The Herbal Highway

[crikkett]

This group is good and wonderful! Hello to everyone. I tend to contribute to threads but rarely post. I've been quiet lately because I've been distracted by work (drat).

I first came here because I was attracted to this forum's "Alternative Healing" aspect, wanting to share and trade knowledge about holistic health. I study nutrition, and have personally experienced vastly improved health and energy levels with improved diet. I'm also an aspiring cook and kitchen gardener.

With this in mind, I would like to share a valuable resource that I recently found:
The Herbal Highway's archives, at http://www.kpfa.org/archives/index.php?show=15&type=all
KPFA (Pacific Coast Radio). Herbalist Karyn Sander is a trove of knowledge.

I look forward to learning and sharing more about the healthful benefits of food and drink!

xo,
crikkett

(PS please forgive my avatar, I'm not over my indignation at Scalia's behavior yet).

[I Have A Dream]

1. Thanks, crikkett!

The link looks really interesting. I passed it to a friend who's very interested in this type of thing.

Good to see you around! :hi:

[sofedup]

2. yes, thank you for the link

I hope you will post more about nutrition- especially how you improved your energy level!

[crikkett]

9. I will-- here's a bit about my sensitivity to wheat

Please forgive me if I'm sporadic (my work schedule is).

But here's my personal experience in a nutshell, I had constant allergies/colds and problems with my gut until I learned that I had a sensitivity to wheat. Wheat was my biggest health impediment after I quit smoking.** Turns out most people have a sensitivity to wheat, but they don't know it because wheat is so pervasive in the American diet. Wheat clogs up the sinuses and gut of people who are sensitive, and causes rashes. I've had a rash on the back of my arms since I was a teenager that is only now beginning to fade.

Switching my meals from mostly pasta and bread to mostly meat and vegetables also releived my hypoglycemia -- in turn, my moods and energy levels evened out.

Switching to decaf/herbal tea after dinner from beer (also wheat, most of the time anyway) let me sleep much better. There are of course, rice beers and other libations to partake in, but i'm surprised how much I don't miss it (could it be maturity?)

I've skipped over a lot, sorry I can't give so many details this morning!
Thanks for asking!

**Aside from thinking that cigarettes were nasty, I decided to finally quit smoking when I moved to California because I was afraid people would shun me, what a funny misconception that turned out to be!

Side note 1: for fun, I was taught how to use a galvanic skin test muscle resistance test to see if food was bad for me. I then watched Joseph Campbell on PBS tell the TV that he had his son do a g.s.t. on a rap CD to prove it was bad for him... and that made me wonder about how valid such a subjective test is...

Side note 2: I found a hundred pages on wheat sensitivity and galvanic skin muscle resistance testing but need to spend time reading them to decide what's credible.. you know how the Internet is...

Thanks for asking! Happy Friday!

[Vadem]

3. Welcome, Crikkett! I'm also trying to learn the best way to diet..

and the best herbs and vitamins to take. Perhaps you can educate all of us! Thanks!

[DemExpat]

4. Thanks, crikkett!

I will mention my very postive encounters with healing herbs.

Black Cohosh saw me through menopause without discomforts of hot flashes, sleeplessness, etc. I used it for about 4 years and am now off it for 6 months.

Astragalus - I used to get chronic bronchitis every time I caught a cold. No more. This herb (which I read about first on Dr. Weil's site) keeps my lungs free of congestion now for 3 years. I'm very happy about this! :D

I also take a mix of Valerian, Passionflower and Hop when I feel anxious, and it always takes the edge off so that it isn't overwhelming.

:hi:


DemEx

[I Have A Dream]

5. Thanks for this information, DemExpat. I have major problems...

with bronchitis. I'm definitely going to look into it. Do you take it only once you get a cold, or do you take it preventatively throughout the winter?

[DemExpat]

8. Since I would have bronchitis year round I initially took it

ongoing - taking a high dose at first for a month or two and then tapering down to a maintenace level....:-)

I take one capsule a day now (of dried herb from an excellent US brand), and not only do I not get bronchitis, but also very rarely do I catch a cold or flu - used to be almost constant for me for a few years....:-(....so it boosts immmunity as well.

I also take a good multi-vitamin/mineral and some extra magnesium/calcium - this seems to work very well for me cause I feel pretty good! :-)

Up your intake of fruits and veggies as well, whole grains, beans, and clean your diet of processed foods except for "special occasions"....so you don't have to feel totally deprived. :D
I limit bread now because I just don't feel good after a bread meal - I save it for a special meal out to eat, for example - and eat meat only a couple of times a week.

My diet isn't as streamlined as I would like it to be - love comforting foods from my youth - but its IMO basically very healthy.

:hug:

DemEx

[bliss_eternal]

6. OMG--DemExpat! Please read this...

This is wonderful synchronicity for me--I'm so glad that you shared your experience!

How long did you have to take the black cohosh to achieve an effect on your symptoms? Had you started experiencing perimenopause or menopausal symptoms prior to starting it? What form do you take the black cohosh in?

The reason I posted asking about alternative therapies is because I think I may be experiencing peri-menopausal symptoms. Over a year ago, I started to feel like my body was on fire (prior to my cycle starting). I felt like I had a fever, but had no actual temperature. After this happened a few months consistently, I started looking for answers. I read that women can start such symptoms (hot flashes) as early as their 30's (which is where I am).

Of course, when I sought the advice of ob/gyns and even my family physician--they ran the usual battery of blood tests and said everything was fine. :banghead:

The heat spells vanished for a while, then returned. On their return, I found books on the subject, one by a nutritionist who has successfully utilized herbs and supplements to treat women in perimenopause. According to her book, it's no wonder the doctors found nothing wrong--they never test hormones in their basic panel of tests.

I decided to utilize the advice on herbs from her book--one of which was black cohosh! So, I'd love to hear your experience with it...

bliss_e:hi:

[DemExpat]

7. Here is more info, Bliss....

I took it after my older sister told me that it helped her very much - I just found a good capsule form, and initially took 6 capsules a day for several months, then cut down to 3.....after some time I felt fine with 2 capsules a day. If I would stop taking them for a couple of weeks, I'd start having the warmth like a little internal heater flare up - never did have sweating.

So, it worked great for my sister and me, while a girlfriend or 2 who tried it on my recommendation didn't help at all....

Cutting down on caffeine is probably a good idea too.

Here are 2 threads from the past here, the first one with a link to a study saying to use Black Cohosh with caution after one relatively small study with negative results for women with cancer:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=245&topic_id=13997#14008

and:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=245&topic_id=9404

Good luck with your early perimenopause! I have a girlfriend who suddenly went into the change at 34, and quite violently at that!

:hug:

DemEx

[bliss_eternal]

12. Thanks so much for the links

that was a great read! Now I'm hoping NJCher will show up and talk to us again about the keishi bukuryo gan--that really piqued my interest.

My "hot flashes" are like you described, warmth, like an internal heater yet simultaneously hot. I felt much hotter than usual, like a fever. I usually don't perspire at all, until this month. It was horrible. One night, while watching tv with my husband I was on fire. I drenched the clothes I was wearing and then felt cold and clammy afterwards. I NEVER want to feel like that again!

Though I am not a coffee drinker, I realized the over the counter aids I sometimes take for my sinus issues (and some pain relievers)frequently contain caffeine--so I'm trying to lay off of those. They may have exacerbated the symptoms I had actually.

I just tried the black cohosh this month, started it a few days ago actually. It's in liquid form with a dropper from Whole Foods Market. I place drops of the black cohosh into a warm/room temperature glass of water. It's probably too soon to tell if it's helping at all. :shrug:

The book I'm reading is great and she recommends quite a few "peri-zappers" as she calls them. So, I'm just going down the list one by one, trying things in order.

[crikkett]

11. My gynecologist swears that calcium deficiencies contribute to

symptoms of PMS and perimenopause. She gave me a xerox of a newspaper article citing a study... I'll dig it out for everyone.

She put me on calcium suppliments and by golly, it really helped me, in so many ways - cramping, unrest building to short bursts of abject misery or unwarranted crankiness, bloating, sweats. My fiancee noticed the change, bless his heart.

Calcium binds, so she also put me on stool softeners which I didn't like. Instead, I took vitamin E and flaxseed oil.

I'm not a pill popper so I went off the supplements and instead started eating more dairy and leafy greens. I also cut back on coffee, which I read leeches calcium.

I know what it feels like to need calcium now, so when I feel it I go back on the suppliments for a week or so and ask for cheesy dinners.

[bliss_eternal]

13. I've read about this, too...

so I'm gradually increasing dosages of this--in addition to trying to get more in my diet.

I just started an item containing flaxseed oil and black curreant seed oil, called the womans oil. You can mix it into your food or drinks and take it that way. I'm hoping it helps with the symptoms I'm experiencing.

As for success with herbs and/or supplements I won't stop taking my evening primrose oil for anything or anyone! LOL! I've experimented with it and when I don't take it I experience a symptom that I hate. When I take it, like magic it goes away--so I take it regularly, it's worth it!

I was seeing an ob/gyn (a woman) that told me I didn't need the herbs and supplements I was taking when I saw her. I stopped taking some of them, and noticed the difference. She administered a horrible pap, so she's fired anyway! LOL!

[crikkett]

10. And thank you!

:hi: