Stinging Nettles in Soup and Medicine

When I was a teenager, I was enthralled by the story of Milarepa, "Tibet's Greatest Yogi," who, after a great career as a murderously vengeful black magician, had a change of heart, and transformed himself, in part by great austerities, and became a great and beneficent human being, one of Tibet's most respected heroes.

At one point Milarepa spent 12 years in the cold high mountains, meditating and living only on soup made from Nettles and herbs. This is one of the most exciting moments in his story. And I remember wondering at the time what these Nettles were; I had heard of them before, and knew they grew wild in the forest, but somehow equated them with lichen and moss. They sounded profoundly unappetizing.

But no, Nettles (Urtica dioica) are more like wildflowers, shooting up all over the Northern Hemisphere every Spring, and rising to 2 meters by mid-Summer. Spring comes early to the southwest coast of California, today is Feb 11 and the wild Nettles growing on the shaded slopes of San Diego's Florida Canyon ecosystem are already two weeks old. But it is not really yet Spring, this is our rainy season, and in Ayurveda this time is thought of as the latter half of winter.

Late Winter and Early Spring in Ayurvedic thought are both dominated by Kapha-the Water Element: moisture abounds, there is rain or snow, and then in Spring the snows melt and rivers rage. This increases the strength of Kapha within us, making the body prone to problem of dampness and phlegm. Whereas in late Autumn and Early Winter it was appropriate to eat heavier tonifying food, now is a good time to gradually ease into lighter, cleansing, "Kapha Pacifying"food, like steamed vegetables, quinoa, mung dal, brown rice. Nettles are an excellent choice, as like all green "super" foods they "nourish the blood" and at the same time "cleanse" it.

How To Harvest and Use Fresh Nettles:
Stinging Nettles are a wonderful vegetable that tastes something like spinach. And

when you cook, soak, or dry Nettles, they lose their stinging property

Collect them with gloves on, cutting the top 5 inches before they flower, and either hang them up to dry to use later, put them in vinegar for salad dressing, or cook them into soups or stews.

I like them a lot cooked with potato and garlic with olive oil. In fact you can use Nettles any way you would use spinach. Just bring them home and soak them in water first, so you can handle them like a vegetable. Another way to use them is to dry them for tea, but what I prefer is to cook fresh nettles in a pot of water, and drink that liquid all day as a cleansing tea.

Nutritional Properties of Nettles
Nettles are high in calcium, iron, magnesium, chromium, potassium, and zinc, as well as vitamins A, B, C, D and K. Nettles are also rich in carotene and of course chlorophyll. With all that calcium and iron, they make an excellent food for vegans or vegetarians. They also contain protein.

Nettle Vinegar
Nettle vinegar can be made by soaking the fresh herbs in your favorite vinegar. The vinegar leaches the calcium and other minerals out of the nettles, and then you can sprinkle the vinegar on salads, veggies, stir fry, and it will be nourishing. You can even use this same vinegar when cooking greens like collards or kale, as the acidity of the vinegar (or lemon) again makes the minerals in the greens more bio-available.

Nettles in Medicine
Nettles have many medicinal uses. I have used encapsulated freeze-dried Nettles with great success for seasonal allergy. It is an accepted standard of care. This is the brand even my western M.D. recommends his patients: http://www.eclecticherb.com/

I have also used Nettles, both dried as tea, and freeze dried, along with other therapies, for allergic dermatitis, a form of eczema, with excellent results.

Here are addresses for two different reliable suppliers of dried Nettle leaf:
http://www.mountainroseherbs.com and http://www.inharmonyherbs.com/ In Harmony herbs is right here in San Diego's Ocean Beach.

Nettle leaf is an herb that has a long tradition of use in the treatment of arthritis in Europe, as it seems to work via an anti-inflammatory process. Extracts of Nettles can be used also to treat anemia, kidney stones, benign prostatic hypertrophy (bph) and pain. Because of the high Vitamin K levels avoid these if on blood thinners.

Nettles are also a galactalogue; that means they can increase and improve the quantity and quality of a mother's breast milk. Here is a link specifically for nursing moms, especially those who struggle with milk production.
http://www.lowmilksupply.org

Nettles in Skin Care
Nettle is used in hair shampoos and rinses to control dandruff, and is also said to make hair glossy. What I like to do is boil my Nettles for soup or tea and just set some aside in a bottle. When I wash my hair, after rinsing out the soap or conditioner, I do a final rinse with this Nettle tea and just leave it in.

One can also make a dandruff treatment by pouring heated vinegar over chopped fresh or dried Nettles and Comfrey, let it sit for an hour, strain, and massage this into your scalp and let it sit for 30 minutes before shampooing.

Nettles has good astringent qualities, so it is beneficial to any of the mucus membranes of the body; it can be used as a mouth rinse (steep with mint), as a vaginal wash for vaginitis and yeast, and topically on eczema.

If you have any questions, or have any good recipes for cooking with Nettles, please let me know.





above material copyright eyton j. shalom,san diego 2009 use with permission.


Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Vegan Mung Dal with Vegetables for Ulcerative Colitis

Here is a dish I gave to one of my patients Mark. M. a few years back who had a very successful outcome. Mark had been following drug therapy for about 6 months with limited improvement. We then followed a course of acupuncture/moxabustion for 9 months and herbal medicines for 1.5 years. Mark also entered counseling which he, and later his wife, continued for 2 years involving stress management and learning how better to deal with and express feelings healthfully. At the same time Mark continued his western drug therapy for the first 6 months of treatment. By the one year point, Mark was completely symptom free and had gained back his weight.

Mark also noticed, early on, how much better he did with chicken, broccoli and rice than with a cheese burger, so pretty soon Mark became an amateur chef.
This is a Mung Dal recipe I gave him that he used over and over again with different variations.

Mung Dal is the most easy to digest legume. In India it is given to people who are ill or are on Ayurvedic cleanse retreats (Panchakarma Therapy).

This recipe employs herbs and spices that protect digestive fire, make food very digestible, and reduce any gas producing quality of the vegetables or legume. In Ayurvedic terms this dish is very Sattvic (wholesome) and Tridoshic (balanced). It nourishes Vatta, while pacifying Pitta and Kapha.

Its a great recipe any of us can use, though if you are not ill, feel free to add a little black pepper or onion or garlic to the dish.


Mung Dal and Vegetables with Healing Spices


Ingredients:

2 cups mung dal
3/4 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp asafetida (hing)
5 curry leaves if available (also called sweet neem leaf)
1 tsp fenugreek seed
1-2 tsp ginger powder, or 3-4 slices fresh ginger root, or both
sea salt to taste

2 cups chopped vegetables from below list:
daikon, turnip, rutabaga, nopales cactus leaf, chaote (chow chow), okra, carrot, hard winter squash, shitake mushroom, common mushroom, konbu or wakame sea vegetable

Limit to 2-3 vegetables at a time, or even just one.
This list is not sacred, but a list of reasonable possibilities for a mild to severe case

Method:

Soak the dal for a half hour or more
Pour out the water and wash the dal three times till water runs clear.
Add the turmeric and salt and boil in 6 cups of water till soft like porridge.
Add the ginger root, too, if using.
Set aside.

Saute the spices on a low flame in 1 tbsp ghee or sesame oil till the aroma fills the kitchen.
Careful not to burn them.
Put the seeds in first and let them brown a little, then the curry leaves for a minute, then lower the flame even more and add powdered herbs.
Be careful now, keep stirring and add a little more oil if you need to.
This whole step should take about 5-10 minutes
Add the spices and chopped vegetables to the cooked dal with enough water to cook for another 20 minutes till the vegetables are soft enough to digest easily, but not overcooked.


Eat with well cooked brown rice, millet, barley or quinoa. During the daytime, consider having with a tablespoon or two of plain unsweetened yogurt if you need more protein and to promote healthy intestinal flora. Vegans could use soy yoghurt.

This would also be great with a side dish of sea vegetables, which are an excellent choice with colitis.







Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Healing Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease that affects the large intestine. It should not be confused with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Ulcerative colitis is characterized by the presence of inflammation and ulceration in the intestinal mucosa. The chief symptom is chronic diarrhea, with pain, blood, and mucus in the stool

Although ulcerative colitis has no known cause, bio-medicine presumes a genetic component to susceptibility. However the disease may be triggered in a susceptible person by environmental factors, such as stress. Anecdotally, I would add that in every case I have treated with Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, high levels of stressors, poor stress management, and/or untreated emotional issues (which in turn create stressful reactions like anger) have been a factor.

Severe cases of U.C. can lead to anemia, toxicity, and even death. Even mild cases can involve weight loss and pain. This is a disease to be taken seriously.

Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic treatment of Ulcerative Colitis is very helpful and can be used safely alongside Western medicine drug therapy. Unlike simple drug therapy, Chi.Med. and Ayur. treatment is holistic and comprehensive; we treatment the whole person in the unique manner they manifest their disease pattern.

Chinese Medicine conceptualizes Ulcerative Colitis as a manifestation of "Damp Heat in the Intestines." There are symptoms of "dampness" (chronic diarrhea: the presence of too much fluid in the stool, also mucus/pus in the stool) and "heat" (inflammation, ulceration, blood in the stool)

Typically this "Damp Heat in the Intestines" has developed over time due to "Liver Depression Qi Stagnation" which is how Chinese Medicine names the way stress and emotional repression affects the nervous, hormonal, muscular/soft tissue, cardio-vascular, and digestive systems. This upsets the entire "Qi Mechanism" of the body, creating chaos where there should be order. The Qi mechanism is, essentially, how Chinese medicine describes the way things work under normal healthy conditions. Qi is the master that leads the blood and fluids of the body where they have to be, like the locomotive of a train. The Qi circulates the blood and fluids.

As the Qi stagnates, so do the fluids of the body, accumulating where they should not be. This is dampness. If this dampness congeals further it develops into phlegm. As Qi is by nature warm (living beings produce heat) over time this dampness turns into damp heat. There may also be what we call "Blood Stasis" which is what occurs when Qi has stagnated over a long period; which represents a deeper, harder level of stagnation, and is a factor in the formation of wounds and bleeding, too.

And in the case of U.C. as the person has a susceptibility to disease occurring in the large intestines, when environmental conditions are right, that is, when the Qi has stagnated enough to upset the above mechanisms, we end up with Damp Heat in the Large Intestine complicated by Qi and Blood stagnation, underlying weakness of the Qi Mechanism, possible Kidney Yang or Yin weakness, and possible Phlegm stagnation. Not a simple problem. This is not a common cold or simple tension headache.

Chinese medicine has a variety of medicinal combinations used for Ulcerative Colitis involving a combination of herbs that heal tissues and wounds, like Astragalus or Tien-Qi, with herbs that are anti-inflammatory and heat clearing, (Forsythia, Isatis); damp draining (Coix); liver qi relaxing (Bupleurum); immune
boosting/adaptagenic (Reishii; blood "moving" (Salvia Miltorhizae) and aromatically stimulating (Magnolia, Cang Zhu).

Damp draining, by the way, here refers both to the ability to alleviate diarrhea and improve large intestine function, and to the ability to treat infection and inflammation that is wet by nature, like ulcerative tissues.

Acupuncture is also very valuable in the treatment of U.C. Acupuncture's fundamental function is to circulate or unblock "stuck Qi." There is an aphorism in Chinese Medicine: "...where there is pain, there is stuck Qi, where there is stuck Qi there will be pain." But more important is that "stuck Qi" is the energetic blueprint for disease, and in Ulcerative Colitis the underlying cause of the Damp Heat is the Depression of Liver Qi. Over time this "Liver Depression Qi Stagnation" collected and collected in the Large Intestine, due to some constitutional (read: genetic)susceptibility, to get the Qi moving again is the beginning of healing, of undoing this disease forming process.

And I have seen that even in one treatment with acupuncture and moxabustion, a U.C. patient can begin to feel relief of the pain associated with the disease, and a reduction in episodes of diarrhea.

My Ulcerative Colitis patients with the most successful outcomes are the ones that complemented their medical treatment with Meditation, Tai Qi, and Western Psycho-therapy or Counseling. This, to me, is real Holistic treatment; treatment that includes the Body, Mind, and Emotions; its not just a question of taking herbs like we take Ibuprofen (without looking at the pattern), or blaming everything on diet. "The mind commands the Qi..." is another aphorism. This means that the biggest source of toxins is between our ears and in our hearts; to deal with these realities in the place they originate is the greatest treatment. But it is work. It undertaking a process of self-understanding and healing of emotional wounds and conflicts, or at least undoing the patterned way we respond to stressors.

In Ayurveda Ulcerative Colitis is a disease that involves an aggravation of Pitta and Kapha, which combine to aggravate Vata. There is a heavy collection of Ama, typified by a thick greasy tongue coating, and typically an excess of Tamas and Rajas, as well. This disorder must be treated with a very Sattvic and Tridoshic diet-- that means easy-to-digest, mild, pure foods that are fundamentally nourishing and cleansing, that will not irritate the ulcers and will restore the prana and tissues. The starting point for these processes is to stimule Agni without creating heat or damp.

Ayurvedic herbal treatment begins with Trifala, which is adaptogenic, reduces inflammation in the intestines and promotes healing of ulcers in the mucosa. We combine this with Boswellia serrata, a potent herbal anti-inflammatory that also reduces pain and pacifies Kapha. We may also use Ashwagandha, which is Ayurveda's premier adaptogen to improve immune system function and relieve the effects of stress (a Vata nourisher), and Neem; which has potent anti-bacterial and Pitta pacifying effects.

It would be ideal for someone pursuing Ayurvedic therapy for this disease to undergo skilled Panchakarma treatment in India. But, Caveat Emptor; Ayurveda is now a big money maker in India, so go somewhere you have valid referral for. In the meanwhile, I would recommend once weekly Oil Bath Massage (see earlier article) to pacify Vata and Pitta.

Oddly, Western bio-med treatment does not seem concerned with the use of diet to ameliorate symptoms. This seems short sighted, as its obvious, that if there are open wounds in the lining of one's intestines, then at the barest minimum the patient should be counseled to avoid irritating foods like chilies and cayenne pepper and consume easy to digest foods. While diet alone will not cure U.C., it should be part of the home medicine or "nursing" program for the disease, and is at least 25% of treatment.


In Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine we look at the particular qualities of disease symptoms in order to understand what diet to prescribe. As there are symptoms of "dampness" and "heat" in Ulcerative Colitis, we must choose a diet that, just like our herbals, clears heat, dries or drains damp, and preserves or even stimulates digestive fire.

In Chinese Medical terms "Damp Heat in the Intestines" needs a diet that clears toxic heat and eliminates dampness. A diet that eliminates dampness is one that avoids damp producing foods like wheat and cheese, while at the same time includes green foods and vegetables that cleanse and mild spices that stimulate digestive fire to transform damp.

A diet that eliminates toxic heat is one that avoids fiery foods like alcohol, refined sugar, refined carbohydrates, too much fat, excess animal fat, shell fish and crustaceans, and very spicy foods with chillies and cayenne, or even black pepper.

But there are many other herbs and spices that are both antibacterial and digestive stimulating that are excellent for U.C. Herbs like coriander, cumin, and fennel. A diet for U.C. should be easy to digest, primarily cooked foods with some raw food depending on the person's individual constitution. In all cases a diet should be tailored to the patient's individual constitution while accommodating cultural values, as well as idiosyncratic likes and dislikes.

A person with this disorder fundamentally needs to find a way to be nourished. They are at risk of losing weight, they have what amount to open sores in their colon, and their ability to transform life and food has become impaired. This is the starting point. They need to be strengthened.

In my next post read about an Ayurvedic lentil and vegetable dish suitable for someone with U.C.

Thank you!



Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com