Herbs, Vitamins - Had A Health Food Store - If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now

In 1978, I was working as a Realtor in my family's 100 year old business. I "had it all"; of course all but happiness. I believed strongly in holistic medicine, herbs, vitamins, etc. I ran the Lafayette to Crowley, La. 26-mile marathon twice. I owned one of Mississippi's first health and natural food stores. There wasn't an ounce of fat on my body. I could pass for a movie star. I was emotionally, spiritually and physically a mess.

I ran five to ten miles a day. I had a successful business. I read all the books on vitamins, minerals, herbs, became a vegetarian, and everything one can do to be "superhuman". I was in a deep depression and after each marathon would become very ill for months; a feeling that could only be described as to how I've heard mononucleosis described.

But what was wrong? I listened to all the traveling health food salespersons, I went to isolated mountains to study with herbalists, I even lived in a yoga ashram for awhile. I still did not feel right. I took all the "right natural vitamins". Organic foods were the staple in my home. I was still ill.

Fast forward 23 years. I suffered a major heart attack. This time, I had an extra tool. The Internet. I told myself (in the hospital) "Rick, if you recover from this, you are really going to find out the truth about health foods and nutrition."

I went on a four year research spree.

This is what I found. 99.9% of "health food experts" don't have a clue. I know that is going to make me sound controversial, disliked, etc., but "oh well". I have to sleep at night.

The only thing I may have had right was raw fresh vegetables early on.

As far as herbs. I might as well have been eating junk. I had no idea most of them derived from third world countries, sprayed with dysentery-infected water, causing more harm than good.

Many were not even wild crafted much less certified organic (thought the company names had

misleading "Nature's This" and "Nature's That" type names.

In addition, they were processed into tablet or capsule form. I was surprised to find out even if grown in a controlled clean environment, this structure of herb has little if any medicinal value. Just buy garbage. It is cheaper.

On top of that, the only herbs that have any meaningful medicinal value are in tincture form, and certified organic, preferably grown in western countries and preferably wild crafted if possibly but wild crafted is not necessary.

And as this was not information-overload, even the finest herbal tincture cannot get to the diseased organ(s) without the help of cayenne tincture (the hotter the better...I take 200,000 heat units mixed with every other herb). Cayenne, in addition to having healing powers of its own, acts as "a taxi herb" taking other herbs immediately to the diseased organ or organs, so very little is wasted.

Enough about herbs. How about vitamins and minerals. For the most part, a waste of time, whether organic or Flinstones.

Flash dried fruits and vegetables with live enzymes is what the body craves, what "sparks" life. There is a company called "Juice Plus" who makes these, and I am certain there are others. Most vitamins on the market, natural or not, have all the live enzymes heated out of them. Forget about them. They make your toilet healthy.

Ok, I know that articles like this make me enough enemies, naysayers, and other ill-will. But if this valuable information sinks in to just one person, does it really matter what someone else thinks of me and my discoveries? As long as one person who was misguided like me now has a chance at a healthy life, why not take the chance and say it. There, I just did.

Oh....my favorite herbal tinctures? People often ask. If I had to pick any two they would be cayenne and cat's claw (una de gato) which I take daily. I like a lot of the medicinal mushroom tinctures, hawthorn berry (for the heart) and ginkgo (which is amazing when taken with cayenne), only mediocre at best when taken alone.

Hope this helps.

Rick London is a writer and e-tailer living in the beautiful Ouachata Mts. near Hot Springs, Ar. He is the founder of the most popular offbeat cartoon on the Internet, Londons Times Cartoons http://www.londonstimes.us (over 7.8 million visitors since 2005), his own line of cartoon clothing http://www.ricklondonwear.com and a gift mega superstore at http://www.LTSuperstore.com

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