I am looking to create this blog to help people who want to explore healing by using the act of cooking, particularly what has been done traditionally by societies around the world..
A traditional Japanese relief from muscle aches, even kidney difficulties is to grate 1/2 pound of ginger onto a cheese cloth, wrap it tightly and tie it, and place it in a large 4 gallon pot, and bring the pot to a boil. Let the ginger stay in and infuse the water with the ginger juices for 1/2 hour or longer. Remove the ginger, with gloves squeeze the all the juice you can from the ginger cloth. Put that away. Use this water as a compress for the lower back, while warm, changing to be sure the ginger water soaked towel is moist and warm. Keep this up for a half-hour to 45 minutes. Having a partner or friend help out is great, as this is a hard area to get to. The ginger's natural heating properties will penetrate into the back area and help kidneys. Do not use ginger soaked towel on head or around heart as these are areas that need no additional heating. Enjoy! It's been a great relief of lower back pain and kidney congestion for me. PS. I'm not a doctor so consult a doctor if unsure, always the best policy to check anything out with your health care provider!
A member of my family had the surgery for acid reflux. I suggested he use a traditional Japanese remedy of eating an umeboshi plum (available at www.goldmine.com and elsewhere.) It almost always relieves a tendency toward an acid condition, as it is extremely contractive (which is the opposite of an acid condition - which generally is very expansive) yin - yang, etc. Not great if you have very high blood pressure, though. Try it, let me know..
Here is a website that contains many potentially helpful ideas for healing with food. http://www.pyroenergen.com/articles09/traditional-remedies-vegetables.htm
Let me know what you think? Any other great websites like this one.
A good palliative for headaches I have found is to heat in pot 1.5 cups of apple juice, add 1/4 Tablespoon of Kuzu (Kuzu is a Japanese starch made from the Kuzu plant - available online at Goldmine.com) and stir in until apple juice is regains its color. Drink warm. (the key to using kuzu is to add kuzu to a 2 tablespoons of cold water to make it a milky like consistency before adding to heated apple juice.) Kuzu has been considered to have medicinal qualities in traditional Japanese society for many years.
Healing using rose preparations were used by the Romans during Pliny's time for 32 different ailments. Among their properties are anti-inflammatory agents that are especially useful in pateint suffering from knee or hip osteoarthritis.
"Rose hips contain carotenoid pigments, plant sterols, tocotrienols and a very high level of anthocyanins, catechins and other polyphenolics, known phytochemicals to protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD)." Perhaps we are harvesting the wrong part of the rose?
When I want to reset my internal system as I have created too much of an acid condition, I drink a large bowl of miso soup with vegetables and tofu. It calms my system, and creates in my intestinal tract conditions which make digestion much easier. The Japanese have used miso for generations to create balance in the morning and to enhance the intestinal flora so helpful to good digestion.
A friend was feeling ill, sore throat, persistent and not enough rest, so I made some seaweed soup with .5 ounce seaweed in 1.5 cups water brought to a slow boil, adding 1 T organic tamari (soy sauce). He responded that he felt immediately better. He'd never heard of this even though he was a trained Cordon Bleau chef.
When I've eaten an acidic meal late in the night and cannot get rid of acid reflex, I take the seaweed soup listed above, and within minutes feel better, no over the counter medication necessary.
On the subject of seaweed, when I can't sleep, a macrobiotic healer/chef suggested I try a seaweed bath. 2-3 oz of seaweed in a hot soaking bath. I was so skeptical, but I tried it. Slept immediately upon hitting the bed.
When I got an infection in my first finger. (swelled to twice its normal size), I asked my sensei what I should do. She said to soak the finger in cold water with sea-salt, as often as I could. I tried this, and the swelling went away. It was though a test of my faith as everyone was urging I go to the Doctor.
At different times when I had a rash on my arm I used a paste made of taro root and organic white flour. The flour should be white because white flour is the most yin, and will draw down some of the fire energy in the rash. You need to grate the taro root. If you cannot find a taro root you can use either mashed up tofu or idaho potatoes grated. Put on rash for as long as you can, preferably when you are watching tv or doing something where you will be sedentary for a while.
To alleviate tiredness this is something I have found very useful. It is a little time consuming, but has never failed me.
I take a small bowl say 1/2- 3/4 cup of cooked brown rice and chew each bite until it becomes liquid, (takes about 4-5 minutes). If I am really lagging I will continue chewing until I have chewed for 7 minutes. (a hint is to hold the head forward to keep from the tendency to swallow.) It has always worked for me, it takes some getting used to, especially the part where I am chewing essentially liquid. This technique and some further information is found in my book which you can see at www.theawakenedkitchen.com.
For stress relief, try creating a healing environment for your digestive system. One trick I have learned it to make a warm/hot ginger compress and apply that to my stomach for fifteen minutes, twice a day. The ginger allows the heat to deeply penetrate into your intestines, to relax, and be able to digest your food better. How to make ginger compress: Grate a large ginger root, put into a large clean white sock or cheese cloth wrapping. Put this into a pot of hot water (put on stove for 40 minutes), remove cheese cloth/sock, after cooled squeeze out the remaining ginger juice. Use the warm/hot ginger water by dipping a 3' towel into the water, and removing. Place on stomach for 15 minutes, repeat as desired **Note, do not put on stomach while very hot.
sounds really interesting!
ReplyDeleteMaureen
A traditional Japanese relief from muscle aches, even kidney difficulties is to grate 1/2 pound of ginger onto a cheese cloth, wrap it tightly and tie it, and place it in a large 4 gallon pot, and bring the pot to a boil. Let the ginger stay in and infuse the water with the ginger juices for 1/2 hour or longer. Remove the ginger, with gloves squeeze the all the juice you can from the ginger cloth. Put that away. Use this water as a compress for the lower back, while warm, changing to be sure the ginger water soaked towel is moist and warm. Keep this up for a half-hour to 45 minutes. Having a partner or friend help out is great, as this is a hard area to get to. The ginger's natural heating properties will penetrate into the back area and help kidneys. Do not use ginger soaked towel on head or around heart as these are areas that need no additional heating. Enjoy! It's been a great relief of lower back pain and kidney congestion for me. PS. I'm not a doctor so consult a doctor if unsure, always the best policy to check anything out with your health care provider!
ReplyDeleteA member of my family had the surgery for acid reflux. I suggested he use a traditional Japanese remedy of eating an umeboshi plum (available at www.goldmine.com and elsewhere.) It almost always relieves a tendency toward an acid condition, as it is extremely contractive (which is the opposite of an acid condition - which generally is very expansive) yin - yang, etc. Not great if you have very high blood pressure, though. Try it, let me know..
ReplyDeleteEach culture has its own set of traditional (home remedies,) and we have those as near as our ancestors.
ReplyDeleteHere is a website that contains many potentially helpful ideas for healing with food.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pyroenergen.com/articles09/traditional-remedies-vegetables.htm
Let me know what you think? Any other great websites like this one.
A good palliative for headaches I have found is to heat in pot 1.5 cups of apple juice, add 1/4 Tablespoon of Kuzu (Kuzu is a Japanese starch made from the Kuzu plant - available online at Goldmine.com) and stir in until apple juice is regains its color. Drink warm. (the key to using kuzu is to add kuzu to a 2 tablespoons of cold water to make it a milky like consistency before adding to heated apple juice.) Kuzu has been considered to have medicinal qualities in traditional Japanese society for many years.
ReplyDeleteHealing using rose preparations were used by the Romans during Pliny's time for 32 different ailments. Among their properties are anti-inflammatory agents that are especially useful in pateint suffering from knee or hip osteoarthritis.
ReplyDelete"Rose hips contain carotenoid pigments, plant sterols, tocotrienols and a very high level of anthocyanins, catechins and other polyphenolics, known phytochemicals to protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD)." Perhaps we are harvesting the wrong part of the rose?
Source http://www.vegetarian-nutiritoin.info/herbs/rose-hips.php
When I want to reset my internal system as I have created too much of an acid condition, I drink a large bowl of miso soup with vegetables and tofu. It calms my system, and creates in my intestinal tract conditions which make digestion much easier. The Japanese have used miso for generations to create balance in the morning and to enhance the intestinal flora so helpful to good digestion.
ReplyDeleteA friend was feeling ill, sore throat, persistent and not enough rest, so I made some seaweed soup with .5 ounce seaweed in 1.5 cups water brought to a slow boil, adding 1 T organic tamari (soy sauce). He responded that he felt immediately better. He'd never heard of this even though he was a trained Cordon Bleau chef.
ReplyDeleteWhen I've eaten an acidic meal late in the night and cannot get rid of acid reflex, I take the seaweed soup listed above, and within minutes feel better, no over the counter medication necessary.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of seaweed, when I can't sleep, a macrobiotic healer/chef suggested I try a seaweed bath. 2-3 oz of seaweed in a hot soaking bath. I was so skeptical, but I tried it. Slept immediately upon hitting the bed.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got an infection in my first finger. (swelled to twice its normal size), I asked my sensei what I should do. She said to soak the finger in cold water with sea-salt, as often as I could. I tried this, and the swelling went away. It was though a test of my faith as everyone was urging I go to the Doctor.
ReplyDeleteAt different times when I had a rash on my arm I used a paste made of taro root and organic white flour. The flour should be white because white flour is the most yin, and will draw down some of the fire energy in the rash. You need to grate the taro root. If you cannot find a taro root you can use either mashed up tofu or idaho potatoes grated. Put on rash for as long as you can, preferably when you are watching tv or doing something where you will be sedentary for a while.
ReplyDeleteTo alleviate tiredness this is something I have found very useful. It is a little time consuming, but has never failed me.
ReplyDeleteI take a small bowl say 1/2- 3/4 cup of cooked brown rice and chew each bite until it becomes liquid, (takes about 4-5 minutes). If I am really lagging I will continue chewing until I have chewed for 7 minutes. (a hint is to hold the head forward to keep from the tendency to swallow.) It has always worked for me, it takes some getting used to, especially the part where I am chewing essentially liquid. This technique and some further information is found in my book which you can see at www.theawakenedkitchen.com.
For stress relief, try creating a healing environment for your digestive system. One trick I have learned it to make a warm/hot ginger compress and apply that to my stomach for fifteen minutes, twice a day. The ginger allows the heat to deeply penetrate into your intestines, to relax, and be able to digest your food better. How to make ginger compress: Grate a large ginger root, put into a large clean white sock or cheese cloth wrapping. Put this into a pot of hot water (put on stove for 40 minutes), remove cheese cloth/sock, after cooled squeeze out the remaining ginger juice. Use the warm/hot ginger water by dipping a 3' towel into the water, and removing. Place on stomach for 15 minutes, repeat as desired **Note, do not put on stomach while very hot.
ReplyDelete