Herbs: An Introduction

The references for this series of articles is the authors personal knowledge and experience and the Internet. This article may be freely copied and used on other web sites only if it is copied complete with all links and text, including this header, intact and unchanged except for minor improvements such as misspellings and typos.

I grew up as a kid during WWII, and we always planted a Victory Garden in the back yard, behind the Rose hedge. It was a goodly sized plot of ground, probably 30 feet by 40 feet, and over the years I became intimately acquainted with every spade full of dirt there.

Why? Well, because it was my job every spring from the time I was old enough to step on a shovel and plunge it into the ground to spade up that garden plot and ready it for planting. And I had to go into the chicken coop and get the chicken manure and spread it on the ground and spade it in, also. I started doing this by about 1941, when I was 5.

And over by the house there grew this veritable jungle of weeds. But, when you broke off a leaf and chewed it up it tasted pretty good. It was mint. Mint grows wild, in one form or another, pretty much everywhere. You may have some growing wild in your back yard right now? Some people call this an herb. I simply call it food. Its something we learned to eat and enjoy. And I learned how, when walking through the woods, to identify licorice root a fern, usually growing on old dead trees and enjoy chewing on it. Also probably classified as an herb, but I simply called it a food.

Every year Mom did the canning. She would can tomatoes out of the garden, carrots and peas out of the garden. And she would can fruit for the winter, some as whole fruit (peaches and pears apples went into applesauce and apple jelly). She canned mostly in quart jars for the foods, and in pint jars for jams and jellies. Apple jelly was special, though, canned in half-pint jars and it always had a leaf from the wild mint in the back yard on top of the jelly in every jar. And sometimes, as a special treat, it might contain a piece of licorice root for flavor.

There was more. We had parsley, sage, sheep sorrel, rhubarb and a few others growing pretty well cultivated in their own corner off the garden. Things Mom used to cook with, sprinkle a little here and there on the meat or vegetables. I guess you might call them herbs. We just called them seasonings or food.

When I grew up and went off in the world to seek my fortune, such as it was, I ran across more exotic foods in different countries I visited. Its been so long Ive forgotten most of them, but I remember from Panama stopping in at a little lunch counter buffet out in the wilds, a place where only the locals usually stopped. I learned that Yucca, a flowering plant native to the American southwest and most of Central America, in various types, is edible. At least the root of some varieties is edible. And I learned that deep fried Yucca root is not only tastier than French fries, its a whole lot better for you, too.

Some people may consider Yucca an herb, others a flower, and others a food. Im with both the flower and food groups. There are many different varieties of Yucca and several different varieties of Yucca Flowers. Not all Yucca is edible, but some of them are. And they provide nutritional values for us that we cant get from other food sources.

What Im going to be doing in this series of articles is examining some of these alternate food sources, some legitimately labeled herbs and some just foods, and explaining just what their essential food values are, how we use them as food supplements, and why we should use them thusly.

My references for this series of articles on alternative and herbally based foods are personal experience plus resources available through your local herbalist, at your local library, and on the internet.

Let me close this introductory article with a statement I have made at least a couple of times in other health-related articles of recent vintage. We are all different, so what works one way for me may work differently for you or may not work at all for you. The strong probability, if its herbs or other alternative foods, is that it wont hurt you, either, so keep on trying until you find that combination of everything that does work for you. Then stick to it and share your findings with the rest of us. Thats where knowledge comes from.

Loring Windblad has studied nutrition and exercise for more than 40 years, is a published author and freelance writer. His latest business endeavor is at
http://www.organicgreens.us or
http://www.organicgreens.ca presently under construction.

Herbs to help with menopause

Question : I HAVE been on an 80 per cent vegetarian diet for about five years now. I take spirulina regularly. Two years ago my period started to become irregular. It came twice in a month for two consecutive months. The medication prescribed by the doctor only helped to relieve the symptoms for only a few months. Am I approaching menopause? I am 43.

Answer : AS you are a vegetarian, the risk of getting not enough vitamin B12 is there as this vitamin is mostly obtained from meat and animal products. But you are on the right track supplementing with spirulina. Your irregular periods seem to indicate menopause.

A woman would normally go through menopause between the ages of 45 and 55 due to reduced oestrogen and progesterone production by the ovaries. The age varies according to several factors. One of these is body weight. Overweight people tend to menopause later. Common symptoms of menopause include amenorrhoea (absence of period), irregular periods like you are having now, increased or decreased flow, hot flushes, heart palpitations, low libido, tingling, chills, nervousness, excitability, inability to concentrate, forgetfulness, depression, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, headaches, muscle and bone aches, and gastrointestinal disturbances. There may also be changes in frequency of urination, stress incontinence, unwanted hair and drying up of vaginal secretions and vaginitis. If menopause has been confirmed by a doctor, you may try taking a herbal supplement to help women cope with menopausal symptoms. This is a safer alternative than hormone replacement therapy. A good herbal supplement should contain black cohosh, dong quai, soya, red clover and sage.

Black cohosh is effective in treating perimenopausal symptoms and those arising from a lack of oestrogen and progesterone, such as hot flushes and night sweat. It is anti-inflammatory and may help to relieve menstrual cramps.
Dong quai, also known as 'female ginseng', helps to restore balance in a woman's reproductive system by toning up the uterus, nourishing the blood and stimulating healthy circulation. Soya is high in isoflavones and is beneficial for menopause-related hot flushes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. Recent evidence shows that red clover helps improve heart health in menopausal women.

Sage is for digestive disorders associated with PMS and excessive perspiration especially at night.

The right way to take vitamins and herbs

Question : IS IT safe to take both vitamins (such as vitamins C, E and multivitamins) and other herbal remedies (such as saw palmetto and pumpkin seed) together daily? I have mild hypertension (140/90 mmHg) and digestive problems, such as bloating and flatulence. Could you give a proper schedule of taking vitamins and herbal remedies.

Answer : IT IS safe to take both supplements (such as vitamins C, E and multivitamins) and herbal remedies (such as saw palmetto and pumpkin seed) together with food daily.

But ginkgo, garlic and fish oil should not be used in patients receiving blood- thinning drugs such as warfarin. The consumption of these supplements also has to be discontinued prior to surgery because they can prolong bleeding time. There should also be a gap of three hours when taking other medications and herbal remedies.

Hawthorn, known as the "mother of the heart", is helpful for alleviating irregular heart rhythm and high blood pressure. Rosemary is a proven heart tonic which is high in calcium. It stimulates the circulatory system and pelvic region.

Typically, a healthy blood pressure reading is seen as being less than 120/80 mmHg. This level may vary according to age, stress levels and day-to-day activities.

Fish oil is important in managing high blood pressure as it lowers blood pressure, dilates blood vessels and inhibits platelet aggregation. Try a highly purified double-strength fish oil containing 65% omega-3 triglycerides. A probiotics supplement that contains both of the lactobacilli and bifidobacteria strains of friendly bacteria will help reduce potentially harmful microbial enzyme activities in the intestine, thus alleviating digestive symptoms such as flatulence.

To help manage hypertension and flatulence, it is advisable to have diet that is high in fibre, complex carbohydrates, grains, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, but low in animal products, processed foods and refined carbohydrates. Cut down salt intake and gas-producing foods such as beans. Avoid smoking and alcoholic beverages. Maintain an ideal weight to control blood pressure. Exercise regularly to improve cardiovascular fitness. Perform relaxation techniques such as yoga to manage stress. Do not talk while eating and chew your food slowly.

Update on Herbs

Personal Update - Do Not Download

Loring Windblad's HD crashed, with the loss of all current articles and all reference materials, on Sunday 27 March. Backups had not yet been created.

All references and articles will be recreated, but it will be at least another week before they begin appearing here, rather than beginning to be posted earlier this week.

Thanks for bearing with me and waiting patiently.

Loring Windblad's HD crashed, with the loss of all current articles and all reference materials, on Sunday 27 March. Backups had not yet been created.

All references and articles will be recreated, but it will be at least another week before they begin appearing here, rather than beginning to be posted earlier this week.

Thanks for bearing with me and waiting patiently.

Loring Windblad has studied nutrition, diet and exercise, for the past 40+ years. He is a published author, freelance writer and his latest business endeavor is at:
http://www.organicgreens.us