In the realm of superfoods, one stands out for  detoxifying potential – dulse. Harvested from the cold waters of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, dulse, scientifically known as Palmaria palmata, is a red seaweed gaining popularity for its impressive health benefits. It takes heavy metals from the body and people are snacking on the salty seaweed likes it’s a bag of chips.

Rich in vitamins like C, B-vitamins, and A, dulse plays a crucial role in supporting immune function, energy metabolism, and maintaining healthy skin. Dulse boasts a significant mineral content, including iodine, iron, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, making it a well-rounded addition to a balanced diet.

Dulse is believed to be an important detoxifying agent that can pull heavy metals from the body. Heavy metals, such as mercury, lead, and cadmium, can accumulate in the body over time, posing serious health risks. Dulse contains compounds known as polysaccharides, which have been studied for their chelating properties – the ability to bind to and remove heavy metals from the bloodstream and tissues.

By supporting optimal thyroid function, dulse indirectly contributes to the body’s natural detoxification processes.

Dulse is a rich source of antioxidants.The polyphenols, flavonoids, and carotenoids found in dulse contribute to its potent antioxidant profile.

Dulse promotes heart health through various mechanisms. The fiber content aids in cholesterol regulation by helping to lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels is crucial for cardiovascular well-being, reducing the risk of heart disease.

The mineral composition of dulse, particularly potassium, magnesium, and calcium, contributes to electrolyte balance in the body. Electrolytes are essential for proper muscle function, nerve communication, and overall cellular health.

Eating dulse – tastes like bacon

Dulse has a unique, umami-rich flavor that can enhance the taste of various dishes. Vegans use it as a bacon alternative or as a meat substitute when added to curry or rice dishes. It gives off a wonderful flavour to many dishes: you can sprinkle dried dulse flakes onto salads, stir them into soups like you would use miso, or use them as a nutritious seasoning in any food for a savory kick. Our friends in the forest in Canada just munch on it like they are eating a bag of chips. It grows on you. 

“Dulse is a superfood, with twice the nutritional value of kale,” Chuck Toombs, a researcher on dulse who sees its potential in the human-food market.

“There hasn’t been a lot of interest in using it in a fresh form. But this stuff is pretty amazing,” said chief researcher Chris Langdon. “When you fry it, which I have done, it tastes like bacon, not seaweed. And it’s a pretty strong bacon flavor.”

Other detox foods forest friends suggest:

Barley grass juice extract powder

Wild blueberries frozen or fresh

Cilantro (organic)

Spirulina. dried or frozen

Burdock tea made from the roots of the plant

The post Why is dulse a superfood? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Look to the Stella McCartney runway this season and you will figure out that mushrooms and fungus are making it to the mainstream fashion world. The London designer has incorporated fungus as leather and fabric into her clothing line.

Stella is picking up on the sustainability trend worldwide. Mushrooms, like a last frontier in the forest, are gaining credibility as a superfood but also as a sustainable material that can be used to create fabric.

Some foragers, long-lifers living in the forest, neopeasants, or just casual visitors to the forest now find themselves looking for the mysterious fruiting bodies of fungi for food and for super medicines. It’s exhilerating finding mushrooms in the forest and it feels like you hit the jackpot when you find what you are looking for. 

Chaga or king chaga is a fungus that grows as a parasite on the silver birch tree. Some say it’s a parasite but I believe it is forming a long-term symbiotic relationship with the tree. The conk-shaped chaga is irregularly formed and resembles burnt charcoal. It takes years for a chaga to grow and is quite rare. It costs a pretty penny to buy online but with some luck, if you own a forest, you can find and harvest your own chaga. That’s what I did this summer. It was thrilling. 

Chaga is believed to provide enormous anti-inflammatory benefits, helping all sorts of illnesses including cancer. One friend I met in the forest this summer told me that a Neandrethalic man was  defrosted some years ago and in his pocket held two things: cannabis and chaga. 

It’s something I want in my small but growing natural medicine cabinet, along with healing THC and CBD. In fact some CBD providers add a tincture of CBD and chaga together. 

How to forage chaga mushrooms

Look for silver birch trees

A believer in foraging on one’s own land, and with some guidence from my friend Raven, I was lucky to find and harvest a chaga this summer. I hadn’t planned on finding one when on my walk with the kids, but there it appeared at eye height on a medium aged silver birch tree while I was walkeing along a brook with the kids.

With no tools my instincts kicked in and I quickly fuond a palm sized stone which gave the edge I needed to knock the chaga off the silver birch. It came after 3 blows and weighed about 5 pounds. It went into my  mushroom basket.

Some people harvest the chaga off of fallen trees, while others swear by using the fresh stuff, straight from the tea. What’s important, Raven explains is that you dry it within a day or harvesting. I showed up at her house for a positive identification.

It is essential, and critical that you ID mushrooms with a local expert before consuming anything. Mushrooms are tricksters and there are plenty of lookalikes in every family. I take a mushroom book with me when I go out and if something looks interesting I try to find it in the book right away. 

We got a positive ID and the chaga was chopped and dried over the next days. You can dry it low in a stove, at less than than 150F (70C). But only after it is chopped down into chunks about the size of a blueberry. I started with an ax and then progressed to a machete and over an hour it took to cut up the chaga into chunks I developed a few small blisters. 

Once this is done you need to dry the chaga so it can be stored. You might use a natural solar dryer if there is no chance of rain or overheating and cooking to chaga; or you can use the heat from a woodstove or an electric stove set on low to less than 150F.

How to make chaga tea (ground)

How to make chaga tea from small cubes

1. Take about 3 or 4 small 1/2 cm or less cubes of chaga, or chunks, however it’s been chopped and add it to a small or medium-sized pot
2. Boil on low for about 15 minutes.
3. Serve hot or cold and drink throughout the day. Makes 4 cups. 
4. Consider reusing the chaga again

 

The post Chaga mushroom tea, powerful antioxidant in your forest appeared first on Green Prophet.

A Green Prophet reader reports that her healer recommends a daily teaspoon of diatomaceous earth (D.E.) to suppress a sudden, uncharacteristic appetite for junk food. 

“Diatomaceous earth makes me feel full,” she says.   “And it’s supposed to cleanse the intestines.” 

Somewhat repelled, but intrigued, I went on an information quest. What research yielded was this: diatomaceous earth is powdered rock that’s  composed of fossilized silica shells of diatoms, a species of alga. Diatoms don’t fit neatly into any of the usual categories of animal, vegetable or mineral, but they are living creatures. Below is a photo, via microscope, of ocean diatoms in between ice crystals in Antarctica. People use it on their gardens to kill insects, but along with the eating coal trend, people are eating diatomaceous earth. 

The millennial accumulation of fossilized diatom shells, mixed with natural clays and minerals, formed deposits that are most often found in or near lakes, wetlands and the ocean. Diatom shells are composed of silica (silicon dioxide), and is a form of sand; dangerous when it’s inhaled. Long-term exposure causes a lung disease, silicosis. So if you eat it, best not to breath it while you are stirring the glass. 

Diatomaceous earth as natural pesticide

We’re familiar with the use of diatomaceous earth as a natural pesticide. The silicon particles have sharp edges that minutely lacerate slugs, snails, and insects such as ants, cockroaches, bed bugs (hey New York!), and fleas. The pests lose moisture through the wounds and dehydrate. 

Farmers mix diatomaceous earth with grains in storage, to prevent insect infestation and clumping. Some hold that diatomaceous earth helps to de-worm farm animals. Diatomaceous earth is sometimes used as a soil improver, especially in potted plants such as bonsai.  However mild diatomaceous earth pesticides are, they are still regulated in the United States under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and must be registered with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Industry has uses for D.E. too: its abrasive properties are handy in metal polish, water filtration, production of dynamite, toothpaste and even some facial scrubs. I recommend our own safe, natural sugar scrub recipe over commercial products.

Now why are people eating diatomaceous earth?

And do studies show any benefit from ingesting it?

There are two types of diatomaceous earth: food-grade and non food-grade. The difference is in the content of crystalline vs. amorphous silica dioxide in it, and how finely-ground the powder is. I’m coming to the conclusion that “food-grade” is a misnomer, as there’s no solid evidence that diatomaceous earth contributes nutrition, nor anything to health, that real food doesn’t already.

The long, long list of health benefits attached to eating diatomaceous earth will make you dizzy. A daily teaspoon, blended into a smoothie or stirred into juice, is claimed to improve hair, skin, and bones. It’s supposed to detoxify the body by improving digestion, and help absorb nutrients.  Vendors claim that you’ll lose weight and reduce cholesterol levels and blood pressure.  It’ll cure diarrhea and constipation.

From eliminating coughs and menopausal symptoms to relieving back pain and insomnia, diatomaceous earth is the miracle superfood supplement of the moment.  Somewhat like CBD infused drinks. Some even claim that ingesting diatomaceous earth staves off aging and Alzheimer’s.

No results for diatomaceous earth in science

Oh, please. No studies exist that back up those claims. Websites that extol eating diatomaceous earth publish testimonials, not study results. They usually lead you to a shopping cart. I can understand how diatomaceous earth makes you feel full (you must drink a lot of water with it) – which will cut your appetite and lead to weight loss. But so will psyllium seeds. Or eating six small, nutrient-dense meals a day.

Want to detox? Why go with a sharp-edged substance that will scrape your intestinal walls, carrying protective mucous away and leaving you vulnerable to viruses and bacteria? Seen through a microscope, you can appreciate the tiny, sharp protrusions that so efficiently kill slugs and insects. 

Today’s readers are more than familiar with what it takes to detox and live longer: get off cigarettes and excessive alcohol; drink a lot more water; eat lots of salads (here’s an ancient salad recipe from the Rambam) and cooked vegetables; avoid sugar and red meat; exercise regularly and if possible, in the fresh air.

To lower blood pressure (and de-stress), learn to meditate, or learn yoga. Eat high-cocoa content chocolate! Or make these Raven cookies. If you suspect you’re harboring parasites, like after drinking unsafe water while traveling, visit to the doctor. 

Use your good judgement with trendy “superfoods” like diatomaceous earth, which isn’t a food at all.

So should you be eating diatomaceous earth?

You already know what I think.

Photos via Wikipedia and www.findlow-filters.com 

The post Should you eat diatomaceous earth (DT) for health? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Within Islam there are many herbs, plants and fruits that are believed to have medicinal and healing properties. Olive, pomegranate, dates and figs are amongst those that are directly mentioned in the Quran as blessed foods. However, there is only one that can stake a claim as a super food and that is black cumin, fennel flower, or ‘Habbat ul Sawda’ as it is known in Arabic.

According to hadith, or Muslim teachings, Muhammed is believed to have said: “In the black seed is healing for every disease except death.” (Sahih Bukhari)

Indigenous to the Mediterranean region, the black seed plant (Nigella sativa, also Roman coriander) has been used medicinally by Muslims and non-Muslims alike for hundreds of years. In fact the earliest written reference to the black cumin is in the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament where Isaiah talks of the harvesting of the black seed.

It was also mentioned in the Bible as the curative ‘black seed’ and has been used by Asian herbalists and the Romans for culinary purposes. However it never really held any place of importance until the rise of Islam.

Black cumin seeds and oil –  a superfood

Within Arabo-Islamic culture, the black seed has been prescribed for various ailments including fever, asthma, chronic headaches, diabetes, digestion, back pain, infections and rheumatism. In fact, since its rise in popularity in the Seventh century the black seed has remained a staple of family medicine within the Muslim world. The black seed is believed to have 100 components and is a significant sources of fatty acids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

Whenever I get a cold or flu, the first things that gets added to my hot drinks is black cumin and although it leaves no taste in the drink- the trick is to chew the seeds rather than just swallow them whole.

They have a slightly bitter and peppery taste but nothing too strong so it is a relatively pain-free medicine. My mother constantly tells me about its amazing properties and it seems that there science out there to back it up.

Black cumin revives natural medicine

Black seed has been scientifically proven to demonstrate strong anti-bacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties which support its claims to be of medicinal value for various ailments. There was also interesting studies carried out which found that black cumin had inhibitory effects on carcinogens  and was also helpful for fighting tumours.

Nigella sativa has been used as traditional medicine for centuries. The crude oil and thymoquinone (TQ) extracted from its seeds and oil are effective against many diseases like cancer, cardiovascular complications, diabetes, asthma, kidney disease, breast and pancreatic cancer.

It’s like the Middle East version of chaga mushroom tea.

Black cumin is effective against cancer in blood system, lung, kidney, liver, prostate, breast, cervix, skin with much safety. The molecular mechanisms behind its anticancer role is still not clearly understood, however, some studies showed that thymoquinone has antioxidant role and improves body’s defense system, according to this study.

The issue with treating cancer however means that one needs to be “proactive” in consuming disease fighting foods before the cancer gets rooted. Oftentimes people react with natural medicines such as CBD oil, black cumin, chaga tea, juicing, or apricot seeds hoping that the mix will stop the cancer. All of us need to take care of our health today with a balanced diet, heavy in Mediterrean food to stop cancer before it starts.

A rise in interest of Mediterranean cuisine and herbs has highlighted the uses of the black seed which seems to be enjoying a revival in popularity across the Muslim world and in the West.

Like CBD oil is added to drinks in America, black cumin seed has been introduced to recipes and is even an ingredient in Evoca cola which is also known as ‘Islam Cola’. The extract is said to be tasteless.

Evoca is a London-based soft drinks company, and is sold in the United Kingdom, The Channel Islands, Europe and the Far East.

Black seed can also be used as a spice and particularly as a substitute to pepper: although with its additional properties it really does give flavour with added health benefits.

For more on natural cures and medicine see:

Bee Stings Are Sweet in Israel: An Interview with a Beekeeper

Nightshades: Vegetables To Be Careful With

Keep Your Arteries Clean With These Dietary Tips

The post Black Cumin: Islam’s Miracle Cure Seed appeared first on Green Prophet.