Some plants for medicinal drinks in milk

Cornus Sericea

 Herbal Cures

Whenever a human suffers from a health problem that is not an emergency such as chronic ailments, or when modern medicine has failed to cure it, or when modern medicine requires near perpetual consumption of  a drug that has side effects, exploring a herbal cure is a worthwhile and wise alternative. In this brief article three herbal drinks shall be described that have the potential to cure many such conditions. The first is a drink of cannabis that can cure many conditions that arise from the mind and for which one may head to the shrink ranging from mild depression to other severe conditions. The second drink described is those that involve infection and fevers as well as rashes etc. of the skin that are frequently not cured by modern antibiotics. One such is Lyme disease. The third category of ailments are those that fall in neither of these categories but are nevertheless troublesome such as chronic fatigue, stress, insomnia etc. For this a third drink of sugar cane has been described in this article. 

All of the three drinks described here are based in milk or in its place yoghurt and they are not just a medicine but also food so that they are also consumed by healthy persons to become even healthier. One may wonder how milk appears as a base in all these three drinks that are some of the most powerful health drinks offered by the planet. That is not surprising because life begins with milk and returning to this first food offered by a mother out of love to a child is most appropriate at a time of need.

This blog has articles on several medicinal herbs. Two magical and medicinal ones described in earlier posts were Cannabis and a plant that appears to be somewhat like the ancient Soma. Cannabis is presently an Illegal substance in India. It was not so in the past and it seems as parts of the world have begun legalizing it, so may India in future. This is brief additional note on both considered together. Both are used for tonic, spiritual and recreational purposes by the healthy and for medicinal purposes by those suffering from a range of ailments of the mind and body. Modern medicines used for some of the ailments treated by these herbs, even when they work, create dependence and debilitating side effects such as Parkinson's disease and liver damage compromising the very basic quality of life. Moreover modern drugs are very expensive whereas natural ones have been planted by mother earth on different parts of the planet and are available to mankind just as long as we take care to protect the flora and fauna and not over exploit or pollute the planet out of carelessness or greed.

It may be emphasized that both these plants contain potent compounds which if isolated and consumed in isolation may cause grave harm and produce dangerous side effects. That should never ever be done as compared to the consumption of several plant compounds together derived through a simple process. Nature has put in hundreds of organic compounds in single medicinal plants for a very good reason. They are required for life. An individual organic compound can not promote life or its processes without causing damage. The argument given by modern science that this helps to control dosage seems to be a weak one especially if long term use and not just emergency use is required. The additional argument that it has been tested as such even weaker. The human body is so complex that tests over a period of even a hundred years are insufficient to determine all possible effects. Moreover when the companion compounds have been removed and not tested for their combined effect even this statement is not a valid one. The same thing happens with several other foods and medicines extracted from plants e.g. sugar (as compared to sugar cane juice that contains many more compounds) or the individual omega oils of mustard oil, or compounds of the medicinal holy basil described in an earlier post. There are other simpler ways of controlling dosage than isolating compounds. The reader can test this principle for himself rather quickly with a simple experiment. Consume a couple of glasses of wine produced entirely from fermented fruit juice. On another day consume a couple of drinks of pure ethyl alcohol diluted in water to the same percentage. The first is likely to make you feel good and comfortable while the latter may give a sharp headache and hangover besides.

Other isolated compounds such as sugar from sugar cane juice, because they are less potent than alcohol take longer to show adverse impact and that may not be discerned quickly. Pure extracted sugar may take several years before producing diabetes type II. The primary motivation for extracting compounds as medicines may be the possibility of patenting and then profiting from them. Giving great importance to profits even at the cost of human suffering is a great evil that some humans and organizations managed by them are driven to out of greed.

Himalayan Cannabis

CANNABIS

Cannabis was in wide use by humans for several thousand years. It has been made illegal in much of the world over the past century. It is not fully clear why when a far more dangerous alcohol that seems to kill far more is not. However certain vested interests gain by keeping it illegal. First is the illegal drug industry that makes huge profits and gives kick-backs to some administrators in some countries. The second is the legal drug industry that rakes in  huge profits on certain alternative drugs that ineffectively cure certain conditions arising from the mind and seems to make huge profits out of it. What is most ridiculous and completely beyond even the IQ of an imbecile is that cannabis has been made a schedule I drug even preventing research on it while a far more dangerous opium that easily kills in an excess dose is schedule II.

Human personality is vast and even though few take to crime many may harbor a criminal tendency. It seems that when a healthy person with criminal tendencies uses cannabis for relaxation and recreation the tendency to commit crime is suppressed as opposed to consuming alcohol that removes inhibition for committing crime, even gruesome ones such as rape.

It seems keeping cannabis illegal has denied mankind its medicinal and spiritual benefits while spawning an illegal drug industry that supplies far more dangerous and addictive substances instead and it has caused an increased use of alcohol causing many more road, home and crime deaths. So gruesome have been the crimes committed because of illegal drug wars that it has even driven children to flee from their homes in Latin America while stuffing prisons in USA with inconsequential drug violations and making convicts and criminals out of a large proportion of its population. The world must urgently consider if all this is worth it and legalize cannabis to its earlier peaceful times of thousands of years of civilisational experience with it.

Cannabis has also been used by meditating Himalayan sages for centuries as an aid to meditation

CORNUS SERICEA

While cannabis will cure many conditions that emerge as faults of the human mind, it does not seem to work much for conditions that afflict the rest of the body such as those caused by viral, bacterial and parasite sources. In ancient times there was another herb far more powerful than cannabis known as Soma described in several thousand hymns of the sacred Sanskrit book – Rig Veda.  So powerful was Soma that it was given the status of a god amongst plants. It helped warriors to become strong in battles and others to be become happier and more profound and its beneficial effects were on mind, body and soul. This plant was also medicinal and cured many diseases.

Unfortunately this plant became extinct in ancient times from the Himalayas. Many modern attempts to identify it have gravitated towards intoxicating plants which this herb was not. The most recent attempt is an exciting identification with a widely growing plant in North America, the Cornus Sericea and further work is required to explore its effects. Like Soma, it is a plant with green, yellow and red stems that grows in cooler wetlands and river banks. It is both medicinal and tonic like Soma. Much more modern research is required to explore it effects. See the following link about it,

http://www.scribd.com/doc/266317668/On-the-Identification-of-Soma-of-Rig-Veda-with-Cornus-Sericea

Cornus Sericea may not be Soma but if it has even some of the benefits of Soma, it shall be wonderful

USE OF MILK FOR BLENDING

While meditating sages have smoked cannabis, its most effective delivery mechanism is through a drink in milk based on centuries of Himalayan experience. Some westerners simmer cannabis in milk but the traditional Himalayan recipe is different. Similarly the native Americans have either smoked Cornus Seicea or used decoctions of its bark, the recommended method of consuming Soma was also in milk and the use of the entire stem and bark rather than just the bark The simplified recipes for both are given next based on a study of ancient and modern practices

Warning:

In order to prevent possible harm it is better if these drinks are prepared and consumed under the supervision of experienced medical or herbal medical practitioners. Also make sure cannabis is legal in your area before attempting to acquire some and prepare its drink. It is never worth it to break a law. If you feel a law is not a good one, campaign to have it changed.

RECIPES


Cannabis Milk:

NOTE: Please do note that this recipe must be used only in areas and countries where cannabis is a legal substance. It is the duty of every citizen of every country to uphold the law as prevails in their countries. If they are not happy with some, they may campaign to have it changed but not violate it as long as it persists.

The  process as described here is slightly more tedious than the modern one of simmering in milk. However it is the traditional process determined as best after many centuries of experience. It seems simmering for long in milk, although it draws some the active compounds, also destroys some other balancing compounds on reaction with milk compounds, whereas this recipe called Bhang Ghota produces a more wholesome and balanced drink. In modern times people have begun to add various spices or fruits to the mix but these are neither necessary nor desirable with the exception of almonds. The following recipe has been used for long on festive and religious occasions.For example see this report:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ghota-distributed-in-Kullu-temples/articleshow/7616506.cms

Ingredients:
1 cup of good quality drinking water
2 cups warm full cream milk
10 almonds soaked overnight (optional but recommended)
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or sugar cane juice (diabetics may use Stevia extract)

10 gms cannabis leaves and buds wherever legal

Method:  

1.  Clean the cannabis leaves and buds by removing any stick and seeds. Wash it thoroughly

2. In a pot, boil the water and cannabis. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and keep aside the liquid.The water will dissolve the water soluble compound so necessary to make a wholesome drink while the rest dissolve in milk and milk solids. Boiling would soften the cannabis to make later extraction in milk easy.

3. The solid part along with presoaked almonds is  ground in a grinder by adding 1-2 tbsp warm milk.After it is ground to a pulp add the rest of the milk and continue blending for some more minutes.

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4.Strain the milk through a cotton cloth piece, in the end squeezing the pulp to extract the best portion out.

5. Mix the extracted milk and boiled strained water which was kept aside. Add remaining milk and sweetener. Chill and serve.

Cornus Sericea in Milk

ingredients:

1 cup of good quality drinking water
2 cups cold full cream milk
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or sugar cane juice (diabetics may use Stevia extract instead)

20 gms chopped Cornus Sericea stems with barks.

Method:  

1. Chop and wash stems thoroughly.

2. Grind to pulp by adding one or two table spoons of water.

3.  Press through woolen cloth between palms, extracting the liquid into vessel. Ensure hands are thoroughly clean before pressing.

4. Repeat the previous two steps a few more times

5. Mix the extract with milk and sweetener and any remaining water. Chill for 2-3 hours or add ice cubes and serve

Note: This is work in progress and more experience is needed to refine this recipe. this blogger would appreciate if others share their experience in comments. We need to keep this in the public domain before big pharma grabs and patents it for profit.  Presently it may be regarded merely as a preliminary or default recipe. It may be mentioned that while cannabis is a drink for internal consumption, Soma may be used both internally to drink or externally as a beauty aid and to treat ailments and rashes of the skin.

Use of Curd instead of Milk,

Some adults either do not like the taste of milk or do not digest it well. In that case milk should be replaced by curd prepared from full cream milk. It shall be digested well by most.

Consuming a mixture of the two drinks has not yet been attempted in the knowledge of this author

Urgent need to explore for curing some modern diseases

Modern humans are suffering from a variety of ailments of the mind and body that cannot be handled well by existing modern medicines e.g. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Lyme disease. While modern medicine has several useful medicines for many conditions that afflict the human body, when it comes to conditions that afflict mind and emotions the results appear to be more than horrible. (see an older post on - some dangers of modern medicine - for this) In such cases there is an urgent need for exploring these alternative herbal medicines. While there has been some research on effect of cannabis on PTSD in the opinion of this author this research suffers from a serious limitation. What is being tested is a compound of cannabis i.e THC and not the matural extract of compound that contains several other compounds. This sort of isolation will not lead to correct results.

An Additional Health Drink

While some would consider the previous two drinks a bit tedious to procure here is a default one that is also one of the healthiest one's on the planet. Enjoy this drink: Whenever you can find fresh sugar cane juice filter it through cloth right away, mix with milk half and half, add ice cubes and drink. If one adds 5% vodka by volume to it, it shall become a cocktail named Jenny Penny.  Health benefits include - curing several chronic conditions, relieving stress, calming mind, promoting good sleep, slowing aging and increasing physical vitality while clearing body of accumulated toxins and poisons. Appears to act as an organic chelating agent.

Since fresh sugar cane juice spoils rapidly, one can also freeze juice as ice cubes to preserve. later add lots of these sugar cane ice cubes to a glass of cold milk or cold freshly churned yoghurt  for a health drink.  If the juice has been procured from a street vendor and you are unsure of purity, then heat it to near boil, cool by placing in water bowl and then strain. The operation has to be as fast as possible because sugar cane juice spoils rapidly.

NOTE: More information on both these plants can be found by searching in this blog


UPDATE: For a herbal cure to viral diseases such as Hepat. B see: http://someitemshave.blogspot.in/2015/06/gods-own-pharmacy-in-your-garden.html

Cornus Sericea image from

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cornus_sericea_%285258215438%29.jpg  This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Cannabis image from

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cannabis_sativa_plant_%284%29.JPG  under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version