When spring comes it is time for a liver cleanse. This is a good time to rejuvenate the liver for the coming year of work. One good way to cleanse the liver is to use herbal teas. They are easy to use and they provide a powerful punch to reawaken the liver.

Here is a herbal formulation for the liver provided by Brigitte Mars (herbalist in Colorado) called “Puri-Tea” which consist of:

Peppermint, red clover, fennel, licorice
cleavers, dandelion, oregon grape root, burdock root
butternut bark, chickweed, parsley root, nettles.

Another liver herbal tea is:

Fennel Seed (1 part), Fenugreek (1 part)
Flax Seed (1 part), Licorice Root (1/4 part)
Burdock (1/4 part), Peppermint (1 part).

Here’s another herbal combination that is good for detoxifying and cleansing the liver:

Yellow Dock root, Dandelion root, Licorice root
Red sage, Sarsaparilla, Hyssop
Pau de Arco, Milk Thistle Seed, Parsley leaf.

Here’s something else you can do for you liver. Buy an extract of Milk Thistle Seed. Then when you make the liver tea’s list here, add 2-3 full droppers of the Milk Thistle Seed extract to the tea.
Here are the effects of some of the herbs listed above.

fennel seed – white cell formation, acid/alkaline balancing
peppermint – body cleanser and toner
red clover – blood purifier
licorice – adrenal stimulation
cleavers – anti-infection
dandelion – cleansing and strengthening
oregon grape root – cleansing, building
burdock root – purifying
nettles – rich in minerals
chickweed –
fenugreek – helps to eliminate toxins and mucus
yellow dock root – cleansing, white cell formation
pau de arco – cleansing, white cell formation
milk thistle seed – cleansing, building

You can make these teas yourself or look for a ready made one at a health food store. What I do is buy a 1/2 or 1 oz of each herb. Then I mix one full tablespoon of each herb into a mason jar. Shake it up and its ready to go.
Preparing the tea

Boil 1 1/4 cup of distilled water in a glass container. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of herbal mixture. Let tea sit for 10-15 minutes. Strain and drink when it cools down a little.
Drink one cup of tea before breakfast and one before dinner for about 1-2 months.

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Tags: health food store, milk thistle seed, oregon grape root

There is a lot of hype about alternative medicines, and some of them are certainly without much value. Of course there is a lot of hype about regular medicines, many of which do as much harm as good. The fact that natural remedies and treatments rarely hurt people as much as prescription drugs is one reason to at least try them. Here are a few that I can vouch for from experience.

Tea Tree Oil

I had a lump on the side of my nose, growing slowly, bleeding at times. I had it for years, and the one time I asked a doctor about it, he wasn’t sure if it was actually cancerous. I read somewhere that tee tree oil might work. I bought a bottle at a health-food store for $6. I applied a drop to the lump each day, and in less than six weeks, the lump was gone completely.

Coincidence? After having the growth for years? I don’t think so. In fact I had another growth years later on my neck, and for several years, I couldn’t remember what I had used the first time. When I found a clue in some old notes, I used tea tree oil on that growth, which was even larger than the first one. It was gone in about six weeks.

St. John’s Wort

When hiking in Canada, I cut my foot. The gash was deep. I found St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perfolatum), which has been proven to have anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. I mashed up a few leaves and bandaged them to the cut, replacing them occasionally. I have honestly never seen a cut heal faster.

St. John’s Wort is one of the better known alternative medicines now. It is used as an anti-depressant, with numerous studies showing it’s effectiveness. It is also used by some as a temporary mood-elevator. This effect isn’t proven yet, but whenever I’ve had tea made from the plant, it tasted awful and left me happy for two hours. Anecdotal and subjective evidence (I’m not even entirely convinced), but interesting.

Valerian Root

When my wife has cramps and pain, nothing works better than a cup of tea made from valerian root. You can get the tea in many stores now. I wouldn’t try driving after having valerian root. This is a powerful relaxant.

In fact, valerian root is too strong for some people. A gentler herb that will relax you is chamomile. You can find this as tea too. It makes a great drink with honey, just before you are ready to go to bed.

There are so many alternatives out there. I have stopped a headache just by chewing on willow twigs. I have stopped diarrhea with oak bark (careful – this can hard on the liver in large doses). I have watched a friend’s poison ivy rash disappear overnight with the application of jewelweed juice.

I am sure that I have tried just as many alternatives that didn’t work, too, but you know what? Put all the ineffective ones together and the cost probably doesn’t add up to the cost of one visit to a doctor. As for the effective ones, well, no doctor yet has introduced me to one of them. You have to do your own research on alternative medicines.

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Tags: health food store, tea tree oil, tee tree oil

Apple Juice, Figs and Raisins

Heres another constipation home remedy using apple juice with other fruit. Eat it the first thing in the morning before breakfast.

In a blender, put in a cup of fresh apple juice. Add equal amounts of dry or fresh figs and raisins and a small organic apple. Choose how many figs and raisins to use. You will need to experiment a little. Get a consistency that is not too thick. Add a little more apple juice if needed.

Eat this home remedy for a few days until you start to get some relief from your constipation.

Oat Milk with Fig Juice or Prune Juice

Buy oat milk at the health food store. In the morning, warn 8 oz of oat milk and add the following:

3 oz of fig juice or prune juice
two droppers full of licorice extract.

Or you can mix one glass of 50% fig juice and 50% prune juice. Drink this first thing in the morning. This powerful home remedy will get your bowels moving. Drink this combination first thing in the morning.

Stewed Figs

Take 10 12 calimyma figs and stew them in two glasses of distilled water (16 oz) for 10 minutes. Let them sit in this water overnight.

In the morning remove the figs, warm and drink the juice. Eat the figs though out the day.

Or prepare a blended drink of,

three or more figs, fresh or sun dried
one banana
1 tablespoon of honey or molasses
one cup of rice dream

Drink first thing in the morning and any time after lunch or dinner.

The following juices provide you with some powerful constipation home remedies that you can use right away.

Mulberry Juice

Mulberry juice has many health benefits. It is good for digestive tract illnesses. It can stimulate digestion and assimilation of nutrients in the small intestine. It is useful for older people for reliving constipation.

Mulberry contains many minerals and vitamins.

Boysenberry

Boysenberry juice has a gentle natural laxative action on your bowel. When your constipation is mild, this juice will help move things in your colon.

Blackberries

Mix cup of distilled water and cup of blackberries. Drink this first thing in the morning to promote peristaltic movement. Drink this often and it will make you regular.

Blackberries are high in vitamin C.

Cherries

Cherries are high in antioxidants, fiber, potassium, and many other minerals, which are effective in neutralizing body acid. Cherries contain vitamins B-1, B-2, folic acid and niacin.

Cherries have laxative effects and can start peristaltic action.

Eat fresh cherries throughout the day or drink three 8 oz glasses of cherry juice during the day.

Buy cherry juice in glass container.
Elderberry Juice

Can be used to help reduce the symptoms of colds, flu, and diabetes. It also helps to relieve constipation, diarrhea, and hemorrhoids. Drink 12 glasses each day. Increase the quantity if necessary.

Drinking any of these juices between meals will help you to get rid of constipation and keep your bowels moving.

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Tags: fresh figs, health food store, oat milk