Page 123 - Lost Book Remedies

The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies

Diabetes: Prickly pear cactus is beneficial to the pan- All Inflammatory Diseases: The juice is indi-
creas, which is vital to insulin production. By restoring cated for all inflammatory diseases including skin dis-
pancreal health, it helps balance blood sugar. eases like psoriasis, eczema, and hives.
Heart Disease, Cholesterol and Circula- Harvesting: Harvesting prickly pear must be done
tion: The anti-inflammatory benefits assist in the re- carefully due to their small, hairy spines. Dress in thick
duction of plaques in the arteries and veins, reducing long sleeves, long pants, boots, and gloves. I use tongs
the chances of heart disease. Pickly pear juice also re- to pick the ripe fruit and leaves and place them care-
duces cholesterol and enhances blood circulation to all fully into a basket for processing.
parts of the body. After collection, I hold the fruit or leaf pad over a flame

Muscle Soreness and Fatigue: The high vita- and burn the spines off completely, charring the skin.
min and other nutrient levels combined with the health When they cool, I peel off the skin. Some people use
properties of prickly pear make it an excellent choice sandpaper to remove the spines, but I prefer charring.
for the treatment of fatigue and muscle soreness
caused by injury or over use.

Prunella vulgaris, a cluster of upright stems. The leaves have white hairs
on the underside along the center vein. The leaf mar-
Self-Heal gins may be smooth or edged with blunt teeth. The root
is a fibrous rhizome with a root crown and spreads
Self-heal, Prunella vulgaris, is also known as wound through creeping stems that take root.
root, woundwort, and heal-all. This low-growing plant Edible Use: The young leaves and stems of self-heal
attracts butterflies and bees. It belongs to the Lami- are edible. They make a good addition to salads or can
aceae (Mint) Family. I often find self-heal along road- be boiled and eaten as a potherb. The aerial parts of the
sides and waste-places, but I prefer to harvest it from plant can be dried, powdered, and brewed into a cold
the edges of woodlands or grow my own in my garden.
tea.
Medicinal Use: The plant is nutritional and medic-
inal. It contains a number of vitamins, minerals, anti-
inflammatories, and antioxidants. It is most famous
for its use in treating cold sores, but it is also useful in
treating a number of internal and external ailments. It
is anti-inflammatory, antiviral, astringent, demulcent,
hypotensive, immunomodulating, and vulnerary
(healing). I usually use it as a complementary herb, us-
ing it in conjunction with other more powerful herbs.
The entire plant is medicinal but the flowers, stems,
and leaves are most commonly used.

Cold Sores and Genital Herpes: Self-heal
treats both herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1 causes cold
sores) and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2 causes geni-
Identification: Self-heal is a perennial plant that tal herpes). This herb has anti-viral properties. It pre-
grows 4 to 20 inches (10 cm to 50 cm) tall and produces vents the virus from infecting host cells as well as re-
small flowers from April to June and fruit from June to ducing outbreaks.
August. Each flower has a light purple upper lip and a Diabetes: Self-heal works to reduce insulin sensitiv-
whitish, fringed lower lip and a light green or reddish ity in diabetes and pre-diabetes. It helps normalize
calyx that is hairy on the edges. Its fruit has 4 tiny blood sugar levels and prevents the development of
seeds. Opposite leaves are lance-shaped and 1 to 3
inches (2.5 cm to 7.5 cm) long, growing on a single or
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