Whew! The house these days kind of smells a bit acidic – not just from the Kombucha tea but my new obsession with fermentation – lactic acid not alcoholic I’m working through Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions chapters on fermenting. So far I’ve made Dill Pickles, four quarts of Beet Kvass, and a batch of Sauerkraut is in the works. P got into the fermentation frenzy as well and put up two quarts of Ginger Peach ‘Beer.’ Which should be ready for a taste right about now…
I’ve been so busy – not just with work – but with my new house guests. Making extra space, ensuring they are comfortable and well fed is lots of work! Problem is that they are multiplying faster than bunnies and becoming permanent fixtures.
It all started at the Four Fold Path to Healing Conference where at one of the lunches we had Kombucha Tea … not to be confused with the Japanese green pumpkin – kabocha. Kombucha tea is a fermented tea chock full of lively gut friendly bacteria and nutrients.
Wow! What zing! So refreshing!
It happened that my nutrition instructor, N, from Bauman was also attending and I remembered that she made her own Kombucha tea and frequently had extra mushrooms. So I arranged to pick up a ‘baby’ or two.
After getting very detailed instructions from N and reading Betsy Pryor’s book on Kombucha I was ready to grow my own tea. N gave me two mushrooms so I started with two batches. Now, each mushroom makes a baby that you can use to make additional batches. I figured, why not make a few more batches so two became four
…then… P got into the act and figured that we needed to have in production six batches to keep us going with a pint a day. Off P went to get two more bowls. On the way back from the store P thought, hey no we need eight batches. My god, at this rate, in a few weeks we’d have 64 bowls of Kombucha fermenting away in the house! We’d need to make more shelves and probably buy tea and sugar in bulk, cases of bowls? I felt like my head was spinning from some kind of Kombucha tea high… maybe too many toxins were being released in my body. Luckily, before things got too carried away I had a gooseberry moment and snapped back into reality.
“That’s it! we’re stopping at 6!” I declared. Turn’s out P’s calculations were a bit off but it was an honest mistake.
Starting today we now have a steady supply of K-Tea to keep us both detox’ing away.
I encourage you to try it out – there are a few bottled K-Teas out there – I’ve tried GT’s Kombucha (stocked near the Kefir at Berkeley Bowl) and it was quite good.
To your health, Cheers!:)
It’s been awhile since the last post. I’ve been busy as usual – my brain though was totally blown into a different reality a few weeks back at the Four Fold Path to Healing Conference in Oakland. Dr Tom Cowan is a total visionary when it comes to the healing arts. He re-examines and questions what we have been taught about health – how our body works and reframes healing into a very dynamic fluid and participatory lifestyle. Dr. Cowan, along with Sally Fallon and Jaimen McMillian put on an amazing and educational conference. I am still trying to process it all.
I spent the most time with Sally Fallon in her seminars on nutrition modeled after traditional diets as researched by Dr. Weston A. Price. In a nutshell, our modern health woes are directly related to our modern diet of refined foods. But – even further, Dr. Price’s work and that of Sally Fallon (and Dr Mary Enig) asserts the modern premise that saturated fats are bad for our health is dead wrong – we need quality saturated fats from animal sources to maintain good health. Dr. Price’s research, spanning 10 years and studying dozens of cultures, illustrated that people following traditional diets of whole foods had less disease.
That’s food for thought and worth lots of research hours. The biggest thing I took away from this conference is – feed your inner curious cat – question the establishment and find out what is really the truth when it comes to maintaining our own health and the health of our future generations. Let’s stop giving our health away to others – come on’ take back your health!
Just think about it – over 70 years ago (when heart disease was relatively rare), scientist and doctors told us that butter and animal fats were bad and we needed to switch to vegetable oils including the new fangled hydrogenated fats. As you recall from earlier posts, hydrogenated fats are THE source for trans fats in the modern diet. Today, the National Academies of Science’s Institute of Medicine states that there is no safe level of trans fat in the diet.
So really, what do we know for sure? It seems we’re just a big bunch of guinea pigs…
When it is made into a beverage that for every 12 fl oz is 270 calories (more than 10 % of a 2000 calories per day diet) and has 46 grams of sugar (3.25 Tablespoons). Top it with whipped cream and you’re looking at 360 calories, 3.4 Tablespoons of sugar and 12 grams of fat.
We know green tea is good for us – full of antioxidants and beneficial minerals but don’t let the marketers fool you. Our good foods have been hijacked – looks good on the surface but scratch below and it’s not quite what it seems.
Monday’s can be difficult to fit in breakfast but I eliminated a few unnecessary activities this morning (like surfing on the net) to carve out the time to make breakfast and eat it.
This morning I grabbed a corn tortilla – warmed it in a skillet topped with a few bits of cheddar, topped that with some leftover black beans, topped the beans with a fried egg and to be a bit decadent finished with a dollop of sour cream. This took less than 10 minutes. This take off on heuvos rancheros and a few pieces of fruit will get me through until well after noon.
I have a little more time on Sunday mornings so:
4 beef dumplings my sister-in-law made (these were frozen) with 1/2 c fresh egg noodles (from Ranch 99) and 3/4 c of brocolli in 1 c homemade chicken stock. I also ate 2 purple plums.
I cooked the dumplings & noodles in boiling salted water. Drained. Then heated up the chicken stock with a pinch of sea salt and dash of tamari to a boil – (chicken stock I make in big batches every few weeks and store in jars in the feezer.) I tossed in the brocolli and when that was tender threw in the noodles and dumplings. Took me about 15 minutes tops. This will keep me going until mid afternoon 😉
Our modern diets these days leave most of us deficient in nutrients – most notably minerals.
What’s a modern diet you ask? Packaged and processed foods, foods that have been lying around for awhile (most any ‘fresh’ food at a grocer store), conventionally raised foods, foods that consist mostly of ‘empty’ calories (ex. baked goods from refined flour), foods that deplete the body of nutrients (ex. soft drinks) and foods that contain substances that disrupt important body functions (ex. trans fats, msg).
What’s so important about minerals? One that we all know is iron – we need iron to help transport oxygen to all the cells in our body. Then there is calcium which we need for our bones but calcium is also important for your muscles to work properly (along with magnesium) and in maintaining the proper pH in our blood – without the proper pH, we’ll see ya on the other side. Our skin needs selenium and zinc otherwise you might experience dryness and cracking – ouch. And copper isn’t just for pennies – we need it to build healthy collagen. In fact, just about every enzyme in our body needs one of dozens and dozens of minerals to function.
So what can we do? With a few adjustments we can put those handy minerals back into our lives. Here’s a few tips:
Replace as much soft drinks and coffee with mineral rich teas. Ideally we’d eliminate both but we have to have our treats. Pretty much any kind of tea is great – green, white, rooibos, mint, chamomile, Red Zinger, etc. Just don’t load them up with sugar or artificial sweeteners. Use honey, agave syrup, stevia, xylitol or even fruit juice instead.
Eat lots of fresh organic fruits and vegetables. There are numerous studies that show organic fruits and vegetables have up to 25% more nutrients. Green leafy vegetables are a good source for calcium and iron. I know organic can be expensive but do what you can afford. Remember though that local and fresh trumps organic. It’s much better to purchase a locally grown peach from 20 miles away than an organic one from 3000 miles away.
Avoid processed foods as much as possible. Eat whole foods. For example, instead of white rice enjoy brown rice. Instead of packaged cereal have a bowl of oatmeal (though not instant!). Instead of a cookie have some fresh or dried fruit.
Add nuts and seaweed to your diet. Nuts make a great snack – but in moderation. Say 10-12 pieces is a good serving. Seaweed is great sprinkled on salad, rice, soup – just about anything. I even posted a granola recipe a little while back that includes seaweed.
Enjoy mineral broths. What the heck is a mineral broth you ask? Basically it’s soup or broth made from either all veggies or veggies and chicken or beef or pork or lamb or fish bones. When you simmer all these goodies in a pot of water you extract the mineral from said ingredients. What a tasty and nourishing way to get your minerals. Limited on time? You can still get a dose of minerals from already prepared broths – organic of course and preferably low sodium.
And most of all – Variety! I figure variety is good not just so you don’t get bored of the same ol’ thing but this way you have a better chance of getting all your nutrients.
I’ll post recipes for broths in a few days.
Remember, food is our body’s fuel and building blocks. Good nutritive rich foods = a healthy strong body.
Finally got to sleep in this morning. Hurray.
Today’s breakfast: 2 plums, 2 cream crackers, a small portion of vegetable enchilada pie leftover from last night.
My Mom always bugs me about eating breakfast…or more accurately not. So, after more than a few decades of my own life experience I have to admit she is right.
Ok, so that’s a bit of an exaggeration – I’ve know breakfast was important for a long time but just never got around to it. I typically didn’t feel hungry in the morning and was busy coifing and getting ready to start my day so never had time. But, boy did I feel it mid-morning when my blood sugar plummeted and I became a cranky spaced out monster. I would start stuffing down anything in sight and end up with a tummy full of junk.
Now I advise folks on proper eating habits so of course I have to practice what I preach! I declared, “I will now start eating breakfast!”
I’d wake up, run around getting ready for my day and oops forgot again or ran out of time or there’s nothing good to eat… Hmm, this is not working so I realized, “Gee, I must plan ahead…” or I can wake up earlier…nope, not gonna happen.
Planning a few days out is good. So now I put together something the evening before or make sure I have something I can assemble quickly in the morning such as fruit already washed and cut up or soft boiled eggs. Since I’m not typically hungry until 9 or 10am I eat something light like fruit before I leave the house and pack something for later.
Some people like smoothies (I’m not fond of them – the smoothies not the people who like them . Line up all your ingredients so they are easy to toss into your waiting blender in the morning. Should take 5 minutes or less and viola a nice nutritious breakfast.
Most people I talk to have a hard time figuring out what to have for breakfast so I thought I’d report in every now and then on what I’m having. You’ll see that for me – any food is ‘breakfast” food.
Today’s breakfast: 1 banana, 1/3 c blueberries, and 3/4 c watermelon. Later (around 10am, I will have a turkey meatball sandwich (2 oz) with cheddar cheese (1 1/2 oz) on a sprouted wheat bun with a little dijon.
My latest homework assignment…
Dong Quai or Radix Angelicae sinensis is second only to ginseng in the Chinese herbal pharmacopoeia. Though it is used for both men and women, it is most known as the female ginseng. As dong quai is most know for its use in treating women’s health conditions. Common Names for Dong Quai are: angelica root, Chinese angelica, dang gui, tang kuie, and root of the holy ghost (wholehealthmd.com), (mayoclinic.com), (Teeguarden, 1984; 85). Dong Quai is a member of the Apiaceae or Umbelliferae family which also includes the more commonly known foods – carrots, celery and parsley.
The root of the Dong quai plant is used exclusively. Dong quai works on the following systems in the body: cardiovascular, digestive, uterine (Teeguarden, 1984; 86-87), immune (webmd.com) and nervous (mayoclinic.com). It’s action is sweet, pungent, slightly bitter, acrid and warm and is primarily used as a blood tonic (Teeguarden, 1984; 85).
Dong quai is a blood tonic used to counteract blood deficiencies, pallid skin and fatigue by promoting red blood cell formation. It’s anti coagulant and anti platelet properties lends itself to treating cardiovascular conditions, hypertension, headaches and promoting blood circulation. As an anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic, it is also used for asthma, arthritis, traumatic injuries, reducing menstrual cramps, alleviating intestinal distress and relieving constipation (raintree.com).
Dong quai is commonly used for women to regulate the menstrual cycle, alleviate pelvic pain, and aid in delivery and recovery from child birth (mayoclinic.com), (Teeguarden, 1984; 86-7). As a calmative, it is useful in addressing PMS and insomnia. In combination with chasteberry it is said to reduce the pain of endometriosis (wholehealthmd.com). Dong quai ‘s anti microbial and anti fungal qualities lends itself to treating infections with immune enhancing abilities (raintree.com), (Murray, 1995; 47). Donq quai has also been found to help the liver utilize oxygen so has been used for treating hepatitis and cirrhosis (raintree.com).
The effectiveness of Dong quai to reduce the symptoms of menopause has been mixed. There are some studies that have disputed dong quai’s phytoestrogenic properties (raintree.com), (healthnotes.com).
Dong quai is made up of many compounds.
The main constituents are coumarins (anti coagulant, anti bacterial, and anti fungal), phytoestrogens, essential oils, flavonoids, calcium channel blockers, vitamin B12, nictonic acid, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin E, and sucrose (Murray, 1995; 44-46), (wholehealthmd.com), (Teeguarden, 1984; 86).
Contraindications for dong quai are as follows: pregnancy, breast feeding, NSAIDS, blood thinning medications or medications that have anticoagulant side effects, diarrhea, stomach ulcers, bleeding disorders. In people with fair skin, dong quai can cause photosensitivity (wholehealthmd.com). It is also recommended that use should be discontinued prior to major dental work or surgery (mayoclinic.com). Prolonged use may also cause gastrointestinal distress. In addition, per the rules of Chinese herbal medicine, any tonic herb such is dong quai should not be used when suffering from any acute illnesses such as a cold or flu (Teeguarden, 1984; 77).
The active part of the dong quai plant is the root. There are three parts of the root, which have differing effects, but the whole root is generally used (Teeguarden, 1984; 86). The raw root can be eaten but are more readily available dried in the United States. Dried roots can be used whole or sliced to make a soup or tea. Powdered root can be taken in capsules. Tinctures and extracts are also made in alcohol and non-alcohol bases.
According to Ron Teeguarden, a noted authority on Chinese herbal medicine, the best delivery method is to make a soup with the roots using chicken stock. Making a soup or tea from the whole root or slices is more in keeping with the Chinese tradition and the whole food model. However due to natural variations a standardized dose may not be attainable. The key is to purchase the highest quality roots from a reputable source. Liquid forms such as tinctures and extracts from sources that are standardized and are third party tested may be a more desirable method.
Therapeutic use and Dosage
The below doses may not apply to all brands. Read product labels before starting therapy. According to mayoclinic.com 1 gram of 100% dong quai extract is equal to 4 grams of fresh dong quai root.
For menstrual disorders, migraine headaches, coronary artery disease, arthritis, nerve pain, hypertension, menopausal symptoms, etc (mayoclinic.com).
Dried Root, slices, powder: 1 to 5 grams three times per day
Fluid Extract/Tincture: 3 to 8 ml extract (1:2) or 10 to 40 drops tincture (1:5 in 50-70% alcohol three times per day
Decoction: 1 t to 1 T of cut root in 1 cup of water simmered for 2 to 5 minutes then removed from heat to let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Drink one to three cups of tea per day.
For menstrual disorders, menopausal symptoms, smooth muscle spasm, enhancing immune system during cancer therapy (Murray, 1995; 48-49)
Dried Root or as a tea: 1 – 2 grams
Tincture (1:5): 4 ml
Fluid Extract (1:1): 1 ml
For PMS, menstrual cramps, irregular menses, menopausal symptoms (wholehealthmd.com).
Capsules: 200mg/ day, three times per day
Extract: 30 drops (1.5 ml) in two-three divided doses per day
As a blood tonic (Teeguarden, 1984; 88).
Simmer 1 root plus 6 chinese red jujubes with 3 cups water until there is 1 cup of liquid. Drink in two divided doses for 3 days. Or make a chicken soup with 3 roots and drink over 4 days.
The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any diseases.
Bibliography
Murray, Michael. The Healing Power of Herbs. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1995
Teeguarden, Ron. Chinese Tonic Herbs. Tokyo and New York: Japan Publications, Inc., 1984
www.healthnotes.com
www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=NS_patient-Dongquai (www.naturalstandard.com)
www.raintree.com
www.webmd.com
www.wholehealthmd.com
Additional Resources:
Beinfield, Harriet and Korngold, Efrem. Between Heaven and Earth. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991
Murray, Michael. Natural Alternatives to Over-the-Counter & Prescription Drugs. New York: Quill William Morrow, 1994
