| Here's a short story about how I learned of the | | | | weeds/herbs palatable. This is one of the early |
| "cleansing herbs" or what are referred to as "blood | | | | beginnings of the term that herbs are "beneficial |
| purifiers". | | | | weeds". |
| We owned an herb shop and carried a line of | | | | The other problem was over the course of months of |
| medicinal herbs. One of the more popular uses was | | | | eating only salted meat/fish there had been an |
| for "blood cleansing" which prompted me to call the | | | | assumed accumulation of toxic type substances and it |
| owner of the company, who was a M.D. as well as a | | | | was felt the toxins needed to be removed. The way |
| pharmacist. | | | | to remove the toxins was to eat some "cleansing |
| Dr. Brown explained to me the history of "cleansing | | | | herbs" or "blood purifiers". |
| herbs". My first question was that the name implied | | | | Certain herbs, beneficial weeds, would be eaten and |
| there was something wrong with us that we needed | | | | actually acted as mild diuretics and would encourage |
| to be "cleansed" so I reasoned the assumption might | | | | elimination. It was this group of herbs that became |
| not be correct. Here's his answer and my twist to why | | | | known as the "cleansing herbs". |
| maybe we still do need "cleansing herbs". | | | | Do we need cleansing herbs now? Certainly most of |
| During the medieval times, especially in most of Europe, | | | | us have access to vegetables, fruits etc. from all over |
| folks did not have a healthy diet in the winter months. | | | | the world so "local content" is no longer as strong as it |
| There were no fresh vegetables, no fresh fruits, and | | | | used to be so that does not appear to be the answer. |
| many meat/fish products were preserved by salting. | | | | In this time of many healthy foods what do many |
| Unlike today you lived only on what you could grow | | | | people do? |
| preserve. During the cold winter that severely limited | | | | Simple, we do not eat well. It's a fast food culture |
| what one could eat. People were deprived of nutrients | | | | dominated by ease of use, cheap cost, eating on the |
| due to a non existent growing season. | | | | run and the fresh healthy fruits and vegetables are left |
| When spring came many "beneficial weeds" would | | | | out of our diet, not due to lack of, but because of our |
| sprout and immediately the locals would find a way to | | | | hectic lifestyles. |
| prepare those "green weeds" and incorporate them | | | | One could question if the diet of old is not better than |
| into the meals. Basically the body had been deprived | | | | the diet of now. |
| of so many good vitamins and minerals that more | | | | Now you know something about the history of the |
| were needed so they found a way to make the | | | | "cleansing herbs" or the need for "blood purifiers". |