Static Herbs that Cure Ailments

There are plants known to have some medicinal effects and they are used traditionally as herbal remedy. When used in its natural form, it is considered as a herb medicine, but if an active ingredient is extracted, isolated, investigated and used in a specified dose then it is a medicine with a specific pharmacological  effect.

An example that illustrates the difference is Ephedra plant and its active ingredient Ephedrine alkaloid. Ephedrine can be toxic if its dose exceeded the recommended one which is tiny.

Herb medicine has some great advantages as it has a high safety margin since it is present in minute amounts in its native source, in addition to its highly diversified utilities ( Have you heard that Fennel+Dill can treat Cataract or that Garlic can treat snake or scorpion bites ? I had).

Now, what endows herb medicines their activity in treating different ailments? in other words, how do they affect our bodies and why?. The answer lies in understanding the design of the plant and animal structures so as to perform biological functions.

It is easy, plants derive their energy from solar energy and are reproduced through their seeds, i.e. they don't need to move, while animals need to move to seek food and mate. This mechanical difference in survival needs dictated the structure and the metabolism -biochemical activity- of each to serve the static standing nature of plants and the dynamic mobile nature of animals.

Plants only needs built-in canals to transport water down-up and animals need muscles around bones to move. Plant canals are hollow cellulose walls and animal bone and muscles are made of protein.

Both animals and plants utilize the same food categories (carbohydrates, fats and proteins) , yet the genetic code of metabolism of each serves their essential mechanical nature , hence the plant metabolism is largely devoted to carbohydrates metabolism to serve the purpose of producing building units (cellulose).

Animals use protein as their structural element (bones and muscles), they also elaborated tiny protein molecules to serve other functions like enzymes, immunity proteins, cell adhesion proteins, some hormones...etc., consequently their protein is highly responsive to any extraneous chemical molecule.

When animals ingest food, they use both carbohydrates and fat for energy production and storage, and put some of them in cell membranes, while they assimilate protein so that it becomes similar to their own protein. Any other substance different from the aforementioned forms will not enter the normal pathways of metabolism, and will be excreted.

Herb medicines through their extraneous materials that do not be involved in normal human metabolism, mostly affect human protein so as to modify its structure without distorting it, these protein modulations restore the proper structure and function of body proteins (this is of particular crucial importance if the protein is present in cell membrane or is an enzyme).
They can also also affect carbohydrates and fat to a lesser degree.

Known traditional herb medicines if investigated systematically can launch the conventional medicines to much more better level.

Extracts other than Apple Cider Vinegar for Weight Loss

Extracts of many plants have been used for their health benefits knowingly or unknowingly, since long time ago. Among these are Tea extract, Celery extract, Grape fruit extract, Mustard extract, Apple cider vinegar, in addition to many other extracts which will be dealt with in this article.

1- Apple cider Vinegar :
Well branded variety should be used to ensure it is natural and pure.You will add 1 tablespoonful of this vinegar to 1 cup of water, mix and take it directly after meals. It is said that it interferes with digestion of foods, but probably the dissolved indigestible carbohydrates (pectins) may hook some nutrients so that they will not be absorbed , yet they are excreted.

2- Grape Leaves :
The extract is prepared by boiling the leaves with water. To make the extract, put 50 grams of washed grape leaves in 1 Liter of water over a quite heat, and leave until boiling, then put it down and leave to cool, clear or filtrate, and take 1.5 cups after meals.If you have the grape leaves powder, you can use 35 grams powder through the same procedure.

3- Fennel :
Extract of the powdered whole plant except seeds is used for weight loss. To make the extract, add 36 grams of the whole plant powder (except seeds) to 1/2 Liter water and put on quite heat until boiling,put down, clear or filter, leave to cool and then take 1 cup after meals

4- Rhubarbs
The extract is prepared by adding 1 teaspoonful of the coarse powder of Rhubarbs with 1 cup of boiling water, and taken as a whole without filtering after directly after meals.

5- Cumin seeds :
The extract is prepared by adding 1/2 teaspoonful of powdered Cumin seeds, and added to a cup of boiling water, stir, add a whole cut Lemon without discarding peel or seeds, cover and leave for 12 hours.The extract is taken before breakfast.

6- Evening Primrose
The extract of this plant is the evening primrose oil, which is a fixed oil and can be taken 1/2 teaspoonful 3 times daily. Thanks to its content of Linolenic acid, Primrose oil is very good for skin health,inflammatory disorders and women health in general.

7- Meadow sweet ( Filipendula Ulmaria) :
It contains flavonoidal and phenolic glycosides, as well as volatile oils. Its extract is prepared by immersing 1 tablespoonful of the plant in 1 cup of boiling water, leave over night , and drink 1 cup of the extract before breakfast.

8- Pineapples
We all know that the extract of the plant is its juice, yet it is better if you eat the whole fruit ( at least 1 fruit day). It contains Bromelin which facilitates digestion of foods.

8- Onions
If you want to take its extract , take 1 tablespoonful to be mixed with fruit or other vegetable juices. Nevertheless, eating onions as a whole may present the same effect.

9- Lady's Mantle :
The whole plant powder is used to prepare the extract.Add 1 teaspoonful to 1 cup of water and boiled , leave to cool, and drink 1 cup after breakfast and another cup after dinner.

10- Celery :
The extract is prepared by making it into juice, yet you can take the whole plant raw with other vegetables, unless you suffer indigestion.

11- Pyres Pears :
I t is the richest fruit with Potassium which can regulate diuresis apart from the harmful laxative and diuretic herbs. Is there a need to make an extract? it is better if enjoy its delicious taste.

As that is said about extracts, we can mention some other plants that are not necessarily taken as extracts, they can be eaten as raw, or added to other foods, they include :

1- Red Pepper :
It is said to boost metabolism. A study was conducted in Oxford, where 1 teaspoonful of red pepper and 1 teaspoonful of Mustard were added to every meal of obese people who eat balanced diet, and the result was that they boosted metabolism by 25%.

2- Chickweed ( Stellaria Media ) :
It contains triterpenoid saponins, coumarins, falvonoids, and vitamin C.It is commonly known to reduce weight. It can be boiled or eaten raw.

3- Walnut :
It is fat rich plant (polyunsaturated fats), yet it contains Serotonin,a key neurotransmitter responsible for satiety feeling, and it is added to marketed supplements of weight loss. One handful of walnut makes you feel not hungry and you do not eat too much, this simple technique was tried for thousands of people successfully.

4- White Radish :It is well known and tried for weight loss.

5- Marrow Courgette :You can eat a lot of this plant without gaining any weight.

6- Plantain :
Plantago ovata - Plantago - Plantago psyllium.
It is well known as a filling material, thanks to its content of mucilaginous substances. Many pills are made containing its seeds and husks.

Brooke Shields and Alternative Medicine

"Blue Lagoon" movie for Brooke Shields explained to us the price humanity pays for knowledge.

The film was about 2 young children who were swept on a tropical island after a shipwreck, they grew up and became mature without grown-ups to educate them all the time. They got a baby whom his mother never knew how to feed him until the baby himself met her breast and sucked it spontaneously. When the baby got ill, Brooke (his mother) gave him some plants from around to find him died.

The film teaches us many precious lessons on the the development of alternative medicine: How many persons died until humans recognized the safe and unsafe materials to be ingested?, the safe and unsafe practices?.

In the past times, people in different geographic areas dealt with diseases driven by their environment, culture and thoughts. Trial and error had collectively formed some inherited remedy styles to create a sort of "Geographic medicine".

When man used those models of treatment he had no alternative, nevertheless they had a magic feature, that is, they were all based on covered scientific rules, that were uncovered later, when we consider that:-

-Many investigated active ingredients of present drugs are of herbal origin.

-The physical practices (acupressure, acupuncture, chiropractor...etc.) are not very far from Biophysics.

-Nutritional supplements can not be dispensed without understanding Biochemistry.

Alternative medicine represents the medical information bank whenever mankind is ready for scientific up-graduation.

We are ready now.