In Europe, there was a traditional understanding of food and herbs called “The Doctrine of Signatures”. In “The Doctrine of Signatures”, if a food or herb looked like a part of the body it was good for it. When it comes to bone health, particularly, arthritis, there are some interesting examples of foods that we can recommend and eat that utilizes this doctrine. 

Seaweed is a good example of “The Doctrine of Signatures” from the vegetable kingdom. The idea is that when you eat seaweed, your body becomes strong and flexible like the seaweed. The 60-80 minerals and trace minerals strengthen the bones and aid in healing arthritis.
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Seaweed can be added to soups. Alaria and wakame are good for this purpose. Broths can be made from kombu or kelp seaweed that can be used as a soup base. Simmer the kelp or kombu for 10 minutes. Use 1, 3-5 inch strip for 4 cups of water. Add 2-3 tablespoons of natural soy sauce to make a delicious broth for noodles like you would get in Japanese restaurants.

If seaweed is not enough for a serious arthritic condition, you may recall your grandmother making bone broths. They are an excellent example of “The Doctrine of Signatures”.  Many cultures enjoyed broths. There are great benefits to drinking bone broths and using them as a base of soups.

Gelatin is the main component of bone broths. Bone broths are rich in calcium and one of the main sources of calcium in the diets of many traditional peoples. Gelatin aids arthritis in many ways. Gelatin is high in many amino acids that are not normally found in diets of people eating more naturally and modern. An amino acid, Proline, is particularly beneficial for the bones.  It helps to regenerate cartilage and heal joints. As added benefits, it reduces cellulite and makes the skin suppler and helps repair a leaky gut.

Bone broths can be made by cooking down the bones of naturally raised animals for many hours. Beef bones take up to 12 hours to cook to remove the good ingredients. Chicken bones can simmer up to 24 hours, while beef or lamb bones may simmer longer. If you are cooking the meat along with the bones, braise it first. A small amount of vinegar or organic wine can be added. This pulls minerals out of the bones.
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Great for Hair, Joints and the Digestive System

For those who don’t like cooking the bones because of inconvenience, gelatin powder from naturally raised animals can be purchased from Great Lakes Gelatin Powder available on the net. Make your own jello or add it to soups to get the benefits for your joints, hair and digestive system.

Whole Lemon Puree Drink Recipe

1 whole organic lemon, well-scrubbed and chopped to remove any wax or residues. Organic lemons are best.
• 1 cup filtered water
• 1 tablespoon of molasses, honey or maple syrup.
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pour into a cup or glass.

Background on this remedy:

Over the years of assisting people in health consultations and classes, I have found myself searching for new remedies that can enhance healing. I came across “The Whole Lemon Puree Drink” when a family member had become run down from working on a project and developed what appeared to be pneumonia. It was getting difficult to breathe and coughing caused some pain.

Since I knew that medical treatment, alone, did not always help people with pneumonia, we decided to try a new remedy that I had found. The proponents of this remedy recommended it for pneumonia. We decided that we could try this for a day to see if it would help. If it didn’t we would go to a doctor and follow their advice.

The drink is quite sour even with a sweetener. It took awhile for the family member to get the whole drink down.

To our happy surprise, the breathing became easier after the whole drink was consumed.  The pain during coughing lessened. The drink was continued daily for a few days. The person’s cough went away, breathing returned to normal. Their energy started to recover.

Since that time, I’ve recommended the drink with great success to people who are suffering from severe colds, flu and pneumonia. It can also be used by strong people to assist cleansing.

In addition, the Whole Lemon Puree Drink is beneficial for detoxification, enhanced immune function, liver health, and improving and normalizing digestion health (when there is heavy congestion). The D-limonene in the lemon peel has anti-cancer properties. Lemon peel contains oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) – powerful antioxidants with antihistamine effects.

In my integrative diagnosis, I match the remedy with a person’s condition. The Whole Lemon Puree Drink is a very strong stimulating potion. Lemon being a citrus has a strong dispersing effect. If a person is week, the drink should be limited to 3-4 days, taken one time per day. Anyone can take this remedy in cases of serious flu, colds and pneumonia.

Based on my visual diagnosis from oriental medicines, I recommend this drink to people on a case by case basis for other purposes.