 the body's antioxidant system?,
A: The text recommends a balanced diet rich in antioxidants, including vitamins E, C, and A, as well as minerals like selenium, zinc, and copper.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>When people who have been indulging a life-damaging habit
begin meditatin g, they often spontaneously lose their desire for the toxic
experience. Wh en someone who has relinquished a toxic habi t complains
that they have started it up again, the first question we ask is “Are you still
meditating?” Invariably the an swer is no, often because their life was
becoming so dynamic, their meditation time became a lower priority. Regularly accessing the quiet, expanded state of awareness through
meditation is an essential component of releasing noxious habits. Other approach es that can be useful in filling the space left by the
habitual behavior include starting an exercise program, taking classes in a
subject that is fascinating to yo u, and dedicating yourself to h ealing your
relationships. It is sad how often a toxic behavior that compensates for a
lack of love actually reduces the likelihood of finding genuine love. It can
be very helpful to join support groups of people who have gone or are going
through the transformation you are seeking. Associate with people who
support your healthy choices and minimize your exposure to those lookingto reinfo rce their toxic habits by disparaging your ef forts to change your
life. The elimination of toxins awakens
the capacity for r enewal. W A TER—NA TURE’S PURIFIER
A ve ry s imple b ut powerful purification technique is to boost your intake of
water. The human body is ap proximately three-fourths water and most
biochemical reactions operate best within a narrow window of
concentration. S everal scientific  studies have found that our sensitivity to
thirst diminishes as we age, so we become at risk for developing subtle
levels o f dehydration of which we may not be consciously aware. Most
people d o not drink enough wa ter, which can lead to a host of  symptoms. Headaches, constipation, dry skin, fatigue, and indigestion may actually
reflect s ubtle de hydration. Some  physicians have gone as far as to suggest
that man y comm on health concerns, including high blood pressure, asthma,
and chronic pain have their origins in dehydration. Assuming that you do not have kidney or liver problems, we recommend
getting into the habit of drin king water throughout the day. Y ou can
calculate the recommended nu mber of ounces of daily water intake by
dividing your weight in pounds by two. For exam ple, if you weigh 160 p ounds, your daily water intake should be
80 ounces or 10 cups per day. Most bottled water comes in half-liter
containers, equi valent to just ov er two cups, so this would mean drinking
five bott les per day. Soda bever ages, tea, and cof fee do not count, as theircaf feine content has a diuretic ef fect. Similarly, alcohol also causes water
loss and does n ot contribute to rehydration. If you are active in sports,
taking d iuretics, or live in a hot, dry climate, increase your dai ly intake by
another 10 to 15  percent. Favor water -rich fruits and vegetables including
cantaloupe, grapefruit, peaches, watermelon, asparagus, peppers, carrots,
and mushrooms. Minimize your intake of artificially sweetened beverages. When yo u are drinking enough water you will feel the need to empty your
bladder about every two hours. Many people who follow this water routine report that they more easily
lose unw anted weight and have more ener gy and less chronic aches and
pains. Drinking plenty of fresh,  pure water is one of the simplest and least
expensive ways to reverse the aging process. ELIMINA TE T OXIC FOODS
Freshly grown and lovingly prepared foods are richest in Prana, or life
ener gy. Foods that have been s itting around for months in a can on your
shelf are less lik ely to nourish y our body, mind, and spirit. Start a vegetable
garden i n your backyard and grow fresh herbs and spices to en hance your
meals. Shop at your local farmer ’ s markets and take the time to prepare
delicious meals,  applying the pr inciples explored in Chapter 3. If you find
yourself regularly eating frozen, canned, microwaved, or highly processed
foods, shift your time priorities to make nourishing yourself hig her on your
list. Make the preparation of m eals a family or community ex perience so
you can enjoy the process as well as the product. There is increasing evidence th at the pesticides and artificial fertilizers
used in modern agriculture are taking their toll on our he alth. These
synthetic chemi cals are finding their way into our air and water supply. They have been implicated as po ssibly contributing to a number of dif ferent
cancers, particularly of the reproductive system.Studies have shown that it takes  diligent washing to remove the  pesticide
residues that are present on fru its and vegetables. For these reasons, we
encourage you to favor or ganically grown foods. Although they cost more,
you can  feel confident that you and your family are not consuming
unnecessary tox ins along with y our meals. Y ou will also know that you are
doing your share to reduce the accumulation of toxins in your environment. RELEASE T OXIC EMOTIONS
Although we are all aware of the health-depleting ef fec ts of toxic
substances and toxic foods, to xic emotions are often the m ost harmful
accelerators of the aging process. Whenever you carry resentment, hostility,
regret, o r grieva nces in your he art, your vitality is eroded. T ry  this simple
practice:
Find a quiet place, sit comfortably, and close your eyes. Now take a few minutes to settle your mind with the So Hum
meditation. After a little while, bring your attention into your body and scan it for
any area of tension or resistance. If you identify a place of congestion,
have the intention to let it go. Bring your attention into your heart and acknowledge all the things for
which you feel grateful. Now listen to your heart and ask yourself the question, “What am I
carrying with me from the past that is no longer serving me well in the
present?”
If you identify any encumbrances in your heart, have the intention to
release them now. Let go of any resentments, grievances, or regrets
that you find.As you release these toxic emotions, see if you can find the gift that
this toxic emotion was hiding. For example, if you felt pain as a result
of someone’ s behavior, the gift may be that you learned more self-
reliance. Make the commitment to regularly acknowledge gratitude and
relinquish all grievances from your heart. Encumbering yo ur heart with toxic emotions prevents you from fully
experiencing the magic, mystery, and joy that is available to you right now. Make th e comm itment to release the resentments, regrets, and grievances
that are causing more harm to you than anyone else. The process of releasing emoti onal toxins is similar to that for releasing
physical ones. Y ou must first have a clear intention that you wan t to replace
life-depleting emotions with life-enhancing ones. The metabolism of regret
and resentment into compassion and for giveness can dramatically awaken
your body, mind, and spirit to your primordial vital ener gy. W rite about the history that cre ated the toxic emotion, describing both
what ha ppened and how you fe el as a result of the situation. S tudies have
shown that journaling about upsetting emotional experiences can improve
your im mune function, as well as help you gain clarity and in sight. In his
book Nonviolent Communication, psychologist Ma rshall Rosenber g teaches
an emot ional vocabulary that avoids victimization. Steer clear from words
like abandoned, abused, neglected, and mistreated; instead, describe the
actual fe elings of anger, sadness, loneliness, and fear that the circumstance
evoked. Once yo u have written about the circumstances leading to the toxic
emotions, perform some physic al ritual with the intention of releasing the
hold these feeling have on your soul. Do some deep breathing, get a
massage, pound  a pillow, dance with abandon, or go for a long run until
your body has released the tension that is stored with the emotion. Then,
open your heart to feelings that generate the age-reversing emotions offor giveness, har mony, laughter,  and love rather than the entropy evoking
ones of anguish, resentment, regret, and despair. T oxic emotions ar e often the most harmful accelerators
of the aging pr ocess. Commit to r eleasing them
fr om your heart and mind. T ransform or Release T oxic Relationships
Y ou may, at times, find yourself in relationships that are laced with conflict. Although you may enjoy the  passion and drama these relationships
generate, over time, they will inevitably make you feel older and depleted. It is esse ntial tha t you transform toxic relationships into nourish ing ones. If
you acce pt that reality is a selec tive act of perception and interp retation, the
most em powering way to transform a relationship is to change the way you
view the other person. Every re lationship is a mirror th at


 I miss some of the “bad” things. No, I don’t. Tastes change. New tastes can be acquired in a few weeks, and old ones can be lost. I used to love
filet mignon, but after not eating it for ten years, I lost my taste for it. I had a
fantastic filet mignon a couple of years ago, and I didn’t like it. People also often ask me whether this healthy lifestyle costs more than some may
be able to afford. I have found, actually, that eating a healthy diet costs less than
eating a poor diet. It costs a lot more to make yourself sick. People regularly tell me
that they cut their food budgets in half by improving their diets. Organic fruits,
vegetables, beans, grains and unprocessed oils may be more expensive than their
nonorganic counterparts, but in the end a diet made up of healthful foods is cheaper. Consider what you pay for organic whole grains per pound versus what you pay forpackaged breakfast cereal per pound, and you will realize quickly that unhealthful
processed foods are much more expensive. Deadly, make-believe foods like ice
cream, cola drinks and potato chips are expensive, provide little nutrition and
damage your cells. Not purchasing them saves your money and your health. Even
when a healthful choice does cost more, the purchase is well worth the investment
because being sick is
very
expensive. The same holds true for supplements. The
most expensive supplement of all is one that doesn’t work, no matter how little you
pay for it. High-quality supplements cost more, but they deliver the most nutrients to
your cells. Most cheap vitamins do nothing, or almost nothing, and many contain
toxins; many vitamin products cause both deficiency and toxicity. Another important investment in health is to spend a little more on personal care
and home-care products that do not harm your body. In making selections of
toothpaste, shampoo, deodorants, skin creams and cosmetics, the most important
criterion is that your body not be harmed. Selecting organic foods is not good
enough; you must also select safe products. If a product cannot be ingested without poisoning you, then it is not safe enough
to put on your skin or your hair or your teeth. Look at the swallowing warnings on a
typical tube of toothpaste. (Consult appendix C for safe brands of toothpaste and
other products.) The sad truth is that most personal-care products are toxic; those
toxins bioaccumulate in your body and cause disease. Look at Your Health in a New Way
The perspective we have to change is the way we look at and evaluate our own
health. If you are going to solve your own health problems, you must first
acknowledge they exist. We all grow up thinking that health is a given, until we “get
sick.”
Rather than being static, however, health is a sliding scale, and our position and
direction on that scale can change on a daily basis. This is why we need to learn how
to evaluate our own health, in a meaningful and ongoing way, so as to avoid letting
ourselves deteriorate to the point where we become sick. As I was gradually losing my health, no one told me I was sick. In fact, I was told
the opposite. At my periodic physical exams my physicians pronounced me in
perfect health, even though I had required many fillings in my teeth and I suffered
from a serious immune deficiency disease, namely from a seasonal allergy called
“hay fever.” Each year I suffered from one or more colds and every several years
from a bout of flu. I was led to believe, however, that tooth decay, colds, flu and
allergies are all normal and that I was healthy. The fact is no one should have tooth decay, colds, flu, allergies or any other
disease. If you do have any of these problems, you are experiencing substantialamounts of cellular malfunction and you are sick. Living with even that amount of
cellular malfunction shortens your life and makes you susceptible to a host of other
disease problems. Unless you do something different, your health will only get
worse with time, not better. Health cannot be improved by continuing to do the same
things that made you sick. Now is the time to make health your responsibility. How to Read the Warning Signs
We all need to learn how to read the body’s signals so that we can evaluate our
own health and health decline. Our body tells us when it is having trouble; our
problem is that we don’t listen. Subtle signals are ignored until the problem becomes
serious enough to demand attention. How healthy are you? Often the warning signs are evident in your appearance;
simply put, you don’t look well. In addition, you should ask yourself whether you
are experiencing
• Fatigue
• Aches and pains
• Skin problems
• Allergies
• Digestion troubles
• Sleep difficulties
• Susceptibility to infections
• Weight issues
• Mood, thought or behavior problems
These warning signs appear in ways that are usually easily recognized. Consider
individually the signs listed. Appearance
The body gives off visual signals, and we can learn to recognize them. I remember
once seeing a friend and thinking,
He doesn’t look well. Not long thereafter, he was
diagnosed with brain cancer. How many times have we looked at others and realized
that they didn’t look well? Before I took sick, my family thought I looked pale. Are
you pale? Are there dark circles under your eyes? Are there wrinkles on your face? Is your hair graying? How well do you move? Are you well-coordinated? Are your
eyes dull? Appearance matters, it is easy to check, and it should be checked on a
regular basis. Energy Level
Fatigue is probably the most common complaint made to doctors in our societybecause energy production at the cellular level is one of the first things affected as
our cells malfunction and become diseased. If you do not have the energy you used
to have, aging is not the problem. You are getting sicker. Remember the boundless energy that healthy people like the Hunzas had? They
performed physical feats such as traveling sixty miles in one day on foot, in
mountainous terrain, and returning looking as though they had gone for a casual
walk. Contrast this to the fatigue so many of us feel during the day, perhaps needing
several cups of coffee just to keep going. Even many of our teenagers struggle with
fatigue. Skin Problems
Our skin is a barometer of overall health, but we are taught to think of a skin
problem as just that, a skin problem. This is outmoded. Like any disease, skin
problems are the result of systemic cellular malfunction. We may notice it in the
skin, but the problem is likely affecting every cell in the body. The proper solution is
not to use products like a cortisone ointment, but to restore the cells to good health. If your skin is dry, flaky, irritated, itchy, thin, has lost its elasticity, or if you
develop skin lesions of any kind, you are not healthy. Allergies
Allergies are not normal, and they do long-lasting damage to the body. Enhancing
the health of your cells can eliminate allergies. Millions of Americans suffer from
runny noses, sneezing, itching of the eyes, sinus problems, headaches, abdominal
pain, diarrhea, skin rashes and numerous other problems as a result of allergies and
sensitivities to foods, pollens, chemicals and other substances in our environment. We tend to look upon these reactions as “benign” inconveniences rather than the
symptoms of a body out of balance. Allergies should be looked upon as a serious
acquired immune dysfunction syndrome and treated by improving cellular health
and strengthening the immune system. Do you sneeze, develop a runny nose or have itchy eyes after eating a meal? Are
your fingers sometimes swollen so that it is difficult to take off or put on a ring? Do
you get loose stools after eating certain foods? All of these and more can be
symptoms of allergic reactions. A body with allergies is not crying out for over-the-
counter or prescription antihistamines, but for solving the problems of cellular
malfunction. Like any other “disease,” allergies can be both prevented and reversed
by restoring normal function to the cells in your immune system. By working to
minimize the deficiency and toxicity of my cells, I went from being allergic to
virtually everything— called a “universal reactor”—to living a normal life. Digestion TroublesDo you have problems such as indigestion, inability to eat a wide variety of foods,
intestinal cramps, abdominal bloating, excess gas, diarrhea, constipation, acid
reflux, low energy, slow wound healing, or difficulty concentrating and thinking
quickly and clearly? Good digestion is a foundation for achieving peak performance
and optimal health. Yet digestive problems are epidemic in our society and they
prevent millions of people from living the healthy, productive lives they would like. Most of our digestive problems are the direct result of poor diets, toxic exposure,
lack of exercise, unresolved stress, and over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Digestive problems are more serious than people imagine, for
if you are not properly
digesting your food and assimilating its nutrients, you will get sick, guaranteed. Poor digestion is a perfect prescription for deficiency and toxicity, the two causes of
disease. Heartburn, bloating, gas and other digestive problems should not just be treated by
ant


 publicly available as poss ible. Medicinal herbs  were planted, hospitals were formed, and the a rt of
nursing (as described by Charak a) was widely systematized. But it
wasn’ t until the Buddhist period  (323  BC  to 642  AD ) that A yurveda
began to be ex ported outside India’ s shores. During this time
Buddhist missionaries and monks took knowledge of A yurv eda,
along w ith other aspects of Ind ian culture, to Europe (Rome and
Greece), the Middle East (Baghdad) and China. Closer to home, theneighboring countries of Sri Lanka, T ibet, Thailand, Burma and
Indonesia all accepted its teachin gs. In fact, its influence can still be
seen in many of  their healing systems: Acupressure, for example, is
a direct descendent of  marma  massage. In India,  A yurveda’ s heyday was probably from the 6th century
to th e 10th century  AD : During this time, many universities and
teaching hospita ls were founded to cater to students from all over
the w orld, and there are numero us references to the ef ficacy of  the
Indian system of medicine. Bu t by the 12th century, A yurveda’ s
influence began to wane. W aves of Muslim invaders in nort hern
India fro m the 10th to the 12th centuries burned books, destro yed
hospitals and libraries, and slaughtered Hindu sages and Buddhist
monks as infidels. They brought with them their own  hakims  or
Unani doctors (a form of medicine formulated by Arabian
physicians, see pages 36–37) — so the system fell into decline. Early A yurvedic texts were engraved on palm leaf manuscripts. Ayurvedic physician in Kerala. This wa s further exacerbated by the arrival of the British. The
East India Company denied state patronage to A yurveda, closed
down e xisting schools and government medical colleges, and
substituted it with W estern me dicine. Of course, at a local level,
A yurveda conti nued to be practiced, but it wasn’ t until Indian
Independence that of ficial initiatives were taken to revitalize
indigenous med ical forms — and A yurveda once again began to
rise. What is Ayurveda. A yurveda advocates that each person is born with a b asic
constitution or genetic make-up called  prakruti  in S anskrit. If th ere
is a  changing nature or situat ion in the body during one’ s life
(vikruti ), im balance occurs. This ma y pass over time or may
become a disease. The aims of A yurveda are  ayus  (“long life”) and
arogya  (“diseaselessness“) with ultimate spiritual goals. Health is
achieved by balancing what are known as the bodily humors or
doshas  at all levels, according to an individual’ s constitution,
lifestyle and nature. There are many similar holistic medical
systems in other communities, including the Chinese, Amer ican
Indians, Africans and South Americans. DiagnosisBefore a ny A yurvedic treatment is prescribed, patients first of all
undertake a consultation with an A yurvedic physician to ascertain
their body type and present health status. “Body type is the variation
in percentage of  vatha,  pitta  and  kapha  (air, fire and water) in our
body,” explains A yurvedic physician Dr Y ogesh. “Based on the
present  dosha  state or  vikruti, suitable therapies, oils, medications,
advice or more may be prescribed. ”
Most A yurvedic  physicians point out that A yurvedic treatments
vary from place to place, doctor to doctor and according to  the
nature of the client/doctor relationship. This makes it confusing to
many, and dif ficult to analyze,  research and compare with o ther
medical systems. “However, the purpose is always the same,”
explains Dr Renja Raphel, “Each body has its own defined
constitution from birth to death that is af fected by many dif ferent
things. W e doctors try to bring the body back to equilibrium: we
find out what is lacking and modify it, we add things and we request
changes in diets, climates, stres s levels, lifestyle habits and more. ”
He goes on to add that the body has the power to help itself;
A yurveda simply helps it with the healing process. Shirodhara  or the pouring of medicated oil on to the forehead or “third eye” is one
of Ayurveda’ s best known therapies outside India. A student of the Vedas seeks understanding through a copy of one of the treatises
in Sanskrit. The use of  agarabathi  or incense sticks to promote clean air is an age-old
practice. Diagnosis is an extremely imp ortant part of A yurveda. In a
clinic or hospital, it is undertak en first thing in the morning be fore
the patient has c onsumed anything. The doctor inspects the tis sues
and the skin; examines the “nine doors” (two eyes, two ears, two
nostrils, mouth and throat, an us and penis or vulva) and their
secretions; takes faeces and urine samples to assess the  analam  or
digestive fire; takes the patient’ s pulse and assesses body
temperature; interrogates the patient on their sleep patterns, health,
lifestyle habits, climate preferen ces and more; and generally takes a
great de al of time to consider the  patient as a whole. Nothing can be
prescribed without this extremely thorough consultation. Many visitors to India aren’ t seeking medical treatment, but are
intrigued by this ancient wellness system and want to try a
treatment. This is perfectly possible in a spa whre the consultation is
shorter, but still important. “A t a spa, we look at  darshana  or
appearance,  sparshana  or touch ie pulse and body temperature,
and undertake  prasnai  or discussion,” explains Dr Y ogesh, “this
gives us enough information to decide on a patient’ s b asic
imbalances and which medicated oils we should use in a treatment. ”A leaf from the  Ramayana  in Mahala yam called “Medicine Mountain”: it depicts
the monke y god Hanuman using a mountain of medicinal herbs to help his fellow
monkeys. Even in the Epics, much is made of India’ s healing heritage. Ayurvedic equipment from Kerala: medicine box, oil containers, mortar and pestle. Prognosis and Treatment
After the  diagnosis, the doctor d ecides whether the disease falls into
one of four cate gories: Curable with ease, curable with dif fic ulty,
ameliorable, or  incurable. At this point an astrologer may be
consulted to find the best time  and place for treatments to take
place. S ri Krishnakumar, the managing director of one of the most
famous A yurvedic hospitals in India, the Arya V aidyaChikitsalayam in Coimbatore, says that every avenue must be
pursued for the benefit of the patient. “Everything is inter -relat ed,”
he expla ins, “the mind and the body, the person and the unive rse,
the d isease and the lifestyle. A c onsultation with an astrologer may
bring up something that the doctor has not noticed. ”
This is one example of how A yurveda may be dif ficult for non-
Indians to grasp. Skepticism of s uch practices runs high in the W est,
even though looking holistically at patients and problems is
increasingly gaining credence. Another dif ficulty may be had with
some of the treatments. These are literally multi-faceted  and depend on a huge number
of factors including disease, client personality and habits, work
practices,  dosha  imbalance, clim ate, and many more. The basic
premise is to cleanse and de toxify the body and balance the
doshas, restoring them to their original state of equilibrium. But
how this is achi eved varies hugely. There are hundreds of levels of
practice, from of ficial to folk, an d thousands of prescriptions — and
no treatm ent is a panacea. One thing is for sure though: a cours e of
treatments is rarely shorter than  three weeks, and after the course is
completed, follow-up is very important. India is home to a vast cornucopaeia of healing plants; many of Ayurveda’ s
ancient recipes are now supported by modern scientific research. Ancient form of pressure point massage. In the following pages, information on some common therapies
is given, but if you visit an A yu rvedic doctor, you may expect to be
prescribed any — or many — of the following: purifica tion
therapies, medication, special diet, herbs and minerals, massage and
other body work, exercise, yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, flower
and gem essences, advise on lifestyle


-force. Now, to suppl y the needs  of our  bodies,  we continue  to
draw from our  principal  energy, and by the time we are 40, we have
spent  50 to 60  percent  of it. B y the age of 65 mo st of us are  living
from a d windling amount  of this  vital energ y until finall y we run out
of it. The la w of energ y is that  energy  cannot  be destroy ed, it can
only be transfo rmed. When you dispose  of this negative  or “garbag e
energy ” by “dumping”  it out,  som eone  else  has to pick it up. W hen
you dump y our anger  on someone,  that person  also has  to dump
it, and  if he  or she cannot  dump it on  you, it will be dumped  onto
someone  else. This ange r will eventuall y come back to  you again
with extra  force,  bringin g with it fear, sadness,  haste  and all kinds
of stress. This is also  impossible to  bear  so you again  find a  way to
dump it. There  will be no end  to the  dumping,  and the negative
emotions  will continue  to multiply. This w ill greatl y reduc e sexual,
creative,  and gene rative  energy. - 28 -Chapter  I
D. Life Force Energy (Chi)
1. Transforming Negative Energy  into Life- Force Energy (Chi)
You need  to kno w how  to transform negative  energ y into positive
energy  and good  feelings. In this book  you will learn  how to gradu ally
restore  lost sexual,  creative  and gene rative  energ y by opening  a
certain  channel  that runs  through  your body. Once  you have  your
channel  open  through  techniqu es such  as Ovarian  Breathing,  you
can circulate  both  the negative  energy  and the sexual  energ y through
this channel. As these  two energi es are com bined  and circulate d,
a natural  process  of combustion  changes  the negative  ener gy to
life-force  energy. This creates  a positive  energ y cycle, giving  you
more vital  energy  to cope  with your negative  emotions. There  is anothe r way to deal  with negative  emotional  energ y: by
directly  transforming  it back into positive  Chi later in the  Healing
Tao practice,  by learning  the Fusion  of the Five  Elements, the  second
part of the  Taoist med itation,  we will learn  how  to harmonize the
different  types of em otional  energ y with the organs  that have  come
to be  associated  with them. We differentiat e these  associations
(hot/hea rt/impatient/has ty, cold/kidne y/fearful, warm/liver /angry,
mild/warm/spleen/ worry, and cool/dry /lung/sad /grief), beco ming
aware of their presence  or appe arance, as w ell as the differe nt
kinds of  negative  energy  that remain trappe d in our organs  where
they may later  turn into illnesses. By using  Fusion  of the  Five
Elements, w e can counter act, harmonize  and transform the
negative  energy  into positive  life-force. 2. Gaining Ad ditional Chi through  Lovem aking
The only  way to gain  addition al Chi is to transform sexual  energ y
that would normally be released  in lovemaking b y recy cling it back
into Chi, thereb y providing  us w ith an extra  30 to 40  percent  of life-
force. In this book  you will learn  the Taoist  methods  of Healing  Love
to accomplish this: namely  Ovarian  Breathin g and the Orgasm ic
Upward Draw. Both me thods  will help  to rec ycle and transfo rm a
part of the  sexual  energ y into Chi. 3. Chi is the Key to Attaining Go od He alth. The Taoist ma sters  view  Chi as the ke y to attaining  good  health
and realize  that good  health  enables  us to conde nse and transfer
- 29 -Taoist View  of Wom an’s
more Chi to a highe r grade  of ener gy. This enables  us to have  even
more Chi available  to build up  the energ y body  or soul bod y and
create  and nourish  the most important  thing  in each  of our  lives:
our immortal spirit, or  spirit  body  With our present  rate of energy
expenditur e, we have  no extra energy  to acco mplish this. In the health  field today  there  are many methods  available  to
help us increase  life-force  (Chi),  such as  massage,  acupressu re,
shiatsu,  jin shin  do, jin shin jyuts u, tai chi chuan,  chi kung,  health
food,  herbs,  meditation,  yoga, etc. However it is the  Taoist  Maste rs’
view that the most abundan t and easiest  energ y that can be
transformed  into Chi and  a higher  grade  of energ y is sexual  energy. In the  Healing  Love  practice  we show very  clearl y a way to rec ycle
sexual  energy  and store  it, but  it is m ost important  to transfo rm it
first into  Chi and  then  spiritual  energy. Other wise you will grad ually
build  up too  much Chi,  which can lead  to serious  imbalances. Young people,  for example, have  a lot of  life-force  energy
available,  but they do not know  how to channel  it prope rly. Their
answ er is to bum up excess  energ y in the  fastest  way: by using
drugs,  consuming alcohol,  smoking,  or other  stim ulants. These
methods  of stim ulation  initially  give  the user  ten or twenty times as
much energ y, but they  draw all the ener gy out from  wherever it is
available,  namely,  the organs,  glands,  and brain. After wards the
user is left w ith low-key ener gy. When he or she w ants to return  to
the same high  level of  energ y, it means a  return  to the  stimulants,
but this tim e the  user  has less energ y to dra w from, and  the high
will not be the same. The result  is a higher  dosag e, or changing  to
a mo re pow erful stim ulant. A person  who is in a  low-key Chi energ y
state  will not be as affected  by the drug  because  the drug  does  not
have  much life- force  energy  to dra w from. For  this reason  young
people  become mu ch more easily  depende nt upon  drugs,  sex,  or
other  addictions. Transforming the  abund ant Chi properl y will
eliminate the  need  to burn  the ener gy up with stim ulants  or
participate  in excessive  sexual  activity. E. Creative Force- -Sexual Energy
   The basic  function  of sex is repro ductio n. Beyond that,  each
time we  are sexually  active w e generat e a lot of life-force  energ y. When we  have  a normal orgasm, the  life-force  pours  out of us  into
the universe. If we can learn  to redir ect the orgasmic energy  inward
and upw ard instead  of out ward, the energ y will reach  a higher  center
- 30 -Chapter  I
of the  body and we will experienc e the even  great er orgasmic
experience  know n as total  body orgasm, or  organs’  and glands’
orgasm, an experie nce never  felt as a result  of normal sex. Thus,
we can create  more energy : store  it, and  transform it into  life-force
energy, thereby  increasin g our total  energ y. 1. Positive Energy  Will Increase  Sexual Creative Energy
    Thus far:  in keeping  with the teachings  of the Taoist Masters,
we have  been  classif ying our body  energy  into many differe nt types
of energ y: positive  and negative,  sexual,  life-force,  etc. All of these
energies  have  very  different  properties. If we identify  them, we  can
start to control  them, transforming  every thing negative  into positive,
and cultivating  the good  ener gies that please  us. Just  as negative  emotions  deplete  our life-force,  there by
reducing  sexual  creative  energ y,


 l, connected flow is happening. It’s almost
as if nothing in this world is as beautiful as that sensation of energy pouring
out through the heart and connecting with someone. From a yogic point of
view, what you are experiencing is shakti pouring out of the fourth energy
center, the heart chakra,  of your energy system. Though this heart center is
really beautiful, it is actually not so high, since there are seven such chakras
that control your inner energy flow. The yogi understands that if all the
energy goes out through the heart center it will not have the power to reach
the higher centers. What you will come to realize  is that the chakras are like a T-pipe
fitting. At the bottom there is an entry  point for the energy, and it could be
open or blocked. If it is blocked, no energy will enter that center. If it is
open, the energy will come up into the center and attempt to flow right
through. Should the upper pathway be blocked, however, the energy will
flow out horizontally and connect with whatever stimulated the opening
experience. Now  as human beings, we really like that experience of energy
flowing out through the heart. In fact, we don’t call it like, we call it love. That experience is human love, and don’t worry, spirituality has no intention
of taking this away from you. It’s beautiful; just know that there is a higher
expression of love. This leads us to the third thing that can happen when the energy rises
up toward the heart—it can make it all the way through. At this point in our
journey, all you have to underst and is if the energy makes it past the fourth
center, there are energy experi ences way higher than human love. This
doesn’ t mean you don’t experie nce connection with people and things. You
actually connect at a much deeper level. People who say the human
connection experience is the meaning of life have not experienced the
higher centers. That’ s like saying food is the meaning of life or intimacy is
the meaning of life. Yes, these are beautiful experiences, but they are
conditional, and they can come and go. The meaning of life is much deeper
than that. There are much higher energy centers you are capable of experi encing,
and the further you go into these centers, the more beautiful all of life
becomes. But if you can’t work with the heart center, you will never know
the higher centers even exist. To begin to work with the heart, you must first
be able to object ively watch as it opens and closes. What you will see is that
the store d patter ns from your past are getting activated by outside situations
and causing the heart to open or close. Take our example of love at first sight. If you had met the same person
three days earlier when you were in a bad mood, your heart might not have
opened. If you hadn’ t seen the movie with the actress she reminded you of,
she might not have hit you just right. The bottom line is that you have
blockages stored inside, and they are going to determine your level of
openness in any given situation. All it takes is one word said in just the right
way, and the heart will open. Likewise, all it takes is one word said in just
the wron g way, and the heart will close. We all have differen t samskaras,
and we are taking on new ones all the time. That is why what turns one
person on, turns another perso n off. It is also why the heart behaves
differently for the same person at dif ferent times. It’ s hard to believe that our
moods, attractions, and repulsion s are so dependent on our past, but it’s true. In our normal state, we’re not paying any attention to what’ s going on—
we’re just being tossed around by it. Chapter 25. The Secrets of the Heart
We are now ready  to go deeper into the secrets of the heart. From our earlier
explorations, you recognize that the energy can flow out for a while and
create the sensation of love. You also understand that since the opening of
the heart is conditional upon the state of blockages, the energy flow itself is
conditional and generally will not last. Yet it is possible to expe rience great
love all the time. All it requir es is a willingness to work on yourself to
remove the reason your heart tends to close. For examp le, imagine
somebody dies who means a great deal to you. Your spouse can’t go to the
funeral with you because of some important work. You may deeply resent
that. In fact, if you’re not careful, you may resent that for the rest of your
life. You’re playing with fire when you play with these blockag es. You may
lay the groundw ork that will eventually diminish or even destroy your
relationship with your significant other. This is not a game—storing
samskaras is serious business, and it has serious consequences. If you want
love to last, learn to handle these situations better. This is a secret of the
heart that is best to remember. Another very important thing to understand about the outward flow of
energy through the heart is that it literally makes a connection with the other
person. This connection is real, and you become attached as the energy is
exchanged between you. This is not a physical attachment to one another;
this is a reliance  on the energy flowing between your hearts that is feeding
you both ener getically. Let’s look at this in detail. Your heart was closed because  stored
patterns from your past were blocking the energy flow. Someone shows up
whose qualities and characteris tics hit you just right so the energy finds a
path around one of your major blockages. The blockage is not gone, but a
pathway has opened up allowin g the energy to flow out through the heart. That energy goes out toward the other person, and the other person’ s energy
goes out toward you. With the help of another person, you have managed to
experience what  you would be experiencing if the original block age was not
there. Perhaps you used to think people didn’ t like you and that you were
not very attracti ve. Someone shows up who always admires you and looks
at you with tremendous love. It makes you feel so comfortable that you melt
in their gaze. It’s unbelievable. You don’t feel that weirdness you used to
feel all the time. Though this is really beautiful, unfortunately the samskara that was
blocking your energy flow is still there. The energy found a way around it,
but only as long as the energy exchange with this person is still working. It’s
like putting a jumper in an electr ical circuit. You bypassed the sam skara, but
now you are very attached to and dependent on that person. If they start to
leave you, or if you even think about losing them, you will feel that original
samskara again  in all its glory. You will feel the underlying fear and
weirdness you used to feel, and it may even be stronger than before. In other
words, you’ve tied your energy flow to somebody else, and the state of your
heart is now dependent upon their behavior. Surely you have noticed this
pattern numerous times in your life. This is called human love. It is very
beautiful, but fortunately, there is a much higher form of love that is
unconditional and can last forever. The greatest secret of the heart is revealed when you get rid of the
samskaras instead of finding a way around them. If you get rid of the
blockages that are restricting the energy from flowing into and through your
heart, you will feel love all the time. It will always be brimming through
you. Once you reach that state,  if you simply wave your hand in front of
your heart, you will feel waves of ecstatic love pour through you. That’ s
how easy it will be to experienc e love. Love will become the core of your
being. Now, go share it. By all means, share the beautiful love you are
feeling. You will be able to do this without attachment or need because your
love is not dependent upon anyone or anything else. You are whole and
complete within  yourself. We call that self-effulgence. To reach this great
state, you must do the necessary work on yourself to release your samskaras
instead of constantly trying to find a way around them. You now understand much more  about the inner workings of the heart. Thus far we’ve focused on how the energy can flow through the lower part
of the heart or be blocked from doing so. We can call this lower part of theheart the human heart because depending upon how open it is, the energy
flow can create the entire range of human emotions. Energy blocked in the
lower part of the heart can be experienced as feelings of jealousy, insecurity,
or pangs  of yearning. Even ange r is the result of a strong energy flow hitting
blockages in the heart and shooting out. On the other hand, if the heart is
open enough for the energy to make it to the middle of the heart chakra
where it can flow out horizontally, the energy will be experienced as human
love. It’s all the same energy doing this—the only difference  is how it’s
blocked. There is anothe r level of the heart that can be experienced when the
upward


 on the drugs. They made me drowsy and blurred my thinking. Another side effect was weight gain. I went from my habit-
ual 165 pounds (I’m 6 feet tall) up to 215. When I left the psychiatric hospital, I came to the desert to stay
with my mother. T oday I’m under the care of a psychiatrist, goingthrough a healing process. When I told a friend about how uncom-fortable I felt weighing 215, he recommended I see Dr. Platt. 125 PSYCHOGENIC MEDICATION AND GREG C. Initially I went just for the weight loss, but I have received
so much more from my treatment. The great miracle is that notonly have I gone back to my usual weight, I’ve been able to weanmyself off all the drugs I was on. My intake interview with Dr. Platt made me feel very
comfortable. When I told him about all the drugs 1 was taking,he told me I was over-medicated, and that if I followed hishormone treatment and his diet I would be able to wean myselfoff the drugs. I told my psychiatrist about Dr. Platt and he wasopen to the idea of helping the weaning process along, as long asI continued in therapy with him and continued to examine theissues that got me into trouble in the first place. I started Dr. Platt’s treatment in January and set myself the
goal of being drug-free and at the proper weight by the end ofMarch. I reached my goal by early March, and today feelabsolutely fantastic. I feel so lucid and my thought processes areso clear compared to how I felt on the drugs. I’m continuing in therapy and applying for jobs in various
industries such as banking and insurance—more conventionalindustries where the hours are normal. I don’t want to be in thehospitality business any more. While I’m waiting for a job to come through, I’m delivering
newspapers at night. It’s something I never could have imaginedmyself doing at the age of 32. But it gives me time to think aboutwhat I want for my future, and I see the moon and stars everynight and watch the sun rise every morning. It’s a humblingexperience, but it’s also a rebirth. I feel the foundation of myhouse has been properly poured this time. I’ve gotten so muchhelp with my worldview, both from my psychiatrist and from Dr. Platt, who encourages me to approach life as an enjoyable jour-ney. I’m thinking in a way I’ve never thought before. I used tohave so much fear that I was never going to amount to anythingin life. Now I know that if I stay balanced I will have an impact126 THE MIRACLE OF BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES  on the lives of my loved ones and hopefully my community, and
that’s all I want. THE DANGERS OF PSYCHOTROPIC
MEDICATION
Greg’s case is a classic example of how medications can
contribute to a person’s problems instead of helping them. My approach with my patients is always to look for the
underlying causes of their problems. I can’t just look at theproblems without seeing the entire person. Greg came to mefor weight loss, but I did not want to treat him as a straight-forward weight management patient without addressing thosefour incredibly powerful drugs he was taking. I knew that evenif I were to get him down to his ideal weight, those drugswould eventually bring him right back to where he was. So itwould make sense to address the psychogenic drugs first. Although I’m not a psychiatrist, I found the diagnosis of
bi-polar disorder suspicious. That’s a very specific disorder—one that tends to be over-diagnosed, by the way. I didn’tbelieve that Greg was really suffering from that malady. SinceI know that hormones have a tremendous impact on theneurotransmitters in the brain, I decided to go on the workingtheory that Greg, like many people, was being diagnosed withsomething very serious when in fact he was probably justsuffering from unbalanced hormones. Whatever Greg’s psychological difficulties were, I knew that
with the right hormones he could get some relief from hissymptoms. I told him that my goal was to get him off his drugsand to get his hormones in balance. He was delighted with that,since he felt foggy and uncomfortable on the medications. 127 PSYCHOGENIC MEDICATION AND GREG C. Fortunately, Greg’s psychiatrist was open to the idea of
weaning him off of these powerful drugs. He felt that Greg’snervous breakdown was an extreme stress reaction, not asymptom of bi-polar disorder, and that if Greg could addresshis issues in talk therapy he could eventually go back to livinga normal, drug-free life. ADJUSTING GREG’S HORMONES
In my view, Greg’s weight problem was caused by a combination
of the medications he was on plus too much insulin. The factthat most of Greg’s weight had settled in around his abdomenwas a sign of over-producing insulin. So I started him onnatural progesterone right away. I did this for four reasons:
• Progesterone reduces insulin
• Progesterone regulates blood sugar levels• Progesterone is wonderful for brain tissue
(progesterone levels are 20 times higher in brain tissue than anywhere else)
• Progesterone is a natural anti-depressant
Between progesterone and the meal plan, Greg began
losing weight right away. With his psychiatrist’s help, heslowly reduced the amount of Paxil, Effexor, Depakote, andlithium he was taking. As he continuously lowered the dosagesof those lipogenic medications, his weight loss speeded up. He got into a positive feedback loop whereby he liked the
way he was looking, which led to feeling better about himselfand making faster progress in talk therapy, which led to furthersuccess with his weight management program, and so on. Asthe weeks went by, you could see the transformation. 128 THE MIRACLE OF BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES  Eventually Greg returned to being the person he’d been
before he started the medications, minus the driven, worka-holic overlay. T oday he’s a very energetic, forward-looking manwith a lot to live for. Greg will eventually be reunited with his wife and child. With the help of hormones, he’ll be able to live a balanced lifethat he truly enjoys. In addition, he is now acutely aware of theimportance of balancing his son’s hormones and his wife’shormones. Greg’s problems were strictly hormonal: too much
adrenaline, too much insulin, too much cortisol, and too littleprogesterone. Putting them back into balance gave him the“miracle” he was looking for. THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM
Greg’s story illustrates why it is so important to understand the
background of one’s patients. When I first talked with Greg, it was immediately
apparent that he had a classic case of ADHD. Adults with thisproblem frequently become workaholics and type A personal-ities. These people are living on adrenaline. They start out withlow progesterone levels, which causes an over-production ofinsulin. This leads to hypoglycemia and to an outpouring ofadrenaline to bring sugar levels up. This was Greg’s underlying metabolic state. When he began
working in Las Vegas, the new element of stress was added. Now his adrenal glands were over-producing not only
adrenaline but also cortisol (this is addressed in chapter 20). The cortisol raised his sugar levels, leading to even moreinsulin production. This led to more hypoglycemia, which ledto more adrenaline. He lost his appetite because of the high129 PSYCHOGENIC MEDICATION AND GREG C. levels of adrenaline, leading to a body starved for fuel, which
created even more stress. He did not have bi-polar disorder; he just had a major
hormonal imbalance. One can readily see why sometimespsychological conditions can be treated with hormones in amore effective manner than with drugs. 130 THE MIRACLE OF BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES  ADD AND ADHD—
THE SILENT EPIDEMIC
chapter FIFTEEN
I could not write a book about the influence of hormones
without making special mention of attention deficit disorder(ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In my view, these two conditions are primarily related to ahormonal imbalance involving high insulin and the resultanthypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. There are many kids with symptoms of ADD who are
struggling in school today because they have difficultiesfocusing. Often the reason they cannot pay attention in classor do homework is that they are hypoglycemic. Any time sugaris taken from the brain, the brain cannot focus. The reason forthe low sugars is that the kids are over-producing insulin. Because of the hypoglycemia these youngsters experience a
persistent craving for foods that provide sugar, such as fruitjuice, soda, and candy. And very often kids with ADD have aweight problem, since they are continuously eating highglycemic carbohydrates. ADHD starts out the same way—too much insulin
leading to low sugar levels. However, kids with ADHD have tocontend with another hormone: adrenaline. 131The brain cannot function without sugar, and the body
has an amazing capacity for finding ways to raise the bloodsugar level when it is low. Prominent among these regulatoryreactions is a process called gluconeogenesis, which, simplyput, creates sugar from protein. It is mediated through thesympathetic nervous


 of timeless mind and ageless body that the new
paradigm has been preparing us for. OceanofPDF.comTHE METABOLISM OF TIME
One of Einstein’ s brilliant contri butions to modern physics was his intuition
that linear time, along with everything happening in it, is superficial. Time
seems to flow and move; clocks tick off their seconds, minutes, and hours;
aeons of history unfold and disappear. But ultimately, Einstein held, this
vast activity is all relative, meaning that it has no absolute value. John
Wheeler, an eminent physicist,  wrote, “The very idea of space-time is a
wrong idea, and with that idea failing, the idea of ‘before’ and ‘after ’ also
fails. That can be said so simply, and yet it is so hard for the lesson to grab
hold in the world.”
One proof that it hasn’ t yet grabbed hold is that people continu e to age,
following a straight-line process as faithfully as if it really existed. Yet if
Einstein was right, aging is an illusion. It depends on “before” and “after,”
two concepts that have been bankrupt for almost a century. The mystic Sufi
poet Rumi understood this truth centuries ago when he wrote, “You are the
unconditioned spirit trapped in conditions, the sun in eclipse.” Time and
space are condit ions, and when we see ourselves bound in them, we have
lost touch with reality and bought into a fiction. Einstein displaced linear time with something much more fluid—time
that can contract and expand, slow down or speed up. He often compared
this to subjectiv e time, for he noted that spending a minute sitting on a hot
stove seems like an hour, while spending an hour with a beautiful girl seems
like a minute. What he meant by this is that time depends on the situation of
the observer. For physicists, the notion of expanding and contr acting time
allowed for better calculations of various phenomena occurri ng near the
speed of light, which was Einstein’ s absolute, the universal yardstick that
could not be changed or exceeded. Time had to expand and contract in
order to keep the speed of light constant.We all have a sense that time expands and contracts, seeming to drag one
moment and race the next, but what is our constant, our absolut e? I believe
it is “me,” our core sense of self. To borrow from Einstein’ s example, if two
men are sitting with the same beautiful girl, the time might drag for one,
because the girl is his sister, while it flies for the other if he is in love with
her. This means that each of us has personal control over our sense of time. Consider all the subjective qualities we attach to time. W e say things like:
I don’ t have time for that. Time’s up. Your time’ s running out. How the time flies. Time hangs heavy. I love you so much, time stands still. These statement s do not say anything about time measured by the clock. The clock doesn’ t lie about how much linear time has elapsed “out there.”
But subjective time, the kind that exists only “in here,” is a different matter. All the above statements reflect a state of self. If you’re bored,  time hangs
heavy; if you’re desperate, time’s running out; if you’re exhil arated, time
flies; when you’re in love, time stands still. In other words, whenever you
take an attitude toward time, you are really saying something about
yourself. T ime, in the subjective sense, is a mirror. In medicine we realize that people who don’t have enough time are
probably going to develop health problems. The discovery of Type A
behavior, for example, revealed that heart attacks were linked to a sense that
there’ s never enough time; for a Type A, the next deadline is always a
threat, and his struggle with time  contributes to his ingrained frustration and
hostility. Hostility then sends a message to the heart that constricts blood
vessels, drives up blood pressure, elevates cholesterol levels, and generates
various kinds of arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeat. This happens to more people than just Type A’s. As April 15 approaches,
tax accountants have been observed to develop temporary elevations in
blood pressure and cholesterol that disappear once the tax deadline is past. Their subjective sense of time is enough to put their bodies at risk. Thispoints to a deeper lesson. Ask someone to make an omelet. A skillful cook
can accomplish the task in about two minutes. Now alter the situation
slightly by saying, “Make an omelet, but you only have two minutes to do
it.” This will often make even the accomplished cook feel tense and harried. Time pressure causes stress hormones to be released into the body, which in
turn elevates heartbeat. If the person struggles against this reaction, his
situation only gets worse. Now  his heart has to put up with time pressure
and frustration. When heart patients are given demanding tasks under a
deadline, a significant number grow so agitated that their heart muscles
actually suffer ischemic or “silen t” heart attacks (“silent” in this case means
that damage is occurring but without any sensation of pain). The element of time pressure also alters behavior, attitudes, and
physiological responses. So subjective time can be an incredibly powerful
force. It’s no accident that the word deadline  contains the word dead. A
deadline implies a threat: “If you don’t meet this limit, you’re finished.”
The threat may be subtle or blatant, but it is almost always present. If it
were not, we would not feel anxious under time pressure. Sometimes we
expose the threat more clearly in phrases such as “I’m under the gun” or
“His time is up” (which may sound like a neutral phrase until you
remember that we apply it to people who are about to die). Some people are much more sensitive to time pressure than others. A
nervous cook can get so rattled by the two-minute deadline that he drops the
eggs, burns himself, and can’t accomplish a task at which he excels when
time is not a consideration. Another cook will blossom under the challenge
and finish the omelet even quicker than before. One feels time pressure as a
threat, the other as a challenge. One feels thrown out of control, the other
feels impelled to test his sense of control and improve upon it. All of us, howe ver, feel the pressure of a serious, threatening  deadline
over which we have no control— death itself. If you believe that you have
been allotted a certain span of time for your existence, the deadl ine of death
will exert the same kind of stress as that felt by the nervous cook rushing to
finish his omelet and botching the job. How much better not to feel any
time pressure, to blossom fully despite the fact that death exists. The
attitude that life is a blossoming, not a race, can be achieved. But to do that,
you can’t believe that time is running out. Sending that message to yourbody’ s cells is the same, ultimately, as programming them to age and die. Yet the fact is that linear time is moving inexorably forward, and to
overcome that, we must find a place where a different kind of time, or no
time, can be experienced and internalized. The Quantum Mechanical Body
To a skeptic, this proposition must sound purely subjective, but quantum
events that defy linear time take place within our cells continually. DNA ’s
intelligence operates simultaneously in the past, present, and future. From
the past it takes the blueprint of life, applying to the present only the tiniest
fraction of the information needed for cellular function (perhaps a billionth
of its total data base), and reserving for the future the information that will
be relevant years from now. The double helix is the quantum storehouse of
your future; here time is compressed and locked away until needed. At the
instant you were conceived, your genes gained control of an entire lifetime
of event s that would unfold in precise sequence. Your hands, for example,
emer ged in the womb first as amorphous blobs of cells, then as stubby
knobs that turned into fishlike  fins, amphibian feet, animal paws, and
finally human hands. Those blobs, knobs, fins, feet, and paws are still
present today as stored data in your genes, as are the hands of your infancy,
childhood, adult hood, and old age. At the quantum level, you live all these
ages at once. Because we are both physic al and quantum, human beings live
multidimensional lives. At this moment you are in two places at once. One
is the visible, sensual world, where your body is subject to all the forces of
nature “out there.” The wind chaps your skin and the sun burns it; you will
freeze to death in winter without shelter; and the assault of germs and
viruses makes your cells sick. But you also occupy the quan tum world,
where all these things change. If you get into the bathtub, your
consciousness doesn’ t get wet. The limitations of physical life count for
much less in the quantum world, and often for nothing. The cold of winter
doesn’ t freeze your memories; the heat of a July night doesn’ t make you
sweat in your dreams.Put together all the quantum events in your cells and the sum total is your


xercise. Causesstingingnettles;insects. Thisrashwillappearasred,raisedblotches. Itmay
accompanyarheumaticflare-up,oritmaybeare-
actiontoeatingshellfish.Thereisaconstantdesireto
rubtheskin. Pricklyheat
SymptomsWithsymptomsofhives(seeabove). Feelsasthoughstungbystingingnettles. VERATRUMALBUM(Ver-a.) Familyname:Liliaceae
Commonnames:white-flowered Veratrum;white
hellebore;Europeanhellebore
Veratrumalbumisahardyperennialplantfoundin
moist,grassyspotsinmountainouspartsofEurope,
thoughnotintheBritishIsles.Itgrowsuptofivefeet
high,hashairybranchesandproduceslargegreenish-
whiteflowerheadsfromJunetoAugust. Itisoneoftheoldestknownpoisons,apparently
usedbytheGaulsandothersonarrowsanddaggersin
theirfightagainsttheRomans.Thepoisoningscause
terriblesufferingtoallanimals:thewholegastrictract
becomesirritated,causingviolentvomiting,painful
(oftenbloody)diarrhoea,abdominal,gnpingpains,
burningsensationsinthemouth,throat,stomachand
bowels,smallpulse,faintness,coldsweats,trem-
bling,dizziness,dilatedpupils,andfinallylossofvoice,lossofsight,convulsions,unconsciousnessand
death. Ithasoccasionallybeenadministeredexternallyfor
stubborncasesofscabiesorlicebutthispracticeis
fraughtwithdangerandrarelyused.Ithasbeenused
traditionallyfromHippocrates'timeasacurefor
cholera;morerecentlyhomeopathshaveprescribed it
successfullyforcertaintypesofcholera,especiallythe
thirdstagewherethereisterrible,continualvomiting,
anunquenchable thirstandcollapse. Thehomeopathicpreparation ismadefromtheroot
whichiscollectedinJune,powderedcoarselyand
lefttostandinalcoholbeforebeingstrainedand
succussed. GENERALSYMPTOMS
Breathcold.Collapseafterdian-hoea.Expression:
anxious.Faceblue;pale.Likes:colddrinks;fruit-
ice-cream;refreshingthings;sourfoods.Saliva
increased.Sweat:cold;clammy;profuse;sour. Thirstyforlargequantities.Tonguecold. Worseaftereatingfruit. Veratrumalbumisindicatedforthetypeofexhaustion
withfaintnessthatmayaccompanyanacuteillness,
usuallya'tummybug',forexamplegastro-enteritis,
dysentery,foodpoisoning.Acuteillnessesthatcanbe
helpedbyVeratrumalbumwillbeaccompaniedbya
generalcoldness-ofthebreath,thetongueandthe
skin(whichiscoldtotouch. )Icv-coldsweatisanother
INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA Zincummetallicum(Zinc. )•163
generalsymptom,andthesetypesfeelworsewhile
sweating.Therewillalsobeanincreaseofsalivainthe
mouthandaferociousthirstforlargequantitiesofcold
oricv-colddrinks.Thesemaybevomitedimmediately
ingastrictroubles.Eatingfruitcausesageneral
worsening. EMOTIONAL/MENTALSYMPTOMS
Broody.Forgetful.Tearful.Uncommunicative. Veratrumalbumtypesmayappearverydistressed,and
restless(theyhavetobeupanddoingsomething),and
maybepronetoweepingandwailingandincessant
talking.Alternatively,theymaybetotallywithdrawn,
silentandinactive.thesweatingwillbeworse(duringandafterpassing
stools),andthepatientwillfeelgenerallyworsewhile
sweating. Vomiting
SymptomsBei.i.y/stomach feelscold.Pains:cramp-
ing/griping.Vomit:ofbile;ofmucus;sour,watery;
yellow.Vomitingviolent.Withdiarrhoea(see
above);dizziness;hiccupingaftervomiting. Worseaftereating;afterdrinking. ThisoftenaccompaniesVeratrumalbumdiarrhoeaand
isoneofthemostsevereformsofdiarrhoeaand
vomiting.Thepersonmayvomitandpassdiarrhoea
simultaneously. PHYSICALCOMPLAINTS
Cough
SymptomsCough:deep;hollow. Breathingisdifficultandmaybelouderthanusual. Thereisafeelingoftightnessinthechest,andthe
coughisaccompaniedbythecharacteristicVeratrum
coldsweat. Diarrhoea
SymptomsDiarrhoea:exhausting;involuntary;
violent.Pains:burning;cutting;dull/aching. Stools:copious;frequent;green;watery.Withicy-
coldhandsandfeet;sweating(seeGeneralSymp-
toms)duringandafterpassingastool;vomiting(see
below). Worseafterdrinking;duringamenstrualperiod;for
movement. Causesfruit;gettingchilled. Thisdiarrhoeamaybeaccompaniedbyaravenous
appetite,withafeelingofemptinesswhichisnot
relievedbyeating.Thepersonhastroublepassing
wind,andwhenisabletodosomaypassaninvolun-
tarystool.Stoolsshootout,andthepersonhastopass
themfrequently.Handsandfeetareicycold. Exhaustion
SymptomsExhaustion:paralytic;sudden.Withcold
extremities. Worseafterpassingastool. Causesdiarrhoea. Fever
SymptomsWithsweating(seeGeneralSymptoms). Worseforsweating. Theskinispaleandicycoldtotouch,eitheroverthe
wholebodyorinspotsorpatches.IfthereisdiarrhoeaZincummetallicum (Zinc.) Othername:zinc
Zincisasoft,blue-whitemetalofmoderatehardness. Itdoesn'trustandisthereforeusedto'galvanise'
metalsorprotectthemfromcorrosion,aswellasto
makealloyssuchasbrass(zincpluscopper).Ithas
manyuses,forexampleindrybatteries,radios,zips,
carparts,electricalfuses,roofingandguttering,cable
wrappingsandorganpipes. Zincasatraceelementisessentialforbothplants
andanimalsandisfoundinmostfoods.Zincde-
ficiencyinhumanscauseslossofappetiteandsenseof
taste,andslowhealing.Zincointmentstopromote
healinghavelongbeenknowninmedicine. Itismildly
astringentandprotectivetotheskinandisusedin
dustingpowdersandlotionssuchascalamine,where
itiscombinedwithiron. Thehomeopathicpreparation ismadebyheating
purezincandthengrinding ittoafinepowder.Itis
thentrituratedanddilutedbysuccussion. GENERALSYMPTOMS
Facepale.Whitespotsonfingernails.Twitchy. Trembling. Worseaftereating;duringtheevening;atnight;for
Zincactswellinpeopleofanyagewhoareweary
andrundownfromstressandoverwork.Theymay
tremble,twitchandjerk.Theirsymptomstendtobe
worseatnight,fromdrinkingwineandaftereating,
althoughtheymayfeelbetterwhileactuallyeating. LikeSulphurtypestheyhaveanemptyfeelinginthe
stomacharound11a.m. Thoughthereisageneraltwitchinesswiththese
164•Zincummetallicum(Zinc.) INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA
types,akeynotesymptomisrestless,twitchylegs;
Zincumtypeswillfeelexhaustedbutfidgety,andthey
willfeelthattheymustkeeptheirlegsconstantlyon
themove.Thisisworseintheeveningsinbed,andthe
legswillcarryontwitchinginthesleep. Inachildhoodillnesslikemeasleswheretherash
doesnotappearproperlythechildmaybeleftfeeling
weakandlowandtwitchy,andpossiblychesty. Zincumwillbeofhelp,ifthisisthecase. EMOTIONAL/MENTALSYMPTOMS
Depressed.Irritable.Moody.Sensitivetonoise. Sluggish.Uncommunicative. PeopleneedingZinchavedifficultythinkingbecause
ofnervousexhaustion.Theirthoughtswanderand
theymaybeslowtoanswer,perhapsrepeatingyour
questionbeforeanswering,orforgettingwhattheyare
sayinghalfwaythroughtheirconversationwithyou. Theyaredepressed,irritableandgenerallywornout. PHYSICALCOMPLAINTS
Backache
SymptomsPainsincoccyx;inneck;inspine;aching;
sore,bruised.Withweakness.Worseforsitting,forwriting. Thewholebackfeelssoreandweakfromto


 we recognize as the will of
God. It is the alchemy that we embrace to make sense of how things
are materialized from the world of spirit. These are strong words, which are essential for you to know if you
are to make the transition from one who takes what life presents to
one who becomes a co-creator with the universal energy of uncondi-
tional love. I suggest you embark on an experiment in which you practice only
unconditional love for several days, perhaps even a week. Make this a
private activity, but vow to yourself that you will only allow uncondi-
tional loving thoughts to emanate from your consciousness. Make an
93
WAYNE W. DYER
intense proclamation to live uncondieinel love for a designated
period of time. During this time refuse to have judgmental or critical thoughts. In
your quiet time think only peace and love. In all of your relationships
think and act in only loving ways. Extend loving thoughts and energy
wherever and whenever you encounter anyone or anything. Become
unconditional love for this period of time. This practice of becoming unconditional love is a prerequisite to
the manifesting process. By pouring love into your immediate envi-
ronment and practicing gentleness in all of your thoughts, words and
actions, your immediate circle of friends will begin responding in a
whole new way. Furthermore, this act becomes expansive very
quickly and you can radiate this love to your community and to peo-
ple you read about in newspapers, including those who are labeled
terrorists, murderers, scam artists and the like. You emphasize the “un” in unconditional love. You become
detached and loving toward all. You are not loving the hostile act, but
you are loving the spirit that is blocked in those who are harmful and
unloving. When you can live this way and reject all thoughts and
actions that are not of an unconditionally loving nature, you will
experience the essence of your spirit and know how to overcome
limitations in your life. This is a task that your conditioning will not easily encourage. But
for a few days you can persevere just so you know what the divine
universal spirit is like. It judges no one and no thing, it does not mor-
alize, it does not show favoritism, it merely exists as unconditional
love, radiating harmony and allowing everything and everyone to
unfold. Each day millions of flowers open and then close without any
force, only with the all-flowing unconditional love that is the heart of
universal, infinite and eternal energy. With this exercise you are culti-
vating that aspect of yourself. 94
Manifest Your Destiny
As you practice being unconditional love, contemplate and medi-
tate on the sacred unconditional love that is the heart of yourself also. Imagine an atom of unconditional love that is at the very center of
your existence. Feel this presence in your heart and feel it opening
and radiating outward. Soon this impersonal feeling that is not
dependent on anyone or anything, or any belief system, will radiate
to a feeling of being connected to the infinite energy of unconditional
love that is God. With this transformation you are on the path of manifestation. You will connect by ridding yourself of all judgment, anger, moraliz-
ing, preaching, hate, rancor and all of the other various tools of the
ego. What can you expect as you practice a few days of being total,
unconditional love? If all of your meditations are devoted to love, and
if you pour love into every single situation and every single person
you meet, and beyond that to everyone on the planet and to the
infinity of the universe, you will feel yourself becoming a different
person. You will sleep more soundly. You will feel at peace virtually all
of the time. Your relationships will be more deeply spiritual. Most
significantly, you will begin recognizing the “coincidences” of your
life with greater regularity. Your thought forms of unconditional love
will begin to produce what you desire without your even being aware
of how it is happening. Your dreams will be more intense, and the
vision of your purpose will become clearer. I am suggesting that you can love more, and unconditionally,
without expecting anything in return; as a result, the limitations
that you experience will disappear. Try it before you reject it. There
is an oft-quoted piece from the New Testament that seems appro-
priate to insert here. For me, it is one of the most profound pas-
sages ever written. It is reproduced here from Corinthians 13, on
“Love.”
95
WAYNE W. DYER
And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the
gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love,
I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my
body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it
is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily
angered, it keeps no record of wrong. Love does not delight in
evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies they will cease,
where there are tongues they will be stilled, where there is
knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we proph-
esy in part. But when perfection comes, the imperfect disap-
pears. When I was a child, I talked like a child. I thought like a
child. I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put child-
ish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a
mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, then I
shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is Love. Yes, the greatest of these is love. It will make the imperfect disap-
pear, and it will allow you to move into that spiritually fulfilling world
of co-creating your life based on the model of unconditional love. I am well aware of the improbability of living an unconditionally
loving life in all of our moments. I imagine your ego is protesting that
96
Manifest Your Destiny
this idea is absurd because you are only human and humans have
shortcomings. Nevertheless, I ask you to do this exercise for a few
days or a week. You see, I know that it will become habitual when
you feel the richness of your life with this new awareness. Unconditional love is the ultimate mystery of life. It may appear
simple, but it is so powerful that it will shake you free of your ego
domination if you give it even a short tryout in your life. Until we
learn to transcend the ego we continue to contribute to the insanity
that we witness in the world. Detaching and becoming an uncondi-
tionally loving observer is the way to cultivate a healthy, balanced
relationship between ego and spirit. THE PROCESS OF DETACHED OBSERVATION
One of the great meditation exercises that I learned many years
ago involves imagining lifting yourself out of your body and floating
into space so far that you are actually observing the entire planet. If
you do this, try to imagine what the earth is like without you on it. It
is a very difficult task for your ego to even contemplate the world
without you in it. Next, begin to observe the planet without any
judgment, refusing to label anything as good or bad, right or wrong. Simply instruct yourself to notice, allow and send unconditional love. You probably will find it easier to send out unconditional love when
you are not there to interfere. That is, you can love unconditionally
when your ego is out of the way. This is a technique that will help you
to project unconditional love. If all you are is a being of unconditional love, you are not involved
in ego concerns. When you operate from this perspective you are
practicing detachment in a state of gentleness, which makes you a
compassionate witness toward everyone and everything you come
into contact with. It is magical to be able to extend this kind of con-
sciousness beyond your form. This is the resolution of that great
97
WAYNE W. DYER
mystery of how to connect to and know God. That is, not to know
about God, but to know God. The process of being a detached observer occurs in the silence of
your contemplations or meditations. Begin by seeking out time to be
quiet and enter this inner place of love. It is in that silence that you
will come to truly know this divine energy of unconditional love. Most people in the western world have a great deal of difficulty
with any prolonged periods of silence. They fill those moments with
music, conversation, radio and television and anything else they can
use to avoid the silence. Our culture is a noisy culture. ;
When I attempt to meditate and just observe the silence, I deal
with vacuums, power mowers, tree trimmers, portable leaf blowers,
edgers and the many machines that move earth and sand,


 Medicinal plants
Aerial parts are rich
in anti-inflammatory and astringent substances. Root is harvested in autumn when the allantoin levels are highest. Infused oil of leaves
(to make, p. 294). Apply to sprains. Chopping leaves  For boils, apply as a poultice (see p. 295). Ointment of leaves  (to make, p. 295). Apply to bruises. Symphytum officinale (Boraginaceae)
Comfrey, Knitbone
Comfrey’s names testify to its traditional use in mending
broken bones. “Comfrey” is a corruption of con firma, meaning the bone is “made firm,” Symphytum is derived from the Greek for “to unite,” and knitbone speaks for itself. Comfrey is also a wound herb. K’Eogh in his Irish Herbal (1735) wrote that it “heals all inward wounds and ruptures.” Today, it is still highly regarded for its healing properties. Habitat & Cultivation
An indigenous European plant,
comfrey grows in all temperate regions of the world, including western Asia, North America, and Australia. It thrives in moist, marshy places. It can be grown from seed in spring or by root division in autumn, and the leaves and flowering tops  are harvested in summer. The root  is unearthed in autumn. Key Constituents
■ Allantoin (up to 4.7%)
■ Mucilage (about 29%)
■ Triterpenoids
■ Phenolic acids
 (rosmarinic acid)
■ Asparagine
■ Pyrrolizidine alkaloids
 (0.02–0.07%)
■ Tannins
Key Actions
■ Demulcent
■ Astringent
■ Anti-inflammatory
■ Heals wounds and bonesResearch
■ Active constituents Allantoin
is a cell-proliferant that stimulates  the repair of damaged tissue. The herb’s anti-inflammatory activity  is partly due to the presence of rosmarinic acid and phenolic acids. ■ Pyrrolizidine alkaloids
Research shows that, as isolated substances, certain pyrrolizidine alkaloids can be highly toxic to the liver. It is still unclear whether they are toxic in the context of the  whole plant, as they are only present in minute amounts, often being completely absent from samples  of dried aerial parts. The highest concentration is in the root, which should not be used internally. Skin applications, as well as the aerial parts of the plant, are considered safe. ■ Clinical research In Germany
and elsewhere in Europe, comfrey
is widely used for sprains, bruises,
and sports injuries. Research, mostly
in Germany, endorses the traditional knowledge of comfrey’s wound-healing ability. In a 2007 study, physicians rated the efficacy of a comfrey leaf cream in healing abrasions. The doctors rated its effectiveness as good or very good  in 93% of cases, and complete healing took 4 days with comfrey and 7 days with placebo. Other studies indicate comfrey’s value in promoting tissue repair and as an anti-inflammatory  in conditions such as sprained ankle, osteoarthritis, and lower back pain. Traditional &
Current Uses
■ Injuries Comfrey’s ability to
promote the healing of bruises, Comfrey
A perennial growing  to 3 ft (1 m), with  thick leaves and bell-like white to pink  or mauve flowers. sprains, fractures, and broken bones
has been known for thousands of years. It encourages ligaments and bones to knit together firmly. A comfrey compress applied immediately to a sprained ankle can significantly reduce the severity of the injury. The combination of tannins and mucilage helps to soothe bruises and grazes. ■ Other uses Comfrey preparations
have many other uses and can be Comfrey was known to the Greek physician
Dioscorides in the 1st century ce, who wrote about it in his Materia Medica. Parts Used
Key Preparations & Their Uses
applied to heal problems such as
insect bites, scars, skin inflammation, acne, and mastitis. Self-help Uses
■ Acne & boils, p. 305. ■ Fractures, p. 312. ■ Fungal skin infections, p. 304. ■ Healing wounds, p. 304. ■ Inflamed skin rashes, p. 303. ■ Stiff & aching joints, p. 313. QCautions Do not use on dirty wounds as rapid healing can trap dirt or pus. T ake internally only under professional supervision. Restricted in some countries. Do not take during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.Fresh root
Dried rootFresh
aerial parts
Dried
aerial parts
Tincture of root (to make, p. 292). Apply undiluted to acne. US_138-139_Symphytum_Tabelula.indd   138 26/02/16   4:00 pm139Tabebuia  spp.Key Medicinal plants
Habitat & Cultivation
An indigenous South American tree,
pau d’arco grows well in mountainous
terrains. In Peru and Argentina it is
found growing high up in the Andes. Pau d’arco is also found in low-lying
areas (in Paraguay and Brazil), where
it is thought to have originated. Many
Tabebuia  species are used in herbal medicine, so quality control of dried
bark can be difficult. T. avellanedae
is considered to be the most
therapeutic ally effective species,
while T. impetignosa  is the species
that is most commonly available. Pau d’arco is not normally
cultivated—the prized inner bark is
collected from trees growing in the
wild, throughout the year. Key Constituents
■ Napthaquinones (lapachol)
■ Anthraquinones
■ Coumarins
■ Flavonoids
■ Iridoids
■ Carnosol
Key Actions
■ Antibacterial
■ Antifungal
■ Antiparasitic
■ Immunostimulant
■ Anti-inflammatoryPau d’arco
An evergreen tree
(deciduous in cold
climates) reaching
100 ft (30 m), with
pink flowers. ■ Tonic
■ Antitumor
Research
■ Antibacterial and antifungal
activity  A Colombian review (2013)
of research data on Tabebuia  species,
much of which was undertaken
in South America, highlighted pau
d’arco’s strong, direct activity against
several key bacteria, notably
Staphylococcus aureus  and
Helicobacter pylori, the latter being
the principal cause of stomach ulcers. It also has broad-ranging activity
against many fungal agents, including
Candida albicans. ■ Antitumor properties  Pau
d’arco’s anticancer action has been
established in laboratory
experiments, with many of its
constituents suppressing the growth
of cancer cells. Research in Brazil in
the 1960s raised great hopes that
pau d’arco might prove to be a major
cancer treatment, but clinical
research has failed to produce
positive results. Traditional &
Current Uses
■ Early cure-all  The Incas, the
Callawaya in Brazil, and other Native
South American peoples all prized
pau d’arco as a cure-all. They used
it to treat a variety of conditions, Pau d’arco  is valued for its durable wood
and for its bark that has important
therapeutic properties.including wounds, fever, dysentery,
and intestinal inflammation, as well as
certain types of cancer and snake bite. ■ Infections  Given the large
number of active constituents in
pau d’arco, it is not surprising that
this beneficial herb is used in South
America and by herbal practitioners
throughout the world. It is an
important, natural antibiotic for
bacterial and viral infections,
especially of the nose, mouth, and
throat, and is considered helpful for
chronic conditions such as CFS
(chronic fatigue syndrome). Pau d’arco is also used for fungal
conditions, including ringworm and
thrush, and is considered especially
useful for treating chronic candidiasis. ■ Anti-inflammatory action
Pau d’arco reduces and relieves
inflammatory problems, especially
in the stomach and intestines. It
is used to treat a wide range of
other inflammatory conditions,
including cystitis, inflammation of
the cervix, and prostatitis. ■ Cancer remedy  Clinical
experience in Brazil, combined
with its worldwide use by herbalists
as a cancer remedy, suggests that
pau d’arco may be beneficial in
the treatment of cancer, including
leukemia. However, more intensive
research is needed into its
therapeutic value. QCaution If taking anticoagulant medication, take pau d’arco only on professional
advice. Do not take during pregnancy. Avoid if trying to conceive.Tabebuia spp. (Bignoniaceae)
Pau d’Arco (Portuguese), Lapacho (Spanish)
Bark from the pau d’arco tree has been valued
for centuries in traditional South American herbal
medicine for its remarkable health benefits. Today,
it is given as a remedy for inflammatory and infectious
problems, including conditions such as chronic fatigue
and candidiasis. It is also used for other


  A classic remedy
for urinary tract infections, cranberry can be used
both to prevent and to treat problems such as
cystitis and urethritis. T aken as berries, juice, or
extract, it will help to disinfect the urinary tubules
and may be taken for problems associated with
poor urinary flow such as enlarged prostate, as
well as bladder infections. In cases of acute infection,
cranberry is likely to work better in combination
with herbs such as buchu ( Barosma betulina, p. 71)
and uva-ursi ( Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, p. 170). Cranberry may also be used long term to prevent the
development of calcium carbonate urinary stones. Research  Research published in 1994 found that
cranberry juice reduced the need for antibiotics
in women suffering from chronic urinary tract
infection. It seems likely that cranberry works by
making it more difficult for bacteria to cling to the
urinary tract wall, and infection is therefore more
easily flushed out. The proanthocyanidins and
catechins are probably responsible for this action. Cautions  In kidney disease, use only on
professional advice. Verbascum thapsus
(Scrophulariaceae)
Mullein
Description  Upright biennial growing to 61⁄2 ft
(2 m). Has slightly hairy, gray-green, oval to lance-
shaped leaves, and spikes of bright yellow flowers. Habitat & Cultivation  Mullein is native to
central and southern Europe and western Asia. It is now also naturalized in many other temperate
regions. Mullein grows on open uncultivated land
and along roadsides. The leaves and flowers are
collected during the summer. Parts Used Leaves, flowers. Constituents Mullein contains mucilage,
flavonoids, triterpenoid saponins, volatile oil,
and tannins. History & Folklore Mullein was once credited
with magical as well as medicinal virtues. John Gerard,
a 16th-century herbalist, expressed doubts about
the former: “there be some who think that this
herbe being carryed aboute one, doth help  Vinca minor (Apocynaceae)
Lesser Periwinkle
Description  A mainly ground-hugging
evergreen shrub arching to 18 in (45 cm). Has rooting stems, shiny elliptical leaves, and
5-petaled, violet-blue flowers. US_266-283_Sanguinaria_Ziziphus_jujuba.indd   281 26/02/16   12:48 pm
282
other medicinal plantsVinca Rosea
Habitat & Cultivation  Native to Europe,
lesser periwinkle grows in along roadsides and
woodland borders. It is also cultivated as a garden plant. The leaves are gathered in spring. Parts Used Leaves. Constituents  Lesser periwinkle contains about
7% indole alkaloids (including vincamine, vincine, and vincaminine), a bisindol alkaloid (vincarubine), and tannins. Vincamine increases blood flow and oxygen supply to the brain. History & Folklore  In his Herbarium, the
2nd-century ce Roman writer Apuleius describes lesser periwinkle’s virtues “against the devil sickness and demoniacal possessions and against snakes and wild beasts.” He also specifies the rituals used in harvesting the herb: “This wort thou shalt pluck thus, saying, ‘I pray thee, vinca pervinca, thee that art to be had for thy many useful qualities… outfit me so that I be shielded and ever prosperous and undamaged by poisons and by water.’ When thou shalt pluck this wort, thou shalt be clean of every uncleanness, and thou shalt pick it when the moon is nine nights old.”
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Lesser periwinkle
is employed as an astringent and blood-staunching herb. Its astringency makes it a useful mouthwash for sore throats, gingivitis, and mouth ulcers. Its staunching ability is effective against internal bleeding, heavy menstrual bleeding, and nosebleeds. Since vincamine was discovered in the leaves, lesser periwinkle has been used to treat arteriosclerosis and for dementia due to insufficient blood flow to the brain. Related Species  Greater periwinkle (V. major)
also has similar astringent activity. See also Madagascar periwinkle (V. rosea, following entry). Caution  Do not take during pregnancy.diabetes. In the Caribbean, the flowers are used  as a soothing eyewash. Research  Madagascar periwinkle’s traditional use
as a treatment for diabetes has led to extensive investigation into its properties. Vincristine and vinblastine are powerful anticancer agents, and are two of the most important medicinal compounds found in plants in the last 40 years. Vincristine is a standard treatment for Hodgkin’s disease, and vinblastine for childhood leukemia. While extracts from Madagascar periwinkle have been shown to lower blood-sugar levels, simple preparations of the whole plant may not be effective. RQ Caution  T ake Madagascar periwinkle only
under professional supervision.for hot swellings and tumors, mumps, and abscesses. See also heartsease (V. tricolor, following entry). Viola tricolor (Violaceae)
Heartsease
Description  Annual, biennial, or perennial
plant growing to 15 in (38 cm). Has lobed, oval leaves and handsome violet, yellow, and white pansy-type flowers. Habitat & Cultivation  Heartsease is native
to Europe, North Africa, and temperate regions of Asia, and has become naturalized in the Americas. It thrives in many habitats, from grasssy mountainous areas to coastal sites, and is also cultivated as a garden plant. The aerial parts are gathered in summer. Parts Used  Aerial parts. Constituents Heartsease contains saponins,
flavonoids, salicylates, mucilage, gums, and a resin. History & Folklore  K’Eogh wrote in his 1735
Irish Herbal that heartsease flowers “cure convulsions in children, cleanse the lungs and breast and are very good for fevers, internal inflammations and wounds.”
Medicinal Actions & Uses  In Western
herbal medicine, heartsease is used as an anti-inflammatory and purifying herb and is taken  for skin conditions such as eczema. An infusion  also makes a useful wash for itchiness. Being expectorant, heartsease is used to treat bronchitis and whooping cough. The plant’s established diuretic action makes it useful for treating rheumatism, cystitis, and difficulty in passing urine. Research  Recent research has found that
heartsease has potential anticancer properties. It promoted programmed cell death (apoptosis) and inhibited blood vessel growth (angiogenesis), both important anticancer effects. A clinical trial in children with asthma found that heartsease syrup helped to control dry irritable cough alongside prescribed medication for asthma. Self-help Use  Hives, p. 303. Heartsease grows wild in temperate areas, and is widely
cultivated as a garden plant.Vinca rosea (Apocynaceae)
Madagascar
Periwinkle
Description  Fleshy perennial growing to 32 in
(80 cm). Has glossy oval leaves and bright, white to
red 5-petaled flowers. Habitat & Cultivation  Thought to be a native
of Madagascar, this herb is now common in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. It is cultivated commercially as a garden ornamental. The herb and root are gathered in summer. Parts Used  Aerial parts, root. Constituents  Madagascar periwinkle contains
over 70 different indole alkaloids, including vinblastine, vincristine, alstonine, ajmalicine, leurocristine, and reserpine. Medicinal Actions & Uses  This plant is used
in folk medicine in the Philippines as a remedy for Viola odorata (Violaceae)
Sweet Violet
Description  Creeping perennial growing to 6 in
(15 cm). Has toothed oval leaves, and attractive, violet-blue or white flowers with a 5-petaled corolla. Habitat & Cultivation  Native to much of
Europe and Asia, sweet violet is a common wayside plant also found along roadsides and in woodlands. The flowers and leaves are collected in spring, the root in autumn. Parts Used  Flowers, leaves, root. Constituents  Sweet violet contains phenolic
glycosides (including gaultherin), saponins (myrosin  and violin), flavonoids, an alkaloid (odoratine),  and mucilage. History & Folklore  In classical myth, sweet
violet was associated with death, but classical physicians also knew it as an effective emetic and cough remedy. The 17th-century herbalist Nicholas Culpeper stated that: “All the violets are cold and moist while they are fresh and green, and are used to cool any heat or distemperature of the body either inwardly or outwardly.”
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Sweet violet
flowers and leaves have a gentle expectorant and demulcent action and they induce light sweating. They are often used as an infusion or syrup for treating coughs, chest colds and congestion. They are used in British herbalism to treat breast and stomach cancer. The root is a much stronger expectorant and, at higher doses, is em