ASHITABA

(Tomorrow Leaf)

Ashitaba is a lush green plant that has its origins on the Island of Hachijo where the warm tropical currents pass by on their way North to meet the cold Arctic waters of the Pacific. Its name meanstomorrows leaf, aptly termed due to its ability to reproduce its green stem and leaf almost on a daily basis. !his ability for rapid growth also indicates the presence of a strong life force or Qi. Ashitabas scientific name, Angelica keiskei Koidzumi, comes from the "atin name for angel, most li#ely due to its hea$enly , well%#nown health benefits that ha$e gi$en it such notoriety. !he inhabitants of Hachijo Island are #nown for their longe$ity, ha$ing some of the longest life spans on earth and li$ing well into their &'(s healthily. !hese people ha$e had Ashitaba as an integral part of their diet for hundreds of years. A few years bac#, I had been suffering from high uric acid and constant gout attac#s, )or o$er * years, in fact, I too# maintenance medicine simply to be able to li$e a functional life. +et, I would still get gout attac#s fre,uently and would be disabled for days, unable to wal# from the pain in my foot. It seemed li#e a curse brought upon by genetics that I was to endure a whole lifetime. -y mother started e.perimenting with Ashitaba around /''0, propagating them around the farm and constantly tal#ing about this new disco$ery. It seemed too good to be true. Ashitaba, as I was later to find out, belongs to the 12 of plants found around the world that are classified as medicinal. As it had history as an effecti$e cure for gout, I became the first guinea pig in this new e.periment and hoping for a cure to my condition. I remember eating 1' lea$es of Ashitaba each day after brea#fast. It was easy on the palate and had some ob$ious side effects at the start. I started to scratch around my body with rashes appearing sporadically in different parts of my body. I was told this was the so%called healing crisis , when the acti$e ingredients of the plant would start to flush the to.ins from your body. Ha$ing endured the crisis for a number of wee#s, I finally went to a dermatologist who ad$ised me to stop eating the lea$es for the time being. "ast year I started ta#ing Ashitaba again, in capsule form now, as we had started to dry the lea$es and place them in /3'mg capsules in a small upstart laboratory. !his time, the healing crisis was not as difficult and ta#ing capsules was definitely much easier than chewing raw lea$es. I also started turmeric and blac# pepper in capsule form, something we also made oursel$es. It seems li#e a miracle that I ha$e not had a bad gout attac# since then. I now ha$e a more balanced diet as I li$e in an organic farm but I can eat food I would ha$e ne$er been able to eat years ago. I e$en drin# beer at times, it didnt seem so long ago that beer was the great enemy as it was brewed from malt hops. -y whole family ta#e Ashitaba daily and so do many others who ha$e started to disco$er the wonders of this hea$enly leaf. It is no wonder then that Ashitaba was once a #ept secret of the elite classes in 4hina as a source of longe$ity. !he oldest written record of the benefits of ashitaba appear to be more than /,''' years old. 5f the many thousands of #nown plants, ashitaba belongs to the elite category called medicinal plants. In 4hina, ashitaba has had a long history of use to purify the blood, deto.ify the li$er, cleanse the colon, impro$e lung function, enhance blood circulation, impro$e ner$e dysfunction, and relie$e muscle and joint pain. )rom the -ing 6ynasty to the 7hogun warriors, the ashitaba plant tra$eled from 4hina to 8apan and was a well guarded secret of strength and longe$ity for hundreds of years among the elite classes of society. In traditional 4hinese medicine, ashitaba is considered a superior, strengthening yin tonic. It has a wide range of #nown, health%promoting benefits. It pro$ides immune system stimulation, promotes healthy function of the stomach and intestines, demonstrates specific anti% $iral and anti%bacterial acti$ity and reduces inflammation.

In recent studies, Ashitaba has out%performed other herbal supplements including green tea , for anti%o.idant potential according to the 5.ygen 9adical Absorbance 4apacity :59A4; guide. It possesses phenolic compounds acti$e as an Anti%5.idant, Anti%Inflammatory, Anti%!umorigenic, Anti%4arcinogenic , Anti%-icrobial and 6eto.ifier.

Tomorrow Leaf (Ashitaba Leaf) !omorrow "eaf was disco$ered in Ha##ejema:Ha##ajima; :8apan;. !he plant grows richly in great abundance. 5nce you pic# one today, tomorrow you will see it start to grow a new life. An 0' years old 8apanese medical doctor who was suffering in his last stage of lung cancer found this plant during his trip to Ha##ajima. He became curious with the leaf until he pic#ed some, ate it noticed that the leaf ga$e him great impro$ement in his health until he was finally cured. He did deep research and disco$ered that the leaf has abundant organic elements. He wrote all the data of his research including his e.perience with !omorrow leaf. He found out also the $alue of the leaf < as herbal medicine, that can cure a lot of other illness. It is also being used in different $arieties of daily food preparation. !omorrow "eaf is considered effecti$e in treating the following disorders= "ung > 4ough > Asthma > 6igesti$e 7ystem > Intestine > ?idney > ?idney 7tones > @rinary !ract Aleeding > "i$er > Ball Aladder > Hepatitis > Ball Aladder 7tones> Help suppress growth of cancer cells > Hemorrhoids > 4onstipation > 6iarrhea > Comiting > Alood Poisoning > 7epticemia > )ertility problems > -ore balanced blood cells> Help in reco$ery of bone injuries > D.ternal wounds > 7#in Allergy > 9heumatism > High 4holesterol le$els > High < "ow Alood pressure > 6iabetes )59 P9DCDN!I5N= 5ption 1= @se 1 or fresh lea$es, wash with salt water , rinse with clean water, chew the lea$es and drin# water.

5ption/= @se 1 or / fresh lea$es, wash with salt water, rinse with clean water, cut in small pieces, add to fruit juice. 6rin# a cup of it 1 to / times a day. 5ptionE= For Curing: @se G lea$es and follow same procedures as abo$e. Note= 6o not drin# any tea after ta#ing the leaf. Allow G hours. )or dry lea$es, boil in water, drin# 1 cup siFe E times a day. "ea$es can be eaten after boiling.