Medicinal Uses of Russian Sage

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on an item you might wish to have available if needed so that a physician can treat you and your family as best as possible.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care.  A qualified, licensed physician or other medical provider should be consulted before beginning any herbal or conventional treatment.

Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia), a popular landscaping perennial used all over Northern Nevada, is relatively new on the yard design scene.  It didn't get much notice until about the 1990s.  Reportedly, it thrives in a wide variety of conditions, hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9.  It sure as heck grows well here in our rotten soil and desert, and while I find it quite attractive, there is no way I'd ever plant it anywhere that I didn't want it spreading like some dread disease.  It will not stay where it belongs.  It also doesn't get much notice from herbalists, and despite its name, it is not a culinary herb.

While the flowers can be eaten in salads and used as a garnish, the leaves are a bit toxic if eaten.  Probably the best prepper usage of Russian sage is as a deer repellent and bee attractant.  Bees cover my Russian sage at least three months of the year.

However, it does have some limited use as medicine, in two ways, as an infusion or in steam inhalation.

INFUSION:  Steep one tablespoon of fresh leaves and flowers (or 1 teaspoon dried) for 15-30 minutes in a covered cup of boiling water.

• Drink cool or hot to relieve:
• upset stomach
• diarrhea
• dysentery
• Soak a washcloth in cooled infusion to:
• reduce fever--apply compress to forehead
• wash wounds

STEAM:  Bring a large pot of water with a handful of fresh or dried Russian sage to a boil.  Cover the head with a towel and lean over the pot of hot water with Russian sage.  Inhale the warm air deeply.  This will open blocked airways to relieve:

• colds and influenza
• bronchitis
• sinus headaches, including those due to barometric pressure change
• anxiety
• stress

Cautions:  Do not eat the leaves.  They are toxic.  However, the flowers are fine, and so is tea made from the leaves.

For further reading:

https://healthfully.com/309206-health-benefits-of-russian-sage.html
https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/russian-sage/



© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com

When To Use Imodium (Loperamide)--And When Not To

Disclaimer.  This is not medical advice.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on an item you might wish to have available if needed so that a physician can treat you and your family as best as possible.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.

Loperamide, generally known better by its trade name of Imodium, is one of those handy little tools to have in the medicinal toolbox.  But it's not so critical as to merit discussion right up there with antibiotics and OTC pain relievers.  I don't know that I've ever taken loperamide in my life, but my husband does occasionally and very much likes to have it on hand. 

So why discuss it now?  Why not wait until much later and cover more essential medications now?  Because loperamide could soon go the way of Sudafed.  If you recall, Sudafed used to be available over-the-counter right next to all the other cold remedies.  However, due to its use by meth-heads in manufacturing methamphetamine, you now have to go to the pharmacy counter, show your driver's license, and sign for it.  And you are limited in how much you can purchase each month.

Loperamide may follow suit at any time. That's because it's also known as "poor man's methadone."  Loperamide is actually an opioid, and abusers have turned to taking it in extremely large doses, like 200+ pills at once, to treat withdrawal symptoms.  So now the FDA is considering limiting our access to larger quantities.  They've asked manufacturers to package the tablets in blister packs of eight tablets.  And you really shouldn't need more than that to treat a simple case of diarrhea.  But, we're preppers, and we like to stock up.  As recently as April 2018 one could buy 400 tablets at Sam's Club for about $4.00.  I can't find any now at Sam's online.  Walmart's largest package contains 24 pills, for about twice what I paid for 400 tablets a year ago.  The cheapest I see on Amazon today (14 September 2019) is $6.20 for 96 tablets.  Still, when you need it, you need it. 

Loperamide, used medicinally since 1976, is on WHO's List of Essential Medicines for its use in treating diarrhea due to gastroenteritis, irritable bowel syndrome, and mild traveler's diarrhea.  It is NOT used for treating cholera, salmonella, typhoid, or Clostridium difficile; you want to get the bacteria causing these conditions OUT of the body ASAP.  Loperamide's job is to slow down intestinal motility and keep fluids IN the body.

Loperamide should not be used by pregnant or nursing women or in children under the age of five years.

For further reading:
https://solvingtheibspuzzle.com/imodium-fda-regulation/
http://faith-seeking-understanding.org/2018/06/19/loperamide-regulations-tightened-by-fda/
https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2018/01/31/New-restrictions-on-Imodium-aimed-at-limiting-dangerous-misuse/8691517402527/

Copyright 2018, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com.

1 january 2019

Medicinal Uses of Arrowroot

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on an item you might wish to have available if needed so that a physician can treat you and your family as best as possible.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care.  A qualified, licensed physician or other medical provider should be consulted before beginning any herbal or conventional treatment.


Arrowroot, Maranta arundinacea, is a tropical plant native to the Americas.  It is most often used today as a thickener for food, a non-GMO alternative to cornstarch.  Arrowroot isn't commonly used at home as food in our society today, except by those individuals who are on gluten-free diets and/or needing an alternative to cornstarch.

Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that you are able to grow arrowroot in your area.  That fact alone is often a deal-killer for me, but I have been known to make exceptions, especially for medicinal items with a respectable shelf life.  If you can grow it in your area, you'll have a powerhouse of nutrition at your fingertips.  A one-cup serving of arrowroot contains impressive amounts of several vitamins and minerals, including vitamins B1, B3, and B9, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

As you do your own research into arrowroot powder and determining whether this is something you want in your stores, keep in mind that arrowroot powder and arrowroot flour and arrowroot starch are all the same thing.  Also, when using arrowroot to replace cornstarch, start with substituting 1/3 to 1/2 of the amount of cornstarch the recipe calls for.   Be sure to make a slurry, you know, like you do with cornstarch or flour, mixing the arrowroot powder with a small amount of water or other liquid, before stirring it into the soup or gravy or whatever.  Also, be sure to stir the arrowroot slurry into the soup right before serving, as high heat breaks down the thickening qualities of the arrowroot.

Arrowroot has a shelf life of at least 3-4 years when properly stored.  

However, the culinary uses of arrowroot are not the focus of this post today.  Honestly, I probably wouldn't bother with arrowroot for its uses in food.  No one in my immediate family is bothered by gluten issues, and while I do try to avoid all the genetically-modified food I can, I don't stress too much over cornstarch as we really don't use it that often.


Historically, arrowroot was highly valued for its medicinal effects, and that's what we're interested in today.  Arrowroot especially developed a reputation for its efficacy against poison arrow wounds and snake and spider bites, but it's got a lot of other interesting uses, too.  Fortunately for those readers living in tropical areas, the active constituents of arrowroot are also found in other plants:  Florida arrowroot (Zamia integrifolia, cassava (Manihot esculenta), and kudzu (Pueraria lobata).  The rest of us will have to buy it.

INTERNAL USAGE
Arrowroot is mixed into juice, water, or some other drink, about two teaspoons per cup of liquid, and then taken to relieve the following conditions:

• Gastrointestinal conditions, including:
• Upset stomach
• Diarrhea and dysentery
• Food poisoning, to treat and as a preventative, may be added to soups, gravies, and other liquids.
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Urinary tract infection.  
• Bladder infections and cystitis
• Also, may be taken daily to prevent recurrence of these infections.
• Teething pain in infants.
• Arrowroot biscuits have been around for ages.  Arrowroot powder may be applied directly to the gums, or it may be used as flour and baked into biscuits for teething.  
• Boost immune system.  
• Venomous snake and spider bites.  Arrowroot juice or tea was historically administered to treat these bites.  However, I could find no mention of modern usage. 

EXTERNAL USAGE
Historically, arrowroot powder was mixed with a little bit of water to make a paste and then applied directly or in a poultice to treat the following:

• Venomous snake and spider bites.  
• Smallpox
• Poison arrow wounds, infected wounds, including gangrene.

Contraindications:  None.  Safe for babies and pregnant and nursing women, when used in normal quantities.  Sitting down to a meal of arrowroot only is not a good idea.  Just like eating a cup of salt is not a good idea.

Caution:  Do not take arrowroot powder in conjunction with any other medications or supplements to alleviate diarrhea.  You risk extreme constipation.  

For further reading:
https://draxe.com/arrowroot/
https://www.yourhealthremedy.com/medicinal-plants/arrowroot-powder-uses-health-benefits-side-effects/
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/other/arrowroot.html
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-28032000000100005&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en  (diarrhea treatment in IBS)
https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/arrowroot-for-babies-benefits-and-recipe/
https://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/prevent-recurrence-of-uti-with-arrowroot-powder-bs915/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15453588
https://draxe.com/homemade-probiotic-deodorant/moistening and a nourishing effect on the body.
https://downshiftology.com/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-arrowroot-powder/
https://stilltasty.com/Fooditems/index/16412


© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com  

19 jul 2021

17 june 2024

The Medicinal Uses of Red Raspberry Leaf

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on an item you might wish to have available if needed so that a physician can treat you and your family as best as possible.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care.  A qualified, licensed physician or other medical provider should be consulted before beginning any herbal or conventional treatment.


When my family and I talk about the five years that we lived in Missouri, we usually mention the only three good things about our time there, the three F's:  friends (a few great friends), fireflies (who doesn't love them?), and fireworks (the most phenomenal displays I ever saw were put on by a lawyer friend from church--nothing at Disneyland, or at city/county Fourth of July events, or even Michael Milken's personal event at Lake Tahoe--no, we weren't his guests, just on a neighboring section of the beach--could come close to this lawyer's show).  But as I begin this post on raspberries, I remember how prolific the raspberries in my garden there were.  I spent a couple of hours three times each week during harvest season to pick them.  Wow, I miss those raspberries.

And as delicious and desirable as those raspberries were, the true treasure was in the leaves.  Little did I know then.  Raspberry leaves are loaded with vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, and E, as well as the essential minerals iron (one ounce of raspberry leaves yields 18% of the RDA for iron), magnesium, potassium, zinc, and calcium.  For this reason alone you are really going to want these gems growing on your property in addition to being able to find them elsewhere.

Time to harvest:  Raspberry leaves should be harvested in the summer, rinsed, and dried well in a dehydrator or in the shade.  Insufficiently dried leaves can become toxic.

Fortunately, raspberry leaves are very easy to use.  Their active constituents are, in contrast to many other herbal remedies, extracted with water.  No alcohol involved.

Infusion:  One to two teaspoons of dried leaves per cup of boiling water.  Let steep for fifteen minutes. Drink three to four cups per day for treating diarrhea, incontinence, PMS symptoms, leg cramps, gout, and arthritis. It is particularly useful for easing painful menstrual cramps and regulating menstrual flow, especially when taken regularly.  Historically, raspberry leaf tea was used to ease labor pains, improve the quality of contractions, and help build a good supply of breast milk.  Though some sources suggest it can be used for treating morning sickness and nausea, it should be used with caution and only under the direction of a licensed medical practitioner during the first and second trimester of pregnancy. 

Decoction:  Steep five tablespoons of raspberry leaves in one quart of water for fifteen minutes.  Use as a rinse or gargle to treat tonsillitis, canker sores, cold sores, gingivitis, and sore throat.  This same decoction can be used for treating eczema, acne, dermatitis, and itching of the skin.  The cooled and filtered decoction is used to treat conjunctivitis of the eyes.

Poultice:  Dip a clean cloth into the decoction above and apply to minor wounds, varicose veins, and minor burns like a sunburn.

Contraindications:  Raspberry leaf is not for internal use in people with gastritis or peptic ulcer, or those with uterine fibroids, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, or endometriosis. 

For further information:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1016/S1526-9523%2801%2900095-2
https://www.drugs.com/npp/raspberry.html#fandc-np5263.b2
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/red-raspberry-leaf-tea#bottom-line
https://theherbalacademy.com/3-raspberry-leaf-benefits-for-women/


© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com

12 september 2022

27 september 2020