Black Walnut Hull for teeth

[RoseRed]

You're willing to ingest comfrey root in tincture form?!?!?!? That's not something I would do. Probably ever.

I went and checked out the websites you listed in your firs post - especially the first one. I looked through quite a bit of it and what I found there was quite disturbing. Most of the medical advice is in the form of comments and I saw MANY dangerous suggestions. I wouldn't take or use any of the advice listed there except for the ACV/honey drink.

Can I ask you, how you inform yourself about natural treatments (particularly herbal remedies)? Do you have a good book/books that you can reccomend? Do you turn to specific websites that you trust? Or do you just start reading online and ask questions on this forum? I'm just trying to find out what good ways there are to inform oneself.

If you're going to research - try to make sure of your sources. A truly excellent place to begin is Jim McDonald's Master List of Articles. He's an respected herbalist that's studied with 'true' master herbalists - those who have devoted their lives to this and studied under master's themselves instead of just taking a couple expensive online courses. One of the best things about the List of Articles is that he only links to other herbalists that he respects. It's an excellent resource. http://www.herbcraft.org/articleindex.html

Or Susun Weeds Master Article List - http://www.susunweed.com/Articles_Susun_Weed.htm

Mountain Rose Herbs also has profile for each product that they sell - http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/ ... powder.php

If you want to start your research online or at the bookstore - here are some names of respected herbalists to get you started (in no particular order):

Susun Weed
Kiva Rose
Jim McDonald
Matthew Wood
Michael Moore
Christopher Hobbs
Paul Bergner
Henriette Kress
7song

You could also join the American Herbalist Guild Student yahoo group or Henriette's Herblist.

7Song is an herbalist from Maine. You can follow him (Sevensong Sevensong), Kiva or Jim on facebook.

You could also check out the North American Institute of Medical Herbalism school run by Paul Bergner http://naimh.com/

Have you ever heard of Susun Weeds 7 Rivers of Healing / 6 Steps to Healing? http://www.menopause-metamorphosis.com/ ... _steps.htm
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At this point I think I'll be removing myself from this conversation. The sources that you listed that you're getting your information from are dangerous. You are entitled to do whatever you want and your choices are solely your own. You can choose to put whatever you want inside your body. You can choose to ignore any caution that's been advised here. We're all entitled to make whatever choices we want.

I can choose to not be part of a discussion that I find dangerous. I'm not trying to be rude. You've received great advice and caution from women I greatly respect who have turned natural healing and health into a lifestyle.

The simplest and safest thing you can do is to eat a couple bites of hard cheddar after you eat to prevent cavities and rebalance the ph in the mouth and re-mineralize from the inside with nourishing infusions.

[crystal woman]

But I will also try and remineralize from the inside out, as you suggest. I might go ahead with the nettle infusion and a tincture by Dr. JOhn Christopher (herbal calcium tincture)that contains horsetail grass, oat straw, comfrey root and lobelia.

You might be interested in making your own eggshell vinegars instead. There are some recipes and methods and other good information in the topics listed below. (And I've bumped up 3 of these topics on the board). I don't know if these are all of the posts on the board about it, you can do a search on "eggshell vinegar" here and on internet to get other recipes.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16369

viewtopic.php?t=11128

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=26213

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=25089

.

[crystal woman]

That is a good list of links and herbalists that Rose Red has recommended.

.

[username]

@rosered

wow. Thank you so much for providing me with plenty of quality information! - That's really great. I have pretty much everything at hand now to inform myself well. I'll start with Jim McDonald's Master List of Articles.

I'll also be looking into all of the other herbalists that you recommend.

Thank you also for your tip regarding cheddar to prevent cavities and rebalance the ph in the mouth. Good that I happen to like cheddar.

"I went and checked out the websites you listed in your firs post - especially the first one. I looked through quite a bit of it and what I found there was quite disturbing. Most of the medical advice is in the form of comments and I saw MANY dangerous suggestions. I wouldn't take or use any of the advice listed there except for the ACV/honey drink."

The website you're referring to is "earthclinic.com". Anyone can write about their experiences with natural remedies on this site. - So it's definitely not written by experts. But I still think it's a good starting point to read first hand what has helped others. -And from there do further research regarding safety, etc.

"You're willing to ingest comfrey root in tincture form?!?!?!? That's not something I would do. Probably ever."

Ok, I'll have to say I have not done ANY research regarding the ingredients of Dr. John Christopher's Herbal Calcium (horsetail grass, oatstraw, comfrey root, lobelia). But I do have a lot of trust in this man, who was a very succesful and recognized herbalist and natural healer and whose formulas are being used world wide. Out of curiosity I will do more research on the risks of taking comfrey root in tincture form, but I doubt that I'll ever understand this herb (and other herbs) better than Dr. Christopher.

Ok, I understand you want to leave the conversation, but it would be very interesting and helpful to hear whether you know Dr. John Christopher and if yes what you think of him. - Also what anyone else thinks of him and his formulas.

rosered, again I want to thank you for your help!

[username]

@crystalwoman

Thank you for the eggshell vinegar -idea. - I've actually recently learn about eggshell vinegars from Dr. John Christopher and it's on my list for ways of supplying the body with natural calcium.

[RoseRed]

I think there are much safer herbs that can be used for the same results.

A lot of it depends on which branch of herbalism you really want to learn. I'm all about home and hearth and using the safest herbs for my family. If I can get the same results by changing what I cook for dinner (food as medicine) and using safer herbs - then I will.

There have been several deaths from use of comfrey root. Even SW won't ingest the root. I believe she uses it topically though.

I researched Dr. Christopher when I first got into herbs. After doing my own research into different plants, effects, possible dangers and whatnot I choose not to follow that branch. It's a personal thing. If you feel called to it - go for it.

I think there are too many herbs in his combinations - you don't actually know what herb is working. I think he uses herbs that have much safer alternatives -I have no idea why anyone would want to ingest comfrey root when they get the same results, if not better, with eggshells. I would imagine that both tinctures taste like crap. Supplementing calcium without magnesium is useless.

We, as a society, have gotten so far from good, nutritious, non-chemical laden food. We've forgotten which weeds and plants do what.

Where we do our research is so important too. I came across a page about the health benefits of cinnamon and raw honey. Some of it was a little exaggerated but it was decent information. The problem was - they were recommended 3 teaspoons of cinnamon a day for some things. If you use sweet or real cinnamon - that's fine. If you use the regular ground cinnamon from the grocery store - it's harmful.

We'll have to agree to disagree about earthclinic.com. Why would anyone want to read and learn that and then have to re-learn good solid data? I don't understand it. Check out the Kiva Rose website. She has amazing monographs of each plant and what they're used for.

There was an example here not very long ago where someone was suggesting using essential oil neat (directly onto the skin) on hemorrhoids and rectal tissue. No one doubted that it worked! That in itself is a very dangerous practice and it's harmful to the body. Just because something works doesn't mean it's good for you.

Like I said before - we're all entitled to make our own choices and do what we want. If you really want to continue speaking with me - we can see how it goes. I advise caution and safety above all else.

[Lady Alinor]

Regarding Dr. C's Super Calcium formula (Horsetail, Oatstraw, Comfrey and Lobelia...sometimes Hibiscus) My family has been using a version of this for several months...not very consistantly since I'm in and out of the hospital.
The version we're using comes from a former student of the 'school'..... an infusion of Horsetail, Oatstraw, Comfrey LEAF and Lobelia with Apple Cider vinegar and Raw Honey. We use 1/2 cup a day before dinner....could be using it a couple Tbls. before each meal but we are a busy lot that don't sit down all together until dinner.

[RoseRed]

LadyA - would you mind sharing your recipe? I'm curious as to how much of each herb you use.

I only add about a teaspoon of horsetail to my oatstraw infusions.

[Lady Alinor]

I've lost part of my notes ...too many notebooks

Super Calcium Tea (Dr. Christopher's recipe)
6 parts Horsetail herb
4 parts Comfrey leaf
3 parts Oatstraw
1 part Lobelia
2-3 parts Hibiscus (optional)
equal parts Raw Honey and Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tbls. of combined herbs to 1 cup boiling water. Boil 30 seconds, remove from heat. Cover and allow to cool. Heat back up to near boiling. Remove from heat. Strain through filter. Return to pan add 1/3rd cup honey and 1/3rd cup ACV.
Dosage: 4 Tbls. a day for children. 1/2 cup a day for adults

I make up 4 cups at a time...I think I use 2 Tbls. Horsetail, 1 1/2 Tbls. Comfrey, 1 Tbls. Oatstraw, 1 tsp. Lobelia...3/4 cup raw honey and 3/4 cup ACV.
Tastes quite YUMMY!

[RoseRed]

Wow, that's a lot of horsetail for me. It's one of those herbs that can throw off an infusion for me - I don't think it agrees with me well but my husband doesn't seem to notice the difference. 2T to a quart isn't that really that much. Plus you're only drinking 1/2 cup per day - not the whole quart. (Just thinking out loud)

Thanx a bunch for posting your recipe.

[username]

@rosered

"If I can get the same results by changing what I cook for dinner (food as medicine) and using safer herbs - then I will."
- Makes a lot of sense to me, too.

I'm not so sure whether the warnings regarding comfrey root are really justified or if it's just some scare tactics. I personally won't be using it until I've done enough research to be sure.

Just to give anyone who is interested in reading a link with a different perspective on the safety of comfrey:
http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1593613#i

@LadyALinor:
Thanks for sharing your Super Calcium Tea -recipe. I have the same recipe, except it's meant to be a tincture (and uses Comfreey Root not leaf...but I would just use the leaf as long as I'm unsure regarding safety).

Any thoughts on whether the tea or tincture would be better for the purpose of supplying the body with calcium?

[RoseRed]

The problem is with ingesting comfrey root - not leaf. The FDA didn't bother to differentiate between the two.

If you want the minerals then make an infusion. You're not going to get nearly as much mineral out of a tincture as you do out of an infusion. That's not to mention that you're really not going to get many minerals in the amount of tincture that you take. Just don't forget magnesium or all the excess calcium can't be used by the body.

If you really want calcium - make a bone broth. Fill a pot with bones (I also add skin, fat, cartilage - all the leftover parts), add a few tablespoons apple cider vinegar and simmer

24 hours for chicken bones
48 hours for cow or pig bones

By the time it's finished the bones will either bend or disintegrate to your touch. It extracts all the minerals from the bones.
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I'm sorry, but i don't consider that a news site. It's even worse than NaturalNews.com.

Have you actually read any of Susun Weeds work? This is her website based on approaching herbalism from her point of view. The answers that you're getting here are based in her Wise Woman Tradition. You're not going to find many supporters of Dr. Christopher's work simply because they approach life, health and herbalism from entirely different viewpoints.

[RoseRed]

Here's a page from SWs Ezine on comfrey http://wisewomanherbalezine.com/june12- ... walk2.html

[username]

@RoseRed

"If you want the minerals then make an infusion." - Ok, thanks, then I'll go for the infusion.

"Just don't forget magnesium or all the excess calcium can't be used by the body." - I have always been calcium deficient and have always had an excess of magnesium (many blood tests over several years). The Doctors wanted me to supplement with calcium pills. I did it for a while, but didn't feel comfortable with this unnatural type of treatment (orthomolecular medicine), so I quit. So it's great I just found out that eggshells are an excellent source of natural calcium. Since I'm deficient in calcium and have an excess of magnesium, I guess I can just go ahead and take the eggshells without worrying about taking magnesium.

Thank you also for the bone broth idea. I might go ahead and do that, too. - So many options now what all I can do to remineralize and heal my teeth.

No, I haven't read anything of Susun Weeds work. I really want to start learning more about herbs/natural healing and you gave me a great list of material, that I will start with

Thanks also for SWs Ezine on comfrey. - Haven't found the time to read it yet, but I will

[RoseRed]

You're very welcome. It's a short article but it does talk about which comfrey plant to use. It's really important to go by the latin names.

Vitamin D is also really important in calcium absorption. It's a cool little triangle.

Mineral supplements in pill form don't absorb well into the body. I'm so glad that you're you're interested in researching more.