St Mary’s thistle or milk thistle (Silybum marianum) has been famous as a liver herb for thousands of years and promoted for its liver-protecting effects.. Milk thistle is distinguished by the large glossy leaves with creamy-white variegations around the veins. Tradition says that the variegations originated from the milk of the Virgin which once fell upon the plant.
The main active ingredient in milk thistle is the high amount of silymarin. Modern research shows that St Mary’s thistle has a truly remarkable ability to both regenerate damaged liver cells. It has been widely used for liver and gallbladder diseases including hepatitis, cirrhosis (of the liver), gallstones and jaundice. The silymarin extracted from milk thistle has proven` to have antioxidant, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties.
Milk thistle or St. Mary’s Thistle (Silybum marianum) should not be confused with Holy or Blessed Thistle (Cnicus benedictus).
It is a different species with different medicinal properties. Blessed Thistle is not edible, whereas, Milk Thistle is edible and used by foragers as ‘bush food’.
Blessed Thistle
It is said to have obtained its name from its high reputation as a heal-all, being supposed even to cure the plague. The name derived from the Benedictine Monks during the Middle Ages… who used it as a cure-all during the bubonic plague that struck Europe and Asia in the mid-1300s.
Blessed thistle was traditionally used in bitter tonics to stimulate appetite and digestion, among other potential uses. Today it is commonly brewed as a tea, or in dietary supplements (usually in capsule form), in herbal tinctures and extracts.
Blessed thistle contains tannins, which are water-soluble polyphenols that help protect the body against oxidation and support healthy digestion; whereas, milk thistle contains silymarin, a popular ingredient in herbal supplements used to support liver health.
This recipe was given to Renee Caisse from the Ojibwa / Ojibwa Tribe (North American Indian tribe from Canada). Essiac is Caisse spelt backwards. Renee Caisse set up a clinic in Canada to help cancer patients. This remedy originally consisted of 4 original herbs. Later…4 more herbs were added.
This powerful mixture of 8 medicinal herbs has the potential ability to assist in the healing of people with a variety illnesses including, Chronic Fatigue, Diabetes, chronic inflammation, supports the immune system, promotes detoxification.
I became interested in Essiac Tea as a treatment for arthritis, but after some research I found the combination of herbs is known to help various other ailments with (word of mouth) good results. I only just purchased the tea…and as yet…I have to test it for myself so I cannot give testimony of its healing abilities, as yet. I will post results as I experience them.
The 8-Herbs:
Blessed Thistle: Widely used to treat liver and gallbladder diseases. Aids in digestive problems and has anti-inflammatory characteristics.
Burdock Root: Blood purifier, nutritive liver tonic, and mild diuretic. Burdock Root is one of those rare herbs that stimulate lymphatic drainage and detoxification.
Kelp: An amazing marine plant and a concentrated source of minerals, including: iodine, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron. Kelp is a nutrient dense source of iodine which is crucial in the production of thyroid hormones.
Red Clover: A source of many important nutrients, including: calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine, and vitamin C…but first and formost a blood purifier. It is also one of the richest sources of isoflavones…water-soluble chemicals that act like estrogens.
Sheep Sorrel: Sheep Sorrel’s action is diuretic, refrigerant and diaphoretic, and the juice extracted from the fresh plant is of use in urinary and kidney diseases. Sheep Sorrel contains a rich source of oxalic acid, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese, phosphorous, beta carotene, and vitamin C. Be aware: oxalic acid can be harmful in large doses.
Slippery Elm Bark: Contains nutrients such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc and vitamins B1, B2, B3 and C. It regulates the colon, easing both constipation and diarrhea and has a soothing action on the digestive lining. It is also effective as a cough remedy…soothing sore throats and coughs due to upper respiratory ailments.
Turkish Rhubarb Root: This a detoxifying herb…famous for its healing abilities. Rhubarb root purges the body of bile, parasites, and stagnating food in the digestive tract by stimulating the gall duct to expel toxic waste matter. It has proven effective in alleviating chronic liver problems due to its liver cleansing properties.
Watercress: A nutrient rich plant growing in slow moving water. It contains more Vitamin C than an orange, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach and more folate than bananas. It also contains Vitamin A, B6, B12, magnesium and phosphorus. Its high antioxidant content may lower the risk of chronic diseases.
Consumers who are not battling illness might use the tea as a detoxifying elixir in less potent doses.
I went to bed last night with a scratchy throat…the kind you get when you feel like you may be coming down with something but no real specific symptoms…more a feeling of unbalance and exhaustion. This morning I was aware of the same feeling so I took some immune strengthening herbs.
I stopped by the Organic shop on my way home from the grocery store to pick up a couple of dry herbs. I walked in and I was immediately drawn to the liquid Echinacea supplement. Echinacea is best known for its positive effect on the immune system. Herbalists regard Echinacea as one of the best antibiotics and blood purifiers…activating the immune system, and helping to resist disease.
I returned home and decided to draw one of the Insight cards from my book, Nature’s Creation – Knowledge and Guidance through Healing Plants. Synchronicity. I was a bit taken back when I drew the Echinacea card and immediately connected with the message this plant was sharing with me. I was not coming down with something but my immune system was definitely out of balance. The Insight message below rang clear and true.
Insight…quoted from the book.
“If you have drawn the Echinacea card today it is time to pay more attention to your physical needs, especially your immune system. You may be under stress at home or at work or you may have had some physical or emotional trauma recently. It could be that you are not aware of the stress you have taken on. The effects of stress or trauma may be underlying and not obvious; however, if the stress isn’t recognised it may manifest in an immune-related illness. The fact that you have chosen this card at this time is an indication that you are likely holding on to stress in some way, consciously or unconsciously.
The power of Echinacea will enable you to look within and re-connect with your intuition to bring to the surface any underlying stress. In order to release the stress you must be able to take responsibility for everything that occurs in your life without blame. By acknowledging the stress you are then able to release it fully and once again feel your inner strength and calm return. This will bring balance back to your immune system with a renewed feeling of wholeness, freedom and inner peace”.
I had an “ah ha” moment. I knew exactly what was causing this imbalance and how to change it. As the author of this book, I had to remind myself that I too need a refresher course on the power of medicinal plants and how to once again, “stop and smell the roses” (or the Echinacea).
I’ve been hearing about Borax recently and the connection between Borax and a treatment for arthritis. I’ve always regarded Borax as an additive to washing powder…not as a medicinal product for arthritis. I began to dig more deeply and do some research and I read the article below by Dawn Gifford (creator of Small Footprint Family). Her article answered all my questions and I found it informative. When I wrote my book, Nature’s Creation – Knowledge & Guidance through Healing Plants, I was adamant about advising my readers to always check with their doctor or Naturopath before self-treating. If you are considering taking Boron internally I feel this advice is important.
Article by Dawn Gifford
Many people are concerned about whether borax is a safe chemical. There are many sites on the internet claiming it is toxic. I disagree with these sites and believe that borax is as safe for household use as table salt or washing soda—in other words, the dose makes the poison. Here’s why…
History of Borax
Humans have mined and used borax (also known as sodium tetraborate) since its discovery in Persia more than 4,000 years ago. Borax is a naturally occurring mineral found in concentration in dried salt lake beds, and consists of water, sodium, boron and oxygen. That’s it. The main areas where borax is mined today are in Turkey and California.
Boron is an essential trace mineral nutrient required for many functions in the body, like rebuilding bone and teeth, hormone regulation, absorption and metabolism of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, and maintaining communication between your cells.
In fact, boron is as essential for the parathyroid gland as iodine is for the thyroid.
Boron is ubiquitous in soil and water, and is required for plant growth. Diets with a fair amount of fruit and vegetables provide about 2 to 5 mg of boron per day, but this also depends on the region where the food was grown and how it was grown.
The Evidence on Borax
All of the studies that showed evidence of possible hormone disruption in animals either used ridiculously high doses of borax (many grams delivered intravenously), or they conflated borax with boric acid, which is NOT the same stuff.
Borax (sodium tetraborate) is used in the process of making boric acid, but there is a tremendous chemical difference between the two. Many of the studies used to demonstrate the alleged danger of borax often used boric acid instead, or were ambiguous about which was used.
Boric acid is toxic at far lower doses than borax, so any study that isn’t clear about which of the two is used for the data should not be considered credible. (This includes the EWG data.)
Borax can be toxic at the high doses used in animal studies. It has this effect at high doses is because it is essentially an overdose of the element boron. Iron, zinc and calcium are required by the body too, but an overdose of any of these will also send you to the hospital, or even kill you!
However, adults would never ingest anything even close to the amount of borax required to do harm—unless they worked unprotected for years in a borax mine or packaging factory. However, you will want to keep your small children and pets out of the borax, just as you would keep them away from the chewable vitamins. An overdose of boron can be as dangerous as an overdose of zinc or iron, especially for small bodies.
Borax is officially classified as non-carcinogenic and a mild skin irritant. The high alkalinity of borax (pH 9.5) is what causes skin irritation, which is the same reason that washing soda and even baking soda cause skin irritation, too. The alkaline pH of borax, washing soda and baking soda is what softens the water, and makes it possible for them to clean your clothes.
There are also several studies in the ToxNet database that show borax is only a very mild lung irritant and causes no lasting damage. If ingested, it is quickly excreted in the urine. In addition, it does not really penetrate the skin well, and is not bio-accumulative.
Finally, the Material Safety Data Sheet lists borax as a health hazard of 1—the same as baking soda and salt. In other words, borax is toxic in the same way that salt is toxic (Actually ounce for ounce, salt is more toxic): A small amount can do great things; a huge amount will kill you and other living things.
You wouldn’t want to ingest large amounts of salt or baking soda, inhale them, or rub them in your eyes. Borax is no different.
Uses for Borax
Borax is used in laundry detergents, hair potions and skin lotions. Like diatomaceous earth, it also can help kill fleas and dust mites in your carpet by dehydrating them. It is also used as a safer ant and cockroach killer.
Borax is also naturally anti-fungal and anti-viral (but not anti-bacterial), and—here’s the neat part—through a chemical reaction with water, borax produces hydrogen peroxide (the main ingredient in OxyClean) to brighten and sanitize your clothes.
Because borax is made of just sodium, oxygen, hydrogen and boron, many people even ingest small amounts of borax mixed in water to self-treat various health conditions that supplemental boron can really help, like arthritis, fluoride detoxification, osteoporosis, prostate cancer, menopausal symptoms, psoriasis, and candida.
I do not recommend supplementing with borax because it’s very hard to regulate the dose, and you don’t want to overdo it. Use a high-quality boron supplement instead.
For external use, you should use the same precautions (gloves, dust mask or bandana) with borax that they would use around any dusty substance, like washing soda, bentonite clay, diatomaceous earth, or powdered soap. (Heck, even flour or powdered sugar would be irritating if inhaled!)
So, Is Borax Toxic?
In sum, borax is wholly natural and has no inherently toxic ingredients. It doesn’t cause cancer, accumulate in the body or in nature, or absorb through the skin.
Because the dose makes the poison, borax is not harmful to the body or the environment with normal, external usage any more than salt or baking soda is. In fact, the largest borax (borate) mine in the world—found in Boron, California—is considered to be one of the most ecologically sound and environmentally sustainable mines in the United States.
I consider borax a safe, effective cleaner, and I will continue to use it in my household green cleaning and safer pest control.
Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) or Saint Robert’s Herb is a European woodland geranium with an extremely long history as a valuable medicinal herb. It had all but disappeared from medicinal herb gardens. However, with its amazing healing qualities, this little herb is making a well-deserved comeback.
Very little information is written on Herb Robert’s healing constituents but this special plant has repeated time and time again, that it has supreme therapeutic qualities. It has proven that it has the capabilities to enhance the immune system. Research has established that the source of germanium in Herb Robert is a beneficial element in the body…having the ability to make oxygen available to the cells. This ability gives the body the opportunity to fight disease enabling the cells to regenerate and heal quickly. Free radicals cause a lack of oxygen in the cells and disease such as cancer can manifest.
Germanium’s outstanding effects on the immune system have been well documented in medical journals. As an adaptogen herb, it increases the body’s resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety, and fatigue. Adaptogens generally work by strengthening the immune system, nervous system and/or glandular system…helping to boost, balance and normalise functions in the body. Herb Robert has earned a reputation as a cure for cancer with testimonials to back up the claims.
This is a herb that can be of great benefit and used daily. The plant provides vitamins A and C, as well as B. It is full of minerals such as iron, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, and calcium. Fresh leaves and flowers can be steeped to make a tea or dried and stored to use throughout the winter months as a tea or tossed into salads as a nutrient booster. The root can also be dried and used.
