Abigails Herbs

In the Chhattisgarh region of India, all parts of the bel tree are used for religious and medicinal purposes. Most homeowners have at least one bel tree growing in a pot inside of their homes. It is known that the presence of this tree in homes makes the families prosperous and healthy forever. The bel tree is used in special worship services. In worship, the bel leaves are offered to fire, with utterance of mantras.

Bel is a slender, aromatic tree having height up to ten meters; stem somewhat fluted. The tree has long thorns and the bark is soft, cork-like, light gray and yellowish. The shrub is aromatic and the leaves are trifoliate. The flower of the bel tree is large, greenish white in color, sweet-scented and usually smooth. The bel fruit is about twenty centimeters in diameter with a woody rind.

As a medicinal herb, bel holds a reputed position in all systems of medicine in India. As medicine, roots, root bark, leaves, flowers and fruit are used. According to Ayurveda, root cures fevers, abdominal pain, heart palpitations, urinary troubles, hypochondriasis and melancholy. The bel leaves are useful in treatment of eye problems, deafness and inflammations. The bel flowers alleviate thirst and vomitting. The unripe fruit is oily and ckures pain and dysentery, whereas ripe fruit is binding, tonic and increase appetite. According to Unani system of medicine, repe Bel fruit is hot, dry, tonic, restorative, astringent and laxative. It is good for lung, heart and brain functions.

Aloe vera offers a safe, natural, drug-free approach to stomach acid induced disorders. Aloe vera juice contains a natural buffer due to the malic acid. Unlike popular stomach acid buffers, such as the typical antacids (Pepsid/ Tums, etc…), aloe vera actually neutralizes, thereby assisting the stomach in reaching a stable , healthy acid level over a long period of time. The typical antacids buffer the stomach acid, which is only a temporary alleviation of symptoms. The antacids calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate cause a very serious imbalance of Ph (acidity) in the body known as alkalosis. So can prolonged use of the aluminum-based and the magnesium-based antacids. Never should anyone take these antacids over and over again over a long-term basis.

Because aloe vera decreases acidity, but not excessively so, this kind of acid stabilization does not trigger the natural mechanism of acid production. In fact a person can take as much aloe juice as he or she wants without a problem. There is no danger of dangerous side effects at all! Since aloe vera juice and gel are not drugs, the acidity will reach the same equilibrium point regardless if the recommended allowance is taken, or if the ingested amount is much greater. This is a very uique feature that no antacid drug can claim.

There are some herbs which can naturally enhance sexual stimulation and improve the sensual experience. These herbs are called aphrodisiacs. Damiana is one of the favorite herbs for stimulating sexual appetite in both males and females. Damiana can be smoked or drank as a tea. It is also found in pill or capsule form. It comes in a powdered or leaf texture. Unlike Viagra and other prescription medications, damiana has not been found to have any side effects unless taken in high doses in an excessive frequency.

Herbal preparations, sensual essential oils, intimate massage and the right environment can greatly increase the arousal levels of both partners. There are several herbs which are available in the world market which are capable of increasing sexual arousal. Many of these arousing herbs are found in the form of common spices which we use for cooking. Examples of arousing herbs are ginseng, roseroot, cinnamon, cayenne, cardamom, ginger, damiana, horny goat weed, catuaba, maca, muira pauma and cuscuta. The herbs can stir up a healthy sexual appetite by their taste, their scent and by a physiological stimulation on the nerves and the blood circulation.

The herbs create a general sexual mood in your mind and intimate or errogenous zones and they make these zones more sensitive stimulation, rendering more intense sexual responsiveness. Most herbal preparations are to be taken as a single dose each day. It is also a good idea to spice up your food with some of these herbs each and everyday that you wish to have a more intense, enjoyable sexual and sensual relationship.

The libido-enhancing power of damiana herb hasn’t ben tested on human subjects yet, although a damiana liquor; also spelled as damiana liqueur, has long been used as an aphrodisiac in Mexico. The liquor is produced from the damiana leaves . In animal studies, extracts of the damiana herb produced the benefit of accelerating the mating behavior of “sexually slow” or impotent male rats. It was found to have no effect at all on sexually potent rats. It is possible that this herb has other benefits to humans that may be uncovered with further research.

The flavonoids present in the active damiana leaf extract may be responsible for speeding sexual behavior in fatigued male subjects. This pronounced sexual response is similar to yohimbe, however, yohimbe starts in one-to-two hours after ingestion to produce heightened sexuality. Damiana, on the other hand, takes three-to-five days in which to see results of sexual stimulation.

When dmaina extract was given to sexually sluggish and/or impotent rats (orally), there was a large improvement noted in the copulatory behaviorof the sexually sluggish rats. This study was conducted by Arletti, R. at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy. Damiana seems to be safe when taken occasionally as a sex booster. It is a relatively mild herb, however, long-term studies of  the effects of damiana on humans have yet to be accomplished.

There has never been any side effects or adverse reactions to aloe vera with the exception of allergic reactions on the skin. Always test first to see if you are allergic to aloe or not. Take a quarter teaspoon of the aloe gel and apply to a small patch of your skin. If, after one hours time, there is no red or pink skin rash found, you are most likely not allergic to aloe vera. Over five years of research on the oral ingestion of aloe vera juice, there has never been any adverse side effects, (at least, none that are known).

When making aloe vera juice from the plant, the makers always extract a substance called “alloin,” which gives it a bitter taste. That is why aloe has no wild predators; when an animal bites into the leaves, the bitter taste repels them.  That is why, if you were to peel the skin away from the leave and taste the gel, you would be surprised by the bitter taste. Believe,me, you would not like it!  It is very unpleasant!  So, manufacturers of aloe juice extract the aloin from the plant in order to produce a more pleasant tasting liquid. However, it is the aloin itself which, when applied to injured or burned skin, starts healing immediately. The aloin flows directly into the cut or the burn and helps to seal the wound. It is kind of like a natural bandaid. It is bright yellow in its undisturbed state inside of the leaf, but upon exposure to air it oxidizes and rapidly darkens so that within an hour it can be the color of blood. Amazing!

Some aloe vera juice producers leave the aloin in and sell their juice primarily as a laxative. Yes, aloe works as a successful laxative! Then they mask the bitterness by adding large quantities of sweeteners. Be careful when purchasing aloe vera juice, as other producers of the juice try to remove the aloin by using chemical filtration and then treating it with enzymes. To save money and cut back on coasts, other makers of aloe juice freeze dry or make it from a powdered concentrate; not any of these methods produce a natural or unaltered juice. Be sure to use organic, unaltered aloe vera juice for yourself and for your family.

Aloe vera has an amazing non-toxic potency. Aloe has the ability to stimulate the immune system and to energize normal cellular activity in the body. The polysaccharides in aloe are chains of eight mannose sugars; these consist of glucose, galatose, mannose, fructose, xylose, N-acetylglucosamine, N-crtylgalactosamine, and N- acetylneuraminic acid, and that carbohydrates, often missing from our diets, are extremely crucial to intercellular and intracellular communication. Research has found that glycoproteins found on every cell  serve as signals to tell other cells just who they are and what they need.

The cells need the correct sugars to produce the right glycoproteins. If the correct glycoproteins are not stimulated, then the cell-to-cell messages become interrupted and they have difficulty healing. As a result, the human immune system will not be able to effectively fight bacterial and viral infections. The sugars in the aloe vera plant insures that the internal networking (that is the cell-to-cell intercommunication) is quick and effective under the influence of aloe. The intricate network of enzymes in aloe give power to lymphocytes which serve to strengthen the immune system and supports the body’s ability  to heal itself.

Aloe vera, in the form of a juice, neutralizes hydrochloric acid in the stomach. It is a natural acid buffer. It works almost immediately after drinking it. Yes, aloe vera is a natural wonder!

The very first time I had experienced aloe vera was in third grade. Our family had gone to Florida to visit our grandparents. I am very fair-skinned and I remember being badly sunburnt from the hot sun at the beach. My grandmother cut off a piece of aloe and peeled the skin right off the stalk of aloe. Then, she smiled excitedly as she said. “this is a wonderful plant that will cure your sunburn.” She applied the gel from the plant right onto my skin. I had never seen such a plant before and my grandmother acted as though she had found a newly discovered treasure which she was more than ecstatic to share. It really helped – although it felt sticky and gooey. The aloe vera gel took the sting away.

The medicinal properties of aloe were first identified by the Egyptians and brought into use in the courts of the Pharaohs. According to numerous traditions, Cleopatra attributed her beauty to the use of Aloe vera gel. The earliest recording of Aloe was in 1500 B.C. in the Papyrus Ebers, the original copies of which now reside in Leipzig University, Germany. These Egyptian papers acclaimed the many medicinal values of Aloe and note that they had been used for centuries before.

The use of aloe vera then spread from Egypt to the Greek Empire. Dioscorides, the author of the famous “Greek Herbal” in the first century A.D., devoted many pages to aloe vera’s curative powers for wounds, stomach disorders, constipation, itching, mouth and gum diseases, kidney ailments, blistering and sunburn, and skin care in general. Some historians believe that Aristotle persuaded Alexander the Great to conquer Socoto off the east coast of Africa to obtain access to sufficient amounts of aloe vera as a wound healing agent for his soldiers.

Then aloe vera spread throughout the Roman Empire. The Romans introduced it to the Iberian Peninsula, and it was from Spain that Christopher Columbus brouight aloe vera to the New World. While the use of aloe vera was spreading to the West, it was also being introduced along the Silk Road and its Asian tributaries. Aloe vera was embraced in India, and in China it quickly became a mainstay of the Chinese apothecaries.

Before the age of giant pharmaceutical companies and the manufacture of botanical derivatives, (chemical copies of the original naturally occurring plant properties), mankind relied on the medicinal properties of literally thousands of plants and herbs.  Unfortunately, most of them have been lost or forgotten in the rush to so-called “modern” or “western” medicine. Aloe vera is an exception. Today it can be stated that aloe vera is one of the most widely used medicinal plants in the world today, and its use is rapidly increasing. What is being rediscovered about aloe vera are the benefits of regularly drinking the juice made from the gel, as well as its topical application.

The stevia plant is from the sunflower family. It has 240 different species which grow as a small shrub from Central  and South America and in some parts of North America. It also grows in parts of Arizona, Texas and New Mexico in the United States. The leaves of the stevia plant contain 30-45 times the sweetness of sucrose.

In 1899, the Swiss botanist, Moises Santiago Bertoni first discovered this shrub. It is known as Stevia Rebaudiana, commonly called “sugarleaf” or “sweetleaf.” The native Guarani tribes of Brazil and Paraguay have used this natural sweetener for many years. It is good for people who are diabetic or who need to adhere to a carbohydrate-restricted diet. Stevia is useful for control of obesity and high blood pressure.

Because of it’s glycosides, stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose; even able to enhance glucose tolerance. Therefore, stevia makes an ideal sugar substitute. It has a slower onset and longer duration (in the blood stream), than processed table sugar. As a sugar substitute, some of its’ extracts have a licorice-like aftertaste, but this is not common.

The United States banned the use of stevia, (unless it was labeled as a food additive),  in the early 1990’s, but then approved Rebaudioside-A extract for use in the USA.  Japan has been using stevia as a sugar substitute since the 1970’s, banning saccharine and cyclamates, as both are known carcinogens. In fact, 40% of Japan’s sugar substitute manufacturing is comprised of stevia products. Stevia is widely used in New Zealand, South America, Australia, Japan and Switzerland.

The Ayurvedic bel tree is great for a multitude of health problems; both the bel leaves and the bel fruit are used for prevention and treatment of many physical maladies and disorders.

• Making a tea out of the bel leaves cleanses the blood; it is a great blood purifier.
• The bel fruit prevents scurvy. Scurvy is a result of a Vitamin C  deficiency and since bel fruit is rich in Vitamin C, scurvy doesn’t have a chance to survive.
• Digestion – the bel fruit destroys worms within the intestines. The bel juice is a good remedy for digestive disorders. The gum of the bel tree cures diarrhea and it prevents constipation.
• The bel fruit also boosts energy.
• In Ayurvedic medicine, the bel fruit is used to cure snake bites.
• The Ferona gum, found in the bark and branches of the bel tree actually reduces the severity of diabetes.
• Respiratory Relief – the bel leaves help to lessen the severity of the common cold and keep colds from returning. Bel leaves also soothe sore throats and treat chronic coughs.

Bel leaves and fruit, not to mention all the parts of the fabulous bel tree are one big ball of health and wellness.