Magnesium Oil

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.


Two months ago, I posted about the importance of magnesium in the diet.  It would be silly to list here again all the reasons why magnesium is needed, where we get it, and what conditions deficiencies cause. 

What is important is that for a number of people, getting adequate magnesium through food becomes difficult at times.  This can be due to age (it happens to the best of us), poor diet (as could happen post-collapse), or medications (proton pump inhibitors, among others).

Fortunately, magnesium can also be absorbed through the skin.  That's where magnesium oil comes in.  Now, the idea of obtaining magnesium through the skin shouldn't creep anyone out.  People have been doing it for thousands of years.  They went to mineral springs or applied mud packs.  More recently, people have bathed in Epsom salts.  Using magnesium oil, and calling it transdermal magnesium therapy, sounds a little more sophisticated.

Magnesium oil is used in many ways, depending on your goal.

• Spray.  It's usually applied once a day, right after a shower, before any other lotions have been used.  Some prefer to use it 30 minutes before showering.  Alternatively, it can be used at night, just before bed.  Some people favor this approach because magnesium oil can cause a bit of a burning or itching or tingling sensation, which is not noticed as one drifts off to sleep.  Because I am really deficient in magnesium, I sometimes apply it twice per day, once in the morning 30-60 minutes before showering, and then at bedtime as well.  
• Bath.  For those who are really bothered by the direct application of magnesium oil to the skin, a bath in diluted magnesium oil is a great alternative.  The spray and the bath are best for those who need to increase the magnesium levels in their body.
• Massage and sports rub.  These deliver the magnesium to the tissues that need it most, and the massage helps work the magnesium into the skin and bloodstream faster so it can do its job.
• Foot soaks.  Makes the feet feel really nice and refreshed.

Perhaps, by now, your curiosity is piqued.  What's the difference between Epsom salts and magnesium oil?  Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate and are drying to the skin.  Magnesium oil is made from magnesium chloride and may feel somewhat oily.  Magnesium chloride is more easily absorbed by the skin.  Some people question why it's called magnesium oil, especially when they say it doesn't feel oily.  Well, after having made a few batches, I can say that some batches feel more oily than others.

If you're interested in giving this a try, you can get your magnesium chloride flakes on Amazon or at a health food store.

Magnesium Oil

• 1/2 cup magnesium chloride flakes
• 1/2 cup filtered or distilled water
• 10 drops essential oil, optional*

Bring the water to a boil and remove from heat.  Add magnesium chloride flakes and stir until the flakes are completely dissolved.  Then add essential oil, if desired.  Let cool and then store in a spray bottle.   Spray and massage in daily to increase magnesium levels in the body.

*Use lavender essential oil if one of your reasons for applying magnesium oil is to sleep better (and then use the oil at night).  Use wintergreen essential oil if you're using this for an after-workout massage or for sore muscles.

Magnesium is frequently used to treat a wide variety of conditions, often in the form of injections, which may not be readily available post-collapse.  While not as rapid as getting into the bloodstream as injections, transdermal application of magnesium is faster than taking tablets or capsules.  And it works even when a patient cannot take tablets.  It's commonly used in patients following heart attacks and strokes and may be used to prevent brain damage in premature infants.  It may help prevent seizures in pregnant women with preeclampsia or eclampsia.  And it may help reduce or prevent morning sickness, PMS, and osteoporosis.  It also has been shown to help lower blood pressure.


Cautions:  Magnesium oil may cause a burning or tingling sensation in some individuals, but this usually goes away after the first few uses.  As with most any alternative or conventional approach to resolving an issue with the body, there is often that group of people for whom the solution has an opposite effect, and in this case, magnesium sometimes has a stimulating effect.  For this group of people, taking magnesium during the day is better than at bedtime.  Do not apply magnesium oil to freshly shaved skin. (Magnesium oil is a good deodorant, but it really burns on freshly shaved skin, like armpits.)

Contraindications:  Persons with low blood pressure should exercise extreme caution using magnesium in any form.  The same goes for those taking anti-anxiety medications or people with sensitive skin or impaired kidney function.

Links to related posts:
Magnesium
Antacids and proton pump inhibitors

For further information:
https://draxe.com/magnesium-oil/
http://samarahealingcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Achieving-Optimal-Health-through-Transdermal-Magnesium-Therapy.pdf
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
https://drsircus.com/magnesium/uses-of-magnesium-oil/

© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com  

Basic Food Storage--Sprouting Wheat

Why, oh why, would anyone want to sprout wheat?  I mean, with a healthier diet that is already including lots of whole grains and beans and garden produce, isn't adding in sprouts going a little over the top?

Actually, it may be over the top for some.  But there are times when being able to sprout wheat could come in handy.

First off, wheat is a bit hard for some people to digest.  Especially if those people have been eating a typical American diet high in processed foods.  Secondly, and important for all, is that wheat sprouts are far more nutritious than the unsprouted whole grain, with far more vitamins B, C, E, and K, as well as more calcium, iron, and magnesium.  And it provides a different way of using wheat, one that can add variety to salads, soups, and cereals, as well as being used to add a little crunch to sandwiches.

To start your sprouts, in a quart size canning jar, soak one cup of wheat in cool water for 6-12 hours.  One cup of dry wheat will yield approximately 2 1/4 cups of sprouts.

Plastic sprouting lids available from Amazon or health food stores make rinsing and draining easier, but you can substitute nylon netting and a rubber band.  A clean knee-hi nylon could also be used, but it somewhat hinders air circulation. 

After the initial soaking, drain the wheat and rinse thoroughly.  Do not soak or let the wheat stand in water again.  Repeat the rinse and drain cycle every 6-12 hours, with 8 hours being ideal, but this also depends on the temperature.  The ideal temperature for sprouting is 70 degrees; warmer temperatures necessitate more frequent rinsing.

For draining the wheat, the jar must be inverted and at an angle, ideally about 45 degrees.  A large bowl or dish drainer in the sink works well.  Putting the jar upside down will not permit draining.

Keeping the sprouting grain in plain view will help you remember to rinse it; however, do not place the jar in direct sunlight.  That will cook and kill your sprouts.  On the kitchen counter out of the sun will be perfect.

Taste your sprouts as they are growing.  When do you like them best?  Wheat sprouts are generally harvested between the second and fourth day of sprouting.  Dry them thoroughly for about 6-8 hours from the last time they were rinsed, and then store them in the refrigerator.  Your wheat sprouts will keep for three days, assuming they were very dry when you put them away.

There are numerous ways to use wheat sprouts--add to soups, salads, breads, sandwiches, taco meat, chili; grow into wheat grass; dehydrate and grind into flour; make sprouted breakfast cereal or porridge.  Some people just like to eat them plain.

Links to related posts:
Wheat
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B2
Vitamin C 


For further information:

https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/sprouting/how-to-sprout-wheat-berries/

https://sproutpeople.org/growing-wheat-sprouts/

https://keeperofthehome.org/getting-started-sprouting-wheat-berries/

© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com 

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