Since most Americans are overweight yet malnourished, it’s important to think of food as medicine. Herbs and supplements will come to play an even more important roll in health and wellness as the population becomes sicker from the food chain being contaminated. If that sounds alarmist to you then you need to read this and this. We’ll rely on herbs more for detoxification and healing from the damage done to our bodies by the environment.

If the additives, preservatives, chemicals, and other toxins weren’t enough, many people hardly ever eat fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fiber, or healthy fats and proteins. All of this combines to create major health problems for people of all ages. Look at the number of reality shows about weight loss–it’s an epidemic.

As part of the full body approach to health, changing what goes in your mouth is second most important step after changing the way you think. In fact, one of the reasons that herbal supplements work so well for so many people is because taking an herbal supplement gives them nutrition they aren’t getting from their diet.

Using food to help heal your body is not difficult, but it can be mentally and emotionally challenging to change habits so persistence, determination, and self control are necessary.

Begin by cutting out as much simple sugar as you can from your daily eating. Sugar is quite possibly the number one cause of most major health problems today. White flour is another item that needs to be cut from your diet. Try replacing it with stevia. Instead of white flour, start using whole grains. Neither table sugar nor white flour has any nutritional value for your body. They’re starches that we eat too much of.

There are healthy proteins and healthy fats in meat, but consider buying organic since there’s no telling what feed lot animals have been fed. Add fresh vegetables and fruits to your meals. Fresh and raw are best, and organic is essential to help stop the build up of excess chemicals and toxins inside your body. Eating cooked fruits and vegetables is fine too, but the raw ones are the most nutritional for you.

Healing your body using herbal supplements and remedies is yet another part of overall wellness. As mentioned previously, herbs not only have healing properties, but are a great source of vitamins and essential minerals. Using herbal supplements as vitamins is the best way to get started because when you take herbal vitamins you’re making sure your body gets the entire benefit that plant is intended to give.

Synthetic vitamins are often lacking in trace minerals and additional nutrients which herbs have naturally. By using herbs for nutrients you get the full benefit of the interaction of phytonutrients, minerals and vitamins, so using herbal supplements daily tends to give you the best results quickly.

Taking herbal vitamins and supplements should be an important part of your overall wellness routine, but the types of herbal supplements you choose are key. If, for instance, you buy herbal products which are simply synthetic vitamins in disguise, you may be disappointed with your results over time.

Many products are sold on the market today, which are designed to look like natural products. As an example, if you buy odorless garlic, you’re missing out on garlic’s benefit–allicin. Allicin is the chemical produced when garlic is chopped, chewed, or bruised. Allicin is quite powerful as an antibiotic. In fact, it’s said that 1 milligram of allicin has a potency of 15 standard units of penicillin.

Buying one hundred percent natural herbal supplements however, particularly ones which have been grown organically, is the best way to provide your body with the additional nutritional supplements it needs. Natural herbs have a wide variety of vitamins in them naturally, and they often contain trace minerals and nutrients which aren’t often found in synthetic vitamins.

Products which are one hundred percent herbal supplements come in gelatin capsules which can be opened up. If you open that gel cap and shake out the contents, you’ll find dried and crushed or ground herb inside. You can tell by the look, texture and taste that it’s the actual plant material and not some combination pill made in a laboratory.

For overall nutrition and health improvement, two herbs to start with are alfalfa and parsley. These two herbs are excellent all around sources of vitamins. Parsley is rich with Vitamin C. In fact, it contains three times more than Citrus fruits do. It also comes packed with iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium and much, much more.

Alfalfa is also packed with a large number of essential vitamins and nutrients. This herb also helps your body assimilate and use other plant based foods too, so it’s an excellent one to take when you want to make sure your body is getting the most of the new healthy foods and supplements you’re providing it.

In August 2008, comedien Bernie Mac aka the King of Comedy died at the young age of 50. Mac had worked in the industry for years but his career had begun to reach new heights with blockbusters like Bad Santa and Oceans Eleven. Mac struggled with the autoimmune disease sarcoidosis and died from complications of that and pneumonia. His death is somewhat controversial since it’s believed his doctors treated him with immune system suppressing drugs. Whatever the cause of Mac’s death, there are lessons to be learned about our own health.

Your body is a battleground. Everyday your immune system battles bacteria, fungi, and viruses. If your immune system is strong, you never have a clue; however, if it’s not up to the challenge, you can experience a range of symptoms from lethargy to an infection that requires medical support. Taking herbal supplements is an excellent way to help boost your body’s immune system.

Herbal supplements are simply dried plants which are then put into a gel capsule for easy swallowing. The bonus with herbs is that not only do they have medicinal properties, but nutritional value as well. They are very much a condensed version of vegetables and fruits without the calories. Since herbs have medicinal and nutritional benefit, it’s easy to see why some folks consider herbal supplements to be super foods.

Most herbs are excellent sources of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. Kelp, parsley, and alfalfa are excellent choices for herbs that also pack a full complement of vitamins and minerals. Kelp is high in natural iodine and iron. Iodine helps regulate your thyroid which in turn helps fight off germs, bacteria, and viruses in your body. This makes kelp a natural immune boosting herb for your body. Kelp is also quite high in calcium, potassium, magnesium and other trace minerals too, and it’s an excellent source for most of the B vitamins as well.

Alfalfa is another power-packed herb which can really boost your body’s immune system. This herb is a rich source of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, and other trace elements our bodies need. It also contains essential amino acids, has the highest chlorophyll content of any plant, and it’s also a source of carotene and Vitamin K.

Many people think of parsley as just a garnish and leave it on the plate uneaten. What a waste! Parsley is very high in Vitamins A, B, and C. In fact, parsley has three times as much vitamin C in it as citrus, and the Vitamin A it contains stimulates the body’s immune system. Parsley is also a source of iron and is high in potassium too.

You may think of dandelion as a weed, but it is another herb rich in vitamins and minerals, and it’s an especially good source of calcium. If you take non-herbal vitamin C supplements for longer than three or four days, your body could become depleted in calcium so you’ll need to supplement that.

If you’re averse to swallowing pills, try emptying a your capsules into the blender when you make smoothies or juice veggies. Another option is to mix them into dips, soups, or stews. A small amount goes a long way.

Reference: The Immune System Cure | Bernie Mac Another Casualty of Conventional Medicine?

Most herbal knowledge is in the public domain and accessible to everyone. There is no great fortune to be made with herbal remedies, unless exclusive patent to an herb is possible. Big pharmacy research companies make their money on the stolen patented drugs they create, and natural substances cannot be patented, or can they?

One disturbing trend is for pharmaceutical companies to get exclusive patents to an herb and completely disenfranchise the culture out of which it came. Many people have started looking for alternative approaches to medicine, wellness, and health care due to the prohibitive costs of prescription drugs and the dangerous side effects experienced with synthetic drugs.

Many people grew up on home remedies. Their mother or grandmother would do seemingly strange things such as boiling a potato for arthritis or putting marigolds on varicose veins.

Of course, herbal and alternative healing practices take a completely different approach than modern medical science usually does. Most prescription medications available today are designed to treat specific symptoms of a disease or condition. They don’t want to cure the problem, because they wouldn’t be able to continue selling drugs to people if they get better.

The herbal approach to health however, is all about healing. Herbal remedies take a whole body approach and attempt to actually correct, reverse, or cure the health related problem. There are herbal substances which can address symptoms only, such as using White Willow for pain relief. But the true herbal remedy approach usually involves figuring out what’s causing the health problems, and making corrections the body needs to health itself entirely.

Some things you’ll learn about herbal and alternative remedies may sound quite strange. Sometimes things you’re told to do in order to heal yourself even sound disgusting and repulsive too. So using herbal and alternative remedies to start healing yourself requires an open mind, a desire to learn, and the willingness to give things a try.

Most general consumers don’t really know how to use herbal remedies and supplements properly, so learning about this is critical to your healing success. Many people also don’t realize that herbs are not magic, and they can create unwanted side effects. Some herbs such as Lobelia for instance, work very well to calm and soothe frazzled nerves. If taken in large doses however, this herb will induce vomiting.

This is just one example of many you’ll start learning about as you study herbal and alternative remedy options to improve the overall health and wellness of your body.

Plantain (Plantago major, L., aka. Plantago Major, Ripple Grass, Wagbread and White Man’s Foot) is one of the world’s most common herbs. It offers many healthy benefits. Known as the “Mother of Herbs,” plantain grows on most lawns, along with dandelion and grass. It is the easy to identify because it has leaves with parallel veins. Most plants have leaves with veins that fork outward from a central midrib. Plantain does not have a blossom, it only has a compact seed head that shoots upward and turns from green to brown as the seeds mature.

Plantain is a first-choice remedy for many skin ailments, all parts of the plant, including the seeds, are edible.

The herb plantain is not related to the cooking banana, often known as a Mexican or Spanish banana.

The plantain herb is helpful for incontinence in children and elderly adults. It is an excellent astringent to stop bleeding and promote healing of cuts, skin infections and poison ivy. The root of plantain can be chewed to ease the pain of toothaches.

It is safe and effective, for bee stings, bleeding, bruises, insect bites, hemorrhoids, and itchy skin. When used as an appetite suppressant, it has been found that it also lowers cholesterol.

Plantain can be used as poultice, you can chop a plantain leaf with a knife or other sharp instrument, add a little water and apply it to a wound. For an emergency treatment when camping or at the park you can make a poultice for insect bites and bee stings from the leaves of the plantain plant by chewing a plantain leaf, put it on the wound, and cover it with a band-aid or strip of cloth to hold it in place. A plantain poultice can also be used for drawing out splinters, thorns or glass shards.

According to “The Little Herb Encyclopedia,” by Jack Ritchason, “It is used to treat hemorrhoids, snakebites and coughs. Plantain is an excellent remedy in kidney and bladder problems and an effective remedy for poisonous bites and stings. The poison of fresh stings is extracted rapidly (often within an hour’s time) by the use of a Plantain poultice (179).”

Furthermore, Ritchason write of the particular elements of the plantain plant and their effects on specific organs: “The actions of the main glycoside of Plantain, aucubin, helps heal bladder infections and stomach ulcers. An important constituent of the leaves in the Plantago genus is tannin and is an astringent which tightens tissues (179).”

Plantain oil is easy to make and is an essential, natural replacement for commercial antibiotic creams.

Recipe for Plantain Oil:

Harvest the green plantain leaves, clean them in cool water and dry off all moisture. Tightly pack the leaves into a clean, dry jar. Completely cover the leaves with olive oil. Place the jar out of direct sunlight and keep at room temperature for six weeks. Every day for the first week, top off the oil so that it completely covers the leaves. After six weeks, strain out the plant material and the plantain oil is now ready for use. Transfer the oil to brown bottles, preferably, or a glass jar away from direct sunlight.

Though hormonal imbalances can often be corrected with proper vitamins and nutrition, there are other herbal remedies and supplements which are used specifically for their natural hormonal properties.

Red Raspberry is an herb often used in tea form, which works wonderfully for a variety of common female problems. In fact, red raspberry is such an excellent general female herb that it’s often used as the basis for any female herbal remedy mixture, and all women should regularly keep this herb on hand.

Red raspberry helps strengthen the entire female reproductive system, especially the walls of the uterus. It also helps reduce heavy menstrual flows and painful cramps, as well as prevent or reduce hemorrhaging during childbirth. Many pregnant women have had success using Red raspberry as a remedy for morning sickness, and it will increase the milk production in nursing mothers.

Black Cohosh is an excellent natural treatment for hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms, particularly when combined with other female herbs. Black Cohosh is a herbal source of natural estrogen and it does not provide the same side effects and dangers of synthetic estrogens.

This herb also helps regulate menstrual blood flows, and when combined with Ginger, Black Cohosh can also help relieve painful menstrual cramps. Ginger alone is an herb to use for suppressed menstruation.

Black cohosh has even more health benefits. It helps stimulate the secretions from the liver, kidneys, and lymph glands, as well as helping to break up mucus in your head, lungs, and sinus cavities.

Some women can get headaches from taking too much black cohosh. If this happens, simply reduce the amount of herb you’re using. The headache will go away on its own in a few hours.

Sarsaparilla is a hormone balancing herb which works wonderfully for both men and women. It’s a natural source of progesterone, testosterone, and cortin, plus it stimulates the action of estrogen in women.

Kelp is often used for female hormonal problems too, because it provides a wide variety of vitamins and nutrition, but it also helps stimulate the various glands in the body. Kelp is particularly helpful in regulating the thyroid, and it’s a natural source of iron, calcium and iodine. All of these are particularly important for women during menstruation, especially if you tend to have heavy blood flows.

It’s said that menstrual blood contains 40% more calcium than other blood, so getting plenty of calcium is extremely important for women during their periods. Another particularly good herb for this is Chlorophyll. Chlorophyll can be found in herbs such as Alfalfa and Parsley.