What You Should Know About St Johns Wort

St Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is an herb that is often used to elevate mood. People can buy it without a prescription and use it for their alternative treatments of certain problems. It is a very popular herb, with many people taking it daily. If you are interested in learning more about St Johns Wort, take a look at this information and see if you think it is for you.

What To Use It For

The most common reason people use St Johns Wort is to treat depression. It is a herb that can help stimulate the areas of the brain that work with depression. Experts warn however that although it may be effective for mild depression, those with moderate or severe depression likely won’t see any help from this herb alone.

However, the British Medical Journal ran an article in August of 1996 that analyzed 25 different studies which showed that St John’s Wort relieved symptoms just as much as many of the drugs out there without causing the side effects associated with these drugs namely headache and vomiting.

Where You Can Get It

Most people can find St Johns Wort supplements in their local natural food stores. In addition, health food stores and supplement stores and even general merchandise stores are starting to carry these pills. You should use it as directed and be aware of any changes or side effects you have. If you have other medical issues, be sure to talk with your doctor before using any type of herb or over the counter medicine.

Cautionary Points

As with any herb or medicine, there can be side effects and use of St John’s Wort can cause dry mouth, headache, fatigue, dizziness, anxiety or sexual dysfunction.

The problem with St Johns Wort is that scientists are not completely sure how it works with the human body. They don’t know the complete composition or how it can help or potentially hurt those that use it.
In addition, if you take other medications you could be at risk for harm. St Johns Wort reacts with several different drugs and can be fatal when combined with them. So, be sure you let your doctor or pharmacist know you are taking this herbal supplement when you see them. It could really save your life when you discuss your herbal treatment strategies with a professional.

How Garlic Can Help Keep You Healthy

For thousands of years the Chinese people have known of the benefit of garlic to their health. So in China garlic apart from being used to flavor food is also traditionally used in teas and folk remedies.

The reason for using garlic is that it is one of nature’s strongest immune system boosters as well as being a powerful antibiotic and helps the digestive system and increase a person’s libido.

Below are provided a number of reasons as to what the benefits of garlic are. But whilst the health and medicinal benefits of garlic are numerous they can also overheat a persons system if they eat too much of it. According to traditional Chinese dietary therapy the garlic is warm in nature as well as being a strong stimulant. So people who suffer from excess heat in their body should first balance their system. This causes such symptoms as red eyes, bad breath, constipation, yellow urine, yellow tongue moss and acne. So if you have any of these symptoms and which to either eliminate or greatly reduce then do not have so much hot food and drinks (meat, fried foods, coffee and alcohol) from your diet before you start eating garlic on a regular basis or you will only make the symptoms worse.

Below are provided a list of the health and medicinal benefits of taking garlic.

1. It is great for enhancing a persons immune system
2. It contains great anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties
3. Also contains anti-fungal properties which are especially effective for treating yeast infections and Candida
4. Can clear boils and infected sores
5. Improves a persons appetite
6. Will aid a persons digestive system (but you must eat several raw cloves a day)
7. Will expel intestinal parasites and worms from the body
8. Can reduce high cholesterol levels

Now we will look at some ways of using garlic as the main ingredient and how the Chinese people make use of the health benefits of garlic.

Garlic Tea

In a pot place 1 or 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 or 2 grams of loose leaf green tea and if you want add 1 or 2 teaspoons of unrefined sugar to the mix. Then pour on boiling water and allow it to cool slightly. Next stir the mixture and let it steep for several minutes before you drink it. Then leave the ingredients in the pot and top it up with more water throughout the day. This helps to kill germs and remove toxins from the body.

Garlic Nose Drops

Crush several cloves of garlic to get the juice. Add to warm water (2 parts water to 1 part garlic juice). Now lie down and using an eye dropper place a couple of drops of the mixture into each nostril as soon as you feel any symptoms appearing. Continue using for as long as necessary. However if the drops irritate your nostrils then stop or reduce the number of drops taken.

This a good preventative method for the common cold and people who suffer from sinus problems.

Garlic Paste

Crush 2 cloves of garlic and mix with several drops of pure sesame oil until it forms a paste. Externally apply to boils, carbuncles and infected sores. Cover the area where paste has been applied and reapply when the paste becomes dry and falls off. Should your skin become overly irritated then discontinue use of the past and try again in a day or two.

In order that you can get the full health benefit of garlic having it in salads or as a tea or in capsule form. It is important that you eat less refined, processed and canned foods as use more foods in a more natural state as possible.

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What You Need To Know When Buying Bulk Herbs

If you are having a hard time in buying bulk herbs or even just finding the herbs you need then hopefully the few little points provided below will help to improve your situation for you.

Watch for Red Flags

As you carry out a search for the herbs you require in catalogs and on websites and a company boasts of a miracle cure or a product which heals every disease that you have ever heard of then ignore it. Also it is important that you are cautious of those companies that only sell one type of product (such as anti-cancer formulas) as these companies are more than likely to be a scam.

Know What you are Looking For

If at all possible when buying bulk herbs choose a company that includes on its product labels the Latin as well as the Common name or the herb, what strength the herb is (this will appear as a ratio on liquids and as milligrams for capsules) plus any warnings regarding the herb. If you can contact the company in question for further information should they not provide details in their catalog or on their website?

What to consider when looking for a supplier

When you are looking for an herbal supplier then why not look to see if there is one close to where you live. It is better for you if you are able to see, smell and touch the herbs before you make any purchase. Also confirm that the herbs you wish to purchase have been food graded (even those used for medicinal purposes should have this grading on them).

Check that they have packed the herbs in an environment which conforms to local health department standards and that they are in sealed packages. However it is important to remember that organic herbs are untreated and therefore they will not carry any chemical residue on them. So although the package may claim the herbs inside are either natural, botanical, wild or pesticide free they may not actually be. So it is vital that you ask the supplier the conditions in which the herbs were grown and then gathered before being packaged.

Always Check the Labels

Read and check the labels very carefully and do not just rely on the common name of the herb and always look at its scientific name so that you know exactly what it is you are buying. If you are buying your herbs on line then make your choice based on the information that the company has provided and if when you ask questions and they do not reply then do not use them. Also it is important that you check the prices of the herbs that you are buying prior to making any purchases as there are some companies out there which charge very high prices for relatively common plants. Take your time before you make any decisions.

As you see there is a lot of effort that is needed on your part when locating and buying bulk herbs but it is well worth it as after all your health is very important to you.

What Causes Warts - What You Must Know to Avoid Getting Warts

Over the ages, there have been many theories as to what causes warts with perhaps the most popular being the theory that they come from toads! While toads are a little warty in appearance, rest assured that you cannot get warts by handling them. You can get warts, however from other people that have warts. This is because warts are actually caused by a virus which attacks your skin cells causing them to grow at a faster rate than they should which in turn creates a benign tumor commonly called a wart.

The virus that causes warts is called the human papillomavirus. It can be spread from person to person and it can also spread from one place on your body to another. The virus gets in through breaks in the skin and it thrives in warm moist places so it is often associated with public showers and locker rooms where you would often have skin contact with wet floors where other people have also been walking.

Taking a closer look at what causes warts, one might note that warts could be avoided by always wearing something on your feet at the pool or gym and avoiding sharing personal items with other people such as razors and towels. The interesting thing about the human papilloma virus is that it has an incubation period and can take up to nine months after exposure to actually show up as a wart.

While most anyone can get warts, not everyone does. Some people seem to be more susceptible to them than others. Often younger people under the age of 30 and people with reduced immune function are prone to warts. That's because warts, being a virus, would have a better chance of settling in on people who were ill-prepared to fight it off. Not everyone who is exposed to the human papillomavirus will get warts because most people have antibodies in their system that will kill off the virus before it can affect their skin cells.

Warts can appear anywhere on your body, but are most often seen on the hands, elbows, knees and ankles. Plantar warts are those found in the bottom of your feet and, while they might be different in appearance than warts and other places they are still the same type of wart just compressed and flattened due to the pressure of walking on them. Genital warts, are an extremely contagious type of wart in the genital area also caused by the human papillomavirus.

So now that you know what causes warts, you're probably wondering how to get rid of them. There are actually several treatments however, it should be noted, that not every treatment works the same on every one. If you have tried a treatment and it hasn't worked, don't feel like you're "stuck with your warts", try another treatment until you find one that does work for you. Sometimes warts go away on their own, but if you can wait that long come up with a treatment plan and try many different things until you find something that works effectively for you.

Why Your Yeast Infection Cure is Not Going to Work

Lets face it, a yeast infection - no matter where it is on your body - can be inconvenient and downright painful. Which is why anyone who has one is most likely looking for a fast and convenient yeast infection cure. However, what you may not realize is that most of the cures out there will only mask the symptoms for a little while and your yeast infection is likely to keep coming back over and over again unless you take the steps to correct the imbalance in your system that is causing these infections to occur.

What Are You Doing Wrong?

In order for a yeast infection to take hold, there has to be an imbalance in your body which creates the conditions for the yeast to flourish. This imbalance comes from inside your body - perhaps it is what you are eating or your lifestyle but no matter what, a yeast infection is your body giving you a signal that something is wrong!

Now most people run to the doctor or the pharmacy for a yeast infection cure that consists of topical creams or they try some home remedies like yogurt or garlic and, while these might work if you catch the infection early on, they don't do anything to treat the real cause of the yeast infection - the imbalance in your body.

What You Need To Do To Get Rid Of Yeast Infections Forever

In order to get rid of your yeast infections for good, you need to approach the problem in a holistic manner. In other words, you need to treat your whole body instead of just one little area. Using creams and topical remedies will only treat one area and may relieve symptoms temporarily, but changing your lifestyle and eating habits will change the hormones, chemicals and nutrients in your body. This will address the problem or imbalance that is creating the environment that allows yeast to grow unchecked.

This means eating the right foods and adopting a healthy lifestyle. While this is good advice in any situation, it is critical if you suffer from yeast infections as letting this situation go on can have very adverse affects on your health!

How Yeast Infections Can Ruin Your Health

What most people don't realize is that a yeast infection can have far reaching and dramatic effect on your health. If left unchecked, the Candida Albicans which causes yeast infections can shift into a pathogenic form which gets into every organ of your body wreaking havoc on your health and causing symptoms such as joint pain, eczema, bloating, chronic diarrhea, itching skin, lethargy, brain fog, sugar cravings, arthritis, oral thrush, rashes, mood swings, sinusitis, headaches, restless sleep, rectal itching, athletes foot - and the list goes on and on.....

This is why seeking a holistic yeast infection cure is the smartest path you can take to get rid of yeast infection symptoms as well as restore yourself to good health. Luckily, holistic methods are neither hard nor expensive and have a positive effect on your overall health, mood and energy.

Paying For Alternative Treatments

Even though alternative health treatments are becoming increasingly popular, there are very few health plans that will pay for alternative treatment. Many people who have come to rely on these treatments will pay for them out of pocket, but if you are seeking alternative treatments, it might pay for you to check with your insurance company before footing the bill yourself.

The price for treatments varies depending on the type and amount of treatments as well as the severity of your problem. Generally, this type of treatment is not overly expensive compared to modern medical treatments but there are a few very important questions that need to be answered before you venture into the world of alternative medical treatments.

How can alternative treatments be paid for?

Most people pay for their treatments out of their own pocket. These treatments are not overly expensive. It can become more expensive the more frequently that you use these treatments. Ask the practitioner what type of payments he or she accepts, if you can get a line of credit or some sort of discount for frequent use if it is the type of treatment that is ongoing like chiropractic. Also, try to find out what types of insurance coverage might pay for these treatments from their experience with past customers.

How Can I Find Out If My Insurance Covers This?

Finding out if your insurance covers these alternative treatments is a good idea and eas easy as a phone call your insurance company. When you talk to them, ask specific questions related to the treatments you want to use and how they can be covered.

If your insurance does cover these types of treatments, there is a good chance that there is a limit on the sessions that will be covered. Ask about this as well as any other stipulations to coverage they might have.

You might find that you are only covered if it is medically necessary by their terms or there may be special requirements for you to be covered. Find out the specifics and see if you can work with your practitioner to get yourself covered.

Questions To Ask Your Practitioner

You will want to ask your practitioner if they even accept your health insurance, and if not what forms of payment they accept. Also find out if there will be any additional cost (or discount) depending on the method with which you pay. Find out if you can get a free or reduced "trial period" treatment. This way you do not have to spend any money trying to find out if these forms of treatment are right for you. You will find that there are many practitioners out there who will be more than happy to give you a small trial treatment. They want you to be happy with your treatment.

With the popularity of alternative treatments on the rise and more and more medical establishments accepting them, it is only a matter of time before your insurance covers most of what you need. For now, however, don't forgo treatments that could make your life more pleasant without having to resort to harmful drugs or surgery – you may find it is well worth the money spent!