Today someone reading my post about cinnamon and honey weight loss tea asked whether it would be safe to use during pregnancy. I looked through my herbals and found a recipe for easing pregnancy, which uses cinnamon, so that indicates to me that cinnamon could be safe for pregnant women (and their unborn dear ones.)

From John Lust’s herbal, The Herb Book: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to More Than 500 Herbs:
This is said to prevent nausea and miscarriage. It is also for reducing labor pains and increasing milk production.
1 part cinnamon
5 parts blackberry leaves
5 parts milfoil
10 parts raspberry leaves
Steep 1 teaspoon in 1/2 cup boiling water. Take 1/2 to 1 cup daily in mouthful doses.

Note that there’s to be NO OVERDOSING… which is what I need to address concerning the cinnamon and honey diet. Though the cinnamon may be safe in normal amounts, drinking large amounts might not be safe during pregnancy. Plus, I wonder about the wisdom of trying to diet during pregnancy. This is something a pregnant woman should definitely discuss with her physician.

In addition, you should be aware that there are certain herbs intentionally used (by some) to terminate pregnancies. Here’s the list of common herbs a pregnant woman should avoid:

Angelica
Birthroot
Blue Cohosh
Brooklime
Bugloss
Cotton Root Bark
Ergot
Golden Seal
Ground Pine
Juniper
Male Fern
Motherwort
Mayapple
Pennyroyal
Potassium Permanganate
Rue
St. Johns Wort
Savin
Tansy
Thyme
Valerian
Yarrow
This information is derived from two sources, Herbs & Things - Jeanne Rose’s herbal, and Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs.

All these are likely to cause abortion to occur. DON’T try this at home! I’m against abortion in general so I’m hoping this won’t be taken by anyone as a way to terminate a life. I put the list here for the benefit of herb-using women who want to preserve their pregnancies.

This list of herbs said to ease childbirth comes from John Lust’s The Herb Book:
Althea
American Spikenard
Bennet
Birthwort
Black Cohosh
Blind Nettle
Blue Cohosh
Cannabis
Columbine
Comfrey
Common Groundsel
Cotton
European Ragwort
Flax
Garden Raspberry
Garden Violet
Goat’s Rue
Horehound
Iceland Moss
Lady’s Mantle
Pansy
Primrose
Ragwort
Shepherd’s Purse
Silverweed
Spikenard
Squaw Vine
Wild Red Raspberry
Wormwood

NOTE - some of these are mentioned on the ‘do not use’ list… I’d especially avoid Blue Cohosh! Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs says it isn’t safe to use.

And about the Wormwood - I wouldn’t use that either. I know that too much of that is a danger.

Personally, I’d stick to something simple like Raspberry Leaf Tea which is well-known to be good for pregnancies.

Jeanne Rose wrote: “Raspberry leaf tea has been used for hundreds of years by women throughout their pregnancy to ease the pains of labor, to prevent miscarriage, and to increase the milk supply. It was mentioned by Pliny in his medical botany books. For the tea: one ounce of the leaves is steeped in twenty ounces of water for fifteen minutes, strained, and drunk - at least two cups per day. The leaves are also used as an astringent for diarrhea, as a gargle for sore mouths, and as an infusion to wash external ulcers and wounds. The berries are excellent eaten during a bout of diarrhea.” - Herbs & Things, page 100.

Also, note on the list of herbs that ease pregnancy, Cannabis is listed. This is Marijuana.. which is, in my opinion, a miracle healing herb… but I recommend that mothers do NOT use it during pregnancy or at any other time. The reason is that use of Marijuana is cause for child welfare agents (CPS or DHS social workers) to take children from their mothers. Especially during pregnancy, this is a real danger. I have met a young woman who used Marijuana to ease birth pains, who never got to take her child home from the hospital because THC was found in her baby’s urine. You will notice, if you give birth in a hospital, one of the first things they do is slap a urine sack on the infant to collect urine for drug testing. YES, this is true! And babies with any kind of drugs in their system are taken away from their parents. So DON’T use Cannabis/Marijuana while you’re pregnant. It just isn’t safe. If you use it you might need my other site: Fighting Child Protective Services CPS False Accusations, and I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone.

One more very important thing! Use moderation, no matter what herb you choose, whether you’re pregnant or not. Too much of any herb can be dangerous. If you’re not certain a herb is safe, ask your obstetrician or (if you’re breastfeeding) your pediatrician.

Here are the links to the herbals I used for this post:

Today I’m doing that shocking job - cleaning out my kitchen pantry. I’m shocked because of the number of unused appliances I found there, plus beans and rice that must be several years old at the least, and ::gasp:: cat hairs! At the same time, I’m thrilled because I’m moving my stuff around and making a cleaner space for my kitchen goods.

One of thing I like about having a clean pantry is that I get to make decisions about what I’m going to put back. I just threw out a lot of the appliances - two old blenders, a broken toaster oven, a toaster I no longer use, my old tea kettle, and a hand mixer. I’m keeping the food processor, one blender, and the crock pot. That’s plenty for one old lady to use.

I have several boxes - one for the second hand store filled with pans and cups I no longer want to use. Another box with canned goods will go to the community food pantry. I’m giving my son a few boxes with foods only he will eat. And then there’s the small box of canned goods I’m keeping for my own use.

It feels good to get everything refreshed, polished, and organized.

Transitions, part three

Those of you who have given birth probably remember that the final part of labor is called the transition. I remember it well. I learned the Lamaze method for my first labor, did a refresher course for the second and third, and winged it for the last two. I did pretty good at controlling my response to pain during all five labors, except during that last part - called the ‘transition’. That was when things got rough. That was the only time I couldn’t stop myself from screaming due to overwhelming pain.

Transitions can be like that. If it is a difficult transition, something bad is happening that we’re reacting to by changing. For example a person might need to declutter their home, but if motivation is lacking, the house may stay messy for years. Then one day a child protective services caseworker might show up a the door and threaten to remove all the children. Now that’s something worth screaming about. Suddenly the parents go into hyperdrive and clean up their mess. They toss all the bric-a-brac and open the windows to let fresh air in. Life is better, but it took some terrible impetus to force change.

Transitions are often that way. We are getting so much stress from the way things are, we feel forced to change the conditions under which we live.

That’s what happened to me this time. My pants were getting tighter. Heaven forbid! I don’t mind buying new clothes, but not in a larger size! Besides, I want my health. I need it.

I put myself in health recovery mode, shut down my metabolism with the Lemonade Diet, and forced myself to reset my system. It had to be done.

Now I’m grateful to get a vegan sandwich… after ten days with nothing but lemonade and tea. To indulge in an apple rather than a slice of cheese seems luxurious, and altogether more clean than sticking more mucus into my body, especially after I went to so much trouble to get rid of it.

Transitions can be painful, but they are also bountiful. Just like in childbirth, where the worst pain gives forth the much-desired and longed for child, my food transition, ten days of fasting, has given forth a healthier and much more satisfying and healthy diet.

Transitions, part two

I was talking to a friend recently. She told me about her son who was complaining about the past and not resolving his present problems. Everything was blamed on things that had taken place more than twenty years ago. We tossed ideas back and forth for a while, then realized he can’t move forward with his life because he’s too busy looking backwards.

Rather than thinking about the future and how he’d like to enhance it, he was caught in the turmoil of a past he barely remembered. He fussed about his step-father, a man who he hadn’t seen since the age of six. Said step-father was held responsible for a drinking problem.

I wonder how many of you are looking forward instead of backwards. Hopefully, everyone is thinking about the wonderful future you’d love to have. And planning it.

By planning the future, I don’t mean just thinking about how much you would like to be rich, or have a shiny new car. I hope you’re writing down ideas on how you will achieve your goals. I hope you’re visualizing your future in vivid colors, getting ready to enjoy the amazing realities you can bring into focus by starting today to make things happen, one tiny baby step at a time.

If you’re a fence sitter in the future planning business, think about it. Will you spend your time complaining about the people and situations of your past, or will you look forward to a bright, happy, useful future? The choice is yours.

Part Three: The Pain of Labor

Earlier this month I reached my limit of patience with weight gain. My clothes were getting tighter and I had to do something to turn things around. Being as I was particularly desperate, I decided to cleanse my system with the Lemonade Diet. Ever heard of it?

I first heard of the Lemonade Diet (aka: Master Cleanse or The Master Cleanser) on an Internet message board about two and a half years ago. The person writing there warned that it wasn’t for everyone. I agree, because it takes incredible determination and commitment that most people won’t have. The process is somewhat grueling, but the results are a much cleaner body, internally.

Actually, once the fast starts, after a day or two, there’s not much desire for food… so it usually isn’t hunger that’s difficult. I don’t want to go into all the particulars of the fasting process, but it is complex and people indulging in this process are encouraged to get the definitive book on the topic, The Master Cleanser, and read it through first.

The book, which is more like a semi-thick booklet, was first published in 1976 by Stanley Burroughs. It claims that cleansing the body through fasting is “basic for the elimination of every kind of disease.” He wrote that the Lemonade Diet started over forty years before as a cure for stomach ulcers. The diet takes ten days to heal. Ten days is the minimum, though many people fast longer, up to forty days, and even beyond.

The Lemonade Diet is also an effective weight loss diet, and that’s what I needed. The book states “fat melts away at the rate of about two pounds a day” and during the first few days of my fast, that was true for me. Toward the end of my ten-day fast it slowed down a bit, but I was happy to lose thirteen pounds in ten days. That’s a start.

The lemonade recipe is simple, and here’s my generalized version of it. Take the juice of two medium sized lemons, add two to four tablespoons of real maple syrup (to taste, with less if you want to lose weight), add water to make one quart, and add a tiny tiny tiny bit of cayenne. I’ve seen other versions of this recipe on the web wherein a bit of salt is added, and it is considered an electrolyte replacement drink (like Gator-Aid). But with the Lemonade Diet, add no salt.

This is what I drank for ten days straight. We’re supposed to drink six to twelve cups per day. I figured that meant at least three lemons. I personally had trouble drinking more than six cups. I supplemented with cold spring water. Lots of it. We’re allowed a cup of peppermint tea once daily. Plus we have to do an internal cleansing routine consisting of laxative tea at night plus a salt water flush in the morning. This is very effective in getting toxins to move on out of the body. It is essential to the success of the fast because detox symptoms build up if the salt water flush isn’t used.

The back of Burroughs’ Master Cleanser book contains information on how to break the fast, recipes for sustaining healthy eating after the fast, and other health information. It is all good advice… and don’t forget, if you plan to do the fast, reading the book first is very important.