CURANDERISMO IN TEXAS

Healing Herbs & Spices in Your Cupboard

By Geraldine McNamara | Submitted On November 11, 2009

This excellent spice should always be in reach in your kitchen. Why? Not only is it good for keeping your arteries clean, it stimulates your heart, helps poor circulation, colic, coughs and colds, and most important of all, will stop a cut from bleeding. Pour the Cayenne over your cut and put a bandaid or gauze and tape on it. It helps to clot the blood and your cut or wound (yes it will sting, but the cut will hurt anyway) will heal much faster and without infection. Cayenne is great (moderate amounts for some) in Mexican and Indian cuisine as well as in curries, dressings, egg and cheese dishes, and sauces.

Allspice is another spice (or fruit) that tastes so wonderful in those pumpkin pies, and it has healing abilities as well. It is used to calm a gassy stomach, ease rheumatic pain, and ease chills and diarrhea associated with flu. Besides that wonderful pumpkin pie, Allspice can be added to casseroles, curries, rich soups, carrots, sweet potatoes, or tomatoes.

With all the flu going around, this herb is a good healer and it loves pizza. It is a staple ingredient in Italian, Greek, and Mexican cooking and I would bet you thought I was talking about Basil. Sorry, not this time. This very special herb is Oregano. Oregano is great for digestive problems, for respiratory ailments like coughs and asthma. It is a great herb to help calm a sour stomach. Did you know you could even make a tea from it? Crushing the oregano in your hands helps to enhance the flavor before you add it to meats, salads, stuffings, beans, soup, tomatoes, or pizza!

Another great herb in the kitchen is Thyme. Thyme has been used for centuries as an antiseptic or a germicidol. Check some of the natural disinfectants and see what the main ingredient is. If you see "thymol", you'll know right away that it's a derivative of the herb, Thyme. Thyme is good for coughs, colds, sore throats, to even cleaning your countertops. It is a very versatile herb and works great with poultry dishes, creamy sauces, stews, fish, potatoes, game, and tomatoes. It tastes great!

Experiment with the herbs and spices in your cupboard and you may find yourself getting healthier along the way.

Geraldine McNamara is a Board-Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, a Certified Herbologist, and Certified as a Natural Health Consultant. She operates her business, Healthier Me, LLC, in Huntsville, AL, is a Volunteer Docent at The Huntsville Botanical Gardens, is a member of the Madison Chamber of Commerce, as well as a member in BNI (Business Networking International). She has been a guest speaker at several events in Huntsville, AL. Geraldine holds a B.A. Degree in Communication from Loretto Heights College in Denver, CO and is currently pursuing a Diploma in Homeopathy. You can e-mail or visit her website at [http://www.healthier4me.com]

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