Why Herbal Medicine?

 

It's the year 2022 and standard health care comprises of taking your vitamins, getting vaccinated and if you get ill, going to the doctor for pharmaceuticals.

Following on from my previous blogpost, where I questioned the authorities' attitude to the coronavirus, I also take issue with modern "health care" of which the medical establishment is so proud. Health to me is a condition where the body is well nourished (as opposed to well fed), working harmoniously within itself and in some sort of equilibrium with the environment. Health to most people seems to be the ability to function from day to day with or without medication to prop one up, as well as being well fed (which to many is filling the stomach regardless of nutritional value of the food).

So living without any regard for the body's nutritional requirements, and ignoring warnings that all might not be well, ie constipation, headaches, frequent infections, stress etc., eventually may result in chronic disease or acute disease. Here we may be looking at chronic pharmaceutical medication, or hospitalisation. 

The problem with this scenario is that although a life might have been saved, nothing else has changed. The cause of the disease has not been removed. Now a bandage has been wrapped around the cause. Patients are assured that they are receiving the best medical care. Medication may cause side effects which require more medication and patients often feel unwell on all the medicine, as ultimately they are still the same sick person because nothing has changed. 

Which brings us to the question, "Why herbal medicine?" My answer would be: because herbal medicine can result in the change. Healing comes about via nourishing and nurturing, not suppression and blocking of symptoms. Herbs have nutritional value in their phytonutrient content, and their complex chemical make up can stimulate sluggish organs, or relax tense systems. Phytotherapy is the art and science of using herbs to bring about healing, or an improved state which may result in fewer pharmaceuticals being required. 

An enormous amount of research is being carried out worldwide on herbs, resulting in the scientific validation of herbal medicine. Phytotherapy is a registered profession in South Africa and phytotherapy offers a chance at much improved wellness for many who are trapped in the chronic disease and medication situation. Improved wellbeing leads to better mental health and improved happiness levels. Unfortunately most people are not offered this alternative. They remain unaware that there are other forms of help. 

Covid 19 and herbal medicine

Here we are in the midst of Lockdown 2020 because of a virus that is causing havoc in the world. I'm writing this to express my amazement that no sensible guidelines have been issued on how to improve your general health and your immunity. It's almost like the scientific community doesn't believe that a healthy person can shrug off covid 19. I'm sure that most people don't believe it either. Many people do get it and recover very nicely, but the association is not loudly made - that these people's immune systems were strong, that's why they were not severely impacted.

There is so much one can do to improve one's health and immunity. During the panic buying that took place before lockdown, I observed shopping trollies full of chips and fizzy drinks! I can just imagine people lounging about in front of the TV or computer eating snacks all day. No warnings have been issued that this might be very bad for you if you were to get the virus, and make the illness more difficult to treat. You are what you eat. A diet full of sugar, fat, salt and flour, is going to increase the chances of getting the virus, and increases the chances of getting complications. It is already known that the typical western diet causes diabetes, heart disease, obesity, hypertension and that people who suffer from these diseases are more at risk of dying from covid 19.

Anyway, these days if the phrase"scientific evidence" does not appear in front of a statement, no matter how sensible, it is likely to be dismissed. I'm just going to suggest some broad guidelines that could improve your chances of having a very mild case of this viral infection, if you are to get it at all.

Avoid or reduce mucus forming foods: dairy; sugar; baked goods; deep fried foods.
Eat more salads and fresh greens, raw vegetables, garlic, onions and horseradish. These prevent mucus and keep mucus thin. (one of the deadly problems of covid 19, is how the lungs fill up with mucus).
Exercise to keep good blood flow. (They say sitting is the new smoking.)
Get plenty of fresh air and relaxation.
Include some herbs in your cooking like rosemary, sage, thyme and oregano. Have some garlic every day.
Take cod liver oil.

I am a great believer in empowerment and spend a lot of time helping people understand their bodies and how to help themselves:


I just found out about this cool, woman-owned startup that I think you'll like - especially if you've been wanting to learn more about herbal healing. They're called Apothecary At Home. It's a box-subscription that introduces you to the world of herbalism, one hand-curated package at a time. Each month they send you 1-3 new herbs to get familiar with, medicine-making projects to do at home, and handy study resources to help you learn the concepts we herbalists use every day.


The world needs more healers - especially in these crazy times. I love that they're making this knowledge accessible to folks who might face obstacles trying to attend traditional herbal schools.

Apothecary At Home is launching soon, and to celebrate, they're giving away a lifetime subscription. Learn more and enter the giveaway here: https://apothecary-at-home.cratejoy.com/

Take care and stay safe!

Bird Life

It is so sad to read about the silence that has descended on many parts of the world. People say that they no longer hear birdsong. It's not rocket science to work out why many millions of birds have died since 1950 or so. The 2nd world war heralded the onset of commercial farming with chemicals: crime number one against the soil.No longer did farmers plough nice smelly manure into their fields, but happily sprinkled chemicals to provide the chemical elements, calculated to provide the basic requirements for healthy plant growth. Never mind about the soil microbiome and earthworms! Manure provides fibre and microorganisms for the soil, something that chemicals can't do. A healthy soil is teeming with insects, grubs and worms - brilliant for birds. But then on top of crime number one against the soil, came crime number 2 : Poison.
All over the world on farms, in parks and gardens poison has been sprayed to protect crops, flowers and vegetables from the creatures that might eat them. Unfortunately birds have eaten the poisoned grubs and have died as a result. Seed eaters also get poisoned when crops are sprayed.
Crime number 3 against the soil is the GMO story, and it will possibly take a long time to evaluate the true cost to the planet of genetic modification and glyphosate, which seems to adversely affect the soil microbiome. Are we going to see the results of birds and animals eating GM corn and other grains?

So to my garden and this spring, which has seen an explosion of nest building and bird breeding. There is never a quiet moment, even on the hottest day, some bird will be filling the air with a happy song. Quite a few visitors are rather pesky, but I put up with them and use nets to protect berries and grapes. The mousebird will happily chomp away at my spinach, bean leaves, granadilla leaves as well as fruits. It's such a pretty bird, I can't get too upset. One of my favourite visitors is the pied barbet, and I deliberately allow Solanum spp to grow as they love the berries. Recently the bokmakierie (Bush shrike) made a return to our area after a long absence and I was delighted when an Olive thrush made a nest in the wild olive tree, and hatched out a very sweet chick. Bulbuls, sunbirds, white eyes and Cape robin are at home here, but a newcomer is the greater honeyguide, no doubt attracted to the beehives. There are two in the garden, flitting about near the hives and pecking on any empty frames I leave out for the bees to clean.

Unlike in many parts of the UK and Europe that I have visited, my garden has a wonderful dawn chorus as well as sporadic daytime songs to gladden the heart. Our gardens make up suburban forests and we all need to be mindful of this and keep the environment poison free. This includes rat poison which affects owls and caracals (which still roam the hills and mountains surrounding built up areas.)

The humming garden - pollinators’ paradise.

Just the other day I read a Facebook post from an organic gardener, who said that although spring had arrived, the garden was deathly quiet. No humming, no buzzing. He described it as worrying. At the same time, research is showing that globally millions of insects are under threat, while thousands of species have gone extinct.

This is hardly a surprise is it? Most households have a can of insecticide and most gardeners go to the pesticide aisle if there’s an invasion of lice on their roses. In fact there is a whole timetable for when to spray different chemicals on roses.

Insects are an important part of the food chain. They are eaten by birds, bats, reptiles, aquatic creatures, other insects and even humans. Poisoned insects are poisoned food for insect eaters.insects are also very important for having essential roles in the systems of life such as pollinating, cleaning up, and preying on other insects. Consistently spraying insects, whether done by gardeners or farmers, has created huge imbalances in the insect world. It has become extremely difficult to grow fruit without spraying something to prevent some or other infestation, and commercial fruit and vegetable farmers are almost trapped in the system of spraying in order to get a decent crop.

We have seen a decline in the numbers of birds, lizards, frogs, chameleons and many insects such as bees, bumblebees and other important pollinators in our gardens. It is a deeply worrying trend which affects many aspects of life.

So it is with delight that I observe the life in my garden. Even more delightful are the sounds of life - the chirping, cheeping, tweeting, humming, buzzing and droning of life! The air is filled with hundreds of insects, some dancing up and down, others hovering, darting, or swooping as they get on with their business.

No a drop of poison goes into the house or garden. Sometimes I have no crops(my crop is very small) because of fruit fly, or pumpkin fly. But my garden is an insect paradise and a source of joy to me. To see the air so busy and alive like an aquarium is fantastic. I urge you to create a safe place for all living creatures in your garden. See your garden as an important part of the urban forest, to be nurtured and cherished. Let’s all do our bit to restore balance as far as possible.

Post drought analysis

Here in the Western Cape we are slowly recovering from the worst drought in, for many of us, living memory. We have had some rain and water tanks are refilling. Dams are slowly gaining water and reaching more acceptable levels.
Usually for me water saving is not too much of an issue - I've had water tanks for many years and have relied on them for much of the watering of the garden. But this drought, together with strong winds and scorching temperatures, really was a supreme challenge.

What was an issue was the heartbreak I was experiencing when walking around the garden, and seeing the "lifelessness" of everything - like starving children with dead eyes, all just hanging on. Despite using plenty of mulch, I also noticed a change in the soil as the "life" had to drive deeper down, and the topsoil became dirt. This worried me the most - the damage to the soil microbiome from lack of water. But then as the water restrictions were relaxed a bit, and we have been allowed to put a sprinkler on for an hour per week, combined with some rain, things sprang into life with joyful blooms and greenery. It was almost as if the plants and the soil were shouting, "thank you!"

Somebody wrote that they considered it to be a crime to use municipal water for the garden. I feel that our environment is vitally important. Studies have shown that trees are vital for rain production. We should all make an effort to use some water, even if it's grey water, to keep our surroundings, including our soils, healthy.
Suburban gardens form mini forests which are home to many birds and the few reptiles that have survived human and pet attacks. We need to nurture all the life that surrounds us. Our ecosystems are under so much threat, let's try and do our bit at home, on our balconies and in our gardens to keep things alive and healthy. We will be rewarded with the soothing colours of nature and plenty of birdsong.

So to keep water in the dams for future use, continue your water saving measures but remember to give some water to your garden. Collect rain water, cold shower water and vegetable washing water and give that to the plants. Even water that you've cooked veggies in, is really good for your garden. It's not just about human life, but all life.

Food forest gardening

Slowly over the years trees get bigger and the garden becomes transformed. I find photos of when I had a lush lawn, when I first planted the olive trees and when the back garden was a herb garden. Now because the trees got so big, the lawn wouldn't grow and because I had more shade, the choices of what I could grow became restricted. At the same time I find that with the increased intensity of the sun these days, many plants seem happier in dappled shade.

I recently heard about food forest planting and realised my garden is now naturally ready for that - it has evolved. So with some judicious pruning I am hoping to have more plants under my trees that enjoy dappled shade and give me something to eat. I planted an almond in the veggie patch to give me dappled shade for lettuce. Although lettuce grows in the hot sun on vegetable farms, I feel the wind and sufficient water help them survive there better than in the more enclosed area I have, where due to the wall around it, the heat is intensified. We also have severe water restrictions so growing food becomes very challenging.

Part of my plan involves leaving plants in the ground even when they have died. My maize plants are dry and dead but I am hoping they will provide support for broad beans. I planted brinjals around dead bean plants and they are thriving. Leaving the roots in the ground keeps the ground healthy as the microrrhiza are not disturbed. I noticed after years of planting how the soil became powdery and am trying to get it vibrant and healthy again.
My Jerusalem artichokes can be left standing to provide support for peas. Also my Golden rod will support peas - in this way the summer plants will support the winter plants. The fruit trees, being deciduous will allow for winter planting of veg that needs full sun so potatoes will go in there. Also blue berries should do well.

I encourage you to google Food forest planting to be inspired for your own garden. So many people still have lawn and a couple of shrubs, where they could have a thriving food producing garden.

The universe within us - a story of microbial life inside each one of us.

The universe within us  – a look at the gut microbiome and our health

www.conniemeyer.co.za

 

 

 

 

 

Similar to a swarm of bees, where different bees have a specific job and are ineffective on their own, and where the swarm is the organism, the microbiome in the gut is a giant organism – the universe inside us. This microbiome has ancient roots and is part of the wonder of our evolution. We are in fact a combination of human and microbial cells having evolved together since humans started their time on Earth.

Over the past 50 years or so we have seen dramatic increases in many diseases, notably autoimmune diseases, allergies, behaviour and learning problems, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Much of the decline in human health can be attributed to changes in the microbiome, which has served humans well for as long as we have existed, but is now under great threat for a variety of reasons.

Up to 90% of one's stool consists of micro organisms.

Diversity of the microbiome is important, similar to biodiversity in nature. The microbiota work together by communication and depend upon one another to maintain a healthy system. If one or more are removed from the system, it has a domino effect on the others as a link is missing in communication and cooperation.

The microbiome helps develop the gastrointestinal system after birth. The mucosal layer of the gut is densely inhabited by microbiota, which serve to protect and thicken the lining of the gut and help to make it impermeable (preventing ‘leaky gut’).

Gut microbiota can cause or prevent disease, depending on diet, medication and other influences. Microbiota thrive on certain foods, and a poor diet can negatively affect them, making them less diverse and predisposing their human host to disease. The microbiome of the average westernised child is not as diverse as that of the average non-westernised child.

The microbiome is important for the homeostasis of other tissues, even bone. Fibre is a vitally important food for the microbiota. The microbiota detoxify many environmental toxins and digest many foods that human enzymes cannot digest. A healthy microbiome promotes gastrointestinal tract mobility, keeps pathogens in check and plays an important role in creating a strong immune system.

The microbiome has many important metabolic roles in the human body and can protect against allergies, obesity and mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. A diverse and healthy microbiome may increase the bioavailability of phytonutrients in the diet. The microbiota also synthesise various vitamins for us.

We are only as healthy as our microbiome.

IT STARTS AT BIRTH

It is the birth process that inoculates the gut of the newborn, although some experts say that the foetus and the placenta have some microbial life. A normal vaginal birth ensures the newborn’s exposure to a wide variety of bacteria that seed the gut and start the process of establishing the microbiome. Babies born via caesarean section don’t have this benefit and only have exposure to bacteria via the skin, subsequently taking longer to develop their immune system. These days mothers of caesarean babies are advised to "seed" their baby's microbiome by breastfeeding, not sterilising any baby utensils and by not washing hands or nipples. One can also get vaginal swabs to "seed" the baby.

Generations of changes to the gut microbiome are transmitted from mother to infant, (generation after generation) resulting in gradual genetic changes and poor colonisation of the gut microbiome caused by:

• an increase in the number of caesarean sections

• a reduction in breastfeeding
• the sterilisation of baby utensils and the overuse of antibacterials
• changes in diet
• antibiotics in farmed animals
• medication, especially antibiotics.

Although the gut microbiome is similar in most people, it is also specific to each person in that it develops according to the family history of that person and various inputs that can affect it. Each indiviual's microbiome is a bit like a "fingerprint" or "poo print".

People from other cultures, who have not had access to the western diet, have a far richer diversity of microorganisms in their gut than people who are eating a typical western diet. They also have microorganisms that are specific to their diet, such as the Japanese who have microorganisms thought to originate from the seaweed they consume.

In a healthy and balanced microbiome, the microbiota live in perfect harmony with the human host and with each other. The relationship is symbiotic in every way. The different species depend on and interact with one another. The loss of one species can have a cascade effect on the others and disrupt important processes, while leaving the system vulnerable to damage from adverse events.

Adverse events can include inflammatory western diets (high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, fats and proteins), chronic stress, over sanitation (using mouthwash and antibacterial soap), change of pH (the use of antacids, changing to a low carbohydrate diet), infections and prescription drugs (especially antibiotics).

WHAT TO DO?

We need to pay more attention to the health of our microbiome. Our microbiome eats what we eat, and the waste products (metabolites) can enter our blood stream. A junk food diet not only creates nutrient deficiencies, but also causes metabolite ‘junk’ to cross the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain, which can result in depression, anxiety and behavioural changes.

The quality of the stool and degree of flatulence are good indicators of microbiome health. The stool consistancy should be well-formed with minimal odour and minimal‘winds’. A persistent vile smell indicates an imbalance in the microbiome and may be an early warning of developing disease.

The microbes in our gut love vegetables, wholegrains and fruits – especially apples and other fruits rich in pectin such as quince, citrus fruits, pears, and apricots. Organically grown foods have a greater nutrient density than commercially grown foods and provide the microbiome and us with a greater diversity of phytonutrients.

Herbal medicine can contribute to a healthy gut by providing many phytonutrients and phytochemicals that create a favourable environment.

Herbs rich in tannins (such as hawthorn, raspberry leaf, Lady’s mantle), mucilaginous herbs (such as marshmallow root, aloe ferox gel, linseed), and bitter herbs (such as artichoke leaf, dandelion leaf and Artemisia species), are the most important for microbiome integrity, prebiotic support and pH balance. A phytotherapist will be able to help restore a damaged microbiome by using the appropriate herbs required for the case at hand.

It has been shown that people who have a diverse and healthy microbiome have fewer allergies, less chronic disease and better cognitive function. Babies with a healthy microbiome have fewer neonatal infections and also seem to tolerate vaccinations better.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR GUT HEALTHY

• Eat a diet rich in vegetables, legumes, grains and fruits – preferably organically grown.
• Avoid antibiotics and check that the meats you eat are not reared using antibiotics (this includes farmed fish and seafoods). Antibiotics not only cause loss of gut microbial diversity but also genetic changes. The effects of one course of antibiotics can be felt for up to 2 years.
• Herbal medicine provides good alternatives to many pharmaceuticals and can treat many infections effectively without disrupting the microbiome.
• Avoid sanitising your home and your body. Simple hygiene with soap and water is enough.
• Avoid routine deworming. We have natural immunity against worms and helminths are part of the microbiome.
• Eat more fermented foods like miso, sauerkraut, naturally fermented cider vinegar and kefir.
• Include plenty of foods with prebiotics in your diet: apples, onions, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, sweet potato, oats, barley, bananas and all fibrous vegetables. Berries and red wine, with their high polyphenol content, also have beneficial effects on gut microbiota.
• Avoid processed, refined foods and food with chemical additives.
• Watch out for people who diagnose ‘parasites’ and candida overgrowth without clinical confirmation. Often the harsh treatment can be bad for your microbiota.

CONCLUSION

Scientists are discovering more and more about the microbiome every day.

Speakers at the first International Conference of the Microbiome in Autism were unanimous that children with autism had reduced gut microbial diversity, in some cases remarkably different from the guts of healthy children. From only 1 child in 2 500 having autism in 1985, the figure has risen to 1 in 68 in 2015. This coincides with the massive shift observed since the 1950s in the way our food is grown and the way we medicate ourselves.

It’s time to stop and think about what we are doing, as modern medicine and modern diets are affecting the future health of our children and their children.

Further reading

1.       Sommer F, Bäckhed F. The gut microbiota – masters of host development and physiology. Nat Rev Microbiol 2013;11(4):227-238

2.       Microbiome in ASD conference. www.microbiome-autism.com (accessed 2015)

3.       David LA, Maurice CF, Carmody RN, et al. Diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the human gut microbiome. Nature 2014;505(7484):559-563

4. Queipo-Ortuño MI, Boto-Ordóñez M, Murri M, et al. Influence of red wine polyphenols and ethanol on the gut microbiota ecology and biochemical biomarkers. Am J Clin Nutr 2013;95(6):1323-1334
5. Blaser MJ. Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues. New York: Henry Holt; 2014

 

Abundance

It is interesting how fruit trees seem to have a good year and then a not so good year. The olive harvest may be excellent one year and mediocre the next; other fruit can range from none to one or many! This season has been a bumper season for me. That doesn't mean that I have tons of fruit but certainly a nice supply to eat and share with family.
The birds also have their fair share. It's a pity they eat the unripe fruit! Anyway, I cover parts of the trees with netting and don't really worry too much about the birds because I appreciate the diverse bird life in my garden.
So this year I've had prunes, apples, figs and lemons galore. There were a couple of bunches of grapes, but they disappeared before they were ripe I also harvested a couple of kilograms of luscious youngberries.

The Olive trees are looking promising after years of not bearing any olives. They are Manzanilla and probably not the best variety to have. I also have one mission olive which usually produces a reasonable crop of olives.

My lemon tree has been groaning under the weight of lemons. I keep banging my head against them! 52 lemons on a smallish tree. Some of them are as big as grapefruit. This lemon tree didn't have a single lemon for many years but now it's making up for that! In a storm a few months ago, it blew over (partly due to the weight of the lemons) and my garden helper and I pulled it upright and staked it firmly. It hardly noticed that it had been uprooted.

I have another lemon tree in the bee garden that started out as a kumquat tree. Then it had fruits that didn't know whether they were lemons or oranges. Now it has settled down to plain lemons.

Soon it will be guava season.....

The apples have their fair share of blemishes and coddling moth damage. They will be used for juicing and making cider vinegar. Maybe also an apple pie. Like the lemon tree that started out as a kumquat, the apple tree started out as a crab apple tree. Obviously the original stem somehow took over and now it is a huge and beautiful apple tree producing a good number of granny smith type apples.

So all round there has been abundance and I haven't even talked about the honey. I'm wondering if the lovely fruit this year has anything to do with the many extra bees in the garden these days.

My hypothesis on helping the bees - natural antibiotics

A bee enjoying the flower of the ribbon bush - Hypoestes aristata

 

I was watching the clip about AFB disease in the Western Cape on the TV program Carte Blanche, when I had a thought that is probably not original, but may well be an idea that farmers and beekeepers could bear in mind. Many beekeepers in the world believe the answer to diseases in the hive is to strengthen the bees naturally. They have a "survival of the fittest" approach. It is quite widely believed that there are many factors that have weakened bees, for example, the use of antibiotics, insecticides, feeding bees sugar, the use of chemicals in hives, monocultures, stress etc. When the one beekeeper who was interviewed  said that the only way to get rid of American foulbrood disease is to use antibiotics, I realised that in natural, wild areas the bees get all the antibiotics they need from plants and these plants are missing in the urban and agricultural environment.
 

Because I am a phytotherapist (medical herbalist) I have a garden full of medicinal plants. Many of these plants have excellent antibacterial properties as well as antifungal and antiviral properties. I use these all the time for my patients instead of life destroying antibiotics. (Antibiotics are rarely used to save a life these days, they are more commonly used as routine panaceas to a gullible and ignorant public. If people understood the effects of antibiotics on their microflora, they wouldn't be so quick to demand them. Doctors in South Africa shouldn't be dishing them out like sweeties either.)Antibiotics, whether used on man or insects, cause genetic changes which result in resistance. In humans this resistance can last for two years or longer from one course of antibiotics. It stands to reason that people who are continually taking antibiotics will have stronger resistance genes and weakened immune systems than those who rarely take them. The same applies to insects.

 

So my theory is that by improving  biodiversity for bees on farms and at apiaries, using medicinal herbs with antibiotic properties, bees would be getting a dose of medicine quite regularly throughout the seasons. Even those that are used to pollinate orchards, when removed from the orchard they could have a spell in a medicinal herb garden area, designed to keep them healthy.

 

I am sure that some beekeepers will have already made the connection between bee health and the bees' environment. For instance are bees that feed on Eucalyptus healthier than those that feed on apple blossom? Are bees that feed on fynbos generally healthier? I can't answer these questions but I think beekeepers should be enquiring as to whether all bees irrespective of where they are, are prone to American foulbrood, or are some less affected?

 

Here in SA we have stripped the countryside of it's natural biodiversity by removing nearly all the natural flora and replacing it with monoculture crops( like canola). We don't have fields full of yarrow as one sees in Europe, or thyme in the grass and Echinacea in the parks. In fact most of our suburban parks and gardens have only shrubs, grass and trees. There are very few wild areas left so the aromatic fynbos herbs are limited, compared to how it was before agriculture ruined the land. We also don't have the same flora as in Europe, which has survived because it is native or naturalised to the region and grown everywhere, on sidewalks and fields and gardens. Imagine my surprise to see Echinacea growing in a dry looking flowerbed at a petrol station in the Czech republic! (Echinacea by the way is native to North America).

 

It is no coincidence that aromatic herbs have antimicrobial properties, due to the essential oils in the leaves and flowers. Bees also love these plants eg rosemary, sage, thyme and lavender. These plants are not native to South Africa, but should be grown a lot more to supplement medicinal benefits for the bees. In the case of rosemary and lavender, they are hardy and drought tolerant. In European botanical gardens one often sees the most stunning thyme beds literally swarming with bees. Thyme has antifungal and antimicrobial properties. Echinacea, once established is very hardy and reasonably drought tolerant. It is the mainstay of any antibiotic treatment in herbal medicine and bees love it. They wriggle their way between the spiky flower heads, (which seems to be quite a struggle), in order to get the pollen they want.

My opinion is, that we need to enhance the bees' immunity by planting flowers with antibiotic, antifungal and immune enhancing properties. Some indigenous plants might well do this, but in urban and agricultural areas there is not enough fynbos to do this. So we must embrace the herbs that we know have the phytochemicals they need for enhanced immunity. Some of these are:

Sage; Rosemary; Thyme; Echinacea; Tulbachia (wild garlic); Garlic; Lavender; Buchu; Marjoram; Thuja; Myrtle; Olive; Eucalyptus, Garlic chives, Coriander; Aniseed; Fennel; Caraway; Rue; Yarrow; Artemisia spp; Juniper; Plectranthus neochilus; Hyssop. Strongly aromatic plants and plants with resin are the types of plants to look out for. Some aloes might have antimicrobial properties, but I don't know which ones, apart from Aloe vera. Aloes are important winter flowers for bees, as well as Cotyledon orbiculata (plakkie) flowers

Plant in big clumps, not dotted all over the place. Bees prefer to forage in an area where plants are in masses. Spread the word among your friends and neighbours. It's not enough to be bee-friendly, we need to get the right plants in place for their medicinal requirements.

 

 



Bee Killer or Killer Bee?

Mention the word bee to most people and they shudder.  Not in the same way that people shudder over a spider or snake, but in a way that indicates a certain painful sting if one should be in their vicinity.  A common statement made is that they are allergic to bee stings. Funnily enough many people who say that they are allergic to bee stings don’t carry a bee sting kit or wear a Medic Alert bracelet! If you are truly allergic to bee stings, you could die without immediate treatment.

Most people who have been stung by a bee will experience pain and swelling in the area. This may last an hour or two or a few days. This is not an allergy, but merely a reaction. This can be treated with  Echinacea applied to the area that was stung, and taken internally. Vinegar is also useful to apply to the stung area. I once received 30 or more stings to my face and head and was fully recovered after two days. I have developed a sting gel which works very well indeed. I was the guinea pig, and the stung area was better in two hours (better = hardly noticeable).

It is an extremely rare event for a swarm of bees to attack an animal or human. It does happen, but usually because the swarm in its home was disturbed in some way. Sometimes they make a home in a compost heap or an old box or tree trunk, and they are stumbled upon by accident by a dog or human on a walk. They still won't attack unless seriously disturbed. If they do it is a very serious situation and apparently jumping into water doesn’t really help because the bees wait for you to come up for air. Bees might also attack someone who has strong perfume on or who smells bad to them – but this would be a few bees, generally not a whole swarm. Bees are very sensitive to smells and noises.

Making propolis

 

Bees who are happily gathering pollen on a shrub on a warm and sunny day, are not going to stop what they are doing to give you a sting! They are too busy to be bothered. Likewise bees that are swarming won’t sting you as they have their minds on finding a new home and protecting their queen. You can handle a swarm of bees which has clustered on a branch, with your bare hands. Do not be afraid of a swarm which flies over your garden or even lands in your garden. Just leave them alone and they will move away in a day or so.

And this brings me to the bee killers….. People who grab a can of insecticide the minute they see a bee. And even worse, people who kill an entire swarm that has landed in their garden or moved into a corner of their shed or into a cavity wall.

By now everyone knows that bees are endangered and that without bees 75% of the fruit, nuts and vegetables we eat will not get pollinated, so we won’t have enough food anymore. This is a world-wide problem. In some parts of China where there has been an appalling over use of agricultural chemicals, all the fruit trees have to be hand pollinated.

Bees are endangered for a combination of reasons: They have become weakened by Commercial Bee keeping practices such as repeatedly moving hundreds of hives great distances – this stresses them; feeding them sugar; using chemical agents in the hives; Agricultural practices such as monocropping, aerial spraying of poisons onto the crops; loss of habitat; Gardeners using insecticides, fungicides and other poisons (even organic poisons)in their gardens; spraying fruit trees when they are in flower; spraying flowers; Diseases spreading throughout the world – various bacterial, viral and parasitical diseases have spread across continents severely affecting bee numbers. And then there’s you – the bee killer who sprays or burns a whole innocent swarm, just looking for a home.

Create a bee garden

 

Bee killers far outnumber killer bees. Bees are peace-loving hard working insects who like to be left alone to do their thing. Love them and leave them and they’ll make you honey. Plant them a nice wild flower garden, or leave part of your garden to go “wild”. Place a shallow dish of water up high somewhere for them. They are very thirsty in the dry hot summer months. And stop buying insecticides. Leave the poisons on the shelf in the garden centre and supermarket – you’ll be sending the big companies like Bayer a strong message.

Bees deserve our respect. They do an enormous job for us, apart from making honey. Let's all help save the bees. Every little helps

Planning and harvesting.

It's that time of year when there's quite a lot of harvesting to be done. It's very frustrating when the fruit is ripening, or there's a glut of spinach waiting to be picked, but you are just too busy to get there!! I had quite a few plums on my tree, but they were eaten by birds and, believe it or not my dogs, because I was unable to harvest them. I caught Rocco on his back legs trying to reach higher into the plum tree, and realised where all the low down plums had gone to!

I have lemons ripening all the time and there's nothing more frustrating than picking them, and they get mouldy in a bowl. So now my method is to pick them, peel them and squeeze them. The peels go into alcohol for maceration for a constant supply of limoncello. The juice gets frozen in ice cube trays for drinks or other use. However if  I plan properly, I'll make hummus on the day that I've picked a couple of lemons, and use some of the juice straight away for this delectable food.

Spinach can be overwhelming in its abundance. What to do with it all? My solution is to check the leaves for dirt and insects, bung them whole into a plastic bag, and freeze them. Once they are frozen, they can be bashed into spinach crumbs, the stalks are easily removed now, they take up very little space and can be used in soups, stews and egg dishes as one needs it. I do the same with other greens like Chenopodium (goosefoot), Amaranthus (pigweed), Urtica (stinging nettle) and Portulaca (purslane).

Chenopodium

 

Another good way to use greens is by drying them. A dehydrator is nice to have, but greens dry quickly in the shade on a hot sunny day. Once dried they can be crumbled up and a whole mountain of greens will fit in a large jar. In this way you can skip the vitamin pills or those supplements with phytonutrients that cost the earth, because you have your very own concentrated chlorophyll and minerals.

Dried spinach

I have an apple tree that I love for it's foliage, but a harvest from it is not guaranteed. Mostly the fruit has codling moth or some other scabby problem, so it's not really edible. But the fruit is organically grown, and quite a bit of each apple is unblemished and perfect for juice. If I had enough I'd like to try cider making or even cider vinegar, but the number of apples hasn't got big enough yet.

I have never tried salting green beans, but many years ago an aunt and uncle of mine used to do this with their green bean harvests. They would wash the beans and dry them and cut them up as if ready to cook them. Then they would put a layer of salt (non-iodised, sea salt) into a jar, a layer of beans, a layer of salt etc until all the beans were packed into jars. They said that when it came to cooking the beans, they tasted like they had just been picked. To me this sounds better than frozen beans.

These are just a few ideas for dealing with harvests. I have more for another day. Enjoy.

My complete letter to the weekend Argus regarding the Banting diet (Tim Noakes)

Prof Tim Noakes was thinking in a unidirectional way when he wrote his book. Unfortunately the body has more than one system and to only look at the endocrine system is in my view, a mistake. Diabetes is on the increase throughout the Western world because of the shocking western diet - high in processed foods, salt, sugar and fat, and low in fibre, fruits and vegetables. Prof Noakes claims it is genetic. 

In South Africa we have many people blindly and slavishly following the Banting diet without any knowledge of their own physiology. I have patients whose cholesterol levels have soared on the diet, with an increase in LDL and a lowering of HDL, including raised triglycerides. Not a good scenario, any cardiologist would agree. 

Many people on the Banting diet will love the permission to eat more meat (usually from feedlot farms) and fat and not worry too much about vegetables. By doing so they will increase the amounts of veterinary drug residues, like deworming drugs, antibiotics, hormones etc and  other toxins that are stored in animal fat, Omega 6 which occurs in feedlot raised animals and causes increased inflammation, and nitrates from processed meat which predispose one to cancer. At the same time there is a reduction in valuable fibre from grains and root vegetables, a consequent reduction in short chain fatty acids made by gut flora(which act as anti-inflammatories);  a change in gut flora to bacteroides which can predispose one to colon cancer. High fat diets leading to increased amounts of bile acid predispose one to colon cancer, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, irritable bowel disease to mention a few problems. Healthy gut flora play an important role in protecting us against disease; a diet high in fat and low in fibre could do the opposite. 

The Banting diet actually recommends that people cut out refined carbohydrates. This is a good idea. Whole grains and fibrous vegetables like beetroot (which Prof Noakes doesn’t allow) are important dietary elements.  We need plenty of fibre and the micronutrients and phytochemicals from a vast array of colourful (preferably organically grown) grains, fruits and vegetables to have a healthy microbiome which will keep us healthy.

 

 

 

 

Birds and Bees

It's been a busy time in the garden. Birds flit about non stop building nests and feeding their young with never a quiet moment as they sing their individual songs. We can learn from them - to be joyful every day no matter the weather or hardships. So often when they have gone to all the trouble of rearing a chick or two, the chick is killed by another bird or animal, and they just carry on with life.

A pied barbet hammering away at the fig tree.

Where I live we are very blessed with an abundant bird life. If there are aphids on a plant, you can bet a white eye or two will be busy having a feast. The thrushes poke about in dead leaves looking for grubs and worms, and are as effective as chickens in getting rid of unwanted creepies. A weaver bird has made hundreds of nests in a wild peach that overhangs my garden wall, and each one has been rejected. I love the sound the weavers make. I have been on holiday to some places in the UK where there is not a single bird call and where I am struck by the dead silence in the early mornings. It's a sad fact that millions of birds have died as a result of insecticide use.

Birds bring joy to the garden and are important to keep the balance of nature. If birds die out insects will take over. Some evenings I can hear owls hooting. Because of people using rat poison, owls are often poisoned. We need owls too!

From birds to bees. It's been quite an adventure! I now have a second hive and was given a swarm to put in, and the bees are very happy. They settled in immediately and I can't wait to have a peep to see how they are progressing with their comb making. I have been harvesting honey from hive no 1 and I got severely stung when the bees crawled up under my bee suit, without me realising it. However with the use of herbs, it was soon quite bearable and I healed very quickly. Lessons are to be learned every day!
It is amazing how serene one feels when just watching the bees go about their daily work. On the whole they don't bother one at all, they just go about their daily business with dedication. On occasion they might be a bit defensive but one learns not to aggravate them by digging too close to them, or cutting grass too near them. These are danger signals for bees and they can get irritated. Usually one or two will dart about threatening to sting. People are very scared of swarms, but when bees are swarming, they are not dangerous at all. They are too busy protecting the queen and looking for a new home.

If a swarm is disturbed in an aggressive way in the hive or nesting spot, that is a different story. Then they will be an aggressive swarm and can kill a dog or a person. This happens rarely, but always makes the headlines!! Recently a dog disturbed a swarm that was nesting in someone's compost heap and they attacked and killed him. This is nobody's fault, as the swarm wasn't in a hive.
I have three dogs and they very rarely get stung. They understand not to go sniffing around the hive, and even know they shouldn't go into the bee garden. It's all a matter of respect.

A frame of capped honey

 



 





Nature deserves our respect because nature is perfect. We are the ones to mess up the balance of nature. Let's give it some thought and take the time to enjoy the parks and gardens with respect!

Tips to enrich your garden's biodiversity

Biodiversity is a term to describe variety of living things within a system or environment.  As I am concentrating on gardens, it is practical to see your garden as a micro-environment, in relation to the size of our country. If all the gardens in SA had only lawn with one or two shrubs and a tree, that would severely limit the biodiversity of the environment under our control.  It would also be detrimental to the health of the country in terms of its biodiversity.

Conversely if everyone in SA who has a garden, focussed on creating ecosystems that favoured biodiversity, imagine what a positive effect that would have in general!

When I look out of my window on a summer day, the air is filled with insects hovering or flying about. I feel like I’m in an aquarium, with all those creatures flitting past me. I like to think that I’ve created a good environment for a rich biodiversity in my garden. I am lucky because I think quite a few of my neighbours have also taken this approach.

So what are we looking for when we think of having biodiversity in our gardens? We are aiming for a rich bacterial and fungal life in the soil, earthworms, a balance of insect life, some snakes, frogs, chameleons and varied bird life.  In order for all these different entities to thrive we need to have some rules:

• Don’t use poisons in your garden. A fly that has just been sprayed with poison, could be eaten by a chameleon immediately afterwards. Snail bait is dangerous for the endangered leopard toad and your pets. Bee numbers are declining worldwide due to the use of insecticide poisons. Poisons also leach into the soil killing valuable earthworms. Poisoned rats can kill owls.
• Reduce the amount of lawn in your garden. It is a dead space for chameleons, lizards, frogs as it provides no shelter from predators and no food. It also does not provide habitat for insects.
• Provide plenty of ground cover in the form of low growing plants like Plectranthus species.
• Don’t be too tidy in your garden. Logs, pieces of wood, stones and mulch – all provide shelter for small creatures and breeding spots for various insects. Mulch also keeps the ground moist for earthworms.
• Allow a corner of your garden to be “wild” with weeds and grasses that you allow to self seed. Seeds attract birds and the wild grasses and weeds are a good habitat for breeding insects, and provide food for pollinators. Prince Charles is famous for his wild garden and meadows at Highgrove
• Plant indigenous plants  to provide foods for local species of pollinators like the carpenter bee and African hummingbird moth. Hypoestes aristata which blooms in autumn is a good choice. Aloes provide good food for bees in autumn and winter.
• Provide plenty of water in bird baths and low containers, for birds and insects as well as frogs. Your children will delight in watching tadpoles and dragonflies.
• The small brown slug eater snake likes to hide under planks of wood. Provide a spot for some of these. They are not dangerous.
• Put an owl box in a tree and a bat box on your wall high up under the eaves. Bats get rid of millions of insects for us, and owls take care of rats and mice.
• Plant herbs to attract bees and butterflies. I once had a rosemary hedge that chameleons loved. Basil, lavender, yarrow, lemon balm, sage species and nasturtiums are some of the herbs that pollinators love.
• Allow as many annuals as you can to go to seed. Self seeding encourages a lush environment and birds eat many of the seeds.

Your garden can be a paradise of biodiversity, with interesting creatures and beautiful plants. I’m always amazed how much noise there is in my garden, especially bird song, but also the sound of frogs in autumn and the very loud hum of bees in some of my trees. It is such a privilege to have a garden and a patch of soil to be the guardian of. Let’s unite to create swathes of biodiverse areas where nature is in harmony.

Hawthorn for the heart and for the bees.

                                          Hawthorn berries

Is it a coincidence that hawthorn is harvested in Autumn? I don’t think so. Just as citrus fruits are winter fruits, full of vitamin C to help with colds and flu, hawthorn is there to help keep us warm and prevent chilblains.

Hawthorn is native to Europe but grows well here. It can be a shrub or a small tree, depending on how you prune it. It has very long, sharp thorns. It is deciduous and the leaves turn a beautiful translucent red and yellow in autumn. Even the carpet of leaves at its base is very pretty. In spring the blossoms attract bees, and to hear the loud hum of thousands of busy bees in the stillness of the morning is truly awesome.

Hawthorn is one of the oldest known medicinal plants used in European medicine - its beneficial actions on the heart were first reported by first century Greek herbalist Dioscorides and later by Swiss physician Paracelsus (1493–1541) (Weihmayr and Ernst, 1996).

Hawthorn is the ultimate nurturing herb for the heart. The flowers, berries and leaves are used each with its own particular nourishing or medicinal effect.

Hawthorn is widely regarded in Europe as a safe and effective treatment for the early stages of heart disease and is endorsed by Commission E- the branch of the German government that studies and approves herbal treatments. It is used to promote the health of the circulatory system and has been found useful in treating angina, high blood pressure, early congestive heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia. It has been found to strengthen the heart and stabilise it against arrhythmias. It also strengthens the entire cardiovascular system, improving blood flow to all our organs thus improving our general health. It is my own opinion that using hawthorn can delay visual and hearing problems due to old age, as blood supply to these organs is well maintained.

Hawthorne should be used under the care of a phytotherapist for circulatory or heart problems.

 

 

I have just harvested a few kilograms of hawthorn from my garden, and am inspired to use it for myself. Apparently one can make a jelly from the berries to eat with cheese. There are quite a few recipes on the internet for this. What a wonderful herb!

 

The soil of life

The secret is in the soil.

Soil health – comparing the soil of our planet with the “soil” in our body.

When I was lecturing at the University of Western Cape, I used the analogy of soil to show the importance of prebiotics and probiotics.  In the human body, we know how important bacteria are in keeping us healthy. (Actually our bacteria consist of many different types of micro-organism, collectively known as microbiota, not just bacteria.) What many of us don’t know is that bacteria in the soil are just as important, and this article is about your health as well as the health of the soil in your garden or on your farm.

Your digestive tract.

We are accustomed to being given probiotics every time the doctor prescribes an antibiotic. Antibiotics wipe out our bacteria, and the probiotics help replenish the good bacteria. They say that we have more bacteria in our bodies than there are stars in the universe or cells in our body. We need the balance of our bacteria to be a healthy, thriving colony of “good” bacteria keeping the “bad” bacteria in check. Probiotics are naturally available in some types of yoghurt, certain cheeses, sauerkraut, and other fermented  products like miso, tempeh, kim chi and kefir.

What we eat, feeds the bacteria. This is where prebiotics come into the picture. Prebiotics are insoluble fibre from certain foods like Jerusalem artichokes,garlic, onions, leeks, bananas etc. that feed the probiotics. The typical western diet is notoriously low in prebiotics. In my practice I see many people who never eat vegetables and fruit, so their diets will be deficient in prebiotics. If we treat our body like a dustbin, eating loads of “junk food”, we can expect malodorous (bad smelling) wind and stools. This is not a good sign, and I always tell my patients that our stool is a good barometer of our health. Healthy bacteria = healthy person.

This however, is not the whole story. One of the most important prerequisites of a healthy bacterial colony is the “soil” of the digestive tract. The trillions of gut bacteria have to have something to cling to. A natural diet of lots of vegetables and fruits, whole grains and legumes provides the fibre which bacteria cling to. This is what I refer to as the “soil” of our digestive tract.

In certain diseases where there is a lot of gut inflammation, gut flora have a hard time establishing a healthy colony on the weeping, raw surfaces. Where there is chronic constipation caused by a diet of refined food, gut flora have a hard time as the “soil” is dry, compacted and stagnant. (Fibre holds moisture and helps prevent constipation.) “Bad” bacteria can contribute to constipation, causing a vicious circle.

Fibre therefore, from a variety of sources (not just bran) is very important for gut health, and contributes towards a healthy inner ecosystem that has a profound effect on our overall health.

 Tips for a healthy digestive ecosystem:

1. Eat plenty of vegetable especially onions, garlic, leeks, and asparagus.
2. Some companies manufacture prebiotics and claim that it is difficult to get enough in your diet. A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes will have enough prebiotics.
3. Make sure your gut bacteria are balanced by not mixing foods in weird combinations (steak with a sugary drink and ice cream) or having too much sugar which feeds “bad” bacteria.
4. Have some plain yoghurt, kefir, miso, sauerkraut from time to time.
5. Avoid unnecessary antibiotics (viral infections) and other medication which can upset the bacteria.

Prebiotics and probiotics for the soil.

When we look at the earth, the amount of arable soil is extremely small. So small in fact, that it is endangered .  Farming practices such as overgrazing, excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, ploughing  and natural events such as flooding, wind and drought make for an alarming reduction in arable soil. The soil of this planet is an ecosystem in itself, and needs to be nurtured as such. Bacteria form a vital part of this ecosystem, and influence the plants’ ability to absorb nutrients, just like our gut bacteria help us absorb vitamins.

Just like in our gut, soil bacteria come as “good” and “bad” bacteria. Healthy soil has mostly “good” bacteria, which suppress the “bad” bacteria, help detoxify the soil and provide a medium that is a good home for earthworms, insects and fungi – life forms essential to soil health. Healthy soil also facilitates the absorption of nutrients by the plants. One sign of healthy and balanced soil is the number of earthworms that can be seen when you dig, because healthy soil tends to hold moisture better, allowing them to move closer to the surface. They say you should see about 30 per spade of soil. I’m sure for most of us that is not the case, which shows how much work there is to do!

Each one of us can make an effort to improve the soil that we are guardians of, if we are fortunate enough to have a garden. One thing that farmers and gardeners can do to help the soil stay healthy is to use manure (probiotic) and humus (rotted vegetable matter) to provide fibre for soil bacteria to cling to. Healthy soil is a living substance, teaming with bacteria, just like our digestive tract. Fibre is the key element to ensure that bacteria can cling effectively. Sand and dense clay are not good growing mediums unless they have humus and compost added.

Make your own compost and mix in some manure to add to your soil. It’s more effort than buying fertilizer, but will keep the soil alive and help it to thrive. Every patch of healthy soil on this earth makes a difference. Soil which is alive with bacteria and earthworms is earth which will nourish plants and ultimately nourish us. Soil which is dead from the over use of chemicals and poisons is dirt and only serves to anchor plants.

Tips for a healthy soil ecosystem: 

1. Avoid using artificial fertilizers and poisonous pesticides, as these adversely affect the bacterial and insect/earthworm content of the soil.
2. Keep a layer of mulch on the soil to maintain some moisture and allow a natural rotting process. (Many gardeners think it looks untidy and remove all leaves etc. But it’s much better to leave them.)Humus is the prebiotic of the soil.
3. Apply some manure, well rotted compost, and chicken pellets to the surface of the soil from time to time. Don’t dig it in, but allow the earthworms to do the work. Manure is the probiotic of the soil.
4. Plant legumes such as lupins and dig them in when they are young and green. This is known as “green manure” and nourishes the soil.
5. You can buy bacteria for your soil and for use in compost making.

There is a lot more that can be said about soil health, but that can wait for another time. It is very sad that conventional farming and even gardening practices, do a great deal of harm to the soil. Similarly modern medicine incorrectly prescribed and abused is harmful to human gut bacteria.