Sea Zest Seasoning: Mountain Rose Herbs Blog Contest

Sea Zest seasoning combines three sources of nutritional powerhouses for a tasty herbal seasoning that adds zest to vegetables, meats, sandwiches, and salads.

The basic recipe includes sesame seeds, kelp and stinging nettle leaf.





Sesame seeds are an excellent source of the minerals copper and manganese. They also contain a good amount of magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc.




Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) contains a vast amount of nutrients. According to the authors of Vegetables from the Sea:

“All the minerals required for human beings, including calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, iodine, iron and zinc are present in sufficient amounts. In addition there are many trace elements in seaweeds.”

Kelp also has significant amounts of vitamins A and C, as well as B1, B2, B6, Niacin, and B12. By adding this nutritious weed of the sea to our diets we can find that our hair grows faster and thicker and our bones, teeth, and nails are stronger. Seaweed also supports metabolic function. In this recipe we'll be using granulated kelp as shown below. You can also use whole kelp fronds and use a blender or food processor to mince them up.




Stinging nettle leaf (Urtica dioica) is one of our most nutritious plants. According to Mark Pederson who wrote the book Nutritional Herbology, nettle contains high amounts of calcium, magnesium, chromium, and zinc.



Making this herbal seasoning is easy.

The recipe is...

3 cups toasted and ground up sesame seeds

1 cup kelp

1 cup nettle

You can buy organic stinging nettle and sesame seeds from Mountain Rose Herbs:



Step 1 ~ Preparing the sesame seeds

You can buy sesame seeds in packages or in bulk at your natural foods store. Sesame seeds are high in oils and can go rancid easily, so be sure to buy from a fresh source (like Mountain Rose Herbs).

When making Sea Zest Seasoning in our home we start with three cups of sesame seeds. If this seems like too much for your family, you can reduce the amount of ingredients in ratio. (For example you could do 1 1⁄2 cups of sesame seeds and a half cup each of kelp and nettle.)



Toast the whole sesame seeds on low heat. We like to use a clean and dry cast iron pan for this, but whatever you have will work fine. Be sure to stir them often so they toast evenly and do not burn. Once they become darker in color and have a nice aromatic smell, remove them from heat.



Using a food processor or blender, grind the seeds into powder and then place in a large mixing bowl.



Step 2 ~ Mixing it together

Add one cup each of granulated kelp and cut and sifted nettle leaf to the sesame seeds.



If you are beginning with whole kelp fronds or whole nettle leaf then you can use the food processor to mince them up well.

One word of caution is that it’s better to have granulated kelp rather than powdered kelp. If it’s too powdery it doesn’t mix well.

Also, buying whole kelp fronds will ensure better quality than buying it granulated


Once it is all mixed together you can bottle it up, label it, and enjoy! That's my husband Xavier below.




Because sesame seeds are high in oils, you’ll want to consume this seasoning quickly so that it doesn’t have a chance to go rancid. If it has gone rancid you’ll notice the strong unpleasant smell.

You can store excess seasoning in the fridge for better storage.



This simple recipe can be a base for many other kinds of seasonings. You could add savory herbs like rosemary, thyme, or oregano. You could also add spicy seasonings like cayenne, ginger, or turmeric. You can buy a large variety of high quality herbs and spices at Mountain Rose Herbs.

We sprinkle this seasoning on practically everything!



This blog post if part of the Mountain Rose Herbs Blog Contest

Practically Paleo Diet Reduces Markers of Aging In Humans

In my commentary on the Hungry Monkey Study, I suggested that reducing carbohydrate intake has similar metabolic effects to caloric restriction, without the restriction.

Just yesterday I learned that Ron Rosedale, Eric Westman, and John Konhilas published a retrospective clinical report in the January 2009 Journal of Applied Research entitled “Clinical Experience of a Diet Designed to Reduce Aging” (Full Text).

This article reports on the effects of a practically (i.e. almost) paleo diet on markers associated with aging, namely glucose, insulin, leptin, free T3 and serum triglycerides, all of which decline in response to caloric restriction and occur at lower levels in healthy centenarians than in people who do not live past 100 years.

The authors advised patients to consume a practically (i.e. almost) paleo diet with the following guidelines:

1. Eat unlimited fats
2. Restrict protein to 1-1.25g/kg lean body mass
3. Limit carbohydrate intake to non-starchy vegetables
4. Eat to satisfy hunger (no deliberate caloric restriction)

Patients receive instruction to obtain fats from raw nuts and seeds, avocados, olives and olive oil, flax oil and cod liver oil.

Based on lean body mass, most patients received instruction to consume 50-80g of protein per day from sardines, fish, eggs, tofu, chicken, turkey, wild meats, low-fat cheeses (cottage, ricotta, swiss), seafood, and veggie burgers. They recommended this relatively low protein intake in part because some of the benefits from caloric restriction appear to arise from protein restriction.

Obviously low-fat cheeses and veggie burgers don’t fit into my practically paleo scheme of things. Actually, it seems a bit odd that they recommended unlimited fat intake, and also use of low-fat cheeses and veggie burgers, also low in fat.

According to the report, the patients’ diet logs indicated that they averaged 20% of calories from protein, 20% from carbohydrate, and 60% from fat. Assuming an average 2000 kcalories per day, this would translate to 400 kcal from protein, 400 from carbohydrate, and 1200 from fat, which would come from 100g protein, 100g carbohydrate, and 133g fat.  This may indicate that people consumed up to twice as much protein as the authors recommended.

They also advised the patients to take the following supplements: L-carnitine 2000mg, alpha-lipoic acid 400mg, coenzyme Q10 100 mg, 1 tbsp cod liver oil, magnesium 300mg, potassium 300mg, vitamin C 1000mg, vitamin E 800mg daily, and a multivitamin consisting of all essential B vitamins and minerals.

Results

The table below shows the effects of this regimen on body weight, insulin, glucose, leptin, triglycerides, HDL, creatinine, free T3, thyroid stimulating hormone, and blood pressure:

Insulin declined by 40%, glucose by 8%, leptin by 48%, triglycerides by 28%, free T3 by 11%, and blood pressure by 10% systolic and 11% diastolic.

All of these declines also occur with caloric restriction. Of note, free T3, the secreted form of thyroid hormone thought to mediate most of thyroid actions, declined by 11%. About this the authors point out:

“Paralleling this reduction in circulating free T3, 9 patients of this study cohort that had basal body temperatures measured before and after intervention showed a significant decrease (p=0.004) in basal body temperature of 0.182 degrees C. Similar findings were reported in caloric restricted rodents, monkeys, humans, and centenarians (31-34). It has been suggested that the reduction in T3 and body temperature could alter the aging process by reflecting a reducing metabolic rate, oxidative stress, and systemic inflammation (35, 36).”

In other words, contrary to the claims of some bloggers, the declines of thyroid levels and body temperature brought about by either caloric or carbohydrate reduction appear associated with improved health and longevity, not “wrecked metabolism.” Keep in mind that so-called “normal” thyroid levels occur in a population rife with degenerative diseases and a relatively short lifespan. Adjusting your dietary intake to raise thyroid and body temperatures to “normal” may simply put you in the “normal” health/acclerated aging category.

Edit 5/5/2010:  Reading this last paragraph, I can see why some commenters got the idea that I was suggesting that hypothyroidism is a good thing.  I want to emphasize that the drops in free T3 and basal body temperature recorded in this study were quite small (11% and 0.182 degrees C, respectively) and did not place any of the participants in the hypothyroid category.   Such small reductions in metabolic rate appear associated with greater longevity and resistance to disease, whereas hypothyroidism reduces quality of life, increases risk of some diseases, and probably shortens lifespan.  End edit.

So, this study suggests that people who follow a diet similar to what I practice (20% protein, 20% carbohydrate, and 60% fat) may achieve the metabolic benefits of caloric restriction without the hunger associated with caloric restriction.

I dare say, long live practically paleo people!

Edit 3/27/2012:

I missed some of the most important, and suspicious aspects of this study.

The authors clearly state:  "The recommendation of a high fat, adequate protein, low carbohydrate diet resulted in a significant loss of body weight by 7.1 ± 0.8 lbs in this patient population."

That means this was a hypocaloric diet.  The results were produced by a caloric deficit and weight loss.  It does not follow that a eucaloric paleo diet producing weight maintenance will have the same results. 

Also of interest, they state their outcome measures as:  "Laboratory parameters included serum glucose, insulin, leptin, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides (TG), free T3 and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) following a 12 hour fast. "

But really interesting is they don't report total cholesterol or LDL in the Table 1B nor in the text.   The fact that they left out this data makes me very suspicious. I would guess this means that the subjects did not have favorable changes in total cholesterol or LDL.  If they did produce favorable changes in total cholesterol and LDL, they would have been sure to report those changes to support their case.

In the discussion they also state:

"Since this was a retrospective analysis of a clinical practice, there may be bias introduced in the patient sampling procedure. This study reflects the effect of recommending this diet in a clinical practice, so food intake was not directly measured. In addition, this sample population may reflect the results in highly motivated individuals. Though the metabolic improvements occurred in patients who had both high and low weight loss, the improvements in metabolic parameters may be all or partially due to the weight loss."

Thus, they even recognized themselves that 1) they probably used a biased sample, 2) they didn't adequately measure the food intake, and 3) the results might not have had anything to do with the dietary ratio.

Thus, this study failed to show any antiaging metabolic advantage of a calorically adequate low carbohydrate, high fat diet.


It doesn't show that paleo diet promotes longevity!


End of 3/27/2012 edit.

Hawthorne for this little heart of mine

Hawthorn
(Crataegus spp.)

Hawthorn
Botanical name: Crataegus oxyacantha
Family: Rosaceae (Rose)
Parts used: leaves and flowers, berries
Properties: slightly cool/dry, cardiac trophorestorative, relaxing nervine, digestant, astringent, diuretic, antioxidant
Used for: heart related illness, cardiac weakness, stagnant digestion, regulation of blood pressure
Plant preparations: tea, tincture, vinegar, food


Hawthorn trees have a long history of medicinal use in many cultures. Traditional Chinese Medicine has documented use of hawthorns for thousands of years. Europeans used them not only for food and medicine, but also pruned them into shrubs to mark boundary lines. In North America, Natives in the Pacific Northwest used the berries as medicine and food and made a variety of different tools using the long thorns found on the tree.



The berries have been traditionally used in western herbalism, but the leaves and blossoms have a long history of use as well. The berries ripen in the late summer to fall and are anywhere from red to black depending on the species. The leaves and flowers are best when harvested in the spring, at the peak of the blossoms. I love using the leaves and blossoms as a strong infusion.

Hawthorn is a cardiac trophorestorative, meaning it brings balance to the heart. It can be used for both high and low blood pressure and to regulate cholesterol levels. It is high in antioxidants, which can reduce oxidative damage on capillary walls. Its relaxing nervine properties are helpful when a person is stressed out, which puts further hardship on the heart.

Herbalists David Winston and Mathew Wood both use hawthorn for children and adults who are restless and irritable with a difficulty in focusing. In his book The Earthwise Herbal Matthew Wood shares his experience using hawthorn for an autistic child.

Paul Bergner speaks beautiful about hawthorne for the physical heart as well as the spiritual heart. Herbalist Deborah Francis uses small amounts of hawthorne in other tinctures to bring out the heart.

The Chinese have used the leaves and flowers for stagnant digestion associated with poor lipid metabolism. Indications for this include heartburn and indigestion.


When the berries are dripping from the trees in late summer I gather plenty for tincturing with brandy and infusing in vinegar. Both mixtures turn out a deep red that is reminiscent of the heart. Hawthorn berries are especially high in pectin and I’ve heard that when making hawthorn berry jam no extra pectin is needed.

Many wild berries can be infused in honey, and despite needing to pick out the seeds, I especially enjoy hawthorn honey on toast.


Hawthorn Honey
Gather enough ripe berries to fill a jar. Cover the berries with honey, stirring well to remove any air pockets.
Let the mixture sit for a couple of days to a week. I like to turn my jar over each day to further mix things up.
You can enjoy this by the spoonful and as a topping on toast. Keep in the fridge for long-term storage and be careful with the small seeds.

Here's a photographic journey featuring hawthorne.

Tasty Treats for Stress: Mountain Rose Herbs Recipe Contest Medicinal Recipe

We live in a society that promotes excess stress. We can easily accentuate our jobs, our responsibilities, our errands and busyness in general without taking the time to nourish and support ourselves. We know the ill-effects of stress as health headlines commonly refer to stress as underlying factors in many chronic diseases.

We can reduce stress in our lives simply. Taking time each day to breathe deeply, sit and enjoy our favorite cup of tea, and taking walks to enjoy the changing weather can go a long ways in soothing our nerves and allaying stress.

We can also turn to herbs to support us through times of stress in a variety of ways. Herbs like stinging nettle can nourish us with vital nutrients, thus helping to keep our bodies strong. Relaxing nervines like chamomile can calm and soothe our nerves. Adaptogen herbs can help support our resiliency to stress and this is the classification of herbs we'll be working with today.

Adaptogen herbs are non-toxic substances that help the body to adapt to stressful situations while also normalizing physiological states.

Of course adaptogen herbs don’t take away the stress, but they can improve our response to stress. Most adaptogens are gentle and nourishing and can be taken long term for the best results.

Many herbalists use teas and tinctures as a way of taking herbs. The following recipe explores another traditional use of herbal medicine by mixing powdered herbs into a paste that can be eaten.

But first, let’s explore the herbs we’ll be using today.



Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera): This herb comes to us from India and is often called Indian Ginseng. A wonderful restorative tonic especially suitable for people experiencing nervous exhaustion that manifests as insomnia. This herb is slightly warming and is considered a gentle yang tonic.



Shatavri (Asparagus racemosus): Another herb from India that helps to restore energy levels in people who are wrung out and fatigued. Often used in cases of female or male infertility, this adaptogen is also very nutritive and is considered an immune system tonic.

Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus): This herb was also recently called Siberian Ginseng. It is a gentle adaptogen that is appropriate for most people. David Winston reports that he uses it often for people who “work hard, play hard and hardly sleep.” Like other adaptogens, eleuthero, supports the immune system and can be taken for extended periods of time.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra): This sweet tasting root may be the most commonly used herb in China as it’s often added to formulas as a balancer. Licorice has a multitude of uses including soothing dry spasmodic coughs, aiding digestive ulcerations, and healing cold sores. As an adaptogen it helps to regulate the immune system, improve energy levels, and restore balance to the body. It should be not be used long term for people with hypertension.

All of these herbs are gentle and can be used for most people. However, this blend is most specifically for people experiencing a deficient state of being.

Herbalist Kiva Rose describes a deficient state as:

“Deficiency occurs when the vital force has been used up or drained by illness, inappropriate lifestyle practices, substance abuse or other misuse of the energetic stores of the body. Deficiency of vital force in the body can result in fragility, weakness, chronic disease, sensations of coldness and hypoimmunity, a lack of tongue coating, lack of desire to move or participate in normal activities, and a general sense of the life force receding from the person.”

Those people who are experiencing more of an excess-type state of being tend to run hot and have a lot of energy that resembles restlessness or agitation. For these people more cooling herbs like mallow, rose, and hawthorne would be helpful.

Now that you know a little more about the herbs we are going to use today, let’s make this tasty treat.

For this recipe you will need:

1 cup of tahini (sesame paste)
1/3 cup of almond butter
½ cup of honey
½ cup of chopped almonds

½ cup of ashwagandha powder
½ cup of shatavri powder
½ cup of eleuthero powder
¼ cup of licorice powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
½ teaspoon of nutmeg
½ teaspoon of cardamom

½ cup of cocoa nibs (can substitute chopped chocolate chips if necessary)
1 cup of shredded coconut

You can find all of the herbs listed above at Mountain Rose Herbs



Begin by mixing all the powdered herbs together. Set them aside once they are combined well.



Over low heat gently warm the nut butters and honey, stirring constantly. The goal of this isn’t to cook the mixture but rather to warm it just enough to help mix it together.



Once it has warmed enough to form a consistent mixture remove from heat. Immediately stir in the chopped almonds followed by the herbal powder mixture. The end result should be a soft and pliable dough mixture.



After the paste has cooled down add the cocoa nibs. If added too soon the heat from the mixture could melt them.



After everything is combined, form about a tablespoon of the dough into a ball. You can then roll this ball in a bed of coconut.



These balls can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. In our house we eat one to three a day.

This recipe can easily be changed to suit your individual tastes and needs. Have fun experimenting!

If you are allergic to nuts you can use only the tahini (sesame seed butter) and omit the nut butters and nuts.

This blogpost is part of the Mountain Rose Herbs Blog Contest

Practically Paleo Perspective: Rice

A commenter asked me for my opinion on rice, so here you have it.

[Updated 4/20/12:  The original version of this post illustrates some of the poor reasoning I fell into as a result of reading books and blogs by people advocating paleo diet, while ignoring the bulk of research on diet and health.  My critiques and corrections of the original appear in brackets.]

Botany and Antinutrients

Rice is the seed of a monocotyledonous plant known to botanists as Oryza sativa. 

Like other seeds, whole (brown) rice contains chemical defenses against predation, primarily present in the hull and bran of the seed.  They include phytin (phytate), trypsin inhibitor, oryzacystatin and haemagglutinin-lectin.

Phytate binds minerals including calcium, zinc and iron; it also binds with protein.  Heat (cooking) does not denature phytate.  Studies have found that subjects fed brown rice diets have poorer mineral balance when compared to subjects fed milled rice diets.  On the other hand, phytate protects against dental caries, so white rice promotes dental decay more than brown rice.

[4/20/12:   Phytate fears are not founded on good science.  Science does not support claims that dietary phytate causes harm to humans.  Humans adapt to phytate ingestion, dietary vitamin C cancels the negative effect of phytate on mineral absorption, phytate adversely affects mineral balance only if the diet is deficient in minerals, and research has shown that dietary phytate has a strong health benefits for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease and cancer; it even inhibits the growth of malignant tumors.]

Trypsin inhibitor occurs in rice bran.  Steaming rice bran at 100 degrees C (212 F) inactivates trypsin inhibitor.  [4/20/12:  This means that boiled brown rice has no active trypsin inhibitor.] Polishing rice eliminates trypsin inhibitor.

Haemagglutinins  or lectins consist of globulins that agglutinate mammalian red blood cells and precipitate glycoconjugates or polysaccharides. Lectins bind to specific carbohydrate receptor sites on the intestinal mucosal cells and thus interfere with the absorption of nutrients across the intestinal wall.  Rice lectin agglutinates human A, B and O group erythrocytes.  According to the FAO, rice lectin sharply loses activity when heated to 100 degrees C. [4/20/12: Hence, since we boil rice at 100 degrees C before eating it, we don't have to worry about this lectin.]

Oryzacystatin is an inhibitor of protein-digesting enzymes.  Oryzacystatin remains 100% active after at least 30 minutes of boiling.

Rice also contains an allergenic protein that occurs primarily in the milled rice, not the bran, and remains stable (60%) even after boiling for 60 minutes at 100 C (212 F).

[4/20/12: Rice allergies occur in only 10% of atopic patients in Japan and less in Europeans and Americans.  Compare this to beef allergy:

"The prevalence of beef allergy is between 3% and 6.5% among children with atopic dermatitis and can be up to 20% in cow's milk allergic children. Several studies reported an incidence of 1-2% of food-induced anaphylactic reactions caused by ingestion of beef. In another study an even higher figure of 9% of anaphylactic events from foods were induced by beef."

These data appear to indicate a much greater incidence of anaphylactic events triggered by beef than by rice.]
 
Nutritional value

Rice has a very high carbohydrate content and low levels of micronutrients compared to vegetables or fruits.  The following table compares the levels of selected vitamins and minerals in 50-kcal portions of brown rice and a selection of vegetables and fruits.  Red numbers indicate items with the highest levels among the foods compared. Click on image to see larger version.

Notice that brown rice does not have the highest level of any of the nutrients listed.  White potatoes have twice as much riboflavin (B2), 2.5 times as much folate, vitamin C not present in rice, 10 times more potassium, more than 3 times as much iron, and 25% more calcium than brown rice.    Sweet potatoes supply carotenes (provitamin A) and vitamin C not present in brown rice, three times as much B2, 5.5 times as much folate, 9 times as much potassium, slightly more iron, and more than 3 times as much calcium.  Winter squash also makes brown rice pale in comparison.

Strawberries have 10 times as much B2, 12.5 times as much potassium, nearly 3 times as much iron, and more than 5 times as much calcium.

No matter which vegetable or fruit you compare to brown rice, you find the vegetable or fruit makes brown rice pale in comparison.

Then if you compare brown to white rice:

Brown Rice vs. White Rice
Nutrient	Brown Rice (1 cup)	White Rice (1 cup)
Energy (kcal)	218	241
Protein (g)	4.5	4.4
Carbohydrate (g)	46	53
Fat (g)	1.6	0.4
Fiber (g)	3.5	NA
Thiamin (mg)	0.2	0.3 (synthetic)
Riboflavin (mg)	0.02	0.03 (synthetic)
Niacin (mg)	2.6	2.8 (synthetic)
Pyridoxine (mg)	0.29	0.11
Folacin (mcg)	7.8	109.8 (synthetic)
Calcium (mg)	19.5	1.9
Iron	1.0	2.7 (fortified)
Magnesium	86	15
Phosphorus	150	61
Potassium	154	48
Zinc	1.2	0.74

Laying aside the synthetic fortification, brown rice supplies nearly 3 times as much pyridoxine, 10 times as much calcium, almost 6 times as much magnesium, more than 3 times as much phosphorus, more than 3 times as much potassium, and almost twice as much zinc.  Therefore, white rice doesn't hold a candle to brown rice, and brown rice doesn't hold a candle to white potatoes.

[4/20/12:  Turn this around, and judge by energy, protein, and carbohydrate delivery per unit volume, and you find that brown rice surpasses non-starchy vegetables and fruits.  We need some foods for energy and macronutrients, and some foods for micronutrients.  Brown rice is a nutrient-dense starch and energy source compared to white rice.]

White or brown, rice is basically filler with little nutritional value compared to vegetables and fruits.  If you eat rice, you crowd out more nutrient-dense sources of carbohydrate. 

[4/20/12:  Wow, what a ridiculous argument!  Both brown and white rice are much more nutrient-dense than fats like butter, lard, and olive oil, so I would have been more correct to state that fats are fillers compared to brown rice.  When I compared the micronutrient content of two equicaloric diets, one high in meat and supplying most of its energy from fat, and the other low in meat and supplying most of its energy from starches like brown rice, the starch-based diet won hands down.]

Ecology

Environmentalist vegetarians like to blame livestock for global warming, but according to Wikipedia:

In many countries where rice is the main cereal crop, rice cultivation is responsible for most of the methane emissions....Methane is twenty times more effective as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

[4/20/12:  This is an example of the half-truths used to support paleo perspectives.  How about taking a look at relative contributions of rice compared to animal products?  A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition calculated the amounts of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) emitted in the production of 22 different commonly consumed foods, in kg of CO2 equivalents per kg of final product:   Rice, 1.3;  eggs, 2.5; rapeseed oil, 3.0; chicken, 4.3; cod, 8.5; pork, 9.3; cheese, 11; beef, 30.  So the favored foods of low carb and paleo diets produce 2 to 23 times as much greenhouse gas emissions as rice.]

Further, rice fields are the principal breeding grounds for mosquitos that carry malaria.

So there you have my perspective on rice.   I do not recommend regular consumption of either brown or white rice. [Line through added on 4/20/12.]

[4/20/12:  I now highly recommend eating rice and other grains as staple foods, and I no longer recommend eating eggs, poultry, fish, pork, or beef or beef products.  Grains are far superior to meats and fats as human energy sources and for health support, and have much less deleterious effect on the environment.  Science has shown us that meat- and fat-based paleo dieting is not beneficial to human health, animal welfare, or for ecosystem preservation.]

My Meals 4/16/10

Some recent practically paleo meals:

Breakfast: Grass-fattened beef steak, soft boiled eggs, steamed broccoli and red peppers dressed with olive oil, sweet potato mashed with butter. Also had a bowl of blueberries with dairy cream atop.

Dinner: Grass-fattened beef steak, whole avocado with chipotle salsa, steamed carrots, same broccoli dish as at breakfast, and an orange.

Spring in the Methow: A photographic journey

We had a beautiful day in the Methow Valley today and I enjoyed taking a walk around our cabin to see the first signs of spring.



The bluebells are out in full force, carpeting the forest floor with their blue abundance.



Yellow bells are one of my favorite edible roots. They also strongly illustrate how harvesting wild plants can actually increase their growth. When you harvest these bulbs you will find a bunch of tiny bulblets on the bulb. Separate these off and replant them in the same area. In this way you can literally increase their growth in an area by 50 times from how you found it.

The chinese use a species of yellow bells (Fritillaria cirrhosa and F. thunbergii) for medicine and it's on my list to experiment with our own native species, Fritillaria pudica.



Spring beauties (Claytonia lanceolata) are one of my favorite edibles. We eat the aerial portions as salad greens and dry the roots to eat in our winter stews.



These tiny yarrow leaves are beginning to pop up from last's years growth. Yarrow is one of my most used herbs for a myriad of conditions - from UTIs to bug bites to fevers to wounds.

You can see more of todays photo on my flicker account by clicking here

Now that is good news!

Amy Stork of the Methow Valley Newspaper writes a delicious food column each month.

This month featured a recipe from yours truly.

Check it out here.

Dandelion Wine Video

Here's parts 1 and 2 of making dandelion wine. This batch was the best batch of dandelion wine I've ever made. If you've got dandelions popping up in your yard, you might give this wine a try! We like to drink a glass of dandelion wine on winter solstice to celebrate the returning sun.

Dandelion as food: simmered, blended and marinated

In the next few weeks I'll be posting excerpts from my Healing Herbs ebook. The whole book is now available for free at LearningHerbs.com - check it out!

Dandelion
(Taraxacum officinale)
Family: Asteraceae (Aster)
Parts used: root, leaves, flowers
Properties: cool/dry, bitter, alterative, nutritive, cholagogue, diuretic, laxative, tonic
Used for: poor digestion, water retention, nourishing food, skin eruptions
Plant preparations: decoction, tincture, food

Volumes could be written on the many uses of dandelion – indeed they have been! This common weed is often hated and poisoned by those preferring a “weed free” lawn, while those of us in love with dandelion and its many uses happily support it taking over our lawns.

This plant was purposefully brought to North America by Europeans not wanting to leave this valuable resource behind. Every part of the dandelion can be used as food or medicine, making back door herbalism simple and easy, as it should be.
When the first spring leaves pop up out of the ground they can be harvested heavily and eaten fresh with salads, made into a delicious pesto, or dried for tea.

The leaves are highly nutritious, containing large amounts of vitamin A, calcium, potassium, and many more vitamins and minerals. The French call this plant pissenlit, which alludes to its strong diuretic properties. A tea of dandelion leaves is a great way to flush excess water from the system. (Of course, before using this effective remedy we always want to make sure the water retention is caused by a non-serious condition like sitting on an airplane too long.) When eaten with meals, the bitter taste of the leaves helps to promote digestion by stimulating bile to relieve indigestion and other digestive disturbances.

The root is a great ally for the liver. It can be tinctured or eaten fresh in a variety of recipes. Dandelion root can help clear up acne and other skin disruptions with the root cause being a stagnant liver. Most herbalists agree that long-term use of dandelion is needed for best results.

The flower can be eaten in salads, or fried up as fritters. An oil made from dandelion flowers is warming and can be applied externally to relieve arthritis and other aches and pains.

Lastly the latex, or sap, from the dandelion stems can be used topically on warts. Apply several times daily for best results.

My favorite way to enjoy dandelion is by making dandelion “coffee” with the roots. This beverage doesn’t contain the caffeine found in coffee, but does have a rich, dark taste similar to coffee.

Like burdock, dandelion’s strong diuretic activity makes it an inappropriate choice for someone with low blood pressure or excessive urination.

Dandelion Coffee
Prior to decocting the dandelion root, roast the dried chopped root in a cast iron pan until it is fragrant and has changed color from being off- white to light and dark brown.
For each 8 oz of water you are making, use 1-2 teaspoons of the roasted root.
Add the root to simmering water and continue to simmer while covered for 7–15 minutes. The resulting brew will be darkly colored. I enjoy my dandelion coffee with cream, and many people enjoy adding honey as well.

Dandelion Pesto
We love this pesto as a dip, on bread, pasta, salmon or even a couple tablespoons on eggs.

Ingredients
2-4 crushed cloves of garlic
1/2 cup cold pressed olive oil
2-3 cups of young dandelion leaves
1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
dash of sea salt
squirt of lemon juice (optional)
1/4 cup of ground nuts (walnuts, pine nuts)

I prefer to make this type of mixture in a food processor. If you have one of these handy devices simply place all the ingredients in the processor and blend until well mixed together.

If you do not have a food processor you can make this in a blender and since I have burned out many a blender doing this here are my very precise instructions on how to make dandelion pesto and not break your blender in the process.

Place oil, garlic and salt in the blender along with half of the dandelion leaves.

Blend well and then add the other half of the leaves. When finished blending it should be of a good consistency although still a little runny.

Pour into a bowl and add desired amount of parmesan cheese, ground nuts and lemon juice.




Marinated Dandelion Flower Buds
One of my favorite ways to harvest dandelions are in fallow fields. The soil here is usually tilled well so the harvesting is easy. When I am able to find these areas I often harvest the entire plant. Returning home I separate the leaves from the roots, the flowers from the stems and reserve those tight light flower buds for the following recipe. Be sure to use the flower buds when they are still tightly closed and before they have ever opened.

Ingredients
1/2 cup onions
3 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
4-5 garlic cloves
1 cup dandelion flower buds
apple cider vinegar
tamari or soy sauce

Rinse the flower buds well and place into a pint jar with the onions, garlic and ginger.

Fill halfway with the apple cider vinegar and then hafway with the tamari or soy sauce.
Cover with a plastic lid or a metal lid with a plastic buffer. (Vinegar will corrode the metal lid.)

Let sit for three weeks in the fridge and then enjoy on salads, as a snack and on tuna fish sandwiches.

These will keep indefinitely in the fridge.

Comfrey and suppositories

In the next few weeks I'll be posting excerpts from my Healing Herbs ebook. The whole book is now available for free at LearningHerbs.com - check it out!

Comfrey
Botanical name: Symphytum officinalis
Family: Boraginaceae (Borage)
Parts used: leaves, root
Properties: cell proliferant, nutritive, demulcent, expectorant, vulnerary
Used for: external use for healing of clean wounds, broken bones, pulled ligaments/sprains, varicose veins, burns, and hernias. Internal use with caution for coughs, ulcers
Plant preparations: infusion, decoction, oil, poultice, food


Comfrey is an incredibly important ally for herbalists. Its cell proliferating abilities can heal connective tissue surprisingly fast, resulting in a much quicker healing time for wounds, sprains, and broken bones. It heals so quickly that it is often cautioned against applying comfrey to deep or infected wounds because it will heal the outer skin before the deeper wound. This is why we only apply comfrey externally to clean and superficial wounds.

Herbalists John and Kimberly Gallagher of LearningHerbs.com have created an informative free ebook illustrating how to make a comfrey poultice that can be used on sprains, strains, hernias, and broken bones. To download this free ebook, simply click here. .

Comfrey leaves can be harvested when the plant is in full flower. When I make an infused oil with comfrey, I like to let the leaves wilt overnight before chopping them finely and adding oil. I know the oil is ready when it is a rich green color.

You may have heard some bad press about comfrey lately. This highly medicinal plant contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that have been implicated in veno-occlusive liver disease. Because of this some herbalists recommend not using this plant internally. Other herbalists rely on the fact that comfrey has been used internally for hundreds of years, and do not see a problem with internal use. I tend to be middle of the road. Certainly, if you have liver disease, are a young child with a developing liver, or are pregnant or nursing, then comfrey should be avoided internally. If you are a healthy adult, research this topic and decide what you are comfortable with.

Historically comfrey has been used internally for soothing ulcers and strengthening the lungs.

The roots also have healing properties. Comfrey root, minced and mixed with a little water, can be stored in a container in the freezer for later use on burns. I’ve used this remedy before with fast results; it sucked the heat right out of my burned thumb.
Suppositories, or an herbal bolus, are a form of rectal or vaginal administration of herbs popularly used in the case of hemorrhoids or vaginal infections. The following is an example of an herbal suppository for hemorrhoids.

Comfrey suppository
Grind the following herbs into a fine powder:
one part comfrey root
two parts yarrow leaves/flowers
one part oak bark
one part calendula flowers

Slowly heat (over low heat or double boiler) a carrier oil such as cocoa butter (melts around 86o) or coconut oil (melts around 72o). Once melted, remove from heat and stir in the powdered herbs. You may have to play with the amounts to get the most herbs while still having enough oil to hold it together.

Pour this mixture into a mold. (To make a mold, fold several layers of aluminum foil around a pencil, secure one end by twisting it, and remove the pencil. Or you can simple wait for the oil to harden slightly and crudely form a suppository with your fingers.) Rectal suppositories look similar to a tampon (without the applicator) and are about one inch long. Keep them in the freezer until ready to use.

Versatile Chamomile

In the next few weeks I'll be posting excerpts from my Healing Herbs ebook. The whole book is now available for free at LearningHerbs.com - check it out!

Chamomile
(Matricaria recutita)
Chamomile is a cheery plant that looks and smells beautiful. It makes a wonderful ground cover in gardens, producing a sweet scent when walked upon. The dried herb is a great addition to eye pillows and dream pillows, although some people with ragweed allergies may react to chamomile.
Chamomile is a very well known herb has been used by everyone from the ancient Egyptians to modern day Peter Rabbit who is given chamomile tea before bed. To harvest this plant, gather the flowering tops just before they fully open.

Externally chamomile can be used as a poultice or salve to heal burns, rashes, or eczema. I also love to make a strong infusion of this herb and add the resulting brew to my bath water.

Safe for young children, it’s often the preferred herb for a wide range of common childhood complaints such as restlessness, colic, teething, whining, and fevers.

Adults can also enjoy a cup of chamomile tea to soothe the nervous system, allaying stress and irritability, and thereby promoting calmness.

Chamomile’s common genus name, Matricaria, insinuates its affinity for women and mothers. The tea can be drunk to bring on delayed menses, reduce uterine cramping, and relieve heartburn when pregnant.

Chamomile is easily prepared as a tea. To make it by the cup, steep one teaspoon of dried chamomile for ten minutes. This makes a delicious tasting tea. For a more medicinal brew you can steep it for 30 minutes.

I especially like making a tincture from the fresh flowers. I use this convenient herbal preparation for everything from menstrual cramping, to digestive issues to restlessness. Add a little honey and you've got an incredible elixir.

Fresh chamomile flowers also infuse well into honey.

Herbalist, Gail Faith Edwards reports in her book Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs that the Inuit people used steams of chamomile to relieve lung congestion. I first heard of this from John and Kimberly Gallagher
Besides helping to clear congestion it also works as a simple beauty regimen.

Chamomile Steam
Place a couple handfuls of dried chamomile flowers in a large bowl. Pour one or two cups of some boiling water in the bowl.
Place your head over the bowl and place a towel over your head so that it also covers the bowl.
Inhale deeply, enjoying the warmth as it spreads through the respiratory system.
Keep some handkerchiefs nearby to periodically remove mucous from the body as it becomes loosened.

Stinging Nettle Eggplant Parmesan

I have spent the past few days updating my Wild Foods Cookbook. The new ebook will be at least tripled in size with the addition of new recipes as well as sections for each plant on harvesting and identification tips.

Here's a sneak peak of one of our favorite recipes.

Stinging Nettle Eggplant Parmesan
This is a relaxed recipe that can be varied in many ways. Experiment and enjoy!

Ingredients
1 diced onion
4 cloves of garlic minced
Olive oil
2 16 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes (best to use your own preserved tomatoes or search out brands that do not contain harmful chemicals in the cans)
1 lb. of cooked ground meat or cooked sausages
2 large eggplants
1 bunch of fresh basil
1 lb. of fresh stinging nettle
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat oven to 325. Slice eggplants lengthwise and lightly cover both sides with olive oil. Place them on a cookie sheet. Do not overlap. Bake them in the oven for 12 minutes and then flip over. Bake for ten minutes more or until they are translucent in the middle. Set them aside.

Raise the oven temperature to 350.

Fill a large pot with water, Bring to a boil and add the fresh stinging nettle leaves. Boil for about ten minutes and then strain well. Reserve the nettle water for drinking or for a rich fertilizer.

Meanwhile in a large skillet or sauce pan, saute onion in the olive oil until translucent. add the garlic and saute for minute more (being careful not to overcook the garlic). Add the crushed tomatoes, the cooked meat, basil and boiled stinging nettle. Let simmer for 15 minutes.

In a large casserole dish place a layer of the eggplant, followed by a thick layer of the tomato mixture and a sprinkling of cheese. Continue this until the ingredients are used up or there is no more room in the casserole dish. Bake in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes.

Catnip and kitty toys

In the next few weeks I'll be posting excerpts from my Healing Herbs ebook. The whole book is now available for free at LearningHerbs.com - check it out!

Catnip
(Nepeta cataria)
Most of us are probably familiar with catnip’s alluring qualities for cats, whom it was commonly named after. Whether growing fresh in the garden or dried and placed in a little toy, catnip attracts cats!.
The reaction to
catnip is because of the nepetalactones present in the plant. While most cats react to this chemical, up to 30% don’t.
While catnip is stimulating to cats, it has the opposite effect on humans. Drinking this relaxing nervine before bed can help wind us down after a busy day, promoting rest and sleep.

Taken after meals, catnip can relieve indigestion and flatulence, promoting better digestion.
Catnip is safe for young children and is often used for calming fevers, diarrhea, and colic. Moms of breastfeeding babies can drink a tea of catnip to help their young ones sleep.

Herbalist, Heather Nic an Fhleisdeir especially likes the use of catnip for fevers because its high potassium content helps to prevent dehydration.

Women with painful menstruation can also use catnip to ease uterine cramping.
To harvest this plant, gather it just before it blooms. You can snip the stem six inches above the ground to ensure next year’s growth. Although it can certainly be tinctured in alcohol, I prefer drying the leaves and making tea.

Freshly dried catnip is a far cry from the often old and stale catnip sold in toys for cats. Below are simple instructions for creating cat toys for your feline friends. There are a variety of simple patterns for catnip toys found at http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=63399.0

Catnip Toy
Cut two pieces of fabric to desired size. I suggest 4 inches by 4 inches.
Place the good sides of the fabric together, leaving the wrong sides facing out.
Sew by machine or hand around three edges of the fabric.
Turn the fabric inside out, using a pencil or other instrument to poke out the corners fully.
Fill with catnip.
Turn the edges of the un-sewn edge in and finish sewing together.
Voila, a new toy for kitty.

This same technique can be used when making dream pillows for your human friends.

Calendula and Varicose Veins

In the next few weeks I'll be posting excerpts from my Healing Herbs ebook. The whole book is now available for free at LearningHerbs.com - check it out!

Calendula
(Calendula officinalis)
Calendula produces a beautiful flower that exudes sunshine and joy. To harvest this highly resinous flower, pick it at its peak on a warm summer day. You’ll know you have good plant medicine by the stickiness covering your hands.
Calendula is commonly made into oils and salves and used for a variety of skin conditions including rashes, burns, scars, and scrapes. It has an affinity to encourage connective tissue to regenerate, creating soft and lustrous skin.
It can also be used externally on painful itchy chicken pox (as a tincture or salve) or even on fungal infections such as athlete’s foot and ringworm.

Internally it can be used to treat swollen lymph glands and soothe ulcers. You can also spread the fresh petals over your salads for added color and beauty.

When making medicine with calendula, it’s almost always dried first. Drying calendula for oils decreases the water content, making a more stable oil, and it also concentrates the resins in the plant. When making a tincture of calendula, a higher-proof alcohol will extract more of the resins.

Calendula will grow readily in your garden, often self-seeding after the first year of planting. By snipping the flowers regularly, you promote its growth. I can often harvest calendula flowers numerous times in a season.

This plant is often used for varicose veins. It helps to strengthen the capillary walls. The following is a modified recipe originally from herbalist Heather Nic an Fhleishdeir in Eugene, Oregon.


Calendula Varicose Vein Spray
•Fill a mason jar with 1⁄2 dried calendula flowers and 1⁄2 dried yarrow. •Cover with witch hazel and let sit for three weeks shaking daily.
•After three weeks, strain and add 10–30 drops of lavender essential oil per quart of spray.
•Pour the solution into a spray bottle and a label. This can be sprayed on varicose veins as often as desired.
How does it work?
•As already mentioned, the calendula helps to strengthen the capillary and vein walls (which, by definition, are weak in varicose veins.) Its anti- inflammatory properties are also useful here.
•The yarrow helps to promote the circulation of blood, dispersing any blood stagnation.
•The lavender essential oil adds healing and anti-inflammatory properties that can help with itching associated with varicose veins.
•The witch hazel is a standard remedy for varicose veins because of its astringent properties that help to shrink the enlarged tissues.

Paleo Strength Works For Women Too; and Paleo Kits

Kristen Onesi Liberati pulls some heavy weight, showing women their potential:

 

Kristen's husband Steve Liberati heads Steve's Club, a Crossfit Affiliate in Camden, New Jersey with a unique mission:

Steve's Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering young athletes (and non-athletes) of Camden, NJ world-class coaching, community and training techniques used by elite and professional athletes worldwide to help strengthen the foundation of our future.

Specifically, Steve helps at-risk kids grow into productive, positive people through Crossfit training.  I resonate with Steve's message:

 "The greatest discovery any alien outsider could make about Camden is its overriding response to failure: If it didn’t work last year, do it AGAIN this year (and if possible do it MORE). Every year they pass more laws, hire more police, build more prisons, and sentence more offenders for longer periods-all without moving one inch closer to “ending” crime. If it didn’t work last year or the year before that or the year before that or the year before that, but you can be sure we’ll try it again this year, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that it won’t work this year either. Every year they spend more money on schools, hoping to “fix” whatever’s wrong with them, and every year the schools remain stubbornly unfixed. Spending money didn’t work last year or the year before that or the year before that, but you can be sure we’ll try it again this year, knowing beyond shadow of a doubt that it won’t work this year either. Every year they try to make the criminals go away, and every year they remain with us. We couldn’t shoehorn these criminals back into the “the mainstream” last year or the year before that or the year before that or the year before that, but you can be sure we’ll try it again this year, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that it won’t work this year either. Maybe its time to TRY something DIFFERENT. Afterall, IF Camden is saved, it will not be saved by old minds with new programs but by new minds with no programs at all."

How fitting that Steve has the surname Liberati -- the liberator!

I would substitute for Camden the name of any "government" and it would remain just as true.  Try this:

After all, IF the U.S. is saved, it will not be saved by old minds with new programs but BY NEW MINDS WITH NO PROGRAMS AT ALL.

New minds realize that programs don't work because they attempt to impose order from top down.  True social order comes from the spontaneous interactions of healthy human hearts and minds, which generate community from bottom up.  The way Steve and the rest of us do it.

The very highest [ruler] is barely known by men.
Then comes that which they know and love,
Then that which is feared.
Then that which is despised.


He who does not trust enough will not be trusted.


When actions are performed without unnecessary speech,
People say, "We did it [ourselves]!"


Tao Te Ching, Chapter 17.

Politicians act as if they have expertise in all aspects of human behavior, economics, health care, nutrition, science, automotive manufacturing, insurance....on and on; they believe and want us to believe that they have qualifications to tell everyone how to do everything from birth to death.  But as Steve points out, their "programs" rarely if ever address root causes, and their abundant failures demonstrate that they don't have a clue how things or people work.  In fact if you trace the loop you will find that their "programs" create the problems, not solve them.

The more laws and restrictions there are,
The poorer people become.
The sharper men's weapons,
The more trouble in the land.
The more ingenious and clever men are,
The more strange things happen.
The more rules and regulations,
The more thieves and robbers.


Therefore the sage says:
I take no action and people are reformed.
I enjoy peace and people become honest.
I do nothing and people become rich.
I have no desires and people return to the good and simple life.


Tao Te Ching, Chapter 57

Obviously few if any politicians are sages, most are goons.  I would call them clever--like a cleaver, good at splitting things apart, as in divide and conquer--but not intelligent or even less, wise.

Take the red pill, and you see their game:  They keep stealing more and more of our time and productivity from us (via taxes),  leaving us less and less capable of caring for our families, friends, and communities on our own.  Even under these circumstances we do our best to help one another, but when half your income goes to the goons with the biggest guns ("government"), you have to keep almost every thing you make for your self and don't have much extra available to help your extended family, friends, or community.  Then the goons say "Look at how evil you masses are, you guys don't care for your own, you need our Programs."  So then they raise taxes and tyranny up another notch with the claim that this will "help" the people.  Taoists saw through the game thousands of years ago:

Why are the people starving?
Because the rulers eat up the money in taxes.
Therefore the people are starving.


Why are the people rebellious?
Because the rulers interfere to much.
Therefore they are rebellious.


Why do the people think so little of death?
Because the rulers demand to much of life.
Therefore the people take death lightly.


Having little to live on, one knows better than to value life too much.


Tao Te Ching, Chapter 75.

Politicians and other misanthropists would have us believe that without their top-down interference in our lives no one would take care of anyone else, that people like Steve don't exist.  They want you to believe that if they didn't "control" your life with their "programs" we would live in chaos, going at each other's throats with machetes.  I can't think of anything more bullshit than this, and I believe that Steve and you also, my dear reader, prove it.  Just look at your life.  Have you not done your best to do more good than harm?  Do you not help the helpless when you can?  Do you not care for children and do your best to support the youth and care for the elders?

Why?  Humans evolved as cooperative creatures engaged in  cooperative hunting and gathering, sharing food, mutual aid in times of need, and mutual protection from predators. Natural selection favored cooperation and devotion to family and friends, and especially the youth and elders who had experience.  Tribes full of people who cooperated and loved children and taught them well certainly had more descendants than tribes full of miscreants who couldn't care less about their children.  Cooperative people not only survived, they thrived, and jerks either had no mates, rightfully got the death penalty directly, or got expelled from the tribe to deal with the wild cats on their own (good riddance and good luck!).

Don't let the misanthropes, the control freaks, the goons and thugs, define you in their own image, as a beast. Stand up and claim your humanity.   You would put their tax and tyranny schemes to shame by naturally living out paleolithic "ethics," if you just let your human nature free and put your intelligence and love into helping your family, friends, and community.

Steve supports the club in part by producing Paleokits:

I bet you'll support them when you see their purpose, because I feel pretty confident you wouldn't read this blog if you didn't have a compassion ten times larger than a politician's cleverness.