profited by it."
After this narration he took me to two persons who have been
benefited by his advice.
223 224 : AUTO-URINE THERAPY
1, Rampyari of thirty years had irritation in her right fingers and
they had sepsis also. But a fortnight's urine-wash made her fingers
return to their healthy normal state.
2. Shri Ram Pratap is a carpenter aged 45 years. For the last
three or four yers he was suffering from cold and occasionally ran
temperature aslo. Even after a year's atlopathic medication, it could
not tender. him ac.y complete or lasting relief from his ailment. It
only aggravated constipation. So in 1974 he began to drink
autc-urine daily twice orthrice and within ten days or so he was
well. During tr.:Jtment he had given up smoking hukah. Now
occasionally v.'hen any comlaint is felt he takes urine. He thinks,
urine to be the most beneficial for strenght and energy.
-.:
-EDITOR
3. Thirty-year-old pain in legs : Shrimati Bhagavtiji, wife of the
famous Hindi writer and thinker, began to feel pain in her legs.
Gradually it" became so acute that it renderd her invalid and
crippled. For a year she was under homoeopathic and for a couple
of weeks or so electric.treatment. No discernible gain was registered.
On reading about urine therapy she adopted· it. Even with her first
drought.she felf a' return of strength.
For seven days she massaged for two hours daily with old urine.
Due to certain circumstances she could not proceed with her
treatment but she had already regained 70% of her old activity.
Whenever there is pain she manages with urine.
She invariably takes her morning constitutionals and eats only
bread made from self-ground flour. She has implicit faith in urine
therapy.
4. Sciatica : Shri i.~~lkiat Singh Gill is Sports Instructor at the
Central PubliC School of the Pherozepur Cantonment (Punjab). He
wa~ suffering fr6m nervous ailment of the hips and the thighs. He
was also· a patient of gastric congestion. He had very little appetite.
Nature-cure could not give·him complete relief. Urine therapist Shri SKIN DISEASES : 225
Vi jay Kumar Gupta, Advocate, treated him under auto-urine thE:rapy
and put him on a fast with urine. A fortnight urine intake and
massage cure) him of all his complaints.
5. Paralysis at:d Spindly Sl:2en : Miss Saraswati Janwade, 25,·
elder sister of Ashok Janwade of Indore (M.P.) is a teacher in a
Bhilai school. Mr. Janwade narrates how his sister was saved:
11My greate.;t achievement in the field of auto~urine therapy can
be the miraculous recovery of my elder sister. She was bed-ridden
for tbree months. Not to talk of getting up from bed she could ~ot
even,move her body below waist. Her left leg was slowly losing its ·
tone. Even touching her affected part would give excruciating pairi.
Some bedsores also had erupted. In this condition I massaged he~ for
two or three hours daily with urine, occasionally. even with fresh
urine. Giving up all medication she was given her urine twice or
thrice daily. Within a fortnight she was half way through recovery
and by the end of the month she could get up and move. Today she
is fully recovered.. lt is now only four months since she began her·.
t1eatment. Her left leg which was getting thinner Mas regained its
natural tonal shape and is ful.ly healthy.11
~-•
Ct:fAPTER VIII
SKIN DISEASES
1. Eczema :_(1) Shri lajjaram Chaudhuri who was them 75 years
old lived in Tikriwalan (DeHli). He had dedicated his life to the
service of his country since the Jallianwala Bagh episode. He was a
leader in the struggle for freedom. Nowadays he is engaged in rural
uplift.
About two years ago, he had suffered from eczema. He,massaged
himself with (stale) urine for 45 minutes and drank urine once. He
was cured within a month. Had he taken a fast with urine he would
have been we!l much earlier. He had also not observed dietatic
restrictions. I'' 226 : AUTD-URINE THERAPY
2. Shri Ravi Jain of 25 years lives in jammu. His right arm, back,
neck and forehead had been affected with eczema. Itching and
irritation was experienced all over the body. Pus and blood used to
ooze out of sores as large as a rupee coin.
Vaidyas' and doctors' treatment had some effect but on
discontinuing the treatment the disease would relapse. His family
members also were troubled;
Shrimati Kala Jain advised him to try Shivambu (urine therapy).
He drank it four-five times a day and mqssaged every day for an
hour. The sores were covered with urine-soaked earth packs
overnight and for two hours in the morning. His sores were cured in
a fortnight and he was free_from the disease within a month.
· There were several other cases of recovery from eczema.
2. Pyoderma. and Psoriasis : Shri Mavji Gokuldas Asar aged 50
'lives in Bombay. Here is in substance what he narrates in his letter to
Dr. Paragji Desai dated 1-3-1973 :
"I was. suffering from psoriasis and pyoderma for about five
years. I tried allopathic, homoeopathic, Ayurvedic and nature cu~e
treatments without any gain. I was so desperate due to my ailment
that I was planning to resign from my service and retire to my native
place in Kutch. But then my friend Kanji D. Vaidya inspired and
encouraged me to have recourse to urine treatment. I resolved to
take up this treatment till I am fully recovered. ·
I followed instructions given in the book Manav mutra regarding
urine intake and urine massage. In the beginning for a few days I
felt nausea, restlessness and weakness. One day while in sleep, I
passed urine in the bed. Its colour was like blood. I was frightened
and so consulted the Vaidya, who wa.s my well-wisher. He advised
and encouraged me to continue the treatment with faith and
patience I thereafter gradually recovered and by the end of fifth
month I was about 95% cured. Even now I continue to drink urine
twice daily, and take occasional massage with it. I am quite certain
that I shall be completely cured."
·~ ; SKIN DISEASES : 227
3. Rashes : Smt. Asha Mehta's (see Asthma and inflammation ef
lungs in Hindi, p. 135) son Anafsingh also has faith in urine
th-.rapy. Smt. Asha Mehta describes how her son cured his
colleague of his skin cisease:
"My son's class-mate used to get rashes on his body. My so~,
who was studying in the Engineering College of Patiala, used to
keep two or three-bottles filled with his urine. They were labelled
"Nectar of Life" 1, 2, 3. Whenever anyone had an injury he would
treat it with botte No. 1, which had urine several da(S old. Bottle
No. 3 contained fresh ·urine which he used.ln eye-trouble and
similar conditions.
"His class-mate came one day and said, 'You have some
medicine called nectar. Give me some. I am at my wit's end owing
to these rashes.' He gave some quantity from No. 1 and asked his
class-mate to apply it both in mornings and evenings. With a week's
application the rashes vanished."
4. Nine-year-old sore : Last year a Jain Mulli told me that Shrl
Satyendra Muniji propagates the urine therapy. In somana Mandi
(Punjab), I met him after Divali. He told me that at his instance
several people had been free from their respective ailments. He also
narrated his own case. He had cured but it turned into a sore.
Western and :ndigenous medicines, even the so-called "germscutter"
proved futile. He had to suffer from it for nine years. At last urine
massage and urine intake drove away the nine-year-old complaint.
-EDITOR
5. Pimples on the Face : ::hri Hansraj Choudhari studies at the·
agriculture college in Anc.1d (Gujarat). He was much troubled
with pimples on his face. At my suggestion. he began urine
treatment. With the massage of urine and drinking he had


drugs or with the knife, and
if the patients die, so much the worse for their relatives, whilst the
doctor is credited with having done his best  with a hopeless  case. One
may  perhaps argue  that a layman who has found an efficacious  cure  for 127
 diseases should qualify himself  to be an orthodox doctor, at least in
name if not in fact.  But how can a man  with any pretentions  to
uprightness  bring himself  to study a system of medicine in which  he
does not believe, and which  he regards as a menace  to his health? And
for what? Merely that he should be able to diagnose a given number  of
diseases and  call them by polysyllabic  names? And supposing,  as with
urine‐therapy,  the name of the disease has nothing to do with the
selection  of the treatment?  What then? Indeed,  the necessity for a
correct diagnosis  before a line of treatment  can be decided upon, is one
of the drawbacks  and limitations  of allopathy.  For example, if a woman
has a growth  in her breast, the first thing a doctor wants  to determine
is whether it is malignant  or "benign."  But with urine‐therapy such  a
question  is not of the least importance,  since, as we have witnessed,
the treatment  for all diseases is virtually the same procedure,  seeing
that in the patient lies the "magic fluid" to cure  his or her ills, and  the
only prerequisite  is to refrain from food  (like the animals) so as to give
Nature  her chance to do the work. And she will do it in her own way
provided she is not interfered  with.  This I have observed  again and
again with regard to the movement  of the bowels  during a urine‐fast
plus plain cold water. Whereas t he "orthodox  " naturopath  thinks  it
necessary  to assist the bowels with enemata  during a fast on cold water
alone or on fruit juices (a mistaken policy) on no account  should such
measures  "be resorted to during a urine‐fast, for Nature  must be left to
determine  when the bowels  shall move. What we have to remember  is
that in fasting, urine, taken via the mouth heals, rebuilds and  re‐
conditions  the vital  organs including the intestines,  and  while this
process is taking place, often  the bowels  seem,  as it were, to go to
sleep and  relapse into a state  of inactivity,  which  in severe cases may 128
 even last as long as 19 days. Yet this  inactivity is an advantage,
especially  to sufferers from haemorrhoids,  as it gives the latter  a
chance  to heal.  Thus, Nature,  if left alone does her work in her own way
if we only have the faith to trust her, even though at first  we may  not
understand  her mysteries.  Verily, Nature's ways are not our ways, and
She defies and  contradicts  every superstition  and orthodox tenet,
practice and belief!

 129

    130

AFTERWORD.
WHITHER  MEDICINE?

As I remarked  elsewhere,  he who makes a useful discovery  has a duty
to fulfil, it is to give that discovery  to the world. Even so, he may have a
further  duty‐and that is to warn the world  against what he has found to
be harmful. Both "big‐wigs"  and smaller  "wigs" in the  Medical
Profession  itself have done this at meetings of the fraternity  and  in
journals and  books  which  the public at large  do not read. Occasionally,
however,  a doctor or surgeon writes a book which  is not intended
exclusively  for the Profession.  One such book which contained  many
“home truths” is Man  the Unknown,  by Alexis  Carrel of U.S.A.
We not only live in an age when serums and  vaccines have become a
very lucrative fashion‐lucrative to their manufacturers  and  vendors‐but
we also live in an age of specialism  despite the warnings of many
physicians  themselves  about its dangers.  Wrote  Dr. Carrel: " Much
harm is caused by the extreme specialisation  of the physicians.  When a
specialist from the beginning  of his career confines himself  to a minute
part of the body, hu knowledge  of the rest is so rudimentary  that he is
incapable  of thoroughly  understanding  that part in which  he specialises.
" Again, Dr. K. T. Morris wrote: " The patient who goes to a specialist on
his or her own resposibility ...is jumping from the frying‐pan in to the
fire." (See Fifty Years a Surgeon.)  Dr. W. H. Hay of the "Hay  Diet  " fame
may  also be cited.  Relative to specialists,  he says: "Each sees the thing
he most  wishes to see in the patient, finds the thing he has been taught 131
 to ind, and unless superhuman  this  is wholly to be expected.  " (See  a
New  Era of Health.) Nor are warnings against specialism  confined to the
Western continents.  In "an article,  Dr. B. Bhattacharyya  of Baroda, India,
after maintaining  that specialists  as a class  had  becorulcc  a menace  to
public health, went on to say:"  To set a specialist  and  study him in
relation to the special  organ in which  he specialises


 of Epsom salt  diluted in one glass of
water, and then fast with water for two days.
It is advisable to take a bath, a sauna or a hot
bath on the days of fasting - then excess so-
dium and water are released. Potassium prep-
arations, such as Pan angin or Asparkam, in
the dosage of 1 tablet 2 -3 times a day over the
course of 2 -5 days, are very useful. These
drugs contain magnesium and potassium,
which are absolutely safe.
• Constipation.  Quite common, especially in
beginners. In the absence of natural defeca-
tion for more than 2 –3 days, an enema should
be performed. In any case, an enema is recom-
mended to beginners on the second and third
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frday of withdrawal from fasting, for the pur-
pose of getting rid of undigested food debris
and improving well -being. You can take a lax-
ative mix, made of the following ingredients:
dried apricots, figs, prunes, raisins – 100
grams of each. Wash everything, grind, add
100 grams of honey, 2 tablespoons of vegeta-
ble oil. Take 2 tablespoons before bed for 4
days. Bran is also helpful.
• Flatulence, gaseous distention. The main
reason is beginning to consume heavy foods
too early, inadequate chewing, eating large
amounts of food, inadequate bowel cleansing
during and before fasting. The recommenda-
tions are: a moderate withdrawa l from fasting,
enemas, early consumption of garlic, suffi-
cient physical activity during the withdrawal
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frfrom the fast. In addition, these symptoms are
very often observed during fasting in winter
and springtime. A recovery period with only
plant food in th e diet is not proper in winter
and spring and "cools" the body. To avoid it,
you should increase the proportion of cereals,
use spices, vegetable oil and butter (not earlier
than the 3rd day). Remember - in winter, the
body needs thicker, “warm food”, and in sum-
mer and autumn it is quite possible to sustain
the body on vegetables for a long time.
• Weakness, dizziness, fainting.  Occur in the
first 3 -5 days of the withdrawal from fasting.
They are associated with the premature ex-
pansion of the mode of movement. Due to a
seeming surge of strength, you cannot evalu-
ate your physical abilities, which leads to
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frbouts of weakness, dizziness, and up to faint-
ing. For prevention during fasting with-
drawal, you have to observe a stricter regimen
than during the fast itself. Get sufficient rest,
do not take long walks, do not perform heavy
physical work, do not overstrain yourself, and
only experienced fasters who are well aware of
the characteristics of their bodies can lead a
rather active lifestyle. After all, physical ac tiv-
ity during the withdrawal contributes to the
fastest switch of the body to a normal nutri-
tion regime.
• Exacerbation of underlying diseases. If dur-
ing the fast your disease is exacerbated, it is
desirable to continue the fast until the symp-
toms disappear.  If this is impossible, symp-
toms may persist during the withdrawal, thus,
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.fryou have to conduct withdrawal according to
the usual scheme and not to hurry with prem-
ature intake of heavy food. Homeopathic
medicines may be used for treatment. After a
week of wi thdrawal, if the symptoms persist,
careful use of medications is allowed. These
are the main troubles that you can experience
during a withdrawal from the fast. The more
first- hand experience you have with fasting,
the fewer unpleasant symptoms will be pre-
sent. Everyone needs to know themselves
well, and then everything will work out as you
want. The main thing is not to rush, but to
constantly build up your own experience.

Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.fr
14. What’s the ideal scheme for con-
ducting a dry fractional fast at home?

Here is the ideal scheme for conducting a dry
fractional fast at home.

 REMEMBER:
• Never start cleansing the intestines and liver
without changing the mode and quality of
nutrition.
• Do not start any fast prior to cleansing the in-
testines and liver.
• Do not conduct dry fasts prior to trying water
fasting.
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.fr• In order to get the maximum benefits from
fasting, it has to be regular, increase fasting
length gradually.
• Never conduct dry fasts for more than five
days at home.
• Withdrawal from a fast brings 70% of the
therapeutic result, so it should be carried out
properly.

The scheme is designed for three months.

1st month:
14 days – proper natural nutrition;
7 days – intestinal and liver cleansing;
7 days – buckwheat porridge fast, or if impos-
sible, a 24-hour water  fast;
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.fr
2nd month:
1st week – a 1-day water  fast, or 2 days for those
who didn't fast on buckwheat;
2nd week – 2 or 3 days of water  fasting
3rd week – 3 or 4 days of water  fasting;
4th week  – 5- 7 days of water  fasting for every-
one.

3rd month:
1st week – 1 day of dry fasting
2nd week – 2 days of dry fasting
3rd week – 3 days of dry fasting
4th week – 4-5 days of dry fasting.

Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frThe following is a far more efficient regime for
those with experi ence with all kinds of fasting:
24-hour fast – 48 hours of eating
48-hour fast – 72 hours of eating
72-hour fast – 96 hours of eating
96-hour fast – 120 hours of eating
120-hour fast – withdrawal from dry fast

To consolidate the effect of therapeutic fasting,
the following maintenance regimens are recom-
mended:
• Perform a cleansing of the liver and intestines
once a quarter before the seasons change: at
the end of February, at the beginning of May
(the most effective), at the end of August, a t
the end of November.
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.fr• Conduct a 24 -36-hour dry fast once a week.
In this case, preliminary cleansing of the in-
testines is optional. But the days before and
after fasting should be "half -starved", with re-
duced total calorie intake.
• Conduct a 3 -day fast once a month, prepara-
tions aren’t required.
• Conduct a dry five -day fast once a quarter,
preferably after cleansing the intestines and
liver.

Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.fr
15. How many kinds of dry fasting
exist?

There are two kinds of dry fasting. One, as strict
and dry as possible, entails completely giving up
water, and not only prohibits drinking water, but
also forbids any contact with water. It means not
washing our faces, no bathing, no baths, trying
not to wash our hands and not to come in con-
tact with water.
Another, milder, wa y, entails giving up drink-
ing water, while external contact with water in
any possible and available way is allowed.
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frNow we’ll look into the processes that occur
during these types of fasting, their differences
and advantages.
We’ll begin with saying that dry fasting puts the


, could even hope to have a  chance of health when utilizing fruit for fuel. Even
so, slow metabolizers are advised to keep fruit to a minimum because it is too h igh in high-glycemic simple carbohydrates. A few
pieces of fruit per week at the very most, are recommended for slow metaboliz ers. Perhaps, they say, serious athletes who also
happen to be very slow metabolizers can eat a bit more fruit. But in genera l, they argue that fruit consumption should simply be
avoided. They claim that it is too easy (and too dangerous) to overeat fruit.
Apparently, according to many teachers, it is a rare individual indeed, wh o is a slow metabolizer.

Metabolism
One reason that this theory fails is that many of those who teach it do n ot know the definition of the word “metabolism.” Here are
some terms that should be useful in this discussion.

Fasting BMR: The “fasting” basal metabolic rate is a measure of the amount of f uel a person utilizes, per unit of time, when
awake and totally at rest. It does not include such functions as physical  activity, daily household chores, or even digestion.
This means no food has been consumed for at least 72 hours and the body requires no di gestive energy. Fasting BMR
accounts for the use of around 1,000 calories per day for most people, though this num ber does tend to be slightly affected
by body size.
BMR: The basal metabolic rate number you are more likely to encounter estima tes the calories consumed for people who
are awake and resting, but not  fasting or abstaining from consuming food. Most people can roughly estimat e this number by
multiplying their body weight by ten.
Metabolism:  W e use the word “metabolism” to mean BMR plus all the activities of  the day. Metabolism is not, in and of
itself, a single function, but rather the sum of all of the catabolic an d anabolic processes that go on within your body. Anabolic
processes are the building activities, those that combine simpler str uctures to form more complex ones. They include growth,
repair, and all of the recombinant chemistry that goes on at the cellul ar and visceral level. Catabolic processes are those that
break complex structures down into simpler ones. Digestion, osteoclastic a ctivity (cells that break down bones), the
conversion of glycogen to glucose, and aging are examples of catabolism in  action.

When we refer to someone as having a “fast metabolism,” we mean that  they require more fuel to perform the same number of
anabolic and catabolic processes as a person with a slow metabolism. This me ans that the fast metabolizers are less efficient in their
use of fuel.
Either way, however, according to most sports physiology texts, the differe nce between fast and slow metabolic rates is very
small indeed. Most texts agree that the BMR rarely varies much more  than about plus or minus 5% from person to person of similar
body size and design. Body surface area, scientists have proven, is the bigg est factor affecting BMR. 82

Activity—not metabolism—governs fuel usage
What truly does affect fuel use is the amount of physical exertion one  performs. A sedentary person may use only 200 calories per
day in performing their daily functions, whereas someone going for a vig orous four-hour hike could use 2,000 calories. Professional
athletes often use 4,000 calories solely for their daily training, and Tour  de France riders are known to use 10,000 to 14,000
calories, or more, on the most intense days of this grueling competition. He nce it is easy to see that the differences in BMR, or
metabolism, as it is commonly but mistakenly referred to, play an exception ally small role in total calorie usage.
At most, BMR variations represent less than 100 calories out of the 2,000 to 4,000 that  most people eat per day. Textbooks
suggest that BMR differences typically account for only one to two per c ent of total calories consumed. This is approximately the
caloric equivalent of one bite of an apple. This certainly is not enough to m ake a noticeable difference in fuel consumption or
preferred fuel sources between even the fastest and the slowest of me tabolizers.
The truly fast metabolizer uses more calories per hour throughout the  day, than the average person does. The more calories
one utilizes in the course of a day, the faster that person's total meta bolism would be.

An Example
For example, we can reasonably estimate that a moderately active, 110-pou nd, 5'4" woman might eat about 2,000 calories per day
and a lightly active man who is 5'10" tall and 150 pounds uses about 2,400 calories. In th is example, the man uses an average of
100 calories per hour.
For the sake of simplicity, we shall call 100 calories per hour (plus or minus  10%) the midrange of metabolic rate. We could
therefore assert that a person who uses, on average, more than 110 calorie s per hour would be termed a fast metabolizer and a
person who uses less than 90 calories per hour would be a slow metabolizer. We cou ld assign people progressively faster and slower metabolic designations the more their calorie usage differed f rom the midrange.
At this point we have come to an unbridgeable contradiction. W e are tol d that fast metabolizers—those people who utilize the
most fuel per hour, are supposedly the very people who will thrive on the high est fat levels in their diet. Meanwhile, we are also
being told that only slow-metabolizing athletes should attempt to utili ze a diet higher in carbohydrates from fruit. Yet we know that
athletes are the very people who have the fastest metabolisms, despite  any variations in their BMR.
To make matters more confusing, scientific research consistently  proves that the more fat you consume, the more your health
will suffer. Somewhere, someone must be wrong in these assertions. It i s not possible to straddle both sides of this fence. Either a
fat-based diet is most healthful or a fruit-based diet is, but it cannot be bot h; and it cannot be one for some people and the other for
other people.
Small cows eat small amounts of food relative to large cows. Active cows  eat more food than their sedentary counterparts, yet
all cows eat essentially the same food. Fruits and vegetables have bee n touted as the ultimate health foods for humans for over a
century, and they have been the primary food of humankind throughout our exi stence, up until the recent past.
Whether you are small or large, active or sedentary, fruits and veget ables remain the optimum foods of choice for fulfilling all
human nutritional needs. If one person needs to consume a greater number  of calories than another person, it simply means that they
must eat a greater quantity of food, not completely different foods.
In case the above is not enough of a contradiction to try to puzzle out, work on thi s one: It has been repeatedly asserted that
most people would experience the greatest levels of health using a diet  that is composed primarily of fats. This assertion is based on
the assumption that most people are fast metabolizers, a premise that ca nnot be true. Whenever we work with large numbers, the
law of averages comes into play. Using the law of averages, a “normal ” or “bell” curve is always formed. In the bell curve, only
about 5 to 10% of the people would truly be classed as fast metabolizers, 5 to 10% would be sl ow metabolizers, and the rest,
roughly 80%, would fall somewhere in the middle. These would be average meta bolizers, not slow and not fast.
Do not be misled by metabolism (or oxidation) mumbo jumbo. Track your fat intake on an y given day and see for yourself just
exactly what percentage of your calories it comprises. Once you do, you wil l understand why so many raw fooders are having
problems. High fat is also the reason that most scientific studies of ra w fooders draw negative conclusions. Is it any wonder that
people have trouble staying healthy on their high-fat raw regimens, or that they find cooked carbohydrates so alluring?
Those who convince unsuspecting new raw fooders to steer clear of fruit  and gorge on fat do succeed in accomplishing one
goal; the creation of nutritional inadequacies. This opens the door for sel ling us nutritional supplements in a vain attempt to
compensate for the very deficiencies that result from consuming a h igh-fat raw diet. Of course, most newcomers want to learn and
are prone to following the advice they are given.

Can I thrive on only raw foods?
No essential nutrient exists in meat, grains, legumes, or dairy tha t is not also available in fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds—
and in a form that is easier to digest. Indeed, many vital nutrients, suc h as soluble fibers and the thousands of phytonutrients, can only
be garnered from plants. Fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens not only con tain sustainable amounts of carbohydrates, protein, and fat,
they also contain them in the percentages, ratios, and forms that are opt imum for human health


 extraordinarily useful and simple tools for at-home
allergy detection. My clients have succeeded at using this approach withoutsupervision. Coca’s test works on this simple principle: pulse elevations arecaused by any allergic reaction. If you know what your normal range of pulserates are, you can isolate an offending food or substance and eliminate it. Successwith Coca’s Pulse Test requires only motivation and a little perseverance, becausein order to test for food allergies, the diet must be restricted for a few days andyour pulse must be accurately taken at specific intervals during the testing period.
The test is based on measurement of the resting pulse rate, something most
people have no difficulty learning how to do. The resting rate is how fast the heartbeats after a person has been sitting still, comfortably relaxing for three to fiveminutes. When a person is active the heart beats faster than the resting rate. Onemeasure of aerobic fitness is how quickly the heart is able to return to its restingrate. Well-trained athletes’ hearts can adjust from working very hard to a restingrate in only a minute or so; those who are deconditioned can take three to fiveminutes for their heart to slow from even mild exertion to its stable, resting pace.Those who cannot readily find their own pulse on their wrist or throat caninexpensively purchase a digital watch that gives a pulse reading; this kind ofwatch is used by athletes to make sure their training pulse is in an acceptablerange.
Preparatory to doing Coca’s Pulse Test it is necessary to as much as possible
eliminate allergic food reactions. This requires the application of discipline for afew days before testing begins. Allergic reactions can go on for several days after
a food has been eaten and if you are having a reaction to something eaten many
hours or several days previously, it may obscure a reaction to a food just eaten.
1. Stop smoking entirely for at least five days before you do a cigarette test;
allergies to cigarettes can take five days to clear. Besides, you shouldn’t smoke,anyway!
2. For the first three days, count your resting pulse immediately after
awakening in the morning (for one entire minute), and record the reading.
3. During the first three days, take your resting pulse half an hour and again
one hour after each meal. It if has elevated more than 12 beats above the restingrate you found upon arising that morning, you may assume that some food at themeal you just ate was an allergen. Temporarily, eliminate from your diet all thefoods eaten at the previous meal until you can check them one-by-one a few dayslater. At the end of these first three days you may not have many foods left thatyou can eat. That is okay and to be expected; it is time to begin adding foodsback to the diet.
4. Most people who are allergic to foods are allergic to one or more of the
following: corn, wheat, milk and cheese, yogurt, meat, alcohol, tobacco. It wouldbe very wise to eliminate these foods too for the first three days, until they aretested.
After three days on this regimen, you can assume that many of your usual
allergic food reactions have ceased or at least diminished significantly and that youprobably can get reasonably accurate testing results on individual foods. A goodindicator of having problems with food allergies in general can also show upduring these initial days. If you have eliminated a large number of foods and yourresting pulse upon awakening has slowed down by several beats, you can assumeyou are allergic to foods you were eating.
I would not be at all surprised that by the end of the third day you were only
eating a very few fruits and vegetables and had eliminated everything else. A moreeffective variant of the testing procedure calls for a three or four day water fast to
clear all allergies with absolute certainty, and then to introduce foods one at a time
as described below.
On the fourth and subsequent few days, take your resting pulse upon arising
and then eat a modest quantity of a single food: for example, eat a slice of bread,or a medium sized glass of milk, or an orange, or two tablespoons sugar indissolved in water, or a few dried prunes, or a peach, or an egg, or a medium-sized potato, or a cup of black coffee without sweetener, or a few ounces ofmeat, or a stick of celery, or half a cup of raw cabbage, or an onion, or a date, ora few hazelnuts, etc. Count the pulse one half hour later and again one hour aftereating the test item.
If any food raises the resting pulse over 12 beats per minute above your
morning resting pulse, that food should be eliminated; you are certainly allergic toit or can’t digest that much of it. If your pulse has not returned to its morningresting rate one hour later, you are still having an allergic reaction to the food youate previously and cannot get a decent result on another food until either yourpulse slows again or until the next morning. You may, however, continue to eatother foods that you know do not provoke allergic reactions. Because reactionsto a food may not clear for many hours, it is wise to eat only small quantities ofindividual foods if you wish to test many of them in a single day. If a food causesno acceleration of pulse (at least 6 beats above your estimated normal maximal)that food can be tentatively labeled non-allergenic.
After a few days of testing one food an hour, you will become weary of the
routine and wish to eat more normally. It may also occur that you cannot testmore than one or two foods a day from the very first day because allergicreactions do not clear quickly enough. No problem, the testing period can go onat a lower level of intensity for many weeks, trying one new food each morningupon arising. As you eliminate allergens from your diet one by one, your restingpulse should drop somewhat and it should be easier to discern allergic reactions.After you have worked through all the items in your normal dietary, it would be
wise to retest the foods a second time, breaking your fast with one different test
item each morning. This second testing round may reveal a few more allergicreactions that were obscured by other allergic reactions the first time through.
Vitamin and SupplementSuppliers
Bronson Pharmaceutical1945 Craig RoadP.O. Box 46903St. Louis, MO 63146[800] 525-8466
Douglas Cooper Products
Box 65976Los Angeles, CA 90065[800] 234-8686
Prolongevity, Ltd.
10 Alden Road, Unit 6Markham, Ontario L3R 2S1Canada[800] 544-4440
Prolongevity, Inc.
1142 W. Indian School RoadPhoenix, AZ 85013[800] 544-4440
Vitamin Research Products
3579 Hwy. 50 E.Carson City, NV 89701[800] 877-2447
Publishers Of BooksNot Readily Findable
Life Extension Foundation2835 Hollywood Blvd.Hollywood, Florida 33020[800] 544-0577I strongly recommend joining and regularly studying their newsletter. Besides,
when you do, Prolongevity will give you a significant discount that amounts to farmore than the cost of a membership if you use many food supplements.
Health Research Publishing
P.O. Box 70Mokelumne Hill, CA 95245Find here reprints of all the old classics of natural hygiene.
American Natural Hygiene Society
Herbert Shelton LibraryP.O. Box 30630Tampa, Florida 33630Find here all of Herbert Shelton’s works.
Bibliography
Airola, P. N. D., PhD (1974). How to Get Well.  Phoenix: Health Plus Publishers.
Albrecht, W. A. (1975). The Albrecht Papers.  Kansas City: Acres, USA.
Alexander, J. (1990). Blatant Raw Foodist Propaganda!  Nevada City,
California: Blue Dolphin Publishing, Inc.
Alsleben, Rudolph H. and Shute, Wilfred E. (1973). How to Survive the New
Health Catastrophes.  Anaheim, CA: Survival Publications.
de Baïracli Levy, Juliette. (1953) The Complete Herbal Handbook for The Dog
and Cat.  London: Faber and Faber.
de Baïracli Levy, Juliette. (1954)  The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm
and Stable.  London: Faber and Faber.
Bieler, H. G., M.D. (1965). Food Is Your Best Medicine.  New York: Random
House. Also Bantam paperback.
Bliznakov, Emile G., M.D. and Hunt, Gerald L. (1987) The Miracle Nutrient:
Coenzyme Q- 10. New York: Bantam Books.
Carrel, A. (1939). Man the Unknown.  London.
Carrington, H. (1963). Vitality, Fasting and Nutrition  (reprint of original ca.
1900 edition). Mokelumne Hill, California: Health Research.
Clark, J. (1957). Hunza: Lost Kingdom of the Himalayas.  London:
Hutchinson.
Coca, Arthur F., M.D. (1956) The Pulse Test: Easy Allergy Detection.  New
York: Lyle Stuart, Inc. (Also 1978 paperback edition. New York: ArcoPublishing Co.)
Cornaro, L. (1566). Discourses on the Sober Life  (reprint: has been through
many reprintings by various publishers). M


 hit the dirt.
58. Give Plants a Shine
The last thing your beautiful, green, healthy plants want is a waxy silicone shine that makes their leaves glisten unnaturally. Rub a tiny bit of coconut oil into them to keep leaves looking healthy and dust-free. Reapply every
few days or as needed.
59. Use in Toothpaste
Add flavor, antibacterial action, and potential whitening benefits by adding coconut oil to some baking
soda and using as a DIY toothpaste. For a little extra flavor, mix in a drop or two of peppermint or cinnamon
essential oil.
60. Ease Arthritis Pain
Acute inflammation present with arthritis is responsible for quite a bit of discomfort and stiffness that
accompanies this common malady, which can be eased by the anti-inflammatory effects of the coconut oil.
Massage a bit of the oil into each joint thoroughly 1-2 times a day to relieve soreness.
61. Clean Your Dogs Ears
Gently wipe surface dirt out of your dog’s ears with a cotton ball. A dog’s ear canal is shaped like an ‘L’ so don’t
panic too much about jabbing your finger or cotton swab in too far. This is why you’ll see your vet take that
super long cotton swab and stick it all the way into the ear for a sample. Afterwards you wipe it out, gently rub
in some coconut oil into the skin to keep them healthy, itch-free, and comfortable.
62. Soothe a Dry Canine Nose
Rub a tad onto your dog’s nose if it is perpetually dry and cracked. This remedy is smoosh-faced breed approved.
63. Treat Athletes Foot
The anti-fungal action of coconut oil helps fight off athlete’s foot when you apply it daily. Be sure to rinse your feet first and pat them dry, then thoroughly apply a thin layer of coconut oil, massaging it in well. Wash your
hands before applying to the other foot to avoid spreading the fungus.
64. Say Goodbye to a Sore throat
Can’t ease that painful throat? Coconut oil provides a wonderful soothing coating, whether the discomfort is
caused by dry air or an illness. Swallow ½-1 teaspoon up to 3 times daily to ease the pain, being sure to make
one of those times right before bed. For an extra kick, melt the coconut oil down and stir in a little honey (its
ok if it separates some.) When it is mostly room temp, mash up the mixture a little bit and use the same as above.
Get a FREE 15oz Jar of Organic Coconut Oil - just pay $1.95 S&H!65. Lessen a Dry, Hacking, Cough
You don’t want to suppress your cough if it is productive, meaning you are coughing up phlegm. Your body
needs to get rid of all that stuff. However, if you have a dry hacking cough, swallowing a teaspoon or so of
coconut oil can help ease the itchy irritation. It is especially nice because it coats your throat and seems to
protect it more from irritating things such as dust, whereas water only provides very temporary relief.
66. Prevent Stretch Marks
There is no magic method to prevent or get rid of stretch marks. Indeed, how noticeably you get stretch marks are based a lot on genetics. They are caused by, literally, a stretching of the skin. This may occur during
pregnancy, puberty, during rapid muscle mass gain, etc. and tend to be more extreme when there is an excess
of cortisol (a stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands) involved. Cortisol damages elastic fibers in the dermis. Put simply, the marks appear when the lower layers of the dermis tear for some reason or another.
Anecdotal evidence suggest that keeping skin moisturized and supple can help prevent stretch marks, and
what better moisturizer than coconut oil? Rub some onto the area twice daily (for example, your belly if you are pregnant) and massage it in well. You can also melt down some cocoa butter with the coconut oil for an
extra moisturizing boost.
67. Ink Cleaner
Don’t cry over spilled ink. If you find yourself with irritating ink smears and smudges on your hand, simply rub
a little coconut oil over it and let it sit for a minute or two. Wipe off with a dry, clean, cloth.
68. Personal Lubricant *not compatible with latex
Yup, coconut oil can be used as a natural and effective alternative to store-bought lubricant. It is not compatible with latex though, as it causes it to lose its elasticity and break down, so do not use it with
condoms. Coconut oil + condoms = baby! Otherwise, enjoy on your own or with a partner the same way you
would any other kind.
69. Detail Your Car
Coconut oil provides a lustrous sheen to the inside of your car, be it the dashboard or leather seats. You can also use it to buff out little scratches that might be marking up the paint job. The best part(s) are that it soaks
in, lasts a while, doesn’t attract dust, smells great, and is all natural.
70. Soothe and Prevent Hangnails
Fun fact-hangnails are also known as a “stepmothers blessing” in several parts of the U.K. as well as a “catchy”
in other parts of the world.Whatever you call them, these little bits of torn skin seem benign, but cause major
pain. Often times they end up creating a whole inflamed sore patch around your nail that’s tender for days.
Rubbing some coconut oil around the outer edges of your nail can help keep the skin soft and pliable, making it less likely for it to “rip” and land you with a hangnail. When the little bits of skin get hard and stiff, rubbing
some coconut oil on it will also help soothe the pain with its anti-inflammatory actions.
Get a FREE 15oz Jar of Organic Coconut Oil - just pay $1.95 S&H!71. One Ingredient Udder Soother
Cracked teats are, as one can imagine, terribly uncomfortable for the cow. Not only that, but it provides an
area for bacteria and infection to multiply, which is the last thing you want to happen. Just like coconut oil
provides wonderful soothing moisture in the form of nipple cream for humans, it makes an awesome one-
ingredient udder balm. Simply apply as you would any other udder balm.
72. Detangler
When you’ve got a nasty tangle, try using coconut oil to ease it out without any yanking, eye watering, or ripped out broken hairs. Dampen your hair well and then massage in coconut oil, letting it sit for 2-3 minutes.
Starting at the bottom of the hair shaft, gently work your way up with a comb to get through the tangles.
73. Cracked Heels
Cracked, dry, heels? As a super moisturizer, coconut oil can help soften and smooth over that skin. Use a
pumice stone first to slough off any excess buildup of cells, and then get a little bit of coconut oil on your
fingertips. Massage into your heels well, and let dry. Repeat twice daily.
74. Get Rid of Angular Chelitis (aka pesky little mouth sores)
This sounds obscure, but it is a much more common occurrence than it seems. Angular chelitis is inflammation
of the lips, technically, but often times appear as little “splits” or “cracks” in the corner of your mouth. When
this happens, fungus can jump on the opportunity to infect the little area. Rub a little bit of coconut oil on the
sore spots 2-3 times daily to keep yourself comfortable and to fight off fungi.
75. Use in the Sun
Coconut oil in and of itself is not sufficient as sunscreen. On its own, it has an SPF (sun protection factor) of 4-6. This helps a little, but not enough to make it a substitute. That being said, try applying coconut oil in
between re-applications of sunscreen. It will help hydrate your skin and prevent it from drying out. Should you
get burned, it can also help prevent peeling and itching.
76. Improve Circulation
We need proper circulation to not only function, but to heal as well. Not to mention feeling cold all the time (or having people shudder at your frigid touch) isn’t fun. Coconut oil, taken internally, may help improve blood
flow. As it can raise the levels of HDL-or “good”-cholesterol, the ratio between HDL and LDL-“bad” cholesterol-
are evened. Since LDL cholesterol can affect the viscosity of blood, and “thicken” it, lower levels lead to thinner blood which leads to better circulation.  Start with a ½ tablespoon a day and work up to 1 tablespoon to give
your circulation an energy boost.
77. Add to Baby Bath
Babies have wonderfully soft, smooth, healthy skin-and we want to keep it that way! Try adding a little bit of
coconut oil to your little one’s bath to help keep skin soft and smooth. It will also help soothe any little rashes,
scrapes, or bothersome bug bites that may be bothering them.
Get a FREE 15oz Jar of Organic Coconut Oil - just pay $1.95 S&H!78. Get Rid of Cradle Cap
Cradle cap is typically a harmless condition that results in patches of yellowish, thick, sometimes greasy scales
on your baby’s head (although it


 an example of a
trans
 fat. Factory made
trans
 fats are toxic to the
body.
19c
Trans
 fats have replaced real fats like organic butter, tallow and lard. Eating
trans
 fats
means you have replaced important fat-soluble vitamins from animal fats with man made toxic fats.
Canola Oil
 – Canola is not the name of a plant, but rather a shorted term for Canadian Oil. The
FDA prohibits the use of canola oil in baby formulas because it retards growth.
20c
 The
trans
 fat
content of canola oil is listed at 0.2 percent, yet independent research has found
trans
 levels as high
as 4.6 percent in commercial liquid oil.
21c
 Canola oil is extracted by a combination of high
temperature mechanical pressing and solvent extraction. My experience in consuming canola oil is
that it makes me feel congested and I start coughing. Because it is cheap, and believed to be healthy
due to its monosaturated fat content, canola oil is what many restaurants and health food stores
unfortunately use for frying their food. If they only knew that this rancid oil was not good for their
customers they might stop using it. These establishments falsely tout the health benefits of canola oil.
The inferior taste and feeling from foods cooked in canola oil repels me, and probably many
customers from these food establishments.
Nut and Seed Oils
Nut and seed oils have been a part of the human diet for a very long time. Walnut oil is popular
in France and Italy. For the nut oils to be healthy, many of them require careful processing, or fresh
pressing. Limit or avoid nut and seed oils as best you can unless they are from small artisan
producers.
Safflower, soy and corn oils
 are all on the list of oils to avoid. Because of their delicatestructure these vegetable oils are especially dangerous after being heated in the process of cooking or
frying.
22cHidden Monosodium Glutamate
Consuming unnatural forms of monosodium glutamate (MSG) may alter your endocrine gland
balance. This can disrupt your body’s ability to regulate the homeostasis required to allow your
parotid gland to send signals for your teeth to remineralize. Viewed from this perspective, MSG may
be a contributing factor in tooth decay. Most store-bought soups, sauces and broth mixes contain
MSG. MSG shows up secretly in product labels under different names. Avoid products containing the
following ingredients: Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP), Textured Protein, Yeast Extract,
Autolyzed Plant Protein, and anything with the word glutamate, or glutamic.
Sweet Drinks
Health food stores are loaded with sweetened and protein-fortified vegetable and fruit juices.
Most of these products are pasteurized and therefore skeletonized foods. Avoid pasteurized vegetable
and fruit juices. Sweet drinks from the store are loaded with sugar. They provide empty calories and
are not a part of a healthy diet. Here and there a naturally sweetened drink will not do you much harm
if you do not have cavities. But these foods are not for people trying to stop tooth decay. Watch out in
particular for sports drinks and sweetened tea. Replace these with unsweetened tea, raw milk, whey
or kefir.
Kombucha is a popular health tonic. It has a wonderful array of nutrients and probiotics. While it
is a great beverage, I recommend people who are trying to stop cavities to avoid it. Typically
kombucha available commercially has a sugar content that is too high, as not all of the sugar has been
digested by the bacteria and yeast organisms. Just to be clear, kombucha, especially home-made or
the equivalent where most of the sugar is fermented is a life-promoting drink. It just does not work
well if you are trying to stop tooth decay.Health Food Bars, Energy Bars and Tooth Decay
Health food bars have made national news headlines for their ability to cause tooth decay.
People who have never had a cavity in their adult teeth all of a sudden have several large ones.
23c
 I
have talked with many people who developed large cavities rapidly, or who have chipped teeth as a
result of health food bar consumption. The culprit here is not bacteria or the sticky gooeyness of the
bars. The problem with the nutrition bars is the ingredients. Many health food bars have a rancid taste
which is covered up by copious amounts of sugar. Health food bars typically contain multiple
ingredients you will find on our “foods to avoid” lists. The combination of isolated protein fragments,
high intensity sweeteners, and unprocessed whole grains chock full of phytic acid in health food bars
creates a potent recipe for tooth bone loss, otherwise known as tooth decay.
Addictive Substances
Too much coffee consumption and not enough protein lead to a decrease in bone density.
24c
Caffeine stimulates the adrenal glands to release an adrenaline-like substance. This substance causes
the liver to release sugar into the blood.
25c
 Caffeine will cause alterations in your calcium /
phosphorous balance and over-stimulate your glandular system. People typically rely on caffeine to
cover up a sense of depletion. Eating high quality saturated fats, like butter, coconut oil, or animal fats
will help restore the balance of energy metabolism.
Alcohol consumption is connected with bone loss. In a small survey, moderate or heavy beer
drinkers seem to develop cavities. Beer and wine can cause cavities because of the grains or the
grain sugar in the alcohol, or the alcohol itself. Alcohol consumption raises blood sugar, and depletes
the body of magnesium, zinc, manganese potassium and folic acid.
26c
 The quality and type of alcohol
makes a difference as well. Naturally fermented alcoholic drinks like ancient beer or homemade
apple cider may have beneficial effects on the body when the alcohol content is not high. That being
said, if you want to heal your cavities, then it is best to moderate and/or eliminate alcohol
consumption. Distilled liquors need to be avoided. Wine and unpasteurized beers appear to be
acceptable when used in moderation if you do not have significant cavities. In excess, wine and beer
are overtaxing to the liver. Regular consumption of commercially brewed beers will contribute to
cavities.
Chocolate is high in iron and other trace minerals. It is also is usually paired with significant
amounts of sugar. The sugar mixed with the chocolate will contribute to tooth decay. Cocoa powder
is extremely high in phytic acid and tannins (an anti-nutrient).
27c
 To stop tooth decay, chocolate
consumption should be greatly limited or eliminated. Healthy people can eat moderate amounts of
chocolate and not have tooth decay. The most ancient preparation of chocolate is a fermentation
process that converts the chocolate into beer.
Sugar is a highly addictive drug-like substance in our modern diet. While a little bit of natural
sugar is safe to eat, too much sugar produces a numbing effect. Too much sugar can offer a glimpse of
pleasure and a feeling of relaxation in an otherwise stressful life. Some people feel justified in the
excess intake of stimulating substances because of the pain-numbing euphoria it can produce.Prescription Drugs, Recreational Drugs and Your Teeth
Drugs, including over-the-counter medications usually alter your glandular system and will
affect your calcium and phosphorous ratios. Prescription and recreational drugs, along with
cigarettes, may alter your body’s ability to utilize nutrients from food. Many people in the western
world have lost their ability to digest and utilize fat and protein due to damage caused by western
drugs.
Maverick physician Dr. Henry Bieler, author of the bestselling
Food Is Your Best Medicine
,
wrote:
As a practicing physician for over fifty years, I have reached three basic conclusions as to
the cause and cure of disease.
The first is that the primary cause of disease is not germs.
The second conclusion is that in almost all cases the use of drugs in treating patients is
harmful. Drugs often cause serious side effects, and sometimes even create new diseases.
The dubious benefits they afford the patient are at best temporary.
My third conclusion is that disease can be cured through the proper use of correct foods.
28c
Many western drugs over-stimulate our glands, poison our livers, and produce the illusion of
health. The long-term effects of many drugs are not known. They rarely offer long-term cures for
diseases because the cause of disease is never addressed. These assertions are also directed towards
the use of vaccinations. Documented evidence has shown that vaccines cause disease. Vaccines will
be discussed more thoroughly in the children’s tooth decay section. Birth control pills increase one’s
risk of developing gum disease, which illustrates how hormones and medications can alter our
mineral metabolism.
29c
Many recreational drugs also cause harm to our bodies. While prescription drugs usually aim to
treat symptoms of physical disease, recreational drugs are used to numb people overwhelmed by
emotional distress. Recreational drugs add a stimulating way to give relief to emotional pain that
people feel. Like prescription drugs, regular use of recreational drugs does not cure the problem, but
rather puts off dealing with life. Drugs for recreation are not in harmony with Nature’s laws and
principles.Thanks Giving
Together we have just looked at some of the best and some of the worst of foods modern society
has to offer. Too many processed and refined foods will lead to diseases and tooth decay. This was
illustrated by Weston Price’s photographs and research. Seeing the problems in the foods you may


 reasonable to pair off these two substances to augment the quality and potential of the treatment in conditions such as stroke, coronary artery disease, and vascular-dependent dementias. This appears to work in a rat model of dementia
70 as reported here,
and it is only speculative, but intriguing, to theorize that this drug combination could be useful if administered as a neuroprotector in preventing or delaying the onset of AD or vascular dementia. It is only hypothetical that DMSO may be synergistic with many other standard drugs in increasing their effectiveness and reducing their dose and side effects.
DMSO AS A SOLVENT
One note of caution concerns the use of DMSO as a solvent for testing other poten -
tially therapeutic drugs. Since DMSO is an excellent solvent, it is a common practice to dissolve an experimental drug in DMSO and then test the compound on a given disorder. However, even small doses of DMSO can be active or synergistic when mixed with other agents. A case in point is a study by Levine et al.
289 who used
the matrix-metalloproteinase inhibitor GM6001 dissolved in DMSO to treat dogs that had sustained an SCI.
289 The dogs were evaluated for long-term motor-sensory
recovery using a modified Frankel scale and were shown to have significant improve -
ment when GM6001 + DMSO were used but not when GM6001 was used alone. These investigators attributed the improved neurological outcome to DMSO and not to GM6001.
289
A similar situation arose when an epidermal growth factor inhibitor was dissolved
in DMSO and tested in a rodent SCI model. When the inhibitor was compared to the DMSO vehicle, recovery of motor and bladder function was significantly greater in rats treated with DMSO relative to the inhibitor.
290
In the realm where the politics of science exists, it seems an ethical dilemma that
a simple, inexpensive, relatively safe, and highly effective agent like DMSO, which appears to be superior to standard therapy for brain trauma, brain ischemia, spinal injury, and many other traumatic conditions, has not been the object of more meticu-lous and comprehensive clinical studies that can determine the merits of this drug.
Since many good therapies throughout the times have languished in obscurity and
apathy until a chance rediscovery has allowed them a second chance at helping con -
trol damage from disease and physical injury, it is hoped that DMSO is one of those drugs that will escape this indifference and be the object of some well-designed,
randomized clinical trials that can determine its place in the history of medicine.
The simple molecular structure of DMSO also invites further research into the
possibility of finding other chemically similar molecules that may be even more
powerful and effective than DMSO in treating brain and spinal trauma.188 Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in Trauma and Disease
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Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. CRS Report for Congress. Congressional Research Service, 2012;7-5700.
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U.S. and the public health response: 1995–2009. J Safety Res. 2012;43:229–307.
 4.  Daneshv ar DH, Riley DO, Nowinski CJ, McKee AC, Stern RA, Cantu RC. Long-term
consequences: Effects on normal development profile after concussion. Phys Med
Rehabil Clin N Am. November 2011;22(4):683–700, ix.
 5.  American Congress of Rehabilitation Brain Injury Interdisciplinary Special Interest
Group. Information/education page. Preventing falls following brain injury. Arch Phys
Med Rehabil. June 2013;94(6):1219–1220.e1.
 6.  Coronado VG, McGuire LC, Faul MF, Sugerman DE, Pearson WS. Traumatic brain
injury epidemiology and public health issues. In Brain Injury Medicine: Principles
and Practice, 2nd edn., eds. N.D. Zasler, D.I. Katz, R.D. Zafonte. Demos Medical
Publishing, New York, 2012; pp. 84–100.
 7.  Zaloshnja E, Miller T, Langlois JA, Selassie AW. Prevalence of long-term disability
from traumatic brain injury in the civilian population of the United States, 2005. J Head
Trauma Rehabil. 2008;14(6):394–400.
 8.  Narayan RK, Michel ME, Ansell B et al. Clinical trials in head injury. J Neurotrauma.
May 2002;19(5):503–557.
 9.  Ov ergaard J. Reflections on prognostic determinants in acute severe head injury.
In Head Injuries, ed. R.L. McLaurin. Grunne & Stratton, New York, 1976; pp. 11–21.
 10.  Schw artz ML, Tator CH, Rowed DW, Reid SR, Meguro K, Andrews DF. The University
of Toronto head injury treatment study: A prospective, randomized comparison of pen-tobarbital and mannitol. Can J Neurol Sci. 1984;11(4):434–440.
 11.  Roberts I, Sydenham E. Barbiturates for acute traumatic brain injury. Cochrane
Database Syst Rev. December 12, 2012;12:CD000033.
 12.  Klatzo I. P athophysiological aspects of brain edema. In Steroids and Brain Edema, eds.
H.J. Reulen, K. Schumann. Springer-Verlag, New York, 1972; pp. 1–8.
 13.  James HE. Methodology for the control of intracranial pressure with h ypertonic man -
nitol. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 1980;51(3–4):161–172.
 14.  Geor giou AP, Manara AR. Role of therapeutic hypothermia in improving outcome after
traumatic brain injury: A systematic review. Br J Anaesth. March 2013;110(3):357–367.
 15.  Ja vid M. Urea; new use of an old agent; reduction of intracranial and intraocular pres -
sure. Surg Clin North Am. August 1958;38(4):907–928.
 16.  Härtl R, Bardt TF, Kiening KL, Sarrafzadeh AS, Schneider GH, Unterberg AW. Mannitol
decreases ICP but does not improve brain-tissue pO2 in severely head-injured patients with intracranial hypertension. Acta Neurochir Suppl. 1997;70:40–42.
 17.  Bramlett HM, Dietrich WD. Pathophysiology of cerebral ischemia and brain trauma:
Similarities and differences. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2004;14(2):133–150.
 18.  Zammit C, Knight W A. Severe traumatic brain injury in adults. Emerg Med Pract.
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 20.  Cross JL, Meloni BP, Bakker AJ, Lee S, Knuckey NW. Modes of neuronal calcium entry
and homeostasis following cerebral ischemia. Stroke Res Treat. 2010;2010:316862.
 21.  Lipton P. Ischemic cell death in brain neurons. Physiol Rev. 1999;79(4):1431–1568.189 DMSO in Basic Neuroprotection
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 25.  Astrup J, S


 cases of severe chronic diseases,
when no help is no medication.
2. There is no risk, will cure one disease to cause another
12
12as it happens sometimes in the treatment of medication. On the contrary,
providing health-building effect, limotherapy
tidies the whole system of human body. About
Methods of total (wet) starvation written a lot of literature.
But this book is devoted to one of the most effective methods
RTD - absolutely dry fasting, which is held without food
and water. Absolute dry fasting reveals new colossal
spare capacity purification of the body and enhance immunity
rights given to him by nature. This is a natural,
versatile and very effective way of cleansing, healing
and rejuvenation of all living beings.
DRY Fasting in Nature
POCHE ME IN NATURE Many animals
and plant breach, ORGANIZATIONS ZMY Falling UT IN V ARIOUS s
STATE OF I Anab
"Watch for nature, learn from it, take the best and perfection
excellence has no limits. "
Modern man calls himself a king of nature. Now the king
so poorly versed in became his vassal kingdom that any
animal feels it is much more comfortable than the self-styled
ruler. Animals have always come as prompts
their intuition, they never act to harm himself. They also
vulnerable, as we do, too sick, but not run by doctors. Ambulance
help with a red cross on the side of them not in a hurry. They themselves
doctor, for protected system of internal self-defense! Such
system is in place and people.
When I lived on the lake, I was just good dog. He often
running away from home for various reasons, for a long time. Come
home very skinny and hungry, it was fasting with water. But
Once he was hit drunken motorcyclist, when I examined him, he was
in poor condition, but most interesting is that he crawled into the dark
a barn and refused food and water. Any injury - is primarily
edema, and he instinctively felt it. Seven days he neither ate nor
and drank only on the eighth day was eat and drink water. He fully
recovered.
So when respected nutritionists talk about the terrible
the dangers of dry fasting, I always tell my patients that if
it was harmful, the nature of time evolution would long ago have cleaned and
use the mechanisms of dry fasting. When I wrote this chapter, I
had to revise and read a lot of literature and information
to show that the absolute (anhydrous starvation) - this is not
fiction adventurers and charlatans, and the natural universal
natural mechanism that helps to survive under unfavorable
conditions or diseases. during the life of every living
13
13the body is constantly exposed to adverse
factors - both external and internal. The result of this
becomes intoxication - poisoning organism harmful
materials coming both from without and the power
inside the body. Toxins from the outside come into our
body through breathing, skin, along with food and water. Inside
toxins are produced as a byproduct of any
life processes: cells divide, the old die, and if
they do not show, will poison the body, with any physical
loads, there is a destruction of muscle fibers, and any
stress, and any normal working of the mind and imagination run
in the body complex biochemical processes during the flow
that "waste material" also turns into toxins
which should be removed from the body. Nature has blessed all
beings remarkable mechanism, reported,
that the body needs to be cleaned of toxins. With the accumulation of
in the body of toxins a person (and any living creature) covers
drowsiness, fatigue sets in, and the body signals that
that he needed sleep. That dream carried the main
detoxification of the body - the release of toxins which have accumulated
per day, or enrolled in an organism, for example, the reception
poisoning of food or alcoholic beverages, followed by sleep
can literally knock you. The same thing could happen after
taking certain medications that cause drowsiness, or
sleeping pills that cause is not a harmless dream, and to
actually harass you, and a very sophisticated manner. Need
understand that if after a meal, you feel very sleepy, so
Your food was unfit for consumption. Therefore, each of
We are constantly faced with the partial dry hunger and hibernation
during sleep. During this organism and does its healing work.
in every cell of living matter genetically incorporated mechanisms
living without food and water. in nature, there are two kinds of fasting.
First - it's wet fasting when the animal can move
in this case it is drinking water and looking for food, but in severe
illnesses or injuries, it hides in a secluded place, where it
protected from the weather and is located in warm, calm and quiet and where
no one was alarmed. There it rests, and fast without water. It
may, for example, have lost limbs (or wing) to recover
without dressings and surgical operations. in the lives of animals dry
Fasting is an extremely important factor in life.
Animals are starving not only when sick or injured, but
and during the winter or summer hibernation (in tropical climates).
Some animals are starving before the birth of offspring, often - and in
during his feeding. For example, some birds are starving in
clearing time chicks. Other animals are starving as soon as
birth. Animals also were forced to starve during a drought
and survive, although over a long period can not get any
14
14food and water. One of the varieties of dry starvation in nature
is a condition called hibernation.
Cryostasis (Greek anabnfsis - "recovery" from ana - «again and bnos -
"Life") - the state of the organism in which life processes
(Metabolism, etc.) are suspended or are so
slowed, which lacks all visible manifestations of life. Anabiosis
observed a sharp deterioration in living conditions of some
(Low temperature, lack of moisture, etc.) in organisms facing
at different stages of development, upon the occurrence of favorable
conditions are restored the normal level of life
processes - recovery. Thus, suspended animation - biological
adaptation of an organism to adverse external conditions,
developed in the course of evolution.
In the case of dehydration, the protoplasm of cells (live
protein) from the state of hydrosol (liquid aspic) becomes
in the state of the hydrogel (such as dry gelatin) and long
time retains the possibility of reverse transition upon the occurrence of
favorable environmental conditions. Once these conditions
created, protoplasm absorbs water - swells, leading
to restore the life processes.
Why in the nature of many animal and plant organisms
fall into a different state of suspended animation?
The winter season is unfavorable for many in the world
Animals and plants both because of the low temperature, and on
because of drastic reduction of opportunities for food. during
evolutionary development of many species of animals and plants
acquired a kind of adaptive mechanisms to
survive the adverse season. in some species of animals
emerged and established itself instinct to stockpile food, other
developed a different adaptation - migration. Known
remarkably long flights of many birds, migration
some fish species and other members of the animal world.
However, in the process of evolution in many animal species observed
and the other a perfect physiological mechanism of adaptation
- The ability to fall into a lifeless at first glance, the state
which in various animal species are manifested in different ways and has
different names (suspended animation, hibernation, hypothermia, etc.).
Meanwhile, all these conditions are characterized by inhibition
the function of vital activity to the minimum that
allows him to survive the adverse winter conditions without taking
food and water. in this state of apparent death flow into those
Animals that are unable to provide themselves with food during the winter
and for them there is a risk of death from cold and hunger. and all this
developed in the course of evolution, is subject to severe natural
expediency - the need to preserve the appearance.
Hibernation - a widespread phenomenon in nature,
despite the fact that its manifestations are different from the representatives of individual
15
15groups of animals, whether animals with unstable temperature
body (poikilothermic), is also called cold-blooded,
whose body temperature depends on ambient temperature, or
animals with a constant temperature, known as warm-blooded.
Among the animals with unstable body temperature in the state
hibernation fall various types of mollusks, crustaceans,
arachnids, insects, fish, amphibians and reptiles, and
of the animals with constant body temperature - a few species of birds
and many species of mammals. In this chapter I have tried to collect
the most interesting facts that exist in nature, as living
beings to adapt to adverse conditions and what
defense mechanisms they use for this. Look at the Office
patents of nature.
Winterfall GROUND WATER SM
Cold blood is not warm.
Who is not given to support the body temperature in winter is one -
freeze, sleep, petrify, to wait out unfavorable conditions
life. That is what all the cold-blooded: molluscs, crustaceans,
spiders, insects, fish, amphibians and reptiles. When
the onset of winter, they hibernate, called Kholodov
stupor. At most, what they can do - take care
Asylum


vested from 4- to 6-year-old plants
at the end of the growing season and
may be used fresh or dried.
Related Species
Greater galangal, also known as
Siamese ginger ( A. galanga ), though a
close relative of galangal, has a much
inferior taste and volatile oil content.
It appears to have an antiulcer action.
Two other Alpinia  species, cao dou
cou (A. katsumadai ) and yi zhi ren
(A. oxyphylla ), are used in a broadly
similar way to galangal in traditional
Chinese medicine.
Key Constituents
■ Volatile oil (about 1%) containing
 alpha-pinene, cineole, linalool■ Sesquiterpene lactones
 (galangol, galangin)
■ Diterpenes
■ Flavonoids
Key Actions
■ Warming digestive tonic
■ Carminative
■ Anti-inflammatory
■ Anti-emetic
■ Antibacterial
■ Antifungal
■ Antitumor
Research
■ Antibacterial  Research indicates
that galangal has antibacterial activity,
notably against Staphylococcus aureus,
responsible for many ear, nose, and
throat infections.
■ Antifungal  Galangal has shown
pronounced activity against fungi
in laboratory research, especially
against Candida albicans.
■ Osteoarthritis  A 2001 clinical
trial found that a concentrated extract
of ginger ( Zingiber officinalis, p. 155)
and galangal was effective in relieving
osteoarthritis symptoms in the knee.
Traditional &
Current Uses
■ Chinese medicine  In traditional
Chinese herbal medicine, galangal is
a warming herb used for abdominal
pain, vomiting, and hiccups, as well as
for diarrhea due to internal cold.
When used for hiccups, it is combined
with codonopsis ( Codonopsis pilosula,
p. 83) and fu ling  (Poria cocos ).
■ Indian tradition  In India
and southwestern Asia, galangal
is considered stomachic, anti-
inflammatory, expectorant, and  Galangal
A perennial aromatic
plant growing to 61⁄2 ft
(2 m), with white, red-
lipped flowers and
lance-shaped leaves.
a nervine tonic. It is used in the
treatment of hiccups, dyspepsia,
stomach pain, rheumatoid arthritis,
and intermittent fever.
■ Western herbalism  Galangal
was introduced into Europe by
Arabian physicians over 1,000 years
ago. It is mainly used in the West
for gas, indigestion, vomiting, and
stomach pain. An infusion can be
used to alleviate mouth ulcers and
sore gums. Galangal has long been
recommended as a treatment for
seasickness, which is not surprising Galangal is an important spice in Thai
cooking and is reportedly fed to Arabian
horses to “fire them up” in parts of Asia.Parts Used
Key Preparations &  Their Uses
given the well-established ability of
its relative, ginger ( Zingiber officinale,
p. 155) to relieve motion sickness.
■ Candidiasis  Galangal can be used
with other antifungal herbs as part of a
regimen to treat intestinal candidiasis.
■ Dosage  At a moderate dosage,
galangal is a warming and gently
stimulating herb for a weakened
digestive system, but at a higher
dosage it can be an irritant.
Self-help Use
■ Nausea & motion sickness, p. 306.Dried rhizome Fresh rhizome Rhizome has a warming,
stimulating action and is
useful for a wide range
of digestive problems.
Rhizomes have a
spicy flavour and are
used in cooking
US_060-061_Aloe_Alpinia.indd   61 07/04/16   4:36 pm
62Ammi visnA g Akey medicinal plantsAmmi visnaga syn. Daucus visnaga (Apiaceae)
Visnaga, KhellaVisnaga
An erect annual growing to 3 ft (1 m), with leaves divided into wisps and clusters of small white flowers.
Visnaga is a member of the carrot family and
has the characteristic delicate, wispy leaves.
Habitat & Cultivation
Native to North Africa, visnaga grows
wild in the Middle East and around
the Mediterranean. It is naturalized in Australia and South America. Grown from seed, visnaga is widely cultivated. The tiny fruits containing the seeds are picked in late summer before they have fully ripened.
Related Species
Bishop’s weed (A. majus, p. 166)
is a close relative. This plant has
been used to treat asthma but is mainly taken as a diuretic and to
treat psoriasis.
Key Constituents
■ Furochromones including
 khellin (1%) and visnagin
■ Coumarins
■ Flavonoids
■ Volatile oil
■ Phytosterols
Key Actions
■ Antispasmodic
■ Antiasthmatic
■ RelaxantResearch
■ Strong antispasmodic
Research by a pharmacologist working in Egypt in 1946 revealed that visnaga (in particular its constituents khellin and visnagin)  has a powerful antispasmodic action on the smaller bronchial muscles,  the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart, and on the urinary tubules. Visnaga’s ability  to relax the small bronchi lasts  for up to 6 hours, and the plant  has practically no side effects.
■ Khellin Intal, an asthma drug
widely used in conventional medicine, is derived chemically from khellin.
Traditional &
Current Uses
■ Kidney stones Visnaga is a
traditional Egyptian remedy for
kidney stones. It was mentioned  in the Ebers papyrus of Egypt
(c. 1500 bce) and is still used
there to relieve kidney stones.
By relaxing the muscles of the
ureter, visnaga reduces the pain caused by the trapped stone
and helps ease the stone down  into the bladder.
■ Asthma remedy Following
research into its antispasmodic properties, visnaga is now given  for asthma, and is safe even for children to take. Although it does  not always relieve acute asthma attacks, it does help to prevent  their recurrence.
■ Other respiratory conditions
Visnaga is an effective remedy
for various respiratory problems, including bronchitis, emphysema,  and whooping cough. ■ Circulatory herb By
relaxing the coronary arteries,  visnaga helps to improve blood supply to the heart muscle and thereby eases angina. Visnaga  does not, however, reduce  blood pressure.Parts Used
Key Preparations & Their Uses
■ Dental hygiene In Andalusia
in Spain, the largest and best-quality visnaga seeds were employed to clean the teeth. The high value given to the herb in general was reflected in the saying: “Oro, plata, visnaga, o nada!” (Gold, silver, visnaga, or nothing!).Visnaga, with its aromatic, bitter scent and flavor, has
greater medicinal than culinary value. It is an effective muscle relaxant and has been used for many centuries
to alleviate the excruciating pain of kidney stones. Scientific research has confirmed the validity of this traditional
use. Visnaga contains khellin, from which particularly
safe pharmaceutical drugs for the treatment of asthma  have been derived.
  RCautions T ake only under professional supervision. Long-term use produces
symptoms such as nausea, headaches, and insomnia. Subject to legal restrictions
in some countries.
Powder  is prescribed by doctors and
medical herbalists to relieve angina.Infusion alleviates asthma,
bronchitis, and kidney stones.Seeds Seeds from the fruit of the fresh plant are
collected in late summer and dried for use  in infusions and powders.
Fresh plant
in fruit
US_062-063_Ammi_Angelica.indd   62 26/02/16   3:58 pm63 key medicinal plantsAngelic A sinensis
Angelica sinensis  syn. A. polymorpha  (Apiaceae)
Dong Quai, Chinese Angelica, Dang Gui (Chinese)
Habitat & Cultivation
Dong quai  is native to China
and Japan, where it is now cultivated.
The best rhizomes are in Gansu
province in China. Seed is sown
in spring and the rhizomes are
lifted in autumn.
Related Species
American angelica ( A. atropurpurea )
has similar properties, though it is
less aromatic. European angelica
(A. archangelica, p. 168) is a warming
tonic herb for digestion and
circulation, but does not have the
same tonic action as dong quai.
Key Constituents
■ Volatile oil (ligustilide,
 sesquiterpenes, carvacrol)
■ Coumarins
■ Phytosterols
■ Polyacetylenes
■ Ferulic acid
Key Actions
■ Tonic


 nutritionally valuable seeds were eaten and also pressed to yield oil, which was burned in lamps and used to make ointments. Sesame has long been considered to have magical powers, and the phrase “Open sesame!”, from the Arabian Nights, remains a well-known magical
command. The Middle Eastern confection halvah is made from crushed and sweetened sesame seeds.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Sesame is
principally used as a food and flavoring agent in China, but it is also taken to redress “states of deficiency,” especially those affecting the liver and kidneys. The seeds are prescribed for problems such as dizziness, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and blurred vision (when due to anemia). Owing to their lubricating effect within the digestive tract, the seeds are also considered a remedy for “dry” constipation. The seeds have a marked ability to stimulate the production of breast milk. Sesame seed oil benefits the skin and is used as a base for cosmetics. It can be used to treat fungal skin problems such as athlete’s foot.
Research  Research suggests that sesame
seeds have antibacterial and antifungal activity.  They also lower cholesterol and support levels  of “good cholesterol” (HDL).Medicinal Actions & Uses  Sarsaparilla is
anti-inflammatory and cleansing, and the herb  can bring relief to skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis, and general itchiness, and help treat rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout. Its estrogenic action makes it beneficial in premenstrual problems, and menopausal conditions such as debility and depression. Native Amazonian peoples take sarsaparilla to improve virility and to treat menopausal problems. In Mexico, the root is still frequently consumed for its reputed tonic and aphrodisiac properties.
Research  Some of the steroidal saponins have
been shown to bind to toxins within the gut, reducing their absorption into the bloodstream. This may account for sarsaparilla’s usefulness in autoimmune conditions such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis, which can be associated with this sort of toxicity. Clinical research in China suggests that sarsaparilla might hold potential in the treatment of leptospirosis,  a rare disease transmitted to humans by rats, and the acute stage of syphilis.
Solanum dulcamara (Solanaceae)
Common Nightshade
Description  Slender-stemmed, woody climber
growing to 13 ft (4 m). Has deeply lobed oval leaves, dark purple flowers with yellow anthers,  and scarlet oval berries.Habitat & Cultivation  Native to Europe,
North Africa, and northern Asia, this herb has been naturalized in North America. A common wayside plant, it flourishes in open areas. The twigs are collected in spring or autumn, and the root bark in autumn.
Parts Used Twigs, root bark.
Constituents  Common nightshade contains
steroidal alkaloids (including solasodine and soldulcamaridine), steroidal saponins, and about 10% tannins.
History & Folklore  The Swedish botanist
Carolus Linnaeus (1707–1778) considered the herb to be a valuable remedy for fever and inflammatory disorders. The herb is also called bittersweet, perhaps referring to the initial bitter taste of the berries, followed by a sweet aftertaste.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  This plant has
stimulant, expectorant, diuretic, detoxifying, and antirheumatic properties. It appears to be most effective taken internally to treat skin problems such as eczema, itchiness, psoriasis, and warts.
A decoction of the twigs, applied as a wash,
may also help to lessen the severity of these conditions. The herb may also be taken to relieve asthma, chronic bronchitis, and rheumatic conditions, including gout.
 QCaution  Common nightshade is toxic in
excess. T ake only under professional supervision.
Common nightshade
treats skin problems
and bronchitis.
US_266-283_Sanguinaria_Ziziphus_jujuba.indd   270 26/02/16   12:48 pm271 other medicinal plantsSorbu S aucuparia
can be made from eggplant leaves. The mashed
fruit can also be applied to sunburn.
Research  German research (published in 1975)
indicates that eggplant helps to prevent the
accumulation of fatty deposits within arteries.
Caution  Eggplant leaves are toxic and should
only be used externally.
Solanum tuberosum (Solanaceae)
Potato
Description  Perennial growing to 3 ft (1 m).
Has branching stems with compound leaves,
white or purple flowers, green berries, and swollen
tubers (potatoes).
Habitat & Cultivation  Native to Chile,
Bolivia, and Peru, the potato plant with its many
varieties is cultivated around the world. The tuber
is normally unearthed from autumn to early spring.
Part Used  Tuber.
Constituents  Potato contains starch, large
amounts of vitamins A, B1, B2, C, and K, minerals
(especially potassium), and very small quantities of
atropine alkaloids. One property of these alkaloids
is the reduction of digestive secretions, including
acids produced in the stomach.
History & Folklore  Many different potato
species and varieties were cultivated by the
Quechua and Aymara peoples of the central
Andes. In the early 16th century, the potato
was introduced into Europe by Spanish voyagers
returning from the New World. It was not until
the 18th century that the potato became a staple
ingredient in the European diet.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Taken in
moderation, potato juice can be helpful in the
treatment of peptic ulcers, bringing relief from  Constituents  Goldenrod contains saponins,
diterpenes, phenolic glucosides, acetylenes,
cinnamates, flavonoids, tannins, hydroxybenzoates,
and inulin. The saponins are antifungal.
History & Folklore  The herbalist John Gerard
commented wryly in 1597 that “goldenrod has in
times past been had in greater estimation and regard
than in these days: for within my remembrance,
I have known the dry herb which came from
beyond the seas, sold … for half a crown an
ounce. But since it was found in Hampstead
wood [London] … no man will give half a
crown for an hundredweight of it: which plainly
setteth forth our inconstancy and sudden
mutability, esteeming no longer of any thing
(how precious soever it may be) than whilst
it is strange and rare.” Four hundred years on,
one can only agree.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Antioxidant,
diuretic, and astringent, goldenrod is a valuable
remedy for urinary tract disorders. It is used both
for serious ailments such as nephritis, and for more
common problems like cystitis. The herb also has
a reputation for helping to flush out kidney and
bladder stones. Goldenrod’s saponins act
specifically against the Candida  fungus, the cause
of vaginal yeast infection and oral thrush. The herb
can also be taken for conditions such as sore
throats, chronic nasal congestion, and diarrhea.
Due to its mild action, goldenrod is used to treat
gastroenteritis in children. Externally, it may be
used as a mouthwash or douche for thrush.
Related Species  Various Solidago  species are
used medicinally in North America. Several species,
including Canadian goldenrod ( S. canadensis ), have
been taken to relieve colds, fevers, and chest pain.
Sweet-scented goldenrod ( S. odora ) was listed
as a stimulant, carminative, and diaphoretic
(sweat-inducer) in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia
from 1820 to 1882.
Self-help Uses  Allergic rhinitis with
congestion, p. 300; Urinary infections, p. 314.
Sorbus aucuparia (Rosaceae)
Eastern Mountain Ash
Description  Deciduous tree growing to
12 m (39 ft). Has reddish bark, compound leaves,
clusters of small white flowers, and clusters of round
red-orange fruit (berries). Also known as Rowan.
Habitat & Cultivation  Mountain ash grows in
woodlands throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
It is also cultivated as an ornamental tree.
Part Used  Fruit.
Constituents  The fruit contains tannins,
sorbitol, malic and sorbic acids, sugars, and
vitamin C. The seeds contain cyanogenic
glycosides, which, in a reaction upon  Goldenrod is a
valuable remedy for
urethritis, nephritis,
cystitis, and other
ailments of the
urinary tract.Potato  can be helpful in relieving the painful symptoms of
a gastric ulcer.pain and acidity. The juice or the mashed pulp
may be used externally to soothe painful joints,
headache, backache, skin rashes, and hemorrhoids.
Potato skins are used in India to treat swollen gums


stacles.	I	have	a	very	personal	story	to	tell	about	that.
My	father	died	very	suddenly	a	few	years	ago;	he	was	more	than	eighty	and
had	led	a	full	and	happy	life.	But	it	was	a	shock	not	to	have	said	good-bye,
and	when	I	flew	to	India	for	his	funeral,	I	felt	full	of	grief.
The	day	of	the	funeral	came;	it	was	bright	and	hot.	I	was	part	of	a	procession
taking	my	father	out	of	the	house	for	the	last	rites,	which	in	India	include
burning	the	body.
	I	looked	around,	and	here’s	what	I	saw:	Some	people	were
crying,	others	looked	peaceful	and	calm.	Little	children	ran	up	to	grab	the
flowers	that	fell	as	we	passed.	They	were	laughing	and	looked	on	this
procession	as	a	big,	curious	event.	Strangers	glanced	our	way	for	a	second	but
paid	little	attention.	A	mother	carried	her	baby	across	our	path;	an	old	manslept	in	a	doorway	in	the	sun.
Suddenly	I	realized	something:
I	am	not	in	a	funeral	procession.	I	am	in	the
procession	of	life
.	All	around	me	was	the	whole	cycle	of	life,	and	instead	of
feeling	grief,	I	suddenly	felt	very	expanded	and	free.	It’s	that	same	feeling,
which	can	surprise	you	when	you	least	expect	it,	that	makes	evil	vanish.	You
realize	that	life	is	going	to	triumph,	despite	everything,	and	close	to	your	soul
a	voice	is	saying,
I
	am
life
.	This	voice	is	telling	the	truth.	Goodness	is	eternal,
evil	is	temporary.
What’s	the	best	answer	to	the	problem	of	evil?	Don’t	curse	the	darkness	and
struggle	against	it.	Light	a	candle,	because	light	automatically	drives	darkness
away	It’s	not	the	good	deeds	you	do	that	make	you	good,	it’s	who	you	are.
And	who	you	are	is	a	soul	walking	around	in	a	body,	not	a	body	walking
around	hoping	it	has	a	soul.	Once	you	link	up	with	that	eternal	part	of
yourself,	evil	can	no	longer	make	you	afraid.Loving	Yourself
I
t	was	getting	close	to	dusk,	a	time	when	the	whole	world	seen	from	the
hillside	started	to	fill	with	golden	light.	“Look,”	I	once	heard	a	traveler	say.
“The	gods	have	come	out	to	play.”	It	was	just	like	that.	Every	house	and	tree
and	cloud	shimmered	as	the	last	heat	waves	rose	in	ripples	from	the	valley.
“Our	third	day	is	ending,”	said	Baba	as	we	looked	out	over	the	view.	“Now
I’m	going	to	tell	you	the	most	difficult	thing	about	love.	But	don’t	laugh	at
me.”
“Why	would	I	laugh?”	I	said.
“Because	I	have	a	nursery	rhyme	for	you,	and	you	might	think	I’m	being
childish,”	he	said.
“Or	mystical.	I	know	you,	remember?”
“You	think	so?”	Baba	chuckled.	“But	you’re	right:	Things	are	always	more
mystical	with	me	than	with	other	people.	Sometimes	even	a	nursery	rhyme
hides	great	wisdom.	This	one	is	Humpty	Dumpty.”
“Who	sat	on	a	wall	and	had	a	great	fall?”
“Yes,	him,”	said	Baba.	“But	do	you	know	why	all	the	king’s	horses	and	all	the
king’s	men	couldn’t	put	him	back	together	again?	It’s	a	riddle.”
“Not	about	eggs,”	I	said.
Baba	shook	his	head.	“If	you	go	back	in	time,	there	have	always	been	myths
about	a	golden	age,	when	peace	reigned,	everyone	felt	love	for	one	another,
and	life	was	perfect.	But	that	golden	age	fell	apart,	and	everyone’s	been	trying
to	figure	out	how	to	put	it	back	together	again.”
“This	is	your	theory	of	Humpty	Dumpty?”	I	asked.
Baba	smiled.	“It’s	good	to	stretch.”	He	sounded	very	definite.	“What	really
fell	apart	was	love.	There	was	never	a	golden	age,	at	least	not	as	far	as	any
historian	can	tell.	But	deep	in	the	human	heart	a	memory	lingers	of	how	loveshould	be.	It	should	extend	to	everyone;	it	should	leave	no	cause	for	suffering.
It	should	be	innocent	and	bring	joy	every	day.
“Can	that	kind	of	love	be	put	back	together	again?	Your	soul	thinks	so.	Now
we	come	to	the	most	important	step,	which	is	this:	You	must	love	yourself.”
I	said,	“Why	is	that	difficult?	I	love	myself,	at	least	I	think	I	do.”
“Really?”	asked	Baba.	“Which	self	did	you	pick?	There’s	you	as	a	baby,	you
playing	with	paper	dolls	when	you	were	three,	you	when	you	are	angry	or
sad,	you	when	you	believe	in	yourself,	and	you	when	you	don’t.	Which	one
are	you	going	to	love?”
He	was	trying	to	stump	me,	but	I	felt	pretty	confident.	“Those	aren’t	me
anymore.	I	love	the	me	who’s	right	here,	now.”
“But	he	will	be	gone	tomorrow,	just	as	those	others	are	gone.	Then	what?”
asked	Baba.	“You	see,	the	nursery	rhyme	is	right.	We’re	all	trying	to	put
ourselves	back	together	from	bits	and	pieces.	But	all	the	king’s	horses	and	all
the	king’s	men	won’t	be	able	to	do	it.”
Baba	must	have	seen	a	downcast	look	on	my	face,	because	his	voice	softened.
“Don’t	be	dejected.	When	you	met	me	in	the	cabin	today,	didn’t	I	tell	you	that
I	was	laughing	at	a	cosmic	joke?”
“Yes,”	I	remembered.	“And	you	promised	to	tell	it	to	me.”
“Well,	now’s	the	time.	The	cosmic	joke	is	that	Humpty	Dumpty	never	fell	and
was	never	broken.	The	real	you	is	perfectly	loved	and	always	will	be.	No	evil
or	harm	can	ever	come	to	that	you,	and	when	you	find	it,	you	will	be	laughing
with	joy	and	relief,	just	as	I	do.”
W
HAT
	I	L
EARNED
Loving	yourself	can	be	a	good	feeling	that	hits	you	when	you	are	on	top	of
the	world	and	everything	is	going	right.	It	can	also	be	feeling	like	a	good
person	who	deserves	the	best	out	of	life.	But	Baba	had	a	more	cosmic	idea	of
loving	yourself.	He	pointed	me	to	the	place	where	myths	are	born.
Every	person	has	a	mythic	level.	It	lies	deep	in	our	imagination;	it’s	where	we
go	for	heroes	and	the	quests	that	heroes	follow.	Whether	you	pick	a	knight	ofthe	Round	Table,	Wonder	Woman,	Joan	of	Arc,	Gandhi,	or	Abraham	Lincoln
isn’t	just	a	personal	choice—you	are	connecting	to	your	mythic	level.	“I
always	ask	people	to	tell	me	who	their	heroes	are,”	Baba	said.	“I	can	tell	a
great	deal	about	someone’s	whole	life	from	who	they	secretly	want	to	be.”
In	fact