Rauwolfia
Rauwolfia is an erect plant with a smooth stem. The drug consists of the dried roots with their bark intact, preferably collected in autumn from three or four year old plants. Rauwolfia is one of the best remedies for high blood pressure, and it has been adopted by medical fraternity in most countries, especially America.
Indian Hemp
The leaves of the hemp plant are a valuable calming and sedative food. Preparations of Indian hemp have been in use as intoxicants in Asiatic countries and Africa since time immemorial. The narcotic and anodyne properties of Indian hemp were appreciated by western medical men in the early years of the last century and were incorporated in the British and United States pharmacopoeias.
There are certain natural foods, which may work as sedatives by stimulating the activity and levels of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin that calms the brain. Honey and other carbohydrates are considered by some to affect serotonin, inducing tranquillity and sleep in most people. Glucose may also work directly on the neurons in the brain’s hypothalamus. There are certain other foods that contain peptides or release peptides in the gut that can send messages from the intestinal tract directly to the nervous system and brain.
Diet is now considered a major factor in prevention and treatment of cancer. According to the American National Cancer Institute, about one-third of all types of cancers are linked to diet. Thus, right choice of foods can help prevent a majority of new cancer cases and deaths from cancer. Cancer usually develops over a long period.
Oats
This popular cereal induces tranquillity and sleep. It possesses calming and sedative properties. These properties emanate from oatmeal. A tea made from oats is especially valuable in cases of chronic headaches. It also makes a good bedtime drink for those who are unable to sleep as well as for those who are suffering from nervous exhaustion. Excessive use of oats should, however, be avoided as high doses may cause gas, abdominal bloating and pain.
Garlic and Onion
More than 30 different compounds have been isolated from onions, which are potent enemies of carcinogens. These compounds include diallyl sulphide, quercetin animals, they block the most terrifying cancer-such as nitrosamines and aflatoxin, linked stomach, lung and liver cancer. Feeding garlic consistently blocks cancer. Harvard scientists immunized hamsters against certain cancers by putting in their drinking water.
Liquorice
Liquorice, a popular spice and a flavouring agent, is an anti-cancer food. It has the properties, which not only help prevent cancer but also retard its spread. Triterpenoids contained in liquorice may block quick-growing cancer cells and cause some pre-cancerous cells to return to normal growth. This spice can be used either in the form of powder, decoction or infusion. These preparations can be taken mixed with honey.
Wheat Bran
One way to reduce the chances of breast cancer is to curtail oestrogen levels in the blood. It can be achieved by taking wheat bran cereals. Wheat bran has specific property to lower dramatically the circulating levels of cancer-promoting oestrogen in the blood. This was found in a research study by David P. Rose, M.D., of the American Health Foundation in New York.
Raw Foods
Dr. Kirstine Nolfi of Denmark, who herself suffered from cancer, found by experiment the value of raw foods in treating cancer. She recovered from this dreaded disease after treating herself with an exclusive diet of raw foods and then opened an institution called Humlegarden. She attained great success in treating cancer patients at this institution and wrote a book about her success.
Herbs and spices have long been used in ancient medicine as carminatives—agents that help expel gas and relief flatulence. The main pharmacological agent is considered to be oils in the plants. These oils relax smooth muscles, thereby allowing gas to escape. In some cases the gas erupts upward through a relaxed sphincter muscle between the esophagus and the stomach. Then it is called a burp or a belch. Carminatives also have an antispasmodic, muscle-relaxing effect in the intestine.