To a botanist, an herb is any seed plant whose stem withers away anually. The term herb is also applied to plants that are used for medicines or seasonings. The latter definition most interests Cheri Abdouch, owner and operator of Omaha's Herb Garden. I met Cheri several years ago. She is a certified natural health counselor who became especially interested in herbs after reading the book Back To Eden by Jethro Kloss. "I started reading it and couldn't put it down," she told me enthusiastically!"He gave advice and instruction on a hands-on basis which was easy to follow. Then he explained which herb did what and which herbs were used alone or in combination to help specific health problems. I was hooked."
Abdouch had taken university-level courses in nutrition so she knew about vitamins and minerals, but she didn't know much about herbs. Then she went to herbal school at Spanish Fork, Utah to learn the use and philosophy of herbs. Her instructor was Stephen Horne, a top herbalist in the US."People are getting fed up with drugs and all the toxic side effects," she pointed out."Herbs are definitely making a come-back. People who don't believe in their use have probably been exposed to poor quality herbs. Such herbs can be weak or improperly packaged. And that doesn't give them a true picture of what herbs can do." She revealed that she used only the higer quality herbs who were also used by Mormons and the Amish.
"I work a lot with putting people on different programs with herbs and vitamins to help them with particular health problems or deficiencies. Herbs do work. They are a food and they give the body the nutrition it needs to heal. There is nothing magical about this. Our great-grandparents used herbs. So did the Indians, the Chinese,.and the Native Americans. Garlic is an herb with an antibiotic effect. It curbs colds and congestion. Your largest pores are on the bottom of your feet, so if you put garlic on the bottom of your feet, it goes right to your lungs. Garlic has long been known to clear out the lungs," she said.
White sugars and flours have negative effects on our health. They form an asphalt-like lining of the colon which keeps that organ from properly absorbing nutrients. There are effective herbal paralells for most major medicines. Unfortunately the pharmaceutical companies are aware of this and would like to cash in on it!(As if your medications don't already cost an arm and a leg! They are trying to force the FDA to adopt the rules and guidelines of Codex Aliementarius which is the set of rules set up by the European Union. If adopted, those rules could forbid the use of herbs altogether! And they could require a physicians prescription to purchase ANY kind of vitamin or mineral supplement! So, you may want to check that out-unless you think paying $40 for a $5 bottle of Vitamin C is no big deal!)
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