by Catherine Carter
photo credit: Joyce Berbig

Walnuts belong to the plant family Juglandaceae. Native Americans used an infusion of the bark to prevent diarrhea. The chewed bark or an infusion was applied to wounds to prevent bleeding. Homeopaths used, Walnut (Juglans regia), the tincture and low potencies for skin eruptions such as blackheads, acne and crusta lactea which is another term for ‘cradle cap’.

Healing Powers of Walnuts:

• can reduce inflammation
• may alleviate pain
• nourish the kidneys-adrenals, nourish the brain and enrich the sperm
• helpful for painful knees and coldness in the back
• have warming properties
• avoid walnuts if you have signs of internal heat, such as anger, red face, tendency to canker sores, loose stools.
• help to remove arterial residues of fat and cholesterol
• helps to reduce serum lipid levels and high blood pressure in normal men (abstract)
• may improve prostate and vascular health of older men (abstract)

An easy way to increase your walnut intake is to sprinkle chopped walnuts over cooked steel cut oats. Or simply add a tablespoon onto your plate to enhance one of your daily meals.

References:

New England Journal of Medicine 1993; 329:358-360, Jul 29, 1993
Nutrition Journal 2008, 7:13 (2 May 2008)
Boericke Homeopathic Materia Medica