Eating your Medicines

[Willow]

This may seem like a dumb question, but only by asking the wrong questions do we get to the right one.

I have been reading up on my medicinal herbs. They seem to be mostly recommended in teas or as external treatments.

What about food.

I have a soup recipe that uses an entire bunch of thyme, would this be an okay way to get thyme into a person rather than through a tea? OR with Rosemary and tomato bread? I am not sure how much of a herb is needed to have an effect but both of these recipes have large amounts of the herb in them.

Would baking change the way the herb works rather than by steeping it? What do you guys think (and let me know if you want either of these recipes )

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Some herbs' chemical composition is change when exposed to heat (why you have to bring chamomile to a boil before you get the relaxing properties, etc). But I do find baking to be a great way to get herbs into people. I regularly put herbs and herbal teas into cookies, and label them, "relaxing cookies," or "digestion cookies" etc. They really work well, but I must say that I only use sour cream cookies for this, because it doesn't have much sugar and its flavour is a blank canvas.

It also depends on what you are using the herbs for. Some will only give their medicinal chemicals through tinctures because they are not water-soluble. The medicine through cooking also won't be as strong, as a lot of the volatile oils are lost through extended baking, but you don't lose all of them, and with herbs such as thyme or rosemary they keep them better than most.

[Ragnar]

"relaxing cookies,"

YEAHHH! I have loads of those when I visit Amsterdam.

Na. O.K. There are pro and con arguments for canabis. BUT in HOLLAND, where it is decriminalised, BUT NOT LEGAL. It is available from doctors. So...na O.K.

For purely medicinal purposes, against gout and arthritis, the dried leaf or oil, is put into a biscuit, or cake mix. Cake is better, because of the lower temprature. So not so much of the oil "boils off".

My Dutch doctor, where it is LEGAL for him to do so, told me that smoking wastes something like 40% of the medicinal value.

But I must caution;

REMEMBER THIS IS ILLEGAL IN MOST COUNTRYS. CHECK YOUR LOCAL ORDANENCES BEFORE ATTEMPTING.

[Willow]

We make them in Brownies and macaroons.

Or we don't, or people tell me they do.....I mean...whats cannabis?

Its all right in Canada but it isn't cool in the states at all.

But I will have to try the cookies, I wonder what chamomile cookies would taste like?

[Ragnar]

I wonder what chamomile cookies would taste like?

Gives me gout.

Tried smoking it once. Didn't do much.

[Willow]

Smoking Chamomile?

What is gout anyway?

[Ragnar]

Smoking chamomile. Supposed to be good against asthma.

Gout. Is similar in effect and feel to arthritis.

An excess of uric acid causes the sinovial fluid of the joints to crystalise. This causes inflamation and swelling of the joint.

If you have ever seen, or had yourself, a broken bone. When the two ends rub together. THAT is what gout feels like for 24/7, or until it goes away.

Other than that, imagine having your joint forced apart, and someone inserting sand paper, or broken glass.

For example, from my bed to the bathroom is 20 meters. When I have gout it can take 15 to 20 minutes to get there.

If I have it in both feet at the same time then I have to go to hospital by emergency ambulance, and spend two to three days in bed.

Last time they gave me 25 Mil, 100% liquid morphine, by mouth, which tastes bloody 'orrible, before the doctor had even seen me.

Within the next 24, I was given around 150mil, all together. Thats 150mil PURE.

For gunshot they recomend 50 mil.

Strange thing is, I STILL could not walk. Funny that.

Colcichum is used in Germany. Known in the venacular as "Gout weed". This reduces the inflamation, and starts decrystalising the sinovial fluid.

But that is the after care. Not the initial.

In Holland, the doctor can prescribe canabis. This does not reduce the swelling. But the inflamation and pain goes away.

The annoying thing is, it is legal to dose someone up with 150mil pure morphine, but they are not allowed to give me an eighth ounce of hash. Which has the same effect on the gout.

Which would YOU pick?

[Willow]

Not the gout that is for sure.
I have broken a bone, I actually mutilated my foot in October and I am still kind of recovering from it. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

I turned down the morphine, when I broke my foot I hadn't slept in two days so I just asked them to knock me out instead of drug me and leave me awake. But I remember what I got after my surgery, high as a kite for the rest of the day.

But it does seem weird that the social stigma is so strong against something like cannabis but not against morphine. One is definitely more addictive and more dangerous than the other. On the other hand, there does need to be more medical research into the drug, in Canada it isn't too bad, but I know that in the states the conservative right lobbies against any sort of drug research into the plant.

I best go before I start getting upset!

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Canabis is not yet decriminalized, but for the most part, cops just don't care O___O It's like, "Meh, you're smoking a joint in the street. But hey HEY!!! Don't you throw that wrapper on the ground! Put it in the garbage!!"

Wouldn't wish the punishment for marijuana possession in the states on anyone O_O

Hmmm. Speaking of brownies and macaroons and all that, ever tried tomato soup? And yummy yummy cookies?

*time warp* It's been a loooooong while.

[Willow]

Tomato soup?

Maybe I am a few posts back but I am wondering how you can spike that one?

[Crazy Healer Lady]

We're both a few posts back with that one

It actually lends a really nice flavour O_O

Or, it doesn't, because I wouldn't say this stuff on a g-rated board!

[Willow]

Too much of this stuff for me, I am lost.

But I also enjoy a good tomatoe soup.

From scratch, none of that canned crap!