 publications. One e xcellent source is a book by Ross Horne, entitled
Health & Survival in the 21 st  Century.26

What’s the Big Deal About Cooking?
It is true … people have been setting fire to their food for millenn ia, and we seem to be doing fine. So what’s the big deal
about cooking?
Experiments have shown that people can survive on diets as restricte d as flour and water, at least for a period of time, but they
cannot thrive on such a regimen. This is a testament to the nutriti onal reserves, resilience, and vitality of the body, not to the
nutritional value of the food. The difference between “normal healt h” and actually thriving is vast.
Historically, as pre-human hominids moved away from the tropics, they st arted eating the (cooked) flesh of animals and
experimenting with foods such as (cooked) tubers and other complex carbohydra tes to substitute for unavailable fruits and
vegetables. Evidence tells us this practice has been going on for at le ast 200,000 years. However, it was only with the advent of
grain agriculture, in the past 10,000 years, that we began deriving the va st majority of our calories from cooked carbohydrates. 27
Even if we have biologically adapted to this practice, it would be hard to argu e that our basic digestive physiology, like that of every
other creature on the planet, was designed for the raw foods found in nature. Any adaptations to the nutritional losses or the toxins
created by cooking foods could only be considered “devolution,” rather than e volution.
Many foods that are cooked, such as meats and grains, would otherwise be unappet izing or inedible to humans. Cooking
allows foods to bypass sensory safeguards that would normally protect us from  ingesting unnatural and unhealthful substances.
Essentially, cooking makes it possible for us to eat (and to call “good”) food w e would otherwise consider to have gone “bad.” On
certain rare occasions, cooking might enable us to sustain ourselves on  the only foods available to us. To be sure, however, we pay
with our health when we cook foods as a regular practice.

High Fat
High fat content is another common problem with cooked foods. In particular, mea ts, grains, and other starchy foods often contain
far more fat than is healthful.
The fat is not always visible, however. It is absorbed into starchy foods  in the cooking process. Fried potatoes don’t look
fatty; we like to think of them as a carbohydrate food. Yet the average ser ving of french fries provides about half of its calories from
fat. Apple pie, you would think, is all carbohydrate, right? It is made of sugar  and apples and a grain-based crust, all high-
carbohydrate foods. Think again, as this delicacy tips the scale at 50% of cal ories from fat. Not even a baked potato qualifies as a
low-fat food, once we add butter or sour cream.
Fat is hidden in the structure of animal foods. The fat content of meat va ries by cut, but the majority of meats are very high in
fat.

Toxicity and Disease
To varying degrees, the different methods of cooking introduce toxic substa nces that the body must eliminate. The repeated
consumption of cooked food results in a detrimental enlargement of the pancr eas, as well as damage to the liver, heart, thyroid
gland, adrenals, and most other organs, as a result of toxic exposure combined w ith reduced oxygen availability.
Eating cooked food has also been shown to provoke degenerative changes in almost  all aspects of blood chemistry. These
changes usually reverse rapidly when exposure to cooked food is eliminate d.
Studies have shown that our immunes system often reacts to the intr oduction of cooked food to the bloodstream the same
way it does to foreign pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi: Th e body literally attacks the food, sending an army of white
blood cells to do the job. This phenomenon, which has been linked with the eventua l development of AIDS, does not occur when
we eat raw foods. A direct cause-and-effect correlation exists between the cooked food di et and American culture’s two main killers, cancer
and heart disease. Many of these relationships have been documented for de cades, and the evidence is mounting. Obesity, too, is
directly associated with cooking our food. Heated foods are nutritionally inf erior, which is one of the reasons people commonly
overeat cooked food. Their stomachs feel full, but their cells crave nutri ents and remain nutritionally starved.
To escape the destruction of cooked food, one must be willing to recognize that, as  a culture, we have been eating ourselves
into poor health, early death, and disease-ridden old age. Americans consum e ever-increasing amounts of cooked, processed food
while worrying about the sharp increase in obesity and juvenile diabet es and the staggering cost of their ever-increasing healthcare
needs. Few people seem to be connecting the dots publicly, but as these problems be come larger social issues, I predict they will
soon hit critical mass.

Cooking Damages Nutrients
The damage done to food when it is cooked provides enough material for a separate book. C ooking renders food a bit like
Humpty Dumpty after he fell off the wall, in that once a food is cooked it can n ever be, nutritionally, what it was before. Foods can
only withstand about as much heat as your hand—or the roof of your mouth—c an take before their nutrients are irrevocably
damaged. Let’s take a look at some examples.

Protein
It makes sense that we would want to derive the full nutritional benef it from the protein foods we eat. But few people realize that
high-temperature cooking denatures the proteins in foods, fusing the am ino acids together with enzyme-resistant bonds that preclude
them from being fully broken down, thus rendering the proteins sub stantially useless—and in fact toxic—to us. All proteins that w e
consume must be broken down into single, individual amino acids before they ca n be of any use to us; our bodies cannot use
“protein” for any purpose whatsoever.

Definition of “Denature”
Merriam-W ebster’ s Collegiate Dictionary, T enth Edition  defines “denature” as follows (emphasis added):
de•na•ture  verb transitive : to modify the molecular structure of  (as a protein  or DNA) esp. by heat, acid, alkali, or
ultraviolet radiation so as to destroy or diminish some of the original proper ties and esp. the specific biological activity. ©1997,
1996 Zane Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Hair is primarily protein. A strand of hair can be rolled into a ball and the n pulled back into a strand. However, if a strand of
hair is rolled into a ball and then held over a candle flame, even for just a  moment, chemistry happens. The hair literally attaches to
itself in new places. It can never be returned to its original form as a  strand. When an egg hits a frying pan, a similar irreversible
chemical change takes place. Our digestive enzymes cannot easily  break down coagulated protein molecules once they fuse
together. The best they can accomplish is partial breakdown, into polypeptides.
The body recognizes clumps of partially broken down proteins, known as polypeptides, a s foreign invaders to be attacked,
contained, and eliminated through the kidneys. The cell walls of the kidne ys do not allow for easy transport of these substances, and
their buildup causes the distress that leads to kidney stones and eventu ally to kidney failure. Undigested proteins also produce
allergies, arthritis, leaky gut syndrome, and other autoimmune disorder s.

Carbohydrates
W e must heat starchy carbohydrates to “dextrinize” them, thus fac ilitating their breakdown into glucose. Unfortunately, heating
caramelizes these complex carbohydrate foods, fusing their molecules  into a sticky, molasses-like goo. (Dextrin and starch are the
two principal vegetable-based adhesives, commonly used as glue for corrug ated packaging and wallpaper.) The body can realize
only perhaps 70% of the energy potential of cooked starchy foods.
This melting of sugar molecules occurs in carbohydrate-based foods subje cted to cooking temperatures whether or not we
witness it, and it causes them to produce an extremely high glycemic  response in the body. Blood-sugar levels predictably spike
after we eat cooked carbohydrate foods, especially grains that have had the ir fiber refined out of them. Heat the carbohydrates
further and they will char, or blacken, as happens to burnt toast. This blacke ned carbohydrate is toxic, a known carcinogen.
The digestion of cooked complex carbohydrates is typically impaired by the fat ty and sugary foods with which they are
consumed, leading to fermentation. The byproducts of fermentation are gas, alcohol, and acetic acid. Alcohol is a protoplasmic
poison that kills every cell with which it comes into contact. Acetic  acid in its pure form is a known poison. When diluted with 19
parts water, it is called vinegar. The acetic acid in vinegar is sti ll toxic, regardless of dilution.
Of great concern, mainstream science is tying itself in knots over  a lethal poison, called “acrylamide,” recently discovered to
be produced in high-carbohydr


 showed up in the group. Ittakes longer to repair the damage than it does to cause it and it takes generationsof unflagging persistence.
I think much the same process has happened to humans in this century. With
the invention of the roller mill and the consequent degradation of our daily breadto white flour; with the birth of industrial farming and the generalized lowering ofthe nutritional content of all of our crops; our overall ratio of nutrition to caloriesworsened. Then it worsened again because we began to have industrial foodmanufacturing and national brand prepared food marketing systems; we begansubsisting on devitalized, processed foods. The result has been an even greaterworsening of our ratio of nutrition to calories.
And just like Pottenger’s cats, we civilized humans in so-called advanced
countries are losing the ability to breed, our willingness (or the energy) to motherour young; we’re losing our good humor in the same way Pottenger’sdegenerated cats became bad tempered. As a group we feel so poorly that wedesperately need to feel better fast, and what better way to do that than withdrugs. Is it any wonder that the United States, the country furthest down the roadof industrial food degeneration, spends 14 percent of its gross domestic producton medical services. Any wonder that so many babies are born by Cesarean, anywonder that so many of our children have crooked teeth needing an orthodontist?The most depressing aspect of this comes into view when considering thatPottenger’s cats took four generations on perfect food to repair most of thenutritional damage.
In the specific case of my daughter, I know somethings about the nutritional
history of her maternal ancestors. My daughter’s grandmother grew up on a
Saskatchewan farm. Though they certainly grew their own rich wheat on virgin
semi-arid prairie soil, I’m sure the family bought white flour at the store for dailyuse. Still, there was a garden and a cow producing raw milk and free-range fertileeggs and chicken and other animals. There probably were lots of cannedvegetables in winter, canned but still highly nutritious because of the fertility of theirprairie garden. My mother consequently had perfect teeth until the GreatDepression forced her to live for too many years on lard and white bread.
During this time of severe malnutrition she had her three babies. The first one
got the best of her nutritional reserves. The second, born after the worst of themalnutrition, was very small and weak and had a hard time growing up.Fortunately for me, for a few years before I (the last child) was born, the worst ofthe economic times had past and the family had been living on a farm. There werevegetables and fresh raw milk and fruit. My mother had two good years to rebuildher nutritional reserves. But “Grannybell” did not managed to replace enough.Shortly after I was born my mother lost every one of her teeth all at once. Thebone just disappeared around them.
Thus, I was born deficient. And my childhood and adolescent nutrition was
poor too: soda crackers, pasteurized processed artificial cheese, evaporated milkfrom cans, hotdogs and canned beans, hotdogs and cabbage. It wasn’t until I waspregnant with my first baby that I started to straighten up my diet. I continuedeating very well after my first daughter, so my youngest daughter had anotherthree years of good diet to draw on. Thus both my own daughters got asomewhat better start than I had had.
My teeth were not as good as my mother’s had been before those years of
malnutrition took them all. Instead of perfect straight undecayed teeth like ahealthy farm girl should have, mine were somewhat crowded, with numerouscavities. My jaw bone had not received enough minerals to develop to its full size.My pelvic girdle also was smaller than my mother’s was. I had had a poor start.
My daughters did better. The older one (the first child typically gets the best of
the nutritional reserves) has such a wide jaw that there are small spaces between
her teeth. My second daughter has only one crooked tooth, she has wider, moresolid hips, stronger bones and a broader face than I do. If my younger daughterwill but from this point in her life, eat perfectly and choose her food wisely toresponsibly avoid empty calories and maximize her ratio of nutrition to calories,her daughter (if she gives us granddaughters as her older sister already has done)may exhibit the perfect physiology that her genes carry.
Along the lines of helping you avoid empty calories I will give you some
information about various common foods that most people don’t know and thatmost books about food and health don’t tell, or misunderstand.
Butter, Margarine and Fats in General.
Recently, enormous propaganda has been generated against eating butter. Its
been smeared in the health magazines as a saturated animal fat, one containingthat evil substance, cholesterol. Many people are now avoiding it and instead,using margarine.
Saturated Monosaturated Unsaturated
Butter 66% 30% 4%Coconut Oil 87% 6% 2%Cottonseed Oil 26% 18% 52%
Olive Oil 13% 74% 8%Palm Oil 49% 37% 9%Soybean Oil 14% 24% 58%Sunflower Oil 4% 8% 83%Safflower Oil 3% 5% 87%Sesame Oil 5% 9% 80%Peanut Oil 6% 12% 76%Corn Oil 3% 7% 84%
This is a major and serious misunderstanding. First of all, margarine is almost
indigestible, chemically very much like shortening—an artificially saturated orhydrogenated vegetable fat. Hydrogenated fats can’t be properly broken downby the body’s digestive enzymes, adding to the body’s toxic load. Margarine,being a chemically-treated vegetable oil with artificial yellow color and artificialflavorings to make it seem like butter, also releases free radicals in the body thataccelerate aging. So, to avoid the dangers of eating cholesterol-containing butter,people eat something far worse for them!
There are severe inconsistencies with the entire “cholesterol-is-evil” theory.
Ethnic groups like the Danes, who eat enormous quantities of cholesterol-containing foods, have little circulatory disease. Actually, the liver itself producescholesterol; it’s presence in the blood is an important part of the body chemistry.Cholesterol only becomes a problem because of deranged body chemistry due tothe kind of overall malnutrition Americans usually experience on their junk fooddiets. Avoiding cholesterol in foods does little good, but eating a low-fat, low-sugar, complex-carbohydrate (whole foods) diet high in minerals does lowerblood cholesterol enormously.
Actually, high quality fresh (not rancid) butter in moderate quantities is about
the finest fat a person could eat. But high quality butter is almost unobtainable.First of all, it has to be raw, made from unpasteurized cream. Second, butter cancontain very high levels of fat-soluble vitamins, but doesn’t have to. Vitamin-richbutter’s color is naturally bright yellow, almost orange. This color does not comefrom a test tube. Pale yellow butter as is found in the commercial trade wasprobably almost white before it was artificially tinted. Butter from grass-pasturedcows naturally changes from yellow-orange to white and back again through theyear as the seasons change. Spring grass, growing in the most intense sunlight ofthe year contains very high levels of chlorophyll and vitamins. Cows eating thisgrass put high levels of vitamins A and D into their cream, evidenced by theorange color of vitamin A. By July, natural butter has degraded to medium-yellow
in color. By August, it is pale yellow. Industrial dairy cows fed exclusively on hay
or artificial, processed feeds (lacking in these vitamins), produce butterfat that isalmost white.
I prefer to obtain my butter from a neighbor who has several dairy cows
grazing on fertile bottom land pasture. We always freeze a year’s supply in latespring when butter is at its best. Interestingly, that is also the time of year when myneighbor gets the most production from her cows and is most willing to part with25 pounds of extra butter.
In general, fats are poor foods that should be avoided. Their ratio of nutrition
to calories is absolutely the worst of all food types, except perhaps for pure whitesugar, which is all calories and absolutely no nutrition (this is also true for otherforms of sugar. Honey, too, contains almost no nutrition.). Gram for gram, fatscontain many more calories than do sugars or starches. Yet gram for gram, fatscontain virtually no nutrition except for small quantities of essential fatty acids.
The perverse reason people like to eat fats is that they are very hard to digest
and greatly slow the digestive action of the stomach. Another way of saying that isthat they have a very high satiety value. Fats make a person feel full for a longtime because their presence in the stomach makes it churn and churn and churn.Fats coat proteins and starches and delay their digestion, often causing them tobegin fermenting (starches) or putrefying (proteins) in the digestive tract.
The best fats contain high levels of monosaturated vegetable oils that have
never been exposed to heat or chemicals—like virgin olive oil. Use smallquantities of olive oil for salad dressing. Monosaturated fats also have far lesstendency to go rancid than any other type. Vegetable oils with high proportions ofunsaturated fats, the kind that all the authorities push because they contain nocholesterol, go r


 these can be corrected by diet. But in or-der to do that, tests have to be made.
There are three groups of food that will fit all categories of chil-
dren's diets that can be served in any school.
My dream is to see that the RBTI be used in all schools and diets
made to fit the children by groups instead of each child choosing what food he wants in his lunch. And also helping parents in the home to supply the need of the children.
The purpose of the RBTI test is to determine whether or not the
body chemistry is too acid or too alkaline, whether it has or is accept-ing too much carbohydrates, or whether it is not getting enough, whether the body is retaining too much salt or not enough, whether the body is digesting the proteins or not digesting the proteins, etc. It is God's plan in bringing anyone's health back to perfect. The RBTI works well on all people whose body ch emistry will receive or will re-
spond to diet. There is less than I percent of all the people who are placed on a diet to bring their body chemistry back into a perfect range whose body will not respond. This is because there is either brain damage, a tumor of the brain, a potassium deficiency, or low blood sugar in which the brain is not getting enough oxygen, or brain injury or damage to the central nervous system (which is the nerve that takes the message from the brain to the vital organs).
This plan of diet is not the practice of medicine in any shape or
form, because everyone is on some kind of a diet, either good or bad.
Some people are inhibited by cigarettes and some are not. Some people are inhibited by drugs, 80 percent given by medical
doctors. (The other 20 percent of the people on drugs buy them on the black market.) 77 Some people are inhibited by diet. Their body accepts too much of
one thing and not enough of the mineral and vitamin content of anoth-
er.
All the RBTI diet does is correct a person's mineral and vitamin
deficiency. If the person gets well, it's not my fault or anyone else's I have taught. God does it. No one can heal another; only God can heal.
There have been some very simple instruments made that will be
on the market soon that the housewife may use. Instruments that will be easy to use and read, as a watch dial which will show the mother how to prepare a diet for her family. If there is some member in the family that needs a different diet, these instruments will show her how to make the diet for this particular individual. This will be one of the greatest factors in the world to prevent family illnesses. This will give a family more money for pleasure and the things they want to do, and to be healthy. It will decrease the loss of man hours due to illness by hundreds of percent. More progress has been made in every field of science than has been made in the field of health for the people of this world.
The purpose of this book is to enlighten the people that it is easier
to be healthy than it is to be sick.   78 CHAPTER 9
REAMS BIOLOGICAL THEORY OF IONIZATION

The theory of ionization was discovered after a father with a three
and one-half-year-old child had been to a medical doctor.
The child was having seizures and was diagnosed as an epileptic. The doctor had told the parents that this child would go into a sei-
zure and would not come out and could not live to be five years old.
"You just have to do something for my child for drugs have
failed," the father of the child said. They lived two doors from us. I knew the boy well.
When I went to the laboratory that night I just sat for three days
and nights wondering where in the world to start. What could I do? What approach should I use? Mother would bring my meals to the lab, and from one meal to the next I would not have touched the previous meal. The days almost seemed like minutes as I was meditating around the clock. I didn't sleep at all, I was so engrossed in the prob-lem at hand. I was not even sleepy.
On the end of the third day the thought came to me that if I knew
the mathematical chemistry of perfect health, then tests could be run on the boy's body chemistry and we could find out how far from per-fect his body chemistry was, and then we could make a diet and bring his body chemistry back to perfect.
It was then I started from the knowledge of frequencies I had on
grapes. It was the only thing I knew the frequency of at that time to calculate, or you might call it "dead reckoning," what a human anato-my should read if it were perfect. I'm sure that an angel held my hand for in four days I had come up with a formula which I consider today to be perfect for human anatomy, regardless of the age of the person. This was almost four years before I had discovered the frequency of the human being, which proved that this equation was indeed correct.
I asked the parents to bring the little fellow in and we'd run tests
on him. The first equation was much longer than the equation we have now. We ran tests on stool, blood, tears, ear wax, finger and toe nails, 79 sweat, hair, urine and saliva. As far as I know I was the first person to
do a hair analysis. After a week I had completed the test and was
amazed at how much duplication there was. I began to drop off vari-ous things in the next three years until I had left only the equation I now use.
We had the parents come in and made a diet for the boy, and
found he was not an epileptic at all, but that he had low blood sugar, which was causing the seizures. His pancreas was manufacturing too much insulin. We corrected the diet by using fresh green, raw chloro-phyll. We used some St. Augustine grasses and ground them in a food chopper, put them in a strainer and pressed out the juice with a fork. We didn't have juicers at that time, as they had not yet been invented.
Immediately, the boy began to improve. In three months there
were no more seizures. In a year he was doing well. Then the family moved to Texas, and I didn't see them again for 35 years. I was on the streets of Orlando, Florida, near the corner of Church Street and Or-ange Avenue when a young man came to me and said, "Are you Carey
Reams?"
"Yes," I said. "I know you, but you do not know me," he said. I said, "No, sir, if I've ever seen you I don't remember." Then he told me, "I'm the little fellow who had the epileptic sei-
zures, and you gave me a diet. I remember you real well. I never had another seizure. When I was seven years old, we were in a little acci-dent and I had a light seizure and went into shock.
But I've never had another since that time." This was my first test of this ionization theory. From time to time I was called upon to do this test. I had talked to
different doctors about it. At this time I still had the medical laborato-ry, and doctors began to use it some and found the test to be accurate.
When I discovered frequency it was brought about by two police
officers bringing some ashes from a building that had been burned. They had reason to believe that the ashes were from humans, or possi-bly an animal. The undertaker had a crematory (he and my father had been friends). I had known him all my life. I went to him and told him 80 my problem, and asked to borrow some ashes of a corpse where he
knew the sex, age, height, weight, and color of hair. In two weeks I
had established the frequency upon which human beings live, and could even tell the race, but could not tell anything about the age be-
cause the age of carbon is measured in  thousand of years. I returned to
the crematory every atom of the ashes.
I was able to determine that there were two fern ales and one male
in those ashes. I did the work for the police department for a number of years, until I went to war and then I gave it to the Commission. They don't follow it anymore because it is an aggravation to sit in court for a few days waiting to testify for the little bit you get for the testimony of it. Police departments today can determine if it is human or animal ashes. This was one of the steps in which the RBTI was dis-covered.
I sold the medical laboratory, and then spent my time in the Agri-
cultural Engineering field. I knew I had something, but did not know where its strong and weak points were. When any chemist or physicist makes what he thinks is a discover y, the first things he wants to know
are:
Is it real? Is it true? Does it work every time? What are the exceptions? I did then what is the duty of every scientist and physicist: set out to prove that this theory was not true. The theory of the entire equation is: Whether the body has too much carbohydrate, or not enough. Whether the body chemistry is too acid, or too alkaline. Whether the body is retaining too much salts or not enough. (There are many different kinds of salts. Chloride salts, and salts
without chloride. Even insulin is a salt.)


problems  in your thinking. Yes, you can
heal some of the conditions you have
already  acquired (given yourself), as well
as prevent major new problems from
devel oping.  And you can do this all by
changing your thinking.
Also—and I hate to suggest this because it
sounds so mundane coming, as it were,
from God, but —for God’s sake, take better
care of yourself.
You take rotten care of your body, paying it
little atten tion at all until you suspect
something’s going wrong with it. You do
virtually nothing in the way of preventive
maintenance. You take better care of your car than you do of your body —and that’s
not saying much.
Not only do you fail to prevent breakdowns
with regular check -ups, once -a-year
physicals, and use of the therapies and
medicines you’ve been given (why do you
go to the doctor, get her help, then not use
the remedies she suggests? Can you
answer Me that one?) —you also mistreat
your body terribly bet ween these visits
about which you do nothing!
You do not exercise it, so it grows flabby
and, worse yet, weak from non - use.
You do not nourish it properly, thereby
weakening it further.
Then you fill it with toxins and poisons and
the most absurd substanc es posing as
food. And still, it runs for you, this marvelous engine; still, it chugs along,
bravely  pushing on in the face of this
onslaught.
It’s horrible. The conditions under which
you ask your body to survive are horrible.
But you will do little or no thing about them.
You will read this, nod your head in  regretful
agreement, and go right back to the
mistreatment. And do you know why?
I’m afraid to ask.
Because you have no will to live.
That seems a harsh indictment.
It’s not meant to be harsh, nor is i t meant
as an indictment. “Harsh” is a relative  term;
a judgment you have laid on the words.
“Indictment” connotes guilt, and “guilt”
connotes wrongdoing. There is no wrong doing involved here, hence no guilt and no
indictment.
I have made a simple stateme nt of truth.
Like all statements of truth, it has the
quality of waking you up. Some people
don’t like to be awakened. Most do not.
Most  would rather sleep.
The world is in the condition that it’s in
because the world is full of sleepwalkers.
With regard t o my statement, what about it
seems untrue? You have no will to live.  At
least you have had none until now.
If you tell me you’ve had an “instant
conversion,” I will reassess my prediction of
what you will now do. I acknowledge that
my prediction is based on past experience.
...it was also meant to wake you up.
Sometimes, when a person is really deeply  asleep, you have to shake him a little.
I have seen in the past that you have had
little will to live. Now you may deny that,  but
in this case your actions speak louder than
your words. If you ever lit a cigarette  in your
life—much less smoked a pack a day for 20
years as you have —you have  very little will
to live. You don’t care what you do to your
body.
But I stopped smoking over 10 years ago!
Only after 20 years of grueling physical
punishment.
And if you’ve ever taken alcohol into your
body, you have very little will to live.
I drink very moderately.
The body was not meant to intake alcohol.
It impairs the mind.  But Jesus took alcohol! He went to t he
wedding and turned water into wine!
So who said Jesus was perfect?
Oh, for God’s sake.
Say, are you becoming annoyed with Me?
Well, far be it from me to become annoyed
with God. I mean, that would be a bit
presumptuous, wouldn’t it? But I do think
we ca n carry all this a bit too far. My father
taught me, “all things in moderation.” I think
I’ve stuck to that where alcohol is
concerned.
The body can more easily recover from
only moderate abuse. The saying is
therefore useful. Nevertheless, I’ll stick to
my original statement: the body was not
meant to intake alcohol.  But even some medicines contain alcohol!
I have no control over what you call
medicine. I’ll stay with my statement.
You really are rigid, aren’t You?
Look, truth is truth. Now if someone said,
“A little alcohol won’t hurt you,” and placed
that statement in the context of life as you
now live it, I would have to agree with  them.
That does not change the truth of what I’ve
said. It simply allows you to ignore  it.
Yet consider this. Currently, yo u humans
wear your bodies out, typically, within 50 to
80 years. Some last longer, but not many.
Some stop functioning sooner, but not the
majority. Can we agree on that?
Yes, okay.  Alright, so we have a good starting point for
discussion. Now, when I said  I could  agree
with the statement, “A little alcohol won’t
hurt you,” I qualified that by adding “in  the
context of life as you now live it.” You see,
you people seem satisfied with life as  you
now live it. But life, it may surprise you to
learn, was meant  to be lived a whole
different way. And your body was designed
to last a great deal longer.
It was?
Yes.
How much longer?
Infinitely longer.
What does that mean?
It means, My son, your body was designed
to last forever.  Forever?
Yes. Read that: “for ever more.”
You mean we were —are—never supposed
to die?
You never do die. Life is eternal. You are
immortal. You never do die. You simply
change form. You didn’t even have to do
that. You decided to do that, I didn’t. I  made
you bodies that would last forever. Do you
really think the best God could do,  the best
I could come up with, was a body that could
make it 60, 70, maybe 80  years before
falling apart? Is that, do you imagine, the
limit of My ability?
I never thought of putting it that way,
exactly...
I designed your magnificent body to last
forever! And the earliest of you did live in  the body virtually pain -free, and without
fear of what you now call death.
In your religious mythology, you symbolize
your cellular memory of these first -version
human s by calling them Adam and Eve.
Actually, of course, there were more  than
two.
At the outset, the idea was for you
wonderful souls to have a chance to know
your Selves as Who You Really Are
through experiences gained in the physical
body, in  the relative w orld—as I have
explained repeatedly here.
This was done through the slowing down of
the unfathomable speed of all vibration
(thought form) to produce matter —
including that matter you call the physical
body.  Life evolved through a series of steps in the
blink of an eye that you now call billions  of
years. And in this holy instant came you,
out of the sea, the water of life, onto the
land and into the form you now hold.
Then the evolutionists are right!
I find it amusing —a source of continual
amusement, actua lly—that you humans
have such a need to break everything down
into right and wrong. It never occurs to  you
that you’ve made those labels up to help
you define the material —and your Self.
It never occurs to you (except to the finest
minds among you) that a thing could be
both right and wrong; that only in the
relative world are things one or the other. In
the world of the absolute, of time -no time,
all things are everything.  There is no male and female, there is no
before and after, there is no fast and slow,
here and there, up and down, left and
right—and no right and wrong.
Your astronauts and cosmonauts have
gained a sense of this. They imagined
themselves to be rocketing upward to get
to outer space, only to find when they got
there that they were looking up at the Earth.
Or were they? Maybe they were looking
down at the Earth! But then, where was the
sun? Up? Down? No! Over there, to the
left. So now, suddenly, a thing was neither
up nor down —it was sideways...and all
definitions thus disappeared.
So it is in My world —our world —our real
realm. All definitions disappear, rendering it
difficult to even talk about this realm in
definitive terms. Religion is


 pustules. Bacilli notably produce diseases such as influenza and tuberculosis. Spirillum can be the cause of serious disease, including syphilis. Pathogens can spread to infect humans and ani -
mals through a range of vectors including air, water, soil, animals, and insects and by physical contact between the infected host and the noninfected victim. These organisms have wreaked havoc throughout the centuries by decimating a dispropor -
tionately large number of people from such epidemics and pandemics as the plague of Athens in 430 BC, the bubonic (black death) plague in 1338, the great Plague of London in 1665, the cholera pandemic of 1816, and the flu pandemic of 1918, to name but a few.
In the history of medicine, probably the greatest breakthrough of all time is the
start of the antibiotic era and the control of infectious diseases that have been the leading cause of human morbidity and mortality for most of human existence. Prior to the antibiotic era, it was common to believe and easy to record that “the treat -
ment is worse than the disease.” Names like Koch, Pasteur, Domagk, Lister, and Ehrlich were instrumental in changing this cynical cliché by laying the groundwork
for less toxic and more clinically effective antimicrobial therapy. Their work largely
paved the way for the chance discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1929. 100 Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in Trauma and Disease
Fleming made a keen observation noting that the Penicillium notatum  mold acci -
dentally cultured in a petri dish was able to kill several colonies of staphylococci
bacteria that had also invaded the petri dish near the mold. Despite this monumen -
tal observation, penicillin languished on a laboratory shelf for a decade largely in part because Fleming did not seem to grasp the potential of his great discovery or the conviction to pursue it further. In support of this conclusion, it is well known that Fleming failed to undertake essential experiments where penicillin would be administered to animals infected with pathogens to see whether the animals would be protected and survive the systemic infection.
2 This was and still is a simple rule
of thumb in experimental pharmacotherapeutics in 1929.
Credit for these animal experiments and penicillin’s clinical effectiveness was
finally realized in 1939 by a team at Oxford led by Ernst Chain, Howard Florey, who was the head of the laboratory where the work was done, and the chemist Norman Heatley.
3
In 3 years, this team not only showed the bactericidal properties of penicillin in
animals and humans but also purified, mass-produced, and made penicillin clini -
cally available as an antibacterial agent so that, by 1944, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians were able to survive wound infections sustained in the Second World War that would otherwise may have been fatal. The number of lives saved by penicillin continues to this day. Fleming, Florey, and Chain shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945.
The brilliant Spanish physician and scientist Gregorio Marañon referred to peni -
cillin as a miracle cure that opened a new era, full of hope for all humanity. He also prophetically warned that even a miracle cure had its limits. Presently, there are more than a thousand different preparations containing penicillin and over 150 anti -
bacterial agents in the pharmacopoeia to control bacteria, viruses, molds, protozoa, and parasites.
At the end of 1945, no one could have predicted that the miracle cure that was
penicillin would lose some or all of its effectiveness against evolving germs it had easily defeated in the past. The new post-antibiotic era of drug resistance where organisms are able to resist the effects of antibiotics to which they were previously sensitive was now in progress, not only for penicillin but also for many other newer antimicrobials developed after penicillin.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria reveal the amount of sophistication and high adapt -
ability these germs have been able to develop to changing environments. This reaction by disease-producing pathogens poses one of the most serious medical concerns of the twenty-first century because when it is encountered clinically, first-line antibiotic treatments lose their efficacy and second-line antibiotics that may have less efficacy, greater cost, and more safety concerns become the only line of defense. Bacteria that can resist many antibiotics are called multidrug resistant and are commonly referred to as superbugs. These superbugs are especially dangerous in prolonged hospital stays and in intensive care units where an increasing number of invasive measures
and interventions and inadequate maintenance of hygiene standards pose a high risk
for infection.
4
Any adjuvant therapy or new approach that potentiates the activity of first-
line antibiotics to prevent antibiotic resistance would help postpone the day when 101 DMSO in Basic Microbiology
antibiotics are no longer generally efficacious.5 This topic and the role played by
dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as an adjuvant in drug-resistant microbes is discussed in
the section “How Bacteria Achieve Antibiotic Resistance” in Chapter 6.
DMSO AND PATHOGENS
When treating an infection, physicians may face a choice between using a bacteri -
cidal drug, a bacteriostatic drug, and a combination of the two. A bactericidal drug means that it kills bacteria, while a bacteriostatic drug prevents the growth of bac -
teria. The use of one or the other or both is dependent principally on the type of infection being treated and the achievement of a good clinical outcome with the least toxicity.
6
The first observations concerning the bacteriostatic properties of DMSO were
made by Jacob et al.7 They reported that a 20% solution of DMSO showed bacterio -
static properties against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas
bacilli  grown in cultures. Additionally, Jacob’s group also observed that 1% DMSO
solution altered the sensitivity of resistant tubercle bacilli (the cause of tuberculosis) to antibiotics. As will be seen in Chapter 6, hard-to-cure drug-resistant tuberculosis has become a serious and growing problem worldwide. This occurs when bacteria develop the ability to withstand multiple first-line antibiotic attack and relay that resistant ability to subsequent generations of bacterial offspring. Since that entire strain of resistant bacteria inherits this capacity to fend off the effects of various antibiotics, resistant bacteria can spread from one person to another. Even treatable forms of tuberculosis are particularly tricky to cure because drug-sensitive strains must be treated with a 6-month course of antibiotics. Tougher cases require costly long-term hospitalization and a regimen of multiple drugs that can last years. Patients die when this treatment is ineffective.
Perhaps one of the unusual properties of DMSO is its ability to penetrate biologi -
cal membranes or act as a penetrant carrier for other even larger molecules. This property implies that enhancing the penetration of an antibiotic into a bacterial cell, for example, may reduce the concentration needed for the antibiotic to be effective and also reduce its potential toxicity.
As a bactericidal agent, DMSO’s minimal inhibitory concentration is reported
to be 50% for S. aureus  and from 20% to 40% for beta-hemolytic streptococcus,
Corynebacterium  species, E. coli, and Proteus  species.
8
Pottz et al.9 confirmed Jacob’s team findings and further tested DMSO for bacte -
ricidal and bacteriostatic properties against a variety of microorganisms where they observed growth inhibition at concentrations of 40%–50% (Table 5.1).
Pottz et al.
9 found that the bactericidal concentration of DMSO required to inhibit
the growth of E. coli, A. cloacae, P. vulgaris, beta-hemolytic streptococci group A,
Salmonella paratyphi B, and C. albicans was 30%, and for P. aeruginosa, it was
10%. D. pneumoniae  was most sensitive to DMSO and required only  5% concentra -
tion (Table 5.1). S. aureus and Streptococcus faecalis required a 40% and a 50%
concentration respectively.
These microorganisms are responsible for many serious infections, which if left
untreated can have organ damage consequences or be fatal to the host. For example, 102 Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in Trauma and Disease
certain strains of E. coli, which includes serotypes O157:H7, O104:H4 in contami -
nated food or water, can secrete Shiga toxigenic toxins that can result in bloody diar -
rhea and cause severe damage to the lining of the intestines and kidneys.10
A. cloacae  is a rod-shaped bacterium generally found in normal gut flora that
sometimes causes respiratory and urinary tract infections. Strep throat from beta-
hemolytic streptococci group A is a common throat infection in school-aged children that can lead to a spectrum of more serious diseases including glomerulonephritis and rheumatic fever.
11
S. paratyphi  B and S. faecalis  are contaminants in food and water that often infect
the intestines and urinary tract. P. aeruginosa  and Candida  species are opportu-
nistic pathogens commonly found in hospital intensive care units where they can cause stubborn infections in patients after surgery.
12 In this list of microbes, the most
sensitive micro


 be most accurate.
Since this is not a book about food allergy, hypersensitivity, cytolytic reaction,
immune complex mediated reaction, delayed hypersensitivity reaction, food
intolerance, food idiosyncrasy, food metabolic reaction, toxicity reactions, or
anaphylaxis, I won’t go into detail describing the various tests. Instead, acquire
information from the following laboratories, which are quite accommodating to the
health professional:
Immuno Laboratories, 1620 West Oakland Park Boulevard, Ft. Lauderdale,
Florida 33311; toll-free nationally (800) 231–9197, in Florida (305) 486–
4500, teleFAX (305) 739–6563.Meridian Valley Clinical Laboratory, 24030 132nd Avenue SE, Kent,
Washington 98042; toll-free nationally (800) 234–6825, in Washington (206)
631–8922, teleFAX (206) 631–8691. (This is the laboratory with which
Jonathan Wright, M.D., was associated and that was raided at gunpoint by
agents of the FDA in May 1992.)
Metametrix Medical Laboratory, 5000 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Suite
110, Norcross, Georgia 30071; telephone (404) 446-5483, teleFAX (404)
441-2237.
Great Smokies Diagnostic Laboratory, 18A Regent Boulevard, Asheville,
North Carolina 28806; toll-free nationally (800) 522-4762, in North Carolina
(704) 253-0621, teleFAX (704) 253-1127.
National BioTechnology Laboratory, Inc., 13215 SE 240th Street, Suite C,
Kent, Washington 98042; telephone (206) 630-2295, (800) 846-6285.
IMMUNOTHERAPY
Another weapon in our treatment armamentarium is immunotherapy. Bernard A.
Bellew, M.D., discovered that patients receiving immunization for influenza and
for bacterial infection who had arthritis greatly improved following immunization.
Dr. Bellew theorized that rheumatoid arthritis was secondary to chronic infection.
With serial injections of flu and bacterial vaccines, he has had impressive results
in treating rheumatoid arthritis.
DMSO is, of course, the tool against arthritis that this book favors most. If you
have any further questions about the employment of DMSO in arthritis or other
treatment modalities, please call or write to William Campbell Douglass, M.D.,
P.O. Box 888, Clayton, Georgia 30525, telephone (706) 782-7222. He is an expert
on this therapy.
For literature and other information on pain relief for chronic joint,
ligamentous, and tendon disabilities, send a check or money order for $18 (U.S.)
along with a self-addressed, nine-inch by twelve-inch manilla envelope with
enough postage for ten ounces of articles to Dr. Morton Walker, Freelance
Communications, 484 High Ridge Road, Stamford, Connecticut 06905-3095;
telephone (203) 322-1551, teleFAX (203) 322-4656.
FINAL RANDOM COMMENTSIn the treatment of massive stroke, extremely large doses of DMSO are required
for a good result. The initial dose is 2 g per kg of body weight. By the usual
standards, this is an incredibly large dose of medication, a comment on the lack of
toxicity of the drug. What other medication can be safely used even at one tenth of
that dose?
One potentially serious side effect can occur at these high dosage levels—
hemolysis.
The first IV arthritis patient treated by my medical consultant, Dr. Douglass,
had hemolysis with hemoglobinuria at a dosage of one g per kg. This is not a
common occurrence but occurs with enough frequency to warrant frequent blood
hemoglobin and hematocrit determinations and urine monitoring during the initial
phase of treatment.
If hemolysis occurs, treatment should be continued at the same dosage level as
long as kidney function remains within normal limits and the hemogram doesn’t
change significantly. Transfusion will rarely be necessary but packed cells can be
given if indicated.
A final word about the legality of DMSO in your state: Most people, including
doctors, don’t understand the FDA rules and regulations concerning the use of
“approved” drugs. Once a drug has been approved by the FDA for any condition,
a licensed physician in any state, whether the legislature of that state has passed
special legislation or not, has the right to use that drug in any way that he feels will
benefit his patient. There are many precedents for this, such as xylocaine in
cardiac arrhythmia, propranalol in hypertension and headache, diphenhydramine for
sedation, and phentoin for arrhythmias. Another example is the use of the
phenopropins for menstrual cramps.
As DMSO has been approved for use in interstitial cystitis by the FDA,
DMSO is also legal in all fifty states for use in stroke, burns, arthritis, and for
whatever other purpose the doctor deems appropriate.APPENDIX II
Titles of Scientific Papers on DMSO Therapy in the
Order They Were Presented at the Dimethyl Sulfoxide
Symposium Held Under the Auspices of the New York
Academy of Sciences in January 1974
Pharmacologic and Biochemical Considerations of Dimethyl Sulfoxide.
 Don C.
Wood, Ph.D., Medlab Computer Services, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Influence of Non-Ionic Organic Solutes on Various Reactions of Energy
Conservation and Utilization.
 Thomas Conover, Ph.D., Hahnemann Medical
College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Effects of DMSO on Subunit Proteins.
 Thomas R. Henderson and Rogene F.
Henderson, Lovelace Fnd., Albuquerque, New Mexico, and J.L. York, University
of Arkansas School of Medicine, Little Rock, Arkansas.
The Effect of Dimethyl Sulfoxide on a Lysosomal Membrane.
 Donald W. Misch
and Margaret S. Misch, Department of Zoology, University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Specific Modifications of the Na+, K+
-
ATPase by DMSO.
 Joseph D. Robinson,
State University of New York, Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse, New York.
Toxicology of DMSO and DMSO in Chemical Combinations.
 Lionel F. Rubin,
V.M.D., School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
Metabolism and Excretion of DMSO in Calves and Cows After Topical and
Parenteral Application of Labelled DMSO.
 J. Tiewst, E. Scharrer, N. Harre, L.
Flogel, and W. Jochle.
The Effect of Dimethylsulfoxide and Dimethylformide on Tumor Cells in Vitro.
Ellen Borenfreund and Aaron Bendich, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center,
New York, New York.Effect of DMSO on the Hepatic Disposition of Chemical Carcinogens.
 W.G.
Levine, Department of Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx,
New York.
Potentiation of Anti-Neoplastic Compounds by Oral DMSO in Tumor-Bearing
Rats.
 Joel Warren, Ph.D., Miriam R. Sacksteder, B.S., Harriet Jarosz, B.S., Bruce
Wasserman, B.S., and Peter E. Andreotti, Leo Goodwin Institute for Cancer
Research, Nova University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Effect of DMSO on Skin Carcinogenesis.
 F. Stenback and H. Garcia, Eppley
Institute, Omaha, Nebraska.
Report on the Use of DMSO on the Treatment of Extensive Superficial Wounds
in Dogs and Horses.
 S.W.J. Seager, M.A., M.V.B., M.R.C.V.S., Department of
Surgery, University of Oregon Medical School, Portland, Oregon.
Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Thrombotic Effects of Topically Applied Dimethyl
Sulfoxide (DMSO).
 Peter Gorog, Ph.D., Egypt Pharmacochemical Works and Irene
B. Kovacs, M.D., Otto Korvin Hospital, Budapest, Hungary.
Fate and Metabolism of DMSO in 30 Agricultural Crops.
 Bernard C. Smale,
Ph.D., Neil J. Lasater, and Bruce T. Hunter, Crown Zellerbach Central Research,
Camas, Washington.
Accumulation and Persistence of Sulfur 35 in Peach Foliage and Fruit Sprayed
With Radiolabeled Dimethyl Sulfoxide.
 Harry L. Kell, Ph.D., United States
Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northeastern Region,
Agricultural Research Center-West, Beltsville, Maryland.
Use of DMSO to Control Aflatoxin Production.
 George A. Bean and George W.
Rambo, Division of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Maryland,
College Park, Maryland.
Current Concepts Concerning Radioprotective and Cryoprotective Properties of
Dimethyl Sulphoxide in Cellular Systems.
 M.J. Ashwood-Smith, Department of
Biological Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
The Effect of Dimethyl Sulfoxide on Forelimb Regeneration of the Adult Newt.Gerald G. Slattery, Ph.D., College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, Des
Moines, Iowa, and Anthony J. Schmidt


 through a serious illness or an
accident that happens to you or someone close to yo u, or through the passing away
of a loved one, death enters your life as the aware ness of your own mortality.

Most people turn away from it in fear, but if you d o not flinch and face the fact that
your body is fleeting and could dissolve at any mom ent, there is some degree of
disidentification, however slight, from your own ph ysical and psychological form,
the “me.” When you see and accept the impermanent n ature of all life forms, a
strange sense of peace comes upon you.

Through facing death, your consciousness is freed t o some extent from
identification with form. This is why in some Buddh ist traditions, the monks
regularly visit the morgue to sit and meditate amon g the dead bodies.

There is still a widespread denial of death in West ern cultures. Even old people try
not to speak or think about it, and dead bodies are  hidden away. A culture that
denies death inevitably becomes shallow and superfi cial, concerned only with the
external form of things. When death is denied, life  loses its depth. The possibility
of knowing who we are beyond name and form, the dim ension of the transcendent,
disappears from our lives because death is the open ing into that dimension.

***

People tend to be uncomfortable with endings, becau se every ending is a little
death. That’s why in many languages, the word for “ good-bye” means “see you again.”

Whenever an experience comes to an end–a gathering of friends, a vacation, your
children leaving home–you die a little death. A “fo rm” that appeared in your
consciousness as that experience dissolves. Often t his leaves behind a feeling of
emptiness that most people try hard not to feel, no t to face.

If you can learn to accept and even welcome the end ings in your life, you may find
that the feeling of emptiness that initially felt u ncomfortable turns into a sense of
inner spaciousness that is deeply peaceful.

By learning to die daily in this way, you open your self to Life.

***

Most people feel that their identity, their sense o f self, is something incredibly
precious that they don’t want to lose. That is why they have such fear of death.

It seems unimaginable and frightening that “I” coul d cease to exist. But you
confuse that precious “I” with your name and form a nd a story associated with it.
That “I” is no more than a temporary formation in t he field of consciousness.

As long as that form identity is all you know, you are not aware that this
preciousness is your own essence, your innermost se nse of I Am, which is
consciousness itself. It is the eternal in you–and that’s the only thing you cannot
lose.

***

Whenever any kind of deep loss occurs in your life– such as loss of possessions,
your home, a close relationship; or loss of your re putation, job, or physical
abilities–something inside you dies. You feel dimin ished in your sense of who you
are. There may also be a certain disorientation. “W ithout this...who am I?”

When a form that you had unconsciously identified w ith as part of yourself leaves
you or dissolves, that can be extremely painful. It  leaves a hole, so to speak, in the
fabric of your existence.

When this happens, don’t deny or ignore the pain or  the sadness that you feel.
Accept that it is there. Beware of your mind’s tend ency to construct a story around
that loss in which you are assigned the role of vic tim. Fear, anger, resentment, or self-pity are the emotions that go with that role. Then become aware of what lies
behind those emotions as well as behind the mind-ma de story: that hole, that empty
space. Can you face and accept that strange sense o f emptiness? If you do, you may
find that it is no longer a fearful place. You may be surprised to find peace
emanating from it.

Whenever death occurs, whenever a life form dissolv es, God, the formless and
unmanifested, shines through the opening left by th e dissolving form. That is why
the most sacred thing in life is death. That is why  the peace of God can come to you
through the contemplation and acceptance of death.

***

How short-lived every human experience is, how flee ting our lives. Is there
anything that is not subject to birth and death, an ything that is eternal?

Consider this: if there were only one color, let us  say blue, and the entire world and
everything in it were blue, then there would be no blue. There needs to be
something that is not blue so that blue can be reco gnized; otherwise, it would not
“stand out,” would not exist.

In the same way, does it not require something that  is not fleeting and impermanent
for the fleetingness of all things to be recognized? In other words: if everything,
including yourself, were impermanent, would you eve n know it? Does the fact that
you are aware of and can witness the short-lived na ture of all forms, including your
own, not mean that there is something in you that i s not subject to decay?

When you are twenty, you are aware of your body as strong and vigorous; sixty
years later, you are aware of your body as weakened  and old. Your thinking too
may have changed from when you were twenty, but the  awareness that knows that
your body is young or old or that your thinking has  changed has undergone no
change. That awareness is the eternal in you–consci ousness itself. It is the formless
One Life. Can you lose It? No, because you are It.

***

Some people become deeply peaceful and almost lumin ous just before they die, as
if something is shining through the dissolving form.

Sometimes it happens that very ill or old people be come almost transparent, so to
speak, in the last few weeks, months, or even years  of their lives. As they look at you, you may see a light shining through their eyes. There is no psychological
suffering left. They have surrendered and so the pe rson, the mind-made egoic
“me,” has already dissolved. They have “died before  they died” and found the deep
inner peace that is the realization of the deathles s within themselves.

***

To every accident and disaster there is a potential ly redemptive dimension that we
are usually unaware of.

The tremendous shock of totally unexpected, imminen t death can have the effect of
forcing your consciousness completely out of identi fication with form. In the last
few moments before physical death, and as you die, you then experience yourself
as consciousness free of form. Suddenly, there is n o more fear, just peace and a
knowing that “all is well” and that death is only a  form dissolving. Death is then
recognized as ultimately illusory–as illusory as th e form you had identified with as
yourself.

***

Death is not an anomaly or the most dreadful of all  events as modern culture would
have you believe, but the most natural thing in the  world, inseparable from and just
as natural as its other polarity–birth. Remind your self of this when you sit with a
dying person.

It is a great privilege and a sacred act to be pres ent at a person’s death as a witness
and companion.

When you sit with a dying person, do not deny any a spect of that experience. Do
not deny what is happening and do not deny your fee lings. The recognition that
there is nothing you can do may make you feel helpl ess, sad, or angry. Accept what
you feel. Then go one step further: accept that the re is nothing you can do, and
accept it completely. You are not in control. Deepl y surrender to every aspect of
that experience, your feelings as well as any pain or discomfort the dying person
may be experiencing. Your surrendered state of cons ciousness and the stillness that
comes with it will greatly assist the dying person and ease their transition. If words
are called for, they will come out of the stillness  within you. But they will be
secondary.

With the stillness comes the benediction: peace.

Chapter 10
Suffering and the End of Suffering

The interconnectedness of all things: Buddhists hav e always known it and
physicists now confirm it. Nothing that happens is an isolated event, it only appears
to be. The more we judge and label it, the more we isolate it.

 The wholeness of life becomes fragmented through o ur thinking. Yet the totality of
life has brought this event about. It is part of th e web of interconnectedness that is
the cosmos. This means whatever is could not be oth erwise.

 In most cases, we cannot begin to understand what role a seemingly senseless
event may have within the totality of the cosmos bu t recognizing its inevitability
within the vastness of the whole can be the beginni ng of an inner acceptance of
what is and thus a real


and used to treat excess vaginal discharge and
vaginal itching. Purple loosestrife is now little used
to treat eye problems, but, as Culpeper’s
experience suggests, the herb could be worth
further investigation as a remedy for disorders
of the eyes and vision.
Research  In animal experiments, extracts of
the flowers and leaves have been shown to be
hypoglycemic—lowering blood-sugar levels. The
plant is also thought to have antibiotic activity.
Madhuca spp. (sapotaceae)
Butter Tree
Description  Deciduous tree growing to 65 ft
(20 m). Has leathery leaves, clusters of scented
white flowers, and greenish fruit.
Habitat & Cultivation  Madhuca species are
native to central and northern India. The flowers,
leaves, and seeds are gathered in summer.
Parts Used  Flowers, seed oil.
Constituents  The leaves contain an alkaloid
and a saponin; the seeds a saponin and fixed oil.
History & Folklore  Butter tree has been a
source of food and medicine in India for at least
2,000 years. Its flowers are eaten and are
fermented to make alcoholic drinks.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  The
expectorant flowers are used to treat chest
problems such as bronchitis. They are also taken
to increase breast-milk production. The leaves are
applied as a poultice to eczema. The seed oil is
laxative and is taken for constipation and to loosen
the stool of hemorrhoid sufferers.Purple loosestrife  is
used to relieve
diarrhea and
dysentery in breast-
feeding babies.Lysimachia vulgaris (primulaceae)
Y ellow Loosestrife
Description  Attractive perennial growing to
3 ft (1 m) with whorls of broadly lance-shaped
leaves and bright yellow flowers.
Habitat & Cultivation  Native to Europe,
yellow loosestrife commonly grows in damp
hedgerows and near water. It is also cultivated
as a garden plant. It is gathered when in flower
in summer.
Parts Used  Aerial parts.
Constituents  Y ellow loosestrife contains a
benzoquinone, triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids,
and tannins.
History & Folklore  Pliny (23–79 ce)
recorded that lysimachia, the plant’s Latin name,
was a tribute to King Lysimachus of Sicily, who
discovered its medicinal benefits. The name
“loosestrife” refers to the plant’s reputed power
to prevent conflict, particularly between animals,
and to repel insects. The Greek physician
US_224-245_Jasmine_Harmala.indd   231 26/02/16   12:47 pm
232Magnolia officinalisOther medicinal plantsMagnolia officinalis (Magnoliaceae)
Magnolia,
Hou Po (Chinese)
Description  Deciduous tree growing to 80 ft
(25 m). Has aromatic bark, large leaves, and
fragrant creamy-white flowers.
Habitat & Cultivation  Native to China,
magnolia grows wild in mountainous regions. It  is now planted in many parts of the world as an ornamental tree. The bark is stripped in spring.Malva sylvestris (Malvaceae)
Common Mallow
Description  Biennial growing to 5 ft (1.5 m).
Has a pulpy taproot, 5-lobed scalloped leaves,  and pink to mauve flowers.
Habitat & Cultivation  Common mallow is
native to Europe and Asia. It is naturalized in the Americas and Australasia, growing in open areas and on hedges and fences. The leaves are gathered in spring, the flowers when in bloom in summer.
Parts Used  Leaves, flowers, root.
Constituents  Common mallow contains
flavonol glycosides, mucilage, and tannins. The
flowers also contain malvin (an anthocyanin).
History & Folklore  The young leaves and
shoots of this plant have been eaten since at
least the 8th century bce. The plant’s many
uses gave rise to the Spanish adage, “A
kitchen garden and mallow, sufficient
medicines for a home.”
Medicinal Actions & Uses
Though less useful than marshmallow
(Althaea officinalis, p. 165), common
mallow is an effective demulcent. The flowers
and leaves are emollient and good for sensitive areas of the skin. It is applied as a poultice to reduce swelling and draw out toxins. T aken
internally, the leaves reduce gut irritation and
have a laxative effect. When common mallow
is combined with eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus,  p. 96), it makes a good remedy for coughs and other chest ailments. As with marshmallow, the root may be given to children to ease teething.influential was the root’s shape, which often vaguely resembles the human form. The roots have been carved and used as talismans for thousands of years, especially to aid fertility in women, and as a charm against misfortune. From Roman times onward, mandrake root bark was used as an anaesthetic and analgesic, and as a treatment for insanity.
Magnolia is distinguished by its
beautiful creamy-white flowers.
Part Used  Bark.
Constituents  Magnolia bark contains alkaloids,
coumarins, flavonoids, and lignans. The lignan,
honokiol, found in the bark of several magnolia species appears to have antitumor and anti-anxiety activity. Another lignan, magnolol, has antibacterial and anti-anxiety activity.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Magnolia bark
is aromatic, warming, and pungent. It relieves cramping pain and flatulence, and is taken for abdominal distension, indigestion, loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. It is now also used to treat anxiety, chronic stress, and lowered mood, and as a neuroprotective remedy that aids memory and mental function.
Research  Research suggests that magnolia bark
extract is antimicrobial and may have specific use  as an oral antiseptic to control bacteria and relieve bad breath (halitosis). Two Italian clinical studies found that magnolia extract helped relieve anxiety and support positive mood in menopausal women.   A 2012 Korean study concluded that magnolia may be useful in treating Alzheimer’s disease.
Related Species North American species,
notably M. grandiflora, are used in much the same way as magnolia (above), with traditional uses including for fever and rheumatism.

Caution Do not take during pregnancy. Mandrake’s narcotic properties and human-shaped root have
inspired much legend and lore.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Mandrake
has now largely fallen out of use. The herb is
sometimes applied as a poultice or plaster for rheumatic and arthritic pains, or, as a decoction,  for ulcers and similar kinds of skin disorders.
 RCautions  Mandrake is toxic. Do not take
internally. Use externally only under professional supervision. The plant is subject to legal restrictions in some countries.
Manihot esculenta
(Euphorbiaceae)
Cassava,
Manioc
Description  Shrub growing to 61⁄2 ft (2 m).
Has fleshy roots, woody stems, large palm-shaped
leaves, and green flowers.
Habitat & Cultivation  Cassava is native to
tropical Central and South America. Possibly the most grown root crop in the world, bitter and sweet varieties are grown commercially throughout the tropics (Nigeria, Thailand, and Brazil being the foremost producers). The plant was first cultivated in Peru around 4,000 years ago. The root is unearthed 8 to 24 months after planting.
Part Used  Root.
Constituents  Cassava contains cyanogenic
glycosides (0.02–0.03% in the bitter varieties, 0.007% in the sweet) and starch.Mandragora officinarum
(Solanaceae)
Mandrake
Description  Perennial growing to 2 in (5 cm).
Has a deep branching root, a rosette of broad
floppy leaves, funnel-shaped white to purple flowers, and yellow fruit.
Habitat & Cultivation  Native to the
Mediterranean region of Europe, mandrake grows on dry riverbeds. Its leaves are picked in summer.
Part Used  Root.
Constituents  Mandrake contains 0.4% tropane
alkaloids (hyoscine and hyoscyamine).
History & Folklore  Legend held that the
mandrake, on being uprooted, emitted a scream that was so powerful it could kill the person harvesting the plant. Consequently, reported one classical authority, mandrake was pulled up by dogs that had the stems tied to their tails. The fantastic powers attributed to the plant were partly due  to the narcotic-like properties of the root. Also
US_224-245_Jasmine_Harmala.indd   232 26/02/16   12:47 pm233 Other medicinal plantsMedicago sativa
History & Folklore  Bitter cassava has large
quantities of highly toxic glycosides, and must be
care


It reveals the amazing things the body can do for itself in the way of restoration of structure and
function when it is given a fair opportunity. This dying child was not “treated” into good health;
she made her own spontaneous recovery without the dubious assistance of any therapeutic
132measure.
Richard Bright, a British physician prominent in the first half of the nineteenth century, noted that
the last illness of many men was attended by the appearance of albumen in the urine or uremic
poisoning. He
investigated the condition of the kidneys in these cases and discovered a
degenerated state that was responsible for the symptoms. Although this condition is technically
known as nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys) the disease has long been called Bright’s disease
after the man who first described it.
Actually, from a practical point of view, we are not so much concerned about the degenerative
changes that take place in the kidneys, when albumen and granular and bloody casts appear in the
urine or when there is suppression of the urine. When we are confronted with evidences of uremic
poisoning, instead of worrying about the nature of the changes in the kidneys, we need first to think
of the living habits of the patient. Faulty, excessive practices may have caused the degeneration of
kidneys and all the other organs that are involved in the deterioration.
Few chronic diseases arouse so much fear and apprehension in the patient’s mind as chronic
Bright’s disease. Yet there is no chronic disease that so quickly improves, and from which the
patient is so likely to make a full recovery as a consequence of a fast, proper feeding and general
Hygienic
 care. These simple changes, however, in the way of life must be made before the
deterioration to the kidneys has reached an irreversible stage.
The reason for the terror that a diagnosis of Bright’s disease commonly causes is based on the
fact that the cause of the disease is not removed.
Nephritis or Bright’s disease does not develop, neither in the acute nor in the chronic form, in
those of abstemious habits of living. It is a disease of high livers and continuous stuffers. Many
drugs produce inflammation of the kidneys and those who are always drugging themselves may
have to pay for their folly by evolving a serious degenerative change in the kidneys that will
shorten their life.
It is well known in professional circles that today the possession of typically healthy kidneys is
rare in adults. Great numbers of people who die of other diseases have been made liable to these
other diseases by the impaired state of their kidneys.
A fast in this condition need not always be a lengthy one. Ten days, two weeks, sometimes three
weeks, are usually enough. The condition of the kidneys quickly clears when fasting is instituted.
The albumen disappears from the urine, casts and blood clear up. The symptoms of urine poisoning
—headaches, vertigo, frequent and copious urination, bed wetting, getting up frequently at night,
suppressed urine, and scanty urine—soon cease. The urine becomes normal in color and odor and
everything points to the resumption of normal excretion.
The regeneration of the kidneys that takes place after the fast is broken will be more thorough,
more complete and more rapid if the diet is abstemious and composed of fresh fruits and leafy
vegetables with but moderate quantities of the heavier foods.
Onions, garlic, chives, shallots, leaks, mustard, radishes, cress and other foods containing
mustard oil, which irritate the kidneys, should be omitted from the diet. Grain products are also
best omitted. Flesh, meat extracts, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, tea, coffee, cocoa and
chocolate are not to be thought of for the man whose kidneys are seriously impaired. Excessive
water drinking can serve no useful purpose. Give the kidneys a chance to repair themselves and
they will not disappoint you.
13334
Gallstones
Cholelithiasis
 is the term applied to the formation of stones in the gall bladder and bile ducts.
These are derived either partly or entirely from the constituents of the bile, the principal element
being cholesterin which precipitates in crystalline form and combines with inspissated mucus.
Although the stones can be a source of much discomfort, and in passing, may be the occasion for
excruciating pain their presence is frequently unrecognized and man may live for years and die of
some other disease without ever knowing he has them. They are found at autopsy in people who
never complained of symptoms that led to a suspicion of stones.
Some individuals have what is termed the
lithemic diathesis
, by which is meant that they have a
tendency to build concretions in the form of kidney or bladder stones or biliary calculi when their
health is markedly impaired. Stones may form, in fact, in almost any part of the body—in the
pancreas, in the muscles, in the eyelids, on the valves of the heart, even around the heart, and in the
arteries. Gallstones seem to be more likely to form in the obese than in thin subjects, perhaps
because there is a greater tendency of these obese individuals to overeat.
What is called hepatic colic is excruciating pain in the abdomen, in the region of the liver or
gall bladder occasioned by the passage of a stone. Calculi may be so small that they easily pass
through the gall duct, in which case they are expelled without the patient ever knowing that he has
any stones.
They may be too large to move into the gall duct, in which case they are not passed. Or they may
be of a size that they are passed through the duct
with great difficulty, and cause intense pain. The
pain starts suddenly at the instant the stone begins to be passed from the gall bladder into the cystic
duct. Agonizing in character, it is transmitted to various parts of the abdomen and chest, often
being felt in the right shoulder.
Or the duct may be obstructed by a stone and a few symptoms result, even jaundice being absent.
Disease of the gall bladder itself may eventually result from the presence of the stone. If the
common duct is obstructed by a stone, there is persistent jaundice, paroxysms of pain, with the
occurrence of ague-like periods of chills and fever. Often called a gall-valve condition, this may
persist for months or years.
Pain killing drugs and operations are the common modes of treating this condition, but neither of
these remove basic causes. To remove a gallstone and pronounce the patient
cured
 is tantamount to
saying that the gallstone is its own cause.
Failure to remove the cause results in the formation of more stones. Unfortunately, it is assumed
that the cause of gallstone is unknown, so that the operation leaves the patient still sick and still
manifesting many of his symptoms.
What is wrong with the person who has gallstones? He has a general state of irritation and
inflammation of his digestive tract, involving the gallbladder and the liver, with impaired
digestion. He is enervated and toxemic. His bile is not of normal constitution and this permits the
preciptation of its mineral elements. There develops a functional impairment of the liver.
This persists until there is enough alteration of the normal secretion (bile) so that the mineral
elements contained in this are not held in suspension, but are precipitated, forming gravels or
stone. Gallstones and kidney stones are basically the same. The symptoms differ as the organs in
134which the stones form differ. Organs lend individuality to symptom-complexes.
Imprudent eating and heavy eating of carbohydrate foods by the enervated and toxemic, and a
lack of exercise, are chief among the causes that produce gastrointestinal and biliary irritation
leading to stone formation. They do not develop in healthy individuals, but in those who have
broken down their health by years of wrong living. Nobody would ever have gallstones from
infancy and throughout his life if he lived right.
There can be but one way to restore health and this is to remove all causes of disease and
restore the liver to good health, after which normal bile will disintegrate the stones. The proper
care is to go to bed and relax, keep the feet warm and abstain from food until there is a distinct
demand for food—until the return of hunger.
When eating is resumed, it should be restricted to uncooked fruits and vegetables for a week or
two weeks. The patient should be carefully restricted to proper food combinations when regular
eating is resumed.
 Eating proteins and starches at the same meal is a prolific source of gastro-
intestinal irritation.
In my opinion there is no necessity to operate for gallstones. Normal nutrition is not restored by
removing an effect of impaired nutrition. The great and growing army of postoperative invalids
attest to the fact that operations on organs of the body do not restore health. Too many organs are
removed that could be saved by the simple expediency of draining them by means of the fast.
Instead of surgically draining the gall bladder, a fast will enable the body to perform an
excellent job of drainage and do it in a way to leave the gall bladder intact and unharmed. For days
and nights, often, these patients will pass bile through the bowels and by vomiting.
The patient has not been restored to health when his gallstones have been removed. The
observing individual knows that he is still sick and still manifests many of his old symptoms and
often many new ones. The purpose of correct care of the patient with gallstones is to


 the lovers of art. It is
sadly true that the periods of history benevolent enough for beauty
to reign have been few.
Many have seen in this apparen tly natural lack of beauty the
evidence that the appreciation of beauty, order and harmony is a
cultural acquisition and not a gene tic endowment. Those who have
favoured a hard, aggressive view of man have seen in the
preoccupation with beauty the evid ence of decadence. Yet there is
sufficient anthropological evidence that the more benign primitives,
living in the more benevolent environments, have a natural
appreciation of beauty, and express it in everything they touch, in
every gesture, movement and ritual. In these conditions such a
sensitivity to beauty goes hand in hand with an over-all
compassionate disposition absent among the more harassed
primitives, and among the civilized.
But the strongest indication that the beautiful is as
indispensable a human feature as brain or upright posture, is the
extraordinarily intense emotiona lism associated with it, and the
abundance of pleasure it can afford. That the appreciation of beauty
is part of the humanizing process is shown by the humanizing effect
such an appreciation has on human behaviour and predisposition in
general. As the evolutionists would say, it has survival value.
The opposite of beauty is ugliness, synonymous with the
bestial, with the mean, selfish and sordid, the disgusting and the
sickly, all hostile to the human condition. Had the earliest humans
not sensed the difference between ugliness and beauty,
humanization would have come to an end. The distinction between
beauty and ugliness runs close to the distinction between good and
evil, between order and disorder. An evolving, learning brain
requires a prolonged familial and social nature, which in turn was
only possible in an orderly and harmonious social setting.
The capacity for love is leagued with a sensitivity to beauty.
Many psychologists have observed that love is the guarantee of the
mind's stability and wholeness, and that love-failure, in hatred, violence and viciousness, is the agent of the mind's disintegration.
The appreciation of beauty, like love, can be defined as a condition
of wholeness, and a sensitivity to that quality in others and in
nature, providing the utmost degree of mental balance, of joy and a
sense of meaningful-ness in living. Whole food, fit for humans can
but be beautiful food.

3. Beauty Pursued

So important has beauty been in human evolution, that one can
expect the human being to be designed to find beauty in every
possible thing, in every possible way. Nothing would be undertaken
unless it had an aesthetic element to it. Such' a beatific condition
can still be observed among the few simple peoples left. In the
islands of the Pacific, among the native tribes of Central America,
people are bedecked with flowers, eating and love-making take
place in flowered boweries, every object is made attractive and
colourful, and the naked body variously adorned. The human body
is felt rightly to be the object of supreme beauty, which accounts for
the common nakedness.
One can learn much from the body's beauty, as the great
masters of European painting reali zed. All beauty is there incarnate.
The limbs are felt to be ideally proportioned, the smoothness of the
skin inviting touch and caress, the eyes particularly enticing. The
disappearance of body hair in the course of humanization has not
only been due to the presumably temperate conditions in which
human evolution occurred, but, of much greater importance,
represents the removal of animal associations. What is left of the
hair, around the head and, in the man, around the face, is evidently a
haloing and an adornment, with an emotional effect the very
opposite of animal. The only part of the body where the hair has not
been aesthetized, and remains animal in its appeal, is around the
genitalia. In a creature depending on social and familial harmony
for survival, a primary interest in the genitalia would have been self-
defeating. Consequently, the genitalia, and the hair associated with
them, were left uncouth and unattractive, with the obvious intention
of detracting attention from these parts. In a creature sensitized to
beauty, this would be as good a way as one could find of ensuring
that human relationships were not primarily sexual. All those
primitives who live in an essentially naked condition, help nature by
covering over the genitalia. A complete nudism, as much as
clothing, is an expression of the aesthetic impoverishment of
civilization; both are unnatural.
The female breast is a part of the body made particularly
beautiful, intended to serve as the focus of a love, erotic,
compassionate and social, echoing the ancient mammalian lineage
of mankind. Many of the great painters of the Renaissance were
alive to this appeal, picturing th e infant Jesus suckled with exposed
breast by Mary. There is something profound in this, for the
mammalian female was emotionalized  long before the male in the
selfless devotions of mother love. In an important sense, the woman
is more profoundly human than the man. But the echo of the breast
in the man is a reminder also of his mammalian kind. Threatened
male gorillas will beat their breasts like the angered elders of the
Bible. When men confronted one another in battle in a naked
condition, slaughter was minimal, compassion the rule. The human infant has been made beautiful in a particularly
tender, appealing way. It is interesting to note that the young of all
mammals share in this appeal. Ho wever ugly the adult may appear,
their young are invariably felt to be appealing, beautiful. In this
tender appeal, an important attri bute of beauty is apparent—its
denial of an opportunist, bestial sexuality. This is absolute in the
case of the infant; only the sick and the depraved feel sexually
drawn to the children. But it is also  evident, on another scale, in the
erotic appeals of the adult body, wherein caress, adoration and
tenderness can transfigure what can otherwise be an animal
encounter. It is in this sense that human sexuality becomes
transformed from the essentially reflex activities of animals into a
sexual love felt to be pure, noble and beautiful. Beauty is
incompatible with impurity, so much so that the demand for purity
is threaded in all the human sens itivities, in the very structure and
function of the brain and mind. In the visual arts, there is an
awareness of the purity of line, of form, of colour essential to the
expression of beauty. So potent is this transfiguring quality, that
even lewd and revolting subjects can become transformed, raised to
a higher level of appeal, through the materials and techniques of art.
Mere sexuality acquires an elysian quality, an eroticism steeped in
ecstasy. Hence the clash of pornography,. which is never art, and
the erotic, which can be high art. The current habit of labelling
attractive, beautiful things as'sexy' betrays a sad corruption of
perception and feeling. Unless beau ty was inherent and abundant in
nature, it is unlikely that it could ever have played a role in
humanization. Although the industrially jaded eye can become blind
to the beauty of nature, once the veil is lifted, it is everywhere
apparent still. Minerals can be ve ry beautiful, and as minerals must
have appeared at the dawn of Creation, as the first matter cooled
sufficiently, one can conclude that matter is inherently endowed
with beauty. Today, one knows that the beautiful symmetry of
crystals, their amazing geometric pur ity, is the echo of atomic order.
Since all things large or small are dependent on this order, one can
be confident that nature is basically aesthetically compatible, a
reassuring conclusion. This confidence is confirmed by the fact that
beauty is increasingly expressed as evolution progresses. The
ugliness of the early insects gave way to the beauty of the butterfly,
the gawky pterodactyl emancipated into the bird of paradise, and the
monotonous swamps of the Carbonife rous were succeeded by the
spectral orgies of flowers in the Cretaceous.
Without such a long preparation, persistently bringing out the
latent beauty in things and creatures, the eventual emergence of a
creature sensitive to beauty would have been impossible. Beauty in
human existence remains closel y dependent on beauty in the
environment, in all things featuring in human life, which explains
why an ugly age loses the meaning of beauty. Let us ponder well
upon this, for it touches upon our subject intimately. Bearing in
mind that the Creation is a whole, the evolution of beauty in
landscape, in flowers, in human beings, in art, and, as we shall see,
in such an important activity as eating, makes for a vast and
intricate ecology of the beautiful. Unless harmonious forms were in
existence before the earliest hum an appeared, in the wonderful
shapes of hills, of trees, of pebbles, of shells, it would not have been
possible for the earliest men to make the beautiful tools which accompany their remains. Unless flowers and fruits were already
there, to provide the external stimuli of colour, human


and a hot cup of your freshly made chicken stock. Fish stock
To make a good fish stock you need bones, fins, skins and heads of the fish,
not the meat. So buy your fish whole, cut the meat off to cook as a separate
meal and use the rest of the fish to make your fish stock. Your fishmonger
can do all the trimming for you. Put the heads, bones, fins and skin of the
fish into a large pan, add 8-10 pepper corns and fill the pan with water.
Bring up to boil, reduce the heat to a minimum and simmer for i-i7 2 hours.
Add salt to taste at the end of cooking. Take the fish out and sieve the stock.
Take the meat off the fish skeleton to use for soup making.
The basic soup recipe
To make a soup bring some of your home-made meat stock to the boil, add
chopped or sliced vegetables and simmer for another 20-25 minutes. You
can choose any combination of available vegetables: onion, cabbage,
carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, courgettes, marrow, squash, leeks,
etc. If you are planning to blend your soup, then you can cut vegetables
roughly into any size pieces. If you prefer to have your soup without blend
ing, then make sure that you cut or dice your vegetables into nice small
pieces before cooking. If your meat stock was made with lamb, pork or
beef you can add a handful of dried French or Italian mushrooms for a
wonderful flavour. It is customary to crush the dried mushrooms by
hand before adding to the soup. At the end of cooking add 1-2 table spoon
fuls of chopped garlic, bring to the boil and turn the heat off. Blend with
a soup blender until smooth unless you planned to have it without
blending.
You can serve your soup with any combination of the following:
• some chopped parsley, coriander or dill
• hard-boiled egg cut into pieces
• a spoonful of your home-made goat's yoghurt or creme fraiche
• cooked meat cut into small pieces
• red onion cut into very small pieces
• spring onion cut into small pieces
• a spoonful of cooked and ground liver
From this basic recipe you can improvise and develop your own recipes.
Here I will just provide a few ideas. A spring nettle soup
i'L I of home-made meat stock
large bunch of spring nettles
2 tablespoons of dried French of Italian mushrooms
1 medium onion
1 medium carrot
2 courgettes or 7, of a marrow or squash
4 eggs, hard boiled
Young shoots of stinging nettles appearing in spring are full of wonderful
nourishment. They are high in iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, vitamin C,
carotenoids and other useful substances. For this recipe collect a large
bunch of spring nettles. You will have to wear gloves and a long-sleeved
shirt to do this. Rinse the nettles and shake the excess water off. Using scis
sors cut the leaves and tender shoots of the nettles into small pieces dis
carding the hard stems. Reserve for the recipe.
Cut the marrow, squash or courgettes into small cubes, thinly slice the
carrot and chop the onion. Bring the home-made meat stock to a boil. Add
all the vegetables and the French or Italian dried mushrooms, crumbling
them with your hands before adding to the meat stock. Simmer under a
tight lid for 15-20 minutes. Add your prepared nettles, mix and immedi
ately take off the heat. Serve with 1-2 tablespoons of hard-boiled egg cut
into small pieces and a spoonful of home-made yoghurt (if well tolerated).
Russian Borsch
tit I of home-made meat stock
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 medium carrot finely sliced
'U of medium-size white cabbage finely sliced
2 medium-size beetroots or4 small beetroots raw or cooked
3 cloves of garlic
1 finely chopped tomato
If the beetroot is cooked (in water, not in vinegar):
Bring the meat stock to boil and add the onion, carrot and cabbage. Cover
and simmer for 20 minutes. In the meantime slice the cooked beetroots
into long thin strips. Add into the soup, mix well and simmer for another 5
minutes. Take off the heat. Crush the 3 cloves of garlic and add to the soup together with the chopped tomato. Serve with a large spoon of creme
fraiche or home-made yoghurt (if well tolerated) and some chopped pars
ley and/or a thick slice of hard-boiled egg.
If the beetroot is raw:
Wash and peel the beetroot. Slice into long thin strips by hand or using
your food processor. Bring the meat stock to boil and add the beetroot.
Simmer for 10-15 minutes, then add the rest of the vegetables (onion, carrot
and cabbage). Simmer for further 20 minutes or until the cabbage is
cooked. Take off the heat. Crush the 3 cloves of garlic and add to the soup
together with the chopped tomato. Serve with a large spoon of creme
fraiche or home-made yoghurt (if well tolerated), some chopped parsley
and/or a thick slice of hard-boiled egg.
Fish soup
11 of home-made fish stock
1 large onion finely chopped
1 carrot thinly sliced
1 courgette or an equivalent amount of marrow or squash, cut into small cubes
Bring the fish stock to boil and add the onion, carrot and squash, marrow
or courgettes. Simmer under a lid for 10-15 minutes and take off the heat.
Add the cooked fish meat which you took off the bones when you made the
fish stock. Serve with a spoonful of home-made yoghurt (if well tolerated)
and/or with a hard-boiled egg (sliced or chopped).
If there is no meat left on the bones you can use the meat (skinless and
boneless) of any available fish. Cut the meat into small cubes and add into
the boiling fish stock at the same time as vegetables.
Meatball soup
400 g of minced meat (mixture of pork and beef is best)
1 large onion finely chopped
1 large carrot thinly sliced
1 cup winter squash or courgette cut into small cubes
1 cup of finely chopped cabbage (optional)
2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
In a pan bring 2 litres of water up to boil. Add salt and cayenne pepper to
taste. With your hands shape meatballs about 2 cm in diameter and add them,
one at a time, into the boiling water. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30
minutes. Add all the vegetables apart from garlic, cover and simmer for
another 20 minutes. Add the garlic and switch the heat off. Let it sit for 5-10
minutes then add 2-3 tablespoons of sauerkraut. Serve with a spoonful of
home-made yoghurt and finely chopped dill.
lite beautiful winter squash soup
tiL I of home-made meat stock (turkey or chicken stock work
best for this recipe)
1 leak, washed and sliced
broccoli, 3-4 medium sized rosettes
1 medium-size carrot, sliced
Va of a medium size buttercup squash ora'h of butternut
squash or any winter squash with sweet orange flesh
3 garlic cloves peeled
Peel and de-seed the squash, cut it into chunks. Wash and cut into pieces
all the vegetables. Put them into your soup pan, add the meat stock and
bring to boil. Reduce the heat to a minimum, cover with the lid and simmer
for about 30 minutes. Blend with a soup blender. If your family is at the
stage of tolerating home-made goat's yoghurt, then add lh a cup into the
soup. Serve warm. It is particularly soothing if the child has a tummy ache
or diarrhoea.
Meat jelly
pig trotters (2-4)
1 large carrot
garlic
salt and black peppercorns
Put pig trotters into a large pan, fill it up with water, add salt and a tea
spoon of black peppercorns. Bring up to boil, reduce heat to a minimum,
cover with a lid and let it simmer for 3 hours.
In the meantime cook a large carrot by steaming, cool it down and cut
into thin slices. You can cut it into decorative slices if you have the tools for
doing that.
When the meat stock is ready take the pig trotters out and pour the stock through a sieve into a separate pan. Let the trotters cool down completely.
Take all the meats (including the skin and other soft tissues) from the pig
trotters, completely stripping the bones. Cut the meat into small pieces.
In a large deep tray lay the pieces of meat, the carrot pieces and thin slices
of garlic. You can add more or less garlic to your family's taste. Pour the meat
stock to fill the tray to 3L Place it in the refrigerator for the jelly to set. You can
also set this jelly in different jelly shapes and dishes as individual servings.
This dish is wonderful to have on a hot summer's day. It contains a lot of
nourishing substances, including gelatine, glucosamine, glycoproteins,
phospholipids and others and is