Elena Leong asked:




The interest of the modern Western world on the wisdom of the ancient eastern Chinese herbal remedy as a complementary or alternative therapy is rising and gaining popularity because of its holistic approach, emphasis on quality of life and prevention of illness by strengthening and restoring the body’s immune system.

Building a strong immune system is critical for the body to recognize and eliminate cancerous cells. Cancer is a disease resulting from uncontrolled defective cell division from damaged genes from any parts of the body. A weaker or impaired immunity will increase your susceptibility to various bacterial and virus infection, allergies, eczema, chronic fatigue, sickness and aging prematurely also.
Modern advanced technology and scientific research have helped to unlock the many preventive and healing secrets in Chinese herbs.

History of Ancient Herbal Remedy

Reishi (Ganoderma Lucidum) – is a mushroom commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Japanese medicine. In Japan it is called Mannetake meaning ‘thousand year mushroom’.
Its Chinese name is Lingzhi which means “herb of the spirit”. It was a very rare and precious Chinese herb in ancient time and Emperors of the great Chinese dynasties and Japanese royalty drank teas and concoctions of Lingzhi for vitality and long life.

For over 2000 years Reishi mushroom has been the most cherished and sought after medicinal herb in Asia and rated as one of the superior herbs in the “Seng Nong’s Herbal Classic”, a 2000-year old medicinal Chinese book for:
its efficacy for multiple diseases maintaining and restoring balance to the body’s interdependent systems safety in long-term consumption with no unfavorable side-effects natural resistance of the body and longevity
The dried powder of reishi was popular as a cancer chemotherapy agent in ancient China. Research has shown that reishi clearly demonstrated anticancer activity with cancer cells and has possible therapeutic potential as a dietary supplement for an alternative therapy for breast and prostate cancer.

Medicinal mushrooms such as Ganoderma Lucidum (Reishi) and Cordyceps have well been documented in many recent scientific studies to be potent medicine to enhance and support the body’s immune function from certain compounds in them such as polysaccharides which increase the activity of the body’s natural killer cells(lymphocytes) that are vital to eliminate foreign cells(such as cancer cells).

Supporting research reports published in the Journal of Alternative Complement Med. 2003, Journal of Cancer Integrative Medicine 2004, International Journal of Oncology 2004, FASEB 2004 showed that reishi clearly:
demonstrates anticancer activity in experiments with cancer cells protects the liver and improves liver functions has possible therapeutic potential as a dietary supplement for an alternative therapy for breast and prostate cancer
Health Benefits of Reishi(Ganoderma Lucidum):
supports the body’s own immune system by promoting the activity of antibodies improves the body’s resistance to stress and infections balances stress response reduces allergies promotes healthy liver function enhances the body’s detoxifying process to off load toxins inhibits invasiveness of breast and prostate cancer cells supports a normal, restful sleep enhances vitality and energy
Tips to select the Best Reishi
choose red reishi – it has the highest quality extract and has most scientific evaluations choose those with cracked spores – which release the medicinal benefits and better absorbed by body solid wood log cultivation – this determines the potency of the resulting fungus look for Good Manufacturing Practice(GMP) standards – this ensures the stability of reishi active bio-components harvested standardization of active constituents – the effectiveness of reishi lies in its polysaccharides and triterpenes contents

Many commercial preparations are available, such as extracts, dietary supplement, tinctures, dried fruiting bodies, teas and teabags, tonics and pills.

Gail Atkinson asked:




Chinese herbal remedies for fibroids have been used for many years and although they do have limitations, there is evidence to suggest that they do have their uses, particularly where symptomatic relief is concerned. One thing you must realize is that just because something is called “herbal” or “natural” does not mean it is safe. You must always ensure that any advice you take comes from a reputable source.

A herbal remedy for fibroids is best used as part of an overall strategy which includes other protocols to help shrink fibroids. If you have fibroids, you may already be aware that they form due to a number of interlinked primary and secondary causal factors. It is only by eliminating these causes that you can feasibly expect your fibroids to shrink significantly. However, Chinese herbal remedies for fibroids can help with symptoms such as heavy bleeding and cramping.

Herbs can also be useful in helping with estrogen management which is important if you have fibroids as it is believed to be a contributory factor in their growth. Also, the detox process can be helped along with herbal remedies.

Some of the herbs included in common Chinese herbal remedies for fibroids include Yam, Willow, Cinnamon, Milk Thistle, Artichoke Extract, Dandelion Root and Ginger. Examples of how these can be used are as follows:-

* Yarrow, Nettle and Cinnamon can be combined to make an infusion to be drunk 5 days before your period. This can help with period pain and heavy bleeding
* Yam, Willow and Ginger are anti-inflammatory and can help with inflammation of fibroids
* Milk Thistle, Artichoke Extract and Dandelion Root all have excellent detox properties and are especially good at removing impurities from the liver

Denice Moffat asked:




Lysine is considered an essential amino acid, a component of protein that our body cannot make. Many people use it to assist healing of herpes sores. With other supplements, it can also be effective in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and hypothyroidism.

Lysine can be used topically or taken internally as a free-form amino acid or eaten as natural food sources. Free-form means that the individual amino acid has been isolated from a protein source and is purely a single amino acid. Free-form amino acids are used specifically in righting deficiencies.

High lysine foods include corn, poultry, and avocados. Lysine acts to rebuild muscle and repair tissue. Lysine is also important for calcium uptake in the remodeling and building of bones. It also helps in the formation of collagen, hormones and enzymes.

Use a high quality amino acid, as they have fewer fillers and you get more bang for your buck that way. I use TwinLabs, Solaray, Source Naturals brands in my practice.

One more trick I use in my practice that is quite effective for mouth sores is to recommend that the affected person “speak their truth.” Once they release the emotions they are holding inside of them, the sores usually go away in less than a week.

? 2005 by Dr. Denice M. Moffat

John Fung asked:




Hemorrhoid is a common problem even though people feel embarrassed discussing it. Despite being localized, hemorrhoid is not much different from other skin problems as seen in Chinese medicine. Therefore the healing approach is similar to that of skin rash.

Hemorrhoid usually starts out as a minor scratch on the skin near the anus. However, the small wound fails to heal and gets worse due to various reasons. When it reaches a certain stage, it will become a long-term nuisance with frequent flare-ups, bleedings and pains. It will also be given a technical name, called hemorrhoid. In this article, we’ll try to understand why the initial scratch fails to heal. Then we’ll learn how to quicken the healing process.

What are the possible causes of the initial scratch in the first place?

o For people having difficult bowel movements or hard stools, it is easy for hemorrhoid to develop.
o The toilet paper used may not be soft enough, which can scratch the anus area.
o You may unintentionally scratch the area during washing or cleaning.
o Careless sexual activities may scratch the area.

Why does the scratch fail to heal?

o One reason is poor hygiene. Gentle washing is required at least once a day.
o You may have exposed the hemorrhoid to polluted or dirty water.
o You may have the habit of spending too much time sitting, especially on bicycle or warn seats.
o If you used to have constipation, the hemorrhoid will be less likely to heal. The hard stools will further scratch the hemorrhoid when it tries to heal.
o If you like spicy, barbecued, deep-fried food, or shell fish like crabs and clams, the hemorrhoid will flare up more frequently. Try to eat more fruits and vegetables to balance your diet.
o If you continue with careless sexual activities, it will further scratch the hemorrhoid.

The following herbs are recommended as a combination to address five possible problems aggravating the hemorrhoid:

1) To reduce inflammation, use

Bai Tou Weng
Huai Hua
Huang Qin

2) To reduce excess heat in the body, use

Di Gu Pi
Zhi Mu

3) To cleanse the blood, use

Sheng Di Huang
Ban Zhi Lian

4) To nourish the skin for faster healing, use

Yu Zhu
Mai Men Dong

5) To reduce constipation or hard stools, use

Fan Xie Ye
Da Huang

Kelly Yap asked:




Herbal soup is very popular among the Chinese. It is believed to be highly nutritional and has been used to boost one’s body energy. It is taken warmth and very tasty if it is cooked well. Ingredients such as winter melons, ginger, herbs, etc are commonly used in making the soup. Some soups need to be heated for a period of time to allow the herbs to release its nutrients. The followings are two tasty soup recipes suitable to be included for your dinner.

Sweet Potatoes Soup

Sweet Potatoes 300 g
Red date 20 g
Water 2-3 bowls

Seasonings

Honey 2 tablespoon
Ginger 30 g

Methods

Step 1: Soak red dates in a bowl of warm water.
Step 2: Remove the brown outer layer of sweet potatoes and ginger.
Step 3: Cut sweet potatoes into cubes. Cut ginger into slices.
Step 4: Heat the wok with water until it boils. Put in ginger. Boil it for 5 minutes.
Step 5: Put in red dates and sweet potatoes. Cover the wok for 10 minutes.
Step 6: Add in honey and stir. Heat until sweet potatoes and red dates are soft.

Pork and Carrot Soup

Ingredients

Pork 200 g
Carrot 1
Red dates 20 g
Water 2-3 bowls

Seasonings
Salt 6 g
Wine 1 tablespoon
Pepper 1/2 teaspoon
Ginger 20 g

Methods

Step 1: Cut pork meat into cubes
Step 2: Soak red dates in a bowl of warm water.
Step 3: Shred away carrot outer layer. Cut carrot into cubes.
Step 4: Heat wok with water until it boils.
Step 5: Put in cut pork meat and carrot. Cover the wok and bring it to boil.
Step 6: Add in sliced ginger, salt, pepper followed by wine one after another at an interval of 3 minutes.
Step 7: Cover the wok and heat it until pork meat and carrot soften for another 25minutes.

Nicky Coff asked:




Did you know that the best cure for cold sores isn’t over the counter medicine, bu tare all natural remedies that can be made from home? Using foods, herbs and other supplements can one stop the herpes simplex 1 in its tracks and never have them come out again. Discover the best natural remedies for cold sores that actually works.

The main thing to consider when battling cold sores is what are the causes and how do we remove them. The most common triggers of cold sore are sunlight and stress. Its hard to avoid the sun at times, so one can generally not do much in that aspect, but with stress there is lots of things to do. Take up yoga, use relaxing candles, listen to calming music and other stuff. Find what works for you!

But for more general treatment and prevention of the virus, we need to strengthen our immune system. Its important to have a healthy diet to be able to get the advantage of the natural remedies for cold sores, and the diet itself is one of the remedies! Eating a cup of blueberry, a bite of dark chocolate and maybe a glass of wine are all things to add to a daily diet to boost your immune system. These things contain lots of antioxidants, and like vitamin C helps the body to fight of viruses and bacterias.

For some topical treatments, we have lemon balm. This herb contains molecules that blocks the virus at the skin and therefore prevents it from coming in. You can use this treatment both topically and as a tea. To apply on the cold sore itself, use 3-4 teaspoons of lemon balm and boil it. Apply on the sore with a cotton balm.

Elton Grant asked:




The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) has more than 100 different strains and can lead to the development of common symptoms such as genital warts and in some cases the onset of cancer. HPV is also the most common Sexually Transmitted Disease in America. Unfortunately, many of those affected by this disease are not aware they have it and therefore are putting their partners at risk. Additionally, many people are not aware of the disease at all.

There are many reasons why HPV is not discussed as much as other STDs are. For one, the virus often goes away on its own after a few years and is not considered permanent such as other STDs including Herpes or HIV. Another reason that there is not much known about HPV is that most people know there is a vaccine and that they assume the vaccine will protect them forever: it won’t. The vaccine is not only limited in terms of the length of time it protects women, men are not yet approved to receive the vaccine, but it is also unable to protect against specific strains of the virus therefore leaving women vulnerable.

Treatment Options

If you have been diagnosed with HPV, there are some things you need to be aware of. To begin, having HPV is extremely normal and there is nothing to be ashamed of. However, while the taboo of having this virus has diminished, you will need to take certain precautions to protect not only yourself, but also your partner as well. The first thing you need to do is to engage is safer sex practices if you are infected and to avoid physical contact if you are experiencing a typical symptom of HPV such as the development of a genital lesion (wart).

The second thing you need to do is to improve your overall health. The rule of thumb is that the stronger the immune system is, the better the body will be able to rid itself of the disease. There are many ways to improve the immune system including eating a better diet and engaging in regular exercise.

Additionally, many people take supplements which contain ingredients such as vitamins and minerals that have been proven to help improve the immune system. If you are affected by HPV, you also have the option of using homeopathic HPV supplements. These supplements not only contain immune boosting ingredients, but also contain specific ingredients which have been proven to help the body fight off HPV.

Taking an all-natural HPV supplement is considered to be a homeopathic treatment in that it uses natural ingredients to help the body fight off the HPV virus. The ingredients in these supplements have also been proven to help alleviate common symptoms of HPV such as genital lesions (warts).

In conclusion, if you are diagnosed with HPV, you will have a variety of treatment options to choose from including burning or freezing off any warts that develop as a result from your disease. You also have the option of simply waiting for the disease to go away on its own. However, if you are like most people, you want relief as soon as possible and may find that taking a daily, natural HPV supplement is a safe and effective way to help the body rid itself of this common disease.

Huang-Fu Chang asked:




The majority of weight loss programs in the United States are based on diet alone and there are statistics that prove an overwhelming percentage of dieters gain most or all of the weight back after they stop using the program. This is where the Chinese method is different. Instead of simply trying to lose the excess weight, the Chinese method focuses on finding the cause of the weight gain to correct it and prevent it in the future. Qi (pronounced chee), or energy, is vital to this process.

Without Qi, your whole body will be out of balance and which can often be the cause for excess weight. Before weight gain, it’s common for the person to feel ill or out of sorts. Chinese medicine believes that this is because the body is not functioning properly, which in can cause weight gain. With the Chinese method, the focus is not only on weight loss, but having all of the organs in yoru body work in harmony to promote a healthy lifestyle.

“Dampness,” a term commonly used to describe being overweight in Chinese medicine, means that the body is not using the fluids in the body correctly. This normally affects the lower part of the body and this can be the cause of weight gain in these areas. After dampness is diagnosed by a Chinese medicine professional, he or she develops a personalized plan for the client that consists of herbs, diet modifications, lifestyle changes–even acupuncture in order to achieve the desired results.

Building digestive energy is another goal in using Chinese medicine. The digestive system plays a crucial part in weight loss and can often be overlooked. The digestive system is responsible for breaking down the food you eat and absorbing the necessary nutrients to keep your body healthy. When the digestive system isn’t working properly, weight gain can occur.

Chinese medicine understands the importance of a healthy digestive system as well as healthy bowl movements. Without healthy bowl movements, the body holds on to the toxins that are supposed to be released which can affect the body with functional issues and weight gain. Chinese medicine uses herbal remedies to speed up the digestion process and make sure that body is absorbing the nutrients your body needs and gets rid of the waste your body doesn’t.

Chinese medicine can also be used to conquer other health issues while losing weight including acid reflux, insomnia and depression. When used correctly, Chinese medicine will improve the body, mind and spirit which will result in weight loss and a new quality of life.

Paul T Hooper asked:




The herpes virus lives in nerve cells where the immune system cannot find them. They become active from time to time when the immune system becomes depressed. As of now there has not been a full cure found to completely rid the body of the HSV-1 (oral cold sores) and HSV-2 (genital) virus. But there are some natural remedies for herpes that will stem the outbreaks and minimize the virus’ activity.

First of all your diet needs to be varied and healthy and include plenty of vitamins C and E and also zinc. You need to keep your immune system strong as it is when it weakens that an outbreak occurs. Try to avoid eating sugar as this can depress the immune system. Smoking can also cause the immune system to weaken so giving up the nicotine will help keep your herpes in check.

Lemon balm has also proven to help clear up herpes symptoms and prevent further outbreaks, by applying the balm locally when the sufferer feels the symptoms starting. Thyme is one of the most widely used natural suppressants. Frequent use of thyme has significantly reduced the frequency of outbreaks in many sufferers.

Omega 3 has helped many people from reoccurring outbreaks. It works by strengthening the cell walls so it makes it harder for the herpes virus to break through the cell walls and reach the nucleus.

To find the most effective natural cures for herpes you need to follow a program that will guide you through all of the steps you need to take, including your diet and natural herbal remedies.

Deshea R Witcher asked:




Chinese herbal tea is renowned the world over as the major as a major remedy among the many Chinese herbal remedies. It is generally a black or dark brown liquid that is made from various Chinese herbs. It is usually made in a province in southern china called Guangdong. Though tea leaves are seldom used in the making of Chinese herbal tea, the sweetness depends on the type of leaves used of which most have a slightly bitter taste. It’s due to the high temperatures of the places where the Chinese tea is made that the tea is in most cases taken cold. The Chinese people call it “cooling tea” in the Chinese language.

Chinese cooling tea has been proven to relieve a number of ailments and diseases, such as sore throats, some alleviate flu, and others for a number of ailments. Due to the wide variety of Chinese herbal remedies specialists are all over china, studying and finding the medical properties of the various herbal teas. Among the already proven health benefits of the Chinese tea, are that it helps to prevent cancer, when taken at regular intervals. For people who have high cholesterol levels, it lowers cholesterol & blood pressure levels in the body, and it is therefore recommended for people who have diabetes.

It is easy to take Chinese tea since there are no known health risks that accompany it. Chinese herbal tea can also be taken by children since it helps them by preventing cavities and strengthening the immune systems, by producing T-cells that fight bacterial infection in the body. The T-cells are produced after a compound in the tea called L-theanine reacts with the chemicals found in the liver.

Perhaps the most common advantage of the Chinese tea is the effect it has on the skin of people who take it, especially the golden moon Chinese tea, which is the most rare but finest Chinese tea available. The Chinese herbal tea makes the skin glow. This effect has the ability to reduce stress and thus helps mainly the old people by regulating the speed of aging. The antioxidant polyphenol content in the herbal tea, has been proved to help people looking to slim. It does this by burning the excess body fat. It is due to the increasing popularity of the Chinese herbal remedies that this tea is even being packed and exported to countries all over the world.