Hi Goshen, Here are some homemade salve recipes (I have not personally tried any of them) First one from http://www.bushka.cz/archiv/mastEN.html Ingredients: White or yellow (non-refined - better for allergies) Vaseline, leaves and lower buds of cannabis, optionally a pinch of mint crystals or 0,1 l of hempseed oil. Proportions: For 1 kg of Vaseline it is necessary to use 100 g of dried leaves and 50 g of lower buds Preparation: 1. melt one half of the Vaseline in a larger pot 2. add roughly crushed leaves and let them slowly fry during 20 minutes 3. after cooling the mixture pour into the pot 4 liters of water 4. bring to the boiling point and slowly cook during 90 - 120 minutes 5. let it cool and put it into the fridge overnight 6. take out the fatty cake and press it in order to eliminate the rests of water 7. spread the cake into a wider recipient, cover it and let it ferment during 3 weeks in a dark place at room temperature 8. again put the mixture into a larger pot, add the other half of Vaseline and melt it 9. slowly cook the mixture until the disagreeable smell of fermentation disappears 10. drain it through a strainer and pour the resulting light-green colored liquid into a recipient immersed in a water bath 11. add finely crushed lower buds and cook in the water bath during one hour until a light skim forms on the surface (dont forget to stir frequently) 12. let it cool and store it for 1 week in a dark and cold place 13. repeat the cooking in water bath and put the recipient into a cold place again for another week 14. melt and cook the mixture as in the precedent point, drain it first through a kitchen strainer and after through a fine canvas (do not throw the canvas with the drained buds, store it into a freezer - it can be very efficiently used as a warm compress in case of asthmatic problems, bronchitis or joint pains) 15. the salve is now ready to be poured into small cups if you want to use it pure - otherwise you can improve it with a pinch of mint crystals (for muscular and joint pains) or with 0,1 liter of virgin hempseed oil (for dermatologic problems) Pure or mint salve may be stored in a cold place, but they do not deteriorate for at least 6 months even at the room temperature. In the contrary, the salve with the addition of hempseed oil needs to be stored in a cold place and should be used within 6 weeks. And here's another one from http://www.natural-skin-care-info.com/herbal-healing-salve.html Basic Recipe: 1 cup herbally infused oil 1 - 2 oz. Beeswax 10 capsules Vitamin E Oil ½ tsp. each tea tree and lavender essential oils In a small pan, gently heat the herbally infused oil and beeswax until barely melted. Cut or poke the vitamin E capsules open, and squeeze the vitamin E oil into the beeswax/oil mixture. Remove from heat, and add the essential oils. Pour a tiny amount of the salve mixture onto waxed paper or into a container to cool. Test it for thickness - if you'd like it to be harder, add more beeswax. If you'd like it to have a thinner balm, add more oils. When you're satisfied with the consistency, pour the balm into clean, sanitized jars and let cool. This all-purpose salve can be used for cuts, scrapes, splinters, diaper rash, burns, rashes, or for dry skin. To make a herbally infused oil: In a saucepan, combine dry herbs and a vegetable oil (we like extra virgin olive oil, but just about any kind will do). Specific proportions are not important - use a few generous handfuls of herbs and use enough oil to cover them. Heat over lowest possible heat for several hours - three minimum, we usually try for 12 or 15. Alternatively, use a crock-pot on the "low" setting. Strain out the herbs and use your herbally infused oil to make balms, or as a massage oil, bath oil, or as a great winter moisturizer. Some Herbs to try: chamomile, comfrey, sheep sorrell, turkish rhubarb, St. John's Wort, calendula. And one more from http://natural-homemade-skin-care.blogspot.com/2008/02/coconut-and-neem-oil-salve.html Use this salve topically for chronic skin conditions such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. Coconut oil and oregon grape root can also be taken orally for added efficacy. You will need: 78g coconut oil (solid) 20g neem oil 3 x oregon grape root capsules 1ml cedarwood essential oil Method: Melt the coconut and neem oils in a double boiler. Take off the heat when melted, and stir in the contents (herb powder) of the oregon grape root capsules. Add the cedarwood essential oil. Stir until cool and set, and put into a clean, dark glass jar. Keep refrigerated as the oils have a low melt point.

Lucy, I'm not saying that elevated blood sugar isn't a risk factor for lots of problems - clearly it is. My point was that if someone tries diet and exercise for three months and their blood sugar changes from 239 to 238 or 251, then a medication may be in order because what they tried obviously didn't work. If they try something and their blood sugar goes from 239 to 101 or 110 or 135, they didn't meet the target, but they ARE getting things under control. Hitting 100 in 3 months is an arbitrary target. Even if we accept the 100 as a hard break point (which is questionable), why 3 months and not 2 months or 4 months or 6? Where are the guidelines on exactly how fast something has to be brought under control? Are there any? The RDA for many vitamins have changed more than a few times in my life - generally they have been increased. Optimal blood pressures, Body Mass Index, cholesterols and other values have also changed (mostly they've been lowered). These guidelines are not gospel written in stone - they are generally a good idea, they are our best estimates of risk, our current picture of optimal health. They are very useful in distinguishing white from black, not so precise when comparing two similar shades of grey.

Hi, I am looking for Echium plantagineum, Salvation Jane, seeds. It is considered by some to be a weed. It is found in the US, Canada, & Australia. The research I have read was by a research doctor who said he used it on his sister who had Multiple Sclorosis MS and she went into remission. It seems to be better than flax seed & salmon oil in one seed. Echium Oil by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Health benefit of echium oil Echium oil is obtained by refining oil extracted from the seeds of Echium plantagineum. Members of the genus Echium from Macaronesia have a very high amount of gamma-linolenic acid. See oil for a full discussion of various oils. Echium oil use may provide healthy long chained fatty acids. Composition of echium oil Echium oil is a vegetable oil rich in omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Food Uses of echium oil Croda Chemicals wants to use its refined echium oil as an ingredient in a range of food products (including milk and yoghurt based drinks, breakfast cereals and nutrition bars) and in food supplements. Echium oil and blood lipids It appears that echium oil could be beneficial in reducing certain blood lipids. Dietary echium oil increases plasma and neutrophil long-chain (n-3) fatty acids and lowers serum triacylglycerols in hypertriglyceridemic humans. J Nutr. 2004. Surette ME, Edens M, Chilton FH, Tramposch KM. Pilot Therapeutics Incorporated, Charleston, SC The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary echium oil, a plant oil containing the 18-carbon (n-3) PUFA stearidonic acid, on tissue fatty acid content and serum triacylglycerol concentrations in hypertriglyceridemic humans. Asymptomatic subjects with mild-to-moderate hypertriglyceridemia were enrolled in an open-labeled study. Subjects underwent a 4-wk lead-in period and were then instructed to follow the National Cholesterol Education Program Step 1 diet. Subjects whose serum triacylglycerol concentrations remained between 300 and 450 mg/dL were instructed to consume 15 g of echium oil daily for 4 wk. During the treatment period, serum triacylglycerol concentrations decreased by 21% compared with baseline. There were no significant changes in any other clinical laboratory variables. Concentrations of long-chain (n-3) PUFA, including EPA, increased in plasma and neutrophils when subjects consumed echium oil. In conclusion, dietary plant oils rich in stearidonic acid are metabolized to longer-chain, more unsaturated (n-3) PUFA. These oils appear to possess hypotriglyceridemic properties typically associated with fish oils. Echium oil reduces plasma lipids and hepatic lipogenic gene expression in apoB100-only LDL receptor knockout mice. J Nutr Biochem. 2007. Section on Lipid Sciences, Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA. We tested the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with echium oil, which is enriched in stearidonic acid (SDA; 18:4 n-3), will decrease plasma triglyceride (TG) concentrations and result in conversion of SDA to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in the liver. Mildly hypertriglyceridemic mice were fed a basal diet containing 10% calories as palm oil (PO) and 0.2% cholesterol for 4 weeks, after which they were randomly assigned to experimental diets consisting of the basal diet plus supplementation of 10% of calories as PO, echium oil or fish oil (FO) for 8 weeks. The echium oil and FO experimental diets decreased plasma TG and VLDL lipid concentration, and hepatic TG content compared to PO. Echium oil fed mice had plasma and liver lipid EPA enrichment that was greater than PO-fed mice but less than FO-fed mice. In conclusion, echium oil may provide a botanical alternative to fish oil for reduction of plasma TG concentrations. Echium Oil Research Occurrence and characterization of oils rich in gamma-linolenic acid Part I: Echium seeds from Macaronesia. Phytochemistry. 2000 Feb;53(4):451-6. Departamento de Ingenieria Quimica, Universidad de Almeria, Spain Nineteen species of the genus Echium (Fam. Boraginaceae) collected in Macaronesia were surveyed in a search for new sources of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA, 18:3omega6). High amounts of this acid were found in all of them, ranging from 9% (Echium plantagineum) to 26% (Echium callithyrsum) of total seed fatty acids. The amounts of GLA related to total seed weight were also significant, ranging from 1.7% (Echium sventenii) to 5% (Echium nervosum). In addition, considerable amounts of stearidonic acid (SA, 18:4omega3) were detected, ranging from 3% (Echium auberianum) to 13% (Echium plantagineum) of total fatty acids. Echium oil emails Q. I have just been reading your web page on echium oil and was interested in your comments about "pyrrolizidine alkaloids and their N-oxides." being present in the refined oil. Now, like most members of the Boraginaceae (including borage), echium contains these alkaloids in the plant parts but I wasn't aware that they were present in the oil, and I would anticipate that, even if they were, they would be removed by even a simple refining process. In their Novel Foods application in 2000, Kings wrote: "Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are not lipophillic and, therefore, would not be expected to be present in any substantial quantity in the oil. Tests carried out on several samples of both Super Refined and unrefined Echium oil shows that levels of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids were either extremely low ( A. Thanks, we removed the reference to pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the section on composition of echium oil. Is it okay to use your name as the person who let us know about this? Q. I'm happy for you to use my name Dr. Peter Lapinskas, www.lapinskas.com

Below is a link (hope it works) to my aloe vera - or just a very small section of it in my garden. Countless pups have been removed to give to other people who ask for it. If you decide to take it internally, start off with very small dosages, and gradually work your way up to the recommended dosage. However, see the warning below about internal use. When it says 'powerful laxative and purgative' it REALLY means it! Definitely do NOT administer to children. Medicinal Uses: The sap from inside the leaves can be applied directly to ulcers, burns, sunburn, radiation burns, skin cancers, wounds, poison ivy stings, acne, oily skin and dandruff, and fungal infections. It aids in healing wounds by drawing out infection and by preventing infection from starting. The fresh gel is best to use, rather than Âstabilised gels found in the stores. Internally it is sometimes used as a laxative and a general tonic. It is also to treat amenorrhoea, asthma, inflamed or diseased breasts, bursitis, colds, colic, conjunctivitis, constipation, coughs, dysmenorrhoea, dysentery with bloody stools, ear infections, eye problems, fat and sugar metabolism, fever, gonorrhoea, heart pain, haemorrhoids, hepatitis, herpes, infant pneumonia, insomnia, intestinal worms, jaundice, kidney disorders, enlarged liver, menopause, rheumatism, skin inflammations, skin rashes, sores, sore throat, enlarged spleen, toothache, tuberculosis and other lung diseases, tumors, ulcers, chronic vaginitis, venereal diseases. See Warning. Other Uses: The gel is used as a tree wound dressing. Mix the juice of 1 leaf with about 600ml water for a healthy plant spray. So it's not called the First Aid Plant for nothing! Warning: It is not advised to take Aloe Vera internally, especially if pregnant or breast-feeding, when menstruating, or if suffering from haemorrhoids or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It is a powerful laxative and purgative. Here is a link that might be useful: