Bear Foot Doctor's health blog - BEAR FooT DOCTOR ® In Step With Nature

PLANTAIN

7/8/2019

Plantain basking in the sun

PLANTAIN

Plantain comes from the family of Plantaginaceae and Plantago lanceolata is common to British countryside and gardens.

Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) leaf, is the seen in the illustration above, it can be easily distinguished by its distinctive lance like leaves. Its cousin Plantago major has broader leaves that are less pointed, but the actions of both plants are similar.

Constituents:
The leaves contain iridoids (aucubin, catapol), mucilage, phenols, flavonoids (apigenin, scutellarin, baicalein, nepetin, plantagoside), glycosides, tannins, silica, coumarins, vitamin C, potassium, calcium, saponins.

Ayurvedic Properties:
Quality – Guna – light, unctuous & soft
Taste – Rasa – Bitter and astringent
Post digestive effect – Vipak – Pungent
Potency – Virya – Cooling
Doshic signature – Reduces Pitta & Kapha. Increases Vata
Tissue affinity – Rakta (blood) & Rasa (plasma)
Channels – Srotas – Anna (digestive), Prana (respiratory), Mutra (urinary), Rakta (circulatory)

Ayurvedic Actions:
Jawaraghna – reduces fevers
Kasavasahara – relieves coughs and breathing problems
Kustthagna - alleviates skin conditions
Mutrala - diuretic
Raktapitta - curbs bleeding from excess Pitta
Raktashodana – purifies the blood
Ropana – heals wounds
Shirovirechana – clears congestion from the head
Stamphana – dries excessive secretions
Udaraprasamana – relieves allergies

Indications for internal use:
Diarrhoea, gastritis, colitis, GI infections, toxicity, fever, infections, colds, catarrh, allergies, hay fever, insect bites, coughs, bronchitis, chest infections, asthma, tonsillitis, sore throats, glue ear, ear infections, urinary tract infections, prostatitis, menorrhagia, wounds, inflammatory skin problems including acne and roseacea.

Indications for external use:
Astringent to stop bleeding, nosebleeds, anti-inflammatory for stings and insect bites, drawing remedy for infections such as boils and abscesses, infections in teeth and gums.

Dose orally: Tincture 2-4ml tds.
Precautions: Avoid in gastro-oesophageal reflux.
Safety: May decrease levels of Lithium and Carbamezepine. Avoid with Warfarin and other anticoagulants.

Preparing plaintain to make a tincture

SOME CANARY ISLAND MAGIC

3/27/2019

Astydamia latifolia is an endemic Canary Island plant that has been used in folk medicine over the ages. It has been utilised as a carminative to facilitate good digestion and expel intestinal gas, as a emmenagogue to increase menstrual flow, as a sedative to help sleep and also as a diuretic to assist oedema. Its tasty leaves can also be used as food in salads.

The Canary Island people have a long history of using medicinal flora to treat diseases, the effectiveness of which can often be supported by modern scientific research.

For example in 1996, at the University of La Laguna in Tenerife, Perez M et al researched several local plants to see if any had a diuretic action. Out of all the plants examined in the study, Astydamia latifolia showed considerable diuretic potential. They eventually concluded that infusions made from this particular plant was similar in action to the drug Furosemide thus reducing excess fluid in the body. Oedema can result from conditions such as heart failure, liver disease and kidney problems. Furosemide is also used to treat high blood pressure. As it is a loop diuretic, it works in the loop of Henle, facilitating the reabsorption of the electrolytes sodium and chloride from the urine. This action increases the amount of urine and also causes a reduction in blood pressure.

Under experimentation it was infusions of the whole plant that showed the diuretic effects rather than extractions, which suggests that this effect is mediated by the presence of salts, since, logically, these are found in larger amounts in infusion than in other extracts. Astydamia latifolia is a plant with high potassium content, useful in reducing the risk of hypokalaemia that can often be associated with the usage of loop diuretics, such as Furosemide.

Some of the common side effects of Furosemide include: nausea or vomiting, diarrhorea, constipation, stomach cramping, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, blurred vision and itching rashes.

The future usage of Astydamia latifolia infusions in mainstream medicine may, therefore, be of great benefit, as it is an effective diuretic avoiding the side effects associated with Furosemide. After all, anything that has the potential to do us good without causing harm can only be a good idea.

FEELING FRUITY?

1/5/2019

Fruit has many health giving properties and should play a central role in our diet. In general, it is very Sattvic and spiritual in its nature. We can use it to aid meditation and for establishing mental harmony and intelligence. It is light and cooling, but like all things must be eaten in correct proportion; an excess of fruit can lead us to become oversensitive, this can result in us feeling spaced out and unable to concentrate properly, fruit is after all associated with the ether element.

A diet composed of fruit alone is not enough to build and fortify us in our busy modern life styles. Ayurveda teaches us that living well is a question of achieving balance in all things. Too much fruit without other dietary ingredients can weaken our digestive fire that Ayurveda calls Agni.

Fruit is sweet, sour and sometimes astringent in taste. It is cool in energy and has a sweet post digestive effect. This increases our saliva and stomach secretions. Fruit tends to be thirst relieving, refrigerant, alterative (nourishing and improving health) and laxative. It contains lots of water. It cleans the blood and eaten in correct proportions, it has a reducing effect on the tissues. Fruit can create a lightness of mind and spirit and it can help to purify the body.

Fruit is best eaten by itself and not combined with other foods. Eating fruit along with other types of food can lead to an aggravation of Kapha which can hinder good digestion. If you have a juicer at home, you can make a fresh juice of mixed fruits and water to drink first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. After this it is best to wait a while for it to settle, then you may eat your porridge or equivalent. For this reason, I usually recommend that people should leave about an hour between eating or drinking fruit and then eating other types of food.

The Cleansing Rod Of Gold

12/14/2018

Looking out the window at the cold grey December sky makes us dream of those warm summer days soon to come. If you wished to find a single plant that captures the very essence of the sun’s warming rays, you would be hard pressed to find a better example than that of Goldenrod, known also by the latin name Solidago vigaurea. Herbalists have discovered that this plant has many medicinal uses.

Just one of its numerous attributes is to try clear the body of toxins. Its action is both soothing and healing - although caution should always be taken when there is oedema from heart or kidney problems.

One can visualise this plant as acting like a warm running stream dancing with light, as it flows through the body purifying and cleansing toxicity.

It can lower blood pressure and is diuretic. Also very useful to clean the throat and respiratory organs of infectious and allergic toxins, it acts in a similar way in cases of middle ear inflammations. As a detoxifying cleaner, it can be used for flushing out the kidneys and the whole of the urinary tract. It eases inflamed arthritic joints by assisting lymphatic drainage and promoting the circulation of blood that carries with it life giving oxygen. As an Ama pachana, Ayurveda employs its ability to soothe and detoxify inflammation in cases of gut infection. It has also been used to treat benign prostate enlargement and menstrual cramping and heavy or irregular periods. Also it is good for a sluggish liver or congested sinuses.

So whenever someone has a case of toxic build up with stagnant congestion, the tincture of this plant may be a good one to reach out for.

KEEP YOUR FINGER ON THE PULSE!

12/7/2018

Practicing Ayurvedic Pulse Diagnosis - Dr. Abhijit Jinde's Clinic - Pune, India.

Nowadays we seem to rely on sophisticated machines and blood tests to diagnose health problems, but there are more ancient ways of doing this that can be just as effective. Ayurvedic Sparsha, or the use of touch during Nadi Vijñan or pulse examination is a brilliant example!

Pulse diagnosis is an ancient Ayurvedic method of detecting the existing status of a person’s health and vitality. If you learn how to do it, you may be able detect the early stages of disease and sometimes nip it in the bud before it gets worse.

Although it can take years to perfect, the basic technique is really simple. The first position of the pulse is nearest to the wrist crease below the thumb and is taken with the index finger, it relates to Vata. The middle finger is placed next to the index finger further down the wrist, it relates to Pitta. The third finger is placed next to the middle finger, the pulse at this point relates to Kapha.

Vata has a slithering irregular pulse rather like the movement of a snake moving over the ground. It can be narrow or thread like, particularly in females. Sometimes it can be difficult to find and even if it is easy to locate, there can be a distinctive irregular quality. Like the element of wind, it is changeable.

Pitta pulses are bounding like an invigorated frog. They are tight, firm and distinct, rising and falling suddenly. Like flickering flames of fire, they dance.

Kapha pulses move gracefully like a swan, they are even and wavy. Broad and wide, they have a flowing quality. Their volume and rhythm display harmony and balance. Like the element of water they move as a river does, in women they can be harder to find than in men.

Sudden changes rather than gradual onset of disease or weather is likely to bring radical and quick changes to the pulse. Climatic conditions, diet and also emotion flux can influence the pulse. For instance if there is fear, worry or stress, this can stimulate the Vata pulse. A sudden increase in air temperature can add Pitta attributes to the pulse, whereas a sweet meal will reflect in the Kapha pulse. Exercise and life-style can also influence the quality and rate of the pulse, so these factors must always be considered when examining a patient. If one goes from rest to activity rapidly, the pulse rates will suddenly shoot up.

Acute inflammatory diseases, especially fevers due to infections, or acute illnesses of the organs, bring a dramatic increase to the pulse. Slow onset diseases and conditions of chronicity show a weakened strength to the pulse, the changes in these cases are usually slow rather than radical or quick.

By becoming more familiar with the subtleties of the pulse we can increase our depth of understanding subtle changes in people's health. It takes much practice and concentration, but can be most useful and rewarding!

GREATNESS

10/24/2018

Samkhya philosophy teaches us that Purusha is “pure consciousness” and Prakruti is “the first power of action”. This active power gave rise to Pradhana which is the primal matter that arose at the start of the universe. The first product of Pradhana was Mahat.

Mahat means “great” and it is manifest in the great power of cosmic intelligence. Cosmic intelligence is the energy supporting all that exists in our universe. Its expression is translated into the multitude of different forms of matter that manifest in the diverse world in which we live.The fundamental elements of life are ether, air, fire, water and earth which are found both inside our minds and bodies and also in the natural environment that surrounds us. All life is due to the presence of Mahat. Even tiny creatures such as single celled organisms have a unique purpose and function.

Mahat forms the inner and outer boundaries of the whole universe. When Mahat first became manifest, the whole universe suddenly came into being. If Mahat turns out to be immortal - as some believe - the universe will never end!

In humans, Mahat is called the Buddhi. This is our own unique personal and powerful intelligence, it allows us to discern truth from lies and decide things such as what is good and what is bad. Through its power we can also gauge what is eternal and what is merely temporary and transient. If used correctly and uncorrupted by a selfish ego, it provides us with an excellent moral compass. If we follow its course, we can feel really great, be really great and help to inspire greatness in others.

SEASON OF MISTS AND NASTY CHESTINESS

10/5/2018

Autumn is with us again with the wonderful changing colours of the leaves and the soft gentle mists. Unfortunately this season can see an increase in the number of colds and respiratory problems. The days shorten, temperatures start dropping and coughs and sneezes become more common. This means that we need to consider herbs that can assist us, if we tend towards such seasonal problems.

Grindelia spp. also known as Gumweed can date its usage back to the indigenous Indians of North America. It has several beneficial uses but the one we will be looking at especially is that of unblocking congested chests and sinuses.

As an expectorant herb it relaxes the smooth muscles of the respiratory tract, it is antispasmodic, hypotensive and a bronchodilator, making it desirable to use in cases of asthma and bronchitis. It is also kind as it is demulcent, allowing it to work smoothly and gently.

Fortunately this herb can assist many respiratory conditions including colds, thick phlegm, coughs and sore throats. What’s more herbalists have used it to help more severe conditions such as emphysema and COPD. When there is really thick mucus it can be used in conjunction with Plantain.

Ayurvedic properties of Grindelia:
Hrdaya - heart tonic
Kasavasahara - assists cases of bad coughs and restricted breathing
Kushthaghna - helps skin problems
Mutrala - diuretic
Rakadhara - benefits the circulatory system
Udaraprasamana - relieves allergies

If you think that this herb may be for you please consult a professional herbalist and see what they advise. Caution is needed if you are taking allopathic hypotensive medication. Like many things, it can be toxic in high doses. For those with heart and kidney problems careful protocols should be adopted. In some cases it may be contraindicated completely. But when used judiciously, it can have wonderful results.

THE BEAR'S BREECHES

10/1/2018

Acanthus mollis is a somewhat paradoxical name for this fascinating herb as ‘Acanthus’ means thorny and ‘mollis’ means soft. In common parlance it is also called either ‘Oyster Plant’ or ‘Bear’s Breeches’.

The reason that it got the name ‘Oyster Plant’ is because during pollination, the bees have to force themselves between the top and bottom lips of the flower petals, rather like a chef forces open oysters.

The alternative nickname ‘Bear’s Breeches’ possibly arose from the simple fact that some styles of dress breeches that were worn years ago were tight fitting, especially those that were used for livery, formal and court dress. A major use of Acanthus mollis is for treating any dislocated joints; first it assists by relaxing the joint and then tightening it to help reposition the dislocated articular surfaces as they should be. This tightening can be seen as being synonymous to being confined in tight clothing.

The whole plant, from roots to flowers, secretes a viscous liquid emollient, which is both astringent and also a very effective detergent. It is known to contain abundant mucilage, tannins, carbohydrates, minerals and has a bitter quality. It has been used during treatment to soften tissues and tumours. Its properties as an astringent, antidiarrhoeal, expectorant, make it useful in cases of bronchitis, colds, diarrhoea, liver problems. Externally, it can be used as a poultice to repair damaged joints, healing wounds and burns, assisting scar tissue, stomatitis of the mouth and lips, pharyngitis and vaginitis. The American Indians applied the leaves to venomous snake bites.

AYURVEDIC PSYCHOLOGY

9/12/2018

Ayurveda is the finest way of not just looking after the body, but also the mind.
To gain a basic knowledge of Ayurvedic psychology is really easy, as we will see.

Ayurvedic Psychology is four dimensional, it is based on Samkhya Philosophy.
The four dimensions are MANAS, CHITTA, AHAMKARA and BUDDHI. For those unfamiliar with these terms please don’t panic and switch off as all will soon become clear and simple!

MANAS is the outer layer of the mind. Through our senses we take in impressions from the world around us. They are then collected in the mind flooding it with sensory information. The mind is very sensitive and can be traumatised by bad sensations and events such as war and violence, or nourished by good events such as a kind word or a loving touch. Manas gathers and deposits information and facts which are known as the chitta.

CHITTA is composed of all the random thoughts and sensations collected by the manas. If chitta is not put under proper control, the thousands of impressions and experiences accumulated during the present and past, will all compete for attention and recognition. Beneficial thoughts will dance unfettered with those that need to be silenced and put to one side. If this is not done properly, the mind will be like a troop of monkeys leaping all over the place, it needs to be put in order.

AHAMKARA is the ego - it gives each of us a knowledge and sense of self. It is the feeling “I am me”. It makes us feel different and separate from others around us. The ego arises through our ability to only be able to focus on one thing at a time. Our thoughts are objects and when we are thinking about one thing, we cannot be thinking of something else. The ahamkara makes us proud and this can result in selfishness and greed. Unfortunately, it is the root of our personal and social problems, pride can cause us to look down on others. It causes us to justify our selfishness, rather than being kind and considerate to others. This can lead to war and disharmony! The ego is a strong force that is difficult to keep under control. The ahamkara organises the thoughts and impressions within the chitta and the manas becomes manipulated to obtain the ego’s own selfish desires and needs from the senses. Ayurvedic psychology teaches us that if we are mindful of our actions towards others, the manas will be inclined to function altruistically. Our consciousness will be easy to keep in order by the unclouded application of our intelligence. This mindfulness of the world can only happen, when our ego is encouraged to be more universally aware and compassionate, this can be done by our buddhi.

BUDDHI - The buddhi is the mental instrument of intelligent perception. We use it to discriminate between right and wrong and what matters to us and the rest of the world around us and what does not. It is our emotional and rational intelligence allowing us to discern truth from lies and decide what is good and what is bad. Through its power we can also gauge what is eternal and what is merely temporary and transient. It helps us resolve doubts. The mind is speculative and imaginative. The chitta needs to be under intelligent control. Unless we enter deeper into the thought process by using buddhi, we will forever remain doubting and in continual emotional and intellectual turmoil. We need to use our buddhi effectively to tame the selfish desires that arise from our ahamkara. If we are not vigilant, the buddhi can become clouded by the many needs of the ego. It is important to look after it and clear it using yoga, meditation, diet, herbs and pranayama breathing. Through past experience we know that pain is inevitable, but it is our true intelligence or buddhi that reminds us that suffering can be optional.

WE NEED MORE HUGS AND KISSES

8/13/2018

WHAT WE NEED IS MORE HUGS AND KISSES

There are five senses: sound, sight, taste, smell and touch. Of all these wonderful senses, touch is arguably the most important one for nurturing. We feel through our skin and that feeling is transported through our whole being. The skin is the physical and emotional boundary that both separates and contains us physically and metaphorically from the rest of the world. We need to feel the touch of others to make and keep us happy and healthy. No one should be made to feel divorced from those around them.

Touch deprivation - sometimes called skin hunger - can unquestionably lead to loneliness and isolation. Humans are group animals and we do not fair well if we feel separated from other people. It is easier to feel motivated if we feel wanted by those around us. If we do not receive sufficient loving touch from others, we may start to fall apart both emotionally and physically. Touch deprivation may also cause unhealthy and unwarranted levels of depression and lack of self worth.

Touch in the form of hugs and kisses is being eroded as a social norm and discouraged by contemporary morals. People are increasingly hesitant to touch each other, even in a way that was once thought to be merely showing benign warmth and friendship. There is perceived fear of the legal repercussions that may follow if their kindness is mistaken for assault or sexual molestation. Touch deprivation has become a common feature both socially and between people that we work with. We are becoming increasingly discouraged from touching each other in ways that were not so long ago considered to be the norm.

Professionals such as doctors, teachers and social workers have become frightened about touching those in their care . Even simply hugging crying children is often avoided. We no longer feel easy giving people the simple care and attention that they desperately want and need.

By curtailing our freedom of touching, we are causing mental health issues. It seems that in our society, touch deprivation has become a real social problem. Paradoxically, the less touch that there is between people, the more society seems to see this as normal and encourages this state of affairs to perpetuate and increase.

Touch deprivation can induce a state of pathogenic intractable loneliness. Chronic loneliness in children can see them dropping out of school and other joint activities with their class mates. As we get older, it can lead to conditions such as depression, drug and alcohol abuse and anxiety, increasing the risk of suicide. Other associated problems such as eating disorders and chronic metabolic syndrome can result in obesity. "Skin hunger" may be a contributing factor in Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Also sleep patterns can become severely disrupted, so we do not reap the benefits of good revitalising rest and the cleansing of our extra cellular matrix becomes less efficient. It can disrupt our whole system, holistically the whole body can feel neglected and unwanted. No wonder that people find comfort from their furry pets!

Physical contact between individuals is an important factor in creating a happier society. As the poet WH Auden once pertinently said: “We must love each other or die”. Given this stark but simple choice, I think that I know what most of us will choose.