Spring 2023 Farm Update

Well, it is almost May! Seems impossible…time goes so very fast.
The fava beans are growing well….almost time to take the tops off the tall stems that are about to flower. These I dry for the most potent brandy tincture for my PD symptoms. Doing this also discourages aphids and make the plants send out new stems from the bottom.
Fava flowers, if you have a lot make a good tincture to help with anxiety. Then, I wait for the beans to come on and shell out the inner bean and make tincture from the outer pods.
Last years crop was not good, it got really hot and dry fast. Hopefully this year will be better.
Our Ducks, rabbits, Chickens and goats are well and so is Aunt Bean. We welcome many visitors to the farm. The last ones were a couple from France. We really enjoyed their visit.
God bless, stay strong. We can beat back PD together!
Love, Aunt Bean

Bean Acres Farm Update

Bean Acres Farm has changed a bit this year. We have 2 female goats, which we hope are bred. I had the blessing of milking one of them for 5 months and enjoying fresh warm raw milk and making farmers cheese when there was any extra. After breeding…she decided it was time to “wean me” and take a break from milking twice a day. Oh, how we look forward to spring “kids” and fresh milk again. We also have muskovy ducks, chickens and rabbits. We also have 3 outside cats and just adopted an 8 year old shitzu dog  . Now we are working on revamping the greenhouse area for starting seed trays and making a shaded greenhouse area for mushrooms. We inoculated logs with Lions Mane spawn and are hoping that they will produce next year.

I am still on no pharmaceuticals meds for Parkinsons, but still use the fava pod tincture made from growing our own organic fava beans to control my symptoms.  There is no need for a gym membership here, for I am busy from daylight until dark.

Still doing research on herbs that help symptoms, trying out new gluten free recipes,  playing music and entertaining with my husband at nursing homes. God is good.

Blessings to you all with love,

Aunt Bean

Medications Not Working Well

Question:

My father has Parkinson’s for the last 6-7 years and he is takin Sinemet and supplementing it with mucuna pruieins. Is there any way he can get off of his synthetic meds completely? He does not drink and does not smoke. His diet is a vegan one.
The mucuna powder only offers 50% relief and wares off every 2 hours or so. The Sinemet with entecapone lasts around 4-5 hours and gives 80 to 90% symptom relief.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Answer from Aunt Bean:

Good to hear that mucuna gives  some

relief.

There is something on the internet called favadopa that some people use. If you can get sproutable fava beans, they may help too. Check out the downloadable pamphlets here  for instructions on sprouting and steaming beans.

If you have not eaten fava beans before…it is a good idea to do a G6PD blood test to make sure favas are ok for you. Some people absolutely cannot use them because of a certain  enzyme deficiency that will make them detrimental instead of helpful to a person.
Then, if you find a natural thing that helps, you might start cutting back on pharmaceuticals very , very slowly in tiny increments working closely with your doctor. Never just drop PD meds because your body will react adversely. If possible, try to get your doctor to work with you. Well, I hope this will help you find your path to combating the symptoms of PD more naturally.

Update from Aunt Bean

Greetings from Bean Acres.
The cold temperatures have taken the last of the garden produce, but the unheated greenhouse (which is basically an 80 foot cold frame) is sheltering some fava bean plants that may make some flowers to gather over the winter.
The fava flowers seem to have a beneficial effect on anxiety problems. We started a patch of english lavender and ashwaghanda this year. The research on ashwaghanda seems very promising for PD.. I have been taking it in capsule form every other day for about 8 months.  Fresh root was dried  to start tincture, anything homemade is better, so time will tell.
I still am taking a black cumin seed oil capsule daily.  (Nigella Sativa L.)It is supposed to help all ailments. Also, daily taking a Lions Mane Mushroom capsule , which is supposed to help prevent neuron damage caused by amyloid -beta plaques. Boosts mental functioning and reduces memory loss, promotes nerve regeneration… Helps against depression ,anxiety and chronic inflammation.  It also helps control blood sugar levels and may reduce diabetic nerve pain in hands and feet. Certain types of cancer cells are killed and it can slow tumor growth. It also boosts the immune system.
Anyway, you all do your own research , if these things look promising to you….try one new thing at a time and give it a month. Take notes and see if you have  improvement. I noticed a change within a week of starting black cumin seed oil.
Well, that is my November 2019 report from Bean Acres. May God Bless and guide you as we move toward a new year,. 2020. It seems impossible, considering I never expected to see 2000.
God is good.  Eat good organic fruits and veggies,  get out in the sun and exercise. Smile, laugh , sing.
Love,    Aunt Bean

Farm Update from Aunt Bean

Hello from east Tennessee.

Aunt Bean here , working hard on the farm. We are trying to create a food forest// permaculture farm here.

I feel really good….eating a lot of okra and fresh fruits, berries, sweet peppers, egg plant, fresh organic eggs (not from here). Still do not have chickens.

Have about 100 trees planted now since spring. Some delicious apples of many varieties that I saved the see from in the Oct/ Nov/ Dec months are now trees nearly shoulder high on me. Three are as tall as me already. Others in poorer soil are still about a foot tall…and may not make it thru winter. Still have holes to dig and more of them to plant. My wrist and finger joints are tender from spreading tree mulch, but happy to finally have it to use..

The road crews cutting around power lines nearby have dropped it here 4 times and there is a mountain of wood mulch! Perhaps in a few years…you can come pick apples and other fruits and berries with me. God is so good.

By the way, I am still doing very well taking black cumin seed oil and recommend it highly. I have energy to keep going all day. Also taking a Lions Mane Mushroom capsule daily to regrow brain cells. Only need to take about 2 droppers of fava pod tincture daily. That dose has gone up and down several times since 2009…..at one point I took it 5 times a day before starting to eat a variety of nuts….the nuts are amazing and good snacks too!

May God Bless You all. Have a great day!

Aunt Bean

Fava Bean Sprouts

Question: How do you make the fava tincture if not a gardener and only have access to the beans? do you know of anyone that sells the fava tincture?

Reply: You really cannot make the fava tincture I use without access to fresh organic fava beans or growing the plants. You can make a tincture from sprouting the beans, but I would recommend using the sprouted beans to eat instead of tincturing them. Follow recipe in downloadable pamphlet from Robert’s site . When I did an experiment for a couple of days…. it took 15 sprouted /steamed favas (that I had put in ziplock bag in freezer) in the morning and about 6 more about 1:00 in the afternoon ( I think) to get me thru the day with enough L-dopa to function well.
After the favas are steamed, which only takes a couple minutes with fresh beans,( watch for skins starting to get a split in skin) cool them until easy to handle and pop them out of skins by squeezing gently. Fresh beans do not have the same L-dopa amount as sprouted and it may require a cup of them a day to supplement your L-dopa deficiency. I like the fresh beans as is , and like to saute’ onions and garlic and throw the cooked beans in at the end to flavor and warm them. Also to throw beaten eggs on top of the onions, garlic and favas. YUMMMY.

Question: How do you peel the fava bean-that seemed very cumbersome when i tried to do it…what is the time frame necessary to get it in the freezer to perverse the ldopa? Also, how do you serve eat the peeled steamed fava beans?

Reply: The sprouted beans are much more tedious to peel. I usually freeze them with the skins on and peel as needed. I think this also keeps them from getting freezer burn. But, they have much more L-dopa. We like grinding the sprouts after peeled and frozen into a flour and making no bake sprout balls. Hope this helps…

love and blessings! Aunt Bean

 

Fava Beans Farm Update

“Greetings from east Tennessee.

Things are going well here at Bean Acres. We are planting trees, all kinds of fruit, berries, kiwi, hazel nut, & new herbs. Even trying grafting trees this year.

I am taking a couple of new supplements…black cumin seed oil, and lithium orotate. I have good energy and working hard to get the farm orchard planted. It will soon be time to plant the summer garden plots.

Still doing fine on the fava tinctures and only take a dose when my symptoms present , sometimes just once a day. Other days, if a lot is going on , may take a dose 2 or 3 times (every day is so different). Each day is special.

God is so good. Blessings to you all.

Aunt Bean

Favism

Question for Aunt Bean:
On the G6pd test for favism you recommend – does a person who is not taking Parkinson’s medication need to also take this test before taking the fava bean tincture? Greg

Answer:

If a person has never eaten fava beans…the G6pd blood test shows if you have or don’t have an enzyme deficiency that is very dangerous. It is a heredity condition and fairly rare. This condition is called favism and you can Google it.

Aunt Bean

Aunt Bean’s Breakfast

Robert:

I tried to find Aunt Bean’s reciepe for breakfast. I could not find it. Could you please let me know what it is as I want to start incorporating those ingredient’s in my diet. I know she uses Hemp powder, yogurt, and ground flax seeds. There was one or two more items and I don’t recall what they are. I most likely will join to be a member the fist part of the month.

Thank you,
Laurie

Aunt Bean;s update follows:

Robert Rodgers PhD
Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease
https://www.parkinsonsdisease.me

Answer: 

Aunt Bean’s breakfast has changed considerably . Now my breakfast consists of: Nuts that have been soaked overnight (1 Brazil nut , 2 bitter apricot pits , 4 almonds , 4 walnut halves,  5 cashews.  ) I rinse them several times and eat them. In a while , make eggs….usually saute’ onions and garlic and throw in 2 beaten eggs. For a treat, I’ll throw in fava beans sometimes.  About 10am , make a smoothie with almond milk, banana, fruit (either strawberries, or blueberries or raspberries or blackberries we grow on the farm and freeze), hemp seed Forgot, with the oatmeal…adding ground flax seeds
and protein powder. Delicious!  Occasionally, we have oatmeal with chopped apples, cranberries, nuts and plain organic yogurt.  Hope this helps…

Aunt Bean