Leaves of Avocado Plants Are Edible and Medicinal

I wasn't able to find as much information that I would have liked, but am going to post what I did find. It turns out that some Mexican people use avocado leaves in their cooking and when they are lightly toasted in a skillet with oil, it gives a flavor like anise....

Poor Richard's Almanac: "Gourmet Sleuth notes that the fresh leaves are used as a flavoring for tamales and made into a bed for barbecuing meats, and the dried leaves can be used in bean dishes, soups and stews. They point out that Mexican cooking authority Diana Kennedy recommends them as a substitute for hoja santa, aromatic leaves of another Mesoamerican plant (Piper auritum) that’s related to black pepper."

Flavors of the Sun: Avocado Leaves: A Secret Mexican Ingredient: Avocado Leaves: A Secret Mexican Ingredient by Victoria Challancin Love at First Bite I can still remember my first encounter with the exot...


Health and Beauty Pages"Uses of Avocado Leaves: Avocado leaves, both fresh and dried are used for wrapping tamales, or seasoning for barbecues and stews. Some also use avocado leaves for medicinal purposes. Dried leaves will keep for several months in a tightly-closed container."

Here's some information about possible health benefits of the avocado leaves from Medicinal Herbs 4U.com:

"The tea is very beneficial for diarrhea, high blood pressure and it is an excellent blood purifier. The dried powdered seeds of avocado leaves can be applied to hemorrhoids which can result in natural healing.
A poultice of the warm leaves of avocado is used externally for pains, sprains as well as headaches. In regards to arthritis and rheumatism, add the leaves to a small amount of rubbing alcohol and water and used it to rub the painful areas to alleviate pains.
The tea can also be used for colds, coughs, asthma and high blood pressure remedy..."

What Doctors Don't Want Us to Know about Grapes

Song of Solomon 2:5  Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.

I wonder what this bible verse is saying... it may be that there is more to it than it being a biblical verse to a love. It's beautiful, but I have learned that the bible has much medical wisdom. Apples are known to have anti-inflammatory properties, and probably grapes, as well. Because I already know a liitle about apples, I have decided to concentrate on the grapes, as a flagon is a bunch of grapes.

Here's something interesting that I found: In 1916, a doctor named Johanna Brandt  discovered that fasting with grape juice cured cancer... it cured her own cancer.... in 1928, she wrote a book called 'The Grape Cure', which was later republished in 1989 as 'How to Conquer Cancer, Naturally.' 

Grapes are high in an antioxidant called glutathione... and though the medical establishment will continue to dismiss and discredit this and other natural cures, there are doctors that speak well of it:

   "Your life depends on glutathione. Without it, your cells would disintegrate from unrestrained oxidation, your body would have little resistance to bacteria, viruses and cancer, and your liver would shrivel up from the eventual accumulation of toxins."

—Glutathione: Essential Health Aid — Antioxidant. Immune Booster. Detoxifier, Dr. Jimmy Gutman, MD, FACEP
    "No other antioxidant is as important to overall health as glutathione. It is the regenerator of immune cells and the most valuable detoxifying agent in the body. Low levels are associated with early aging and even death."

—The Immune System Cure, Lorna R. Vanderhaeghe & Patrick J.D. Bouic, Ph.D.
    "Without glutathione, other important antioxidants such as vitamins C and E cannot do their job adequately to protect your body against disease."

—Breakthrough in Cell Defense, Dr. Allan Somersall, Ph.D., M.D. with Dr. Gustavo Bounous, M.D. FRCS(C)
    Glutathione plays a role in eliminating many carcinogens and also maintains an optimized immune function, providing stronger anti-tumor defenses.

—Cancer Letters 57: 91-94 1991
    It is well known that aging is accompanied by a precipitous fall in glutathione levels. Lower glutathione levels are implicated in many diseases associated with aging, including cataracts, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's, atherosclerosis and others.

—Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 47: 1021-26 1994
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