Herbal Health

This outstanding medicinal plant has been wrongfully neglected for a long time and in quite a few books on herbalism it has not even been mentioned. Even in some of the best books only garlic is listed. Allium ursinum, with its distinct pungent smell, is generally called bear’s garlic or ramsons. Its leaves resemble those of the lily of the valley and, as both plants grow in the shade of the woods, one is often mistaken for the other. Bear’s garlic thrives in damp but healthy ground and is sometimes found so plentifully along the sides of streams and brooks that it could actually be cut with a scythe.

The considerable sulphur content of bear’s garlic acts on the skin, the bones and the bronchial tubes, especially when there is an abundant secretion of phlegm.

Intestinal flatulence, with a burning sensation in the abdomen and an irritation of the bladder, accompanied by a strong urge to urinate, will be alleviated by means of bear’s garlic. So, too, will chronic intestinal catarrh, when the mucous lining of the stomach and intestines has become very sensitive.

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Only when we look upon our feet as faithful servants will we show enough appreciation to pay them proper attention and give them the good care they deserve. Do you realise what an important function the feet have to fulfil through an entire lifetime? They carry the body, irrespective of its weight, and take us wherever we wish to go. Yet looking at the changing fashion in footwear, especially as indulged in by the ladies, we begin to see the discrepancy existing between the unfair treatment of our feet and the constant care they need and deserve. We must not close our eyes to this fact.

When I was young I often heard adults use the term ‘flat-footed Indian’ when they were describing someone who had really bad flat feet. Later on in life I had the opportunity to visit the Indians personally and, to my enlightenment, I saw for myself that such a description of their feet was completely out of place. True, there are Indians called Blackfeet, but I never saw one Indian with flat feet, a sad and frequent occurrence among many other people. People in less developed societies, as long as they stick to their traditional habits and walk barefoot most of the time, have strong and healthy feet that make others living in a more industrialised society truly envious.

Is it not true that our poor feet spend much time imprisoned in often unsuitable shoes? No wonder they are often just as degenerated as our teeth! It is indeed important that we give appropriate care and attention to our feet in return for their lifelong faithful service.

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When I was a young man in my late teens I too had bad teeth as the result of an unnatural diet. I then changed my eating habits and within three years my dentist assured me that my teeth showed definite signs of hardening. At the end of six years, he congratulated me on my change of diet and said that my teeth were in excellent condition, with hard and healthy dentine. Now, in my old age, I still have the same good teeth I had in my youth. So, to safeguard the teeth, all refined foods should be avoided. To start with, white sugar and flour should definitely be left out of your diet. Every school and every dentist’s waiting room should display comical educational posters, acting as constant reminders of the two enemies of strong teeth, white sugar and white flour, and the cartoons on these posters should become as popular as Mickey Mouse. Such vivid warnings would make our schoolchildren constantly aware of the agents responsible for bad teeth. Who knows, maybe they would even contribute to banning the culprits from our tables!

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No one can deny that the stresses of modern life are partly to blame for various diseases, whether it be vascular disorders or cancer. Neither can anyone deny that increased radioactivity contributes to cancer. Chemical sprays as well as chemical additives in food are also contributory factors, as discussed above, together with the refining of food items and the thoughtless consumption of these foods. In addition to the constant stress and strain, the increased mental tension of our times probably plays a great part in laying the foundation for the development of the disease. We know, for instance, that worries and anxieties are bad for the liver, and what is bad for the liver is also detrimental to the endocrine glands. The resulting effects also share the blame in the disease’s development.

Therefore we must consider the contributory factors and then make a conscientious effort to avoid them. Of course, it goes without saying that it is essential to follow a natural rhythm, or way of life. Overdoing things, in other words extremes, should be avoided, as should everything that is not in harmony with nature; these things can only be detrimental to an already weakened constitution. Once we have come to understand that we must adopt a positive attitude and life-style in order to escape the tentacles of one of the worst illnesses of our times, a birthmark will not be the reason for putting ourselves in danger of dying from cancer.

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Another factor is the constant irritation of cells through medicinal or mechanical, that is, physical, action. Chronic ailments and conditions, even constipation, can irritate the tissue to the extent that degenerative changes in the cellular system appear, which may sooner or later become malignant or cause arthritis, if the other two factors are present. Experience shows that cancer and arthritis may have the same basic causes, especially as far as incorrect eating habits and our modern life-style are concerned; it is only in their detail that they differ.

Many women say that after having received a blow or similar injury to the breast or other delicate part of the body, it has led to an induration of the tissues involved, which was later diagnosed as cancer. Needless to say, not every blow results in a tumour. If the person has no predisposition to malignancy, the immediate results of such an injury to the tissues will naturally disappear without leaving any ill effects.

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