Page 296 - Lost Book Remedies

The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies

Allergies: Local raw honey may help with seasonal Additionally, replacing sugar with honey lowers tri-
allergies. I use it in conjunction with stinging nettle glyceride levels, which are associated with insulin re-
tincture. sistance and type 2 diabetes.
Lowers Blood Pressure: When used moderately, Warning: Never give raw honey to an infant or child
in place of sugar, honey may help lower blood pressure. under 1 year old. Their immature immune systems
Because of its antioxidant compounds, modest blood cannot handle the botulism spores, where older chil-
pressure reductions can occur when reducing sugar dren and adults have a natural immunity.
use and replacing it with a small amount of honey. In- While honey is considered a “healthy” sugar, it is still a
stead of sucrose, honey is made up of glucose and fruc- sugar and should be used in moderation. It will affect
tose, and has a lower glycemic index than sugar. blood sugar and contains the same calories as sugar.
Lowers Cholesterol and Triglycerides: High Choose high quality, raw honey. Lower quality brands
LDL-cholesterol is a strong risk factor for heart disease may be mixed with syrup and may contain very little
and plays a major role in atherosclerosis. Honey can honey. Unless your honey is marked as “raw”, assume
improve cholesterol levels, lowering the dangerous that it has been pasteurized.
LDL-cholesterol and increasing the beneficial HDL-
cholesterol ratio.

Turmeric/Curcumin

Turmeric is a spice used to give flavor and color to
curry and other foods. It has many known medicinal
uses, most derived from the curcuminoid compounds
it contains. The main active ingredient in turmeric is
curcumin and some brands list the curcumin content
on the label, usually around 3% by weight. You can also
buy curcumin extracts.

Turmeric, because of its curcumin and other curcumi-
noid compounds, is a powerful anti-inflammatory and Turmeric is strongly anti-inflammatory and is as effec-
a strong antioxidant. Unfortunately, the curcumin is tive as many anti-inflammatory drugs, without their
not well absorbed into the bloodstream. Absorption is side effects. It is my # 1 go to for internal inflammation.
helped by the presence of piperine, a compound found
in black pepper. Using turmeric with black pepper in- Antioxidant: Oxidative damage is one of the mech-
creases the absorption of curcumin by 2,000 percent. anisms that promotes aging and many diseases. Cur-
cumin fights free radicals that cause oxidative damage
Medicinal Use: Using turmeric in food is benefi- and protects the body. It also boosts the body’s own an-
cial, but food consumption alone is not enough to get tioxidant enzymes.
the amounts of curcumin needed. For this reason, I
mix turmeric with finely ground black pepper when Improves Brain Function and Lowers Risk
taking it as a supplement. I pack the mixture into cap- of Brain Diseases, Including Alzheimer’s
sules and take 1 to 4 grams (2 to 8 capsules) daily. Disease & Depression. Curcumin can increase
the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor
Anti-Inflammatory: Acute, short-term inflamma- (BDNF), which is a growth hormone for the brain.
tion is beneficial and helps signal your body of an in- Many brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease
vading virus or bacterium. However, when inflamma- and depression, are linked to decreasing levels of the
tion becomes chronic, it is the root of many modern BDNF hormone. Increasing BDNF levels with curcu-
chronic illnesses. Calming chronic inflammation is vi- min can effectively delay or possibly reverse many age-
tally important.
related brain function diseases.

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