Today I want to tell you about a very useful herb I found on what I thought was the most unlikely occasion – my trip to Paris.
I have to admit, I was sure the French disliked us.
Just returning from my trip there I’ve changed my mind to something like this:
I like the way they think of Americans. Even though they find some competitiveness, they have high regard, whether they want to admit it or not. They think Americans are very capable and that we represent the free world. And they think we have by far the strongest, best economy, and we have great ideas…
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You can see how beautiful the fields of lavender in the South of France are… and I had no idea they used the herb so much in their cooking. |
And you probably already guessed, I had fantastic meals there. I got invited to dinner at people’s homes and out to restaurants…
One night we had the most incredible lamb chops. They were grilled with lavender. The French have this herb and spice mixture called Herbes de Provence. It can only be called that if it has lavender from the place where it traditionally grows, the Provence area in the South of France.
And for dessert we ate cookies… lavender shortbread cookies. Have you had these? I’m glad they don’t sell them in too many places in the States or I’d have a hard time not eating a million of them.
I’ve had lavender tea, but I had no idea the French used the herb so much in their cooking.
It’s also overlooked as a healing herb. Because it smells so good, it’s mostly used in fragrances and as aromatherapy.
In fact, I’ve been thinking a lot about hidden and overlooked healing cures lately, now that I’m putting together my new newsletter. Have I told you about it yet? I’m going to call it “Confidential Cures: Your Guide to Truth and Lies in Medicine from Around the World.”
I’ll be giving you even more stories about my travels, adventures, and the ultimate goal of my life’s work – to bring forgotten cures and healing secrets back for you. Plus I’ll give you even more advice on natural healing solutions for the problems we face in the modern world.
Don’t get me wrong, we live in an exciting and fun time. The world is at our fingertips. We can travel almost anywhere we want on a moment’s notice. We can go places and do things your ancient ancestors could never dream of doing.
They only had one advantage over us… their environment. Their water was pure, and their food was full of every mineral and nutrient your body needs.
Take something simple like the lavender I was just telling you about. It has many beneficial compounds like:
- ursolic acid – inhibits colon1 and breast cancer2 and may help control weight3
- beta-sitosterol – a potent antioxidant that can keep your prostate healthy naturally4
- luteolin – a performance-enhancing flavonoid that can protect brain cells5 , improve memory and help ease depression.
Yet it’s almost totally overlooked as a healing herb.
I have some in my yard here in Florida. It’s a slightly different cultivar that’s smaller than what grows in France. And, if you’re going to grow it in the south, you need it in a very shady spot and have to water it often.
If you have lavender, or you find some in a specialty store, take it in your hand and break up the flowers and put them under your nose. You’ll feel almost a soothing, relaxing sensation from the aroma. Great for taking away a headache.
A few researchers are studying French lavender (Lavendula x intermedia) because it’s helpful for digestion and other issues like colitis. It can even help protect your beneficial gut microflora from being destroyed by bad bacteria.6
You can get the essential oil of lavender and put some in your bath or use it for aromatherapy. It’s also put in creams and oils meant for topical use, on the outside of the skin, because it can relieve pain, joint achiness and itching.
For internal healing, you can find lavender in a tincture, where 30-60 drops in your favorite drink will give you the benefits. And of course you can drink it as a tea. Just steep one or two teaspoons of the fresh leaves and petals in hot water and let stand for a few minutes.
But if you have fresh lavender growing in your garden, you can use every part of it. The French add a little bit of the petal blossoms (not the base of the flowers) and leaves to their cooking. And if you find yourself without a skewer when you want to grill lamb and vegetables, you can use the stem of the lavender plant. It’s pretty sturdy.
1.Andersson D, Liu J, Nilsson A, Duan R. “Ursolic acid inhibits proliferation and stimulates apoptosis in HT29 cells…” Anticancer Res. 2003 Jul-Aug;23(4):3317-22.
2.Yeh C, Wu C, Yen G. “Ursolic acid, a naturally occurring triterpenoid, suppresses migration and invasion of human breast cancer cells…” Mol Nutr Food Res. 2010 Sep;54(9):1285-95.
3.Kunkel S, Elmore C, Bongers K, Ebert S, Fox D, et al. “Ursolic Acid Increases Skeletal Muscle and Brown Fat and Decreases Diet-Induced Obesity, Glucose Intolerance and Fatty Liver Disease.” PLoS ONE 2012;7(6): e39332.
4.Schleich S, Papaioannou M, Baniahmad A, Matusch R. “Extracts from Pygeum africanum and other ethnobotanical species with antiandrogenic activity.” Planta Med. 2006 Jul;72(9):807-13.
5.Zhu, L.H., Bi, W., Qi, R.B., et al, “Luteolin inhibits microglial inflammation and improves neuron survival against inflammation,” Int. J. Neurosci. June 2011;121(6):329-36
6.Baker J, Brown K, et. al. “Medicinal lavender modulates the enteric microflora to protect against Citrobacter rodentium-induced colitis.” Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2012 Jul 19.