Drinks for Recovering from Illness

It may seem extraordinary and perhaps to some unbelievable, but the fact is that the every foodstuffs that can be found in most people’s kitchens or grown in their vegetable and herb gardens provide us with potent medicines to prevent and to treat almost every ill. This is nothing new, for our ancestors depended entirely upon such things and treated them with the respect they deserve for thousands of years. It is only in the last century that modern drugs have superseded the more gentle and apparently old fashioned medicines from our vegetable racks and fruit bowls and caused us largely to forget their amazing medicinal value. Scientists worldwide are still pursuing their search for new cures for age-old ills, such as heart disease, circulatory problems, infections, immune problems and cancer, and the world of plants is primary focus. In their exciting discoveries they are identifying chemically active substances within familiar foods such as cabbage, carrots, beans, apples and cherries which help us to understand our forebears’ use of such foods as medicines for particular ills and to reinstate these miraculous healers to the place in our lives that they deserve. So-called folk remedies such as cabbage juice for arthritis, leeks for a sore throat, onions for heart, garlic for infections and carrots to improve eyesight have been found to have merit in our modern world after all. There are several ways in which edible plants can benefit our health directly. They provide our bodies with a range of vital nutrients that are the building blocks for making new cells, repairing damage and fighting off decease. Their cellulose provides fiber which, because it is not broken down in the bowel, helps to maintain a healthy gut. In addition they contain a variety of pharmacologically active constituents, including mucilage, volatile oils, antioxidants and phytosterols, which have specifically therapeutic effects. Tomatoes, carrots, parsley and dandelion leaves are rich in antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C which may help to delay the aging process, enhance immunity, and prevent heart and arterial disease as well as some cancers. Citrus fruits, berries, broccoli, cherries, papaya, grapes and melon are all rich in bioflavonoids which also act as antioxidants. In addition their antimicrobial properties help us to fight off a whole range of infections. They also have a synergistic relationship with vitamin C and have the ability to bind with toxic metals and carry them out of the body. The more we broaden our knowledge of the amazing therapeutic properties of foods, the more able we will be to utilize them to our advantage. Our food and drinks can be our medicines. Let’s drink to your health and your recovery.