“Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food”; a famous quote from the Classical Grecian physician Hippocrates. Lions Mane mushrooms are a perfect embodiment of this philosophy; as delicious as it is therapeutic. Lions mane (Hericium Erinaceus) is a white clumpy mushroom with long dangling spines that tends to grow in late summer/early fall on hardwoods. I […]
Naturopathic Approaches for Charcot Marie Tooth Disease
A Naturopathic Doctor can play an important role in managing CMT through dietary counseling, specialized testing and by offering relevant integrative therapies. CMT is a hereditary disorder affecting the motor and sensory nerves. It’s characterized by progressive loss of muscle tissue and sensation in various parts of the body. Currently CMT is incurable and is […]
Pu-erh tea for digestion and weight loss
Like a fine wine, Pu-erh is a variety of tea that is often better with age. Pu-erh is a post-fermentation tea, typically produced in the Yunnan province of China. The tea derives its name from Pu-er county in Yunnan, where trading of this fermented tea took place during imperial China. Pu-erh tea begins it’s life […]
Pumpkin; more than just decoration!
Pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the Cucurbitaceae family. The origin of the pumpkin is not definitively known although it is thought to have originated in North America. Pumpkin is a very versatile food; almost every part of the vegetable is edible (shell, seeds, pulp, leaves, flowers). Although the taste and uses of pumpkin as […]
An Apple A Day
Apple is the fruit from the tree Malus Domestica, a member of the rose family (Rosaceae) which also includes Peaches. The apple tree originated in western asia and was brought to north america in the 17th century. Thousands of years of cultivation has lead to many varieties of apples differing in texture and taste. I […]
Ginger the Universal Medicine
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has been used as a culinary spice and as medicine for centuries. In Ayurvedic medicine ginger is known as “The Universal Medicine” and forms the basis of countless traditional treatments. In terms of everyday use, ginger is known to prepare the body for digestion and assimilation of nutrients as well as to […]
Garlic
Garlic (Allium Sativum) is an ancient therapeutic food that has been in use since the dawn of medicine. It is mentioned in the bible and has been used by all the great forefathers of modern medicine such as: Hippocrates, Galen and Dioscorides. Garlic is mentioned several times in the Ebers Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian medical […]
Cholesterol isn’t bad
One of the key ingredients for a healthy heart is keeping cholesterol under control. Decreasing dietary cholesterol intake can reduce blood cholesterol levels; however, the magnitude of this effect is relatively small. It has been estimated that only 25% of the population will have significant increases in their cholesterol levels in response to increase in […]
Shiitake
Lentinula Edodes is a mushroom native to East Asia which is now cultivated worldwide for culinary and medicinal purposes. This mushroom is usually referred to as Shiitake, which is its Japanese common name based upon the “Shii” tree that the mushroom grows on. Shiitake has been cultivated for over 1000 years. During the Ming Dynasty […]