Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since at least 6500 8.C. Prehistoric apples resembled today’s crab apples-small, dry, and mealy. But as agriculture developed, apples became one of the world’s first hybridized orchard fruits.

Today about 300 apple varieties grow in the 50 states.

Special varieties have been developed for just about every set of growing conditions in North America. Consult a nursery for the varieties best suited to your locale.

Full-size apple trees grow to about 40 feet and spread over 1,600 square feet (40 by 40). However, genetic dwarf apple varieties produce delicious, full-size fruit but grow to only 6 to 12 feet and spread over less than 150 square feet (12 by 12).

Plant the rootstock in a sunny location. Water regularly.

Prune at planting, then annually. Different apple varieties have different fertilizer requirements and different pest problems.

Consult your nursery.

Eat the whole fresh fruit to enjoy a wide range of healthful benefits. Green apples tend to taste tart, but they usually have more “snap.” Red apples are usually sweeter, but may have a mealy texture. Wash apples with soap and water before eating to eliminate any pesticide residues.

The Safety Factor

U.S. Department of Agriculture herb authority (and poet) lames A. Duke, Ph.D., sums up apple safety this way:

An apple a day keeps the doctor away,
Or at least that’s what some people say.
But one man, we read,
Ate a cupful of seed,
And this man died.
Overdosed. Cyanide.

Strange but true: Apple seeds contain high levels of cyanide, the powerful poison. It takes an estimated ½ cup of seeds to kill the average adult, but considerably less to kill children and the elderly. Many parents are familiar with the stomachaches young children develop when they eat apple cores. The small number of seeds in the typical core poses little risk of serious poisoning, but children should be taught not to eat apple seeds.

Eat all the fresh apples you want, just stay away from the seeds. If apples cause minor discomforts, such as diarrhea or constipation, eat less or stop eating them. If diarrhea or constipation does not improve within a week, consult a physician.

Do not attempt to treat diabetes, high cholesterol, or colon disease solely with herbs. In such cases, apples should be used to complement professional medical care.

Modern medical science has found that Johnny Appleseed’s passion fruit has tremendous value in healing-thanks to its pulp, which is high in pectin, a soluble form of fiber.

Diarrhea - Some studies show that pectin helps relieve diarrhea because intestinal bacteria transform it into a soothing, protective coating for the irritated intestinal lining. In addition, pectin adds bulk to the stool, which helps resolve both diarrhea and constipation.

Some diarrhea is caused by bacterial infection One study shows apple pectin is effective against several types of bacteria capable of causing diarrhea. No wonder pectin is the “peetate” in the over-the-counter diarrhea preparation, Kaopectate.

Constipation - Physicians recommend diets high in fiber to add bulk to the stool. Bulk stimulates normal bowel contractions and relieves constipation.

Heart Disease and Stroke - Pectin may help reduce blood cholesterol. a key risk factor for heart disease and some types of stroke. In the presence of pectin, the cholesterol we eat remains in the intestinal tract until it is eliminated. So eat an apple for dessert when you have meat and dairy products, and enjoy some protection from their cholesterol.

Cancer - The American Cancer Society recommends a high-fiber diet to help prevent several forms of cancer, particularly colon cancer. Pectin binds certain cancer-causing compounds in the colon, speeding their elimination from the body, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Diabetes - Physicians also recommend high-fiber diets to control diabetes. Several studies show that apple pectin helps control blood sugar (glucose) levels in diabetics.

Lead Poisoning - European studies suggest apple pectin helps eliminate lead, mercury, and other toxic heavy metals from the body. Cleansing the body of these poisons is yet another reason for people who live in polluted cities to enjoy the proverbial apple a day.

Wound Infection - Although the pectin in apple fruit is this herb’s major medicinal component, apple leaves contain an antibiotic (phloretin). If you cut yourself out in the orchard, crush some apple leaves and press them onto the wound as first aid until you can wash and bandage it.

The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans loved apples and developed dozens of varieties, but it was ancient India’s traditional Ayurvedic physicians who first prescribed them to relieve diarrhea. Applesauce is still a diarrhea treatment today.

Traditional Chinese physicians have used apple bark for centuries to treat diabetes, another use supported by modern science.

The medieval German abbess/herbalist Hildegard of Bingen prescribed raw apples as a tonic for healthy people and cooked apples as the first treatment for any sickness.

Around the same time in England, people said, “To eat an apple before going to bed/Will make the doctor beg his bread.” This evolved into our saying about “an apple a day.”

Not everything the English had to say about apples was so apt, however. Seventeenth-century English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper recommended apples “for hot and bilious stomachs … inflammations of the breast and lungs … [and] asthma.” He also suggested boiled apples mixed with milk as a treatment for gunpowder burns.

The Americas had no native apples, but the Pilgrims brought apple seeds with them, and the fruit quickly became, well, as American as apple pie.

Apples, apple bark, and apple cider soon became mainstays of American folk medicine. A century ago, Eclectic physicians recommended raw apples for constipation, baked or stewed apples for minor fevers, apple bark decoction for “intermittent fever” (malaria), and apple cider “as a refreshing drink for patients with fever.”

One-a-Day Protection

Family: Rosaceae; (includes Rose, Almond, Strawberry)

Genus and species: Malus sylvestris or Pyrus malus

Parts used: Fruit

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. The old rhyme is truer than ever-particularly if the doctor is a gastroenterologist, cardiologist, or oncologist. Apples may be good for both diarrhea and constipation and may help prevent heart disease, cancer, and some types of strokeAmerica’s top three killers.

Although few contemporary herbalists consider the apple to be an herb, it has a venerable tradition as a healing agent. So much of what the ancient herbalists believed about the healing powers of this delectable fruit has been scientifically supported that it’s time to let the apple resume its respected place on the herbal roster.