HEALING FOODS REFERENCE DATABASE

Angelica

Posted in Angelica | April 26th, 2011

It is said that in 1665, God revealed angelica to a pious Benedictine monk in answer to his prayers for a cure for the great plague of that century. Back then, wrote Renaissance-era herbalist Nicholas Culpeper, angelica remedied, "filthy dead ulcers", the bite of mad dogs, and dimness of sight." Today, angelica’s bitterness still flavours gin and the liquers Benedictine and Chartreuse. In Europe, patent medicines such as certain digestive aids, cramps relievers, and sedatives contain the herb.

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Aloe

Posted in Aloe | April 26th, 2011

The spiky, spiny aloe plant was hailed as a skin soother by ancient Egyptian medics, and in its native Africa, aloe was the treatment of choice for wounds from poisoned arrows. Today, aloe is one of the most widely used herbs for skin problems, and it is found in a dizzying array of cosmetics and hair-care and first-aid products.

Healing potential of Aloe:

The transparent gel that oozes out of a broken aloe leaf is an effective first-aid treatment for skin irritations, cuts, and minor burns: Studies show that it enhances wound healing and promotes cell growth and attachment. Other studies point to aloe’s potential as a treatment for psoriasis and frostbite.

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Healing Foods for Canker Sores

Posted in Canker Sores | April 24th, 2011

On life’s sliding scale of health problems, a canker sore is a pretty annoying blemish. Also known as mouth ulcers. They are single or clustered ulcers that are white in the center and surrounded by fairly even red borders. They can show up anywhere inside your mouth and are caused by lots of things, including stress, nutritional deficiencies, trauma such as biting your tongue, bacterial and irritation from highly acidic or salty foods. Cold sores, or fever blisters, on the other hand occur outside the mouth and/or on the lips from the Herpes Simplex Type 1 virus.

The good news is most canker sores will heal themselves within a week or so, but if you would like to speed things along there are several natural herbs.

Canker sores usually indicate a vitamin C deficiency so start taking 1,000 to 3,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily along with a 50 milligram chewable zinc tablets. Note, excess vitamin C may cause diarrhea in some people. And you should only take zinc supplements in excess of 15 milligrams a day for a few days.

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Arnica to the Rescue for Bruises

Posted in Bruises | April 24th, 2011

Bruises add insult to injury, telegraphing to the world in bold black and blue and sometimes, in every color in the crayon box, that there has been a collision: between shin and coffee table, hip and stairway banister, shoulder and car door.

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Healing foods for Heartburn

Posted in Heartburn | April 24th, 2011

Heartburn strikes most often an hour after eating, especially after the largest meal of the day or after eating sugary, high-fat foods. That’s because a large amount of food or fatty, sugary foods can decrease pressure on the sphincter that holds highly corrosive acid in the stomach. This allows the acid to creep up and irritate the esophagus, a process known as reflux, which feels like a fire in your chest.

If you are like most people with hearburn, you have probably consumed your share of over the counter antacids, which stops the burn temporarily. But repetitive use of antacids can actually worsen esophagus problems. So can stress.

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