Healthy Garden Food Newsletter
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| Editor: Bev Buckley |
JULY 2010 |
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| Health cures from the garden |
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Parsley, rosemary and sage, dandelion, ginger,
chives and lemon are not usually regarded as
"medicines" but perhaps they are in our gardens
for precisely this purpose.
Acidity in the body has been linked to disease
and tests have demonstrated conclusively that
the bodies of people who have cancer are acidic.
The normal response to high acidity is to eat lots
of alkaline foods. Perhaps this is not the best
approach.
According to New Zealand natural health
practitioner Kevin McDonald, author of "Learn
to Listen", the problem of acidity is caused when
the acidity in the stomach is not sufficiently
neutralized due to an undersupply of bile from
the liver. Stomach acidity compromises the
entire digestive tract and can be linked to all
sorts of inflammatory issues, including joint and
tendon pain.
Kevin McDonald has found that half his clients
have under-performing kidneys, 80% have livers
that are low in vitality and 95% have less than
optimal digestion. Degenerative disease is
largely linked to insufficient vitamins, minerals
and nutrients within the cells to keep them
healthy.
A quick and easy solution to acidity is to drink
lemon juice in hot water, first thing in the
morning. The lemon juice gives a message to
the stomach that it doesn't have to make as much
acid as normal. It already has some. Taking
alkaline water or eating alkaline foods sends the
message to increase acid production. The liver
isn't supplying enough bile to neutralise the
existing acid, so the end result is to worsen the
situation.
Lemon juice is not the solution to the acidity
problem however. It simply provides short-term
help. The real problem arises because the liver
is not functioning as efficiently as it should. The
liver is not producing enough bile, or perhaps
there are blocked bile ducts in the liver or the |
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gall bladder. The solution for the liver is a diet
of lots of vegetables as well as ginger in the form
of ginger tea: thin slices of ginger infused in
boiling water for 10 minutes. Ginger tea "turns
on" the liver. Milk thistle is a most effect liver
detox herb.
Cellular dehydration, brain health, blood
pressure, cell oxygenation, muscle integrity, skin
health and lung performance are all related to
kidney function which can, according to Kevin
McDonald, be dramatically improved by
drinking a tea made from parsley, rosemary and
sage, consumed three times a day for no more
than three days.
Parsley is a switch that turns the kidneys on, but
it is the vitamins, minerals and amino acids that
do the repair work.
Rosemary increases hydration at the cellular
level and is great for stimulating the renal glands
to correct hydration.
Sage assists with cell metabolism, the efficiency
of food utilization by cells, which is the end goal
in digestion. Sage should not be overused as it
can affect endocrine balance and to make sage
tea you need only 2 or 3 leaves. If cell
metabolism has been compromised, people will
feel increased energy within 5 days of drinking
the three-herb tea.
Acidity in the body can also be linked to thyroid
and prostrate glands under performing and again
this problem can be traced back to the liver,
which is a multi-function organ.
From the garden comes a solution to bacterial
infections in particular bladder infection. The
remedy is chive tea using a couple of
tablespoons of chopped chives steeped in a large
cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. This herbal
remedy should be taken 3 times a day for no
more than three days.
Reference: Kevin McDonald "Learn to Listen". |
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Ginger
Ginger contains potassium, magnesium, copper,
manganese, silicon, vitamins B3 and B6. It also
contains very potent compounds including
choline, pantothenic acid, citral, inosital,
camphene and gingerol. Ginger is helpful in
enhancing digestion, stimulating appetite,
alleviating headaches, colds and flu and reducing
pain and swelling caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
It reduces all symptoms associated with motion
sickness and morning sickness during
pregnancy.
Studies at the Minnestota Hormel Institude
suggest that gingerols may inhibit the growth of
colorectal cancer cells and kill ovanian cancer
cells by inducing prgrammed cell death and cell
self-digestion. Studies have also demonstrated
that gingerols suppress production of proinflammatory
compounds produced by cells in
the lining of joints and joint cartilege.
Gingerols are also thought to be the reason why
ginger reduces the pain of osteoarthritis and
rheumatoid arthritis and cause improvement of
mobility for arthritis sufferers.
Ginger significantly inhibits the production of
nitric oxide, a highly reactive nirogen molecule
that quickly forms a very damaging free radical
called peroxynitrite. It also lessons the rate of
depletion of glutathione, one of the body's most
important internally produced anti-oxidants. |
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Ginger Tea: Steep thin slices of ginger in boiling water for 10
minutes. Add honey to sweeten.
Sweet Potato: Add ginger & orange to pureed sweet potato
Ginger Lemonade: grated ginger, lemon juice, honey & water.
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Thai Chicken & Ginger Sauce
Chicken Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon of lime juice
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
Method
Marinate the chicken breasts in limejuice, honey
and soy sauce for at least 1 hour. Grill chicken
breasts.
Ginger Sauce
Ingredients
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons of minced ginger in lemon juice
1 bunch of coriader
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 tablespoon of lime juice
½ teaspoon of chilli powder
40 ml of coconut milk
½ teaspoon of turmeric
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
Method
Place onion, garlic, ginger, kaffir lime leaves,
chilli powder and roots of coriander in a food
processor and blend. Heat oil in a frying pan
and cook blended ingredients for 5 minutes. Add
coconut, turmeric, lime and fish sauce and
simmer for a further five minutes. Add chopped
coriander leaves and pour over chicken breasts.
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Growing Ginger
the bio-nutrient way
Ginger is a very hungry plant so ensure the ground is well fertilized at least 2 - 3 months prior to sowing.
Add lime, an all purpose fertilizer, compost and a generous amount of animal manure to the soil and leave
it to break down before planting your crop. Cover with mulch to prevent weeds growing.
Spring is the time to plant ginger. Use the rhizomes from the previous year's crop. You can store these in
a box somewhere dark. Layer the roots in dry potting mix taking care to cover all the roots. In Spring
they will start to shoot. Each root will have several growing points. Cut the root into pieces ensuring that
each piece contains at least one growing point. Scrape the mulch away, place each root piece 5 cm deep
and 15 cm apart. Cover with soil and mulch the planting area generously.
The ginger will emerge shortly after planting. Keep the growing area weed free and add more mulch as it
is needed. Ginger is a hardy plant and will require little maintenance. Water once a week and add liquid
fertilizer twice during the growth period. Harvest when the leaves start to turn yellow. Use a fork to dig
up the whole plant. Remove the roots and cut off the stems. Store in a cool, dry place. |
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© Growing Healthy Australia 2010.
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