Tag Archives: herbs

A Passion For Herbs

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Our Passion for using herbs at EHP

Have you ever wondered why we at EHP are so passionate about Herbs?

We have personally felt the health benefits of taking herbs for daily health. For example, Alfalfa powder in a breakfast smoothie gives us a daily dose of natural minerals and vitamins. And a daily dose of Sutherlandia for Sue to help increase her habit as she deals with her health issues. The wonderful thing about these herbs and others is that they are safe for most people to use on an almost daily basis. We do, of course, need to take breaks from most herbs so that our bodies continue to gain maximum benefit from them.

A passion for herbs and natural products.

Phytotherapy (Phytotherapy is the practice of using medicines derived from plants or herbs to treat or prevent health conditions) is an ancient form of healing that dates back thousands of years and has been used in most, if not all, cultures. It is said that herbs were used over 6 000 years ago in Iraq. They were used in Medieval Europe. The Egyptian Ebers papyrus of c. 1500 BC is the earliest surviving written account of medicinal herbs from the Middle East. The Vedas from around that time also mentioned herbs in their poems. Hippocrates (460 – 377 BC) the Greek “father of medicine” and The Chinese in the first century wrote the Chinese medical text, the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine and Divine Husbandman’s Classic heralded the beginning of Chinese medicine, This has been refined and developed, and Chinese medicine is still practised today. Dioscorides wrote the first European herbal, De Materia Medica. It listed numerous herbs and their uses.

Drying herbs naturally

Our ancestors observed the effect of plants on animals and experimented on themselves. In doing so, they tested the uses and healing benefits of these herbs. With all that history and experience herbs certainly have enough evidence to back their effectiveness and have led us to believe they are a help when we use them as preventative medicine (Alfalfa and Stinging Nettle are just two examples of herbs that are used to improve our state of wellbeing. This can help prevent us from getting health conditions which are brought on by our modern lifestyle. We believe that herbs are able to restore balance in the body and thus bring about healing.

Herbs are mentioned in the bible as healing herbs and even mentioned in the creation story in Genesis. (Gen 1:11 “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.”) We know that herbs have been used for healing and health for as long as humans have been recording history.

This history is interesting, but why are we passionate about them today? In our modern world, we have become so used to eating fast food, consuming medicines to “fix” us, and leading sedentary lifestyles that place us in positions of dis-ease (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, blocked arteries, heart attacks…The list goes on). We believe that leading the healthiest lifestyle that we possibly can will help prevent us from living lives filled with pain, disease and various health issues.

Alfalfa

Call to action: Would you like to know more about herbs that can help improve your health? Come and speak to us at The Herbalist’s Edge Apothecary, if you live in Durban, or Whatsapp us on 0844590072 and we can set up an online consultation. We speak about health holistically: body, mind and spirit. It includes food choices, supplements, herbs, exercise, and other modalities that may help bring you to your optimal healthy self.

Four Years From Diagnosis With Multiple Myeloma

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It has been one year since I updated you on my very personal journey with Multiple Myeloma. A year that has continued to show me that consistent effort goes a long way in producing success. For me, that success is seen in my blood results being stable and my bones maintaining. In this year, there has only been one more lesion detected on my T8 vertebra. This is a success because the year before that (2020) I had two compress fractures which affected my walking and my lifting of anything heavier than 1kg.

At the beginning of 2021, The oncologist told me that I was playing with my life by not agreeing to have chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant. Other than that my heart and gut were telling me that that was not the route for me, my reading of scientific papers confirmed that because my MM presented itself in my bones, the chemo and marrow transplant would weaken my bones even further, before they had a chance to build up my immune system again. The other factor which has played a major role in my decision is the projected cost of going that route…It was estimated (August 2020) that it would cost in the region of R500 000. From a practical, financial point of view, this would have cost me more than I am able to afford. And…There is no guarantee that it will work…Most people have to have regular bone marrow transplants.

Knowing that from every viewpoint this did not make sense for my circumstances, my choice to bring lifestyle choices into my treatment was done knowing that I had looked at all options available to me at the time.

My decision to request monthly bone strengthening drips was also done with full knowledge of what it could do. I know that it is like filling up my crumbling bones with Polyfilla and not actually healing the bone or bone marrow. And yet, for the past 17 months, it has been helping to ensure that there are no more broken bones.

What have I been doing since my last break to support my healing journey?

It started off with monthly drips, but now, it is every 2nd month. Before I visit the oncologist, blood tests need to be done to keep an eye on my blood count, M-Protein band marker, as well as blood calcium levels, kidney and liver functions. The attached cumulative blood results show what has been tested, as well as the numbers over the months.

If you are interested and think you will find it helpful, please screengrab the picture and enlarge it. If you are not able to view it, please message me via WhatsApp (+27844590072) and I will send it to you.

Supplements

These have basically remained the same, with a few exceptions: (Please note that none of these labels sponsor me/us. They are just what I am using at this time)

  1. Honey oil: 4g pure BHO in a syringe (actually, he does sponsor me in that gives me a discount and in return, I pass his name on to people who need a good quality oil)
  2. Bio-Strath tablets (Nutritional supplement)
  3. Slow Mag (Magnesium to help absorb calcium from food)
  4. Omega 3 (Wild Alaskan)
  5. Zinc/Selenium/Vitamin C (1000mg)/Vitamin D3 (1000iu)
  6. Bio-Curcumin
  7. Lycopene
  8. Tissue salts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8

Herbal extracts in the form of Tinctures

  1. Astragalus (Immune strengthener)
  2. Ginkgo Biloba (Blood thinner and brain booster)
  3. Ashwagandha (Adaptogen: helping with anxiety)
  4. Sutherlandia (Full body tonic)

Pharmaceuticals

  1. Lyrica (Nerve pain)
  2. Stilpayne (Bone pain)
  3. Prednisone-3 weeks every 6 to 12 months (Improve appetite and give some mobility to my left arm)

Food

  1. I have added gluten-free pasta, bread and crackers. This is to help improve my weight.
  2. Lots of vegetables and certain fruits
  3. Protein (including beans)

People

There is no way that I could do this alone. My network of family and friends grows all the time.

  1. Those who help me by sponsoring the supplements.
  2. Giving me lifts to the oncologist for my bone drip.
  3. The friends who give up their time to spend time with me.
  4. The therapists who help my scrambled, anxiety-ridden brain.
  5. My business partners (past and present), who give me leeway when I need to lie down or need a time out.

Gratitude and Joy

  1. Being reminded every day how good it is to be alive.
  2. In the past 2 years, I have become a grandmother twice over. Two beautiful grandsons who I can appreciate and love fully.
  3. A home to live in and work from.
  4. Family and friends.

Thank you for following this journey with me. Every day is an opportunity to live life more fully and love people more completely.

Lots of love, until next time

Sue

Our Way of Life: What can we do to take care of ourselves?

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“The ever-increasing pace that characterises our modern way of life is one of the worst poisons for our heart.” -Alfred Vogel

“As Rosemary is to the Spirit, so Lavender is to the Soul: -Anonymous

Wherever Nomfundo and I are, there are people wondering how they can deal with their stress levels. Our way of life insists that we have to be busy, so busy that even our rest time must be taken up with some activity. Taking time in each day to relax is unheard of, and so people rush from the time they wake up until the time they fall into bed. Or, even more problematic these days, we think that sitting in front of the TV, or playing games on our phones is rest and relaxation. The truth is that these activities overstimulate our brain which stresses our adrenals as they experience all this activity as adrenaline-inducing.

So what do we do about this? How is it possible to slow our pace when life insists that if we don’t keep ahead of the pack, we are going to lose?

Fields of Herbs

My reply to you is… What will you lose if you continue to live in this fast-paced way? Heart failure; Depression; Auto-immune diseases; Cancer… The list is long.

Here are some suggestions:

  1. Take a break every day. Make sure that you take your full hour’s lunch and not in front of your desk. Instead, go and sit in the sunshine; Take a walk; Meditate, or just take time to eat your lunch mindfully.
  2. When your day off comes around, do something fun…Go on a fun run; Go to the beach; Read a book; Visit with friends.
  3. Watch less TV; Spend less time on social media platforms or electronic games. Unplug and Unwind.

Herbs that support our body when we are stressed and anxious:

  1. Adaptogens help our bodies, over time, to cope with stress. One such herb is Ashwaghanda. It is also called Indian Ginseng. It is known to reduce anxiety and bolster the immune system. It seems to enhance the body`s ability to cope with stress. The herb is also known as an Adrenal Gland Tonic as it gradually restores the health of these glands.
  2. Liver herbs are important to include as people are more likely to smoke, drink and overeat on the wrong foods when under stress. Including a herb such as Milk Thistle is important as it is known to help protect the liver and regenerate liver cells.
  3. Sedatives and Calmatives calm frayed nerves, settle anxiety and induce sleep. Valerian is one of the stronger herbal sedatives that can soothe away anxiety, relax tight muscles and relieve pain when given in low doses. St. John’s Wort helps to ease mild depression brought on by over-stress and anxiety. Passion Flower has been known to decrease anxiety and induce sleep. It is known as a toning and strengthening herb for the nervous system particularly when an overactive mind interferes with sleep. Chamomile, Lavender and Lemon Balm are also known to help calm the nerves and gently aid sleep. They are milder than their sisters which are mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph.

As Alfred Vogel states: “If you have been infected by a hurried pace of life that it becomes a habit…the end result will not be what you expect.” Things will not get done well, and people will become more isolated and addicted to opioids and pain killers.

“A steady, persistent and joyful pace of work, and shorter rest periods, are better for our life and our physical and mental health” -Alfred Vogel

With lots of love and times of rest…

Sue and Nomfundo

Herbs and Multiple Myeloma

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Herbs have been an important part of my journey from the beginning of my diagnosis. Herbs are the whole plant, (Using the whole herb means that each component of the whole herb works in synergy with all the others and makes the herb more effective than if only single components were extracted from the herb.) These are herbs that I have used from the beginning. They have helped keep my immune system strong.

Essiac Tea is made up of 4 herbs: Burdock root, Slippery elm, Sheep sorrel and Indian rhubarb root. It is used to improve the status of the immune system.

These four herbs help normalize various body systems by cleansing the blood, purging toxic build up, promoting cell repair and aiding in effective general assimilation and elimination.

Astragalus is an adaptogen and immune stimulant. Adaptogens coordinate and regulate a broad spectrum of biochemical processes. They are innocuous, nonspecific in activity and are a normalizer of functions. I have been taking this in tincture form from the beginning.

Sutherlandia taken as a tincture helps stimulate immune cells to attack cancer cells. This is an adaptogen herb which improves the general metabolism. Amongst other valuable health benefits, it promotes relaxation and better-quality sleep. It also helps with the wasting that is a common occurrence in cancer patients

Ginkgo biloba helps to thin the blood. Multiple Myeloma makes the blood sticky, and this causes problems with clotting. Ginkgo also helps my brain function better as it helps improve blood flow.  

Burdock root tincture – for liver support. But while taking the Essiac tea, it is not necessary to add this tincture.

Dandelion tincture – This has been made from the fresh whole herb. It is full of nutrition and may help reduce inflammation. Multiple Myeloma causes inflammation throughout the body, but it is detected in a blood test in the liver. The dandelion therefore gives the liver support. The liver comes under a lot of stress during this time, so eliminating toxins is important.

Moringa contains proteins, vitamins, and minerals. It is also an antioxidant which helps protect cells from damage. I add the powder to my smoothies, or just put a teaspoon of the powdered herb on my tongue and drink it down with water.

Another important herb was added this year when more bones broke, it strengthens bones, reduces pain and  my anxiety levels which have skyrocketed over the past year. (If you would like to know more about this herb, please message me directly.)

In conclusion, we have found that adding fresh herbs to my food, daily, has also helped strengthen my immune system. These include garlic, ginger, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and chillies.