Tag: review

When my wife telephoned me last week to ask if I had heard about SALADMASTER, my mind went straight to a young university graduate who sells all kinds of salads in Pen Cinema, Agege, area of Lagos. He was unemployed and withering until he recognised his education may not necessarily be to make him a paid worker but to open his faculties so he could design self employment for himself to eke a living however small.

“No”, replied my wife. “Saladmaster is a machine designed for cooking food without water”.

It was intriguing. And, as they say in spiritual terms, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears”.  I decided last week I would examine this concept of cooking and provide an exploratory report this week. So, last Sunday, as I prepared for this, a resident in my neighbourhood who had witnessed a   demonstration of this machine, and knows of my passion for doing things, including cooking, the natural way, dropped by on a visit, the Saladmaster being the last thing on his mind. For people who believe in the roles of the forces of Nature in our lives, the rest of the story will be readily understandable. When you throw up a thought, the radiations of that thought are caught by Nature beings whose work activities are in this area. They fashion these rays into a form which they may bring before the gaze or attention of people who have the tendency to actualise that thought. If, for example, I need money to finish off a project, they may link this thought to people who may give me jobs to earn an income from which I can fund the project. I believe it was through this activity that this gentleman dropped by on a visit. For, suddenly, he asked me if I knew about Saladmaster. Being on orthodox medical doctor veering into Alternative Medicine and always itching to gladden his heart that he is one step ahead of me, he expected me to be at sea. So, he was bowled over when he learned I knew about saladmaster. Apparently, a demonstration had been done in his apartment the day before. He called the agent on the telephone, and in about 10 minutes, the machines were brought to my home. But a boisterous situation warranted the shifting of the demonstration to another day. So, what is the Saladmaster?

 

arry Lemmons, the owner, reports that the company was established in 1946 but became operational in 1947 in his home. He invested $9,000, had only one product, three salesmen but, one year after, he had more than 100 distributors. By 1949, three years after, Mr. Lemmon had to invest $50,000 in a new office building. In 1950, Mr. Lemmon introduced another product, Mirror Master, an Aluminium Cookware. Stainless steel cookware did not exist at that time. In 1952, Saladmaster came up with 18 to 8 (3ply) stainless steel cookware. More stainless steel products joined the stable as time progressed.

According to a product literature on Saladmaster machine: “The cooking surface of Saladmaster is 316 Titanium stainless steel. It is the highest grade of steel used in the cookware industry. Saladmaster’s raw materials are manufactured exclusively for  Saladmaster in the U.S. and Switzerland, unlike other metals originating from overseas, our metal is clean, non corrosive, non porous and highly resistant to chemical attack”.

It is reported that, with Saladmaster, cooking can be done without oil, and that it is easier to clean than regular stainless steel cookware. Saladmaster 316-Ti is equipped with a vapour valve which helps to regulate temperature to avoid damage to vitamins and other nutrients while, at the same time, allowing heat high enough to kill bacteria. This feature is said to make it cook faster under low heat and preserve an average of 93 percent of your food nutrients”. Vitamins and minerals are thought to become damaged at temperatures above 200 degrees Fahrenheit which is inevitable with common cooking practice such as boiling, steaming and microwaving.

There is yet another advantage Saladmaster is said to have. Often, many people believe a heavier pan is a better pan. Saladmaster says “NO”. For Saladmaster, the average cooking pan has several layers of heat-conducting alloys only at the bottom of the pan where the heating source contacts the pan. This is said to be the reason food burns easily in these pots or stick to the bottom and why, to prevent this, the food has to be turned and turned in the pot to distribute the heat. This problem is reported to be solved in Saladmaster 316-Ti through “super-thermo-cool construction”. This is a combination of metals designed to distribute the heat evenly over 360 degree matrix. “This allows your food to cook faster at lower temperatures without the need of stirring. Each piece of cookware is considered like a mini oven, you can even bake a cake at the top of the stove”, says a Mastersalad manual.

What the Saladmaster agent was to demonstrate to me included the superiority of 316-Ti surgical steel, from which the pots are made, over 304-Ti surgical steel from which most brands of stainless steel pots are made. I threw away all my aluminium cooking pots when I became aware that they leach aluminium into food, for which I had to add to my diet food supplements which choate or drag out these toxic metals from the body. Such supplements include Zinc, Zeolite Pure and Diatomaceous or Diatom, also called food grade Edible Earth. Now, I am being educated that the stainless steel pots to which I turned are only a shade better. So, it means I have to change these pots again. But I have not witnessed a demonstration, as I said. Thus, I rely on the product manual which advises: “Saladmaster’s unique construction allows you to fry chicken without added oil or grease. Heat large or small skillet over medium heat two to three minutes, until a few drops of water splashed in the pan bed and dance. Add chicken pieces, pressing them against bottom and side of pan. For a healthier option, remove skin and fat before cooking. Meat may stick but will loosen as browning continues. Place lid on pan slightly after when meat loosens, turn and fry until golden brown and cooked through about ten minutes”.

I look forward, as I said, to a live demonstration of cooking without water, and frying without oil.

 

Eclipta

I received from one well wisher, Dr. Sam Asomugha, a New Year present which I consider a great gift. I had told him my health plan this year was to improve the health and functions of my liver and eyes. What I got from him last month was an ECLIPTA tincture.

Eclipta is an Ayuverdic herb which, literally speaking, means king of the hair. So popular is this herb that it is claimed to help health many in condition such as healthy hair, liver health, nerves, healthy skin, cholesterol and blood sugar control, anti-inflamation and gynaecological problems. It is anti-viral, anti bacterial, is an antioxidant, antispasmodic, spleen and is kidney cleansing, warming, vision improving and has a positive impact on the digestive system.

 

Healthy hair

Eclipta is used in Ayuverdic medicine to rejuvenate hair, prevent hair fall, baldness, dandruff and premature graying. Many shampoos contain it. Eclipta oil or powder or paste is applied to the scalp. When used for detoxification, the positive effects rebound on the hair and skin.

 

Liver health

Powder of the root is used for liver conditions, including cirrhosis, hepatitis, jaundice, anaemia and gall bladder congestion. It is reported, also, to help enlarged spleen. Other problems which this herb helps to curb are listed in Ajuverdic medicine to include kidney disorders, urinary tract infections, piles and impure blood.

 

The Nerves

We are nothing but our nerves. They keep us awake when we should be up on our feet, and make us fall asleep when we should. Eclipta is considered effective for insomnia and for supporting sound and restful sleep. Keen memory, good vision and hearing profit from Eclipta therapy as well. Anti-stress and anti-aging, perhaps through its antioxidant properties, the oil is reported useful for headaches, tension, anxiety and migraine.

 

Healthy Skin

When the blood is loaded with toxins, and the liver, kidneys and digestive system do not eliminate toxins as well as they should, one of the first signs of this trouble is unhealthy skin. The body tries to eliminate these poisons through the skin which, in fact, is the largest organ of detoxification. Thus, the detoxifying effects of Eclipta is said to help conditions such as eczema, cracked heels, athletes foot, insect bites and stings.

 

Cholesterol and blood sugar

Blood sugar imbalances and high blood cholesterol are serious issues for many people. Low blood sugar may cause dizziness fainting and death in extreme cases. High blood sugar may damage the eyes and the kidneys, for example, while high blood cholesterol may cause heart attacks, strokes and blood vessel damage. Some studies have shown Eclipta is able to lower blood LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol and triglycerides levels in addition to raising High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. LDL is the bad cholesterol, HDL, is the good guy. Other studies show Eclipta reduces blood glucose level and blood pressure.

 

Anti-Inflammation

Inflammation is desirable for healing. But when it becomes prolonged, it becomes damaging. Unfortunately many people have organs which have become inflamed over a long period of time. The healing process may cause inflammation. But so does, also, toxins, heavy metals, microbes and other factors. I often ask my friends to block one nostril and breathe with the other. It is only then they find one nostril may have become partially or completely blocked. Many hearts are inflamed (carditis). The asthma sufferer needs no special education to know his or her lungs may be inflamed. Piles are nothing but enlarged blood vessels in the anus. Jethro Kloss reports in his BACK TO EDEN that when he was privileged to work in a morgue (mortuary), he found that inflammation must have been a major cause of the death of many people.

Ayuverdic medicine advises us that “the inflammatory properties of Eclipta make it an effective remedy for conditions such as joint pains and arthritis” and that it is also useful for the treatment of cough, asthma and acidity”.

When the leaves of Eclipta are mixed with honey, it is a worm remedy in children, it is said.

 

GYNAECOLOGY

This is an area of Eclipta which would be of interest to many men and women these days of increased male and female reproduction system troubles.

Eclipta leaves are indicated for miscarriage and abortion…interine bleeding and post delivery pain. Eclipta is, indeed, good news for people who wish to protect their livers and upgrade liver function. Studies in Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh say it is hepaprotective, that is, it is liver protecting. A well known herb for this is Milk thistle. This herb gained its popularity after it passed the carbon-tetrachloride test. In the experiment, animals were divided into three groups. One group was given carbon tetrachloride without milk thistle. They all died. Carbon tetrachloride damages the liver. Another group given milk thistle 24 hours before carbon tetrachloride suffered partial mortality. The last group, given milk thistle for days before being given carbon tetrachloride suffered the least mortality. This led to the conclusion that milk thistle protects the liver against all sorts of poisons. Eclipta, too, was found to overcome carbon tetrachloride in the livers of rats. Its pro-active chemical substances, say one report, “showed significant stimulatory effect on liver cell regeneration”. The alcoholic extract was “found to have good anti-hepatoxic activity as assessed in induced liver damage in albino rats” the liver gained weight when given Eclipta.

Eclipta may also be helpful in cancer therapy. In 2011, a study reported in the Journal of Ethno pharmacology said researchers investigated anti-cancer potential of Eclipta against liver cancer. The researchers said that alcoholic extracts of Eclipta inhibited the growth of cancer cells and had cytotoxic effects meaning that it was efficient in killing the cancer cells. The study suggested that Eclipta prevented proliferation of cancer cells by destroying their DNA molecules. Thus, it effectively inhibited growth of the cancer.

In respect of Eclipta anti-microbial effects, an article appeared in the Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Microbials of May 2011. It reported a study of the II antimicrobial effects of Eclipta Alba on secondary infections of patients undergoing anti-cancer treatment, samples were gathered from 40 oral cancer patients. Nine different pathogenic bacteria species were identified in the samples. The bacteria included staphylococcus aureus, which causes Staph infections, Escherichia Coli (E.Coli), which causes gastrointestinal problems and Staph epidermis. This is a common cause of boils and barber’s rash. The researchers reported that “Eclipta alba was an effective microbial agent against all of the tested organisms and encouraged future studies to test the efficacy and safety of this herbal remedy”.

distressed young man asked me last week what he could do to overcome vitiligo which had begun to creep in around his neck. Vitiligo is a discolouration of the skin pigment found in all races, especially among dark skin people such as Africans. Many possible causes have been spoken of, and these have led to varied suggestions either from the management of this condition or its cure.

Vitiligo begins with damage to the cells which give the skin its pigment or colour. The cells are called melanin. The damage expresses as white chalk spots or patches. Some researchers believe toxin overload in the liver and failure of the excretory organs, including the lungs, liver, intestine and kidneys to do their work efficiently leads to an extra workload for the skin. As the toxin load bombards the skin, free radicals attack its cells, damaging them. So, one way to combat vitiligo is through the use of antioxidants specific to the skin. Many proprietary products for this purpose have been developed and are present on the Nigerian Alternative Medicine market. One of them is Bells Help for Skin Disorders. Another is Amazon Skin – P. I took interest in Grape Seed extract after I read in the book of an American doctor of how this herb helped to cure his skin damage caused by stress induced free radicals. I have watched, with joy, as this herb has helped people I suggest it to. Some other researchers believe vitiligo is an auto-immune system disease which marks the pigment cells for destruction. If this is the case, Grape Seed Extract may also help. In Dr. Ray Strand’s what your doctor doesn’t know about nutrition may be killing you, he reports the case of a man with autoimmune disease which shot up his ANA (Anti-Nuclear Antibody) thousands of times above normal levels. His doctors suggested chemotherapy. He declined. Instead, he added large doses of Grape Seed Extract to his nutritional support regimen of minerals and vitamins. One year after, his ANA normalised.

I began a heavy metals detoxification programme last Saturday, using ZEOLITE PURE and not letting up on DIATOMACEUS HEALTH which was presented in this series last Thursday. After a heavy carbonhydrate-rich breakfast which included Diatomaceous Health (food grade edible Earth) last Thursday, I checked my random blood sugar at Keysley Pharmacy at Agege, Lagos and wasn’t too surprised at the result… 91. The pharmacist, Tony Efojia, was excited because, unaided with such sugar burners as fenugreek, Cinnamon, kyolic Blood Sugar, bitter melon which I added to the diet from time to time, depending on which was readily available, my random tended to rocket to between 136 and 140. Once, I was alarmed by a reading of 160 something. These days, however, I hardly eat 120. Even Oluwayimika, as the young woman, Yeyinu (Treasure) Oluwayimika Peter who runs my tests like to be called, now ask in surprise: “Daddy, what are you taking? Well, Diatomaceous belongs to last Thursday, and Zeolite Pure may feature in the future as this series unfolds. It shouldn’t be wasted effort, in my view, if we remind ourselves that the New Year Resolution proposed by this column is the detoxification of heavy metals and micro-organisms from our bodies.! That reminder done, this series moves on today, starting with COMFREY ROOT which has featured in the natural medicines of Asia and Europe for hundreds of years.

 

t must be about the 1980’s that I first read about Comfrey in a book titled HERBAL FIRST AID. I have forgotten the name of its author, and I couldn’t find the book in my library last week. What excited me then about Comfrey was that it was a bone healer, for which one of its popular names was Bone Knit and that it made injuries to heal so fast that, if care  was not taken, it could make a wound heal, not from inside out, but from outside to the inside. Can you guess what this implies? It suggests that bacteria and other germs may be trapped in the middle, which could cause the festering to continue downwards. But this is no big deal for the experienced herbalist who uses Comfrey for wound healing. Such a herbalist would add the powder of a herbal antibiotic and antiviral, say that of Golden Seal Root, to Comfrey root powder, and that does it!

Comfrey has been used in mediocre by Europeans and Asians, especially the Greeks and the Romans, for centuries. From the Greeks, it derived his original Greek name, Xymphyo, which means “ to  make grow together” I remember this plant always whenever I meet some-one who has a bone challenge, especially a fracture, arthritis, sprain or rheumatism. I was knocked down in Ibadan by a taxi at the age of 16 and suffered a fractured right femur. In those days, there was no Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to support the healing process. The orthopaedic doctor may have given me Calcium lactate. But ACV was in my medicine chest about two years ago when a police motor cyclist, riding “one-way”, knocked me down somewhere in Lagos. After I left the hospital, treated for bruises and cuts and checked to rule out any case of internal bleeding, I went home for ACV and comfrey root powder, which I used for dressing. Mrs. Desola Seriki (nee Oshilaran), my personal assistant who dressed the injuries every day, was surprised at how fast they healed. Comfrey is also, an ulcer healer.

In his book, The Complete Illustrated Herbal, David Hoffman, B. Sc (Hons), MNIMH says: “Comfrey is a powerful healing agent in gastric and duodenal ulcers, hiatus hernia, ulcerative colitis. Its astringency will help hemorrhages whenever they occur. It has been used with benefits in cases of bronchitis, and irritable cough where it will soothe and reduce irritation while helping expectoration”.

Dr. Hoffman, who once worked in conservation and lectured in ecology for the University of Wales, studied for four years with the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, practices as a consultant medical herbalist, became Director of California’s School of herbal Studies, and President of the American Herbalist Guide, says:

“Comfrey may be used externally to speed wound – healing and guard  against scar tissue developing incorrectly. It is excellent in chronic varicose ulcers”

We long for Mother Nature’s help in the distress of illness when all else would appear to be failing. That’s the help we may receive from the works of Dr. David Hoffman and other healers through Nature such as Dr. Jethro Kloss, author of Back To Eden, in which he says of Comfrey:

“Powerful remedy in coughs, catarrh, ulceration or inflammation of the lungs, consumption, hemorrhage and excessive expectoration in asthma and tuberculosis. Very valuable in ulceration or soreness of the kidneys, stomach or bowels. The best remedy for bloody urine”.

He says “Comfrey poultice would greatly relieve the swelling and relieve the pain” in bruises, swellings, sprains and fractures. He also prescribes the poultice for “rupture, sore breast, fresh wounds, ulcers, burns, bruises, gangrenous sores, insect bites and pimples.

As for the tea, Jethro Kloss says “it is useful for scrofula, anemia, dysentery, diarrhoea, leucorrhea and female debility”. He says it “also has excellent effects on internal sores and pain”

The Australian herbalist, Maria Treben, now of blessed memory, tells us in her Help Through God’s Pharmacy:

“The tincture, easily prepared, contains wonderful power. People who suffer from rheumatism and swelling of joints and have been treated with other remedies without success have found relief with Comfrey tincture. A woman could hardly use her right arm (the socket joint was almost unusable and the doctor had already diagnosed paralysis. Following my advice, she rubbed the tincture into the joint of the right arm daily. From day to day, she felt how her complaint eased. Today, she could use the arm normally and can look after her household”.

She adds that, used as a poultice overnight, Comfrey leaves scalded and used as a poultice over limbs, “paralysed by over exertion, dislocation, sprain or shock” help these condition overnight.

Maria Treben told the story of her husband’s aunt who was hit by a motorcycle which fractured her hip joint. A pin was inserted into the hip. She seemed to get well soon after and so, did not keep her appointment with the doctor to have the pin removed. She was later to develop excruciating pain.  When the pin was removed, an underlying infection was discovered which was subdued, not eliminated, with injections. It was in this condition she once paid the Trebens a visit. Maria Treben gave her Comfrey tincture to apply on the painful hip. “The next day, the woman was able to sit and lie without pain”, said Maria Treben.

nobs on the joints of hands and feet are made to disappear with this poultice. I would like to add that Comfrey meal itself, applied as a poultice gives ease in paraplegia. Warm Politics are helpful in varicose ulcer, muscular rheumatism, gallstones, ulcer, neck pain, painful amputation stumps, and periostitis itself. A tea can be prepared from the root and used internally for bronchitis, disorders of digestive system, bleeding in the stomach and pleurisy. She recommends comfrey tincture for “external and internal wounds, all sorts of injuries, bruises, contusions, ecchymosis, and bone fractures”.

Adele Dalvsa, well regarded American herbalist, calls Comfrey “one herb pharmacy and wonder plant healing for any kinds” of respiratory disease. Despite these eulogies, comfrey has become one of the most controversial herbs in terms of safety. This is surprising because this herb has been used for hundreds of years in folk medicine in many countries without reported mishaps. The major source of present day controversy is linked to a 1970 study which associated liver damage in experimental rats to their comfrey intake. But many pro-comfrey researchers have also absolved comfrey of any blame for this occurrence. The researchers claimed that the rats were glossily overfed with comfrey, at three to four times their body weight, over a long period of time, to cause the damage. They say the human equivalent of such comfrey consumption would be, for  example a woman consuming about three or four cups of comfrey tea everyday for about 140 years.

Because of this controversy, many herbalists now prescribe comfrey tea in dosages of one cup once or twice a day taken for only one week with one week break. Better still, it may be prescribed with an hepatic (liver protecting) herb or a liver clearance herb such as Carqueja. Many of such liver herbs abound in the Nigerian market. Some are Milk thistle, Dandelion, Wormwod, Chickweed, Vervain and Golden Seal root among many others. Among popular proprietary liver formulas are Nature’s Gift Liver formula, Health Liver Essential, Liver Balance. If you wonder how to make a comfrey compress, here’s Maria Treben for you: “well dried roots are finely ground, mixed quickly with very hot water and a few drops of cooking oil and spread on a piece of linen, applied warm on the affected area and bandaged”.

Comfrey root powder, that is the finely ground root, is available in Nigeria. One of the ways I suggest it may be used as a cream is this:

Under low heat, gently melt some shea butter in a sauce pan. Sprinkle some comfrey powder in the melted shea butter and stir to achieve a fine consistency. When it appears to have formed a pack, turn off the heat and remove the sauce pan from the stove. Let the paste coll and soup with a spoon with a spoon into a container. This is shea butter/ comfrey root cream. It may be applied on and massaged into inflamed skin, arthritic or themantic joints, painful bones, sprained or aching joints, skin eczema, pimples, boils wounds, fracture sites.

To make comfrey wine, Maria Treben says: “Two to five roots are finely chopped and macerated in one litre of white wine for five to six weeks. An excellent remedy for pulmonary complaints.

Zeolite pure

I am breaking off now from comfrey root for my second dose today of ZEOLITE PURE powder drink which, as I said earlier, is meant to help in detoxify heavy metals in fulfilment of my New Year Resolution shared in this column. Zeolite Pure is believed to bind to toxins and heavy metals and creates an alkaline pH which prevents the growth of foreign cells in the body. Zeolite contains natural volcanic minerals. They are formed when volcanoes erupt. This eruption is followed by molten lava and ash flowing from the bowels of the earth into the sea. The volcanic ash and the salt in the sea water, forming zeolite. The zeolite is stored in the hardened lava for thousands of years. Zeolite minerals offer man one of the rarest negatively charged minerals which work like magnets attracting toxins to themselves, and dragging them out of the body. One of the biggest uses of Zeolite in our time was by the government of the United Soviet and Socialist Republics (USSR), now extinct, after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor leak disaster, to extract radioactive poisons from the bodies of affected humans. Before then, zeolite has been used. There is so much to say about zeolite, which  have to defer till another day.

NKEM BREDAN Nkem, this is your season. I can see Dotun Akintoye smiling and Yemisi John nodding in agreement. Wither Charles Akintobi! Young and flying, Nkem, you have no need for any long talk about health problems. You’d rather we talk about plants, fruits and herbs and their health benefits. Begun last Thursday, this series should fulfill your desire. It is, as was stated, a review at the beginning of every year of the health products on the Nigerian Alternative and/ or Traditional Medicine Market which have been found beneficial in health care (prevention of illnesses) and sick care (managing illness or curing disease). Some of the features of last Thursday were chickweed and Chlorella.

This week, the African Bush Mango leads the way.

African Bush Mango.

My friends who are sons and daughters of Ibadan, the South-Western Nigerian city said to be African’s second largest in the 1960s and 1970s, do not know what they have on their hands. For the African Bush Mango was the staple supper of their forebears. And that’s why they are called “Ibadan omo a j’oro sun”.

Have I let a cat out of the bag? Surely, I have. Omo a j’oro sun means one who eats oro before bed at night, as a meal or night cap snack. And oro is the Yoruba name for the African Bush Mango. It is the seed of this fruit which gives us our draw soup, which the Yoruba call apon (d: d) and the Igbos Ogbono (d:d:d:). Welcome to a medicinal world of this fruit and uses of its seed fradiant health.

Researchers say the African Bush mango, also called the African Wild Mango, helps to lower blood sugar, reduce weight, lower blood cholesterol, prevent constipation, clear micro-organisms in the intestinal tract, among other health benefits.

The African Mango grows lustfully in West Africa. An American doctor I believe is Dr. Al Sears travelled to the Cameroun to observe, the effects of African Bush Mango on the health of a group of communities where the African Bush Mango is a culinary staple. He found that they hardly grew fat and hardly fell ill. He took the African Bush Mango back to the United States and formulated it into a health product, which he gave to some obese staff in his clinic abdominal bulges disappeared soon after. Next, he gave free samples to some of his patients and observed similar results. This encouraged him to package a product and sell it in the American market.

According to a publication of Nature’s Gift for Life, a natural medicine marketing company, the African Bush Mango stimulates the production of leptin, a hormone which supports the burning of fat. Besides, leptin helps to suppress appetite. By not eating  much, and by having high leptin blood levels, one is saved the possibility of eating too much, thereby accumulating too much sugar and too much fat which, burning too slowly, leads to weight gains and obesity.  Besides, the African Bush Mango delays emptying time of the stomach. This prevents blood sugar spikes which may cause food cravings, elevated blood sugar and, ultimately, diabetes.

Nature’s Gift for Life reports  some clinical studies which encourage the consumption of African Bush Mango for its stated health benefits.

It says:

“There was a clinical study done back in 2005 that tested the effectiveness of African Bush Mango on weight loss. There was a total of 40 participants, 28 of the participants took 300mg of African bush Mango extract for one month while the other 12 were given a placebo. The results of the study were that the people who took the extract were able to lose about five percent of their body weight. The subjects who were given a placebo only lost one percent of their body weight.

“Recently, there was another study done. Half of the participants were given African bush Mango extracts while the other half was given a placebo. The results of the study were that the participants who took the extracts were able to lose seven pounds in just a month. The results this study can be found in the Journal for American Health and Disease.

Further research also seems to suggest that African Bush Mango is most effective when combined with cissus quadrangularis. In a study of the anti-cholesterol properties of African Bush Mango, it was found to lower blood levels of High Density Lipoprotein (LDL), the bad cholesterol which may cause coronary heart disease, hypertension and even strokes. There is an increasing wave of these diseases in Nigeria today because of poor diet, negative lifestyles and stress of all sorts. While reducing LDL blood levels, African Bush Mango has been shown to simultaneously increase blood levels of High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), the good cholesterol, which helps to clean out the arteries. African Bush Mango has a high soluble fiber content which some researchers say is what actually lowers blood cholesterol content.

In a 2009 study, one group of volunteers was given 150mg of African Bush Mango extract. The other group was given a placebo. Bad cholesterol and blood pressure decreased in the group given African Bush mango while the placebo group recorded no significant decrease. Herbalist use the leaves, bark, fruit, kernel (ogbono) and roots of the African bush mango tree for various ailments.

Sheila Smith, writing on African Bush mango seed extract, which in 2011 was one of the most popular over-the-counter food supplements in the United Kingdom for weight loss says: “The Bush Mango seed extract used for weight loss is rich in proteins, fiber and antioxidants. Bush Mango extract contributes to weight loss in four major areas. It raises the level of adiponectin in the blood, which improves the action of insulin in the body. Secondly, it reduces the level of glycrol-3 sulphate phosphate, which is responsible for high triglyceride level. Your body stores some glycerides as fat while other excess triglycerides thicken the blood, which can lead to clotting, blockage and possibly heart attack and stroke. Thirdly, Bush Mango extract reduces the blood Concentration of Reactive-C Protein. The result of this action s increased leptin entry into the brain which improves the signaling you when you are full and you should stop eating. And, lastly, it inhibits the amylase responsible for converting starch to sugar. By stopping this conversion, starch is extracted instead of contributing to the body’s fat sties after turning to sugar”.

A prophet has no value in his land, it is said. So is the African Bush Mango in Nigeria. If, as researchers are telling us, it prevents hypertension, diabetes, strokes, high blood, high cholesterol levels, it reduces weight, resolves constipation, is anti-pain, kills intestinal germs and is an antioxidant, that is can prevent disease and prolong life, why do we not make it a national staple soup and spend less on medications? We are poverty – stricken in Nigeria because we live in the midst of God-endowed wealth but we cannot see this wealth. Other countries which have studied African Bush Mango and found it can resolve many health challenges have begun to cultivate this tree in plantations. Now they are making lots of money selling extracts of the seed to the rest f the world, including West Africa, particularly Nigeria and the Cameroun, where the African Bush Mango grows naturally and luxuriantly. And, now, ladies and gentlemen, you can get African Bush Mango extracts to buy in Lagos in either capsule or liquid form. Nkem bredan Nkem, over to you.

ow would you feel eating earth? Well, I’ve been eating it every day for some time now. And, recently, my wife joined me. She has learned not to take it with water. For this increases her bowel motion and she does not like using public toilets because many of them are sub-standard. Now, she’d rather sprinkle it on food. When I wish to double my stool bulk in the morning, I take popcorn snack before the bed the previous evening or night and cap it up with half a teaspoonful of Diatomaceous in a 75cl bottle of water. The following morning, I get up from the water closet seat feeling the relief of a woman who has just had a baby! Don’t ask me how, as a man, I know how women feel after being delivered of a baby. A woman I give Diatomaceous and asked to take popcorn before taking it with water told me this was how she felt

Also, called D.E. Diatomite, this is the edible form of earth. It occurs naturally as a “soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into fine white to off-white powder”.  It is 96 percent silica which, I believe, makes it first choice remedy beyond, say, horsetail, where a high silica remedy is required for therapy. As you may have known, silica is important for digestion, good nail, skin and hair and helps to form strong connective tissue without which the body would be formless and collapse. There are two basic types of Diatomaceous. The first is called food grade edible earth. The other is used as an insecticide. On no account should this be consumed by humans.

Diatomaceous Earth comprises fossilized remains of diatoms. Diatoms are hard-shelled algae. It has been used until now as an abrasive in cleaning products, including toothpaste. After cleaning the teeth with your choice toothpaste, you may put a quarter teaspoonful of Diatomaceous in your mouth and, with the index finger, run it over your teeth and gums many times before rinsing it out. You should have a cleaner, fresher mouth and whiter teeth. It is also used to re-unforce in plastics and rubber, liquid absorbents, anti-black in plastic films activator in blood clotting studies, and a thermal insulator and a component of dynamite, according to some authorities.

Diatomaceous earth has many medical or health uses just coming to light in Nigeria. Because it has a negative charge, it is said to attach to and remove from the body things like chemicals, viruses bacteria, heavy metals and even radiation. Even during pregnancy and nursing, food grade diatomaceous is considered safe. So Versalible is Diatomaceous that some people use it to 91) destroy bed bugs (2) heal toenail fungi (3) deworm pets (4) eliminate fleas (5) overcome food intolerance (6) promote hair growth (7) reduce blood pressure and high cholesterol level. Many people use food grade Diatomaceous for detoxification. Because it can cause lots of toxins to be released into the bloodstream, they say it is better to start with one quarter or a half teaspoonful in a glass of water on empty stomach once a day, and then gradually work up to one teaspoonful or one table tea spoonful a day.

Dr. Darbara Hendel says that it was established in 1940 that life could not exist without silica and water. Silica plays an important role in many functions of the body, especially the Obsorbtion of Calcium and other minerals absorption of calcium and other minerals.

Dr. Hendel says “silica is the most important trace element in human health”. The average human body is said to hold about seven grammes of silica, many people are thought to be silica deficient. For example, silica is said to be crucial for calcium absorption. A deficiency would, therefore, cause calcium deposition in soft tissue and joints leading, for example, to frozen shoulders, arthritis and hardened blood vessels. Thus, many people who are calcium deficient and take calcium supplements while being silica deficient run the risk of their calcium supplementation acting negatively in their bodies.

Other reported benefits of silica and Diatomaceous include normalisation of blood pressure, cholesterol, osteoporosis weight loss, cosmetics, hair, nail, teeth and gums, energy, bacteria, mucus, anti-aging, urinary infections and headache.” Many researchers believe that a transmutation process converts silica to calcium when calcium is deficient. This should be good news for women who suffer from oesteoporosis.

Diatomaceous benefits are so many, according to researchers. I’d only like to add detoxification, briefly, to the ones already listed. According to Dr. Kaayla T. Daniel, Ph.D., CCNJ and Galen D. Knight, Ph.D., in their article, mad at a hatter:

“There is no better product to detoxify heavy metals and radiation from your body than with food grade Diatomaceous Health.

Generally, silica has been reported to stop coughs, upper respiratory system infections, Lung problems, inflammation, urinary and kidney infections improve urine excretion by about 30 percent, eases lower back pain in the elderly, helps female discharges, abscesses, ulcers in the genental area, Servis and mastatis, especially in breast-feeding mothers, mouth odours, regulates blood pressure and high blood pressure, decrease vertigo headache, earache, insomnia. As for diabetes, it is said to promote pancreatic secretions which help glucose combustion. I can personally confirm this. There was a time by random blood sugar hit 136. The following day, I challenged my blood sugar mechanism with the same breakfast which shot up my random and took Diatomaceous over it. To my surprise, the random that day was 100md/gl. There is a lot more Diatomaceous is reported to do which time and space do not permit. So, what else can I say than to say…. Welcome to the world of people who use Diatomaceous or food grade Edible Earth to maintain their health.

Welcome yet again to 2015. This time of the year affords us the opportunity for a review of the nutritional supplements and other health care products which made the rounds last year and are likely to be well rooted in the market this year. The list cannot be exhaustive. Some old and well known plant products may not feature, not because they have lost steam or suffered consumer fatigue, but because preference is being given to new comers which are equally useful to our health.

Only last week, this column empathized with the residents of Badiya, a thickly populated area of Lagos where lead has been found concentrated in drinking water at levels dangerous to health. The residents have been advised not to drink water from the municipal supply system. But even private water supply is no safer. So, as I suggested last week, we all live in a poisoned world from which, for now, there is no escape from consuming poisons in water, food and air. That is not to mention electro pollution from lighting in homes and offices and from electrical equipment. The only way out of looming health doom, therefore, is dietary or food supplement or herbal support for the organs of our bodies which remove poisons from these bodies. So, today, I consider chickweed and chlorella worthy of mention in this regard, especially for the detoxification of heavy metals. Whole foods will come into the picture, for those people who always wonder if there’s anything left to eat when they are advised avoid “foodless foods” or “food robbers” such as white flour bread, gluten loaded whole wheat bread, cow’s milk, refined sugar in all forms, coffee drinks, refined beverages and stuff like them.

 

Chickweed

This herb has been around for some time in the Nigerian market. A menace to gardeners but food for chicken, for which reason it is often called common chickweed, Jethro Kloss describes it in his Back to Eden as “alterative, demulcent, refrigerant, mucilaginous, pectoral, resolvent, discutient”.

“Alterative” means blood cleansing. “Demulcent” means soothing or calming. “Refrigerant” means cooling, especially where temperature is high. “miscilageneous” plants have mucilage. They are helpful in ulcers, as the mucilage helps to provide a protective cover for the injury, to prevent abrasion by food or damage by acid. My first experience with chickweed was in the 1970s. A baby was troubled by eczema which caused terrible skin itch. She cried day and night. The problem abated a little when the mother took her off infant formula. Apparently, the liver was weak and couldn’t detoxify poisons well. So, some of the poisons were passed on to the skin which became irritated by an overload of toxins and broke out in eczema. Chickweed tea cleared the toxins and the baby became well. Mrs. Eno Akintoye (Minty) should remember this story of her infant niece. In those days, it took us several weeks to find chickweed for this baby. Today, for an adult, I would add to chickweed the herbs Amazon skin P and Bell’s Help for skin Disorders.

Dr. Kloss says chickweed can be used for bronchitis, pleurisy, cough, cold, hoarseness, rheumatism, inflammation, weakness of the bowels and stomach, lungs, bronchial tubes and in any form of internal inflammation. It heals and soothe anything it comes in contact with, a best remedy for external application to inflamed surface, skin disease, boils, scalds, burns, inflamed or sore eyes, tumours, piles, cancer, swollen testes, ulcerated throat and mouth, ery sipelas and all kinds of wounds”.

Other therapists use chickweed for varicose veins, varicose ulcer, inflamed joints, contact dermatitis, nappy rash and obesity. It is important when using common chickweed to take anti-oxidants along with it. In some people with toxin-congested livers, the release of toxins is so rapid and overwhelming to the blood system that toxins dispatched to the skin for elimination cause a skin outbreak. In fact, skin outbreaks are treated in Alternative Medicine with cleansing of the liver.

n the United States, this herb is consumed as a health supplement but as a food supplement in Japan.

More than two million years old, this single cell green algae is believed to have the highest amount of chlorophyll in the plant kingdom. An immune booster and infection fighter, it has been proven to boost the population of good bacteria in the intestine. For this reason, it has been employed to fight ulcer, colitis, diverticulosis, and Crohn’s disease. People who suffer from constipation, fibromyalgia (nerve bone and muscle pain) and high blood pressure are likely to have a friend in Chlorella. The same goes for high blood cholesterol. Used in the fight against cancer, it supports amelioration of the side effects of cancer radiation treatment.

In Asia, where it is used as a food supplement for centuries, chlorella is seen as an energy-providing food. In fact, one proprietary brand sold in Nigeria is named CHLORO ENERGY, some people say it prevents cancer and can stop it from spreading. Some others say it promotes immunity and supports a healthy balance of friendly bacteria in the intestine apart from lowering cholesterol. Many Japanese use chlorella for duodenal ulcer, gastritis, elevated blood pressure, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and diabetes, constipation and asthma.

In radiation treatment of cancer, the chlorophyll of chlorella is believed to protect the body against ultraviolet radiation.

Super dense, food, chlorella comprises 60 percent protein (18 amino acids), the essential amino acids inclusive. I will not hesitate to suggest it to colon cancer – challenged people who, because this condition may be caused by red meat consumption, have to go off beef  and, so, may lack proteins not only for body repairs but also to fight the cancer. This plant is also a large storage of essential fatty acids, more than 20 vitamins, minerals, beta carotene, nucleic acids.

Ongoing Japanese research on chlorella suggests that chlorella may act against breast cancer. But, for now, it finds major use in the removal of radiation particles from the system after radiation therapy. In the study on mice, it has been suggested that  chlorella stops the spread of cancer. Of importance to detoxification is the finding that chlorella helps eliminate toxins such as dioxins.

 

Guifei Bao

This has been good news for women with infected vagina since about the middle of last year when it made its debut in Nigeria. It comes in the form of a tampax, and is inserted in the vagina on the second day after the menstrual cycle for the next four or five days. A string attached to it is left out hanging from the vagina. With it, the Guifei Bao is pulled out on the fourth or fifth day. Women who use it are amazed at the quantum of dross it extracts from an otherwise healthy looking vagina and uterus. The aftermath is a cleaner, fresher and healthier vagina. I know of a young woman whose husband had genital herpes, and who was unable to become pregnant. She became pregnant after a Guifei Bao therapy which also involved the use of VITEX, a female hormone-balancing herb which may have helped her correct a high prolactin blood level. Sadly, though, she lost the pregnancy in the third month after some uterine cramps which suggested she may have Low maquesium blood level. She is trying to get pregnant again. I have heard suggestions that this product has helped one or two women with ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids. But these suggestion are yet to be confirmed.

 

Female Aloe Hygiene

This product comes from Nature’s Gift for Life. It is Aloe vera gel in a tube with a pump which is  pumped into the vagina to sanitise it and clear it of germs. Aloe vera is antibiotic and antiviral. It is also a cell Re-qeuerator. It is good for “wound, healing, sun burn, minor skin irritation, constipation, immune system enhancement diabetes and asthma”, according to THE HEALING POWER OF HERBS. Many women complain of vaginal dryness. This product, alternated with the insertion of Vitamin E, can help this condition. But care must be taken and a doctor should be consulted to ensure that vagina dryness is not caused by colon cancer. In some cases, both conditions have been interlinked. If vaginal dryness is due to menopause, phytoestrogens may help. Pain and bleeding caused by cervical cancer surely requires the attention of an oncologist.

hat do we eat in this world of “foodless foods” and “food robbers” when the physician asks us to abandon white flour foods, including bread, parboiled rice and red meat among other foods. As I always venture, there’s are lots of whole foods to replace these junk foods. Bob’s red mill wide range of whole foods streaked in about two years ago and are due to come in a flood this year. Some of the products to expect are Almond mill/flour blanched. Chia seeds Gluten-free roll oats; organic white qui noa; organic coconut flour; flax seed meal; xanthan gum; gluten-free all purpose baking flour; muesli; gluten free quick cooking roll oats; organic golden flax seed meal; steel cut oat; natural almond milk; organic flax seed meal; gluten-free pancake mix;  thick rolled oats; flax seed gluten-steel cut oats; brown rice flour; gluten-free corn bread mix; organic quinoa flour; white rice flour; unbleached white flour; organic regular roll oats; oat brown cereal; gluten-free brownie mix; gluten-free homemade wonderful bread mix; unsweetened coconut flakes; gluten flour; potato starch; 13 bean soup mix; gluten-free muesli; unsweetened coconut shredded; whole wheat  flour; Bulgur (red); semolina pasta flour; gluten-free sweet white sorghum flour; butter milk pancake mix.

There are many more products on a long list. You may wonder why these products are gluten free. Gluten is found in many foods. But it damages the intestine of some people more about it on another day. Last Monday I tried Havel nut flour in my cold breakfast mix of three weetabix juice of three oranges, a sprinkling of roasted groundnuts, wheatgrass powder and spirulina powder. It was a beautiful meal which took me till early evening. Some of these products year 2015 promises to be a great year in respect of an expanding market and choices for consumers of health food products.