What you Need to Know About Herbs Part 4©

What you Need to Know About Herbs Part 4©

By Arlene Wright-Correll

Apple Fiber has been shown to prevent the absorption of cholesterol and many carcinogens. It also aids digestion and is an effective cleanser of pollutants. Apple Fiber is a great way to maintain healthy digestion while on a low-carb, low-fiber diet.
Official Latin Name: Malus sylvestris

Apples are among the world’s most popular fruits and have long been associated with good health. The Apple tree is believed to have originated in an area between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying Apples since at least 6500 B.C.

The pilgrims planted the first United States Apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Today the world’s top apple producers are China, United States, Turkey, Poland and Italy. The Apple derives its name from the Latin pomum, meaning fruit in English, and is classified as a pome, a fruit that has many tiny seeds within a core at the center. They belong to the pome group as opposed to the stone group, referring to the type of seeds contained in the fruit.

Apple Fiber helps the body eliminate lead, mercury, and other heavy metals. Apple Fiber can force strontium through the body, without its being absorbed. The use of Apple Fiber also protects the colon from cancer, prevents the absorption of cholesterol, and helps lower blood pressure.

Apple Fiber helps tone the gastro-intestinal system and treat diarrhea, as the intestinal bacteria transforms it into a soothing, protective coating for irritated intestinal linings. Also gives substance to the stool, helping resolve both diarrhea and constipation, and is effective against several diarrhea-causing bacteria. Apple Fiber helps keep cholesterol levels down, guarding against heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Apple Fiber binds certain cancer-causing compounds in the colon, speeding their elimination from the body.

Apple Pectin, in the diets of humans and lab animals, has been shown to increase the excretion of lipids, cholesterol and bile acids, and reduce serum cholesterol levels. Pectin operates by binding with bile acids, thereby decreasing cholesterol and fat absorption.

Official Latin Name: Malus sylvestris

Apple Pectin is a source of water soluble fiber which has a gel-forming effect when mixed with water. As a dietary fiber, Apple Pectin is helpful in maintaining good digestive health. Pectin is defined as any of a group of white, amorphous, complex carbohydrates that occurs in ripe fruits and certain vegetables. Fruits rich in Pectin are the peach, apple, currant, and plum. Protopectin, present in unripe fruits, is converted to Pectin as the fruit ripens.

Pectin forms a colloidal solution in water and gels on cooling. When fruits are cooked with the correct amount of sugar, and when the acidity is optimum and the amount of Pectin present is sufficient, jams and jellies can be made. In overripe fruits, the Pectin becomes pectic acid, which does not form jelly with sugar solutions. An indigestible, soluble fiber, Pectin is a general intestinal regulator that is used in many medicinal preparations, especially as an anti-diarrhea agent.

Our ancestors believed that old proverb "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". Today, nutritional scientists research for evidences that verify how Apples are good for our health. Apples are rich in pectin, a soluble fiber, which is effective in lowering cholesterol levels. Apples work in any form (raw fruit or powder or juice) to maintain good cardiovascular health. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that Apple Pectin acts as an antioxidant against the damaging portion of cholesterol in the blood stream.

Many researchers suggest that people who eat fatty foods should, if possible, wash down this food with apple juice rather than the usual drink. Researchers have found that raw Apples are the richest of fruits in pectin, with the Jonagold variety of Apple leading other varieties. A diet of low fiber, high fat, and animal protein appears to be the leading cause of death in many people. It has been established that a diet rich in Apple Pectin can protect against these diseases.

Research in Japan has found that Apple Pectin can also decrease the chances of colon cancer. Apple Pectin helps maintain intestinal balance by cleansing the intestinal tract with its soluble and insoluble fibers.

Apple Pectin tends to increase acidity in the large intestines, and is advocated for those suffering from ulcer or colitis, and for regulating blood pressure. Pectin is also effective in causing regressions in, and preventing, gallstones. There is also evidence that the regular use of Apple Pectin may lessen the severity of diabetes. Along these lines, it has been suggested that fiber-depleted diets actually help cause diabetes mellitus. Other studies have shown that the regular consumption of Apple Pectin could lead to permanent reductions in insulin requirements (to prevent the possibility of insulin overdose, diabetics should make their physician aware of the dietary change).

Arctic Root is native to Siberia and Europe, and has been used there for the treatment of a multitude of ailments, including anemia, depression, fatigue, impotence, and infections. Arctic Root has been shown to improve cognitive function, athletic performance, and sexual function.

Official Latin Name: Rhodiola rosea

Arctic Root, also known as Golden Root, Rhodiola Root, Roseroot, and Crenulin, is native to the mountainous regions of Asia, Europe, and the Arctic, and is most abundant in Siberia. Its species name, rosea, comes from the fact that the cut root of Arctic has a rose-like odor. Arctic Root has been used in traditional medicine to combat fatigue, depression, anemia, impotence, infections, and many other ailments.

 In Central Asia, Arctic Root was prescribed for tuberculosis, cancer, and influenza. In Siberia, Arctic Root was given to married couples to increase fertility and provide healthy children. The Vikings used Arctic Root to improve endurance and enhance physical strength. In Germany, Arctic Root has been used for pain, headache, hemorrhoids, and as an anti-inflammatory.

In recent times, Arctic Root has been the subject of numerous studies in Scandinavia and the former Soviet Union, where it has been favorably compared to Siberian Ginseng. Those studies show that Arctic Root is effective in improving cognitive function, improving the immune system, enhancing athletic performance, promoting weight loss, and relieving stress.

Arctic Root has also been shown to have aphrodisiac properties, and has been used to treat premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction. Arctic Root is an adaptogen, similar in effect to Cordyceps, and boosts energy levels without the adverse effects of other stimulants. Arctic Root is now being studied for its positive attributes in fighting depression, Parkinson’s, ADD, and Fibromyalgia.

Arrowroot was used by the Arawaks to withdraw the toxins from poison arrow wounds. Today, this New World plant is used as a natural source of calcium and in the treatment of indigestion, diarrhea, and urinary infections.

Official Latin Name: Maranta arundinacea

Arrowroot is a white powder extracted from the root of a West Indian plant, Marantha arundinacea. Arrowroot is also known as Obedience Plant, Bamban, Bermuda, Bermuda Arrowroot, and Maranta. Arrowroot was first discovered and identified on the island of Dominica in the West Indies.

Arrowroot is indigenous to the West Indies, where native people, the Arawaks, used the powder. The Arawaks used the substance to draw out toxins from people wounded by poison arrows. It is believed that the name Arrowroot is derived from this practice. Native Americans in both North and South America apply Arrowroot as a poultice for snakebites, insect bites, and sores. The common name Arrowroot includes the species Maranta nobilis and Maranta allouya, which are used interchangeably with Maranta arundinacea. It looks and feels like cornstarch.

Arrowroot is most commonly grown in Brazil and Thailand. The Arrowroot plant is an herbaceous perennial, with a creeping rhizome with upward-curving, fleshy, cylindrical tubers covered with large, thin scales. The flowering stem reaches a height of 6 feet, and bears flowers at the ends of the branches that terminate the long peduncles. They grow in pairs. The numerous, ovate, leaves are up to 10 inches in length, with long sheaths often enveloping the stem. The starch is extracted from rhizomes less than a year old. They are washed, pulped in wooded mortars, stirred in clean water, the fibers wrung out by hand, and the milky liquor sieved, allowed to settle, and then drained. Clean water is again added, mixed, and drained, after which the starch is dried.

Arrowroot is an excellent source of carbohydrates and digestible calcium. It is a mild laxative but also helps relieve diarrhea caused by stress. Arrowroot also soothes irritated mucus membranes and is used in the treatment of colic, indigestion, and urinary infections.

Artemesia is perhaps best known because of the use of its oil to prepare certain alcoholic beverages. Artemesia was used by traditional herbalists as a bitter to improve digestion, fight worm infestations, and stimulate menstruation. It was also regarded as a useful remedy for liver & gallbladder problems.

Official Latin Name: Artemisia absinthium

Artemesia is also known by the names Green Ginger, Southernwood, Old Woman, Absinthe, and Absinthium. Native to Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia, this herb is now cultivated in the United States and elsewhere. The plant grows from 2-4 feet in height. The part of this plant used medicinally is the above ground portion. An Egyptian papyrus dated 1,600 years before Christ describes this bitter herb in detail.

Legend has it that this plant first sprang up on the impressions that marked the serpent's tail as he slithered his way out of the Garden of Eden. Its alternate name Absinthium is Latin for "without sweetness". It got its generic name Artemisia from Artemis, the Greek name for Diana, because she discovered the plant's virtues and gave them to mankind. Another story has it that it is named for Artemisia, Queen of Caria, who gave her name to the plant after she had benefited from its treatments. Wherever its name came from, it is one of the bitterest herbs known, even today. It was used in granaries to drive away weevils & insects, and was used as a strewing herb to drive away fleas. In traditional folk medicine, Artemesia preparations were used internally for gastric insufficiency, intestinal atonia, gastritis, stomach ache, liver disorders, bloating, anemia, irregular menstruation, intermittent fever, loss of appetite, and worm infestations. The primary chemical constituents of Artemesia include essential oil (absinthol, azulenes, camphene, cineol, isovaleric acid, pinene, thujone, sesquiterpene lactones, absinthin), bitters (absinthium), flavonoids (quercetin), and polyacetylenes.

Absinthin is a narcotic analgesic that affects the medullary portion of the brain concerned with pain & anxiety, inducing a dreamy creative state. It gives people a different view of reality. When used in small amounts, the constituent thujone works as a brain stimulant. Artemesia is primarily used as a bitter; it has the effect of stimulating and invigorating the whole of the digestive process. It is used for indigestion, especially when due to a deficient quantity or quality of gastric juice. It is also a powerful remedy in the treatment of worm infestations, especially roundworm and pinworm.

Artemesia may also be used to help the body deal with fever & infections. Artemesia helps increase secretions of the liver and gall bladder. Topical uses of this herb include its use as a liniment or compress for bruises, sore muscles, bites and pain. It is often used as an insect repellent, and made into a spray to deter pests in organic gardening. A sachet of Artemesia can be used to keep moths away from clothes. The common name Artemesia includes the species Artemisia frigida and Artemisia tilesii, which are used interchangeably with Artemisia absinthium.

The flower head of the Globe Artichoke is used as a common food. The Artichoke head root, and leaves contain several active components recognized as important for digestion and for proper liver, kidney, and gall bladder function. The phytochemicals in Artichoke have been well documented and the leaves, rather than the flower, have been found to be higher in medicinal value.

Official Latin Name: Cynara scolymus

Artichoke has been used medicinally since the beginning of the 20th century to improve digestion. Historically, used as a tea, Artichoke is now preferred in the form of standardized extracts for consistent, more predictable results. Traditional uses have included support for sluggish liver, poor digestion and atherosclerosis.

Research on standardized Artichoke extract has focused on the constituent, caffeoylquinic acid, and its ability to increase bile production in the liver. An increase in bile production assists the body in blood fat metabolism, which assists the digestion process. Artichokes also contain cynarin which has been reported to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Artichokes are popular in all sorts of food dishes, where the heart of the plant is the part used. The other parts of this herb, such as the head, roots, and leaves, each have known nutritional benefits. Due to its diuretic activities, Artichoke works well in the treatment of kidney diseases.

“Tread the Earth Lightly” and in the meantime… may your day be filled with….Peace, light and love, 

Arlene Wright-Correll

  

Home Farm Herbery LLC