tincture can be taken or Drink catnip tea before bed.
Allergies: Take eyebright, and nettles tea or caplets. Change diet to fix sluggish organs.(see Eyes: Allergies)
Colds/ Flu: Cough syrup Women do well with chicken soup. Add ginger, garlic and onion to the soup. Promote sweating therapy. Take tree flower oil (sold in health food stores.). Zinc lozenges have also proven effective to ward off colds and flu. It works by blocking the receptor so that the offending bacteria cannot attach. Another alternative is to make an oil of cinnamon, thyme, camphor, cajuput, eucalyptus, and marjoram in olive oil. This is very concentrated so only take 1-2 drops at a time.
Sinusitis: An Ayurvedic remedy for sinus infection is to prescribe emesis (vomiting). The idea is to collect all of the excess mucus (bad mucus) in the body by eating every congesting thing possible (such as pizza, icecream, etc.) the evening before, and go to bed. In the morning, take Ipecac to promote vomiting. Once the stomach is empty, one can drink scalded milk with ginger to replace good mucus. Then, one goes to bed to rest. An alternative would be to take mullein to dry up the mucus discharge.
Bad Breath: This is due to internal congestion of food. Triphala is helpful. Take bupleurum to detoxify the liver.
Herpes Simplex: Avoid caffeine, sugar and spices. Reduce stress. Yellow dock is helpful. Lemon balm oil or salve has also proven to relieve symptoms for both types I and II.. This can actually be cured over time, if a strict macrobiotic diet and herbal supplements are used to increase the immune system.
Sore throat: Make a gargle of garlic and vinegar water. An alternative would be a gargle of tea tree.
Teething Pain: Rub gums with a small amount of valerian tincture.
Toothache: Use Valerian tincture or Echinacea tincture locally and internally.
Athletes Foot Fungus Antifungal Oil .
Arthritis: Arthritis oil or arthritis salve. The intake of animal foods, alcohol and sugar and denatured foods should be reduced because they promote deposits of uric acids in the joints. Also avoid cold and dampness on the joints and use circulation promoting herbs. Use a good blood purifier such as a tea of Oregon grape root, parsley root, sassafras, prickly ash bark, black cohosh, guariacum, and ginger root. You may also add a small amount of senna to help regulate the bowels. Drink the tea hot every 2 hours to promote sweating. In between take doses take a nerve tonic or tincture of skullcap, valerian with warm water. Also apply warming herbs to promote circulation such as ginger root, cayenne, lobelia in the form of a poultice, fomentation, or liniment.
Nail fungus: Do a foot soak of cajuput. Usnea internally and externally is also an excellent antifungal.
Rheumatism: Arthritis oil or arthritis salve.
Broken bones: Take comfrey root for any rapid wound or bone healing.
Sprains, strains: Dit Dat Jaio liniment.
Arrhythmia: (High or Low Blood Pressure) Hawthorn berries, motherwort, Ginseng, Don Sen, Ginger root, comfrey root all taken with wheat germ oil.
Cardiovascular disease: Take caplets of either alone or together of arjuna, hawthorn extract, Tienchi Ginseng, Silvia, and/or guggal. This tonifies the organ as well as works for every heart related problem including irregular heartbeat. Planetary formulas has excellent products for the heart.
Liver: Known as the master detoxifier, health of the entire body is related to the liver. Dandelion leaves and roots are an excellent detoxifier for the liver. The liver is responsible for major filtration and when sluggish can lead to poor hair and skin, as well as other more severe health problems.
Spleen: Dandelion root tea is very helpful.
Thyroid: For either hyper or hypo one should increase their intake of sea vegetables (Kombu seaweeds etc) and/ or Irish moss. These are high in minerals which are lacking from our diets due to vegetables grown in depleted soils. These minerals are essential in the regulation of many of our internal organ functions.
Hyperthyroid: Bugleweed
Hypothyroid: Guggal
Asthma: Use expectorant herbs such as coltsfoot, elecampane, or mullein to expel mucus from the lungs and throat.
Decongestant: Trikatu equal parts anise seed, black pepper, and ginger powder mixed together with honey to make paste like pills. Take before meals to counteract congestion formation. A second formula is thyme, mullein herb, lobelia root, licorice, elecampane, wild cherry bark, and ginger.
Cystitus: Take a tea of gravel root, marshmallow root, uva ursi at least 3x/day. Add Vitamin A, and Cranberry juice. This is best when caught as early as possible. An alternative tea could be cleavers, uva ursi, marshmallow root, corn silk.
Kidney and bladder infections: Take a tea of plantain, parsley root, and marshmallow root. Also take chaparral and Echinacea. Apply a hot ginger fomentation over the area. One should also do a one to three day fast of only warm vegetable broth and the herbs mentioned.
Kidney stones: Make a decoction of gravel root, parsley root, marshmallow root, lobelia (a small amount), and ginger root.
Low back pain: Back pain is often symptomatic of deeper organic defects. Most back pain originates from kidney and bladder weakness. Toxins that otherwise are eliminated through the kidney and bladder are deposited in surrounding joints of the lumbar region. If the back pain is accompanied by inflammation, it is often the case that nerves become irritated, resulting in shooting pains called sciatica. Internally take a diaphoretic tea such as juniper berry, uvi ursi, parsley root, and marshmallow root. Also, apply a ginger fomentation over the area to help alleviate the pain.
Stomach ache: Drink chamomile or fennel tea tea.
Weak Digestion: Digestive carminative. Make a tea of bitter such as gentian root, calamus, dandelion, centaury, anise seed, mugwort, and licorice root.
Constipated: Take cascara segrada or castor oil.
Hemorroids: Can be treated with collinsonia, which works directly on strengthening the portal vein and the rectum.
Breast: For Lumps and tumors, Sea vegetables soften nearly all forms of lumps and masses.
Herpes Simplex: Lemon balm oil or salve is excellent for relieving symptoms. Avoid caffeine, sugar and spices. Reduce stress. Yellow dock is helpful. This can actually be cured over time, if a strict macrobiotic diet and herbal supplements are used to increase the immune system.
Labor pains: Black cohosh and blue cohosh
Menstrual cramps, PMS: Take cramp bark.
Morning sickness: False Unicorn root
Pregnancy: Pregnancy Products To increase fertility take a tonic of rehmannia, astragalus root, dong quai root, false unicorn root, wild yam root, and vitex berries. A second tonic mixture could be wild yam root, licorice root, sassafras bark, chaste berry, dong quai root, cinnamon bark, false unicorn root, and orange peel. Also, take ginseng regularly.
Threat of miscarriage: Cramp bark.
Yeast infection: Take 2 tablets of acidophilus. Do a plain yogurt douche. One could also add a small amount of apple cider vinegar and some of the anti yeast tea to the douche.Avoid sugar, alcohol, and caffeine. Another alternative could be to use anti yeast caplets made of Echinacea root powder, pau d arco powder, slippery elm bark, myrrh gum powder, goldenseal root powder, and black walnut hull powder.. A tea could be made from sage, raspberry leaves, mullein, and goldenseal root.
Prostate Tonic: Make a tea of gravel root, uva ursi, parsley root, goldenseal root, cayenne, juniper berries, marshmallow root, and licorice.
Diabetes: Take red clover to cleanse and Rehmannia to tone internal organ function. Also take 1 tsp. Turmeric a day. Ginkgo is good for improving peripheral blood circulation in diabetic peripheral vascular disease. Devil club has been known to lower blood sugar.
Hypoglycemia: Dandelion root and Ginseng. Also changing to a whole grain based diet will help to balance out the sugar highs and lows associated with improper nutrition.
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