Food as my medicine cabinet? You Betcha!

Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

This is naturally fermented apple cider that has not been pasteurized and still contains probiotics, enzymes and minerals. I am not quoting from the medical literature here but experience which to me is valid. This can help to restore proper ph levels in your body, it’s an immune booster, will help cut a cough and runny nose, as well as flu symptoms, it’s anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal and can be taken daily during the winter months to help fight infections!  It’s also great for yeast infections, skin/intestinal detox, and digestive disorders. Simply mix with raw honey with apple cider vinegar and make apple tea. We use tons of it in flackers as well so enjoy and eat up guilt free.

Ginger:

Yes, good ol fashion just plain ginger root that you can find in the produce department is quite the magical healer! Clinical studies have shown that ginger is helpful for reducing nausea, especially for long car rides, and pregnant ladies.. Simply peel off the tough outer layer and slice off a few inches.  I typically use about an inch of the root and slice it into thin discs and then add then to a hot cup of water.  Allow it to seep for 10-15 minutes and enjoy with some raw honey for a wonderful, soothing and warming tea.

Raw Honey

This is unadulterated honey that has not been heated, changed altered or pasteurized, so it retains all of the natural enzymes and healing properties present from nature. Because of raw honey’s enzymes and minerals and trace amounts of pollen, it makes a fabulous cough suppressant and healing agent.  It is also naturally antimicrobial, which again helps with sore and irritated throats and can also be used on cuts, shallow topical abrasions and boo boos to ward off infection.

1 tsp raw honey

1/4 tsp of cinnamon mixed and yum! great for colds and coughs

Garlic

Garlic contains allicin which has strong antimicrobial effects. I have read can be equivalent to anywhere from 1% to 20% of a standard penicillin dose. It also contains sulphur compounds, this is where much of it’s healing power is, as well as vitamins C and B, flavanoids (antioxidants), and the trace minerals selenium and germanium (excellent for cancer prevention among other things).

The active components in garlic are heat sensitive and fairly volatile, and therefore most of it’s benefit will be lost if the garlic is cooked. Please, by all means, continue to cook with lots of garlic just because it tastes amazing  but for optimal medicinal use, it must be eaten and crushed raw to truly be effective.

Chamomile Tea:

Chamomile is a small, daisy-looking flower that has been used since ancient times to calm the nervous system, relive anxiety and aid in digestion. It is easiest taken as a tea. I like to mix it with peppermint or ginger as a remedy tea wonderful for aiding in digestion. It’s great for calming down little ones too, especially before bed; I know…and your welcome moms (: It can also sometimes work for relieving stress headaches although I also use a dab of lavender oil for these as well.

 

Apples dipped in Honey for a sweet & healthy New Year

Today is the Jewish New Year and to celebrate we usually dip apples in honey to ensure that the year is full of good health and sweetness and an abundance in the Fall harvest. Interestingly enough, it’s not just the sweetness of honey that brings forth this wish, it is the medicinal properties of honey as well. This wonderfully rich golden liquid is the miraculous product of honey bees and a naturally delicious alternative to sugar. Although it is available throughout the year, it is an exceptional treat in the summer and fall when it has just been harvested and is at its freshest.

Health benefits, like with any food depends on the quality of the honey

Honey has been used by ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Chinese, Romans, and Greeks as a medicinal remedy for the management of wounds, skin ailments, and various gastrointestinal diseases.Honey’s therapeutic importance as a known antibacterial agent has been recognized since 1892. In the laboratory, honey has been shown to hamper the growth of food-borne pathogens such as E. coli and salmonella, and to fight certain bacteria, includingStaphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, both of which are common in hospitals and doctors’ offices.

Manuka honey is sometimes used to treat chronic leg ulcers and pressure sores. Manuka honey is made in New Zealand from the nectar of Leptospermum scoparium. It’s the basis of Medihoney, which the FDA approved in 2007 for use in treating wounds and skin ulcers. It works very well to stimulate healing.

Drinking tea or warm lemon water mixed with honey is a time-honored way to soothe a sore throat. But honey may be an effective cough suppressant, too.In one study, children age 2 and older with upper respiratory tract infections were given up to 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) of honey at bedtime. The honey seemed to reduce nighttime coughing and improve sleep. In fact, in the study, honey appeared to be as effective as a common cough suppressant ingredient, dextromethorphan, in typical over-the-counter doses. I like to use a buckwheat honey-based syrup to ease early symptoms of a cold, it calms inflamed membranes and eases the cough. Please note that I do not give children under the age of one year honey because of the risk of botulism

Some laboratory studies suggest honey has the potential also to clear up stuffy noses and ease allergies triggered by pollen. There are lots of minerals and vitamins and antioxidant properties in honey as well — the darker the honey, the higher the level of antioxidants. Bees also make other very valuable healing substances like bee pollen and royal jelly but that’s for another blog.

In the mean time have a slice of apple to celebrate the fall harvest and dip it into some raw organic fresh local honey and wish yourself and those around you a happy healthy and prosperous year!

 

Looks like honey, smells like honey, but it really isn’t honey at all!

Store bought honey makes shocking headlines; looks like honey smells like honey but in fact it ain’t honey at all! Just got word of this shocking information from my wonderful friend and bee keeper extraordinaire. A comprehensive investigation conducted by Food Safety News(FSN) has found that the vast majority of so-called honey more than 75% of products sold at conventional grocery stores, big box stores, drug stores, and restaurants do not contain any pollen, which means they are not real honey.

So what is all this phony honey made of? It is difficult to say for sure, as pollen is the key to verifying that honey is real. According to FSN, much of this imposter honey is more likely being secretly imported from China, and may even be contaminated with antibiotic drugs and other foreign materials.

According to FSN, the lack of pollen in most conventional “honey” products is due to these products having been ultra-filtered. This means that they have been intensely heated, forced through extremely tiny filters, and potentially even watered down or adulterated in some way prior to hitting store shelves.

The good news is that all of the honey products FSN tested from farmers markets, food cooperatives, and “natural” stores were found to contain pollen and a full array of antioxidants and other nutrients. Local beekeepers are another great source of obtaining raw, unprocessed, real honey.

Be sure to read the entire FSN report at:
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/tests-show-most-store-honey-isnt-honey/

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/034102_honey_consumer_alert.html#ixzz1sIw4gVUD