April 2005

Hello,
In this second issue, I pay special attention to the traditions, trials and tribulations of the spring season. Spring cleaning — in our homes, our bodies and our minds — is an important ritual with special meaning and particular strategies. I discuss the detoxification process and a three-fold approach to supporting healthy liver function.
While we cleanse and detoxify in this season, we often encounter allergies, one of the most common maladies suffered by modern Americans. I’ve included profiles of three supplements for spring allergy treatment in this edition. For a specific case study on how I treat allergies, check out Ask Dr. Cowan — Allergies and Hay Fever.
For this edition, I’ve asked two specialists to share with you their particular spring elixirs and herbal supplements. I want to thank Dr. Ross Rentea and Raoul Tollmann for their contributions. Because I’ve gotten so many questions on the topic, I’ve also included a piece on low cholesterol as well as tips and suggestions on improving nutrition for this spring season. I hope you’ll find these of interest as you make your way through spring.
I would like to invite you to join me, Sally Fallon and Jaimen McMillan at the first Fourfold Path to Healing Conference, July 29-31 in Oakland, CA. You can find full details on our Fourfold Conference web page.

Have a healthy and happy spring,
Tom Cowan

Focus: How the Liver Orchestrates

Our Internal Spring Cleaning

In our last issue I focused on the heart as the central organ of our physical and energetic bodies. With the onset of spring, we turn our attention to the liver, the organ that orchestrates our internal “spring cleaning”.

A common practice across many cultures and throughout the ages is to open up the windows, air out the sheets, and throw off our many layers at the end of winter. Within our bodies, with the growing warmth and sunlight, we switch from a shortage mode (mostly of fat), which has helped get us through the winter, to an elimination mode. In Chinese and Native American medicine, spring is the time that the liver “energy” is predominant. This should come as no surprise to Western physiologists, as it is primarily the task of the liver to carry out the body’s cleansing process of detoxification.

In our bodies, there are at least two phases in this clearing-out, or detox, process. The first is called conjugation, in which specific enzymes in the liver conjugate the circulating poison. Conjugation means nothing more than taking an insoluble poison such as a metal or a metabolic acid and changing its chemistry so that it is able to be dissolved in water. One group of enzymes that carries out this conjugation is called the cytochrome P450 enzyme system.

In trying to conceptualize this process, the best analogy I can offer is the task of removing garbage from our houses. The first step is to bag the garbage so it can easily be taken out of our houses. If we’re short of bags, or the bags leak, we end up with a worse mess, rather than the efficient removal of our garbage. The next step is to take the properly bagged garbage to the curb, recycling center or our compost pile. If we are sluggish in taking this garbage out, it accumulates in our houses, again making life a mess for us.

The conjugation process is a necessary first step that leads to the next phase of detoxification, the biliary excretion step, in which the dissolved poisons are excreted out of the liver into the bile and stored in the gall bladder. When the body is exposed to ingested fats, the gall bladder contracts, thereby pushing the bile with its dissolved poisons into the duodenum, where it is excreted in the stool.

It should not surprise us that specific foods and medicines stimulate or inhibit the workings of these enzyme systems. In fact, dark, rich greens, so prevalent in the spring season, are the very foods that nourish the cytochrome P450 system. The nutrients in broccoli are well known for supporting the functioning of these enzymes, but these same nutrients are also found in nettles, dandelions, cress, and in fact most of the greens that we find so attractive and abundant this time of year.

Another enzyme system involved in conjugation is glucuronidation. Enzymes that perform the glucuronidation conversions also can be found in certain foods, particularly as a byproduct of the fermentation of the kombucha “mushroom”. The kombucha drink has been likened to getting a second liver and is an important spring tonic. Our Resources page for sources of Kombucha (photo right). Other nutrients that support the conjugation process include sulphur, which is also found in many greens, especially horseradish and other “peppery” (therefore sulphuric) greens, and in the yolks of eggs, especially those dark yellow yolks of chickens on the spring pasture.

The next phase, excretion, can also be supported by the foods we choose to eat in the spring and by the medicines we take. It has been common knowledge for centuries that bitter herbs stimulate the digestive “juices” primarily by accelerating the flow of the bile. Following our previous analogy, a spring tonic for our household would be having an efficient teenage son who, every time we bagged up some garbage, cheerfully took it immediately out to the compost pile. It is important to note that in our liver/gall bladder systems, the actual elimination of the bile is done as a reaction to the ingestion of fats. Vitamin A is a critical co-factor in the conjugation processes of the liver. We can see how springtime butter from grass-fed cows, with its rich content of vitamin A, helps the liver, and the butter’s ample fat content stimulates the bile flow. When combined with dark, slightly bitter greens and a chaser of kombucha, we have the perfect spring meal.

Cholorectic herbs (herbs that increase bile flow) have been among the most important medicines in the history of humankind. Every disease condition benefits from the detoxification that comes from their use. A short list would include my favorite medicine of all, turmeric, as well as dandelion leaves (which also supports phase I), baical skullcap, albizia bark, chicory, globe artichoke (which specifically breaks down and excretes unwanted fats) and many other bitter herbs. In fact, as many of you who have taken herbs as medicines have noticed, all good formulas include something bitter because the excretion of unwanted poisons is fundamental to any healing regimen.

Therapeutics

My therapeutic strategy for illnesses involving the liver rests on a number of principles. First, we need to make sure that all the raw materials, in the form of nutrients, that the liver needs are amply provided in the diet. These include, but are not limited to, sulphur, vitamin A, collagen (in the form of gelatin), saturated fats (used by the liver in the detox processes), and many other phytonutrients and flavanoids (the colored compounds found in plants). Second, we need to help with the “structure”of the liver. Anyone who has ever felt a liver knows that the liver is a kind of amorphous mass of tissue. When the structure or form of the liver is disturbed, areas become hardened or calcified, as with a disease like cirrhosis. The soft, flexible, structural matrix of the liver, made up of silica, must be protected. Third, the conjugation and glucuronidation functions of the liver must be supported, and finally the excretion of the bile must be stimulated.

In the threefold approach to therapy that I use, I choose elements from the three kingdoms of nature. From the first kingdom, the animals, I use the protomorphogens developed by Royal Lee and Standard Process. In this process, the targeted organ (in this case, the liver) is extracted from an animal, usually a cow or a pig. Through a special process, the nuclear proteins are then extracted and converted to tablet form. The nuclear proteins are thought to be the characteristics that are unique to that organ, and it is these proteins that tell the DNA to make the proteins required for that specific organ. By using them as therapy, one is trying to stimulate the organ targeted to work better. Consistently, through the years, these various organ protomorphogens have had an effect unmatched by any other type of “glandular” extracts. The protomorphogen for the liver is called Hepatrophin PMG and is usually given at 1-2 tablets, three times per day.

The next kingdom is the plant world, and there are a huge number of choices of liver medicines from the plant world. I will discuss only two of my favorites: dandelion for the liver and turmeric for helping the flow of the bile. Dandelion, of course, is the quintessential spring plant. With its timely appearance in spring and the bitter taste of its leaves, the dandelion announces itself as a plant connected to thespring-cleaning function of the liver. Teas made from dandelion and leaves gently sauteed in butter have been used as spring tonics for millennia. Modern research has confirmed much of this ancient wisdom, as the flavanoids in the dandelion have been shown to support both phase I and II detoxification. But hidden within the dandelion’s life history, and what for me makes it stand out among all the other bitter greens, is what remains after the flowers die: Who doesn’t remember those days of childhood sitting in the fields, blowing the white lattice-like heads of the fallen dandelion flowers? It should come as no surprise that the lattice itself is made of silica (quartz) and in some ways mimics the structure of the liver. So not only does the dandelion work on the phases of detoxification, but it also provides the material and the blueprint for the maintenance of the structure of the liver. I use dandelion by eating the leaves in spring almost every day and as an extract from Mediherb or Spring of Life (another herb company) at the dose of about 1 teaspoon once or twice per day.

Turmeric is perhaps the most important herb ever discovered. It stimulates the bile flow and, as Rudolf Steiner pointed out, “attracts foreign astrality (poison) to itself so that it may be excreted from the body”. This is an apt description of a cholorectic, a medicine that stimulates bile flow. As some research on turmeric shows (see my website articles on turmeric), turmeric chelates heavy metals, helping them to be excreted from the body. Turmeric reduces inflammation, helps with pain, and has been shown to actually repair broken or mutated DNA. In this context, the turmeric shows us its true “colors”, announcing its affinity for bile by having sap that even looks and tastes a bit like bile. The slightly bitter, slightly salty, slightly pungent taste of turmeric mimics the bile as it shows the way to a healthy bile flow. There are many good forms of turmeric to choose from, and Dr. Ross Rentae will introduce us to the preparation he is developing in his company.

The third and final kingdom is the realm of the mineral, metal, or gem kingdom, that of the inorganic or lifeless. We are used to thinking that the components of this kingdom are inert or do not have much place in medicine. A closer examination reveals nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the power inherent in the metal or gem kingdom is easily demonstrated by the simple truth that one handful of processed uranium is enough to wipe out almost all known life on earth. No plant or animal extract has anywhere near that kind of power. This mineral kingdom is widely used in conventional medicine, in everything from iron for anemia, calcium for the bones, aluminum as an antacid, and cisplatinum (based on the metal platinum) as one of the most widely used cancer medicines. Metals, as shown by the uranium example, can also be highly toxic. Such metals include mercury and lead, two of the worst toxins known to humankind.

With this realm, processing is everything. The work with “processed” metals as therapy goes far back in human history with the use of gems, crystals and various gold preparations. After World War II, a standard approach to arsenic poisoning was to administer homeopathically prepared arsenic, which was shown to stimulate excretion from the body of the ingested arsenic. I use the alchemically prepared gems and metals described in Raoul Tollmann’s article in this issue to support the liver processes of dissolution and conjugation.

To summarize, using all three kingdoms to support the liver is a good place to start in the treatment of many diseases of the liver. These diseases include cirrhosis and hepatitis (including viral hepatitis and the hepatitis that comes from poisons), or even more subtle manifestations of poor liver function, such as poor digestion, poor sleep, fatigue, etc. This treatment might look like the following:

Diet — Basic Nourishing Traditions diet with an emphasis on spring butter from grass-fed animals, pastured egg yolks, lots of greens prepared in a variety of ways, ample soup broth with gelatin, lacto-fermented “sour” food to stimulate the digestion, and if there is any viral component, 2-4 tablespoons of coconut butter per day. I would supplement with high-vitamin cod liver oil from Radiant Life and a teaspoon per day of butter oil. A green supplement like spirulina or the Standard Process Cruciferous Complete is also helpful for adding extra whole food greens to the diet.

Hepatrophin PMG from Standard Process 1-2 tablets 3 times per day

An herbal preparation that includes dandelion leaves and probably milk thistle, schisandra, or other “liver” herbs. The dose would be about 1-3 teaspoons per day

One of the turmeric preparations from True Botanica, at a dose of 1 capsule, 3 times per day

An alchemically prepared gem such as amethyst for help with detoxification with all its physical, mental and emotional ramifications.

Guest Columnist

Ross Rentea, MD profiles several herb supplements to help us
Get Ready for Spring Allergies

Nature starts a new life cycle every spring: new colors, new movement, new growth. People try to emulate this burgeoning new life, to make a new beginning, to feel “fresh”. That is all easier said than done. To accomplish the “out with the old, in with the new” we need a little help. The simple act of changing our diet from a heavier winter-oriented menu to a lighter, greener one requires effort. We instinctively want to clean our bodies of the sludge from the dark season, detoxify, and start over. In the midst of all this we are confronted by nature who, in its new liveliness, makes most of us suffer from some allergies that slow us down. Here are three natural supplements that might help with allergies during this spring season: birch leaves, curcumin, and boswellia.

Birch Leaves
More than 25 years ago, I was training to be an anthroposophical doctor in Switzerland. It was spring and in front of the house a white birch was just sprouting delicate green leaves. I picked a handful directly from the tree and used them to make a tea. Several hours after drinking a mug of this birch tea, I started a process that lasted three days: mild but persistent sweating, slight fever, increased urination, and amazingly — for me — a greatly increased control over my appetite. In the following months I felt better than ever. The birch has been known for millennia as a tremendous detoxifier through the kidney, which is sometimes forgotten because of all the attention given to the liver in this cleansing process. Since it is a great diuretic, the birch works against kidney stones and fights gout.

I never forgot that experience and have always recommended a spring birch tea regimen to my patients. In a city medical practice it is not always easy to get fresh birch leaves, and the effects from the dried leaves are not strong enough. Other companies offer birch made into a powder from the dried leaf which is then ground. The True Botanica birch leaf product, Betula Forte, is made from the whole fresh plant juice extract that is only subsequently dried for the capsule content. What also makes True Botanica product unique is that it is made of leaves from European birch tree forest patches, growing wild in the middle of organically cultivated fields.

We recommend 1 capsule, 3x daily, for three months as a spring detoxification program. Alternatively, the capsules can be dissolved in warm water and drunk as a tea. There are no known side effects. Betula Forte can also be taken for kidney stone prevention or to help as a diuretic.

Curcumin
Most of us are aware of the tremendously versatile benefits of taking extracts of the turmeric plant for all sorts of ailments. For our spring cleaning discussion, turmeric has an important role in dealing with allergies, particularly when the allergies are accompanied by cough and shortness of breath. Rudolf Steiner once characterized the plant as having a “magnetic nature”, meaning that it literally attracts illness out of the body and thus cleanses us in a most comprehensive way.

The active compounds of curcumin are extracted from the rhizome or roots (see right) of the turmeric plant, providing the curcuminoids with the characteristic yellow color. At harvest time the rhizomes are cleaned, boiled in water, and then cut into slices and dried. About two to six percent of the mass constitutes the curcuminoids. These rooty parts also contain essential oils.

The chemical structure of the main active ingredient, curcumin or diferuloylmethane (first discovered in 1910), has been the subject of most scientific work in past decades. Most powders offered for medicinal purposes try to have a high concentration of curcuminoids, usually above 60%. Highest qualities go to 95%, standardized for curcumin. Several years ago, however, researchers in India noted that when concentrated turmeric extract was observed, the color differed from that of pure curcumin itself. The solution of total turmeric had an orange fluorescence that was absent in the reference solution. This was the first indication that there must be other active substances present as well as the diferuloylmethane curcumin. Two new curcuminoids were discovered, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin. In subsequent studies they were found to be even more active than the general curcumin.

True Botanica’s Curcumin CompSR is a slow release, high potency curcumin product. It is formulated in a special way, with a 95% concentration of all three active curcuminoid elements which comes much closer to the synergistic composition of the total rhizome. Scientific queries have demonstrated that the antioxidant capabilities of this mixture are three times as potent as the effect of the individual curcumin — which is already strong in itself.

Curcuminoids are poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and are rapidly metabolized in the liver and intestinal wall. Collectively, several experiments showed that up to 75% of the ingested dose may not reach the blood; rather it is excreted in the stool. Adding a pepper extract, piperine, dramatically increases bioavailability and the half life of curcumin in the blood (see graph). Piperine, or its patented high quality form of Bioperine ®, has been proven to also increase the bioavailability of several vitamins and natural nutritional additives. Several studies confirm that concomitant administration of piperine with curcumin enhances the serum concentration and extent of absorption and bioavailability of curcumin with no adverse effects.

We offer our curcuminoid combination in a slow release form to address the problem of rapid metabolization in the liver and other organs. The disintegration time of our caplets is up to 90% in six hours. If taken on a regular basis, every six hours, much more stable blood levels can be achieved throughout the day. Interestingly, antioxidants are taken mainly in the morning when they do us the least good because oxidizing stress accumulates throughout the day. Thus the greatest antioxidant need is at night. The extended release form, when taken before bedtime, makes the healing antioxidants available to our system throughout the night.

Based on the comments above regarding absorption and biodegradation, it is not surprising that most studies indicate relatively high necessary dosages in order to achieve a desired clinical effect, often cited at between 3 and 4 grams per day. The common tablet strength seen in the market is insufficient to achieve these implied most beneficial daily amounts. We have tried to correct this problem by increasing the individual caplet strength to 500-525 mg. Two caplets, taken four times daily, can easily achieve the target 4g daily.

Boswellia
Boswellia (frankincense) has enjoyed popularity as an anti-allergic supplement for some time. (See photo below right of a remarkabe tree-like specimen.) Research has shown that its positive effects in treating asthma, respiratory allergies, seasonal rhinitis, etc., probably stem from its ability to be a so-called leukotriene inhibitor. Leukotrienes are substances that cause narrowing of the breathing tracts and leakage of inflammatory fluids into the affected areas. Anti-leukotrienes have been in the public eye since pharmaceutical companies developed such drugs as Singulair and others. These drugs have been shown to lessen the frequency of asthma attacks in general, particularly exercise-induced asthma, and to be helpful with rhinitis. The side effects, however, include headaches, nausea, and, very importantly, an increased incidence of influenzas and other respiratory infections.

Boswellia, however, is a welcomed help for allergies and its symptoms. The effectiveness of herbal formulations is dependent on the purity of the product, mode of administration and strength. An important factor in evaluating purity for boswellia is the level of beta boswellic acids content. True Botanica’s BoswelliaSR has more than 40% of beta boswellic acids, compared with most commercially available preparations at 15%. Studies have shown that boswellia reaches a peak blood value in three to six hours. It is rapidly eliminated after that; thus, the recommendation that the substance be given at intervals of every six hours. Most people have difficulty taking a supplement four times daily, let alone throughout night, so it is easy to understand why the effect lags behind what it should be. Astonishingly, even in one study the author remarks that asthma attacks overnight were only poorly controlled. Our formulation contains a much higher amount of boswellia, plus a higher amount of the active components. The slow release form assures that therapeutic levels are present even if the supplement is taken only every 12 hours.

Lastly, a practical tip that is rarely considered: Research has proven that beta boswellic acids are enormously better absorbed with and after a fatty meal than if taken on an empty stomach. The blood levels were 400% higher in the fat-accompanied group compared to boswellia that was ingested on an empty stomach. In the study, a standardized meal of “2 eggs fried in butter, 2 strips of bacon, 60 g of fried potatoes, 2 pieces of toast with 10 g of butter, 200 ml of whole milk” was given. We can surely do better than the “standardized bacon and eggs”. We recommend our patients take boswellia with meals including healthful fats like fish oils, vegetable oils, avocados, or quality butter.

Have a great spring, renew your life forces, and let some good supplements help you accomplish your tasks.

About the author: Ross Rentea, MD is a practicing physician of holistic and anthroposophical medicine with a long standing interest in researching supplements and natural medicines. He is the team leader for the development of the remedies offered by True Botanica. Dr. Rentea has been active in family practice for over 25 years. Together with his wife Andrea Rentea, MD he has developed the Paulina medical clinic into a medical practice with patients from across the U.S. Dr. Rentea graduated from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. After his residency he spent five years in Europe studying anthroposophical/ complementary medicine. He is a member of the certifying Board for anthroposophical physicians. Click here to read the complete version of this article, with references, charts and graphics.

Guest Columnist
Raoul Tollmann talks frankly about
The Alchemist’s Touch: A Unique, Conceptual Approach to Spring Cleaning

“We cleanse and we nourish” is a basic promise you will read or hear often once you get acquainted with the natural healing arts. This concept seems pretty straightforward at first glance, but yet, practitioners of different schools offer vastly diverging ideas on modalities and means to that end.

Having been assigned the task of opening the doors to my alchemist’s lab for you in this newsletter is an honor. Let us start our tour with traveling back in time, exploring together the concepts of cleansing and nourishing the mind, body and spirit in ancient Egypt, and let’s then consider how this may apply to us in the 21st century.

The highest-ranking physicians of Egypt were priests, and people normally came to the temples for healing. There, they were treated with a combination of medicine, religious indoctrination and magic. Medicine meant extracts of herbs or animal organs and alchemical potions derived from gemstones, minerals and metals. In the Temple of Dendera, there was a long corridor lined with statues that had healing incantations inscribed on them. Water, poured over the statues, became empowered by the spells. Patients were to bathe in these magical waters, and to spend the night in small, totally dark crypts for inducing a therapeutic dream. The patient was expecting to be able to converse directly with the gods to determine his cure. It must have been quite an experience!

Based upon the extended practice of directly conversing with the gods of the Egyptian pantheon, the priest-healers derived their cosmology, their sciences and their healing arts, which have partially survived in what are known today as the Hermetic Books, ascribed to the Egyptian god Toth, better known by the Greek name Hermes. To the right is a stone tablet depicting Toth, the messenger.

Modern physicians usually credit the Greek Hippocrates with being the father of Western medicine. Hippocrates separated the healing art from the other sciences of the temple in the fifth century B.C.; one of the consequences is the present widespread crass scientific materialism in our Western culture. Hermetic axioms and formulae coexisted with the set of Hippocratic doctrines until the Middle Ages, culminating in the work, spectacular success and demise of Paracelsus. Since that time, they have been relegated to obscurity. Contemporary allopathic Western medicine, however, does not even come close to performing the miraculous cures of chronic diseases that the Egyptian priest-healers and the medieval alchemists were known for, and which are well documented.

It would be beyond the scope of this article to attempt to examine closely what went wrong and why, but for many it is quite clear that something has indeed gone wrong and that we as a culture have, by and large, lost our own mystical roots. No wonder, then, that many Westerners are drawn to Taoist meditation, chi gung, yoga, Ayurveda, tantric practices and other modalities from foreign shores.

There is nothing wrong, of course, with thinking globally, but I have chosen to act locally by digging up the lost treasures our own culture has to offer. So let’s take a closer look at what the ancient Hermetic ideas and alchemical elixirs can do for us contemporaries, living life in the fast lane, following the god Mammon and tormented by the daemon Stress.

The basic Hermetic axiom is: as above so below, as within so without. When we translate this dictum into more intelligible words, what it means is that the world around us is created and maintained by the very same energies as the human being. You’ve heard the saying before: The human is a microcosm, a miniature edition of the macrocosm. A fractal, if you will. This concept acknowledges that the creative forces of the universe flow constantly through each and every one of us, influencing us on a mostly subconscious level, but sometimes making themselves well known. Have you ever experienced a sleepless night during the full moon? The Hermetic sciences recognize these non-physical and non-linear forces as something very real. This translates in modern scientific terms into viewing the human as an “open system” — that is in constant exchange with its surroundings — versus a “closed system” as perceived in today’s test tube experiments.

What, then, are these mysterious forces of nature? Hermetic medicine first examines the four elements – fire, air, water and earth, which are seen as non-physical energies out of which any physical form is created. A predominance of one of these elements in a human creates a choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic or melancholic temper. Today, this typology has found a revival in Jungian psychoanalysis, but is not considered in Western mainstream medicine.

Hermetic medicine takes this concept several steps further by putting the human in context with the environment and asserts that spring, for example, is characterized by a sanguine temperament: the increasing warmth frees the waters of life from the icy grip of winter and encourages growth to begin again. The element air predominates, with its qualities hot & moist, and its “humor” is blood, which encompasses the bodily fluids blood and lymph.

The season of spring is therefore the best time to focus on the humor blood, which, in the Hermetic view, is governed by Jupiter, who also governs the liver. Jupiter? I can hear you ask. Well, yes. The Greek god is not only a statue of stone, but works through you and within you, all the time, and sometimes overtime. And so do Mars and Venus, even if they are not dating! Here’s how:

The human energy body is seen as a “book with seven seals”, containing the seven energy centers or chakras in Vedic terminology, which are energetically linked to specific organs. Each seal is a receiver and transmitter of one of the seven Hermetic planet’s energies — anthropomorphized by being depicted as perfectly sculpted humans in the pantheon of the Greek gods or not so human as the gods of ancient Egypt.

Do planets and stars — or rather: their emanations of astral energies – really have an influence uponyou? Astrologers will answer with a resounding yes. But do we have any solid proof for such an assertion? Quite remarkably, we do: The late Italian M.D. Giuseppe Calligaris has mapped the human skin and discovered a network of lines — a grid of longitudinal meridians and parallels of latitude on the skin — that have less electrical resistance, are hyper-esthesic, and form geometrical patterns. Calligaris discovered that certain lines and points on the skin were related to specific conscious and subconscious portions of the mind, and, when stimulated, some did induce paranormal abilities. He discovered points of intersections of cosmic energies, which acted as mirrors, collectors and accumulators. And he showed conclusively that being born under a certain sign of the zodiac, with its ruling planet, activates a series of specific lines and points at the moment of birth, which reflect the particular stellar and planetary energy at that point in time.

Hermetic science has always acknowledged this intricately interwoven play of mind, body, soul, elements, planets and stars. But what if the harmonious interplay turns into a cacophony of dissonance and disease? The Hermetic doctor looks to the stars and their earthly representatives, the various metals, minerals and gemstones for healing.

Everybody understands that rocks and metals are not edible, but it is also well understood today that minerals and trace elements are necessary to keep the human body functioning and alive. Within the context of the ancient sciences of the temple, trace minerals in the form of food supplements are not sufficient to address and rectify imbalances of the mind or the emotional body. Thus was developed alchemy, the art of extracting the astral spirit out of the mineral kingdom, allowing the patient to ingest a concentrated, edible elixir of a particular metal, mineral or gemstone.

Alchemy, just as all the other sciences of the temple, has survived in some places. Through a series of events I had eventually the opportunity to meet and learn from two alchemists, one a gold assayer, the other one a Bishop of the Cathars. Alchemy is not a New Age fad, but very old age, and as with most other traditions from days gone by, we in the modern West tend to treat them as follies. In the alchemist’s view, however, this art was taught to the temple-healers of ancient Egypt in their direct conversations with their gods and its validity can be shown empirically.

The efficacy of alchemical elixirs surpasses today that of many other preparations in the marketplace. I and several other volunteers have been hooked up to the electrodes of modern medical equipment, to verify if such elixirs interact with the mind, and in what way. The results are consistent and can be verified by anyone who is capable of operating an electroencephalograph: Once one of our alchemical elixirs is taken, an instant change in brain wave patterns can be observed. Then, depending on what elixir was taken and at what dosage level, it becomes apparent that additional frequency patterns in the alpha, theta and even delta range are induced.

Theta is the dominant frequency while in the dream state, while delta is equated with psychic phenomena and extra-sensory awareness. There is a great deal of modern research being conducted on how these states of awareness facilitate healing on a deep level. Slowly, modern science is once again rediscovering the “therapeutic dream” of the Temple of Dendera.

It is my personal belief that the final frontier of science and technology lies in the realm of spirituality and not material physics and chemistry, and I’m more than thrilled to be able to offer a gateway into this fascinating field. But moving away from a general scientific interest, let’s now consider some specific preparations and what they can do for you in context with your spring cleanse:

Amethyst
One of the most versatile elixirs of the AlchemiaNova pharmacopoeia is the Gem Elixir of Amethyst.The name of this violet quartz is derived from the Greek word “amethustos” which translates to “non-inebriated”: the ancients had recognized that Amethyst rids the liver of aftereffects of alcohol and other toxicity. An impressive demonstration of this preparation’s effect of detoxification is the external application to spider bites: we have found no other medicine that reduces swelling, stinging and reddening as fast and effective as Amethyst does. Taken internally, the Amethyst Elixir assists in the transformation of toxins not only on a physical level. Improved mental clarity and focus and a greater sense of well being as well as deep inner peace are the most often reported indicators of a successful detoxification. Amethyst in Ayurveda is said to be an effective treatment for disorders of “vaju” or the element air, which ties in with our above discussion of springtime.

Bloodstone
A specific blood cleanser of our alchemical pharmacopoeia is the Gem Elixir of Heliotrope, a stone that is better known as Bloodstone. Once again, the name derives from the medicinal function of this deep green stone with red spots: It’s an immune-boosting mineral in cases of acute infection, stimulates the flow of lymph and neutralizes acidification. It revitalizes and stimulates vivid dreams.

Peridot
The Elixir of the light green gemstone Peridot stimulates the liver and gallbladder and has a strong detoxifying effect. It was used in ancient Egypt and the Middle Ages to ward off evil spirits and to bestow wisdom. This is a preparation that addresses deep-seated emotional issues, brings them to the fore and allows resolution, by releasing subconsciously held influences and replacing them with the fresh air of insight and understanding.

Whichever Gem Elixir you may choose to assist you, they have a few things in common: They are very energizing and you may find their effects quite delightful. Not all medicine has to be a bitter pill! If you are used to a meditation practice or have worked with lucid dreaming, these elixirs will be welcome facilitators of generating insights — the promise of the therapeutic dream is alive and well, although it is unlikely that you may encounter a god or goddess of the Egyptian pantheon. But then, you might, and no dark crypt is necessary!

About the author: Raoul Tollmann is the founder of AlchemiaNova Corp, a contemporary manufacturer of Alchemical Medicines in the tradition of Western Laboratory Alchemy.

Recipe: Spring Tonic Nettle Soup

A Recipe from Jessica Prentice

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons butter or olive oil
2 leeks, cut into rounds
1/2 pound wild nettle tops (photo left — for handling tips, see below)
1 quart light chicken stock or filtered water
1 bouquet garni (little bundle of herbs tied with a string) containing any or all of these: a bay leaf, sprigs of thyme, parsley stems, and sage leaves
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup creme fraiche, sweet cream, or half and half, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste

Procedure:
1. Sautee leeks in butter or olive oil. Add water and bring to a boil
2. Add nettles (be careful not to touch them with bare hands!), bay leaf and stock or water.
3. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer until the nettles are very soft.
4. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the cream, creme fraiche or half and half.
5. Remove the bouquet garni from the soup, turn the heat to low, and puree using an immersion blender, adding a generous pinch of salt and a grind of pepper.
6. Take a ladleful of soup and stir it into the egg mixture.
7. Return the egg-nettle mixture to the soup and stir gently over very low heat (do not let it boil again)
8. Grate some fresh nutmeg into the soup, taste and add more salt as necessary to make it savory and delicious

Notes:

· I like to serve this with a dollop of creme fraiche and a little fresh ground pepper and nutmeg on top.

· Don’t touch fresh nettles with your bare hands. Use tongs or a large fork to move them.

· Cook nettles until ’soggy’ or completely wilted before eating. A quick sautee is not sufficient to de-activate the sting. If making nettle tea, be sure to strain nettles out and don’t eat the leaves unless they’ve been thoroughly cooked.

· If picking wild nettles for eating, harvest only the top four inches of the plant.

· You may want to remove thick stems from nettle tops before cooking.

· Variation: add some sorrel leaves for a lemony-green flavor

Jessica Prentice is both a professional chef and a passionate home cook. She currently conducts cooking classes, writes a monthly New Moon Newsletter on her Wise Food Ways website, and offers monthly Full Moon Feasts in the Bay Area. She is a Bay Area chapter head for the Weston A. Price Foundation for wise traditions in food, farming, and the healing arts. She is at work on a book about food and culture, due out in Fall 2005 from Chelsea Green Publishing. © 2005 Jessica Prentice