Abigails Herbs

Last week, I ate a few handfuls of sweet, yogurt covered raisins. They tasted so good, I ate more than I should have eaten. About 30 minutes later, my energy started to take a dip and I felt a sudden, overwhelming fatigue.  My body became extremely sluggish. Then I realized that my body was crashing due to too much sugar. Yogurt covered raisins must have as much sugar in them as candy. I was suffering from the energy-draining effects of  blood sugar swings.

Consuming as little as one-half  teaspoon of cinnamon each day can cut energy draining blood sugar spikes by 29 per cent within a month, according to USDA research. Cinnamon works by activating insulin receptors on muscles, helping them to rapidly burn blood sugar. Use cinnamon to add flavor to toast, oatmeal, smoothies, sweet potatoes, hot chocolate and more. Or you can toss in a cinnamon stick when simmering some hot cocoa or brewing a hot pot of tea.

In the cold wintertime, cinnamon is soothng and comforting, as its’ taste is wonderful in hot apple cider and in warm apple pie. Also, using one tbps. of  honey each morning and afternoon significantly improves blood sugar control, helping you to feel energized, think more clearly and work more productively for at least two hours after each dose. This news is based on a recent report from  University of Memphis scientists. Choose dark, unpastuerized (raw) varieties of honey such as buckwheat or wild flower, which have up to 20 times more antioxidants than the lighter, more pale types of honey.

Cosmetic Chemist Alida Stevens has announced that “smelling lavender steadies breathing, regulates body temperature and lowers blood pressure!”  And research on all of this proves that all of these improved body functions produces a better quality of sleep. Below is a recipe for making your own lavender bath soaks. They are loaded with skin-softening oils, so your body feels velvety soft from the moment you get our of the tub until you step out of the house or into your bed,(whatever you so choose to do).

It is fun to make your own bath cubes, and, of course, lavender is the central ingredient. You will also need the following other materials:

• one-half cup light oil, such as sunflower, canola or almond oil
• 3-6 drops of lavender essential oil
• one cup baking soda
• one cup citric acid (as found in health food stores)
• three-fourths cup cornstarch
• 4 drops blue food coloring (optional)
• one muffin tin or an ice cube tray (such as Wilton Mimi Star Cake Pan for $10 at amazon.com)

Next, mix all the oils and set them aside. Combine all dry ingredients, then stir in oil mixture until it forms a crumbly dough. If you want it to be a pretty color of blue, then knead in the food coloring. Pack this mixture into the molds and let is set overnight. Gently remove from the molds the next day and let the cubes air dry. Drop one of the cubes into your bath water, get in and relax!

If you want to lose weight and slim down, add protein to your daily diet. Include at least 2 ounces of turkey, beef, chicken, tofu or fish in every meal. Recent studies show that this is enough to double your metabolic rate for two hours!

The reason for this is because it takes a lot of energy to digest and to use protein. Another way to rev up your metabolism is to spice up your food with loads of chili powder, ginger, cayenne pepper, spicy mustard and turmeric. Hot and spicy flavorings help your fat burning liver to speed up its’ job. These spices increase your fat burning metabolism by as much as 25% for at least one full hour.

Spending time in the sun (about 20 minutes each morning) actually cranks up your weight loss by signaling  cells to burn fat faster for fuel. You can drop as much as 10 pounds in as little as six months. Drinking plenty of fresh, filtered water and eating a good-size breakfast in the mornings can also help you to lose weight by speeding up your metabolism.

Women in India fight off symptoms of cold and flu by drinking curry-laced broth and soup. Researchers at the University of California at San Fransisco report that this anti-inflammatory spice can relieve congestion, stuffiness and other symptoms within 10 minutes. Amazing! Just add a pinch of curry powder to 8 ounces of your favorite chicken broth or soup, heat it up and enjoy.

Additionally, we should all add avocados to our diets. They are packed with omega-9 fatty acids, which are essential oils that speed the conversion of food into the cellular energy needed to build strong immune cells. This can reduce your risk of a prolonged illness by 30 per cent or greater.  The research studies suggest a daily dose of 1/4 cup of avocado everyday.

Last of all, be silly. People who use the “downtime” of being sick as an excuse to laugh with funny videos or other humorous entertainment recover faster, plus cut their risk of a relapse by as much as 80 per cent. Laughter stimulates your brain to produce immunity-boosting hormones such as oxytocin.

Mint tea, either spearmint or peppermint, is amongst a group of foods which has been proven to help protect our bodies from predatory cancer cells. That’s right, the phytochemicals in this herb cut off the flow of blood and nutrients to cancerous tumors, thus starving them off without harming our bodies’ normal and healthy cells. If you can, pick fresh spearmint or peppermint  leaves from your garden, place them in a mug, cover with boiling water, cool and then sip. Remove the mint leaves, add ice and sweeten to taste. The good thing about this kind of tea is that you don’t need a tea bag. Use the fresh herbal leaves as they are!

Some other important foods which fight and prevent cancer are as follows:

• Sauerkraut : Believe it or not, the fermentation process loads it up with cancer-fighting compounds.
• Burgers, grilled medium-well; with less charring comes less exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.
• Lemonade (fresh); the compound in lemons known as limonene, is shown to cut the risk of certain cancers in half.
• Horseradish; Use as much as it as you can stand because this condiment stops cancer-cell growth by as much as 70% according to Michigan State University researchers. That’s because its compounds increase the liver’s ability to detoxify carcinogens.
• Filtered Water; a report put out by the Environmental Working Group suggests that home-filtered tap water is  safer than bottled water.
• Cigarette Smoke;  AVOID it because it contains over 60 different carcinogens which affect most of the organs in your body.
• Sunshine; get at least 15 minutes of sunshine per day to cut your cancer risk up to 36% by giving your body vital Vitamin D, a nutrient that shuts down abnormal cells before they can become cancerous. Avoid too much sun because even sunshine hurts if you get too much. If you are unable to get outdoors, take a supplement of at least 1000 units of Vitamin D everyday. Most Americans are lacking in Vitamin D and are suffering  from many different kinds of disorders as a result. Fibromyalgia is one example of such a disorder. Most of these illnesses can be avoided. Just ask your family doctor to test you for Vitamin D levels.

Neem (Azadirachta indica) is the common name of a tree in the Meliaceae mohagany, prized for its nearly unlimited application to health and agriculture and the medicinal use of each of its parts: leaves, twigs, bark, fruits, flowers , seeds, roots. Originally from India, Burma and Pakistan, other big name, Veppam, Pichumarda and Indian lilac. Two other species of neem with similar characteristics and properties: Azadirachta siamensis and neem, Azadirachta excelsa. General list of statistics describe this plant as a rich evergreen, drought-resistant, leading to 20 meters in the fastest growth tropical and semi-arid sub-tropical to sub-humid conditions. The neem tree  is very similar in appearance to paradise, which is extremely toxic.
Neem is perhaps now the most well loved for its ability to treat skin problems and the inflammation of the joints, because of its anti-inflammatory, analgesic properties similar to aspirin’s ability to increase skin elasticity, and its effectiveness in killing bacteria and fungi, including yeast Candida . All these bonuses  are available without skin irritation. But, much research has been dedicated to investigating  Neem’s usefulness  in agriculture as a biological control agent and its ability to interrupt the life cycle of insects through hormonal influences, as well as the ability to kill parasites such as malaria , lice and nits. Studies also showed that neem is effective in treating certain diseases, but there is speculation that this plant’s effectiveness is most likely due to its’ ability to protect and to nourish the body’s immune system.

Neem is a plant of India special. It is famous for its medicinal values. In India, the neem tree is considered sacred and revered. It’s easy to find neem trees across the country, so much so that the tree is considered free India. The English name is Neem. The scientific name of the neem tree is Azadirachta indica.
Neem, as we all know is a great and amazing tree with a tremendous value and herbal medicines. It is found mainly in tropical and subtropical regions such as India, Myanmar, Pakistan, etc. The benefits from this splendid tree is almost beyond explanation. Neem has been widely used since antiquity in the field of Ayurveda. This tree is also known for its quality of purifying the air.
Today’s markets are flooded with products almost hygiene and oral health care. One can easily find a number of such products in stores, shopping centers, warehouses, department stores, etc. In such a situation, people often get confused in the midst of such a large number of products of different varieties. They also worry about any side effect that some or hygiene products can cause health. Neem products can be the best alternative in this context. Products manufactured in this plant are completely natural, so do not lead to any allergic reactions. In addition to this, which are beneficial and produce immediate and long-term results.
This amazing plant  is  special  in India, which is considered sacred for its medicinal values and is adored by most Indians. Neem tree is also regarded as the tree of India that is why you can find almost everywhere in the country. Its’ scientific name is Azadirachta indica. Neem was internationally recognized as a medicinal plant which can cure many health conditions.
For over 5000 years, it has been used as medicine to cure skin diseases such as eczema. Neem can also be taken orally or applied directly to affected areas to relieve symptoms. Or you can just put some neem leaves in hot water bath. Most of the time bacteria are introduced into the body through broken skin from itching and scratching. Neem is a natural cure for eczema  as it prevents microorganisms from entering the body through its fight against pests, antibacterial, antiviral, anti protozoal and anti fungal properties. Through the application of neem powder or neem oil on affected areas, the microorganisms that cause eczema outbreaks become inactive,  allowing the eczema to heal.
The neem leaves in tea are used by the people of  Nigeria and Haiti to treat malaria.
Neem flowers help to improve eyesight. For this purpose dry neem flowers are used, preferably 6 months to a year old. These flowers are fried lightly with clarified butter and then taken internally.
Therefore the role of neem in providing a cheaper, secure solution to disease today is unsurpassed. No wonder it is called “arishta” in Ayurveda, which means “reliever of sickness.”

We can get a hold of the aging process and actually slow it down with the kind of foods we eat. That is so empowering!  We can actually take control of the way we age!  AGE’s are known as “advanced glycation end products.” These end products are the primary cause of aging. When these AGE’s or waste products build up in our body’s cells, they actually trigger tissue damage which leads to sagging skin, wrinkles and serious health woes such as heart disease and cardiac problems!

The more sugar that we put into our bloodstream, the quicker the AGE’s form. This is the reason that people with really high blood-glucose levels produce up to 50 times more of these AGE’s molecules. Fiber is good because it blocks the absorption of sugars and could cut our risk of AGE’s by 38 per cent. So, eat high fiber cereals and plenty of bran flakes for breakfast everyday.

Stay clear of foods containing high fructose corn syrup. This is a sweetener that causes AGE  formation to sky rocket. Cutting back on our intake of high fructose corn syrup, like sodas and candy, can cut our AGE levels by 35 per cent or more!

Adding one-half teaspoonful of cinnamon to our coffee or cereal each day will give us a huge dose of protection from AGE’s. The reason for this is because cinnamon is packed full of phenolics; plant compounds that block the formation of AGE’s, according to the latest research. Nutmeg, Jamaican allspice. apple pie spice and cinnamon are all spices which inhibit aging cells from forming and protect all of us from deleterious effects of aging.

Believe it or not  -  beef  stops sugars and proteins from binding to create AGE’s, so research reports.  Eat 4 ounces  of slow cooked pot roast three times per week to slow down exposure to these harmful compounds of sugar and corn syrup. Beef  is loaded with carnosine, the natural compound that prevents AGE’s from doing their cell damage.

I will outsmart the cause of aging as much as possible. I want to stay healthy and strong with as few wrinkles as possible. So, join me in the fight against the deteriorating aging process and claim your  access to the  positive and healthy aging process. There is nothing to dread. Aging is not the end of the world, so let’s all grow into our golden age gracefully.

According to the 5000 year oil medicine system of India, called Ayurveda, neem oil is probably the best blood purifier on the planet. It is rich in fatty acids so it is a wonderful skin moisturizer and its’  lypolytic action is great for the skin when applied topically. I have a friend who uses neem oil for his excema and he reports that it takes rashes away, prevents scars from forming and relieves his itchiness too!

I need to let him know that he should also take the neem leaf extract in oral form while simultaneously applying the neem oil to his skin. The combination of both forms should do away with his excema all together. Never consume the oil full strength. It will purify your blood, but neem is a very strong oil, so dilute it with vegetable oil before consuming it. Use 3 tablespoons of neem oil to one tablespoon of vegetable oil. Warning: neem is excellent; I love it, but the smell of this wonderful oil is awful! You may like the smell of it but it absolutely repulses me. Individuals have reported that it is effective as an anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-fungal agent.

The FDA has not yet tested or evaluated this product, so I am making a disclaimer that all reports of neem’s effectiveness has been by anecdotal records only. Most people report that it gets rid of skin parasites and heals wounds while preventing scarring – even acne, burns and even rosacea. There has been no empirical, scientific data as yet. The ancient Ayurvedic practitioners report that it has worked for them over hundreds of years but it is not sanctioned in the USA yet.

Some people use it to treat scalp dryness. They massage the oil into their scalp prior to shampooing. Sulfur products have typically and traditionally been used to treat skin parasites, however, sulfur dries out the skin, while neem moisturizes it.

Incidentally, neem oil has been reported to be successful at treating mange in animals. Just add 1 tsp. to 8 oz. of your pet’s favorite shampoo and apply to your pet’s skin regularly.

It is also an excellent insect repellent. Since it is organic and natural, just mix 1/2 teaspoon to one cup of warm water. Shake and spray all around the perimeters of barns, windowsills, counter tops, door screens and home entrances and you will see how it keeps pesky moths, fleas and other pests away. You can always add some perfumed oil to the mixture to downplay the unpleasant odor. Remember, I shared with you how my one friend drank a couple ounces of the neem oil (undiluted), and he reported to me that his whole body felt much healthier and stronger by the very next day!