Sodium Is Good For You, Table Salt Is Not

So, sodium is good for you! What does your brain do with that? Most people experience a knee-jerk reaction and think "That can't possibly be true!" We've been so led to believe that sodium is bad for you. How can it possibly be good for you?

There is so much confusion, disinformation, and misinformation about sodium and salt that covers the spectrum of credible sources, from medical doctors to Joe Six-Pack. And it's really simple to untangle the gnarlyness when we realize that this confusion has to do with simple definitions gone awry. Once we have a more accurate terminology in place, we can begin to address the serious health issues caused by sodium DEFICIENCY. Unless we do this, sodium deficiency will continue to be ignored as a contributing cause to most health issues. So here we go:

There are three terms that we need to define more accurately and these definitions must have very clear distinctions from each other. These terms are: Sodium, Sodium Chloride and Salt. These are three completely different substances. Let's look at them individually. Then we'll see how the confusion ensues, what we can do to rectify it and why we would want to.

SODIUM
First let's look at sodium. Sodium in the body is different than sodium out of the body. So even with sodium, we can probably benefit by making this distiction. Let's call sodium outside of the body, inorganic sodium. This is a very unstable metal which becomes stabilized by combining it with other substances. When sodium in the soil is uptaken into the root system of a plant, it becomes stabilized by the process of photosynthesis, combining the elements of air, light and water to create what we can call organic sodium. For the purpose of this article "sodium" refers to this organic sodium.

Briefly, sodium is an electrolytic mineral. Some other electrolytes are potassium, magnesium, calcium, lithium and phosphorous. Sodium is found throughout the human body from birth. Our dependency on sodium to regulate various organs and metabolic functions is mind-boggling. It is found in every cell of our body. Having a symbiotic relation to potassium, the two create an electric charge that contributes toward cell life and energy. There is actually a pump-like action on every cell that pumps potassium in and sodium out. (Although one source claims the sodium goes in and the potassium out.) Sodium is found at work in the stomach, the gallbladder, the joints, and all of our cells. Even our very own DNA is mostly sodium!

SALT
Ancient sea beds that have dried up leave behind the mineral content of the sea (minus the water). The mineral content of a piece of rock salt will vary from location to location. But in general, there are usually over 80 different trace minerals, including sodium.

SODIUM CHLORIDE
Sodium chloride is the chemical compound more commonly known as table salt. It is sodium from rock salt that has been stripped from all the other healthful minerals and stabilized by the gas chlorine. A natural form of sodium chloride occurs in our oceans but this isn't the same thing as table salt which is processed in a factory. In the processing of table salt, the sodium is ionically bound to the chlorine, creating a substance that is neither sodium, salt or chlorine. The ionic bond is unbreakable in the process of digestion. We cannot possibly extract the sodium from table salt and put it to use in our body. In fact, the process of digesting sodium chloride requires us to extract sodium from our body in order to detoxify it and get it out or our system. The body treats sodium chloride like a toxin!

In the media and in the minds of health care professionals, not to mention the public, these terms are all interchangeable. When I hear that some doctor told his patient not to eat celery because it has sodium in it and will contribute to her hypertension, we are witnessing a serious problem of ignorance leading the ignorant. Packaged foods tout that their product is "sodium free", which is probably true, but not beneficial. A more helpful claim would be "sodium chloride free". Nutritional labels add to the confusion by listing the percentage of sodium in their product. Are they listing the amount of sodium chloride or sodium and do they even know how to make the distinction?

Why does this matter and why should anyone care? Is this a deliberate attempt to dupe the public into making poor dietary choices, leading to compromised health, leading to profits to drug companies and doctors? It sure seems that way. If you want to know why this matters, please continue reading.

Sodium has many functions and it is important to look into some of these. Before doing so, a quick summary of pH is required. pH stands for potential hydrogen. It is a way of determining the alkalinity or acidity of a substance, or the effect of a substance in a localized area in our body. The pH can be measured on a scale of 0-14. 7 is neutral, where anything below is acid, anything above is alkaline. The lower the number, the more acidic. The higher the number, the more alkaline. Also, a food such as a lemon, may be acid before we eat it, but it is an alkaline-forming substance once eaten, that is, it contributes towards an alkaline state in the body.

One thing to keep in mind about pH, is that there are different ideal pH levels throughout the body. It is common to hear people talk about having an alkaline diet, or being alkaline inside. But it is also inaccurate and an oversimplification to think of our body that way. Different body functions and organs have different optimal pH levels.

For example, the stomach creates hydrochloric acid to help digest and break down proteins and fats in the food we eat. The optimal pH level of hydrochloric acid is .4 which is very acidic. This level of acidity can also destroy unwanted pathogens and microorganisms such as e.coli. What mineral do you think is important in regulating hydrochloric acid levels? SODIUM! In a healthy person, sodium is found in abundance in the mucosa lining of the stomach.

After the food is saturated with hydrochloric acid, the resulting chyme (pronounced kime) moves into the small intestine where the broken-down nutrients attempt to be uptaken into the blood and liver. But the chyme is still highly acidic and would burn the intestine. Fortunately, when it enters the small intestine it is saturated by a bile that is highly alkaline. This bile is created in the gallbladder and an optimal level in a healthy person is close to 14 (highly alkaline). What mineral regulates the alkaline level of this bile? SODIUM!!! In a healthy person, sodium is found in abundance in the gallbladder.

Now what happens in the stomach, when the sodium is removed and it can't help regulate the acidity of hydrochloric acid? The hydrochloric acid becomes weaker, meaning it has a higher pH level. Proteins and fats aren't broken down as much so the body can't absorb them in the small intestine. AND microorganisms have a free pass into the body. You can eat all the meat in the world and not be able to absorb and use ANY of the protein because it's not being broken down to the amino acids, which the body uses to rebuild protein in the liver. When sodium is removed from the gallbladder what happens? The bile doesn't alkalize the acidic chyme and you can experience unpleasant burning sensations after eating. Also, sodium keeps calcium moist in the gallbladder, and when it is removed the calcium hardens resulting in gallstones.

So here we have clear examples of how to determine a sodium deficiency: gallstones and poor hydrochloric acid levels. But what causes the sodium to leave the stomach and gallbladder in the first place? Let's look at the blood. Blood has to stay within the small pH range of 6.8 - 7.2. If it goes above or below that range, we die. What mineral helps to regulate the pH level of our blood? SODIUM!!! If we are not bringing sodium into our body to regulate the pH level of the blood, then the body, in order to survive, has to pull the sodium from other areas in the body. It probably starts with the stomach and gallbladder. Then after those sodium reserves have been depleted, it starts to take it from our bones and joints. If sodium keeps calcium moist, having sodium extracted from the joints may be a contributing factor to arthritis. Finally, as a last resort, the body starts extracting sodium from our cells, causing our cell energy to slow down. And then if it needs more, it can always get it from our DNA.

Hopefully now you can see the implications of not having enough sodium in the diet. The issue of sodium deficiency can lead to all sorts of problems. So how do we prevent sodium deficiency? Not only is sodium destroyed in the process of cooking foods, one of its important functions is to buffer and neutralize acids. So ANY acid-forming substance (meat, dairy, cooked foods, alcohol, coffee, grains, bread, unfermented soy products, pharmaceutical drugs, sodium chloride aka table salt, and STRESS) extracts sodium from our reserves. If we are not replenishing with sodium in the diet, and minimizing our intake of acid-forming foods, then we begin a chain reaction of unbuffered acids entering our digestive system unable to be broken down into absorbable nutrients and clogging up the passages of our intestines. This would be like putting sludge in the gas tank of your car.

Sodium deficiency can only be addressed by eliminating the acid-forming foods from our diet. It is not just a matter of eating more sodium rich foods in their raw state!

OK, I know eliminating all those acid-forming foods right away is challenging for most people and the idea can be overwhelming. For those with immediate health concerns, you probably don't have much choice but to eliminate as many as possible and replenish with plenty of sodium-rich vegetable juices. Your other choice is to trust the medical establishment. (If you are reading this, you have probably moved away from trusting in that option.) But for those of us who are not currently with observable discomforts, if you don't want to experience physical problems in the future, you would be best served by eliminating as many of the acid-forming substances that you can and phasing out the others at your own pace, while adding more sodium to the diet. The most important first step would be to stop ingesting sodium chloride, and use instead, high quality salt in your own food preparations. If you eat out, it is harder to avoid sodium chloride. Well, probably impossible unless you eat at a raw foods restaurant.

So the sodium rich foods would be (all organically grown and raw): celery, sea veggies like dulse, kelp, nori, aloe, vegetable juices. Unprocessed rock salt is also a great source of sodium and contains all sorts of micro-nutrients.

Sea Salt vs. Himalayan Rock Salt
Both of these products have become popular choices among health-conscious consumers. According to David Favor, the problem with sea salt, which is usually harvested off the coast of France, is that it contains petroleum by-products from the pollution in the ocean. Apparently the French government realizes this and prohibits the sale of sea salt to its citizens, recognizing the potential health concern. Himalayan rock salt, again according to David Favor, is always ground with cheap quality nickel-plated grinders. Nickel dust ends up in the finished product. Nickel is a highly toxic heavy metal. David Favor sells a product called Sunfire Salt which is a blend of 4 different salts from different regions: Himalayan pink salt, Bolivia, Hawaii, and China. He had to arrange for higher grade grinders to be used that are harder than the rock salt, to prevent contamination in the product.

Another interesting source of sodium is called SOLE. This is prepared by taking 1 or 2 chunks of Himalayan rock salt and adding water in a jar. After a couple of days, the rocks actually melt, or rather, the water becomes saturated with the mineral contents of the rocks. The resulting liquid is SOLE. This can be added to water to re-mineralize it, or to add a salty taste to any recipe where salt is required. It's concentrated salt liquid and the minerals are easily absorbed by the body. To learn more about sole, go to www.americanbluegreen.com

Sodium deficiency is a serious health concern that affects problably more than 90% of the Western diet-eating population. There are stages of symptoms. Unfortunatley, sodium deficiency is not only never addressed, it is considered an oxymoron because of the confusion in terminology! When you get a blood test, and it shows plenty of sodium, a doctor isn't going to think, "Aha! Sodium deficiency!" The sodium is in the blood because it has been extracted from other parts of the body to regulate the pH of the blood. It's not in the blood because one is eating too many potato chips! Sodium chloride doesn't even make it into the bloodstream. As mentioned earlier, the human body can't even extract the sodium from the sodium chloride. It goes straight through the digestive tract. Don't believe me? Why wouldn't you believe me? Why would I lie to you? Well, try an experiment. Put 2 Tablespoons of sodium chloride (table salt) in 1/2 a gallon of water and drink it down. It tastes horrible. Within an hour, it will come out as liquid from your butt. This is known as a salt water flush. The next day do the same thing but use real salt. Your body absorbs that salt in digestion so it doesn't come out where fecal matter should.

Hopefully this article will help to start to clear up the confusion regarding sodium. Please forward this information far and wide. And maybe in our life time we will see a reverse of the thorough brainwash job that the most important mineral to the function of the human body is BAD for us.

Over 60 Billion Doses a Year and Not ONE Death, But Still Not Safe?

By Dr. Mercola

Vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements have a tremendously safe track record, yet they are often singled out as being potentially dangerous by government agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
This – the notion that dietary supplements are unsafe -- is the premise behind the FDA's Draft Guidance on New Dietary Ingredients, which would require the supplement industry to prove the safety of natural ingredients that, in many cases, have been on the market and used safely for decades.
As new research from the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System reveals, there were zero deaths linked to nutritional supplements in 2010, the most current data available.

Zero Deaths Linked to Vitamin Supplements

However, in the FDA's new Draft Guidance, the FDA is essentially claiming that dietary supplements are unsafe, and implying that in order to "protect consumers" the agency must place a stranglehold on the dietary supplement industry by requesting exorbitant safety testing.
These ludicrous safety thresholds are in excess of those required by pharmaceutical drugs -- despite extensive toxicological data showing supplements are far safer than drugs.
The most recent data comes from the U.S. National Poison Data System's annual report, which tracked data from 57 U.S. poison centers and showed vitamin and mineral supplements caused zero deaths in 2010.ⁱ
As noted by Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, Americans easily take more than 60 billion doses of nutritional supplements every year, and with zero related deaths this is an outstanding safety record:

"Well over half of the U.S. population takes daily nutritional supplements. Even if each of those people took only one single tablet daily, that makes 165,000,000 individual doses per day, for a total of over 60 billion doses annually. Since many persons take far more than just one single vitamin or mineral tablet, actual consumption is considerably higher, and the safety of nutritional supplements is all the more remarkable.
Over 60 billion doses of vitamin and mineral supplements per year in the USA, and not a single fatality. Not one. If vitamin and mineral supplements are allegedly so "dangerous," as the FDA and news media so often claim, then where are the bodies?"

In striking contrast, drugs are known to cause well over 125,000 deaths per year when taken correctly as prescribed – yet the FDA allows "fast-track" approvals and countless new additions to the marketplace. So why are dietary supplements on the chopping block?

Why is the FDA Attacking Dietary Supplements That Have Been Used Safely for Decades?

Back in the early 1990s, the FDA threatened the availability of dietary supplements to the point that consumers staged a massive revolt, which resulted in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA). The law specifically protects your access to dietary supplements by classifying them as foods, not food additives or drugs, and it grand-fathered in dietary supplements that were already in use as of 1994. Only novel ingredients introduced after October 15, 1994 are required to seek FDA approval.
The FDA's new proposed mandates directly contradict what DSHEA sought to prevent, and the FDA is using its authority in direct violation of Congressional intent. As explained in an article by Alliance for Natural Health, the proposed regulations turn what was clearly supposed to be a pre-market notification system into a pre-approval system, just like that of drugs.ⁱⁱ
As a result, dietary supplements that have been freely available for nearly two decades can now be forced off the market until they receive New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) approval. And the NDI approval process is a lengthy affair that may take months or years to complete, and cost a small fortune. Bringing a drug from the pre-clinical (or discovery phase) all the way to market can easily take more than a decade and cost significantly more than $1 billion! This despite the fact that contrary to drugs, fatalities from vitamins and other supplements are minuscule.

According to the 2001 report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), of the substances implicated in fatal poisonings in 2001, 84.6 percent were pharmaceutical drugs, with analgesics being implicated as the primary cause of death in 32 percent of fatalities or 341 deaths. This compares with 0.8 percent for all dietary supplements combined, even including substances such as dinitrophenol, a dangerous (and illegal) substance banned in 1938, as well as the central nervous system stimulant Ma Huang (Ephedra). Interestingly, the anti-asthma drug theophylline alone was responsible for 15 deaths, 66 percent more than all the available dietary supplements combined.
What might make an "old" ingredient "new," under the new regulation?
The methods of production and extraction, for example … As bizarre as that sounds, the mere fact that a product is being extracted or produced by improved means compared to methods used in the past, could reclassify any grandfathered nutrient as an NDI that would now have to undergo the same type of safety testing and approval process as a drug.

FDA Seeking Outrageous Safety Studies from Tried and True Supplements

In some cases, the FDA will require manufacturers to conduct outrageously expensive studies using absurdly high doses, in some situations multiplied by a "safety factor" up to 2,000-times the recommended dosage on a per product basis. Further, the FDA proposes that new dietary supplement ingredients should adhere to aggressive safety margins, which are typically reserved for chemical compounds known to be dangerous in all but the most miniscule concentrations.
Since food additives or preservatives such as aspartame, monosodium glutamate, and sodium nitrate are known to cause cancer or other severe health problems, the FDA has implemented safety guidelines that limit allowable concentrations of these food additives to levels that are supposed to be physiologically inert.
The fact that the FDA is trying to impose the same limits upon dietary supplements seems to be arbitrary and completely unfounded. In fact, when someone takes a dietary supplement, their intent is to positively affect the structure or function of their bodies in some way -- limiting dosages of dietary supplements to physiologically inert levels defeats the entire purpose of supplementation with health-sustaining nutrients.
And, since supplements are not patented drugs, virtually no supplement manufacturers will be able to afford these "safety" studies, which means that many of the nutrients you now purchase at low prices will convert into high-priced drugs, or simply disappear from the market entirely.

The Drug Industry is the Real Safety Threat

While the U.S. National Poison Data System's annual report showed zero deaths from nutritional supplements, this was not the case for prescription and over-the-counter drugs. The top categories associated with the largest number of fatalities were ALL medications, including

1. Analgesics, sedatives, hypnotics, and antipsychotics
2. Cardiovascular drugs
3. Opioids
4. Acetaminophen combinations
5. Antidepressants

Slightly lower down on the list were more drugs, including muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory drugs, hormones, antacids, anticoagulants, antihistamines and more. Out of a total 1,366 reported fatalities, pharmaceuticals were involved in over 1,100 of these deaths (again, compared to zero for supplements). Keep in mind that this is not an estimate of all the deaths attributed to pharmaceuticals in the U.S., only those reported to 57 poison control centers. The total figure is closer to 125,000 deaths from pharmaceuticals per year. ⁱⁱⁱ
If you extrapolate this number out over 30 years this is well in excess of 3 million people who died from taking appropriately prescribed legal drugs. It is simply incomprehensible that any rational approach would seek to vilify supplements over drugs when the data in no way, shape or form supports it. The most likely motive for this position is financial greed that can put your life in jeopardy.

Defend Your Right to Continue Taking Safe Supplements

No one can sit on the sidelines with an emergency of this magnitude about to befall everyone who depends on dietary supplements. As citizens, we have the constitutional right to petition the government to redress our grievances. In this case, the FDA NDI proposals pose a direct threat to our health and longevity by threatening free access to dietary supplements with exemplary safety records.
We therefore have to take extraordinary measures to defend our right to continue using supplements that our very lives depend on, and to gain access to new natural ingredients that demonstrate efficacy in scientific studies. I ask each one of you to contact your representatives by following this link:

Recall how consumers revolted back in 1994 and the result was a glorious victory over FDA tyranny! Let your voice be heard by exercising your right to petition the government against these serious violations of the law and scientific principle. Please be sure to call, fax, or send a certified letter to your representative -- emails can be easily dismissed. Here is a set of talking points for your consideration:

• My name is [Name] and I am a constituent of [Congress Member's name].
• I am very concerned about the new FDA draft guidance on dietary supplements and new dietary ingredients.
• I request that Congress hold hearings and take action to review the FDA's draft guidance and stop their overreach of power.
• The FDA's draft guidance flies in the face of the original congressional intent of the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act: The guidance turns what was meant to be a simple notification system for new dietary ingredients into a preapproval scheme that Congress did not intend to create.
• Congress recognized that dietary supplements are natural ingredients and therefore inherently safer than drugs and chemical food ingredients. It did not intend that the FDA would have the power to approve or reject dietary supplements.
• The FDA's draft guidance creates unnecessary regulations that limit my access to dietary supplements I rely on. The expensive and burdensome process will force between 20,000 and 42,000 dietary supplements to be removed from the market and will increase the cost of those supplements that remain.
• The draft guidance hurts our economy. Expert analyses show that this guidance will cause a total economic loss of $21.2 billion to $39.8 billion annually.
• Thank you for your time.

Tips:

• Be courteous and respectful.
• Keep your comments brief and focused on the facts.
• Always thank the staff member for their time taking your call.

SAMPLE LETTER TO CONGRESS:
The Honorable _________________________ Washington, D.C.
In direct violation of the law, the FDA is threatening to ban my access to new dietary supplements.
The FDA defines dietary supplements as being "new" if they were introduced after October 15, 1994. That means that nutrients that I have been safely using over the course of three decades will be subject to the FDA's oppressive policies that mandate costly animal testing, which translates into forced withdrawal from the market, and higher prices for me if the supplement is ever allowed to be sold again.
The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 states that:

"The Federal Government should not take any actions to impose unreasonable regulatory barriers limiting or slowing the flow of safe products and accurate information to consumers."

It says that Congress finds that:

"dietary supplements are safe within a broad range of intake, and safety problems with the supplements are relatively rare."

And it says that:

"legislative action that protects the right of access of consumers to safe dietary supplements is necessary in order to promote wellness."

This draft guidance does the exact opposite of what Congress intended. It imposes unreasonable barriers that limit and slow the flow of safe products and accurate information to consumers. I call upon Congress to:

• Uphold the landmark legislation it passed seventeen years ago, and to direct the FDA to revise its New Dietary Ingredient draft guidelines to reflect DSHEA's (and Congress's) stated values and goals.
• Vote against the newly introduced Dietary Supplement Labeling Act as this would give the FDA even greater arbitrary powers to remove safe dietary supplements from the market, and will profoundly impact this nations' health in a negative way.

All of these proposals result in wasteful federal spending, while at the same time impose a massive new "regulatory tax" on consumers and the vitamin industry.
Kindly let me know what actions you are taking in response to the urgent issues raised in this letter.
Sincerely,
Name________________________________________
Address______________________________________
City______________________ST____ Zip__________

References:

---

• ⁱ 2010 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System (NPDS): 28th Annual Report
• ⁱⁱ Alliance for Natural Health July 12, 2011
• ⁱⁱⁱ U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Poisoning Factsheet

Source:  Orthomolecular December 28, 2011

The amazing healing powers of cayenne pepper (capsicum)

When the famous master herbalist Dr. John Christopher was bothered by stomach ulcer problems as a student, one of his herbal instructors recommended young John drink a solution of cayenne pepper powder in water daily.

At first, Dr. Christopher thought this was a contradiction. How could something so hot help his ulcers? But he bravely took the advice and to his surprise, it did cure his ulcers. Following that experience, Dr. Christopher become a zealous advocate of cayenne for both heart issues and for boosting the efficacy of some of his other herbal formulas.

Christopher has even documented cases where he helped patients come out of heart attacks using only a teaspoon of cayenne powder in a cup of warm water. He isn't alone; there are several anecdotes of people recovering from serious heart attacks by downing cayenne teas or tinctures. (Sources below)

One of Dr. Christophers interns, Dr. Richard Schulze, ND, MH, took up the cause proclaiming, "If you only master one herb in your life, master cayenne pepper. It's more powerful than any other." Both Schulze and Christopher recommend taking a half to full teaspoon of cayenne powder in water two to three times daily as an overall health tonic.

Using cayenne as an herbal medicine or tonic

If you use cayenne, ensure it's organic. Even organic cayenne is inexpensive and the potential benefits are invaluable. The powder comes from various dried and ground chili peppers, all containing capsaicin (cap-say-sin). The amount of capsaicin is indicated by the cayenne powder's heat levels, measured in Scoville heat units (SHU) or heat units (HU).

The lowest therapeutic level of SHU or heat units is 35,000. You will often find cayenne powder listed at 40,000, 60,000, 90,000 or 100,000 SHU or heat units. Unless you have a fondness for really hot spicy foods, you may want to start at the 40,000 level. Ultimately, moving up the heat line is recommended for optimum efficacy.

Dr. Christopher liked to use warm purified or distilled water to mix in the fine cayenne powder. One-half to a full cup of water can be used for to mix a half or full teaspoon of cayenne that can be quickly gulped. Allowing the heat to permeate is part of cayenne's therapeutic value, which a reason why Dr. Schulze disdains cayenne capsules.

Dr. Schulze endorses using a homemade tincture in addition to the cayenne tea. A tincture is easy to carry around and may provide an on-the-spot remedy for heart attack to avoid an ER trip when away from home.

Cayenne's health benefits

Cayenne powder serves as both a general tonic and a medicine. In addition to potentially helping cease the fatal throes of a heart attack, ingesting cayenne daily also clears clogged arteries while strengthening the whole cardiovascular system and the heart.

It is also a valuable aid for digestion and elimination which can ultimately help heal hemorrhoids and ulcers. Both Dr. Christopher and Dr. Schulze assert that ingesting cayenne powder will boost the potency of the other herbs and supplements you're taking.

In cayenne studies, scientists have demonstrated an 80% reduction with prostate cancers in mice and in human prostate cancer cells in cultures. The capsaicin in cayenne actually creates accelerated cancer cell apoptosis, or cellular self destruction.

Cayenne pepper contains many beneficial phytochemicals, extremely bio-available vitamins C & E, and minerals, including the vital heart-health mineral magnesium. It cleans the blood, allowing hormonal signals to make their way unimpeded through your system and enhancing the immune system.

You can choose to avoid Big Pharma's expensive toxic "solutions" for heart and other health issues using all natural solutions like this. Inexpensive, non-toxic cayenne goes well beyond culinary applications.

Sources for this article include:
http://www.cayennepepper.info/
http://www.naturalnews.com/026869_cayenne_pepper_health.html
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/cayenne.htm
http://www.naturalnews.com/028954_cayenne_tonic_herbs.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/026285_health_cayenne_tea.html
http://ushotstuff.com/Heat.Scale.htm Scovile heat units (SHU)

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035612_cayenne_pepper_healing_herbal_medicine.html#ixzz1sTQOlJuL

Special Investigative Report: Will GMOs Really Feed the World?

That’s what genetic engineering advocates claim. But science (and a shocking number of developing-world suicides) debunk this myth.
BIO, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, says that a genetically engineered crop improves insect resistance, enhances herbicide tolerance, and facilitates the use of more environmentally sustainable farming practices by generating higher crop yields with fewer inputs. They say it lowers the amount of agricultural chemicals required by crops; creates crops with enhanced nutrition profiles that solve vitamin and nutrient deficiencies; produces foods free of allergens and toxins such as mycotoxin; and improves food and crop oil content to help improve cardiovascular health.
Sounds good?
Monsanto even ran an advertising campaign warning of an exploding world population and claiming that its “advanced seeds can help farmers meet the world’s demand for food, clothing and fuel—while also helping to reduce the need for water, land, pesticides, and fossil fuels.”
The problem is, these claims are false, or at least are not supported by factual evidence. GE crop yields are not consistently higher than non-GE crops, and genetic engineering can have devastating environmental, economic, and health consequences.
A stunning report from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released in 2009, “Failure to Yield,” is the first to evaluate in detail the aggregate yield effect of GMOs after more than twenty years research and thirteen years of commercialization in the US. Some of the report’s conclusions:

• GE soybeans do not produce increased yields at all, and GE corn has only marginally increased yield.
• Overall, corn and soybean yields have risen over the past fifteen years, but this is mainly because of traditional breeding or improvement in agricultural practices. More crop rotations, longer rotations, and a larger variety of crops are more eco-friendly and tend to reduce crop losses from pests and diseases, which in turn increases yields.
• Since 1987 there have been thousands of field trials for GE—and all this time, only Bt corn (corn that has been genetically altered to express the bacterial Bt toxin, which is poisonous to certain insect pests) has been shown to increase yield, but has only done so marginally.

The report distinguishes two different types of yield: intrinsic (which describes the best possible crop yield under ideal conditions) and operational (the actual crop yield achieved in actual field conditions):

• No GE crop has been found to enhance the intrinsic yield. This of course undermines the claim that GE “will feed the world.” All increases to date have been due to achievements in traditional breeding.
• The potential for GE to increase intrinsic yield in the future is unclear. Biotech companies are testing various experimental yield-enhancing genes called transgenes, which generally result in more complex genetic effects, some of which might even be too detrimental for commercialization. And if commercialized, the risk to humans and the environment is unknown, but based on what we know, is likely to be high.
• GE has generated only minimal gains in operational yield. Data show that GE herbicide-tolerant soybean and corn have demonstrated no increased operational yield, while Bt corn provides operational yield increase when those specific pest infestations are high, but no advantage when pest infestations are low. Since 1996, when Bt corn was first commercialized, it’s about a 0.2 to 0.3% increase per year. Bt, by the way, is a natural pesticide with low known toxicity, not a chemical pesticide. The danger of using Bt in this way is that resistant organisms may be created.

In 2003, the World Bank and the UN initiated a global consultative process with sixty countries and some 400 scientists around the world about agriculture and its role in poverty alleviation. The 590-page report, also published in 2009, concluded that GE crops have no role to play in relieving poverty. Fifty-eight countries approved the report following its release, while only three—the USA, Canada, and Australia, all strongly supportive of GE crops—did not fully approve it because it failed to tout GE crops as the savior to the world food shortage problem. The report stressed that even if GMO crops were able to increase overall yield, the limited number of GMO crop varieties would not reduce food scarcity: crops have to be adapted to local conditions, be supported by local infrastructure, and be within the capacity of the local farmers to implement them. Moreover, the emphasis of some traits through genetic engineering could threaten biodiversity by limiting farmers’ options, forcing them to select from too few varieties.
What developing countries need most is increased food production—yet according to the UCS report, several recent studies show that organic and low-external-input farming methods (i.e., using reduced amounts of fertilizer and pesticides) can improve yield by over 100% in those countries, along with greater health benefits. Farming of this sort is based on farmers’ knowledge of their environment as well as locally adapted crops. It helps poorer farmers especially, assuming they are not forced to be dependent on buying expensive, patented seeds from a handful of biotech companies.
The cost of GE seeds in the context of the poverty of the developing world is a major consideration. Over 17,000 farmers in India committed suicide in 2009 alone—approximately one every 30 minutes—and those suicides have been blamed on Monsanto and GE seeds. Farmers went into debt to buy GE seeds, hoping for increased yield, and when those crops failed due to pest infestation, they were left more impoverished with no prospects for the future. Farmers were not told that the crops would require twice the amount of water, and the crops do not produce viable seeds—which means the farmers would have to keep purchasing new seeds. Many of the farmers made their suicides a symbolic act by drinking Monsanto’s pesticide.
The rate of Indian farmer suicides began increasing after the introduction of Monsanto’s Bt cotton in 2002, and two-thirds of farmer suicides occur in five Indian states, which has come to be known as India’s “Suicide Belt.” Dr. Joseph Mercola witnessed the destruction of traditional Indian farmers firsthand.
Besides its high price, GMO could put other farming systems—organic agriculture, seeds from international suppliers, etc.—in serious jeopardy through the poor segregation of crops and significant threat of cross-contamination, endangering the livelihood of those farmers as well. Furthermore, GMOs create global dependence, concentrating economic power in the hands of a few—those who own the patents on the seeds—stripping small farmers of their independence.
In short, GE crops can be far more detrimental to developing countries than helpful.
An important new (and as yet untitled) documentary film is in the process of being made. Its main aim is to raise awareness among Americans as to the problems caused by GE crops. It starts by focusing on the symbolic burning of seeds by poor Haitian farmers in defiance of Monsanto’s gift of 475 tons of hybrid corn and vegetable seeds to Haiti shortly after the devastating earthquake of January 2010. The filmmakers’ journey to Haiti to learn why hungry farmers would burn seeds leads to a trip across the US and other countries in search of answers—and an awakening of what has happened to our food in the US, what we are feeding our families, and what is at stake for the global food supply. As you might expect, the filmmakers discovered that GMOs are not labeled as such in the USA, and very little safety testing has been done on humans—or even animals.
The funding for the film so far has come from the filmmakers’ own credit cards. To get it finished, the film needs more financial backing from people like you. We’ve set up a special donation page exclusively for the GMO film and every penny will go to the filmmakers. A generous donor has promised to match any pledges you might wish to make, so please be generous!
The film, if released in time, could be instrumental in helping trigger much higher levels of awareness over California’s GMO labeling ballot initiative. If voted into law, it would make the labeling of GMOs mandatory, which in turn will likely create a domino effect in other states, and perhaps GMO labeling for the rest of the country. Very few companies will create two different labels for the same product.
Wherever you stand on the health or environmental effects of genetically engineered foods, the right to know what we’re eating is paramount. You may remember the devastating quote from an employee of a Monsanto subsidiary back in ’94: “If you put a label on genetically engineered food, you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it.”
Two of the GMO camp’s stock replies in support of their patented technology are “We support GE crops because they’re cheaper than conventional crops,” and “Why don’t you want to support starving people in developing countries?” We have already explained that both claims are false, but here are a few more points:

• The question of labeling is completely unrelated to the question of whether GMO will feed the world.
• The right to know what goes into your body is a fundamental freedom and one we, in the US, have clearly let slip.
• GE crops, along with their patented transgenes, have in just 16 years contaminated the world. GE crops are forcing up the cost of their conventional counterparts, especially where their GM-free status needs to be guaranteed. Testing, and keeping supply lines uncontaminated, both cost money. In effect, we have allowed the polluter to avoid responsibility for contaminating farmlands, the natural environment, and a large part of the human and animal food chain. Isn’t it time the tables were turned? Mandatory GMO labeling is a good start.
• Developing countries will soon outstrip developed ones with more acreage cultivated to GE crops. Part of the reason for this is increasing resistance to their cultivation in developed countries. The biotech industry is desperate to use the poverty alleviation argument to remove barriers in developing countries, but the independent science suggests GE crops don’t hold the answer.
• GE crops demonstrably do not help starving people anywhere. In fact, the evidence indicates quite the opposite: they make their lives far, far worse.
• If mandatory labeling comes to the US, not only do we get to choose what we put in our bodies, but food producers would likely remove GMOs from the human food supply chain (as in Europe and most of the 50 countries that already have compulsory labeling). As a result, we—as consumers—would no longer have to bear the cost of keeping our food GMO-free.

Bottom line: quite apart from the health risks of eating GMO, don’t believe the economic claims made on behalf of GMO seeds and food. These claims do not stand up to scrutiny. They are, in fact, false. Making false claims knowingly is fraud. The Federal Trade Commission is of course supposed to police and prevent commercial fraud. But the FTC, like the rest of the federal government, is strongly behind GMO.


source: http://www.anh-usa.org/will-gmos-really-feed-the-world/

Apricot seed cyanide controversy foolishly obscures an effective alternative cancer cure

The mere mention of consuming apple seeds, cherry pits, apricot seeds, or bitter almonds tends to cause almost panic attacks or angry reactions in some. Why? Cyanide is in them. So they're justified in freaking out, right?

As a rumor based on too little knowledge, their concern is understandable. All you have to do is Google cyanide alongside any of the foods mentioned above and you'll get a plethora of articles that all support the cyanide dangers from those seeds and nuts.

Some say that your body quickly detoxes the compounds containing cyanide. Others say that you will get free cyanide when your body metabolizes those compounds. Most concede that it would take a heck of a lot of pits, seeds, or bitter almonds to poison you.

But as the saying goes, "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." In this case the fear of fruit seeds and bitter almonds and other nuts is based on incomplete data. The compound containing cyanide is amygdalin.

The complete amygdalin story for full knowledge

Thousands have used apricot seed kernels to eliminate cancer. They didn't die from cyanide poisoning. They were cured without negative side effects. This wasn't accomplished by consuming a couple every week, but dozens daily for months. (Sydney Herald source below)

So why weren't they weren't poisoned? The amygdalin compound has four molecules. Two are glucose molecules. The other two are cyanide and benzaldyhide. The last two are scarycompounds, except for a couple of unusual metabolic activities: they are released by and into cancer cells only. Otherwise, they remain in the amygdalin compound and are passed through. It's a very clever arrangement. The cancer cells depend on fermenting sugar (glucose) for their energy instead of oxygen.

So the cancer cells attract the amygdalin compounds for their glucose, but are whacked when they metabolize those compounds that free the benzalldyhide and cyanide. The glucose is the sugar bait. Cancer cells contain an enzyme that is not found in healthy cells, beta-glucosidase.

The beta-glucosidase enzyme "unlocks" the amygdalin compound, releasing the deadly toxins within the cancer cell. Only cancer cells metabolize amygdalin. Healthy normal cells don't. Most non-cancerous cells contain another enzyme, rhodanese. Free cyanide molecules are bound to sulfur molecules by rhodanese, creating harmless cyanates that are eliminated in the urine.

This is the little bit of knowledge that those "scary" articles reference when they say a little bit of cyanide is easily detoxed by your body. But the complete function of amygdalin is hidden because the fact that laetrile or B17, a concentrated extract from apricot amydgalins, can cure cancer is taboo.

Supressing a safe cancer cure

Laetrile or B17, was developed by San Francisco researcher Dr. Ernst Krebb in 1952 by liquefying and purifying amygdalin from apricot seeds so it could be injected into cancer patients. Dr. Krebb injected himself to assure laetrile's safety, and Dr. John Richardson proved its efficacy by curing several cancer patients in San Francisco with laetrile.

In 1971, laetrile was banned. Dr. Richardson called on investigative journalist G. Edward Griffin to publicize the merits of laetrile or B17 derived from apricot seeds. Griffin discovered that the Sloane-Kettering Institute's laetrile trials leading to the FDA ban were bogus.

Sloane-Kettering spokesperson Dr. Ralph Moss refused to lie about laetrile and left Sloane-Kettering in disgust. He slipped Griffin unpublicized papers scientifically proving laetrile actually worked. This led to Griffin's book A World Without Cancer, where you can read much more about the amygdalin cancer curing story.

If not promoted as a cancer cure, apricot seeds aren't banned. Avoid sugar while attempting to cure cancer with any method.

Sources for this article include:

VIDEO interview of G. Edward Griffin on amygdalin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFnP9sU1KW4

VIDEO explains how cancer industry is using seed cyanide phobia to keep away
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZDh3L4zjgs&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Sydney Morning Herald interview of man who used apricot seeds to cure his cancer http://www.smh.com.au

Complete background story http://www.naturalnews.com/027088_cancer_laetrile_cure.html

About the author:
Paul Fassa is dedicated to warning others about the current corruption of food and medicine and guiding others toward a direction for better health with no restrictions on health freedom. You can visit his blog at http://healthmaven.blogspot.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035554_laetrile_cancer_cure_cyanide.html

Edible Weeds and how to identify them

By Dr. Mercola

A major part of achieving optimal health is living in partnership with nature.
Growing your own food is a great way to rekindle this connection with nature.
But have you thought about eating plants that grow wild—perhaps in your own backyard?
Some "weeds" can be delicious if prepared properly, and they are absolutely free.
In an article published earlier this summer, Live Science collected some easy-to-identify healthful weeds, including:

• Dandelion: The entire plant is edible, and the leaves contain vitamins A, C and K, along with calcium, iron, manganese, and potassium.
• Purslane: Purslane tops the list of plants with omega-3 fats.
• Lamb's-quarters: Lamb's-quarters are like spinach, except healthier, tastier and easier to grow.
• Plantain: Not the better-known banana-like plant with the same name.  It has a nutritional profile similar to dandelion.
• Stinging Nettles: If you handle them so that you don't get a painful rash from the tiny, acid-filled needles, these are delicious and nutritious cooked or prepared as a tea.

This is of course how our ancestors ate. They hunted and gathered, and ALL of it was wild. And by all accounts, they were far healthier than we are.
Of course, like anything else, identification and use of wild plants requires spending some time educating yourself, lest you eat something inedible or even poisonous. But with some attention to learning what to look for, you can avail yourself of some of the most highly nutritious, health-promoting plants for FREE—and have a lot of fun doing it. With the availability of the Internet, in addition to a number of excellent printed books and even wild-food foraging classes, this information is now easy to access.
So, grab your favorite weeding tool and a basket, and step outside to see what little gems you can find in your own backyard!

Major Groupings of Wild Edible Plants

Plants are classified into groups based on their botanical family, and there are hundreds of families within the plant kingdom. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on a few select members of the following five families:

Purslane family (Portulacaceae), includes miner's lettuce, red maids, rose moss and purslane		Sunflower family (Asteraceae), includes dandelions, daisies, and thistle (largest plant family with more than 22,000 species)		Goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae), includes spinach, Swiss chard, beets, quinoa, and lamb's quarter
Plantain family (Plantaginaceae), includes common plantain, water plantain, and Northern plantain			Nettle family (Urticaceae), includes stinging nettle, wood nettle, and clearweed

Purslane

First, let's take a look at the rock star of wild edibles: purslane—from the Purslane family, of course.
Purslane, or Portulaca oleracea (also called duckweed, fatweed, pigweed, pusley, verdolaga, ma chi xian in Chinese, munyeroo, or wild portulaca) is the omega-3 powerhouse of the vegetation kingdom, and there's a high probability it's growing in your yard right now. According to Mother Earth News, it's the most reported "weed" species in the world.
Purslane looks very much like a miniature jade plant, with fleshy succulent leaves and reddish stems. The stems grow flat to the ground and radiate outward from a single taproot, sometimes forming large, flat circular mats up to 16 inches across. In about mid-July, purslane develops tiny yellow flowers about one quarter inch in diameter. Seeds of purslane are extremely tough, some remaining viable in the soil for 40 years. A single purslane plant can produce up to 200,000 seeds! And purslane can grow in almost anything, from fertile garden loam to the most arid desert soil, and even in your rock driveway.
Be careful not to confuse purslane with spurge, because they can look similar, and spurge will make you sick. This video shows you how to tell them apart. In the plant kingdom, similar appearing plants often grow next to each other—and often one is poisonous! Purslane has a stellar omega-3 fatty acid profile, compared to other vegetables. As you can see from the chart below, purslane beats all of the other veggies for omega-3s.

Omega-3 Levels in Common Foods
Romaine lettuce, 1 cup, 53 mg	Purslane, 1 cup, 300-400 mg
Flaxseed oil, 1 Tbsp., 7196 mg	Broccoli, raw, 1 stalk, 147 mg
Chia seeds, 1 ounce, 4915 mg	Cauliflower, ½ cup, 104 mg
Walnuts, 1 ounce, 2542 mg	Spinach, 1 cup, 41 mg
Walnut Oil, 1 Tbsp., 1404 mg

In addition to its bounty of omega-3 fatty acids, purslane has other nutritional benefits:

• SIX times more vitamin E than spinach
• SEVEN times more beta carotene than carrots, providing 1320 IU/100g of vitamin A (44 percent of the RDA), which is one of the highest among green leafy vegetables
• 25 mg of vitamin C per cup (20 percent of the RDA)
• Rich in magnesium, calcium, iron, riboflavin, potassium, phosphorous and manganese

Purslane is reportedly beneficial if you have urinary or digestive problems, and has antifungal and antimicrobial effects. It has also been found useful for skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, and sunburn. Some people compare purslane's taste to spinach or watercress, with a "crunchy lemony" flavor. Look for tender young leaves and stems, which are good in salads or sandwiches. Purslane is also rich in pectin, so it can be used to thicken soups and stews. According to Weston A. Price Foundation, the ancient Greeks made a bread flour from Purslane seeds and pickled its fleshy stems; the Mexicans enjoy it with eggs and pork, and the Chinese toss it with noodles.
If you need a little culinary advice, there are quite a few purslane recipes out there—check out Prairieland CSA, Weston A. Price, Sunset Part CSA, and Epicurious.

Dandelion

You are probably already familiar with dandelions. There isn't a yard in America that hasn't sprouted a dandelion or two, usually greeted with vitriol by gardeners everywhere. But, in the words of The Daily Green,

"If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em!"

Every part of the dandelion is edible and full of nutrition. Dandelion, or Taraxacum officinale, is part of the Sunflower Family (Asteraceae). It also goes by other common names, including priest's crown, Irish daisy, monk's head, blowball and lion's tooth. Dandelions have antioxidant properties and contain bitter crystalline compounds called Taraxacin and Taracerin, along with inulin and levulin, compounds thought to explain some of its therapeutic properties.Dandelions offer you a wealth of nutrition!
They contain:

One of the richest sources of beta carotene of all herbs (10161 IU per 100g, which is 338 percent of the RDA)	Numerous flavonoids, including FOUR times the beta carotene of broccoli; also lutein, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin	Possibly the HIGHEST herbal source of vitamin K 1, providing 650 percent of the RDA
Vitamins, including folic acid, riboflavin, pyroxidine, niacin, and vitamins E and C	Great source of minerals, including magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese, and iron	Leaves rich in dietary fiber, as well as a good laxative

Dandelions are found abundantly in fields, lawns and meadows. They have a long, stout taproot from which long, jagged dark green leaves radiate. The yellow flower rises straight up from the root, which matures into the fluffy white puffball you remember blowing away as a child. All parts of the plant exude a milky white "latex" fluid, if broken. The root is filled with a somewhat "yam-like" white pulp and can be harvested in summer for medicinal purposes. The Japanese actually use the root in cooking.
Dandelion leaves can be used in salads, soups, juiced, cooked the same way as spinach, or dried (with flowers) to make dandelion tea. The root can be dried and roasted and used as a coffee substitute, and the flowers can be used to make dandelion wine.
Dandelions are known for the following therapeutic properties:

• Laxative and diuretic; useful for premenstrual bloating and edema
• Normalizing blood sugar and cholesterol (dandelion root)
• Tonic; appetite stimulant and a good general stomach remedy
• Liver cleanser; remedy for liver and gall bladder problems
• Agent for treating burns and stings (inside surface of flower stems)

Dandelions also have antiviral effects so may be useful in combating herpes and AIDS. For more information on the nutritional and medicinal properties of dandelions, go to this article by Leaf Lady. Be careful not to confuse dandelion plants with Hawksbeard, which can look very similar. Hawksbeard won't kill you, but it certainly doesn't offer the great nutritional benefits of dandelion. Here is a video showing how to tell them apart.

Lamb's Quarter

The third weed-gem is called Lamb's quarter (or Chenopodium album), also called goosefoot, wild spinach, pigsweed or fat-hen. Lamb's quarter is a European relative of spinach and beets. It can be found along roadsides, in overgrown fields, on vacant lots, in disturbed soil, and is probably growing in your own backyard. The plants get to be quite tall, reaching up to 6 feet or even taller. But after flowering, they are usually found lying down if not supported by neighboring plants.
Lamb's quarter has diamond shaped leaves with shallow "teeth" and a telltale white, waxy powder on the undersides of its leaves, which makes identification relatively easy. This powdery substance gives it a dusty appearance at a distance, which is why lamb's quarter is sometimes called "white goosefoot."
Lamb's quarter contains:

• A whopping 11,600 IU of beta carotene per half cup (compared to 6500mg for Swiss chard, and 8100mg for spinach)
• 300mg calcium per half cup (compared to 88mg for Swiss chard, and 93mg for spinach)
• More than 4 percent protein

Lamb's quarter is also rich in vitamin C, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E, B6 and thiamine. Wild spinach is much more nutrient rich than its cultivated cousin and tastes very similar. You can prepare lamb's quarter in the same ways as you fix regular spinach. Make sure your specimen is CLEAN because lamb's quarter is a "purifier herb" that pulls pollutants out of the soil, concentrating them in the leaves.
For a few recipes, click here and here.
According to Wildman Steve Brill, lamb's quarter, which is odorless, looks much like a mildly poisonous plant called epazote, which smells resinous—so become familiar with both so you don't confuse the two. Here is Steve's video tutorial on lamb's quarter, with lots of visuals to help you learn to identify it.

Plantain

Plantains, or Plantago major, have a family all their own—the Plantain family (Plantaginaceae). It goes by many names, including common plantain, broadleaf plantain, ripple grass, waybread, snakeweed, Cuckoo's bread, Englishman's foot and White Man's foot, because it was said to grow wherever your feet touch the ground. By the way, this is not at all related to the banana-like fruit called "plantain," which is part of the Banana family (Musaceae).
This cool season perennial herb loves damp, infertile soil and fertile lawns, and has broad oval leaves (up to 10 inches long) with fibrous roots that spread out in a rosette. The plants produce numerous, small flowers along the ends of a long stalk, between 8 and 20 inches tall.
The young leaves of plantains are edible raw or cooked and are rich in vitamin B1 and riboflavin. This herb has a long history of medicinal use, dating back to ancient times. It truly seems to be a panacea for everything, as the list of its uses is extensive. One American Indian name for plantain translates as "life medicine," which says it all.
Part of plantain's nutritional power comes from a remarkable glycoside called Aucubin, which is reported in the Journal of Toxicology to be a potent anti-toxin. In fact, this "weed" is full of effective agents, including ascorbic acid, apigenin (a phytonutrient with strong antioxidant properties), benzoic acid, oleanolic acid, and salicylic acid, among others, which give the plant a wide range of uses as an antiseptic, poison antidote, anti-inflammatory, antitussive, diuretic, hemostatic, and even a heart remedy.
There is medical evidence that plantain can help with a variety of health problems, including:

Asthma, coughing, sinusitis, bronchitis tuberculosis and emphysema	Bladder problems, cystitis	Fever	Hypertension
Rheumatism	Blood sugar control	Diarrhea, dysentery, gastritis, peptic ulcer, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), hemorrhoids and constipation	Allergies and hay fever
Providing a natural aversion to tobacco	Stopping bleeding	Skin inflammation, wounds, stings, and malignant ulcers	Rattlesnake bites

Stinging Nettles

Last but not least is the wickedly fascinating stinging nettle, a member of the Nettle family, Urtica dioica. This nettle's nasty sting is well concealed behind its beautiful lacey leaves, which can shoot little poison darts into you if you aren't paying attention.
The leaves look a great deal like mint… but they certainly don't behave like it!
The nettle's sting comes from tiny hollow hairs on its stems and on the underside of its leaves. Inside these hairs is a mixture of chemicals, including histamine, acetylcholine, serotonin, and formic acid. Whey you touch the hairs, they break, exposing sharp points that inject your skin with the toxin. Ouch!
The sting of the stinging nettle is a pretty good way to positively identify it. But there is another stinging plant, the Cnidoscolus stimulosus (or spurge nettle, which isn't actually part of the Nettle family) that you could confuse it with. Spurge nettle has palm shaped or hand shaped leaves, as contrasted to the stinging nettle's hock shaped or lance shaped leaves. You can learn more about stinging nettle in this short video tutorial by Green Deane.
David Wolfe shows you how to pick stinging nettles without getting stung in this video. If you do get stung, applying a paste of baking soda and water is said to effectively soothe local pain and inflammation.
Nettles are high in iron, potassium, manganese, calcium and vitamins A, C, D and K. Each cup of nettles supplies you with a whopping 1,790 IU of vitamin A, which is three days' RDA. The parts of the nettle most commonly consumed are the leaves and roots, as the stems are quite tough on a mature plant.
Stinging nettle has the following medicinal uses:

Treating anemia and fatigue, due to its high iron and chlorophyll content	Relief of arthritis, joint pain, and gout (internally and externally), by promoting elimination of uric acid from your joints
Nettle root is reported to be helpful for enlarged prostate (Benign Prostate Hyperplasia, or BPH)	As a styptic (an arrestor of local bleeding)
Urinary tract infections	Breaking down urinary stones
Relief from hay fever and seasonal allergies	Treatment for hives, rashes, and other skin irritations (especially reactions to shellfish) by virtue of its antihistamine properties
Diuretic	Stinging nettle is even rumored to be an aphrodisiac

Most people cook stinging nettles because cooking neutralizes the sting, although there are some uber-hard core foodies who eat them raw. Soaking them also reportedly helps remove the stinging chemicals, so do that first if you want to try them in a salad. For some great sounding nettle recipes, see this article by HonestFood.net.
There are certainly more good wild edibles out there. Prickly lettuce, chickweed, sow thistle, red clover, burdock, cattails, Japanese knotweed, and sheep sorrel all deserve attention but are beyond the scope of one article. As you expand your wild palate, you can gradually learn about some of the other wild edibles just waiting for your discovery.
Safety Tips for the Frolicking Forager
Before foraging out your new wild-edible adventure, there are some precautions to take, since not all wild plants are safe to eat.

You should never eat a plant unless you are entirely sure it is not poisonous.

According to raw food and wild plant expert Sergei Boutenko:

"When you harvest wild plants for food, there is a high guarantee that edible plants will be sharing their living space with non-edibles. These non-edibles may range in toxicity from mild to extreme. If you are anything like me, then you too prefer to avoid any form of poisoning whether it is mild or severe. For this reason it is a good idea to first learn how to positively identify wild plants and then exercise caution when gathering them for food.

Fortunately, there are far more edible plants than poisonous ones. Boutenko claims there are thousands of safe, edible plants growing wild in North America, but there are only 150 listed by the American Association of Poison Control as poisonous. Of those 150, only about 50 are considered to be "highly poisonous" (i.e., can be fatal), and the rest are classified as "mildly poisonous," which means they may cause nausea, diarrhea, or headache, but probably not kill you.
Boutenko argues that it isn't too difficult to learn what you need to know to avoid the 50 dangerous plants, and once you're familiar with those, your chances of getting poisoned are almost nil. Some communities even offer classes that teach you how to identify safe, edible plants, so you might want to investigate the possibility of a "foraging," "grazing" or "wildcrafting" workshop in your area. And purchasing a good field guide will get you off to a good start.
Some of the most common poisonous plants you will need to familiarize yourself with are listed in the table that follows. Please understand, this is NOT a comprehensive list, but just a sampling.

Hyacinth, Narcissus, Daffodil	Oleander	Rosary Pea, Castor Bean	Monkshood
Foxglove	Daphne	Yew	Moonseed
Mistletoe	Water Hemlock and Poison Hemlock	Nightshade	Jimson Weed (Thorn Apple)

According to Wilderness Survival, if you see a wild plant you can't identify, the characteristics that you should regard as "red flags" for toxicity include:

Milky or discolored sap	Beans, bulbs, or seeds in pods
Bitter or soapy taste	Spines, fine hairs or thorns
Dill, carrot, parsnip, or parsley like foliage	"Almond" scent in woody parts or leaves
Grain heads with pink, purple, or black spurs	Three-leaved growth pattern

The fact that a plant has some of these characteristics doesn't necessarily mean it's poisonous, but if you can't positively identify it, you're better off not adding it to your salad. And remember to NEVER harvest plants that have been exposed to herbicides or pesticides, road salt, asphalt runoff, paint or pet waste. Here is one helpful site that includes pictures of poisonous look-alikes, side by side with the edibles.
One last word of caution: Introduce new wild foods to your body gradually.
Even a high-quality, nutritious wild plant or herb can cause an unexpected reaction in some people. Try them one at a time and in SMALL amounts to see how your body is going to react. If you feel good, have at it! But don't consume a big bowl of wild greens all at once that you've never eaten before, because if you DO have a bad reaction to one of them, you won't know WHICH one.

Additional Resources

Edible wild plant expert John Kallas recommends that, if you want to begin a foraging lifestyle, you should have a "starting library" that consists of the following:

1. Three books about edible wild plants
2. Three books about plant identification
3. Three books about poisonous plants

He also makes suggestions about what books to choose in each category.
The following are a few book suggestions, to get you started:

• Edible Wild Plants - Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate Volume 1 by John Kallas
• The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer
• Nature's Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer
• Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places by Steve Brill
• The Wild Table: Seasonal Foraged Food and Recipes by Connie Green and Sarah Scott

If you prefer to learn by video, you might want to take a look at Green Deane's video series about edible plants. He has 125 videos on YouTube, most of them about foraging.
Lastly, Sergei Boutenko has released an iPhone app called "Wild Edibles" for those of you who want a field guide right inside your smart phone.
Happy foraging!

References:

• Live Science July 31, 2011
• Wild Food Adventures
• USDA Plants Database
• University of Illinois Extension July 26, 2003
• Mother Earth News April/May 2005
• Nutritiondata
• Nutrition and You
• Drugs.com
• Weston A. Price Foundation February 18, 2004
• The Daily Green
• Livestrong
•  The Leaf Lady
• Wize Woman Herbal Ezine
• Sacred Earth Ethnobotany and Ecotravel
• Wildman Steve Brill
• Alternative Nature
• Pharm Res. August 1991
• J Ethnopharmacol. December 1995
• Squidoo
• University of Maryland Medical Center
• Eat the Weeds
• Sergei Boutenko
•  Aggie-Horticulture
• Practical Survivor

Four ways to creatively grow your own fruits and vegetables using principles of permaculture

Modern industrial agriculture is a disastrous failure, as it defies practically every natural law related to food cultivation, ecological and environmental protection and stewardship, and human nutrition. But there is a new agricultural revolution sweeping the land that is changing the way humans eat and grow food, and its methods are derived from the concepts found in permaculture.

Permaculture is basically an all-encompassing term used to identify the strategic and creative ways through which human structures and agricultural systems are unified into harmonious, sustainable entities. As opposed to factory farming systems, which rely heavily on chemical and fertilizer inputs and destroy the environment and human health in the process, permaculture farming systems take advantage of the many unique ways that natural systems work together to complement one another and sustain life.

With food costs on the rise and the economy increasingly on the brink of collapse, more and more people are turning to the self-sustaining methods of food production found in permaculture that will persist in the event of a regional or national crisis. So NaturalNews has put together a list of ways you can begin growing your own fruits and vegetables at home in ways that draw from permaculture growing concepts.

The Mandala Garden

If you have a fairly sizable growing area, you may want to consider creating a mandala garden. This unique setup utilizes moveable chicken "tractors" that can be rotated around for the purpose of naturally fertilizing and tilling soil, and creating an environment in which fruits and vegetables grow easily with minimal labor.

You can learn more about the mandala garden concept by visiting:
http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com

Vertical, indoor farming

A surprising number of herbs, greens, nuts, and even grains can be grown indoors with a little creative thinking and conscious placement of growing containers around windows that get lots of natural sunlight. And even if sunlight is limited, special growing lights can also be used to grow food indoors in otherwise dark areas. When stacked and tiered around these light sources, vertical, indoor farms can thrive.

Check out this VertiCrop design for an idea of how this might work for you on a smaller scale at home: http://www.verticrop.com/about.html

You can also learn more about indoor farming at:
http://www.veganorganic.net

Hydroponics

If land and suitable soil area is in limited supply, hydroponics is another self-sustaining growing option that relies on water and nutrients to grow food. Hydroponic systems work well in urban settings where physical space, and even natural sunlight, is in short supply. Hydroponic systems can be stacked in small spaces, which allows for maximized growing capacity in a small amount of space.

You can learn more about hydroponics by visiting:
http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/vista/html_pubs/hydro/hydroponic.html

Aquaponics

Just like hydroponics, aquaponics is a method of growing food at home using water. But instead of just fruits and vegetables, aquaponics systems incorporate fish and other sea creatures into the mix as well. A hybrid of the two systems, aquaponics provides some city dwellers with adequate space the ability to produce their own fish for meat, and even sell it to generate revenue.

You can learn more about aquaponics by visiting:
http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/
http://www.urbanaquaponics.com/

Sources for this article include:

http://permacultureideas.blogspot.com/

http://www.veganorganic.net

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035497_permaculture_gardens_vegetables.html#ixzz1rR6VwKsZ