Horseradish Benefits

horseradish benefits

Horseradish whose scientific name is armoracia rusticana is one of  aromatic herbs in the world of medicinal herbs and plants. It contains oils that kill bacteria and its infections and lower fever by increasing perspiration as the volatile oils are eliminated.

Horseradish is mainly used to treat lung infections and works by permeating the entire lung when the volatile oils are being eliminated. As it permeates through the lung it eliminates the bacteria and cleansing the lung in the process.

Horseradish  also has diuretic properties and eliminating excess fluids from the body thereby improving digestion and other body systems.

Traditionally horseradish poultices have been used to cover areas of infection and its drawing properties can clear infections such as pleurisy. To make the poultice for external application add the shredded horseradish herb to a mixture of flour and water to make a paste that is applied to an infected area.

Horseradish can also be taken internally as a tincture. To get maximum benefit one need to take 20 drops twice daily after eating. To treat a cold, mix the shredded herb with honey and hot water.

We should not forget that horseradish is also used for culinary purposes. For instance you can include fresh horseradish leaves to salads or for those who take fish, to smoked fish.

Nutrition In The Elderly

As age takes its toll on us we almost always experience more digestive problems and food intolerances. One of the reasons for this problem of nutrition in the elderly is the decreasing amount of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. As we are all aware the acid lines the entire digestive tract and is the first line of defence in the body as it kill the bacteria, viruses and parasites that we unavoidably ingest. Another cause of problems in nutrition in the elderly is the increasing use of prescription drugs which can further damage the stomach lining.

As we age, there is also bacteria overgrowth in the small intestine and poorer absorption of some nutrients.

How To Improve Digestion in nutrition for The Elderly

• Eat more plant based foods in other more vegan dishes will help digestion as it contains more fiber and also is easily digested by the body. These are foods that help digestion rather hinder it like animal based diets.
• The elderly should also not skip meals
• The elderly should also avoid allergy -producing foods as it is at this stage in life that most people experience problems with food allergies.
• The elderly should also be encouraged to do some light exercise in line with their abilities.
• The elderly should also keep their stress levels low as stress can affect our digestion system.