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Comfrey, a Controlled Substance?Read the article this discussion is about
This archived discussion is "read only". « Previous 1 2 3 Next » » biogardener - my point is ... My point is this:
My family has grown and used herbs for generations, as have most families who come from my part of the world. Now we are told that these plants are not allowed to be grown except under controlled conditions. Most people in the US seem to be unconcerned about the new Canadian legislation, not realizing that Canada is merely a test site for the US. It won't be long before you will get the same restrictions in the US. All you can do then is to hope and pray that your neighbors and government inspectors won't recognize the plants. If they do, you will be forced to eradicate them from your property or else it will be done for you and the bill will be added to your property taxes. Conrad Richter of Richter's Herbs is doing a great job informing people of what is going on. You can subscribe to his HerbLetter at his site. It contains the best information on Herbal topics on the net. -- posted by biogardener » biogardener - Pharmaceutical companies lobbying physicians Just last month, I read a newspaper article which interviewed two Canadian physicians on opposite sides of the fence, discussing the pros and cons of lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry.One of them was totally against being influenced by it. He therefore had a meagre practice and was barely afford to afford to buy necessary equipment. (Canadian physicians do not make as much money as their US counterparts.) The other allowed pharmaceutical industries to supply him not only with plenty of samples but also with office equipment, dinners, professional development sessions, conferences to the tune of thousands of dollars. There must be sufficient return in that in the prescriptions written by that physician to make it worth the company's while. Here is the lesson I learned from that article. When I visit a physician, I am going to look around at the number of samples available and at the poshness of the office. I am also going to take note of how quickly that physician reaches for his prescription pad. We have a family physician who would never fall for any lobbying, as a matter of fact, he discusses with his patients what natural remedies might help in certain situations. He also takes time to discuss changes in lifestyle and diet. I know for a fact, that he does not only do it with me but with other patients, because I have heard him answer his telephone while I was in his office. He almost apologizes when he has to give a prescription as a last resort. The same cannot be said for specialists to which he has to send his patients. The specialists which were on the same wavelength all seem to have died of old age, and the new crop appear to be influenced by pharmaceutical lobbying. If you go to a psychiatrists, for example, you can almost bet your bottom dollar that you will be offered an antidepressant during your first visit with them when they should just be making a diagnosis. -- posted by biogardener » Red - patents... Traute,The idea of patenting herbs is not a recent one. The Canadian government has been doing this for years - since WWII at least. I am going to do an article on one of the Canadian government's attempts to stop herbal therapy that cured many people during the 1950's. It occured in Northern Ontario. I had not previously known the healing qualities of comfrey, though I can remember vaguely my Grandmother talking about it. I will check at the health food store and see if they still sell it. Sweet Nitre was banned in Canada a few years ago. It was a perfect remedy for anyone with bladder or kidney problems. I remember being very sick with kidney infection when carrying my daughter. Mom made me some Sweet Nitre and I took it for about 3 days. The infection was gone by that time. It has helped her through many bladder infections and now, we cannot buy it. Thanks for directing me to this article. I always enjoy learning about plants and herbs that heal. -- posted by Red » biogardener - Subscription I strongly recommend that everyone interested in this topic subscribe to Richters HerbLetter at http://richters.com, and I am going to add the link to the article. Conrad Richter is as well informed as anyone I know. I have corresponded with him by email, and we had a long talk when he was the guest speaker at a Neutraceuticals conference in Winnipeg a couple of years ago. The HerbLetter once linked to the page which lists all the plants which are on the forbidden list in Canada. The content of that page was quite alarming. Unfortunately, the page is no longer available, and I have not been able to get that information anywhere. Government sources have been evasive when it comes to giving me answers about what is on the list. I am not going to ask any more. I get upset just thinking about it.-- posted by biogardener » Red - Re: Subscription In response to message posted by biogardener:Traute, Wish that page was still available. I would love to know what herbs are on it. It seems to me that if these herbs are banned, the government would make the lists available so no one would grow it. Seems logical, doesn't it? Oh well, there is no logic when the government is concerned. LOL -- posted by Red » biogardener - available locally Mary, a list of banned plants is available from your provincial government or from your local weed inspector. In Manitoba, all the the varieties of purple loose strife are banned, including the ones which were bread and distributed widely as garden flowers by the Morden Experimental Farm. I am happy about that, because that plant is taking over in all wetlands, crowding out all native growth. The plant was originally imported from Europe and it thrived here, because it has no local enemies like it has in Europe where it has never caused a problem.The list which used to be on the Internet, however, had the federally prohibited plants, and that I cannot find anywhere. I have already inquired of Carl Richter from whom I got the URL to begin with, and he does not know either. I met him at the Nutraceuticals conference in Winnipeg. He is one of the most knowledgeable people on the subject. -- posted by biogardener » biogardener - Comfrey advice Here is the advice which I sent to a lady whose hand got caught in an automatic car window:
You can also buy the dried roots or leaves in health food stores. The roots would be better in this case. You would have to simmer them to get the goo out. Soak a cloth in the water and place it on the area, then wrap with plastic to keep it wet. Keep on 8 hours at a time. If using fresh, squoosh the stems with a hammer and place on area. Or you can freeze them to release the goo. -- posted by biogardener » biogardener - Americans waking up. Now that Americans are facing the same legislation, they are starting to wake up. Sorry, you are too late. Where were you when we Canadians were fighting for out freedom. You sided with the pharmaceutical industry who claimed that they had our health in mind in wanting to control the control of herbs.Fact is that no one has died from a prescription from a herbalist whereas people die from prescribed pharmaceuticals every year, and many more commit suicide or murder. Seeing that the pharmaceutical companies have not been able to control drugs, why are we entrusting to them the control of herbs? -- posted by biogardener » AllNatural - Re: coming forward, going back In response to coming forward, going back posted by LadyB:I've been diagnosed with a goiter formation in my thyroid and i was told by my doctor that i need to have my thyroid taken out. I really don't think that's the solution. I've heard that there are natural remedies for this type of problem and i was wondering if you could give me some advice on what I should do or take. -- posted by AllNatural » biogardener - Bad experience When it comes to thyroid functioning, I have a horror story to tell. My husband got very sick from food poisoning and was hospitalized for a week. There he was made a gunea pig. Instead of having the food poisoning diagnosed, he was told that he had an overactive thyroid. Of course, his thyroid was hyperactive to counteract the poisoning. I did not hear about this until the day he was supposed to have his thyroid destroyed by radiation. I was outraged and threw a temper tantrum. I was furious with my husband for not saying a thing to me about it. As a result of my tantrum, he did not bother to show up for his operation. On his next visit to our family physician, his thyroid was tested and it was normal and still is, 20 years later.Goiters are common in areas in France which are deficient in iodine. A good source of natural iodine is seaweed, and you can buy it cheaply in Chinese grocery stores. I use it in cooking instead of salt. Probably the best source is cell salts which you can get from a health food store, but make sure that you talk to a well-trained natural health practitioner, not just a sales person. Cell salts are placed under the tongue and are taken straight into the bloodstream rather than going through the digestive system. I have no personal experience with this health problem and would definitely check with a naturopath or homeopath. We have several here in Winnipeg, most of them trained in Germany. You need advice on diet as well, and I hope that a naturopath or equivalent practitioner is available to you. Destroying a vital organ is a serious matter which should not be undertaken without exploring all other avenues. You would need to be on synthetic medication for the rest of your life. Better to try to find a natural way of dealing with the problem. I would have no problem finding help in Winnipeg. I have no idea where you are and what is available to you, but this serious a problem is worth exploring further. Here is a link to a remedy, but I don't know a thing about it. -- posted by biogardener « Previous 1 2 3 Next » Please follow the guidelines set forth in the Suite101 Posting Etiquette when adding to the discussion. |
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