Herbs, Oils, and Crystals

I regularly take a number of herbal supplements. I’ve used some form of saw palmetto preparation for many years to keep my prostate happy. I take a mixture of slippery elm bark, DGL, and plant enzymes with every meal to aid digestion. Before I started with this supplement I was on the little “purple pill” (Nexium), which has dire long-term side effects. By taking this herbal preparation I have quit the prescription drug entirely. Is there any wonder why the drug companies keep trying to get legislation passed to outlaw all supplements? Their excuse is that the medical benefits of supplements are unproven and they haven’t been checked out for safety. Well, what about the safety of prescription drugs? I appreciate their concern for my health, but I’ll continue to make my own medical decisions as long as I can.

Essential oils are another part of my personal medicine chest. I use tea tree oil (melaleuca alternifolia) as a disinfectant for cuts, scratches and the like. I also take one drop by mouth every minute at the first sign of a sore throat. After about 15 minutes I space it out until the cold symptoms are gone. I’ve been able to avoid many colds this way. It is very important that you get the highest quality oil if you are going to take even a drop or two internally. I will use Young Living or Jurlique oils internally, but prefer to get my essential oils from dealers who work directly with the people who distill them. Essential oils should be distilled using water, not steam or other chemicals. Cheaper oils are distilled with steam or chemicals because they can get more oil out of the plant that way, but with a decrease in the quality.

Another wonderful essential oil is frankincense oil (Boswellia sacra), made from the same resin that is often burned as incense. Frankincense oil relieves muscle spasm and other inflammation problems and it is often used to treat asthma, although I haven’t tried that. Again, you will need to make sure you are getting high quality oil. There is a huge range of quality and you need to know your source.

As for crystals, there is much literature on the healing properties of crystals, but I haven’t found them to be effective for me. I like crystals and own several that I enjoy looking at. Elyn bought me a beautiful double terminated enhydro quartz crystal for my birthday this year. If you look very carefully you can see two tiny air bubbles in separate water capsules. They will move as you rotate the crystal. Fascinating.