Today's Issue:

 

-ARTICLE: St. John's Wort by Ronda Nelson - a brief history of St. John's Wort and some practical applications.

 

-RECIPE: Banana Ice Cream

 

-EXTRA FEATURE: A Healthier You: Author focuses on 'new autism'

 

-CALL FOR RECIPES

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Legend tells us that in the first century, early Christians were credited for naming St. John's Wort after their beloved John the Baptist as the brightly colored flowers will usually expose themselves on or before June 24th  which is celebrated as his birthday.  The striking arrangement of its five yellow petals resembles a halo, and when picked exudes a crimson red liquid which was believed by some to symbolize the spilled blood of their beloved John.  Many historical authorities have questioned whether the infamous Rose of Sharon as mentioned in the Bible is really St. John's Wort although botanists have confirmed they are two distinct plants but abide in the same family. Wort is simply an Old English word for a plant or an herb. 

 

St. John's Wort has a variety of uses, some of which may not seem relevant for the specific situation at hand, but amazingly this herb seems to bring a calming feeling and overall balance to the individual.  The first experience I had was with a woman in her mid twenties who had just given birth to her third child.  Prior to this, she had never battled with depression, insomnia, anxiety or unwarranted panic attacks but now found herself with three small children under the age of five, the third one twelve weeks premature and still underweight.  Her diet was ninety percent raw and her home life was stable.  Realizing the anxiety and depression she was experiencing was a hormonal imbalance, I recommended she take two to three dropperfuls of St. John's Wort (approximately twenty-five drops in each) three times each day.  Within four days the anxiety had almost completely stopped, she had no more panic attacks and she was sleeping much better.  St. John's Wort not only acted favorably on the neurotransmitters in the brain, but also helped stabilize her hormones. 

 

Much of the time, I use St. John's Wort with women who suffer from unwanted weight gain, mood swings, sleeplessness, lack of focus or motivation and general malaise.  Along with dietary modification and lifestyle changes, adding St. John's Wort to their daily regimen seems to be almost a panacea for many of these women, helping them reduce or completely eliminate their sugar/carbohydrate cravings, and in turn lose some unwanted pounds.

 

They are happier and ultimately healthier by adding just this one simple herb to their diet.  Once they have a more positive mental perspective and begin to feel good about themselves, they are often ready and willing to take the next stop toward better health and a stronger body.   

 

Whether used by an Indian medicine man, a natural healer, homeopath, herbalist or physician, St. John's Wort has been put to diverse uses including healing wounds, fighting demons, relieving pain and curing insanity.  Throughout history, these healers have honored and revered this treasured plant for its multiplicitous actions and applications.  My own use of St. John's Wort has shown its efficacy in treating a variety of complaints.  St. John's Wort is certainly a valuable aid for creating and sustaining health.
 

 

The ice cream is made by freezing peeled bananas and putting them through a Champion Juicer (a hand food grinder or blender works, but not quite as well).  The result is a smooth, creamy, incredibly rich dessert that tastes better than ice cream.

 

For one serving use:
2 frozen bananas

 

Top with cinnamon, nuts, coconut, berries or your favorite topping.

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On Saturday's A Healthier You David & Fawn Christopher discussed an article found in the Deseret Morning News titled "Author focuses on 'new autism.'"

 

In this article Dr. Bryan Jepson says the increased number of children with autism "appears to have something to do with the increased toxicity of the environment, from food additives to vaccines and antibiotics."

 

In the United States, 1 in every 160 children are autistic.

 

To read the full article, go to:
http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,695195442,00.html

 

As a free service to our newsletter subscribers, you can listen to David & Fawn Christopher discuss the article at:

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We are trying to create the most comprehensive database of healthy recipes on the Internet and we need YOUR help!

 

Please visit http://www.herballegacy.com/Recipes.html and submit your healthy recipe today.

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Herbal Legacy
http://www.herballegacy.com

 

This newsletter is sponsored by:
The School of Natural Healing http://www.snh.cc
Christopher Publications: http://www.christopherpublications.com