The Herbal Insider

The recipe for making tonic water at www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com calls for Cinchona powder however reading the blogs at that site I see everyone is talking about all the trouble filtering out the Cinchona powder. We at Herbal Advantage sell Cinchona Powder but we also sell Cinchona Cut – this is so much easier to filter out using a standard coffee filter. You might notice that Herbal Advantage also sells Citric Acid, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves, Ginger, Orange peel, Lemon Grass, and many other herbs and spices that will make wonderful flavored drinks. Please keep in mind that the more herbs and spices used the more color you will have in the final liquid. Some believe that color and bitterness are related they are not. The color particle is usually the larger size particle and easier to filter out but not with a coffee filter. Removing the color from a liquid takes a mechanical filtration system. The bitterness is from the Cinchona and may be reduced by using less of it. Another suggestion would be to add only the herbs and spices to the water and boil for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Take the pan off the stove, cover and let steep for 30 minutes. After steeping, very carefully remove the lid and without stirring, pour through a coffee filter slowly. This may take several coffee filters to complete. When the filtration is complete add the citric acid and syrup. The longer you boil the herbs the easier it is to burn them therefor I suggest that you only boil for 10 minutes and then steep 30 minutes.

Far too many people have become dependent on over the counter cough syrups, hot medicinal drinks, and capsules designed to supposedly fight the common cold.

If you walk by the cold remedy section of your local pharmacy, you will discover shelves groaning from the weight of a myriad of rainbow colored bottles of modern-day snake oil that promises to relieve every cold symptom known to man.

Many of them are formulated to make us drowsy when taken before we go to bed, and some will help us doze a bit through the night but really do little to prevent a cold from running it’s methodical, diabolical course. Often users mistake the drug induced snooze as the remedy fighting the cold, but unfortunately it’s a smoke screen that only serves to hide the symptoms for a short time.
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If you suffer from Type II Diabetes, like 23 million Americans, you may believe what your health care provider tells you, that Type II diabetes is impossible to cure and needs vast amounts of medicinal treatment to control it. They may also blame your parents and grandparents for passing on poor genes. Yet, these facts couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only is Type 2 diabetes a preventable condition, it can even been cured with the simplest herbal treatments which are readily available along with a proper diet.
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Common medicinal herbs and their uses. Throughout the centuries the plants that grow around us have been used in one way or another. Mostly for food but in other cases as cures for our ailments. Today if we do not feel too well we will go to the doctor, tell him of our ailments and he will prescribe the appropriate drug. Read more… »

There are several ways prescription drugs may be making us all sicker—whether through illnesses brought on because these medicines deplete critical nutrients in our body, or because we’re unwittingly consuming pharmaceuticals in the municipal water we drink. Read more… »

What’s New In the World of Health Care for 2010
The Answer May Surprise You!

Dr. Linda Miller, Holistic Chiropractor, Anaheim, California – It’s strange how what seems to be “new” or “advanced”, can sometimes really be old fashioned – and what used to be considered “old”, or “folksy” can really be more advanced. Here’s what we’re talking about.
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Elizabeth J Baldwin says “Forget the Viagra for men, where the heck is something to boost a woman’s libido?”

After enjoying a healthy sex drive since the onset of puberty I suddenly had little or none. This did not make my husband happy, and it made me even more unhappy. After consulting with my doctor, trying various over-the-counter remedies, and generally pursuing any avenue that promised even a slight renewal of my sex drive I stumbled on a combination that works for me. Read more… »