The Restorative Properties of Green Black Walnuts

[Skyfarmr]

Here in southern Wisconsin/USA the green hulled black walnuts are starting to fall from the trees. This seemed like an appropriate time to encourage everyone to gather these up and make an ample supply of the tincture to get you and your family/friends through the year. I try to make a couple gallons of it because I end up giving away a LOT of it to family and friends...actually, I'll ask a small fee to cover cost of grain alcohol when funds get a bit tight.

Aside from being a vermifuge (anti-parasite...many mentions of this on site already...just search) there are many other benefits for using green black walnut tincture (GBWT).

Strengthening Teeth

From Merrilyn Hope's Blog, GBWT was reported to restore tooth enamel as a positive side effect after using the tincture in restorative diets (such as the protocol of Dr. H. Clark)

Restorative Diets such as those used for cancer, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other diseases, have proven successful in many cases, for restoring tooth enamel. Often, people have discovered that their teeth have repaired themselves whilst following a strict dietary and cleansing regime to treat eczema, psoriasis, or a life-threatening disease.

However, there are some specifics which are helpful in keeping tooth enamel healthy, and even in repairing tooth enamel. Black Walnut is one of them. Comfrey is another. Prickly Ash is another. Nettles, called ‘Stinging Nettles’ are another.

So what is it about the Black Walnut, the Juglans nigra, which gives it such a great reputation for facilitating healing, including the regrowth of tooth enamel? Louise Tenney who wrote the book ‘Today’s Herbal Health’, 1983, gives a summary of the healing attributes of the Black Walnut, in which she includes its ability to heal tooth enamel.


Valuable Minerals in Black Walnut: For a start, Black Walnut Husks and Leaves are rich in important healing minerals. Some of these, according to Louise Tenney, are organic iodine, magnesium, manganese, Vitamin B15, silica, iron, calcium, potassium and phosphorous.

Iodine, especially, is a natural anti-bacterial, which would make Black Walnut helpful for the teeth. Iodine helps to keep harmful germs in the mouth at bay. So the use of Black Walnut and other herbs which have a high organic iodine content, will help to kill off those germs which eat away at the teeth. In this sense, Black Walnut would be very helpful for the restoration of the tooth enamel.

Silica is another important mineral which helps to keep harmful germs at bay, as well as having an important function in building strong teeth, bones, hair and nails. Silica is found in the Black Walnut husks and leaves, as well as in Comfrey, Stinging Nettles, and Prickly Ash. Comfrey is one of the richest sources of silica, which is a good enough reason to have the plant brought back for the general public to use again: At present, many countries have banned comfrey because the drug companies have convinced governments that it can cause cancer and should be banned. But this is really so that they have the monopoly on all the healing ingredients contained in comfrey. People have been using comfrey as a healing herb TO GOOD EFFECT for thousands of years. Stinging nettles are another rich source of silica, but commercial herbicides and people’s desire to control our road-side verges have almost put this vauluable healing plant into extinction.[not extinct in MY backyard]

full blog article can be found here: http://merrilynhope.com/black-walnut-for-restoring-tooth-enamel/

Tenney also mentions that it is useful in the treatment of the following ailments: Inflammatory diseases such as tonsillitis, mouth sores, internal ulcerations, bleeding hemorrhoids, colitis, and abscesses; female problems such as poor lactation, profuse menstruation, leukorrhea, prolapsed uterus and varicose veins and; degenerative diseases such as cancer, tumors, lupus and candida albicans.

The use of black walnut for whitening teeth is confirmed in Penny C Royal's book "Herbally Yours" (my very first herbal book purchased in 1979). She didn't instruct how to use it and I recall trying black walnut powder as a tooth powder for brushing, , YUcK! Didn't stick with it, obviously. Other ailments listed in book: Boils, diarrhea, eczema, herpes, lactation, leucorrhea, lupus, parasites, poison ivy, ringworm, syphillis, vagina.

On the NaturalNews website an article suggests the Iodine in GBWT might be Effective against radiation exposure.

Black Walnut Tincture Is a Safe and Effective Source For Iodine

Black walnut tincture is not only high in a bio-assimilable, plant form of iodide, but it also has anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic, and fungicidal properties. The amount of iodine in black walnut tincture is so high that it can be used as a substitute for iodine antiseptics. Black walnut tincture works as an iodine antiseptic because it is an oxidizing agent. This means it acts as an electrolyte which upsets the cellular balance of any bacteria or other microbial it comes in contact with.

In his blog, master herbalist Dr. Richard Schulze mentions using black walnut tincture with his students during the Chernobyl nuclear power plant meltdown. Dr. Schulze says he suggested that patients be wiped down with iodine tincture or black walnut tincture. The iodine in the two tinctures was absorbed into the body through the skin. Testing later showed that the patients who had been "painted" with black walnut or iodine tinctures were just as protected against radiation exposure as the patients who took potassium iodide (SSKI). Simply wiping a small amount of black walnut or iodine tincture on a knee cap or the palm of one hand was enough to meet the body's need for iodine, according to Dr. Schulze.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032028_iodine_black_walnuts.html#ixzz3l5F2tkhK

There are plenty of posts on the forum regarding the importance of iodine, and encourage you to read more about it. My favorite is the one started by Gaby here: http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,13371.0.html

Helps with Candida

It is believed that the naphthoquinone juglone, high levels of astringent tannins and other compounds in black walnut treatments change the intestinal environment to make it unfavorable for the candida albicans fungus and other harmful parasites.

http://superfoodprofiles.com/black-walnut-benefits-health

Antifungal

The same antifungal properties make black walnut hull tincture a popular treatment for athlete’s foot, ringworm, jock itch and other fungal infections of the skin.

To treat these fungal skin conditions the black walnut tincture can be applied externally to the affected areas and is often reported in online forums to be more effective for those who try them than pharmaceutical preparations.

Always patch test any preparations like this on the skin of your inner arm for several hours before using them to test for allergic reaction. Ibid.

Warts, Cold Sores and Herpes
Excessive sweating

Digestive Benefits

Alongside its powerful anti-parasitic and anti-fungal properties for your gastrointestinal tract, black walnut has other beneficial effects on your digestive system.

Black walnut hull is said to tone and heal inflamed intestinal tissue, as well as improving the environment of the digestive tract for more effective assimilation and elimination.

It is for this reason that black walnut is unusually considered a treatment for both constipation and diarrhea. Ibid.

Sore Throat Treatment

You can gargle with black walnut extract diluted in water to treat a sore throat, tonsillitis and mouth sores. Once again, the astringent tannins and naturally antiseptic iodine provide the health benefits. Ibid.

Cardiovascular and Diabetes Benefits of Black Walnuts

In a study entitled The Effects of Daily Black Walnut Consumption on Blood Lipid Levels, black walnuts were shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the dangerous kind) for men by over 4%, even further than the more common English walnuts in the same study. The researchers also noted that no weight gain was associated with their consumption.

Black walnuts have a similar nutritional profile to English walnuts and the same diabetes and cardiovascular benefits for lowering high blood pressure and reducing blood sugar levels can be gained from eating them.Ibid.

Anti-Cancer

Numerous studies have found juglone, a cytotoxic compound found in walnuts, and most predominately in black walnuts, to have anticancer properties. Juglone has been demonstrated to lead to cancer cell death by both apoptosis and necrosis (Juglone, a naphthoquinone from walnut, exerts cytotoxic and genotoxic effects…).
....
Black walnuts are also rich in powerful polyphenols, omega-3 fats and melatonin. All of which have properties that may help protect you from developing cancer. Ibid.

The nutrient content of this tree explains much of its health benefits. Even though the tree often grows thousands of miles from the ocean, it is exceptionally high in organic iodine. Dr. Christopher supplied a laboratory with black walnut hulls and received the detailed analysis (see table below).

Analysis of black walnut

Calcium—.89%
Phosphorus—.77%
Potassium—.87%
Sodium—(trace amt.)
Chlorine—.14%
Magnesium—.12%
Iron—.00021%
Manganese—182 mg./lb.
Copper—(trace amt.)
Zinc—(trace amt.)
Iodine—.32 mg./lb.
Sulfur—.088%
Other components found
Mucilagenous material—3.6%
Essential oil—.31%
Tannins—.72 %
Nucinerol, nucin (juglon)
and oxalic acid
http://www.proliberty.com/observer/20090212.htm

Alma May Hutchins, author of "Indian Herbology of North America" includes the "Russian Experience" and their traditional use of black walnut leaf tea (external and internal) in home medical use for scrofula (now known as Tuberculosis cervical lymphadenitis, caused by a mycobacterium), ulcers, wounds, gargle and rickets. She also notes the oil from the black walnut was especially effective for tape worm and as a dressing for Leprose type skin disease.

Personally, we began using GBWT a year ago after taking in a dog with parasites. The only thing i was suffering from was hot flashes, a sore shoulder that wouldn't let up, and a tenacious case of toe nail fungus. Now a year later, I have been free of hot flashes for almost 7 months...just an occasional warm flush. Haven't had a cold, flu or sore throat in years, despite having a visiting 4 year old grandson in pre-school. My shoulder for the most part is up to par, my energy level is more consistent day to day, my toe nail fungus is retreating, instead of spreading. Should mention that I was and still am taking magnesium, Vit A&D (cod liver oil), and added selenium after finding out how synergistic-ally it works with Iodine and Vit E. Selenium helps prevents any toxic side effects from too much Iodine(from Iodine salt supplement ie.KI), especially for those with Hashimoto's disease. Selenium, in the presence of adequate iodine helps with inflammation IMMENSELY! For those following many of the protocols on the forum and may seem they've hit a plateau of healing, adding GBWT and selenium (100-200 mcg/day) might be the missing link to pull all of your efforts together.

Note this article...Stunning Discoveries Regarding Iron, Obesity, Candida & Thyroid by Byron J. Richards
http://www.wellnessresources.com/weight/articles/stunning_discoveries_regarding_iron_obesity_candida_thyroid/
Including just the summary here, but the article pulls together forum discussions on hemochromatosis, autoimmune disease, infections, and inflammation and the possible connection they have.

Summary

Your body handles iron as a top priority, since it is both vital to survival and potentially problematic. Iron is essential for proper metabolism, including normal thyroid activation and cellular function. Obesity-induced inflammation elevates a hormone called hepcidin, which has the unfortunate side effect of disrupting iron metabolism in your body. This mechanism helps you overcome short-term inflammation and was very handy in olden times for survival purposes. In modern times, especially in a population of overweight people who often have candida issues, it can viciously lock malfunctioning metabolism in place. Solving the problem requires adequate iron intake, along with a reduction in inflammation. Reducing life stress helps. Sleeping better helps. Following The Leptin Diet® also helps. Many dietary supplements also help reduce inflammation. Especially important are fat-soluble antioxidants that help reduce inflammation in the liver (the place of hepcidin synthesis). Use enough support to feel a difference in your energy level, while engaging and sustaining the process of healthy weight loss.

I'm not completely sold on this author's connection that "iron is essential for proper...normal thyroid activation", but rather the other way around...optimum thyroid function is essential for proper iron metabolism. Regardless, of the chicken/egg argument, they are intricately involved and need to work in concert to alleviate the wide range of diseases and symptoms that occur when they aren't being supplied optimally with nutrients...feeding the thyroid a superb source of organically bound iodine...and iron, such as GBWT, along with the synergistic selenium/Vit E, and magnesium, all of which our diets are low in, seems a first course of action before spending a lot of money on more expensive supplements. Should note that if you are under medical care for any thyroid issue, please consult with them. But a warning here...many endocrinologist are iodo-phobic. Read Gaby's article on Iodine!

Spirulina, kelp and alfalfa are also super foods which are high in organically bound iodine, selenium (in kelp), and minerals.

While it may not be completely clear whether Dr Hulda Clark understood the enormous benefit of GBWT to the endocrine system and health in general beyond the anti-parasitical activity, it seems evident that it has nutritional benefit and healer for those with autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, as well.

There are many ways to make GBWT, but I prefer Dr. Hulda Clark's recipe from her "Cure for All Cancers" book.

Fill a large mouth jar (mason) with green black walnuts, at any ripeness, but should be at least 50% green.
Add equal portions of Everclear Grain alcohol(100proof) or 100 proof vodka (try to get it in glass bottle, as opposed to plastic) and water to make a 50% concentration.
The walnuts should be covered by an inch or so of solvent.
Add 1 t. ascorbic acid or vit C powder/quart of solution (prevents oxidation and helps maintain green color)
Shake.
Let sit for three-four days in dark place.
Make double strength, preferably, by replacing green black walnuts with new ones and let set in dark for another 3-4 days.
Pour off solution into glass jars, cap tightly, label and date.
Store in dark, cool place for up to a year.
Refrigerate after opening.

From my experience, a quart jar will yield about a pint (16 oz, or ~500ml); a 1/2 gal mason jar yields about a quart (32 oz. or ~1 L)
1/2 gal mason jar works best because you can pack the nuts a bit tighter since it's wider.

So, just a reminder.... read Gaby's thread on the importance of Iodine and you just might be compelled to go squirreling for some black walnuts.

A great article on Selenium and it's role in thyroid function can be found here:
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/selenium/

will post this in the Iodine thread and the recent Underground Wellness series: Thyroid thread
http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,39485.0.html

 

[MusicMan]

Thank you for that extensive post, Skyfarmr.
Now I need to source the green Black Walnut hulls.
I have seen the tincture in the health food shops, and they are quite expensive.
I have the cloves and the wormwood, so nearly there.

 

[SummerLite]

Skyfarmr,

Excellent! Thanks for all this information and the timely reminder. My grandkids have been collecting the green walnuts that have fallen from the tree in my front yard, playing with them in one way or another. I completely forgot about making the tincture and I believe you've talked about this before. I'll see what I can gather up. The kids came in at the end of the day and I couldn't figure why their hands where so dirty looking and it wouldn't wash off, then realized their skin was dyed from older(?) walnuts they'd cracked open.

I have a lot of raw materials here of various kinds, waiting to be processed so I guess I'll add a bucket of walnuts to the list!