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Post by auntieannie on May 9, 2009 17:20:27 GMT
At Mrs Bixa Orellana's request:
First: Thyme herbal tea. Renowned for its good effect on lungs and breathing.
I will post as and when I have a minute, but I am late to cook dinner now... ooops!
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2009 17:24:59 GMT
Am looking forward auntie. Am a big fan of the herbal teas,kind of got away from but willing to revive my enthusiasm for.
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Post by auntieannie on May 11, 2009 18:27:39 GMT
Here is what my "simple healing with herbs" book says about thyme:
Widely used in cooking, Thyme - like many culinary herbs - helps the digestive system cope with rich foods. The plant is extremely antiseptic and a good expectorant - ideal to clear phlegm and combat chest infections. The oil is also stimulation and tonifying and can be added to relaxing baths or to rubs for muscular aches, pains and stiffness.
Actions: antiseptic, expectorant, antispasmodic, astringent, antimicrobial, diuretic, antitussive, antibiotic, wound herb, topically rubefactient (heh?!)
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Post by bixaorellana on May 11, 2009 18:50:07 GMT
I have used Dian Dincin Buchman's herbal guide forever. It seems to have been updated, which is probably good -- the old one has a fiddly format. Annie ~~ so true that thyme is really good for warding off colds, flus, etc., but how can you make a tea of it that is at least palatable? It's too acrid on its own.
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Post by auntieannie on May 11, 2009 19:15:45 GMT
hum.. I like it like that. I remember looking for wild thyme when I was a child, when we were spending our summers in a chalet in the mountains.
Did you try to put some honey with it? Don't let it infuse for too long. Only allow the water to turn a pale yellowish green.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 11, 2009 20:32:33 GMT
Hmmm ~~ that's probably the problem. Knowing me, I always thought, "if a little is good ...." Do you know this herb: ? It's a very common weed that can easily be persuaded to take up residence in your garden. If you have an awful burning scratchy throat -- the kind that comes on just before a cold -- make a tea by simmering plantain (plantago) leaves gently for about a half hour. They have hardly any taste, so put in some mint or chamomile after the heat's turned off to give a pleasant taste.
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Post by auntieannie on May 12, 2009 18:41:53 GMT
oh, yes... plantain! very good!
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Post by bixaorellana on May 15, 2009 12:36:05 GMT
Annie, dear ~~ more teas?
Here's a little tip for everyone: do not simmer mint, only let it steep. Simmering stews it & it's not nice that way.
Annie or anyone ~~ are there teas for aches and pains, such as minor arthritis?
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Post by auntieannie on May 15, 2009 19:17:24 GMT
let me get my book, bix...I have a long standing plan for this thread... it is taking form, but unfortunately I sometimes have to live away from my computer...
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Post by bixaorellana on May 15, 2009 19:39:32 GMT
Sorry, Sweetie ~~ I know I'm a nag. It's just that this is a subject that interests me very much. Not exactly on the subject, but ........... Sometimes you want to make a really long OP with all kinds of pictures and links and stuff. This might mean you can't finish it at one time. Here's what you do: Go anywhere on the forum and click on New Thread or on Reply. Now you can start building your OP and Previewing as you go along. This means that you can look and decide how you want your pictures displayed*, whether your text links are working, etc. Once you are happy with the results, you can copy everything in the message box and go ahead and post it in the appropriate board, or you can open a Word document (or whichever similar program you use) and paste the contents of your message box there to await further additions. *To help get photos placed where you want them, remember e c a p s. This is the word "space" spelled backwards. Write in e c a p s (with out the spaces between the letters) every place you want extra space(s). This can really help the look of your post.
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2009 19:46:57 GMT
Okay, somebody tell me what is the point of herbal teas?
Do most of them taste good? No. Do they have major positive medical effects? No -- pharmaceuticals concentrate the chemical ingredients much more efficiently. Does using them save us money? Maybe, but not if they are not doing much good.
That would imply that the main point of them is psychological, which is a very honorable reason, but only if you distrust modern medicine.
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Post by spindrift on May 15, 2009 20:44:50 GMT
Herbs can have a profound effect when ingested. Be careful.
Making tea out of them would lessen their effects considerably.
I have an excellent text book on Herbs and their Uses but they are listed in the index by plant names, not diseases.
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Post by auntieannie on May 15, 2009 22:39:29 GMT
K... I will ignore your post. Because you are wrong. But I won't say that, will I?
Spindrift. Thankfully it is listed in both ways in my book!
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Post by auntieannie on May 15, 2009 22:58:40 GMT
Arthritis: simply means an inflammation of a joint, but these are various types, each requiring rather different tratment, so it is important to be sure of the exact diagnosis. Osteoarthritis is the wear and tear variety that afflicts more than half of the population as we grow older. Rheumatoid arthritis is a more serious and potentially crippling disease. While osteoarthritis tends to affect only a few of the body's joints, rheumatoid arthritis can affect many of them. This sort of arthritis is an inflammatory problem and can be related to a variety of hereditary health problems. Women are three times more likely than men to develop rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis can also occur in children and always needs professional medical treatment. Arthritis may be related to food inteolerance, so eliminating possible allergens can be worth trying in chronic conditions.
follows a long list of treatments. Here are the herbal tea ones:
- combine equal amounts of tinctures of sinctures of St John's wort, white willow, celery, black cohosh and yellow dock. take 5ml/1 tsp in wam water four times a day. (although I am no fan of black cohosh - much too dangerous to play with)
- make an infusion of equal parts meadowsweet, boneset and yarrow and take three times a day to encourage sweating, which will help to clear toxins.
- for rheumatoid arthritis, make an infusion of celery and St john's wort tea and drink up to 4 cups a day.
Caution: rheumatoid arthritis always needs professional treatment; only use self-help remedies to support orthodox treatment.
Do you have access to rosehip? It is excellent against arthritis.
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Post by auntieannie on May 15, 2009 23:04:04 GMT
plantain:
Ribwort plantain = plantago lanceolata
Ribwort plantain has long pointed leaves and will grow to around 30-40cm/12-16 in quite unlike its familiar relative common plantain. It is an effective anticatarrhal largely used for colds and hay fever. It also concnetrates minerals and trace elements from the soil in its leaves so it is very healing and supportive for the immune system. parts used: leaves actions: relaxing expectorant, tonifying to mucous membranes, anticatarrhal, antispasmodic.
I will post more later. Is there any way, bixa, that I can amend my message about the thyme as I would like to add a word of caution and a detail or two.
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Post by spindrift on May 16, 2009 7:55:37 GMT
I am wary of gathering herbs/weeds from the English countryside for the simple reason that I'd never know if they'd been sprayed with something like Roundup. I know that in Switzerland my gf gathers certain herbs from the meadows around her house before the neighbouring farmer sprays them.
I would love to cook very young nettles when they're first growing, but I dare not.
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2009 13:24:36 GMT
spindrift,if they were sprayed with Roundup you would know as the foliage would take on a yellowing,withered look. Although it is a systemic and does take some time to actually kill the plant,the effects of the spray on the foliage are almost immediate. Green healthy looking foliage should be fine to harvest unless a dog peed on it in which case I always recommend washing anything before ingestion.
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Post by hwinpp on May 22, 2009 9:18:28 GMT
Would you make an infusion of the nettles? We used to collect nettles near our house and use them like spinach, quite good.
One of the few things I still remember from army life is that the common daisy contains an awful lot of vitamin C.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 22, 2009 15:21:06 GMT
The common daisy? Do you mean this cultivated flower: ? I would think it would be bitter as gall. You don't perhaps mean the dandelion: ? Tell us more, please!
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Post by auntieannie on May 22, 2009 18:08:36 GMT
hw, yes I do drink nettle infusion and will soon post about it. just been too brain-dead recently to post about more herbal teas.
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2009 18:36:09 GMT
Still waiting for news of the value of herbal teas! Positive psychosomatic effects?
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Post by auntieannie on May 22, 2009 18:54:58 GMT
so much more than that, K! the actual chemical elements work. More and more modern research proves the worth of traditional ways of healing. it also has proved again and again that there is some actual chemical reality to the way these herbs work; and better than medicine handed over the counter at the chemist's.
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2009 19:07:08 GMT
Yes, I know that placebos can be very effective. I'm all in favor of herbal teas as long as they are cheap.
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Post by auntieannie on May 22, 2009 19:17:39 GMT
no, K. NOT placebos. They do work. seriously. will I have to start a new thread dedicated only to listing the effects of each herbal tea I know so we can use this thread to debate the reality of these effects?
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2009 19:36:21 GMT
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Post by spindrift on May 22, 2009 21:28:23 GMT
K - closed mind?
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Post by auntieannie on May 23, 2009 19:08:52 GMT
just what I thought... you were trying to enliven this thread because everybody agreed and was polite and well behaved.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2009 19:36:51 GMT
I find an unverified consensus upsetting. A lot of people are ready to say that all herbal teas are wonderful just because they want to believe that they are. I don't think that anybody should say such a thing unless they have tried a certain item several times already. And if one herbal tea is good, it doesn't prove that the others are.
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Post by auntieannie on May 23, 2009 20:31:01 GMT
I totally agree, K... but this is a very general comment!
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Post by auntieannie on May 23, 2009 20:35:14 GMT
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) nettles sting because the hairs on their stems and leaves contain histamine which is a potent irritant for the skin. However, the plant is a useful tonic, thans to its ability to rob the soil of relevant nutrients and concentrate minerals and vitamins in its leaves. Nettle makes an ideal spring tonic to cleanse the system and this same action makes it helpful in chronic skin conditions and arthritis. Nettle oil and ointments can be used externally for skin problems and rheumatic pain. The root can be useful for prostate problems.
Actions: astringent, diuretic,tonic, nutritive, haemostatic, circulatory stimulant,stimulates milk production, hypoglycaemic, antiscorbutic. Used in infusions, tinctures, ointments, infused oils, capsules, decoctions.
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