Fighting Malaria with Plantain, Marshmallow, Myrtle, and Licorice

Here is my translation of the abstract of the study, Antiplasmodial activity of ethanolic extracts of some selected medicinal plants from the northwest of Iran. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23922204)

Malaria is a disease caused by the parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Chloroquine is a drug that has been widely used to treat malaria; however there are some strains of the parasite that are resistant to Chloroquine. Therefore, the medicine that prevents or treats malaria is becoming less effective; the death rate from malaria is increasing. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of 10 medicinal plant extracts against the effectiveness of Chloroquine, using a strain of the parasite that is responsive to Chloroquine.

The plants that were used are taken from local medicinal plant traditions. The plants were made into an alcohol-based extract. They were tested in both a controlled and a natural environment. Their toxicity levels were tested with brine shrimp.

Plantain, Marshmallow, Myrtle, and Licorice showed promising results in the controlled environment (in vitro) and showed no toxicity in the brine shrimp larvae.

Marshmallow, Myrtle, and Licorice significantly reduced the amount of parasites in the blood of female Swiss albino mice when naturally tested (in vivo).

Please read more of the study, Antiplasmodial activity of ethanolic extracts of some selected medicinal plants from the northwest of Iran. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23922204)

PLANT NAMES

Plantain (Plantago major; P. lanceolata; Plantaginaceae)

Marshmallow (Althea officinalis L; Malvaceae)

Myrtle (Myrtus communis Linn; Myrtaceae)

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.; Papilionaceae)

TERMINOLOGY

Antiplasmodial – Inhibiting the growth of “plasmodium”, a genus of parasites; an infection by these parasites is known as “malaria”.

Ethanolic extract – An extract of medicinal properties from a plant that in an alcohol base.

Plasmodium falciparum – A protozoan parasite that causes malaria in humans.

Chloroquine – A medicine used to treat and prevent malaria. Brand names: Aralen, Plaquenil.

Chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 strain – A strain of Plasmodium falciparum that is sensitive to malaria. That is, a strain of malaria-causing parasite that does respond to the drug chloroquine.

Malaria – A mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite. People with malaria often experience flu-like symptoms. If left untreated, severe complications may develop and death can occur.

Ethnobotanic – Plant traditions of a specific people or culture.

Macerated – When a food is softened by soaking it in a liquid.

Hydroalcoholic – A solution that is a mix of both water and alcohol.

In vitro – Refers to when a procedure or experiment is conducted in a controlled environment, outside of a living organism (for example, a test tube).

In vivo – Refers to when a procedure or experiment is conducted in a natural environment, within a whole living organism (not to tissue of a dead or partial organism).

Parasitemia – Refers to a number of parasites in blood.

REFERENCES:

“Antiplasmodial Activity of Ethanolic Extracts of Some Selected Medicinal Plants from the Northwest of Iran.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 7 Aug. 2013. Web. 01 Sept. 2013. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23922204>.

“Chloroquine for Malaria.” WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2013. <http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/chloroquine-for-malaria>.

“Malaria.” CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 09 Aug. 2012. Web. 28 Aug. 2013. <http://www.cdc.gov/MALARIA/>.

Best Foods for Getting Rid of Yeast Infections

What is a yeast infection?

A yeast infection is an overgrowth of Candida albicans. Candida albicans is a necessary fungus that plays an important role in your body: it breaks down sugar and alcohol. When you don’t have enough “good” bacteria in your gut to balance out the fungus, Candida albicans can take over. Or, if you consume too much sugar and alcohol in your diet, Candida albicans can take over that way, too.

NOTE: A yeast infection is NOT just a woman’s problem. Men can get yeast infections, too, as they also have Candida albicans in their body to break down sugar and alcohol. Also, there are MANY symptoms for Candida albicans overgrowth – not just vaginal discharge and itching.

Can I get rid of yeast infections just by diet?

Maybe… but probably not.

To be more clear… there are many things you should consider doing (not just eating) to get rid of yeast infections. And there are many treatments you could use for dealing with a yeast infection when you have it. Further, the effectiveness of these diet, lifestyle changes, and treatments are dependent upon the severity of your Candida albicans overgrowth and any other medications or medical procedures by which you may be influenced. This may be why so many people have found problems with the so-called “The Candida Diet”.

However, I do believe the fundamental treatment for any ailment starts with your diet. BUT – it does not necessarily end with your diet. For that reason – for the first stepping stone – I’d like to simply go over the Best Foods for Getting Rid of Yeast Infections.

What’s the easiest method for choosing good Candida-fighting (or prevention) foods?

Since Candida feeds on sugar and alcohol… the easiest method for choosing good Candida-fighting foods…. is to stop ingesting sugar and alcohol!! Just kinda makes sense, right?

With that in mind, here’s a list of my DOs and DON’Ts for getting rid of Candida albicans overgrowth (aka. yeast infections!).

DO EAT:

Vegetables – As many and as raw as possible. Veggies are lower in sugar than most anything else out there.

Brown rice – It’s a good filler that is easier for your body to break down than white rice and other wheat products.

Fermented foods – I don’t mean fermented fruit mixed with yeast (alcohol). I mean fermented food that contains live bacteria cultures. This means they should be raw and not processed. Fermented foods in this manner helps to restore beneficial gut flora. This includes: sauerkraut, kimchi, (raw) apple cider vinegar.

Rejuvelac – This is a fermented drink made from sprouted whole grains. It is an excellent way to reestablish healthy gut flora. Here’s how to make it.

DON’T EAT:

Sugar – This includes honey, maple syrup, agave… anything sweet.

Alcohol – Pretty much another form of sugar.

Dairy – Candida also feeds on lactose.

Meat – It’s too hard for your body to digest while it’s trying to get back in balance again.

Yogurt – Unless you make your own raw yogurt, there is really no yogurt on the market that naturally contains the good bacteria you’re looking for.

REFERENCES:

Christopher, David, MH. “Candida.” Utah, Springville. 22 July 2013. Lecture.

Sarah. “Don’t Waste Your Time: Why the Candida Diet Doesn’t Work.” The Healthy Home Economist RSS. 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 05 Aug. 2013. <http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/dont-waste-your-time-why-the-candida-diet-doesnt-work/>.

“Yeast Infections (Candidiasis) in Men and Women.” WebMD. Web. 05 Aug. 2013. <http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/candidiasis-yeast-infection>.

How to Drink Apple Cider Vinegar – RECIPE!

For this post, I’m going to assume you already know the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar and Pure Lemon Juice. If you don’t already know, I’ll get to that in another post…

Besides salad dressings, I’ve been trying to find a better way to drink Apple Cider Vinegar. I’ve made Dr. Axe’s “Secret Detox Drink” before and it was the best way I’ve found to drink it. Problem is… I’m lazy and don’t feel like mixing it together all the time.

So.. I’ve modified it a bit and made it in bulk so it’s easier for me to drink it.

STEP ONE: Pour Apple Cider Vinegar into Gallon Jug

I’m awful at exact measurements. Sorry. But I added about as much as I would (visually) in one glass of it.

STEP TWO: Add Lemon Juice

Same with this one. I eye-balled it.

STEP THREE: Add Agave Water

To make the Agave more watery versus syrupy… I boiled water, then reduced heat, added the Agave, stirred, and let cool. Then I poured it into the jug.

STEP FOUR: Add Water and Season

After that, I added water most of the way. Then I tasted it to see if I needed more Agave (I did). So…. I added more Agave-water and filled the rest up with water.

I drink it straight and like to add either some cloves of cinnamon powder.

In short:

Apple Cider Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Agave
Water
(Cloves or Cinnamon, optional)

I’ve also been adding it to my Strength Tea as a sort of… Medicinal Arnold Palmer 🙂

Medicinal Iced Teas – “Strength Tea” Recipe

As part of my efforts to ditch my afternoon coffee, I’ve switched to iced teas. I actually have been loving the iced teas, because of how much more refreshing they are than iced coffee. Not sure how refreshing it’d be in a snowy-winter, though. But, now that I live in Hawaii instead of Utah I really don’t have to worry about that 🙂

Soo… to get into the habit of making iced tea while still getting a good dose of caffeine, I’ve been making either green tea or yerba mate iced tea in gallon pitchers and leave it in the fridge.

A couple days ago, I decided to go a bit further. I made an herbal iced tea with medicinal herbs I have on hand. I still put a bit of yerba mate in it though, for the caffeine boost. Not quite down for caffeine-free. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

NOTE: There are many herbs that are caffeine-free that do give you an energy boost. However, for the sake of not spending more money, I just used the ones I have on hand… trying to keep it simple.

I made a big batch of the herb mix so that I can take from only one container every time. Like I’ve mentioned before… I can get lazy.

Here’s my Medicinal Iced Tea Recipe:

5 parts – Red Raspberry Leaf

4 parts – Stinging Nettle

3 parts – Yerba Mate

3 parts – Oat Straw

2 parts – Horsetail (aka Shavegrass)

I called it “Strength Tea” because the Oat Straw and Horsetail are used for building healthy bones through herbal calcium and silica minerals. The Nettles and Red Raspberry Leaf are both tonics which means they “stimulate nutrition and permanently increase systemal tone, energy, vigor, and strength.” (Christopher, School of Natural Healing). The Yerba Mate is a more alkaline alternative for a bit of caffeine.

So far so good!

References:

Christopher, John R. School of Natural Healing. Springville, UT: Christopher Publications, 1976. Print.

Corless, Marissa. “The Benefits of the Use of Red Raspberry in Herbal Preparations.”School of Natural Healing. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2013. <http://www.herballegacy.com/Coless_Medicinal.html>.

Vance, Kassie. “Medicinal Qualities of Stinging Nettle.” School of Natural Healing. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2013. <http://www.herballegacy.com/Vance_Medicinal.html>.

Kicking Coffee – One Step at a Time

I love my morning cup of coffee. (And sometimes my afternoon coffee, too.) It makes me feel comfortable.. yet badass.. at the same time. It’s one of those things I know is not great for me, so I refuse to even read up on it so I don’t freak out over it.

However, due to my years of health research, I have been inadvertently exposed to some of the reasons not to drink coffee. I don’t want to get into caffeine right now.. but my primary reason for not wanting to drink so much coffee is because it’s so acidic. It can really mess with our body’s pH level, making us more susceptible to house malignant invaders.

Here’s my goal: To not drink coffee and only sip on Caffeine-Free herbal teas to get me going.

Steps I’m Taking to Reach my Goal:

1. Be conscious of the coffee I buy.

I would love to only buy organic, local coffee but it’s just not something I’m willing to pay for. (Yes, I’ve heard the argument about paying for it health-wise down the road.) If I feel it’s affordable, I’ll by organic/local. However, at the very least, I’ll read the ingredients and choose not to buy something that includes artificial flavors (or other additives, for that matter).

2. Mix coffee with Yerba Mate.

(I use a french press to make my coffee, so I’m not sure how well this works in a coffee machine, but I’m assuming it’d be ok..) I’ve been slowly increasing the ratio of coffee:yerba mate every morning. Right now I’m at a 1:1 ratio. It’s a bit earthy, but it works. I’m trying to get used to that earth-in-a-cup taste in the morning so that eventually I can sip on herbal teas exclusively. (Yerba Mate does have caffeine, though, so when I grow the balls to research caffeine, I can be more prepared to make the switch to caffeine-free, herbal. I hope.)

3. Add Blackstrap Molasses.

(I include this as an extra step because of the slightly extra effort. I can get pretty lazy.) I also like to add a bit of blackstrap molasses to it to make it richer and not so tea-y. Plus the blackstrap molasses is high in many vitamins and minerals including Vitamin-B’s (for more energy) and calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, and potassium.

4. Switch up afternoon coffee to iced tea.

I made a medical and caffeinated Iced Tea I call “Strength Tea”. Here’s my recipe for it: Medicinal Iced Tea – “Strength Tea” Recipe

That’s where I’m at now. I’ll stay at this for a bit until I’m feeling ready to make more changes.

References:

“Blackstrap Molasses.” The World’s Healthiest Foods. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2013. <http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=118>.

Christopher, John R., and Cathy Gileadi. Every Woman’s Herbal. Springville, UT: Christopher Publications, 1987. Print.

Rubly, James. “Yerba Mate 101 – A Brief Overview.” Examiner.com. N.p., 19 Apr. 2011. Web. 31 July 2013. <http://www.examiner.com/article/yerba-mate-101-a-brief-overview>.

Baby Steps – Fricking Take ‘Em!

My journey towards self-health empowerment started in 2009.

Over the years I’ve made tons of teeny tiny baby steps towards better health. For example: cutting out cheese toppings at every meal… stopping to take over-the-counter drugs… reading ingredient labels before buying foods (this one cuts out a lot of shitty food intake)… eating a big ol’ salad every day… making sure I keep clean and functioning lower bowels… replacing meat with fish… switching out synthetic soaps for pure castile… doing an herbal cleanse every year… exploring my spirituality… switching from balsamic to Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar… cooking foods from scratch… buying organic and/or local… and other stuff, too.

But it seems like every time I learn something new that freaks me out about what I’m eating or drinking or just doing.. I panic to get my shit together.

Luckily, I’ve got voice that tells me: “Jenn, stop. You’re driving me nuts. Every change makes you better off than you were before – no matter how small you think it is. Stressing about your health isn’t healthy either. Keep it simple. Take baby steps. Enjoy life.”

So, that’s nice.

I’ve still got a lot of things I want to change or make better about my own health. And, for my sake, I’m going to post what baby steps I continue to take. That way I know I’m making progress.

Of course, you’re welcome to read along 🙂

Why Chickenpox Vaccine? Saves the U.S. money!

Whaaaat?? For real?! Yes. Damn straight.

Most people know that chickenpox in children is a relatively harmless childhood disease. It gets riskier to contract chickenpox as you age.

The chickenpox vaccine, however, shifts the distribution of cases from children (who are not likely to experience problems) to teenagers and adults (who have higher complication rates).

Why would they do this?

Because “the U.S. could save five times as much as it would spend” on the shot by avoiding the costs incurred by moms and dads who would have to stay home from work to take care of their sick kids.

Sweet.

REFERENCES:

Miller, Neil Z. Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective? Santa Fe, NM: New Atlantean, 2002. Print.

Wharton. “The Epidemiology of Varicella-zoster Virus Infections.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 26 July 2013. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8856352>.

Halloran, M.E. et. al. American Journal of Epidemiology, 1994; 140:81-104. As cited in Medical Sciences Bulletin, “Chickenpox vaccine approved.” (April 1995), p. 2

Gorman, Christine. “Chicken Pox Conundrum.” Time. Time, 19 July 1993. Web. 26 July 2013. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,978876,00.html>.

Some Serious Reactions from Hepatitis B Vaccine

… aaand this is about that time in my day when I realize it’s gonna take me forever to finish my Master Herbalist degree. I keep finding things I want to research even further.. and then I keep getting taken further and further down that notorious rabbit hole.

I’ll try to be brief.

I’m reading the 2012 publication of Neil Z. Miller’s Vaccines: Are they really safe and effective? . I just read some of the adverse reactions that he listed from the Hepatitis B Vaccine: Diabetes, MS, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Bell’s palsy, brachial plexus , optic neuritis, central nervous system demyelination, lumbar radiculopathy, transverse myelitis, autoimmune reactions, thrombocytopenic purpura, anaphylaxis, arthritis, fever, headaches, pain, vomiting, vertigo, herpes zoster, and convulsions.

Most of these conditions are not commonly used in lay language. So I thought I’d look them up (the ones I’m not clear about) and share what I find these conditions to be.

The info is all taken from The U.S. National Library of Medicine:

Guillain-Barre syndrome – Guillain-Barre syndrome is a serious disorder that occurs when the body’s defense (immune) system mistakenly attacks part of the nervous system. This leads to nerve inflammation that causes muscle weakness and other symptoms.

Bell’s palsy – Bell’s palsy is a disorder of the nerve that controls movement of the muscles in the face. This nerve is called the facial or 7th cranial nerve. Damage to this nerve causes weakness or paralysis of these muscles. Paralysis means that you cannot use the muscles at all. (WebMD simplifies it as paralysis of one side of your face).

Brachial plexus – Brachial plexopathy is pain, decreased movement, or decreased sensation in the arm and shoulder due to a nerve problem.

Optic neuritis – Optic neuritis is inflammation of the optic nerve. It may cause sudden, reduced vision in the affected eye.

Lumbar radiculopathy (aka “Sciatica”) – Sciatica refers to pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg. It is caused by injury to or pressure on the sciatic nerve. Sciatica is a symptom of another medical problem, not a medical condition on its own.

Acute transverse myelitis – is a clinical syndrome manifested by weakness and sensory loss, generally in a symmetrical pattern, below the affected spinal segment. The term transverse myelitis implies that the whole cross sectional area of the spinal cord is involved. Symptoms evolve over several hours to several weeks.

Thrombocytopenic purpura – Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a blood disorder that causes blood clots to form in small blood vessels around the body, and leads to a low platelet count (thrombocytopenia).

… but wait! There’s more!

Dr. Mercola lists “60 things that can go terribly wrong Hepatitis B Vaccination” and GreenMedInfo has 47 scientific articles listed under “Problematic Actions of Hepatitis B Vaccine”.

Just thought you should know 🙂

REFERENCES:

Miller, Neil Z. Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective? Santa Fe, NM: New Atlantean, 2012. Print.

“National Library of Medicine – National Institutes of Health.” U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 23 July 2013. Web. 26 July 2013. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/>.

Mercola. “60 Things That Can Go Terribly Wrong with Hepatitis B Vaccination.”Mercola.com. N.p., 7 July 2011. Web. <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/07/60-things-that-can-go-terribly-wrong-with-hepatitis-b-vaccination.aspx>.

“Vaccination: Hepatitis B.” GreenMedInfo. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 July 2013. <http://www.greenmedinfo.com/anti-therapeutic-action/vaccination-hepatitis-b>.

PMS making you bitchy? Eat Dandelion!

When you’re flying that red flag… Do you feel like you need to avoid human contact for fear of punching someone in the face? Are you sick of crying during every heartwarming commercial on TV? Or even the not-at-all-heartwarming commercials? (I once cried during a kitty litter commercial when the lady was nuzzling her happy cat). Ridiculous.

I can go into sooo many things when it comes to PMS… like how cleaning up your diet and taking better care of your body will do wonders… but let’s assume you know all that. Let’s assume you are looking for one single herb to help with your monthly moodiness. But first, a little background info:

What do your moods look like when they’re in your body?

Short answer: hormones. You got your happy hormones, sad hormones, angry hormones… you can literally feel those emotions throughout your entire body. That’s because they are flowing throughout your body… literally.

What happens to these hormones?

Your liver regulates your hormones. So.. your emotional hormones go to your liver to be broken down, turned into bile, and pooped out. Unfortunately, many of us have less than perfectly healthy livers. So then those hormones could be re-cycled throughout your body OR stay stored in your liver to be eliminated when it gets the chance.

What happens with your elevated estrogen levels when you’re on the rag?

Well.. your body, being as smart as it is, knows that excess estrogen in the body can cause some pretty rough shit: breast cancer, uterine cancer, blood clotting… so the liver steps in to make sure it gets cleared out ASAP.

And here’s the clincher…

In order for your liver to properly get rid of that excess estrogen, it’s gotta release those emotional hormones that it’s been unable to get to processing. So it releases them. All. At. Once. And then your liver is better able to get the excess estrogen out of your body.

How can you get those emotional hormones out before hand?

Cleanse your liver! The best way to do that is with bitter herbs. And the easiest, most readily available of them all, is DANDELION. You can pick it fresh from your yard (so long as it hasn’t been sprayed with chemicals or peed on by your neighbor’s dog.. or your dog.. or anyone.) Most health food stores are selling it in their produce areas these days, too.

Just start using it regularly (not just during your period) to see the best results.

PS. If you have problems with water retention during your cycle, dandelion is a diuretic and can certainly help with that, too 🙂

REFERENCES:

Christopher, David, MH. “PMS & Hormones.” Women’s Health. Utah, Springville. Lecture.

“Role of the Liver in Hormone Metabolism and in the Regulation of Their Content in the Blood.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1977. Web. 24 July 2013. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/334126>.

“Dandelion.” University of Maryland Medical Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 July 2013. <http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/dandelion>.

9 “Snack” Sources of Organic Iron

Iron is an important nutrient that is essential for us to feed to our body. Yes, I purposefully italicized “feed”.

Synthetic vs. Organic Nutrients (vitamins and minerals)

Straight to the point: Synthetic nutrients are shitty. Organic nutrients (from real, whole food) are good.

My language is obviously less than eloquent so I’ll let Dr. Mercola expand on this:

“Synthetic alternatives to whole foods are known as “isolates”. Your body will only absorb a small percentage of an isolate form of vitamins and minerals – and utilize even less (Your body absorbs much more of the whole food form.) On top of that, there may be side effects, depending on the quality of the isolate.”

Why Iron?

Iron helps to create red blood cells which carry oxygen throughout your body. Not getting enough oxygen will fatigue your body. Not just feeling tired.. but it fatigues many parts of your body including brain and immune system function. The condition of not having enough red blood cells (commonly caused by excessive bleeding) is called anemia. To help our body maintain proper production of healthy red blood cells… we need iron.

Why snacks?

Why not? I love snacks. Although, some of these things are things you could rather make a snack from. Snack’s a snack’s a snack!

How much you need?

That depends.. but here’s a chart from the CDC’s website to break it down:

9 Sources of Organic Iron

Sesame seeds: 1/4 C = 5.24 mg

Blackstrap molasses: 2 tsp = 2.39 mg

Pumpkin seeds: 1/4 C = 2.84 mg

Cocoa powder: 1 C = 17 mg

Dried apricots: 1 C = 7.5 mg

Prunes: 1 C = 4.7 mg

Seedless raisins: 1 C = 3.1 mg

Walnuts: 1/2 C = 4 mg

Dried peaches: 6 halves = 3.1 mg

REFERENCES:

“Best Foods For Iron: 20 Foods Packed With Iron.” The Huffington Post. Web. 05 Aug. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/11/15/best-foods-for-iron_n_2130411.html>.

“Dr. Mercola on Natural Vs. Synthetic Multivitamins.” Organic Consumers Association, Dec. 2007. Web. 05 Aug. 2013. <http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_8865.cfm>.

“Foods to Eat If You Have Low Iron.” LIVESTRONG.COM. Web. 05 Aug. 2013. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/34772-top-foods-iron/>.

“Iron and Iron Deficiency.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 23 Feb. 2011. Web. 05 Aug. 2013. <http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/iron.html>.

“Iron: What You Need to Know.” WebMD. Web. 05 Aug. 2013. <http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/iron-supplements>.

“Iron.” World’s Healthiest Foods. Web. 05 Aug. 2013. <http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient>.