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.

Practically Paleo: My Meals

Haven't had time to upload photos of my meals for a while.  Here you go:

Breakfast one day this week:  Smoked salmon bellies; stir-fried kale, scallions, and red pepper; and sweet potato with coconut oil.

I got the salmon bellies from Kenny and Brenna Aschbacher, the Fishhuggers.  I marinated about 3 pounds of salmon bellies with 2 T San-J soy sauce and 6 T Wright's Liquid Smoke overnight.  Then I broiled the belly strips with skin side up for about 3 minutes under high heat.  Tastes like bacon.

Breakfast 4/1/10

Grass-fed raw flank steak--I marinated it in olive oil and black pepper--with kim chi I get from a local Asian market.  At this meal I also had a sweet potato with coconut oil, and some fruit, but I don't remember what kind.  I got the steak from Kenny and Brenna Aschbacher, the Fishhuggers.

Breakfast 4/2/10

• Grass-fed ground beef chili made with beef bone broth, beef tallow, onion, marinade juices left from the smoked salmon (above), kelp, tomatoes, chili pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic, and cilantro.  
• Steamed broccoli and red pepper tossed with olive oil and black pepper.
• Trader Joe's Wild Boreal blueberries with coconut milk topping.
• Mineola tangerine.

Lunch 4/2/10

Grass-fattened ground beef (seasoned but raw), same vegetables as for breakfast, an apple, and a mix of 1/2 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup almonds, and 1/4 cup raisins.

Nutrition Analysis 4/2/10

I wanted to see what kind of fatty acid profile I have when I eat nuts in the quantity (3/4 cup) I have in this day's menu.  The following provides the food list and macronutrient sums (click on image for larger version):

This slide gives the macronutrient ratio in tabular and graphic forms:

You can see that the day's meals provided 69% of energy as fat, 16% as carbohydrate, and 15% as protein.  Saturated fat provided 23% of energy, monounsaturated 27%, and polyunsaturated only 12%.

The following provides the micronutrient analysis:

The analysis shows this menu fell short in vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium, potassium, thiamin, and sodium.

Active Vitamin A (retinol) I get from sardines and liver on a weekly basis or so, in quantities that get stored in my liver to cover my requirements on days like this.  Vitamin D I get from sunlight and my daily supplement.

The calculated calcium content of this menu does not include the calcium-rich bone broth that I used in the chili.  That broth provides at least 100mg calcium per tablespoon, and I put enough in the chili so that each serving supplies 200mg calcium, bringing my total to 647mg for the day from foods.  As mentioned before, I take additional supplemental calcium on days like today when I know my food-source calcium intake falls below 750mg. 

This menu fell short of the recommended intake of potassium by about 20%, largely because I did not have a sweet potato in the menu.  When I don't get adequate potassium, I suffer nocturnal muscle cramps.  I find it a little challenging to consistently meet my potassium requirements while also keeping my carbohydrate intake below 20% of calories.

Although the software says this menu fell short of sodium requirements, it actually supplies more than the estimated requirement for sodium based on balance studies, i.e. 500mg.

I find that low carbohydrate menus tend to fall short of thiamine requirements if they don't include pork.  I find this a little disconcerting because I don't really enjoy conventional pork (an excellent thiamine source), nor do I eat organ meats rich in thiamine often, and although thiamine requirements decline somewhat with lower carbohydrate intake,  Hoyt has reported optic neuropathy due to thiamine deficiency in epilepsy patients following ketogenic diets and also in healthy individuals following low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss (abstract here and full text reproduced here).   Atkins, of course, recommended heavy vitamin supplementation to accompany his program.

For Fun: My Paleo Cats Hanging Out

I call the black beauty Angie, and the little tiger Sheba.