Natures Rx

European herb rules, healing with herbs, fall allergies, Plantar's Fasciitis By Jonathan Evans Herbalist & co-owner, the Herbarium Special to PRIME Greetings to all! Holiday time has pretty much ended, at least mine did. I made some interesting discoveries while in Ireland, recuperating from a back injury. Encountering EU's CODEX Rules Some of our radio show listeners may recall our discussions about the Codex rules for the European Union, and how they might apply to the United States. It is still a possibility that our government could use the EU rules as guides for America, which I hope never happens. Let me give you an example. Because the EU feels vitamins and minerals are too powerful for the average person, the levels of nutrients has been dropped dramatically, making a multivitamin across the pond almost useless. If we had not brought a good supply of our own products with us, I don't know what I would have done. I was in serious need of high doses of calcium, magnesium, manganese and other minerals for repair work. The only thing the pharmacy could offer was prescription pain killers and anti inflammatories, which can really ruin your stomach, and did not contribute to my recovery and repair of tissue. The EU is a system which considered St. Johnswort a medicine and only available by prescription, yet I could walk into any chemist shoppe and buy codeine over the counter. Go figure. Healing with herbs Well, enough of my complaining . once we returned to the USA, I had access to our wonderful selection of herbs and nutrients and have made more progress in one week, than I had in the previous month. Here is a little suggestion, if you need pain relievers, analgesics or antispasmodics and cannot tolerate much of the prescription items, try California Poppy( Eschscholzia californica) or Jamaican Dogwood (Piscidia erythriuna) These two herbals are excellent for nerve pain, restlessness, and insomnia. I found I was able to use these products as substitutes for prescription medication, without worry of addiction, or stomach irritation. These two pain killers are truly blessing form the Creator. The other wonderful gift for muscle relaxing, antispasmodic and pain relief is essential oils. Kathys PainAway formula which contains ginger and black pepper worked wonderfully for me, as did the Ultimate Soak. This is a blend of herbs and essential oils that will relax every muscle you have. I found after a half hour soak in this mixture I could actually go to sleep for several pain--free hours. We have recommended these products to people for many years and I finally can report first-hand how well they have worked. It really is great to have an herbalist and Clinical Aromatherapist in the family! Fall allergy alert The latest news reports say this fall is going to be a very serious one for allergy sufferers. The hot humid weather over the summer was great for ragweed. As I have written in previous columns, there are several natural remedies that will make this fall a bit easier on hay fever victims. Dr. Clayton's' "Sinus Ade" tablets and homeopathic formula have been my saviors for many years. There is also a company called "Buried Treasure" that makes a liquid formula which contains, quercetin, bromelian, l- histidine, and several herbs that works very quickly and effectively. These products do not have the usual side effects of over the counter products. For the really hard core sufferer who also gets sinus infection, there are neti pots, and sinus washes available. Reader's question Dear Jonathan, I have Plantar's Fasciitis. I have used splints and medicines from the doctor and tried the exercises suggested by my physical therapist but nothing seems to help. This has been going on for several months and walking is getting increasingly more difficult. Do you have anything at the Herbarium that can help this problem. Lenny, Chicopee Dear Lenny, I understand the pain of your condition, and have used several products to get rid of it. MSM(methylsulfonylmethane) is a sulfur compound that works very well. It is a natural anti inflammatory and is excellent for loosening the ligaments and tendons. It is not to be confused with a sulfa drug, to which many people have allergies. Add to that some extra magnesium and possibly turmeric and you can feel relief in a very short time. We have used these items for many of our customers with excellent results. JonathanPlease send your questions on botanical remedies to Natures Rx : Jonathan Evans via e-mail at