Over indulgence and holidays seems to go hand in hand. Rich, tempting food seems to be everywhere, leaving us with heartburn and indigestion. For thousands of years people have turned to natural plants to relieve their suffering from acid reflux, heartburn and indigestion. Many found Chinese herbs, fruits and roots were the answer to what ailed them. Here are a four herbal remedies from the history books that helped back then and still help today with the age old problem of indigestion.

 

1. Hawthorne Berry (Shan Zha) not a strawberry or raspberry but a sour fruit (I call it an herb) that works great after the overindulgence of meats and greasy foods. If you’re prone to familiar heartburn, abdominal distension and acid regurgitation this herb is for you. Shan Zha has also an abundance of data

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is the most common disorder for  women during their reproductive years, but it doesn’t have to be.  Asian cultures have been using Traditional Chinese Medicine  (TCM) to treat the hormonal imbalances that accompany menstrual cycle related symptoms for centuries. Chinese medicine calls this an imbalance of Qi in the reproductive and other related organs. Acupuncture and herbs can re-establish the flow of Qi and bring a balance to the body allowing the body to function optimally without hormone regulators such as a birth control pills. 

Often the underlying problem with PMS is the hormonal imbalance. Estrogen levels are commonly to high in relation to progesterone levels. What’s causing this imbalance? The most common cause is our diets. Hormones are sensitive and overeating and obesity often lead to conversion of androgens to estrogen by aromatase.  High fat diets,

It is nearly the end of another year and always a time for reflection.  If you are like me you give yourself an annual report card on your year.  Or you just skip the judgment phase and simply create some New Years Resolutions of things to change.   My report card for the year would say something like “valiant effort, but balance needs improvement”.  The “balance” I promised myself each day didn’t quite materialize the way I had hoped, so my New Years Resolution is to change that and find more balance. What is this balance I'm referring to?

Balance is a state of equilibrium between opposing forces. I’m referring to the opposing forces of yin and yang. 

The historian in me enjoys looking back on not just this past year but on 2200 years of

The recent news about urinary tract cancer linked to the ingestion of a Chinese herb called Mu tong  should spark awareness about herbal medicine suppliers.  Fortunately in the U.S. single herbs and formulas  containing Mu tong or Aristolochic Acid has been banned since 2000, they cannot be imported. 

But this is no excuse for you, the consumer  from doing due diligence on the supplier and manufacturer  of the over the counter herbal products you find at your local health food stores.

Now more ever it’s important to have as much information as you can gather on supplement manufacturers before you ingest their products. (We offer a free report, “What you need to know before you purchase Chinese herbs”. Just sign-in on our home page, provide your email address and we’re happy to email

Many of us are going “home” for the holidays and looking forward to a fresh home cooked meal by our mothers, grandmothers or anyone who loves to cook. Fresh is always better, food and herbs alike. There is most definitely a better taste to freshly cooked food vs the pre-packaged variety.  It’s not just the taste that’s pleasing it’s how well we feel afterwards. We feel stronger, happier, more energized and ready to take on the world after a hearty, healthy meal.

 

Eating fresh herbs should give you the same feeling. In this case I’m referring to Chinese herbs taken as herbal medicines should have the same strength or greater than food.  Chinese herbs have specific qualities to benefit your health. Take the right ones for your body and you should feel stronger, happier and

2000 years ago today, the year was AD 9. (on most calendars anyway)  No cell phones, no cars, no health insurance. Things were pretty different, or were they? People still talked without cell phones, traveled without cars and got sick without insurance. What hasn’t changed in 2000 years is herbal medicine. Specifically, Chinese herbal medicine is not much different than what we use today.

2000 years ago if you caught a flu (let's say in China), you went to a local doctor and a cure was given in the form of bark, roots, stems and leaves. You took home a little bag, boiled your raw Chinese herbs in water and then drank the water. Many people around the world do the same thing today using the same herbal formulas used 2000 years ago.  But does the

Yes, Chinese herbs for asthma sufferers. This comes straight from the horses mouth,  the American Academy of  Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  Stated in September 2005,  “This is the first well-controlled study in which an anti-asthma Chinese herbal medicine has been found to be as effective as a corticosteroid drug. Additional clinical studies of ASHMI in the USA are planned.” 

 

That was four years ago and I couldn’t find any published results since then of  additional studies in the U.S. Not sure why. This study was published by the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. A fine institution like Mt Sinai telling us Chinese herbs are AS effective as a corticosteroid drug would certainly interest a large segment of the population who suffer with asthma.

 

It’s a real shame that we don’t have more research studies

I was making dinner tonight, nothing special, chicken, rice pilaf and salad. I’ve love the Near East brand of Rice Pilaf and have used it for years. So what’s so special to make me write about this.   Well, Near East is a well known, multi-million dollar company who has done their share of research on packaging their products. A small cardboard box holds the rice and a FOIL PACKET holds the herbs and spices, the secret ingredients that give the rice that great flavor.    

I poured my rice into my boiling water and then tried to rip open the foil packet even knowing in advance I’m going to have to get the knife or scissor to open it. It’s not a paper packet it’s a foil packet that holds the herbs and spices.   So I asked myself, why did