5 herbs to help calm anxiety

Gingko Biloba

Anxiety impairs your mind’s ability to think clearly and make good decisions about your everyday life. By increasing blood flow to the brain and overall blood circulation throughout the body, gingko biloba helps refresh your state of mind and acts as a natural antidepressant. People anticipating tasks which require a solid focus and concentration are advised to take gingko biloba so as not to anticipate their challenges in an anxious mood.

Licorice Root

Licorice root contains a natural hormone alternative to cortisone, which can help the body handle stressful situations, and can help to normalize blood sugar levels as well as your adrenal glands, providing you with the energy necessary to deal with the stressful situation at hand. Some claim licorice stimulates cranial and cerebrospinal fluid, thereby calming the mind. You can take licorice root as a tea or a tonic.

Kava Kava

Kava kava can lift your spirit and make you happier by inducing a mild state of euphoria and sedation. Kava kava is very effective in the treatment of anxiety, working within a week of taking it daily. In medical applications, the herb is used in the treatment for women with post-menopausal depression. For people with sleep disorders, kava kava is a non-addictive herb which can work as a mild tranquilizer.

Passion Flower

Passion Flower works as a non-drowsy, natural sedative that relieves intermittent stress, nervousness, anxiety and panic attacks. It won’t put your worries away by knocking you out or making you sleepy. You can find a certain equilibrium in passion flower by making you feel emotionally balanced. For those with bipolar disorder, it won’t give you a hyper, happy or excited feeling. Instead, passion flower will restrain your emotions from its range of extremes. If you have exaggerated emotions throughout the day (in which you go from being very happy to being very angry or sad), you may find passion flower to be a nice tea to drink after letting it seep in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Ginseng

Ginseng is also known as a “brain food” as it improves concentration, thinking, and memory. It is also a supplement for added physical stamina. All these benefits contribute to its anti-anxiety properties as it revitalizes your body. Ginseng has many benefits and these include stimulant properties to reduce stress and enhance health. It can be used as a relaxant as it has tonic properties and can also help maintain emotional balance. Drink ginseng as a tea or take it in supplement form.

Source: Naturehacks.com

Feel'n good all day with this....

Red Currant smoothie with Chlorella Chia Maca 

A smoothie rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and iron, to build the blood. Red Currants (rode bessen) which grow all over Europe,  goji berries, dates, banana and a bunch of spinach blended together with soaked chia, chlorella, and maca. Nourish every cell of your body, a smoothie a day keeps the doctor away! 

• Redcurrants are a rich source of vitamin C, and help boost the immune system.
• They are also known to induce perspiration, which helps remove waste materials, excessive salts, and toxins.
• They have been proven effective in relieving certain skin ailments including eczema and acne.
• Redcurrant helps purify blood.
• Redcurrants are a rich source of fiber and are also low on calories,this helps in the prevention and management of obesity.
• Redcurrant is also a potent appetizer. If eaten before meals, it prepares the stomach for digestion by promoting the secretion of digestive juices.
• Redcurrant berries are supposed to be anti-inflammatory in action and are effective against ailments like the common cold, flu and fever.

Ingredients

1.  1-2 cups of kefir water, or coconut water  
2.  1 bananas- 2 handful spinach
3.  3 dates
4.  1-2 cup red currants (rode bessen), or whatever berries you have in  season 
5.  1-4 handfulls of goji berries
6.  1 tbl chia seeds (soaked overnight)
7.  1 tsp chlorella
8.  1 tsp maca
9.   1 handfull of  hempseeds on top

The how to

1) Mix all the ingredients and top with the hemps seeds. Add more liquid as needed. Enjoy 

In Florida the Lyme Nightmare continues

Lyme Disease: The Southern Myth JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- In 2006, an outgoing and healthy Andrea King became very sick. She became extremely tired, had muscle aches and a fever, but nine doctors later she still didn't have a diagnosis. It wasn't until 10 months after the on-set of symptoms that was finally diagnosed with Lyme Disease, which comes from getting bitten by an infected tick. Click Here To Watch The Video JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- In 2006, an outgoing and healthy Andrea King became very sick. "My friends told me they thought I was dying," King said. "I said to my family medical doctor, I feel like there is something in my blood. It is like my blood is angry."  She became extremely tired, had muscle aches and a fever, but nine doctors later she still didn't have a diagnosis.   It wasn't until 10 months after the on-set of symptoms that was finally diagnosed with Lyme Disease, which comes from getting bitten by an infected tick. "It is heartbreaking to me that doctors in this area are not more aware and literate about Lyme and tick born disease," said King. Awareness is something Dr. Kerry Clark at the University of North Florida is working to change.  He says it is much more common in Florida than most would believe. "My research has identified hundreds of cases all across the Southern United States, many of them in Florida. That [Lyme is only in the North] is just one of the many myths about Lyme disease we are trying to dispel," told Dr. Clark Because Lyme is typically considered a problem in the Northeast, it is often not tested for in patients in the south.   Not getting treated with antibiotics immediately means the disease will continue to spread through the body, making it harder to fight.  According to the Florida Department of Health, from 2000-2012 there have been 913 reported cases of Lyme Disease. Yet even for those who do test positive for Lyme, getting treatment can be a serious challenge. "This disease in every step of the way was like entering the twilight zone," explained Aimee Boggs. When Aimee's husband, Dane Boggs, became very sick after what he thought was a spider bite, he waited two painful years before he was diagnosed with Lyme.  Even then, Dane had to travel all the way to South Florida to see a doctor that would treat Lyme. "His condition was such that it required an IV antibiotic that after two months my insurer declined continued payment of those drugs, which costs in the realm of $5,000 and $7,000 a month," told Boggs. For Lyme patients like Dane Boggs, it isn't uncommon for their insurance companies to deny coverage. That is because the CDC does not recognize Lyme as chronic or life-long disease. The CDC calls it Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome argues that the symptoms after treatment will go away with time. Dane and Aimee Bogg s disagree and have spent around $100,000 dollars out of their own pocket seeking treatment for Dane's Lyme disease. "It put a strain on finances, marriage, for anyone who has been through an illness you know what we are talking about,"said Dane," People with Lyme are too sick to even fight the battle." Another challenge Lyme patients face is finding a doctor. In North Florida, Dr. Shirley Hartman is one of the only doctors that treats Lyme Disease patients. She understands what her patients have been through, for years her own daughter was thought to have Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, only to then test positive for Lyme. "They are patronized and told they are not sick and told they just need to buck up and live with it," told Dr. Hartman. Lyme treating doctors can find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place when trying to treat patients. "It has happened that insurance companies have complained about physicians that prescribe expensive, long-term courses of antibiotics that the insurance companies have to pay for. Then these physicians are investigated by medical societies and boards and some of them have lost their licenses or had to move to other states," explaind Dr. Hartman. According to the Northeast Florida Lyme Association, awareness is the key to improving health outcomes.  Symptoms of Lyme Disease include (but are not limited to) a circular rash around a tick bite, severe fatigue, muscle and joint pain, fever and in more advanced cases nerve problems and problems thinking. To learn more about the disease here is a link to the Northeast Florida Lyme Association: http://northeastfloridalymeassociation.org/  You can also find the group on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/NEFLALyme?sk=wall A detailed list of Lyme Disease symptoms: http://northeastfloridalymeassociation.org/symptoms.html The Centers for Disease Control page on Lyme Disease: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/ http://archive.firstcoastnews.com/

Coconut Hemp Ginger Cookies

Coconut Ginger Cookies

These coconut, hemp, ginger cookies contain three different types of coconut – coconut milk, coconut oil and coconut flour. All three are low in sugars and have antifungal properties. I also like to add some grated ginger to these cookies, just to give the flavor a little boost. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. Stevia
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 4 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated

How to do it

1. Preheat the oven to 350F ( 177 degrees C). Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
2. Add all the dry ingredients to the food processor (coconut flour, hemp seeds, stevia, and salt. Mix together, then add the rest of the ingredients. Pulse until it reaches an even consistency.
3. Use a tablespoon to drop the cookie dough on the baking sheet. Use your hand to shape each cookie as they won’t spread on their own.
4. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until edges are brown

.

source; http://www.thecandidadiet.com

Creating A Marijuana Tincture Using Alcohol Extraction:

                            The Heated Method

1. Finely grind the marijuana. A standard blender works fine for this, although you can chop or crumble it as you see fit.
2. Preheat your oven to 225 F (110 C). Do NOT exceed 300 F (150 C) to prevent letting your precious THC vaporize!
3. Place the crumbled marijuana in the oven-safe container, and bake for 45 minutes. 30 minutes will often suffice, but if the container is rather thick-walled, it will take some time to come up to temperature.
4. Remove the container from the oven and let it cool for 1/2 hour.
5. Next, place the “baked” (decarboxylated) marijuana into the mason jar/glass, crumbling more if necessary. Gently pour in 1 cup of 70% grain spirits, and stir thoroughly.
6. Seal the jar and shake it. You’ll notice a change in color almost immediately, and this will develop into a deep, almost black-hued green color over the next couple of days.
7. Shake the jar containing the alcohol/cannabis mixture several times a day for at least two days. There’s no need to wait a week or more, THC is quite soluble in alcohol. The waiting time does allow all the bits of marijuana to become saturated and the THC to go into solution.
8. Strain the alcohol/cannabis mixture through a funnel lined with cheesecloth and into a large enough receiving jar. Ball up the cheesecloth and squeeze out more of the solution – waste not!
9. Transfer the tincture into brown glass dropper bottles for storage and dosing. If you can’t get dropper bottles, just brown medicine glass bottles will do – the brown glass helps prevent light from degrading the tincture.
10. Store the finished tincture in a cool place away from strong light sources for maximum shelf life.

Cold Method (recommended)

Here is the recipe for highest quality tincture. This method does not use heat so keeps the integrity of the cannabinoids intact.  FromWAMM

• Fill jar ¾ full of herb
• Fill rest of jar with alcohol; leave some room at top, stir.
• Shake jar [vigorously] one or two times a day  for 2 weeks [or leave it until there is no green color left in the plant matter]
• Strain through metal tea strainer or silkscreen.

You can use whatever kind of clean glass, not plastic, jar you have with a tight lid. One-quart mason jars are ideal. Grind the herb thoroughly in a blender. It should be well ground but doesn’t have to be a powder. You can use leaf, bud, shake, joint leftover, or stems. Too many stems will wreck your blender and make a weaker tincture. Leaf will work fine but for higher potency use shake or bud. Fill the jar ¾ full of herb; it does not have to be exact. You can use anywhere from ½ to 2/3 part herb but ¾ will make a full strength tincture. Use the highest proof alcohol you can, Everclear, which is 180 proof, but hard to find. So just use the highest proof Vodka you can find. Pour alcohol over the herb, filling the rest of the jar. Leave just enough space (an inch or so) at the top so that you will be able to shake the jar. Stir the mixture; the herb will absorb some of the alcohol so you may need to add more. Put the lid on tightly; label the contents and the date you started. It takes two weeks for the alcohol to extract all the active elements from the herb. Shake the jar once or twice a day for 2 weeks. The alcohol will rise to the top and a deep green/red color will develop. After 2 weeks of aging you can strain the tincture through a metal tea strainer or a silk screen into a small tincture bottle with a dropper. You can leave the rest in the jar if you want, it will age and mellow in flavor and you can strain off as much as you want at a time. Alcohol is a strong preservative it will hold for a long time, be careful when handling the tincture, it satins and will turn everything it comes in contact with green. Use Ultra Palmolive anti-bacterial dish soap, the orange kind, to clean the glass, metal or other ceramic utensils, (do not use plastic) sinks and counter tops works best at dissolving THC residue.

Dosage varies per individual but start with half a dropper dissolved in hot tea or water. Hot tea will dissipate some of the alcohol and activate the THC a bit. It can be taken straight but may burn the tongue and has a very strong herbal taste. [If you cut it with equal parts water, you can hold the dosage under the tongue without burning. Takes effect in seconds.

sources:  http://patients4medicalmarijuana.wordpress.com/
Cannabis Culture
http://cannabisgrowing.wordpress.com/

Raw Sprouted Hummus

You will need

1.5 cups garbanzo (chick peas) beans, soaked for 24 hours to sprout
2 spoonfuls of tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
Salt to taste
Dash of paprika and a dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
3 medium tomatoes, (or raw crackers, or any veggies you like to dip)
a few olives (optional)
some chopped fresh corriander

Directions

1. Mix garbanzo beans, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, olive oil and salt in food processor, pulsing
2. Slice tomatoes
3. Spoon hummus on to sliced tomatoes.
4. Sprinkle chopped corriander, olives and a little paprika on top.
Serves 4

Lyme Patient Suicide - Netherlands

'Vaak zelfdoding lymepatiënten'    za 05 apr 2014, 05:30

dioor René Steenhorst

AMSTERDAM - 

De ziekte van Lyme leidt momenteel tot een zorgwekkend aantal zelfdodingen. Volgens de Nederlandse Vereniging voor Lymepatiënten, die emotioneel alarm slaat, hebben de afgelopen maanden meerdere chronische lymepatiënten zichzelf van het leven beroofd, daartoe gedreven door hun medisch uitzichtloze situatie.

Een teek kan de ziekte van Lyme verspreidenFoto: SUYK, KOEN

NVLP-bestuurslid Miranka Mud spreekt van drama’s die het directe gevolg zijn van „vaak jaren geleden gemiste diagnoses en daardoor te laat gestarte behandelingen”. Bij de vereniging zijn de trieste gebeurtenissen opgetekend in zowel afscheidsbrieven als door contacten met nabestaanden.

Laatste wens

Een van de nu overleden lymepatiënten, de 39-jarige Barbara Pronk uit Rijswijk, schreef kort voor haar dood, op 19 maart jongstleden, een uitgebreide brief aan leden van de Tweede Kamer. Daarin vraagt ze, als ’laatste wens’, aandacht voor deze ziekte, waarvan volgens haar de ernst zwaar wordt onderschat.

„Lyme is geen ’normale ziekte’”, schrijft Barbara, „maar is een tegenstander van ongekend formaat: een strijd tegen bacteriën en hun giftige afvalstoffen die je lichaam teisteren in elk orgaan, elk stukje weefsel en iedere cel, en die je lichamelijk en geestelijk overnemen en je geheel kapotmaken van binnen.”

Mevrouw Pronk was al negen jaar ernstig ziek en totaal geïnvalideerd. Door Lyme leed ze ook aan de virale hersenziekte ME en het chronisch vermoeidheidssyndroom CVS, dat haar uitputte. Jarenlang had Barbara Pronk veel gezondheidsklachten, waarvan artsen en specialisten de echte oorzaak maar niet wisten te achterhalen. Jaren te laat werd bij haar de ziekte van Lyme vastgesteld, haar behandeling was derhalve ontoereikend.

„Alleen al vijf van onze leden hebben onlangs de dood verkozen, dat hebben we nog niet eerder in zo’n korte tijd meegemaakt”, stelt Miranka Mud van de Nederlandse Vereniging voor Lymepatiënten. „Bovendien weten wij van nog meer patiënten die uit het leven zijn gestapt, of dat hebben geprobeerd, omdat de ziekte hun leven ondraaglijk maakte.”

http://www.telegraaf.nl/

iSpot Lyme A new test.

 iSpot Lyme^™ 

Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose. 50-70% of patients go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed due to low sensitivity of traditional antibody-based testing. iSpot Lyme™ is a new breakthrough cellular immune diagnostic tool that can detect the bacterial infection of Lyme disease with 84% sensitivity and 94% specificity.

New generation of in vitro diagnostic test for the detection of antigen-specific effector/memory T cells that respond to stimulation by Borrelia burgdorferi antigens. iSpot Lyme uses an enzyme-linked immunospot technology (ELISpot) to count B. burgdorferi-sensitized T cells. The test captures the level of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) secreted by the cells.

Find out how to get the iSpot Lyme test1-877-282-0306https://www.neurorelief.com/index.php?p=testDet&testID=241&TestPanelName=iSpot%20Ly

Some conditions can mask

Lyme disease

Lyme disease mimics the symptoms of many other diseases. If a patient actually has Lyme disease, the underlying infection will progress unchecked until the patient’s infection is treated.

• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Depression
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• ALS
• Mental Illness
• ADHD
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Hypochondria
• Migrane headaches
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Food allergy

EARLY SYMPTOMS

• Flu-like illness (fever, chills, sweats, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea and joint pain)
• Rash (less than 50%)
• Bell’s palsy
• Headache
• Stiff neck

ADVANCED SYMPTOMS

• Depression, anxiety, or mood swings
• Tingling, burning or shooting pains
• Abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea
• Light or sound sensitivity
• Cognitive impairment
• Chest pain, palpitations
• Shortness of breath
• Sleep disturbance
• Arthritis
• Fatigue

Study: Antibiotics don't kill Lyme disease bacteria 

WCBS-TV 
New research may be bad news for thousands who suffer from Lyme disease. As WCBS-TV's Vanessa Murdock reported, antibiotic treatment has offered Lyme sufferers some semblance of normalcy. But, recent research finds Lyme disease bacteria persist even after antibiotic treatments.

Raw Tomato Bisque

Raw Tomato Basil Bisque

The Basic Recipe
1 enormous heirloom Tomato (or 3 med. tomatoes)
1 cup Cashews, powdered (blend cashews in a dry Vitamix/blender to powder)
Meat of 1 young coconut
Water of 1 young coconut
2-3 tbspns Olive Oil
Salt to taste

Blend all of the above 

Optional Toppings 
1/2 bunch finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 green onions finely chopped
Chop 1 avocado in to small cubes and add as topping in each bowl when served
Top with sprig of basil to make it look nice

Optional Variations
Substitute juice of 1 Lemon and blend in an avocado instead of using coconut water & meat (or try it with all of these together!)
Blend in one clove of garlic (remove core of clove; it has toxins)

Optional Seasonings
Onion Powder, oregano, thyme, italian seasonings
Sprig of rosemary
Finely chopped basil, dill, chives or other fresh herbs

What is Dutsi, things that make you go hmmm

A Buddhist retreat in the desert would seem like a place of peace, and ordained monk Michael Roach‘s commune in Arizona’s Apache Highlands was just that – if you discount the jealousy, the backbiting, the domestic abuse, and the knife attack.

Rolling Stone has a long piece on the peculiar goings-on in Roach’s mystical cult. Journalist Nina Burleigh was brave for writing it, as Roach is a man who, according to his followers,

…can walk through walls, see into the future and, some believe, cast powerful spells against those who cross him.

This may be the most entertaining paragraph in Burleigh’s article:

To underscore the importance of one’s teacher, Roach’s acolytes consumed dutsi, pills that supposedly contain bits of symbolic scatological material going back to Buddha (a secretive practice among Tibetan Buddhist initiates). “People worked for free in order to catapult their karma out of the prosaic shitter,” says Morris [a source]. “So you had a lot of people eating shit, literally and figuratively.”

If you’d like to make your own, start with a non-constipated cow. And for Shiva’s sake, don’t let the cow doo-doo hit the ground, ’cause that would make it impure.

This snippet is from The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols:

The ‘three whites’ of milk, curds, and ghee, form three of the ‘five nectars’ obtained from the sacred cow, with the other two being urine and dung. For ritual purposes the cow’s urine and dung are collected in vessels before they touch the ground, and are then mixed with the three white substances in a bronze bowl.  This mixture is then boiled. When cool, the upper scum and lower sediment of this viscous liquid are discarded, leaving only the middle section, which is then spread and dried in the sun. The dried powder is then blended with saffron and made into small pills. In Tibet these pills are employed in ritual practices, together with consecrated medicinal pills, known as dutsi.

Grossed out? Not in the mood for dingleberry pills? Luckily for you, there are
 alternatives, the website Sacred Journeys informs us.

In the tantric tradition there are many forms of consecrated medicines called dutsiwhich uses precious herbal and mineral substances in combination with mantras, incantations and prayers performed at specific times of year to give them full power.Often the master will put some his own hair or fingernails in with the mix so that the recipient can make a deeper karmic connection with him which is a form of guru yoga. Other ingredients that are very powerful include the hair of different masters and dakinis, brain matter from high yogis, Dharmakaya nectar from herukas, the robe of masters like Padmasambhava and different kinds of relics that all bestow healing and liberation.

Should you not have a cow handy, or a high yogi willing to donate his brain matter, you can get your dutsi fix via the web at Cosmic Goddess Empowerment. Sadly, these are vibrational offerings only — the store’s proprietress will send you “energy,” not pills.

While you’re there, check out the Benteng Segoro (“Fortress of the Sea,” only $80), which is the energy to

… protect your home from psychic and physical dangerous — from robbers, thieves, negative entities, etc. The magickal power builds up an invisible fortress. Sometimes intruders will hallucinate and see the sea all over the premises!

Whichever you get, rest assured that you’ll still be swallowing bullshit, and paying for the privilege.

source:  Terry Firma the friendly atheist - About Terry Firma

http://www.patheos.com

How to make an alcohol base tincture

A tincture is a concentrated liquid form of an herb that is easy to make and use. Tinctures preserve and concentrate the properties of the herb, this makes it more effective to use than herbal teas and longer lasting. Alcohol based tinctures have a shelf life of several years. Its less expensive to make your own, and you can make several ml at a time, it saves money, and you will always have your own medicine bag made to your specifications.

 Supplies:

An alcohol base makes them the most long lasting, but tinctures can also be made with glycerine, vinegar or even with honey to make a syrup.

To make a tincture, you will need the following supplies:

• A clean glass jar (at least pint size) with lid
•  Alcohol like vodka or rum- at least 80 proof (or apple cider vinegar, this will not preserve as long as an 80 proof or more alcohol) 
• Herbs of choice 

How to Make a Tincture:

Also called an extract (in fact, the same process is used to make real vanilla extract), alcohol tinctures are the most common type and the easiest to make.

• Fill the jar 1/3 to 1/2 full with dried herbs. Filling half full will make a stronger tincture. Do not pack down.
• Pour boiling water to just dampen all of the herbs. (optional)
• Fill the rest of the jar (or the entire jar if not using hot water too) with alcohol and stir with a clean spoon.
• Put the lid on the jar. Store the jar in a cool,dry, dark place and remember to shake daily, for at least three weeks and up to six months. 
• Strain through cheesecloth and compost the herbs. Store the tincture in colored dropper bottles or clean glass jar.

 Alcohol can be evaporated before use, if you add your tincture drops into a hot cup of water or tea.  Tincture can be made with the made method described above by using apple cider vinegar, though it will need to be stored in the fridge and will only last 3-6 months.

A bit about Serrapeptase, Nattokinase, and Lumbrokinase

Help for the Circulatory System

Serrapeptase is apparently active in the cleaning of coronary arteries from occluding layers. Serrapeptase is an enzyme produced by serratia bacteria living on silkworms. With this enzyme the worms melt a hole out of the cocoon. Unlike other enzymes in the field of biology, Serrapeptase dissolves ‘dead’ tissue like or fibrinoid layers in the arteries which chemically could be compared to silk.



A special problem in today’s civilized society is occluding processes in the carotid arteries of the neck. Serrapeptase can be used in cases of severe narrowing of the carotid arteries. Often in patients showing severe symptoms due to the narrowing, including amaurosis fugax (intermittent blindness). The therapeutic results are excellent, certainly lifesaving. It is, however, mandatory that the therapy be conducted for a very long time. The first reliable results can be expected after 6-8 months. Even after month 18, after the onset of the therapy, the patients are improving.



Serrapeptase has been found to be an extraordinary substance for safety removing fibrous blockages from coronary arteries, particularly the carotid arteries found in the neck, which supply blood brain. Serrapeptase is a natural enzyme produced by serratia bacteria living in silkworms. Once the silkworm has completed its transformation into a moth, it uses this substance to “melt” a hole in its cocoon, so that it can escape.



The astonishing fact is that, unlike other biological enzymes,
Serrapeptase affects only non-living tissue, like the silk cocoon. This is the reason the butterfly is not harmed. For our health purposes,
Serrapeptase dissolves only dead tissues such as the old fibrous layers that clog the lining of our arteries and dangerously restrict the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. Because of this, Serrapeptase is extremely useful in keeping arterial deposits from building up again after angioplasty (a balloon technique used to clear an artery blockage) or coronary bypass surgery has been performed.



Very often, surgeons are reluctant or unable to open partially closed carotid arteries using laser surgery. They fear that resulting debris could be pushed into smaller connecting arteries and result in a stroke and possibly death. In cases of severe arterial narrowing, Serrapeptase is used with excellent, even life-saving results. Many people have shown significant improved blood flow through their previously constricted arteries, as confirmed by ultrasound examination. Unfortunately, orthodox cardiologists do not employ this important method in their practices.

Nattokinase: A Potent and Safe Thrombolytic

Nattokinase represents the most exciting new development in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular related diseases.



There is a low-grade chronic coagulation disorder that is very broad-based throughout the United States, as evidenced by the prevalence of cardiovascular disease. Clotting is a key factor in the evolution of chronic disease. If we can reverse silent, functional clotting problems, we can offer a profound healing tool to patients. With nattokinase, we know how to stop it. Nattokinase, and other fibrinolytic enzymes, helps keep blood optimally flowing more than any other single intervention in use.



First-hand clinical reports from doctors around the country support reveal that by dissolving branched fibrin—which coagulates prior to full clot formation—Nattokinase has proven uniquely helpful in a range of disorders in which hypercoagulation is involved. This includes atherosclerosis, infertility, high blood pressure, dysmenorrhea, fibromyalgia, deep vein thrombosis, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, andischemic strokes. Also it has proved helpful in chronic infections, where the body lays down fibrin in an attempt to seal off harmful pathogens. Nattokinase can be helpful in slowing many age-associated illnesses, since high fibrin levels create local pathology and ischemia, and block nutrient and oxygen delivery in microcirculation.



The enzyme nattokinase offers a completely natural means of helping prevent and dissolve blood clots. It closely resembles plasmin, the body’s own natural clot-dissolver, and actually enhances the body’s production of plasmin.



Nattokinase cleaves fibrin (the protein that helps our body form the ‘mesh’ of a clot from a wound or trauma). It is like our natural plant kingdom source of plasmin, and is the most potent fibrinolytic enzyme of nearly 200 foods studied for their clot-dissolving abilities. It can even outperform our own body: in one remarkable in-vitro study, nattokinase, urokinase and plasmin (all capable of dissolving clots) were placed on a plate of fibrin. A clear halo showed degraded fibrin. The halo around nattokinase was over twice the size of the halo created by the other two enzymes, which our body manufactures. It also more potent than garlic, bromelain or ginseng.



Nattokinase is a multi-dimensional supplement, useful in each of the following conditions:

• Arterial wall thrombi formation with atherosclerosis

• Atherosclerosis

• Coronary artery disease (CAD)—heart attack prevention

• Pulmonary embolism

• Atrial chamber thrombi present in chronic atrial fibrillation

• Thrombi in the eyes—known as vena Centralia retinae acresia

• Diabetes, which often leads to excess platelet aggregation

• Hypertension—a natto-rich diet or nattokinase supplements have been shown to lower blood pressure. The microscopic trauma to a vessel wall under high pressure increases platelet aggregation and the need for blood thinning in the long term management of the prevention of CAD and strokes in the presence of hypertension.

• Peripheral vascular disease—arterial atherosclerosis or venous thrombosis. Nattokinase almost always improves spider veins and varicose veins. Hemorrhoids are improved as well.

• Senile dementia in which there is poor circulation and blood supply or cerebral thrombi formation

• Ischemic stroke—prevention

• Chronic migraine—where platelet aggregation releases vasoactive chemicals implicated in migraines

• Fibromyalgia, CFS and Lyme Disease—where chronic infection produces antibodies that cross-react with endothelial cells, leading to fibrin deposition

• Dysmenorrhea—where excessive clotting causes painful cramping

• Excessively fast clotting times due to platelet aggregation



Nattokinase and Cardiac Disease: A Profound Intervention

Cardiac disease is the single leading cause of death in America. Stroke is the third leading cause. In 2005, nearly 81 million Americans suffered from high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke or heart failure. But functional clotting problems do steady, silent damage long before obvious disease shows itself.



This is where the real treasure of this enzyme lies, and allows practitioners to treat cardiac disease in a way that puts patients at the forefront of preventive medicine. In fact, by breaking down fibrin, increasing blood flow and thus tissue oxygen levels, you are lowering a risk factor that is implicated in almost all chronic disease.



Atherosclerosis is a multidimensional and evolving disease process, one that begins with free radical attack on the lining of the blood vessels. In fact, atherosclerosis is much like wound healing gone awry: an area becomes inflamed and ‘wounded’, and the body brings in fibrin and platelet aggregates to repair the wound. Before pulmonary emboli, heart attacks or strokes occur, patients accumulate small micro-thrombi that are still reversible. These thrombi develop and are maintained by the gradual accumulation of excessive fibrin and by the inability of the body to break down the fibrin strands effectively. Inflamed plaques produce chemicals that slow down our innate clot-dissolving ability.



Micro-embolization is an often-overlooked component of atherosclerosis. It is fibrin that is implicated in many heart attacks, since cardiac arrest usually occurs after a plaque’s cap fractures, causing a blood clot to form over the fracture and block blood flow. Nattokinase is an ideal treatment, therefore, for heart attack patients, ischemic stroke patients, those at risk of pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis—in short, any patient with a clotting problem.



Hypertension is another hallmark of atherosclerosis. Fifty million Americans suffer from hypertension. By the time hypertension manifests, the blood vessel wall is already damaged and thickened by platelet aggregation. Yet the mainstream treatment strategy is simply to lower blood pressure with medications, never considering why the hypertension is occurring in the first place or how to prevent the effects of hypertension from inducing further clotting.



Nattokinase can play a key role in treating hypertension, as well as preventing the long-term sequelae of damaged, inflamed blood vessel walls. Proof of nattokinase’s efficacy in treating high blood pressure comes from a new, randomized, controlled trial published this September in Hypertension. Scientists at Yonsei University in Korea tested 86 individuals aged 20 to 80 whose blood pressure ranged from 130 to 159 mmHg.



Each received either nattokinase at 2000 FU (fibrinolytic units) per capsule daily or a placebo. After eight weeks, those on nattokinase had significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The researchers conclude, “These findings suggest that increased intake of nattokinase may play an important role in preventing and treating hypertension.”



Why Nattokinase is Unique

Medical science has synthesized various compounds to help thin blood, from aspirin to warfarin, urokinase and streptokinase. Each has their role. Warfarin, for example, blocks factors in the Vitamin K clotting cascade. However, warfarin does not help a patient lower their platelet aggregation or dissolve their fibrinogen or existing clots.



A patient on warfarin is only treating one part of the clotting cascade and dietary Vitamin K toxicity has not been shown to be a significant etiology in cardiovascular disease. These patients with high fibrinogen and persistent platelet aggregation are still a walking time bomb.



Nattokinase is unique in profoundly lowering fibrinogen levels and degrading branched fibrin. It has three different mechanisms of action. It lyses fibrin directly, changes prourokinase to urokinase, and increases tissue plasminogen activator, which increases our own plasmin. At the same time, nattokinase does not actually destroy the fibrinogen molecule, as streptokinase and urokinase do. It is in a unique class of fibrinolytic agents.



We Are Suffering From A Widespread Chronic Coagulation Disorder

Nattokinase lessens excessive coagulation and thus improves circulation, increasing oxygen to tissues. That is one reason disorders such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and chronic infections such as Lyme disease and inflammatory bowel disease respond to nattokinase.



These conditions are in part triggered by pathogen-associated fibrin deposition that leads to tissue hypoxia. In chronic infection, antibodies generated in response to pathogens can cross-react with endothelial cells. The pathogens themselves induce an antibody response that is damaging to the endothelium and the capillary bed.



In a milieu of chronic inflammation and infection, fibrin and soluble fibrin are deposited by the body in response to the “wound.” This causes local ischemia and local tissue hypoxia. In fact, taking these conditions as a model, we might describe a new syndrome called chronic coagulation disorder. Most of us over the age of forty probably suffer from this to some degree. Ensuring that our blood is flowing optimally and bringing healing oxygen to every cell is an important preventive measure.



This enzyme like the guards at Buckingham Palace. It stands there stock still and the one thing it responds to is a clot, or specifically fibrin. When fibrin starts to form—immediately, nattokinase goes into action. Coumadin, on the other hand, thins out the blood by poisoning the part of the coagulation system that’s dependent on Vitamin K. Now that’s certainly one way of approaching clots. Another way is fish oil. Studies on Eskimos found they have half the risk of atherosclerosis of anyone anywhere in the world. However, what doesn’t get talked about is the fact that they have a far greater risk of stroke when a blood vessel is weak and bursts and can’t clot at all. Fish oil is basically doing a lube job on the bloodstream.



You can take two tablespoons of fish oil daily—it is not going to stop you from clotting. Then you add in nattokinase to dissolve fibrin. This will offer an effective and safe treatment for coagulation disorders.



So, for anyone who has just had a heart attack and is trying to prevent a recurrence, or just had an ischemic stroke and doesn’t want to suffer another, or for any indication where Coumadin is recommended, run as fast as you can to your nearest natural medicine doctor, someone who really knows what they’re doing, and ask them about fish oil and nattokinase. If you combine the two your odds are exceptionally high that you’ll have an effective answer to hypercoagulation without putting a yourself at risk by poisoning your Vitamin K cascade.



Nattokinase can be used for hypercoagulation states and clotting disorders. People with bone pain report that their pain vanishes when they take nattokinase. Many older women complain of bone pain, but you don’t want to put them on Coumadin and upset theirVitamin K cascade since that helps form a protein in bone. Nattokinase may do the trick. People prescribed Coumadin for atrial fibrillation, and just cannot tolerate it can use nattokinase instead Many have done fabulously with it.

New Enzyme Complex Isolated From Earthworms Is Potent Fibrinolytic

Lumbrokinase Has Anti-Platelet, Anti-Thrombotic Activity
The earthworm’s antioxidant, immune-boosting, and clot-dissolving “medicine chest” is as powerful as that of any plant and even many pharmaceuticals. Earthworms have managed to survive for millions of years despite the constant threat of extinction by microbial pathogens. If we can begin to understand their remarkable capacities, we might design similar strategies to assist our own survival.



Earthworms could have been the creatures who first demonstrated a functional dichotomy in evolution:

They evolved to be able to clean up the battlefield after having killed foreign invaders. They have cells that look very much like human natural killer cells and neutrophils when examined with cytofluorimetric analysis and microscopy. They hold healing treasures for us all.



Earthworm leukocytes can recognize human cancer cells as foreign and then kill them. Electron microscopy showed the astonishing “cinematography” of earthworm cells becoming incredibly active, throwing out “pseudopodia”, and literally tearing apart cancer cell membranes from a human cell cancer line named K562. Cancer researchers have never once been able to induce cancer in them. They could be irritated only to the point that they formed inflammatory lesions.



As Charles Darwin once wrote, “It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world.”



Leading researchers and doctors have reported on the power of lumbrokinase to:

• dissolve clots and protect against ischemic heart disease and stroke

• lower fibrinogen levels in cancer patients, which is strongly associated in scientific studies with better outcomes, less metastasis, and slower growth of tumors

• dissolve bacterial biofilms present in chronic infections in conditions like autism and Lyme disease, allowing antimicrobials to work effectively

• offer antiplatelet, anti-thrombotic and anti-apoptotic activity, remarkably regulating hypercoagulation



Earthworms: Ancient Medicine, New Science

The last few years have been a busy time for scientists exploring the medicinal treasures of earthworms. Laboratory, animal and clinical human studies have isolated enzymes and compounds that have proven to be potent fibrinolytics. In healthy human volunteers, an enzyme complex isolated from earthworms increased levels of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and consequently, fibrinolytic activity—without harmful side effects. In a study in 2000 the complex was found to be beneficial for ischemic stroke, without increasing the risk of excessive bleeding as other anticoagulants can.



Using spectrofluorimetery and flow cytometry, another study found that this complex has both anti-platelet activity (by reducing calcium release), anti-thrombotic activity (by reducing intercellular adhesion molecule-1) and anti-apoptotic activity (by inhibiting a specific pathway). All these activities, the researchers conclude, were “remarkably regulated.”



Earthworms have a long history in folk medicine—as far back as the 1300’s. In ancient Burma and Laos, smallpox victims bathed in water where earthworms had been soaked. Worms were boiled in water with salt and onions and the broth given to women with postpartum weakness or difficulty nursing. In Iran dried earthworms were prescribed to help treat jaundice, and American Cherokee Indians used earthworm poultices to draw out thorns. According to the most famous ancient Chinese materia medica, earthworms could treat hemiplegia (a condition where half of the body is paralyzed), fever, and blood clots.



Worms produce unique and potent molecules. Earthworms have an immune system powerful enough to destroy other earthworm allografts, xenografts, but never autografts (an autograft is your own body’s graft; allograft is a graft of foreign material from your own species; and a xenograft is a graft from another species, such as a pig heart valve into a human).



Earthworms can kill bacteria and lyse foreign cells; their body fluid contains leukocytes that are as varied as those of many vertebrates. This is in spite of the fact that, unlike us, earthworms have no adaptive immune system, and do not form antibodies.



Earthworms happily crawl and munch their way through garbage teeming with bacteria and fungi, and not only fight off infection but alter that garbage so that their nitrogen and mineral-rich castings transform it into fertile, oxygen-rich soil. And, as practically every curious child knows, you can slice some earthworms and they will regenerate.



In the last few years, a number of the earthworm’s clot-dissolving, lytic and immune-boosting compounds have been isolated and tested in laboratory and clinical studies. In particular, research has focused on clot-dissolving molecules. Fibrinolytic enzymes have been purified and studied from several species of earthworm, including Lumbricus rubellas and Eisenia fetida, and been found to be both potent and safe. This is very good news, since according to a 2008 conference report from the American Society of Hematology, thromboembolism impacts over one million Americans a year and is responsible for more deaths annually than breast cancer, HIV and motor vehicle crashes combined!


The Key to Lumbrokinase: Active Only in the Presence of Fibrin

Lumbrokinase (LK) is a group of six, novel proteolytic enzymes derived from the earthworm Lumbricus rubellas.



In a 1992 study, a crude extract of the worm was shown to have a potent thrombolytic effect. The heat-stable, purified enzymes were first isolated in 1992 by Japanese researchers. The enzymes have potent fibrin-dissolving properties (fibrin is a protein deposited to create a mesh around a wound), decrease fibrinogen (a protein produced by the liver that is involved in the clotting cascade), lower blood viscosity and markedly reduce platelet aggregation.



Recent research suggests that LK may be effective in the treatment and prevention of ischemic heart disease, as well as myocardial infarction, thrombosis of the central vein of the retina, embolism of peripheral veins, and pulmonary embolisms.



One key, remarkable property of Lumbrokinase is that, unlike the medications streptokinase and urokinase, it is only active in the presence of fibrin. Though it dissolves fibrinogen and fibrin very specifically, it hardly hydrolyzes other important blood proteins such as plasminogen or albumin. It has the profound advantage of not causing hemorrhage due to excessive fibrinolysis. In fact, its plasminogen activator is remarkably similar to the plasminogen activator in the tissues of other species. Toxicological experiments have found no negative effects of LK on nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory and blood systems of rats, rabbits and dogs.



Long-term animal experiments show no damage to liver or kidney function, no negative influence on embryonic development, and no mutagenic effects in embryonic rats. LK has no negative effects on blood levels of glucose and lipids. And a 2001 study tested one of the six enzymes of LK to determine whether LK does indeed pass into the blood from the intestines while maintaining its biological activity. This research found that approximately 10% of the full-size enzyme could pass through the intestinal epithelium intact and into the blood. This is not surprising; research from The Hebrew University has shown that many peptides can pass intact and biologically active through the intestinal lumen into the blood.



In a laboratory experiment in 1994 from Seoul National University, lumbrokinase (the six enzymes) was extracted from the earthworm. LK was then immobilized onto a polyurethane surface to investigate its antithrombotic activity. Platelets adhered to the surface and then drastically decreased in number, suggesting that LK digested the fibrinogen and inhibited the ability of platelets to stick to the surface. Similar results were found with an experiment on a rabbit shunt in the laboratory; occlusion time was monitored and it was found that on shunts without LK, occlusion time was 32 and 42 minutes, respectively, but those with LK-immobilized polyurethane had an occlusion time of 140 minutes—as much as four times longer.



Such studies show the potential of immobilized-LK surfaces for eventual use in tissue transplantation. In one remarkable 1999 study, Lumbrokinase was tested on LK-immobilized polyurethane valves which were then fitted to total artificial hearts in three healthy lambs. In the control lamb, the valves were untreated; in the second lamb, only valves on the right were treated, and in the third lamb, only valves on the left were treated.



Implants were left in for up to three days. In the control lamb, thrombi were observed in the inlet parts of the valves. In the other two lambs, thrombi formed only on untreated control valves. Similarly, fibrinolytic activity was observed only in treated valves, and the proteolytic activity of the treated valves was three times higher than that of untreated valves.


A Potent Clot-Dissolver

Animal studies have demonstrated that LK is a potent clot-dissolver. A study in rabbits looked at LK’s ability to dissolve an embolism in the pulmonary artery. The embolism was radioactively tagged, and blood radioactivity was tested 30 minutes, one hour, two hours, three hours, and five hours after LK had been administered. Radioactivity increased markedly at three and five hours, indicating that LK had begun to dissolve the embolism and disperse it into the bloodstream. In another study rectal administration of LK reduced the size of a thrombus in the inferior vena cava in rats. And in yet another 1998 study, freeze dried Lumbricus rubellas was given to rats orally, and then plasmin activity in the blood was measured. At half a gram of LK per kilogram of weight a day, the activity doubled; at one gram, it quintupled.



These results suggest that earthworm powder alone is valuable for thrombotic conditions. Finally, grafts treated with LK and inserted into the inferior vena cava of rabbits were compared to those not treated with LK, at five hours, 1, 2 and 4 weeks after implantation of the graft. Non-treated grafts were totally occluded with thrombus only five hours after implantation. LK treated graft were clear one week later, and those treated with a special covalent bonding method were clear four weeks later. Researchers concluded LK has potential antithrombotic effects in vascular prosthesis.



Lumbrokinase may help protect against myocardial ischemia and heart attack. A 2006 study in rats from Harbin Medical University in China induced heart attack in rats by permanently clamping shut the left anterior descending coronary artery. Lumbrokinase decreased the size of the infarct in a dose-dependent manner.



Human Studies Demonstrate Potency and Efficacy

Clinical trials in humans have been equally impressive. Research has found LK safe and effective as a thrombolytic in human volunteers. A hundred and twenty milligrams of freeze-dried earthworm powder was given orally to seven healthy volunteers aged 28-52 years old, three times a day for seventeen days. Blood was withdrawn before the trial to establish a baseline, and then at days 1, 2, 3, 8 , 11 and 17. Fibrin degradation products, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) levels and activity were measured in the blood. The t-PA levels gradually increased through the entire experiment. Fibrinolytic activity also increased.



In an even more significant study from Shanghai Medical University in 2000, LK was used in patients who had suffered a stroke. Fifty-one stroke victims were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. The Chinese stroke score was used to evaluate the effect of LK. Several measures of blood viscosity were used—prothrombin time, fibrinogen content, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) activity, D-dimer level, and more. In the treatment group, t=PA activity and D-dimer level increased, while fibrinogen decreased significantly. Plasmingogen activator inhibitor activity and prothrombin time were unchanged.



Lumbrokinase inhibits the coagulation pathway and activates fibrinolysis by increasing t-PA activity. This suggests that LK is not only beneficial for ischemic stroke, but that doesn't increase the risk of excessive bleeding as anticoagulants can. This stroke study is backed up by a 2008 study from Harbin Medical University in China. Researchers wondered how LK might have an anti-ischemic action in the brain. Using spectrofluorimeter and flow cytometry, they found that LK has both anti-platelet activity (by reducing calcium release), anti-thrombotic activity (by reducing intercellular adhesion molecule-1) and anti-apoptotic activity (by inhibiting a specific pathway). All these activities, the researchers conclude, were “remarkably regulated by LK.”

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