Nature Cure Cook Book

At a local library book sale, I came across Nature Cure Cook Book, penned in 1918 by Henry Lindlahr, MD, one of the pioneers of the Nature Cure movement and of Naturopathic Medicine. In fact, Dr. Lindlahr's Philosophy of Natural Therapeutics is a required text in the first semester of naturopathic education.

Before delving into specific remedies, Lindlahr warns that "even the most wholesome foods, in the best possible combination, cannot be properly digested and assimilated if the digestive organs are in a sluggish, atrophic condition. In such cases these organs must be made alive and active through natural methods of treatment." This remains one of the most fundamental principles in naturopathic medicine.

The Nature Cure Cook Book divides all food elements into five categories: starches (St), sugars (S), fats/oils (F), proteins (P), and minerals (M). Each recipe denotes which food elements it contains. This type of notation enables the patient to remain on the prescribed diet. For example, the patient who is prescribed a low-carb diet will know to exclude recipes that have starches and sugars and go straight to the Dandelion and Orange Salad recipe which contains minerals, fat, and protein.

Nature Cure Cook Book: Dandelion and Orange Salad (M,F,P)

Wash the dandelion leaves in very cold water to make them crist; cut into shreds with scissors; peel and chip sweet oranges in proportions of 1 orange to each cup of shredded dandelion.

For a dressing, rub the salad bowl with a garlic, cut a stalk of leek into fine rings, add a little salt, a dash of cayenne pepper, and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Stir well, add the orange and dandelion, toss together with a wooden fork and spoon. Cover with sliced hard-boiled eggs. This salad should be served as soon as mixed.