Dear Friends,
I am pleased to tell you that May 4th is the 8th annual National Herb Day so in Honor of this I would like to talk about one of the finest yet most over looked herbs…one could even say a miracle herb.
There is an herb that cleanses the blood and reduces cholesterol. This herb is also a safe diuretic that reduces blood pressure. It can be made into oil for achy joints. It relieves food and environmental allergies. It produces healthy skin from the inside out; heals the liver as it dissolves and eliminates urinary and gall bladder stones. The juice from the stem of this plant when applied to warts dissolves them completely.
Resent studies have shown that this herb causes cancer cells to self destruct; fundamentally killing themselves.
Perhaps you are wondering what newly discovered miracle herb is instilled with these amazing properties and how you can acquire such and interesting plant. Well, my friends this astounding plant is available to you all. You can find it in your back yard, on wasteland and growing through cracks in cement. This miraculous herb is dandelion.
I hope you will find a new respect for this herb that has been so vilified. And if you haven’t been treating your yard with herbicide or other various poisons you may want to dig up some dandelions and try some of these remedies.
If you or someone you know is experiencing the aggravation of warts here is a safe, painless and effective remedy. Find a healthy looking dandelion that is in bloom. Pick the yellow flower and you will notice a white sappy latex-like liquid oozing from the hollow stem. Apply this to your wart and cover it with a Band-Aid. Repeat this 2 or 3 times daily, you will notice the wart flaking away and after about a week the wart will be gone.
If you have high blood pressure and you are on a diuretic, you must be concerned with kidney damage that can result from long-term diuretic treatment. Dandelion is a safe alternative since it supports and nourishes the kidneys and liver while it helps eliminates excess water. Dandelion is more effective than synthetic diuretics because it contains the mineral potassium, which is usually lost when using synthetic diuretics. Remember to drink plenty of water too.
For arthritis you can drink dandelion tea. It is worth mentioning that dandelion is not the most pleasant tasting tea so you may want to blend it with mint, chamomile or verbena with a little honey. Or you might want to consider ingesting dandelion in tincture or capsule form.
To make an oil for achy joints, fill a mason jar halfway full with fresh dandelion flowers and fill with olive or grapeseed oil then add a shot of vodka to prevent mold growth. Cover with cheesecloth or a coffee filter secured with a rubber band and place in a warm sunny spot for 4 weeks. Strain and transfer oil to a new jar or dispenser. Apply to joints as needed.
Exciting medical research is in place now. The International Journal of Oncology published a 2008 clinical study showing the positive effects of dandelion leaf tea. Dandelion leaf tea decreased breast cancer cells.
In Windsor Canada when oncologist, Dr Caroline Hamm observed that her patients who were drinking dandelion tea were recovering, sparked new research. Windsor University biochemist, Dr. Siyaram Pandey found that dandelion root extract forced the leukemia cells into apoptosis (cell suicide). Amazingly, the non-cancerous cells were left alone; the dandelion root extract targeted only the cancer cells. This is not true with chemotherapy pharmaceuticals that kill healthy cells as well as cancerous ones.
As an herbalist, this does not surprise me in the least. The only time, trusted herbs become dangerous is when they have been chemically extracted in search of the so-called “magic bullet”. They must be used in their pure and whole form to truly be a miracle herb.
I use dandelion in my herbal tinctures Hepa-Health, to support liver kidney and gallbladder function, in Blood Purifier as a blood builder and in Fem-Fit to heal fibroids by removing them through the lymphatic system.
Next time you want to spray dandelions with herbicide, ask yourself, “Do I want to poison the land and enrich malevolent corporations or nurture the land and partake of its gifts?”
Love and Light, Lori
