Tag Archives: burdock

Shingles and Herpes

Herpes & Shingles, Vaccines, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Shingles is a latent form of the Herpes or Varicella Zoster Virus, reactivated from previous chicken pox, or contracted when one does not have the natural immunity developed from exposure. The virus lies dormant in the nerve cells adjacent to your spinal cord and can reactivate under various conditions.  Known triggers for reactivation are: STRESS, which can be from emotional causes or from a physical cause such as trauma or injury. Stress, lack of sleep, poor diet, or other illness can all weaken the immune system.

Shingles appear as a painful rash and/or itching blisters, running in a band or belt, usually confined to one side of the body or face. This can be accompanied by fever, aches, and general malaise. Although shingles is not contagious itself, the rash gives off the varicella zoster virus, which could cause someone who comes into contact with it to develop chicken pox.

Allopathic medical treatment prescribes medications to treat  the symptoms of shingles. These may be antivirals or corticosteroids in severe cases. The drugs can be expensive,  may or may not work depending on how soon they are started, do not help ward off future attacks, and carry the risk of side effects or potential drug interactions associated with every prescription.

One natural regime, which is outlined below, has produced excellent results with acute shingles attacks and rashes of many types, including those caused by severe drug reactions, such as man-made antibiotics.

IF-C is a Chinese herbal formula developed by Dr. Sabuti Dharmananda for relieving and clearing all conditions of excess heat, including rashes, pain, head-aches and sinus infections. In Chinese terminology, these conditions are classed as “heat-rising”. For maintenance after the acute episode, some people will follow-up with HRP-C (CA) VS-C (US), which is explained below under Herpes. This formula is available both in capsules and liquid.

Dosage at which people have had success: every 3 – 4 hours (4 –6 times) /day

IF-C       4 capsules
InFlammation, InFection Chinese formula that clears and relieves excess heat

Stress Formula  (CA) / NutriCalm  (US)   2 Tablets
Contains balanced B complex, C, plus calming herbs Hops, Valerian and Passion Flower to relax the nervous system

Burdock (US only)   4 capsules  OR  Oregon Grape Extract (CA & US)   2 ml.
Both are gentle blood and liver cleansers with specific soothing and healing properties for the skin.

Take full dose until pain and inflammation is noticeably less. Results will depend on the person, the length and severity and condition, but relief may be noticed within the first two days. Three days after symptoms decrease, you can reduce frequency to every 3 times/day, then several days later decrease dosage by half, but still 3 times per day. Consult with a qualified natural health consultant to aid you, or contact us for personal assistance in placing an order at discounted prices. See below for external aids.

 

Herpes

Besides shingles, there are many other types of herpes virus, which affect a very large percentage of the population, up to 60%. Herpes simplex 1, cold sores, can occur on any part of your body including nose, elbows, fingers, stomach, or anus. Genital herpes is called Herpes simplex 2, but it is really just a different form of the same disease, and one can cause the other. Some people have sub-clinical, subtle outbreaks and can shed the virus even when they are asymptomatic, which is one reason this disease has become so prevalent.

Herpes can be effectively treated by a combination of diet, stress reduction and herbal medicine or by drug therapy. Although allopathic medicine says there is no cure, it is possible to go years between outbreaks with management using natural therapeutics.

For all types of herpes, including shingles, consider a program of HRP-C (CA) VS-C (US) for three months, at 6 – 9 per day. Dosage is dependant upon your size, the severity of condition, personal immune status, and lifestyle. HRP-C is a Chinese formulation developed by a Chinese medical doctor, to address Herpes virus, AIDS, and all other viral stressors, which include the common cold and flu. It helps increase overall immunity, and detoxify the liver and eliminate heavy metals. It is also very effective for Candida and other yeast/ parasitic infections.

For regular or periodic herpes, the above dosage of HRP-C can gradually be lowered after 3 months, until a maintenance dose keeps herpes under control. This dosage will be different for everyone, dependent on their size, other aspects of lifestyle and overall health. During times of stress, which can exacerbate an outbreak, the dosage should be increased. If tingling is felt, which can signal an outbreak, taking full dosage will ward off an outbreak or minimize it.

L-Lysine (US) , an essential amino acid, can also be taken at a dosage of three 500mg. capsules per day during an outbreak, and one per day as maintenance. Use some thought when supplementing one particular amino acid for long term, as all amino acids work in synergy. If however, you have some other symptoms of l-lysine deficiency, such as a feeling of helplessness, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, anemia or depression, maintenance with l-lysine may help alleviate these symptoms. L-lysine can be found in fish, chicken, eggs, garbanzo beans and comfrey.

For External Relief: HRP-C /VS-C in liquid glycerine form can be applied to sores. Tei Fu Oil  or  Tei Fu Massage Lotion, a blend of essential oils, is helpful for pain and itch relief and to help sores heal more quickly.

Silver Shield Gel also destroys viruses, decreases inflammation and speeds healing. This would be highly recommended for use in any opening, such as eyes, ears, vaginal, cervical, etc.

Contact author for separate write-up on helpful external applications and recipe options. Ordering via Canada and US is different, so why not have the expert help you with personal service?

References:

The Ultimate Healing System by Donald LePore, ND
Your Nature, Your Health by S. Dharmanada, PhD
Lorene Benoit, BEd, CHC, MHH
June Cobb, Herbalist/ Chinese Herbal Educator
Christopher Scipio, Homeopath/Herbalist

PLEASE watch this 3 minute video in which 2 doctors explain why Shingles is on the increase:      Chickenpox vaccine and relation to increased Shingles

To discuss if this program is right for you, please contact our office. First 10 mins. of email inquiry or phone consult is free. We will set up a wholesale account so you can obtain the same professional therapeutic quality herbs we have used since 1985.

Q & A: Making Herbal Salve & Sun Screens

Herbal Wisdom, Questions and Answers, , , , , , , , , , ,

Questions:

How are you doing? Over here (in Holland) everything is going great. A lot of nice warm days.

I am still usisng herbal preparations learned at your Intensive 2011!
I wanted to make my own sunscreen and after sun lotion. I searched the internet for recipes, a lot of possibilities, but a lot of ingredients. I remembered you didn’t use that much. I can only remember you used aloe vera and lavender or mint oil?
Do you have a recipe?

My Mom is also wanting to make some more of that great salve you sent us. I have looked at my notes, but need some clarification on oils used, how long, what temperature? Can you help?

 

Answer:

I am so thrilled to see others across Canada and Europe, who have taken my Herbal Intensives using the knowledge and making their own herbal preparations AND teaching others!  It is very empowering to have this knowledge and to be able to not only avoid toxic skin products, but to help your family as the primary care-giver for most health challenges!

Sorry, but as you may remember I don’t use recipes much. As you found, they are often too picky, require too many ingredients, and have so many different options it is enough to boggle the mind, get hung up in analysis paralysis and not make anything!

In my courses, I have people make many different preparations using general guidelines, so they understand the basics and the process. Then they can experiment and be empowered to use what is available to them. This is what I call wild-crafting, based on what you have available, and knowing that nature changes from year to year. The results can be exceptionally healing, as both you, your Mom and hundreds of others have seen & experienced.

For professional herbal consulting, in which I want the same recipe, same measurements, dosages and strengths, every time,  I use Nature’s Sunshine. They have several million dollar labs and equipment to test for active chemicals, potency, purity and to adjust for nature’s differences. Their quality is exceptional, which is why I have used it as the mainstay of myworldwide professional consulting.

I still feel it is good to know how to make you own preparations for your own use, so here are some reminders. Having had the 3-4 days experience, this should bring it all back to you.

 

SUNSCREEN:

You are right, I mixed St. John’s Wort oil with Aloe Vera Gel, either by blending the fresh plant, or purchasing a good quality Aloe Vera Gel.  And yes, Lavender essential oil is good to add – mint might be too strong for the skin. Other essential oils that are good for the skin are: Patchouli and Geranium, and Rose Bulgaria. I have used the Nature’s Sunshine essential oils and often 1-3 drops is enough – a little drop of a quality, therapeutic oil can be amazing. This oil is also beneficial if you happen to overdo the sun, which you should try to avoid, but it can happen.

The St. John’s Wort oil is made by infusing the flowers & top few leaves in an oil, by placing them in a glass jar in sunny window 2 – 6 wks. until it turns quite red. Make sure the plant material is covered in oil so there is no spoilage. As far as carrier oil used to extract the herbal principles, you can use olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, sunflower seed, almond, apricot are all OK. Then strain. This oil can also be used in the Salve preparation.

You can also infuse some flowers this way, such as wild rose petals, calendula or bergamot. These are not the same therapeutic value as essential oils which require expensive equipement to get the essence of the flowers and herbs, but they can add some aroma and healing properties.

Note on Sun exposure

Of course, use common sense in sun exposure – we try to avoid too much between 11am – 3pm and cover up when in the sun for extended periods. Your sun exposure should relate to the latitude and consequent strength of the sun; time of year; and your skin pigmentation.

The first two S’s of the Slip, Slap and Slop campaign, which I believe originated in Australia are good: Slip on some protective clothing, Slap on a Hat. These 1st two are the most important. The 3rd – slop on sunscreen is not good! Unless it is a natural sunscreen. To slop on a bunch of toxic chemicals, then add heat to this, is creating a toxic stew on your skin – the largest organ of your body. It is very absurd. In Australia studies found that as sunscreen sales increased, so did melanoma rates!

Common sense will always win out about chemical non-sense.

 

SALVE:

Specific for your questions:

How much oil? Use enough oil to make sure all herbs are immersed or covered – this will depend of type size of pot.

Oven for 8-12 hours 100-150degrees? – the lowest temperature the better, under 120 degrees is best; a low heat crock pot can also be used. This is the quick oil method. You can also use the slower sun-infused method as with St. John’s Wort oil above if you plan several weeks in advance.

Herbs to use:

We use any or all of these herbs from our garden and yard, many of which you can probably find growing around your area. I have given latin names which are always best to use for correct identification:

Mullein   – Verbascum thapsus 
Plantain (ribwort) – Plantago lanceolata or Plantago ovatum
Comfrey leaves or root – Symphytum species
chickweed (has to be dried a bit more, as it is pretty juicy) Stellaria media
Calendula (petals only – dried 24hrs.) Calendula officionalis
St. John’s Wort – Hyericum perfolatum
Yarrow flowers or leaves – Achilles millefolium
Burdock leaves – Arcticum lappa

Remember they can be dried for 1 day before putting them in oil, to avoid water being in oil. The drier herbs (plaintain) may not need this step. If you do have water in the oil after straining, try to boil it off, or otherwise eliminate it, or your oil or salve will not last as long.

Then do you remember the proportions of beeswax to solidify the oil into a salve?

Approximately 28 grams beeswax to 300 – 450 ml. oil or for the Americans, 1  ounce to 11 – 16 ounces. The more beeswax the stiffer the salve.

Let me know how it goes!

And for others reading this, please contact us if YOU would like to experience making your own herbal preparations OR to order any of the NSP products at a direct discount price!