TEAS, SOUPS & SALADS

HEALING RECIPES

FOR

SUPPORTIVE MEDICINE

 

DISCLAIMER

 

This collection of recipes does not constitute medical advice in any way. You are responsible for how you use the information in this book. No information contained in this book should be considered “medical advice” and as with any recipe, you should check to make sure the ingredients do not have a negative impact on your well-being. If you have concerns, always check with your medical doctor. The intent here is supportive; not alternative.

Norman W. Wilson, Ph.D.

January 2020

INTRODUCTION

 

As a healer, I have long had an interest in recipes that help with one’s healing processes. This short collection represents a select group of easy to create and easy to use recipes all of which are dedicated to being supportive of contemporary medical practices. This is not a diet book. It is a collection of recipes designed to give you a choice.

During the late 1900s, more was being said about alternative healing modalities leading to a full-blown alternative medicine industry. Among these alternative healing modalities are Yoga, Qu Gong, Acupuncture, Acupressure, Massage, Sound Massage, Meditation, Reiki, Shamanism, Ayurveda, Chiropractic, Body Movement Therapy, Tai chi, Electromagnetic Therapy, Hypnosis, Visualization and Guided Imagery, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or Tapping) Herbs, Essential Oils, and Diets. I note that recent literature now uses the acronym, CAM meaning complementary and alternative medicine. From my perspective, that’s an improvement.

However, to be honest, I do not approve of the word alternative to describe other approaches to healing; some of which have been around for thousands of years. Because the word alternative suggests something other than and something that is better than current medical practice it denigrates the medical doctor and modern medical practices. I prefer complementary, integrated, or supportive medicine. At no time do I ever suggest or recommend that one by-pass medical treatment.

 Medical drugs became chemically created rather than being plant-based. A drug is typically manufactured through chemical synthesis, which means that it is made by combining specific chemical ingredients in an ordered process. Because so many current drugs are chemically created and have myriad negative side effects many people seek other forms of treatment. The use of plant-based medicines in the United States has risen to 40% of all medicines produced. That is significant.  It is estimated 80% of the populations of the developing nations use plant-based medicines. The prediction is 80% of the world’s populations will rely upon plant-based medicines. It is in keeping with this trend that the following recipes for teas, soups, and salads are offered.

 

CHAPTER ONE-TEAS

 

Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot water over dried plant leaves. The Chinese, during the Shang Dynasty, is credited with using tea as a medicinal drink. Third Century AD provides one of the earliest records of that use of tea. Hua Tuo wrote about tea’s medicinal use in a medical text. However, it was not a popular drink until the Tang Dynasty. By the 1600 hundreds, tea was the fashionable drink among the English.

The following teas, all-natural, offer choice in flavor as well as in health benefits. As with all the recipes offered here, if you have allergies, high blood pressure, or any health issues that may conflict with the recipes offered, please be sure to consult your medical doctor before using any of them.

The Teas:

White Birch Bark Tea

The birch tree’s bark, its leaves, and small twigs offer much in terms of healing. It helps lower pain, fever and is an excellent astringent.  There are twelve species of this thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree: Bog, Cherry, Downy, Dwarf, Himalayan, Japanese White, Paper (also called White Birch), River, Silver, Water, Weeping, and Yellow.

The bark and leaves, and small pieces of the branches may be eaten raw, cooked, or ground into a fine powder. Generally, the flavor is on the spicy side; wintergreen flavor, for example. The inner bark can be eaten and provides essential moisture to the human body. Because I am most familiar with the White Birch Tree or Paper Birch, it is the bark I use in making a healthy tea.

 

Directions:

 

Select four leaves, rinse thoroughly

 

Boil one cup of water

 

Crumple the four leaves into a cup

 

Pour the water over the leaves and let steep for about three minutes*

 

*If you prefer a strong tea, let it steep for five minutes. A nice addition, for those who prefer a sweeter tea, is a teaspoon of raw honey. By “raw” honey I mean one that has not been chemically processed.