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| Ad herbs to summer salad |
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By SALLY RILEY* SUMMER is approaching and on the odd high temperature day we will be eating salads more often. So let’s not forget the medicinal value of our fresh culinary herbs and add them lavishly. Parsley: is rich in iron, calcium, potassium plus vitamins C and A. It is therefore good for those suffering from anaemia and debility. It encourages urination and is therefore useful for fluid retention associated with menstruation and cystitis. It is useful for colic, flatulence and indigestion. Chewing parsley can help relieve the breath of onion and garlic smell. The leaves should be used fresh in salads to retain the vitamins. Coriander: Coriandrum sativum: Seeds, roots and leaves are used in cooking while the seeds are preferred in herbal medicine. It helps to clear flatulence and indigestion. Recent research has suggested that the leaves can encourage the excretion of toxic metals from the body. Metals such as mercury, lead and aluminium. Such metals can cause arthritic conditions, depression, memory loss, muscle pain and weakness. It is therefore helpful for anyone suffering the ill effects of amalgam dental fillings. Peppermint: Mentha pipperita: is aromatic, calmative, antiseptic, antispasmodic, anti inflammatory, antibacterial, and is also a stimulant. It may be used for gastrointestinal disorders where appetite-promoting stimulation is required. Hence our use of mint sauce with roast lamb. It is useful for nervous headaches and as a way to increase concentration. It can be used as a tea to help digestion, colds and flu. Cold peppermint tea can be sipped to treat hiccups and flatulence. Minerals are also important to our daily wellbeing. Many minerals are low in our soils and therefore low in the vegetables we eat. Magnesium and Zinc are particularly necessary. Magnesium is a catalyst or enzyme for our energy cycles involved with the nervous and muscular systems. It prevents cramps after exercise. It is found in all leafy green vegetables but is often needed as a supplement. Zinc: is important for our skin health, night vision, memory and immune system. Both are important in supporting the vitamins in our daily intake of fruit and vegetables and other food products. Zinc is found in grains, sunflower seeds, soy beans, sea food, brewer’s yeast, oysters and mushrooms. * Sally is available on 0407 872 792 for a consultation by appointment at the Pittwater Community Centre Hoffmann St Tuesday or Thursday afternoons.
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