Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

Diuretics should be used in consultation with a physician. They can deplete body stores of potassium, an essential nutrient. Those who use diuretics should also eat foods high in potassium, such as bananas and fresh vegetables, to replace lost electrolytes.

High blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and diabetes are serious conditions. Celery seed may help manage them, but it should be used in consultation with your physician as part of an overall treatment plan.

Pregnant women should not take diuretics without a physician’s approval.

Celery seed and oil are considered nontoxic and are on the Food and Drug Administration’s list of herbs generally regarded as safe. For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults who are not taking other diuretics, celery seed is considered safe in amounts typically recommended.

Celery seed should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If celery seed causes minor discomforts, such as stomach upset or diarrhea, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience any unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.

Needs Rich Soil

Celery grows best in well-watered, richly organic soil. Less ideal conditions produce tougher, stringier, more bitter stalks.

In mild areas, celery grows virtually year-round. Elsewhere, start seeds indoors in January and bed seedlings in early spring after the danger of frost has passed. Soak seeds before planting. Germination typically takes about ten days Transplant when seedlings are about 3 inches high at approximately three months. Space plants about 6 inches apart.

Water copiously. Stalk juiciness depends on how much water the plants receive.

Harvest seeds when they mature.

Certain chemicals (psoralens) in celery sometimes cause rashes in agricultural workers. Gardeners take note: Wearing sunscreen prevents the reaction.

Several of celery seed’s age-old uses in healing may be standing up to scientific examination.

Weight Loss - Celery seed contains a diuretic substance.

This finding lends credence to its traditional use in treating obesity, because celery would tend to eliminate water weight. Keep in mind, however, that any water weight lost using diuretics invariably returns. The key to permanent weight control is a low-fat, high-complex-carbohydrate diet and regular aerobic exercise.

High Blood Pressure - Physicians prescribe diuretics for high blood pressure. In one study, celery oil injections significantly reduced blood pressure in rabbits and dogs. Of course, people don’t take their celery by syringe, so Chinese researchers gave the herb to 16 people suffering from high blood pressure. Fourteen showed significant reductions.

If you want to use celery seed in your treatment plan, talk it over with your doctor.

Congestive Heart Failure - The fact that celery seed has been shown to contain a diuretic also supports its traditional use as a treatment for congestive heart failure, which involves serious fluid buildup. If you think you’d like to use celery seed for this purpose, discuss it with your doctor.

Anxiety and Insomnia - Celery seed oil contains chemicals (phthalides) that have sedative effects in animals. Animal findings don’t always apply to humans, but if you’re anxious, nervous, or wakeful, try this herb and see if it works for you.

Diabetes - Several studies have indicated that celery seed reduces blood sugar (glucose) levels, an important part of managing diabetes. Diabetes requires professional ‘treatment. If you’d like to use celery seed as part of your treatment plan, discuss it with your physician.

Women’s Health - Celery seed stimulates uterine contractions in animals, lending support to its traditional uses in menstruation promotion and abortion. Animal results don’t always apply to people, but pregnant women should exercise caution and not use it. Celery stalks, however, are not harmful. Other women may try it to bring on their periods, but do not use celery seed to try to induce abortion.

Diuretics help relieve the bloated feeling caused by premenstrual fluid retention. Women bothered by premenstrual syndrome (PMS) might try some celery seed during the uncomfortable days right before their periods.

Intriguing Possibilities. Celery contains chemicals (psoralens), which have been used to treat psoriasis and more recently, one form of cancer, cutaneous ‘l-cell lymphoma. But further research is needed before this herb can be used to treat these diseases.

Rx for Celery Seed

Celery seed may be used under the supervision of a physician as part of a program to treat high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, or diabetes.

Try a pleasant-tasting infusion as a mild relaxant or to bring on menstruation. Use 1 to 2 teaspoons of freshly crushed seeds per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 to 20 minutes. Drink up to 3 cups a day.

In a tincture, take ½ to I teaspoon up to three times a day Celery seed preparations should not be given to children under age 2. For older children and people over 65, start with low-strength preparations and increase strength if necessary.

A Natural Diuretic

Family: Umbelliferae; (includes Carrot, Parsley)

Genus and Species: Apium Graveolens

Also known as: Marsh Parsley, Wild Celery

Parts used: Fruit (”seeds”)

Celery stalks don’t do much but add crunch to salads. But scientists have discovered a surprising number of healing benefits in celery seed. They may help relieve insomnia and high blood pressure and may even help some people manage diabetes and congestive heart failure.

Elixir for Greek Athletes

The ancient Greeks gave celery wine to winning athletes, and celery elixirs have been used in healing throughout history. (A contemporary echo of this, minus any medicinal claims, is the celery-flavored soft drink, Dr. Brown’s eel-Ray Soda.)

India’s traditional Ayurvedic physicians have prescribed celery seed since ancient times as a diuretic to treat water retention and as a treatment for colds, flu, indigestion, arthritis, and diseases of the liver and spleen.

The medieval German abbess/herbalist Hildegard of Bingen wrote: “Whoever is plagued by [the arthritis of] gout …should powder celery seeds… because this is the best remedy.”

English herbalist John Gerard claimed celery “provoketh urine” as an aid to weight loss and expelled “phlegm out of the head.”

Seventeenth-century England’s Nicholas Culpeper also recommended celery seed as a diuretic for “dropsy” (congestive heart failure).

Later herbalists suggested it for insomnia, obesity, nervousness, and several cancers, as a menstruation promoter, and to bring on abortion. It has even been recommended as an aphrodisiac.

Oddly, America’s 19th-century botanical physicians, the Eclectics, were not impressed. They considered celery a mere footnote under its close relative, parsley. If parsley were unavailable, the Eclectics grudgingly recommended celery as “a nerve tonic” and for arthritis and chest congestion.

Contemporary herbalists recommend celery as a diuretic, tranquilizer, sedative, and menstruation promoter, and as treatment for gout, arthritis, obesity, anxiety, and lack of appetite (gustatory, not sexual).