Five Herbs to Fight Cancer

Best Herbs for Health and Fighting Cancer

 
Parsley

1. Rosemary – Contains many antioxidants such as carnosol. Antioxidants help prevent DNA damage leading to cancer. Carnosol and cineole may also help to detoxify certain carcinogens that can initiate the cancer process, especially breast, skin and lung. It is also great for the hair as a rinse and great in skin care to increase circulation. Use in soups, stews, meat or vegetables and bread.

3.  Oregano - Contains farnesol, a phytochemical that has been shown to block the growth of skin cancer in mice. Also contains quercetin, an antioxidant, which may be protective against breast, ovarian and endometrial cancers. This herb is greatin Mexican or Italian dishes with chili, garlic, tomatoes and onions (all of which also have their own health benefits).

4. Ginger - The pungency in this herb is due to gingerol. When dried, zingerone is formed. Both have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. They are believed to suppress the growth of cancer cells by inducing cell death. This herb is used fresh in many Asian dishes. This makes a great tea when you are feeling under the weather too.

5. Parsley - Rich in polyacetylenes, which seem to protect against certain carcinogens found in tobacco smoke. It may also help to regulate the body's production of some prostaglandins which can be tumor promotors. Parsley is great in any salad and with tomatoes.

6. Mint – Contains limonene which is also found in citrus peels, cherries, and lavender. Studies suggest that this phytochemical can block the development of breast tumors and shrink them. Limonene is currently being used in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer. My favorite use of mint is a mojito!

7. Turmeric - Contains the yellow pigment curcumin. Curcumin is a good anti-inflammatory agent and can block cell proliferation in the colon that results in colon polyps and possibly colon cancer. In cell culture studies, curcumin has slowed the proliferation of prostate cancer cells. Curcumin can also help with inflammatory diseases like arthritis.

Fire Cider Day 2014

Fire Cider Vinegar

Fire Cider is a generic name for a concoction I typically make at the end of the summer. It contains all the good herbs to help deal with winter illnesses. Probably the name was first coined by Rosemary Gladstar in her books, but the concept is as old as time and most herbalist make some sort of version of fire cider. 

I typically make it from sage, thyme, and oregano from the garden and then add lots of garlic, hot pepper, horseradish and sometimes ginger. I don’t usually make it in the winter, but since today has been declared national Fire Cider Day I’ll make some from what I can find. I have garlic, shallots, horseradish, and ginger from the store. To that I will add some dried oregano, horehound and sage from the summer as well some dried hot peppers we keep on hand.

Many people will add enough honey to make it drinkable. I typically add just a tad of honey and use the fire cider mixed with olive oil on salads. I have a little bit of thyme infused honey that I will scrape out and put in this. One of the great things about herbalism is that many herbs have overlapping properties. If you don't like a particular herb, there is probably another one that can do the job. That is why I am not giving you a particular recipe here. If you want to make fire cider, use similar ingredients that you like or that are easy for you  to find.  Also, don't let the metal lid of the jar come in contact with the vinegar, use plastic or wax paper under the lid to prevent direct contact.

I'll let this set for 2-3 weeks before using it and then use it mostly on salads, but also a few tablespoons straight if I feel a cold coming on. You can dilute in water or tea if its too strong. It can even help clear sinuses by smelling.  The vinegar acts as a natural preservative so it should last several months; however, do keep an eye for mold that may grow.

Fire Cider has gotten a lot of attention recently because the term has been trademarked by a company that is marketing a product they have named Fire Cider. Most herbalists, myself included, believe that because Fire Cider is a generic term for a medicinal vinegar made with herbs, garlic etc. that it should not be trademarked. Surely this company can come up with a more original name for their medicinal cider than Fire Cider. A quick Google search shows that many herbalists make and market a product they call Fire Cider so I don’t know how they were legally able to trademark this term.

If you are interested in learning more about Fire Cider there are many blogs you can read. I suggest

Herbal Roots, The Essential Herbal, or Rosemary Gladstar.

Onion, shallot, garlic, ginger and horseradish from the store.

Spring Herbal Vinegar

I've been meaning to make some herbal vinegar while the chive blossoms are still here. They turn a vinegar a lovely pink color. I finally got around to it today. I cut some of my favorite herbs from the garden; chive blossoms, roses, tarragon, salad burnett, sage, oregano and red clover. I'm not sure how this will taste but I can't imagine any herb combination not tasting good. This time of year its nice to preserve all these spring herbs by putting them in vinegar. If you want to do this just clip a few herbs and loosely fill a 16 oz jar with herbs. Fill the jar with vinegar. I used white because I wanted the color of the herbs to come through. You can use any mild flavored vinegar though. I wouldn't use red wine or balsamic vinegar though as they might overpower the taste of the herbs.

I like doing different herb vinegars over the summer as tasting them over the winter can bring back those memories of summer. Later in the summer I might do a blend of lavender, calendula, mint, nasturtium and basil or Tulsi. I'll use these vinegars in the winter in my salad dressings. What herbs do you like to preserve in vinegar?

Brewers Herbs

Beer is an ancient drink (and food) that I happen to be quite fond of. I especially like beer with lots of floral hops. Hops were not always used in beer though, and may not have been used until the 9th century. Before that, a mixture of herbs referred to as gruit was used to flavor beer. Although I don't brew beer, I do grow hops and other herbs so am interested in what herbs are used in beer. I recently read "The Homebrewer's Garden" by Joe and Dennis Fisher to learn more about herbs in brewing, a very interesting book by the way.

Here are some of the herbs from this book that grow in my gardens.

Anise Hyssop - provides a licorice flavor to beer.
Basil - adds a slightly bitter, spicy flavor.
Bee Balm - often used as a tea, bee  balm provides a bitter, minty flavor.
Borage - gives a spicy, cucumber like flavor to beer. This herb can also be steeped in wine.
Chamomile (Roman) - is said to be one of the 'secret' herbs in Celis White beer. It gives an apple-like flavoring.
Clary Sage - provides a balsamlike aroma to beer.
Coriander - this is a flavoring in one of my favorite beers; Belgian Whites.
Dandelion - yet another use for this common weed. Use the tender spring leaves in your salad and the larger leaves later in the season to bitter your beer.
Elder - the berries are best know for making wine, but they can also be used to flavor beer. The flowers can be used for 'dry hopping' as well.
Oregano - adds a distinctive flavor to beer.

Horehound - this herb can add a warm, menthol flavor. I wonder if horehound beer can be used to control coughs?
Hyssop officinalis - this herb is used in Benedictine and Chartreuse. Using it in beer provides a minty, medicinal scent.
Juniper - commonly used in gin, juniper can contribute this taste to beer as well.
Lavender - oh, the many uses of sweet lavender. I would love to try a pale ale flavored with lavender. Let me know if you know of one.
Lemon Balm - this is used in many liquours and can add a lemon scent/flavor to beer.
Mint - there are many types of  mint, and although I love a mint tea, I don't know how this would be in beer.
Rhubarb - great in a fruit crisp, this is one fruit that would be interesting in beer.
Rose hips - apparently rose hips are used in some beers from Poland and impart a citrus flavor and red color to beer.
Rosemary - before the use of hops in beer, rosemary was quite popular.
Sage - was used in fifteenth century English beer recipes and adds bitterness and camphorlike scent.
Savory, Summer - provide a peppery, oregano-like flavor and aroma.
Spruce - was popular during the American Revolution spruce adds distinct, woods taste that is popular in winter beers.
Sweet Woodruff - this herb is what makes May wine what it is but can also be used to add a mild, sweet aroma to beer.
Thyme - used to give beer a spicy aroma.
Valerian root - is commonly used as a sedative so what better place to use it than beer?
Yarrow - both the leaves and flowers can be used to bitter beer.

I'd love to see more 'herbal' beers so I hope that if you are a brewer this gives you some ideas - and don't hesitate to share with me! I'd love to write reviews!