The bark of the birch is very good also, be carefull not to peal a full
strip around the tree, there are many good books and online resources
about herbs,doing a search on google for birch bark, leaf will bring up
lots of info, what and how we eat is the key to health, for
inflamation, it is important to Avoid caffine, sugar, nightshade foods,
chemical additives, perfumes and dyes in luandry soap can really
irritate the body also, greens like kale and collards have a lot of
bioavailable calcium and taste good, extra virgin olive oil is very
helpfull for inflamation and as agenral health tonic, always use good
quality extra virgin olive oil, from italy is best, they dont spray
there olives with pesticides there, just pore the oilive oil on your
food afre you cook  or on salads with lemon, speaking of lemon, warm
water with lemon squeezed in is great way to start the day, helps
alkalize the body. water quality is so very important to health, only
drink pure spring water, or get a good water filter.
Hope you feel Better,
Peace,
Jampa

Hi, the birch bark is also good medicine, becarefull not to peal around
whole tree, there is lots of herbal information on the web, do a search
on google for birch bark, leaf.
Herbs are helpful, what we do and do not eat is also important, for
inflamaiton it would be very important to avoid coffee, sugar,
nightshade family foods, chemical additives, probaly gluten, also use
natural body and laundry soap, with out perfumes and dyes, our skin can
absorb a lot of chemicals, and when we wsash our clothes and bedding
with toxic perfumes we inhale that stuff all the time, the chemicals
used in laundry nd other soaps can be very disturbing to out bodies and
minds.
Greens are rich in calcium, like kale and collard greens they taste
good also, extra virgin olive oil is excellent for inflamation and as a
general tonic for our whole body, always use extra virgin from italy is
best, they dont spray there olives there, make sure bottle says from
olives grown in italy not just packed in italy,
add olive oil after food is cooked or on soups and salads.
Lemon is another medicinal food, warm water with half alemon squezed in
first thing in morning is wonderful, helps alkalize body and better
then cup of coffee. clean water is a must, spure spring water or a good
water filter. aluminum cookware and teflon are very dangerous please
dont use them.

Sunshine and laughter are Great!
Peace
Jampa

I used to have a lot of problems with leg cramps,
but not anymore.  What seems to have worked
is avoiding calcium-rich foods, specifically milk
and tofu.  (Calcium sulfate is used in making
tofu, to curdle the soy protein.)

I'm not 100% certain that calcium is the culprit.
I take mineral supplements with calcium, magnesium,
and zinc in them, and they don't cause cramps.
I also eat cheese now and then, and that doesn't
do it either.  It may be the dose -- back when I
drank milk, I drank a lot of it, often a pint or even
a whole quart in a day.  And when I ate tofu,
I would eat at least half of the block in a day.

My current dose of the mineral supplements is
two tablets daily, which contain two-thirds of
the US RDA of calcium.  When I eat cheese,
it's usually a few ounces at most.

The bark of the birch is very good also, be carefull not to peal a full
strip around the tree, there are many good books and online resources
about herbs,doing a search on google for birch bark, leaf will bring up
lots of info, what and how we eat is the key to health, for
inflamation, it is important to Avoid caffine, sugar, nightshade foods,
chemical additives, perfumes and dyes in luandry soap can really
irritate the body also, greens like kale and collards have a lot of
bioavailable calcium and taste good, extra virgin olive oil is very
helpfull for inflamation and as agenral health tonic, always use good
quality extra virgin olive oil, from italy is best, they dont spray
there olives with pesticides there, just pore the oilive oil on your
food afre you cook  or on salads with lemon, speaking of lemon, warm
water with lemon squeezed in is great way to start the day, helps
alkalize the body. water quality is so very important to health, only
drink pure spring water, or get a good water filter.
Hope you feel Better,
Peace,
Jampa

I would suggest Calcium and Magnesium together - both in the citrate
form.  Better absorption.  Its not that expensive and is better overall
than birch bark.  The amount of birch leaves you would need to consume
is nuts.  Unless you get it in tincture form.  Lobelia tincture is also
great for full body relaxation.

Stretch.

Exercise - swim, walk, yoga

Hot bath with therapeutic peat.  Relaxes muscles, provides nutrients
and removes metabolic waste.  This is effective but wont address the
nutrient deficiency.  Why and what gave you the spasms - work, stress,
nutrient deficiency, injury?

Valerian is an overall relaxant - if you're nervous.

Chamomile is also great for relaxing - and others - very cheap in bulk
bins.

More information on therapeutic peat and how it works -
http://healthegoods.com/content/spa1.htm

Get better!

Dear Gopher
I'm  new here.
So am I.
Before asking my question, let  me be sure this is where
I  belong. I have only a very limited knowledge of  herbs etc. and
probably  won't be of much use to others. I would be here to  learn. If
this  is mainly a place where people who know a lot about this sort  of
thing  discuss matters with each other, I probably wouldn't much fit
in.

Well, I am here to share my knowledge with any body who is genuinely
interested in. Further, I would like to make contact with people who
can devote to learning and spreading the knowledge without expecting
monitory benifits.

I  have quite a few questions, really, but let me just begin with  one.
I  have a problems with muscle spasms -- legg cramps, and spasms in
the
back.

One must understand that there is a difference between cure and
palliation. In palliation, the symptoms are suppressed for a while, so
you feel better temperarily. In cure, once you feel better, the
symptoms do not come back. But, it means recovery of your organic
system, by your own repair mechanism. And, it can not be fast (not in
minutes).
In short, herbal teas also if they palliate, will be acting like modern
medicines.

Herbs and homoeopathy can do miracles. But, it needs a lot of hystory
and lot more symptoms. I can help you in relieving your problem if you
provide this info.
As far as herbs are concerned, I believe every region has its own herbs
which are useful, and should be explored.

I do have a couple of books on herbs and saw that  birch  is
supposed to be good for muscle spasms as well as inflamation  (which
is
a chronic problem with me.) If I am short  on knowledge, I am even
shorter on money.

I donot know to which region you belong. Obviously, if the books refer
to Birch for your problems, it must be antient knowledge. always
respect it. You have nothing to lose and every thing to gain. If you
are short on money, it does not necessarily mean you are short on
courage.
So I was interested.  I have  a birch tree right in  my
back yard, and am in an area where  there are birch trees everywhere.
I
read that a tea can be  made from the leaves. So can I just go out
(when
it is spring)  and pick some leaves and boil them?

Try it. You will know the results. and, if you find it useful, many
others will be benifited by your experience.