Herb-Of-The- WeekCELERY.

Posted by: "regal1d"
Hello, Friends!
"Q" is unavailable for the next few weeks. Actually, he is busy in
New Mexico – The Land of Enchantment. I hope that he will take time
to enjoy the state, during his stay. In his absence, I've been
asked to post the Herb-Of-The- Week. I've decided to re-visit a
great Herb that "Q" researched some time ago. The herb of the week
for this week is probably in your refrigerator – especially if you
are preparing stuffing or dressing for your Thanksgiving Turkey!

The herb of the week is CELERY.

This is a read while researching this post. (Yes I research to see
if there's anything else or any new discoveries) . "....eat about a
half dozen full sticks (not stalks) of celery each day. I got this
one from an old ND, tried it on a patient with high BP and sure
enough, the systolic made a slow, steady retreat over several
weeks......I guess one could argue that it is helping to balance the
ol' potassium/sodium ratio, or even go with the Chinese med 'cool
the liver that feeds the heart' (did I get that right?), but even if
ya think it's bunk, it's worth a try and safer than experimenting
with diuretics... ."

I tend to agree with the testimony. It is CERTAINLY worthy of a try
because it's harmless and the price is right!

But here's the four-one-one on CELERY (Apium graveolens):

CELERY contains a chemical by the name of called "apigenin" which is
known to dilate your blood vessels, thus reducing the pressure.
Also, the LEAVES actually contain the active ingredient (phenolic
acid) that also helps to relieve blood pressure. The weird thing is
that even though celery is especially high in sodium (usually a bad
thing) celery seems to lower blood pressure.

This was discovered by a medical student at the University of
Chicago Medical Center whose father was diagnosed with mild
hypertension. Instead of reducing sodium intake, or taking drugs,
the father was given a quarter pound of celery to eat each day.
After a week, his blood pressure dropped from 158/96 to 118/82. This
observation led to further study that found very small amounts of a
chemical in celery called 3-n-butyl phtalide, which lowered blood
pressure (by
relaxing the smooth muscles that line the blood vessels) in rats by
12%-14% and also lowered cholesterol by about 7%.

As little as 3 celery sticks per day is said to reduce blood
pressure to normal levels by helping to reduce muscle spasms.
(nerves!)

There is not a whole lot I can add to this. It's pretty
straightforward and is one of those types of things that are not
hard to find out if it'll work for you. Like most good things, you
have to establish a dietary regime of a certain amount a day. Eating
a little celery every now and then probably will not change
anything. I wish I could be the guinea pig, but alas.. my blood
pressure is always low.
Thank God! Maybe somebody who tries this can write back and tell us
how it worked.

But..... of course... IT'S YOUR HEALTH. Why take my word for it?

You can research anything mentioned on this site yourself. Some good
search engines are www.mamma.com or www.google.com. or
www.dogpile. com or www.ask.com. Enter one or more keywords and do
your own research.

Until next time remember .... most illness (upwards of 80% according
to experts) can be attributed to FOUR important factors that can
weaken your immune system and your ability to fight off disease:

1. Anxiety, depression, anger, guilt and other STRESS factors
2. Improper and/or inadequate NUTRITION habits
3. A sedentary lifestyle that does not include enough EXERCISE
4. Not enough rest and quality SLEEP time

Remember, we ALWAYS recommend that you ALWAYS consult a professional
herbalist, naturopathologist or physician. We are just passing along
what we hope to be useful information. As always, we continue to
pray that God is merciful and gracious to all of us. Until the next
posting…..
REGAL