Pincushion Cacti (Mammillaria species): This is a large group of small, free-flowering cacti that are easy to care for. Most are densely spined, and in many types the spines are so elongated and soft that the plant appears hairy.

Giant Snake or Crawling Log Cacti (Mammillaria matudae): Mature specimens develop into a low mound of long, snaking stems.

Snowball Pincushion Cacti (Mammillaria candida): The body of this small clumping cactus is cloaked in dense white spines, which are often pink-tipped. It produces rings of flowers in spring, that begin cream colored, then turn pink.

Powder Puff Cactus (Mammillaria bocasana): It grows as clumps of spherical blue-green stems covered with short, dense, wooly spines. The flowers are small and white or yellow.

Snowball Cushion Cactus (Mammillaria candida): Spherical cactus is greenish white, with felted pink spines.

Old Lady Cactus (Mammillaria hahniana): This is a solitary cactus that is spherical, with short, dense, white hair and purplish red flowers.

Rose Pincushion Cactus (Mammillaria zeilmanniana): This cactus grows in hairy white clusters with red-violet flowers.

http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/mammillaria.html

Abstract

Pulp fractions, seeds and strained pulp, of prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) were compared in the terms of fatty acids, lipid classes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins and β-carotene. Neutral lipids accounted for 87.0% in seed oil, while polar lipids accounted for 52.9% in pulp oil. In both oils linoleic acid was the main fatty acid followed by palmitic acid. γ and α-Linolenic acids, occurred in higher amounts in pulp oil, while α-linolenic acids was only detected at low levels in the seed oil. The sterol marker, β-sitosterol, was 72.0% and 49.0% of the total sterol content in seed oil and pulp oil, respectively. Vitamin E level was high in the pulp oil (0.52%) but only 0.04% in the seed oil. γ- and δ-Tocopherols were the predominant components in seed and pulp oils, respectively β-Carotene was also measured in high level in pulp oil, but was low in the seed oil. Oils under investigation resemble each other in the level of vitamin K₁.

Keywords: Prickly pear, Opuntia ficus-indica, fatty acids, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins, β-carotene

========================

http://shop.oysterbaytackle.com/product_info.php/cPath/66/products_id/234

http://www.herbsecret.co.uk/pages/product.php3?idt=55&idw=2

Price: GBP 13.95

Prickly Pear (Opuntia spp.)

aka: Indian Fig, Cactus Apple...

Toxicity / Risks
"As a result of research conducted in the early 1960's, safrole was recognized as a carcinogenic agent in rats and mice." (Tyler)

"Several naturally occurring aromatic ethers, of which safrole [1-allyl-3,4-(methylenedioxy)-benzene] is one example, are hepatocarcinogens." (Bolton)

"Both benign and malignant tumors have developed in laboratory animals, depending on the dose of safrole administered." (Newall)

Safrole is a chemical carcinogen, which can induce DNA modification. (Tan)

"No one really knows just how harmful it is to human beings, but it has been estimated that one cup of strong sassafras tea could contain as much as 200 mg [milligrams] of safrole, more than four times the minimal amount believed hazardous to humans if consumed on a regular basis." (Tyler)

"In concentrations of 1% of the diet, safrole is toxic, producing weight loss, testicular atrophy, and bone marrow depletion. It also induces hepatomas (liver cancer)." (Homburger)

"It is estimated that a few drops of sassafras oil are sufficient to kill a toddler and as little as one teaspoonful has proved fatal in an adult. Symptoms of poisoning are described as vomiting, stupor, and collapse. High doses may cause spasms followed by paralysis. Large amount of the oil are reported to be psychoactive with the hallucinogenic effects lasting for several days."  (Newall)

"Recent studies have shown that even safrole-free sassafras produced tumors in two-thirds of the animals treated with it. Apparently, other constituents in addition to safrole are responsible for part of the root bark's carcinogenic activity." (Tyler)

A 72-year-old woman drank sassafras tea up to 10 cups a day and developed diaphoresis and hot flashes. When the woman "stopped drinking the tea, the diaphoresis and hot flashes promptly resolved." (Haines)

"We have shown in preliminary pharmacological experiments that certain aqueous and alcoholic extracts prepared from sassafras root bark are capable of eliciting a variety of pharmacological responses in mice, including ataxia, ptosis, hypersensitivity to touch, central nervous system depression and hypothermia. Safrole is also a potent inhibitor of certain liver microsomal hydroxylating systems, a property that could lead to toxicity problems if drugs metabolized by these enzymes are administered together with sassafras teas. ... To ensure safe and effective drug therapy, it would seem appropriate for physicians to evaluate their patients in terms of extemporaneous herb tea usage and to discourage these practices whenever feasible."  (Segelman)

"Carcinogenicity of safrole following transplacental exposure of the mouse fetus and exposure of the neonatal mouse via the mother's milk was investigated in mice by intragastric administration of the agent to pregnant and lactating females. ... Renal epithelial tumors were observed in 7% of female offspring exposed to safrole in utero; none of the other experimental and control animals developed these tumors. Only male offspring nursed during the preweaning period by mothers treated with safrole developed hepatocellular tumors. In contrast, direct administration of safrole, beginning at the time of weaning and continuing for the duration of the experiment, led to a significantly high incidence of hepatocellular tumors in females, but not in males. Eighty-six percent of the liver tumors observed in females were hepatocellular carcinomas with a high rate of pulmonary metastasis. The data suggest that safrole or its metabolites came into contact with fetuses by crossing the placenta and with infants through its excretion in milk to exert the perinatal carcinogenicity." (Vesselinovitch)

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http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/oxygen.htm

6. Antioxidants help the body use oxygen more efficiently. Antioxidants include MAK, Alkaline Water, Microhydrin, Raja's Cup coffee substitute, Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) which is found in the greenest plants, co-enzyme Q10, organic germanium (a trace mineral), thioctic acid, taheebo/pau d'arco, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, retin-A (a form of vitamin A), ginseng. Wheat germ is a good source of vitamin E. Oxy-Powder contains organic germanium as one of its ingredients.

Although almost all degenerative diseases can be prevented and cured nutritionally by the body itself, if given enough time, people are always asking,“What can I do if I am terminal?”A terminal cancer patient, for example, may be cured over a 6-month period by consuming the proper nutrients (for example the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that "when the participants consumption of calcium-rich dairy products was doubled, reaching 1200 milligrams per day, cancer cell growth became normal"). But what if the patient has only 3 weeks to live? This situation requires a more potent nutrient treatment such as cesium chloride, for example. Cesium chloride was first used by Dr. Sartori and Dr Brewer who treated 50 terminal cancer patients with less than 24 hours to live, and cured over half of them. Those that did die were biopsied as benign. Cesium chloride is a natural salt, and where ever it is found, cancer does not exist. This is because cesium is the most caustic mineral that exists, and when it enters the body, it seeks out all of the acidic cancer hotspots, dousing the fire of cancer with oxygen, thereby terminating the cancer within days. Then, when dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is rubbed near a painful cancer, the pain is removed and the DMSO causes the cesium to penetrate the cancer tumor much faster, thereby terminating the cancer much faster. It should be noted that DMSO is an approved drug in 125 countries around the world and 600 million people have used it therapeutically. Larger doses of vitamin-D will cause the body to alkalize faster bringing a speedy end to the cancer. Otto Warburg’s oxygen respiration enzyme formula has not only resulted in Warburg winning two Nobel prizes in medicine, but it has also been proven to be effective against cancer by those who have used it. Dr Karl Folker discovered CoQ10 in the 1960s while working for the giant pharmaceutical company Merck. He found it to eliminate cancer tumors in the breast, lung and stomach, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, March 30, 1994. Thus, even though it was found by Merck to be effective against cancer, because it has a natural, source and cannot be patented, Merck therefore dropped its best cancer drug, CoQ10, a drug that could have helped millions, because there was no money in it for them. Finally, gold metal absorbed by the body has also been found recovering from cancer.

• Consume 3 grams of cesium chloride each day (squeeze eyedropper twice into juice, three times each day), until all 100 grams have been consumed (about 30 days).
  
• Consume 100 milligrams of CoQ10 each day.Consume 3 capsules Dr. Warburg's formulation each day (or exact equivalent).
  
• Consume 6 coral calcium each day (2 in morning, 2 at noon and 2 at night)
  
• Apply DMSO gel to skin nearest the cancer (or nearest to pain) twice a day.
  
• Apply gold gel to skin nearest the cancer once each day.
  
• Consume 6 vitamin-D tablets each day, 2 in morning, 2 in afternoon and 2 at night, for the duration of the program (60 days) and continue after the program.
  
• Eat two bananas, and/or two large potatoes and/or two large pieces of water melon, two glasses of milk or two glasses of orange juice and eat raisons, tomatoes, spinach or broccoli every day (all contain lots of potassium, magnesium and calcium).
  
• Expose your skin and face to at least two hours of sunshine every day with no skin block and no glasses (allows for the production of inisotol triphosphate, calcitonin and vitamin-D to help regulate crucial minerals such as calcium: sun exposure is mandatory).
  

Note:

1. Important note: This program will help to alkalize the body’s fluids, resulting in the toxins, which are adhered to the cell surface, detaching themselves and entering the blood. The body will recognize the toxins as foreign invaders and respond by attacking them possibly causing flu-like symptoms like headaches, stomach aches and diarrhea. This is called “detoxing” and it means that the body is ridding itself of cancer inducing compounds.
   
   

2. After the cesium has been consumed (33 days) the cancer will be benign (only a biopsy can prove this). Continue taking all of the other nutrients except for the DMSO, which should only be used for pain control.
   

   The FDA has not approved the above recommended program which uses God’s nutrients instead of drugs. They also have not approved any claims on calcium and disease even though thousands of the world’s best scientists have published the results. >>> (Click here to see hundreds of examples listed) <<< The FDA historically is busy approving drugs, many of which prove to be toxic, and rarely has time to look at food, God’s nutrients. Therefore, there can be no doubt that one day the FDA will finally approve both the numerous calcium health claims and therefore, also the above recommended program.

http://www.naturesvariety.com/ingredient/

 

(CHECK THIS LINK for OTHER foods and their beneficial contents, too!)

Montmorillonite
An organic trace mineral colloidal silcate which contains a combination of over 50 organic mineral compounds including Antimony, Barium, Beryllium, Boron, Bromine, Cadmium, Carbon, Cerium, Cesium, Chloride, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Dysprosium, Fluoride, Gadolinium, Gallium, Germanium, Iodine, Lanthanum, Lithium, Manganese, Neodymium, Nickel, Phosphorus, Rhenium, Rubidium, Samarium, Scandium, Silicon, Silver, Strontium, Sulfur, Tellurium, Thallium, Thorium, Tin, Titanium, Vanadium, Ytterbium, Yttrium, Zinc, and Zirconium. Many pet owners have reported the benefits of these colloidal silicate minerals including better coat, weight gain, increase in milk production, better conception and overall better health.  Recent feed studies by the Veterinary Medical Diagnostics Laboratory at Texas A&M University and elsewhere have shown that monmorillonite clays can effectively sequester (bind) aflatoxin contained in grains and oilseeds.

==============================

Collidal Silcate (Bentosan) or colloidal silica  (Silicon Dioxide)

========================================

http://www.life-support-nutrition.com/silica/info.shtml

(I'm NOT TOO SURE if I got TOO FAR away from the ORIGINAL Cesium chloride here or not- that's the danger of me doing this too late at night, when sleepy!-"Cheyenne Cin")

Silica Plus General Information   Silica PlusTM contains 2 oz. of pure Hydroxygen Plus™ , and 2 oz. of ultra-pure, lead free silica, plus an ascorbic acid enhancement for extra synergistic power. Silica is the second most abundant element on earth, and humans have a critical need for this element.  Silica is now more available to your body than ever before because it's delivered with ascorbic acid in the most revolutionary base we know of - Hydroxygen Plus™.  Silica works in synergy with boron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and ascorbic acid. Hydroxygen Plus™ contains all these elements to support bones, arteries, connective tissue, healthy hair, skin, and nails.  Silica "fixes" calcium into the bone matrix. This is vital to proper bone formation.  An important note:  if enough silica is not present, bone cannot re-mineralize.  Ascorbic acid has been found to synergistically work with silica in "fixing" and retaining moisture in colloidal tissue, such as right under the skin.  This is rejuvenating to the skin and prevents wrinkling.    Despite its overall abundance, silica is not ordinarily easily absorbed.  Because Hydroxygen Plus™ has the ability to enhance absorption and bioavailability 4 to 5 times, the increased absorption of silica will be revolutionary.  Experience the pain-relieving benefits of this product if you're arthritic, or need joint support.  Enjoy the age reversing benefits and increased energy you'll get when you use this product.  In the human body, silica is essential for bone formation and connective tissue. Healthy hair, skin, nails and flexible arteries would be impossible without silica. Silica is critical to our well being, but it’s difficult to assimilate from a normal diet. Supplementing our silica intake on a regular basis may be extremely beneficial. Silica supplementation can increase collagen 1 (one) in growing bones by 100%. Everyone at every age will benefit from this kind of support for their bones. As our bodies age they use increased levels of silica but are not able to replenish it as quickly or as easily as when we were young. Silica supplementation becomes increasingly more critical as we get older. By offering silica to the body in a Hydroxygen Plus™ base, assimilation is vastly improved and silica levels begin to increase. This allows the potential remineralization of bone and could aid in increasing cartilage between joints. As silica levels increase, vascular support increases and the intensity of connective tissue is restored. Silica, when sufficient, may also retard the aging process due to immune system support. Silica loss in humans differs according to individual metabolism and nutritional habits. It averages 10 mg to 40 mg per 24-hour period. Silica loss is constant and unavoidable. It should be factored into any supplementation program. All in all, our bodies need silica to keep them repaired and to maintain health and vitality. There are many reasons for silica supplementation, but only one silica-rich, superior product—Silica Plus™!

 

 

 

There are not many medical practitioners trained in some of the effective sophisticated natural therapies used to treat malignancies. With cancer now ready to supplant heart attacks as the leading cause for death in the U.S. medical practitioners will need to become teachers and enlist lay people to spread good news if the cancer epidemic is to be defeated.

Other
Howenstine Articles:

• Nutritional Deficiencies (examples) Inadequate reserves of vitamin C and E can increase the morbidity experienced in surgical ICUs after massive trauma. Lack of selenium increases the risk of developing malignancies, infections and heart disease.
  
• Infection Serious infections can deplete phagocytes, cause coagulation problems, nutritional deficiencies, impaired circulation etc.
  
• Exposure to Radiation Injury to DNA and bone marrow may follow radiation leading to malignant changes in cells and greater opportunity for infections to occur.
  
• Toxins Exposure to unhealthy dietary transfats, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, fluoride etc. injures the immune system's ability to mobilize a prompt effective response. The lack of dietary essential omega 3 fatty acids is an important cause for immune injury for 90% of U.S. citizens.
  
• Stress When prolonged stress occurs the body steadily releases cortisone that causes suppression of the immune system, death of nerve cells, failure to kill abnormal cells, and risk of infection may increase...
  
• Aging There is diminished ability to activate the immune system as we age. This contributes to the occurrence of malignancies and infections in the elderly.

• Safety There have been only a few serious complications of cesium noted (perforations, severe nausea) which may be avoided with liquid cesium.
  
• Simplicity The therapy needs to be simple enough that an ordinary practitioner can manage it. The patients not requiring hospital care should be able to be cared for in an office practice where any needed lab studies can be obtained.
  
• Reasonable Expense While not cheap at $80 to $200 for a months supply of cesium this is a pittance compared to the cost of chemotherapy and the certainty of unpleasant side effects from chemotherapy agents.
  
• Easy Dissemination Of Information About Therapy The public needs to become aware that the pharmaceutical industry and their friends in the FDA and other regulatory agencies will do everything they can to block the spread of information that could decrease the sale of chemotherapy drugs. Cancer has been cured at least twelve times since 1900 but the public never hears about it. Lay people armed with a little understanding of how cesium works and where it can be purchased can save a lot of lives.

• Avoid chemotherapy and radiation as these therapies injure the immune system and impair your chances of recovery.
  
• Eat only organic produce. Initially subsist on fruit and vegetables until it is clear you are improving (better appetite and strength with weight gain). These can be juiced or raw but should not be cooked because cooking destroys the food enzymes. Have 3 glasses of carrot juice daily. Cold salads with flax oil and Bragg's raw apple cider vinegar are delicious. When you add cooked food (fish, grazed beef without hormones, chicken free of hormones), be sure to cook with virgin olive oil, unrefined coconut oil or butter. Eat no white bread, white rice, or white sugar which are foods from which most nutrients have been removed (vitamins, fiber, minerals). Our immune phagocytic cells are unable to kill tumor cells or bacteria for 8 hours after sugar is eaten. Avoid all sugar containing processed food from supermarkets by eating only organic food that will spoil. Eating only vegetables and fruit initially contributes to alkalinizing the body and gives the immune system a boost in defeating cancer.
  
• Drink only filtered water so you do not have the problems of petrochemical residue, pesticides, herbicides, chlorine, fluoride, and heavy metals in drinking water hindering your effort to recover.
  
• Exercise regularly as this improves oxygenation of the body. Walking is fine (1 ½ miles daily) at least 6 days weekly.
  
• Eliminate stress from your life. Many authorities think that stress plays a major role in initiating cancer. When we are stressed our adrenal glands steadily secrete large amounts of cortisone. Persons who endure prolonged stress develop a state of immuno-suppression where the body's immune system becomes less able to kill tumor cells. Prolonged damage to the immune system actually leads to death of nerve cells. Vietnam veterans have been found to have 8 to 15 % atrophy of their hippocampus the part of the brain involved in memory.
  
• Be sure you are taking a good multivitamin, mineral and nutrient supplement. You need 200 mcg. of selenium, at least 2 grams of vitamin C with bioflavinoids, vitamin D 800 or more units daily, zinc, copper, B complex, vitamin E 400 units, lycopene, carotene, magnesium, boron, manganese, etc. Selenium intake on a daily long term basis (200 mcg.) prevents nearly 50 % of cancer from appearing. All patients on chelation therapy need mineral supplements to prevent trace mineral depletion from chelation.
  
• Take Vitalzym. This potent enzyme product can dissolve the fibrin coating protecting cancer cells from destruction. Vitalzym is available from Natural Health Team 1-800-416-2806. The dose starts with three tablets three times daily on an empty stomach.
  
• Give your immune system a break. You must terminate alcohol, cigarettes, and recreational drugs as all three of these damage the immune system making recovery less likely.
  
• All persons in developed nations are exposed to toxic substances on a daily basis (heavy metals, fluoride, mercury from amalgams, aluminum, cadmium from cigarette smoke, excess estrogen from hydrocarbons in the air, plastics, pesticides, herbicides, dioxins, and hormones used in animals to increase growth rate, transfats from processed food, margarine, salad oils, cooking oils, etc).

• Try to get 30 minutes of sunlight daily without sunscreens or sun glasses. This will help restore ultraviolet light, a critical nutrient, to the body and thus raise vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is a powerful anti-oxidant that prevents cancer. Seventy percent of U.S. citizens are deficient in vitamin D.
  
• Be sure you are taking ground flaxseed or flax oil, fish oil or perilla oil as 90 % of U. S. citizens are seriously depleted of omega 3 fatty acids which are absent from processed foods. When we lack omega 3 fatty acids our bodies are forced to use synthetic transfats to build the membranes that surround each cell. This forced use of these poor quality oils creates flawed cell membranes leading to Type 2 diabetes, arteriosclerosis, obesity and malignancies. Persons depleted of omega 3 fatty acids become immune suppressed which enables cancers to start growing and spreading.

 www.naturalhealthteam.com and phone 1-800-416-2806 U.S. Dr. Howenstine can be reached at jimhow@... and by mail at Dr. James Howenstine, C/O Remarsa USA SB 37, P.O. Box 25292, Miami, Fl. 33102-5292.

The Agriculture Department said the result was "inconclusive" for the brain-wasting disease. The carcass was being sent to the USDA National Veterinary Laboratory in Ames, Iowa; results were expected in four days to seven days.

"No matter how the confirmatory testing comes back, USDA remains confident in the safety of the U.S. beef supply," John Clifford, deputy administrator of USDA veterinary services, said in announcing the finding late Friday. "This animal did not enter the human food chain or feed chain."

Clifford declined to identify the animal or its location until testing is complete. It is "very likely" final testing could turn up negative, he said.

Norman Schwartz, president of Bio-Rad Laboratories in Hercules, Calif., said the initial test was performed at one of his labs. "They are designed to catch everything. You are catching every possible suspicious sample," Schwartz said Saturday.

In the first case of mad cow discovered in the United States, a Holstein on a Washington state farm was found to have the disease in December, leading more than 50 countries to ban imports of U.S. beef. Japan and South Korea, two of the biggest export markets, have their bans in effect.

The department this month expanded national testing for the disease in response to that mad cow scare. More than 7,000 cattle have been tested under the program, which seeks to check about 220,000 animals over the next year to 18 months.

Agriculture officials and representatives of the U.S. beef cattle industry quickly sought to play down a potential threat to consumers.

"This is not at all unexpected," Clifford said. "Inconclusive results are a normal component of most screening tests, which are designed to be extremely sensitive so they will detect any sample that could possibly be positive."

At the American Meat Institute, a trade group, spokeswoman Janet Riley said: "Regardless of the test outcome, beef is safe because the infectious agent is not contained in beef and the tissues that can contain the infectious agent are removed, and do not enter the food supply. Consumers can continue to enjoy beef in safety."

Bill Bullard, chief executive officer of R-CALF USA, a cattlemen's group, urged calm in the live cattle markets, which dropped 20% after U.S. officials reported the first mad cow case in December.

Mad cow disease, known also as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, eats holes in the brains of cattle. It sprang up in Britain in 1986 and spread through countries in Europe and Asia, prompting massive destruction of herds and devastating the European beef industry.

A form of mad cow disease can be contracted by humans if they eat infected beef or nerve tissue, and possibly through blood transfusions. Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human form of mad cow disease, so far has killed 100 people in Britain and elsewhere, including a Florida woman this week who was believed to have contracted the disease in England. (We should ALWAYS make sure our meat comes from America! There is NO NEED to import cattle or chickens, fish, from foreign countries! --"Cheyenne Cin"- P.S. If animals that graze stay outdoors and are not fed 'mad cow' 'Purina Cow Chow', they will be fine!- It seems to only develop when the animals are confined together in closed quarters or given 'mad animal' feed! And EVEN THE INFECTED ANIMALS only become unsafe if their 'bad' parts are used as FOOD! So if you have any fears, buy steaks and not hamburgers. And don't get a blood transfusion from a cow! Remember, the 'globalist' beast insiders don't WANT privately owned and operated food - meat or plant- rights! It's CONTROL!)

The government last year conducted mad cow tests on tissues from 20,543 animals, virtually all of them cattle that could not stand or walk and had to be dragged to slaughter. After the December case, the government initially doubled the number of animals to be tested this year to 40,000.

With many foreign governments still reluctant to ease bans on U.S. beef, the testing program was expanded at a cost of $70 million to include as many as 220,000 slaughtered animals, following recommendations from an international scientific review panel. About 35 million cattle are slaughtered each year in the United States.

The Genus

The genus Pelargonium L. is a rather big one and is comprised of well over 200 species. The majority are native to the Southern part of the African continent, i.e. the Republic of South Africa and Namibia, and of them 80% in the south-western corner in the area of winter rainfall. However, the distribution of the genus extends further North throughout the East African countries: Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and extends to the Arabian subcontinent (Yemen). Some species ventured futher North and are found in East Turkey and Middle East (Iraq, Iran). A few species are endemic to Madagascar (P. caylae Humbert, P. madagascariense Baker), one to the island of St. Helena (P. cotyledonis (L.) L'Herit.), on to the Tristan da Cunha island (P. acugnaticum Thouars), and furthermore a few species grow in Australia, Tasmania and northern New Zealand.

Resveratrol, Powerful Protection Against Prostate Cancer - "Resveratrol works through more than a dozen different anticancer mechanisms and selectively targets cancer cells. This single supplement modulates hormones, has several mechanisms that stop cancer cells from multiplying, and even has the ability to destroy cancer cells"

Researchers at the University of North Carolina Medical School Confirm Antioxidant Compound Found in Red Wine Fights Cancer.
Researchers believe they have unlocked the mystery of how an antioxidant found in grapes and red wine fights cancer. A study published in the July edition of the journal Cancer Research concludes that the compound resveratrol, which acts like an antibiotic to protect grapes from fungus, may turn off a protein that guards cancer cells from cancer-fighting therapies such as chemotherapy.

The research may one day allow the compound itself to be used in cancer prevention and treatment, said Minnie Holmes-McNary, a nutritional biologist at the University of North Carolina's medical school in Chapel Hill.

"The benefit is that it certainly provides an open door for potential therapies," said Holmes-McNary, the study's lead author. That may include taking a pill similar to a vitamin supplement. The benefits of drinking a glass of red wine have been touted over the past decade after the discovery of the "French paradox" - that the French had low rates of heart disease despite high-cholesterol diets.

Studies have shown the key may be the glass or two of red table wine at dinner. A few years ago, researchers found that resveratrol kept cells from turning cancerous and stopped the spread of malignancies. Resveratrol also blocked cell inflammation, which is linked to arthritis and other diseases.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago studied the effect of a methanol soluble pinor noir red wine extract,
a concentrated extract, and resveratrol from red wine on two strains of cultured cells infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae, a bacterium responsible for up to 30 percent of acute respiratory tract infections that has also been found to be associated with atherosclerotic plaque development and coronary heart disease. Both the concentrated pinot noir extract and the resveratrol proved to be active against the two Chlamydia strains.

Holmes-McNary and co-author Albert Baldwin Jr. at the medical school's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center wanted to know how resveratrol kills cancer cells. The researchers used previous research by Baldwin and others that determined the protein called NF-kappa B enabled tumor cells to survive even chemotherapy. When NF-kappa B is blocked in mice - as observed last year in a study - the cancer cells were eradicated by the chemotherapy. Holmes-McNary and Baldwin tested how cultured human and animal tumor cells reacted to the resveratrol, learning that it effectively turned off the NF-kappa B cancer gene. Untreated tumors continued to thrive, Holmes-McNary said.

Discovering the mechanisms of resveratrol is important to developing the compound as a cancer-preventive agent for humans, said John Pezzuto, a University of Illinois at Chicago researcher who first reported resveratrol's link to red wine and fighting cancer in 1997.

"It's a good contribution," Pezzuto said of the study. "It seems like there are multiple mechanisms. In the end, there may be a common thread to all of them. It's like we're laying down pieces of the puzzle. This is one of those pieces."

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the North Carolina chapter of the American Heart Association, also found muscadine wines contain up to seven times more resveratrol than regular wines.

It takes 2 pounds of grapes or 2 bottles of wine to equal the amount in 2 extract tablets.

The Health Benefits of Red Wine & Resveratrol

      There has been a lot of interest in the media about the health benefits of red wine. It isn't the alcohol in the wine that provides a health benefit but the anti-oxidants, the red wine polyphenols, anthrocyanidins and resveratrol.

      Resveratrol, in particular, has been demonstrated to be a potent anti-oxidant (about 20-50 times as effectively as vitamin C alone) and act synergistically with vitamin C enhancing the effects of each. Resveratrol has been demonstrated to have an anti-clotting effect that prevents the formation of thrombi or blood clots in the blood vessels. The formation of thrombi that block small blood vessels is believed to be a cause of heart attacks and strokes. Resveratrol has been demonstrated to have anti-cancer effects as well.

      The incidence of heart disease and cancer among populations who consume a lot of red wine is dramatically less than those that don't even though they may also have a high fat diet. Resveratrol has also been demonstrated to promote the formation of new dendrites in the brain. Resveratrol and the other bioflavonoids and polyphenols are present in large amounts in the leaves, twigs and bark of the grape vines. Thus, red wine, which is fermented with the skins, seeds, twigs, etc. tends to contain much larger quantities of the beneficial substances than white wine which is fermented only from the pressed juice of the grape.

What About the Alcohol?

      I recently had a long discussion with a nutrition expert who is also a wine lover (his family owns one of the large wineries in California) about the health benefits of red wine and the effects of the alcohol in it. After careful consideration, he admitted that there is no documentation or research supporting the idea that alcohol has health benefits. Alcohol, it seems is toxic to the human body and possesses no redeeming merits from a health perspective. When alcohol is consumed, the alcohol level in the blood increases and produces the intoxication effect. The body then begins "detoxifying" or metabolizing the alcohol. The first step is the conversion of alcohol to acetaldehyde by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. This happens fairly quickly in individuals who regularly consume alcohol. The second step is the conversion of acetaldehyde into acetate by the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase. This process is a bit slower and leaves a quantity of acetaldehyde in the system for several hours or longer. It is the acetaldehyde that produces most of the undesirable toxic effects. The acetate is metabolized to produce energy much like any other carbohydrate. Excess drinking can make you fat just as binging on pasta, ice cream or any other carbohydrate would.

Alcohol & Acetaldehyde Toxicity

      Acetaldehyde, produced primarily in the liver, but also in other organs to a lesser extent, readily binds to the walls of red blood cells and hitches a ride to all parts of the body including the brain. By attaching itself to the red blood cells, it makes them more rigid and prevents them from entering the smaller capillaries. (The smaller capillaries are much smaller than a red blood cell and the cell is forced to stretch, elongate and squeeze its way through.) This reduces the oxygen supply to most of the cells of the body including the brain. ( The Brain consumes 20% of all the oxygen we breathe). Acetaldehyde also combines with the hemoglobin in the red blood cells further reducing its ability to carry oxygen.

      In addition to inducing hypoxia (oxygen starvation at the cellular level), Acetaldehyde reduces the ability of the protein tubulin to assemble into microtubules. Microtubules provide a structural support for the neurons and dendrites in the brain and actually transport neurochemicals manufactured in the nerve cells to the dendrites, including genetic material. Without the microtubules, the dendrites gradually atrophy and die off.

      Acetaldehyde also induces deficiencies in B1 (Thiamine), B3 (Niacin), NAD, Acetyl Coenzyme A, B5 (Pantothenic Acid), P5P (Pyridoxal--5-Phosphate) and inhibits Prostaglandin synthesis.

      B1 deficiency can produce a syndrome characterized by mental confusion, poor memory, poor coordination and visual disturbances.

      B3 and NAD (an enzyme made from B3) are involved in the metabolism of sugars and fats into energy and are an important catalyst in the production of neurotransmitters, including seratonin, and activates the enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase. Niacin deficiency symptoms include feeling fearful, apprehensiveness, worry, suspicion, depression, headaches, insomnia, depression, agitation and inability to concentrate.

      B5 and its active form, Coenzyme A, is the most important component of the Krebs cycle which produces 90% of the body's energy. It is also the precursor of acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter.

      P5P is the major enzyme that is necessary to form virtually all major brain neurotransmitters. It also regulates the admission of magnesium into cells and thereby controls the excitability of nerve cells.

      Acetaldehyde is also known to promote the production of opiate like chemicals in the body and promote the development of addiction to toxic substances.

      I realize that this may be more information than you wanted. I've shortened this severely but the point is that acetaldehyde is a very dangerous toxic chemical to have in the human body and brain. In addition to alcohol consumption, inhaling cigarette smoke or auto exhaust are other sources of acetaldehyde. The existence of certain strains of alcohol producing yeast in the GI tract can also be a source.

Protecting Yourself from Acetaldehyde Toxicity

      The vulnerability of individuals to acetaldehyde and alcohol toxicity varies with genetics, nutritional status and history of exposure. Nutritional status is extremely important and is a variable that an individual can take immediate control of. Replacement of the nutrients used or destroyed by acetaldehyde prevents deficiency damage and symptoms and facilitates the metabolism of acetaldehyde into acetate. N-acetly-cysteine and Lipoic acid have also been demonstrated to have an exceptionally powerful protective effect against acetaldehyde toxicity. The list of known protective nutrients include: Lipoic Acid, N-acetyl-cysteine, Vitamin C, B1, B3, B5, b6, Zinc, Gamma Linoleic Acid and Silmarin Extract.

      Those who choose to consume alcoholic beverages whether it is red wine or something else can protect themselves from many of the toxic effects with a good supplement regimen. While a good supplement regimen has been clinically demonstrated to be extremely powerful in protection against acetaldehyde toxicity, this is not to imply that supplements will protect you from all of the harmful effects of acetaldehyde.

Get the Health Benefits of Red Wine without the Alcohol

      No amount of scientific data or eloquent arguments will convince a wine lover to forgo the red liquid. There are times, however, when you may want to obtain the health benefits without alcoholic intoxication, like when you have to drive a car, use power tools or operate machinery. There are also those who simply don't like red wine but would like to enjoy the health benefits. One of the features of our capitalistic system is that every time a new health benefit is discovered for a component of a common food, some entrepreneur extracts the good stuff, puts it in capsules and rushes it to market. So it is with red wine. You can now easily obtain red wine polyphenols, grape seed extract and resveratrol in capsule form. I cringe when I think of swallowing a capsule rather than enjoying fresh broccoli, tomatoes or even a glass of quality red wine, but in the case of wine, I do want the health benefits without having to deal with the alcohol, especially at inconvenient times. The good part is that the red wine polyphenols and resveratrol in capsule form cost only a tiny fraction of the same quantity when obtained in any quality red wine.

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http://www.abatra.com/product/Part_B/PB2/02/story.htm

http://www.abatra.com/product/Part_B/PB2/04/story.htm

Additional information on alternatives to using household chemicals include:

• IN THE KITCHEN
• IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM
• IN OTHER PARTS OF THE HOME
• IN THE BATHROOM
• OUTSIDE THE HOME/HOBBIES
• NATURAL PEST CONTROL

Agaricus

Rich in proteins and certain essential amino acids; Chinese traditional medicine associates these with stimulation of digestion and curing hypertension.

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http://www.foodlion.com/shp_MushroomFacts.asp

Here are brief descriptions of the most popular types of mushrooms you can grow at home.

White button, crimini, and portabello (Agaricus bisporus). These mushrooms are strains of the same species. One- to two-inch-wide white buttons are the most popular and widely available mushrooms worldwide. Crimini, a brown button mushroom strain, are similar except for the color and a more pronounced flavor. The most impressive of this group are portabellos, which produce 6-inch-diameter or larger brown caps with a tender, meatlike texture and woodsy flavor. Portabello mushrooms keep somewhat longer than other mushrooms: 7 to 10 days. Growing these mushrooms requires a few extra steps including mixing the spawn with compost in a cardboard box and waiting one to three weeks for the mycelia to run before mushrooms begin to form. Although this type of kit is more work, yields are higher: 3 to 6 pounds in three or four flushes of growth over three months.

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http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/5aday/month/mushroom.htm

Mushroom Benefits

Mushrooms are brimming with protein, B vitamins (riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic), and minerals (selenium, potassium,and copper). They're low in calories and may have antibacterial substances to help the body. Cooked fresh mushrooms offer the most nutritional benefit versus the canned version that may have more sodium.

Agaricus (White or Button) These mushrooms are the most common variety prepackaged in supermarkets; available fresh, canned, or frozen. White mushrooms are mildly flavored, are tasty when eaten raw but even more flavorful when cooked.  === Portobello These are large cremini-like mushrooms that are sometimes the size of a regular hamburger! These fungi are circular, flat, and long, with a dense, chewy texture. Portobellos are excellent for grilling or roasting.   http://www.foodreference.com/html/artmushrooms2.html

U.S. (June 8, 2001) - For years, the good news about culinary mushrooms from a dietary standpoint has been that there was no bad news. They had no fat or cholesterol, and were very low in salt, calories and carbohydrates. But the general perception has been that there wasn't much positive nutritional benefit. Mushrooms have been thought of, basically, as nutritionally empty.

Not so, it turns out.

Recent research has disclosed that the common white agaricus mushroom, as well as its brown cousin, the Crimini, and the popular Portabella all may have important health benefits. Among other things, they may help reduce the incidence of prostate and breast cancer.

According to Bart Minor of the Mushroom Council, "for the longest time, mushrooms have been known primarily for what they don't have. ... What has been coming to the fore lately is what mushrooms do have". They are a good source of potassium, riboflavin and selenium. The mineral selenium, he said, "has been found to help reduce risk of prostate cancer".

Traditionally, people have derived their selenium requirements from meat. But "as people begin to reduce their dependence on meat, we begin to lose this essential mineral". Mushrooms are "probably the best source of selenium in the produce department", he said.

Recent studies by scientists at the City of Hope indicate that naturally occurring chemicals occurring in agaricus mushrooms may suppress aromatase activity in breast cancer tumors and surrounding tissues. Aromatase controls production of estrogen, a hormone that can stimulate the growth of breast cancer. The American Institute of Cancer Research has awarded a two-year, US$ 200,000 grant to City of Hope scientists to identify the specific substances in mushrooms that suppresses the aromatase.

The Mushroom Council will also be helping to fund the City of Hope research, according to Minor.

These discoveries are highly significant, Minor noted. "A lot has been written about the medicinal value of Shiitake, Oyster, Maitake, etc., but little has been written or discovered about the [health benefits of] the plain white or brown mushroom. This is a first." It may very well lift mushrooms from the category of a luxury indulgence to an important part of one's everyday diet, he said.

The Mushroom Council is in the process of producing a press kit and a new nutritional brochure highlighting the nutritional aspects of mushrooms. As a category, mushroom sales continue to grow both at retail and in foodservice, Minor noted.

According to Mushroom Council figures, mushroom shipments in 2000 were up 6 per cent over the year before. Only once in the six years or so since the council has been keeping data have mushroom shipments been higher, and that was in 1996 when a major pizza chain put fresh mushrooms on its menu.

At retail, the volume of mushroom sales was up 2 per cent over last year, and sales dollars were up 6 per cent, three times greater than for the produce department as a whole. That, said Minor, is "a sign of the strength of the mushroom category".

Foodservice use of mushrooms was up even more than retail, with a growth rate of between 10 and 12 per cent last year. Several factors affecting the industry may slow that growth for the current season, Minor commented, without elaborating. So far this year, the growth is at about a 3 per cent rate over last year. That is not "the torrid pace" of growth the industry experienced last year, but it is still growth, and "a number of industries in agriculture would love to still be seeing the growth that mushrooms are".

At retail, the top three mushroom items are packaged white whole mushrooms, packaged sliced white mushrooms and bulk whole white mushrooms. The greatest growth last year was in the sliced, which saw a sales increase of about 10 per cent.

Carl Fields of Monterey Mushrooms in Watsonville, CA, said, "We've seen the growth of the prepackaged mushroom" since the company introduced it several years ago. "When we introduced the sliced product," he said, "we saw that added convenience was a big plus to the consumer", as the sales of the sliced mushrooms quickly became popular as well. Now, Monterey Mushroom is taking convenience "to the next level," Fields said, with the introduction of a new pre-washed, sliced white mushroom product called "Clean N Ready".

The product has already been introduced on the West Coast with "excellent success" and will be launched nationally in September, he said. The mushrooms are put through a new patented "highly sophisticated" cleaning process which "removes all the visible specs" of moss or whatever else may be on the mushrooms, reduces bacteria count for improved safety, leaves the product brighter and whiter and ready to use, and in addition extends shelf life by five additional days under refrigeration, he said.

Source : Produce News (June 8, 2001)

SARS tied to genetic engineering?
04-23-03

SARS and Genetic Engineering?
04-21-03
Could genetic engineering have contributed inadvertently to creating the SARS virus?

Corona virus genetic engineering and the origin of SARS
04-21-03
None of the early reports have acknowledged the large body of reports on the genetic manipulation of Corona viruses in the laboratory...

SARS could be biological weapon: experts
04-11-03
Russian infectious disease experts say Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) may be a man-made biological weapon.

SARS could be Chinese bio-weapon: Russian expert
04-11-03
A top Russian medical expert has said that the deadly virus, which causes atypical pneumonia or SARS could be a biological weapon developed by China.

Names : White Birch.

Habitat : Commonly found in woods in Britain and Europe.

Collection : The leaves are collected in late spring or summer. When collecting the bark, it is important not to ring-bark the tree, in other words not to take off the bark all around the circumference; otherwise the tree will die.

Part Used : Young leaves and bark.

Constituents : Flavonoids, mainly hyperoside, with luteolin and quercetin glycosides.

Actions : Diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, tonic.

Indications : Birch leaves act as an effective remedy forcystitis and other infections of the urinary system as well as removing excess water from the body. Perhaps because of this cleansing diuretic activity, the plant has been used for gout, rheumatism andmild arthritic pain. The bark will ease muscle pain if it is applied externally, putting the fresh, wet internal side of the bark against the skin.

Ellingwood, following German usage, recommends it for the following pathologies : water retention, kidney stones.

Combinations : For urinary infections it may be used with Bearberry, whilst for rheumatic pain it combines well with Black Willow.

Preparations & Dosage : Infusion: pour a cup of boiling water onto l-2 teaspoonfuls of the dried leaves and let infuse for l0 minutes. This should be drunk three times a day.

Tincture: take l-2 ml of the tincture three times a day.

Birch Products Offered at SmileHerb.com

Birch Bark Dried Herb

Lomatium dissectum

Other Common Names: Carrotleaf Biscuitroot, Chocolate-tips, Cough Root, Fernleaf Biscuitroot, Fernleaf Lomatium, Lepotaenia, Leptotaenia, Lomatium dissectum

Range: Western N. America - southwards from Alberta and British Columbia.

Habitat: Open, often rocky slopes and dry meadows, often on talus.

Fernleaf biscuitroot was widely employed medicinally by many native North American Indian tribes who considered it to be a universal panacea and used it especially in treating chest problems and skin complaints. This is an important native American Pacific Northwest anti-viral herb. Works where other anti-virals fall short. Fresh root (alcoholic) extract is best mode of administration. Lomatium was used, particularly in the southwestern United States, during the influenza pandemic of 1917 with reportedly good results. Although it is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism, but probably warrants investigation.

The whole plant, but especially the root, is disinfectant, pectoral, salve, stomachic and tonic.

The dried root was used in the treatment of rheumatism, stomach complaints, coughs, colds, hayfever, bronchitis, influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis. The root was burnt and the smoke inhaled in the treatment of asthma and other chest complaints, it was also used as a herbal steam bath for treating chest complaints. The root was used to make a drink that was taken as a tonic to help people in a weakened condition gain weight. A poultice of the peeled and crushed roots has been applied to open cuts, sores, boils, bruises and rheumatic joints. The root has been soaked in water and then used as an antidandruff wash for the hair.

An infusion of the leaves and stems has been used as a tonic.

The root oil has been applied as a salve to sores and also used as an eye wash in the treatment of trachoma.

Root - cooked. Resinous and balsamic. The root can be dried and ground into a powder and then be mixed with cereal flours or added as a flavoring to soups etc. The roots have been boiled to make a refreshing and nutritious drink.

The pulverized root has been burnt as an incense.

Lomatium Root - Fresh - Liquid Extact -
		Therapeutic Actions and Indications An effective anti-viral and antibacterial, especially useful in the treatment of respiratory and urinary infections. Lomatium stimulates the immune system and decreases inflammation.

Botanical synonyms: Leptotaenia dissecta

Common names: Lomatium, Fern-leaved Desert Parsley, Biscuit root.

Lomatium

TO ORDER:

http://www.herbsmd.com/search/sq.asp?sq=lomatium

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http://www.nwgardening.com/native.devilsclub.html

Devil's Club or Alaskan Ginseng
(Oplopanax horridus)

Devil's Club or Alaskan Ginseng
(Oplopanax horridus)

Devil's Club, a member of the Ginseng Family, Araliaceae, is poorly represented in the western Cascades although there are about 50 genera with 500 species worldwide. English Ivy, the bane of all of us gardeners and native plant restoration and revegetation projects is an introduced member of the Ginseng Family. Although English Ivy is a vine and Devil's Club is a shrub, both species are alike in having numerous small greenish to white flowers in umbels.

I am writing this month about Devil's Club because I really like this shrub. Maybe I am crazy but please read on. It is an erect to sprawling shrub that can grow up to 8 feet tall. The stems are thick, crooked, almost unbranched but frequently entangled and are armed with numerous large yellowish spines up to 1/2 inch long. The leaves are large, up to almost 3 feet across in its most favorable growing conditions. They are alternate, deciduous, maple-leaf shaped with 7-9 sharply pointed and heavily toothed lobes. In our local area, these leaves have the most beautiful translucent golden yellow color in the autumn. The veins on the underside of the leaves are again armed with numerous spines.

It is wise to avoid contact with this plant as the spines produce wounds that can easily become infected. If I remember correctly it has been established that Devil's Club is one of the plants that accumulate silicon in the spines which means that the wounds resemble those experienced from slivers of glass. Tweezers are a good addition to the day pack in Devil's Club country but it has been my experience that the spines break off easily at wound entry level. Gloves are the best preventive medicine.

The flowers which bloom in June or July are not very showy or even very visible among the large leaves. They are small, whitish and numerous in compact heads arranged in pyramidal terminal clusters. The fruits are bright red, flattened, shiny berries in the now showy pyramidal terminal clusters. The fruits are not edible by humans but are relished by bears. One of my sources even lists the berries as toxic.

Devil's Club forms dense thickets in moist woods. It ranges from south-central Alaska and the extreme southwest Yukon coastally to California. It prefers to grow in wet, but well drained seepage sites, around steams and in avalanche tracts in low to mid elevations. Sometimes it grows in subalpine zones and may grow to timberline in the north.

So why do I like this plant? Let me count the ways. It is a wonderful barrier plant for wetland mitigation and restoration sites and which thrives in the difficult to vegetate wet and mostly very shady conditions. The large leaves really add to the understory landscape while the red berries are showy in late summer and the golden yellow leaves are really quite stunning in the autumn. As an extra added observation from my excursions into the local forests this past summer, I might add that slugs are quite attracted to Devil's Club. It was surely amazing to see the leaves of this very spiny plant full of ragged holes and enough of the chewing entity around to be able to absolutely identify the culprit. So does one protect one's other plantings from the slugs by providing them with some Devil's Club to chew on?

Devil's Club or Alaskan Ginseng is related to the oriental and American ginsengs and like these ginsengs is used as a body-balancing and system strengthening tea. In early spring the leaf shoots are edible when the spiny stalk first sprouts green growth. They may be nibbled raw or added to omelettes, casseroles and soups. One or two is sufficient to add a unique tang to common meals. The roots and greenish inner bark may be collected in the spring or the fall, shredded, and dried or fresh steeped into tea. A review of the medicinal and ethnobotanical properties of Devil's Club reveal a wealth of information about the uses of this plant. Currently I am not aware of any commercial concern that collects Devil's Club for resale but it is definitely a local forest product with some economic potential.

I have not had much success germinating or growing Devil's Club from seed but sometimes plants may be found from those growers who are able to grow it from root divisions. Happy Gardening!

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http://www.herbaltransitions.com/materiamedica/Oplopanax.htm

Devil's Club - Oplopanax horridus (in the Araliaceae or Ginseng family)

Parts used: Root.

Taste/smell: Woodsy, earthy smell and taste, sweetish.

Tendencies: Cooling, stimulating, supportive.

Dosage: Infusion: 1 heaping teaspoon of finely cut herb per cup of water, infused for 25-30 minutes; or 1:4 dry liquid extract: 10-60 drops 1-4 times per day.

Mental picture and specific indications: Devil's club is indicated for 'adrenal burnout' with mental, nervous, emotional and physical exhaustion. Often dry mucous membranes are part of the symptoms. The mental picture includes worn out, timid individuals who lack mental and emotional strength and vitality. The individuals cannot adapt to stressful situations, feel oppressed and unable to stand up for themselves. This herb lends a sense of invigoration and strength on a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level.

Use: (a) Adaptogen, (b) Immunomodulator

It is used to help the body adapt to stressful situations, from either internal or external causes. Since devil's club belongs to the Ginseng family, its usages are similar to other members, like ginseng and eleutherococcus. For more information see Ginseng.

Contraindications: Information unavailable at this time.

TO ORDER:

http://www.iherb.com/devilsclub1.html

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Yellowstone Geographic - Serviceberry  (pictures included)

http://www.yellowstonegeographic.com/scienceCenter/index/article.asp?id=23

Serviceberry


Amelanchier Ainifolia

General:
Deciduous shrub or small tree, erect to spreading, 1-5 m tall; branches smooth, dark grey when mature, often spreads to form thickets.

Leaves:
Alternate, oval to nearly round, 2-5 cm long, rounded at tip,coarsly toothed on upper half, green (often with a whitish bloom) in Summer, yellowish-orange to reddish-brown in Autumn.

Flowers:
White, star-shaped, about 2 cm across, with five slender petals, 3-20 in short, leafy clusters (racements) near branch tips; April to July.

Fruits:
Berry-like pomes (like tiny apples), purple to black with a whitish bloom (dull red at first), juicy, 6-12 mm across.

Where Found:
Open woods, banks, and hillsides: plains to montane; Alaska to Colorado.

Fun Facts:
These sweet fruits were one of the most important berries for Native peoples. They were eaten fresh, dried, or mashed, and dried in cakes. Lewis and Clark reported that these "cakes" could weigh as much as 7 kg. Dried fruits were often mixed with meat and fat or added to soups and stews. Today, they are used in pies, pancakes, puddings, muffins, jams, jellies, syrups, and wine, much like blueberries.

The hard, strong, straight branches were a favorite material for making arrows and spears, and they were also used for canes, canoes (cross-pieces), basket rims, tipi stakes, and tipi closure pins. Saskatoons make excellent ornamental shrubs. They are hardy and easily propagated, and have beautifu, white blossoms in spring plus delicious fruit and scarlet leaves in Autumn. Deer, elk and moose browse on these shrubs; bears, chipmunks, squirrels, and many birds feast on the seedy fruits. Other common names include "Juneberry" and "Shadbush".

Excerpt taken from Plants of the Rocky Mountains by Kershaw, MacKinnon, and Pojar; A Lone Pine Field Guide

Also see: http://www.rainieraudubon.org/nn/serviceberry.htm

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  http://www.clunet.edu/cr/plant/flowers/fwr-377.htm  - another picture - http://www.esveld.nl/htmldiaen/a/amalni.htm 

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/amal.htm - another description

http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/27.htm

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ORDER LIVE SERVICEBERRY TREES: Ornamental, with edible berries, Zones 3-7

http://www.naturehills.com/new/product/productdetails.aspx?proname=Serviceberry

======

http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/39149/

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http://www.oakpointnursery.com/serviceberry.htm

Serviceberry is becoming a popular landscape plant.  It has showy white flowers and very edible berries, but you may have to fight the birds for the berries.  You will attract many species of birds to the fruit of this plant.  It grows in just about any mostly sunny spot and is very drought resistant once established.  The delicate oval leaves blowing in the breeze can be a calming sight while relaxing in your garden.

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... When ripe, the berries are very popular among birds and other wildlife. They are sweeter than the western Saskatoon serviceberry and readily edible. ...

Serviceberry - a native shrub of the Macphail Woods

Rosa nutkana

Communities for Nootka Rose

Ranges for Rosa nutkana

Cost if picked up at the nursery.
$/Gallon[Dollars]	$/Five[Dollars]	$/Fifteen[Dollars]
6.99	0.00	0.00 ======================== http://www.rdrop.com/~paul/species/nutkana.html  (Picture Here, too)           Site Index Email Rosa nutkana The rose species are endemic to the Northern Hemisphere of the globe only. This is a large arching shrub that is quite winter hardy and tolerant of wet locations. Lovely "wild rose" fragrance! ARS merit rating: 7.3 Personal merit rating: 8.0 Hardiness: Likely USDA zones 4 to 8. Shrub size: 5 to 7 or 8 feet tall, depending on climate. Fragrance: 4.0, strong "wild rose" scent. Rosa nutkana ========== http://www.nwplants.com/plants/shrubs/rosa/rosa_nutkana/ Edible and Medicinal Uses:   listed here on  link above (Click on picture for large view) http://www.nwplants.com/images/ros_nut_hb.jpg ============= http://www.bcbiodiversity.homestead.com/othertall.html (has pictures!) Nootka Rose Rosa nutkana Description: Spindly shrub that grows to 3m tall with a large pair of prickles at each leaf base.  Alternate deciduous leaves are compound in 5 or 7 toothed leaflets with rounded tips.  4-8cm wide flowers are borne singly at branch tips. Ecology: In open habitats at low to middle elevations; shorelines, streamsides, thickets, roadsides, clearings, etc. Notes: This one was found on the beach in Sechelt Inlet, June 2001.   Saskatoon Berry Amelanchier alnifolia Description: Shrub to a small tree, grows to 5m tall.  Smooth stem with large white showy flowers in short drooping to erect clusters of 3-20.  Fruits are dull red, becoming purple to nearly black when ripe.  Edible and tasty.  Leaves are alternate, deciduous and are thin and round to oval and regularly toothed on the top half. Ecology: Grows on rocky shorelines, bluffs, talus slopes, meadows, thickets, forest edges, and roadsides in well drained soils; scattered at low to middle elevations.  Notes: This one was found at the edge of the forest, on a roadside next to a rocky beach in Sechelt. Devil's Club Oplopanax horridus Description: An erect or often sprawling shrub 1-3m tall with thick crooked stems that are armed abundantly with yellowish 1cm long spines that tend to hurt even after they have been removed from your skin.  Alternate deciduous leaves are very large (to 35cm across) and strongly resemble maple leaves with 7-9 toothed lobes, its underside is also covered with spines.  It produces pyramidal terminal clusters of small greenish white flowers, and later pyramidal clusters of bright red berries that are eaten by bears but not humans.  Ecology:  Prefers moist or wet sites in forests and along streambanks; while it prefers wet sites drainage must be adequate so that it is not in standing water.  It is often found growing at low elevation along streambanks in mixed woods. Notes: This one was found near the edge of Wakefield Creek in West Sechelt, it was growing in mixed deciduous and coniferous woods. While the Devils's Club may be feared for its spikes it is a very powerful plant that deserves respect.  Native peoples believed that the plant had magical powers to help ward off evil and often made amulets or protective totems with the sweet smelling wood.  Its inner root and stem bark is also a very strong and powerful medicine, with a wide range of uses.  Mostly it was used for coughs and colds, rheumatism and pain, but it had many other uses as well; its charcoal was even used for ceremonial face painting and tattooing.   More recently Devils' Club has been studied for its powerful anti-microbial properties and has recently been studied in the treatment of tuberculosis and other viral diseases.  The Devils' Club is under severe pressure to the south of the border, pressure that is steadily pushing north, as its medicinal uses grow because unethical harvesters are going out and destroying the plants to get at their valuable root bark.  If you harvest any of the plant try to use the stem bark rather than the root bark and replant the crown when you are done and it may grow into a new plant.  Or collect from an area that is about to be cleared.

Since "SARS" is a SCAM - here is another huge propaganda article:

Click here: BBC NEWS | Health | Deadly Sars virus found in tears  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/health/3819209.stm

Signs of viruses such as herpes, hepatitis and measles have also been detected in tears.

(MY GUESS is that pneumonia and other respiratory diseases, which they are calling "SARS", along with the horrors that come with chemtrails and contrails, will be detectable in tears, too! So watch out what gets you into a 'panic'!-"Cheyenne Cin" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pretribendtime/message/11566

#1 Wash Your Hands

Most cold and flu viruses are spread by direct contact. Someone who has the flu sneezes onto their hand, and then touches the telephone, the keyboard, a kitchen glass. The germs can live for hours -- in some cases weeks -- only to be picked up by the next person who touches the same object. So wash your hands often. If no sink is available, rub your hands together very hard for a minute or so. That also helps break up most of the cold germs.

#2 Don't Cover Your Sneezes and Coughs With Your Hands

Because germs and viruses cling to your bare hands, muffling coughs and sneezes with your hands results in passing along your germs to others. When you feel a sneeze or cough coming, use a tissue, then throw it away immediately. If you don't have a tissue, turn your head away from people near you and cough into the air.

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#3 Don't Touch Your Face

Cold and flu viruses enter your body through the eyes, nose, or mouth. Touching their faces is the major way children catch colds, and a key way they pass colds on to their parents.

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#4 Drink Plenty of Fluids

Water flushes your system, washing out the poisons as it rehydrates you. A typical, healthy adult needs eight 8-ounce glasses of fluids each day. How can you tell if you're getting enough liquid? If the color of your urine runs close to clear, you're getting enough. If it's deep yellow, you need more fluids.

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#5 Take a Sauna

Researchers aren't clear about the exact role saunas play in prevention, but one 1989 German study found that people who steamed twice a week got half as many colds as those who didn't. One theory: When you take a sauna you inhale air hotter than 80 degrees, a temperature too hot for cold and flu viruses to survive.

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#6 Get Fresh Air

A regular dose of fresh air is important, especially in cold weather when central heating dries you out and makes your body more vulnerable to cold and flu viruses. Also, during cold weather more people stay indoors, which means more germs are circulating in crowded, dry rooms.

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#7 Do Aerobic Exercise Regularly

Aerobic exercise speeds up the heart to pump larger quantities of blood; makes you breathe faster to help transfer oxygen from your lungs to your blood; and makes you sweat once your body heats up. These exercises help increase the body's natural virus-killing cells.

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#8 Eat Foods Containing Phytochemicals

"Phyto" means plants, and the natural chemicals in plants give the vitamins in food a supercharged boost. So put away the vitamin pill, and eat dark green, red, and yellow vegetables and fruits.

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#9 Eat Yogurt

Some studies have shown that eating a daily cup of low-fat yogurt can reduce your susceptibility to colds by 25 percent. Researchers think the beneficial bacteria in yogurt may stimulate production of immune system substances that fight disease.

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#10 Don't Smoke

Statistics show that heavy smokers get more severe colds and more frequent ones.

Even being around smoke profoundly zaps the immune system. Smoke dries out your nasal passages and paralyzes cilia. These are the delicate hairs that line the mucous membranes in your nose and lungs, and with their wavy movements, sweep cold and flu viruses out of the nasal passages. Experts contend that one cigarette can paralyze cilia for as long as 30 to 40 minutes.

^ Back to top

#11 Cut Alcohol Consumption

Heavy alcohol use destroys the liver, the body's primary filtering system, which means that germs of all kinds won't leave your body as fast. The result is, heavier drinkers are more prone to initial infections as well as secondary complications. Alcohol also dehydrates the body -- it actually takes more fluids from your system than it puts in.

^ Back to top

#12 Relax

If you can teach yourself to relax, you can activate your immune system on demand. There's evidence that when you put your relaxation skills into action, your interleukins -- leaders in the immune system response against cold and flu viruses -- increase in the bloodstream. Train yourself to picture an image you find pleasant or calming. Do this 30 minutes a day for several months. Keep in mind, relaxation is a learnable skill, but it is not doing nothing. People who try to relax, but are in fact bored, show no changes in blood chemicals.

^ Back to top

The People's Medical Society is a nonprofit consumer health advocacy organization. Charles B. Inlander is president, and co-author of 77 Ways to Beat Cold and Flu.

Reviewed by Charlotte E. Grayson, MD, September 2003.
Originally published October 2001.

SOURCE: Charles B. Inlander, president of The People's Medical Society, a nonprofit consumer health advocacy organization, and author of 77 Ways to Beat Cold and Flu.

=====================

http://www.healthylungs.org/programs_services/adult/handbook2.html

Learning Helpful Ways To Breathe

========================

THIS LINK has a huge list of various cures for various ailments- however, it's NOISY! They opted for music. --'Cheyenne Cin'

http://www.behealthy.com/naturalh.html  Natural Home Remedies. Facts About Various Ailments. Our body needs 90 nutrients every day to maintain optimum health: 60 minerals ...

===================================

http://www.locateadoc.com/articles.cfm/search/93

50 Ways to Fight Colds and Flu

=================================

http://www.retirement-matters.co.uk/gparchive/Flu.htm

Fighting Coughs, Sore Throats, Coughs, and 'Flu' and 'Sars'

By Dr David Delvin

STOP PRESS RE SARS FROM DR DELVIN 22.4.03.:

The 'flu-like illness SARS has now affected over 4,000 people and about 250 of them have died.  Worst affected areas are Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore and the Toronto (Ontario) region of Canada.  The infection has also entered Britain.

The bug is now believed be a CORONA VIRUS - a mutant relative of the common cold virus.  NO antibiotic has proved effective against it - but the lives of many seriously ill patients have been saved by putting them on breathing-support machines.

COLDS, SORE THROATS, COUGHS AND INFLUENZA - AREN'T THEY A NUISANCE?

Yet they plague us all - particularly those of us who are over about 50.  Outbreaks of them persist far into the Spring and early Summer.   Hence the famous advice:  'Ne'er cast a clout till May be out.'  (in other words, wrap up warm until the summer comes!)

Furthermore, this April 2003 has seen the arrival of a new and deadly 'flu-like illness:  the extremely unpleasant 'Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome' (SARS) - of which more in a moment.

Why are these infections such a nuisance to the over 50's?  Partly because a lot of people in the retirement age-group have lowered resistance to infection,.  Also, many men and women over 50 have lung or heart problems - and those problems can be exacerbated by a chest infection.

So it's as well to know how to avoid these bugs - and how to cope with them when they do hit you.  

First of all, let's deal with avoidance. 

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AVOIDING CATCHING THESE INFECTIONS

Obviously, it's better if you can avoid catching these nasty respiratory bugs in the first place.  

So what can you do to prevent yourself from getting colds, sore throats, coughs and 'flu?

There are 2 basic strategies: being in the best possible physical shape, and steering clear of the germs:

Being in the best possible physical shape:  The fitter you are, the less likely you are to get infected.  I have to admit that even super-fit athletes do catch germs - but not as often as folk who are out of shape.  So, use the following strategies throughout the year:

*  Do not smoke.  Smoking makes you far more liable to respiratory infections (though a lot of 'fag-puffers' find that hard to accept!)

*  Avoid smoky atmospheres

*  Get a reasonable amount of exercise - and plenty of fresh air in your lungs

*  Have a 'flu jab each year - provided you fall into one of the categories of people for whom it is recommended

What about taking vitamins to keep you in good shape - and so ward off colds, 'flu and coughs?  Well, many members of the public believe that this is essential.  And journalists who write about health in magazines and newspapers are always going on about how important vitamins are in protecting people against infection.

However, I have to tell you that hardly any Doctors would bother to take vitamins for this purpose!  It's not something which orthodox medicine is interested in.  But if you want to take vitamins - for instance - Vitamin C, which so many people believe in - then it's unlikely they'll do you any harm.,

Steering clear of the germs:  This is something that a lot of people don't think of.  If you aren't exposed to the germs of colds, 'flu or even the dreaded SARS, you cannot catch them.  It's just impossible.

That's why men and women who go on solo treks across the Arctic do NOT get these infections - there's no one there to catch them from!

Of course, in daily life we have to meet other people - and so we are exposed to their germs.  That's how we get colds and 'flu and so on.  But it is possible to reduce your exposure to these germs by taking certain practical steps.  They are:

1.  Don't sit in 'healthcare' buildings where the atmosphere is bound to be thick with 'bugs'.  The worst possible spot is a GP's waiting room - where there are invariably people breathing out nasty viruses over everybody else.  Naturally. hospitals have an awful lot of viruses too - so don't hang about in one unless you have to.  If the SARS epidemic really takes off in the UK (see below), then a medical waiting room will be the ideal place to catch it ...

2.  Avoid crowded transport environments like rush-hour trains and buses.  The atmosphere is quite likely to contain germs - especially as so many passengers now think that it's perfectly acceptable to cough and sneeze all over their fellow commuters - without using a hanky!  Many of them have never heard of the old wartime slogan:  COUGHS AND SNEEZES SPREAD DISEASES

3.  Similarly, avoid crowded offices - especially air-conditioned ones, in which (obviously) there is no fresh air.  If you employ staff, tell them that if they get a cold or cough, they should STAY AT HOME.

4.  Avoid ill-mannered people who cough and splutter their sputum in your direction.

5.  If the SARS outbreak really does get going in this country, consider wearing a mask when you are in crowds - just like the Chinese are doing now.  These little facemasks can be bought very cheaply indeed from good chemists.

Click here to go back to the top of the page.

COPING WITH THESE INFECTIONS

So that's prevention dealt with.  Now let's look at how you can cope with these infections if you are unlucky enough to get them.

COLDS:  Let's first be clear about what a cold IS.  I find that a lot of (jolly brave!) people aged over 40 talk about 'just having a cold' - when they've actually got a rampaging chest infection!

A cold involves only the nose and the area round the palate and upper throat.  It's a miserable business - no matter how stoical you try to be about it.

TREATMENT:  Because colds are caused by a virus (and because antibiotics have no effect at all on viruses), there is absolutely no point in asking your doctor for penicillin or any other antibiotic treatment.  In fact, it's pointless to go to your GP at all - she can do nothing for you.

Your best move is stay at home (so you don't infect other people).  Have a good rest, and drink plenty of fluid.

The following over-the-counter remedies are helpful in relieving cold symptoms:

*  Ordinary aspirin

*  Paracetamol

*  Anadin Cold Control Capsules

*  Beechams Cold & Flu Hot Blackcurrant

*  Contac 400

*  Karvol Decongestant Capsules and Drops

     Traditional British 'home' remedies which are good include:

*  Breathing in steam (from your bath, shower or over a basin)

*  Drinking hot lemon juice/squash with honey

*  Having really COLD iced drinks

*  Drinking whisky (in reasonable amount only, please!)

Over the last 20 years, many people have come to support Zinc tablets (available from your chemist) as a great cold remedy.

I have to say that during those 20 years, I've been waiting for a scientific trial which shows that they really do work - so far, it hasn't happened!

What does work in 'un-bunging' your nose is gentle injection of warm, salty water - a technique I have used successfully for about 10 years.  Unfortunately, it's quite difficult to do for yourself unless you have a good working knowledge of nasal anatomy!  If you want to try it, get a doctor or nurse to show you how.

One final point:   MIND YOUR HANDS.  British research has shown that colds are very often passed on to other people via the hands.  So while you've got a cold, try if possible not to touch other folk at all.  Basic hygiene is to be taken seriously in trying to avoid colds and keep them from spreading.

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SORE THROATS

Nearly all sore throats are caused by one (or more) of three factors:

*  Smoking

*  Germs

*  Over-use of the voice (uncommon)

So if you have a sore throat and you are a smoker, the first thing to do is NOT TO SMOKE.  Amazingly, a lot of smokers don't understand this at all - and keep demanding antibiotics, whilst continuing to 'bathe' their throats in irritating cigarette,. pipe or cigar smoke.

If you've got a sore throat and you're not a smoker, then try and keep well away from people who are smoking.

Germs:  What about germs?  The majority of the germs which cause sore throats are viruses.  Therefore, antibiotics will have no effect on them.  So the average sore throat will not respond to penicillin or erythromycin or tetracyclines.  Fortunately, most sore throats which have been caused by viruses will get better in a week or so.

However - a minority of sore throats are due to bacteria - that is, the kind of germs which are 'done in' by antibiotics.  So in general, if you have a bad throat that has gone on for more than about a week, it was worth consulting your GP to see if a course of penicillin (or some other anti-biotic) would help.

'OTC' Remedies:  But for most sore throats, the best thing is to use an 'Over-The-Counter' remedy.  Good ones include:

*  Beechams Throat-Plus

*  AAA Mouth & Throat Spray (but avoid if you're sensitive to Local Anaesthetics)

*  Bradosol Plus Lozenges

*  Dequadin Lozenges

* Meggezones

* Aspirin, Paracetamol or Ibuprofen are also helpful.  Herbal or homeopathic treatment may be worth a try - and are certainly less likely to cause side-effects than antibiotics are!

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COUGHS

I'm not dealing here with the sort of coughs which are caused by long-term medical conditions, like asthma or chronic lung disease. 

Most coughs which affect the average person are due to either smoking or infection - or a combination of both.  Fortunately, a lot of coughs do get better on their own - particularly if the sufferer wraps up warm, and stays out of smoky or dusty atmospheres.  

But if a cough goes on for longer than a week, then you should at least consider ringing your GP's surgery for advice.  Personally, I reckon that you should see a doctor if you have any of the following symptoms:

*  Coughing up green or yellow stuff

*  Coughing up blood

*  Experiencing chest pain while coughing

*  Having difficulty in breathing

If a doctor thinks that your cough is probably due to a bacterial infection (as opposed to a viral one) she'll almost certainly put you on antibiotics for five days or so.  These days, GPs do not prescribe 'cough remedies' very much.

However, if the doctor reckons that your coughing is being caused by 'muck' dripping down from your nose (which is very common), she may prescribe nose drops or other anti-catarrh medication.

What about 'Over-The-Counter' remedies?  There's generally no harm in taking these if your cough isn't bad enough to necessitate a visit to the doctor's.  Chemists are always very willing to sell you cough medicines; indeed, a good deal of their trade depends on them!  They will usually ask you whether your cough is 'dry' or 'productive', and will recommend something accordingly.

However .... please bear in mind that some 'OTC' cough products (those which contain codeine) should NOT be used by anyone who has serious liver or lung problems.  Furthermore, codeine products are also very constipating.

Also, cough medicines containing a drug called theophylline can cause agitation, palpitations and insomnia - particularly in elderly people.

Finally, please remember that antihistamine-containing cough medicines are likely to make you rather drowsy - and probably unfit to drive safely.  Don't take alcohol while on them!

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FLU (INFLUENZA)

Frankly, most people who say that they have 'flu actually have colds or chest  infections!

Real flu is an extremely unpleasant and potentially dangerous condition - particularly for anyone over 60.  Some strains of 'flu do kill, I'm afraid.

Symptoms vary, but generally include:

*  Feeling so awful that you can hardly walk across the room;

*  High temperature;

*  Severe aching in the body and head;

*  Profuse sweating

If you think you have 'flu, ring the doctor's surgery, or the Emergency Doctor Service, or NHS Direct, and tell them your symptoms.  Then follow their advice.

Do not attempt to go out.  Stay in bed.  Drink plenty of fluids (but NOT a lot of alcohol).  Take Aspirin or Paracetamol or Ibuprofen - unless these drugs upset you, in which case seek a doctor's advice.  

If your condition seems to be deteriorating badly, then don't hesitate; get on the phone and ask for medical help!

Click here to go back to the top of the page.

'SARS' (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)

This influenza-like illness first hit the headlines in Hong Kong in March of this year.  By the beginning of April it was beginning to spread around the world in an ominous way, clearly being carried by airline passengers.

It's almost certainly caused by a virus.  Therefore, the 'bug' cannot be killed by antibiotics.  But fortunately, seriously ill victims can often be saved by good nursing an artificial 'ventilation' of the lungs.  At present, the death rate is about one in 25.

Main symptoms are:

*  High fever;

*  Headache;

*  Sore throat;

*  Aches and pains;

*  Difficulty in breathing.

At the moment, you should simply be aware of the existence of SARS - particularly if you live near an airport, or have contact with people who have just flown in from the Far East or Canada.  

If you think you may have it, then ring a doctor for advice immediately.  DO  NOT GO OUT.  Stay in bed until you've been told that it's safe to get up.  Up-to-date advice will be available on the Net, and from sources such as the teletext on your TV

Click here to go back to the top of the page.

Q         My husband says he 'has a cold all year long', because his nose is always running.  Can anyone really have a cold that goes on as long    long as that?

A         No.  He must have some kind of nasal allergy.  This is called 'allergic rhinitis.'  He should see his own doctor for a more precise diagnosis - and some treatment.

Q         I am on penicillin for a nasty cough, and all my friends say that this means that I cannot drink!  Is this true?

A         No.  In many parts of Britain, people believe that 'you mustn't take alcohol with antibiotics'.  But in fact, there are only one or two antibiotics which react badly with grog.  You can safely drink while on penicillin.  So have a snifter - with my best wishes!  (to be on the safe side, check with your pharmacist)

Q         I'm a lifelong smoker, and I have been coughing for the last 3 months - despite taking cough remedies.  My partner wants me to go to the Doctor's, but I don't think this is necessary

A         Well, I'm afraid you're wrong.  Any long-term smoker who develops a cough that won't clear up needs to have his chest examined - and probably needs an x-ray as well.  Don't delay

Q         My wife has been a singer for 40 years.  But in the last few months, she has had a really bad sore throat, and has found it difficult to produced a decent note!  Why?

A         When people who've been singers for years get a persistent bad throat and voice problems, there's always a worry that they are developing 'corns' on their vocal cords.  This conditions has afflicted  many fine artistes, including Julie Andrews.  So your wife should see her doctor - and ask for a referral to an ENT specialist.

Click here to go back to the top of the page.
 

A         No, not at all!  It's true that the eyes and the ears do tend to deteriorate with age.  But there are plenty of people in their 90's who have excellent hearing and eyesight.

===========================================

http://www.mercola.com/2001/nov/14/colds.htm

http://articles.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1041/is_12_78/ai_67374258

http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_coldsf.htm

http://www.birrs.net/katsherbs/Colds%20and%20Flu.htm

http://www.stayinginshape.com/4union/libv/p15.shtml

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/896_flu.html

http://www.morehead.org/wellconnected/000064.htm

-------------------------------------

Since MOST "diagnosis" for the fake "SARS" is probably the corona virus, here is some info:

Can Oil and Spices Tame Allergies?

http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/hlth_oil-27.html

Can Oil and Spices Tame Allergies?

========================================

... Natural Cures for Killer Germs.” He headed a recent study which demonstrated that medicinal Oil of Oregano extracts inhibited the corona virus, the virus ...
www.babyboomers-seniors.com/PDFs/June%2014.pdf

=====================================

SARS - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Very much in the news recently, this virus is thought to have been responsible for over 2,000 cases worldwide and 78 deaths to date. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has now recommended against travel to Hong Kong, where schools have been closed to reduce the spread of infection, or to the Guangdong Province of China.

===================================

DOCTORS MAKE NATURAL TREATMENT FOR SARS AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE



SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - A team of Doctors well-known for their research in
alternative medicine and emerging diseases has developed an effective
treatment for SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) utilizing a
little-known antidote to coronavirus. According to the Doctors, coronavirus
can be successfully treated with methanolic extracts of two berry bushes
common to British Columbia and the northwestern states - Amelanchier
alnifolia and Rosa nutkana - both members of the Rosaceae family of plants.

Dr. Leonard Horowitz, a Harvard-trained, internationally-known expert in
public health and emerging diseases and Dr. Joseph Puleo, a leading
naturopathic physician and a founding member of the World Natural Health
Organization (www.wnho.net) developed the treatment from findings originally
made in 1995. Esteemed Canadian botanist Dr. Neil Towers, Professor Emeritus
at the University of British Columbia pioneered the decade-old study that
proved Rosacaea plants could overcome coronavirus infections in cell
cultures, a system far more sensitive to toxicity than living organisms.

Doctors Horowitz and Puleo advanced Dr, Towers' studies by adding two
additional natural ingredients and have named the new treatment the "Urbani
SARS Formula." The name recognizes Italian communicable disease expert Dr.
Carlo Urbani, one of the disease's earliest victims. Dr Urbani, who received
a Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work with Doctors Without Borders,
died in Thailand after contracting the disease while caring for patients.

While the Doctors cannot make "cure" claims due to variations between
individuals and FDA restrictions, they profess that the ingredients in the
Urbani SARS Formula are time-tested, inexpensive, readily available and well
proven against the bovine coronavirus and other respiratory pathogens. Dr.
Puleo saw rapid improvement among patients who presented in March with
SARS-like symptoms at the Natural Health Research Clinic he directs in
Sandpoint, Idaho.

The primary ingredients in the proprietary Urbani SARS Formula are extremely
hard to acquire in freshly harvested lots, which are required for maximum
strength and effectiveness. The ingredients include:

Lomatium dissectum root extract - This has been known for centuries to have
potent anti-microbial uses and to be useful as an immuno-stimulant. It also
protects cells from another pathogen, the Rotavirus, which is a common cause
of dysentery. SARS has been linked to symptoms of dysentery in a significant
number of cases. It was used by Native Americans as a food and as a medicine
for treatment of Tuberculosis and other lung infections. It has been used
effectively in the treatment of bronchitis and pneumonia.

Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus) - This is best known as an immune-boosting
"adaptogen" that mitigates the effect of stress throughout the body. It also
functions as an expectorant and mucous secretion stimulator when prescribed
for respiratory infections. Native Americans have long used Devil's Club to
help heal insulin-resistant type II diabetes. Dr. Puleo explains that most
SARS victims have ongoing blood sugar and immune-suppressive problems that
give viral infections the edge over natural immunity.

The Rosaceae (Amelanchier ainifolia and Rosa nutkana or Saskatoons - These
berries are a naturally-occurring edible fruit once used by Native Americans
for stomach problems and for maternal recovery after childbirth. In 1995 it
was demonstrated that extracts from these berries were very active against
coronaviruses.

Xylitol Sugar - Xylitol is a relatively new weapon in the war against
infectious diseases. This five-carbon sugar was largely unappreciated before
WW II sugar shortages brought it to attention. Researchers in Finland
determined that a 5% solution of Xylitol reduced 68% of Strep and Pneumonia
bacteria attachments and 50% of flu viruses. Small amounts of Xylitol are
made naturally in the body, which means it does not have the problems
associated with man-made antibiotics. Bacteria do not develop a resistance to
Xylitol and cannot introduce mutating strains to overcome its effectiveness.

====================================

http://www.energywave.com/lifestyle_survival_issues/SARS_Corona_virus_scare.htm

Should you really be afraid of the SARS  (a Corona Virus)

==================

More on how to cure the fake scam "SARS"--

http://www.worldmessenger.20m.com/chemical.html

Protection against chemical, biological and nuclear attacks,
Anthrax and Smallpox...

Do NOT get vaccinated!

SARS - Important links to what you need to know.

Facts which can save your Life during a chemical, biological or nuclear attack

===========================

http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/Newsletters/03_May.htm

Scientific Studies:

LIGNISUL MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) IN THE TREATMENT OF ACUTE ATHLETIC INJURIES and LIGNISUL MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) A DOUBLE BLIND STUDY OF ITS USE IN DEGENERATIVE ARTHRITIS (please click on link "Press Room" to "Scientific Studies)

(MAYBE GRAZING AND ROLLING IN THE GRASS IS A GOOD THING, AFTER ALL, haha!--"Cheyenne Cin"- P.S. Watch out for caterpillars and other things!)

=================

Q: Can anyone tell me what natural sources (foods?) there are for MSM (Organic Sulfur)?
Thanks!

A: Cabbage (raw) is high in sulfur

------------------------

http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/MSM-for-joint-pain.htm

==================

http://www.all-natural.com/msm.html

=================================

• Assist the production of healthy cells
• Support the body’s natural mechanisms in the
management of muscular and joint pain
• A natural food, easily assimilated
• Nutritional support for sufferers of joint pain
• Sulfur — An Underrated Mineral

~

Boswellia - Anti-arthritis and Joint Support

Boswellia, also known as Shallaki or Boswellia serrata is a natural and safe herb for optimum joint health. It has traditionally been used as incense because of its fragrant properties. One active constituent, Boswellic Acid, is a pyrazoline derivative shown to be very effective in supporting healthy joints. Like its cousin Guggul, Boswellia has many cholesterol and triglyceride lowering properties. One of the principal constituents in the gum resin is boswellic acid which exhibits anti-inflammatory activity.

Boswellia has been used extensively in Ayurveda for joint support and to provide an overall sense of well-being. Also known as "Salai Guggul," it is like its cousin Guggul in offering broad health and immunomodulating benefits. The gum resin is used as an ointment for sores and has anti-inflammatory, antiatherosclerotic and antiarthritic activities. The nonphenolic fraction of the gum resin had marked sedative and analgesic action. The gum is a well known household fumigant and is used as an anti-inflammatory agent when applied externally. Internally, besides being antiarthritic, it has expectorant effects. It also reduces body weight.

In clinical trials, promising results were observed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic colitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, bronchial asthma und peritumoral brains edemas. Boswellic acids inhibit the leukotriene biosynthesis in neutrophilic granulocytes by a non-redox, noncompetitive inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase. The effect is triggered by boswellic acids binding to the enzyme. Moreover certain boswellic acids have been described to inhibit elastase in leukocytes, to inhibit proliferation, induce apoptosis and to inhibit topoisomerases of leukoma- and glioma cell lines. A series of chronic inflammatory diseases are thought to be perpetuated by leukotrienes.

=============

ACTION

SIZE
Available in a pack of 60 capsules (125 mg). Does not contain added sugar, salt, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

SUGGESTED USE
Take 1 or 2 capsules twice daily with meals. Allow several weeks for benefits. The use of natural products provides progressive but long-lasting results.

SIDE EFFECTS
None

DRUG INTERACTIONS
None

CONTRAINDICATIONS
None

OTHER BOSWELLIA PRODUCTS
Boswellia is the pure extract of one herb. It is also available in the following herbal blends as one of the main ingredients:
JointCare - Natural Herbal Blend (380 mg - 60 Capsules)

==========================

ACTION

SIZE
Available in a pack of 60 capsules (125 mg). Does not contain added sugar, salt, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

SUGGESTED USE
Take 1 or 2 capsules twice daily with meals. Allow several weeks for benefits. The use of natural products provides progressive but long-lasting results.

SIDE EFFECTS
None

DRUG INTERACTIONS
None

CONTRAINDICATIONS
None

OTHER BOSWELLIA PRODUCTS
Boswellia is the pure extract of one herb. It is also available in the following herbal blends as one of the main ingredients:
JointCare - Natural Herbal Blend (380 mg - 60 Capsules)

====

Frequently Asked Questions About Boswellia

What is Boswellia?
Boswellia, also known as Boswellia serrata, is an herb that has extensively been used in Ayurveda for joint support and to provide an overall sense of well-being. It is commonly referred to as a cousin of Guggul, in offering broad health and immunomodulating benefits.

Who can take Boswellia?
Because herbal medicines are relatively mild and gentle on the human body, Boswellia can be taken by practically everyone, regardless of age and gender. However, it is especially useful for those who are troubled by arthritis, ulcerative colitis, back pain, and inflammation.

Is Boswellia addictive?
Himalaya Boswellia is a pure herb that does not contain any addictive ingredients. It is reliable and can be taken without fear of addiction for long periods of time.

Are there any side effects to taking Boswellia?
Side effects are rare, but include skin rash, diarrhea, and nausea. Research has not established if this is safe for pregnant women yet; it is recommended that pregnant women avoid taking Boswellia.

What kind of action does Boswellia have on the body?
Affecting some 40 million people, including 200,000 children, arthritis is the most common chronic disease in America. In osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, Boswellia has anti-inflammatory action similar to NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories), without the accompanying stomach irritation. Boswellia helps to improve circulation to joints, relieves pain, stiffness, and boosts tonic and immune effects.

What are the benefits of taking Boswellia?
Boswellia provides progressive long lasting results for the following conditions:
- Arthritis
- Back Pain
- Inflammation
- Injury and Wounds
- Sprain

How long do I have take Boswellia before I see any results?
Herbal medicines provide progressive, long-term benefits. Certain classes of herbs work well in acute conditions to provide quick relief, however herbs like Boswellia need to be taken for at least 3-4 weeks before the benefits of taking it can be experienced. Optimally, you may have to take Boswellia for anywhere between 3 and 6 months to experience the full range of benefits. Individual results can vary.

Have any studies been done on Boswellia?
One researcher who reviewed 11 German clinical studies found that Boswellia had been beneficial for 260 people who did not respond well to conventional treatments. Researchers found that standardized Boswellia extract significantly reduced swelling and pain and usually reduced morning stiffness for people with rheumatoid arthritis. Even more impressive was that some people were able to reduce their intake of NSAIDs. It is important to note that NSAIDs, the pharmaceutical medicines most often taken for arthritis help to relieve pain and inflammation, but may actually accelerate cartilage degeneration. Boswellia does not cause this degeneration. It actually reduces the breakdown of cartilage building blocks known as glycosaminoglycans1. In a 6-week study involving 42 people who had ulcerative colitis symptoms, researchers found that Boswellia extract was just as effective as the high-powered pharma drugs sulfasalazine in promoting remission2.

Is Boswellia a standardized herbal medicine?
Himalaya Healthcare Company has solved the riddle of ensuring consistency of performance for herbal remedies through full control of all stages of production from growing the herbs on their own farms to adhering to pharma Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and stringent quality controls. Every Himalaya Pure Herb, including Boswellia, is fingerprinted using the most sophisticated chromatographic techniques to consistently maintain the highest quality.

What is the difference between the pure herb, Boswellia, and herbal blends that contain Boswellia as one of the primary ingredients?
Himalaya Pure Herbs is a line of clinically proven traditional herbs from The Himalaya Drug Company. The Himalaya Pure Herbs range delivers to you the best of a rich Indian pharmacopoeia in a convenient capsule form. Each Pure Herb capsule contains the goodness of the entire plant and all its attendant benefits. On the other hand, herbal blends, like JointCare, that contain Boswellia as the primary ingredient fulfill essentially all of the functions that Boswellia individually does, but include other herbs that address different aspects of lipid and fat metabolism. For most consumers, it is often a matter of preference and choice when deciding between Pure Herbs and Herbal blends. At Himalaya, we recommend herbal blends when it is necessary to treat multiple conditions and pure herbs when treating any one specific condition.

Which of the herbal blends contains Boswellia?
Boswellia is one of the primary ingredients in Himalaya JointCare, which helps support healthy joints. JointCare helps maintain freedom of movement, promotes circulation, helps cope with sprains and strains from activity and provides overall support of the musculoskeletal system. Boswellia in JointCare has been shown to be very effective in supporting healthy joints.

Which is more important when shopping for herbal medicines - safety, effectiveness, or bioequivalence?
We recognize that, for most consumers, the real issue is less one of safety and effectiveness of herbal remedies in general and more one of the quality of the specified product. The real issue for the consumer is the question of bioequivalence: is the product in front of me going to be bioequivalent to the one I have been reading about and deliver the results I expect?

Why buy Himalaya Boswellia when there are countless other brands available on the market?
It is important that you, as a consumer, look for products that have not only been researched clinically but are also “fingerprinted” to guarantee that “the science is in the pill”. Himalaya, in fact, pioneered “fingerprinting” as the way to achieve consistency of performance of herbal remedies. Fingerprinting refers to perfectly matching the entire phyto-constituent profile of the plant between the product on the market and the reference or standard on which the science has been generated. In other words, “fingerprinting” the entire make-up of the herbal product is the only way to verify bioequivalence. Most companies that manufacture herbal medicines are not equipped nor care to perform such fingerprinting. Consequently for the consumer, most products on the market cannot truly make the claims they make because the bioequivalence of their herbal products has not been conclusively established through a match of their phyto-constituent profiles with the reference.

SCIENTIFIC VALIDATION
Boswellia has been scientifically validated by many clinical studies. Its formula has been subjected to the modern scrutiny of clinical testing to prove its benefits in gently addressing your health concerns, and its quality is controlled by the most sophisticated chromatographic "fingerprinting" techniques.

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http://www.tattvasherbs.com/arthritis.htm