Herbal Defense Book - *** Back In Stock ***

HERBAL DEFENSE goes far beyond mainstream generalities. Readers will become powerful, autonomous, sophisticated and self sufficient consumers of health care. Learn to evaluate, obtain and use botanicals not only to remedy illness, but to prevent disease and build outstanding health. This book tells you what herbs to use, when to use them, how much to take, what form to take it in, and how long you should take it. This is the best "How Too" book that I have seen yet. Robyn Landis author of Herbal Defense

An open Letter from Robyn Landis-

Dear Herbal Advantage Customer,

This spring is special for me. It marks the tenth anniversary of another winter season with no flu infection or other viral illness. I attribute this blessing to many different things, including a really healthy diet, exercise, rest, an awareness of the mind-body connection, and a bit of luck too. Of course, I know that one of the chief reasons for the exceptional health I value and cherish is my use of herbs on a daily basis.

In my eight years as a health writer and a student of master herbalist Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa, I have learned that not only can responsible, educated use of herbs remedy stubborn health problems that have been unresponsive to conventional treatments; it can also make the healthy healthier. The latter is a concept that is even harder for our culture to grasp than the idea that herbs can heal illness (which itself has been slow to catch on, but is finally burgeoning). In fact, our culture is virtually the only one that doesn't understand the need to supplement substantially on a daily basis just to maintain great health. All around the world, other cultures use botanicals as a matter of course, as an everyday necessity like food and water. It's part of life. In places like India and China this widsom is woven into the fabric of daily life practically from birth on. Supplementation isn't "extra" or "special," it's accepted as ordinary and everyday. These peoples know that good health doesn't "just happen."

So, years ago I used herbs to get healthy when I wasn't. Having reached a threshold of extraordinary health I'm grateful for, I now use herbs (the right ones for me as an individual and for my Ayurvedic body type) to stay that way--and get even better.

I'm also grateful to Steve Marsden at Herbal Advantage for carrying our book, Herbal Defense. Herbal Defense was my attempt to share with everyone possible the power, self-sufficiency, confidence, and freedom that herbal knowledge and use have brought to my life. I wanted to clearly demonstrate the logical, practical, common-sense truth about herbs and their efficacy, and dispel the many myths about their use, as well as illuminate the beauty, grace and elegance of what they have to offer. I am proud of Herbal Defense and think it offers much that no other herb book does, particularly due to the outstanding knowledge and perspective of my co-author, Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa. I appreciate that Steve recognized Herbal Defense as special and wanted to offer it to his customers as a featured book on an ongoing basis. Herbal Advantage is in fact one of my few personal sources for quality herbs, especially because I love web ordering.

I hope you enjoy Herbal Defense, Herbal Advantage, and the wonderful herbal kingdom in general.

Sincerely, Robyn Landis

Karta Purkh's "Squelch-it early" anti-flu routine

You can knock the flu! If you act fast, when you feel the first stirrings of symptoms--muscle ache, fever, headache--and hit it hard with this kind of program, you can be done in twenty-four hours, stop the otherwise inevitable progress into full-blown disease, and skip the ten days of bed rest.

Karta Purkh devised this shotgun, four step anti-flu routine--which is not strictly herbal--to include something for everyone. It is not individualized, and you may not need all four steps. But it is a general program that people have found beneficial for early counteraction.

1. Herbal antiviral combo(Boldo/Chiles Combination). This would be any combination of herbs specifically designed to support immune-system activity. Some examples are isatidis and astragalus (my favorite); a capsule with boldo leaf, jalapeno, cayenne, cubeb berry, rose hips and garlic; or a capsule with jalapeno, echinacea, and cubeb berry. Some hot or spicy ingredients should be included, if you can tolerate it. Take as many capsules as possible-- 10 to 15 a day, maybe even 20. Just get down as many as you can, as fast as you can. The effect is cumulative, so the faster you can take them, the better you'll feel. One or two every hour with water may be the best method. For many people, this step alone does the job.

2. Zinc lozenges(Fast Dry Zinc Lozenges). These allow zinc to be absorbed directly into the mouth rather than going through the digestive tract (zinc is poorly absorbed through the gut so it essentially gets wasted, and it also produces queasiness), Lozenges also bathe and saturate the whole respiratory area with this antiviral mineral. Studies show that zinc shortens colds and reduces symptoms, theoretically by preventing viral replication, stimulation immune activity, and/or stabilizing cell membranes. Use up to 10 per day.

3. Vitamin C. Karta Purkh does not find much use generally for vitamin C as an antiviral, because although it is a good, safe, general substance to use, there is frequently an herb that does a better job at everything vitamin C does, for less money. Still, for a shotgun approach that's directed at everyone, it's not a bad remedy to include. It needs to be used in very large doses to be effective. In these situations, you take vitamin C to what's called bowel tolerance. (I learned what that means one time after taking 10 grams a day for a couple of days.) When it starts to give you the runs, cut the dose back. Most people have a bowel tolerance of 5 to 10 grams a day, but it goes up proportionally with the severity of the viral infection. People with very serious infections like AIDS can have bowel tolerance of 50 to 60 grams. Dr. Andrew Weil notes that he takes 4 to 5 grams of vitamin C a day, and had a patient with no bowel problems at up to 54 grams a day. Basically, the bigger the infection your body is fighting, the more vitamin C is depleted and the more you can tolerate-- because it's definitely being used. Even though research shows that vitamin C may inhibit zinc absorption, they are both recommended here because they are both useful for colds, they can be taken separately, and one is taken orally while the other is used to saturate the site of the infection.

4. Cinchona Bark(Willow/Cinchona Combo). This antiviral herb is especially potent against cold and flu. It's also useful after you have full-blown symptoms, especially in synergy with willow bark for pain. Take in capsules, up to 10 per day, as it is to bitter to use as a tea.