Tea Party! Linden Flower, Eleuthero, Dong Quai, California Poppy
LINDEN (or was it Elder?) FLOWER
Melissa: Flower my booty!! It was BITTER. I loathed this. 2/10
Kylah: 4/10. I didn’t hate it. Not great.
Eleuthero
Melissa: 9/10 Tasted like nothing, which today — was a relief. Yeay for tasting like nothing!
Kylah - 8/10 great additive to something else, and would drink it by itself if I had to.
Dong Quai
Melissa & Kylah: 4/10. Tasted like celery root water.
California Poppy
Melissa & Kylah: “Tasted like burned alfalfa.” Kylah - 5/10. Melissa 3/10
Omega-6 • Linoleic Acid • Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) links
PUFA = Bad. Why?
https://www.jeffnobbs.com/posts/why-is-vegetable-oil-unhealthy
https://chriskresser.com/how-too-much-omega-6-and-not-enough-omega-3-is-making-us-sick/
https://www.naturalblaze.com/2020/12/how-linoleic-acid-wrecks-your-health.html
https://www.alexfergus.com/blog/pufa-s-the-worst-thing-for-your-health-that-you-eat-everyday
https://theecologist.org/2014/feb/24/linoleic-acid-overwhelming-evidence-against-healthy-poly-unsaturated-oil
PUFA = Chronic Disease
https://www.jeffnobbs.com/posts/what-causes-chronic-disease
PUFA = Death? Here are the studies
https://www.jeffnobbs.com/posts/death-by-vegetable-oil-what-the-studies-say
PUFA = skin cancer / sunburn
https://reallytanman.substack.com/p/seed-oils-the-real-cause-of-skin?
https://yelling-stop.blogspot.com/2017/12/nmany-on-omega-6-and-sunburn-can.html
PUFA = heart disease: The Lipid Lie
https://michaelkummer.com/health/saturated-fat-risks/
PUFA = Broken Metabolism
https://yelling-stop.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-cause-of-metabolic-syndrome-excess.html
What to Eat / What to Avoid
https://fireinabottle.net/the-croissant-diet-specification/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRjZLnpt3v-pel-zjyyZCX2SDi9BR8_f8dghfkZuy4z0ETTYAcqD9B-NzKNT9_JlI68PP_cMAPyaDw1/pub
Silicade Recipe
1 Gallon Silicade — in two half-gallon containers.
Thanks to Dennis Crouse for this recipe. I am not endorsing this recipe, I am simply posting it for those who want a half-gallon recipe.
Materials:
1 Brita filter
2 half gallon jars
2 wide mouth lids and rings
1 small pitcher
1 tablespoon
1 smidgen, dash, and pinch
1 small pyrex beaker
4 zero water bottles
1 funnel
1 oven mitt
1 knife
1 ph meter
Ingredients:
sodium silicate
sodium bisulfate
baking soda
calcium chloride
magnesium chloride
Procedure:
Add 1 dash and 1 pinch of sodium silicate and 2 tbsp zero water into small pitcher
Fill 2 half gallon containers with zero water
Put 100ml of zero water into beaker
Bring small pitcher to boil and boil for 30 seconds
After boiling, empty small pitcher into pyrex beaker containing the zero water
Top off the pyrex beaker to 200 ml using zero water
Pour 100ml in each half gallon container
Fill up two half gallon containers to first line, screw on part with zero water
Add 1 pinch 1 smidgen of sodium bisulfate to each half gallon of water. When I add a pinch, my ph comes out to about 3.10-3.3 so I am halving the recipe for now.
Put on the lids and shake to mix
Test ph balance, it should be 4.0 to 5.0. If it’s not, Crouse says to slowly add a little more sodium bisulfate. However, when I do that, my ph goes down!! UGH.
Filter through the brita
Add a quarter of a smidgen - to a smidgen- of baking soda to the half gallon containers and refill them with the now brita filtered water. Then shake to mix.
Test ph, it should be 6.5
If the ph is too low, you can add a single grain of rice worth of baking soda.
Add 1 pinch magnesium chloride to each container if you want 20 ppm extra magnesium.
Add 1 pinch calcium chloride to each container if you want 40 ppm extra calcium. The pH will rise to 6.6 with 2 pinches of calcium chloride (for 80 ppm calcium).
Dennis Crouse recipe is here
Potassium from food
Potassium requirements are high! 4,700 grams a day
1. Acorn Squash!!
100 g = 9% (437 mg potassium). 200 g = 18% (872 mg potassium)
Only 56 calories and 0 fat!
I eat mine with either 1 tsp of ghee or 1 tsp of emu oil. Delicious!
Other options:
Acorn Squash hummus
100 g acorn squash
Hummus
Mix it together and now you have potassium-laden hummus!
(To be honest, I find that recipe bland, but it's one way to do it.)
I've also tried the acorn squash as a pudding--bake it, mash it, add ginger and cinnamon.
Acorn squash is my #1 potassium solution. I could not get to 100% without it.
2. Coconut water
8.75 fl ounces = 17% (590 mg). [8.75 fl ounces = 259 mL]
Coconut water is the top food source of potassium used in most natural health circles I run in. Note however that it is high in sugar. Because of this, I no longer drink it, but I’m including it because 16 oz will give you about 30% of your potassium for the day. If you can tolerate the sugar, it makes a dent in the 4,700 mg you need.
Harmless Harvest coconut water is organic, fair trade and refrigerated. It has no added sugar – no added anything. It's just organic coconut water. It does come in a plastic bottle, but I couldn't find a glass bottle solution, so for now that's my top choice. Note that their smallest bottles, which are 8.75 fl oz, are actually CHEAPER per oz (by pennies) than their larger bottles.
3. Avocado
80 g of avocado (a very small avocado, or half of a large one) = 9% potassium. (405 mg).
100 g avocado = 11% (507 mg)
4. Sweet Potato
100 g of sweet potato = 10% (475 mg)
Sadly because they are high oxalate, I can no longer eat them. Waaaaah.
Otherwise I'd eat 500 g of sweet potato a day, I love them!!
5. Mushrooms
100 g white button mushrooms = 8% (356 mg) • 100 g portobello mushrooms = 9% (437 mg)
6. Kale
100 g kale = 5% (228 mg)
Kale is also an amazing source of Vitamin K (K1, that is). 100 g kale = 82% K1. Wow!
7. Sauerkraut, cabbage or Red Cabbage
100 g sauerkraut = 4% (170 mg) • 100 g cabbage = 4% (196 mg)
100 g red cabbage = 5% (262)
This is a weird one because I eat an absurd amount of sauerkraut, like 250 g a day, so I get 9% of my potassium from that. But really, you could double or triple kale, mushrooms, sweet potato or other high potassium vegetables and get your numbers higher.
8. Broccoli or Cauliflower
100 g broccoli = 6% (293 mg) • 100 g cauliflower = 3% (142 mg)
9. Yellow Squash
100 g yellow (summer) squash = 5% (261 mg)
Note that all squash is high in potassium, so you can’t go wrong with kabocha, butternut, etc.
10. Beans
15 g natto (fermented soybeans) = 2% (109 mg)
100 g mung beans = 5% (266 mg)
100 g cow peas = 5% (278 mg)
100 g chickpeas = 6% (291 mg)
100 g yellow or green split peas = 7% (362 mg)
100 g lentils = 7% (369 mg)
100 g orca beans = 7% (370 mg)
100 g lima beans = 10% (508 mg)
You get the idea. Beans are a strong source of potassium, no matter which one/s you choose.
11. Molasses
1 tablespoon of organic blackstrap molasses = 9% (450 mg)
Tea Party! Cleavers, Flax Seed, Fennel, Rooibos
Cleavers
Lua: Very light, not much flavor but not bad. 6/10
Melissa: Agreed. 6/10
Bill: Super mellow, I enjoyed it. Grassy. 6/10. Tried it with chamomile, it was the same, 6/10.
Flax Seed
Lua: Zero flavor! 0/10
Melissa: Well, that was a bust. I put 2 tsp of flax seeds in a cup of boiling water, strained out the seeds, and all I got was water! Need to do more research on this. 0/10
Fennel
Lua: Very nice, tastes like licorice but sweeter than expected. 8/10
Melissa: I find the main note of the tea to be very bland, but the aftertaste or undertone is licorice, which I like. So I prefer fennel in a mix, not by itself. 5/10
Bill: I really like the licorice-y ones. Definitely throat-coat energy coming from this. 7/10
Chamomile, Rooibos and Fennel
Lua: My favorite one! Fennel doesn’t come through very much though. 8/10
Melissa: Lua likes rooibos, I do not. So I didn’t like this. The chamomile and fennel weren’t strong enough to hide the rooibos. 4.5/10
Rooibos
Bill: It’s so earthy. It’s musky. 8/10
Lua: It’s kind of sweet and creamy, with an olive-y aftertaste. 10/10
Melissa: It doesn’t grab me. I find it dull, like drinking warmed up sand. It’s not terrible and doesn’t have a bad aftertaste, so I’ll give it a 4.5/10. Being charitable.
Tea Party! Mistletoe, Strawberry Leaf, Yellow Dock, Elder Flower, Mugwort & Rooibos
1 tsp of each organic herb in a cup of boiling water
steeped for 10 minutes
Mistletoe
7/10. Not a strong tasting tea; water flavored with the color of yellow and green, just like it looks. Not bad. Kind of subtle like horsetail tea. I think of horsetail as water flavored with the color of white; this is water flavored with the color of mistletoe.
Strawberry Leaf
6/10. Cedar flavor. Cedar smell. Conjured childhood memories of cedar boxes for Margaret and me. Not sure I really liked it though. Might need to try it again.
Yellow Dock
8/10. Bright and earthy. Like watered down pea soup. “A homeopathic pea soup.” Almost as if the tea has a yellow-colored taste. Might make a good addition to a bean soup for extra flavoring.
Elder Flower
2/10. I didn’t like it - it was innocuous but had a bitter aftertaste. Margaret tasted it as sweet and pollen-y along with the bitter undertones.
Mugwort
1/10. I didn’t like it. Tasted like dirt. I really didn’t like the smell, or how it looks. Kind of like big moldy fluffs. But, I was extremely relaxed afterwards and the EFFECT might be worth the taste…will continue to experiment with it and maybe ways to hide the smell/taste in a mix.
Rooibos
2/10. Some people like Lua think there’s an overtone that’s sweet and creamy with an olive undertone. But I didn’t taste the overtone, just the undertone, so I didn’t like it. I’ll continue to experiment with mixing it in other teas, because I heard from Dr. Greger that it’s a super healthy tea!
Let's get wild mix! Astragalus & Hibiscus Mix TOGETHER!
Recipe
2 teaspoons of organic astragulus root
1 teaspoon of organic cat’s claw bark
1 teaspoon of organic milk thistle seeds
.25-.5 teaspoon of organic licorice root
1 teaspoon organic hibiscus flower
1 teaspoon organic burdock root
1 teaspoon organic dandelion root
1 teaspoon organic chickweed
Now we are getting into the world of very complex herbal blends. I used to drink a cup of hibiscus mix tea, which was delicious. I also drank a cup of astragalus mix tea, which was delicious. But then I started drinking cistus tea because I LOVE DR. KLINGHARDT! Just the way he says “cistus tea” in his German accent is enough for me to drop everything and go buy it. Anyway, once I added the cistus, I was over my limit for morning cups of tea, since I can literally only fit about 4 cups of tea into my body at a time.
That is when it occurred to me: I can mix the astragalus and hibiscus mixes! So now I have this massive 8-herb blend, and I LOVE IT even more than the original two. My wish is that you might too! And if you don’t, try drinking each tea one at a time, and take out the tea you don’t like, and only drink what you do like. Because tea, in my opinion, is all about joy and happiness — so I invite you to be empowered to have a purely joyful and happy tea experience, EVERY TIME!
By the way I add a tablespoon of freshly squeezed organic lemon juice to every cup of tea I drink. So also add whatever gives you joy to your tea.
Delicious Astragalus Herbal Tea Mix
Recipe
2 teaspoons of organic astragulus root
1 teaspoon of organic cat’s claw bark
1 teaspoon of organic milk thistle seeds
.25-.5 teaspoon of organic licorice root
Why I like this blend:
Astragalus is supposed to be a very healing herb, so I wanted to get some in me. But, I don’t like it on its own. So I looked for ways to make it tastier.
Cat’s claw bark is uplifting and yummy to me. I could definitely drink it on its own. Added to this mix, it smoothes out what I’m not overjoyed with in the astragalus. I can’t say exactly what it is I don’t love about the astragalus, it’s just something.
Licorice is clearly the universe smiling down upon us with love and affection!! How tasty is licorice? Let me count the ways!! Of course too much licorice can reduce potassium, and that is a terrible fate since most people struggle to keep up potassium levels. We need almost FIVE GRAMS of potassium a day! (4,700 milligrams to be exact). The horror. Therefore the joy of licorice must be balanced with the joy of having enough potassium. For this reason, and other reasons we are not supposed to take potassium “which I am forbidden to see” (that’s just a reference to “The Waste Land” for fun) I only add 1/4 or 1/3 of a teaspoon of licorice. To be serious I have heard we must be careful about too much licorice but since I drink herbs for fun, not for profit, I don’t know the other reasons. Enough about licorice!
Milk thistle is said to be good for your liver. I am obsessed with liver health and that’s an understatement. I have no idea what these little seeds taste like on their own, I don’t think I ever tried them by themselves! They look like they’d taste like nothing. But all I can say is they are fine in this mix, so I get my milk thistle in and feel satisfied I’m doing good by my liver!
Delicious Hibiscus Tea Mix
Recipe
1 teaspoon of each:
organic hibiscus flower
organic burdock root
organic dandelion root
organic chickweed
Why I like this tea:
Hibiscus is a deep, rich red tea. It’s beautiful!! But for me, hibiscus by itself is too strong. So I needed to create a blend that would cut the taste. This is the blend!
Burdock is an earthy yet somehow light and friendly tea that I can drink all day and all night. Of course I love to eat burdock root also (about 10 grams in a vegetable medley, not a lot, but just some for taste). Although I can drink it alone, it adds heartiness to this mix.
Dandelion root is not something I like on it’s own, but with burdock and hibiscus lending their tastiness, I can handle it fine in this blend. It’s a healthy herb so I like getting it in. Personally I do NOT prefer the taste of roasted dandelion root, so this is not roasted, it’s just regular. But I’m sure if you like roasted then you could add that in for all the roasted goodness you desire!
Chickweed is NOT an herb I’m in love with. It’s kind of straw-tasting. I’d never drink it on its own. However, it’s a healthy herb I’d love to get in, and this mix is perfect for it. Without the chickweed I still find this tea a bit too strong — hibiscus is a very strong flavor and I needed something to cut it and mellow it out. Chickweed fit the bill. But if you like hibiscus and want a more hibiscusy tea, then maybe consider omitting the chickweed.
Confused? Info for further research
https://c19study.com/ List of all current studies
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6xqCg12rOPM&feature=share Dr. David Katz overview
https://www.newsweek.com/key-defeating-covid-19-already-exists-we-need-start-using-it-opinion-1519535 Newsweek editorial
https://www.henryford.com/news/2020/07/hydro-treatment-study?fbclid=IwAR29EUhzRcExoivdCsYJUJSNnu-JM-cgZHRJ1nxRZ17kJw9wXJW3x6XXvVM Henry Ford Health System study
Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 moves calcium out of arteries and joints and into bones, where it belongs. It is so effective at moving calcium, you can actually feel it work — plaque on teeth dissolves!! If that plaque is dissolving, what OTHER plaque is dissolving?
One of the top whole-food sources of Vitamin K2 is emu oil. I have heard that Walkabout Emu oil is of incredibly high quality, so that’s what I use. I definitely notice its impact on my teeth. You can buy it here. (NOT an affiliate link).
Otherwise any good quality brand of K2 should work fine.
This is a very short post, because if you want to know EVERYTHING ON EARTH about vitamin k2, then the only reasonable thing to do is read the amazing post below by Dr. Chris Masterjohn, who is a vitamin expert:
https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2016/12/09/the-ultimate-vitamin-k2-resource
Herbal Tea for Deep Sleep
guest post by p. d.
What happened in February to cause my deep sleep to Skyrocket?
NOURISHING HERBAL INFUSIONS!
A nourishing herbal infusion (NHI) is one ounce of an NHI-approved herb in a quart jar. Boiling water is poured over the herb. It’s left to steep from 4 hours to overnight. The goal is to drink
one whole quart of NHI daily.
I believe that drinking a quart of NHI daily since around January is the reason my deep sleep has improved and keeps on climbing! The dip in February was due to illness, I was extremely sick from Feb. 10-21. Not sure if it was COVID or not, I’ll update when I get antibody testing!
Top Five Nourishing Herbal Infusions:
Nettle • Oatstraw • Red Clover • Linden • Comfrey
I assume this is because they have the absolute highest levels of minerals and vitamins.
(Some herbs are not NHI-approved because if you drink a ton it will make you sick.
So don’t make an NHI with any herb in your cabinet! Only use NHI-approved herbs).
Nettle is the Queen of Nourishing Herbal Infusions, so it is the top recommendation. Alas, it gives me tinnitus!!! Waaaah. So I absolutely can not drink it. (Peppermint also does that to me, double waaaah). So I can’t tell you much about nettle since I am prohibited by my right ear from taking it. (Only my right ear has the problem).
Oatstraw…well, it tastes like it sounds. It tastes like straw to me. Am I a horse? No, so I don’t drink oatstraw. But it’s too bad for me since I am missing out on one of the top NHI. That’s how it goes though, because there are so many herbs in the world, and the most important thing when it comes to herbal tea is
DOES IT GIVE YOU JOY?
If it gives you joy, drink it. If it doesn’t, forget it!! YOU and your joy are the path to determining which herbs you bring into your life and which ones you give away after trying them once. For instance, you don’t see Blue Vervain in my house. However that’s not an NHI herb so I digress. But just so you know, it left a bitter, metallic aftertaste on the SIDES of the back of my tongue, which is a unique horror proposition I have never encountered in any other tea.
Red Clover is SO GREAT! I am the biggest fan of red clover in the universe. It is actual little clover heads and leafy stuff. Actual clovers from the ground! They are so friendly and fun. It has a mild taste with no aftertaste, which is the most important thing to me because I hate an aftertaste. I’m running low right now and very sad about it.
Linden is a syrupy, golden delight that could be mistaken for ambrosia. I have to admit that most herbalists say to use only half an ounce of linden instead of the usual one ounce. I do not follow that advice because I like it syrupy and thicker, so I do what I want. I have to admit also that linden smells and looks amazing, but it is less tasty to me than it appears, which is why I double the recipe. I know doubling recipes can be a very bad thing, such as when I doubled the elderberry syrup recipe and got a violent stomachache and now I’m afraid to ever use elderberry again. But so far doubling the linden hasn’t killed me so I’m sticking with it.
Comfrey LEAF not root is an aftertaste-free herbal infusion that has become my favorite one. I know there are internet rumors about comfrey having liver repercussions, but the internet has rumors about unadulterated borax which I use in my laundry, and honestly after researching this I have concluded I feel safe drinking it as often as I want, which is about five days a week. It’s a mild, mildy-mint-smelling tea-tasting tea. It’s kinda neither here nor there, but it’s just right for me.
* Update: after further research I have decided to quit drinking comfrey leaf due to concerns about PA’s, elements in the comfrey that can harm the liver.
Other Approved Nourishing Herbal Infusions
Chickweed • Mullein • Raspberry Leaf • Hawthorn Berries
Elder Berries or Flowers • Burdock Root • Violet Leaves
Plantain Leaves • marshmallow root • slippery elm bark
Chickweed I can’t drink it by itself, it’s similar to oatstraw for me, too much like drinking hay. However, I do drink chickweed in my special hibiscus elixir, which is equal parts of dandelion, burdock root, chickweed and hibiscus. Hibiscus is too sharp and sweet for me, and the chickweed mellows it out nicely.
Mullein Well, I know it’s supposed to be very good for lungs, a good thing to take right now, but ladies and gentlemen, this furry herb is not for me.
Raspberry leaf Aaaaahhhhh…I wanted to like it. It tastes good and the dried herb does have a raspberry smell. But it has an aftertaste. So I prefer red clover, which is similar but without the aftertaste.
Hawthorn berries Did I do it wrong? I made an ounce into an NHI. But it tasted like colored water.
Elder berries So delicious I doubled, then tripled the recipe for elderberry syrup. I never tried it as an NHI though. What a good idea! I’ll report back on that.
Elder flowers Didn’t rock my world, I think I need to try it again.
Burdock root ROCKS MY WORLD!! I am an all-time lover of burdock. Some say it tastes like eating dirt. Well, it’s savory dirt in my opinion. I eat fresh steamed burdock root in my lunch (it’s available at Whole Foods). As a tea, it’s also great. Very mild, very friendly, no aftertaste, and kind of earthy and slightly sweet. You may hate it, but I love it.
Plantain leaves I forget why, but I didn’t like it. Someone I know says: “I feel like it sticks to my tongue. It’s just a bitter flavor.” Too earthy, not yummy.
Marshmallow root Wow, what an awesome herb to be able to have a lot of! It’s so yummy, but it’s high in oxalates. I have high oxalates (100) so, I gotta skip it as an NHI. I’ll do a teaspoon in a tea mixture, but a whole ounce is probably not right for me.
Slippery Elm Same as marshmallow root, high in oxalates so I can’t drink it as an infusion. But if you can, lucky you!
Way to go, me! I’ve tried every one except violet leaves. Excited to get some and try it! My philosophy on how to learn about herbs is: “Buy and Try”!
Some herbalists advise to make just one NHI at a time, to really get to know your herb. I agree! However, once you know your herb, go wild! Do what you want!! I do! One herbalist adds these for flavoring: “I sometimes add a little bit of aromatic herb such as peppermint (Mentha pipperata), lemon balm (Melissa off.), or bergamot (Monarda didyma) to change the flavor.”
Final List of Approved Nourishing Herbal Infusions
ALfalfa • amaranth • astragalus • dandelion • fenugreek • flax seeds • honeysuckle • lamb’s quarters • purslane • siberian Ginseng
Alfalfa Well, I really, really hated this. If I boiled grass and drank it, this is what I think it would taste like.
Astragalus I drink 2 teaspoons daily in a mix with cat’s claw and milk thistle. Weird combo, I know, probably making real herbalists horrified. Well, if it’s really terrible email me and I’ll stop! I tried astragalus by itself as an NHI. It was a strange taste I just couldn’t handle, even though I like astragalus a lot, and I think it’s a good immunity herb for the COVID era. Maybe I’ll try it again.
Dandelion Oh all by itself? That sounds so bitter. I haven’t tried it and I doubt I will! I drink a fair amount daily in my special hibiscus elixir, which is equal parts of dandelion, burdock root, chickweed and hibiscus.
Fenugreek Good: fenugreek is spicy tasting and delicious. For me, the bad is: no matter how little fenugreek I drink, I sweat out the smell! ODORIFEROUS!!! I can’t take it. So I don’t drink it.
I haven’t tried any others but when I do I will update! Honeysuckle sounds SO GOOD! But then again so did calendula.
How to Make Nourishing Herbal Infusions? Links below!
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58b680a1c534a5de91312c77/t/5a8bc5d3e4966ba44f71b457/1519109717997/Nourishing-Herbal-Infusions-eBookv2.pdf
http://www.methowvalleyherbs.com/2008/03/nourishing-herbal-infusions-part-2.html
https://redmoonherbs.com/pages/how-to-make-a-nourishing-herbal-infusion
https://www.wildwoodinstitute.com/articles/long-herbal-infusions.html
https://discovercreateinspire.com/nourishing-herbal-infusions/
https://medium.com/@Herbal_Musings/why-i-drink-nourishing-herbal-infusions-and-so-should-you-91dfe6654232
https://mamaeatsplants.wordpress.com/2018/05/29/nourishing-herbal-infusions/
http://nourishingherbalinfusions.com/herbs.html
http://www.methowvalleyherbs.com/2008/03/nourishing-herbal-infusions-part-2.html
https://www.wildwoodinstitute.com/articles/long-herbal-infusions.html
https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/how-to-make-nourishing-herbal-infusions#.XiY9AityzZ0.twitter
https://www.letsbevegan.com/single-post/2017/01/29/Nourishing-Herbal-Infusions
http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/September08/anti-cancer.htm
https://botanical.com/site/column_susun/susun_infusions.html
Mineral Status And Psychological Wellbeing
How minerals can change your health and your life
No matter how much IFS you do, you can't fix EVERYTHING with it. (I wish!) While IFS has transformed my health in immeasurable ways, as I continue on my own healing journey, I have found I also need to address physical health directly as well.
One of the tools I use for this is Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA). This is simply a report of the minerals and metals in a small piece of hair that is sent to a lab and analyzed. It is a non-invasive, inexpensive, and accessible way to get a broad view of how the body is functioning.
I started tracking my mineral status in 2017. As I replenish depleted minerals, I find that I have more energy and better sleep. I have less aches and pains. Emotionally, I am more positive, calm and focused.
Although HTMA is a simple test, interpreting it is not. Sometimes minerals or metals are HIGH in the hair because they are not bio-available in the body: they are being excreted, or building up, instead of being metabolized correctly.
On the other hand, heavy metals may show up low in a hair test, which LOOKS like a good thing, but may actually be bad -- this may indicate the body is NOT excreting them well, and therefore the hair burden is low but the body burden is high. People often see low levels of toxic metals in the hair on a first test. That was the case with me.
As I started addressing my mineral deficits, my metabolism improved. As my metabolism improved, my body was able to start moving heavy metals out. Arsenic went from .004 to .011 to .018. I knew I had arsenic because I ate brown rice for over a decade. (Rice and chicken have high levels of arsenic contamination). I'm glad I'm finally beginning to get it out of me.
I began drinking water with silica, which is the top chelator of aluminum according to Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt and Dr. Christopher Exley. As I persist in drinking silica-rich water, my level of aluminum in each successive HTMA has almost doubled -- from .32, to .60, to 1.03 on my latest test. So although my numbers are coming UP, this is good news, because it probably means my body burden of aluminum is coming DOWN.
Mercury has been a roller coaster -- my first test it was .041, second: .027, third: .042. I'm hoping it's being chelated in waves!
I am pursuing continuing education in how to read hair tissue mineral analysis, so that I can help people use this non-invasive tool to track both their major minerals, as well as their toxic metals. In the future, I am hoping to offer hair tissue mineral analysis to clients, because heavy metals and mineral deficiencies can impact emotional health. I want to do everything I can to support people's highest functioning on all levels!
Link below for more reading:
https://blog.bulletproof.com/hair-analysis-test/
12/7/17 ARL HTMA (Analytical Research Labs) Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis
I'm proud of my progress in six months! (Note the last test results are in the boxes below each result, under "previous").
I resolved my "calcium shell," and budged my sodium up to 4 from 3. (I salt everything!)
My main concern right now is the low, low potassium. Looking forward to finding ways to bring all my low numbers up while making sure my calcium doesn't go sky-high again.
Natto Update
I have updated how I eat the natto. I cut out the ginger and other stuff, and settled on something super simple: just sweet potato, tahini, and Redmonds Real Salt. It's pretty bland sans salt but could still work without it.
Tahini masks the taste of natto fabulously! It not only masks the taste, it's sticky so it masks the spider-web texture of the natto too. Win-win!
Melissa's Tahini-Natto-Sweet Potato recipe:
15 g Natto
20 g tahini
40 g sweet potato
Mix together (easier said than done with natto, but once the spider webs calm down, it's good to go). Add sea salt or Real salt if desired. Enjoy!
Note that the Chronometer application (above) uses incomplete nutrition databases, so it is not showing the Vitamin K2 for the natto—I assume it is showing K1.
Natto gives you K2, and this database does not appear to distinguish K2 from K1. "Natto is the highest dietary source of vitamin K2 with a whopping 775 mcg per 100 gram serving." According to this source, 15 g of natto provides 116.25 mcg of Vitamin K2. That's around the recommendable level of K2 per day. (source: https://www.mamanatural.com/why-vitamin-k2-is-important-and-how-to-get-it)
Nowadays I like to eat the natto with homemade broccoli sprouts. The heavy quality of the natto-tahini-sweet potato is balanced by the light quality of the broccoli sprouts. I usually eat about 50 grams of sprouts. The sprouts add a lot of great nutrition. Note that they do not provide ANY vitamin K2 — the Vitamin K here is Vitamin K1:
Personal experience
HTMA Calcium Success: After I started eating natto, I reduced the level of calcium in my hair tissue mineral analysis from Analytical Research Labs (ARL):
5/31/17: calcium level 120 (way over ideal, which is 40. My body was depositing calcium in my hair, and probably arteries and joints, because it was not bio-available).
12/7/17: calcium level 38 --within ideal range!!
During the time I brought my hair calcium level down to the proper level, in addition to eating natto, I also brought my Vitamin D level up from 31 to 71 using Vitamin D mushrooms, a Sperti Sun lamp, and outdoor sun exposure. I can't be sure it was the natto, but I'm impressed I resolved my "calcium shell" condition in 6 months so dramatically, and I think natto played an important part.
Dental Feedback—Massive Plaque Reduction: Vitamin K2 moves calcium from places it should not be, like arteries and joints, to where it should be -- in the bones. People who take K2 note that it often clears up the plaque on their teeth (you can read that in Amazon reviews of Vitamin K2).
My dentist was SO AMAZED at my lack of plaque, he commented on it three times at my last visit. "Look at this, Melissa! Look at this — no plaque! Plaque is not your problem, that's for sure!" I knew he would be impressed because I could feel the difference on my teeth, but it was fun to get the feedback. Thanks Dr. Simone!
Science
Natto increases K2 levels in blood https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10874601
My journey from cupcakes to Natto...and how I eat it now
My acupuncturist made long-term efforts to induce me to eat NATTO. So, I heard about this (to me) HORRIFYING food item for many, many years, as she casually brought it up (without pressuring me) from time to time.
Note: Don't ever pressure anyone to eat NATTO! The interior fortitude required to face and eat the NATTO must be conjured from within.
My diet had a fair amount of Sweet Mandy B's cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, and other tasty treats in it. With a sweet tooth like that, what were the chances my mouth was going to adjust itself to NATTO? Ummm...ZERO. I just wasn't ready.
But in June of 2016 everything changed. My acupuncturist told me she had to close her practice to address serious health concerns. I was SHOCKED! She looked completely healthy! This re-wired my brain: if she could be harboring deep health imbalances despite looking healthy, SO COULD I.
On that very day, I QUIT EATING SUGAR. I had been working on quitting for probably a decade. I had quit and started, quit and started, probably dozens of times. But — every time you quit, you come closer to quitting for good. And this was the case for me. This time, it was for good.
My palate gradually recovered its natural capacity to appreciate real food. Month by month, I was eating healthier food. Finally...I was ready. Ready to face the NATTO.
I went online to Meguminatto and placed my first order in a fit of courage.
When I received it, all my fears were CONFIRMED. It smelled like ammonia + coffee (winning combo!) and looked like spider web-wrapped beans.
I was as horrified as I always thought I would be, but I persevered, because I was READY. I devised a method to hide the taste:
Melissa's Natto taste-hiding Natto-Ginger-Sweet Potato recipe
6 g fresh ginger (bottled ginger doesn't mask the taste as well, I tried and cried)
40 to 50 g mashed sweet potato (baked, boiled or steamed, whatever works)
Natto — amount dependent on taste tolerance (I started with 10 g, and have worked up to an astounding 24 g!!)
* optional — if you eat dairy, add 1 tsp of ghee. It really helps cut the taste! Also adds a little extra K2 to your recipe
This recipe alone does not hide the taste enough, so I also have two further taste-disguising methods:
1. Eat it with broccoli sprouts
The sprouts are slightly spicy and this helps mask the taste.
2. Eat it with guacamole / some kind of avocado dressing
I can't eat tomatoes so I make mine without, but avocado and garlic go a LONG way towards masking the natto taste. In fact you could probably make natto guacamole!
Melissa's No-Nightshade, Simple Avocado Dressing
Flesh of 1 avocado, mashed
8-12 g of fresh squeezed lemon juice (I squeeze weekly & keep a bottle in the fridge)
20 g of sauerkraut juice (I eat Bubbies sauerkraut daily, you could use your own or just add some salt here)
• optional — fresh pressed garlic to tolerance (I do 1 tsp)
That's it! It's seriously simple, like all my cooking!
Ultimately, I ended up creating a natto taste-disguising, high-nutrient meal which looks like this:
Natto lunch:
Natto-Ginger-Sweet Potato recipe
2.5 ounces broccoli sprouts
Greens & Mushrooms Cooked Salad
No-Nightshade, Simple Avocado Dressing
Melissa's Greens & Mushrooms Cooked Salad
106 g kale • or around 78 g kale, 45 g dandelion greens.
95 g mushrooms (any kind)
No-Nightshade, Simple Avocado Dressing
Wash greens in filtered water. Soak in apple cider vinegar for 10 minutes. Boil large pot of water on stove. Throw greens into boiling water, boil for 7-8 minutes. Strain off excess water. Use same water to boil mushrooms to taste — anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes.
Keep the lid OFF the pot when you cook the greens and mushrooms. If you want to create Mt. Vesuvius in your kitchen, put the lid on the pot with the mushrooms and watch it explode!! Fun times. I don't know why mushrooms do that, but, yeah, cook them with the LID OFF.
Here is the nutrient breakdown of my Natto lunch:
When the time is right, I have confidence you, too, can eat Natto!
This is my method of incorporating it into my body — both for my taste buds and my nutrition needs. I know you will come up with awesome ways to make it work for you!
Vitamin D from Mushrooms
How are mushrooms like humans? We can both convert sunlight to vitamin D in our skin!
So if you eat mushrooms, you can get all the Vitamin D you need!
Method 1: Sun Exposure
Key fact to know: Not all sunlight is the right wavelength to create Vitamin D. Sometimes the sun is out, but no Vitamin D synthesis can happen, either because it's too early/late in the day, or during the "Vitamin D winter" between around November - February (in the Chicago area).
So Method 1 only works when the sun is high in the sky in the full sun hours of the day (between around 10 am- 4 pm), between April and November (for folks as far north as Chicago).
Mushrooms can convert sun to Vitamin D AFTER THEY ARE HARVESTED. So you can buy regular, packaged or unpackaged mushrooms in the store (any kind my friends!) and this will work.
Simply spread them out on a tray and put them in full sun. I do it on my window ledge. Leave them for as long as you can/want-- 30 minutes, 2 hours, 6 hours, you name it.
If they are cut, great--that increases surface area for Vitamin D conversion. If they are not cut, put them GILLS UP.
The longer you leave them out, the higher the Vitamin D will rise. Even 30 minutes is worth it!
Method 2: UVB Light
You can't make Vitamin D on days when it rains. Or at 10 pm. Or in December in Chicago. But you CAN make Vitamin D from mushrooms any time, day or night, if you have a UVB light!
Lizards need UVB light exposure. You can take advantage of this to buy a UVB lizard light to use on your mushrooms. They come in all sizes and shapes.
You could attach one to something in your kitchen and create a permanent "mushroom irradiation" station. I couldn't find a good spot in my kitchen, so I decided to buy the absolute smallest UVB light I could find, keep it in a drawer, and take it out three/four times a week to shine on my mushrooms. This is what I bought on Amazon:
Reptile T5HO 12″ Standard Fixture & Reflector
https://www.amazon.com/Reptile-T5HO-Standard-Fixture-Reflector/dp/B01DDRVB9K
Zoo Med 26396 Reptisun 15W 10.0 T5-Ho Uvb Fluorescent Lamp, 12″
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-26396-Reptisun-Fluorescent/dp/B00N1DY82E
Note: You can purchase cheaper fixtures and lights. I wanted something extremely small and compact, so I was willing to pay extra for it.
Note: If you have never attached a UVB light into a UVB fixture, you have to TURN the ends of the light to click in to the fixture. Don't break the light. This video showed me how.
I shine it right over my mushrooms at a distance of about 4-5″ for five minutes. I prop it up on tissue boxes to position it over my mushrooms. Super easy!
Want more info? Google "Vitamin D mushrooms" for links like these:
https://nutritionfacts.org/2013/08/01/vitamin-d-from-mushrooms-sun-or-supplements/
http://www.fungi.com/blog/items/place-mushrooms-in-sunlight-to-get-your-vitamin-d.html
Final note: some people say the Vitamin D you get from mushrooms, Vitamin D2, in inferior to Vitamin D3, which you get from your own skin. So perhaps try to get as much Vitamin D from the sun as you can, and when you can't...use mushrooms!