HERBAL REVIEW
Today we will deal with a topic that relates to everybody. I know there are people out there with many different types of ailments and when we recognize that most ailments have a common source then it becomes easier to understand the nature of such diseases. There are a lot of ailments going around like arthritis, rheumatism, high blood pressure, etc. All of these are common ailments that result from the accumulation of waste in the system. The different types of waste are given different names. For instance, when uric acid is present in the body and starts to lodge mostly in the muscles and joints, it is defined as arthritis and rheumatism. When the same waste lodges in the veins and arteries, it is called varicose veins and when it lodges in the gall bladder or the urinary tract, it is called gallstones. So when we deal with most of these ailments, we are dealing with the same thing.
Many of these ailments have the same treatment which is basically cleansing the blood, cleansing the stomach, cleansing the intestines and the bowels and cleansing the body cavity of accumulated mucus. Mucus is another type of waste that comes from such foods as milk, butter, eggs, cheese, rice, flour and "dead meats". These foods leave a lot a mucus and uric acid in the body. Mucus also lodges in the lungs and the breathing passages. Based upon the amount and where it lodges, it is known by different names such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. All of these are aspects of the same ailment, where mucus accumulates in the breathing passages and obstructs the flow of air to the lungs. The mucus, lodged in our bodies, provides the breeding ground for all types of viruses including the AIDS virus and any other type of virus, germ and bacteria that you can talk about. For instance, take the AIDS virus, which is nothing really. It's not the AIDS virus that will kill you. AIDS has never killed anyone; it cripples the immune system and allows other diseases such as tuberculosis and pneumonia to come forth. It's tuberculosis that will kill you. I repeat, AIDS never really killed anyone. The cause is usually tuberculosis and/or pneumonia.
Tuberculosis is coming back at an alarming rate, so we have to make sure we do not provide the environment for this virus to live and breed in the lungs. Such an environment is the mucus from the foods we consume that allows different viruses and germs to breed and multiply and attack various systems of the body. They attack the immune system and do a number of things from that point of reference. The flu is another very devastating virus that is going to be at epidemic levels in the next few years, just like tuberculosis. The antibiotics used by the Western medical system are failing, actually. It's panic time but they don't want to let the public know. These diseases are going to spread mostly where a lot of people live and crowds gather, because these diseases are airborne diseases. We have to start taking certain precautions now to protect our family and to protect our community from these types of viruses and ailments that will be coming around.
In addition, we have to deal with the everyday ailments that are based on our improper diet and lifestyle. Ninety percent of all ailments that affect us come from the accumulation of waste in the body, waste from different types of foods. Once you clean that waste out, you are going to get results, just by changing your diet alone. Any ailment you have is going to show improvement if you avoid milk, butter, eggs, cheese, rice, flour, chicken, red meat, can foods and wheat. These foods are not really compatible with our biological makeup as African people. We have to go back to eating foods that are more compatible with our biological makeup--foods like millet instead of rice, an ancient traditional grain, and ground food such as cassava which are much more compatible. Cassava, for example, contains natural steroids, so we don't need to take unnatural steroids. Cassava, or any type of ground food, builds tissue and muscle and makes the skin very resilient. Also, cassava contains elements that prevent blood cells from sickling. These foods are very important to us as African people. Sickle cell anemia is an ailment that appeared after we came out of Africa to the West and were deprived of certain foods that enable our cells to reproduce correctly. Over generations, the cells began to reproduce in an abnormal fashion due to lack of the foods that are compatible with our biological makeup. This is what is called "sickle cell anemia". We could have eliminated sickle cell anemia in one generation just by changing our diet alone.
"In cleansing the body", the stomach, intestines and the bowels are the major areas of concentration. These are the main breeding grounds for parasites. Ninety percent of all cancers and ailments have parasites. Parasites eat the living cells, pass waste and contaminate the cells around it. This is called "spreading of the cancer". These parasites breed and multiply in your intestines, bowels and colonic areas. They come from the food that ferments, creating a great deal of gas and acid in the stomach. These are the same parasites that breed, multiply and contaminate the entire body. Anywhere the blood goes, these parasites can go. That's why cancer can spread to any part of the body. When cancer cells find an area to lodge, they breed and multiply and contaminate the entire area, then spread to other parts. Cut them off in the stomach, intestines and the bowels and you will cut down the population.
Bitters are very important, especially to African people. Bitters control the levels of liquids in the body including the bile, other digestive juices and the hormone levels and helps to restore and maintain their balance within the body.
We, as a people, need to return to our culture and heritage. Living in this environment where we are in jeopardy, we need to go back to what our ancestors/grandparents did and how they used to deal with common ailments. The ailments that are affecting us today are not common to us. The products featured here are derived from such traditional African formulas, passed from generation to generation. We, as a people, need to realize what is going on and return to our traditional ways.
Rashan Abdul Hakim
A.K.A. "Bush Doctor"
Rashan Abdul Hakim, born in Jamaica, is a well-known herbalist in the New York area. He hosts a radio program entitled "Health at Sunrise" on 93.5 FM WRTN. He also lectures at colleges, teaches herbal classes, gives instructional nature walks and gives herbal consultations. Mr. Hakim has made herbology his lifelong interest and is devoted to its study. Mr. Hakim comes from a family background of herbalists and horticulturists. His grandfather, Charles Williams, was a noted horticulturist in Jamaica. A member of the British Horticultural Society, Charles Williams was instrumental in the making of Hope Gardens in Jamaica, one of the largest botanical gardens in the West Indies. Jamaica's first independent nursery was the Williams' Nursery on Old Hope Road in Kingston. Mr. Hakim is the author of Basic Herbs for Health and Healing. This is the first installment of a series of articles provided by Mr. Hakim.
