Onlinepharmanews. Health News

In the Middle Ages, women must have often sat talking and exchanged advice on all sorts of subjects. The medical practitioner often lived miles away from a hamlet or fortified castle and there were no telephones to summon him or her. Sometimes it might have happened that some young noblewoman was unable to give her new-born baby sufficient milk and, often within the walls of the castle itself, some wise old woman would be found to give advice. Later, a young girl would be hustled through the gates and over the drawbridge with orders to find some pimpernel roots somewhere outside. Having been well washed, these roots would be placed in the noblewoman’s bosom and within 6-8 hours there would be so much milk that the pimpernel roots would have to be quickly removed and thrown away.

Thus, old stories and records tell us of the wonderful effect produced by the little pimpernel. Today we have other remedies that may be easier to come by and apply (for example Ricinus communis 3x) but wherever the pimpernel may be found, it should prove to be as great a help as it was in days of old. Nursing mothers might try to discover whether its effect is as good as the old records say it is.

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Papaya stimulates the pancreas and helps to digest protein. If you happen to indulge in too much protein, eat some papaya and you will find that the feeling of fullness and listlessness disappears in a matter of minutes. No wonder, then, that Papayasan, which is made from papaya leaves and the juice of unripe fruits, is such a helpful natural product. In fact, Papayasan has proved to be an excellent remedy for a range of pancreatic problems, including fatty stools caused by insufficiency of the pancreas, even typical pancreatitis. Papayasan should preferably be taken in conjunction with Kelpasan because of the latter’s potassium iodide content. Diabetics will benefit from Papayasan too, since it is a great aid in digesting fat and protein. Anyone who suffers from diabetes should take two Papayasan tablets after every meal and will be delighted at the effect of this natural remedy.

If you intend to travel to a subtropical or tropical region, even if only for a short visit or vacation, do not forget to take some Papayasan with you. Remember, two tablets after every meal can save you from a lot of trouble. It is much better to pay a little attention to your body and care for your health than fall victim to amoebic dysentery or some stubborn worm infection and the bothersome consequences.

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Although a certain German pharmaceutical company mentions the use of only ripe papaya in their product, the real medicinal effect is not obtained from ripe fruits. The curative properties, especially papain, are found in the unripe fruit, the seeds and leaves. Papain can be obtained by scratching the skin of unripe fruits. Immediately, a white juice oozes from the incision, similar to latex in a rubber tree. Left to dry, this milky juice becomes a yellowish rubbery substance – raw papain. This is an excellent remedy, employed to deal with two specific problems. First of all, it kills – or rather, digests – all intestinal parasites that usually settle in the large and small intestines. So if you eat a piece of papaya leaf after every meal, as I used to do, you will not be plagued by troublesome worms. You can also chew and swallow a teaspoonful of the black seeds for the same purpose. This simple preventative measure, if taken regularly, will keep you free from infections too.

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It is interesting to note that wherever there are dangers to our health nature provides a local means of resistance or remedy. Papaya thrives in hot and humid tropical regions. I came across some marvellous specimens in Lagunas, where the trees grew to about 3-4 m (about 10-13 feet), the trunk to a diameter of about 20—25 cm (8-10 inches), bearing 20—25 fruits, which hang on the trunk between the axils of the large leaves. The ripe yellow fruits hang more towards the bottom of the tree; further up they are still green and unripe. They look like melons, are hollow inside and full of small, black, moist, round seeds. The active substance of papaya is to be found mainly in the unripe fruits and in the skin of the ripe ones, but this skin is usually peeled off and thrown away. The fruit pulp is yellow or pinkish, with an unusual taste, which it may take a while to become accustomed to.

As I suggested above, the fruit aids the digestion, so make it a habit to eat a slice after meals if you are visiting the tropics. The strong taste is less noticeable when papaya is mixed in a fruit salad together with pineapple, bananas and mangoes. It also helps to add a little lemon juice. Incidentally, papaya and pineapple mixed together in a blender make a tasty and refreshing drink.

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Every time I see papaya fruits on display in a shop I remember the time I spent in Lagunas, on the Maranon river. It was there that I acquired the habit of looking for a papaya plant after every meal. I would break off a leaf and eat some of it to aid the digestion and as a prophylactic, even if it was only a piece the size of a large coin. It may even be possible that my regular chewing of papaya leaves may have seen to it that the many kinds of parasites did not really bother me on my repeated travels in the tropics, even though I may have swallowed them with my food. True, I was always very careful, but even so, dangerous amoebas, hookworms, oxyurias, ascarids, whipworms and many other parasites, are rampant in the tropics and multiply rapidly, laying millions of eggs. There are some that draw blood from the intestinal linings; others cause inflammation, even abscesses and ulcers. They penetrate the liver and as a direct or indirect consequence thousands of victims die, often literally wasting away.

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The resulting oat drink is a wonderful tonic which, if taken regularly over a period of time, will calm and regenerate the nervous system, giving it new energy. Its use is also recommended for diabetics.

Even after the oats have been harvested the straw can be used to make an infusion, although it is not as potent as the juice from the green oats. Still, it will be found quite effective in cases of catarrh, coughs and febrile conditions. A decoction of oat straw added to the bath water is especially good for children whose skin function needs stimulating.

There are still other uses for oats, for even the grains make an excellent tea. If you cannot find gleanings in the field, use the oat grain together with the husk, as fed to horses. Sweeten the tea as you would the oat drink described above. It has a tonic effect, and if taken when the mucous membranes of the stomach or intestines are inflamed, it is a superb soothing remedy.

Homoeopathy employs the freshly pressed juice from the green oats for its outstanding nerve remedy Avena sativa, which is the Latin name for the oat plant. This remedy is particularly useful for children and sensitive people. The same extract, together with the extract of Korean ginseng, is used to make the reliable nerve tonic for adults called Ginsavena.

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It is common knowledge that horses derive their strength largely from eating oats. They are nourishing for people too. Whenever we have an upset stomach we most likely take oatmeal gruel or porridge, for this will usually correct the trouble. As a food oats are good for man and beast, but that is not all: oats are also a wonderful remedy. Even in its earliest stages, when the oat plant is just a tall grass, it has remarkable healing powers. Few people realise that when the ears are just beginning to form, when it is juicy and breaking into flower, this green grass is at its richest in avenin, which is unsurpassed as a nutrient for the cells of the nervous system.

You can prepare a perfect nerve food at home simply by putting the flowering oats through a mincer, or by chopping them up in some other way. Cover the green mash with warm water and let it stand for about two minutes. Then strain and sweeten with honey, unrefined sugar, grape sugar or grape concentrate. The green oats can also be put through the mincer together with raisins or currants, then covered with warm water and strained as before. In this way they will be sweetened during preparation.

When the green oat plant is about 40-50 cm (15-20 inches) high it is usable for this oat drink, and is most potent during the flowering period. As long as the grains are juicy the oats can be used for this tonic.

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Every day he gave her the juice of raw nettles, or added finely chopped nettles to her soup. Now, a year later, to the astonishment of her doctors, this man’s wife had regained her health. I myself was just as surprised as the 300 members of my audience. I do admit that the daily nettle hunt and the trouble of putting them through the mincer to extract the juice is quite an effort. However, it is worthwhile considering that it can help a sick person to regain health.

Young nettles can be finely chopped and sprinkled on soup as a garnish or added to salads. Since the juice is not very tasty it is better to mix it in with whichever soup you prefer – vegetable, potato or oatmeal. A tablespoon per day for an adult and a half to one teaspoon for a child has sufficient medicinal properties to take effect. For an infant, 5-10 drops of the extract each day, added to different dishes of mashed foods should suffice. If you want to profit from at least part of this healthy remedy and at the same time enjoy a pleasant vegetable dish, you can also steam young nettles in oil with a little onion. This will give you an excellent spinach-like dish that goes well with mashed or saute potatoes, besides being tasty. So make it a point to search out the places where you can gather nettles; only pick the young shoots and you will be able to have nettles on your menu for months.

Perhaps some of my readers feel that they have no time to look for and prepare these wild plants and would prefer to buy the juice ready-made. Of course they can do this; but no prepared medicine – even an extract from fresh plants – can have as good an effect as the extracted juice from a plant freshly gathered or the fresh plant used by itself.

The calcium complex Urticalcin contains Urtica, which is the Latin name for nettles. As the name implies, Urticalcin is a compound containing various kinds or combinations of calcium, with the addition of fresh nettles. The way in which homoeopathy makes use of nettles will be explained in the section on ‘Homoeopathic remedies’.

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It is most appropriate that nature has given this plant the protection of stinging exterior. Without it, we would probably never have the opportunity to benefit from its healing power. Animals, with their instinctive knowledge of what is good for them, would not leave us even one leaf.

The stinging nettle is rich in calcium, phosphorus, iron and other important minerals. It also belongs to the small category of plants that contain vitamin D. We already know that this vitamin is important in the development of the bones as well as for the assimilation of calcium. That is why eating raw nettles, either pulped or in the form of nettle juice, has a quick and reliable effect on rickets.

Many years ago I gave a lecture in Winterthur and mentioned that the stinging nettle was a wonderful help to those suffering from tuberculosis or weak lungs. A year later, I again delivered a lecture in that same hall. This time, a man from the audience stood up and announced in front of everybody that he had heard me describe the marvellous healing powers of the stinging nettle the previous year. His wife was then at home ill with tuberculosis of the lungs. Since her doctors could hold out no real hope of a cure, he began giving his wife food that was rich in calcium.

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In the spring, when the snow has melted and the warm wind thaws the ground, life once again begins to stir in Mother Nature’s womb. On sunny slopes, steep paths and even on disused refuse heaps, the green, finely serrated leaves of the nettle appear. Hardly anyone notices it, but it quietly grows while using its juices to produce a medicine that can bring health to many, and even save lives. If only people knew about the benefits of this plant and used it. Many a sufferer of tuberculosis would not have died had he but gone out of his way to gather nettles and avail himself of their goodness. How many children might have had their waxen looks changed and their red cheeks restored, if only their parents had realised what wonderful medicinal value the despised nettle has ta offer! Much hard-earned money would not clink unnecessarily into the pharmacist’s till, if young nettles were used as a restorative every spring.

No other plant can equal the nettle as a remedy for anaemia, chlorosis, rickets, scrofula, respiratory diseases and, especially, lymphatic problems.

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