Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper has a lot of uses and is pretty underrated. I mentioned in an earlier post how Cayenne can help fight against colds and flus. There are a lot of other properties and benefits that come from this fiery little pepper though.

• Migraine prevention
• Anti-irritant
• Anti-fungal
• Anti-allergen (has been known to help relieve some allergies)
• Digestive aid
• Helps reduce blood clotting
• Aids in detox (promotes circulation)
• Relieves joint pain
• Anti-bactieral
• Prevents tooth and gum disease. 
• As a poultice, cayenne has been used to treat rheumatism, sores, wounds and lumbago.

Capsaicin is what gives Cayenne the anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. Any hot pepper will have these properties. This is why you can see hot sauce being left out at restaurants and never getting stored in a fridge or freezer. 

I'm sure I'll have more to write about hot peppers in the future. However, Cayenne stands out among all of them as an amazing healing pepper. 

Another way to apply Honey and a use for Cayenne.

Image from www.theveganwoman.com

A great and well known application of honey is for sore throats. For most people who get sick, they'll often make tea, add lemon, and honey. The honey acts to disinfect bacteria that has managed to climb into the throat. It won't, however, get rid of a bad cough. If an infection enters the lungs swallowing honey is useless. You'll need to see a doctor about getting antibiotics.
Swallowing lemon means you're swallowing citric acid, which can also help to boost vitamin C and the immune system.


For really tenacious coughs and flus, adding Cayenne pepper to your tea, alongside the honey and lemon can really be a great boon to your bodies immune system. In the old days of Europe, Cayenne pepper tea used to be given to people on their death beds. It would pep them up enough to where they would seem fine, and allowed them to be administered their final rights and sort anything out in their final minutes. Cayenne pepper in tea in a person that isn't dying helps to keep it that way. Powdered Cayenne pepper works just fine in case you're wondering whether to go with whole pepper or dried.

Image from https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/

Tea Tree Oil

Now this is amazing stuff! I've found it has more than a few uses.

I know for a fact that this can help cure some fungal infections on skin. These can usually be treated (and in some cases be cured) with 100% Tea Tree Oil applied to the area once a day until the grey is gone.

Sometimes it can come back. It can also help kill off toe nail fungus.

Tea tree oil is also an anti-inflammatory. That means if you have some inflammation or swelling on your body and the skin isn't broken you can apply some TTO to the area and it will help.

Don't eat this, swallow, or inhale this. Also, don't put it on your gums or eyes. It can burn a lot! It's not pleasant, and it's really only meant for topical use.

If you have a cat or dog that has an injury that they keep biting at and you want them to stop, sprinkle some of the TTO on the spot. It will help bring down the inflammation - and the smell is so offensive to them they'll stop putting their face their all together. It has a very strong Eucalyptus type smell.

Try not to use too much, as it can burn if you use 100% strength. Most people recommend diluting it with a carrier oil - maybe vitamin e or Olive oil.

If you use 1 drop TTO and 1 Drop of a carrier oil, you're at 50% strength. Just use that reasoning if you want get to a different concentration of TTO. Or feel free to ask me.

Before you apply this anywhere on your body - take a very very tiny drop, and apply it to one small, tiny patch of skin and wait 5 minutes. If it burns like hell or if you start getting an allergic reaction to it then either dilute it down in the case of burning, or in the case an an allergic reaction stop it all together and take an anti histamine.

This is very strong stuff - it's anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal. You really need to take great care and have great respect for this oil when using it.

Don't take my word for it though - read everything you can on the web, in books, and find out what you can from everyone you know before using this or any other natural remedy (either on this site or from anywhere or anyone)!

Juniper Berries:

So, while I've been recovering from the mold attack that started back in 2009 and got really bad in 2010, I noticed I had some other problems. Let's just suppose you want something that helps with your movements and Kefir, and fancy yogurts aren't cutting it anymore. Juniper Berries can actually work some magic there. I'm not saying they replace the good bacteria in your gut - I'm not even entirely sure I know what it does. All I know is when I started taking this along side milk thistle, I didn't have issues anymore. My doctor was worried I had bowl cancer, because of a particular string bean symptom I was exhibiting. The Juniper berries always fix that right up for me. I'm not saying it cures cancer. What I am saying is, whatever I have, it isn't cancer and the juniper berries fix me right up.

How did I find out about them? I was so panicked about this issue that I dreamed a way to fix it. I ended up somewhere in a mountainous national park somewhere in Canada. I knew the name at the time, but not anymore. I was just off the side of the highway staring up at a bush that looked a lot like the picture I have in this column. The name Juniper berries came to me. I'd never heard of it before.

Uses:
I was extremely surprised to find out they do indeed exist and have been used by shamans in North America and Europe and dates as far back as ancient Greece to treat all kinds of illness. Also in parts of Scandinavia it's used as a seasoning to bring out the flavor in meat.

Warnings:
The bottle I found was 100 capsules, 425mg a day. I ignored the directions and followed my gut, which said take 2 before bed. The bottle said take 3 or more per day and then gave a warning about stopping use after a month due to kidney issues.
Now, if you're worried about kidneys getting clogged - milk thistle and a ton of cranberry juice (100%) can help you out. Also, don't listen to the bottle - the dosage is crazy!

Disclaimer:
The usual goes here all. I'm not a doctor and I'm not saying you should do this. This is just a record of what I did and how it worked for me. Use with caution if you do. Everyone's bodies are different, etc. etc. I'm open with my doctor about these things. If you feel you can't be open with your doctor, try your best to find another one. I mean an MD - not a holistic doctor. Although they probably know a lot more than I do.

Why do I use an MD? Because I rely on lab tests and blood tests to see where I'm going wrong or right. If this hadn't worked, you can bet I would have looked for something else. I also had an MRI scan to make sure I didn't have something cancerous.

Always be weary of claims that cure cancer. Always feel free to verify and search on sites like scholar.google.com or pubmed.com. These are proper research sites - and while the papers are expensive the abstracts are free to read.

Milk Thistle:

Milk Thistle:

I recently had a nasty bout with a large amount of mold where I lived. The mold caused hives, swelling, and all sorts of scary side effects. Even months after I moved out, I still had hives when I would over exert my self showing me that there was still something in my body.

Enter milk thistle. If you eat poisonous mushrooms in the wild and you have enough time to get treated at the hospital, you will most likely get a massive single dose of milk thistle.

I took milk thistle supplements (about 500 gram pills) twice per day. All my hives and swelling were gone completely after 3 months of doing this everyday. I did have immediate improvement after I started going on this.

The usual disclaimers apply here: be careful, consult a doctor, etc. I'm just sharing my account of mold that almost took me out and the milk thistle that brought me back.

Use at your own discretion. Also, don't think you can live in a moldy place with milk thistle to power you through it. Just get out. The milk thistle is only going to help once you're out of that bad environment.

Honey

Honey
Honey has been known since to be an antibacterial since the time of Imhotep. (You remember that guy from history that built the first pyramid in Egypt, right)? Imhotep was well ahead of his time, mending broken bones with splints and bandages. But one very effective use was Honey to clean fresh wounds. Honey is antibacterial. If you don't believe me, ask yourself when was the last time you saw honey go bad? I believe it to be anti-fungal as well, but this is based solely on my observations of never having seen honey go moldy (and I live in a very humid environment).

Using honey on a fresh wound can clean the wound of any unfriendly visitors into the body and also acts to seal the wound. Of course, it isn't any fun getting it out of arm or leg hair, so be careful if and when you do apply it.

If you would like to read more about Imhotep or know more about the medicinal scrolls please look up the Edwin Smith papyri.

Warning:
If the wound is getting worse see a doctor immediately!


   

Mint

Mint can be used to sooth an upset stomach and help reduce flatulence. During a flu or fever mint can also promote sweating that will help break the fever. This is best taken as a tea. It is best to harvest the mint and use the fresh ingredient for making tea or cooking.

Peppermint oil is considered antibacterial and can be used to disinfect minor scrapes and bruises.

Mint can be grown indoors during the fall and winter on a window sill or outdoors during the warmer seasons like spring and summer.
Search Amazon.com for mint tea