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There ' s a text that has helped me understand this fairly well by two Canadians : " Foods That Fight Cancer " by Béliveau and Gingras . It ’ s remarkable , and readily available . It contains what I call monographs , or discussions , on a range of foods - herbs in some cases - which have been shown to have significant chemistries and traditions which explain their cancer-resistant properties . And with reference to turmeric , there ' s a significant discussion in the book which points out that in countries where turmeric is a regular part of the diet there does seem to be a lesser incidence , particularly , of serious pathologies of the large bowel . And I ' m pretty impressed with that : it would encourage me to believe that the herb might have a wide area of use when regularly taken as part of the diet , as it is in many parts of South Asia . It has benefits in creating a stronger resistance to certain pathologies of the large bowel as well as , of course , encouraging the whole mechanism of biliary production and biliary excretion . practised other modalities . Many of them were , in fact , medical practitioners who preferred to be known as eclectic in as much as they blended other modalities , particularly herbal medicine , with their medical approaches . Ellingwood , for example , was a great member of the eclectic group .
Andrew : You mentioned a different use of gingko , of bilberry , and of turmeric . Turmeric is probably the biggest one for me . Now it ' s used as an anti-inflammatory , anticancer , if you like . But to me , it ' s been pigeonholed as an osteoarthritic or an anodyne . But what are its other uses ?
Denis : Well , I think we have to be cautious here when we ' re looking at any herb , that we don ' t just try to pigeonhole it to be used for one condition only based exclusively on one active principle that ' s been located in it . My use of turmeric is broadly based . Certainly , I still would use some of the more modern preparations or modern forms of it , which do emphasise the presence of an active principle , the curcuminoids in the herb . But I also use the herb as part of a routine , a dietary program , a recommendation that is based on my understanding that the crude herb in its unconcentrated form has some capacity to work in the gastrointestinal tract , particularly as an agent to promote improved biliary flow and , perhaps , to set up a healthy environment within the large bowel , where there might be some resistance to some of the pathologies that afflict that area . So I use turmeric in a number of ways , but certainly , I don ' t override its traditional use that is rooted in Ayurvedic medicine , which spilled over , of course , into our system of medicine .
Andrew : Yeah . What about St . John ' s Wort ? You know , there ' s another herb that ’ s been pigeonholed today - for depression and anxiety – but in the past has been used for neuralgias .
Denis : Yes . There ' s been a lot of discussion and a lot of opinions on St . John ' s Wort , in both herbal and homeopathic medicine . The herb has had a history of being useful for mild nerve-based pain . In homeopathic literature there is an implicit indication or a possible activity even in subduing some levels of pain associated with what we call shingles . That is to say , it has a history that is beyond just what we see it being used for today . In our modern understanding or our contemporary usage of St . John ' s Wort , which is very much dependent on its European information and the European usage of it , it is presented as a mild psychographic remedy which Dr . Rudolf Weiss mentions as having , if you like , mood-stabilising properties . And that ' s the term that I like . I resist the categorisation of St . John ' s Wort as being an antidepressant
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