TFD readers,
I have been asked to continue with my 'Heathy' Series.
Enjoy reading, hedy

❤️ Healthy! Series #8 Bones & Joints Treatments
Before modern science came up with pharmaceuticals to help us maintain our bones and joints, herbal medicine offered an array of possible treatments. Here are some that have been used over the centuries.

Herbs with estrogenic effects:
Declining estrogen is one of the causes of bone loss. Herbs that have estrogenic effects include black cohosh (a well-documented herbal alternative to hormone replacement therapy), dong quai, burdock root, Chinese ox knee root, alfalfa, and motherwort. Red clover, the subject of recent scientific study, has been shown to help increase cortical bone. Numerous studies have confirmed that soy slows bone loss, as well as lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of breast cancer.

Herbs that boost the minerals in our bodies:
Herbalists have traditionally recommended nettle, alfalfa, oatstraw, and slippery elm to enhance the minerals in the body and maintain strong bones. In a 1999 Italian study, horsetail was shown to improve bone density.

Herbs that help to relieve joint pain:
Although it has not been scientifically studied, turmeric has been traditionally prescribed to reduce inflammation and relieve the pain of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Devil’s claw (an African herb) and boswellia (a tree native to India, Africa, and the Middle East, which yields a resin known as sallai guggal) have been the subjects of several studies, but the results have been mixed. Other recent scientific studies have confirmed the traditional use of nettles, willow bark, ginger, St. John’s wort, evening primrose, borage, and black currant as effective analgesics and inflammation suppressors. The remedy most thoroughly studied and most confidently recommended is capsaicin, the pain-relieving compound derived from hot red peppers.

RECIPE: Ruby’s Better Bones Soup
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1⁄2 cup onions
chopped 1⁄2 cup carrots
diced 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 14- or 16-ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes
2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
1 4-ounce can water chestnuts, drained
2 baby bok choy, white and green parts sliced separately
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons mixed dried herbs (try parsley, sage, summer savory, chervil, rosemary)
1⁄2 pound fresh kale, stems removed,
chopped 6-8 ounces hard tofu, cubed

Directions:
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, sauté onions and carrots for 7-8 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add tomatoes, stock, water chestnuts, bok choy (white parts), bay leaf, and herbs and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add green parts of bok choy and kale and cook until just tender (1-2 minutes). Add tofu and cook another 1-2 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve hot. Makes 6-8 servings.

Source: "Dead Man's Bones (China Bayles Series #13)" by Susan Wittig Albert
One of my favorite authors, hedy

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"God graced us with today....don't waste it." hedy

In ancient times we had a good discussion of all sorts of salves, balsams, ointments and such old folks' stuff.
https://forum.thefreedictionary.com/postst14576_Past-Salves--Balms--and-Other-Magic-Potions--Powders--and-Preperations-.aspx

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In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded.