I have been reading an interesting book this week by Kathy Garber called A Mother's Guide to Herbal Extracts. She gave birth to a little boy with serious lung problems. Surgery and traditional medicine did little to help him so she studied herbal healing and today he is a healthy normal teen ager, due to her efforts to help him in a natural way. Along the way she found that 32,000 people die every year due to unreported prescription drug use. The FDA approves drugs that are not safe, they are handed out and people die. So many other countries are far advanced over the US, their doctors learning to treat the whole person, fix the problem, not mask it with drugs. Why are we so behind the times? I think because we are a nation of people who enjoy being sick. Too lazy to eat right and exercise and be proactive. If you are taking any prescription drugs, read all the fine print, know the side effects. If you ,like me, have a problem with small print, ask your pharmacist, they know all the reactions. They can tell you alternatives and better options, doctors don't really know all they should about drugs. I laugh every tine I see a drug ad on TV, they tell you the side effects, ending with "and death" at the very end. Yep, they have warned you, Sure, you have to be cautious with herbs too, and know what they do for and to you. But they have far fewer risks than drugs. The last 3 or 4 years I have been learning all I can about herbs for health, have learned to make teas for coughs, colds, flu and make my own cosmetics, cleaners, household items like air spray, all non toxic and much better for you. Its so easy, and mostly cheap.
I learned when I was an 18 year old bride that there are doctors out there who have become disillusioned with standard medicine and have gone holistic. I have met some very knowledgeable ones in health food stores, who can tell you alternative ways to improve your health and prevent problems. If you have such a store in your area, get to know the owner, you will find their insights soooo valuable.
Mango. Hmm, tastes very good, almost like candy. It can improve your glucose levels, maybe because its high in fiber. It slows sugar absorption so is very good for diabetics to eat. It's high in polyphenols and carotenoids as are most of the orange colored foods. Try adding it to your diet. I like it chopped and stirred into my one ingredient Greek yogurt.
One of the herbs I grow is mint. I love it brewed into iced tea or added to salads etc. There are many uses for it, it destroys bacteria that cause sinus, bronchitis and walking pneumonia. Add some to boiling water, steep 5 minutes and drink a cup. Can be used in your pesto to add a fresh note, or you can toss it into your smoothie in the morning. It regulates bacteria in your tummy so soothes discomfort by relaxing tummy muscles. TO make a great garnish for meat, chop 12 fresh mint leaves and combine with 1/2 tsp each of dried rosemary, thyme and cinnamon, 1/4 tsp each of sea salt and oregano, 1 and 1/2 tsp honey, 1/4 cup lime juice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Use as a marinade for your meat to grill. The last few years I have been making a thermogenic tea for use to stop colds, flu and bronchitis, using equal parts of dried mint, yarrow and elderberry flowers. My daughter has had bronchitis since she was little due to a bout with pneumonia, and she says it helps her ward off a full blown attack if taken early on.
Vinegar again, a few more uses for it, put in a spray bottle and have at the weeds in your driveway, or sidewalk cracks. If you have hard water, use it on a cloth to wipe away hard water stains on your dishes and glassware.. Sanitize you kitchen sponges by soaking in a bowl of it for at least 5 minutes, and if your kitchen has unwanted odors, pour some in a bowl and leave on the counter to absorb those odors. I should own stock in a vinegar company, buy a gallon every couple of weeks these days.
I am working on a yard problem, we have had more than our average amount of rain for the year already, and my yard is a scooped out area on the mountain, leveled out to build my little house on. This year the rain has been relentless. And my back yard is a mucky puddle. The side walk I had been using, made of pressure treated lumber, has been washed out so many times it's not going to get put back. Have been working on a new walk, with landscape timbers raising it up and boards screwed onto them making a one piece, too heavy to float down the road walk. This week I have used a crow bar and pried the boards out of the mud. Yesterday I sat them on end and washed the mud off one side. Need to flip them over today and do the other side. There is still standing water so no way of working on the new walk yet, and worse, more rain is due in tomorrow. At least it has not been too terribly hot this summer, mostly just humid. Some days you sweat just standing still. The weather girl says next week our nights will slip down into the 50's, that will be great sleeping weather. I leave the windows up and pull up my blanket and enjoy the coolness. Early this summer, some of the stones my daughter and grandsons used to build a retaining wall slipped out, and when I pulled them out to redo, found a new resident in my yard. An orange lizard guy with black spots., He or she just sat there and looked at me. I beat a hasty retreat. When my NE kids were here, they went looking for the critter who was of course, long gone. It was a salamander, very bright. Not harmful but I am not into that kind of creature. My son who lives here is a wood worker and has been re stacking lumber piles this last week. He has found copperheads in the stacks. Today he is working on another pile, I can hear the boards as he re stacks them. Hope it's a snake free day for him.
Seems so odd to think that summer is winding down already, our kids start back to school Aug 1. Wow. That's only a week away. So mom, you get a little time to yourself for morning coffee again. Take care, read labels . Be healthy!
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