The Reality of Herbal Therapy

Slippery Elm — Nature’s Soothing Remedy

On this Reality of Herbal Therapy episode host Jim Applegate explores slippery elm — one of the essentials from Dr. James’s classic 20‑herb first‑aid kit. Jim explains what slippery elm is, where it grows, and why the inner bark’s mucilage makes it such a versatile, gentle remedy for the whole family.

You’ll learn the herb’s primary actions (mucilaginous coating and soothing of irritated membranes) and practical applications for sore throats, acid irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and other digestive complaints. Jim also explains why slippery elm pairs well with other herbs (for example in the Flem Up formula) and why it’s considered safe and calming for children through the elderly.

The episode covers how to choose good slippery elm — always the inner bark, typically in powdered form, dry and fluffy rather than clumpy, and with a sweet woody scent that signals freshness — plus storage tips to preserve potency.

Jim walks through common preparations: teas, capsules (with advice to drink water), and poultices for local drawing and soothing (abscesses, mastitis, bruises), including basic poultice technique and herb pairings like goldenseal or echinacea for infection‑drawing effects.

He shares a detailed, listener‑friendly recipe for the comforting “Slippery Elm Drink” used by Dr. James and his family: a milk or nut‑milk base blended with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, coconut oil and about one teaspoon of slippery elm powder, finished with a raw egg (or a flax/chia binder for a vegan version). Jim explains why this warm, mucilage‑rich drink helps stop vomiting, soothe digestion, and support bowel function.

Practical notes include when to reach for slippery elm, how to store it (cool, dark cupboard), and why keeping a jar on hand is useful during stomach bugs or sudden sore throats. Jim also references personal anecdotes involving Dr. James, Veronica, and his wife Lynn to illustrate everyday uses and successes.

Listen for clear, actionable tips on selection, preparation, and real‑world uses so you can add slippery elm to your herbal first‑aid toolkit with confidence.

Why Mix Formulas?

I have been asked if it is okay to mix formulas. Here is my answer and a few examples of what formulas work well together.

Clear your pipes

In this episode I share my recent experiences with having digestive issues. I share what Col Cer, Klean Lax and Kolonic Kaps did for me.

The Krebs Cycle for Digestion

Dr James taught about the Krebs cycle for digestion. If you are having issues with digestion following this chart will help you get your body back on track to digest properly.

 

Parsley Tea

In this episode I discuss with you how to make parsley tea and why you would want to drink it.

 

Parsley Tea:

FRESH

1/4 Cup Fresh parsley leaf

1 Cup of Boiling Water

(Optional) Honey or Lemon to taste

DRIED

2 Tablespoons dried parsley leaf

1 Cup of Boiling Water

(Optional) Honey or Lemon

Method

Put parsley into a cup or (a tea strainer if you have one) pour boiling water over leaves and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain and sweeten if desired.

5 ways Parsley Tea is helpful to your body:

1. Kidney stones and Urinary Tract Infections (Supporting Formula Bladney)
2. 25% daily Vitamin C (Supporting Formula C Complex)
3. Menstruation (Supporting Formulas Tonic F, Her Mone)
4. Normalizes Blood Sugar (Supporting Formula Hy Sugar)
5. Breath (Supporting Formula Zime)

Sage and what it can do for you.

With cold and flu season going around I thought I would share with you a simple remedy for a sore throat. Sage Tea.

 

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To make sage tea:

1 Tablespoon sage leaf (dry or fresh is fine)

1 cup Boiling water

Honey and Lemon to taste

Put sage tea in cup add boiling water and let steep for 3-5 minutes.

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I also spoke about Fection, Hay Asz and Monia in the podcast.

 

The Benefits of Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)

In this episode we talk about 6 reasons you would want to add baking soda to your water.

Dr James suggested adding 1 teaspoon of baking soda to 1 gallon of water and to drink one quart of the mixture for every 40 pounds of body weight.

The benefits we talked about are:

1. Balances your body pH
2. Promotes health by killing mold, fungus, and yeast
3. Gets rid of uric acid in the kidneys and bladder to soothe a urinary tract infection
4. Helps with digestion to balance the stomach acid 
5. Helps remove acid in the muscles to prevent post-workout pain
6. Reduces inflammation in the joints 

Flush Your Liver

In this episode I share with you my experience with doing the Liver Flush many times.

 

You can find the directions for the Liver Flush here:

 

http://www.drugfreehelp.com/blog/diet/liver-cleanse/

 

In this episode I talk about Liv Clean and the Full Body Cleanse

Pitfalls of High Protein Diets

We have all heard about the latest high protein diet and how your friend is losing all this weight on this "new" fad diet. But are these diets safe? What happens to your body when you are on one of these diets? Dr Michael James and Scott James answer these questions in this weeks episode.

Some topics covered this week are:

• What does the body do with protein?
• Where is protein stored?
• How is protein digested?
• What is demineralization and what it has to do with your bones?
• A better alternative to high protein diets for weight loss is food combining.
• Cleanse  your body to lose weight.
• Some helpful formulas to take:
  • PM Minerals
  • Vitamin Pack
  • Tissue Mend
  • Nemia

2 topics in 1 episode Food Source Vitamins and Full body Cleanse

This week we have a 2 for 1 for you. The first half of the podcast we discuss our Food Source vitamins:

• Vitamins and their sources
• Our body should make the chemicals we need
• Vitamin C
• 10% natural can be marketed as natural
• Folic Acid
• Nutrients
• Healthy Cell
• Tissue Mend
• B and C Complex
• C Complex

Full Body Cleanse

• Cleanses the:
  • Colon
  • Lungs
  • Blood
  • Kidneys
  • Liver
• In the morning take:
  • 2 Bladney
  • 1 Blood Wash
  • 1 Monia
• In the evening take
  • 2 Kolonic Kaps
  • 1 Liv Clean
  • 1 Col Cer
• Avoid White Sugar, Flour and Processed foods
• Excitotoxins