Are you feeling tired? You may be anemic. You’ll become anemic if you don’t get enough iron. Anemia can also be caused by a lack of folic acid or vitamin B12, blood loss (from menses, peptic ulcers, hemorrhoids, or blood donation), red blood cell destruction, or deficient red blood cell production. Addressing anemia will help you to regain your strength and vitality. Here’s what to do.
HERBS THAT STRENGTHEN THE BLOOD
Many herbal teas are rich in iron and can help build the blood. These include teas made from alfalfa leaves, burdock root, dandelion leaves, nettles, red raspberry leaf, and watercress. Drink any of these herbs individually or in a combination up to three times daily.
Yellow dock helps improve iron assimilation and has been found to free up iron stores in the liver. It can be used in tea, tincture, or capsule form up to three times daily.
Chlorophyll, found in green plants, helps the body utilize oxygen better. Chlorophyll can also be taken in liquid or tablet form as directed on the bottle.
Cures from Grandma’s Kitchen
Good therapeutic juices to consume for anemia include beet, carrot, parsley, spinach, blackberry, black cherry, black currant, kale and red grape. Dilute juices with at least 50 percent water as they can be very sweet and overstimulate the pancreas.
Folic acid, another nutrient needed for healthy blood, is derived from foliage, as in leafy greens. To up your intake of folic acid, eat green leafy vegetables, beans, nutritional yeast, and whole grains. Keep in mind that anti-cancer drugs, epileptic drugs, and birth control pills can contribute to a need for more folic acid.
GOOD TO KNOW!
Though only a blood test known as a hematocrit can determine whether you have anemia for certain, pale fingernails and tongue and lack of color inside the lower eyelid may also be indicators.
VITAMINS THAT BUILD BLOOD
Vitamin B12 deficiency is common in anemics. Dairy products and red meat are important sources of B12. Some fermented foods, such as miso, tamari, and tempeh, also have very trace amounts. Other vegetarian sources of B12 are fortified nutritional yeast, seaweeds, and sunflower seeds. Try to eat a few grams a day of a selection of these foods. You can also supplement with 1,000 mcg of B12 daily.
Note that you can supplement with iron, but it can be constipating and toxic. Ferrous sulfate is often recommended by physicians, but only 10 to 30 percent of it is assimilated. Instead take ferrous fumarate or gluconate, which is less likely to cause digestive problems like constipation.
Taking 500 mg of vitamin C with each meal will help improve the assimilation of iron.
Two products I have long used to improve anemia are Floradix, which is an herbal iron tonic, and Mega Foods Blood Builder, which contains iron, vitamin C, and B12 in appropriate doses as one tablet. Both are available at health food stores.
BEST FOODS FOR ANEMIA
Foods that are high in iron can build the blood and correct anemia. These include almonds, amaranth, apricots, beans, bee pollen, beets, blackberries, blackstrap molasses, burdock root, cherries, eggs, figs, dark green leafy vegetables, liver (organic, please!), mugwort-mochi, prunes, raisins, red meat, and seaweeds.
This Iron Supplements For Anemia article is taken from :
The Country Almanac of Home Remedies - Brigitte Mars
