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October 2000
Underneath is the main part of the newsletter that was sent out, excluding special offers or items that were being promoted during that month. To access any previous newsletters, please click here, or if you want to sign up for our free newsletter, please click here.
In this issue:
This herb has many different properties associated with it, and in the Middle Ages, the high-ranking women embroidered thyme on the clothes of the knights when they went off on Crusades, as a symbol of courage.
This strongly flavored herb is used in cooking (sparingly) and has medicinal properties, derived from the thymol component found in this herb. Thymol is a powerful antiseptic and has been used for this purpose for hundreds of years.
It was used in embalming by the Egyptians and as an oil for anointment by the ancient Greeks.
Today, thyme is used for abdominal cramps, diarrhea and heart conditions.
A cup of thyme tea, with honey, is also used to promote sleep and ease neuralgia, while an ointment made from it, is said to be effective for promoting a clear skin.
Please note, if you have a medical condition, kindly contact your medical practitioner.
Thyme can be grown in a dry sunny spot in light, well-drained soil.
For more info on herbs used in our products - please visit www.ageless.co.za/herbs.htm
With winter approaching it might be a good idea to stock up on some recipes that are easy to make, yet nutritious and filling. While we might still enjoy some summer days, it is interesting to note that this soup can also be served cold.
Ingredients -
½ cup lentils (red or brown) -
5 cups of stock - preferably chicken -
1 small onion -
1½ tablespoons olive oil -
clove garlic -
¼ pound spinach -
sea salt -
freshly ground black pepper -
1½ cups mixed herbs - sorrel, parsley, chervil, tarragon, lovage and lemon thyme -
juice of 1 small lemon -
2/3 cup unflavored yogurt
Wash the lentils and remove any impurities. Place in a pan with the stock and simmer for about 40 minutes.
Peel and chop onion and in a skillet sauté the onion until soft and golden - adding the crushed garlic at the end.
Wash the spinach, cut into fine pieces and add to the lentils and simmer the mixture for another 15 minutes - until the spinach is soft. Next add the onion and garlic to the lentil mixture as well as the finely chopped herbs.
Simmer the entire mixture for another 5 minutes, let it cool, and liquidize it while adding the lemon juice and yogurt. (The yogurt can also be substituted with buttermilk).
Serve immediately or very gently heat it again, without letting it boil.
Much has been said and written about herbal remedies and herbal teas in the last couple of years, and some companies have actually developed teas that are dangerous to people's health.
It is for this reason why the authorities have issued warnings concerning herbal and health teas.
It really is a sad state of affairs, as herbal infusion can be most effective if used properly and with due care. One point that we all need to remember when we talk about "natural" ingredients, is that they are not all safe. Another is to refer any medical problems to your licensed medical practitioner for professional medical advice.
To come back to things natural - hemlock and nightshade are natural - but are deadly. Always treat herbal products with great care, as some of them can be potentially hazardous to your health if not used properly.
The problem in today's society is that nobody wishes to take responsibility for their own actions, and we have become a society that blames any and all mistakes on other people. If you are told to only take a certain treatment in "ABC" fashion, then you really should stick to that, since "ABC" x 2 might not be what is called for.
This goes for herbal teas and infusions as well.
Only use the product if you are 100% sure that it is really the herb in question, and if in doubt, rather err on the side of safety.
- If you are ill, please consult a medical doctor.
- Do not continuously drink the same type of infusion - take it for 10 days and then skip 5 days.
- Only have one cup of herbal infusion per day, except during acute periods - such as when you have a cold or flu.
- If you have more than one cup a day during the acute phase, do not take it for more than 4 days.
When you use herbal remedies, be aware that they can be extremely powerful, and should you have any side effects when taking these infusions, immediately consult a medical professional.
The standard way to make an infusion, is to pour a cup of boiling water over the material to be infused, let it stand for 5 minutes, strain it, and drink it.
- When using fresh plant material a 1/4 cup of the fresh material is used in the above way.
- When using dried material use 2 teaspoons of dried material when making.
- When using bark or seeds, use 2 teaspoons of seeds or 1 tablespoon of bark.
You could sweeten your health drink with honey, should you so require, or a dash of fresh lemon juice can also enhance the taste.
We have created a reference page where ailments are listed, with links to the corresponding herbs that will help with the particular a problem.
This page can be found at www.ageless.co.za/herbal_remedies.htm, and includes a wide variety of ailments from aching joints, anxiety, chills, coughs, ear infection, eczema, drug abuse, fear, frigidity, impotence, nausea, slimming to wound healing - and many more.
Other articles of interest
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You are as young as your faith, as old as your fear and as long as your heart receives messages of beauty, cheer,
courage, grandeur, and power - from the earth, from man and from the Infinite - so long will you stay
Ageless. |
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