https://vimeo.com/430577139
This video describes several traditional Chinese herbs and spice substitutes useful for preventing discomforts of lung infection, reducing congestion and fever. Drink a pleasant tea made by adding 1/2 tsp. each of dried oregano leaves and basil leaves to a mug of boiling water. Buy the kitchen herbs at your supermarket. Drink this between meals. If you have a pale tongue, shortness of breath and no fever you can add a pinch of clove powder to deepen breath and improve energy. https://www.dropbox.com/s/s0h9fs78ddenunc/2020-03-22%2014.19.07.mov?dl=0 If you are currently using immune suppression medicines or have an auto-immune illness, herbs and foods that increase immunity may cause side-effect such as cytokine storm. Consult your health care provider for guidance.
Foods and herbs to enhance breathing, energy and mood. Do you live in a polluted city or work or live with someone who smokes? Do you have acne or dry cough, night sweats or aging skin? Heal your lungs.
Protect your lungs with moistening, rejuvenating herbs including taro root. Taro is high fiber and helps protect against lung and oral cancers. Improves digestion.
Taro Root/Poi/ Its scientific name is Colocasia esculenta and it has a truly fascinating history. It is believed to be native to Southeast Asia and southern India, but it is cultivated and used in many places all around the world.
Asparagus announces Spring. Crisp stalks reach to Heaven in dewy morning fields, bringing a renewed sense of wonder. Asparagus is moistening and rejuvenating for lung tissue, the complexion, and for sexuality–the perfect food for smokers and burned-out city dwellers. Asparagus in the West is diuretic and helpful for weight loss and prostate discomforts. Shatavari, wild asparagus from India, is available as powder or capsules for rejuvenation and hormone and moisture balance. (see below) Be careful with preparation and storage of fresh asparagus. Asparagus is heavily sprayed with pesticides. Therefore, soak the stalks for 5 minutes in water and 1 Tbsp vinegar, then rinse with water. Use only the crisp green part of the stalk that breaks off in your hand, not the thick wooden stem. Steam asparagus for just under a minute until it turns jade green, then rinse well with plain water to remove the bitter taste. You can avoid the strange odor (in urine) that results from eating asparagus by consuming it raw in salads or as a crisp tasty side-dish. Asparagus has important nutritional value because of folate, found in most vegetables, that protects the heart.
The recent exciting discovery that our lungs contain taste buds similar to those on the tongue gives researchers ideas for new asthma drugs. It seems our taste for bitter and acrid reaches beyond endive, chicory and after dinner bitters. Researchers, supported by grants from the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health believe: “Based on our research, we think that the best drugs would be chemical modifications of bitter compounds, which would be aerosolized and then inhaled into the lungs with an inhaler.” I have wondered whether eating bitter foods and using a bitter, pungent fragrance or body splash might help smokers quit the habit. If our lungs can “taste” bitter, why not satisfy the craving in a healthy natural way? Fragrances with a bitter base include bitter orange, lemon verbena, musk, amber, lavender and patchouli.
I am drinking warm green tea with sliced raw ginger, lemon peel, and raw honey. Honey is added to many Chinese herbal formulas to clear lung congestion and, by increasing sweating, bring the action of herbal ingredients to the skin. This tea helps prevent a fall cold. It is also a singer’s tea that clears and brightens the voice. Oil from lemon peel and ginger enzymes are soothing for throat irritation. If you have diabetes, use cinnamon instead of honey. Cinnamon improves pancreas function for diabetes and new research links it to preventing Alzheimer’s. I am not ready to take a tsp. a day as recommended, however. It may stress blood sugar too much for someone without diabetes. A pinch of cinnamon is tasty, warming and invigorating. Chinese herbal doctors add it to formulas that treat circulation problems, arthritis, and colds.
Autumn is when the earth and we ripen. Sweet, calming fruits and whole grains nourish and sustain us. In traditional Chinese medicine, autumn calls up the Metal Element to challenge our lungs, large intestine, and skin–sources of energy and emotional balance. Metal in the body is said to give it strength and integrity: It “holds us together.” Essential minerals–calcium, magnesium and vitamin D–are absorbed in the large intestine (the Metal Element.) Lacking them reduces bone and muscle strength, a regular heartbeat, and a clear, glowing complexion. Take those supplements with fruit and tea. Our breath does more than provide oxygen: It connects us to others with speech, also with our higher powers and ideals. We send breath into the void, which can be Love or Fear. Asian herbal remedies suited to this season address energy, courage, breath, and reduce impurities affecting digestion and complexion.
There’s an old Chinese proverb that goes something like – when the Emperor is just and his reign in- keeping with Heaven, the lands and people will prosper. But when the Emperor ignores the laws of Heaven there will be famine, floods, fires, wars and plagues. It gives us pause. I have been thinking about foods and herbs for smoke inhalation. They include moistening, nerve-soothing, and rejuvenating remedies for our friends in California.
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