Using Nature’s Secrets to Look Great and Feel Terrific, Stay young, slim, strong, and energetic – Naturally
My sister Michelle usually looks nervous in photos. That’s because she is caught sitting still instead of helping someone. Always first to sense her family’s needs, my sister is an angel borrowed from Heaven. Like many single mothers she works full time, keeps house, feeds and cares for two sons and at least three cats. Unlike most, she has returned to college to complete an advanced degree. Although she is able to cat nap in a chair and awaken refreshed, health requires more than sleep: Herbal tonics improve vitality, concentration, memory, and our ability to sleep.
Tonics are not all alike. To work correctly they have to match the person. A man who has osteoporosis and broken bones asked my advice for an energy tonic. It depends on symptoms. Stimulating herbal tonics like Chinese ginseng speed metabolism, digestion, breathing, and other vital functions. Moistening herbal tonics increase blood and fluids to correct burnout from fevers, aging and stress. Many tonic formulas combine both stimulating and rejuvenating herbs. Before improving chronic pain, you have to treat fatigue. Circulation, mood, new tissue growth, metabolism and all aspects of healing require vitality supplied by nourishing foods and tonic herbs. Which sorts of tonics do you need most? Take the Tonic Test.
I HATE COLD WEATHER:
— I feel weak and chilled
— I look pale
— I have frequent daytime urination, diarrhea or poor assimilation (undigested food)
— My shoulders, lower back, knees and legs ache worse in cold weather
— My hands and feet go numb in cold weather or cold water
— I feel worse all over in cold weather, after a cold shower
— I have a poor appetite or crave sweets or junk food
— There is nothing interesting going on for me. I am bored or depressed.
— I often call or email my friends for support
— I have runny mucus congestion, shortness of breath, or asthma
— I have a pale tongue and deep slow pulse
— I feel withdrawn and try to avoid people because they tire me
If you answered YES to these items you would benefit most from warming, nourishing cooked foods and soups, (no iced drinks) and stimulating cooking spices such as cardamom, clove, ginger, pepper, star anise, Chinese Five Spices, and tonics such as combinations of various ginsengs.
Warming Herbal Tonics (for up to two weeks or as needed)
Avoid during colds/flu. Choose one and watch for side-effects: irritability, flushed complexion, fever, dryness or constipation. If they occur reduce dose or stop taking the warming tonic.
• Ginseng Complex plus royal jelly – Nature’s Bounty
• Ginseng Complex – Vitamin Shoppe
• Ashwagandha powder or pills (for mental and physical exhaustion, weak muscles, painful lower back, knees and legs, sexual weakness, poor concentration)
• Astra 8 – Health Concerns (for low immunity with muscle aches, fatigue, adrenal weakness, diarrhea, night sweats and a high-stress lifestyle)
• Backbone – Health Concerns (low back pain, incontinence, impotence, weak back and knees, impaired vision and hearing) Avoid this during fever, chronic thirst, scanty or dark urine, constipation, insomnia, or blood in BM.
I HATE HEAT:
— I have a flushed complexion or get red, itchy rashes, dry skin or acne
— I have broken capillaries on the face or legs
— When cut I get dark, thick scars
— I have thinning hair and blood-shot eyes
— I have a temper
— I love hot spices or I avoid them because they overheat me
— I am often thirsty or have a dry cough
— I smoke
— I have vaginal dryness or dark, thick urine
— I enjoy cool weather and avoid sunshine
— I have swollen joints or throbbing, hot pain in fingers, toes, knees or hips
— I have night sweats or chronic fevers or hot flashes
— I have acid indigestion or burping
— I frequently get up at night to urinate (as many as 3 – 5 times)
— I have a red tongue. It may have cracks or dots or a coating
— I have a rapid pulse, palpitations or anxiety
— I can’t stand to be alone. I am afraid of growing older.
— I hate my job, neighbors, family, or —.
If you answered YES to these items you would benefit from temporary use of cooling, moistening and cleansing foods and herbs. Acids, including uric acid, hurt your nerves! Caffeine and exercise increase acid. To rid the body of acids, increase bitter salad greens like watercress, endive, asparagus, and steamed spinach. The following slightly bitter tasting kitchen spices will feel comforting: cumin, coriander, fennel, dill, mint, parsley, cilantro leaf and seed. To yogurt add ¼ tsp of turmeric powder in order to support healthy intestinal bacteria and improve complexion and skin tone. You might make a salad dressing using yogurt, turmeric, and lemon juice instead of vinegar, adding some of the above cooling herbs and spices.
Avoid overuse of onion, garlic, cayenne and pepper, also caffeine, all of which increase inflammatory pain and digestive burning. In general, avoid hot spices, fried foods and alcohol except for an occasional optional drink to soothe your nerves. If you overeat or drink or smoke or take too many medicines, you can often prevent liver irritation, jaundice, or bad breath and headache by taking lots of dandelion capsules 12 – 15 during the day. Dandelion reduces dark urine, constipation, fibroids and stones. Or for convenience, you might take a liver-cleansing homeopathic remedy: homeopathic nux vomica 6x recommended for hangover, irritability, and sinus congestion. (A 6x strength is not a constitutional remedy, but can act like a food.)
Cleansing Herbs
Use these first to detox the body and blood. When complexion and elimination are improved, maintain cleansing with a cooling tonic to moisturize and rejuvenate. The following herbs reduce acidity, skin blemishes, body odors and inflammatory pains: dandelion, chlorophyll capsules or liquid mixed with water, green juices taken during afternoon not first thing in the morning. Drink white or green tea. Black tea is better than coffee. Although it contains caffeine, its acids protect the heart.
Ecliptex pills by Health Concerns is a powerful liver- and blood- cleanser and conditioner recommended for clearing poisons and pollution from street and medical drugs, smoking, environmental chemicals and work-related chemicals. It cleanses and supports the liver to improve hepatitis or cirrhosis. Use a dose that agrees with you. Start with 1 pill then increase to the recommended dose so that you can tolerate the cleansing effects. Ok to use it for months until it improves liver pain, complexion and hair growth.
From Health Concerns: For HIV, hepatitis, and viral conditions use Clear Heat pills. For hot flashes, raw sore throat, fast pulse, red tongue and anxiety or for Alzheimer’s with heat (fast pulse, dark red tongue) use Coptis Purge Fire pills. For colitis, IBS, gastric ulcers, prostate inflammation, and urinary tract infections use Isatis Cooling Formula.
Moistening, Rejuvenating Herbal Tonics
These make you look and feel younger, fresh, juicy and refreshed. Use the cleansing herbs first or these may bring out rashes and acidity. If you have chronic thirst, dryness, and anxiety you can use them along with the cleansing herbs and long term until you feel calmer and less dry.
Shilajit capsules are moistening and very rejuvenating made from refined bitumen, full of nutrients including amino acids and trace minerals. It’s recommended for thinning hair, dry skin, vaginal dryness and reduced semen. Taken on an empty stomach at night it improves insomnia and anxiety.
Power Mushrooms pills are a great general tonic from Health Concerns for chronic fatigue, low immunity, and inflammatory arthritis. It is neutral – not too cooling or heating. You can also cook mushroom teas at home: Simmer dried reishi, shiitake and/or Coriolus vericolor mushroom in water in a crock-pot slow cooker (high heat for 3 hrs. or low heat for 8 hrs.) Cook the mushrooms twice. It keeps for a week in the refrigerator.
Astra Essence from Health Concerns is recommended as a general tonic that supports healthy vision, hearing, mental clarity, vertigo, poor memory, recovery from chemo and radiotherapies, hair loss, diabetes
From Chinatown: Liu Wei Di Huang Wan pills sometimes with other names such as Yin Vive formula (warning: contains Rehmannia glutinosa which can bring out herpes rash.) Recommended for hypertension, diabetes, dry cough, thirst, edema, night sweats, and aging.
NOTE: If you develop a cold or flu, stop taking tonic herbs and treat immediate symptoms. You can use the tonics especially mushrooms to build immunity and keep your strength up if you use cleansing herbs or cold/flu remedies for longer than 2 weeks. If you use antibiotics, make sure to use yogurt and turmeric or acidophilus capsules in order to protect digestion.
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My Sweet Lady:
God bless your beloved sister.
This post is awesome with the tonic test.
I love all your blogs. They are refreshing and they help me build confidence.
Thank you so much for posting.
hugs,
Ann
Thank you Ann.
I do love Michelle and have missed not spending a lifetime with her. It is hard to move away.
But we are close as adults, closer that we were as children.
I hope you have a happy day, L.
Happy New Year Letha! I am wondering why tonics need to be stopped if one gets a cold or flu – aren’t they still good to keep things moving?
Also could you suggest some easy to find remedies for a wet cough that lasts a long time, only in winter, either from constant drip and/or reflux? Could slouching exacerbate this? Any homeopathic remedies or herbs that cut down on sinus mucus?
Many thanks, and stay warm!
Juni
Hi Juni
It is a strongly held Chinese theory that taking a tonic – especially ginseng- during early stages of a cold drives it deeper and makes it harder to conquer. A tonic works on organ tissue and metabolism. It works deeply – that means it profoundly affects vitality. It can be used only if you use an antibiotic herb or cleansing herb for a long time, like 2 weeks, and are very weak. Then a tonic can be added with care as long as it does not interfere with cleansing.
The first stage of cold – stiffness, sore throat, aches, chills, requires antimicrobial herbs like honeysuckle and herbs like chrysanthemum flower that increase sweating. You have to sweat out the cold – not affect organs. Especially avoid moisturizing, blood and fluid-building herbs during the first few days of a cold. They can make you feel worse.
For a cold that lasts a long time in winter, with constant drip – that indicates internal cold –too many raw cold foods, going outside without enough warm clothes to increase sweating. Try a little ginger tea then stay inside.
Health Concerns makes EASE 2 pills recommended for long term colds and flu with stiff neck and shoulders, whiplash, gastrointestinal distress (alternating constipation/diarrhea), body aches, emotional PMS, bloating and belching. It harmonizes liver and spleen and tonifies digestion. 2 – 4 tablets between meals. To order call 1 800 233 9355 use my name Letha as password.
What do you mean by slouching? To reduce sinus congestion, the first homeopathic remedy that comes to mind is pulsatilla 6x – recommended for feeling shut in unable to breathe. It will help dry mucus congestion.
Letha – you hit the nail on the head, honestly you are THE true healer! By slouching I mean sitting hunched over, chest caved in, shoulders humped over as if you were writing at a desk for a long time. I thought maybe that crunches the esophagus and recently eaten food can come back up. Can this be a sole cause of a long term cough?
In your above essay, you mention nux vomica 6X for sinus congestion and irritability ~ is this OK to take in addition to the pulsatilla 6X or are they totally different?
Again, thank you so much for this invaluble information!
Juni
Hi
I think bad posture by itself cannot cause a cough. If muscles feel pinched or you feel chest tightness (poor circulation) because of the slouch, then it might aggravate a spasm cough. If you cough up recently eaten food – that signals weak digestion.
Considered along with the runny nose and excess fluid, it again signals internal cold affecting stomach and lungs.
Why not chew some schizandra berries as a tonic. It has all 5 flavors like ginseng, but is not so heating. It improves vision and breathing. It warms energy and digestion but is also cleansing.
But if there is a cough, pay attention to the mucus. If it is clear – that’s weakness and internal cold –pulsatilla may be useful especially if you feel weak and seek the comforting reassurance of others.
If there is yellow or green mucus it could mean infection.
If you have headache, and have over eaten or had too much to drink and have upset the liver – than use nux vomica. . . Pulsatilla works on lungs and intestine; nux vomica on liver. They are different remedies.
The psychological factors are also important with homeopathic remedies.
Pulsatilla is for people who seek care, who feel isolated or sad
Nux is for overworked people who can be testy, irritable or bossy
Thanks for your questions.
best, L.
One last question on this (again, the detailed explanations you give are so helpful)
Where can the schizandra berries be purchased, are they dried?
I think they are what’s needed right now!
Best,
Juni
Juni
Schizandra is sold online from herb sellers (google it) and in Chinese herb shops.
This information will also help you:
Wu wei zi is the Chinese name
Description: Schizandra belongs to the family if the Magnoliaceae family. Schizandra is a creeping woody vine that is native to China and Japan. The schizandra fruit has a sweet, salty, bitter, hot and sour taste. This explains the Chinese name wu wei zi meaning five taste fruit. The Schizandra seeds are bitter and pungent. Besides the phytochemicals, schizandra is also rich in minerals, vitamins and essential oils.
Parts used: Schizandra extracts are made from the small berries. Most of the lignans are concentrated in the schizandra berries.
Phytochemicals: Gomisin, Schizandrin, Lignans, Beta-Sitosterol
Medicinal properties: Schizandra has a long history of medical use in the oriental countries. In China, Schizandra is one of the components of the herbal medicine Shenmai San, which is used to treat coronary heart disease. Schizandra is used for the treatment of different diseases, including insomnia, irritation, palpitation and dyspnea. Schizandra is also used a general tonic, for treatment of skin disorders and as sedative.
Recent studies have shown that Schizandra possess following properties: anti-bacterial, cardiac tonic, antioxidant and anti-depressant. Schizandra contains also phytoestrogens. This explains why Schizandra is used by menopausal women to treat cardiovascular disease. The phytochemicals which might be responsible for this action have not yet been identified. Young Joo and colleagues concluded in his study “Extracts from Schizandra chienensis Fruits Activate Estrogen Receptors: A Possible Clue to its Effects on Nitric Oxide-Mediated Vasorelaxation” in Biol.Pharma. Bull 27(7) 1066-1069 (2004) that schizandra extracts act as a weak phytoestrogens.
In Russia, schizandra is a registered medicine for vision problems.
Other facts: The schizandra fruit has a sweet, salty, bitter, hot and sour taste. This explains the Chinese name “wu wei zi” meaning “five taste fruit”. The Schizandra seeds are bitter and pungent. Besides the phytochemicals, schizandra is also rich in minerals, vitamins and essential oils.
Research Reviews:
Extracts from Schizandra chinensis Fruit activated Estrogen Receptors: a possible clue to its effect on nitric oxide-mediated vasorelaxation.
Hi Letha,
The past few weeks I’ve noticed that my eyes are very dry and burn. I have your book Asian health Secrets (it’s my bible). You mention comfrey (moisturizing) and gotu kola for the nervous system. I can’t believe how dry I feel and I suffer from acid reflux. What do you suggest?
Thank you.
Karen
Hello Letha
I could really use your help…I have been reading your book and probably fit more in the “tiger” category, 34 yrs old and have chronic low (right maybe kidney area?) Back pain. This worsens during the week prior to menstruation. I am a devout coffee drinker – 1 very strong cup in the morning and sometimes another around 2 or 3. I eat very healthy though I do not prefer to sit down or eat complete meals. I enjoy shakes, soups, protein bars, etc. I have irritability and a seasonal depression, lots of energy in the morning and barely any by 3p. I feel like I have more pain than I should and low energy. Would a tonic or supplement help? Also, I am not heavy but have less muscle tone and increased cellulite on my bum and upper thigh (back) areas. I am holding onto an eXtra 5 or so pounds and doesn’t seem to want to budge.
Thank you for your help,
Wendi
Hi Wendi
Try a strong cup of Pu Erh Chinese tea. It improves digestion, circulation, and protects the heart. Drink more of that and less coffee. Your back pain may be spasm and not internal. But it pays to drink more tea. For chronic back pain that feels better with warmth and massage try pills from Health Concerns called Backbone. To order call 1 800 233 9355 and use my name LETHA as password. If the pain increases and you notice any blood in urine then it is time to get it medically checked.