Raw Apple Pie

 Raw Apple Pie

1 apple peeled and cored

1 cup dates

1 orange peeled and seeded

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

Puree apple and orange in a blender. Add the dates and cinnamon. Blend until smooth.

Slice 4 or 5 Granny Smith apples or another tart apple very thin. Use a mandoline slicer for best results. In a large bowl mix the sliced apples with the pureed mixture.

Crust:

1 cup coconut

1 cup pecans

1 cup pitted dates

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbs. almond butter

Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until finely ground. Press the mixture into a pie plated.

Pour the apple mixture into the crust. Top with round apple slices with a walnut or pecan in the middle.

Black Walnut

 Black Walnut

Jo Francks MH

As I was recently raking up black walnuts that had fallen off the tree this fall I was thinking of all the different ways I have used the black walnut hulls through the years. This tree has been a huge blessing to me and my family. Each year I make up a fresh batch of black walnut tincture from the fresh hulls. I’ve used it on cold sores, athletes foot, skin disorders, and many other things. I am reminded each time I make a batch of tincture of the confidence Dr. Christopher had in the black walnut hulls when he was serving in the army. He was able to heal the horrible case of impetigo on a soldier's head with a crude batch of black walnut hull tincture made with rubbing alcohol.

This was the only time Dr. Christopher used rubbing alcohol for making a tincture because that is all he had available. David Christopher recommends using black walnut tincture to help get rid of Lyme disease. Black walnut is also used in the Candida protocol to kill the fungus in the intestines. It is also used to expel worms from the bowels. Making your own medicine is very rewarding, easy, and satisfying. 

To make black walnut tincture you can use dried balck walnut hulls or fresh ones. When making tincture from the fresh hulls wear gloves to protect your hands from turning brown. With a knife, remove the fleshy hull from the outside of the shell and chop it up. Add it to a jar and cover with 100 proof vodka as you go until the jar is full. Add the lid and shake for at least 2 weeks every day. 

Making tincture with the dried black walnut hulls is quite a bit easier. Use cut herb and fill your jar about half full with the herb and add 80 or 100 proof vodka to the top of the jar. Add the lid and shake every day for at least 2 weeks. Strain the tincture through a muslin cloth and bottle your tincture.

Black Walnut hulls can be used as a dye as well. It will stain whatever it comes in contact with. I have taken a fresh hull and rubbed it on a grey spot on my hair to stain it a nice amber color. Adding water to the powder to make a paste will do the same thing. It will also stain your skin so be careful. Because of the high tannin content it is used to tan hides and color fabric. What are some of your favorite ways to use black walnut?

Dry Skin

 Dry Skin

Jo Francks MH

As the seasons change and the temperatures drop it seems to take the moisture right out of the air and out of our skin. The skin is the largest eliminative channel of the body. Dr. Christopher called it an extra kidney and an extra set of lungs for breathing. The health of the skin can help determine the health of the rest of the body. Proper elimination, nutrition, hydration, and exercise play a significant role in the health of our skin.

It is also important to consider what you are putting on your skin. The use of inorganic, unnatural, and heavily perfumed products can clog the pores as well as be absorbed into the bloodstream. Synthetic, tight clothing prevents the skin from breathing and eliminating toxins which can cause a buildup of toxins in the blood. 

To help your skin be the best it can be consider doing some regular cleansing programs to detoxify the body from the inside. Wear natural fiber clothing such as cotton, silk, wool, or hemp. Do dry skin brushing. Eat a healthy diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, and drink plenty of pure water.

 

I love making natural skincare products and recently made a nice skin cream that feels wonderful on the skin. The main ingredient is grapeseed oil. I chose this oil for its antiaging and moisturizing properties. If you’ve never made your own lotion, this is an easy recipe with few ingredients which are readily available. The grapeseed oil can be substituted for olive oil if desired. 

Recipe:

Dry Skin Cream

This recipe requires the use of a scale that measures in grams and a hand blender.

200 grams grapeseed oil

25 grams coconut oil

37 grams beeswax

222 grams distilled water

5 grams borax

7 grams vegetable glycerin

Melt the oils and beeswax to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine water, borax and glycerin and heat to 160 degrees.

Slowly pour the water mixture into the oil mixture. Use a hand blender while pouring to emulsify.

Let cool and keep coming back and blending to prevent it from separating. 

Store what you aren’t using in the fridge. There are no preservatives in this cream. It is nice on the skin. 

Note: grapeseed oil can be replaced with your choice of liquid oil such as olive, avocado, almond, etc. These can be herbal oils you have extracted to add healing qualities.   

Fennel

 Fennel

Jo Francks MH

This is probably my favorite time of year as an herbalist. There are so many herbs ready to harvest. One in particular I have been watching and tending all summer is fennel. I have enjoyed the fragrance of the fennel plant each time I enter the garden. I nibbled on the feathery leaves, and when the flower buds came out, they were a very tasty treat.

I especially like the ideas I get about what I can do with the plants when I can spend time with them. I took the flower buds of the fennel and made a tincture that I will be using as a flavoring and for medicinal purposes. Fennel has a flavor similar to licorice and anise. It has carminative and antispasmodic properties so it can help expel gas and ease cramping in the digestive tract.

Fennel is often used for colic in babies and is part of Dr. Christopher’s Catnip and Fennel tincture. Fennel is also good for the eyes. Once while watching my daughter’s soccer game she got scratched in the eye and the coach called out “Does anyone have some Visine?” I went to my car to get my herbal eyewash and eyecup but remembered I had given my eyewash formula away. I had some catnip and fennel tincture in my bag and decided to use it in the eyecup. The fennel helps with eye problems and the catnip is soothing. I put a few drops of the tincture in the eyecup with some water. When my daughter washed her eye with this it helped take the pain away and soothed the eye. She was grateful I had given my eyewash formula away with the cayenne in it and said she liked the catnip and fennel better. 

The bulb and stem of fennel are often sold as a vegetable and can be juiced and used for headaches. Fennel is easy to grow and there are many varieties. It’s such a great time of year to harvest so many plants and flowers. Don’t forget to save some of the seeds to plant next year.

Tomato Basil Flax Crackers

Tomato Basil Flax Crackers

1 cup golden flax seeds

½ cup raw sunflower seeds

¼ cup chia seeds

Soak in 4 cups water for 4 hours

1 large tomato

½ cup fresh basil

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

¼ cup fresh onion

1 garlic clove

Chunk up and process in a food processor until finely chopped

Drain excess water from the seeds through a mesh strainer. Combine seeds and processed ingredients. Add ½ to 1 tsp natural salt. Stir everything together.

Spread on dehydrator trays covered with parchment or solid sheets. Fills 3 or 4 trays. Dehydrate at 105 degrees F until top is solid. Flip and remove the solid sheets and finish drying. 

Recipe for Immunity

Recipe for Immunity

1 cup fresh echinacea root chopped (or ½ cup dried)

1 TBS dried elderberries

3 small sprigs fresh chocolate mint leaves (or any mint) chopped

2 small sprigs fresh thyme leaves chopped

¼ cup distilled water (approximately)

Vegetable glycerin

Dropper bottle

In a pint jar add all the herbs. Add water so it comes up about an inch. Add vegetable glycerin to fill the jar to the top so all herbs are covered. Secure the lid tightly. Shake daily for 2 weeks. 

Strain and save the liquid and compost the herbs. Fill a dropper bottle with the glycerite and use 1 or 2 droppers 3 times a day for the prevention of illness. If you have symptoms of an illness, take more often. 

Recipe by Jo Francks

Sustainable Harvesting

Sustainable Harvesting

Jo Francks MH

Summer is the time to grow and harvest herbs. It is also a time to wildcraft herbs. Going out and finding your own herbal medicine is exciting and enjoyable. There are many herbs that are very abundant but there are some not so abundant and it is good to know which ones should be harvested with caution.

Here are some guidelines to remember when harvesting plants in the wild. 

-Never take more than 10% and leave the rest. 

-Make sure you are harvesting plants that are not at-risk. 

-Go to places where you know others are not harvesting. 

-Be 100% positive that you have correctly identified the plant you are harvesting. 

-Take along an herbal identification book.

-If you dig a root, leave the seeds behind to make sure a new plant will grow in its place.

-The bark should not be taken from the main trunk of a tree. Find smaller branches to prune from the tree. 

-Find out if it is legal to take plants from that area.

-Obtain permission from the landowner if you are on private property.

-Avoid areas where plants can be contaminated or roadsides with heavy traffic.

Unfortunately, many of the medicinal plants growing in the wild are becoming endangered. As the popularity of using herbal medicine increases it puts stress on the availability of certain herbs. Many of the herbs we took for granted 15 or 20 years ago are now unavailable or are at-risk. This includes herbs like goldenseal and ginseng. These herbs are now being cultivated successfully and should be chosen over the wildcrafted options when purchasing.

Luckily there are groups of people watching out for the safety and sustainability of the plants. United Plant Savers is one of those groups and you can find a list of at-risk plants on their website https://unitedplantsavers.org/species-at-risk-list/

When you are able to get out and go on herb walks, it’s great to learn to identify the plants and get to know them. The more you learn about the plants and their medicinal qualities, the more you have a respect for them and an obligation to protect the medicinal herbs we have available to us. Take only pictures when you come across an at-risk plant.