A Cellular Juice Refresher

Walther Schoenenberger claimed plant juice therapy to be a new path in herbal treatment a highly specialized system designed to wage war on the many ills and complaints of this nerve-jarring age.

His laboratory experiments proved that dried herbs had an altogether different consistency and quality from fresh herbs and the juices of fresh herbs because the fermentation and oxidation processes bring about significant changes. Drying is actually a wilting of the plant and wilting implies loss of water and disturbance of the life structure. Subsequent moistening can't recapture the original condition, as evidenced by soaking dried apples or plums. By the same token, all fluid extracts, whether in water or an alcohol base, forsake certain components inherent only in fresh plant cell juices. The fresh plant is a single harmonious whole, a biological unit, for which Schoenenberger had the highest respect and admiration.

Fresh, cellular plant juices don't fight symptoms or relieve a single complaint. Rather, they are able to steer the entire functioning of the human body onto natural and healthy paths. Combinations of Schoenenberger juices are especially prepared for specific illnesses, whether of the liver, the kidneys, the stomach, the intestines, the heart or the circulation. The synergistic effect of the active substances of these juices is well-known and scientifically proven.

Schoenenberger holds the view that each plant is a complex structure of elements. A particular element is not only dependent on all others, but can only release its full effective essence when all elements work together in the biological unit of the fresh plant. This he calls the "active substance cycle" of the plant which works extraordinarily well on the complex body system. The body's acceptance and assimilation of the elements is facilitated with cellular plant juices because they correspond to the original, natural solution within the plant cells.

The mildness of the juices in contrast to the strong concentrates of chemical medications is gentle to the stomach and intestines. The complex removal of all burdensome cellulose-fibre parts of the plant make the plant juices particularly acceptable to even the most debilitated and sensitive digestive tract.

The versatile organic components of the plant combine with mineral substances drawn from the soil to build a natural, whole entity. In this completeness, the plant's ingredients unfold with a more harmonious effectiveness than from any single isolated component.
As all fresh cellular plant juices contain a preponderance of minerals, they will invariably counteract any over-acidity in the blood. In other words, these juices will restore the correct mineral balance.

How to Use Fresh Plant Juices

As the juices contain all the soluble ingredients of the plant, they are quite concentrated and have a robust flavor. Therefore, it is recommended to dilute them in order to avoid any possible irritations. The only exceptions are fruit juices.

Based on controlled tests and years of experience, the following dosage has been found best: one tablespoon of plant juice diluted in five to six tablespoons of water, tea, milk or soup three times daily. For optimum utilization by the body, take the juice one quarter of an hour before meals or at least five minutes prior to any food consumption.

The dosage can be lowered for wormwood juice. As for hawthorn juice, the dosage can be lowered to one teaspoon diluted, but taken several times daily. Since in such instances one bottle will last more than four to six days, storage in a cool place is imperative.

What quantity of juice should be taken to affect a complete cure? A definite answer is not possible. It has been pointed out that plant juices act as a therapeutic tool over a certain period of time. This by no means precludes the possibility of improvement after a very short interval: however, even then a continuation over a minimum period of several weeks is recommended to strengthen the beneficial effects.

The period of consumption can be extended indefinitely without any ill effects.

Some juices do bring quick results. These include hawthorn juice for a nervous heart; black radish for a congested gall bladder and liver; and valerian for insomnia or general restlessness. For juices that have a diuretic effect, such as birch, bean and celery as well as juniper extract, one must understand that the elimination of the surplus liquid from the system often only begins after two or three days. The ability of coltsfoot, plantain and horsetail juice to loosen mucus, soothe coughs, reduce inflammation and generally build strength can be hastened as well as increased by mixing the juice with natural unpasteurized honey.

Good Winter Juices

Coltsfoot is one of the time-tested remedies for respiratory problems. In the time of Hippocrates, coltsfoot was used in cases of debilitating chronic chest illnesses, such as bronchitis and asthma. The Greek doctor Dioscorides favored it for chest complaints in general. Old folklore agreed with the ancients and, right up until the sixteenth century, coltsfoot was applied for all persistent problems affecting the lungs.

Present-day natural therapy carries on with the tradition set by previous medical knowledge, and coltsfoot is used for hoarseness and the loosening of phlegm as well as cases of chronic bronchitis and enlarged bronchi. For strengthening general bodily resistance, but especially the resistance of the respiratory tract against colds or flu, coltsfoot is most beneficial when combined with rosehip juice.

Coltsfoot juice can be tolerated even by children and it is best taken hourly or several times a day, diluted six to one in hot milk or hot water with honey. The effect is heightened when combined with plantain (ribwort) juice.

The ancient Greeks and Romans used red beets as a remedy for fever complaints. In medieval times the juice of red beet roots was recommended as an easily digestible food during various illnesses.

Red beets are recommended today as an easily digestible food (containing carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals) for cases of weakness, sensitive stomach and for stimulation of the kidneys.

Red beets particularly stimulate the function of the lymphatic system and strengthen bodily resistance to infection in young adults. Because of their general fever-reducing effect, red beets have a most favorable influence on catarrhs in connection with colds and flu.
Commercially available red beet powders are often produced for only one purpose: food coloring. Therefore, not much attention is paid to organic cultivation for the preservation of naturally occurring organic materials. Only organically-grown beets should be used for therapeutic purposes.

Excerpted with permission from Healing With Herbal Juices, by Siegfried Gursche, published by alive Books.