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Natural Awakenings South Jersey

The Healing Properties of Plants for Pain

May 28, 2019 04:19PM ● By Bill Reneau

In last month’s issue, I shared that I grew up in Belize and that my mom and the community had used plant remedies for all sorts of ailments and that these traditions had been passed down for generations. I wanted to share during the next several months how using these traditional remedies can help with such areas as pain, anxiety and sleep. This month, we will focus on “pain”. 

As you can imagine, pain can have many causes; however, inflammation in our bodies is the number one reason why we can experience pain. So, what causes inflammation? The answer is rather complicated as inflammation is not necessarily a bad thing because our body creates it as a part of the healing process for many temporary conditions and injuries. The problem arises when our bodies are in a state of inflammation and we further exacerbate it by eating foods that perpetuate inflammation. 

Eating healthy is too general a term; we must dig deeper in understanding our own unique physiology because this is a personal journey. Increasing the amount of certain plants in our daily diet can do wonders for our overall health. Two such examples are ginger and turmeric root. Both can be used fresh, in powder or dried form and can be prepared in a variety of ways that can help in decreasing inflammation. You can also use a variety of herbal extracts including Hemp CBD or Boswellia along with teas and spices such as white willow bark, black pepper, green tea, devil’s clawand Mojave yucca root. Eating more broccoli, wild caught fish, blueberries, pineapple and kelp will do wonders in getting to a healthier you. For a more detailed list of foods that decreases inflammation along with foods to avoid, go to EarthShack.org/herbiary.Stay tuned for next month’s issue in which we will focus on anxiety. 

EarthShack is located in the Amish Market and at Crescent Moon Coffee & Tea, in Mullica Hill, NJ. For more information, call 856-210-7662, email at [email protected] or visit EarthShack.org.

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