Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Slippery Elm has Been Used as Herbal Remedy by Native Americans
By Liliana Usvat
Blog 161 -365
The slippery elm is native to eastern Canada and the eastern and central United States where it is found mostly in the Appalachian Mountains. Its name refers to the slippery consistency the inner bark assumes when it is chewed or mixed with water. Slippery elm inner bark has been used historically as a demulcent, emollient, nutritive, astringent, anti-tussive, and vulnerary. It is included as one of four primary ingredients in the herbal cancer remedy, Essiac, and in a number of Essiac-like products such as Flor-Essence.
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The genus first appeared in the Miocene geological period about 20 million years ago, originating in what is now central Asia.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, elm cultivars enjoyed much popularity as ornamentals in Europe by virtue of their rapid growth and variety of foliage and forms
The Romans, and more recently the Italians, used to plant elms in vineyards as supports for vines. Lopped at three metres, the elms' quick growth, twiggy lateral branches, light shade and root-suckering made them ideal trees for this purpose.
Ovid in his Amores characterizes the elm as "loving the vine": ulmus amat vitem, vitis non deserit ulmum (:the elm loves the vine, the vine does not desert the elm) and the ancients spoke of the "marriage" between elm and vine.
Slippery elm is a tree. The inner bark (not the whole bark) is used as medicine.
People take slippery elm for coughs, sore throat, colic, diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bladder and urinary tract infections, syphilis, herpes, and for expelling tapeworms. It is also used for protecting against stomach and duodenal ulcers, for colitis, diverticulitis, GI inflammation, and too much stomach acid. Slippery elm is also taken by mouth to cause an abortion.
Slippery elm is applied to the skin for wounds, burns, gout, rheumatism, cold sores, boils, abscesses, ulcers, toothaches, sore throat, and as a lubricant to ease labor.
In manufacturing, slippery elm is used in some baby foods and adult nutritionals, and in some oral lozenges used for soothing throat pain.
The late Euell Gibbons recommended pouring a pint of boiling water over an ounce of the coarsely ground inner bark, allowing the mixture to cool, and then adding the juice of one-half lemon and enough honey to sweeten the brew to taste. Our pioneer forebears treated colds with such a "lemonade" and it was especially recommended for feverish patients.
Blog 161 -365
The slippery elm is native to eastern Canada and the eastern and central United States where it is found mostly in the Appalachian Mountains. Its name refers to the slippery consistency the inner bark assumes when it is chewed or mixed with water. Slippery elm inner bark has been used historically as a demulcent, emollient, nutritive, astringent, anti-tussive, and vulnerary. It is included as one of four primary ingredients in the herbal cancer remedy, Essiac, and in a number of Essiac-like products such as Flor-Essence.
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The genus first appeared in the Miocene geological period about 20 million years ago, originating in what is now central Asia.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, elm cultivars enjoyed much popularity as ornamentals in Europe by virtue of their rapid growth and variety of foliage and forms
Viticulture
The Romans, and more recently the Italians, used to plant elms in vineyards as supports for vines. Lopped at three metres, the elms' quick growth, twiggy lateral branches, light shade and root-suckering made them ideal trees for this purpose.
Ovid in his Amores characterizes the elm as "loving the vine": ulmus amat vitem, vitis non deserit ulmum (:the elm loves the vine, the vine does not desert the elm) and the ancients spoke of the "marriage" between elm and vine.
Medicinal products
Slippery Elm has been used for centuries as an herbal remedy by Native
Americans. The inner bark of the slippery elm tree is used medicinally,
both internally and topically. Internally, it has been used to treat
sore throats and diarrhea, and externally, slippery elm has been used to
treat various inflammatory skin problems like wounds, boils, ulcers,
and burns.
The mucilaginous inner bark of the Slippery Elm Ulmus rubra has long been used as a demulcent.
A demulcent (derived from the Latin: demulcere "caress") is an agent that forms a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane. Demulcents are sometimes referred to as mucoprotective agents. Demulcents such as pectin, glycerin, honey, and syrup
are common ingredients in cough mixtures. These demulcents will coat
the throat and relieve the irritation causing the cough. They can be
used to treat any type of cough, but are particularly useful to treat dry coughs. Some demulcents may not be suitable for diabetics as they are based on sugar
People take slippery elm for coughs, sore throat, colic, diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bladder and urinary tract infections, syphilis, herpes, and for expelling tapeworms. It is also used for protecting against stomach and duodenal ulcers, for colitis, diverticulitis, GI inflammation, and too much stomach acid. Slippery elm is also taken by mouth to cause an abortion.
Slippery elm is applied to the skin for wounds, burns, gout, rheumatism, cold sores, boils, abscesses, ulcers, toothaches, sore throat, and as a lubricant to ease labor.
In manufacturing, slippery elm is used in some baby foods and adult nutritionals, and in some oral lozenges used for soothing throat pain.
The late Euell Gibbons recommended pouring a pint of boiling water over an ounce of the coarsely ground inner bark, allowing the mixture to cool, and then adding the juice of one-half lemon and enough honey to sweeten the brew to taste. Our pioneer forebears treated colds with such a "lemonade" and it was especially recommended for feverish patients.
How does it work?
Slippery elm contains chemicals that can help soothe sore throats. It can also cause mucous secretion which might be helpful for stomach and intestinal problems.
There are no known side effects or safety issues with this plant.
Barks can be harvested with very little damage to a tree, and can even improve the health of a tree, much as pruning does. The most ecological way to harvest bark is to prune smaller branches from the tree using pruning shears or a small pruning saw. It doesn't take many branches to supply a house with all it is needed for a year. If larger quantities are needed might consider taking a whole sapling if the tree grows in abundance and is in a crowded stand already.
To remove the bark from the branches, use the hand pruners to snip off any side branches and spurs. Then take a sharp paring knife or pocketknife and peel the bark in thin strips or shavings, much like peeling a carrot. Be sure to cut deeply enough to get the inner bark, which will be slightly wet and also is usually green in color. The different layers are easy to distinguish when you are peeling the branches.
To peel the barks is to lay the branch flat on your cutting surface, and then take the knife and hold it perpendicularly (right angle) to the branch. Then with a strong scraping motion, scrape back and forth vigorously. This shreds the bark while it peels it and results in very nice finished product, no further need for cutting. The shredding breaks up the fibers nicely, which is very helpful when you make medicinal preparations later.
Barks can be harvested with very little damage to a tree, and can even improve the health of a tree, much as pruning does. The most ecological way to harvest bark is to prune smaller branches from the tree using pruning shears or a small pruning saw. It doesn't take many branches to supply a house with all it is needed for a year. If larger quantities are needed might consider taking a whole sapling if the tree grows in abundance and is in a crowded stand already.
To remove the bark from the branches, use the hand pruners to snip off any side branches and spurs. Then take a sharp paring knife or pocketknife and peel the bark in thin strips or shavings, much like peeling a carrot. Be sure to cut deeply enough to get the inner bark, which will be slightly wet and also is usually green in color. The different layers are easy to distinguish when you are peeling the branches.
To peel the barks is to lay the branch flat on your cutting surface, and then take the knife and hold it perpendicularly (right angle) to the branch. Then with a strong scraping motion, scrape back and forth vigorously. This shreds the bark while it peels it and results in very nice finished product, no further need for cutting. The shredding breaks up the fibers nicely, which is very helpful when you make medicinal preparations later.
Food
When dried and ground into a coarse meal, the sweetly fragrant and
creamy white or pinkish inner bark of the slippery elm can be boiled
into a porridge that looks and tastes very much like oatmeal. And,
surprisingly enough, modern nutritionists have discovered that, when so
prepared, the bark does indeed possess a food value about equal to that
of oatmeal.
Slippery elm's inner bark, on the other hand, does have its other uses
too. When ground to a fine powder, it makes a good extender for ordinary
flour and can be included that way in a wide variety of recipes. And
back before today's sugar-laden treats were so widely available, small
boys were fond of stripping off pieces of this cambium bark and chewing
it. Such a "chaw" makes a sweet-flavored, long-lasting chewing gum that
both satisfies thirst and supplies a certain amount of nourishment.
History
It is recorded that, during their bitter winter at Valley Forge, George
Washington's ragtag Revolutionary War soldiers lived through one 12-day
period on little more than slippery elm porridge. And no one, of course,
knows how many starving pioneer families scraped through their first
winters on the American continent thanks to the same survival rations.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Polylepis Forest in the Andes Mountains
by Liliana Usvat
Blog 160-365
The highest living tree in the world is magical in several ways. Used by Andean people since the days ot the Incas, the paper tree is truly unique.
Some are very stunted, but most polylepis trees grow 33 to 49 feet tall, sometimes reaching 148 feet at lower levels.
Polylepis
forests are unique ecosystems harboring about 20 different plant
species of what the locals call queñua, as well as numerous
insect and bird specialists living only in these forests. Once
thought to be patchy by nature, Polylepis forests are now recognized
to be highly endangered.
In Inca times, Polylepis woodlands were strictly protected
The Polylepis forest is located in the Andes Mountains. Polylepis forests occur at altitudes of up to 4,500 meters in sheltered areas. Most of the original forest is in the cold Western Cordillera of Bolivia. There is only ten percent left of the original forest.
There are over 15 million trees in just the Andean zone. The exotic plants have grown close to the Polylepis forest causing shading of the native trees. In the Polylepis forest there are 20 evergreen tree species that are characterized by gnarled shapes. The trees have a thick and dense laminated bark with small green and gray leaves. Loss of high mountain forests is considered the major cause of water scarcity in many parts of the Andes. A lot of forest birds live in the Polylepis forest. The Polylepis forest is a very bright colored forest.
Polylepis is a group of tree species belonging to the rose family. Fifteen species of the Polylepis genus grow in South America, from northern Venezuela to northern Chile and Argentina. The highest number of species grow in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
The forest has to adapt to the unstable water supply. Birds had to adapt to the small range sizes. The Peruvian Polylepis forests contain three of South America's endangered birds. Great colored parrots and toucans live in the forests, as does the Royal Cinclodes. The forests are vegetated with little-leafed plants. Polylepis trees are evergreens, so they begin photosynthesis as soon as the weather gets warmer. The small leaves prevent water loss (cold, dry conditions). The thick, red peeling bark on the trees protects them from animals and fire damage.
The largest stand of polylepis in Ecuador is contained within the highland portion of the Cayambe-Coca Biological Reserve, and estimated to be several thousand years old.
The name polylepis means “many scales” in Latin, correctly describing the papery, layered bark that characterizes this tree type.
The Andean people use the Polylepis forest for many reasons. Fifty-six percent of the forest is used for medicines. Twelve percent is used for human food. And nine percent is used for construction and ritual purposes. Over all about thirty-five percent of the most useful plant species are only found inside the forest. The animals, like the birds use the forest for food.
Mountain forest ecosystems have drastically changed due to human disruption such as cutting, burning and grazing, which causes fragmentation of the forest landscape. Polylepis contains some unique forms of autoecological (population ecology) and synecological relationships. Since they are located at high altitudes, they are equipped with specializations that help them withstand the harsh conditions
.jpg)
The Tropical Polylepis woodlands are highly endangered. The forests began disappearing during the time of the Incas, when much of its wood was used for building material and firewood. After the conquistadors brought their sheep and cattle, more forests were lost to grazing. Today native peoples still use the wood for building and heat. Loss of the forests have caused landslides threatening villages and roads. Only 10% of Bolivia's original Western Cordillera
Polylepis forests remain. Only 1% of the forest survives in the Eastern Cordillera where eight out of nine of Bolivia's Polylepis species grow. Loss of the habitat is rapidly destroying one of Ecuador's most precious treasures: the natural diversity. There is a project going on to help the Polylepis forest. The project involves buying 400 acres of native Andean forest. By purchasing this land, they can replant it with Polylepis trees and stop water erosion.
Tree planting with Polylepis; 33,000 trees of Polylepis racemosa have been planted to join up fragments of existing woodland, and more than 70% were still alive 2-4 years after planting.
Blog 160-365
The highest living tree in the world is magical in several ways. Used by Andean people since the days ot the Incas, the paper tree is truly unique.
Some are very stunted, but most polylepis trees grow 33 to 49 feet tall, sometimes reaching 148 feet at lower levels.
In Inca times, Polylepis woodlands were strictly protected
The Polylepis forest is located in the Andes Mountains. Polylepis forests occur at altitudes of up to 4,500 meters in sheltered areas. Most of the original forest is in the cold Western Cordillera of Bolivia. There is only ten percent left of the original forest.
There are over 15 million trees in just the Andean zone. The exotic plants have grown close to the Polylepis forest causing shading of the native trees. In the Polylepis forest there are 20 evergreen tree species that are characterized by gnarled shapes. The trees have a thick and dense laminated bark with small green and gray leaves. Loss of high mountain forests is considered the major cause of water scarcity in many parts of the Andes. A lot of forest birds live in the Polylepis forest. The Polylepis forest is a very bright colored forest.
Polylepis is a group of tree species belonging to the rose family. Fifteen species of the Polylepis genus grow in South America, from northern Venezuela to northern Chile and Argentina. The highest number of species grow in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
The forest has to adapt to the unstable water supply. Birds had to adapt to the small range sizes. The Peruvian Polylepis forests contain three of South America's endangered birds. Great colored parrots and toucans live in the forests, as does the Royal Cinclodes. The forests are vegetated with little-leafed plants. Polylepis trees are evergreens, so they begin photosynthesis as soon as the weather gets warmer. The small leaves prevent water loss (cold, dry conditions). The thick, red peeling bark on the trees protects them from animals and fire damage.
The largest stand of polylepis in Ecuador is contained within the highland portion of the Cayambe-Coca Biological Reserve, and estimated to be several thousand years old.
The name polylepis means “many scales” in Latin, correctly describing the papery, layered bark that characterizes this tree type.
The Andean people use the Polylepis forest for many reasons. Fifty-six percent of the forest is used for medicines. Twelve percent is used for human food. And nine percent is used for construction and ritual purposes. Over all about thirty-five percent of the most useful plant species are only found inside the forest. The animals, like the birds use the forest for food.
Mountain forest ecosystems have drastically changed due to human disruption such as cutting, burning and grazing, which causes fragmentation of the forest landscape. Polylepis contains some unique forms of autoecological (population ecology) and synecological relationships. Since they are located at high altitudes, they are equipped with specializations that help them withstand the harsh conditions
.jpg)
The Tropical Polylepis woodlands are highly endangered. The forests began disappearing during the time of the Incas, when much of its wood was used for building material and firewood. After the conquistadors brought their sheep and cattle, more forests were lost to grazing. Today native peoples still use the wood for building and heat. Loss of the forests have caused landslides threatening villages and roads. Only 10% of Bolivia's original Western Cordillera
Polylepis forests remain. Only 1% of the forest survives in the Eastern Cordillera where eight out of nine of Bolivia's Polylepis species grow. Loss of the habitat is rapidly destroying one of Ecuador's most precious treasures: the natural diversity. There is a project going on to help the Polylepis forest. The project involves buying 400 acres of native Andean forest. By purchasing this land, they can replant it with Polylepis trees and stop water erosion.
Tree planting with Polylepis; 33,000 trees of Polylepis racemosa have been planted to join up fragments of existing woodland, and more than 70% were still alive 2-4 years after planting.
The legacy of Andean wisdom has opened the door to more questions than
it has answered: Who were these people? Where did they come from? And,
perhaps most important of all, what did they know in their time that
may help us solve the personal, and global crises of living we face in
ours?The answer to these and similar questions lies in
unlocking the secrets they left behind—the secret of fast-growing, high
yield and sustainable crops, the use of minerals, rare herbs and
heart-based emotion for advanced healing of the body, the keys to
100-plus-year-long human life spans, and much more!
The Andes Mountains of Southern Peru is one of only 5 places in the
world today with the highest concentrations of people living over 100
years of age!
Ancient Andeans built sophisticated agricultural terraces that could
optimize soil temperature by 5 degrees at a time to find the best
conditions for their crops!
The
new generation of children come with a deep understanding of care and
respect for Earth (knowledge they definitely did not learn from us) … it
is the message of Mother Earth (Pachamama for the Andean peoples), a
very clear message. We must reconnect with Nature, we must remember the
sacredness of our relationship with creation, as part of divine
creation, part of Nature.
Come
to the understanding that it was society and its powers that forced the
separation of the human being from Nature, with principles based on
selfishness and greed, which created concepts like ‘private property’
and borders!! And in the process nature was outlawed; how could nature
dare to connect all plant, animal and mineral kingdoms in one planet!
The
existence of a collective plant consciousness was denied; the existence
of a divine vital force powering a harmonic life cycle for all animal
life on the planet was ignored; and the truth of minerals on Earth, that
despite not being able to breath like plants and animals, they are
alive and are able to record energy, was hidden.
The
Sacred Andean Tradition teaches and helps us to remember how simple it
is to live in balance and harmony. We learn to integrate creation
(Nature) in all dimensional aspects and realities (that what we call
real and that what we call virtual reality), always in spiral evolution,
always in a dynamic way, always in reciprocity, always in unconditional
love, always respecting all life, always in Unity.
About Forests Logging Practices as "Investments"
About Forests Logging Practices as "Investments"
I
received yesterday an unsolicited e-mail regarding investing. The
e-mail solicited money to invest in logging companies that operate in
Brazilian Forest. Who allow these people to cut forests in foreign lands
so that a person in another country to make a profit of $8-16 as they
advertised. It is moral?
Would
you want to have a person from a foreign country to come to your
backyard to cut the trees that provide you with oxygen, rain, soil,
shade? Why are these practice are allowed? Are forests in other
countries less valuable that one your country?
In
the process, our globalised human race is depleting the recourses, is
destroying the land, is polluting the waters, is destabilising the
ecosystems, in other words, is hurting the planet.
We
have reached the point where our ‘advanced technology’ is going to
obliterate the humanity that produced it in the first place! What are we
leaving for the next generations? Should we just resign ourselves to
destroy our world civilisation and hope for the re-birth of another
human civilisation some day? Haven’t we learnt anything from past
civilisations?
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