Vibrant health post on genes and epigenetics

Today I read a post on Vibrant health, which is already a bit older, but still quite valid. It is from 2012. The information in it is very informative and up to date.

The title is "Defective Genes “Cause” Less Than 1% Of All Disease"

The text starts like this:

Defective Genes

In the mainstream media (and the popular consciousness programmed to consume it) defective genes are spoken about as if they were “disease time bombs,” fatalistically programmed to go off inside of us, thanks to flawed genetic contributions of our ancestors. And yet, despite common misconceptions, monogenic diseases, or diseases that result from errors in the nucleotide sequence of a single gene are exceedingly rare.  In fact, less than 1% of all diseases fall within this category…

Following the completion of the Human Genome Project (HGP) in 2003 it is no longer accurate to say that our genes “cause” disease, any more than it is accurate to say that DNA is sufficient to account for all the proteins in our body. Despite initial expectations, the HGP revealed that there are only 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA (genome), rather than the 100,000 + believed necessary to encode the 100,000 + proteins found in the human body (proteome).

To read more, please click on the link below. It is well worth your time.

http://choosevibranthealth.com/defective-genes-cause-disease/

Health: You don't have bad genes, Epigenetics

Yesterday I read a very interesting post. It was very informative and I would like to share it with you and give you the link to it, so you can read it as well.

You don’t have bad genes
JUNE 13, 2016 ~ LEVI QUACKENBOSS

ep-a-je-ne-tiks: heritable changes that are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence. Also known as the “bad genes” responsible for the epigenetic epidemic.

[fat family picture]

Have you ever heard that someone has bad genes to blame for the obesity, autism, or cancer that runs in their family?  Don’t buy it– it’s a load of crap.  There’s no such thing as a genetic epidemic. It takes a million years to effect evolutionary change in the genes of our DNA– if you even believe in evolution.  I don’t want to piss off my Weston A. Price readers and DMT psychonauts.

Imagine a young adult today.  They’ve been bombarded by all of the usual environmental toxins in our food, water, air, and medicine for their first 20 years of life. The impact that toxic load has is to switch on the “bad genes” that were already present in their genetic makeup, and cause those genes to start expressing themselves.  This person’s DNA itself is not changed, only whether or not the bad genes for cancer, autoimmune disease, or obesity are expressed. 

The damaged adult, who isn’t feeling damaged just yet, later makes a child.  That child doesn’t get to start with a healthy clean slate because their bodies were told to express a little bit of their parents’ bad genes.  Add to that all of the toxins the child is later exposed to, and more damage is done; more bad genes are expressed. The next thing you know, you’re hearing about cancer, mental illness, diabetes, or autism “running in families.”  Most bad genes don’t run in families– we all have bad genes.  Some of them are just shouting louder than others.

What am I talking about?  How do you make a bad gene pipe down?  It all starts with food. Food should contain the nutrients that nourish life, right?  Not just any food– real food. Traditional food.  The nutrients in real food contain methyl groups that are extracted by our bodies and attached to our bad genes.

Read further at: 
https://leviquackenboss.wordpress.com/2016/06/13/you-dont-have-bad-genes/

Tibetan scoby

A few weeks ago I received a Tibetan scoby in the post. I was so exited, a new baby!
I already ordered Pu-ehr tea for it, as that is the tea that is necessary for brewing kombucha tea with this particular scoby.

In the first picture (to the right) you see the sweetened hot water in which I have just put my tea tube with Pu-ehr tea in there, you see the tea change the colour of the water a little bit around the tube.

In the next picture (to the left) you can that it has steeped quite a bit more.

As I have been brewing Kombucha and Jun fermented teas for quite some years in the meantime, I am sure it will not be difficult to get used to brewing this one as well. So far it has proven to be just as simple as black tea Kombucha and Jun

Since I received the scoby I have been making Kombucha with it, which has been three times now. We have one bottle with fermented tea in there, while another round is brewing. I have just started last Sunday (17.4.2016) with the newest round.

I have been amazed at the lovely flavour of the Kombucha tea this scoby with the Pu-ehr tea provides. This was the bottle that was empty the fastest, as the whole family loved the flavour. The next one is black tea Kombucha and last is the green tea Jun. I am the only one drinking the Jun fermented tea, no one else in the family enjoys that. Which is fine, more for me :-)

On these 2 pictures you see on the left my Jun tea brewing, which is green tea with honey. On the right you see my Kombucha tea brewing, which is black tea with sugar.

The truth about cancer docu series.

A few years ago my mother was diagnosed with Mesothelioma, a type of cancer that is in the cavity behind the lungs because of exposure to asbestos dust. It was awful to see what it did to her. She ended up with having the cavity behind her lungs fill up with fluids, which compressed her lungs, which made breathing very hard. This happened several times before her passing. The way she ended up breathing was heartbreaking.
Unfortunately there is very little to be done for this type of cancer. Her consultant told her that the only treatment available was very harsh and required her to be quite fit to be able to go through it, but as her health wasn't great, he recommended against it, as without she would live longer than with.
This ordeal triggered in me an interest to learn more about cancer and to especially learn a lot more about prevention of cancer.

I have read various books and looked into quite a lot of research with regards to cancer. I have learned over the years is that I am frequently appalled by how the present day medical establishment treats people with cancer. The treatments are very harsh, painful and debilitating, but the part where people get told they are going to die within x amount of time really bothers me as well. It would be psychologically much nicer to talk about staying alive and how the plan is to achieve that. Some research has shown that having a positive view on it and surviving it tends to give very good results in people living much longer.
Besides that there are so many other choices people can make. Unfortunately most of those choices are completely unknown to the vast majority of people, which is quite sad, as it would be so much better if people were given a choice on they would like to treat themselves and their children.

I have read up on Dr. Gonzalez and his treatments, I watched various presentations he did. All very very fascinating. I have also read up on Dr. Burzynski. His treatment is also totally fascinating. And there are many, many more Doctors who treat cancer in different way, which aren't the standard way of treatment, with very, very good results.

Today there is a trailer of a docu-series (free to watch online) available about cancer.
Here is the link where episode 1 starts: The truth about cancer
This series is actually tremendously interesting as it goes into a lot of detail about cancer, prevention and treatments. The information shared in this docu-series has the potential to save lives. Therefore, I recommend watching the series, or buying the DVD if that suits you better. It is never bad to learn more about such a difficult illness.

On this post you will find a few pictures of my mother. The series being broadcasted online made me think of her, so here it is in her memory.

Cod Liver Oil and Our Changing Food Paradigms

Earlier this year Sally Fallon wrote a very good article named Cod Liver Oil and Our Changing Food Paradigms. I read it with much interest and want to share it with you so you can have a read as well. It was published in the autumn issue of the publication Wise Traditions. 

quote

Cod liver oil—what is it?That stinky stuff kids had to take on a spoon? A magic medicine that heals rheumatism, clears the scrofula of TB and helps children recover from measles? A beauty aid that smooths the skin? A messy industrial product used to tan shoe leather? A clean, clear, standardized yellow liquid or a brown oil that rises from rotting livers?

It’s all of these and more. In fact, our views on cod liver oil can serve as a kind of bellwether for evolving attitudes on food, health and processing over the years. Cod liver oil is the quintessential traditional “natural” remedy and also one of the first common foods subjected to industrial processing. And as tradition has collided with modern science, cod liver oil has suffered the buffets of changing attitudes. Even in the early days, when this ancient folk remedy first caught the attention of modern physicians, it provoked instant and constant controversy.

Since early human settlement in northern Norway, cod and cod products have served as the cornerstone of industry for the region. Even as early as the Viking Age, cod liver oil brought prosperity as a chief item of trade with northern Europe, both for consumption and for industrial purposes. Some types were used for oil lamps, ovens, leather treatment, paint manufacture, coloring processes in textile production, soap manufacture, tempering and lathing of steel, manufacture of explosives for the armaments industry, and industrial lubricants, while more carefully extracted versions were consumed as a food and medicine for humans and animals, or used as skin creams and healing ointments, and even as a lubricant for childbirth.1

The method used by the Vikings was actually a kind of steam extraction. They brought water in a pan to boil and then placed birch tree branches on top of the pan; the cod livers were put on top of the branches. As the steam from the boiling water rose, it began to cook the livers, and oil from the livers would drop into the pan.2

Unquote

- See more at: http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/cod-liver-oil/constant-controversy/#sthash.zyKeHz4c.dpuf

Vitamin D in Cod Liver Oil

Chris Masterjohn, Phd wrote a very interesting article on vitamin D in cod liver oil. As I found it very interesting I decided to quote the summary here, so that you can read it as well. It is well worth spreading this information

quote

ARTICLE SUMMARY

• In recent years, controversy has erupted over whether vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 is the predominant form of vitamin D in cod liver oil.
• Research in the 1930s suggested that there were at least four if not six forms of vitamin D in cod liver oil.
• Recent research has shown that fish metabolize vitamin D into at least three other compounds and probably more.
• Although cod liver oil probably does not contain vitamin D2, it probably does contain an array of different compounds derived from vitamin D3.
• The diverse array of vitamin D compounds we would expect to exist in natural cod liver oil likely provides a diverse array of biological activities; many people may experience vitamin D-related benefits from a natural cod liver oil without experiencing as pronounced a rise of 25(OH)D – the blood marker of vitamin D nutritional status—as they would have expected.
• Although it makes sense for someone to increase their sun exposure and vitamin D3 intake if their 25(OH)D is low, low 25(OH)D in and of itself should not be used as evidence that cod liver oil is not providing a vitamin D benefit

unquote

.- See more at: http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/cod-liver-oil/vitamin-d-in-cod-liver-oil/#sthash.NMoJK5kL.dpuf

Fermented fish foods

Recently I read a very interesting article on the website of the Weston A. Price Foundation. It was about an article that discussed fermenting fish in quite some detail. 

Here is the first part of the article. In case you are interested in reading the rest, below you will find the link to the article.

quote

Fermented foods currently comprise approximately one-third of the human diet globally. In traditional diets, cereal grains, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood and fish are all fermented using various methods as a way to preserve food and to improve its nutritional quality.
Fermentation of fish is an ancient practice. It has historically and continues to be employed to preserve fish when other methods of preservation have failed. This method of extending the harvest was born of necessity as a way of coping with seasonal scarcity. Other methods to slow bacterial degradation such as drying, salting, smoking and curing require certain ambient air temperatures and levels of humidity to be successful. Under conditions that were either too wet for drying, or when these other methods were just not feasible, fish fermentation was developed as a needed solution.
Fermentation became especially important for species of fatty fish, such as salmon, trout, Arctic char, and herring, which are not very suitable for drying due to the presence of large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids. In addition, fermentation developed as a way to preserve fish using less salt, as salt was expensive and generally scarce in ancient times.
The processes used in fish fermentation vary greatly worldwide, and depend on the culture, climate, and availability of both salt and fish. The species of fish and or shellfish that are fermented have always been determined by what is abundant in a given locale.
The acceptance of the aromas and taste of fermented fish sauces, pastes, and other fish food products is culturally specific. What tastes good is in part determined by familiarity and cultural upbringing as well as genetically determined taste preferences and aversions. Fermented fish products have been variously described as tasting “meaty,” “fishy,” “cheesy,” and “ammonialike.” The combination of the assorted chemical products of fermentation determines which flavors predominate.
Of all fermented foods, fermented meats and fish are the least stable, and present several challenges, such as the risk of contamination with pathogenic bacteria, namely Clostridium botulinum, and the formation of potentially toxic biogenic amines in the food product. These concerns are much more prevalent in fermented meat and fish than in other categories of fermented foods.
As fermentation expert Sandor Katz remarks in his book, The Art of Fermentation: “Fermented fish can definitely force us to confront and perhaps challenge the slippery and elusive boundary between what is and is not fit to eat.”
Currently there is a resurgence of interest and a revival in traditionally fermented foods such as sauerkraut, yogurt, sourdough bread, kombucha and the like. Fermented fish products, while new to many, have a long history as health-giving, nutritious foods that impart unique flavors, aromas, textures, and nutrients to the diet. An overview of some of the more notable fermented fish products from around the world, as well as information regarding safety and health benefits, are reviewed here.

unquote


- See more at: http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/traditional-diets/fermented-fish-foods/#sthash.k3IanoRb.dpuf

Genital mutilation

Today I read a newspaper article in the Guardian about Female Genital Mutilation. It was horrifying.
Part of the text says the following: 

"FGM: number of victims found to be 70 million higher than thought. Half of girls and women cut live in just three countries as Unicef statistics reveal shocking global scale of barbaric ritual"

This article made me think about quite a few things that I think need to change before anything substantial will change with regards to this topic.

I am very seriously against genital mutilation of any sort, women or men. The fact that there is such a strong push to globally stop genital mutilation of girls and women, but there is no push to stop genital mutilation of boys and men, is discrimination against men.

The message is in certain parts of the world that it is good for men and women for men to get mutilated, that it prevents STD's and such. 
I have read a lot about this topic over the last years and no, it is not good for men and women, and it does not prevent STD's in any way. Condoms prevent STD's. Mutilated men are less likely to use condoms as their sensitivity has been tampered with, due to the mutilation. Many mutilated men have in the long term erection problems. Many men have ended up with a botched mutilation, which makes matters even worse, sometimes to the point where sex is nigh impossible. 

There are a many very, very good articles out there on this topic.

Here are a selection of the ones that I consider the best:
http://www.drmomma.org/2009/09/history-of-female-circumcision-in.html
http://www.drmomma.org/2011/04/male-and-female-circumcision.html
http://www.drmomma.org/2009/10/male-circumcision-hurts-women.html
http://www.circumcision.org/harmswomen.htm

I am convinced that as long as male genital mutilation keeps getting promoted as being a good thing and does not get forbidden, as it should be, female genital mutilation laws will not get taken serious. When it's good for the goose, it's good for the gander. It all gets done because this is how "we" do things and this is how "we" have always done it. Nothing will change unless both get the same treatment and men stop being discriminated against in this field.
Late last year a court case in the USA was fought between an opposing mother and and father who was pro mutilating the genitals of his son. The father won. The boy got mutilated. He was 4 or 5. As long as this stuff can happen, FGM will not stop and will not be taken seriously.

Both procedures are damaging humans, physically and psychologically. It has to stop.

I think it is quite perverse to even consider cutting people's genitals because it is custom or such. It is sickening to me to even consider anyone messing about with the most sensitive parts of any small human being, as usually they are children who are the victims of the procedure. Children cannot give consent to a procedure like that and it a life time punishment.
Why did people start doing it? Why can they not see how awful it is? 
There is a LOT of research out there showing no benefit whatsoever from the procedure. In some countries they are trying to find benefits and keep repeating myths to prove the so-called benefits. 
I'm just horrified by the whole thing and am every day thankful to live in an area of the world where neither MGM nor FGM are the norm. 

Mommypotamus on the MTHFR gene mutation

Recently I read a few blog posts from one of my favourite bloggers, Mommypotamus. She writes about the MTHFR gene mutation. It is well worth a read.

Here the posts are that I read:

Quote

MTHFR <- No, it’s not a swear word.

I’ll admit, I thought it was the first time I read it, but as it turns out it’s something much more important. MTHFR is an abbreviation for a genetic mutation that affects 30-50% of our population, although most of us don’t know whether or not we have it.

If you tuned out in high school biology and need a refresher on how genes work, here’s the deal:

Your body contains 50 trillion tiny cells, and almost every one of them contains the complete set of instructions for making you. These instructions are encoded in your DNA . . . If you imagine your DNA as a cookbook, then your genes are the recipes. (source)

Unquote

Read further at:
http://www.mommypotamus.com/mthfr-mutation/

The next one is:

Quote

Daddypotamus: I know you’re tired. Let’s just stop at Taco Bell or McDonald’s for dinner.

Me (laughing): Stop. 

Katie: Daddy, why are you saying that? Those aren’t real places!

It wasn’t intentional, but somehow Katie was six years old before she realized these places really do exist. We’ve done our best to nourish them from the start, and we are very careful about what goes into their little bodies.

I used to believe that was enough. With a real food diet and minimal supplementation to make up for things like soil depletion, our family would thrive.

Unquote

Read further at:
http://www.mommypotamus.com/mthfr-gene-mutation-faq/

In the first post she refers to the website of Dr. Lynch who is an expert in the field.
In the following post he lists the health issues that could likely be related to the MTHFR gene mutation.

http://mthfr.net/mthfr-mutations-and-the-conditions-they-cause/2011/09/07/

It was quite an educational beginners guide and FAQ post. I recommend reading it if you feel you might be affected.

Boron, Borax

My own experience:
For some time I have had joint pains, which were sometimes not too bad, sometimes very bad so that I had trouble walking or holding on to things. So I decided I needed to do something about that. But this was not easy. Most of the time one reads that this means calcium or whatever the common ideas are. Or just plain, that is part of growing older, live with it. Live with it is not something I like, I prefer to find out why something is happening and with that seeing whether there is a way to make it better, easier, or cure it altogether. Mostly things can be solved.

After a bit of a search I stumbled upon hearing about the element boron while watching a presentation by Sally Fallon Morell. This triggered my interest with regards to my joint pains. She explained she had been using boron and that this resulted in healthier joints and less pain.

So I decided I needed to seriously read up on that. I discussed it with knowledgeable people as well, as I wanted to know as much as I could about it.

I learned that boron can indeed help with joints and many other symptoms. I bought a supplement, called "Liquid Ionic Boron" for 20 Pounds for a bottle of 250 ml. This was quite a bit of money, so I wanted to find out whether there were cheaper options. 
There was a much cheaper option I learned. When using borax and mixing it with water, one get liquid ionic boron. Just like that. Borax is quite cheap.
This resulted in buying borax (sodium tetraborate hexahydrate or sodium borate) on E-bay for 3 Pounds per kilo. After some research I learned I would need 1 teaspoon per litre of water. That was an entirely different price tag, that all of a sudden became dirt cheap.

The research into which type of solution of borax to use for which issues was very interesting. After having used up the first bought batch I noticed that my joint pains were really seriously become much much less, so I continued after that by making my own borax solution. This continued giving me the same effect. So essentially I am joint pain free these days.
During a week away from home recently I forgot to take my supplement, by the end of the week I had more pain again. So it is very clear to me that my home made Boron supplement is saving me a lot of pain.

What I learned from researching Borax / Boron:

So what is Borax:
Borax (sodium tetraborate hexahydrate or sodium borate) is a naturally-occurring mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. Most commercially-produced borax is mined from deposits produced by the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes. It is found in large quantities in the Western United States, in Mediterranean countries, Kazakhstan, and the Tibet region of China. Turkey is one of the largest commercial producers of borates.

From our food we tend to get no more than 7mg of boron per day, which is mainly from plant foods. It seems that this is too little for most people. Which is mostly an issue for people living in areas where there is little to no boron in the soil.
Chemical fertilisers inhibit the extraction of boron from the soil by the plants, therefore conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are very low in boron. 
Organically grown are fruits and vegetables can be very high in boron when they have been grown on boron rich soil.

What does Borax do for health:
I was amazed when I learned what research has shown that boron can do to keep people healthy. Below the list follows, I have referenced the research at the bottom for you to check for yourself. As with anything, do not believe me just like that, check for yourself.

1. It is anti-microbial and anti-viral: It is toxic to insects, bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasites.
2. It is a fungicide: It is effective again fungi and moulds, internally and externally (1, 2)
3. It is a toxin remover: It chelates and protects from heavy metals (3)
4. It helps with mental capabilities: It improves memory, short and long term, attention span, perception and hand-eye coordination (4, 5)
5. It reduces and controls inflammation (5, 6)
6. It balances fluoride: It protects against accumulating fluoride in the body, it removes fluoride from the body, it is an effective anti-dote against fluoride poisoning. (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
7. It balances the hormones: It stabilises estrogen, it stimulates the production of hormones. It helps with insulin use and blood glucose control, triglyceride use and production of reactive oxygen. This study (4) has shown that with adequate boron blood serum triglyceride levels are significantly lower. And with adequate boron estrogen therapy is possibly not necessary (13, 6). It is helps with low libido for both men and women as boron stimulates of DHT and testosterone and normalises oestrogen (5, 6)
8. It is good for the immune system: It enhances the immune system (4)
9. It is good for wound healing (5)
10. It stabilises several mineral levels: It stabilises calcium, magnesium and copper levels and inhibits calcification (4). Adequate boron levels normalise calcium levels, which prevents bone weakness and abnormal calcium deposits. (4, 13, 5). Adequate boron levels prevents the accumulation of in-organic copper in the bones and prevents loss of bone (4, 13)

This is quite a list of good effects that adequate levels of boron can have on health. I was quite amazed when discovering this all.

What can you use boron / borax for: 

Boron can be used as prevention, or as treatment, depending on your needs.

You can use boron for the following ailments: rheumatoid arthritis (5, 17), gout, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and other bone, joint and connective tissue diseases, spondylitis, swollen gums and loose teeth (5, 17, 4,13), arterial diseases, hypertension and blood lipid disorders (4, 5), obesity, cancer (18, 5, 19), UTI (1) and other infections. It has been used for many problems. (14, 15, 16, 4, 13, 17, 6). 

How do you use boron / borax:

Make sure you buy medical grade borax as this has no unwanted additives. In Europe you'll have to get it online (E-bay) as it is basically banned, because of it being toxic. But the toxicity level is LD50 (Lethal Dose 50), which very close to table salt which also got LD50. Borax is 2.66g/kg in rats and table salt is 3.75g/kg in rats (20), yet nobody is bothered by table salt, we can buy it in every supermarket, so why not borax? Material safety data sheets of salt and borax (21).

Externally:

Take some water, however much you think you will need, and saturate it completely with borax powder. You keep adding the powder until it stops taking it up. This will require quite a bit of shaking and stirring to get it done. You may also need to give it time. When I dissolve the borax I start the day before, as it seems to really take time to dissolve.

You can use this solution on affected skin. 

Internally:

A study has shown that humans need a minimum dosage of 0.5 to 1 mg per day to function properly (4). That said it seems that an ongoing maintenance dosage to prevent illness is more likely to be 3 to 6 mg. A treatment dosage is to be around 10 mg or more per day.

How to mix it:

Take 1 teaspoon of borax, dissolve this in 1 litre of water. 

As a maintenance dosage use 2 teaspoons per day of this solution, this gives you about 6mg per day.

For bone, muscle and hormone problems go up to about 9mg per day, this will be 3 teaspoons per day.

For infections such a fungal and for removing fluoride from the body use about 100ml of the solution per day.

When you are considering taking up a boron protocol, do keep in mind that you should have an idea on whether or not you may have other deficiencies. Boron works synergistically with magnesium, but magnesium needs vitamin D3 to work well.

For further reading you can look here (http://www.health-science-spirit.com/borax.htm). This was quite an interesting site to read about why it is so difficult to purchase borax in Europe and other areas.

References:

1. Francesco De Seta1, Martin Schmidt, Bao Vu, Michael Essmann, Bryan Larsen. Antifungal mechanisms supporting boric acid therapy of Candida vaginitis. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. (2009) 63 (2):325-336. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkn486.
2. Iavazzo C, Gkegkes ID, Zarkada IM, Falagas ME. Boric acid for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: the clinical evidence.J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2011 Aug;20(8):1245-55. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2010.2708. Epub 2011 Jul 20.
3. Turkez H., Geyikoglu F., Tatar A., Keles M.S., Kaplan I. The effects of some boron compounds against heavy metal toxicity in human blood. Exp Toxicol Pathol. 2012 Jan;64(1-2):93-101. Epub 2010 Jul 20. Article
4. Forrest H. Nielsen. Evidence for the Nutritional Essentiality of Boron. The Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine. 9:215-229 (1996).
5. Benderdour M, Bui-Van T, Dicko A, Belleville F. In vivo and in vitro effects of boron and boronated compounds. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 1998 Mar;12(1):2-7.
6. Naghii MR, Mofid M, Asgari AR, Hedayati M, Daneshpour MS. Comparative effects of daily and weekly boron supplementation on plasma steroid hormones and proinflammatory cytokines. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2011 Jan;25(1):54-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2010.10.001. Epub 2010 Dec 3.
7. Elsair J, Merad R, Denine R, Reggabi M, Alamir B, Benali S, Azzouz M, Khelfat K. Boron as a preventive antidote in acute and subacute fluoride intoxication in rabbits: its action on fluoride and calcium-phosphorus metabolism. Fluoride 13:129-138 (1980).
8. Elsair J, Merad R, Denine R, Reggabi M, Benali S, Azzouz M, Khelfat K, Tabet Aoul M. Boron as an antidote in acute fluoride intoxication in rabbits: its action on the fluoride and calcium-phosphorus metabolism. Fluoride 13:30-38 (1980).
9. Elsair J, Merad R, Denine R, Azzouz M, Khelfat K, Hamrour M, Alamir B, Benali S, Reggabi M. Boron as antidote to fluoride: effect on bones and claws in subacute intoxication of rabbits. Fluoride 14:21-29 (1981).
10. Elsair J, Merad R, Denine R, Reggabi M, Benali S, Hamrour HM, Azzouz M, Khalfat K, Tabet Aoul M, Nauer J. Action of boron upon fluorosis: An experimental study. Fluoride 15:75-78 (1982).
11. Franke J, Runge H, Bech R, Wiedner W, Kramer W, Kochmann W, Hennig A, Ludke H, Seffner W, Teubner W, Franke M, Moritz W, Barthold L, Geinitz D. Boron as an antidote to fluorosis? Part I. Studies on the skeletal system. Fluoride 18: 187-197 (1985).
12. LY Zhou, ZD Wei, SZ Ldu. Effect of Borax in Treatment of Skeletal Fluorosis. International Society for Fluoride Research, 20(3):104-108. 1987.
13. Forrest H. Nielsen, Loanne M. Mullen, Sandra K. Gallagher. Effect of Boron Depletion and Repletion on Blood Indicators of Calcium Status in Humans Fed a Magnesium-low Diet. The Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine. 3:45-54 (1990).
14. Newnham, Rex. Away with Arthritis. 2nd edition printed 1993.
15. Mary Duncan. Boron phenols and health : clues to the mysteries of ADD - Alzheimer's - Asthma. Carabooda, W.A. : Alkimos Australia, 1995.
16. Newnham R. E. Essentiality of boron for healthy bones and joints. Environ Health Perspect. 1994;102 Suppl 7:83-85.
17. Z Bentwich, Robert Bingham, Mark Hegsted, Herbert Hunt, Prof Jeffries, Jack Loneragan, Loughman, O.O. Myers, Ploquin, Hans Neiper, Rex E. Newnham, et al. Boron and Arthritis. Arthritis Trust of America. 1994.
18. Hall, Iris et al. Ongoing research on boranes and other borax compounds, Division of medical chemistry, University of North Carolina.
19. Hasan Turkez, Fatime Geyikoglu. Boric acid: a potential chemoprotective agent against aflatoxin b1 toxicity in human blood. Cytotechnology. Apr 2010; 62(2): 157-165. Published online Apr 30, 2010. doi: 10.1007/s10616-010-9272-2.
20. Borax - toxicity, ecological toxicity and regulatory information. Retrieved 17 February 2012. Article
21. Material Safety Data Sheet or MSDS for borax.
    http://www.hillbrothers.com/msds/pdf/n/borax-decahydrate.pdf retrieved January 2014, date of issue May 2008.
    http://www.hillbrothers.com/msds/pdf/n/pool-salt.pdf retrieved January 2014, revised 18 February 2005.
22. S. Meacham, S. Karakas, A. Wallace, F. Altun. Boron in Human Health: Evidence for Dietary Recommendations and Public Policies. The Open Mineral Processing Journal, 2010, 3, 36-53.

Yarrow

Today I would like to tell you a little about Yarrow. It is a lovely plant that you can find in many places. We find it in various places in our local woods.
This is what Yarrow looks like:

The latin name of Yarrow is "Achillea millefolium". The second part of the name "millefolium" has "mille" in there, which is thousand and "folium" which is leaves. You can see the little feather-shaped leaves, which looks like there are a thousand of little leaves on each leaf.

Yarrow is native to the temperate regions of the nothern hemisphere. You can find it all over Asia, Europe and North America. The common names of Yarrow include wound-wort and thousand-leaf.

Mind the word "wort" in wound-wort. This word used to be used for any type of useful plant, basically meaning "useful". There are may more plants that have wort in them. They have all proven their use over the centuries.

In the Greek mythology it is written that Achilles rubbed himself with the tincture of Yarrow to make himself resistant to arrows. Unfortunately he did not use it on his heels. Therefore leaving his heels vulnerable, which cost him his life in the end.

The uses of Yarrow:

Poultice

For wounds, rashes, etc., to aid healing, you can use a poultice of Yarrow. You take the fresh herb, grind it, put it on a sterile cotton cloth and put that on the wound. You can keep it warm, by putting a layer of wool over it if you like. 

For wounds Yarrow can be combined with Comfrey in the poultice.

Yarrow stops bleeding.

Tea

You use 3 fresh yarrow leaves and some flowers for better flavour, or use 1 teaspoon of dried yarrow. Add 225 ml boiling water. Let it steep for 10 minutes. For flavour you can use some additional honey or lemon juice. Drink while warm.

For digestive help, against menstrual cramps and colds you can use Yarrow in a tea. For digestive aid, mind can be added if you like. Some people do not like the flavour of mint. 

Yarrow loosens phlegm.

Tincture

You make the tincture by using a small sterile jar, to which you add fresh Yarrow leaves and flowers. To this you add alcohol, vodka or something similarly strong. Make sure there is little air in the jar. Shake it regularly. Add more vodka as needed. Keep the jar as full as possible so that it doesn't oxidise. Let it steep for 6 weeks in a dark place. After that use a cheese cloth to strain the flowers and leaves out.

You can use 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon of the tincture, two to five times a day, for treatment of upper respiratory infection, heavy menstrual bleeding, cramps, or inflammation.

You should start slow, by taking it three times per day and increase or decrease as needed

Skin wash

When you have an oily complexing a wash with Yarrow tea can be beneficial. You use a cup of yarrow flowers and add that to 500 ml boiling water. Let it cool down and use it a tonic for your skin.

This wash can also be used for small scrapes, cuts and irritations.

Oil

You make the oil by using a small sterile jar, to which you add Yarrow leaves and flowers. It's best to pick the Yarrow a day or 2 before you make the oil, so that it can wilt a little. Put it in the jar, press down and add extra virgin olive oil. Add more oil as is needed to make sure the jar remains as full as possible.

Keep this in a very light place, preferably a sunny place, for about 6 weeks.

After that use a cheese cloth to strain the flowers and leaves out.

You now have a lovely massage oil. Keep it in a cool place.

Salve

To make a salve you use the oil and beeswax. You melt the beeswax on the hob and add the oil. For a small jar a teaspoon of beeswax is enough to make the salve. Experiment a little to get the consistency you like.

Pour the warm salve into sterile jars.

The salve can be helpful with skin irritation and small wounds and scratches.

This is just a bit of basics on Yarrow. There is much more to this wonderful plant.