Kitchen Medicines

[Guest guest]

Kitchen Medicines

 

The common culinary herbs and spices so often added to food for

flavor

also have considerable healing properties and it is likely that they

were added to foods in the first place for this reason. Most herbal

spices are carminatives (preventing and relieving gas), stimulants

and

aid to digestion. Many of them are also used to relieve nervousness,

spasms and coldness. They are often regarded as 'crisis medicine',

being useful for the first acute stages of disease.

 

ANiSE (Pimpinella anisum) - useful for breaking up mucus and is thus

used for hard dry coughs where expectoration is difficult. A tea is

made by adding a cup of boiled water to three teaspoonfuls of

crushed

seeds, steeping for twenty minutes, and sweetening with a little

honey.

This tea will also stimulate the production of mother's milk. The

seeds may also be smoked or added to a couph syrup formula. It is

also

used to treat flatulence and colic.

 

BASiL (Ocimum basilicum) - Sweet basil is good to use as a tea for

indigestion, fevers, colds, flu, kidney and bladder troubles,

headaches, cramps, nausea, vomiting, constipation and nervous

conditions. A tea made with one ounce of basil leaves to a pint of

water simmered for twenty minutes with three powdered black

peppercorns per cup will be effective for most fevers.

 

BAY (Laurus nobilis) - The bay tree was dedicated by the ancient

Greeks

to Apollo and Aesculapius, the god of medicine. One or two bay

leaves

added to soup and beans improves the flavor and helps prevent gas

and

indigestion. Too strong to used in large amounts internally, the

leaves can be applied as a poultice on the chest with a cloth

covering

to relieve bronchitis and coughs. Oil of bay, which is made by

heating

the leaves in a little olive oil, can be applied with great benefit

to

rheumatic and arthritic aches and pains, as well as sprains and

swellings.

 

BLACK PEPPER (Piper nigrum) - an excellent remedy to take at the

first

sign of most diseases. Yogis consider black pepper to be one of

nature's

most perfect foods and useful as both a cure and a preventative,

taking

a dose of seven peppercorns ground (one eighth teaspoon powder) and

mixed with honey each morning. This mixture is useful to overcome

cold

mucus diseases and sor throats.

 

CiNNAMON (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) - is used to warm the organs to

treat

chronic diarrhea, cramps, heart and abdominal pains, coughing,

wheezing,

lower back pain. It is effective used as a tincture given every

fifteen

minutes or so to stop bleeding from the uterus. Simmered in milk and

taken with a little honey, cinnamon is very effective for

indigestion,

gas, diarrhea and dysentry.

 

CLOVES (Syzygium aromaticum) - increasing circulation, improving

digestion and treating flatulence, vomiting, and nausea. Oil of

cloves

gives quick relief for toothaches, and cloves may simply be chewed

for

this purpose.

 

CORiANDER (Coriandrum sativum) - Steeped in tea, it is a useful to

relieve fevers (a small amount of black pepper may be added). Use

two

teaspoons off crused seeds in a cup of boiled water and steep twenty

minutes. Coriander is added to laxative formulas to help prevent

griping (cramping.)

 

CUMiN (Cuminum cyminum) - One of the best spices to prevent and

relieve

gas. Cumin is of benefit to the heart and the uterus and is given to

women after childbirth to increase breast milk.

 

GARLiC (Allium sativum) - What doesn't it cure? *g* Use in the

treatment of all lung ailments, for high and low blood pressure,

against

parasites and infections, for headaches and nervous disorders.

Onions

work similarly and are often used in combination with garlic. To

preserve the beneficial aspects of garlic it should not be boiled.

The

fresh juice is the most effective preparation. For nervous spasms,

cramps and seizures, crush one clove of garlic in a glass of hot

milk.

For high blood pressure, take one clove of garlic each morning.

 

Prepare oil of garlic by placing eight ounces of peeled minced

garlic in

a wide-mouthed jar with enough olive oil to cover. Close tightly and

shake a few times each day; allow to stand in a warm place for three

days. Press and strain through an unbleached muslin cloth and store

in

a cool place.

 

For colds, flus, fevers and infectious diseases, take one teaspood

of

oil every hour. For earaches, insert a few drops in the ear with a

wad

of cotton. For aches, sprains and minor skin disorders rub the oil

directly on the affected area.

 

Prepare a syrup of garlic by placing one pound of peeled minced

garlic

in a wide-mouthed two quart jar and almost fill the jar with equal

parts

apple cider vinegar and distilled water. Cover and let stand in a

warm

place for four days, shaking a few times each day. Add one cup of

glycerine and let stand another day. Strain, and with pressure,

filter

the mixture through a muslin cloth. Add one cup of honey and stir

until

thoroughly mixed. Store in a cool place.

 

For coughs, colds, sore throats, bronchial congestion, high or low

blood

pressure, heart weakness and nervous disorders, take one tablespoon

of

the syrup three times a day, before meals.

 

GiNGER (Zingiber offinale) - Ginger tea, made by grating one ounce

fresh

root and simmering ten minutes in a pint of water, is used to

indigestion, cramps, and nausea. Taken with honey and lemon, it is

an

exellent treatment for colds and flus. Ginger root should always be

added to meat dishes to help the intestines detoxify the meat.

Squeeze

out the juice of fresh grated ginger and combine with equal parts

olive

or sesame oil to produce an oil that can be massaged into the skin

for

relief of muscle pain. The oil can also be applied to the head for

dandruff, and a few drops on a wad of cotton inserted into the ear

is

good for treating earaches.

 

MARJORAM (Origanum majorana) - the tea, made with one-half ounce

majoram

steeped in a pint of boiling water, is used for upset stomach,

headache,

colic. It can be used for cramps and nausea associated with

menstruation, and for severe cases of abdominal cramps. It may help

seasickness. Oil of marjoram can be used externally to relieve aches

and pains. Added to the bath, it relieves insomnia.

 

MUSTARD SEED (Brassica nigra) - in large doses, mustard seed is

emetic... Internally, a teaspoonful of crushed seeds in warm water

acts

as a mild laxative and blood purifier, but a tablespoonful acts as a

quick emetic. (emetic - induces vomiting) The mustard plaster is

made

by mixing powdered mustard with cold water to make a thick paste.

The

paste is spread on a cotton cloth. Another thin cloth is placed on

the

skin and the mustard cloth placed over it. It should remain on the

skin

until the skin reddens and a burning sensation is felt. Remove it,

and

wash the skin. Used for aches, sprains, spasms.

 

NUTMEG (Myristica fragans) - a small amount, about the size of a

pea,

can be taken once daily over a long period to relieve chronic

nervous

disorders and heart problems. Large doses can be poisonous and may

cause miscarriage.

 

ROSEMARY (Rosmarinus officinalis) - of great benefit in treating

headaches and may be used as a substitute for aspirin. It is high in

calcium and thus of great benefit to the entire nervous system. A

tea

is made by adding one-half ounce rosemary to a pint of boiled water

and

steeping for ten minutes in a covered vessel. Rosemary is also good

for

the hair and scalp - use a cooled, strong tea as a rinse after

shampoo.

Rosemary is smoked with coltsfoot leaves to treat asthma and mucous

congestions of the lungs and throat.

 

SAGE (Salvia officianlis) - is used for excessive perspiration,

night

sweats, clear vaginal discharge, and to stop the flow of milk. It is

also useful for diarrhea, dysentery, the early stages of cold and

flu,

sinus congestion, and bladder infections. A tea is made using

one-quarter ounce of the herb in a pint of boiled water, steeping in

a

covered vessel for ten minutes. It should not be used for more than

a

week at a time, but during this period it may be taken up to three

times

daily. When combined with rosemary, peppermint and wood betony, it

is

effective for headaches. A half cup of the infusion, made from equal

parts of the herbs (one ounce per pint of water), is taken every two

hours until relief is obtained. Sage tea is also used as a gargle

for

sore throats and ulcerations of the mouth.

 

THYME (Thymus vulgaris) - Thyme is important as a parasiticide for

intestinal worms. It is frequently used as a tea for bronchial

problems

such as acute bronchitis, whooping cough, and laryngitis. An ounce

of

the herb is steeped in one pint of boiled water and then strained

and

sweetened with honey. It is also of great benefit for the treatment

of

diarrhea, chronic gastritis and lack of appetite. It should not be

used

in large amounts, one ounce being adequate for a daily dose taken as

tea. Externally, its antiseptic properties make it a useful mouth

wash

and cleansing wash for the skin. It will destroy fungal infections

such

as athlete's foot and skin parasites such as scabies, crabs and

lice.

For these purposes, a tincture made from four ounces of thyme to a

pint

of alcohol, or the essential oil, is used.