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BACK TO ASK THE HERBALIST
INDEX
ANSWERS FROM
LORYHL:
QUESTION: Is there any herb that can
provide salt for human consumption?
ANSWER: Although
I could not find clinical data on actual
sodium content, on shakers of dulse and
other seaweeds, it is on the label as the
guaranteed analysis. I suggest you try Nori,
and Dulse, Bull Kelp, and there are many
others as well, for you to try. I personally
like the Dulse best as a salt substitute, it
is tasty, and not fishy as some are. You can
purchase many of these at a local health
store, or in Japanese specialty foods
places, they are considered the "gurus" of
seaweed, with a long history of usage both
for food and cosmetic uses.
Seaweeds are the healthiest
plants on the planet. They have huge amounts
of A, E, C all the Bs including B12. One of
the single most important sources of B12,
period. Seaweed has E, K, all the trace
minerals. Zinc, Iron, protein, complete
fiber. It’s got no fat. It’s the perfect
food. It’s disgustingly rich with vitamins.
Seaweeds take in fabulous stuff from the
ocean and nutrients, but they don’t
differentiate the good from the bad. So be
careful where you get your seaweed from.
Sodium is very much a part of
seaweed, but when you work with it fresh,
scientifically, when you eat it fresh, the
sodium and the iodine, the minerals, the
vitamins are all organically balanced in the
plant. But when you dry them – you get two
spikes – one in salt and another in iodine.
It changes the chemistry of the seaweed.
Compare a dried apple to a fresh one…same
difference with seaweed.
HERBES DE PROVENCE
QUESTION: I am trying to locate a herb but am not
sure of the name...it is something
like this Herb de Provlenca. Used in cooking.
ANSWER: Herbes de Provence are a combination of
herbs used in French cooking. It is made up of marjoram,
thyme, rosemary, fennel, savory, basil and lavender or a
combination of at least three of those herbs. You
can buy them at the grocery, but I like to blend my own
from organic herbs. You can purchase Organic Herbes de
Provence from me on my website at
www.allgoodegifts.com. in the Food Products section.
Select French from the drop down under Salt Free Spice
Mixtures.
COOKING
WITH HERBS
QUESTION: Can you tell me if herbs lose nutritional value
when used in cooking and baking?
ANSWER: It depends if the constituents are water soluble
and the waters are not used after cooking such as when you make pasta
and throw the water out, or cook vegetables and send the waters down
the drain after cooking. Or if the constituents are heat
sensitive and heat destroys them or changes their chemical structure
such as Vitamin C which is extremely sensitive to heat and a water
soluble constituent. For some constituents such as the red
colored fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes the more you cook the
tomato the more Lycopene is available and easier for the body to
consume. Lycopene is the red colors in pink grapefruit,
watermelon and tomatoes to name a few and has been associated with
decrease risk for certain cancers. For the flavonoids in fruits
such as the blue and purple/red proanthocyanidines, cooking helps to
get them more available for the body to consume. These
blue/purple/red colors indicate health and help the body increase or
maintain vascular integrity decreasing problems associated with leaky
vessels of the eyes or spider and varicose veins in the legs or
reducing bruising for those prone to it. Additionally, For some
constituents such as the minerals the more the herbs are in the water
when making tea the more minerals are extracted, then when the tea is
consumed you are getting much more of the minerals and this is a good
thing. Herbs in this class are Horsetail and Nettles to name a
few.
Not very specific but I hope it helps.
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