I let a cat out of the bag last Thursday when I mentioned the use of botanical or essential oils in the treatment of asthma. I feel short of saying that, in Nigerians’ alternative medicines practice, botanical oils have begun to compete with whole herbs from which they are derived.
Botanical oil have always been with us. But, now, they are raising their heads and shoulders higher, as we say, because of the energy which a new comer, HEMP OIL, has brought into the market and practice. It was with advised caution, as Nkem Bredan Nkem, an acquaintance, nicknames me, that I reluctantly made the first comments on this page about Hemp oils, otherwise well known as CBD oils. World – wide, CBD oil, extracted from a less Psychotic family of Indian Hemp, is gaining medical and scientific currency as possibly the plant medicine to beat this century. I am not easily bowled over by product label testimonials. I have heard of many testimonials. It is possible I am also slow to swallow, line, hook and sinker, scientific or clinical evidence because source of them are sponsored. I have heard of many testimonials. It is possible I am a slow coach on this matter because of my upbringing. My father was a colonial Nigeria Police detective who fished out and successfully prosecuted many Indian hemp farmers. I wonder how he would feel wherever he is now about the news that financially hefty Nigerians are buying up large hemp farms in Europe and America to feed a hungry CBD oil industry which is seriously, as ever, trailing the thoughts and work of scientists and the practice of doctors.
To shorten a long story, CBD oil is sweeping the plant medicines market in Nigeria at prices which may be as high as 50,000 a bottle. There is talk about some brands not being pure enough or, better still, completely free from psychotic factors. Two of the leading brands are from HEMP WORKS, which is said to be the first CBD oil producer in the United States, and HEMP TONIC, which combines CBD oil with about seven other botanical or essential oils. I am about to try them out, to see if they would work for me as the testimonials of some people say they did for them. After all, Marigold flowers work for me in the 1990s when, at 45 in 1995, I began to see rainbows around lamp light and was diagnosed with glaucoma. At that time, I sold an eye food supplement called Lutein eyes. When I read the fine line on the product label, I discovered that it was commercially extracted from Marigold flowers.The extract included Lutein, Zezeanthine and Astanzanthine, all eye anti oxidants. I bought Marigold Flowers from a farm in Jos and planted the seed in the flower beds. I bewed the seeds, flowers, leaves and stem as tea or used them partially cooked with food. In no time, my symptoms of night blindness and rainbows disappeared. A sick man relieved of his ailment soon forget his crutches. At 63 about six years ago, pressure had built up again in my eyes. I remembered Harry Marshall of London who suffered macular degeneration in both eyes, was led about his house by his wife, has had three failed surgeries and had given up on seeing again. One day, his Opthalmologist visited him to give him a leaflet he had brought from a health conference. The leaflet was about Marigold flowers, Lutein, Zeazanthin, Astazanthine and all that. Harry Marshall contacted the company and bought the product. Some London newspapers reported afterwards that he now drive himself about London. I am aware Marigold flowers may not have worked for everyone who used it. We may put this down to individual differences, including lifestyle, and products quality. This should not deter the health sickers . So, I will try CBD oil.
I am not a new comer to essential oils. I use glove oil for toothache and other month conditions, as well as for headaches. I do suggest GARLIC oil for finger, toe and nail bed infections. It overcomes athlete’s foot and other fungal infections of the foot. In Russia, Cotton wool soaked with Garlic oil is placed in the outer ear to curb ear infections. About one week ago, I hit my second toe in the right foot against a rock and this resulted in an open wound. My mind raced immediately to anti-tetanus injection and all of that. Being nighttime, there was little I could do about it, though. I reached out immediately to a bottle of Garlic essential oil and, with Cotton wool, gave the wound a generous dressing. I am not by any means suggesting that this is a replacement for anti – tetanus injection. It just happened that the event took place when FIRST AID, an effective one for that matter, was indispensable. ALOE FIRST may have done the job as well. The injury healed beautifully. About three months ago, I had been somewhat over zealous about exercise and paid the price. This was a specie of exercise I had not engaged in for years. I love to sweep the grounds of my house every day with a short broom. It keeps me bending and rising for between 45 minutes and one hour. This motion is only stimulated by abdominal muscles and improve bowel evacuation soon after. In addition, they serve me as a personal test for my blood count and hematocrit levels, and, perhaps, for the health of my heart as well. If I do not pant in the process, that may suggest that my heart may be coping with extra work. If I do not feel dizzy or stand straight, the blood hematocrit should be fine. People who sweep, bending and rising, or who fetch water from a deep well using a bucket tied to a jute rope often feel fainty if their blood work is wobbled. This time, I used a long broom, the type cleaners use at the airports or in banking halls. And, to my surprise, my shoulders froze the following day. At first, I put it down to lactic acid build-up and expected potassium-rich foods to help clear it. This freeze was so bad that I could n’t hold even a bowl of water with the left hand, and I couldn’t lather my head with soap in the bath tub without feeling as though the muscles would tear. The pain was crushing, and reminded me of the 1990s when I had a similar experience which my doctor diagnosed as the onset of rheumatoid arthritis. Non- steroidal Anti- inflammatory drugs could not “defrost” the shoulders then. So, the doctor placed me on corticosteroids, a supposedly more powerful family of anti- inflammatory drugs.They were to open the doorway to latent glaucoma.
So, this time, I remembered FRANKINCENCE oil or OLIBANUM oil, one of the three gifts the Wise men gave to Baby Jesus at His birth. Checking out its duties, these seem to meet the needs of some, inflammed muscles. The Lord would travelled on foot a lot as an adult. Was this why He was given this present?, I wondered . The pain eased and the contracted or frozen muscles became more mobile. CAMPHOR oil mixed with with CASTOR oil to form Camphorated Castor oil as, advised by EDCIAR CAYCEE did the rest of the job.
Years ago, Lemon grassa oil became my gold standard herbal remedy for malaria fever. I was so glad later to learn that oncologists( cancer doctors) at the University of Tokyo and at another University hospital in the United States were using a lemon grass extract known as CITRAL to treat cancer. Thus, for me, lemon grass should go beyond being the anti – malarial medicines Nigerians have known it to be for centuries. Where Lemon grass oil is not readily available, Lemon oil should fill the gap.
You may have heard on this page so much about Orange peel and the peels of other citrus fruits. It is anti-inflammatory, boost digestion, stops cough, control asthma, lower blood sugar, kills germs, clears skin blemishes and lighten the skin. That is not all it does, though. But you may not have heard as much about the oils as you may have heard of the peel. Orange peel contains an active ingredients in the oil called LIMONIENE. If you pick a soft gel of it and squeeze the oil into a glass of water and stir it, the aroma cannot be mistaken for something else…. the orange.
Dr. Udo Erasmus, one of the leading unifers of the fat theories of our generation, has not taken the back seat on whether we should adopt hemp oil medicine. His views are expressed in his valuable book, FATS THAT HEAL and FATS THAT KILL. Dr. Eramus leads us back to the history of man’s uses for hemp. Indeed, were it not useful would it have been created? Dr. Eramus speaks of uses as ” table cloth, and clothing, canvass, and ” the most durable natural fiber known was used to make sails for ship, canvass tents and even the upper for canvass shoes. The word canvass is derived from cannabis which is the Latin name for hemp. Hemp was also used to make rope used by the Navy. It is durable but does not stretch, which is important for rope used to fasten sails. Hemp cloth was also used to make textile that are more durable than linen and that, properly worked, are softer than cotton. Hemp fiber was also used to make extremely durable paper (The first and second drafts of the U.S declaration of Independence were printed on hemp paper), excellent for archival materials that must last for many years” .
This is not the time to ask why Nigeria should not throw open more of its arable land for hemp farming,create more jobs and gain self sufficiencies in paper and textile production to minimise foreign currency expenditures and grow foreign reserves.
Dr.Erasmus examines, also, the nutritional and medicinal values of hemp oil. It is one of the most balanced essential fatty acids (EFAs), he says, and is widely used in paint manufacturing. It protects the materials, it coats against environmental degeneration. Will hemp oil do this as well in the internal environment of the human body which, like the external one, is prone to oxidation and rusting ? Even if it does this and is more nutritional than, say, peanut, for example, there is a drawback, although, in this area, hemp oil fares better than other oils. This drawback is rancidity or spoilage of the oil. This is measured in terms of PEROXIDASE VALUE (PV). The ideal P.V. is set at between 0.1 and 0.5. Hemp oil P.V. is 6 or 7.
Flax seed oil goes about at PV. 2 or 3. Virgin olive oil is about 20, refined corn oil may be as high as 40 to 60.
Essential oils
These are known also as aromatherapy or massage oils. They are so hot that they have to be moderated with carrier oils such as olive oils or Chamomile oil to be used even externally for internal use,the manufactuer’s advice should be followed. Two of the essential oils complexed to CBD oils in HEMP TONICS are Black curmin oil and Beetroot oil. A part of black curry powder, curmin is blessed with calcium, phosporous, iron, sodium, potassiun, thiamine, (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin, (Vitamin B2), Niacin, (Vitamin B3), Vitamins C and A, according to H.K. Bakhru in HERBS THAT HEAL. The oil is rich in thymol which destroys hook worms. curmin’s functions are many. It is antiseptic, stimulates production and discharges of urine, relieves flatulence, stops bleeding, resolves many digestive disorders such as liver congestion, morning sickness, digestive pain, malabsorption syndrome, colic and flatulence, among others. Curmin also helps piles.
In India, pregnant women take curmin for healthy growth of the babies in the wombs, easy birthing and free flow of breast milk. Other literature says it treat cramps, coughs and convulsion and is a source of iron, magnessium and zinc.
Away from Hemp tonic and its oils, the Nigerian essential oils market is populated by almost all imaginable essential oils. AMALA oil, well known by women for healthy hair and skin is also accepted for eye health,constipation, turmorous cell growth and as antioxidant.
A vocado oil, good also for the eye, improves heart and blood vessels health, supports weight management, overcomes dandruff and provides the body with Vitamin E.
Grape seed oil
Cannot be different from Grape seed extract, known for antioxidant and anti – microbial properties,lowering the bad cholesterol, anti- inflammatory, relieving arthritic pain and swelling, improving blood circulation etc.
GALL nut oil
Gall nut oil is antioxidant, improves eye health and eliminates toxins.
Ginger oils
Ginger oil is reported to ” aid in treating food poisoning, improve heart health, effective as an expectorant, anti-inflammatory, kill infections, reduce depression, mental health and anxiety, best remedy for indigestion, motion sickness, vomitting, nausea, flatulence, diarrhoea, stomach ache and other bowl related problems.”
The list is endless. The oils address virtually all aspect of human health from the hair, scalp,brain, eyes, and the systems to cholesterol balance and inflammation control. An A – 2 of some of them, from a marketer is Nigeria.
Ajwain, Aloe, Amla,, Aniseed, Apple, Apricot, Argan, Avocado, , Bitter Almond, Bitter gourd, Blue chamomile, Black seed, Black pepper, Camphor,caraway, Cardamon, Carrot, Castor, Celery, Chamomile, chick peas, Cinemon, Citronela, Clove, Coconut, Cod Liver, Corriander, Castor root, Cress, Cucumber, Curmin, Dill, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Fenugreek, Gall nut, Garlic, Ginger, Ginseng, Glycerine, Grape seed, Grape fruit, Green tea, Gum myrrh, Harmal, Hazelnut, henna, Hibiscus, Horsetail, Jasmine, jojoba, Khella, Kiwi, Laurel leaf, Lavender, Lemon, Lettuce, Neem seed, Lupin bean, Mastic, Mahlab, Mint, Mustard, Myrtle, Nettle, Nutmeg, Olibanum, Olive, Onion, Orange, Oregano, paraffin, Parsley, Patchoul, Pomegranate, Propolis, Pumpkin, Reddish, Rice bran, Rosemary, Saddamab, Saffron, Sage, Salt, Sandalwood, Sesame, Sheabutter, Sider, sweet Almond,Sweet Violet, Taramira, , Thyme, Tumeric, Vanilla , Verbena, Walnut, Water melon, Wheat germ, Wild Rose.
Ladies and gentlemen, the table is set.
Leave a Reply