Have a Healthy, Herbal Christmas

Victoria Lambert reveals the medicinal properties of ten seasonal plants.

From the holly and the ivy to mistletoe and myrrh, it wouldn't be the festive season without traditional plants. But increasingly doctors think they could offer practical benefits year round.

James Wong, an ethnobotanist and presenter of this week's festive edition of BBC Two's Grow Your Own Drugs, says: "The natural benefits of our favourite Christmas plants are being uncovered all the time. But we can learn a lot from the past, too. Cherokee Indians, for instance, used to drink an infusion of spruce needles to help them stave off scurvy and keep the airways open."

However, you need to be careful when building a festive apothecary – mistletoe, for instance, is highly poisonous to humans. "You might want to stick to mince pies," says Wong. "You can't go far wrong with a dose of nutmeg and cinnamon." Read more

Always Listen to Your Liver

Dr. Janet Starr Hull explains the importance of a healthy liver and how to be good to it with natural remedies.

Your liver is the largest internal organ in your body and it houses more blood than your heart. A threat to the health of your liver typically means a threat to your overall health.

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So, be good to your liver. Eat whole foods, drink lots of pure water and liquids that do not have man-made chemicals added, and supplement your diet with key nutrients (such as Dong Quai, calcium D-glucarate, and dandelion) that aid liver health. Taking care of your liver can regenerate liver tissue, protect your liver from free radical damage, reduce liver congestion, which supports other organs directly linked to the liver, and improves your immune function. Read more

Natural Remedies Can Really Work

Natural remedies can really work for curing many illnesses and for relieving the symptoms of many others. Science has in fact been inspired many times by natural remedies to come up with the wonder drugs of our modern age. Penicillin for example began as a natural remedy. The root ingredient of penicillin is a type of mold that forms on bread.

Another natural remedy that most have heard of all their lives is chicken soup to cure, or at least relieve the symptoms of, the common cold. Chicken soup as a natural remedy isn’t a wonder drug, but it does contain nutrients that help strengthen the immune system and will help the body fight the cold. Simply gaining some strength through eating will sick makes a person feel better and seems to relieve some symptoms.

Another natural remedy commonly used in our society is aloe vera, a plant. The juice from the leaves of the aloe vera plant when crushed can help in the curing of minor burns and abrasions and help cure eczema. Aloe vera is a natural remedy that doubles as a beautiful houseplant.

The more modern science discovers natural remedies common to folk people of European and Asian countries, and the indigenous people of many third world nations, the more truth they find in their curative abilities. Most cities have several good health food stories with knowledgeable clerks who can explain many of the natural remedies that they carry. Even large health food store chains, and some pharmacies and large discount stores carry natural remedies on their shelves due to the growing popularity of holistic health approaches. Natural remedies today are seen as alternative medicine, but years ago, they were seen as the only medicine available, and millions of people have benefited from their use.

Natural remedies for reduction of swelling include drinking pineapple juice, chamomile tea, comfrey, white oak bark, mugwort, dill, and oregano. All of these natural remedies work to reduce swelling when used as beverages. Boils, a problem for many people have their own natural remedies. Poultices made from sage or ground mustard were natural remedies used by native Americans for centuries and are sometimes recommended by health care professionals today.

There are many natural remedies available for most ailments and discovering the wonders of natural remedies can improve a person’s life in many ways.