The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies Diabetes: Prickly pear cactus is beneficial to the pan-
All Inflammatory Diseases: The juice is indi-
creas, which is vital to insulin production. By restoring pancreal health, it helps balance blood sugar.
cated for all inflammatory diseases including skin diseases like psoriasis, eczema, and hives.
Heart Disease, Cholesterol and Circulation: The anti-inflammatory benefits assist in the re-
Harvesting: Harvesting prickly pear must be done
duction of plaques in the arteries and veins, reducing the chances of heart disease. Pickly pear juice also reduces cholesterol and enhances blood circulation to all parts of the body.
Muscle Soreness and Fatigue: The high vitamin and other nutrient levels combined with the health properties of prickly pear make it an excellent choice for the treatment of fatigue and muscle soreness caused by injury or over use.
Prunella vulgaris, Self-Heal Self-heal, Prunella vulgaris, is also known as wound root, woundwort, and heal-all. This low-growing plant attracts butterflies and bees. It belongs to the Lamiaceae (Mint) Family. I often find self-heal along roadsides and waste-places, but I prefer to harvest it from the edges of woodlands or grow my own in my garden.
carefully due to their small, hairy spines. Dress in thick long sleeves, long pants, boots, and gloves. I use tongs to pick the ripe fruit and leaves and place them carefully into a basket for processing. After collection, I hold the fruit or leaf pad over a flame and burn the spines off completely, charring the skin. When they cool, I peel off the skin. Some people use sandpaper to remove the spines, but I prefer charring.
a cluster of upright stems. The leaves have white hairs on the underside along the center vein. The leaf margins may be smooth or edged with blunt teeth. The root is a fibrous rhizome with a root crown and spreads through creeping stems that take root.
Edible Use: The young leaves and stems of self-heal are edible. They make a good addition to salads or can be boiled and eaten as a potherb. The aerial parts of the plant can be dried, powdered, and brewed into a cold tea.
Medicinal Use: The plant is nutritional and medicinal. It contains a number of vitamins, minerals, antiinflammatories, and antioxidants. It is most famous for its use in treating cold sores, but it is also useful in treating a number of internal and external ailments. It is anti-inflammatory, antiviral, astringent, demulcent, hypotensive, immunomodulating, and vulnerary (healing). I usually use it as a complementary herb, using it in conjunction with other more powerful herbs. The entire plant is medicinal but the flowers, stems, and leaves are most commonly used.
Cold Sores and Genital Herpes: Self-heal Identification: Self-heal is a perennial plant that grows 4 to 20 inches (10 cm to 50 cm) tall and produces small flowers from April to June and fruit from June to August. Each flower has a light purple upper lip and a whitish, fringed lower lip and a light green or reddish calyx that is hairy on the edges. Its fruit has 4 tiny seeds. Opposite leaves are lance-shaped and 1 to 3 inches (2.5 cm to 7.5 cm) long, growing on a single or 122
treats both herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1 causes cold sores) and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2 causes genital herpes). This herb has anti-viral properties. It prevents the virus from infecting host cells as well as reducing outbreaks.
Diabetes: Self-heal works to reduce insulin sensitivity in diabetes and pre-diabetes. It helps normalize blood sugar levels and prevents the development of
