A deep dive into the medicinal properties of common fruits and vegetables. From the Prisoner’s Herbal book.
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Transcript
Welcome to the Frontline Herbalism Podcast with your host Nicole Rose from the Solidarity Apothecary.
Nicole Rose:This is your place for all things plants and liberation.
Nicole Rose:Let's get started.
Nicole Rose:Hello friends.
Nicole Rose:How are you doing?
Nicole Rose:I hope you are enjoying the summer, wherever you are.
Nicole Rose:It's absolutely beautiful where I live right now.
Nicole Rose:So this podcast is all about the medicinal properties of fruits and vegetables, and it is one of the chapters in the prisoners herbal book that I've been recording episodes about since I started the podcast.
Nicole Rose:Very nearly finished the book, which is a bit sad.
Nicole Rose:, but yeah, I hope you find it interesting.
Nicole Rose:There's lots of like cute little tidbits about how to use, , kind of, you know, like common vegetables, like onion poultices and things through history, stuff like that.
Nicole Rose:So have a listen and I'm gonna release another podcast after this one with some exciting announcements, , including a new medicine making course, , offerings in my one-to-one clinic and also a tour of Italy.
Nicole Rose:, so yeah, check that out.
Nicole Rose:Just as usual, I wanted to share a couple of solidarity call outs.
Nicole Rose:So it was recently June 11th, which is the International Day of Solidarity with Marius Mason and all long-term anarchist prisoners and they released a really beautiful statement, so.
Nicole Rose:Which I'm gonna read out cause I think it's really, really inspiring.
Nicole Rose:And I'll put a link in the show notes to the website and you can read some of the, , prisoner updates of Marius Mason and other political prisoners, , and anarchist prisoners around the world to see kind of what support they need, how to write to them, things like this.
Nicole Rose:, yeah.
Nicole Rose:Okay.
Nicole Rose:I'm gonna read this cuz Yeah.
Nicole Rose:I think it's really beautiful.
Nicole Rose:Okay.
Nicole Rose:Against oblivion against despair a call for June 11th.
Nicole Rose:Another year passes and another June 11th is upon us once again, we're appreciating all that has unfolded in anarchist struggle over this period, both triumphs and hardships outside the prison walls and within, we're appreciating the beauty in fighting back and the strength that can be fostered when we refuse to succumb to both oblivion and despair against oblivion.
Nicole Rose:We refuse to let the state disappear rebels to erase their sweet or sharp words from our discussions, or to remove or obs.
Nicole Rose:Obfuscate their contributions to our shared struggles.
Nicole Rose:Instead, we remember them, their actions, words, laughter, potential, and humanity.
Nicole Rose:We can act as a conduit for each other through prison walls and among generations.
Nicole Rose:They can be kept involved as our struggles shift and change, and we can keep them connected to the outside world.
Nicole Rose:And too, the outside connected to them.
Nicole Rose:Against despair, up against the power of the state, it can feel as if nothing can be done.
Nicole Rose:Despair is a very particular space to inhabit.
Nicole Rose:Despair is not hopelessness.
Nicole Rose:As hopelessness can be a fair assessment of circumstances.
Nicole Rose:One can see and acknowledge hopelessness with a full heart and a strong spirit, but despair, despair destroys courage.
Nicole Rose:What is despair, but to value the knowing of suffering without acting against it.
Nicole Rose:We refuse to wallow in the realm of despair indefinitely.
Nicole Rose:We refuse to let despair destroy our courage.
Nicole Rose:Instead, we will offer hope to one another, not a naive or misguided hope that offers false solutions.
Nicole Rose:But instead an impassioned belief in our capacities as individuals and capabilities together to continue on.
Nicole Rose:We can learn from people like prisoners who face the full power of the state in isolation and maintain their principles, their humor, their courage, and their resolve.
Nicole Rose:We will act not just based on what's possible or strategic, but on what we know to have value and meaning, both out of care and love for each other, and in acting for our own selves, our own aliveness and spirit.
Nicole Rose:Imprison.
Nicole Rose:Comrades are often an incredible example of persevering in the face of hopelessness.
Nicole Rose:Of coming out on the other side of it to the fierce activity of nothing to lose and nothing worse to be feared.
Nicole Rose:So yeah, check out the link in the show notes, , to learn all about June 11th and yeah, in that kind of theme, I wanted to share that my friend Kevan, who I've mentioned a couple of times on this podcast, very long term, , political prisoner held in solitary confinement.
Nicole Rose:Has been moved to H M P Manchester, so please update your kind of address books or anywhere where you've shared the call out.
Nicole Rose:There's, I've shared like a post on Instagram with his new details.
Nicole Rose:, so yeah, so please write to him.
Nicole Rose:He's in really bad conditions and your letters mean the absolute world to him and he is always joking that is only queers who like plants who write to him.
Nicole Rose:So we really need to keep up that tradition.
Nicole Rose:, And also to kill the bill.
Nicole Rose:Prisoners that I've recently, , shared about on here have been moved to H M P, Channings Wood, , Danny and Foxy, , Danny especially is really interested in kind of like perm culture and plants and ecology and stuff.
Nicole Rose:So if you wanna have someone to write about, about that, Then like definitely write to Danny.
Nicole Rose:, he'd love books on that subject too.
Nicole Rose:, and finally, I've mentioned it a couple of times, but Bristol, ABC have launched like, , sorry, that's Bristol Anarchist black Cross have launched a big call out for donations.
Nicole Rose:, because of being in quite kind of, uh, challenging financial circumstances.
Nicole Rose:Again, I put some stuff on my Instagram for that.
Nicole Rose:, the outgoings are over a thousand pounds a month.
Nicole Rose:, To be honest, they're about two and a half thousand pounds a month.
Nicole Rose:So, yeah.
Nicole Rose:, we really need support.
Nicole Rose:, so please stick some pennies in that.
Nicole Rose:But otherwise, , I hope you enjoy learning all about the medicinal properties of fruits and vegetables.
Nicole Rose:All right.
Nicole Rose:Fruits and vegetables.
Nicole Rose:Okay, so apples.
Nicole Rose:Apples are wonderfully nutritious, packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
Nicole Rose:Cooked.
Nicole Rose:Apple can be combined with chamomile to help shorten diarrhea.
Nicole Rose:Fresh apple can also help with constipation.
Nicole Rose:They're also very useful for people with high blood pressure or other heart related conditions.
Nicole Rose:Apple Pure water has been used as a wash for inflamed eyes.
Nicole Rose:The pulp has been placed over the eyes as a poltus.
Nicole Rose:Two.
Nicole Rose:Be careful with apples in prison though, as they're very unlikely to be organic and make sure you wash them well.
Nicole Rose:So just a side note, like if you have dysbiosis, kind of like, , you know, like bacterial, like small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
Nicole Rose:Then like, yeah, apples can definitely be way too sugary for you in my experience.
Nicole Rose:So just yeah, be aware of that.
Nicole Rose:Okay.
Nicole Rose:Bananas.
Nicole Rose:Bananas can be eaten to help settle the stomach as a source of potassium.
Nicole Rose:Bananas are useful for people with osteoporosis.
Nicole Rose:They can also help lower blood pressure, stress, and hypoglycemia.
Nicole Rose:The iron content also stimulates the production of hemoglobin in the blood, making them useful for people with anemia.
Nicole Rose:You can also use the inside of a banana skin on bruises for treating sunburn and for mosquito bites.
Nicole Rose:Beetroot beetroot are high in vitamins and minerals.
Nicole Rose:Studies have shown that they can lower blood pressure.
Nicole Rose:They're a great fiber source and can feed the good bacteria in our guts.
Nicole Rose:They have a good amount of iron, so are useful food for people who are anemic.
Nicole Rose:The betacarotene present in beetroot also aids in reducing or slow slowing macular degeneration in the eyes . Blueberries are full of antioxidants, which make them especially good for eye health, as well as helping their digestive system.
Nicole Rose:Julie and Matthew Seale write that blueberries have a popular reputation for improving light vision and eye health in general.
Nicole Rose:Scientific research has come confirmed and explained this opinion.
Nicole Rose:By their antioxidant action.
Nicole Rose:These fruits help scavenger free radicals from breaking down vitamin C and the nutrients in the small blood vessels in the eye.
Nicole Rose:This effectively delays the onset of cataract and glaucoma and macular degeneration.
Nicole Rose:Carrots.
Nicole Rose:Carrots contain beta carotene, a precursor for carotene and vitamin A, which makes them useful for the kidneys, lungs, eyes and skin.
Nicole Rose:Betacarotene is an antioxidant which has been shown by research to locate and destroy carcinogens in the lungs and pancreas.
Nicole Rose:Carrots are a good food to eat, especially mashed up for people recovering from diarrhea.
Nicole Rose:Carrot oil can be used for chapped and dry skin, sunburn and sun damage, eczema and itchy skin.
Nicole Rose:Making carrot oil in prison would only be possible if you had access to a kitchen, unlikely for most to make it great.
Nicole Rose:Two carrots and, and then add the equal volume of oil, ideally olive oil or coconut if possible.
Nicole Rose:Warm gently until the carrots are soft and the oil has turned orange strain and then bottle the oil.
Nicole Rose:Try to keep somewhere cool if possible.
Nicole Rose:Cabbage.
Nicole Rose:Cabbage is a very good source of dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, as well as other vitamins.
Nicole Rose:They were used by sailors to prevent scurvy due to their vitamin sea content.
Nicole Rose:Cabbage leaves can be applied to sore breasts of people who are breastfeeding.
Nicole Rose:Studies have shown them to be equal to gel packs in providing relief.
Nicole Rose:The journal, cancer Epidemiology, biomarkers and Prevention, published research suggesting that cabbage and other brassicas vegetables contain a relatively high content of glucose and oates, which have art anticarcinogenic properties.
Nicole Rose:This means that cabbage and other similar vegetables, scavenged free radicals, which can be detrimental to overall health and a major contributions to cancer and heart diseases.
Nicole Rose:Cabbage can also help with constipation.
Nicole Rose:You can also soothe joint pain with a poultice of cabbage leaves.
Nicole Rose:You need to bruise the leaves in some way, like with a big rolling pin or meat hammer.
Nicole Rose:, in prison.
Nicole Rose:You could also put the leaves on a plate cover with a clean cloth and get your elbow in there, or just try to squeeze out the juice with your fists.
Nicole Rose:On the outside, you'd warm up the leaves gently in an oven.
Nicole Rose:But in prison you could cover with boiling water just to warm them up.
Nicole Rose:Then you simply layer the warm leaves over the joint and try to hold it in place, ideally with some cling film or a bandage.
Nicole Rose:, and in prison you could use a cloth or a bandana, leave the leaves on the joint for at least one hour.
Nicole Rose:You could also leave them overnight unwrap, and hopefully you'll be in less pain.
Nicole Rose:You can also wrap cabbage leaves around an infected toenail, secure with whatever you can, and then cover with a sock overnight.
Nicole Rose:In the morning take off the sock and the leaves cucumber.
Nicole Rose:, so I hate to say it, but I really despise cucumbers.
Nicole Rose:However, they have some useful medicinal properties for people who like them.
Nicole Rose:Maybe you've seen people put cucumbers over their eyes in movies.
Nicole Rose:Well, guess what?
Nicole Rose:They work in refreshing their eyes.
Nicole Rose:Simply place a slice of your eyes and relax.
Nicole Rose:Slices of cucumber can also be applied to sun, butt skin, or hot, inflamed skill skin in general.
Nicole Rose:You can also add sliced cucumber in your bath for a cooling effect on irritated skin dates.
Nicole Rose:Dates are a fantastic energy source.
Nicole Rose:They can help people suffering from constipation.
Nicole Rose:You can eat them raw or soak them overnight to help soften them up.
Nicole Rose:They can also help people in recovering from diarrhea.
Nicole Rose:They're also a really good source of iron and other nutrients such as potassium, which studies have shown to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke, as well as other heart-related diseases, garlic, sea, spices and condiment section.
Nicole Rose:Grapefruit.
Nicole Rose:Grapefruit is a fantastic ally for the immune system due to its high vitamin and mineral mineral content.
Nicole Rose:Research has shown it to be an effective intervention with for people with insulin resistance.
Nicole Rose:In one study, subjects who ate half of a fresh grapefruit before meals experienced a significant reduction in both insulin levels and insulin resistance compared to the group that didn't eat grapefruit.
Nicole Rose:It also helps people control their blood sugar levels and can reduce the risk of type two diabetes.
Nicole Rose:Unfortunately, grapefruit can inhibit an enzyme the body uses to metabolize certain medications such as immunosuppressants, benzodiazepines, calcium channel blockers.
Nicole Rose:Kamaz, , VIR and some statins.
Nicole Rose:So worth checking with a doctor if you're on any of these brackets.
Nicole Rose:Easier said than done in prison than I know.
Nicole Rose:Grapes, like many fruits, grapes have a good range of nutrients that can help our health as well as fiber to help with health digestion.
Nicole Rose:Grapes are high in potassium, making 'em useful for people with high blood pressure.
Nicole Rose:They're also good if you're constipated.
Nicole Rose:Grapes also contain the antioxidants, lutein, an xanthin which can help maintain eye health, dried grapes.
Nicole Rose:Such as sultanas and raisins can also have these benefits, but need to be consumed in moderation due to their sugar content.
Nicole Rose:Kiwi fruit, , Kiwi provides fiber, potassium, fate, phosphorus, copper, and vitamins A, C, E, and K.
Nicole Rose:It's a good source of fiber and can have a bit of a laxative effect.
Nicole Rose:The root and the fruit have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
Nicole Rose:Where the fruit has been used as a juice to quench thirst, a digestion, clear heat and reduce irritability, inflammation and vomiting.
Nicole Rose:Lemon, add slices of lemon to hot water or squeeze the lemon juice in the hot water and drink for coughs, colds, sore throats, and chest infections.
Nicole Rose:Lemon is full of vitamin tea and also help stimulate bowel productions so you can use it for nausea or to help with digesting food.
Nicole Rose:The Vitamin C and other plant compounds also help it reduce risk levels for stroke and heart disease.
Nicole Rose:Research published in the Journal of Urology shows that just half a cup, four ounces, or 125 mil of lemon juice per day may provide enough citric acid to help prevent kidney stone formation in people who already had them.
Nicole Rose:Adding lemon to food may also help with nutrient absorption.
Nicole Rose:Sliced lemon can also be applied directly to spots and blackheads, rub it over the spot and then leave for 10 minutes before washing off lettuce.
Nicole Rose:When I got out of prison, I learned there was a whole world of lettuces that actually tasted of something that all grew in different ways and shapes and were very different to the iceberg.
Nicole Rose:Lettuce served up in prison.
Nicole Rose:Lettuce is a good source of vitamin A amongst other nutrients.
Nicole Rose:Wild lettuce is still used medicinally as a strong sedative to help people sleep, as well as providing pain relief.
Nicole Rose:I don't know how much common lettuce you'd actually need to eat to have this effect, but it could be worth experimenting.
Nicole Rose:Remember Peter Rabbit eating a patch of lettuces and then dozing off?
Nicole Rose:Unfortunately, most food in prison that is dripping with fat puts you to sleep after eating while simultaneously starving you of all the nutrients you actually need to get a good night's sleep.
Nicole Rose:Mango.
Nicole Rose:Oh my God.
Nicole Rose:If I'd have had access to mangoes in prison, it would've been a different fucking story, but it is possible in some prisons.
Nicole Rose:Okay.
Nicole Rose:Mangoes are my absolute favorite fruit.
Nicole Rose:Like most things on this page, they were not available to me in a private prison.
Nicole Rose:I think I would've been 10 times happier if I could have sunk my teeth into this amazing fruit.
Nicole Rose:Research has shown some of its antioxidant compounds that have been found to protect against colon breast leukemia and prostate cancers.
Nicole Rose:The fiber pectin and vitamin C can also lower or lower cholesterol vitamin A that it contains, also helps eye health.
Nicole Rose:Mixing mango with some water can help fight heat stroke.
Nicole Rose:You can also put mango on your skin directly as a D I Y face mask.
Nicole Rose:, mushrooms.
Nicole Rose:There is an incredible world of medicinal mushrooms.
Nicole Rose:However, sadly, in prison, you're most likely to only be able to have a couple served up to you with dinner.
Nicole Rose:Even so, they still share many of the benefits of their cousins that have been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years.
Nicole Rose:They're a great source of protein and contain many nutrients, including be vitamins, selenium, potassium, and copper.
Nicole Rose:They're a prebiotic, which means they nourish the good bacteria in your gut.
Nicole Rose:Research has shown.
Nicole Rose:Certain varieties to be strongly immune supporting as well as displaying anti-cancer activity.
Nicole Rose:Olives, olives have been eaten and pressed into oil for hundreds of years.
Nicole Rose:They're a brilliant source of healthy fats and a great source of vitamin E and several antioxidants including, , earlier open, sorry for the pronunciation.
Nicole Rose:Hydro rosol, tyros, onic acid, and quercetin olis help regulate cholesterol and reduce blood pressure by making them protective for heart disease.
Nicole Rose:Some olive oil in warm water can help with constipation combined with lemon and ginger, and you can help hangovers, general sluggishness and tiredness.
Nicole Rose:Onions, onions have amazing medicinal uses beyond being used worldwide in cooking.
Nicole Rose:Onion is antiseptic onion poultices, draw out poisons, heats.
Nicole Rose:stings and splinters.
Nicole Rose:They can also be used on the chest to break up congestion of colds and flu and have been used in the treatment of asthma.
Nicole Rose:There are anecdotal reports of Russian soldiers using onions for battle wounds in the Second World War.
Nicole Rose:Historically, onion was also used to treat the plague and cholera.
Nicole Rose:They have been used on fresh burns offering pain relief.
Nicole Rose:Herbalist, Julie and Matthew Seal also add onion was popularly used to treat water retention edema.
Nicole Rose:It eased problems of urine retention and added to perspiration.
Nicole Rose:It also increased blood circulation and boosted the iron content of the blood.
Nicole Rose:In the cases of anemia, research has shown that onion lowers blood, CHO cholesterol and blood sugar is giving it.
Nicole Rose:A role in easing blood pressure and preventing blood clots is also a dietary support in type two diabetes.
Nicole Rose:To make a simple onion poultice cut an onion and apply the wet side to a bite or swelling and cover with a cloth check regularly to see if the inflammation is going down.
Nicole Rose:Oranges and satsumas.
Nicole Rose:Oranges are well known for having lots of vitamin and C, and therefore can be good to eat for our immune systems.
Nicole Rose:However, the peel without the pith can also be eaten fresh or made into a tea to help calm an upset stomach, reducing flatulence, nausea, and morning sickness.
Nicole Rose:It can also help fight colds and tonsillitis pears like a lot of fruit.
Nicole Rose:Peas are a great source of diverse nutrients that our bodies need to prevent disease.
Nicole Rose:Peas are a good source of fiber, which supports the digestive system to function well and to keep things moving.
Nicole Rose:Peppers, uh, bell peppers kind of capsicum peppers.
Nicole Rose:Peppers are very high in vitamin C as well as vitamins, b6, K one, B nine, a, e, and potassium.
Nicole Rose:They're also rich in antioxidants that can help prevent chronic disease.
Nicole Rose:See this section on Kan Pepper in this spices and condiment section from more about this amazing plant family.
Nicole Rose:Pineapple Pineapple contains vitamins A and C, many minerals and nutritious fiber, as well as the digestive and anti-inflammatory enzyme bromelain.
Nicole Rose:Unfortunately, heat denatures Bromelain, so tinned pineapples won't have it, but the fresh ones will.
Nicole Rose:Pineapple is great to eat for weak digestion.
Nicole Rose:Indigestion and bloating after eating is good for people to eat who are anemic or recovering from illnesses who need good nutrition.
Nicole Rose:Fresh pineapple juice can be gargled for a sore throat.
Nicole Rose:Fresh pineapple juice can also be applied to the skin for bruises, tendon pain, tendonitis, and otitis.
Nicole Rose:There is also a folk remedy for corns where a strip of pineapple peel can be attached.
Nicole Rose:Can be attached to the corn.
Nicole Rose:Obviously the sticky side.
Nicole Rose:Hold it in place with some kind of tape.
Nicole Rose:Leave on overnight in the morning, soak the foot in hot water and remove any spare skin.
Nicole Rose:Keep doing this until the corn is gone.
Nicole Rose:Potatoes.
Nicole Rose:My friends laugh at me for how much I love potatoes.
Nicole Rose:They even made me a potato and onion dish as an alternative birthday cake and surrounded it with baked potatoes.
Nicole Rose:, oh my God.
Nicole Rose:That was, that was a funny night.
Nicole Rose:That was my 30th birthday.
Nicole Rose:We had like a big benefit show for anarchist prisoners and, , Yeah, instead of like a normal cake with sugar and gluten, I got a bloody potato cake and by the end of the night, all these punks had their hands in it, which I was very upset about.
Nicole Rose:, but you know, we made 500 quids, so that was nice.
Nicole Rose:And , yeah, all my friends played, so that was amazing.
Nicole Rose:Okay.
Nicole Rose:Side note, right.
Nicole Rose:Back to potatoes, but honestly, they are an impressive vegetable containing lots of vitamin C, potassium, and other minerals.
Nicole Rose:This isn't a free pass to eat all the chips that the prison serves you up, but it is worth highlighting this humble vegetable.
Nicole Rose:Most of their nutritional value comes from the skin.
Nicole Rose:Raw potatoes have also been used for remedies at home.
Nicole Rose:Slices of raw potato have been placed on watts and burns.
Nicole Rose:Mashed potato has even been used as a face mask.
Nicole Rose:Imagine that.
Nicole Rose:, okay.
Nicole Rose:Potatoes can also be warmed up and used as a warm compress on sore joints.
Nicole Rose:They have also been used to help with a variety of complaints, including skin conditions like eczema and dandruff, inflammation and dryness on the scalp prunes.
Nicole Rose:Okay.
Nicole Rose:Prunes are a well known remedy for constipation combined with drinking adequate amounts of water.
Nicole Rose:Otherwise, they can have the opposite effect.
Nicole Rose:They're also a good source of potassium, vitamins, and iron.
Nicole Rose:They have also been shown to lower blood pressure.
Nicole Rose:Sadly, the sugars in them can make people blow, and their source of natural fiber can worsen diarrhea.
Nicole Rose:Sweet potatoes.
Nicole Rose:Sweet potatoes are a superb source of vitamin A as well as fiber and potassium.
Nicole Rose:Vitamin A is a very important vitamin in general, and a deficiency can lead to vision damage.
Nicole Rose:They can help with constipation.
Nicole Rose:Recent research suggests they may reduce episodes of low blood sugar and insulin resistance in people with diabetes.
Nicole Rose:All right, so that's like the canteen remedies section finished.
Nicole Rose:, I hope you enjoyed that.
Nicole Rose:I just, yeah, like I said in the previous episode, there is like no end to creativity of people in prison, you know?
Nicole Rose:And I just hope that the folks that have received copies of the book, Can actually like, experiment with the stuff.
Nicole Rose:Like I've had lots of anecdotes and testimonials, which are on my website.
Nicole Rose:But yeah, I'm also, , stoked to hear about people experimenting on the outside with stuff they can find in their kitchens and things.
Nicole Rose:, okay.
Nicole Rose:So I will be back next time talking about plant tellies and building a relationship.
Nicole Rose:With a plan.
Nicole Rose:Okay.
Nicole Rose:Take care.
Nicole Rose:Thanks so much for listening to the Frontline Herbalism podcast.