Tag Archives: Candida Treatment

Questions & Answers

Treating Candida With Garlic And Other Herbs

Can eating raw garlic alone help with Candida, or will a garlic supplement alone help? The answer to that question is that both options are good.

I prefer to eat lots of garlic in my diet. I often add partially cooked garlic into my food, especially salad.

All spring and summer, I tend to have one or two cloves of garlic finely chopped, mix that in with olive oil, maybe lemon juice, a bit of pepper and salt, and that gets put on salads. This is a standard salad dressing I make.

A lot of people say they chop their garlic and leave it to stand for a little while to allow the active ingredient to come out into its own.

Dr. Benjamin Lau wrote an excellent book on garlic. Dr. Lau’s work was one of the first serious books on the science behind why garlic is such an effective immune stimulant and antifungal.

In many studies, garlic has been shown to have just as good, if not better, effect as an antifungal than drugs like fluconazole. We know that people who eat lots of garlic regularly in their diet are going to benefit.

Related articles:

Garlic supplements are also a good idea. I recommend buying a standardized garlic supplement. Don’t buy just any garlic supplement. Buy a garlic supplement that has a documented percentage of allicin in it. Allicin is converted to ajoene through an enzymatic reaction, and ajoene is an even more powerful antifungal agent.

By getting a standardized supplement with a guaranteed percentage of allicin, the benefits are even more potent than from garlic alone.

When you consider an antimicrobial for Candida, always try and get something with a bit of oregano in it, a bit of garlic in it, and a bit of grapefruit seed extract in it. You want antifungal, antibacterial, and antiparasitic actions all in one supplement. That kind of multi-modal supplement saves you taking ten different pills. It also has far better action, especially if the product is balanced.

Consider adding garlic to your diet every day. I also recommend ginger daily in your diet and taking garlic as a supplement. You’ll get much better benefit by including garlic both as food and as a supplement.

Sources:

Questions & Answers

Is Peppermint Tea Gut-Healthy?

We are talking about peppermint tea, one of my favorites. I’ve grown lots of mint, especially peppermint. It’s incredible, especially in spring and summertime when it really starts to grow and you grab a handful and It just about knocks you out, that strong menthol smell.

I can remember several years ago when I was at a medical conference and I had a bursting headache. I don’t know why but I had this terrible headache in the afternoon. A lady came up to me because she saw my eyes and she just rubbed some peppermint oil on my forehead. Within about five minutes, the headache was gone. I was absolutely blown away by the peppermint oil.

Studies have shown that when applied to the head for migraines or tension headaches, it works probably better than 1,000 milligrams of acetaminophen or paracetamol. Peppermint oil is definitely worth using if you have a headache.

Related articles:

There are so many studies I’ve read about peppermint and the digestive system. For example, on study involving 926 people showed a 40% reduction in symptoms of IBS in response to peppermint oil capsules.

Peppermint definitely helps with bloating and flatulence. If you have IBS, you may get significant benefit from taking peppermint oil capsules.

I’ve also worked with a few patients with inflammatory bowel disease who benefited tremendously from drinking peppermint tea. Peppermint tea helps to ease cramps in the gut, spasms, and bloating.

Peppermint can also help with menstrual cramps. Drinking peppermint tea for the few days around menses can make a big difference to cramps.

I am a big fan of peppermint tea. I highly recommend it for a variety of gut problems…and headaches.

Sources:

Questions & Answers

The Health Benefits Of Spanish Black Radish

Black radish is also known as Raphanus sativus variation niger.

You may know radish as in the red kind of radish. I like to grow radishes, but I also like to grow carrots, including dark carrots. The old carrots that were grown thousands of years ago are a dark black color and even purple color, these are extremely good for your health. Today carrots are orange. I also may mention to you that carrots are orange because the Dutch bred them to be orange for the Dutch royal family, which is an orange color.

Black radish is very good for you. Black and purple pigmented vegetables, like purple lettuce, are very good for you.

Radishes taste a bit peppery. Radishes belong to the Brassica family, so they are related to kale, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Related articles:

Brassicas contain a compound called glucosinolates. In the gut, enzymes change glucosinolates into isothiocyanate. Isothiocyanate accelerates detoxification in the liver. It’s even been shown that isothiocyanate can detoxify certain cancer cell lines in the liver.

When they introduce cancer experimentally into rats or mice and then give the animals isothiocyanate, the rate of cancer is reduced. The claim isn’t that isothiocyanate cures cancer. The claim is that eating brassicas, including black radish, may help prevent cancer.

It’s also been shown that people who consume radish regularly have a much lower incidence of getting gallstones. The chemicals in radish stimulate globet cells (the mucous producing cells) and other cells in your gut that function to excrete waste. In other words, radish acts as a natural detoxifier of your small and large bowel.

Try and add more radish to your diet. Radishes are very easy to grow. They’ve got a nice crunch and are great for oral health. People who eat radishes and related vegetables tend to have sweeter breath and better digestion. Why not eat a radish instead of a chicken nugget? It’s a lot better for you.

Sources:

Questions & Answers

Glutamine And Gut Health

L-glutamine is an amino acid found in many different types of foods. Glutamine is found in chicken or bone broth, brassicas, and high protein foods like fish.

Many bodybuilders and athletes use glutamine because it boosts muscle and bone growth.
Brain function benefits from glutamine as well. Glutamine is one of the primary fuels for enterocytes, the cells that line the gut. I have seen studies that demonstrate glutamine boosting the immune system by increasing secretory IgA.

On the other hand, I have had clients who experienced significant side effects from L-glutamine. So, don’t just jump straight into the water. Put your big toe in first, okay?
If you’re going to take glutamine, and you’ve got GI issues such as leaky gut, IBS, Candida, or abdominal discomfort, don’t rush into taking large doses of L-glutamine. Instead, start with small quantities, and take it from there.

Related articles:

I recommend that glutamine be taken with protein foods rather than an empty stomach. The average dose for many people is between 500 and 2,000 milligrams per day. Some websites recommend megadoses from 30 grams up to 80 grams per day. I consider that very foolhardy. Mega dosing on any supplement just doesn’t make sense, regardless of what it is.
With glutamine, start small, build up, watch the bowel motions, and use the eyeball test. Look into the toilet and see what the stool’s doing. Keep track of your gut comfort after starting glutamine.

When you introduce glutamine into your diet as a supplement, don’t start10 other things at the same time. Take glutamine, for example, at a rate of say 500 milligrams per day for several days, build up to 1,000, watch the stool, watch the gut symptoms, and watch the food sensitivities. If you start noticing improvements or changes, you may well be getting a good benefit from it. You could slowly step it up to 1,000 or 2,000 milligrams per day.

As per usual, if something benefits you, take it. If it doesn’t, get rid of it. It’s not a dietary necessity. But for people pushing their body hard through physical training and eating a lot of food, there is definitely a benefit from glutamine.

With regards to leaky gut, I’ve seen glutamine result in significant improvement. If the leaky gut comes along with SIBO, parasites, or Candida, it may be hard to tolerate the glutamine. In that case, start with a cleanse, eradicate the gut microbe imbalances, and then undergo a trial of glutamine.

Sources:

Questions & Answers

The Health Benefits Of Elderberry

Elderberry is a plant, also known as Sambucus nigra.

Sambucus is a fascinating medicinal plant that’s been used now for probably thousands of years. I used to grow this plant in Australia.

Elderberry can grow up to nine meters tall. I used to grow it down around my verandah in the backyard. Elderberry has beautiful big clusters of lovely, aromatic white, creamy flowers.
People make champagne or fizzy drinks from elderberry flowers.

The berries of Sambucus nigra are quite tart and need to be cooked. The berries have a high vitamin C and antioxidant content. The antioxidant compounds in elderberry fruit include phenolic acids and different flavonols like quercetin and kaempferol.

Related articles:

The compounds in elderberry are very good at fixing free radical damage. As a result, elderberry is very good for people under a lot of stress who want to prevent progression to heart disease, cancer, or diabetes.

Several natural medicines contain Sambucus. Studies have demonstrated the elderberry can help prevent flu and shorten the duration if you do develop symptoms. Sambucus is thought to upregulate the immune system.

With regards to the gut, the combination of vitamin C, other antioxidants, and fiber, helps boost up beneficial bacteria levels.

I highly recommend growing elderberry. In addition to being very nutritious, it is a beautiful plant. Thankfully, Sambucus nigra grows well in a lot of different climates.

You can infuse elderberry flowers in hot water, cool it down, and end up with a lovely beverage. Some people just float the flowers in ice water. You can also make tea out of the leaves or the berries.

Sources: