Toxic Biosludge Solution

Most of you probably know what toxic biosludge is, but if not, here is some background data. There is also a documentary link listed below which I suggest you watch.

Toxic sewage sludge is being used as compost to grow conventionally grown food. It is sold as compost in a store near you, and growers around you may be using it unless they are organic. Did you buy a bag of non-organic compost? If so, sewage sludge may be in it. Currently it does not have to be labeled as such. What went into its making? Well, everything that goes in the toilet or down the drain. That would be 80,000 synthetic chemicals, bacteria and viruses, legal and illegal drugs, run off from roads, hospital waste, etc.

How To Solve the Toxic Sewage Sludge Issue

• Label biosludge - Ask your senator to support the "Act" I share with you below.

• Create a healthier manner of handling human waste (urine and feces). See details below.

A Bill To Label Biosludge

You can ask your congress person to cosponsor "The Sewage Sludge in Food Production Consumer Notification Act" here. Tell your friends and family to notify their congressional representative also.

An Alternative Method of Handling Human Waste

As a society, do we really want to be spreading all these drugs, and other chemicals all over United States on our beautiful soil? Do we want to kill off the natural healthy microbiome of the soil everywhere? Do we want to continue polluting our water ways and ourselves? We   need to come up with better methods to get rid of our waste. What if we could turn it into something that would beautify the world? I would suggest you read the book called "Humanure". (I suggested this years ago and hope you read it then, but if not I implore you to read it now!) This book will give you a completely different idea of how human waste could be handled and how to take these horrible pollutants out of our rivers. This method of composting human waste would revolutionize our sewage system. It is simple and doable for much of the population. It could even be done on a city wide basis if as a society we examined this thoughtfully and with an open mind. Please read this wonderful book that thoroughly explains how to compost humanure safely on a small scale and the science behind it. Reading this book will change how you think of composting and how you think of human waste. The third edition of the paperback can be purchased at Amazon. Do something for yourself and the planet by reading this book.

The kindle edition is also available.

If you want to know more about biosludge check out this documentary here.

Names of Products that May Contain Biosludge. Is your Compost listed here?

• Agresoil (MA)
• All-Gro (Synagro)
• A&M Composting plant, owned by J. P. Mascaro & Sons (Lancaster, PA) ComPro (Washington, D.C)
• Amend (Kellogg Garden Products, Los Angeles, CA)
• Bay State Fertilizer (Boston, MA)
• CompostT (Pennsylvania)
• Chesapeake Sunshine
• ComPro (Washington, D.C.)
• Dillo Dirt (Austin, TX)
• EarthBlends (New York City, a product of Synagro, sold by WeCare subsidiaries)
• Earthlife (New England, a product of New England Organics)
• EarthMate (Philadelphia, PA)
• EKO Compost (Missoula, MT-  Lewiston plant on Idaho-Wahington border) 
• Glacier Gold (Olney, MT)
• Granulite (Synagro)
• Gromulch (Kellogg Garden Products, Los Angeles, CA) 
  
• GroCo (King Co, Seattle, WA)
• Growers' Blend by Earthwise Organics (a Synagro subsidiary)
• Hawk Ridge (Maine)
• Hou-Actinite (Houston, TX)
• Landscapers' Advantage (Camden, NJ)
• Kellogg Nitrohumus, Gromulch, Amend and Topper (Kellogg Garden Products, Los Angeles, CA)
• MetroGro (Madison, WI)
• Milorganite (Milwaukee, WI)
• Mine Mix (Philadelphia, PA)
• N-Viro Soil
•  N-Viro BioBlend
• Nutri-Green (Virginia Beach, VA)
• ORGRO (Baltimore, MD, Veolia Water North America) 
• Natural Soils Products (Good Springs, PA)
• New England Fertilizer Company (North Quincy, Massachusetts)
• New England Organics
• New York Organic Fertilizer Company (NYC pellets, a Synagro companyLL
• Oceangro (NJ)
• PocoNite (Sumter, SC)
• SilviGrow (Seattle, WA)
• SoundGro (Pierce County, WA)
• TAGRO (Tacoma, WA)
• TOPGRO (Los Angeles, CA)
• Unity Fertilizer (Unity Envirotech LLC, Florida-baded)
• WeCare Compost (NY)

If your product is listed above and does not carry biosludge or has removed it, please notify us. If we have left out products that should be on the list, please notify us also.

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Preventing Colds and Flu, Plus Alternative Treatments For Them

Ten Things You Can Do to Prevent Colds And Flu
 
•  Stay away from sick people - seems simple but needs to be said. If you have to be around them, wear a mask. Consider a mask when out shopping during cold and flu season. They work great.

•  Wash your hands regularly.

• Use an antiviral herbal spray on phones, door knobs or

other devises and instruments that are shared with people at work. Use a lavender spray or another antiviral essential oil spray made for this application.  See directions below on how to make your own antiviral spray.

 
•  Eating antioxidant rich, organic foods, (lots of colorful fruits and vegetables), which is also a diet rich in Vitamin C, beta-carotene, polyphenols and essential minerals, which will help your body protect you from viruses. 

Health Tip For Colds & Flus

I like to squeeze 1/4 - 1/2 a fresh lemon (depends on size of lemon) into a large tea cup, add the leftover lemon peel and pulp to the cup (just drop it all in), then add hot water and a tiny bit of honey. I mush up the lemon pulp and peel a bit with the back of a spoon while mixing the honey in. This is a great way to get your vitamin C and other antioxidants. It keeps both colds and flus away and is helpful if you have a sore throat and/or cough. Both lemon and lime help decrease colds and flus as well as reduce mucus.

 

• Increase immune system supportive nutrients such as vitamin C with bioflavonoids 500 mg in the AM and PM at minimum. If someone is sick they usually take vitamin C up to bowel tolerance. (This is the amount that causes your stools to become slightly loose.) Once they reach bowel tolerance they lower the dose slightly so they don't have loose stools. Also zinc, about 15-30 mg per day. If taking zinc for more than 3 months you should take copper in a ratio of 8 parts zinc to one part copper. So if taking 15 mg zinc per day you would take 2mg copper also. Last but not least consider vitamin D (sunshine, supplements (needs to be D3-check lab levels to decide on amount to take-see below), cod liver oil) . A multiple B vitamin can be helpful in addition for general cellular energy production.

• Getting a 25-hydroxy-vitamin D test is a good idea as many people do not have adequate levels of vitamin D, and often these people find they can prevent flu by enhancing their low vitamin D levels. Research shows that low levels of vitamin D predispose one to getting the flu as well as the common cold. The vast amount of new research has shown we need much more vitamin D than thought previously. People who test low in vitamin D usually need to use D3 supplementation to raise their levels to within normal limits.  One should not take large amounts of Vitamin D without testing  occasionally. Although it is best to work with a professional health care worker, many cities have independent labs that will let you order this test without a physicians order. (When taking vitamin D, make sure you have adequate amounts of K2 and magnesium first. Many people are deficient in magnesium and K2 should be taken with D to avoid calcification.) The D needs magnesium to be able to make it active.
 

• Immunomodulating herbs such as Echinacea and Garlic help prevent colds and flu. I use a lot of fresh as well as cooked garlic in my food during flu season. If I am around others who are sick or if I feel I am starting to get sick I take one teaspoon to one tablespoon of Echinacea every few hours for 2-3 days to keep from getting sick. This works well for me. Yes it is a lot of Echinacea, but I find for myself this is what is necessary. 

• Congestion of tissues decreases the ability of your cells to take care of business in that area. Nipping congestion in the bud at the first signs of it can turn around the situation. So, do everything you can to keep from getting congested or attempt to keep it down to a low roar. You can do this with salt water gargles in the throat, nasal washes in the nose (use either a neti pot or snort the salt water from your hand), or saline nasal sprays. Use 1/2 teaspoon of salt in one cup of water, 4 times per day. To reach congestion in the sinuses and lungs you really need to use an herbal inhalation. You will find directions for an herbal inhalation here. If you are using a neti pot for the first time, see directions below for how to use a neti pot.
 
• Get as much sleep as possible. This is necessary for your body to stay healthy. It also needs to be quality sleep to allow your body to rest and recuperate.

• Homeopathic flu solutions called Dolicoccil  or Occilococcinum are helpful in preventing flus also.

Health Tip For Nasal Congestion

When you need to get rid of nasal congestion short term, using Yarrow tea or tincture can do just the trick. A few drops of tincture under the tongue will start to clear up your nose and decrease the congestion in your tissues quickly. Yarrow can be used safely short term, but should not be used continuously over a long period of time. People use it orally and in the nasal passages. The tincture will irritate the nasal passages, so a tea is best for snorting it or spraying it in the nose.

An Antiviral Spray to Use on Phones

How to Make it: You can make a simple antiviral spray by starting with a water/alcohol base of 40% rubbing alcohol and 60% water or a Base of 20% grain alcohol and 80% water. Once you make your liquid base put the base into a spray bottle. For each 1 oz of  base add 40 drops of lavender essential oil. 
 
How to Apply it: Spray this on items you are sharing with others such as phones. Make sure you don’t spray it on anything you think will be damaged by the essential oil or the alcohol. (I spray this on most things with no problem, but it can damage wood and may damage some fabrics etc. You can test an area first to make sure it will not harm the item.) I usually spray a paper towel or rag with the liquid and then wipe the phone or other item down to ensure I get it everywhere.

How Neti pots are Used

Fill the neti pot with sterilized isotonic water. Lean over the sink and turn your head 45 degrees, so one nostril is above the other. Gently insert the tip of the pot into the upper nostril. Breathe through your mouth and raise the handle so the water enters the upper nostril and then drains from the lower nostril.

When the neti pot is empty, exhale through both nostrils to remove excess solution and mucus. Gently blow your nose.

Repeat with your other nostril.

 

Health Tip For Colds & Flus

Yes, chicken soup really is healthy, especially when cooked low and slow for a long time to get all the collagen out of the bones. I add a lot of cilantro, and parsley at the end to give me beta carotene and vitamin C. I also add Garlic at the very end as partially cooking the garlic, keeps it's antimicrobial activity more intact and helps ward off bacteria that can attempt to take advantage of your respiratory tract when you have a viral cold or flu in process. (Pressing a Garlic clove and throwing it into your bowl right before consuming the soup is the best way to gain it's antimicrobial action.) You can also add Ginger or Astraglaus earlier on, making sure it simmers for some time.  You can get really creative with adding herbs that support the immune system and/or help with cold and flu symptoms. Just make sure the soup still tastes good. Luckily Astragalus does not change the flavor much and Ginger adds to the flavor. Astragalus is used to prevent colds and flu, and in research with chickens, Astragalus has been shown to decrease the replication of the H9N2 virus. 

There is also something to be said for comfort food which makes you feel you are being cared for. Comfort food carries a placebo effect,  that is VERY powerful.

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Herb Books On Holiday Sale

Do you want to be an herbalist or know what they know?

 

Dr. Tilgner's books are on sale for a short time & include Free shipping.  

 

Both books cost $29.95 normally, BUT are on holiday discount for $25.45 each, or buy one of each book for $22.46 each or two of one kind for $22.46 each.

Herbal Medicine From the Heart of the Earth

• Medicinal uses of 192 herbs with dosage, active constituents and contraindications.

• Herbal formulas organized by body systems.

• Learn how to collect herbs and make herbal extracts.

• Charts for harvesting.

• Dictionaries of herbal properties, actions and preparations.

  “A wonderful guide for those new to herbs as well as an excellent formulary for those already skilled in herbalism. Sharol Tilgner has combined her triple skills of healing, farming and medicine making in her unique work with the plants.” ~Rosemary Gladstar, author, herbalist,

founder of United Plant Savers.

“Dr. Tilgner has written an impressive well-researched guide on the use of herbs that professionals and lay people alike will find very practical and informative.” ~Christiane Northrup M.D.

Herbal ABC's - Learn All About Her Newest Book Here

The  Foundation of Herbal Medicine

This book will give you the foundational information you need to understand herbal medicine.  This will be conveyed to you through a mixture of herbal wisdom, scientific knowledge and the stories of the plants. You will learn the properties and actions of herbs presented in the context of the body’s major organ systems. This is how I have taught my students this knowledge in the past, and I wish to share this information with you now.

 

 

Properties and Actions of Herbs 

Understanding the properties and actions of herbs will lay the groundwork for a thorough understanding of herbal medicine. Each plant has it’s own special blend of properties and actions that creates it’s unique story that enables us to understand how to utilize it’s gift of medicine.

Each chapter focuses on a specific body system, and the properties and actions of herbs that are most often used in that body system will be emphasized in that chapter.

Properties and actions have some differences as well as areas which overlap. I think of properties of an herb as being their personality while actions are something the herb does. Actions are more of a verb, while properties are like adjectives that can masquerade as verbs.  You will find properties discussed throughout each chapter while actions are given a special well defined area of explanation in each chapter. In other words, I am constantly writing about the personality traits of herbs but when it comes to actions, I specifically list them, plain as day.  You will find each chapter emphasizes one specific organ system and within each chapter, there are subchapter sections that investigate various herbal actions with a focus on how they affect that body system.

Organ System Overview

Each organ system is introduced with a short overview of that specific body system. Each section of the chapter contains a definition of the herbal actions studied, details on those actions, examples of herbs used and their indications. Additionally, there are highlighted herbs with detailed explanations about those specific herbs as they relate to the herbal actions we are studying. Please note that some herb examples and highlighted herbs are labeled as having possible toxicity. These herbs should not be used by unskilled people. There are also patient cases chosen to highlight an herbal action and/or words of wisdom scattered throughout the book. Additionally, there is data on how to prepare the herbs for consumption or use when it is pertinent and any special contraindications for herbs with that specific action. Constituents are discussed if they are known. I list the main active constituents and give details on how those constituents are known to support the actions that the herb is known to produce clinically. Most of the herbs also have a category called “Mechanisms of Action” where you can find scientific details on known mechanisms.

Formula Ideas

There are a number of formula idea boxes in each body system chapter where secondary activities of the herbs are listed for other body systems. These formula idea boxes list additional organ systems of the body that are affected by the various herbs used. Examples are given for each section of the chapter. This is useful when you are making an herbal formula, and you need an herb with a specific action, but also want the herb you pick to have secondary actions that are needed in the formula.  An example of how this becomes helpful is when someone has a digestive issue and needs a bitter herb, but they also need an herb that would decrease their anxiety. You would look at the list of bitter herbs under the formula idea box called “Formula Ideas: Secondary Activities of Bitter Herbs in other Body Systems” and identify the herbs that also act on the nervous system. You see there are at least five possibilities listed. In this example the tool has allowed you to narrow your choice of herbs from the numerous bitter herbs and nervous system herbs, down to five herbs that you can examine closer to see which of these herbs best fits the situation. This tool saves you a lot of time when you are creating an herbal formula.

Learn More About Herbs

These wonderful books make great gifts for friends and family with an interest in herbs and health. One book is 15% off and two or more are 25% off until December 15th, 2018 - Only at my website and only available in the U.S.A.(For now, I have left this link to the sale price, but only the people who look at this old post will find this discount. It is our little secret.)

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