'Let Food be Thy Medicine' - The Medicinal Cookery System
We have all heard the famous phrase "let food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food", but we are now starting to realise exactly how true this pearl of wisdom really is. Foods impact upon our body goes way beyond the scope of mere nutritional content. Foods contain a whole array of active chemistry that are not classed as being nutrients. These compounds can have some astounding effects upon our bodies.
Dale is trained in both nutrition and herbal medicine. This combination has served him well. His training in herbal medicine enabled him to gain an understanding into the way in which specific plant compounds and chemicals interact with Human physiological function. Many of these compounds are present in the foods that we eat, not just in medicinal plants. Many foods have their own unique chemistry that can deliver some mesmerising results when we apply it properly. Recipes can be developed to target specific health concerns, body systems, or physiological functions. We can combine ingredients based upon their active chemistry, and how they will complement each other to give a complete targeted therapeutic effect.
Here is an example recipe of how this works:
Anti rheumatoid risotto
This delicious recipe contains some wonderful ingredients that are major players in the management of rheumatoid arthritis. These ingredients are anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and immunomodulating. These are the three main actions that a herbalist would have in the fore front of their mind when developing a prescription for a rheumatic patient. Thankfully there are foodstuffs that also have these actions. Such recipes can support the medication given to you by either your herbalist or your Doctor, and are perfectly safe in combination. And the recipe is delicious!!
Ingredients:
250g Arborio Risotto Rice
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Red onion
6 Sun Dried Tomatoes
1 Stick of celery
8-9 shiitake mushrooms
Handful of fresh spinach leaves
Vegetable Buillon
Dash of white wine (the rest can be your treat for working so hard in the kitchen)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Method:
Make up 1 litre of stock using the vegetable buillon - Id advise about 1 level tablespoon to 1 litre of water.
Finely chop the red onion, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and the celery, plus a little salt. Saute these in a large pan in a little of the olive oil until the onion is soft and becoming transparent.
Next, add the risotto rice to the pan and stir the onion mixture and rice together. Add to this just enough stock to almost cover the rice. Allow this to simmer constantly.
As the stock gets absorbed, keep topping it up until you are left with about 300ml of stock.
At this point add the shiitake mushrooms. The reason that these are added in so late is to protect their active chemicals which can be damaged if exposed to extremes of temperature for too long.
Continue to cook in the same way - adding stock as the rice absorbs more and more. When all the stock has gone in, add the dash of white wine (maybe 80 ml). Then allow the whole mix to cook down until the texture is close to a thick oatmeal texture, and the rice is soft. At this point add the spinach as it will wilt in seconds.
To finish, add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to the mix and beat the mix until a creamy texture is reached.
Enjoy!
Therapeutic Benefits:
Red Onion - These contain strong anti-inflammatory flavanoids. Inflammation is what is responsible for the pain and destruction within the joint in rheumatoid arthritis.
Celery - This fresh tasting plant is a very effective diuretic agent. In rheumatoid arthritis, some of the metabolic waste left behind from the inflammatory attacks can remain in the joint capsule for some time. The immune system can begin to react to these substances and cause further damage within the joint. By increasing urinary output, the exchange of fluids between cells and tissues is increased. To cut a long story short, this will enable a more rapid clearing of metabolic waste from the fluid within the joint. Celery also contains a wonderful compound called 3-n-butylphthalide, whic is a potent pain killer.
Shiitake Mushrooms - These delicious fungal treats are almost miraculous when it comes to the effect they have on the immune system. In rheumatoid arthritis, the body's immune system develops antibodies to the cartilage within the joint, and certain cells within the immune system will actually start attacking this tissue, causing inflammation and destruction. Now, the immune system can be divided into two very specific ways of operating. These are antibody mediated - where the immune system will recognise a certain invader from past experience, and mount a specific attack on it. It is this branch of the system that is responsible for rheumatoid arthritis and other auto-immune conditions. The second division is called non-specific. This just means that the cells associated with it are able to tell if something is self (part of the body) or non-self (an invader or foreign substance). Shiitake mushrooms actually drastically stimulate the activity of the non-specific branch of the immune system. The good news here is that these two branches of the immune system cannot both work at the same time. One inhibits the other. So, if non-specific is stimulated, the antibody mediated is supressed!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - This contains high levels of good fats which help the body to manufacture its own anti-inflammatory substances called series 1 & 3 prostaglandins. Regular consumption of this oil and other sources of good fats can play a huge role in the management of inflammatory conditions.
This is just the beginning!