Plant Medicine is All You Need to Heal

Do you know that....

• Plants provide us with phytochemicals which we require for good health.
• All parts of plants including leaves, stem, fruits, roots, seeds, flowers, stalk etc are filled with phytochemicals.
• Phytochemicals are medicine which the body uses to heal naturally

Making Wise Food Choices

A wise approach to eating the right food is to prepare from raw food ingredients.

Avoid processed foods because:

They contain additives and other ingredients which harm the body on the long run and;

A lot of the beneficial nutrients and other important components are removed during processing.

Cryptolepsis Sanguinolenta Root Uses

Cryptolepis sanguinolenta is the botanical name given thin stemmed and scrambling shrub that is native to West Africa. It is known as paran pupa in Yoruba, gangamau in Hausa, quinine or yellow dye root in Ghana. 

The plant contains tannins, alkaloids and flavones with cryptolepine, quindoline and neocryptopine as the main alkaloids. The plant has the following pharmacological properties;

• Anti-inflammatory
• Antioxidant
• Anti-plasmodial
• Anti-bacterial
• Anti-viral
• Hypoglycemic
• Anticancer

The roots are widely used to treat;

• Bacterial respiratory infections
• Hypertension
• Diarrhea and dysentery
• Malaria
• Fever
• Upper respiratory
• Rheumatism
• urinary tract infections
• Jaundice
• Hepatitis
• Venereal diseases
• Diabetes 
• Hernia
• Snake bites
• Stomach issues

Apart from medicinal usage, the stem of the plant produces a yellow-orange juice that is used as dye. this juice becomes darker to red when the stem is drier. See the dried roots picture here.

The roots are used widely for the treatment of malaria and also takes care of the fever.

Share your experience with the usage of this plant. Follow on twitter @heal2bwell for updates.

 

    

10 Herbs You Can Use To Treat Respiratory Issues

Respiratory issues and diseases are those of the airways and other lung structures. Some of the most common ones are listed below.

• Chronic bronchitis is the inflammation and irritation of the bronchial tubes usually caused by long-term exposure to irritants
• Asthma causes inflammation in the airways.
• Pneumonia is infection of the air sacs of the lungs
• Emphysema is caused by caused by long-term exposure to irritants which damage the lungs and airways.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the name given to a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties.
• Sinusitis is the inflammation of the air cavities within the passages of the nose. This can be caused by infection, allergies or substances that can irritate the sinuses, leading to inflammation.

Most chronic conditions are characterised by the inflammatory response of the body. Chronic inflammation damages cells unless the cause of the response is removed.

       

Some of the symptoms of these conditions are;

• Noisy breathing
• Stubborn or persistent cough
• Difficulty with breathing
• Chronic mucus 
• Coughing up blood
• Wheezing
• Chest pain

Below is a table of herbs which have different properties for helping to resolve respiratory issues symptoms.

Name	Some properties that are relevant to use for treating respiratory issues	Read more
Garlic	Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anticoagulant	Here
Onion	Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral	Onion benefits
Bitter kola	Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral	Bitter kola
Ginger	Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory,  antibacterial, antiviral, anti-parasitic and antihistamine	Ginger
Bitter leaf	Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory,  antibacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal	Bitter leaf
Cloves	Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic,  antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal	Cloves
Violet tree roots	Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic and anti-bacterial	Violet tree roots
African peach tree stem	Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypoglycaemic, analgesic and anti-bacterial, anagelsic	African peach tree stem
Asthma weed/plant	Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic,  antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, analgelsic,	Asthma weed
Giant milkweed	Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic and anti-bacterial, bronchiodilator	Giant milkweed

Lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking, regular exercise, staying active, maintaining healthy weight and choosing healthier food ingredients are also important in reducing illnesses and issues.

         

Lemons and limes are also two easily available ingredients which are wonderful for respiratory issues.

      

Share your experience with using alternative or natural means of resolving respiratory issues. I have used garlic, cloves, turmeric, onions and ginger with effective results at different times for sinusitis, infections and coughs.

Follow on twitter @heal2bwell for updates.