Green tea? In a field glutted with performance beverages that promise you’ll get ripped, zipped and buff, green tea may seem tepid. Think again. Green tea, hot or cold, may be the single most beneficial beverage a fitness-oriented person can swallow besides water.

Why is green tea of particular value to the fitness set? Despite the benefits of exercise, there is one drawback to working out. Exercise increases oxidation in the body, the deterioration of cells as a result of chemical reactions involving oxygen. Oxidation produces free radicals, which cause damage to DNA, lipids and protein, destroying membranes, altering genes and injuring cells. They contribute to aging and the promotion and severity of numerous health problems, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. Free radicals are generated primarily as a result of breathing oxygen. Thus aerobic exercise can lead to increased cellular damage as a result of increased breathing. This is where mighty green tea plays a role in a personal fitness program.

Green tea contains a family of powerful antioxidant compounds known as polyphenols. There are four primary polyphenols in green tea. While all four appear to possess protective value, Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) occurs in the greatest concentration, and appears to offer the strongest antioxidant benefits. In fact, EGCg is several times more potent an antioxidant than vitamin E.

According to extensive research conducted worldwide, green tea

• Protects against several types of cancer.

• Lowers cholesterol by inhibiting cholesterol absorption and reducing the body’s cholesterol production.

• Reduces blood pressure by the exact same mechanism by which several expensive, prescription blood pressure medicines work.

• Reduces blood platelet stickiness, thus inhibiting atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries.

• Demonstrates anti-bacterial action against the bacteria that cause dental plaque.

• Promotes the growth of beneficial Bifidobacteria in the intestines.

• Protects against certain toxins, including harmful bacteria in foods.

• Protects against adverse effects of radiation.

The easiest way to derive the health benefits of green tea is to drink it. Three eight-ounce cups of green tea daily will give you a significant amount of protective polyphenols, including approximately 375 milligrams of EGCg. That amount is sufficient to provide the benefits described above. Whenever you have a choice, use green tea that is organically grown, without pesticides. This is the purest green tea available.

Drinking green tea is not the only way to derive its benefits, though it is the simplest and least expensive way. You can also find green tea supplements in many natural food stores. Choose products which state on the label that they are standardized to guarantee a potency of at least 40% green tea polyphenols Two 500 milligram capsules daily will give you approximately 375 milligrams of EGCg, the same as three cups of green tea.

I predict that we will see a lot more green tea around. As more people come to realize the need for ever-greater antioxidant protection, green tea stands to become one of the most popular drinks of the new millennium.

Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter who researches natural remedies all over the world, from the Amazon to Siberia. He teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is Explorer In Residence. Chris advises herbal, cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies and is a regular guest on radio and TV programs worldwide.  His field research is largely sponsored by Naturex of Avignon, France. Read more at www.MedicineHunter.com 

Pick of the Week
Despite best intentions, the odds are pretty good that you’ll over-eat on Thanksgiving. Most people indulge more during the holidays given the option. Knowing that you may do so, stock up on this one essential item – Peppermint tea. Simple peppermint tea is naturally rich in menthol, which soothes digestive upset and helps to take away that overly full feeling. Caution, this may not work if you’ve had eight slices of pie! Otherwise, after you’ve pushed back from dessert, make a good strong cup of peppermint tea with two bags, and let it steep for a full five minutes. Remove the bags, and sip. You will feel soothing relief. As for brands? I like Traditional Medicinals Organic Peppermint Tea. Oh, this tip is good for people of all ages. Enjoy and happy holiday to you.

One of the most common of all health problems is pain. It can be caused by injury, illness or degeneration, and most people don’t like it one bit. Pain affects us deeply, wearing us out and reducing energy.  In nature’s vast botanical pharmacy, a number of herbs provide relief of pain, without causing the stomach, kidney or other problems associated with some pain-relieving drugs.

Turmeric

High on the list of pain-relieving herbs is Turmeric root, which contains an array of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds known as the curcuminoids.  A perennial shrub native to Southeast Asia and cultivated widely throughout India, China and Indonesia, turmeric root is the yellow in curry powder.  Concentrated extracts of turmeric root are rich in the curcuminoids, which help to reduce inflammation and thereby relieve pain. How to use it? You can purchase turmeric root fresh in some supermarkets, and use it as a vegetable. You can add the powder to vegetables, soups, stews, meats and fish. And you can take special supplements of concentrated turmeric extract. Some turmeric supplements can relieve pain quite effectively. See Curamin by EuroPharma, or Turmeric capsules by New Chapter.

Ginger

Ginger root may seem like something better suited for ginger ale than for pain relief, but this spicy root native to Southeast Asia is a pain-fighting heavyweight. Ginger is cultivated in virtually all tropical regions, and I have seen it in many places in my travels. Ginger root is rich in two groups of compounds called gingerols and shogaols, which are antioxidants and anti-inflammatory in their activity. Ginger root tea will relieve a sore throat faster than just about anything, and will also soothe aching, arthritic joints. Finely grate a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger root, and put into a one-cup tea strainer. Pour boiling water into the cup and let sit for five minutes. Strain and sweeten with honey of you like. This will give you a strong shot of pain relief. Also you can eat Ginger Chews or Ting Tings, two ginger-rich chewable candies.

Cat’s Claw

If the name Cat’s Claw sounds a bit exotic, maybe it’s because this potent anti-inflammatory herb comes from the heart of the great Amazon rainforest, and is the most widely used of all pain-relievers in that vast region. Cat’s claw derives its name from sharp, claw-like thorns which help the plant to climb toward sunshine. The root and bark of the vine contain compounds called oxindole alkaloids, which demonstrate very significant pain-relieving power.  In human studies cat’s claw extract proves effective in the treatment of both osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. For brands check out Saventaro Cat’s Claw capsules or liquid the Cat’s Claw extract from Raintree Nutrition. Let the healing power of the Amazon rainforest provide relief for you.

Rosemary

Rosemary is not only a great savory seasoning for vegetables, meats and fish, but it also stands among the great anti-inflammatory herbs. Native to the Mediterranean, this fragrant perennial herb is widely cultivated around the world for its delightful aroma and flavor. But rosemary is more than just a pleasant seasoning. The herb, eaten or taken as a tea, is excellent for the liver, helping to eliminate toxins.  Like turmeric, ginger and cat’s claw, rosemary is rich with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. Two great ways to derive benefit from rosemary are to add it to foods, and to drink rosemary tea. Check out Alvita brand rosemary leaf tea.

Chili Peppers

It may seem counter-intuitive to turn to hot chili peppers for pain relief, but these incendiary relatives of the sweet pepper are rich in a resinous substance called capsaicin, which is responsible for the heat that hot chiles produce. Capsaicin rapidly relieves pain when topically applied to hurt and sore areas. But just a tiny bit goes a long way. Next time you’re in a pharmacy, look at the Capsaicin creams. Each one contains just one quarter of one percent capsaicin (the stuff is extremely powerful). Capsaicin cream is the most widely recommended pain relieving cream by doctors, because it works. Who would have thought that a primary component of salsa could relive pain in joints and muscles? By the way, hot chile peppers are also great for digestion, and help to greatly improve circulation when chopped in foods or in hot sauces. I favor Tabasco Sauce, but there are a great many excellent hot sauces available today. 

Even with something as difficult as pain, nature provides safe, effective solutions. Chronic pain especially will respond well to the herbs I’ve just described. Make them part of your ever-healthier lifestyle, and rid yourself of the burden of pain. Best of health to you!

Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter who researches natural remedies all over the world, from the Amazon to Siberia. He teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is Explorer In Residence. Chris advises herbal, cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies and is a regular guest on radio and TV programs worldwide.  His field research is largely sponsored by Naturex of Avignon, France. Read more at www.MedicineHunter.com

The Amazon rainforest, the largest rainforest on earth, is richer in plant life than any other place in the world. Targeted by pharmaceutical companies for over a century as a land of exploration for source materials of new drugs, the Amazon rainforest is also a treasure trove of botanicals for the herbal supplement industry. Among the many Amazon botanicals which have come to light in recent years, Una de Gato (Uncariatomentosa ), which means “cat’s claw” in Spanish, is one of the most promising of all. A woody vine, the plant earns its name cat’s claw due to a preponderance of sharp, claw-like thorns. Dispersed throughout Central and South America, Una de Gato has been used for centuries by numerous native tribes.

Una de Gato is described by Dr. James Duke in his Amazonian Ethnobotanical Dictionary as a plant used widely in Peru for anti-inflammatory, contraceptive and cytostatic (retards tumor cells) purposes. In popular literature, Una de gato is additionally touted as an immune stimulant, and a large number of studies do in fact show that Una de Gato offers significant anti-inflammatory and immune-enhancing benefits, and that constituents in the vine may help to inhibit tumor cell formation.

Una de Gatohas been known for a long time due to the explorations of Voctorian era explorers. But the plant gained the attention of the European scientific community in the early 1970’s when Austrian Klaus Keplinger heard of a remarkable cancer cure attributed to the use of the plant. Keplinger spent time in the Peruvian Chanchamayo region of the Amazon, and familiarized himself enough with the plant that he became one of the most important scientific authors on its uses. Since that time, researchers have plumbed Una de Gato’s chemical secrets, in search of what might account for its purported healing benefits. Analysis shows that Una de Gato contains at least five alkaloids, and two other important groups of compounds, quinovic acid glycosides and triterpenoidsaponins. In addition, the plant contains antioxidant polyphenols.
Studies conducted in vitro with Una de Gato show that constituents in the plant possess anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, antiviral and immune-stimulating properties. The alkaloids in Una de Gato demonstrate immune-enhancing activity by producing an increase in phagocytosis, a process by which potentially harmful materials are “eaten” by protective cells.  In studies of quinovic acid glycosides in the plant, researchers observed significant anti-inflammatory activity. Additionally, these same compounds were shown to inhibit several types of common viruses. In studying triterpenoidsaponins, scientists observed that these chemical agents inhibited the growth of some tumor cells.

Good science provides assurance of herbal efficacy to today’s modern, medically-oriented market. Well-conducted scientific studies appear to validate several of the traditional uses of Una de Gato. The plant appears to be safe and non-toxic, and is useful in cases of inflammation, compromised immunity, and viral infection. It is a significant aid to relief in cases of both osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. With further research, the plant may eventually play a broader role in a complementary approach to the prevention and treatment of certain types of cancer. Tribal people in the Amazon would no doubt be amused by scientific inquiries into Una de Gato. After all, they’ve known for centuries that the woody vine with the sharp, claw-like thorns is a healer.

Looking for Una de Gato products – I have become acquainted with various Una de Gato products, and recommend two if you are going to use this medicinal plant. One is Saventaro, a product made in Austria from Una de Gato harvested in Peru. Saventaro is an encapsulated product, available in natural food stores.  Raintree Nutrition, on the other hand, offers a fluid extract of Una de Gato, also from the Amazon rainforest. This fast-acting fluid has a woody taste and is available from Rain-tree.com.

Pick of the week:  I have previously written about ginger, and this widely used plant will crop up repeatedly, due to its broad uses. In any case, not everybody is willing to shred or grate their own ginger. With that in mind, a company called Ginger People makes a Minced Ginger in a jar. You just scoop a spoon full of this finely ground fresh ginger into whatever you’re cooking, and you can easily and quickly derive the benefits of ginger.The zippy taste, combined with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, make this herb a healthy powerhouse. I’d still recommend grating your own, but convenience is king these days, and this minced ginger product delivers that. Thanks to innovation, many herbs that used to be time-consuming to prepare are now ready to use in bottles and jars. It’s a whole new world of herbalism.

Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter who researches natural remedies all over the world, from the Amazon to Siberia. He teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is Explorer In Residence. Chris advises herbal, cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies and is a regular guest on radio and TV programs worldwide.  His field research is largely sponsored by Naturex of Avignon, France. Read more at www.MedicineHunter.com

As I have commented in previous columns, herbs are the most widely used medicines in the world.  That said, most people don’t know much about herbs, and those who want to learn about them wonder where to go for good information.

Herbal Roots

I recall my first encounter with a real herbalist in the summer of 1971. At an organic farm in the countryside of Natick, Mass.,  I chanced to arrive there just as a noted herbalist named Ben Charles Harris (author of  Eat The Weeds) was about to give an herb walk.  I had no idea what an herb walk might be, but I fell in line with a small group, and we  wandered  fields and woods as Harris described the healing benefits of common local plants I had seen my entire life. I was surprised and thrilled to discover an entire new world of knowledge. Add that to the fact that Harris was an entertaining, highly opinionated and very eccentric character, and I had a great experience.  After that remarkable afternoon, I began to purchase and read various books on herbs.

The Green Pharmacy

In my meanderings through herbal literature, I have read a great many titles.  But if I could only recommend one, it would be Dr. James Duke’s The Green Pharmacy.  Dr Duke was the USDA’s  head botanist for 30 years, and I will say that nobody knows more about medicinal plants than Duke. His folksy style and easy manner of presentation belie the fact that he is an absolute crackerjack scientist. When Duke makes a seemingly casual comment in his book, he is backed up by reams of studies and decades of hard-core scientific inquiry. For anybody who wants to dive into the deep green pool of herbal knowledge, there is simply no better title than The Green Pharmacy. And if you want to know what herbs to use for your own health needs, this is the definitive book.

Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

For those scientists and health professionals who require greater scientific detail  in their herbal information, the same sage Duke has amassed the Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases.  This extraordinary online system enables the user (it’s free) to find out about compounds in herbs, their activity in the human body or in animal studies, and gives the study citations themselves. Anybody who wishes to go deeply into herbal science can spend several happy years poring through this vast system

HealthNotes Online

A clever guy named Skye Lininger, along with his talented staff, have put together HealthNotes Online. Google it, and you can quickly learn about which herbs to use for what health purpose, with references to scientific studies.  If you have no time to sit with a book, HealthNotes Online gives you the information you require, credibly and quickly. It’s being constantly updated.

American Botanical Council

For those who wish to stay abreast of the daily and weekly science on herbs that flows freely from hundreds of journals worldwide, there is no better organization to join than the American Botanical Council, based in Austin, Texas. Started by herbalist and forward thinker Mark Blumenthal, ABC may just be the very best source on planet Earth for herbal information. However deeply you want to go, American Botanical Council can take you there. Need to educate out-of-touch critics? Grab a stack of world-class studies from ABC. For health professionals who wish to emerge from the dark ages and enter the world of complementary medicine, a membership in ABC is de rigeur. Be there, or be square.

National Geographic is up to way more than searching for lost tribes and producing maps.  The august scientific and exploratory institution has turned out The National Geographic Desk Reference To Nature’s Medicine, by  Steven Foster and Rebecca Johnson. Clear, fascinating and chock-full of author Foster’s brilliant photographs, this book on plant medicines deserves an honored spot on every coffee table. Whatever your health needs, you’ll find answers in there. Or just flip through page after fascinating page and open up to a whole new world of knowledge.

Mark Plotkin’s Tales Of A Shaman’s Apprentice describes Plotkin’s time deep in the Amazon  rainforest with a canny and wizened native healer who imparted to him a vast body of knowledge about medicinal plants. The Harvard-educated Plotkin leads the reader into an extraordinary world of natural healing, and spins a terrific yarn in the process.  Your hair will stand on end through some of it, but Plotkin, keeps his head level. It’s a spellbinding  book.

Two of my own contributions to the literature on herbal exploration include Kava, Medicine Hunting in Paradise, and Tales from The Medicine Trail.  In the first title, I take readers through my early experiences delving into South Pacific island culture in the tiny nation of Vanuatu, hunting for kava, nature’s most effective plant for anxiety. I tell of my first encounters with natives in one of the few remaining unspoiled places on earth. In Tales From The Medicine Trail,  I detail my experiences, from the sublime to the thoroughly horrific, in India, the Amazon, the Peruvian Andes and the South Pacific. If you want to know what it’s like to investigate medicinal plants in foreign and remote places, these two books will take you there. I promise you some wild, entertaining scenes, as well as plenty of great information.

There are thousands of titles on herbal remedies. American Botanical Council has a tremendous number of excellent works for sale. So whatever your level of interest or knowledge, you can find what you seek. Be assured, there is plenty out there. The days of insufficent information or science on herbs are long, long gone. Happy reading!

Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter who researches natural remedies all over the world, from the Amazon to Siberia. He teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is Explorer In Residence. Chris advises herbal, cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies and is a regular guest on radio and TV programs worldwide.  His field research is largely sponsored by Naturex of Avignon, France. Read more at www.MedicineHunter.com

Ease into fall with this healthy wonder

Summer vacation is over,  and you just may need something to keep in your desk to ease the transition back into faster, more hurried times. My pick? Dark chocolate. Think really dark, as in 70 percent cocoa.  The very dark chocolates contain less fat and sugar, and much more of chocolate’s spectacular mood-enhancing and health-imbuing compounds.

Tropical origins

The rainforest tree from which cocoa originates is Theobroma cacao, which means food of the gods. There is a dispute among experts regarding the origin of cacao.  But recent DNA research supports the notion that Venezuela’s Maracaibo basin marks the spot where the food of the gods first sprang forth in nature. Sometime around 1000 B.C. the Maya, whose civilization flourished from the Yucatan Peninsula to the Pacific coast of Guatemala, are believed to have cultivated the cacao tree for the very first time. The Maya so highly valued cacao, they used cocoa beans as currency, and to pay taxes.  From the very onset of its use, cocoa was assigned high status.

When Hernan Cortez returned to Spain from the New World in 1528, he told of a widely consumed food made from the fruit seeds of a tree. Cortez and his conquistadores described great plantations of Theobroma cacao throughout Mexico. His account of chocolate, its popularity and value, greatly piqued the interest of the Spanish. Cortez was chocolate’s first and most important trans-continental messenger.

Cacao, The Tree

While Theobroma cacao may grow appreciably taller in the wild, the cultivated tree ranges between 13 – 26 feet in height. The large, distinctive fruit pods of the tree jut out directly from the trunk and the lower branches. Young fruit pods tend to be greenish in color, but as they mature over the course of 5 – 6 months they become elliptical in shape and bright red or yellow in color. The fruit pods average about nine inches in length, and typically contain 30 – 40 almond-sized seeds (what we know as cocoa beans) nestled in a pale white flesh. 

Cacao is now cultivated in virtually every tropical area in the world. Cacao is grown commercially throughout Central and South America, Africa, the Caribbean, Indonesia, Malayasia, and the Pacific islands. This widespread distribution is testimony to the popularity of the tree and the heavenly fruit from which chocolate is made.

The Greatest Mood Food

Of the multitudinous compounds in cocoa, one is PEA, or phenethylamine. This chemical, which occurs in chocolate in small quantities, stimulates the nervous system and triggers the release of pleasurable opium-like compounds known as endorphins. It also potentiates the activity of dopamine, a neurochemical directly associated with sexual arousal and pleasure. Phenethylamine increases in the brain when we fall in love, and during orgasm.

Cocoa additionally boosts a sense of well being by increasing brain levels of serotonin, the so-called feel-good brain chemical. For this reason cocoa and chocolate provide a highly desirable mood boost to women during PMS and menstruation, when serotonin levels are often down. In fact, women are consistently more sensitive to chocolate than men. Women typically experience stronger chocolate cravings than men. 

Yet another constituent in cocoa alters mental state in pleasurable ways. Anandamide (whose name derives from the Sanskrit word ananda, which means bliss), is a cannabinoid, a member of the same psychoactive substances found in cannabis. Anandamide produces a global feeling of euphoria. This compound may account for why some people become euphoric or blissed-out when they eat chocolate.

Cocoa contains a wealth of naturally-occurring compounds. Of these, the most thoroughly studied are the methylxanthines. The two methylxanthines in chocolate are caffeine and theobromine. According to the Chocolate Information Center, a 50 gram piece of dark chocolate will yield between 10 – 60 milligrams of caffeine, as compared with a five ounce cup of coffee, which can yield up to 180 milligrams. Theobromine, the second methylxanthine, occurs at a concentration of about 250 milligrams in a 50 gram bar of dark chocolate. Like caffeine, theobromine is a central nervous system stimulant, though it is appreciably weaker.

Good For Your Heart!

Substantive science now shows that cocoa is very good for us indeed. Cocoa, which is the primary ingredient in finished chocolate, is rich in antioxidant polyphenols, a group of protective chemicals found in many plant foods such as red wine and tea, which have been the objects of scientific investigation for their beneficial influence on cardiovascular health.

Polyphenols are reportedly cardioprotective in two ways. First, they help to reduce the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), or so-called ‘bad cholesterol.” Oxidation of LDL is considered a major factor in the promotion of coronary disease, most notably heart attack and stroke.  Additionally, polyphenols inhibit blood platelets from clumping together. This clumping process, called aggregation, leads to atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries. By inhibiting aggregation, polyphenols reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. Since atherosclerosis is a major killer of American adults, the protection provided by the polyphenols in cocoa is of real value.

Cocoa not only inhibits platelet aggregation, but it thins the blood, thus slowing coagulation. In a study of healthy subjects given a strong cocoa beverage, platelet aggregation was reduced and fewer microparticles had formed than normal. Additionally, blood from the subjects took longer to form a clot than blood from control subjects. This study showed that cocoa performs the same beneficial anti-clotting activity as aspirin. 

Daily Chocolate Rx

If you are diabetic, then only pure, unsweetened cocoa is advisable for you. Use it in baking and in smoothies. Otherwise, half a bar daily of semi-sweet strong dark chocolate will put a groove in your mood, protect the cells in your body, and help to maintain heart health. And, it will make running in the rat race just a bit more enjoyable. That’s not bad for the world’s most beloved confection.

Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter who researches natural remedies all over the world, from the Amazon to Siberia. He teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is Explorer In Residence. Chris advises herbal, cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies and is a regular guest on radio and TV programs worldwide.  His field research is largely sponsored by Naturex of Avignon, France. Read more at www.MedicineHunter.com

Thank you so much for checking out this blog. I hope to give you reasons to come back every week. As a medicine hunter, I spend my time investigating natural remedies. This work puts me in rainforests, mountains, deserts, and other wild and remote regions all over our spectacular planet. In the course of my travels, I encounter  medicinal plants for every need, plus unusual people, exotic locales, strange foods and bizarre customs.

I believe that trade in medicinal plants can promote human health and environmental and cultural sustainability in native areas. In between trips researching nature’s healing treasures, I speak all over the world, and appear on TV regularly, where I promote the message of natural healing. I have a wife I love, several close and wonderful friends, a happy dog, a beautiful home I visit on occasion, and global travel.

In the course of medicine hunting I have come to love and appreciate the remaining wild and largely undeveloped places in the world. The times I have spent with great healers have opened my mind and heart to a broader understanding of true healing, the human spirit, and the precious medicinal treasures of nature. In this blog, which I offer with great sincerity, I would like to share what I have found.

A Kathmandu Cure – How I Became Really Hooked on Plants

Do not drink out of Indian rivers! Wherever in the foothills of the Himalayas you may be, however seemingly pristine the environment, however cool and refreshing the water might feel as it swirls around your knees, do not afford yourself a long, thirst-quenching drink. At a remote section of the Gautam Ganga river, I had done exactly that. The cold Himalayan water was apparently a running cocktail of potent pathogenic microbes.

The microbes in the river water invaded my body like a battalion of gladiators, hacking and plundering from sinew to bone. I felt as though my digestive tract had been beaten with a brick bat, and my brain felt as though it had been cleaved with a wood-splitting wedge. I visited the toilet over fifty times the next morning, the beginning of a ten day siege that caused me to drop 35 pounds (amazing weight loss plan), and endure violent diarrhea with fever and chills.

Ayurveda Saves My Life

A rickshaw driver pedaled me through funky Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, into the winding alleys of Indrachowk, the oldest section of the city. We arrived at a modest one story faded brown cement building off of a small back street where Doctor Bajracharya maintained a practice. A slender, kind-looking man with alert eyes greeted me, Doctor Bajracharya. I told him that I was very sick, and in need of help, describing drinking from the river, the diarrhea, fever, chills, weight loss.

One of Nepal’s most distinguished natural doctors, Bajracharya practiced the 5,000 year old system of Ayurveda, the oldest medicinal system in the world. Ayurveda lies heavily on the use of medicinal plants to treat health disorders of all types. He asked me to lie down on a simple wooden examination table, laid a palm on the center of my abdomen, and paid close attention to my gurgling intestines. After a couple of minutes, Doctor Bajracharya withdrew his hand. “I will give you something that will stop this problem.”

Doctor Bajracharya disappeared into an anteroom for about ten minutes, and emerged with a small paper bag filled with a chocolate colored powder, and an envelope containing brown pellets that resembled rabbit turds. “Here is what you must do. Every meal, three times a day,” he poked the air with three slender fingers for emphasis “before you eat, mix a heaping teaspoon of this powder in a glass of water and drink it. Take three of these pills at the same time. Do this for nine days, and this problem will not come back. You will be completely rid of it.” I asked about the ingredients in the powder. “This contains burned conch shell, powdered very finely, and many different spices which grow around these mountains.” And the pellets?  “All herbs and spices, a very old formula. This is powerful for healing the digestive organs.”

Praying that the remedies might improve my condition even a little, I slowly made my way on unstable legs to the Blue Tibetan restaurant off Durbar Square, to take my first doses of the ayurvedic remedies and eat some lunch. Once seated, I opened the bag of powder and sniffed it. The mixture smelled aromatic and bitter, and that was no real surprise. Certain aromatic spices and bitter herbs are traditionally used to relieve gastrointestinal disorders. I mixed a heaping teaspoon of the powder into a glass of water and selected three pellets. Popping the pellets into my mouth, I chased them down with the bitter drink, knocking back the herbal sediment at the bottom of the glass. 

By early evening, after two doses of the ayurvedic remedies from Doctor Bajracharya, the diarrhea which had been my ruination for ten days stopped completely. My fever subsided, and my guts stopped quivering. That night I enjoyed eight hours of restful, uninterrupted sleep. When I awoke the next morning, I was weak and as skinny as a Red Cross relief poster child, but the diarrhea was gone, my temperature was normal, and I had some energy.

Even though I had used various herbs for years- ginger for colds and sore throat, ginseng for mental enhancement, hot chilies to decongest- I was completely surprised by the effectiveness of the natural remedies I had been given. This devastating sickness, and the remarkable natural cure I experienced, propelled me into the world of natural medicines, from rainforests to mountains, and from shamans to laboratories. Plant medicines are the most widely used medicines on earth, and it will be my privilege to share them with you.

Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter who researches natural remedies all over the world, from the Amazon to Siberia. He teaches ethnobotany courses at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is Explorer In Residence. Chris advises herbal, cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies and is a regular guest on radio and TV programs worldwide.  His field research is largely sponsored by Naturex of Avignon, France. Read more at www.MedicineHunter.com