Valuable Health Supplements
Fish oils
Cod-liver oil was prescribed by British doctors in the eighteenth century for people suffering from bone disease and rheumatism. The Victorians used it for treating infections, nervous illness and skin diseases. The only thing that has changed is that today’s medical practitioners better understand just how it works.
Apart from being one of the richest sources of vitamins A and D, fish and fish- liver oils contain two polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have been found to reduce cholesterol levels and blood clotting, and so reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes. Fish oil concentrate can improve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders, including eczema and psoriasis. Its role in promoting growth, strong bones, well-behaved skin and resistance to infection is as accepted now as it was in Victorian times.
Fish oil supplements can be taken as oil or capsules and the addition of malt extract or orange syrup makes them acceptable to children’s taste.
Garlic
The bulb of this pungent plant is widely used to flavour meat, fish, vegetables and salads. It has also been valued for thousands of years as a medicine and antiseptic. It was highly prized for its medicinal qualities in ancient Greece and Egypt, and the Romans used it to treat coughs, colds, lung diseases and wounds.
More recently, the military rediscovered its healing properties and it was used on wounds during the First World War and at about the same time in hospitals for the treatment of tuberculosis. In the 1950s scientific proof backed all those years of faith in its properties when it was discovered that garlic contained allicin, which is a powerful antibacterial agent. Today it is helping us to cope with “modern” diseases. It has been found that garlic helps to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, providing protection against the risk of strokes and heart disease. Garlic also stimulates the digestive system.
Used externally, there were many old country remedies based on garlic for digestive, bronchial, rheumatic and complexion problems. (A screwtopped jar filled with garlic cloves steeped for a week in boiled cider vinegar is reputed to produce a garlic vinegar that, when dabbed on spots, helps to clear them!)
If you do not like the taste or smell of garlic, you can buy capsules of deodorised garlic or coated tablets which still contain allicin, the potent part. The coating does not melt until the tablet is well on its way into the digestive system, thus reducing any risks of garlic-laden breath.
Oil of evening primrose
The oil extracted from the seeds of the evening primrose has hit the headlines in the past few years due to its apparent abilities to help in so many major and minor body breakdowns.
Native to Central America, where it was used for healing, the plant’s seeds found their way into ships’ cargoes in the eighteenth century and the plant became naturalised in Europe, growing wild in the countryside.
The seed oil is unique in that it contains substantial amounts of gammalinolenic acid (GLA), which is converted in the body to substances which help in the growth and reproduction of cells. GLA is produced in the body from dietary linoleic acid, but it seems that synthesis can sometimes be blocked or not sufficient for the body’s needs.
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